[ABO] The Despised One Becomes an Internet Sensation After Marriage - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

At that time, Jiang Xiaocheng was a newcomer and wasn’t as famous as Xu Zhimian. If Xu Zhimian had wanted to, he could have easily won the case.

The expression on Xu Zhimian’s face faded. Shifting his gaze to the agreement, he said vaguely, “I just… didn’t want to appeal anymore, so I dropped it.”

“You didn’t want to appeal?” Fu Shiyan frowned, crossing his arms and looking down at him. “…There’s no need to lie to me.”

“…”

A long silence filled the air.

“Jiang Xiaocheng joined the company three months before you. After you joined, he took great care of you for a time. The two of you were exceptionally close, caught by the media traveling together multiple times. Shortly after, the relationship cooled. Half a year later, Jiang Xiaocheng made his solo debut with “Listening to That Rain.”

Xu Zhimian turned his head, his eyes wide. “You investigated me?!”

“…” Fu Shiyan pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. “Is that the point?”

Hearing the Alpha’s tone—one that didn’t even bother to offer an explanation—Xu Zhimian opened his mouth, but the image of Qi Qingran flashed through his mind. If the person standing here were Qi Qingran, would Fu Shiyan be this dismissive?

Bitterness welled up in his heart, and he fell silent.

The longer they spent together, the more Fu Shiyan felt he could read Xu Zhimian like a book. His thoughts were erratic, he often said shocking things, and every emotion was written clearly on his face. If someone like this didn’t get cheated, who would?

He glanced at Xu Zhimian’s slumped posture; the words “I’m overthinking again” were practically written across his forehead. Fu Shiyan felt both amused and helpless.

He beckoned, “Come here.”

If he were Qi Qingran, would Fu Shiyan treat him with such a casual attitude?

Xu Zhimian felt frozen in place. He pulled out a chair and sat straight down. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it from there.”

“…” Across the desk, Fu Shiyan paused. “Fine.”

Fu Shiyan opened his laptop and played an audio file.

A hauntingly familiar conversation filled the room:

“Can I really use this for secondary creation? It wouldn’t be good to be accused of infringement…” “…No, I am the original creator. I give my consent.” “I heard this is a song you wrote for your grandmother?” “Yes, so you must treat it well.”

Xu Zhimian felt a chill run through his entire body. He stared in shock. “…There’s something wrong with this recording. That’s not how I started that sentence.”

“This recording was sent to me by the opposing lawyer. The date is prior to when you dropped the previous lawsuit. If this recording is linked to your previous withdrawal,” Xu Zhimian found himself staring into the Alpha’s deep, dark eyes as Fu Shiyan continued in a solemn, cold voice, “then this lawsuit… is doomed to fail.”

Once this recording was linked to the previous withdrawal, as long as Jiang Xiaocheng’s side stood firm, Xu Zhimian’s current appeal would be seen as a self-directed drama. He would be branded a “backstabber,” and public opinion would turn entirely against him.

This was why Fu Shiyan had ordered Assistant Li to investigate the history between the two overnight.

“…So, what was the real reason you dropped the charges back then?”

Xu Zhimian remained silent for a long time. Eventually, he spoke: “I went soft-hearted.”

When he first joined the company, Jiang Xiaocheng wasn’t like he is now. He was sweet-talking, always smiling, and was a faceless singing streamer with tens of millions of followers.

After signing with the company, Jiang Xiaocheng was the center of attention. Even though Xu Zhimian was a nobody at the time, Jiang never put on airs.

Back then, Xu Zhimian only wanted to save money to buy a burial plot for his late grandmother and had no interest in socializing. Moreover, a strict manager appreciated him and occasionally secured resources for him.

His peers were jealous. They spread rumors that he had slept with the manager to get into the company through the “back door,” and said that with his constant gloom, it was no wonder his whole family was dead… the insults were endless.

When Jiang Xiaocheng found out, he flew into a rage and punched the offenders on the spot, breaking two of his own ribs in the process.

At the time, Xu Zhimian had been cold. “What does it matter to you if they insult me? Who asked you to play the hero?”

Jiang Xiaocheng had turned deathly pale from the pain, unable to get up. Lying on the hospital bed, his eyes bulged. “What are you saying?! You’re under my wing. If I don’t protect you, who will?”

Xu Zhimian stood there, stunned, looking at him.

Back then, Jiang Xiaocheng was sincere, brave, and optimistic. Even if he was the one getting beaten, he would still grumble about protecting Xu Zhimian.

When did he change?

At that time, they shared the same manager, Yu Zhicheng. Yu had a sharp eye; he loved Xu Zhimian’s voice and wanted him to debut as a singer.

However, there was only one spot on the priority training list. Without hesitation, the manager abandoned the hardworking Jiang Xiaocheng and gave the spot to the naturally gifted Xu Zhimian.

Xu Zhimian didn’t know the inside story. When he excitedly shared the news with Jiang Xiaocheng, Jiang gritted his teeth and looked at him with resentment. “…Is it necessary to come and brag in front of me?”

Xu Zhimian only understood the truth after hearing it from others. He gave up the debut spot. Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaocheng pointed at his nose and cursed: “Why are you being so fake! I don’t need your charity.”

Being in the same industry under the same manager meant competition was inevitable. Xu Zhimian made a decisive choice: wanting to keep his best friend, he turned his back on singing and went into acting instead.

But a rift had already formed.

Jiang Xiaocheng’s debut didn’t go smoothly. His original songs were repeatedly rejected by the manager. After being denied again and again, Jiang even fell into depression.

Until one day, Xu Zhimian heard Jiang Xiaocheng playing his song, Rain After a Long Drought. Seeing the long-lost smile on Jiang’s face, Jiang wept with joy: “This is it! This is the feeling I want! My inspiration is here, but I only have this snippet. If only I had the whole song.”

That night, Xu Zhimian sat on the rooftop as the night dew fell. Looking at the full moon, he thought: Aside from Xu Jianan, Jiang Xiaocheng is my only friend in this world. I have to pull my friend out of the mud.

The next day, Xu Zhimian printed out the full score and placed it in front of Jiang Xiaocheng.

Jiang Xiaocheng was shocked. “Where did you get this?”

“Yes,” Xu Zhimian said indifferently, pushing the score toward him. “You can use it for inspiration.”

“Can I really? Never mind, if I listen to it too much, I’ll definitely end up singing it during a stream. It wouldn’t be good to be accused of infringement.”

“…No, I am the original creator. I give my consent.”

Xu Zhimian added, “You can sing it in your stream.”

“I heard… this is the song you wrote for your grandmother?”

Xu Zhimian nodded. “Yes. So you must treat it well. Don’t lose the score.”

Shortly after, Jiang Xiaocheng’s debut song Listening to That Rain was released. Xu Zhimian discovered the original melody was 85% similar to Rain After a Long Drought. He confronted Jiang in a rage, but Jiang avoided him. In desperation, Xu Zhimian sued him.

Just as he was about to win, Jiang Xiaocheng found him. He promised to take the song down and played the “victim” card, bringing up the time he broke two ribs for Xu Zhimian.

Xu Zhimian’s heart softened. After all, this was the person he had once considered his only best friend. He trusted Jiang Xiaocheng one more time and dropped the lawsuit.

Jiang Xiaocheng deceived him. By then, the manager had changed to Chen Yubin. When Xu Zhimian refused to submit to him, he was blacklisted and “frozen,” leaving him with no money for legal fees.

He became numb, only wanting to save enough to buy the burial plot for his grandmother.

Just as he finally saved enough and bought the plot, he encountered an executive who tried to force him into a “casting couch” situation, leading to him being blacklisted and smeared across the entire internet.

And then, he met Fu Shiyan at Victoria.

Falling into memories is always painful. If they had just disliked each other from the start, it would have been fine. But he had truly considered Jiang Xiaocheng his only best friend.

That feeling of being stabbed in the chest—he never wanted to experience it again. It hurt too much.

Xu Zhimian’s tone was flat—so flat he thought he had moved on. That was until Fu Shiyan walked over, pulled him into his arms, and rubbed the back of his head. “…Cry. I’m here.”

Fu Shiyan’s usually deep voice trembled slightly, as if… he was heartbroken for him.

Xu Zhimian’s tense body stiffened. Buried against Fu Shiyan’s torso, he wiped the warm tears from his face and thought bitingly: With this sudden tenderness from Fu Shiyan, I really… I’m really going to misunderstand.

…

Fu Shiyan’s worries were well-founded.

Jiang Xiaocheng’s side never responded on Weibo. Instead, three days later, on the first day of the trial, Nan Feng leaked that recording.

Immediately afterward, Jiang’s studio released the audio file on Weibo.

Because Fu Shiyan had prepared for the worst, the tide of the entire internet turned instantly.

“Crying/Crying… finally, the reversal! I knew my Xiaocheng was being framed. I’ve watched him since he was a streamer; he wouldn’t do something so unethical!”

“Heh, damn it. To think I defended Xu Zhimian so much. Who knew he literally said ‘No, I agree’—total proof. I regret defending you!”

“So it was ‘secondary creation.’ Since he agreed to it himself, why go back on his word? Appealing twice just to get attention, how pathetic.”

“I knew something was wrong when Chengzi didn’t respond for so long! Thank god I didn’t follow the trend and side with Xu Zhimian!”

“Since Chengzi didn’t plagiarize, can I insult Xu Zhimian without holding back now? Damn, he really knows how to play the victim. He isolated Jiang Xiaocheng on the show and formed cliques—disgusting. I’ve hated him for a long time. Giving consent for creation and then backstabbing when the person gets famous? Vomit, so gross.”

Fu Family Villa.

Fu Shiyan took the phone away and squeezed the back of Xu Zhimian’s neck. “Isn’t it painful to keep reading the hate comments?”

Xu Zhimian buried his face in a pillow and mumbled, “Of course it’s painful.”

He wasn’t made of steel.

“…I’ll handle it.”

Those few words were worth a thousand.

Xu Zhimian lifted his face from the pillow and stared straight at Fu Shiyan. After a few seconds, he suddenly threw the blanket over Fu Shiyan, catching him off guard and pinning him down.

“Fu Shiyan,” Xu Zhimian called his name in a muffled voice.

“…Mm?”

“If you keep doing this, I really won’t be able to leave you.”