Goodbye, Scumbag! The Powerful CEO Is My New Devoted Lover - Chapter 10

The headline about the heir of the Yan family cheating hung stubbornly at the top of the trending list. The heat was off the charts, impossible to suppress.

The comments section was filthy. Consequently, the Yan family’s stock prices had taken a significant hit.

“Did you do this?” Su Xiao turned off her screen and looked at Xu An with suspicion. This kind of vengeful, tooth-for-a-tooth tactic felt very much like that person’s handiwork. But after how badly things ended between them, it seemed impossible that he would intervene.

“You aren’t going to blame me for being too ruthless, are you…?” Xu An lowered her head, feeling unusually guilty. She didn’t want to lie to Su Xiao, but the person behind the scenes insisted she take the fall for it.

“How could I?” Su Xiao looked at Xu An’s pitiful expression and finally couldn’t help but laugh through her tears. “I’m not so high on fever that I’ve gone stupid. Why would I get angry at you for helping me?”

“Xiaoxiao!” Xu An rubbed against her arm, acting spoiled. “You’re the best.” She meant it. If Su Xiao hadn’t been by her side during those dark days, she never would have had the courage to stand back up, let alone stand in the spotlight today to fulfill her dreams.

Seeing Su Xiao finally smile, Xu An breathed a sigh of relief. She had been truly afraid that if the pressure kept mounting, Su Xiao would collapse. Right now, troubles were piling up on Su Xiao layer by layer, and what she and Qin Yu could do was ultimately limited.

“By the way, Qin Yu was afraid of more accidents, so he halted the studio’s business this afternoon. They worked overtime to transport all the works from the gallery back.” Xu An reached out to feel Su Xiao’s forehead. “If your fever breaks tomorrow, you can go to the studio to take a look.”

“Okay.” Su Xiao’s smile suddenly froze. Her gaze bypassed Xu An and landed on the door of the hospital room.

Yan Mingshen had actually bought a bouquet of flowers. Wearing the black shirt she liked, he walked into the room.

“Xu An, I want to talk to Su Xiao alone.”

“Yan Mingshen, you!” Xu An clenched her fists, ready to explode, but Su Xiao stopped her.

“It’s fine, An’an.” Su Xiao pulled at her sleeve, signaling she was okay. “Wait for me in the hallway for a bit, okay?”

“Fine.” Xu An gave Yan Mingshen a distrustful look before turning to Su Xiao. “If he bullies you, just shout. Those bodyguards are still waiting outside.”

“I will.”

Once Su Xiao nodded obediently, Xu An sighed and left the room, looking back three times with every step.

“Xiaoxiao, tell Xu An to take down the trending search.” Yan Mingshen handed the flowers to Su Xiao. He spoke directly, without any preamble.

Su Xiao didn’t look at him. She stared out the window, her voice as light as a sigh. “Yan Mingshen, my head hurts so much.”

At noon, he had stood by coldly and watched as she was swallowed by the crowd, yet now he had rushed to the hospital specifically to demand she take down the search for Xia Zhi’s sake. What did he take her for?

“Xia Zhi is in poor health; she can’t handle the stress.” Yan Mingshen frowned when he saw her expression. He set the flowers on the nightstand. “As long as you take down the search, we can call it even regarding what happened between us, okay?”

“What about me?” Su Xiao suddenly turned to him, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. She looked like an aggrieved young animal. “Where were you when I was being pelted with eggs?”

Xia Zhi’s injuries weren’t caused by her, so why should she have to pay the price for the debt of gratitude Yan Mingshen owed? She had heard of outsourcing family duties, but since when was gratitude outsourced as well?

“Su Xiao, this matter has a significant impact on the Yan family’s stock market.” Yan Mingshen lowered his eyes, his pale pupils reflecting her figure, though they held a faint hint of disdain. “Don’t be unreasonable.”

That look again. It felt like his gaze had started to change ever since the gallery fire.

“Yan Mingshen, do you think I’m nothing without the gallery?” Su Xiao turned her head away, tears falling silently onto the back of her hand. She was afraid to hear the answer, yet she couldn’t help but personally end the last shred of fantasy she had left for him. She had never imagined that one day things would turn this ugly between them.

“Xiaoxiao.” Yan Mingshen sighed and reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of her eye, softening his tone like he was granting a favor. “You’ve vented your anger. Xia Xia just returned to the country and hasn’t started her career yet. What is she supposed to do in the future?”

Xia Zhi… it was always Xia Zhi. Every word out of his mouth was about that woman; he hadn’t considered her at all. He even ignored her direct questions.

“What about my career?” Su Xiao couldn’t control herself; she picked up the flowers from the nightstand and threw them hard at Yan Mingshen. “Am I just supposed to be her stepping stone?”

Yan Mingshen’s face darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Su Xiao suddenly lost all her strength. Her shoulders slumped, and the ferocity in her eyes dissolved into watery sorrow. She lowered her lashes, her long shadows trembling like butterflies in the wind. Her voice softened, heavy with a nasal congestion.

“Mingshen, I don’t want to fight with you.” She slowly raised her hand, revealing her bandaged wrist. “This isn’t the first time for my hand. I don’t even know if it will ever recover.”

Tears dripped down her cheeks and onto the cast. “Mingshen, I have nothing left.” She sniffled and lightly grabbed his sleeve. “Could you…”

Before finishing, she let go and turned away, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s hum. “Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything. You have Miss Xia in your heart; I shouldn’t make things difficult for you.”

Yan Mingshen looked at her reddened eyes. His heart felt as though it had been struck by something heavy, and guilt surged up. He truly did owe her.

“The two villas on the Second Ring Road, I’ll have them transferred to your name.” He heard his own voice, carrying a trace of yielding he hadn’t noticed himself. “Just have Xu An take down the search and don’t let the reporters harass Xia Zhi anymore.”

“Mingshen.” Su Xiao’s tears fell even harder, but she reached out and lightly tugged his arm. “I’ll message Xu An right now and tell her to take down the search immediately and delete all those messy reports, okay?”

Seeing her look so dependent on him, Yan Mingshen’s tensed nerves finally relaxed. He reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone softening. “Good. Just be obedient.”

Su Xiao lowered her head, her lips curling up at an angle he couldn’t see. Her tears were still falling, but her heart felt as cold and clear as a fresh snowfall. What she wanted was never his guilt; it was concrete compensation. She would use what he owed her to fill the pit beneath her feet.

As soon as Yan Mingshen left, Xu An carefully pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the gardenias scattered on the floor and Su Xiao’s eyes red from crying, a flash of heartache crossed Xu An’s eyes.

“I knew that dog Yan Mingshen was up to no good.” She stepped over the trash, walked to Su Xiao’s side, and gently patted her back. “Are you okay, Xiaoxiao?”