Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

The atmosphere between the two was warm and sweet, but online, the rumors that they were a gay couple received irrefutable hard evidence: Xiao Baijun’s ex-girlfriend, Zeng Xinyi, gave an interview to Y Network, where she directly spilled all the details of her relationship with Xiao Baijun and the reason for their breakup.

“I was with Xiao Baijun for two months. He was the one who pursued me. It took about six months of pursuing before I agreed. But within a week of us being together, I suggested we break up because he was very cold to me, not at all like someone in a passionate relationship. I couldn’t stand it. I suggested breaking up, but he disagreed, asking me to give him some time and promising to try and change. Seeing his sincerity, I agreed to give our relationship more time to see if we could work things out.”

“Later, he did change a bit, but before long, our dates became three-person outings. The meeting place was either the apartment he shared with Zuo Qiu, or Zuo Qiu would join us. Initially, I didn’t think too much of it, but once I found him viewing gay websites on his phone. That was when I realized he didn’t like women at all, and it was highly likely he was only dating me to use me as a shield. This also explained why he never took my hand, kissed me, or had sex with me in the two months we were dating. I was very angry. I felt deceived, so I asked to break up, and he agreed. He even gave me a large sum of money at the time and asked me not to talk about it outside.”

“Then what was your reason for bringing this up several months later?” a reporter asked.

Zeng Xinyi lowered her head and was silent for a while before saying, “I couldn’t stand them deceiving the public, so I’m standing up to expose them. I guarantee everything I said is true. I have the notification of the transfer he sent me at the time.”

At this point, the camera zoomed in on a bank transfer notification, which showed the transfer time was June 15th, and also displayed a bank card with the first half of the number blurred out, revealing only the last four digits, which matched the card number on the notification.

“Were you aware that Xiao Baijun and Zuo Qiu were together at that time?”

Zeng Xinyi shook her head. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it and didn’t notice any ambiguity between them. It was only later, when they debuted together, that a close friend sent me a picture, saying that this male celebrity wearing a wig and a skirt looked a lot like me. That’s when I realized, belatedly, that I had been Zuo Qiu’s stand-in.”

The screen then displayed two photos: one of Zeng Xinyi with long hair, and the other of Zuo Qiu in his cross-dressing disguise from Come with Me. The similarity between the two was 90%.

…

As soon as Zeng Xinyi’s video—a mix of truth and lies—was released, a new wave of online outrage erupted. Netizens widely criticized Xiao Baijun as a scumbag who deceived women’s feelings and called Zuo Qiu a scheming “green tea bitch” who pretended to be pure. Of course, the main target was Xiao Baijun, with relatively fewer netizens discussing Zuo Qiu.

As soon as the news broke, Z.X’s Weibo lost countless followers. Many netizens said they were extremely disappointed in the two, accused them of deceiving the public, and demanded they be blacklisted and kicked out of the entertainment industry. Only a small number of CP fans stood firm.

At this time, someone else exposed Xiao Baijun’s true identity. Driven by internet trolls, netizens went from criticizing Xiao Baijun all the way to boycotting Xiao Corporation, and the company’s reputation instantly plummeted.

Xiao Baijun, Zuo Qiu, and even Xiao Corporation made no response. However, Ou Sheng couldn’t help himself and spoke up for the pair amid the storm.

“Some people’s faces are too ugly. Let’s see how long you clowns can keep jumping around!”

At first glance, this sentence might seem like a criticism of Xiao Baijun and Zuo Qiu, but a closer examination revealed it was an insinuation against the mastermind behind the scenes. Many netizens commented that Ou Sheng was defending them even in the face of so much evidence, accusing him of being birds of a feather with Xiao Baijun and Zuo Qiu. Consequently, Ou Sheng was also dragged into the criticism, and some netizens who had pre-ordered tickets for Wild Jun online started canceling their purchases. Wild Jun was being collectively boycotted by the public.

Ou Sheng wasn’t satisfied after posting the Weibo comment. He planned to call his friend Wen Shan, hoping the highly respected Wen Shan would speak up for him. However, Cheng Ye stopped him before he could dial the number.

“Are you sure troubling a pregnant woman like this won’t backfire?”

Ou Sheng thought for a moment and held back. Given Rong Jingchen’s protective nature, if getting Wen Shan involved led to her being attacked, affecting her mood and her pregnancy, Rong Jingchen would probably want to kill him and potentially exacerbate the already critical situation.

Cheng Ye looked at Ou Sheng’s angry expression and carefully said, “You were too agitated this time.”

It was more than just agitation; it was a loss of reason. It had nothing to do with him originally, yet he jumped into the eye of the storm himself, which Cheng Ye found completely irrational.

Ou Sheng knew perfectly well that doing so would drag himself and the soon-to-be-released film down, but he didn’t want history to repeat itself.

“This whole thing keeps reminding me of when we were attacked by netizens years ago.”

The reason they could now openly show affection on Weibo and be supported by a group of fans was because they had endured a period of hardship. To this day, Ou Sheng remembered how all their colleagues failed to support them, with only Wen Shan speaking up for them. Now Zuo Qiu and Xiao Baijun were going through the same thing, and he hoped they could also feel a bit of warmth from his support.

Cheng Ye also felt a pang of emotion. It was normal for Ou Sheng to feel such empathy, but Ou Sheng seemed to underestimate Xiao Baijun’s inherent “cunning merchant” mind. Xiao Baijun was incredibly adept at luring the enemy deep, cutting off their means of support, making secret maneuvers, and seizing the initiative. He didn’t need pity from outsiders. Cheng Ye had mixed feelings about Xiao Baijun’s sudden drastic change. On one hand, he felt a sense of accomplishment for having inadvertently helped Xiao Baijun realize his feelings, but on the other hand, the intention behind his tormenting was diverted from its original track, which annoyed him greatly. It was like throwing a hated person into a pile of garbage, only for that person to find a treasure in the trash—it was enough to make one vomit blood.

Ou Sheng ultimately couldn’t find a suitable person to speak up for Xiao Baijun and Zuo Qiu. Firstly, not everyone was willing to jump into the mess as he was. As a result, the online comments were overwhelmingly one-sided.

…

The next day, Xiao Corporation’s stock price, as everyone expected, fell to a record low. The closing price yesterday was 110, but it fell to 80 first thing this morning and continued to drop.

Zuo Qiu hadn’t been following any of this because he had felt uneasy ever since waking up this morning. This unsettling feeling peaked in the afternoon when the two were getting ready to go out—while changing clothes, the jade pendant around Zuo Qiu’s neck unexpectedly fell to the floor and broke into two halves.

Zuo Qiu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the broken red string and the two halves of the pendant on the floor, his lips white. He tremblingly called Yun Duo. Only after hearing the safe voices of Yun Duo and Zuo Qinmin on the phone did he feel relieved.

Just then, Xiao Baijun walked over and asked what was wrong when he saw Zuo Qiu staring blankly.

Zuo Qiu looked up and said to Xiao Baijun with a serious expression, “No matter what happens, remember that your life is the most important thing. Don’t be impulsive.”

Xiao Baijun was dismissive. Although a lot had happened recently, everything was within his expectations. After tomorrow, everything would be fine. “Don’t pay attention to those comments online. Those people who talk about sending knives and dead rats only dare to talk about it. They won’t actually do anything reckless. Believe me, everything will be fine after tomorrow.”

These words failed to comfort Zuo Qiu. His face was pale as he said, “My eyelids have been twitching constantly since I woke up. The toothbrush broke right in the middle while I was brushing my teeth. I even cut my finger while slicing ham. And just now, while changing clothes, my jade pendant broke.”

Xiao Baijun squatted down, picked up the two halves of the pendant, and held them in his palm, comforting him. “Your twitching eyelids are definitely because you didn’t sleep well last night, and that’s my fault for not controlling the time and strength yesterday. Besides, your toothbrush breaking is a normal occurrence, isn’t it? It only happened because you didn’t replace it in time. And cutting your finger must be because you were distracted. As for the jade pendant, look, the red string here already had signs of wear and tear. You just didn’t notice it. They’re all coincidences. Don’t overthink it.”

Zuo Qiu wanted to say that one event was a coincidence, but all of them happening in one day was more than a simple coincidence.

Seeing Zuo Qiu remain silent, Xiao Baijun further reassured him, “Most of the coincidences you mentioned are due to your lack of sleep and oversight. They are actually very normal.”

Zuo Qiu took a deep breath, mentally reassuring himself that he must be overthinking things and that he should trust Xiao Baijun’s capability. After repeatedly hypnotizing himself, he strode toward the door.

Behind him, Xiao Baijun slipped the two halves of the jade pendant into his pocket, planning to throw them away after they left so Zuo Qiu wouldn’t see them and worry again.

…

The two walked side by side down the elevator to the underground parking lot and got into Xiao Baijun’s car. Xiao Baijun had perfected his driving skills in B City recently, so he no longer asked Guo Chen to drive them.

After the car left the residential area, Xiao Baijun noticed several cars trailing them. He frowned, told Zuo Qiu to “hold on tight,” and stepped on the accelerator.

Zuo Qiu grabbed the handle above the door and said to Xiao Baijun, “It just snowed last night; the ground is slippery. Be careful.”

Xiao Baijun glanced at the cars catching up to them in the rearview mirror and replied with a distracted “Mhm.”

Despite their car accelerating, the trailing cars didn’t fall behind. Two cars pulled up side by side with Xiao Baijun’s car, one on the left and one on the right, and another car was tightly following them from behind.

Xiao Baijun saw someone in the car sticking out of the window to aggressively film them. Anger surged up. He hit the steering wheel hard, utterly annoyed.

“Ignore them. Let them film. Our safety is the most important thing.” Zuo Qiu’s anxiety peaked as he saw Xiao Baijun driving faster and faster.

But Xiao Baijun, consumed by anger, didn’t hear what Zuo Qiu said. Seeing a curve ahead, he planned to suddenly change lanes and overtake to shake off the three tailgaters. He floored the gas pedal, crossed the yellow line into the curve, and successfully shook off all three cars. He checked the rearview mirror, where the familiar vehicles were gone. Xiao Baijun’s mouth curved upward.

“Watch out!”

Before Xiao Baijun’s mood could fully recover from the small victory, he heard Zuo Qiu scream next to his ear. Immediately, the steering wheel was forcibly turned to the right. With a loud bang, the right side of the car hit the roadside tree directly.

Xiao Baijun’s head hit the steering wheel. In his daze, he saw a large truck on the left side speeding past, practically grazing his car. He immediately turned to look at Zuo Qiu. The sight made the blood in his entire body seem to stop flowing—blood was streaming down Zuo Qiu’s forehead, and his seatbelt was somehow unbuckled.

The moment the accident happened, Xiao Baijun, with trembling hands, called Xiao Bailin.

“Brother, I was in a car accident. Zuo Qiu has blood all over his head.”

Xiao Bailin’s heart tightened when he heard his brother call him in a trembling voice. He quietly asked Xiao Baijun for the specific situation and comforted him for a few moments before hanging up.

After hanging up, Xiao Bailin said to the three family elders around him with a serious face, “Jun-jun was in a car accident again.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Qiushui and He Can both stood up anxiously, instantly recalling the car accident from three and a half years ago.

“This time, Zuo Qiu was the one injured.”

…

On that New Year’s Eve, Xiao Baijun didn’t close his eyes all night. He held the jade pendant broken in two, standing outside the intensive care unit all night long.

During the three years his family forbade him from driving, he had inwardly complained more than once that his parents were overly cautious. Bumps and scrapes were unavoidable when driving, and one accident didn’t mean he would crash every time he drove. Yet, the fact was that his probability of getting into a car accident was always higher than others.

When learning to drive in S City, he had told himself countless times that for Zuo Qiu’s safety, he should obey traffic rules. But before the accident, he was so focused on accelerating to shake off those annoying flies that he completely neglected Zuo Qiu beside him.

Xiao Baijun could imagine that if Zuo Qiu hadn’t turned the steering wheel in time for him, he would be the one lying in the hospital morgue right now.

Death wasn’t frightening to him at all. He would rather be the one in the morgue than have Zuo Qiu lying motionless in any corner of the hospital. He didn’t want to see Zuo Qiu die because of him, nor did he want to see him lying still in a hospital bed.

Zuo Qiu struggled in the operating room for three hours. After the three hours, the doctor announced that Zuo Qiu had a blood clot in his skull. If he didn’t wake up by 8 AM tomorrow, he would probably never wake up again in this life.

When he heard the news, he felt all the strength drain from his body. He asked himself for the 101st time, Why wasn’t it me lying in there? Zuo Qiu said he felt uneasy before they left this morning. Why couldn’t he have been more careful?

Zuo Qiu had said, “No matter what happens, remember that your life is the most important thing. Don’t be impulsive,” but at the critical moment of life-or-death decision, Zuo Qiu chose to save his life.

Realizing this, Xiao Baijun was overwhelmed with guilt.

When Zuo Qiu’s parents were brought to the hospital, he knelt before the two elders to apologize. Yun Duo and Zuo Qinmin didn’t say anything, just walked past him and sat down on the other side. Xiao Baijun remained kneeling, completely straight. Ten minutes later, Yun Duo broke down, resting on Zuo Qinmin’s shoulder and wailing with heartbreaking grief.

Twenty minutes later, Yun Duo, having finished crying, came over to help Xiao Baijun up, but Xiao Baijun refused. He couldn’t forgive himself. Finally, it was Xiao Zhan who roared at him, telling him to spend the rest of his life taking good care of Zuo Qiu and Zuo Qiu’s parents. Only then did Xiao Baijun stand up. His father was right; he needed to take good care of Zuo Qiu, and he needed a good physique to do so!

In the latter half of the night, only Xiao Baijun remained outside Zuo Qiu’s ICU room. Zuo Qiu’s parents had been persuaded by Yin Qiushui to rest in a patient room, and everyone else had also been arranged for. Only Xiao Baijun refused to leave. He looked at Zuo Qiu through the glass of the ICU room, feeling as if they were separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

…

At 7 AM on New Year’s Day, everyone returned to the area outside Zuo Qiu’s room. However, everyone was stunned when they saw Xiao Baijun, whom they hadn’t seen for only a few hours. Xiao Baijun looked haggard, his hair was messy, his eyes were sunken, the flesh on his face had rapidly disappeared, making his cheekbones stand out prominently. He seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

Xiao Baijun ignored the looks from others. His eyes were fixed on the motionless Zuo Qiu. Only one hour remained before the doctor’s final deadline, yet Zuo Qiu showed no sign of waking up.

Yun Duo couldn’t help but start crying again. Her son was only in his early twenties, and his life had just begun. Was he doomed to lie in bed forever, sustained by medication?

Yin Qiushui sat beside Yun Duo to comfort her, mentioning that Xiao Bailin had contacted the most famous neurosurgeon in the US overnight. Once the doctor arrived, Zuo Qiu would surely be cured.

Yun Duo’s crying slowly stopped.

Another half hour passed. Xiao Baijun was urged by Xiao Bailin to go change his clothes. Xiao Baijun looked down at his phone, finding it dead. He checked his watch; time was indeed running out. He took the bag Xiao Bailin handed him and walked toward the restroom to change. But as soon as he took his first step, his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. Having stood still for too long, both his legs had gone numb.

Xiao Bailin tried to help him up, but Xiao Baijun refused. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and stumbled forward step by step.

This sight made Yin Qiushui and He Can tear up, and even Yun Duo turned her head away, unable to bear watching.

Soon after the two Xiao brothers left, Yun Duo and Zuo Qinmin stood by the window, looking at Zuo Qiu in place of Xiao Baijun.

Zuo Qinmin had been by his wife’s side. Standing at the window with Yun Duo, his heart was filled with boundless sorrow. It was unbearable for him to be told that his son, whom he had raised for over 20 years, might never wake up.

Suddenly, his eyes widened dramatically. He asked Yun Duo uncertainly, “Duo Duo, look at our son’s right hand… Am I seeing things?”

Yun Duo stopped sobbing and looked at Zuo Qiu’s right hand. Her eyes widened with surprise, and she immediately screamed, “Doctor! Doctor! Quick, call the doctor!”

…

At that very moment, Xiao Baijun, dressed in a black suit, was heading with Xiao Bailin to the Brilliant Starlight Hotel under the Xiao Corporation. Here, Xiao Baijun was about to hold a press conference, the invitations for which had been sent out to various media outlets by Zhao Zhixian yesterday morning.

At exactly 8 AM Beijing time, the press conference venue was filled with reporters. However, these reporters noticed that despite the agreed-upon time, the two main figures had not arrived, and only Zhao Zhixian was seen on the main platform.

A minute later, everyone saw Zhao Zhixian on the stage extend an arm toward the backstage area in a welcoming gesture. Subsequently, a long-haired woman wearing a black dress and a white coat walked to the front of the stage. The woman looked to be in her early 20s, with delicate features and a sweet smile, easily comparable to female stars in the entertainment industry.

The reporters exchanged confused glances. The main figures hadn’t appeared. What was the meaning of this young woman’s presence?

The woman seemed oblivious to the crowd’s lack of welcome. She walked to the front, bowed slightly, and then sat down, introducing herself into the microphone: “Hello everyone, my name is Jin Jing, and I am Xiao Baijun’s ex-ex-girlfriend.”

Jin Jing’s voice was sweet, but her words left the crowd even more perplexed. First, there was an ex-girlfriend, and now an ex-ex-girlfriend. What was Xiao Baijun trying to pull?

“I was with Xiao Baijun from March 2nd last year, and we broke up on March 31st,” Jin Jing calmly dropped a bombshell.

As soon as this was said, many people understood the implication. Everyone present covered entertainment news and could recite the recent news about Xiao Baijun by heart. Just two days ago, Xiao Baijun’s ex-girlfriend claimed he pursued her for six months and she only agreed to date in April. Yet, this woman claimed she and Xiao Baijun were together in March. Was someone lying, or was Xiao Baijun two-timing?

At this point, the reporters below were like dogs sniffing a meat bun, excitedly starting to bombard Jin Jing with questions.

All the media outlets wanted to speak, causing a chaotic mess below the stage.

“The staff on the floor have microphones. If you have questions, you can ask the staff for a microphone.”

As soon as Jin Jing finished speaking, a quick-witted reporter snatched the first microphone.

“Excuse me, were you aware that Xiao Baijun was pursuing someone else while he was dating you?”

Jin Jing smiled. “As far as I know, when Xiao Baijun was with me, he wasn’t ambiguous with any other girl, and it’s even less likely he was pursuing someone else.”

“Are you that sure?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure, because before we broke up, he confessed to me that he liked a boy. He told me he was very confused, feeling like he liked the person but didn’t dare to. He found that even when he was with me, he was still thinking about that person, so he didn’t want to waste my time anymore. Although I was a little angry that he pursued me when he liked someone else, I was won over by his honesty. I felt that he was actually a pitiful person, so we talked a lot, and then we broke up peacefully. Before we broke up, he even transferred a sum of money to me, saying it was compensation for me. I was quite surprised at the time, as he always paid when we went out and bought me many gifts. In the month we were together, we never even held hands once; we got along like regular friends. Of course, except for him not telling me he liked boys beforehand, I don’t feel he owed me compensation.”

A reporter commented, “Ms. Jin is too kind-hearted. It’s highly likely Xiao Baijun was using you as an experiment. Did you forgive him that easily?”

“Emmmm, maybe so. But don’t all couples try to understand and adjust to each other when they first get together? You’ll never know if you’re a good fit until you try. Just like a recent ex-boyfriend of mine—I thought he was tall, handsome, and an academic star, my ideal type. But after two months, I couldn’t stand his messy living habits, so I broke up with him. Xiao Baijun’s sexual orientation used to be heterosexual. When he suddenly changed his orientation, anyone would want to confirm it. You’re calling him a scumbag now, probably because you feel he deceived us,” Jin Jing chuckled here. “But what you don’t know is that I actually really wanted him to keep deceiving me for a while longer, so I would have time to ‘turn’ him straight and make him love me forever. It’s just a pity my capabilities were limited.”

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a wave of good-natured laughter from the audience. In all fairness, Xiao Baijun was top-tier in terms of both looks and family background. What was more commendable was that, based on the numerous pieces of evidence unearthed by the media and netizens, his affection for Zuo Qiu was genuine.

“Ms. Jin, do you know Zeng Xinyi? The girlfriend Xiao Baijun dated after you. Her experience seems even worse than yours.”

“I only found out recently from the news that the employee who splashed coffee on Xiao Baijun at the coffee shop was named Zeng Xinyi. Xiao Baijun and I met her together when we were discussing our breakup on March 31st.”

Jin Jing’s words directly contradicted Zeng Xinyi’s video interview. If they only met in March, and she started dating him in April, how could he have pursued her for six months?

“Ms. Jin, do you have any evidence for what you just said?”

Jin Jing thought for a moment. “That day, Xiao Baijun’s designer clothes were soaked. Zeng Xinyi was very scared Xiao Baijun would make her pay for them and kept apologizing. Later, the coffee shop manager also came out to apologize. Oh yes, that coffee shop is on the back street of A University, called A+B Coffee Shop. If you go and ask, you should still be able to confirm it.”

It must be said that Ms. Jin Jing was very shrewd. In a few words, she completely dismantled Zeng Xinyi’s lies. The time, place, and people she mentioned were well-reasoned. People could go and verify it themselves. This significantly reduced the credibility of Zeng Xinyi’s video statement.

Half an hour later, a reporter asked the last question: “What is your reason for sitting here for this interview?”

Jin Jing smiled playfully: “Because I couldn’t stand someone deceiving the public, so I’m standing up to expose her.”

The words were familiar, but the meaning expressed was completely opposite.

After Jin Jing left, Zhao Zhixian announced solemnly into the microphone, “Next, please welcome the new CEO of Bai Le, Xiao Baijun, to the stage.”

Everyone was stunned by Xiao Baijun’s new title. Looking at Zhao Zhixian’s expression, everyone had the same thought: Someone is about to have a bad time!