Chapter 92

Overnight, Shen Huaixi lost everything.

Fame, status, wealth...

Even Shen Liangyu, who had always treated him like his own child, immediately acted on Wen Ningshu's directive without a second thought and completely expelled him from the Shen family.

They were extremely ruthless, only allowing him to take what could fit in a suitcase.

Everything else, including the supplementary card he had since childhood, was all cut off.

As the Shen family's old mansion faded into the distance, Shen Huaixi felt like he was in a dream.

Ever since Su Xingyao left the Shen family, it seemed that everything had started to change.

Qin Mingchuan, who once adored him, no longer cared for him, and Fu Qingyan, after uncovering the truth, cut all ties with him.

Once a top star in the entertainment industry, he was now universally despised and couldn't continue his career.

Finally, even his current sole backer, the Shen family, completely severed all ties with him.

Shen Huaixi was deeply resentful.

Especially this time.

He knew better than anyone that he was implicated in the recent incident where Su Xingyao was pushed off a cliff by Chu Zian.

How innocent he felt!!!

Since birth, a voice had always firmly told him that he would be the only protagonist in this world.

He was the child of fortune, destined to receive all the flowers, applause, praise, and love.

For over a decade, this had indeed been the case.

His life was smooth, and he rose rapidly, cherished by everyone.

But why, suddenly, did he lose everything???

Shen Huaixi found everything hard to believe.

He didn't know where he had gone wrong to end up in such a pitiful state.

However, having left the Shen family, Shen Huaixi had no choice but to face his now failed life.

Qin Mingchuan no longer saw him and terminated his contract, while Fu Qingyan also had a falling out with him.

Now, without the Shen family's support, his quality of life had drastically declined.

It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality.

Accustomed to the life of a young master, he didn't know how to manage finances, had no habit of saving, and spent money like water.

Now, suddenly facing such a drastic change.

After quickly exhausting his savings, Shen Huaixi had no choice but to bow to life's realities.

So he could only swallow his pride, lower himself, and reach out to resources he once looked down upon.

In the past, he could pick any leading role script he wanted, and both Qin Mingchuan and Fu Qingyan would hand them to him without hesitation.

But now, with all his fame faded and no longer a big star, he can’t even land a supporting role.

Heard that live-streaming sales were a quick way to make cash, he decided to give it a try.

However, he bombed his very first live stream, and unable to continue, he had to quit and ended up paying the live-streaming company for breaking the contract.

After putting up with all that humiliation and frustration, Shen Huaixi had had enough.

The entertainment industry, a place that kisses up to the successful and kicks the down-and-out, is great at tormenting a has-been like him, caught up in scandals.

One night, after getting yelled at by the director in front of hundreds for a tiny role, Shen Huaixi lost it and called Auntie Liu.

"Auntie Liu, I’m hurting so bad, everyone’s walking all over me."

"It’s all Su Xingyao’s fault, he’s the reason I’m a wreck now."

"I hate him, I can’t stand him…"

"If it wasn’t for him, my parents wouldn’t have kicked me out of the Shen family."

Auntie Liu listened with a heavy heart to Shen Huaixi’s gripes.

At first, she told him to hang tight, wait for the Shen couple to cool off, and then they’d take him back.

But hearing Shen Huaixi sob about how his life’s a mess, worse than a dog’s, all because of Su Xingyao, Auntie Liu, who always looked out for him, started to waver after hearing all this.

This winter flew by for Su Xingyao.

*

He’d always hated winter.

As a kid, winter was the toughest season for him.

In summer, he could beat the heat, but in winter, his foster parents would lock him and his sister in a freezing, dark room with no way to stay warm.

So every winter, he’d count the days, wishing it would hurry up and end.

Even years after leaving that place, winter still dragged on for him.

But this winter felt a bit different.

Before he knew it, it had slipped by.

It was just everyday life with Lu Jiuxu.

But one morning when he went out, he suddenly noticed that the large peonies planted in the villa had quietly sprouted new buds.

Spring crept in, and Su Xingyao’s album was almost done by then.

When Lu Jiuxu came to see Su Xingyao, he was shooting the promotional materials for the album.

Today, Su Xingyao was shooting the small cards that are currently the most popular giveaway with new albums.

Su Xingyao was fully focused on the lyrics and production of the album and originally had no concept of these popular giveaways.

But fans kept leaving messages every day, hoping for a few small cards to be included.

After considering everyone's feedback, Su Xingyao agreed to quickly schedule a reshoot.

However, unlike the idols from Korean groups who are skilled at such tasks, Su Xingyao's photo session for the small cards wasn't going smoothly.

When Lu Jiuxu arrived at the shooting site to find Su Xingyao, the latter was resting after getting tired from the shoot.

He rested one hand on a white round table, his eyes softly gazing at the blooming peonies in front of him.

Warm sunlight enveloped his entire body, making him resemble a sprite of spring.

Lu Jiuxu stood two meters away from Su Xingyao.

Instinctively, as he often did, he raised his phone, aimed it at the person in his view, and gently pressed the shutter.

Lu Jiuxu's album didn't contain many photos.

But all of them were related to Su Xingyao.

After discreetly capturing this moment, Lu Jiuxu naturally put his phone away.

However, unexpectedly, this time his sneaky photo-taking was caught in the act.

Zhou Huixue stood behind him, smiling as she said, "Mr. Lu, what brings you here..."

Her eyes swept over his now black-screened phone, and she raised an eyebrow, "To sneak a photo of our Xing Yao?"

Lu Jiuxu didn't deny it, smiling as he openly put his phone back into his pocket.

Although Lu Jiuxu's shot was quick, and Zhou Huixue only caught a glimpse, she clearly saw how stunning Su Xingyao appeared through Lu Jiuxu's lens.

She didn't mention how much he must have practiced in private to frame and capture Su Xingyao's beauty so precisely in such a short time.

Instead, she glanced meaningfully at Su Xingyao nearby.

"Su Su is worn out from shooting the small cards, and the photographer still hasn't found a satisfactory shot. If you ask me, if Mr. Lu took over, it would probably be finished by now."

Lu Jiuxu chuckled quietly, replying in a very casual tone, "Is that so?"

Zhou Huixue nodded with complete sincerity.

"Of course!"

"Totally a boyfriend's perspective!"

Su Xingyao in Lu Jiuxu's lens was truly the god of beauty from ancient Greek mythology!

As Zhou Huixue teased, Su Xingyao looked over.

Lu Jiuxu didn't continue the conversation with her and walked directly to Su Xingyao's side.

"Why are you here?"

Seeing Lu Jiuxu, Su Xingyao's eyes were filled with surprise and joy.

He hadn't expected Lu Jiuxu to appear in this place.

Although they had already established their relationship, generally, they didn't appear at each other's workplaces.

Seeing the happiness in Su Xingyao's eyes upon seeing him, Lu Jiuxu raised his hand but ultimately restrained himself from touching Su Xingyao's cheek in front of everyone.

Even though he really wanted to do so at that moment.

"I have an urgent business trip abroad, likely for a week."

The smile in Su Xingyao's eyes dimmed slightly.

He glanced at Lu Jiuxu, impeccably dressed, and the assistant standing nearby, and asked, "Are you leaving now?"

"Yes."

Hearing this, Su Xingyao grasped the urgency.

He nodded, urging Lu Jiuxu to hurry so he wouldn’t miss his flight.

"You could’ve just called; no need to come all this way."

But Lu Jiuxu didn’t budge.

He looked up at Su Xingyao, then, taking advantage of the lack of people around, leaned in close, his words drawn out.

"But I just couldn’t resist coming to see you."

His warm breath brushed Su Xingyao’s ear.

Su Xingyao’s earlobe, grazed by Lu Jiuxu’s lips, flushed cherry-red.

He stepped back, giving a gentle push.

"Well... safe travels."

After turning his boyfriend’s ears red in person, Lu Jiuxu boarded the plane, satisfied.

Little did Lu Jiuxu know, as he left for his business trip, Su Xingyao would face the worst cyberbullying attack of his life.

Lanxing’s website had just announced Su Xingyao’s new album, set for release on March 12th.

That same night, at midnight, a post titled "Su Xingyao’s Sister is a Murderer" flooded social media.

The accounts dropped the bombshell bluntly, flooding Su Xingyao’s super topic with screenshots.

The first screenshot showed a forum post.

It featured a high school graduation photo.

In the photo, Su Xingyao was circled in red, his name highlighted below.

Revelation 1: Su Xingyao changed his name—his real name was Yue Shuang.

Below, photos of Su Xingyao’s high school activities and awards were included.

Every name on them was Yue Shuang.

Building on this, the accounts released another image.

It was a group photo from an orphanage.

In the photo, the extremely thin boy standing at the far end of the first row looked exactly like Su Xingyao.

It was already so obvious, but the leaker still seemed to fear that people might not know who this person was and even "considerately" attached another photo from the orphanage next to it.

The photo showed a list of children from the orphanage, and the name Yue Shuang was clearly listed.

The final photo released was the most significant, and it also aligned with the narrative of "Su Xingyao's sister is a murderer." It was an old photo.

A faded old photo was shared—

On both sides of a shabby street, for unknown reasons, a dense crowd stood.

People in different positions were all looking in the same direction at that moment.

Where the crowd was looking, there were many police officers.

They were bringing a young girl to a police car, apparently ready to take her away.

However, the girl surrounded by the police halted abruptly.

Because behind her, a little boy was following, teary-eyed.

His small, frail hand was tightly clutching the girl's clothes, refusing to let go despite anyone's efforts.

The girl glanced back at him, so her face was not visible.

But the little boy, who was sobbing uncontrollably in the photo, was specifically cropped, shared, and enlarged.

His eyebrows and eyes looked exactly like Su Xingyao's, the miniature version of Su Xingyao.

Following the three photos were screenshots of alleged insider revelations.

Insider 1:

"The name Yue Shuang, I recall the older generation mentioning it when I was young. He did have a sister, who seemed to have committed a serious crime. Many police officers went to his house to arrest her back then."

Insider 2:

"If I remember correctly, Su Xingyao's sister should be named Su Nian. She did kill someone, and it was a major scandal when she was publicly arrested by the police."

Insider 3:

"Isn't Su Xingyao's sister a murderer? I heard that because of the bad influence, he had to leave the area. Later, it was the local government who stepped in to help him transfer schools and update his records to resolve the issue. By the way, I think he was sent to the XX orphanage in the neighboring city."

Insider 4:

"As far as I know, it's not just that. Locals say that Yue Shuang not only has a sister who is a murderer but also a father who is a gambling addict. Their family has a very bad reputation locally, and it's said that they are troublemakers, with inherited flaws."

Insider 5:

"Didn't Su Xingyao say that his sister passed away? In fact, the truth is that she took her own life shortly after the murder out of fear of punishment, which is completely different from what everyone imagined."

The first three screenshots released by the marketing accounts laid the groundwork for Su Xingyao's identity as Yue Shuang and the existence of his sister, building up gradually.

Finally, the fourth alleged insider's revelation summarized and supplemented the various "evils" of him and his sister.

The effect was undoubtedly very good.

Because as netizens followed along one by one, anyone who could read almost effortlessly grasped all the key information clearly.

Suddenly encountering this scandal in the middle of the night, netizens were so shocked that they were wide awake.

Not long ago, Su Xingyao's live performance of the song "Sister" was instantly dubbed a legendary performance by everyone.

It’s common knowledge that he had a deceased sister.

But what people know about his sister comes solely from his songs, and no one has ever specifically dug into it...

"No way… just no way, Su Xingyao's deceased sister was actually a murderer?"

"This is just too horrifying, hearing this gossip late at night sends chills down my spine."

"Can anyone relate? I’m such a huge fan of the song 'Sister.' When I saw the scene of Su Xingyao talking to his sister in the rain, I cried my eyes out. In my heart, Su Xingyao's sister has always been a very gentle, kind, and strong girl. But now… you’re saying she was a murderer?"

"Listening to 'Sister' while processing this gossip has completely shattered me."

"The song 'Sister' made me cry many times, and now knowing she was a murderer just makes me want to cry harder."

"Having listened to this song and passionately recommended it, I feel tainted now."

"Wow… just wow… this is mind-blowing."

"Seriously… how could Su Xingyao have the audacity to write and perform songs about a murderer sister in public?"

This time, the gossip accounts came armed with receipts, with every detail written very clearly.

Especially the third picture of the sister being taken into the police car, many netizens, skeptical as they were, found the evidence too convincing to ignore.

But even so, there were still many rational people leaving comments.

"Given everything, I think we should let the dust settle first. Su Xingyao has been slandered like this many times before, and those turned out to be fabricated rumors."

"Agreed, let’s hear Su Xingyao’s side of the story. These revelations are all hearsay, and may not be the truth."

"Just my two cents, but… even if his sister was indeed a murderer, it's not Su Xingyao's fault. He didn’t kill anyone, and he couldn’t choose his sister."

"Stop defending him—his sister was a murderer, and that’s a fact."

"He didn’t choose his sister, but he still wrote songs glorifying her!! If it hadn’t been exposed, everyone would have thought his sister was an innocent person."

"That’s right, let Su Xingyao explain why he wrote songs praising a sister like that. Praising a murderer?"

"So, the brother of a murderer deserves to be canceled, now it seems like a bunch of people are whitewashing murderers."

"In the photo, it’s clear Su Xingyao adored his sister, holding onto her clothes and not letting her go, and even now he still thinks his sister is the best, he probably doesn’t see anything wrong with her being a murderer."

With the 'murderer' label being tossed around, many people seemed to stand on the moral high ground, using this incident to endlessly bash Su Xingyao and his late sister.

But the whistleblower wasn’t done yet.

In a short period of time, they spilled even more of Su Xingyao’s private past.

For example, when his adoptive mother went out to set up a stall, to prevent him from running away, she chained him, just four or five years old, like a dog to the tricycle.

Young and helpless, he was confused and scared.

All he could do was hug himself and curl up, hiding in a tiny corner beneath the rundown tricycle.

For example, among the crowd wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas.

Dressed in rags, he and his sister were out in the rain, frantically packing up their humble but crucial stall in the dead of night.

Or, in a dark corner.

With bruises on his face, he held a dog missing its hind legs, gently stroking its head and whispering to it.

The whistleblower seemed to want to silence all voices speaking up for Su Xingyao, shattering all fantasies about this top-tier celebrity.

With such eagerness and malice, they exposed his painful, dark past in brutal detail.