ARBRMW : Chapter 41

 

Compared to the school’s pace, Si Ye’s approach was faster; he directly found the other person in the photo, the girl Chen Xu had helped.

Because she was thrust into the spotlight, the girl’s long-hidden secret was exposed. Her classmates, friends, and parents all found out about it. At that time, she had just had an abortion and was still lying in the hospital. When her parents found her, instead of the scolding she expected, they held her in their arms, shedding tears of pain. They asked her why she had been so foolish and not told the family about such a major issue.

Secretary Jiang found the girl and told her that Chen Xu had been falsely accused for helping her, leading to a torrent of online abuse that had disrupted his daily life.

The girl and her family felt deeply guilty upon hearing this. She recalled the seemingly indifferent boy who had helped her during her hardest times, and her eyes welled up.

Usually timid, she found her courage for once and said firmly, “I am willing to come forward to clear up this matter and restore Xu’s reputation.”

So, the trending search on Chen Xu was removed. As netizens speculated about the capital backing Chen Xu, a new trending search soared to the top.

“[Chen Xu is actually innocent!]”

“[I knew it! Someone as good-looking and talented as him couldn’t be a scumbag!]”

“[Damn! The reporters who wrote the false news are really malicious. Chen Xu was clearly helping someone, but he got framed and wrongfully scolded for so long.]”

“[Girls, be careful! There are too many scumbags around! I think I know who the real scumbag is!]”

“[Could it be a certain five-character band?]”

“[Don’t make random guesses. She said it’s the lead singer of an underground band. Are you trying to frame the wrong person?]”

“[Ah… I think I know who it is too. Is it XXT?]”

“[I also think it’s him. He seems to have had a messy private life… If it’s him, I’m not surprised at all. Chen Xu just got into trouble for helping others.]”

The resourceful netizens quickly dug out the real scumbag, exposing Xia Xiaoting’s past promiscuous behavior. Many girls came forward, saying they had once been fans of Xia Xiaoting but were scared off when he asked them to meet after adding them on WeChat. Some, like the victimized girl, had been wronged by him. They said Xia Xiaoting never liked using protection, always making them take contraceptives afterward.

“[Scumbag! Girls, you must learn to protect and cherish yourselves! Don’t let anyone touch you without protection!]”

“[So disgusting! How can such a scumbag have so many fans?]”

“[Honestly, Xia Xiaoting is handsome and sings well, which unfortunately gives him the leverage to be a scumbag.]”

As Xia Xiaoting was exposed, Chen Xu’s school’s official account also issued a clarification, which was immediately reposted by many alumni. Many people asked if Chen Xu had a Weibo account, curious why he hadn’t reposted it himself.

Then, they were informed that the most handsome top scorer was too immersed in his studies to play on Weibo.

With Xia Xiaoting being exposed, someone keen-eyed noticed that the drummer in the back looked very familiar.

“[Oh my God!! The drummer is Chen Xu!]”

“[Wow, he’s stunning!]”

“[Ahhhh I can’t handle this!!!]”

Later, someone posted a rare video of Chen Xu temporarily stepping in as the lead singer. Though blurry and shaky, it didn’t stop netizens from going wild.

“[OMG! OMG! He’s breathtaking! What was the band thinking? Chen Xu is way more handsome than Xia Xiaoting! Why didn’t they make him the lead singer!]”

“[This voice, my ears are pregnant with a football field! I can’t handle this! Brother, please debut! This face, this voice, this stage presence, not debuting is such a waste!]”

So, Lu Hai, who had just teamed up with Yuan Ren to beat up Xia Xiaoting, received numerous calls from entertainment companies, all wanting to sign their band and promising to make them famous.

Lu Hai was almost convinced by the grand promises.

“Yuan Ren, we seem to be about to get famous,” Lu Hai said in a daze after hanging up the phone.

Yuan Ren: “Huh?”

At this moment, Chen Xu was unaware of the many people online dreaming of his debut, with some even maliciously speculating that he was stirring up hype to launch his career.

He had just finished his evening class and was walking back to the dormitory with Zhu Yaoyuan and the others.

“Chen Xu.”

Walking down the road, someone suddenly called his name. Chen Xu turned to see a few girls taking photos of him.

Seeing Chen Xu turn around, the girls screamed and hugged each other. Chen Xu felt a bit helpless.

“You’ve got the star vibe, Xu Ge (Bro),” Zhu Yaoyuan teased.

“Yeah, Chen Xu, why don’t you just debut? I heard the entertainment industry is very lucrative,” Tang Zhen said. If he had Chen Xu’s looks, he would have long since joined the entertainment industry instead of diligently studying here.

Chen Xu calmly said, “I don’t need money.”

“Wow, listen to him, as expected of Xu Ge, so cool,” Tang Zhen thought Chen Xu was joking. After all, Chen Xu usually didn’t use any high-end luxury items and almost never wore branded clothes.

“Our campus heartthrob is a top student; he doesn’t have to worry about not making money. After graduation, companies will be fighting over him,” Zhu Yaoyuan hoped Chen Xu would focus on his studies. To him, although the entertainment industry was lucrative, fame was fleeting. Studying hard was the right path.

“True,” Tang Zhen agreed, nodding.

After the three returned to the dormitory, Chen Xu’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, he answered, “Hello.” His voice was cold, making Zhu Yaoyuan and Tang Zhen look at him curiously.

“Chen Xu, are you coming over?” Zhao Qiang urged.

“Not yet, I just finished class.”

“Oh, hurry over,” Zhao Qiang said a few short sentences and hung up without mentioning sending a car to pick him up, probably not considering it.

“I’m not coming back tonight,” Chen Xu said simply after packing some things.

“Okay, be safe,” Zhu Yaoyuan and Tang Zhen noticed Chen Xu’s bad mood and didn’t say much.

When Chen Xu arrived at the Chen household, it was already 10 p.m. The house was quite far from the school, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had been there. A servant opened the door, looking surprised, “Second young master, we didn’t expect you to come.”

“Mm,” Chen Xu responded coolly and walked in.

The house was dimly lit, and the TV was on. His father, Chen Yue, and his mother, Zhao Qiang, had already bathed and were sitting on the sofa watching TV.

“Why did you come so late? Your brother has plans with his friends, and your sister has school tomorrow. We already ate,” Zhao Qiang said, getting up and walking toward Chen Xu with a hint of resentment, seemingly blaming him for neglecting Chen Hao’s birthday.

Chen Yue, sitting on the sofa with his back to Chen Xu, said, “He’s just being rebellious. He said he would come but deliberately arrived late to embarrass us in front of our relatives.”

Hearing Chen Yue’s words, Chen Xu’s face turned cold. He took out a gift box from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Qiang, “I’m leaving.”

Zhao Qiang never expected Chen Xu to leave at this hour. “Chen Xu!”

“You ungrateful brat, stop right there!” Chen Yue was furious, feeling his authority was being challenged.

But Chen Xu, no longer a child, didn’t look back and strode out.

“I told you to hold your temper. Now he’s gone, and if he complains to Mr. Si, what will you do?” Zhao Qiang chided.

Chen Yue was also embarrassed. Used to being the authority at home, he hadn’t expected Chen Xu to show him no respect. “Can’t even be talked to; how precious is he.”

“Of course, he is. You don’t know how favored he is at the Si family. I heard even Si Yichen has to bow to him,” Zhao Qiang had heard from her friends.

“Impossible! The old lady wouldn’t allow it,” Chen Yue didn’t believe it. With Si Yichen having Si Ye and Tao Minzhi’s backing, even if Si Ye wanted to spoil Chen Xu, Tao Minzhi wouldn’t allow it.

Zhao Qiang thought this made sense. Rumors must have been exaggerated. Chen Xu couldn’t surpass the rightful heir, Si Yichen.

“We shouldn’t have sent him to the Si family. We’ve raised an enemy,” Chen Yue said, frowning and pointing outside.

Zhao Qiang sighed, “If we hadn’t sent him to the Si family, would you want to see him every day? When the old man passed, we finally got rid of that usurper. I didn’t want him taking my son’s things.”

“He’s still young, probably just going through a rebellious phase. Just coax him a bit, and he’ll come back. See, he came today, didn’t he?” Chen Yue patted his wife’s shoulder.

Zhao Qiang reluctantly agreed.

By now, it was already 10 p.m. If Chen Xu took a taxi back to school, he wouldn’t be able to get in. If he went home, he feared worrying Si Ye. So, he booked a room near the school to spend the night.

Unexpectedly, in a random hotel, he saw Si Jing enter a room with a stranger.

Although Chen Xu had heard of the open relationships within Si Jing’s marriage, seeing it firsthand felt different. It reminded him of the entanglements between Wei Shifeng, Si Jing’s husband, and Si Ye’s mother, Tao Minzhi.

He hadn’t told Si Ye about this, not wanting to hurt him. Regardless of their strained relationship, Tao Minzhi was still Si Ye’s mother, and Si Ye wouldn’t want to see her involved in such things.

That night, Chen Xu didn’t sleep well. He kept dreaming, seeing Si Ye sitting alone on a terrace drinking, then leaning down to kiss him, and finally, standing alone by his grave with a bouquet of flowers. His figure was lonely, with gray streaks in his hair.

That wasn’t the 28-year-old Si Ye but an older version. His lonely figure at Chen Xu’s grave pained Chen Xu, causing him to wake with damp eyelashes.

Staring blankly at the hotel ceiling, Chen Xu remembered not returning to school last night. He wiped the tears from his eyes and rubbed his aching temples. Why had he dreamt that?

Would Si Ye have been sad after his death in the previous life?

Chen Xu wasn’t sure. In his view, their interactions hadn’t been much, so Si Ye shouldn’t have been that sad. Yet, the bitterness from the dream seemed to seep into reality, making it hard for Chen Xu to breathe.

He didn’t want Si Ye to experience that sadness, wishing he could be colder to him.

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