Chapter 19

"Da He, don't be like this." Luo Chu'an furrowed his handsome brows. "Even though Xia Xi and I have broken up, we can still be friends."
"Friends, my ass!" Da He swung his fist, knocking Luo Chu'an to the ground. He felt he had never encountered such a disgusting person in his life. Just listen to what he was saying, how could someone be so shameless? After breaking up, who wants to be friends with you?
Luo Chu'an got up from the ground, rubbing the corner of his mouth, and looked directly at Xia Xi. "Xia Xi, there are a few things I want to say to you. Can we talk?"
"Talk about what? You've already broken up, what is there to talk about?" Da He was about to charge at Luo Chu'an again but was quickly pulled back by Xia Xi. She gently tugged at his sleeve, leaned in, and whispered, "Let's find a quieter corner to beat him up later. Look around, everyone's staring at us because of the commotion. Do you want to make the entertainment headlines?"
"Hmph!" Hearing this, Da He shot Luo Chu'an an angry glare and reluctantly walked away, though he grudgingly agreed to Xia Xi's suggestion.
After calming Da He down, Xia Xi turned to Luo Chu'an, who stood not far away. She noticed dark circles under his eyes, suggesting he hadn't slept well these past few days.
Seeing him in such a pitiful state, Xia Xi's earlier irritation at being forced to stay vanished. Her mood lightened, and she chuckled softly. "Luo Chu'an, since you have something to say to me, let's find a quiet place to talk."
"Okay." A flicker of embarrassment crossed his eyes before he nodded mechanically.
Luo Chu'an was actually a bit surprised by Xia Xi's demeanor. He hadn't expected her to be even more radiant after their breakup. He had assumed she would be heartbroken and miserable, but instead, it was he who appeared more disheveled upon their reunion.

Sigh, it's time to test my acting skills again.
Xia Xi led Luo Chu'an through a maze of twists and turns into an abandoned studio. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, covered in a thick layer of dust.
"There's no one else here but us. If there's something you need my help with, just say it directly."
Hearing this, Luo Chu'an was taken aback. The words he had prepared suddenly became difficult to utter. Gazing into Xia Xi's clear eyes, he sighed inwardly, thinking sadly, ‘She's always been so perceptive, leaving no room for my hidden agendas.’
He never meant to hurt her, but for Lin Wei's sake, he had no other choice.
"Xia Xi." Luo Chu'an pursed his lips, their color slightly pale. "I want you to step forward and clarify that there’s nothing between us. Netizens have been stirred up by hired trolls, claiming Lin Wei is the third party who came between us."
Xia Xi stared at Luo Chu'an with an inscrutable expression, remaining silent for a long time as if trying to bore a hole through him. Just as Luo Chu'an thought she wouldn’t agree, Xia Xi actually nodded and said, "Alright, no problem. I’ll clarify it."
Hearing Xia Xi’s agreement, Luo Chu'an let out a long sigh of relief. He realized his palms were drenched in sweat. Even though he had only been negotiating with Xia Xi for a little over half an hour, he felt utterly drained and wished he could leave immediately.
But he knew he couldn’t,
"Xia Xi, there’s one more thing I want to inform you about." Luo Chu'an’s voice suddenly became very soft, but the firmness in his tone was hard to ignore. He glanced at Xia Xi, then involuntarily averted his gaze.
He narrowed his eyes, lowered his head, and continued as if steeling himself, "Lin Wei’s Weibo is flooded with netizens cursing her out. Right now, everyone’s attention is focused on our relationship, and the heat probably won’t die down anytime soon. So, to divert the netizens’ attention, my PR team might release some exposes about other celebrities. I think you…I think you might need to prepare in advance."
If Xia Xi had been wondering earlier why Luo Chu'an had sought her out for no reason, she finally understood now, he was setting her up to be the scapegoat!
Xia Xi gave Luo Chu'an a faint glance, observing his seemingly genuine look of guilt, and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Look at this acting by the film emperor Luo, his expression looks so real, yet when it comes to screwing Xia Xi over, he doesn’t hold back at all.
Now that she understood Luo Chu'an’s intentions, Xia Xi wasn’t in a hurry. Since he dared to come to her, he must have prepared for her to agree. She’d just deal with it as it comes.
"What kind of expose are you planning, about me?"
Luo Chu'an watched as the sorrow in Xia Xi’s eyes slowly spread, and his heart ached along with it. He didn’t understand why he felt so terrible.
Suddenly, he remembered Lin Wei’s tearful plea from last night, and the pain in his heart eased slightly. Luo Chu'an had always believed he would do anything for Lin Wei, so the following words naturally came out: "Back when we were together, I helped suppress some articles for you,"
"What did you say? Have the guts to say it again!"
Before Xia Xi could react, Da He, who had been outside the door, rushed in furiously upon hearing Luo Chu'an’s words. He grabbed Luo Chu'an by the collar, glaring at him fiercely, as if a full-on brawl could break out at any moment.
Seeing this, Luo Chu'an’s agent immediately rushed over to pull Da He away, urging as he tugged, "Da He, Da He, calm down! Let’s talk this out properly. Why resort to violence?"
"Get off me! Don’t pull me! What kind of scumbag is this? Let me teach him a lesson today!"
"Da He, Da He, calm down! If you mess up Luo Chu'an’s face, how am I supposed to survive?"
One pulling and another tugging, the scene descended into chaos in an instant. Yet Xia Xi, the protagonist, remained detached, watching the farce unfold with cold indifference.
Only when she saw Da He about to suffer did she step forward, shielding him and pulling him out of the fray. Her expression remained placid as she looked at Luo Chu'an, whose face was already bruised, and she struggled to suppress the urge to curl her lips. With a blank face, she said, "Luo Chu'an, what dirt do you plan to dig up on me? Let me think, acting like a diva on set, adding scenes without permission, or deliberately suppressing fellow artists? Do you really think the blackmail material you have can affect me that much?"
At this, Xia Xi suddenly let out a mocking laugh, though it was unclear who or what she was laughing at. "But if I were to provide the media with evidence that Lin Wei interfered in our relationship as the other woman, what do you think the court of public opinion would say?"
"Don’t you dare." At the thought of the harm this could cause Lin Wei, Luo Chu'an’s gaze turned dangerously sharp. He stared intently at Xia Xi. "I have evidence that your hired trolls stirred up rumors under Lin Wei’s posts, calling her the other woman. Think about it, if I release a statement saying there’s nothing between us, and that you’re slandering her out of jealousy because you have a crush on me, who do you think the public will believe? You or me?"
"Are you threatening me?"
"Xia Xi, don’t look at me like that." Seeing the disappointment and sorrow in her eyes, Luo Chu'an suddenly deflated. He pressed his lips together, fell silent for a few seconds, and sighed. "Xia Xi, I know this isn’t fair to you, but for Lin Wei’s sake, I have no other choice. You should understand, I could have released these accusations without consulting you, but I was afraid you’d face online attacks. That’s why I’m giving you a heads-up to prepare your PR response."
Xia Xi couldn’t help but laugh at Luo Chu'an’s twisted logic. She held onto Da He’s trembling hand, stopping him from charging forward in a fit of rage, and said with biting sarcasm, "Oh, so according to the great actor Luo, I should thank you, is that it?"
There’s no such thing as the worst scumbag, only worse ones.