Chapter 22

Now it seemed that the original host’s brother had once helped Da He, which was why Da He treated the original host with such heartfelt devotion, standing by her even during her most miserable moments.
Moreover, the original host’s family background was far from as simple as depicted in Pampered Love. She came from the renowned Yan family in military circles, a family whose status could be said to be in no way inferior to Luo Chu’an’s.
At this thought, a sudden question arose in Xia Xi's mind: Why was the original host portrayed as a vain woman in the novel Pampered Love? Was there some hidden reason?
Could it be because Pampered Love was written from the female lead's perspective, so the description of the original host carried some subjective bias?
Xia Xi couldn't help but silently speculate.
"Xia Xi, Xia Xi, are you okay?" Just as Xia Xi was still lost in her thoughts, wrestling with the world's setting, Da He's worried suddenly came from beside her, interrupting her speculation and bringing her back to reality.
Xia Xi's expression froze for a few seconds before quickly returning to normal. She suppressed her doubts, turned to Da He's slightly worried gaze, and sighed, "This news is just too sudden."
"Xia Xi, you're not upset with us for hiding it from you, are you? Your brother and I only did this for your own good." Da He cautiously glanced at Xia Xi, his expression looking somewhat guilty and remorseful. After hesitating for a while, he mustered the courage to continue, "If you're angry, blame me. Just don't blame your brother. He may have a sharp tongue, but he has a soft heart. He cares about you deeply and would never harm you."
Hearing Da He's words, Xia Xi unconsciously tapped her fingers on the table, feeling a sense of clarity.
It seemed the original host and her brother weren't particularly close. At least from the original host's perspective, there was some resistance toward Yan Wei. Otherwise, Yan Wei wouldn't have gone to such lengths to hide things from her and place his friend by her side.
However, it was the original host who resisted Yan Wei, not Xia Xi. She was more than eager to cling to Yan Wei's golden thigh, why would she push him away? So she chuckled lightly, waved her hand dismissively at Da He, and said, "I understand that my brother placed you by my side for my own good. You're reliable, always looking out for my interests, and you've helped me resolve countless troubles. Aside from your bad temper, you're practically the perfect agent. How could I possibly blame you or my brother?"
Da He had imagined many possible reactions from Xia Xi, but he never expected her to be completely unfazed. Looking into Xia Xi's smiling eyes, he felt a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe and could only murmur, "You think I'm very competent?"
"Competent, of course." Xia Xi nodded with utmost seriousness. "You're the best agent I've ever met. No one is better than you."
"Really?" Hearing this, a glimmer of light gradually gathered in Da He's eyes.
Am I really that good?
"Really, absolutely true."
Xia Xi glanced curiously at Da He, who now wore a visibly touched expression after her words. Had something happened while she was lost in thought?
She pondered for a moment, then wisely remained silent. She had a feeling the topic they'd just discussed wasn't a pleasant one. Quietly, Xia Xi picked up the folder beside Da He's right hand and began flipping through it carefully, vaguely recalling Fang Zichen mentioning to Da He that it contained some black material about her.
So she didn't notice the flicker of regret in Fang Zichen's eyes.
"Huh, that's strange." Xia Xi frowned as she looked at the contents of the folder and couldn't help muttering to herself, "I can't figure out Luo Chu'an's intentions at all."
"What intentions?" Da He was particularly annoyed whenever he heard the name Luo Chu'an now. Seeing Xia Xi's serious expression, he felt an inexplicable panic and immediately leaned in beside her to carefully study the document's contents.
"I don't see any intentions. I just think Luo Chu'an is being utterly ruthless this time, look at how much dirt he's gathered on people." Da He furrowed his brows and said, "It seems he's ready to tear off his hypocritical mask and offend the entire entertainment industry."
Xia Xi nodded, pointed at her own name, and explained to Da He, "That's one aspect I can't figure out. There's another aspect too. Don't you think my name looks really out of place mixed in with all these big shots?"
Da He followed the direction of her finger and saw her name prominently surrounded by numerous industry heavyweights. He swallowed hard and nodded.
Xia Xi said doubtfully, "I find it really strange. Since Luo Chu'an is already planning to leak bombshells like Actor Liang's drug use, Actress Bai's affair, and Singer Fang's plagiarism to the media, why would he go to the extra trouble of preparing to release my dirt? I'm completely insignificant, it's just not worth the effort."
Hearing this, Da He pondered for a moment and said uncertainly, "Maybe he just dislikes you?"
Xia Xi: “...”
What kind of grudge is this?
Fang Zichen, who had been sitting nearby watching the scene, was somewhat surprised by Xia Xi's analysis. He glanced at her casually and remarked indifferently, "You're quite good at reading people."
Hearing Fang Zichen's sarcasm, Xia Xi rolled her eyes inwardly. Since she didn't understand why he was so unfriendly toward her, she simply ignored him and continued speaking to Da He, "Da He, I think taking this opportunity to release my scandals might actually benefit us."
"What benefit could there be?" Da He immediately shook his head upon hearing this. "It'll only make the audience think even worse of you."
"But the problem is, do these scandals of mine really not exist just because they aren't released? At least compared to the scandals of Actress Bai and the others, my reputation isn't as big, and the issues aren't as severe. If they're released together this time, the cost to me might be minimized." Xia Xi pursed her lips and looked steadily at Da He. "Besides, these scandals are already known by you, me, and the media. Rather than having someone with ulterior motives use them to attack the Yan family later, it's better to release them all now so everyone can be mentally prepared. It'll also lay the groundwork for clearing my name in the future."
"But I still think this is too risky." Da He's handsome brows furrowed. "What if everyone can't accept the news about you being arrogant, having poor acting skills, and deliberately suppressing newcomers, and they flood your Weibo to attack you?"
"This is inevitable, but as the saying goes, only by being pushed to the brink can one be reborn." Xia Xi narrowed her eyes. "The things I did in the past are like a ticking time bomb, I don’t know when they’ll explode. Da He, have you ever thought about it? Next year is the leadership transition. If this bomb goes off then, what kind of impact would it have on our family?"
Upon hearing Xia Xi’s hypothesis, Da He’s lips turned slightly pale. He shook his head, trying to make one last attempt. "But, but won’t this affect your acting career? If we keep it under wraps, no one will find out."
"If you don’t want others to know, don’t do it in the first place. We shouldn’t cling to wishful thinking." Xia Xi shook her head, dismissing Da He’s naive idea. "As for the questionable things I did in the entertainment industry, if someone wants to investigate, they’ll find out. Someone with ulterior motives must already know and is probably just waiting for the Yan family to be at its weakest to reveal it, like the final straw that breaks the camel’s back."