There were only a few scattered people in the subway station, but it became lively after a few stops, filled with “corporate slaves” who had just finished overtime.
When she was younger and naive, Han Xiao didn’t understand why the adults on the subway always looked “tired of life.”
Thinking about it now, repeating boring work day after day, perhaps burdened by heavy mortgage and car loans, just being able to live strongly was already quite remarkable.
Xu Huo, meanwhile, suspected he had said something wrong.
Because Han Xiao had been silent for over ten minutes, looking absent-minded the whole way, not knowing what she was thinking about.
Her legs were together, her hands pressed down.
At first, she probably wasn’t used to Xu Huo sitting next to her, her body rigid and sitting upright, occasionally stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye, or staring out the window for long periods.
As time passed, she gradually felt more at ease.
So she stole more glances at Xu Huo.
After all, he was busy on his phone and wouldn’t know she was looking.
He was quite handsome.
Occasionally, with some small movements, Han Xiao would immediately tense up, her gaze shifting to the window, pretending she had been looking at the scenery.
Perhaps the temperature inside the car was a bit high, as her delicate ears were a somewhat powdery red.
Xu Huo knew none of this, only occasionally catching the faint scent drifting from the girl beside him.
Until Han Xiao poked him with her hand.
“Xu Huo, he won’t wake up mid-way, will he?”
“Don’t worry. He was already drunk, and I gave him a good knock. If he doesn’t sleep until tomorrow noon, it just means his bladder isn’t big enough.”
“Oh… But what was up with that hand chop of yours?”
“Hmm?”
“It was too clean and swift, wasn’t it?”
Han Xiao mimicked the action, her thin lips smiling, her bright eyes also smiling, a pair of cute dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Perhaps the movement was quite large, as her seemingly not-so-simple chest amazingly trembled twice.
A hand chop was a technical skill.
Generally, people proficient in this skill weren’t respectable individuals, such as thieves, thugs, philanderers…
“Learned it from watching wuxia films when I was little.”
“Is that something you can learn from watching wuxia films?”
“It’s a boy’s talent, you wouldn’t understand. If you randomly grab any boy on the street and ask him if he can wield a stick, I guarantee he’ll say yes.”
“Those are two different things, aren’t they?”
Han Xiao’s suspicious gaze.
Xu Huo nodded seriously, “Trust me, it’s the same thing. No boy can refuse a long, thin object. If it’s also straight and smooth, it’s called a ‘sword.’ As long as there’s a ‘sword’ in hand, everyone is a top-tier knight in this world.”
“I thought you were going to sell me out back then…”
Xu Huo laughed helplessly, “I wanted to, but you gave me such a look, I had to help.”
Perhaps it was this “truth,” or Xu Huo’s irresistibly youthful smile, but Han Xiao actually lowered her head shyly, feeling a simultaneous tickling sensation, was this a wrong reaction?
She didn’t dare to think too much, gently twirling a strand of hair by her ear with her finger, and sighed, “Unfortunately, it’s a temporary solution, not a permanent cure. I’ll still have to rely on myself later. I need to seriously consider those two solutions you recommended.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Han Xiao frowned, her expression conflicted, “So, do you want to know why my reputation is so bad?”
“Can we?”
Jiang Ran’s eyes widened.
Han Xiao glanced at the siblings.
Perhaps some words had been bottled up for too long, and she wanted to confide in someone. She sighed and slowly said, “Have you heard of Qin Yimo?”
Jiang Ran nodded, “Heard of her, yes. She’s been quite popular for the past two years. A few classmates really like her.”
“…And have you heard of the Qin Corporation?”
“The behemoth! Even more so… Eh?”
Jiang Ran seemed to realize something.
“Exactly. The chairman has three children: the eldest son, Qin Yichen; the second son, Qin Yi’an, the one you just saw; and then there’s Qin Yimo.”
Jiang Ran was shocked, “That guy just now has such a huge background? I couldn’t tell at all.”
“So now you know why it’s so hard for me to reject him, right? I’ve said everything, but he just shamelessly sticks around, and he hasn’t forced me or played any dirty tricks. I can’t just slap him every time I see him.”
Xu Huo asked, “How does that relate to you being slandered?”
“Qin Yimo and I were in the same batch. Back then, no one knew her background. When we first became trainees, her scores were always first. She was very talented in both singing and dancing and worked very hard, while I was always the perpetual second place…”
“That’s not right, is it?”
Jiang Ran questioned, “The Weibo post I saw before clearly said you were first, and she was second?”
“That’s because it was the final evaluation before debut. Other people don’t care about training results. Even if she was always first, if she wasn’t as good as me in the exam, she just wasn’t as good as me… In that batch, we were the only two trainees to receive an S-rank evaluation, so naturally, we received more company resources compared to others.”
“So when choosing managers, everyone else was placed wherever there was an opening, while we specifically looked for managers who had successful experience but currently didn’t have many artists.
“Strictly speaking, they were even more reliable than some big-name managers. After all, big names are already famous; their managers are mostly responsible for coordinating, barely even glorified nannies. But these managers personally guided and produced batches of second and third-tier celebrities, they were more like our teachers.”
“Then, among the group who came, the one with the best conditions was my current manager. Because Qin Yimo and I were both S-rank, we definitely couldn’t be chosen by the same manager, otherwise resources couldn’t be allocated.”
“Qin Yimo volunteered, wanting to go with Sister Qin, but Sister Qin politely declined, saying her initial goal was me. So, Qin Yimo ended up being taken by Sister Qin’s junior.”
Jiang Ran glanced at her: “
…And then the rich young lady’s identity was exposed?”
“What kind of urban dragon king script is this?”
Xu Huo scoffed.
“Right?”
Han Xiao forced a smile, making a helpless small bear shrug, “It’s pretty much like that. Their mentor-disciple relationship was already just so-so, and now a windfall has come, so they naturally have to seize it, right? Then, our public images were quite similar, so there was competition in many areas. The final result is what you see now.”
“But those videos are real, aren’t they?”
Jiang Ran still couldn’t hold back her doubts, pulling out her phone and pointing to the “concrete” evidence on Weibo.
According to her brother, given that Han Xiao wasn’t wildly popular, even negative news shouldn’t gain much traction.
Even if Qin Yimo and her team were behind the scenes, a fly doesn’t land on a sealed egg…
What truly dragged Han Xiao’s reputation to rock bottom were precisely the things she did.
For example, in one video, it showed Han Xiao and Qin Yimo when they were just debuting and gaining fans.
The noisy airport hall was bustling with people, and at the entrance, their respective fans held light boards, cheering for their idols.
Most new artists chose to slow down and interact with fans.
Even if there wasn’t time for photos, a few quick autographs were enough to excite fans.
In Jiang Ran’s opinion, this was normal; probably all celebrities looked like this when surrounded by fans, neither too boundary-less nor showing too much.
Even if someone fell and spilled coffee on a rented gown, they had to force a smile, ask if the person was hurt, and then vent their helpless rage in private, calculating how much they owed in compensation.
In stark contrast were Han Xiao and Qin Yimo…
Han Xiao merely “perfunctorily” greeted her fans, then hurried away, ignoring requests for autographs and photos.
Qin Yimo, on the other hand, was the opposite.
She walked very slowly, interacting with every fan. If anyone wanted an autograph or a photo, she would stop and fulfill their requests.
She also accepted gifts from fans with a beaming smile, receiving them with both hands and even bowing slightly in thanks.
Another video, for example, showed Han Xiao and Qin Yimo participating in a variety show.
The destination was a village, and the theme was a rural homestay.
Because it had rained a few days prior, the roads were muddy, and Qin Yimo’s feet quickly developed several large blood blisters.
The director rushed over, asking if she wanted to go to the hospital.
Qin Yimo checked the time and decisively declined.
In contrast, Han Xiao, while helping at a villager’s home, accidentally cut her finger with a farm tool.
The camera immediately zoomed in for a close-up of the wound, about two or three centimeters long.
The bleeding had already stopped, but she still went to the hospital.
The comment section ridiculed her, saying the wound would heal if she waited any longer.
Finally, Jiang Ran clicked on the video that delivered the fatal blow when Han Xiao’s reputation was steadily collapsing.
At that time, both of them hadn’t even debuted yet.
It was a candid recording from the training camp, and no one knew who leaked it.
Han Xiao and Qin Yimo were rehearsing a scene.
Slap!
Han Xiao slapped Qin Yimo hard.
Qin Yimo endured the pain, delivering her lines with full emotion.
But a large handprint was still visible on her fair face, making her look exceptionally pitiful.
So the public perception became that Qin Yimo was professional, and Han Xiao was malicious, taking the opportunity to strike hard.
Who slaps that hard during a rehearsal?
Han Xiao didn’t rush to explain.
Instead, she turned to Xu Huo and asked casually:
“Xu Huo, what do you think? The evidence is conclusive now. Do you still believe me?”