Chapter Ninety-One: It Is a Cold Pot, Not a Hot Pot

Bai Chenxi had barely stepped out of the police station, still completely in the dark about what had been happening outside, when she was inexplicably attacked.

Looking at Xia Yan’s fans in the comments, Bai Chenxi was not especially heartbroken. Perhaps she had already grown used to it.

She stared at the comments, each one accusing her of trying to seduce their idol, and found it utterly ridiculous. Setting aside the fact that she had nothing at all to do with the so-called heartthrob they were talking about, even if she had, did they really need to put it so dramatically?

During this period, Bai Chenxi had already lost count of how many times she had been cursed at by the fans of male celebrities. Normally it would not have mattered, but once the rumors around her piled up, netizens became especially attentive to her interactions with male stars. A little thing here or there, and they would feel they had uncovered some earth-shattering detail.

Only Lin Yue was slightly better, because at least they had the support of the drama’s shippers as a foundation. No wonder he felt like family, though she would never admit it to his face.

The rest of the fandoms treated her like a plague. If even one of the rumors had been true, Bai Chenxi might have accepted it. But the truth was that she had gained nothing from it, and all day long she had done nothing but take the blame for other people.

With a mischievous thought, Bai Chenxi muttered to herself: keep cursing me. Keep cursing me, and I’ll make it real. Then let’s see who ends up crying.

At that thought, for some reason she felt a chill run down her back, and her whole body became uneasy, as though she had done something shameful.

She silently told herself: I’m only thinking about it. It doesn’t count.

“Brother Chu, are you all right?” Jiang Jize asked worriedly, looking at Chu Muyun.

Chu Muyun said nothing, staring at the video of Bai Chenxi being doused with water. Jiang Jize almost regretted showing it to him; after all, this was no mere matter of someone trying to poach his girlfriend.

Watching the woman he loved being hurt while he was not by her side—how much pain must that bring?

It was his fault. When Anda had brought over the video earlier, he had come straight to Chu Muyun without thinking.

“Brother Kai, push back my schedule.”

Hearing Chu Muyun’s words, Zhang Kai wore exactly the expression he had expected. He knew Chu Muyun would not sit still. Was this even dating? It felt more like he was being played with.

When Bai Chenxi arrived at the set, she once again drew attention from every direction. Why say “again”? Because, well... it seemed that ever since she entered the cast, she had been under constant scrutiny.

Bai Chenxi felt that after filming Red Beauty’s Calamity, she had become invulnerable to blades and bullets, able to face any gaze with complete composure.

Just as she sat down, she saw Xia Yan walking over. Bai Chenxi looked at him in confusion. Why was he not avoiding her this time, not keeping his distance?

She glanced around warily. I really do not want to end up trending again.

Yet Xia Yan came to her side and said gravely, “I’m sorry.”

Bai Chenxi was startled. What sort of scene was this supposed to be?

“Why are you apologizing for no reason at all?” she said at once. “Don’t let this get out, or people will think I bullied someone into apologizing to me again.”

“I failed to clarify things in time, and my fans misunderstood you because of it.”

As soon as the incident happened, Xia Yan’s team had noticed. After the manager confirmed the facts with Xia Yan, he was told to act as though he knew nothing, since nothing had been proven anyway.

Xia Yan had thought that if he spoke up then, it might only make the situation worse, so he followed his manager’s advice.

Later, when the video came out, he had not expected the public to care most about the rumor between him and Bai Chenxi.

Some people even thought that Xia Yan had helped Bai Chenxi so much, and yet she had not shown the slightest gratitude. They called her utterly ungrateful.

Outside, opinions flew in every direction, while Bai Chenxi still did not make a statement. That left many fans indignant on behalf of their idol, convinced their heartthrob had saved a total ingrate.

Although she later explained that she had only helped by chance, and that Bai Chenxi had already thanked her in person, it still could not stop the few irrational fans.

Even though he had stepped in to put a stop to it, Bai Chenxi had still been hurt by the whole affair, and Xia Yan felt deeply sorry.

Looking at the comments, Xia Yan himself grew angry. He had even been prepared to take those fans on, but his manager had firmly crushed that idea. To keep him from doing anything impulsive, the manager had even taken his phone away.

Xia Yan felt guilty, but Bai Chenxi did not think it mattered. After all, where there are people, there is every kind of bird under the sun. With so many fans, how could one hold Xia Yan responsible for everything they did?

Bai Chenxi comforted him. “It’s nothing. They’re only blowing hot air online. I don’t care at all. You shouldn’t take it to heart either.”

Seeing that Xia Yan still looked apologetic, Bai Chenxi rolled her eyes and put on an exaggeratedly worried expression.

“If even this requires an apology, then you saved me. I have no idea how I’m supposed to repay you.”

“I never asked you to repay me.”

“And I never asked you to apologize,” Bai Chenxi shot back quickly.

The two stared at each other. Bai Chenxi suddenly laughed. “Why do I feel like we’re just having a staring contest? I’m the big-eyed one, and you’re the small-eyed one.”

Xia Yan turned his face away, but the corners of his mouth lifted.

Bai Chenxi caught it immediately. “You smiled. Then this is over between us.”

She suggested enthusiastically, “How about hotpot after work?”

After all, there was nothing a meal of hotpot could not solve.

Xia Yan considered it, then pretended to be reluctant and nodded. When the two of them left, Xia Yan’s assistant looked at Bai Chenxi as though she were a human trafficker.

“All right, you can go back first.” When the assistant was about to say more, Xia Yan silenced him with a look. The assistant still watched Bai Chenxi with some unease.

Bai Chenxi found it amusing and said to him, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring your Brother Yan back safely. I won’t sell him off.”

“You promise?”

Xia Yan pressed a hand to his forehead. Was this really the assistant he had hired? Absolutely not.

Bai Chenxi held back her laughter. “I promise.”

“Let’s go.” Xia Yan walked ahead, and Bai Chenxi followed.

The assistant still looked uneasy as he watched Xia Yan leave, and Xiao Yu called out to him, “You’re not leaving?”

“I am. But can I ride back with you?”

The assistant glanced at the car Xia Yan had already driven off in.

“Get in.”

The assistant hurriedly climbed in, afraid Xiao Yu might change her mind the next second.

By then, he had no trace of his earlier worry about Xia Yan. In fact, he almost wanted Xia Yan to go out more often so he would have a chance to learn from an example like this.

“You haven’t introduced yourself yet. My name is Lu Tao.”

“Xiao Yu,” came the short reply. Xiao Yu still had the look of someone unwilling to say more than necessary.

But Lu Tao did not mind at all. So cool. When would he ever be able to carry himself with such presence?

Xiao Yu was sparing with words, but Lu Tao was not. He seemed not to notice Xiao Yu’s aloofness at all, and kept asking one question after another.

Xiao Yu comforted herself inwardly: do not get angry. Xia Yan saved Sister Chenxi, and this is Xia Yan’s assistant. I cannot get angry.

If the two of them were only superficially getting along, then Bai Chenxi and Xia Yan were... were they sitting in awkward silence?

One had red broth, the other clear broth, and their meals could be said to have nothing whatsoever to do with each other. Bai Chenxi was baffled. Wasn’t hotpot supposed to be the liveliest kind of meal? Why did it feel as though she were eating cold pot tonight?

Very soon, the liveliness she had been expecting finally arrived.

The two of them actually began arguing over who would pay.

In the end, under Xia Yan’s threat, Bai Chenxi obediently sat back down.

To avoid being photographed, they entered the hotel separately. As if on cue, just as Bai Chenxi stepped inside, her phone rang.

Chu Muyun: Are you back yet? Call me when you arrive.