Xiao Cheng originally wanted to pull his hand away, but Luo Jingshu’s grip was too tight. After struggling a couple of times without success, he gave up and let the other hold his hand firmly.
It wasn’t really a big deal. What Luo Jingshu said was true anyway, but saying it so publicly still left Xiao Cheng with an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
Especially since their classmates were now giving them curious glances. Though those looks weren’t malicious, Xiao Cheng still felt incredibly self-conscious.
At the same time, he reaffirmed a thought he had long held in his heart: Luo Jingshu’s thick skin was truly unparalleled.
How could someone say something like that with such righteous conviction?
While Xiao Cheng felt thoroughly embarrassed, he couldn’t help but find it a little amusing. Of all the things Luo Jingshu could take offense to, it was being called a “mistress.”
“You… you’re simply too much!” Luo Bin, seemingly unable to come up with a proper retort, and flustered by Luo Jingshu’s sharp tongue, found himself at a loss for words. All the talking points he had prepared in advance suddenly seemed useless.
Even Luo Yuan was shocked.
His impression of Luo Jingshu had always been that of a quiet and aloof individual. Although Luo Jingshu had brought down the Luo family with ruthless efficiency, Luo Yuan had still thought of him as someone poor at expressing himself.
If Luo Jingshu were really eloquent, Luo Yuan reasoned, he wouldn’t have been left speechless by his taunts back then.
Luo Yuan had always believed this to be true. Before coming here, he even reassured Luo Bin not to worry about anything Luo Jingshu might say. He claimed that the man would only resort to underhanded threats.
That was precisely what they wanted—a video of Luo Jingshu acting cold and cruel would only help sway public opinion in their favor.
But reality had slapped him in the face.
Luo Yuan had been entirely focused on being wary of Xiao Cheng, but he hadn’t expected that from the moment they arrived, Xiao Cheng had barely spoken. Luo Jingshu, on the other hand, hadn’t stopped talking.
Luo Yuan’s face turned pale as he stared wide-eyed at Luo Jingshu, his expression betraying his fear.
By this point, he could no longer deny the truth: perhaps Luo Jingshu wasn’t rendered speechless by his insults in the past. Perhaps Luo Jingshu simply couldn’t be bothered to respond.
What should he do now?
Yes, provoke him.
Luo Yuan suddenly remembered his plan and took a deep breath before stepping out from behind Luo Bin.
“You claim otherwise, but when I was sweetly in love with Brother Cheng, weren’t you the one lurking on the sidelines, consumed by jealousy?”
Luo Yuan’s frail figure, coupled with his tearful tone, naturally evoked some sympathy from the crowd.
Xiao Cheng, however, was thoroughly disgusted by his words. Before Luo Jingshu could respond, Xiao Cheng cut in with a sharp remark.
Earlier, Luo Jingshu had forcefully grabbed Xiao Cheng’s hand, but now, it was Xiao Cheng pressing down on Luo Jingshu’s hand, signaling him to hold off for a moment.
“Can you look in a mirror before you speak?”
“Insulting someone’s appearance is usually in poor taste, but I really must ask you to show some self-awareness.”
When Luo Yuan had accused Luo Jingshu of being a “mistress,” Xiao Cheng had initially felt more amused than anything, even curious about who was supposed to be the “original partner” in this made-up story.
Now, he knew.
Was this person delusional?
If Luo Yuan had wanted to ruin his reputation, he could’ve fabricated any number of reasons. Why choose this particular method that was so nauseating?
Xiao Cheng now found himself sympathizing with Luo Jingshu’s earlier reaction.
There were so many other accusations Luo Yuan could have made. Why this one?
“You can question my character, but don’t insult my taste.”
After all, Xiao Cheng’s initial attraction to Luo Jingshu had been entirely based on his looks.
Luo Yuan squirmed under the murmurs and pointed fingers of the onlookers. Awkward and flustered, he could only grit his teeth and press on with his act.
“You clearly said you liked me for my inner beauty, but then you saw Luo Jingshu and abandoned me. Xiao Cheng, is your love so cheap?”
Xiao Cheng didn’t want to argue in public, especially over something that didn’t even exist.
But if he didn’t clarify things, who knew what his classmates would think of him?
“You say I dated you, right?”
A flash of unease crossed Luo Yuan’s mind, but he nodded hesitantly.
“I was single all through high school until graduation. After the college entrance exams, I spent months with my family and barely even left the house. When college started, I was always on campus, and my roommates could vouch for me.”
“I met Luo Jingshu for the first time in October. If I supposedly ‘cheated’ on you, then we must’ve been dating before October?”
“So, explain to me, when exactly did we meet? We didn’t even cross paths during those months, did we?”
Luo Yuan opened his mouth to respond, but Xiao Cheng cut him off again.
“Don’t rush to make something up. I can trace your movements, and you know that as well as I do.”
“Think carefully.”
Luo Yuan opened and closed his mouth, at a complete loss for words.
Before coming here, he had anticipated this question and planned to claim their “relationship” took place during the two months after the college entrance exams.
But at that time, Luo Yuan hadn’t paid much attention to Xiao Cheng and had no idea what he had been doing during those months.
Luo Yuan had only thought about it from his own perspective. After the intense and stressful college entrance exams, Xiao Cheng would likely have taken those two months of relaxation time to catch up on all the things he had missed.
He could easily claim that he had gotten close to Xiao Cheng during a party. After all, who would stay indoors for two months without leaving the house?
But Xiao Cheng really hadn’t gone anywhere.
Luckily, when He An showed him the report last time, he mentioned a few things in passing, which made Xiao Cheng aware of this detail.
Due to the busy schedule in his senior year, Xiao Cheng had barely had time to spend with his family. After the college entrance exams, he really didn’t go anywhere during those two months.
In contrast to Luo Yuan’s panic, Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu’s calm and composed demeanor clearly earned the approval of the onlookers.
Luo Yuan was blinded by his hatred and hadn’t thought things through.
He hadn’t initially planned to do this. That day, while browsing the internet, he came across a piece of gossip news, and it sparked the idea.
He had done his research and found that the public was always fascinated by scandals involving wealthy families, especially ones involving affairs—he was confident people would be interested.
He had been thinking only of the aftermath of his plan’s success—how Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu would be humiliated—but he hadn’t considered what to do if they didn’t fall for it.
What was happening now was completely unexpected.
He wasn’t afraid of being exposed by Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu; his goal had been to capture footage of the two threatening him. After all, the last time Luo Jingshu had lost his temper, he had gotten physical, and the image of Luo Jingshu choking him had left a deep psychological scar on him.
Luo Yuan thought that if he said a few more provocative things, Luo Jingshu would surely lose his temper and take action.
But to his surprise, both Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu kept their cool, only engaging in a verbal sparring match with him—there was no sign they were going to physically retaliate.
Seeing that his plan was failing, Luo Yuan quickly shifted gears.
Since they wouldn’t take action, he would at least get some footage of them “humiliating” him until he broke down.
With this thought in mind, Luo Yuan blinked, and tears immediately started streaming down his face. He clutched his chest and gave Xiao Cheng a look as if he were a scumbag.
“Is that it? Now you won’t admit anything, Xiao Cheng? I know I’m no longer the young master of the Luo family, so it’s normal for you to look down on me.”
Honestly, his acting wasn’t bad, but compared to Luo Jingshu, it was still lacking.
If Xiao Cheng weren’t directly involved, maybe he would have just watched the spectacle, but just thinking about Luo Yuan accusing him made Xiao Cheng feel incredibly awkward.
“Don’t put the blame on me,” Xiao Cheng said dryly. “To be honest, even if you were still the Luo family’s young master, I still wouldn’t care about you.”
The Luo family was far less impressive than the Xiao family. Xiao Cheng couldn’t understand how thick-skinned Luo Yuan must be to say something like that.
He frowned and looked Luo Yuan up and down, suddenly feeling something was off.
Although Luo Yuan kept insisting he was a scumbag, his gaze rarely met Luo Jingshu’s. It wasn’t that he cared more about Xiao Cheng’s reaction, but rather that he was subconsciously avoiding eye contact with Luo Jingshu.
Whenever his eyes briefly passed over Luo Jingshu’s face, he would quickly avert his gaze.
It seemed as though he was terrified of Luo Jingshu.
Xiao Cheng suspected that Luo Jingshu must have done something to Luo Yuan in the past, leaving him with a deep psychological scar, which was why he was so afraid of him.
But if he was so scared of Luo Jingshu, why was he still going to such lengths to spread rumors about them?
Xiao Cheng could guess this, and Luo Jingshu surely could too.
After exchanging a brief glance, both of them subtly looked around the room, observing the reactions of the other tables.
Luo Yuan continued rambling, but Xiao Cheng barely paid attention, responding with indifferent remarks, clearly showing no interest in what he was saying.
The awkward atmosphere was palpable, and finally, Chen Li spoke up, realizing the situation. “Why don’t we go outside and talk? Let’s not disturb everyone’s meal.”
Chen Li was closer to Xiao Cheng and, naturally, sided with him. He couldn’t stand seeing Luo Bin stirring up trouble at their gathering.
They had been classmates for three years—did Luo Bin not know what kind of person Xiao Cheng was? Why did he bring an outsider to ruin their reunion?
Today was supposed to be a joyful occasion, but they had to cause trouble.
Xiao Cheng snickered, drawing Luo Yuan and Luo Bin’s attention. Luo Jingshu remained silent beside him, frowning as he carefully studied the expressions of everyone around them.
Luo Yuan’s intention was clearly to escalate things, so he wasn’t going to listen to Chen Li’s suggestion. If they left, they would be completely at the mercy of Luo Jingshu. They wouldn’t be able to resist if Luo Jingshu decided to take action.
“Xiao Cheng, I don’t want any compensation from you. I just want an explanation.”
Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but laugh in frustration. His expression darkened as he looked at Luo Yuan. “Explanation?”
“To be honest, you’re the first one to bully me like this.”
Luo Yuan was momentarily startled but quickly regained his composure.
Just then, Luo Jingshu suddenly released Xiao Cheng’s hand and walked briskly in a certain direction.
Luo Yuan panicked, reaching out to grab Luo Jingshu’s sleeve. “You’re not leaving!”
Luo Jingshu dodged his hand and walked away without looking back. He quickly grabbed a boy by the collar, yanking him up.
“What are you doing?? Luo Jingshu, do you really want to hit someone in front of everyone?” Luo Bin’s eyes flashed with a hint of panic, but he quickly raised his voice to scold Luo Jingshu, trying to cover up his own unease.
“What were you filming just now?” Luo Jingshu pulled the person up by his collar. The boy struggled but was no match for Luo Jingshu’s strength, stumbling a few steps as he was dragged along.
“You’re talking nonsense! Don’t slander me!” Even though his collar was held tight by Luo Jingshu, the boy still refused to admit it. “When did I film anything?”
“Then show me your phone.”
Luo Jingshu really wanted to call him stupid.
In fact, if Luo Yuan hadn’t made Xiao Cheng the target of his rumors, Luo Jingshu would have handled this in a much simpler and more direct manner.
But since it involved Xiao Cheng, he couldn’t afford to be careless. He couldn’t let Xiao Cheng’s reputation be tarnished.
And because Luo Yuan had hurt Xiao Cheng, Luo Jingshu wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily.
“What gives you the right to check my phone?”
The boy tried to argue again, but Luo Jingshu had lost his patience. He pressed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and shoved him back against the chair, reaching into his bag to search for his phone.
Some people tried to stop him, but they were quickly dissuaded by Chen Li.
Chen Li had picked up on what was happening.
The boy Luo Jingshu had caught wasn’t well-liked in the class, so there weren’t many people willing to help him. Plus, Luo Jingshu was brought here by Xiao Cheng.
Compared to him, everyone was more willing to trust Xiao Cheng.
Luo Jingshu forcefully pulled the phone out of the boy’s pocket, unlocked it, and scrolled through his photo album. Sure enough, there was a video.
“Why did you film this?”
Seeing that Luo Jingshu had already discovered the truth, the boy stubbornly retorted, “I just thought this was funny. What’s wrong with filming it?”
He struggled. “Give me back my phone!”
Luo Jingshu didn’t respond to him but continued scrolling through the boy’s album. After finding nothing useful, he decisively opened the hidden album.
At the same time, Xiao Cheng stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his clothes.
Compared to his pristine appearance, the boy held by Luo Jingshu looked much more disheveled.
Xiao Cheng could clearly see a flash of hatred in the boy’s eyes.
“Why do you hate me so much?”
Xiao Cheng felt confused. “Did I offend you in some way?”
The boy, unable to escape from Luo Jingshu’s grip, turned red with anger. “When did I hate you?”
“Did I do something, or say something?”
Xiao Cheng continued, “Is that why you teamed up with these two to frame me?”
In the short time it took, Luo Jingshu had scrolled through the boy’s album, checked his social media accounts, but found nothing useful.
Suddenly, he had an idea and switched from WeChat to a secondary account. Sure enough, he found something interesting.
“You thought using a secondary account would keep you safe?”
The boy, who had been struggling, suddenly slumped in defeat upon hearing this.
“It was their idea, it has nothing to do with me.”
When Luo Yuan heard this, his expression twisted. He hadn’t expected this boy to cave so easily. Luo Jingshu hadn’t even threatened him, and he had already spilled everything.
The boy had uploaded chat logs to his secondary account, which Luo Jingshu promptly forwarded to Xiao Cheng’s high school group.
Now everyone understood—the so-called “mistress” was just a malicious villain with delusions.
Luo Jingshu should have breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still frowning.
Everything seemed to be going too smoothly. The boy hadn’t resisted at all after being caught; either he had accepted reality, or…
Suddenly, Luo Jingshu’s expression turned cold. He opened the boy’s Weibo and short video apps and scrolled through the messages.
Sure enough, before Luo Jingshu had discovered him, the boy had already sent the video to a marketing account.
No wonder the boy had acted so fearless—it seemed like his goal had already been achieved.
Luo Jingshu muttered a curse under his breath, deleted everything, and then threw the phone on the table, kicking the boy behind the knee.
The boy instinctively fell to his knees, his knees hitting the ground with a loud thud. He immediately screamed in pain, curling up and clutching his knee.
“I’ll arrange for someone to delete the video.”
Luo Yuan immediately realized that the video had already been posted.
He seemed to have gone mad, bursting out laughing, muttering, “Luo Jingshu, you’re finished.”
“Everyone will know that Xiao Cheng is an ungrateful scumbag, and you’re just a shameless mistress.”
“Just wait to be scorned by everyone!”
No one responded to him.
Luo Yuan’s face twisted with rage, his eyes filled with hatred and jealousy.
“Why do I have to live such a miserable life, while you get to enjoy wealth and status?”
“This isn’t fair!”
The people around him were startled by his deranged expression and couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.
“Is this guy out of his mind?”
“Who would have thought that just going out for a meal could lead to so much chaos?”
Chen Li leaned in, “Xiao Cheng, he’s saying all this, do you need me to explain things for you?”
Hearing this, others chimed in, “Yeah, we can’t just let him spout nonsense. We can help you explain.”
Xiao Cheng felt a slight warmth in his heart. “Thank you, everyone. If I need anything, I’ll reach out.”
The marketing account had already released the video and probably paid for promotions, quickly gaining tens of thousands of likes within minutes.
Luo Yuan had guessed it right; most of the comments under the video were indeed sympathizing with him, while questioning whether Xiao Cheng and Luo Jingshu had actually done something morally corrupt.
Luckily, the video hadn’t spread too widely yet. Luo Jingshu immediately contacted the marketing account to delete it, but they didn’t respond to his messages.
Xiao Cheng didn’t have the mood to continue eating. The personal matter had disturbed everyone’s mood. Before leaving, he apologized repeatedly and paid for the meal.
Even so, Xiao Cheng’s face was still not looking good.
Before leaving, Luo Jingshu gave Luo Yuan a glance. This glance made Luo Yuan tremble in fear. He grabbed Luo Bin’s clothes tightly, mumbling, “He… he’s going to kill me.”
“He’s going to kill me!”
Luo Bin was startled. “Don’t be afraid. We live in a law-abiding society. How could he just kill someone?”
Before doing this, they had considered how Luo Jingshu might retaliate, but once the video was released, they thought Luo Jingshu wouldn’t dare take any reckless actions.
The more he retaliated against Luo Yuan, the more sympathy Luo Yuan would gain from the netizens.
No matter how powerful Luo Jingshu was, he couldn’t ignore public opinion, right?
The marketing account was run by a studio, and the guy who filmed the video earlier had a friend working there, so they weren’t afraid of Luo Jingshu deleting the video.
However, while some netizens were deceived, the people at the scene knew the truth and gave them cold and accusatory looks.
Luo Bin and the others couldn’t stay any longer and had to leave in shame.
Xiao Cheng had come to enjoy the class reunion, but this incident ruined everything. He left with a cold expression, barely holding back from cursing.
“I’ll contact them to delete the video. It will be fine,” Luo Jingshu comforted him.
Since the marketing account hadn’t replied, Luo Jingshu decided to call Fu Ju directly to have him contact the studio’s boss.
Fu Ju had more connections in this area and knew how to handle such situations.
“It’s nothing, I’m just really upset,” Xiao Cheng said, then couldn’t help but glance at Luo Jingshu. “You’re the one who caused the trouble, why am I the one who has to suffer?”
Luo Jingshu was taken aback. So Xiao Cheng cared about that?
He exhaled, a smile curling up at the corners of his mouth.
“Hubby and Wife are one, of course.”
Xiao Cheng kicked his calf. “Who’s your hubby?”
“You’d better fix this issue quickly.”
Luo Jingshu let him kick, nodding obediently, acting like a puppy. But when he lowered his eyes, his expression was cold, and his eyes were full of deep emotion.
Tonight, no one would escape.
A few minutes later, Fu Ju replied with an [OK.]
He was quick. When Luo Jingshu checked the marketing account again, the video was gone.
[To prevent it from being reposted, I did a little extra. No need to thank me,] Fu Ju said.
Luo Jingshu smirked and replied, [Help me investigate those two people.]
[Are you treating me like a tool?]
[What else?]
Luo Jingshu put away his phone. “Brother Cheng, the video has been deleted.”
Xiao Cheng wasn’t surprised by this outcome. “Mm.”
Luo Jingshu’s eyes glinted. “But the video already got tens of thousands of likes, meaning many people have seen it. Just deleting it isn’t enough.”
Xiao Cheng opened his eyes, tilted his head to look at him. “What do you want to do?”
Luo Jingshu’s eyes brightened, his excitement barely contained. “How about we film a video to clarify?”
“Clarify what?” Xiao Cheng frowned.
“Just say…” Luo Jingshu paused, “You just say I’m your first love, that I’m your only boyfriend, and I’m not the mistress.”
Xiao Cheng’s forehead twitched. He gestured for Luo Jingshu to come closer.
Luo Jingshu obediently leaned in, and the next moment, Xiao Cheng pinched his cheek.
“Do I look like a fool?”
Xiao Cheng flashed him a smile.
Luo Jingshu tilted his head sharply, kissed his cheek, and said, “My Brother Cheng is the smartest, of course, not a fool.”
Xiao Cheng recoiled as if he’d been burned, quickly retracting his hand. “Talk is fine, but don’t move your mouth.”
It was contradictory.
Luo Jingshu couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not a ventriloquist.”
Xiao Cheng was about to smack him again. Luo Jingshu was dreaming if he thought he could make a lovey-dovey video with him.
Xiao Cheng would have to be out of his mind to agree to that request.
Luo Jingshu knew it was a pipe dream, but he couldn’t help feeling excited.
Just imagining that once the video was posted, everyone would know Xiao Cheng’s lover was him, that he was Brother Cheng’s one and only boyfriend, his one and only little puppy.
Luo Jingshu was so excited that every cell in his body tingled.
How great would it be if that day really came?
But for now, it was just a fantasy.
The atmosphere in the car quieted, and Luo Jingshu sat down again, looking down to text.
Just then, a notification sound went off.
It was a message from Xiao Cheng’s phone.
Luo Jingshu instinctively glanced over. Xiao Cheng unlocked his screen, and it was a message from Bai Yiheng.
Xiao Cheng subconsciously glanced at Luo Jingshu. Their eyes met, and Xiao Cheng quickly looked away, returning his focus to the message.
Luo Jingshu frowned. “Who’s messaging you?”
Why did it seem like Xiao Cheng was a bit guilty when he looked at him?
“A friend.”
Bai Yiheng sent a simple [Good evening,] followed by a voice message.
Xiao Cheng opened the voice message and held the phone to his ear.
To his surprise, the sound didn’t come from the earpiece. Instead, a sweet, childish voice came from the speaker.
“Good evening, Brother Xiao Cheng!”
It was Bai Ling.
Xiao Cheng smiled slightly, his mind filled with the image of the cute little girl, and his mood eased.
He typed, [Good evening, Ling Ling.]
Bai Yiheng replied quickly, asking, [Only Ling Ling?]
Xiao Cheng licked his lips. [Mr. Bai, good evening too.]
He continued typing, but before he could finish the sentence, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Xiao Cheng was startled and instinctively pressed the phone screen off.
Luo Jingshu, who had only been three-quarters suspicious before, now became fully suspicious.
“Brother Cheng, I really need to help you get rid of this bad habit.”
“Stop licking your lips.”
It was fine in front of ordinary people, but what if Xiao Cheng did that in front of his admirers, like Xie Zhao or Bai Yiheng?
Luo Jingshu felt like he was wearing a huge green hat. Even though Xiao Cheng’s action had been subconscious, it made him feel like his “wife” was being flaunted in front of others.
Xiao Cheng immediately thought of the punishment Luo Jingshu had given him earlier, and his lip corner still hurt.
He remembered that hot, sticky kiss, and his face turned unnatural, his ears completely red, and even his face flushed.
“I know, stop holding me.”
Luo Jingshu didn’t let go, instead staring into his eyes. “Who were you chatting with just now?”
The voice sounded familiar, as if he’d heard it before.
Luo Jingshu furrowed his brow for a few seconds, and then his expression suddenly changed. His eyes locked onto Xiao Cheng as he gritted his teeth and asked,
“Bai. Yi. Heng?”
i wonder how long the ‘chasing’ is going to take
i don’t mind it since luo jingshu is a manipulative asshole but at the same time, i hope we get proper development and not just mindless chasing + scenes of everyone falling in love with xiao cheng 🤣