Chapter 025 The Young Master – “Xiao Ge, I’m here, don’t be afraid” (25/35)
The atmosphere in the room gradually eased.
When Shi Rongqing and Shi Jingge had just entered, the tension in the room had been as taut as a stretched string, ready to snap at any moment.
Now, that string finally began to slacken.
Shi Jingge breathed a sigh of relief. But then he turned his head and caught sight of the phone in Hua Mingyi’s hand.
Hesitating for a moment, Shi Jingge hid behind Shi Rongqing and turned off his own phone.
Shi Rongqing caught his movement out of the corner of his eye, looking slightly puzzled. Then he watched as Shi Jingge strode purposefully toward Hua Mingyi.
“…My phone’s dead.” After a long pause, the young master managed to choke out the words, then waved his phone in front of Hua Mingyi. “Can I borrow yours?”
Hua Mingyi nodded, handing over her phone without question. The young master snatched it up and hurried back to Shi Rongqing.
Shi Rongqing suddenly understood. This was to prevent Hua Mingyi from seeing all the negative online comments.
But the next second, Shi Rongqing froze. Shi Jingge shoved the phone into his pocket.
Shi Rongqing: “?”
Shi Jingge cleared his throat, took several steps back, and only when he was sufficiently far away, pointed toward Li Zhuoyun.
The implication was for Shi Rongqing to hand the phone to Li Zhuoyun.
Shi Rongqing felt both amused and exasperated, but he understood Shi Jingge’s reasoning.
After all, the phone belonged to Hua Mingyi. It wouldn’t be right for two men to hold onto a young girl’s phone. Yet Hua Mingyi was clearly in a fragile state mentally, and exposing her to more negative news would only worsen her condition.
But everyone knew that when someone was at the center of public scrutiny, it was nearly impossible to ignore the chatter outside, especially since Hua Mingyi had just opened Weibo moments ago.
Handing her phone to Li Zhuoyun was clearly the best solution.
The two girls lived together and were close friends. When Hua Mingyi faced this situation, Li Zhuoyun could’ve easily distanced herself from the storm. Yet she chose not to. Instead, she stood by Hua Mingyi, enduring the criticism and facing everything together.
This clearly showed how genuine their friendship was, and Li Zhuoyun’s character was truly beyond reproach.
But the question remained: why didn’t Shi Jingge hand the phone to Li Zhuoyun himself?
Shi Rongqing looked at him. Shi Jingge avoided eye contact, glancing at the sky and the ground instead, even taking a step back.
Shi Rongqing: “…”
Perhaps he really had been startled by Li Zhuoyun’s earlier reaction.
Shi Rongqing sighed internally, then stepped forward to discreetly slip Hua Mingyi’s phone into Li Zhuoyun’s hands. Li Zhuoyun froze upon receiving the phone, but quickly regained her composure.
She too didn’t want Hua Mingyi to check it. She’d pleaded countless times. Hua Mingyi would promise, but the moment Li Zhuoyun turned away, she’d open Weibo.
Hua Mingyi was still young and timid by nature. She couldn’t handle this explosive public pressure, yet she kept checking. Li Zhuoyun was anxious but had no solution.
Then the young master had found her a way. Li Zhuoyun slipped the phone into her pocket, breathing a slight sigh of relief.
…Everything will be okay, right?
Li Zhuoyun pulled out her own phone and opened an app. “I recorded the entire game back then. Nearly nine hours worth; it’s all right here.”
“Brother.” Shi Jingge turned to Shi Rongqing. “With this, plus the hotel surveillance footage, won’t we be able to prove Hua Mingyi’s innocence?”
Shi Rongqing shook his head. “If they dared use this against Hua Mingyi, the hotel surveillance would’ve been wiped clean long ago.” After a pause, he added, “I contacted them immediately.”
Shi Jingge bit her lower lip.
“But”—Shi Rongqing shifted his tone—“do you remember your assistant, Wei Han?”
Shi Jingge blinked. “Didn’t you replace him?”
“He was planted by Mu Jin to monitor you,” Shi Rongqing said flatly. “He reports your movements and such back to Mu Jin.”
Shi Jingge froze. He took a step back, his mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out. His expression alone was enough to break hearts. Like an abandoned, homeless kitten.
How could Shi Rongqing bear to torment him further?
“But this might not be entirely bad,” Shi Rongqing hurriedly interjected, speaking rapidly. “He doesn’t have just Mu Jinzhi as a patron. You know, you have millions of followers on Weibo and still generate traffic, so he sold your information to others too. So that day, from the moment you left the hotel, someone had been tracking your entire route. While investigating Mu Jin, I traced it back to Wei Han, which led me to that footage. This way, even without the hotel surveillance, it still makes sense.”
“But…” Shi Jingge pressed his lips together. “I just feel… like…”
“Hmm?” Shi Rongqing looked at Shi Jingge.
“I don’t know, it’s just this feeling I can’t quite put my finger on,” Shi Jingge scratched the back of his head. “But based on all my years of watching the entertainment industry tear each other apart, this just… doesn’t feel right…”
“At least you’re using your brain now.” Shi Rongqing patted Shi Jingge on the head. “Even if you haven’t figured anything out yet.”
Shi Jingge shot Shi Rongqing a glare but held his tongue.
“Indeed,” Shi Rongqing said calmly. “If we were to release this as evidence, it wouldn’t have much impact. It’d just fuel all sorts of conspiracy theories. The biggest problem is we don’t have the hotel surveillance footage. The best approach would actually be to leak this as an exposé, pointing the finger directly at you, then use the video Li Zhuoyun has to clear things up.”
“No!” Before Shi Jingge could speak, Hua Mingyi stood up first, her eyes slightly moist.
She took a deep breath. “Young Master Shi saved me back then and helped me all along. If this drags him into trouble again, what kind of person would I be? Just release those recordings directly. I believe they can prove my innocence. Those willing to believe me will, and those unwilling never will. My conscience is clear. That’s all that matters.”
Li Zhuoyun placed a hand on her shoulder, patting it gently in consolation. Shi Rongqing studied Hua Mingyi intently, his mood easing slightly. This little brat made good friends this time.
“You don’t get to decide,” Shi Jingge declared haughtily, his head held high. “My things, my call!”
“Sorry,” Shi Rongqing interrupted. “It’s actually mine.”
Shi Jingge: “…”
His attempt to show off backfired. He glared at Shi Rongqing through gritted teeth. The tense atmosphere from moments ago seemed to dissipate instantly.
Shi Rongqing offered a compromise. “But I’ll listen to you.“
Only then did the young master’s face light up with excitement.
Hua Mingyi looked at the young master, about to speak, but he declared with unwavering certainty, ”You think I’m doing this for you? Of course not! I just want to curse people out!”
The young master lifted his head high, brimming with arrogance and insolence. “When we made our official announcement, those people cursed me. Then during the livestream, tons more cursed me. So many trolls and haters hurled insults, and I never got a chance to fight back. Why should I?”
“Now I’m going to curse them all back! Why should I, Shi Jingge, take the abuse without fighting back? But since it’s been so long, responding now would just make me look petty. How could I ruin my brilliant, majestic image for them? But now, I can openly trash-talk them to death! Don’t think I’m doing this for you.“
The young master sneered disdainfully, rolling his eyes. “Who are you to me? Why would I do this for you? You’re really good at flattering yourself!”
Hua Mingyi stared intently at Shi Jingge. She’d seen this side of the young master before—arrogant, self-centered, overbearing, and downright nasty.
He’d been like this when he saved her.
He’d been like this when he brought her here and handed her over to Li Zhuoyun.
He’d been like this when he first demanded her phone.
He’d been like this when he finally tossed the keys to them.
He was always like this.
He used all manner of rudeness to mask his tenderness, as if terrified his kindness might trouble others.
But in truth, if not for her, then for whom?
Was the esteemed young master of the Shi family actually seeking out insults?
Back then, when he tossed the keys at her, he’d deceived her with this same rudeness. But now, this tired old trick couldn’t fool her anymore.
A bitter ache welled up inside Hua Mingyi. Her nails dug into her palms as the pent-up grievances, worries, fears, and anger of these past days, mingled with shame, surged through her chest. She couldn’t hold back any longer and covered her mouth, bursting into tears.
The young master froze. He immediately leaped to Shi Rongqing’s side, grabbed his sleeve, and shoved him in front of him.
Shi Rongqing: ???
The young master closed his eyes, stiffened his neck, and shouted, “Don’t think this will make me change my mind! I won’t! What gives you the grounds”—The young master ducked his head—“What gives you the grounds to make me change my mind?My things, my call! It’s none of your business!”
After firing off his final five sentences, the young master took a big step back, then tugged Shi Rongqing with him and shrunk obediently behind him.
Shi Rongqing: “…”
Was he being used as a shield?
Hua Mingyi’s sobs grew even louder. Li Zhuoyun embraced her and tried her best to comfort her.
The young master felt his scalp tingling. He tugged at Shi Rongqing’s clothes, wavered back and forth, and finally leaned close to whisper in his ear, “Hurry up, hurry up and make her stop crying!”
At that moment, Shi Rongqing felt like his own foolish younger brother was about to burst into tears.
“Stop crying.” Shi Rongqing sighed. “If you keep this up, my own little idiot here will start crying too.”
Shi Jingge: “???”
Just as Shi Jingge raised his hand to strike, Shi Rongqing added, “This time, my little brat actually has a point. I know you don’t want to drag him into this, but won’t doing this actually involve him? From the moment these videos were released, from the moment the trolls and haters started targeting you, Xiao Ge was bound to get caught up in it. Rather than wait, it’s better to do as he suggests and avoid being pinned with more false accusations.”
After a pause, Shi Rongqing softened his tone. “No one can pin false accusations on us for things we never did, right?”
“Right!” Before Hua Mingyi could speak, the young master blurted out loudly. Then he immediately retreated. “Of course, I’m not doing this for her. I just wanted to curse someone—”
Shi Rongqing tapped his head. “Shut up.”
Hua Mingyi’s tears hadn’t yet stopped. She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Shi Jingge and Shi Rongqing with utmost solemnity.
It was a full-on ninety-degree bow held for a long moment, startling even Shi Jingge.
In that instant, Hua Mingyi had so many words she wanted to say, yet felt none needed to be spoken aloud. She would forever hold this moment in her heart.
“Thank you,” Hua Mingyi said solemnly.
A thousand words were contained within those two simple ones.
Her gaze drifted over Li Zhuoyun, Shi Jingge, and Shi Rongqing. Suddenly, she felt all the self-doubt and resentment she’d carried vanish in that instant.
Perhaps everything she’d endured in her first twenty-odd years had been to meet them.
She was truly fortunate.
Luckier than many.
In this instant, Hua Mingyi realized how foolish she’d been to consider death as proof of her innocence. So foolish.
“Then…”
Amid the silence, the young master peeked out cautiously. Spotting the tears on Hua Mingyi’s face, he quickly retreated.
“…And what about that person who’d been slapped? How do we clear that up?”
“Oh, that,” Shi Rongqing said nonchalantly. “Film sets often have many valuable props, so there are surveillance cameras in certain areas. When she came out of the dressing room and passed by some places, her laughter sounded a bit maniacal. We’ll clear that up together when the time comes.”
“Then… when do we start fighting back?” Shi Jingge pressed.
“Why the rush? Eager to get yelled at?” Shi Rongqing asked with amusement.
Shi Jingge declared with righteous indignation, “I am! I may be useless at everything else, but I’m number one at cursing, you know that. Who could possibly out-curse me?”
He tilted his head back, pride radiating from him.
Shi Rongqing stared at him expressionlessly, then smacked him hard on the head. The young master’s eyes widened, and when he finally couldn’t hold back any longer and retaliated, Shi Rongqing firmly silenced him.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly lightened.
Li Zhuoyun happened to poke the other girl’s phone in her pocket. A faint smile touched her lips as she placed it in Hua Mingyi’s hand.
Hua Mingyi was initially a bit surprised, but when she saw Li Zhuoyun gesture towards the young master, she quickly understood.
Hua Mingyi clutched the phone, feeling tears well up again. But she held them back.
Don’t scare the young master anymore. Wait until he leaves to cry.
Shi Rongqing worked with lightning speed. With the Shi family’s connections, things moved swiftly.
Around eight or nine the next morning, during peak traffic hours, a trending topic dropped onto the hot search list and quickly shot to the top.
—[Young Master Shi Maintains Relationship with Female Star: Innocent Actress’s Image Crumbles!]
This exposé wasn’t just explosive—it came with hard evidence!
Even though the video footage was grainy, who in the entertainment industry didn’t have a keen eye?
Soon, every detail was dissected. The figures stepping out of the car, one after the other, were Shi Jingge and Hua Mingyi. Moreover, the hotel where the car first appeared was identified by resourceful netizens as the exact location of Hua Mingyi and Mr. Zhang’s “intimate photos.”
Thus, Hua Mingyi and Mr. Zhang had no romantic connection at all—Shi Jingge was the one maintaining the relationship while Mr. Zhang had been framed by this sudden scandal!
Mr. Zhang, quick on his feet, immediately mobilized his marketing accounts to whitewash his image.
He’d been fretting endlessly, wondering who’d set him up and dragged him into this mess. Even if he wanted to teach Hua Mingyi a lesson, he wouldn’t sacrifice himself in the process!
Shi Jingge suspected one person after another, his heart seething with hatred.
Yet at this moment, he felt nothing but elation.
—The mastermind’s true target was Shi Jingge!
Recalling the humiliation Shi Jingge had inflicted that day, Mr. Zhang couldn’t sit still.
If not now, when? Kick a man when he’s down!
Marketing accounts, big influencers—get to work! Where are the trolls? Not enough! Buy more! Buy more! We’ll drown Shi Jingge in this storm!
The moment for revenge had arrived!
Shi Jingge initially itched to trade insults with the trolls and haters. But the moment he opened Weibo and saw the raging storm below his post, he gave up instantly.
Shi Rongqing raised an eyebrow. “What? Backing down?”
Shi Jingge declared with righteous indignation, “What nonsense! How could a man like me ever back down? I’m just not wasting my time on useless people. That’s called wisdom!”
Look at how fast his comments are piling up.
He probably hadn’t even typed a single word yet, and thousands more hateful comments had already appeared.
The young master considered himself a fair person. If he was going to fight back, he’d fight back against everyone. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother at all.
Otherwise, if someone insulted him and he hit back, but someone else insulted him and he didn’t retaliate, that would be really unfair, wouldn’t it?
Shi Jingge lifted his foot, ready to make a run for it.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Wen Xusheng.
Shi Jingge answered, “Hello? What—”
Before he could finish, Wen Xusheng cut him off, “Are you home?”
The young master stammered, “Yeah.”
“Mm,” Wen Xusheng replied briefly before hanging up.
The young master: “?”
Shi Rongqing approached and asked, “What’s up?”
“No idea.” The young master scratched the back of his head. “Wen Xusheng called to ask if I was home, then hung up.”
“Oh.” Shi Rongqing acknowledged before calling out, “Aunt Bai! Aunt Bai!”
Aunt Bai came over, her heart aching as she stuffed a salted egg yolk pastry in the young master’s hand before asking, “Young Master, you needed me?”
Shi Jingge lowered his head to bite into the pastry.
Shi Rongqing glanced at Aunt Bai, confirming there really wasn’t one for him, before withdrawing his gaze.
Shi Jingge finished the pastry and gave a thumbs-up. “Delicious.”
Aunt Bai beamed and handed him another. “Then eat more, young master. You’ve lost weight.”
“Thanks, Aunt Bai!” Shi Jingge took the pastry, beaming with delight.
Shi Rongqing: “…”
What about mine?
Forget it. Not going to fight the little brat over food.
Shi Rongqing said flatly, “Notify everyone: no one is permitted to enter today, regardless of who it is.”
The young master looked up. “Who’s coming?”
Shi Rongqing forced a smile. “No one.”
He knew this wouldn’t stop Wen Xusheng from coming, but at least he could indulge his desire to speak his mind!
Half an hour later, Wen Xusheng arrived at the Shi residence as expected.
“Here.” Wen Xusheng looked somewhat weary from travel. The moment he spotted Shi Jingge, he shoved a USB drive into his hands.
Shi Jingge stared blankly. “What’s this?”
Wen Xusheng curved his lips. “Something that can prove your innocence.”
Shi Jingge stared at Wen Xusheng in shock.
“I couldn’t get the hotel surveillance footage, but I tracked down everyone who was at that dinner that day. Luckily, a director who had a personal grudge against Mr. Zhang happened to bring a voice recorder and captured a lot. From Mr. Zhang harassing Hua Mingyi, to her fleeing, to you rescuing her—it’s all recorded.
“There’s also your gaming history, though that’ll likely be dismissed as a proxy player logging in. But no worries— I’m still gathering supporting evidence. I’ll check with Li Zhuoyun or Hua Mingyi to see if they have any screenshots or recordings.”
Though Wen Xusheng made it sound effortless, anyone could tell this kind of evidence was extremely difficult to obtain. Otherwise, Shi Rongqing would’ve been able to get it.
Moreover, from the moment Shi Jingge hit the trending list until now, only a few hours had passed. Yet within that time, Wen Xusheng had managed to secure evidence proving Shi Jingge’s innocence.
Shi Jingge stared at him blankly.
Seeing this expression on Shi Jingge’s face melted Wen Xusheng’s heart.
He sighed softly, pulling Shi Jingge into his arms and gently stroking his back, as if trying to brush away every trace of distress. “Xiao Ge, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
—– —– —–
Author’s Note:
Shi Rongqing: I’m here—why would my little brother be scared?
Shi Rongqing: And who let this guy in? Does my word mean nothing in this house anymore?
Shi Jingge: …Me.
Shi Rongqing: …………………………………………
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
