CH 69

TL: Hua

At nearly 11 o’clock in the evening, the 22nd floor of the Wenhui Building was still brightly lit. Several senior managers and the entire network department stayed behind in the company. There was a solemn atmosphere in the air, and even the tea room, which was always full of joy, smelled of black, bitter coffee.

The entire network department was silent, and no one spoke, while, in contrast, the conference room next door was filled with intense discussions. The sound of the quarrel could even be heard by the Human Resources Department, two doors away.

“We must issue a statement. If we don’t issue a statement and wait until more people wake up tomorrow morning, even if it can be clarified afterwards, the rumors will have spread already.”

“I’m not saying there won’t be any clarification, but which aspect should we clarify first?”

“Everything should be clarified!”

“That is just a meaningless excuse in the eyes of the public.”

Assistant Lin stood in his usual meeting position, his eyes sweeping over the noisy, red-necked executives below, and his mobile phone, which had just ended a call, vibrated again. Since the afternoon, his mobile phone has almost never been disconnected, and his landline, company phone, and personal phone are used in turns. There was a trace of anxiety on his brow. It wasn’t until he saw the name on the caller ID clearly that his expression changed, and he opened the door and walked out of the noisy conference room.

“Mr. Xia.”

Isolated from the noisy crowd, the world suddenly became clear. On the other end of the phone, the voice of the young man, who was probably as anxious as himself, was rarely calm, like the dewdrops in the early autumn morning, easing the restlessness in his chest and brain.

The young man’s voice entered calmly: “Are you still busy, Assistant Lin?”

“A little.”

They both know that “a little” is just a polite term.

Xia Shu’an said politely, “Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Lin. Have you made any progress now?”

Faced with this question that had been asked countless times today, Assistant Lin’s brain suddenly froze, but soon he answered truthfully: “We have no new progress at the moment. Lawyers are negotiating with the local police. The embassy has also put pressure on the local government, but there is currently no clear release time.”

“Then what are your countermeasures at this stage?”

“We can only adopt the most conservative official response.”

“Does the conservative official response mean to wait for the results, pursue the rumors, etc.? For the public, not denying it now means admitting it. Moreover, even if Shen Boyan is released tomorrow morning, everyone will think that it’s an inside job, not that he’s truly innocent. By then, those true and false rumors on the Internet will be with him for the rest of his life.”

“…”

Feeling his speechlessness and collapse, Xia Shu’an couldn’t help but smile, warmly comforting: “I’m not here to blame you. In fact, I have an idea. How about letting me speak out as Shen Boyan’s partner to stabilize the public’s confidence in Shen Boyan and Wenhui?”

Assistant Lin frowned and said subconsciously, “Theoretically, this method is feasible. Mr. Xia, as President Shen’s partner, you have the right to speak on his behalf, to openly counter and pursue those who spread rumors, to rebuild the public’s confidence, and to stabilize the situation for us in a short period of time, but–”

His voice hesitated: “But President Shen definitely doesn’t want you to get involved.”

Shen Boyan’s protection of Xia Shu’an is evident to all, even occupying 99% of his personal life, let alone letting Xia Shu’an be pointed at and criticized like an object.

Xia Shu’an was unconcerned. “If he doesn’t agree, then let him talk to me himself.”

“…”

“Please wait a moment…”

Assistant Lin covered the receiver of the phone with his hand and walked into the office nearby. The man in the office, who was the director of the sales department and also the company’s spokesperson, was staring at the frantic influx of mobile phone messages with an explosive state on his face. The man’s eyes snapped to life after Assistant Lin went in and whispered a few words in his ear: “This is a good idea. Xia Shu’an’s stepping in will generate more public discussion than a blanket response from the company; let him do it!”

“Understood.”

Assistant Lin walked back to the corridor and said, “Mr. Xia, I am very grateful for your decision. We will immediately ask the public opinion department to write a simple draft to clarify the content that needs to be responded to.”

In the wee hours of the morning, most adults are already preparing to fall asleep, given that tomorrow is still a working day, but even a small number of people are still excitedly reading news and playing games in front of the flickering screens. In a country with such a large population base, it’s still a huge number.

As the center of all kinds of gossip dramas and news, Weibo has two large hot searches hanging at the top, steadily suppressing other celebrities or social events of all sizes, making people with a sensitive sense of smell feel a hint of abnormality.

Some people just swiped the page and saw that the hot search list on the right suddenly jumped, and a brand new hot search stood at the top of the page like a queen, flaunting its power.

Wenhui Boss’s same-sex couple responded

Although there are rumors on the Internet that Wenhui Boss is gay, people have not responded positively. Many still have a dubious attitude, and when they saw the hot search title, they subconsciously clicked on it.

At the top was a brand new Weibo account, which has only posted a video. The username is very simple: “Boyfriend-Xia,” and even the introduction below only had the words “Wenhui President Shen’s Boyfriend.” Many people instinctively furrow their brows, thinking that it’s another bold internet celebrity who is trying to attract traffic.

Yes, although netizens love to join in the fun, they don’t stuff everything into their mouths. Modern netizens are more inclined to uncover the truth rather than being used as weapons. In the evening, several Internet celebrities who claimed to be ex-boyfriends were exposed as fake. Afterwards, they received a lot of criticism from netizens.

Everyone clicked on the hot search with doubts, but when they saw the face of the young man in the video, all doubts disappeared!

That was a beautiful and fresh young man, with dark eyebrows and beady lips. His snow-white cheeks were like a handful of snow falling into the bottom of a well. His two pupils, like black orbs, were flowing with a warm, crystal-white light.

Talking about beauty is a bit frivolous, and talking about elegance is a bit dull. If a word has to describe it, it would be: beauty! ! !

Shocked by the beauty, the netizens who clicked on the video became a little more lenient and even asked questions while watching the fun. And then they noticed that the video was ten minutes long. When they thought that such beauty could accompany them for ten minutes in the middle of the night, their lonely hearts were instantly enriched!

In much anticipation, the young man in the video launched a formal self-introduction:

“Hello everyone, My surname is Xia, and I am Shen Boyan’s boyfriend. I have been dating him for more than half a year, and we have lived together for half a year. This is the house we live in now. I will show you around.”

Beauty + disclosure of rich people’s mansions, a lot of people stayed under the double buff.

In the video, the young man shows his home to everyone in an unskilled way. This is undoubtedly a mansion that meets the public’s imagination, with wide and bright floor-to-ceiling windows and an elegant and generous European-style living room design. On the ground is a magnificent carpet with the words “luxury” written on it, and the sofa is so big that it makes people want to roll around on it.

The young man’s camera stopped for a moment on a huge LED display embedded in the wall.

“We don’t usually watch TV, but we occasionally play games. Shen Boyan’s skills are much worse than mine. I’m pretty sure he rarely plays games that require a controller. Of course, I personally surmise that his computer gaming skills should be terrible as well; after all, I’ve never seen him play a game in all the time we’ve been together.”

The young man complained and started walking slowly again—to the kitchen, dining room, and courtyard.

“There is an underground parking lot down there, but it’s too empty at night. Let’s take a look when we have time.”

“…This is the cloakroom, where most of the clothes will be kept. Only a small number of clothes that will be used the next day will be placed in the bedroom closet in advance.”

As he finished speaking, a room the size of an exhibition hall suddenly came into view. Even through the screen, they could feel that the clothing they saw had the words “expensive,” “exquisite,” “temperament,” and “very expensive” written in big letters.

Ordinary people have one or two sets of high-end suits that they can cope with most of the time in life, but almost every wardrobe in this room has suits and coats that showcase quality and luxury. That luxurious yet low-key lighting, that mouth-watering texture, that pleasing drape, and the confidence of a luxurious product that doesn’t even require a brand-name logo.

Among the netizens who clicked on the video, there were many male social workers who had already entered the workplace. After seeing the dazzling array of high-end suits, they all had two words left in their eyes:

Want them! !

Xia Shu’an was obviously not proficient in live broadcasting or video production. The camera quickly scanned the rows of clothing and soon reached the cabinet against the wall. He casually opened a drawer, and various styles of watches appeared in the public eye like children’s toys.

Anyone who knows a little about watches will see many symbols that often appear in luxury rankings at a glance, each of which is worth at least a Ferrari.

However, even if the total price of this cabinet can match an ordinary villa or mansion in the city, it’s not worth the owner’s extra two seconds. After the camera quickly scanned them, they were abandoned without mercy, like everything else. Outside the camera, some viewers in front of the screen blurted out, “Wait!”

Great, even if you are worth tens of millions, you will end up with the same fate.

The young man in the video was not aware of anything unusual and showed the male and female accessories in his home in order. Here, Xia Shu’an explained: “Because the variety of male jewelry was limited, many manufacturers gave away female jewelry that could be used to give to female relatives at home. But as we all know, Shen Boyan had very few relatives, so most of the jewelry was kept, and occasionally he would take out a few pieces as prizes to be raffled off at the annual meeting.”

Tsk, tsk, good guy, what a company! I’ll go too.

Ah, Wenhui, right? If it doesn’t close down this year, I’ll go!

Xia Shu’an is definitely a failed video host. His camera swept over all kinds of luxury goods and works of art worth thousands of dollars. Even though the audience outside the screen strongly tried to persuade him to stay, he unconsciously walks down to the next scene. Of course, many viewers who hate rich people were very happy that these precious treasures were treated the same as a floor faucet worth only a few thousand or tens of thousands.

It would be even better if they had thousands, or even tens of thousands, of floor faucets at home.

Xia Shu’an has finished browsing the second floor and has arrived at the top floor.

“This building is mainly for leisure and entertainment. This is a gym and a movie theater. The sound effects and 3D effects are very good. If you have the chance…”

The young man paused suddenly, and then he said, “Forget it.”

Audience off screen:? ? ? ?

Forget it; why forget it? Just say it. If you invite us, we will definitely go!

“This is our roof garden. It was originally a balcony for sunbathing. I transformed it into a garden. It is filled with flowers and some vegetables that I planted myself.”

They have just appreciated countless luxury goods, and now they are looking at flowers, grass, and cabbage. Ah, this innocent and natural feeling makes their souls feel cleansed.

This beautiful young man named Xia obviously has a much better attitude towards flowers than towards those “cold” and “meaningless” luxuries. He not only adjusted the close-up camera but also spoke out to explain. Even the gemstones on the crown of the missing queen from the last century that he just mentioned didn’t receive such treatment.

After touring the entire house, Xia Shu’an breathed a sigh of relief.

A gentle and delicate hand on the side handed him a tea cup, and he took it with both hands. His face was filled with ease and joy after finishing the task, and a smile overflowed from the corner of his eyes. His tea-drinking appearance makes people want to purchase the same things he used.

After he drank water for a while, he faced the camera again.

The beautiful face that suddenly filled the screen made the audience outside the video catch their breath once again.

The young man didn’t care about the impact of his face on the public. He faced the camera and said earnestly, “Shen Boyan is not a person with a background. He spends most of his life at work. No matter how hard he tries, he can only try to get off work on time and take at most one day off on weekends. Even this home was all done by Aunties and I decorating together, and that’s something I can tell you all quite frankly.”

“Shen Boyan is not a person who can run a “family.” His greatest effort is to maintain a close and stable relationship with me. I don’t know how he can have so many ex-boyfriends and go to so many entertainment venues when he’s so busy with work. I will pursue the responsibility of those who spread rumors in accordance with the law, and I hope that as adults, you are responsible for yourself. Don’t lose your mind due to temporary temptation.”

“Shen Boyan left the country last night due to a business emergency. As soon as he arrived in South Africa, he rushed to the factory. I can even give his specific timetable. From the time he arrived in South Africa to the time he was exposed and arrested, only two hours had passed, and he had to deal with so much work in those two hours.”

On the screen, the young man blinked and said very tactfully, “You may have overestimated his abilities.”

“Regarding the fact that he was taken away by the police, we will also ask the South African official to give us an explanation and restore President Shen Boyan’s reputation. Otherwise, we will ask a lawyer to sue the local police for infringing on his reputation and right to personal freedom.”

He paused and continued: “Some people say that he was born into such a family and grew up to be a violent maniac under the influence of his parents. But the Shen Boyan I know is someone who will stand up for innocent classmates during his student days, disregard his own safety, and fight against evil forces when encountering illegal events.”

“He is someone who will still pay employees’ salaries on time even during the company’s toughest times. Later, we will provide relevant evidence to prove that Shen Boyan’s student years were not as bad as claimed online.”

“He is indeed not a lucky person. A family full of violence and arguments created his dark childhood, and he didn’t seize the opportunity given by the country to study hard. But even so, he ultimately succeeded. I think one day he will stand in the school assembly hall, known as the sanctuary, and share the secret of his success with many students, opening up a brand new path for countless friends who are wandering around confused about their future.”

After finishing the long paragraph above, the young man took a breath and finally said slowly, “Shen Boyan is very busy and rarely gets private time for himself, so he doesn’t like to be disturbed. I stepped forward today because I couldn’t stand my partner being splashed with dirty water. There are also some people who take the opportunity to raise their own status to gain popularity. Shen Boyan’s assistant and I have all collected evidence and submitted it to Wenhui’s legal department.”

“I hope everyone can calm down, rethink this whole thing, and give us time to reveal the whole truth.”

“The above is all that I want to say. Thank you for your patience in watching.”

Then, the video ended.

[Before I clicked on it, I was thinking about what you would say for ten minutes. After watching, I just wanted to say why it only lasted ten minutes. Isn’t it worthy of a room full of luxury?]

[Isn’t that sweeping crocodile-eyed purple gem unworthy? ! ! ]

[Didn’t they say there was an underground parking lot? They treated us like outsiders and didn’t take us to visit the parking lot! ]

[While Wenhui is still here, start a live broadcast, and I will reward you.]

[Good lord, I actually ended up drinking chicken soup. Yes, he can succeed despite his miserable life experience; why can’t I?]

Mfn: Chicken soup is slang for motivational, encouraging speech.

[Upstairs, perseverance requires something beyond ordinary people’s determination and endurance.]

[It’s all a lie. Any inspirational story about a poor boy starting from scratch must have someone behind it!]

[This growth experience is completely involved in the underworld.]

[Why doesn’t our country take care of gang involvement?]

[The government and businessmen are a family.]

[Laughing to death, Weibo IP is such a good thing.]

……

[This man named Xia is so beautiful—not that kind of beautiful, but that kind of beautiful, you know?]

[Understand, understand, I understand it so well. There is a bit of coldness in the gentleness, and a bit of gentleness in the coldness. Damn, the paper person in my mind has an image!]

[I’m laughing my arse off. They can just hire a random actor and call him Shen Boyan’s boyfriend. Who knows if it was staged?]

[Upstairs, this is a senior from the College of Agriculture in our school. He looks better in person than in the video. He works in the school’s research laboratory. I feel that although the salary in our school’s research laboratory isn’t high, it doesn’t need to be outsourced. ]

[It’s like saying grapes are sour when you can’t eat them. Our senior has been named the school’s top student for consecutive years, and if he hadn’t withdrawn from the race, he might have been reelected.]

[A classmate from the second year of high school came here uninvited. He was also the most handsome guy in our school, and his family background is very good. ]

……

[This man is definitely not a duck. He behaves very naturally in the house, just like the owner. You can tell right away. If he has lived there for a long time or just moved in, If he can live in such a good house, I can do it too.]

Mfn: Slang for male prostitute.

[Me too]

[This villa is of extremely high standard at first glance, and a garden has been renovated on such precious land… According to the insider above, he is from the Agricultural College, and Boss Shen can be said to be very indulgent.]

[To be honest, I analyzed his words carefully and found them quite reasonable. According to the timetable given by Wenhui’s official website, Shen Boyan left Rongchuan in the middle of the night. Leaving so late must have been something urgent. If upon arrival, he didn’t immediately go to solve the problem but went to □□, do you think early morning air tickets are particularly cheap?]

[Perhaps they are using a private plane?]

[Is petrol particularly cheap in the early hours of the morning?]

[Maybe the □□ is from the past?]

[The South African police are so kind, keeping it until after the New Year to settle matters with others.]

[Help, I didn’t laugh before, but upstairs is too funny hhhhh]

[Okay, okay, after watching the video, I unilaterally decided that the previous Internet celebrities I saw are nothing compared to this.]

[A man’s infidelity is not about whether his wife is pretty or not, but whether they want to or not.]

[Well, I’m also from the same school. President Shen often comes to pick up Senior Xia from work. I didn’t think it was a big deal at first. But now that I think about it, it’s so sweet that a big boss with a lot of things to do comes to pick up a researcher from work! ]

[I ship them. I ship them. ]

[Is this even possible? ]

[Ahhhhhh, I really want to stan them. Shen Boyan, just you wait. As long as you pass this trial, I will become a CP fan of you and your wife!!!]

[knock, knock, knock, [picture][picture]]

This is a candid photo. The handsome young man in the photo has a look of disgust on his face, while the man next to him has the look of “Laozi is great, Laozi is awesome.”

However, the next second, he kneeled down to tie the young man’s shoelace.

[Speaking of foster relationships, is it like this in your family?]

[Fuck, I’m speechless! ]

[The first CP of the new year is actually a billionaire and his proud little wife. Are we ready for this?]

[Sisters, please hold back; wait until you’re sure that Shen Boyan is innocent before you start eating this CP! ! ! We CP fans also have a moral bottom line. Just wait, President Shen!!!]

[I really want to eat it; let me know the outcome, whether it’s life or death.]

[Let me just say, with a family of origin like this, shouldn’t we sympathize with Mr. Shen, who was just a child back then? Why is everyone acting like it’s his fault for being born into such a family?]

[Sympathy and vigilance coexist. We can sympathize with people whose families are not good, but we must also remain rational and understand that a large part of a person’s personality and outlook on life are closely related to the family. ]

After Xia Shu’an posted this video, the discussion that had just been extinguished for a while became heated again. Some people were rearranging their timelines, some were eating sugar with a knife, some were scolding the capitalists for diverting attention, and some were quickly deleting their Weibo posts.

There was a lot of noise on the Internet this night, but the situation did get better. The Internet’s condemnation of Wenhui paused after the popularity of the video continued to increase.

After Xia Shu’an posted the video, he asked for leave from his supervisor until the following Monday. Then he sent a message to the group chat, “Seniors, could you please record data for me?” The group, which had been silent for several hours, suddenly exploded. They came out and said that they would take good care of the flowers and plants in the experimental field for him, and that they also believed in Shen Boyan.

[Senior: Xiao Xia, take care of yourself!]

Xia Shu’an’s chest felt warm.

[Xia Shu’an: Thank you.]

Far away on the other side of the ocean, Yang Han looked at the young man in the video. His breathing was rapid, and his pupils were red. He couldn’t help but gasp fiercely, grabbing the nearby wine and pouring it into his stomach.

Sheng Songbai looked at him and said with a smile, “I told you, Xia Shu’an will definitely take the bait. Shen Boyan will come out soon. You have to drag Xia Shu’an in before he comes out, so that he will be concerned and irrational.”

Yang Han: “I know; my people are all ready. Xia Shu’an, you’re the one who jumped in front of the gun muzzle.”

“Okay, okay, you can handle the rest by yourself. It’s prime time at night, and I have to go out for a walk.”

The man stretched lazily and stood up.

He walked slowly out of the hotel’s front door, circling the city center a few times, changing cars a couple of times, and finally he got into a taxi and said in simple English:

“La Pasa Hotel.”

The car carried him to his destination after more than twenty minutes. Sheng Songbai paid and got out of the car, then quickly walked into the hotel. After exchanging a few words with the waiter, the other party led him to a private room.

After knocking on the door, Sheng Songbai turned the door handle and pushed in.

He had only just opened the door when the man in the room, accompanied by two bodyguards and an assistant, raised his eyelids and stared at him.

Shen Boyan tapped his fingers on the table. Sheng Songbai had an unhappy look on his face, closed the door, and walked in.