Chapter 17: CH 017

TL: Moonlit

Lian Hanchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly opened the video.

After opening the video, the screen remained black, and there was no sound for a while. The barrage of impatient viewers was filled with angry curses.

“What is Ran Xing doing? Suddenly posting such a random video.”

“Just seeking attention? Giving up on himself?”

“Has he gone crazy?”

“You can skip through the progress bar; there’s no need to curse.”

With a cold expression, Lian Hanchuan turned off the barrage. He didn’t skip through the video but simply stared silently at the black screen. After a while, faint voices could be heard.

“Here I am.” Ran Xing’s voice was faint, devoid of any emotion.

Another hoarse and rough voice clicked its tongue. “After so many years, this is the attitude you have towards your old man.”

Lian Hanchuan instantly realized that it was the voice of Ran Xing’s scumbag father.

Unable to contain his anger, Lian Hanchuan’s face darkened. He restrained the impulse to pull Ran Xing over and scold him, and instead listened to the conversation in the recording.

“Tell me, what do you want?” Ran Xing didn’t waste any words and went straight to the point, his tone calm to the point of eeriness.

“Tsk.” After the crisp sound of a teacup clinking, Ran Xing’s father said slowly, “I am your father, your biological father. What can I want? I just want you to provide for my old age.”

So pompous. Lian Hanchuan narrowed his eyes, while his secretary shrunk his neck beside him, feeling sorry for Ran Xing’s father.

The boss seemed cold on the surface, but he had a good personality and rarely got angry. Even if his subordinates presented him with a terrible proposal, he could calmly point out the mistakes without changing his expression. Once a boss with such a good temperament got angry, the person who provoked him usually ended up in a miserable state… The secretary thought of a bankrupt rival company from the past and then remembered Wu Tong, who was being universally criticized in the entertainment industry. He silently made the sign of the cross in his mind.

“I will provide you with a pension based on the local average wage, and I’ll send it to you every month,” Ran Xing said.

“Just a few thousand yuan from a big star like you, is that enough?” Ran Xing’s father finally revealed his greedy true colors. His anxious voice betrayed his undisguised coveting and salivating. “Every month, one hundred thousand — no, five hundred thousand! Give me five hundred thousand every month, and I promise I’ll disappear far away.”

“Five hundred thousand…” Ran Xing repeated it in a murmur, then coldly chuckled, “What makes you think I have five hundred thousand? Even if I do, why should I give it to you?”

“Based on how you used to hit and curse me when I was a child, based on how you never fed me, based on how you didn’t pay my school fees and made me wash dishes at a restaurant after middle school graduation, are you still going to take away my wages?”

Lian Hanchuan’s face grew even colder, and the secretary sighed. Although he had already watched this video earlier, hearing Ran Xing speak about these things still caused him heartache.

Ran Xing was a diligent and hardworking good child, but his luck wasn’t great. The secretary thought to himself that fortunately, he had encountered the boss, which eventually turned his fortunes around.

“Just because I’m your father!” With a loud bang, Mr. Ran slammed his cup heavily on the table, angrily saying, “If it weren’t for me giving birth to you, would you have what you have today? Let me tell you, I’ve had someone influential guiding me. As a celebrity like you, the thing you fear the most is having a bad reputation. If you don’t give me money, I’ll cause a scene at the TV station every day! Let’s see how you face the world then!”

In the recording, the two of them argued for a few more sentences. Ran Xing’s refusal to cooperate completely infuriated his father. A series of harsh and intense voices followed, accompanied by his father’s vulgar and offensive curses: “You fucking bastard, after all these years, you’ve grown wings and dare to resist me? I’ll kill you!”

“I am your father, and you’ll do as I say. Don’t talk about your money, even your life is in my hands! If you don’t listen to me, I’ll drown you in the toilet…”

Perhaps during the struggle, the recording abruptly ended when it hit the phone.

But the amount of information revealed during this time was enough. Lin Hanchuan let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t know with what mindset Ran Xing confronted his childhood nightmare or under what circumstances he exposed these wounds, so raw and exposed in front of the public.

Suddenly, the video lit up, and Ran Xing’s face appeared on the screen.

His features were delicate and beautiful. The temporary hair dye had been washed off, and his black hair obediently laid flat on his head, making him look less strikingly provocative and a bit more obedient. “Hello, everyone. I am Ran Xing.”

He greeted the camera, but his eyes didn’t meet the lens. Instead, he looked down, avoiding the scrutiny of those beyond the camera.

“When he appeared, I was terrified. My entire childhood was lived under his shadow. Even as an adult, I still have dreams of reverting back to being seven or eight years old, and him stumbling drunkenly into the room, grabbing anything he could find and throwing it at me.”

“When he asked me for money, my initial reaction was to compromise… But I know him too well. His greed knows no bounds. If I give once, there will always be a next time. I can never satisfy his desires.”

“The company has been in a state of chaos because of my situation. My boss is a good person; he knows about these things. But to protect me, he chose a more complicated way to deal with this… It should have been enough for me to come forward and tell the truth.” Ran Xing, who had been expressionless the whole time, smiled, and his eyes formed beautiful arcs, clearly showing his distinct, long eyelashes.

“I want to thank my boss and the company. I solemnly declare to everyone: I, Ran Xing, sever all ties with that man and will not give him a single penny…” After saying this, Ran Xing hesitated for a moment and changed his tone, “If he wants a pension, I will only provide him with the average local wage.”

The video ended completely.

The secretary looked at Lin Hanchuan’s expression and carefully said, “This child knows how to repay kindness. Mr. Yan, public opinion has already shifted in our favor. The PR department is ready with an urgent announcement. What do you think we should release?”

Lin Hanchuan handed the phone back to his secretary. “Release the announcement immediately. Instruct the PR department to pay attention to online reactions, ensuring that the tone doesn’t provoke a backlash from netizens. Avoid buying popularity and let things follow their natural course…”

The secretary left the office, and Lin Hanchuan sat there for a while, his mind filled with mixed emotions.

In the original text, Qiu Hongguang, who was also an artist, often faced public relations crises. Yan Weilou tried his best to protect Qiu Hongguang’s reputation, but in the end, he only received complaints about being slow and ineffective.

Qiu Hongguang, taking advantage of Yan Weilou’s favor, behaved without guilt or gratitude. On the contrary, Ran Xing, who had the identity of a malicious supporting male character, noticed the kindness of others and carefully treasured it, repaying it in his own way.

Feelings would not be betrayed, and efforts would not be taken for granted.