They Called Me a Joke…I Ended the Game

– [He Lin: Come watch your wife, quick.]

Beside him, Ji Qing dug his nails into his palm, forcing himself to stay calm.

No matter how he hinted, he couldn’t get Xie Hanzhou to tell him who Ning Shixue had married.

His agent could only try to find out from other sources.
He finally learned that Ning Shixue had married Xie Hanzhou’s uncle.
Xie Hanzhou’s uncle was over fifty.
The irony was palpable.

Then he anonymously sent the leak to EntertainmentFrontline.

Ning Shixue alone could support hundreds of gossip accounts.
Let alone such a scandalous wealthy family affair.
After confirming the truth of the information, they released it that night.

The only thing he hadn’t expected was for Ning Shixue to be so reckless, to actually start arguing with the comments.

Hadn’t he changed?!

He was still a madman!

No… that wasn’t right. He had changed.
Ning Shixue was now crazy in a very methodical way, catching him completely off guard.

Ji Qing forced himself not to show any emotion in front of the camera.
But inwardly, he grew more and more anxious.
Until Ji Xiao, at some point, ran over and tugged at his wrist with his little hand.

He snapped back abruptly.

Ji Xiao was startled and said cautiously,
Uncle, I need go bathroom.

Okay, uncle will take you.
Ji Qing took his hand.
Taking this opportunity, he sent his agent a message.

– [Ji Qing: Release the photos.]

Ning Shixue’s interview had already been posted online.
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock that Ning Shixue had actually given up on Xie Hanzhou, EntertainmentFrontline dropped another bombshell.

– [@EntertainmentFrontline: Here’s the solid proof.
Don’t say I’m making it up. [9 photos]]

The photos were clearly taken secretly at night.
Only the man’s back was visible, but you could tell his hair was grey, showing his age.
He was holding Xie Yaoyao in his arms.

Xie Yaoyao was asleep on his shoulder, half of his little face visible in the shot.

[Come on, explain this.
@NingShixue]

[!!! Isn’t this Xie Hanzhou’s uncle?
Seems like his name is Xie Mengyuan.
He’s a director of Shengxing Entertainment.]

[To be fair, just this photo doesn’t really prove anything.
Xie Mengyuan is also a member of the Xie family.
It’s perfectly normal for him to hold Xie Yaoyao.
Doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the dad.]

[Thanks. I was expecting some max forty-something greasy middle-aged man.
This guy’s old enough to be his dad, right?]

Information on Xie Mengyuan wasn’t hard to find.
A quick online search turned up plenty.
Besides being one of the directors of Shengxing Entertainment, he was also a Vice President of the Xie Group, holding significant authority.

He had a son and a daughter.
His eldest son was six years older than Ning Shixue.
He was indeed old enough to be Ning Shixue’s father.

There had been rumors circulating in Yan City’s upper-class circles that Xie Mengyuan had divorced his wife.
But actually, he hadn’t.
He and his wife were also in an arranged marriage.
Asset division in a divorce within such a big family was too difficult.
They were just separated now.

The comments were all齊刷刷地 tagging Ning Shixue.

Relentlessly pressing him.

[Why aren’t you talking now?
Explain again?
@NingShixue @NingShixue @NingShixue]

[I’m starting to wonder now, did he even really like Xie Hanzhou?
He just wanted to latch onto the Xie family, right?
He’d rather sleep with an old man and become a stepmother just to marry into the Xie Group.
No low is too low to climb up.]

Ning Shixue frowned.

Xie Yaoyao’s photo had been released without any blurring.

Even though Xie Yaoyao had already shown his face on the variety show, consenting to appear and being secretly photographed were two completely different things.

The comments were gradually becoming unbearable.
Even with the program team setting up many blocked keywords, they couldn’t stop it.

This was no longer spontaneous from viewers.
Someone was definitely pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The tactics used to steer the narrative were remarkably experienced.

Everyone waited for Ning Shixue’s reaction, wanting to see him embarrassed and flustered.

But Ning Shixue didn’t fly into a rage out of humiliation.
He didn’t get publicly upset and start hysterically attacking like the original host would have.
He remained that same cool, detached figure, his eyes coldly beautiful and slightly red.

After a tense standoff, Ning Shixue suddenly laughed.
His pale cheeks became vividly alive.

As for this one, ID ‘NingShixueGetOutOfEntertainmentCircle,’
Ning Shixue’s voice was crisp and clear, now deliberately softened.
His peach blossom eyes lifted, glistening with moisture, looking as if he could gaze affectionately even at a dog.
But his next words were earth-shattering.
She’s actually my fan.

[??????]

[Do I need to go to the hospital and get my ears checked?
What is he saying???]

ID NingShixueGetOutOfEntertainmentCircle: “…”

She wasn’t!
She was not!
Don’t falsely accuse her!!!

She was one of the trolls hired by EntertainmentFrontline.
She really was Ning Shixue’s anti-fan.
And she was also a fan of Xie Hanzhou.
Ever since Ning Shixue debuted, she had wanted this drama queen to get the hell out of the entertainment circle immediately.

Stop plaguing Xie Hanzhou.

Tonight, she had cursed particularly viciously.
Ning Shixue had answered about a dozen questions from start to finish, and the first two were hers.

How could she possibly be a fan!

She frantically explained herself in the troll group chat, her mind reeling, terrified of being seen as a mole.

The comments were skeptical.

[Who are you trying to fool?]

[If you’ve really lost your mind, just get the program team to call an ambulance, okay?]

Ning Shixue raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
‘I thought you all believed whatever anyone said.’

The comments fell silent for a moment.

What was going on?
They felt vaguely insulted.

Ning Shixue had gained quite a few fans by now.
Previously, he’d been drowned out by fans of other celebrities and casual netizens, unable to fight back.
Now he finally had a chance.

[Exactly, is there any solid proof so far that Ning Shixue has any connection whatsoever with Xie Mengyuan?]

The director’s heart was in his throat.
They’d filmed this show for years.
Guests had been provoked by comments during interviews before and actually argued back.

But they had never seen a scene like this.

Tonight’s variety show live stream heat kept climbing, instantly becoming the number one on the platform.
It was even the hottest episode of any domestic live-streamed variety show ever.
The number of online viewers was still exploding.

Ning Shixue’s name was on the top five trending searches.

#NingShixue XieHanzhou#
#NingShixue The Rise of a Simp#
#NingShixue Who Exactly Is Your Husband#
…

But Ning Shixue remained calm throughout, never breaking down.
Instead, people gradually started to believe what he said.

[What if he really didn’t?]

[He’s not crazy. I must be the crazy one.
My wife being this dramatic seems even hotter now, sniff.]

The director’s heart settled back down a bit.

The comments were still chaotic.

But as long as Ning Shixue persisted in denying it, and the other side couldn’t produce more evidence, this would blow over in a few days.
The internet’s memory was short.

Just then, someone suddenly posted a comment.

[Holy crap! Everyone go look at Shengxing Entertainment’s official Weibo!]

Shengxing Entertainment’s official account had never posted a single message before.
But just now, it suddenly had a new Weibo post.
With the Ning Shixue situation blowing up, many people were already following his studio and company.
Someone noticed almost immediately.

– [@ShengxingEntertainment: Official statement.
Regarding recent rumors, our artist Ning Shixue has no improper relationship whatsoever with Mr. Xie Mengyuan, nor are they partners.
Please refrain from slander and defamation.]

Concise and to the point.

Even those who had been jumping the highest before now had to rationally acknowledge it.

Maybe Ning Shixue really was being wronged.

But some still refused to give up.

[Fooling ghosts.
Who the hell is Ning Shixue to get the company to issue a clarification directly?]

Old Master Xie was ill.
No one in the Xie family cared about Ning Shixue.
Who would be willing to help him?

The official account, however, replied to this comment, even mimicking Ning Shixue’s tone.

– [@ShengxingEntertainment: Oh, it’s the boss’s wife. smile.jpg]

These few words were more explosive than all the scandals that had emerged throughout the night.
Xie Mengyuan was just one of the directors.
The company had more than one director.
He wasn’t the boss at all.

Soon, people started searching for who the current boss of Shengxing Entertainment was.

But Old Master Xie was still alive.
The company was still registered under his name.
Even though everyone knew that neither the president of the Xie Group nor the head of the Xie family was Old Master Xie anymore, no one could dig up who it actually was.

The person seemed deliberately intent on staying out of the public eye.
After all the digging, the only thing known was that this big shot had an assistant surnamed Song.

This statement came at the perfect time.

It was released just as public opinion toward Ning Shixue was beginning to shift slightly, while the entire incident was still at the height of its popularity.
It not only cleared Ning Shixue’s name but also ensured most people would see it.

It even publicly slapped the accusers in the face.

The comments section was empty for a long time.
The haters who had been clamoring just moments ago all fell silent.

[Sniff, wife, what would I do without you?
Thank goodness it was all fake. Crying.jpg]

[Now you’re all playing quail?
No one’s coming out to apologize to Ning Shixue?]

[No wonder his eyes were red when he arrived.
Never thought I’d feel sorry for this drama queen one day.
These gossip accounts are too despicable, daring to say anything.]

[And I’ve wanted to say this for a while.
Xie Hanzhou and Ji Qing have never made their relationship public.
Who knows if they’re even really dating?
Why has Ning Shixue been getting called a homewrecker all this time?]

Ning Shixue also saw the comments and knew that Shengxing Entertainment had issued a statement for him.
He paused for a moment, then pressed his lips together.

The interview was over.
The little ones’ cartoons had just finished too.
Ning Shixue didn’t want to stay there, and the kids needed to sleep.
He took Xie Yaoyao and left.

Halfway there, he noticed Song Li had messaged him a few minutes earlier.

– [Song Li: We apologize, Young Master Ning. It was an oversight on our part not detecting the online situation sooner.
President Xie just had us handle it.
Please rest assured.]

It was actually top-tier response speed.
Besides the official statement, posts slandering Ning Shixue online were also being rapidly deleted.
Almost nothing could be found anymore.

Ning Shixue lowered his eyelashes and typed back.

– [snow: Thank you.]

Song Li apologized again.

But Ning Shixue never expected Xie Zhaozhou to clear his name in this way.
The official account daring to clap back publicly surely had Xie Zhaozhou’s approval.

He opened Xie Zhaozhou’s chat and sent him a thank you too.

Regardless, it was his fault Xie Zhaozhou was getting dragged into the mess.

Late at night, quiet.

Ning Shixue flopped onto the covers.
Xie Yaoyao flopped down with him.
Ning Shixue couldn’t help hugging the kid and taking a deep breath of his scent.

Xie Yaoyao was soft all over.
His heart seemed to soften too.

What wrong?
The little tufts of soft hair on Xie Yaoyao’s head stuck up as he blinked in bewilderment.

Ning Shixue said casually,
Someone’s bullying me.

Xie Yaoyao’s chubby little face instantly puffed up.

True to his nature as the little antagonist, he already showed potential for darkness at such a young age.
He didn’t want to call Ning Shixue ‘gege’ or ‘baba,’ but he felt Ning Shixue belonged to him and Big Daddy.
Only they were allowed to bully him.

Who did others think they were!

Xie Yaoyao hemmed and hawed for a moment, then lifted his chubby little arm and started poking at his children’s smartwatch.

What are you doing?
Ning Shixue had a bad feeling.

Find Big Daddy,
Xie Yaoyao said, his little bun face looking up, his voice milky.
Stroke stroke the fur.

When he got into a fight at kindergarten and came home, the butler grandpa would pat his head and say ‘stroke stroke the fur.’

He still remembered promising Ning Shixue that he could come to their house and be a baby too.
Now that Ning Shixue was being bullied, he decided to ask Xie Zhaozhou to give him head pats.

Ning Shixue stopped him just in time.

It was one thing to get Xie Zhaozhou cursed at, but going to him to act cute in the middle of the night?
Was he tired of living?

Xie Yaoyao reluctantly lowered his arm.

Ning Shixue rubbed his eyes again.
Staring at the screen for a while had made them sore again.
He rubbed until they were red, then got up to find some eye drops.

After dealing with that, he lay down to sleep.

Xie Yaoyao’s little short legs kicked under the covers.

He still hadn’t given up.
Once Ning Shixue was asleep, he secretly got up.

–

Xie Zhaozhou had a high-level meeting that night.
Halfway through, his phone lit up for a moment.

It was a message from He Lin.

He casually opened it and immediately frowned.
The comments were filled with filthy abuse.

Xie Zhaozhou gestured to Song Li nearby.
Song Li came over and listened to his instructions.

In such a high-level meeting, any slight movement would invite speculation.

Xie Zhaozhou’s face suddenly turned cold and dark.
The shareholders nearby were terrified, not even daring to breathe loudly.

When the meeting paused midway, Xie Zhaozhou rubbed the bridge of his nose.
His dark eyes were unreadable.
He tapped his knuckles on the table a few times, then still opened the live stream.

It happened to be during the highest-heat segment of the replay.

Then he saw Ning Shixue’s beautiful eyelashes curve as he spoke, deliberately provoking, it seemed:
‘My husband is young and vigorous, and he’s handsome.’
‘Would you know better than me whether he can perform or not?’

‘You’re not part of our little game anyway.’

‘Oh, what kind of game? Why should I tell you?
If I ask you to stop cursing me, would you listen?’

‘I stopped. I fell for someone else.’

‘Why didn’t I call my husband? Do I have to let you see me make a call?’

‘So what if I’m clingy?
I’m not clingy with you.
We’re legally married, thank you very much.’

Xie Zhaozhou: “…”

Xie Zhaozhou’s face remained cold, but the expression in his eyes shifted unpredictably.
After a long moment, he suddenly let out a low chuckle.

It sounded like a laugh of exasperation.

The executives throughout the meeting room walked on eggshells.
None dared speak.
They all knew Xie Zhaozhou’s temperament was unpredictable.
By the time the meeting fully ended, cold sweat was running down their backs.

Shengxing Entertainment’s PR department quickly got to work managing the online situation.
By the time Xie Zhaozhou left the meeting room, the storm had already calmed.

He had just reached his office when his private phone rang again.
This time, it was a call from Xie Yaoyao.

It was already 11:30 PM.

What’s wrong?
Xie Zhaozhou answered.

Xie Yaoyao’s children’s smartwatch had a call function connected to a tablet, because he wanted to video call Xie Zhaozhou.

Though Xie Zhaozhou rarely answered.

He used his hands and feet, poking his little head out to sneak a peek at whether Ning Shixue was awake.
Then he crawled back over and used his chubby little hands to poke at the watch.

In the end, somehow, even though he used the watch to call, Big Daddy’s voice came from the tablet.

He held up the tablet and, eyes pleading, pressed the video call button.
The butler grandpa had taught him; he still remembered.

Big Daddy!
Xie Yaoyao exclaimed happily, shoving his chubby little face close.

But Xie Zhaozhou didn’t see him.

The camera was on the rear lens.

Why aren’t you asleep?
Xie Zhaozhou asked him.
Are you alone?
What’s your little dad doing?

Xie Yaoyao knelt on the bed, holding the tablet and moving closer to Ning Shixue.
The camera showed Ning Shixue’s face.

Ning Shixue looked like he felt the cold.
Even though it was summer, he was completely curled up under the covers, only the tip of his nose and his eyes visible.

His face was very pale, making the corners of his eyes seem especially wet and red.

Xie Yaoyao got too close.
Xie Zhaozhou’s gaze suddenly halted.
In his sleep, Ning Shixue’s eyelashes fluttered.
They were damp, and tears were streaming down his pale cheeks.

Indescribably fragile and pitiful.

Baby is, cwying,
Xie Yaoyao said firmly.

He forgot that Ning Shixue had used eye drops before sleeping.
He just thought Ning Shixue’s eyes were leaking water.

He had been arguing with the comments just hours ago, almost alone against a hundred, showing no weakness.

Xie Zhaozhou had thought he didn’t care about anything.

He never expected him to cry so… delicately.

Xie Yaoyao mumbled and tattled to him.
Xie Zhaozhou remained silent, but he didn’t hang up either.

Xie Yaoyao couldn’t use the tablet by himself.
At home, the butler grandpa set up his cartoons for him.
Ning Shixue must have wanted to talk to him, which is why he had Xie Yaoyao call.

Xie Zhaozhou didn’t mind listening to what he had to say.

But Ning Shixue never spoke.
Only Xie Yaoyao’s little mouth kept chattering away.

Until Ning Shixue suddenly rolled over.

He slept restlessly.
The blanket was tucked under his legs, fully revealing his sleeping face.

His cheeks were flushed, sleeping soundly and sweetly.

Xie Zhaozhou: “………”