Shen Ting secretly tried several times but failed to pull his hand back from the other's palm. He couldn't help but silently curse Song Ci again. If this kid wasn't a bisexual, boy-crazy flirt, he wouldn't have to banter and flirt with Chu Huainan every day, bringing this upon himself.

Playing with fire, and unable to put it out.

After cursing Song Ci, Shen Ting consoled himself by thinking about the role he intended to play in front of Xiao Xiao, and ceased his stubborn attempts to pull his hand back.

Watching Chu Huainan suddenly and intimately hold hands with a young man who had appeared out of nowhere, the expression on Zhou Zhen's otherwise unremarkable face was extraordinarily colorful.

Chu Huainan possessed a near-photographic memory for people.
He and Zhou Zhen had only met a few days prior, so he genially nodded at the middle-aged man standing dumbfounded behind Shen Ting: "Mr. Zhou, we meet again."

Zhou Zhen felt as if he had inadvertently discovered some "forbidden secret" he wasn't supposed to know. His gaze drifted unnaturally between Chu Huainan and Shen Ting for a long time before he finally decided to pretend he had heard nothing and seen nothing.

Forcing a stiff, awkward smile, he said, "I've been respectfully awaiting your arrival for a long time!" As he spoke, he instinctively reached out to shake Chu Huainan's hand. But then he remembered that the other's right hand was tightly clasping the elegant, handsome young man. The extended hand instantly froze in mid-air. Zhou Zhen was speechless for a moment, then cursed himself internally for being as stupid as a pig.

Fortunately, Chu Huainan didn't mind at all. He gentlemanly gave an apologetic smile, pointing out meaningfully: "It's a bit inconvenient right now, so let's skip the handshake."

Not knowing how to salvage the situation, Zhou Zhen, hearing this, hurriedly used his extended hand to gesture, bowing slightly to lead the way for the two: "President Chu, this way please. Xiao Xiao just got back from an interview and is already waiting for you upstairs."

It was lunch break, and only Li Huanming and Xiao Xiao were in the office.

Entering the door and seeing only Li Huanming still at his desk in the public workspace, Zhou Zhen instructed him: "Li Huanming, pour two glasses of water for the guests."

Hearing this name, Chu Huainan and Shen Ting simultaneously looked at the frail young man burying his head in his work.
Both of their gazes only swept across his face briefly before naturally turning elsewhere.

Li Huanming responded and stood up, secretly observing the two guests who clearly couldn't be offended, then lowered his head and went to pour water.

Shen Ting and Chu Huainan exchanged a glance, but tacitly said nothing, naturally following Zhou Zhen into Xiao Xiao's office.

Xiao Xiao's office wasn't large to begin with; cramming three grown men inside instantly gave it a crowded, oppressive feeling.

Li Huanming, who frequently helped colleagues fetch tea and water, moved quickly. Soon, he brought four glasses of water, skillfully taking them off the tray and placing them on the table. On his thin, sunken-cheeked round face was a humble, introverted smile: "Please have some tea."

Previously, whether it was Chu Huainan or the police, they had both arranged to question Xiao Xiao privately in a car downstairs. Both parties had repeatedly warned her that the questioning must absolutely not be disclosed to anyone else.
Therefore, Li Huanming, like the other colleagues, had no idea Xiao Xiao had been interrogated about the whistleblower.

He secretly assessed the two men before him. He recognized one of them—Yuannan Group's Chairman, Chu Huainan—but the other was completely unfamiliar.

He didn't know what business they had with Xiao Xiao, but he could tell the obsequious boss's expression was poor.

For some reason, Li Huanming felt a bit of panic. He dawdled in place, wanting to stay a bit longer to observe the situation.

The office was already crowded enough. Seeing Li Huanming lingering after serving the water, Zhou Zhen stole a glance at Chu Huainan's face and guessed that he himself probably wasn't very welcome in this office either.

Tactfully, he picked up the water glass in front of him and smiled at Chu Huainan: "You two take your time chatting with Xiao Xiao. If you need anything, find me anytime. I'll head out first." Saying so, he pulled Li Huanming along and exited. Before leaving, he didn't forget to remind Xiao Xiao once more to cooperate fully.

"Boss, who are those two people?" Li Huanming never gossiped, but today he cared especially.
Zhou Zhen was in a bad mood, his face dark: "Don't ask so many questions, go do your own work."

Seeing that Zhou Zhen, who made his fortune on gossip, was actually "tight-lipped," Li Huanming's mind became even heavier. Staring unwillingly at the tightly closed frosted glass door of Xiao Xiao's office, he returned to his seat without a word.

Xiao Xiao was already uncertain about the purpose of Chu Huainan's repeat visit. Seeing a strikingly handsome young man with eyes bright as stars sitting beside him, she was even more confused.

Two living men whose looks rivaled any top-tier male idol were sitting side-by-side in front of her. Xiao Xiao, who genuinely shipped real-life CPs, felt a subtle, restless urge.
Chu Huainan was the type whose beauty was tinged with a sharp, domineering edge, while Shen Ting belonged to the heroically handsome and radiant category. This combination hit Xiao Xiao's exact sweet spot.
In her eyes, these two, whether in looks or aura, matched so perfectly they could skip dating and get married on the spot.

She silently took a deep breath, expelled these personally-indulgent thoughts from her mind, and said with utmost sincerity: "President Chu, regarding the whistleblower's information, I have already told you absolutely everything I know." She paused, her eyes darting away as she admitted, "As for what you said before about not mentioning to anyone that you came to find me..." She swallowed nervously, lowering her voice guiltily: "Except for the police, I won't tell anyone else."

Hearing this, Shen Ting shot a sidelong glance at Chu Huainan, putting on an interrogative posture: "You came to find her before?"

Chu Huainan didn't know what play this was, so he didn't hastily interject, merely looking at him innocently.

Seeing Chu Huainan "wisely" remain silent, Shen Ting instantly shifted his interrogative target to Xiao Xiao: "Hey, what did he come to find you for before?"

Xiao Xiao glanced at Chu Huainan, and seeing no indication that she shouldn't speak, she answered honestly: "President Chu came to ask me about that whistleblower—" But she was rudely interrupted by the handsome young man just as she started.

"So, someone proactively leaked that news?"
Xiao Xiao nodded.

Shen Ting pulled out his phone with a stern face, tapped open a pre-prepared article, and slapped the phone onto the table. "This, your publication reported this, didn't you!"

Xiao Xiao immediately leaned in to look, but the news before her was not the report about the killer's fingerprint as she had imagined.
Chu Huainan also cast an observant look without changing his expression.

It was a report about him dining with a Hong Kong socialite.

Xiao Xiao didn't have a deep impression of this news. Looking closely at the date, she realized it was an article from two weeks ago. She frowned and racked her brain, but couldn't recall when she had written it. Shaking her head, she muttered, "I don't have much impression of this."

Shen Ting pointed at the screen, his face unfriendly: "No impression? Isn't your name Xiao Xiao? Your name is right here in the editor column!"
"I am Xiao Xiao, but I really didn't publish this news."

Although her name was indeed in the Editor-in-Chief column, in the industry, an Editor-in-Chief like her didn't need to handle everything personally.
Even for entertainment reporters or assistant editors under her, as long as the news wasn't about a massive trending topic, they didn't even need her to review it before publishing.
Those who had a good relationship with her, in order to help her boost her KPIs, would tack her name onto articles they wrote independently; this was very common.

Following Shen Ting's pointing finger, Chu Huainan saw below "Xiao Xiao," it read: "Responsible Editor: Li Huanming."
He instantly understood. The aggressive young man in front of him was putting on an "interrogation for an explanation" act.
—The official partner suspecting their significant other of playing the field, and coming to confront the media with the news article in hand.

To think he could come up with this! Chu Huainan laughed internally, but cooperatively let his face sink slightly, saying sternly: "Your media randomly broadcasting news has caused me great trouble. Could I trouble you to ask the knowledgeable writer to come here? We have questions for him."

Shen Ting rolled his eyes in annoyance and said hatefully: "Randomly broadcasting? They have photos, how is that random? I think it's true! I even suspect they helped cover up the part where you two went to a hotel!"
Chu Huainan: ...

This... this was the subject of the gossip confronting the media face-to-face?!!!
Xiao Xiao's worldview shattered like dumpling filling, but she quickly recovered, carefully analyzing the meaning behind the other party's words. Sneaking peeks at the exceptionally handsome, perfectly matched couple before her, a surge of enthusiasm for eating melons live flared in her heart.

This indescribable gossip-loving heart completely cured her of her previous anxiety. A sudden surge of fanfic-writing passion hit her, and countless vivid, real-person mini-dramas inexplicably floated into her mind.
What exactly is the relationship between these two? Could it really be what I think it is?! Don't tell me President Chu is actually a scumbag? Please no! Then this other guy is too pitiful!

Xiao Xiao's inner soul roared, but she remained restrained on the surface. With immense sympathy, she carefully asked Shen Ting—who was pursing his lips and clearly sulking—"How about I call the other responsible editor in for you? You can ask him, it's probably not what you think."
The other responsible editor Xiao Xiao mentioned was precisely Li Huanming.

With the purpose of the trip half-accomplished, Shen Ting merely curled his lip noncommittally, tapping his fingers impatiently on the table. "Whatever you want, just find someone who can explain the situation clearly."

Compared to the unfriendly Shen Ting, Chu Huainan—the actual subject smeared by the report—had a much more "amiable" expression and a politer tone.
He pointed at Li Huanming's name in the responsible editor column and said neutrally, "Then please trouble this person to come over."

Li Huanming sat restlessly at his desk, staring blankly, occasionally casting anxious glances toward Xiao Xiao's office. Amidst his frequent stares, the office door finally opened a crack. Xiao Xiao's young face popped out. Seeing him, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately waved wildly, signaling him to hurry over.

An unconcealable panic surfaced on Li Huanming's face.
He didn't know what Xiao Xiao wanted him for. But just now, even his boss Zhou Zhen looked eager to avoid involvement, let alone him? He couldn't possibly have provoked those two men!

Li Huanming couldn't help but associate this with another possibility, and was instantly terrified by his own imagination, his teeth chattering. No matter how much Xiao Xiao waved, he remained frozen in place.

The anxious Sichuan girl pushed the door open, ran over to pull him, and complained in a low voice: "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Hurry up."

Li Huanming suspected he was in huge trouble. For a moment, his heart pounded heavily. Taking a deep breath and clenching his jaw, the masseter muscles on his cheeks twitching uneasily, he forced a facade of calm composure.

Having prepared for the worst, Li Huanming was hit with a barrage of harsh questioning the moment he stepped inside.
But the topic wasn't life-and-death as he had imagined.
It was just a minor storm caused by an entertainment gossip article.

Relieved, Li Huanming thought, A man takes responsibility for his own actions. He wrote this article alone; Xiao Xiao knew nothing about it.
Harboring the chivalry of "a hero saving a beauty," he readily admitted: "I gathered this news alone. It has nothing to do with Editor-in-Chief Xiao."

Shen Ting saw through Li Huanming's intent to protect Xiao Xiao. Frowning, he demanded: "Since you are responsible for the news, can you guarantee that it is absolutely true?"
"Of course! Our We Fashion never reports random fake news!"

This concerned the magazine's credibility. Let alone this news, which truly didn't contain any embellishments.
Even if the other party was asking about a completely fabricated, shadow-chasing report, to protect the company and keep his job, Li Huanming still had to say exactly that.

Hearing this, Shen Ting sneered. He turned to glare viciously at Chu Huainan, secretly giving a "play along with me" look. "Chu Huainan! Didn't you say you were out of town on a business trip on the night of January 25th?"

The capitalist, directly addressed by name, felt that the Oscars owed the other party a golden statuette. When this guy acted fierce, he could perfectly play the role of an unreasonable thug in any script at a moment's notice.

On Chu Huainan's handsome face, he cooperatively displayed a helpless, wry expression: "Yes, I did say I was out of town on business on January 25th. But it's true, I didn't lie to you."
"Then explain how, on the exact same day, you were photographed by this garbage magazine having dinner with someone else in Jianghu!?"

Unable to defend himself, Chu Huainan could only sigh slightly.

Seeing him not answer, the other party flew into an even greater rage: "What! Can't make up any more lies? Hah, the evidence is irrefutable! Lie! Let's see how you keep lying!"

Standing to the side, Li Huanming was completely lost. But the enthusiastic Xiao Xiao had already searched for the news article Shen Ting mentioned on her phone.
She frowned and looked closely. The date the article was published was indeed January 25th, but...

"I really didn't—"
"Stop explaining! From now on, I won't believe a single word you say!"

This sentence truly roared out Shen Ting's heartfelt sentiments. He heavily swatted away the finger Chu Huainan had opportunistically used to hook his shirt hem, sneering without smiling: "Chu Huainan, swinging both ways, you're really something!"

Standing idly by, Li Huanming was so shocked by the phrase "swinging both ways" that he didn't even dare breathe loudly. He finally understood why Zhou Zhen wanted to avoid this mess. Raising his eyes, he sneaked a peek at the young man trembling with anger at the "heartless scumbag." He thought, Can same-sex couples nowadays also publicly and unapologetically accuse each other of 'sharing a bed but having different dreams'?

That handsome young man with an ashen face, gritting his teeth, became so furious he started speaking recklessly: "Chu Huainan, you bastard! Your Yuannan's pedestrian street deserved to have body parts dumped on it! Why did the killer specifically pick your turf to dump the body! That's called the heavens having eyes! You fucking deserved it!"

This loud accusation dropped a massive bombshell into the lake of Li Huanming's heart! An indescribable terror, trembling, crawled up his spine into his brainstem.

His hands and feet instantly broke out in a profuse cold sweat.

I love the Capitalist and Ear so much!~ Continuing tomorrow at midnight. Little angels, if you have anything to say, let's chat in the comments section~

Eating melons (吃瓜): Chinese internet slang for watching gossip or drama unfold from the sidelines.

Swinging both ways (男女通吃): Literally "eating both men and women," meaning bisexual.

Sharing a bed but having different dreams (同床异梦): A Chinese idiom describing a couple who are outwardly intimate but harbor different motives or secrets.

The heavens have eyes (老天有眼): An idiom expressing divine justice exists, and that karma finally catches up to someone.