Ch 46: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

This video spread widely online.

To be honest, few of the gossip-loving netizens were fools. Apart from Qin Leyi’s remaining loyal fans, who sincerely believed her apology video and spread it everywhere, most people didn’t really take it seriously.

But people always have respect for life.

At this point, aside from a small group who truly hated Qin Leyi to the bone, the vast majority chose silence.

【If everything you said is true, if you’re sincerely remorseful, then I won’t say more. But if you’re just using depression and suicide as a PR stunt, then may every flag you set come true.】

【Heh, how come you weren’t depressed or anxious back when you were riding high? A scandal breaks and suddenly you’re remorseful to the point of suicide? Who are you trying to fool?】

【I’m disgusted. I’ve never been this sickened by anyone. Even if you cheated, it didn’t matter much to me—it’s your business. But using your life as a tool to whitewash yourself, I just can’t stomach that.】

【Can some people have a little compassion? Yiyi is already like this, she admitted her mistake, she even used suicide as atonement. What more do you want? Are you really going to hound her to death before you’re satisfied?】

【Double standards much? So many male stars cheat and still thrive, but when it’s Qin Leyi, everyone screams for blood, driving her to suicide and still not letting go.】

【This thread reeks of paid bots. Nice job twisting the narrative. But cheating is the same whether it’s male or female. And I don’t recall any male star cheating on his girlfriend with her best friend, while also taking her resources and finally throwing mud at her company.】

Thanks to his hotheaded little brother, Mu Xing learned about Qin Leyi’s suicide attempt right away.

Mu Shao asked, “Bro, what do you think?”

Mu Xing looked puzzled: “Think about what?”

Mu Shao said, “About Qin Leyi’s depression and suicide attempt! Do you think it’s real or fake?”

Before Mu Xing could answer, Mu Shao answered himself: “I think it’s fake! That woman is so cunning and shameless—it’s obviously a whitewashing tactic.”

Mu Xing said casually, “Whether it’s real or fake, what does it have to do with me?”

Hearing that, Mu Shao lifted his head and saw his brother’s calm, detached expression. Clearly, he truly hadn’t taken it to heart.

Mu Shao couldn’t help giving him a thumbs-up: “Bro, you’re the boss. Letting go means letting go. I thought you loved Qin Leyi so much it would take ages for you to get over her.”

Mu Xing pointed at his legs and said seriously: “What is love worth? All my energy now goes to more important things—like getting my legs to recover as soon as possible.”

---

No matter how discreet the Mu family tried to be, because of the uproar over Qin Leyi, Mu Xing’s hospital was still tracked down.

Fortunately, this private hospital had very strict security, and his ward number was never leaked, so no one could get in.

Until the day Mu Xing was discharged.

As his family pushed his wheelchair out of the hospital doors, he was immediately surrounded by reporters who had been staking out the place for days.

“Mr. Mu, is it true your legs can never stand again?”

“Do you still have contact with Miss Qin Leyi?”

“What do you think about Qin Leyi’s suicide and apology?”

“Have you forgiven her?”

Mu Shao, like a little leopard ready to fight, glared fiercely at the reporters and snapped impatiently: “What are you doing? Move aside! Don’t bother my brother.”

The hospital’s security staff also came to help clear the crowd, but battle-hardened reporters weren’t about to give up so easily.

Several microphones still managed to push right up in front of Mu Xing.

Mu Xing lifted his head.

The reporters were instantly struck.

The young head of the Mu family had an extraordinary appearance. His complexion was pale from illness, but his features were refined and striking—so much so that he evoked images of gothic vampires from dark castle legends.

Even in an industry full of handsome men, his looks stood out.

The cameras in the reporters’ hands did not lie, faithfully capturing him. Their eyes drifted downward, landing on his legs draped with a thin blanket.

The regret in their gaze was obvious.

Mu Shao immediately exploded: “What the hell are you looking at?”

Mu Xing patted his excitable little brother’s hand. “Don’t be so worked up. Something this small isn’t worth your anger.”

He looked calmly at the reporters around him. Even sitting in a wheelchair, physically lower than everyone standing, his aura was composed and noble. It made certain ill-intentioned reporters feel guilty.

He hadn’t done anything, yet he carried an unspoken presence that made people hesitate to offend him.

Mu Xing thought with amusement: So this is the aura that came from being spoiled by Ah Yue in his past life, raised to live in comfort all his life. It’s actually pretty intimidating.

He spoke lightly: “My legs are only temporarily immobile. I’ve already contacted a specialist team to tailor a recovery plan. I believe one day I’ll be able to stand again.”

“As for Miss Qin’s suicide, I only just found out. I have no opinion. But because of my own experience, I still want to urge everyone—cherish life.”

“As for forgiveness…” Mu Xing met the reporters’ eager eyes, lips curved faintly, “What’s done is done, it can’t be erased. Miss Qin and I have broken up, and because the breakup was not decent, we can never even be friends. Not seeing each other and not disturbing each other is the best result for us. So whether I forgive or not—what meaning would my answer have?”

He nodded slightly to the reporters. “That’s all the questions I’ll be answering. Could you please move aside now?”

The reporters stirred for a moment, but then really did part to either side, watching as Mu Shao pushed Mu Xing away.

A long while later, one reporter muttered, “What was Qin Leyi even thinking? With a boyfriend like that, she still cheated?”

A female reporter’s eyes were still shining as she stared after Mu Xing’s back. At the comment, she pouted. “She must’ve been blind.”

The reporters exchanged glances, then without another word rushed off with their equipment.

They had to hurry to edit the interview content and photos into a news article and publish it.

The fastest ones had it online within half an hour.

Just as Mu Xing got home, Mu Shao shouted excitedly for him to check Weibo.

“Bro, you’re trending again—on multiple hot searches!”

Mu Xing opened his phone.

#MuXingDischargedFromHospital#

#MuXingRespondsToQinLeyi’sSuicideApology: WhetherIForgiveHerOrNotDoesn’tMatter!#

Those two seemed fairly normal.

What puzzled him was the hashtag that had overtaken both, shooting to number one on the trending list:

#WithThisFace, QinLeyiReallyDidn’tKnowWhatSheHad#

Clicking in, it was a nine-photo grid of Mu Xing.

The background was just the hospital entrance, photos taken from all angles of him sitting in his wheelchair.

20,000 reposts, 29,000 comments.

And the tone of the comment section was strikingly unanimous:

【Fragile beauty!】
【Wow, how can someone have this mix of frailty and sharp-edged beauty? Absolutely stunning. From now on, every wheelchair-bound novel male lead has a face.】
【This is Qin Leyi’s ex? Qin Leyi???? Yeah, she really didn’t know what she had.】
【If I had a boyfriend like this, I’d stare at him 24/7. How could Qin Leyi bear to betray such a beauty!】
【So handsome, so handsome, so handsome. Sorry An Yang darling, I’m cheating on you for a bit.】
【I always thought real-life CEOs were balding, middle-aged men with beer bellies. But this high-born, handsome, novel-male-lead type actually exists?】
【Suddenly remembered the news—he even founded a whole entertainment company just to promote Qin Leyi. With such a handsome, rich, devoted man, what more did she want?】
【Unless… things didn’t work out in that area? A powerful boss but weak in private? (jk)】
【Look at that nose—tall and sharp. Look at those fingers—slender and elegant. Obviously he can’t be useless. (serious face)】
【???? Looking up at the sky—guys, it’s not even dark yet, tone it down.】
【Anyway, Qin Leyi’s ungrateful and blind.】
【Don’t just scold her. Take a look at the “good brother” Cheng Qian, the young master. Scumbag man and woman deserve each other [pic][pic].】
【This guy looks pretty average. Compared to Mu Xing he’s miles behind. Don’t get Qin Leyi’s thought process at all.】

……

Meanwhile, Cheng Qian wasn’t having a great time either.

Sleeping with someone else’s girlfriend was nothing new to him—but this time the boyfriend was Mu Xing, and that made it serious.

Worse, Mu Xing had gotten into a car accident, and the Mu family’s heir apparent might never stand again.

Now that was huge trouble.

The day the news broke, Cheng Qian’s father immediately called to demand answers. After hearing the whole story, the old man drove to Cheng Qian’s villa and whipped him with a belt.

Then he dragged him to the Mu family’s house to apologize.

But the Mus didn’t even let them through the door.

And at the hospital, there was no way they’d allow Cheng Qian to disturb Mu Xing’s mood.

The Mu Group cut off all business deals they had in progress with the Chengs. The two families were officially enemies now.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

As the Qin Leyi scandal kept spreading, Cheng Qian’s past got dug up too.

A notorious playboy, dating multiple girlfriends at the same time as Qin Leyi. A record of drunk driving. Once verbally abused staff at a high-end club…

Wanfuxiang’s stock price instantly hit limit down.

The shareholders made their dissatisfaction clear. Cheng Qian’s father kicked him out of the house, telling him to beg Mu Xing’s forgiveness.

But Cheng Qian knew himself well. Putting himself in Mu Xing’s shoes, thinking of his character—going to him would only get him cursed out. What man could swallow that humiliation?

So he decisively fled abroad to crash with a friend.

Before leaving, of course, he blocked all of Qin Leyi’s contact info.

So when Qin Leyi tried to reach him, all she got was the cold “beep beep” of a dead line.

“Bastard!” Qin Leyi cursed under her breath.

She stared blankly at the trending gossip.

Mu Xing had said whether he forgave her or not was irrelevant, that they no longer had any ties.

She knew him.

When he loved, he loved deeper than anyone. But once he let go, there was truly no room left for turning back.

In truth, from the moment her affair with Cheng Qian was discovered, she and Mu Xing had been finished.

She lowered her head, burying her face in her palms, as if that could block out the suffocating panic until even her breathing turned difficult.

She regretted it.

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