Ch 25: The Scumbag’s Daily Wife-Doting Life [QT]

World 2: The Idol in the Entertainment Industry

It was deep into the night, and outside, rain poured down in sheets.

Xie Li stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in a black silk robe, the front hanging open to reveal a small stretch of skin across his chest. A wineglass rested loosely in his hand as he closed his eyes, absorbing the memories of this world’s timeline and events.

With a loud bang, the door was suddenly shoved open by brute force. A slender figure, carrying the cold storm with her, rushed into the living room and stopped in place. She stared at Xie Li coldly, her voice full of anger and accusation.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?!”

Xie Li turned to look at her, pausing briefly before rubbing his temple with helpless resignation, unsure how to answer.

Why did he have to transmigrate into this exact point in time?

This was a world where the entertainment industry had reached an extreme level of development. Life was prosperous, people devoted themselves wholeheartedly to idol worship, and celebrities had practically been elevated onto pedestals. Even the tiniest detail about them would be infinitely magnified and copied by countless fans.

The original owner of this body, Xie Li, was twenty-five years old this year and worked as a singer.

He was basically a nobody in the entertainment circle. His achievements were mediocre, he had accomplished almost nothing, and he was careless about his career. Yet somehow, the sales of his albums and singles crushed those of countless senior artists and remained astonishingly high.

Because the original Xie Li was exceptionally handsome.

With a face that was almost demonically beautiful, perfectly tailored to modern beauty standards, he had attracted a huge number of girlfriend fans during the survival show where he debuted six years ago. His Weibo followers were close to ten million, and his popularity never faded. Every time he released a single or album, countless fans would empty their wallets for him.

During the filming of an MV, the original Xie Li met Su Qingyu, who had only just entered the entertainment industry. The two began a secret underground relationship.

Su Qingyu came from an ordinary family. Ever since middle school, she had worked summer jobs, and she had never been in a relationship before. It was easy for her to fall in love with the original Xie Li. But because of the values she grew up with, she treasured herself deeply. Even after being together for two years, she refused to easily give herself to him.

At first, the original Xie Li, full of youthful arrogance, found the challenge exciting. But as time passed, he quickly grew tired of Su Qingyu.

Just then, Su Qingyu caught the eye of a director, and her career began to improve. She landed the role of second female lead in a television drama, but in the process offended the currently popular actress Song Wufu. Song Wufu approached Xie Li, and the two immediately hit it off, eventually beginning an affair.

To put himself in a morally superior position when breaking up with Su Qingyu, the original Xie Li secretly found a chance to take candid photos of her and hand them over to Song Wufu.

It happened to coincide with the Golden Magnolia Awards ceremony for Best Supporting Actress. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Because her company had already reached an understanding with the committee beforehand, they told Su Qingyu that, barring any surprises, the award was definitely hers this time. Delighted, Su Qingyu happily made preparations.

Who could have known that just moments before the award presentation, revealing photos of Su Qingyu would suddenly explode across the internet? The award committee abruptly changed their decision on the spot, and the Best Supporting Actress award was instead handed to Song Wufu.

Su Qingyu immediately checked the photos online and discovered they were blurry images secretly taken while she was bathing. The location was unmistakably the original Xie Li’s home.

Furious, she called him at once, but nobody answered. So she came alone through the pouring rain, charging straight to his villa to confront him.

Which was exactly the situation Xie Li was facing now…

In the original timeline, faced with this situation, the already impatient original Xie Li completely tore things apart with Su Qingyu. He broke up with her outright and very quickly got together with Song Wufu.

Meanwhile, Su Qingyu was abandoned by her boyfriend, lost the Best Supporting Actress award, and because of the scandalous photos, her reputation collapsed overnight. Her career stagnated, and before long she withdrew entirely from the entertainment industry and returned home.

Several years later, the relentless attacks online drove Su Qingyu into depression, and she eventually took her own life.

If not for a girl from an orphanage that Su Qingyu had once financially supported growing up to enter the Academy of Sciences, making a major invention that saved countless lives, earning immense merit and fortune, and wishing that if time could be turned back, the person responsible for leaking the photos could be caught and Su Qingyu could find happiness…

Then the injustice Su Qingyu suffered would never have been cleared in this lifetime.

Perhaps… Xie Li thought silently, this was the reason he had transmigrated to the moment after the photos were exposed.

After all, if the scandal never happened, how could the real culprit ever be caught?

“I’m sorry.” Xie Li quickly sorted through the memories in his mind, lightly swirling the wine in his glass as he said casually, “I was taking a bath just now and didn’t hear your call. Running over here in such a hurry… were you missing me that badly?”

The original owner of the body had always been careless and flippant. Since it was his first relationship, he was rough around the edges and didn’t really know how to take care of people.

To avoid breaking character and frightening Su Qingyu, even though Xie Li felt bad for her, he couldn’t simply set down the wineglass and walk over attentively to dry the rainwater from her clothes.

Fortunately, Su Qingyu was already used to his personality. She didn’t lose her temper over it, only lifted her chin stubbornly and demanded coldly:

“Didn’t hear it? Or didn’t want to answer? Or didn’t dare to answer?!”

Xie Li frowned. “What are you talking about? Of course I didn’t hear it. Why wouldn’t I answer your calls?”

“That sounds nice…” Su Qingyu stepped closer and held out her phone, her voice hoarse as she asked, “Did you do this?”

On the screen was a photo of a beauty bathing…

Su Qingyu was lying in a snow-white bathtub, her body submerged beneath the water. The surface was covered with fine foam, with only her arms and calves visible, smooth and alluring. Her eyes were closed as she slept in the tub.

The person involved knew she had simply fallen asleep, but to outsiders, it looked entirely different, like deliberate temptation hidden behind feigned resistance.

And in the lower right corner of the photo, the floor reflected a dim shadow. The photographer was wearing a pair of men’s slippers, and the lower half of his body had entered the frame…

A man and a woman, alone together in one room, with one of them lying in a bathtub. One glance was enough to provoke endless speculation.

And so, this single photo became a so-called “sex scandal photo.”

It was Xie Li’s first time seeing the picture. Secretly, he let out a sigh of relief, thinking this was still manageable. But outwardly he froze, revealing a confused expression.

“How do you have this photo? I hid it really well.”

“You really took it?!” Su Qingyu’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

She had rushed here through the storm, completely soaked in her white dress trimmed with floral lace. Her delicate collarbones and rounded shoulders were exposed, her face pale from the cold, her entire appearance miserable and disheveled. Hearing Xie Li’s words, the blow became too much for her, and her body immediately swayed unsteadily.

Xie Li quickly caught her, completely bewildered.

“Yeah, I took it. You were sleeping, and I couldn’t resist taking one to keep for myself. But you still haven’t answered me. How did this photo end up with you?”

Su Qingyu abruptly lifted her head.

“So it wasn’t you who posted it online?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Xie Li frowned as he helped her onto the sofa, looking prepared for a long conversation. “Why would I post your photo online?”

Su Qingyu froze for a moment. She began doubting her own suspicions, though she still couldn’t fully believe him.

“…Go online and look first.”

“Go online?” Xie Li raised a brow, pulled out his phone, and logged onto Weibo. His expression immediately changed, his eyes narrowing sharply with cold anger.

“What the hell is this?!”

Now he was the one getting angry?

Su Qingyu stared blankly. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. What right did he have to be angry? He was clearly the one who had done all this.

“I don’t know. It exploded online around eight tonight.”

Xie Li stared at the comments beneath the photo, then abruptly stood up and began pacing around the living room, his face dark and irritated.

“My phone got lost a few days ago. Your photos were inside it. It must’ve been whoever picked up the phone.”

Seeing Su Qingyu remain silent, he softened his tone slightly and returned to stand in front of the sofa.

“I’m sorry. I was too careless.”

The handsome young man had always been proud and unruly. Even while passionately in love, he had never once lowered his head to apologize.

This was the first time Su Qingyu had ever seen him say sorry.

Blankly, she thought: Could it really have been an accident?

Her lips moved uncertainly for a long while before she finally said awkwardly:

“It’s… it’s okay.”

But Xie Li still looked unhappy. His face remained gloomy as he said:

“I’ll contact someone immediately and get the trending topic removed.”

As he spoke, he walked toward the balcony on the other side of the room and called someone.

Separated by the thin glass window, Su Qingyu sat on the sofa and watched him speak furiously into the phone. When angered, his brows sharpened coldly, hostility visible between them. His irritation was obvious…

And slowly, she began believing Xie Li’s explanation.

The photos must really have leaked because the phone was lost.

As for why Xie Li had secretly taken photos of her in the first place, she still didn’t fully understand. But suddenly, it no longer seemed like the most important thing.

Just then, her phone rang.

Lowering her head, she saw it was Sister Lan, her manager. She raised the phone and answered.

“Well? Did you talk to Xie Li? What did he say?”

Su Qingyu replied softly, “He said the photos were stored in his phone, but the phone was lost a few days ago. He says he wasn’t the one who uploaded them online.”

“And you believe him?”

Su Qingyu fell silent.

Sister Lan sounded furious at her helplessness.

“Su Qingyu, are you stupid? He hasn’t even bothered calling you once these past few days, and you still can’t see through him? He wants to break up with you. He wants to ruin you!”

Su Qingyu lifted her head and looked at the young man beyond the glass window. Listening to Sister Lan’s angry accusations through the phone, she suddenly remembered the heartbreak and disappointment she had felt over the past several months, and her wavering heart once again filled with unease.

“I’ll talk things through with him properly.”

The call ended.

A little while later, Xie Li finished his own call and came back carrying a towel. Without warning, he tossed it over Su Qingyu’s head and vigorously rubbed her down, messing up her pinned hair as he dried it. Only after finishing did he let out a relieved sigh.

“Get up and take a bath. Change your clothes and get some sleep. By the time you wake up, everything will definitely be solved.”

Su Qingyu slowly raised her head.

“Xie Li… do you want to break up with me?”

Xie Li’s brows twitched. “Who told you that?”

“For the past four months, you haven’t called me once. Not a single message. You wouldn’t even visit me on set…” Su Qingyu sounded exhausted and dispirited. “If you want to break up, just say it directly. I won’t cling to you.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Xie Li frowned, hurt flashing through his eyes. His gaze swept across her phone, and after a brief pause, realization dawned on him. He gave a cold laugh.

“Your manager’s encouraging you to break up with me again, isn’t she?”

Ever since the two had met and started dating, Su Qingyu’s manager had disliked Xie Li. Especially in recent years, as Su Qingyu’s career flourished and she gradually entered the ranks of popular young actresses, while Xie Li’s career remained stagnant, his fame barely maintained by the fanbase he had gathered through the survival show.

Every time Xie Li tried to arrange a meeting with Su Qingyu, Sister Lan would somehow interfere and block it.

Su Qingyu pressed her lips together and lowered her head silently, looking rather pitiful.

Xie Li frowned irritably, then suddenly took out his phone and snapped a selfie with Su Qingyu. He tapped away at the screen for a few moments before coldly saying half a minute later:

“Feel reassured now?”

Su Qingyu looked at him blankly.

Xie Li raised his phone toward her.

Displayed on the screen was his Weibo homepage.

Xie Li V: My girlfriend. [Selfie photo]

Su Qingyu froze.

It felt like a thunderclap exploded inside her mind. Staring at Xie Li’s completely unconcerned expression, she was so shocked her mind went entirely blank.

“What are you doing?”

Xie Li looked confused.

“Weren’t you worried I wanted to break up with you? I’ve publicly announced our relationship now. You should feel relieved.”

Su Qingyu looked at the phone, then back at Xie Li’s expression. Her mouth hung slightly open as she stared stupidly, unable to say a word.

Xie Li lifted his chin proudly and rubbed her head.

“Alright, go take your bath. Your husband’s here to back you up. I caused this mess, so I’ll definitely handle it properly.”

Under that unexpectedly gentle voice, Su Qingyu obediently stood up and, still dazed, wandered toward the bathroom.

Before entering, she even remembered to turn back for one more look at Xie Li.

Xie Li continued smiling.

The moment she disappeared from sight, his expression instantly turned cold.

“System,” he said flatly, “come out.”

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