CH 008

TL: Moonlit

Due to the intense exercise, a thin layer of sweat formed on Ran Xing’s body. He unbuttoned a button on his shirt, revealing a dazzling white neck with a crystal-like sheen, resembling a white jade immersed in water.

Lin Hanchuan averted his gaze. “How do you feel now?”

Ran Xing’s eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his gaze. “A little hot.”

At this moment, he didn’t show any of the brutality he displayed when he knocked out an adult man with a punch. Instead, he looked as gentle as a deer, with long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath his eyes, making him appear somewhat pitiful.

Lin Hanchuan was momentarily stunned and subconsciously wanted to console him. However, he saw Ran Xing holding his head and leaning weakly against him, causing his body to stiffen.

“President Yan,” Ran Xing’s hot breath sprayed into his ear, “I feel a bit dizzy.”

Lin Hanchuan instinctively supported Ran Xing, and his palm touched Ran Xing’s waist, feeling the exceptionally flexible and powerful skin. Somehow, he recalled the scene of Ran Xing throwing punches earlier, with smooth and beautiful muscle lines, and a waistline that outlined an almost delicate curve.

A tingling sensation ran through Lin Hanchuan’s scalp for a moment, and he suddenly realized that the temperature emanating from the other person’s body was different from that of an ordinary person. He quickly led the slightly weakened Ran Xing to the nearby sofa. “Sit down and rest for a while. I’ll call the doctor.”

Lin Hanchuan was about to dial the private doctor’s number when his fingers suddenly paused. Then, Ran Xing watched in astonishment as Lin Hanchuan dialed the emergency number.

“… He’s feeling dizzy and feverish now, and the situation doesn’t look good. Please come quickly,” Lin Hanchuan explained the situation over the phone and was about to hang up when he caught sight of the person on the floor. He added, “You can bring an extra stretcher. There’s another person here who’s unconscious.”

The person at the emergency center hung up the phone, looking bewildered. Their colleague beside them couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

“This person said someone was drugged with an aphrodisiac and is now feeling dizzy and feverish,” the emergency personnel said, bewildered.

“But there’s no need to call an ambulance for that. Just take them to the nearest hospital,” the colleague also expressed confusion.

“Then he said there’s another person who is unconscious.”

“…”

The emergency personnel and their colleague exchanged puzzled glances. They had never encountered such a situation before, where an unconscious person was considered less urgent than someone with a headache and fever.

Ran Xing sat on the hotel sofa, watching Lin Hanchuan take several photos of the fight scene with his phone, confiscating Qiao Qingsheng’s phone, and preserving the cup that was drugged. He was busy with various tasks.

For the first time in his life, he began to doubt his own charm.

Ran Xing dropped out of junior high school and came out to work by chance, accidentally becoming an extra in the film and television industry, which led him into the entertainment circle. This circle was not as chaotic as outsiders imagined, but it was far from being clean.

In his youth, Ran Xing’s appearance was so androgynous that countless men and women were infatuated with him. However, he was like a wary little wolf, not trusting anyone and unwilling to let anyone get close.

Because Ran Xing knew that apart from his face, he had nothing.

Those who liked him were only attracted to his appearance, but once they got to know him, they would realize that he was vulgar, contemptuous, petty, and ambitious. He was no different from an ordinary person on the street. Stripping away the gorgeous facade, he was just an ordinary person.

But this man in front of him didn’t even care about his face.

Unaware of all this, Lin Hanchuan, as a law-abiding citizen, instinctively chose to call the police. As he was wrapping up everything, he suddenly remembered that this wasn’t his original world, and he wasn’t Lin Hanchuan but Yan Weilou.

[You finally remembered.] The system couldn’t help but sarcastically comment.

Throughout the entire time, the system remained mostly idle, only occasionally speaking up and never interfering with Lin Hanchuan’s choices, at most offering a few “suggestions.”

[“Qiao Qingsheng is a person in the entertainment industry, and Ran Xing is a rising star in the spotlight. If the police are called, it will become a big fuss,”] sighed the system.

Lin Hanchuan pondered for a moment with a calm expression and asked Ran Xing, “If I report this to the police, it will have an impact on your reputation. Do you want to report it?”

Ran Xing was the victim in this situation, so everything should be based on his wishes.

Ran Xing asked, “What if I don’t want to?”

“In that case, forget about it,” Lin Hanchuan answered without hesitation. “Even if we don’t involve the police, I have ways to make him pay for his actions.”

Ran Xing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, “Anyway, my reputation isn’t that great, and this incident isn’t a big deal. Let’s just say I’m doing justice for the future countless victims.”

This smile lacked the earlier aggressiveness and appeared much gentler.

Lin Hanchuan suddenly realized that Ran Xing seemed too mature. At this moment, as he showed his pale and weak appearance, Lin Hanchuan realized that this young man was only twenty-one years old.

For an ordinary person, being twenty-one meant they were still a teenager, mostly studying in school. Lin Hanchuan had an idea, and he gently patted Ran Xing’s back. “If you don’t want to…”

Feeling the comforting gesture, Ran Xing raised his head, his long eyelashes like ink, and his pupils like stars. “President Yan, as a grown man, why should I care about my reputation? This scum took advantage of the fact that people in the industry don’t dare to make a big fuss. By standing up, I can save countless future victims. Isn’t that good?”

Lin Hanchuan was momentarily speechless as he looked at Ran Xing, as if meeting this person for the first time.

“But…” Ran Xing leaned his head against the back of the chair, slowly closing his eyes. The sickly flush on his face made him look particularly captivating. “You have to protect me, as promised.”

Lin Hanchuan didn’t disturb Ran Xing’s rest with any sound, but gently touched his head.

The receptionist who was delivering the keys arrived late, and at the same time, the police arrived. “Did you call the police? What’s the situation?”

Ran Xing opened his eyes and, as the victim, stepped forward, bypassing Lin Hanchuan, and greeted the police, “It’s me.”

The leading police officer frowned upon seeing the situation in the room and scrutinized Ran Xing. “What happened?”

“He drugged me and tried to rape me, but I beat him up, and he passed out,” Ran Xing straightforwardly replied, meeting the police officer’s gaze.

Everyone who heard these words was astonished, looking at Ran Xing with surprise. Only Lin Hanchuan’s gaze darkened slightly.

“Uncle Police, can this be considered self-defense? You won’t arrest me, will you?” Ran Xing asked with a smile.

The police officers exchanged glances and then began examining the scene. “Rest assured, if it’s as you say, we will handle this matter fairly and impartially.”

“He took an unknown drug and needs a blood test,” Lin Hanchuan spoke up. “I’ve called an ambulance, and it will arrive soon. They can take Qiao Qingsheng to the hospital as well.”

Lin Hanchuan didn’t care about Qiao Qingsheng’s life or death, but since this was Ran Xing’s doing, he should bear the consequences if something were to happen.

After understanding the situation, the ambulance arrived and took Qiao Qingsheng away. Lin Hanchuan accompanied Ran Xing to the hospital for a blood test and examination.

After they left, a few staff members who had been watching the commotion from a distance whispered in astonishment, “These celebrities nowadays play so recklessly, calling for an ambulance and the police in the middle of the night. The entertainment industry is really deep.”

Another staff member chimed in, “I heard it was a young star and a director. These people are willing to go all out to get a role, to seize an opportunity.”

They chatted and laughed, but one man listened to their conversation with a pensive expression. When the others were talking, he quickly slipped into the restroom.

Once inside, he pulled out his hidden phone and looked at a few photos he had secretly taken. Due to the covert nature of the shots, the images were somewhat blurry, but the face of the young celebrity was clear. He had also captured a picture of the young star and the director being loaded into an ambulance.

The man scrolled through his contacts and found a phone number. He remembered this person had once told him that they would pay a high price for any footage of a celebrity.

The hotel had strict regulations against photography and leaking customer information… The man hesitated as he held the phone, unsure of what to do. Just then, someone knocked on the door from outside. “Hey, are you done yet?”

Startled, the man replied, “Almost, almost.”

The person outside went to the neighboring restroom. Soon after, the sound of flushing came from the adjacent room, and someone walked out with slow steps. The restroom was now empty.

The man clenched his teeth and dialed the number. “Hello, I… I captured some major material. Are you interested in buying it?”

“Only five thousand? I’ll… I’ll take it!”

“Deal!”

Throughout the entire night, Lin Hanchuan and Ran Xing didn’t rest. While they cooperated with the police, they didn’t notice that their photos had already begun spreading on the internet.

“Shocking! A top-tier celebrity and a director were involved in a late-night brawl, resulting in police intervention and both being sent to the hospital.”

“What kind of unknown scandal is this? Which A-list star dares to clash with a director and get caught on camera?”

“It’s Ran Xing? That makes sense.”

“…Isn’t anyone curious about why they fought with the director? Was it really just a fight? What’s the story behind this?”

“A late-night fight with a director. Different opinions abound. The entertainment industry lives up to its reputation for being treacherous and full of secrets.”

“Who in the industry doesn’t know that Ran Xing is a promiscuous person? He’ll do anything to climb up, selling his body and sleeping around. The people who have slept with him could form an army.”

“I heard he once tried to seduce a powerful figure but ended up being blacklisted because that person was straight. That’s why he hasn’t landed a lead role in so many years.”

Within a short period, all sorts of chaotic and outrageous rumors spread, and the number of salacious scandals about Ran Xing continued to increase. While another person involved in the scandals seemed to disappear, all eyes were focused on Ran Xing.

Climbing beds by any means, indiscriminate relationships, stepping on the weak, and suppressing newcomers… All kinds of negative reputations were piled upon him.

Qiu Hongguang looked at these comments, a slight smirk forming at the corner of his mouth, muttering to himself, ‘So this is the true nature of Ran Xing, a despicable person. Brother Lou, this time you’ll finally see him for who he really is, right?’