Chapter Two: Boys Must Also Learn to Protect Themselves

“Xingxing, you didn’t respond, did you?”
As soon as Sister Dao arrived at Lin Xing’s villa and saw him, this was the first thing she asked, her voice full of concern.
Lin Xing replied, “No, to avoid any misunderstandings, I didn’t even answer my cousin’s calls.”
“That’s good, that’s good.”
Sister Dao let out a long breath, genuinely relieved. She had truly been afraid Lin Xing might react without thinking.
On her way over, she had just checked Weibo and saw that Wu Yao’s scandal had exploded.
Utterly exploded.
All the top ten trending topics were about Wu Yao, and almost all of them were full of accusations and insults.
In Sister Dao’s eyes, it seemed there was little doubt about how this would end.
Almost an hour had passed since the incident broke out—Wu Yao didn’t have much time left.
Of course, to Sister Dao, Wu Yao’s fate was irrelevant; what mattered was Lin Xing.
“Xingxing, during your five years in Star Glory, was there ever anything out of line you did?”
Sister Dao looked at Lin Xing with a grave, earnest expression. “If you did anything questionable, you must tell me now, so I can get ahead with PR. This wave of accusations against Wu Yao is already digging back to his Star Glory days, so people are definitely going to start digging up the past.”
Lin Xing shook his head. “Don’t worry. Whether back in the Star Glory days or now, I’ve always kept myself clean. I would never do anything illegal or immoral.”
On this point, both the original Lin Xing and the present one were exactly the same.
Three things:
No drugs.
No soliciting.
No sleeping with fans.
And most importantly, he never met with anyone alone. As a strikingly handsome young man, he had to protect himself.
Otherwise, all it would take was one viral post: “Can you believe it, a top celebrity molested me in public.” Even if it didn’t ruin him entirely, he’d be skinned alive by public opinion.
After all, you can’t prove a negative, and in the court of public opinion, that’s as good as a guilty verdict.
Sister Dao smiled. “Good. I knew you’d never be caught up in that kind of mess.”
“Sister Dao, sit down and have some water first.”
As Lin Xing spoke, he poured her a glass. “Look at you, you’re out of breath.”
“I really was thirsty. I’ve been so worried I forgot.”
Sitting on the sofa, Sister Dao gulped down a few mouthfuls of water before continuing, “This month the entertainment industry was calm for once, and then out of nowhere this Wu Yao scandal explodes. It’s only been an hour, but the top ten trending topics are all about him.”
Lin Xing was also browsing Weibo. He’d just seen the post from the woman at the heart of the storm.
What could he say?
It was definitely true.
Wu Yao had always been one person in public and another in private. By the second year of the group, Lin Xing already knew Wu Yao had multiple lovers on the side, which the woman herself admitted in her post.

From mistress to official girlfriend, then marrying Wu Yao, bearing him two children, even introducing other women to him—she endured his domestic abuse, his gambling, his cheating.
All for what?
Just to remain Mrs. Wu.
Who would have thought Wu Yao would want a divorce?
She couldn’t take it anymore.
Her revelations were explosive.
She even claimed Wu Yao played Russian roulette with others, and back in the Star Glory days, selected girls for his own amusement.
How could Sister Dao not be worried reading all this?
But now that Lin Xing had vowed he was clean, Sister Dao, relieved, glanced at the trending topics and felt a twinge of envy.
Look at that traffic.
She eyed Lin Xing, scrolling through Weibo. “Xingxing, should we jump on the bandwagon? Maybe grab a little attention?”
“Let’s not.”
Lin Xing looked up. “I haven’t had any contact with Wu Yao in ten years. There’s no point in stepping on him now, and anyway, that’s not the kind of attention I want.”
“You’re right.”
Sister Dao nodded lightly. “Even if you’re innocent, there’s no telling what people could make up. And it’s only been an hour—the circle of people getting dragged in will only grow.”
“Sister Dao, it’s already 10 p.m.”
Lin Xing suddenly said.
She paused, then caught on. “Alright, I’ll head back then. By the way, about that variety show Feng Gang invited you to—if you want to go, go. It’s a good chance to lay low. I’ll sort things out with Feng Gang, but would you be willing to take Lin Miaoyin with you?”
“Lin Miaoyin?”
Lin Xing frowned. “The new girl you just signed?”
“That’s her. She’s not a great actress yet, but she’s gorgeous,” Sister Dao said eagerly. “Let her show her face on ‘Farming Together’ first. Later, I’ll have her audition for some sweet romance dramas. As long as she can say her lines, she’ll be fine.”
“Alright, do as you see fit.”
Lin Xing replied, completely unconcerned.
“Okay, I’ll be off. Get some rest.”
Knowing how disciplined Lin Xing was these past years, Sister Dao just gave him a few more reminders before leaving.
As for Lin Xing, he found it amusing seeing people online still defending Wu Yao.
“I believe in Yao Yao’s character. Let’s wait for his response!”
“@Wu Yao’s Studio, hurry up and respond. Don’t play dead.”
“Unless Wu Yao admits it himself, I refuse to believe he’s that kind of person.”
“@Wu Yao’s Studio, come out and work—sue every last one of these slanderers!”

Aside from Wu Yao’s fans still expressing their faith, most bystanders just wanted to see Wu Yao go to jail.
Domestic violence is a crime.
And based on the revelations, Wu Yao was also soliciting prostitutes.
If the evidence was solid, Wu Yao would be upgraded from scumbag to criminal.
In fact, beyond his fans, the evidence was basically irrefutable.
Because half an hour later, another woman came forward, saying she’d also been Wu Yao’s girlfriend, and that he had beaten her so badly she was covered in bruises every time.
The second woman’s appearance drove the scandal to an even greater frenzy.
“When you play with fire, you get burned.”
Lin Xing wasn’t surprised as he watched Weibo.
By now, he’d already turned off his phone and was browsing Weibo with a backup. After all, tonight, many people would be losing sleep.
Not just Wu Yao, but the entertainment reporters too.
As for Lin Xing, ever since returning to this life, he’d developed a strict routine—early to bed, early to rise. He had to be in bed before 10:30, and it was now 10:34.
Time to sleep.
The online bloodbath had nothing to do with him.
The next morning, Lin Xing was up early, ran five kilometers, and only after breakfast did he turn his phone back on.
As expected, there was a pile of missed calls and unread messages.
As for WeChat, it was filled with people wanting to add him—every last one an entertainment reporter.
“Sister Dao, what’s up?”
Seeing the latest missed call was from Sister Dao at 8:10, Lin Xing quickly called her back.
“Xingxing, if you hadn’t turned your phone on, I might’ve come looking for you again.”
Sister Dao sounded in high spirits. “Check Weibo—you’re trending!”
Lin Xing: “???”
Looking at Weibo, of the top twenty trending topics, nineteen were cursing Wu Yao, and the remaining one was about Lin Xing.
Number 11: “Of Star Glory, only Lin Xing’s reputation remains unscathed.”