His tone was unhurried, as casual as if he were saying, "The weather's nice today," yet a chill ran through Xu Chun's entire body, as though he had plunged into an ice cave.
Seeing Xu Chun's stiff expression, Xie Jianyuan's gaze softened, and he said gently, "It's all right now. She's been taken away."
He couldn't bear to tell Xu Chun that the woman wasn't the only thing found under the bed. There had also been things like rope and a kitchen knife, making it clear that she hadn't simply wanted to kidnap him.
At the thought that he had almost failed to protect Xu Chun, the brutality long buried in his heart threatened to surge forth, and he wanted nothing more than to crush him into his very flesh and blood.
Xu Chun turned to stare blankly out the window and saw that it was already evening. After all this time, the matter had presumably been settled.
"Where's Sister Su?"
Xie Jianyuan answered, "She came to see you, but you were still unconscious, so she left. She still has to deal with the aftermath."
Xu Chun murmured an acknowledgment and asked, "Do the media know about this?"
Xie Jianyuan smiled. "Not yet, but that depends on what your manager plans to do."
Xu Chun understood what he meant. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face, and he pressed his lips together in silence.
After what had happened, Xu Chun still hadn't quite recovered, so Xie Jianyuan simply suggested that he stay at his place for the time being and go back once he felt better.
The thought that someone had been lying under his bed really did make Xu Chun uncomfortable all over. After Xie Jianyuan brought it up, he hesitated for a moment, then agreed. They lived close to each other anyway, so he could move back whenever he wanted.
Although Su Li still disapproved somewhat when she found out, she felt guilty, for one thing. After all, her screening had failed, and she had picked the person who ended up by Xu Chun's side, though she truly hadn't expected that inconspicuous assistant to have hidden herself so well. For another, she knew that something like this could easily leave psychological scars, so her tone with Xu Chun had been much gentler these past few days.
"Tsk, tsk, that assistant really has it rough." Wei Jiahe glanced out of the corner of his eye at the figure standing motionless by the window and remarked flippantly, "She crossed Young Master Xie's taboo."
Whenever Wei Jiahe called him "Young Master Xie," he was invariably teasing him with a sarcastic edge.
Xie Jianyuan couldn't be bothered with him. Without turning around, he said, "Do you want to go in and keep her company for a few years too?"
Wei Jiahe let out a strange yelp. "Listen to that. Is that any way to talk?"
He understood now. Xu Chun was Xie Jianyuan's reverse scale: no one could touch him or even covet him, or they'd come to no good end.
When he finished speaking, he saw that Xie Jianyuan hadn't made a sound. He gave a soft cough and said seriously, "But that female assistant's family provided a medical report certifying that she has a mental illness. What are you going to do?"
"What am I going to do?" Xie Jianyuan repeated, raising an eyebrow. At any other time, the gesture would have looked merely languid, but now it carried a vicious edge.
"If prison isn't enough for her, then send her to a place for lunatics. She can forget about ever getting out."
He grinned when he finished, showing a set of white teeth, but for some reason it made Wei Jiahe shudder, a chill running down his back.
He quickly said, "Still, you could say a blessing came out of this disaster. You're living with him now."
At the mention of that, Xie Jianyuan's expression softened considerably, as though the sinister look from a moment ago had been Wei Jiahe's imagination.
"That's true."
Wei Jiahe said, "But he should be straight. Are you sure you can..."
"You don't need to worry about that." Xie Jianyuan calmly cut him off. "I know what to do."
After saying that, he looked down at his watch and realized he was already late going home today. His brows knitted slightly, and without wasting any more words on Wei Jiahe, he turned to leave.
"What are you doing?" Wei Jiahe called. "It's only five. You're going back this early?"
Xie Jianyuan gave him an indifferent glance, and Wei Jiahe actually detected a hint of superiority in his eyes.
"I'm not like you."
"?"
"I'm going to buy groceries, then cook for him."
"..."
Wei Jiahe watched him with a blank expression. One moment, he had been cold and ruthless, deciding someone's life or death; the next, he had casually uttered those words, his tone brimming with unmistakable delight, as if afraid others wouldn't know there was someone waiting for him at home.
The corner of Wei Jiahe's mouth twitched. In the end, he only grumbled silently to himself, Boss, you two haven't even gotten started yet, and you're already showing off.
But his survival instincts told him it was best not to say that out loud.
Chapter 25: Intimacy
News of Xu Chun being harassed by an obsessive fan eventually spread online. However, to keep the impact from growing, Su Li concealed part of the story, saying only that an obsessive fan had broken into Xu Chun's home. She didn't say the person was his assistant, nor did she say that the woman's purpose went beyond simple harassment.
Su Li had also revealed the incident with the obsessive fan to distress and thus solidify his fanbase. Sure enough, the internet was filled with people expressing sympathy for Xu Chun.
"Please, ss, leave Xu Chun alone. Poor little brother really has it rough."
"Last time an ss went onstage to harass him, hug him, and demand a kiss. This time one sneaked into his home. What's next, are they going to fly? What the hell is Brother Chun's manager doing?"
"That's not fair to say, is it? Su Li does have some marketing skills. Quite a few of the artists under her have become hugely popular."
"Certain people's mad dogs should stop running wild here. You watch your daddy all day, and at the slightest sign of trouble, your noses are keener than a dog's."
Distressing and solidifying fans was one of the methods most commonly used by celebrity teams. Some played up their misery as a form of reverse marketing, while others deliberately provoked fan wars. And if passersby joined in fighting an opposing fandom, they might develop genuine feelings in the process, going from "Tsk, I don't feel strongly about XX, but this person's insults are so filthy that I have to say something fair" to "Fuck your mother! I fucking dare you to say one more bad word about XX!"
In any case, a tactic didn't have to be new as long as it worked.
That afternoon, Xu Chun dropped unannounced into his official Weibo fan group and posted a panda-head meme. A familiar fan leader immediately popped up and let out a groundhog scream, followed by countless fans joining in.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Oh my god!"