Damn, My Identity Was Exposed!

Director Li had originally been in the observation room, discussing the feasibility of the next day's tasks with Huo Wenye.

Then his assistant suddenly rushed in, shouting as if his pants were on fire, "People from the neighboring village are causing trouble! Xie Chen went to deal with them alone! He wouldn't let anyone follow him, only brought one cameraman!"

"What?!" Director Li shot to his feet. "Isn't that reckless?! Hurry and take a look! Don't let them start fighting, or how are we supposed to keep filming this show?!"

He was about to run out when a crisp voice sounded behind him. "I'm going too."

"No, no, we have enough people..."

Before Director Li finished speaking, Huo Wenye swept past him like a whirlwind.

Everything had happened so suddenly, and there was no time to worry about anything else. He could only chase after him and figure things out later.

When they finally found them, the first thing they saw was those village thugs rolling around on the ground in pain.

Xie Chen stood in the middle of them, smiling like a blooming begonia, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Director Li was dumbfounded at first sight.

Those were all strong men used to farm work, and they even had hoes in their hands—basically weapons. One hit from those things could leave someone unable to stand...

How had Xie Chen done it?!

Everyone who had come along stood frozen as well.

They had no idea whether they should help the beaten men up or comfort the completely unscathed Xie Chen.

Huo Wenye was the first to break the strange silence. He pressed his thin lips together and asked, "Should we leave first so you can continue?"

Biaozi, lying on the ground, thought he had been saved. But when he heard that, his eyes widened. "Don't, don't leave! Save us! He's a lunatic! If you leave, he'll beat us to death!"

Huo Wenye remained unmoved, his deep eyes still fixed on Xie Chen's face.

As though everything else around them was mere air, the only thing he cared about was that single ray of light.

"Wenye! Brother Ye! Huo Buddha! Stop joking around!" Director Li's legs nearly gave out from fright. "The police will be here any minute. Let's leave this to them!"

Xie Chen was somewhat disappointed, but he withdrew his leg.

After all, with so many witnesses around, it would not be easy to clear himself of suspicion.

In all his life, Biaozi had never longed so desperately for the police to arrive.

Thinking back on what had just happened, it had been nothing short of a nightmare!

So, sitting in the police car, he kept wailing, "You have to arrest him!"

"That guy seems crazy."

"He hits like a damn brute!"

"He's like a demon here to take lives!"

Biaozi sobbed and sniveled until the police officer's face showed impatience. "Whose hoes are those?!"

"O-ours!"

"How many of you were there?!" the officer asked sternly.

"E-eight." Biaozi sensed that something was off.

Sure enough, the officer sneered. "Eight of you, armed with hoes, and you're saying he attacked you?! Tried to kill you?!"

"It's true!" Biaozi cried emotionally, handcuffed. "Officer, you have to believe me!"

"Don't call me officer, I don't have a nephew as old as you," the policeman said professionally. "Whether I believe you isn't important. What matters is whether the law believes you. Isn't there a livestream recording? We'll review it carefully later, and the truth will come out."

Biaozi: "..."

A livestream recording?

Wasn't that an evidence trail?

So it had not been a recording—it had been livestreamed?!

If he remembered correctly, the stream had been shut off before that guy made a move?!

All of this had been planned?!

That bastard had set him up?!

Biaozi finally understood everything. His face turned ashen, and a sob caught in his throat, neither rising nor falling, nearly choking him to death.

The two Xie Family brothers, still resting at the guesthouse, overheard the other guests discussing what had happened through the door. Roughly speaking, people from the neighboring village had come to cause trouble, Xie Chen had insisted on going to help alone, and the livestream had been forced to stop. No one yet knew the exact situation.

Suppressing his delight, Xie Ran put on a worried expression. "Third Brother, Xie Chen won't be in trouble, will he?"

"What trouble could there be?" Xie Jinran sneered. "Don't worry. Eldest Brother and Second Brother only wanted to teach Xie Chen a lesson. At most, they'll break his leg and make him quit the show."

"Quit the show?!" Xie Ran became even more excited upon hearing that.

Xie Jinran nodded. "Eldest Brother said that if this continues, Xie Chen will become more and more difficult to control. He's an adopted son taken in by the Xie Family, yet he keeps threatening to cut ties with us and opposing us at every turn. If we don't rein him in, it'll damage the Xie Family's reputation."

"That's true," Xie Ran sighed with feigned regret. "It's just that Xie Chen will have to suffer again."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of police sirens sounded outside the guesthouse.

Xie Ran hurried to the window and saw Xie Chen getting out of a police car, with Huo Wenye following behind him.

"What's going on?! Why is Huo Wenye with Xie Chen?!" His face filled with jealousy, and his voice sharpened uncontrollably.

Hearing this, Xie Jinran quickly moved to the window and looked down through the glass. Seeing that Xie Chen was indeed standing with Huo Wenye, he frowned.

Eldest Brother had said before that Huo Wenye was helping Xie Chen behind the scenes, but he had not believed it.

Now that he saw it, the claim clearly had not come from nowhere.

What exactly was Huo Wenye after?!

Could he be trying to use Xie Chen to swallow up the Xie Family?!

"Huo Wenye is an investor. How could he stand by and do nothing when the show is in trouble? Don't panic yet. Let's go down and take a look first." Knowing that Xie Ran was interested in Huo Wenye, Xie Jinran patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Xie Ran nodded slowly. "Xie Chen probably lost his temper and started fighting. At worst, it counts as mutual assault. It shouldn't be too serious, but his leg..."

A trace of disappointment flashed through Xie Ran's eyes.

It had not been broken?!

Those villagers were useless!

The police cars had arrived with such a huge commotion that all the guests came out.

Luo Mingyu darted to the front. "What happened?! Xie Chen, what did you do?! Did Brother Ye bail you out?!"

"Pah. I'm a law-abiding citizen. What crime could I have committed?" Xie Chen rolled his eyes. "I just went to cooperate with the police investigation."

As soon as he finished speaking, an upright-looking police officer behind him said, "We thank this comrade for helping us push our crackdown on organized crime and evil forces even further!"

"Biaozi and his group have long been notorious blights on the surrounding area!"

"They bully villagers, gather to fight, and destroy public property. We will definitely punish people like them severely!"

"Comrade Xie Chen." The policeman stepped forward, intending to shake Xie Chen's hand, but Huo Wenye silently blocked him.

The officer paused, then continued without minding it. "Thank you for your righteous act. If not for you, how would those honest villagers have dared to resist, much less provide evidence? If we need you to supplement your statement, please make sure to cooperate!"

"And regarding that legal matter..."

Before the officer could finish, Xie Chen waved his hand. "I can't provide legal education for free. That costs extra, and my hourly rate is high. You may not be able to afford me. If it's for charity, contact my assistant..."

Only when he sensed the bizarre silence around him did he realize—

Damn.

His identity had been exposed!