A Slap Right Off the Bat

Shen Yan took a sip of grape juice, in complete agreement.

"Then go ahead. If your phone isn't willing to serve you, I can help you call the police. Want me to?

"While I'm at it, I'll tell them how many people I drank with over the past three years to secure resources for you. And I'll tell them how you planned to make me sell my ass so you could get resources."

The original owner had been such an idiot.

He had loved Lu Xingchuan with no bottom line.

He knew perfectly well that Lu Xingchuan did not love him, yet he still foolishly dreamed that as long as he gave enough, Lu Xingchuan would eventually be warmed by him.

Lu Xingchuan's eyelids twitched wildly as he listened. He could not help thinking, Could Shen Yan have recordings of the drinking sessions? Of when I urged him to sleep with people for resources?

Panic rose in his chest, and Lu Xingchuan no longer sounded quite as confident. "You didn't end up sleeping with anyone anyway..."

Why was he even saying that? Lu Xingchuan's voice hardened. "I'm coming over now. Delete the recording, and I'll give you one million. Don't ever pester me again."

Shen Yan rolled his eyes in the bathtub, bubbles clinging to them.

"Can't I delete it myself? Why do you need to come personally? Just transfer the money. If you show up in front of me, the price goes up to two million."

Lu Xingchuan felt like he was about to die of anger.

He could not take this anymore.

He sprang to his feet. "Who knows whether you'll really delete it? You despicable, shameless bitch."

Shen Yan kept rolling his eyes. "You forced me into being the comparison foil, and I'm not allowed to tell the viewers about it? Hurry up and stop talking nonsense. If the money isn't in my account within three minutes, I'm posting it on Weibo."

Lu Xingchuan laughed coldly in extreme anger. "Post it on Weibo? If you know what's good for you, immediately make a post admitting everything just now was because you were jealous of Xie Li and fabricated rumors with edited pictures. Otherwise..."

Shen Yan burst into three loud laughs. "Ban my Weibo account? If the money isn't in within three minutes, I'll start livestreaming on the spot! If you ban my livestream, I'll hand out flyers outside a proctology hospital! When one way fails, another opens up. You look exactly like an idiot. Get lost!"

Click.

He hung up.

Two minutes later, one million arrived in his account.

This time, Lu Xingchuan had learned his lesson and did not send another warning.

Over on Lu Xingchuan's side, they hurriedly began damage control.

The first step was changing Shen Yan's Weibo password. Then Shen Yan's agent logged into Weibo and apologized to everyone in Shen Yan's name, saying that the posts had all been edited images...

After all, Shen Yan's entertainment company was controlled by the Lu family.

Meanwhile, after taking a bath, Shen Yan took his six million and turned left out the door to buy himself a villa!

The next day.

The dating show This Is a Dating Show officially began filming.

The entire thing was livestreamed.

[Ahhhhhh! Lu Xingchuan is literally a walking clothes hanger. Everything looks good on him. He's so handsome I'm dizzy.]

[People still chase cheating scumbags? Blegh~]

[If you're sick, see a doctor. Don't come to your Daddy Lu's side and act crazy. Shen Yan already posted on Weibo yesterday admitting that he edited the pictures and spread the rumors himself.]

[Xie Li is so pitiful. His first variety show after returning home, and he gets dragged into this.]

[Ahhhhhh, Xie Li and Lu Xingchuan, be sweet for me!]

On camera.

Lu Xingchuan and Xie Li got out of the same business van.

Xie Li had delicate features and fair skin. Though he was already twenty-seven, he still looked obedient and sweet, like a young man barely in his twenties.

Standing beside Lu Xingchuan, he greeted the camera and everyone watching. "Hello, everyone. I'm Xie Li. I'm very happy to see you all again."

After greeting the camera, Xie Li looked around.

This variety show had invited six guests in total.

Four men and two women.

"Hello, Bai Jing."

Xie Li walked forward and obediently greeted the female guest who had already arrived.

Bai Jing was twenty-eight this year. She had some name recognition in the industry, though she was not particularly famous.

But Xie Li knew that her father was the CEO of a well-known real estate company.

[Little Li is so sweet and polite.]

[He didn't skip past Bai Jing to greet Song Qianshan first, even though Song Qianshan has a much higher status.]

[I love my baby!]

Bai Jing and Song Qianshan had arrived early and were sitting beneath a sunshade, chatting. As Xie Li approached, Bai Jing stood and smiled. "When you suddenly went abroad, I thought you weren't coming back."

Xie Li smiled a little shyly. "There was an urgent matter at the time."

Then he greeted Song Qianshan beside her. "Hello, Shan Shan. I worked with Shan Shan on a drama before."

Song Qianshan nodded with a smile but did not continue the conversation, only saying, "Hello."

[Song Qianshan is putting on such airs. What's with that sour expression?]

[Ahhh, my baby. He greeted her so warmly, and Song Qianshan poured cold water all over him.]

[? Are you sick? Does Song Qianshan have to chat enthusiastically with him?]

In the comments, Xie Li's fans and Song Qianshan's fans immediately started fighting.

Xie Li turned and searched around, but Shen Yan was nowhere to be seen. "Has Shen Yan not arrived yet? It's already this late. Could something have happened on the way? Should we call him?"

It sounded like concern.

But he was actually reminding everyone that Shen Yan was late.

"Brother Xingchuan, is Shen Yan still misunderstanding me? Did he deliberately come late because of me? It's all my fault."

Song Qianshan cast a chilly glance in their direction.

[My baby is so kind. After Shen Yan called him out like that yesterday, he's still worried about Shen Yan.]

[Shen Yan deserves to die!]

[He's deliberately late out of spite? As expected of a scumbag. He does not even have basic professional ethics, making everyone wait for him.]

Lu Xingchuan frowned. What trick was this bitch trying to pull now?

Impatience flashed in his eyes as he turned toward the director.

"He's here, he's here!" The director pointed at the car pulling up.

In the spacious back row of the business van.

Shen Yan drew a card from the stack in the man's hand and turned it over.

[Find someone and slap him.]

Yes, that was right.

Shen Yan and this male guest had played Truth or Dare all the way there.

Just as the car reached the production site.

He had drawn such an unbelievably perfect card.

The moment the car stopped, Shen Yan shot out like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

[Fuck, what is Shen Yan doing?]

[Shit, is this delusional man insane? Is he going to throw himself at Lu Xingchuan on the show?]

[Ahhhhhh, go die! Shen Yan, you huge bitch, stay away from Teacher Lu! Get lost!]

Lu Xingchuan watched Shen Yan rush toward him the instant he got out of the car.

The disgust in his eyes was impossible to hide. "I'm warning you, Shen Yan. There is absolutely nothing between us. Don't you..."

Slap!

Shen Yan rushed forward, and Lu Xingchuan raised a hand to shove him away.

But at the instant he lifted his hand.

Shen Yan was fast, accurate, and ruthless.

He slapped Lu Xingchuan across the face.

The unexpected slap stunned everyone.

Even the comments went blank for a moment.

Xie Li was the first to react. He stepped forward, a thin layer of anger on his face.

"Shen Yan, even if you have some misunderstanding about me, come at me. Why did you hit Teacher Lu? You clearly like Teacher Lu so much.

"And we're filming a show. Can't personal grudges be handled privately? No matter what, we should respect the viewers."

[Fuck, Shen Yan actually hit Teacher Lu! Ahhhhhh, I'm going to kill him!]

[Ahhhhhh, my baby is so brave. He's trying to protect Lu Xingchuan.]

[My CP is so sweet. Shen Yan is such a bitch!]

Faced with Xie Li's accusation, Shen Yan abruptly raised his hand.

Lu Xingchuan lunged forward and shoved Shen Yan away, furious beyond measure. "Try touching Little Li!"