Riding the hype

"H-he... how could he possibly be dead? And what was he trying to do, writing a suicide note like that?!" Hu Kai's mother had already lost her composure.

They had seen which way public opinion was turning online. They had hoped to use public pressure to secure lighter sentences, only for it to boomerang straight back at them.

It was nothing like what they had expected.

Hu Kai's mother grabbed Duan Peng's relatives in a frenzy, shouting without a shred of dignity, "What exactly did you do when you went to see him last time?"

The two families had originally planned to work together and discuss how to pin everything on Qin Ke.

Duan Peng's relatives were merely ordinary people who might never have done anything significant in their lives.

They had a coarse, common air about them. If not for their shared interests, Hu Kai's mother would never have associated with them.

Ordinary as they were, they were all much the same when it came to selfishness.

It could essentially be confirmed that Duan Peng had acted on someone's orders, but even he did not know who his accomplices were.

Unable to name the person who had instructed him, he could only be treated as someone shielding his accomplices.

So they had assumed Qin Ke must have been the one behind him. Who would have thought...

Now they could not help Duan Peng, and Hu Kai's mother was berating them on top of that. Their expressions soured. "You're blaming us? At least our Duan Peng was following someone else's orders!"

"Unlike your kid, who's a murderer!"

Their shamelessness left Hu Kai's mother seething. "As if you're any better! You offended the Lin Family and still want a lighter sentence? Dream on!"

Hu Kai's father had already told her to find a lawyer to help. Rather than waste time on all this nonsense, it would be far more useful to seek the Qi Family's forgiveness sooner.

Now, not only had they failed to obtain forgiveness, they were being buried under condemnation from netizens.

Everything was a mess.

Neither side had gotten what they wanted, and they began furiously hurling insults at each other.

Their scheme had backfired spectacularly, leaving no one any better off.

An Shi's plan had been affected too.

When he told Hu Kai's mother about this person, he had never expected her to do anything to him. He had only intended to drag him into the mess so he could not remain untouched.

With Qin Ke's bizarre ability, he could probably extract An Shi's involvement from Hu Kai's mother, prompting him to switch targets and attack An Shi.

That would be better than letting him influence even more people in the future.

But their greed knew no bounds. Hu Mother wanted to use this to clear Hu Kai's name, and Duan Peng's relatives wanted to use it to absolve Duan Peng.

They had forced Qin Ke into the very center of the public uproar.

Now that things had come to this, no one had benefited except a dead man.

But An Shi did not believe it.

Someone as self-serving as Qin Ke would never kill himself over a few words from other people.

If his plans had been disrupted, he might lie low for a while. Suicide? An Shi did not believe a word of it.

He had even left behind a suicide note with very specific accusations, taking a final swipe at the Qi Family and the Lin Family at the end.

He said they had watched him suffer without speaking a single word in his defense. He even questioned how Lin Xingye had learned of Hu Kai's intentions. Had the two families deliberately staged the whole thing together?

Had they only wanted to win the Qi Family's trust, only for an accident to happen?

In response, Lin Xingmo immediately issued a statement.

Whatever the Lin Family's circumstances, they had never been reduced to making their own son risk his life to win someone else's trust.

They also had no private dealings with Hu Kai, and asked everyone online to exercise sound judgment!

Qi Sijing also went online to let everyone know he was safe, making sure to mention that Lin Xingye would absolutely, positively never hurt him.

The two of them shared a close bond.

He asked everyone to wait for the results of the police investigation.

Just then, a major online influencer with a million followers suddenly posted in support of Qin Ke.

Qiao Qiaozi: [I'm so upset to hear this news. I've been following this whole thing, and it feels like infighting between powerful people. Then, when things got out of hand, they found an ordinary person to take the blame.

Everyone, be careful when making friends with rich families. One wrong step and you could become their scapegoat. I feel so sorry for Qin Ke. He was just a young man working hard to get by.]

Even the supervisor at Qin Ke's workplace spoke up for him, further reinforcing his supposed innocence.

Bo Xi and the others were in the two patients' hospital room at the time. Cheng Yu rolled his eyes. "What an act."

Bo Xi paid no attention to the matter and continued working intently. "Just a clown riding the hype."

Looking at everyone gathered there, Lin Xingye gave a rare sigh. "Don't any of you have anything to do? You're here all day long."

Bo Xi's hand paused, and his expression turned crestfallen. "Star, are you sick of me?"

Lin Xingye: ...

W-w-wait, don't look at me like I've wronged you! You're making me feel so guilty!

Cheng Yu scoffed and mocked him mercilessly. "How old are you? Quit putting on an act. Star, ignore him."

Lin Xingye turned to glance at him. "I meant all of you. Including you."

Cheng Yu: Wounded.

His eyes brimmed with tears-no, he pretended they did as he wiped them, his voice aggrieved. "Star, how could you chase me away?"

Lin Xingye was a little puzzled. "Don't you hate me? You even wanted to fight me last time."

Qi Sijing: Holding back laughter.

Bo Xi: Sneering.

Cheng Yu felt utterly miserable. That had not been what he wanted. "Star, don't you remember? We were best friends as kids. You even said you wanted to marry me."

Keep acting. Go on, keep it up.

Lin Xingye stared straight at him and made a doubtful sound. "Liar. I remember hating you most when I was little!"

Cheng Yu defended himself without batting an eye. "Who said that? That was at first. We got along really well afterward!"

Lin Xingye turned to look at Bo Xi. Noticing that instinctive movement, Cheng Yu understood immediately. "Why, you little-Bo Xi! You've been spreading lies about me?"

Bo Xi coughed twice and began playing innocent. "Don't make things up. I only answered whatever Star asked me back then. I didn't lie either, right, Star?"

Lin Xingye nodded. That seemed true enough.

Cheng Yu stared resentfully at Bo Xi. If Lin Xingye had not been there, he would have...

Lin Xingye watched the looks they exchanged. They were probably cursing each other viciously in their heads.

Bo Xi reached out and gently took his hand. "Star, you know why I stayed."

Not to be outdone, Qi Sijing took his other hand. "Star, have you thought about what I told you before?"

Cheng Yu: ...

Indignant, Cheng Yu grabbed Star's... blanket. "Star, let me explain what happened last time! My feelings for you are-"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Lin Xingye was utterly exasperated.

What's wrong with them? Don't these big-shot CEOs have anything to do?

Qin Ke's death is so suspicious. I need to find time to investigate, but with all of them here, I can't exactly contact anyone.

Who knows whether he's really dead or just faking it? I can't let the person behind all this get off so easily.

Hearing that, the men fell deep into thought. Had they really been that stupid in their previous lives? How had they let themselves get roped into that man's schemes?

Bo Xi and Cheng Yu, in particular, lost all desire to compete for affection when they remembered Lin Xingye's fate in their previous lives. No matter what, Star's safety mattered most.

Whatever happened, protecting him had to come first.

At that thought, guilt filled Bo Xi's heart. He stroked Lin Xingye's cheek, his eyes brimming with tenderness. "Star, I'm sorry I failed to protect you..."

Lin Xingye did not understand, but he enjoyed it.

Was this the appeal of a handsome man looking broken?

Bo Xi, male models should really offer your type~

The ladies would absolutely love it~

Bo Xi's expression stiffened, and he felt a little dejected. What exactly do male models have that I don't?

Cheng Yu tugged at Lin Xingye's blanket. The moment Lin Xingye turned toward him, he struck a flamboyant pose. "Pick me, Star. I'm super sweet~"

"You're super what?"

A familiar, icy voice came from behind him. Cheng Yu sat back down, deflated, and complained, "Look at you, always showing up at the wrong time."

An Shi ignored him and pushed aside Bo Xi, who was sitting next to the bed. "Don't get in the doctor's way. If none of you have anything to do except sit here doing pointless things every day..."

"Then come to my lab and be unpaid test subjects."

"What a shame. Why didn't they get run over and killed?"

"They deserve to die. Every last one of them!"

The man huddled inside a dilapidated rental room. Its emptiness was unnerving, as though there were nothing in it except a bed.

But the floor was covered in the wreckage of smashed furniture, along with a powerful stench from food that had been spilled there who knew how long ago.

The smell was foul and pungent, and insects were already breeding in it.

Yet the man curled up on the bed seemed oblivious, staring at the news report on his phone with a face full of venom.

He gnawed frantically at his fingers without realizing it, the malice in his eyes almost spilling over.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

It was one in the morning.