Chapter 239
If earlier Xiao Jingxi could still barely maintain his composure, now—he was in full-blown panic.
He never imagined Xu Shuangrong had noticed the relationship between him and Xie Mi, let alone that she would boldly bring it up in public.
And with Xu Shuangrong’s words, the livestream audience was collectively struck dumb.
[Wait, hold on—WHAT??]
[Holy sh*t, what kind of gossip is this?! No way?!]
[So Xiao Jingxi and Xie Mi already knew each other before—and had a complicated relationship??!!]
[Someone please dig into this, I’m dying of curiosity!!]
On Weibo, netizens immediately started posting analysis threads:
[@KiwiWarrior]: I sent the alleged lock screen photo of Xie Mi and Xiao Jingxi to a professional—it’s not photoshopped! That means the photo was real! They already knew each other back then! The photo isn’t that intimate, but Xiao Jingxi’s reaction was super suspicious. He immediately claimed he didn’t know her—felt like a classic guilty conscience move. If they were just normal friends, he could’ve admitted it casually. There’s only one kind of relationship that would make someone that nervous: they were dating!
[@GhostBlower]: Anyone remember when Xie Mi posted a Weibo calling the Movie Emperor a dog with his photo? She was implying he came looking for her. That post got instantly buried by Xiao stans and Xiao x Rong CP fans, who said she was lying and using fake pics. But now that I think about it—maybe that photo was real too!
[@BlanketExplorer]: No “maybe” about it—it was real. Their IP addresses were the same at the time!
[@LittleMushroomPicker]: Wait, let me get this straight. You’re saying:
Xie Mi and Xiao Jingxi were possibly dating.
Then, while still in a relationship, Xiao Jingxi starts CP marketing with Xu Shuangrong.
But then a photo of Xie Mi’s lock screen (with him) gets leaked.
To avoid exposure, Xiao denies knowing her.
As a result, Xie Mi gets attacked by CP fans.
Then she gets stabbed and hospitalized.
After that, Xiao Jingxi goes to visit her in the hospital.
They have a fight.
Xie Mi goes live online, emotionally unhinged.
Xiao visits her again.
She takes a sneaky photo and posts it online.
A few days later, he publicly announces he’s going on a reality dating show with Xu Shuangrong?
WHAT THE HELL??
[@HandDrawnPie]: Dude. If that’s the timeline, this is WILD. Honestly, it all makes sense now. They probably broke up around the time of that hospital incident.
[@ShawshankAuntie]: I KNEW IT!! When they met for the first time on the dating show, the vibes were so weird. The way they talked to each other—something was off. Now it’s clear—they were both being passive-aggressive the whole time!
This generation of netizens might as well be Sherlock Holmes. Once they start suspecting something, they can dig up everything.
Xiao Jingxi’s face turned ghostly pale. Everyone around him could pretty much guess what was going on just from his expression—and their looks grew more complicated.
One of the assistant directors started cursing under his breath, while Director Niu’s jaw dropped so far it nearly hit the floor.
“Wait… This is just a small dating reality show—and we got gossip THIS big?!
And I—THE DIRECTOR—didn’t know about any of it?!”
Xu Shuangrong, still crying, stared firmly at Xiao Jingxi and asked:
“Jingxi, just answer me one question. Were you single during the time we were CP marketing?”
“I…” Xiao Jingxi instinctively looked at Xie Mi—but seeing no sign she’d help him, he turned, frowning, to Xu Shuangrong.
His eyes darted around, clearly panicking and unsure what to say.
He couldn’t understand how things had spiraled to this point. In his mind, he hadn’t done anything wrong—yet somehow, he’d become everyone’s punching bag.
He’d only done CP marketing—something totally normal in the industry. He hadn’t “betrayed” Xie Mi, and he had helped Xu Shuangrong rise to fame. Neither of them had lost anything—so why were they now acting like he was on trial?
Even worse were the stares from the others—each one like a knife slicing into him.
Just then, Xiao Jingxi’s agent rushed in, barging into the live broadcast.
“Sorry! We’ll be pausing filming for now! Our artist is too tired and needs rest!”
The agent covered his face and quickly dragged Xiao Jingxi out of the studio.
The audience exploded.
[Bro, what?! You’re just running away like that?!]
[He’s guilty for sure. I thought he’d at least try to explain, but he just dipped. That’s some guilty-ass behavior.]
[Holy sh*t—it’s TRUE?? So he had a girlfriend while doing CP marketing with another actress? And worse, his own girlfriend got attacked by his CP fans?! That’s disgusting.]
[I feel ashamed for ever shipping Xiao x Rong and hating Xie Mi. Turns out I was the clown all along.]
[Bro… you’re something else. I got nothing. No words. Just… wow.]
[How could anyone watch their own girlfriend get publicly harassed and say NOTHING? And worse, he caused it himself! That’s literally throwing your girl under the bus.]
[Now it makes sense why he broke off with Xu Shuangrong and then instantly tried to chase Xie Mi—he panicked when he thought she might leave him.]
[He deserves it. Where’d he get the nerve?!]
[No wonder Xie Mi keeps cussing him out—this is deep hatred.]
[Xie Mi was way too kind. She could’ve ended his career, but she spared him.]
Xiao Jingxi was forcibly taken away, and the debate competition had to end prematurely.
Xu Shuangrong, crying so hard she nearly fainted, was escorted away by her assistant to rest.
The remaining participants all had mixed expressions.
Lai Bingxuan and Director Niu wore matching faces of absolute shock—mouths agape from the moment Xu Shuangrong began speaking.
Although Lai Bingxuan hadn’t been familiar with the period when Xie Mi was being dragged by the whole internet, just hearing that Xie Mi and Xiao Jingxi had once dated was shocking enough.
Qiu Chengye, never one to miss a juicy mess, smacked his lips.
“Showbiz is really a f*cking mess, huh.”
Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to the central figure of the storm—Xie Mi—wondering what kind of reaction she would have.
She didn’t disappoint.
She forced out a stiff, awkward smile.
The audience assumed she was just holding back tears, trying to smile through the pain.
But instead, she clasped her hands together, eyes sincere:
“I’m really not some love-addled fool. I was just blind back then. Please, I beg you—don’t ever bring this up to laugh at me again. Everyone’s got a few skeletons in their closet, okay…”
Everyone: “???”
Like—hello?? You’re not following the emotional script at all?
The closest person to her, Shen Moqing, let out a chuckle.
“Teacher Xie’s probably curling her toes so hard right now she could carve a three-bedroom apartment with them.”
[??]
[I thought she was heartbroken just now—turns out she was having a cringe attack the whole time??]
[I was this close to feeling bad for her, but she pulled me right back with one line. Okay, I promise I’ll never bring up “Deadbeat Bro” as your ex ever again.]
[Dating someone you can’t even publicly admit was your boyfriend is basically having a criminal record.]
[Teacher Xie will never be able to show her face again hahahaha]
