This kind of thing had happened before.

The Shi Yan Town serial killer case was brutal and heinous, and because the criminal had never been caught, it attracted high attention from all sectors of society.

The long period might have caused some people to forget about it, but when it was brought up again, the passage of years made it feel even more shocking.

After Shu Nian’s incident.

Because the elusive criminal had finally been caught, it once had high popularity on Weibo. The victims’ information was protected and deliberately censored, but there were still informed people who kept coming forward, providing Shu Nian’s information.

All to gain attention.

Later, under various controls and as the popularity faded, it gradually quieted down.

At that time, Shu Nian did use Weibo, but only occasionally. She had looked once, and although most comments were well-intentioned, she could still see some people saying extremely malicious and offensive things.

Using words as blades, pushing all responsibility onto the victims, attributing the dark side of society to the negative influences caused by the victims themselves.

It was something she found difficult to understand for a time.

Shu Nian had always believed that the harm she suffered, the impact this harm had on her, the negative emotions brought by this impact, all these wrongs had nothing to do with her.

She didn’t need to feel shame, anger, or unhappiness because of what others said.

Because those words were wrong.

All she needed to do was live her own life well.

But despite Shu Nian thinking this way and constantly reminding herself of it, for a long time afterward, she never touched Weibo or any other public online platforms again.

Occasionally hearing classmates inadvertently making comments, revealing that seemingly superior sympathy.

Shu Nian would just put on an appearance of indifference, pretending not to hear as she left. But when alone, she would still cry uncontrollably, feeling so bad she could hardly breathe.

She truly didn’t feel she had done anything wrong.

Yet she still feared others’ gazes, cowering and only wanting to escape.

At the moment of rescue, Shu Nian thought she had escaped from hell. But she never imagined that rumors could cause her secondary harm, which was even harder to bear.

She hadn’t done anything wrong. She had survived from the brink of death and because of this, helped catch the vicious killer who had been hiding in the shadows, evading arrest.

She should have gradually walked out from under this shadow, should have returned to the light, and lived happily and freely, feeling the warm breeze, the fragrant flowers, and the bright sunshine.

Why instead had she become like a fugitive criminal?

Once exposed to the public eye.

She would be arrested and then locked in a dark cage.

It was something she couldn’t understand.

Xie Ru He was still looking at her, his eyes clear and clean, appearing somewhat helpless.

He had no idea what had happened, thinking she was having another sudden emotional moment, unable to control her feelings. Xie Ru He licked the corner of his lip, raised his hand, and wiped her tears clean: “Are you unhappy?”

Shu Nian stared at him blankly.

For some reason, she recalled a dream from a few months ago.

She found it so painful and frightening that it remained vivid in her mind, yet she lacked the courage to recall it.

That one sentence he said.

—”I’m sorry, Shu Nian. I really can’t take it anymore.”

Shu Nian’s tears fell again, her voice trembling as she called to him: “Xie Ru He.”

Xie Ru He said: “Hmm?”

She covered her eyes with one hand, sobbing out loud, her tone almost pleading: “Don’t apologize to me.”

“…”

“Don’t apologize to me.” Shu Nian repeated over and over, crying like a child. “Don’t apologize to me… I don’t want to hear it…”

Xie Ru He wasn’t quite clear about the meaning behind her words, his Adam’s apple moving up and down: “Okay.”

“I won’t apologize to you.”

After Shu Nian finished crying, Xie Ru He took her to the bathroom to wash her face. To cheer her up, he made an exception and brought her two pieces of cake, along with a cup of hot milk.

But Shu Nian had no appetite, only finishing the milk.

Then she returned to her room.

Xie Ru He put the cake back in the refrigerator and rinsed the cup Shu Nian had used for milk. He lowered his head, suddenly remembering Shu Nian’s earlier words, and glanced at his phone.

As soon as he unlocked it, he could see the trending topics.

Telling him what the person who had just been using this phone had seen.

As if he hadn’t expected to see such content, Xie Ru He’s gaze fixed, his eyes deep and dark, gloomy emotions gradually rising. He closed Weibo and called Fang Wen Cheng.

Fang Wen Cheng answered quickly: “Young Master?”

Xie Ru He lowered his eyes, putting the cup back in its place, absentmindedly making an affirmative sound.

“Have you seen Weibo? Shu Nian was exposed as the survivor of the Shi Yan Town serial killer case,” Fang Wen Cheng said. “But this trending topic is coming up strangely. When you posted on Weibo before and followed Shu Nian, that’s when her popularity was highest, but no one exposed her then. Now as the attention is fading, suddenly…”

Xie Ru He interrupted him, asking casually: “So you haven’t found out who’s behind it?”

“Yes… I’m sorry,” Fang Wen Cheng reluctantly said. “I haven’t had time to investigate yet. I’ve been looking for PR to control the comments and get the trending topic removed…”

Xie Ru He’s tone remained flat: “Has the trending topic been removed?”

“Not yet, but as soon as possible…”

Before he could finish, Xie Ru He, with a cold face, hung up the phone. He put the phone aside, let out a heavy breath, and walked back to the master bedroom, opening the door.

At this time, Shu Nian was hugging a tablet, curled up in a corner of the bed.

Noticing the movement, she looked over, her expression somewhat blank.

Xie Ru He asked: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Shu Nian’s voice still had a nasal tone, soft and tender: “It’s still early.”

Xie Ru He made an affirmative sound and walked over: “What are you looking at?”

Shu Nian showed him the tablet: “Playing a game.”

Xie Ru He sat down beside her: “Continue playing.”

Shu Nian sniffled, withdrew her gaze, and continued moving her finger across the screen.

Neither of them initiated the conversation.

In the quiet room with its warm yellow light, one person watches the other play a game.

It felt cozy nonetheless.

Shu Nian had been stuck on this level for too long, playing several times without being able to pass it. She had just cleared it on Xie Ru He’s phone but was interrupted by Fang Wen Cheng’s call, and now no matter how many times she played, the outcome was the same.

She said softly: “I’ll stop playing. I can’t get past this level.”

Hearing this, Xie Ru He took the tablet from her hand and said calmly: “I’ll help you pass it.”

Shu Nian looked up, meeting his dark, bright eyes.

Xie Ru He reached out and pinched her cheek, the corners of his lips curving upward.

“Anything you can’t get past, I’ll help you get through it.”

After coaxing Shu Nian to sleep, Xie Ru He left the room again. The gentle demeanor he had shown in front of Shu Nian instantly disappeared, becoming gloomy. He returned to the kitchen and picked up his phone.

He saw that Fang Wen Cheng had called him.

Xie Ru He didn’t call back but checked WeChat.

Fang Wen Cheng had sent him a series of messages.

[The trending topic has been removed, and PR is also contacting major accounts to delete posts, trying to prevent further spread. Before the heat dies down, you and Shu Nian should avoid going online to prevent affecting your mood.]

[Because people are still circulating Shu Nian’s photos, there might be some impact if you go out, but internet users have short memories and might not recognize her. It should be fine after some time.]

[By the way, Young Master. Major accounts are now reporting that Shu Nian was with Xu Ze Yuan during university, but later because she felt that after what happened to her, she wasn’t good enough for Xu Ze Yuan, she unilaterally proposed breaking up.]

[This Weibo post has now been deleted.]

[Young Master, we’ve found out. The information was spread from Xu Ze Yuan’s side. Possibly to divert attention and suppress his previous trending topic.]

[What should we do now?]

Xie Ru He thought for a moment, then called Fang Wen Cheng directly: “Didn’t you find out about Xu Ze Yuan’s matter before? Leak that too.”

Fang Wen Cheng said: “Understood.”

Xie Ru He didn’t say anything more and hung up. His fingertips tapped on the smooth marble surface as he stayed in the dim kitchen, his appearance obscure and unclear, silent.

After a long while, he said softly: “Nian Nian must be happy.”

Within one day.

Weibo’s trending topics list changed several times, all related to currently popular actors and singers. In the evening, a Weibo entertainment account with a million followers posted another exclusive news item.

[Xu Ze Yuan was exploited]

It was rumored that the singing program Xu Ze Yuan participated in gave him advantages in editing, song selection, and various other aspects because he had slept with an investor in the program.

Most people thought this was malicious hype without foundation.

But the entertainment account provided solid evidence, including well-organized materials and a large batch of photos. All show intimate interactions between Xu Ze Yuan and the investor. Including kisses, hugs, and more.

A young and handsome man, with a plump middle-aged woman.

At that time, Xu Ze Yuan hadn’t dyed his hair yet, probably before he became famous. So he didn’t have as many concerns and didn’t think anyone would be paying attention to him.

This trending topic exploded directly.

In the following period, more whistleblowers came forward, talking about some inside stories of the entertainment industry. Someone brought up Shu Nian’s matter again, saying that during university, Xu Ze Yuan had pursued Shu Nian for a long time, but after Shu Nian’s accident, he actively proposed breaking up.

All at once.

All the negative news poured onto Xu Ze Yuan.

Xu Ze Yuan promptly posted on Weibo, basically saying that these messages were rumors, asking fans and the public not to believe them, and stating he would explain later.

A minority of die-hard fans and paid commenters continued posting on Weibo, saying emotional things and expressing that they would support him forever, not believing what others said.

But most were fans turning against him, or casual observers becoming critics in the comments.

Soon after, Xu Ze Yuan closed the comments.

This Weibo topic stayed at number one for a day and night.

Afterward, Xu Ze Yuan didn’t post on Weibo again, completely disappearing from the news.

After two or three days, the heat gradually faded.

Xu Ze Yuan finally came out to apologize and admitted to those things, implying between the lines that he was forced, it wasn’t voluntary behavior at all, and hoping fans would forgive him.