Huh? Are villainous bosses this easy to flirt with?

Chapter 220 Your Father's Infidelity

Online public opinion continues to ferment, and the dispute between the two camps intensifies.

Under the deliberate smear campaign and manipulation of a large number of anti-fans, fabricated rumors spread like wildfire. Many uninformed passersby were misled by one-sided information and flocked to Xie Qing's social media comment section to vent their "self-righteous" sense of justice.

For a time, negative public opinion seemed to be overwhelmingly dominant.

Discussions about "Xie Qing's infidelity" have been increasing, quickly climbing into the top three trending topics.

Marketing accounts, like wolves and tigers smelling blood, rushed to forward so-called "insider revelations," and labels such as "cheating man" and "scumbag" were indiscriminately posted in the comments section.

Xiaohongshu even saw a post titled "Compilation of Xie Qing's Scandals," which was filled with fabricated screenshots and out-of-context video clips.

Whenever fans try to clarify, they are labeled as "brainless fans" and drowned in a barrage of malice.

Looking at the two pages of negative trending topics about himself on Weibo, which were even worse than the previous online backlash, Xie Qing helplessly tugged at the corners of his lips—his haters really hated him to the bone no matter which world he was in.

Thinking back on my past life: when I went to donate to disaster areas, I was falsely accused by haters of stealing supplies from the victims; when I had a bad cold and looked unwell, I was accused of looking down on people and being arrogant; since my debut, I have maintained a clean image with zero scandals, but I was falsely accused of being impotent... There are countless similar stories.

Xie Qing had always treated such nonsense as a joke, and this was especially true at this moment—he had a clear conscience about things he hadn't done, and these baseless rumors couldn't possibly shake him in the slightest.

Huo Yunting, standing to the side, frowned deeply. The comments section was filled with vulgar and offensive language, to the point that it could no longer be ignored.

"lightly."

He hugged Xie Qing affectionately and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure you don't need me to remove these trending topics?"

"Need not."

Xie chuckled and smoothed his lover's furrowed brows. "The police report will probably be released tomorrow, there's no need to waste the money."

She winked slyly, like a fox that had just succeeded in its scheme, "Besides, why not take advantage of this free publicity?"

With his starring film "Like a Dream" about to be released during the Spring Festival, it would be a good idea to take advantage of this popularity to do some free promotion for the film.

Without hesitation, Xie Qing quickly forwarded the studio's statement, giving a firm rebuttal to the rumors of her infidelity: #XieQingInfidelity# My husband and I have a great relationship. You cheated on me, get lost!

She then posted a photo of a clear blue sky, along with the title "Like a Dream," and the caption was a classic line from the movie.

After finishing all that, Xie Qing put down her phone and then realized that the scenery outside the window was unfamiliar. "Isn't this the way to the company?"

He had traveled the route to the Huo Group countless times, if not hundreds, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he knew it by heart.

"Let me take you to eat first. My assistant told me you haven't had lunch yet."

Huo Yunting stared intently at Xie Qing, and just as he opened his mouth, he said, "Qingqing..."

"I was wrong."

Xie Qing quickly leaned in and planted a light kiss on her lover's lips. "I was really busy and forgot. I'll definitely eat on time next time."

This is really not an excuse—I filmed several scenes in the morning, and then I was urgently called to the police station to give a statement around noon. Before I knew it, I had forgotten about eating.

Xie Qing sighed inwardly. Usually, such trivial matters would rarely reach Huo Yunting's ears, but now his assistant was stubborn and had to report every little thing to his boss.

He couldn't help but miss Assistant Chu, with whom he had become quite familiar—at least the other knew when to play dumb.

However, the investigation has been completed, and Zeng Juan has been taken back to the A City Police Station. What about Chu Luoren?

Why aren't they back yet?

In fact, Chu Luo has already returned, but he is currently on leave to reflect on his actions and has had three months' salary deducted.

Failing to report to his superior in time about going on a business trip, and the unreliable substitute assistant who couldn't even keep an eye on Xie Qing, almost causing her to get into trouble—these two things alone have crossed Huo Yunting's bottom line.

The three months' salary plus the work stoppage penalty is already a lenient treatment given his years of hard work.

When Chu Luo returned and learned that Xie Qing had been drugged and taken away, she was shocked and felt deeply guilty for her dereliction of duty. She had no objection to the punishment.

Looking back, perhaps it was because he had spent a lot of time with Xie Qing that his easygoing and unpretentious personality made him gradually become lax in certain details—such a basic mistake would never have happened before.

*

Xie Qing's hard-hitting response was like a beautiful roundhouse kick, instantly turning the tide of public opinion.

[Ahhh, that's how you should be tough! If you don't yell at them, they'll really think my girl is easy to bully!]

[Xie Qing, you've really been set up by capital, and you've been unfairly targeted.]

Anyone with a guilty conscience wouldn't speak so confidently. I believe you are innocent and that you didn't cheat!

[My goodness, do you have to be so relaxed? Even after being attacked like this, you still manage to promote your new movie. I'm truly impressed by your mental fortitude. /bowing in respect]

[No wonder he survived the online backlash; I'm impressed.]

【…】

Seeing the public opinion reverse, the critics started bringing up his education again—saying that he was rude and vulgar, no wonder he only had a junior high school education.

Indeed, the original owner dropped out of school after graduating from junior high school, not because she didn't want to go to school, but because she didn't have the money.

Even though he was among the top students, Xie Fu and his wife wouldn't allow him to continue his studies—after all, in their hearts, it was already an immense favor to let the other person finish junior high school.

At first, they didn't even plan to send the original owner to school. They only reluctantly agreed to send him to school after hearing that it was illegal.

With the celebrity speaking out, the fans seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline and perked up immediately:

[So what if he has a low level of education? Xie Qing's acting skills are obvious to everyone, far surpassing many formally trained actors!]

[Using vulgar language?! This means you can spread rumors and insults at will, and if someone retaliates, it's considered vulgar language—how shameless!]

[To be honest, Xie Qing was being too polite. If it were me, I would have directly cursed the other person's ancestors for eighteen generations /o(′^｀)o]

[The phrase "cheating on your father" probably broke the haters' defenses, hehehe /(￣y▽￣)~*covering mouth and chuckling]

[I just want to say one thing: to everyone who says Xie Qing cheated, did drugs, or had sex with prostitutes, show us solid evidence. Anyone can talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk. /eye roll]

【…】

Discussions about Xie Qing remain heated, but unlike before, supportive voices are gradually gaining the upper hand.

While having dinner with Huo Yunting at the restaurant, Xie Qing's phone kept vibrating.

Friends in the industry sent messages of concern and inquiries about the situation. The most anxious person was Mi Qiwu, the director of "Like a Dream"—if Xie Qing, the lead actress, had an accident, the film might face the risk of being withdrawn from release.

Only after receiving Xie Qing's message of "Don't worry" did his anxiety gradually subside.