Chapter 15

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At first, Xi Shi didn’t pay any mind to the rumor about him being kept that was circulating on the forum, but the subtle inquiries from his classmates at Yan University on WeChat made it impossible to ignore. Some even took a more extreme approach, sending messages like, “Senior, you’re such a disappointment,” or “Aren’t you just shameless?”

Xi Shi was utterly speechless.

Even if, hypothetically, he was really being kept by an older man, it was none of their business. He wasn’t cheating, breaking any rules, or doing anything immoral or illegal.

Who were these self-appointed internet police anyway?

He had been looking forward to meeting Jing Chen again tonight, but now his mood was completely ruined by their interference.

He lay on his bed, restless, staring at the ceiling, pondering how to resolve this mess.

The best solution seemed to be posting a photo of him and Jing Chen together on the forum to clarify that they were a couple, not in a kept relationship. Jing Chen wasn’t that old; he just dressed unfashionably.

But wouldn’t that mean publicly revealing their relationship?

He recalled that pretending to be just friends at school was Jing Chen’s idea—clearly, he had his reservations.

Besides, they were technically in a kept relationship… just reversed.

Could he just let it go like this?

No way.

Xi Shi suddenly sat up on his bed, unwilling to swallow this humiliation.

He had to find out who was behind that shameless post.

Anyone daring to do this to him deserved a good beating—bagged and beaten, no less.

He opened the school’s forum but saw that the original post was gone. Instead, a new post titled “Clarification Regarding the Kept Relationship Rumor” was pinned at the top with a ‘hot’ label.

Xi Shi thought, “What the hell is going on now?”

Curiosity got the better of him, and he clicked on the post.

First comment: “Posted on someone’s behalf, see comment two for details.”

Second comment: “Huh?”

Third comment: “Front row.”

Fourth comment: “Whoa, plot twist?!”

Fifth comment: “Why is Xi Shi having someone else post this? He can use the forum himself, can’t he?”

Sixth comment: “Hello everyone, my name is Yan He, Xi Shi’s maternal uncle. A few days ago, I saw Xi Shi post on his Moments that he wanted a pair of limited edition BL47 sneakers, so I bought him a pair. When I returned from a business trip yesterday, I gave them to him. Xi Shi was so excited he hugged me, but I didn’t expect this to be misunderstood. So I reached out to Yan University students to help me post this clarification. Please stop spreading false rumors. As for those who posted defamatory messages, I reserve all rights to pursue legal action.”

…

Xi Shi was utterly bewildered.

That wasn’t even the most absurd part. The poster then uploaded a photo: a half-body shot of this so-called uncle Yan He wearing the exact outfit Jing Chen had worn yesterday.

The uncle was forty years old, perfectly fitting the clothes…

Moreover, the photo appeared to be photoshopped. Yan He bore a striking resemblance to Jing Chen, so students who saw Jing Chen in person last night wouldn’t be too suspicious.

What?!

The uncle was real, but the story was fabricated.

And whoever took the photo had the original pictures. If they uploaded the unedited versions, the post would turn into a whitewashing propaganda, reinforcing the rumor that Xi Shi was being kept.

Xi Shi was utterly confused.

He pulled up Uncle Yan He’s number and called him directly.

“Hello, Xi Shi?”

“Uncle, please check WeChat. I sent you that photo. What’s going on?”

“Let me see… This? Honestly, I’m not sure. I just have a really tough project, and today something promising came up. The condition was that I had to take a photo like that.”

Xi Shi: “...?”

Things just got even murkier.

“The person who asked me to take the photo mentioned someone named Mr. Huo. This project is outsourced by the richest Huo family to another company. Maybe it’s related?”

The Huo family?!

He only knew one person named Huo.

He heard it might be Huo Siyuan’s doing. Xi Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had no grudges with Huo Siyuan; the latter wouldn’t harm him like this.

He must have dealt with the photographer, which is why they dared to falsify things so openly.

He just didn’t understand why Huo Siyuan was helping him.

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Unable to figure it out, Xi Shi opened Huo Siyuan’s WeChat chat and sent him a voice message.

Just as Huo Siyuan had finished coordinating with his uncle, Xi Shi’s voice message came through.

He answered the call and, with a nod from his uncle, Huo Siyuan put on his usual nonchalant tone: “If you’re calling to say thanks, no need. I’m a good Samaritan; good deeds don’t need recognition.”

“...” Xi Shi was momentarily speechless before asking, “Why are you helping me?”

If he recalled correctly, they weren’t close.

Besides, since suspecting Xi Shi’s feelings for Jing Chen, Huo Siyuan had never treated him kindly.

Was he some kind of masochist?

“Hmph, I’m not really helping you. Last time I went to campus to deliver sneakers, a classmate who knew my identity saw us and thought we were a couple. They brought it up to me.”

“I’m a rebellious person. The more someone wants to ruin your reputation, the more I won’t let them succeed.”

Okay, that attitude was definitely very Huo San-shao.

Xi Shi asked, “So can you tell me which classmate did this?”

“That?,” Huo San-shao smiled mysteriously, “You’ll know tomorrow.”

Xi Shi hung up, perplexed. Which classmate of his knew Huo San-shao?

They weren’t even in the same circles.

He thought it over but couldn’t figure it out. Huo San-shao seemed carefree, making friends on a whim.

Apparently, he just somehow knew him and randomly added him on WeChat.

Since Huo San-shao said he’d reveal it later, Xi Shi didn’t press further.

He’d just give that person a couple of punches when the time came.

After this twist, those who had scolded him on WeChat began apologizing one after another.

Xi Shi didn’t delete them but muted all notifications.

Go rot in my contacts list!

Around noon, he received a call from Qin Mingtian.

Qin Mingtian was his childhood friend and sworn brother—a playboy who was mediocre at studying but excelled at eating, drinking, and partying.

He attended a local vocational college majoring in hotel management and was about to start his internship in his junior year.

While others were interning at hotels, he had opened his own hotel for classmates to intern, shifting from hotel management to managing a hotel.

Apparently, his professor didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, watching his students enjoy life while having to give him full marks on the internship report.

What could they do? The guy had money.

“What’s up?” Xi Shi asked lazily.

“Whatcha doing? Come out and have fun.”

“Nope,” Xi Shi refused without hesitation. “What’s fun at this hour? Nightclubs aren’t even open.”

“Even if they were, I wouldn’t dare take you. With your drinking and drunken antics, I’m afraid you’d wreck the place.”

“...” Xi Shi expressionlessly said, “Bye, talk later.”

“Wait, wait! Listen to me first. I’m inviting you to the racetrack. Don’t you think this fine weather is perfect for horse racing?”

Xi Shi hadn’t gone out for a while.

He couldn’t just wait here like a doting husband waiting for Jing Chen all night. Besides, he hadn’t been to the racetrack in a long time. Feeling the itch, he agreed.

The weather had turned cooler lately, and many people came to the racetrack.

Xi Shi changed into riding gear. When he came out, the groom led two horses over.

Qin Mingtian chose a white horse; Xi Shi took the reins of a chestnut horse.

Just as he was about to enter, several horses galloped up and stopped at the entrance.

Their riders dismounted immediately, and several grooms respectfully took their horses.

Leading the group was a young man who removed his gloves and stepped outside, bumping right into Xi Shi and Qin Mingtian at the gate.

The young man’s eyes landed on Xi Shi’s face—first shocked, then a mix of complex emotions, with a faint trace of hidden joy.

Xi Shi didn’t recognize him but nodded politely and stepped aside.

After the group passed, Qin Mingtian asked, “Do you know who that was?”

“No, do you?”

Qin Mingtian lowered his voice: “The richest son.”

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Xi Shi nearly misstepped getting back on his horse.

Damn it, he had always thought the Huo family was mysterious—but recently he’d met Huo San-shao, and now he’d just run into the richest son.

And the richest son was already so grown up?

He thought the guy wasn’t even married yet.

Xi Shi glanced back enviously at the richest son’s retreating figure.

He didn’t seem extraordinary, so how did he get so lucky in life?

His dad must treat him well.

Qin Mingtian swung onto his horse and nodded at Xi Shi. “Race you?”

Xi Shi immediately brushed aside the earlier distraction and mounted his horse. “Bring it on, loser.”

Qin Mingtian was nearly furious. The two raced to the steeplechase course, empty at the moment. Qin counted down, “3, 2, 1,” and they galloped off.

Huo Siyi was in a bad mood today.

He had just fallen for a man named Xi Shi less than two hours ago, only to have Xi Shi’s reputation ruined.

He didn’t mind Xi Shi having a partner; he could always steal him away.

But Xi Shi being kept by some older man—this self-destructive behavior was hard not to mind.

Poor Huo Siyi had been so upset yesterday he uninstalled the Yan University forum, completely unaware the story had taken a turn.

Today, intending to relax with some horse riding, he unexpectedly bumped into Xi Shi, someone from the same circles but never met before.

The real Xi Shi was even more beautiful than on the big screen that day—radiant and gentle, like a naturally glowing being who captivated all eyes.

“Siyi, it’s hot out here. Let’s go to the tea pavilion,” said Liang Yi, the racetrack owner’s nephew.

Huo Siyi stared at Xi Shi galloping freely on horseback and said without looking back, “You guys go ahead. Don’t mind me.”

Liang Yi looked toward where he was staring, seeing two men riding a chestnut and a white horse racing over the obstacles.

One young man was exceptionally handsome, bent low over his horse, riding with flair and precision, drawing many admiring glances.

“Are you interested in him?”

“No.”

“...You don’t look like it.”

Realizing his question was silly, Liang Yi added, “After he finishes, I’ll have someone call him over... Siyi, where are you going?”

Without turning, Huo Siyi left the terrace, casually took a horse from a groom, and walked away.

Xi Shi easily outran Qin Mingtian, reined his horse to a stop, and flashed a teasing smile.

“Feeling defeated, huh?”

Qin Mingtian clearly wasn’t giving up. “Don’t get cocky. Best two out of three.”

“Alright, Daddy will let you lose convincingly.”

They returned to the starting point and began again. Just as they set off, someone suddenly charged in on horseback and joined their race.

Starting five or six lengths behind, he caught up in the blink of an eye. Approaching the first hurdle, he cracked his whip, and his horse surged forward like an arrow, clearing the obstacle.

The crowd gasped.

Xi Shi thought the newcomer was just another rider wanting to race, so he wasn’t bothered.

But seeing the man speed recklessly, his horse leaving afterimages as it cleared each hurdle—it was shocking.

It was the first time Xi Shi had seen such a death-defying riding style. Handsome, yes, but also dangerous.

Unsurprisingly, the newcomer crossed the finish line first and, showing off, performed an extremely difficult rapid stop.

The horse reared, emitting a sharp neigh, nearly throwing the rider off.

Amid the crowd’s cheers and screams, the rider approached Xi Shi, lifted his helmet’s visor, revealing a strikingly handsome, confident young face, and smiled.

“Hello, Senior. I’m Huo Siyi. Nice to meet you.”

Hmph! So what if he was kept by an older man? Huo Siyi was younger than that man, had more money than the man who could only afford a pair of worn-out ten-thousand-yuan shoes, and had the upper hand.

He’d snatch him away anytime!

Xi Shi: “...?”

Did he have some special charm that attracted the Huo family?