Chapter 20: He Was the One Who Let Everything Go

Second floor, sky garden.

Shen Jixing had always been a man of his word. Since he had promised Zhou Yili to compensate that young master with a payment for his lost chastity…

“Why does that sound so strange?”

He pressed his hand lightly against his temple, his voice cool and weary. As if he had done something unspeakable to that young master.

But soon, there was no time left to dwell on the oddity. Shen Jixing casually opened his bank app to check his balance. He vaguely recalled having three million two hundred thousand from a quick glance earlier.

Now, looking closely.

Three million and two hundred.

“…”

So after transferring three million as the ‘chastity fee’ to Zhou Yili, his pocket money was reduced to…

Two hundred yuan.

A legendary superstar rarely faced such situations; the usual calmness in his eyes was now tinged with confusion.

After a moment’s silence, he called his agent.

“Pei Ming.”

Shen Jixing spoke solemnly, “Something’s happened.”

“!!!”

On the other end, Pei Ming jolted upright in bed, still half-asleep, “What’s wrong, what happened?”

He didn’t even wait for Shen Jixing to reply before expertly opening Weibo to check the trending topics.

His actions were so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.

No account freeze?

No scandals?

Then the problem couldn’t be too serious. So why was Shen Jixing so solemn…?

“I’m out of money,” Shen Jixing said quietly, staring at his balance.

“You’re out of—” Pei Ming seemed to hold back, but couldn’t help himself. “So you actually know you’re out of money? I thought you treated money like dirt! I’ve never seen anyone else cancel their contract with a brand first thing when something happens—especially a top luxury brand!”

Did he realize how many artists dreamed of reaching that pinnacle?

“The brand called me three times in a row, asking if Best Actor Shen had misclicked.”

Shen Jixing’s image was usually impeccable—dignified, humble; every brand he’d worked with praised his professionalism.

So even when trouble broke out, they remained cautiously observant.

But it was Shen Jixing who had chosen to give up everything, paying an almost astronomical penalty fee.

“It wasn’t that serious,” Shen Jixing said with an amused tone. Then he asked, “Are there any suitable jobs available lately?”

Pei Ming was stunned. “You want to go back to work now?”

Had his ancestor been drinking today?

But it was someone else who’d been drinking. Shen Jixing replied mildly, “I haven’t been drinking.”

Only milk.

But soon, he wouldn’t even be able to afford milk.

He had planned to rest for a while, but his meager assets had been squandered away during a fever-induced lapse in self-control…

So now, he had no choice but to earn money again.

Shen Jixing hadn’t faced such dire straits in years, but he wasn’t particularly resentful—he was used to it.

“Send me the account info for the work email. I’ll look through it later.”

Pei Ming: “Wait, are you serious???”

Shen Jixing lounged back, lips curling faintly. “When have I ever not been?”

Still, Pei Ming felt compelled to warn him.

“Even though the YC incident has improved your public image a bit…”

“But not by much!!!”

The only ones ruined by the scandal were YC and Fang Siqian.

Shen Jixing, who had refused YC at the time, did win some goodwill. But netizens are netizens—if they want to attack someone, they’ll find endless excuses.

“So why didn’t he speak up then?”

“Yeah, if he knew there was a quality issue and stayed silent, how is that any different from being an accomplice???”

“So Shen Jixing knew these things were carcinogenic, but just watched everyone wear them for two years? The more I think about it, the scarier it gets.”

Pei Ming had been furious when he saw those comments.

Shen Jixing didn’t have much of a reason for refusing YC; he simply didn’t like the brand, feeling they were too greedy.

On the contrary, he had always cherished his reputation.

Just as Pei Ming was gearing up to battle it out with netizens using his alt accounts, a mysterious group suddenly spoke up.

They sported blue hexagram badges.

“I can’t hold it in anymore…”

“I’m about to speak up…”

“I was going to let it go, but now I realize if I keep quiet, I’m done for! Screw your ‘the more you think the scarier’—I’ve got a phobia of schemers like you.”

“Thanks, but I have a phobia of idiots. Massive idiots, in fact.”

“Is Shen Jixing your daddy? The brand gets in trouble and you blame him for not warning you two years ago? I’ve heard of binding feet, but not binding brains.”

“At first he was criticized for looking down on the brand, now it’s for not warning you in advance. If he had exposed it, you’d probably accuse him of slander! So Shen Jixing is supposed to be the savior of the world? Without him, the world explodes?”

“Not even a gold miner could dig up such a crazy bunch.”

Pei Ming was dumbfounded.

Damn, there was no room left for him to step in…

Shen Jixing leaned against the swing, unable to hold back a gentle laugh.

His voice was usually cool and detached, laughter rare; now it sounded both alluring and mesmerizing.

Pei Ming’s ears tingled.

No wonder, with not a single promotional post, he could still have 130 million fans utterly devoted.

“They’re just a bunch of lovely girls,” Shen Jixing said.

Pei Ming: “?”

Did he have some misunderstanding about the word ‘lovely’?

Shen Jixing gazed at the scattered stars in the sky, recalling the scene when he met them last month.

His flight had been delayed; the girls waiting for him were anxious, cursing under their breath one moment:

“Damn it, if someone steps on my foot again, my shoe’s going to fly two miles.”

But the next moment, upon seeing their idol, their voices turned sweet:

“Here, these are flowers for you~~”

Shen Jixing glanced down at the bouquet—pale ice-blue roses, dew still clinging to their petals.

They’d wilted from the long wait.

He didn’t take them.

Instead, he looked away.

The girl was stunned, her face flushing bright red.

Just as she awkwardly tried to withdraw her hand, Shen Jixing bent down before her, picked up a dusty strawberry bear slipper, and handed it to her.

“This one?”

The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She was completely speechless.

That was her dirty strawberry bear slipper, and those were her idol’s priceless hands…

Even as Shen Jixing took her wilted flowers and returned the little slipper, she stood frozen, unable to react.

“In crowded places, don’t wear slippers—it’s dangerous,” Shen Jixing advised softly.

The girl snapped out of her daze and promised loudly, “I won’t, never again. I’ll frame them and hang them on my wall when I get home.”

“…”

Shen Jixing chuckled quietly.

A sound both helpless and indulgent.

After the incident, he remained calm and composed, as if he had long expected this day and was unfazed.

But on rare occasions, amid the storm of curses, he would recall those bright, expectant eyes he’d seen outside the airport.

Sparkling like stars.

“One cannot lack the courage to stand up again.”

His voice was still light, like snow falling in silence. “At least now, I am simply myself.”

Pei Ming seemed to understand his decision to terminate the contracts.

He had given up everything of his own accord.

Perhaps after severing the high wires himself, the road ahead would finally be smooth and clear.

…

The night air grew chilly.

Shen Jixing covered his mouth, coughed softly, and stood up to return to his room.

He turned, only to unexpectedly meet a pair of deep, inky eyes. That man was leaning quietly at the garden entrance, watching him for who knows how long.

Emotions swirled in those eyes—half drunk, half sober; unreadable, complicated.

Shen Jixing broke the silence first. “Why are you—”

“Do you cry easily?”

Zhou Yili suddenly interrupted.

The question was odd, and Shen Jixing didn’t answer.

“Shen Jixing.” Zhou Yili took a step toward him, his voice hoarse, as if sand had scraped it rough. “Do you cry easily?”

Shen Jixing replied calmly, “No.”

From childhood, he could count on one hand the times he’d cried.

Zhou Yili seemed to smile faintly; suddenly, he stumbled as if tripped by something, staggering into Shen Jixing. The light from the diamond on his ear flashed—

They crashed into the white swing.

Shen Jixing’s body swayed, losing balance, enveloped by Zhou Yili’s presence.

It was the same scent as that soft, fuzzy blanket—mixed with the dizzying aroma of alcohol.

“…”

“What are you—”

Before his cool words could finish, someone buried their face into the sensitive skin at his neck.

Shen Jixing froze.

Zhou Yili, clearly not fully conscious, nuzzled against him, his breath hot and raspy. “Then why…”

“Why did you cry the first time you saw me?”