Hengrui Group and the Huo Family behind it had always been low-key, often having little presence in the public eye, but there was a reason they had long held a lofty position that gossip columns and street tabloids dared not provoke.

Two generations of the Huo Family's core figures were iron-fisted, powerful individuals whose words were law. During the Old Master's time, there were precedents of tabloids being completely shut down for writing nonsense, and actresses who tried to stir up hype by throwing themselves at them being directly blacklisted until they retired from the screen. Later, when Huo Zhongchen was in charge, his own private life was not clean, and his control in this area loosened. Thanks to the lingering prestige of Old Master Huo, they barely managed to maintain the Huo Family's external facade. When Huo Mingjun took power, his ruthless methods were even more severe than Old Master Huo's. It's just that there was so little private news about him that various parties never had a chance to experience it.

This time, Zhong Guanhua had taken the lead, and sure enough, he became the chicken killed to warn the monkeys.

The news broke one day, and the next, not a single product or advertisement related to Zhong Guanhua could be found in B City's "Yihe Yipin." The Weibo hot search "Hengrui Group blacklists Zhong Guanhua" topped the charts, and the entire internet exploded. The upper management of Galaxy Times held a four-hour-long meeting because of this, and Huo Zhirong received eighteen interview calls in one day.

This was just the beginning. Zhong Guanhua had been scorching hot in recent years. He had offended people with his bad temper and blocked many people's paths. After Hengrui Group made its move, many followed suit. Those with grudges took revenge, and even those without grudges came to kick him while he was down. Nine out of ten press releases were digging up his dark history. The remaining one that tried to whitewash him was immediately flamed into a hornet's nest by a swarm of internet trolls.

Hengrui Group's blacklisting of Zhong Guanhua involved only practical actions, without any official explanation of the reasons. After Zhong Guanhua's breach of contract and withdrawal from the production team was exposed, the public unanimously believed this was the main reason for Hengrui Group's blacklisting of him. However, there is always a small group of great skeptics in the world with a spirit of inquiry, who are not satisfied with the status quo and insist on getting to the bottom of things. Through their tireless efforts, the dirt about Zhong Guanhua beating up a staff member on set last year was dug up again. After some comparison and scrutiny, a familiar name appeared in this increasingly turbulent and intense vortex.

Xie Guan.

Zhong Guanhua, Hengrui Group, Xie Guan. With these three names placed together, the scent of gossip was practically overwhelming and ready to burst forth.

Xie Guan's appearance seemed to light a guiding lamp for the audience struggling to find the truth in a maze. Following his trail, the complete framework of the entire incident was gradually pieced together—

The one Zhong Guanhua had accidentally injured to vent his anger was Xie Guan, the one who replaced his original role after the breach of contract was Xie Guan, and the one recently involved in "bundled hype" with Hengrui Group's chairman, Huo Mingjun, was still Xie Guan.

Why would a wealthy family's CEO like Huo Mingjun, who managed a myriad of affairs daily and kept a low profile, make such a big fuss to blacklist an entertainment star who was insignificant to him—was it merely for revenge?

This was fucking for true love!

Once this convincing conclusion was proposed, Xie Guan was immediately designated as the number one mortal enemy by Zhong Guanhua's fans. All sorts of dirty accusations like "clinging to powerful thighs," "the casting couch," "white lotus," "scheming bitch," selling his face and body, stealing roles, and taking on multiple projects at once were thrown at him. The tone was so realistic, the hatred so intense, it was as if it had been Zhong Guanhua who was slapped by Xie Guan on set, or as if Xie Guan had forced Zhong Guanhua's head down from a thousand miles away, compelling him to withdraw from the production team.

A certain CEO, who had been silently following public opinion and wished to remain anonymous, sneered, "It's getting hot. Time to deliver a big slap to the face."

The next day, Xihua Entertainment issued a statement clarifying the rumors about its artist Xie Guan "stealing roles" and "taking on multiple projects." This statement disclosed details like Xie Guan stepping in to save the day for zero pay and insisting on filming despite a high fever. It emphasized that Xuandu Pictures was deeply grateful to Xie Guan for recognizing his talent, but did not mention Hengrui Group at all, and stated that they reserved the right to pursue legal action against related rumors and slander.

The crowd of onlookers, who were watching the drama unfold with the mentality of reading a dog-blood entertainment industry novel, were so shocked their jaws dropped to the floor: "Whoa, it's a two-way arrow! What a surprise! So unexpected!"

Things having come to this, Xie Guan had no choice but to come forward for an interview. He had called Huo Mingjun the night before and rambled at him for twenty minutes. To summarize the main idea, it was: "I never thought you were this kind of domineering CEO. You must have been holding it in all these years."

Listening on the phone, Huo Mingjun's expression was strange. He felt like something was off about that sentence.

Xie Guan: "You're about to ruin my lifelong clean reputation and turn me into a calamitous, treacherous imperial concubine. Just you wait, if you keep this up, sooner or later you'll go from 'Huo Mingjun' to 'Huo the Foolish Monarch'."

Huo Mingjun thought for a moment, then said ponderously, "A foolish monarch is a foolish monarch. I don't care."

"Is whether you care the point? The point is that I've been terribly wronged!" Xie Guan said, breaking down. "I haven't even done anything, how did I become a treacherous concubine?!"

Huo Mingjun: “……”

Sounds like you were originally planning to do something?

Throwing a tantrum at Huo Mingjun was one thing, but when meeting the reporters the next day, Xie Guan still had to put on a very realistic, innocent expression. He took the interview outline from his assistant and glanced at it, the corner of his mouth twitching. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Our friends from the press sure have vivid imaginations."

The brands of the clothes and watch he wore at the press conference had all been dug up and were said to be several of the brands Huo Mingjun often used. Subsequently, the column reasonably and evidentially claimed that "his attire for every formal occasion is personally arranged by Huo Mingjun," and "the depth of their relationship is evident."

Xie Guan was as shocked as any straight man in the world mistaken for being gay. He asked incredulously, "Isn't it normal for friends to look out for each other? How could you guys think of that?"

Eight out of ten gay couples claim to be just good friends. The reporter had seen it all before and didn't linger on his question, continuing to press, "Then what is your response to the online claims of 'clinging to a powerful thigh'?"

"Uh, Mr. Huo does indeed... have considerable financial strength," Xie Guan said slowly. "As for me, as everyone knows, I'm not very famous and don't have much money. This directly leads to a big disparity in the practical expression of our feelings, even if the feelings we put in are the same. It's like, he has a box of apples, and I only have two oranges. We both want to share our good things with each other, but in the end, I get half a box of apples, and he only gets one orange."

"It's not like I became friends with him for that box of apples," Xie Guan laughed. "But now that you mention it, I really did take advantage of him... Well then, let's just call it clinging to a thigh. At least I'm not clinging to someone else's, hahaha..."

The reporter's face turned green listening to this. "I heard that you were chased by cars at the B City airport some time ago, and it was Mr. Huo who helped you out. Is that right?"

"Yes, we happened to land at the same airport, and he acted heroically," Xie Guan didn't want to talk too much about it. He changed the subject, teasing the reporter half-jokingly, "How come you can't go three sentences without mentioning him? Are you interviewing him or me?"

The reporter laughed it off and continued to press relentlessly, "Do you know about Zhong Guanhua being blacklisted by Hengrui Group? Did you have a conflict with Zhong Guanhua?"

Xie Guan said in an official and perfunctory tone, "Oh, I've seen the discussions online. It's inevitable to have some bumps and bruises when filming martial arts scenes. It's no big deal, it's all in the past. As for the blacklisting you mentioned, that has nothing to do with us, so there's no need to discuss it, right?"

"Since you and Mr. Huo are good friends, do you think Zhong Guanhua being blacklisted has anything to do with you being hit on set?"

"Although Mr. Huo and I are friends, I can't interfere in his work." Xie Guan dodged the topic. "One shouldn't gossip about others behind their backs. I believe Mr. Huo has his own considerations."

The reporter knew they couldn't get more out of Xie Guan and had to change the question. "Teacher Xie, you're filming two movies at the same time right now, the pressure must be immense, right? And you're stepping in for zero pay. What is it that supports you and helps you persevere?"

"Professionalism is a basic quality for an actor. No matter how tired you are, you have to persevere. There's not much to say about that," Xie Guan paused, then suddenly felt like stirring things up. So, he said to the camera, "On the other hand, The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea is my first time on the big screen, and I'm very grateful to Xuandu Pictures. Besides, as you just mentioned, Mr. Huo is my 'thigh to cling to,' he has helped me many times. We're in different industries, so there's not much I can do to help him. Every little bit counts, I guess."

He smiled slightly. "So whether he wants one orange, two oranges, or wants to squeeze orange juice, as long as he needs it, I will definitely do my best."

The reporter ended the interview while clutching her cheeks and soon after, reposted the interview video on her private Weibo account. She wrote with deep emotion:

"So sweet, this is just too sweet! I never knew such a sweet ship could exist in this world. Every word shines with the light of pure friendship, 'For the one I want to protect, I will give my all, even if it means being squeezed dry, I have no regrets!' So moving it could touch the heavens! So epic it's worthy of song and tears! You're not Chinese if you don't repost! As for this ship, I will humbly ship it first."

Although Xie Guan repeatedly clarified that he and Huo Mingjun were just friends, it was clear that not only had he failed, but he had also achieved the opposite effect. In an era where being in the same frame is considered feeding sugar, and rounding up leads to them being in bed, Xie Guan's words were already considered a public confession in the eyes of the fans. And the deadliest part was, this video continued to circulate peacefully online, and surprisingly hadn't been harmonized by any "invisible wall"!

This also meant that Huo Mingjun, with his tacit approval, had put his seal of approval on their friendship.

After creating a big news story, Xie Guan dusted himself off and went back to filming. On the day the interview video was released, he received a box of apples that Huo Mingjun had Huang Cheng buy for him.

Xie Guan chatted with Huo Mingjun while munching on an apple, "Did you see the interview?"

Huo Mingjun: "I saw it."

"Why'd you have Huang Cheng buy a whole box of apples? They won't last in the summer. Buying two as a token gesture would have been enough."

"Two isn't enough."

Xie Guan sent a question mark.

Huo Mingjun took a deep breath. "In Western legends, the apple is the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, also called the 'fruit of wisdom.' Eating it can make you wiser. You need this right now, eat more."

Xie Guan: “……”

"Wasting my feelings, fine," he angrily threw the apple core into the trash can. "You will forever lose your six dishes and one soup."

Huo Mingjun looked at Xie Guan's message on the screen, held his forehead, and laughed silently, his shoulders shaking.

As he laughed, he also felt troubled, thinking to himself, "When will you ever get a clue?"

At the end of July, Xie Guan finished filming for The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea and successfully wrapped up. His schedule became more open, so Lin Yao arranged a magazine cover shoot and an evening banquet for him. Xie Guan simply packed his luggage, left Z Province, and flew back to B City.

After landing, he went directly to the company. After reporting to Lin Yao and listening to her explain his work schedule, he packed up a large box of gifts sent by fans and prepared to leave for home. Only then did Lin Yao remember that Xie Guan had been away filming, so his house was probably a mess. Just as she was about to ask if he wanted to stay in a hotel for a night first, she heard Xie Guan give a location name to Huang Cheng in the driver's seat.

Lin Yao's expression froze strangely for a moment.

B City's central landmark complex, 108 limited-edition luxury residences.

That was… Huo Mingjun's residence?

Lin Yao recalled the various speculations and analyses she had seen online. She originally didn't think there was anything between the two; Xie Guan clearly just saw Huo Mingjun as a good friend. But after being subtly hinted at by Ye Zheng, and then looking at the recent string of big news—even if Xie Guan didn't have that intention, what if the other one had developed feelings?

The private residence of the head of the Huo Family, was it a place one could enter just by wanting to?

"Xiao Xie," Lin Yao called out to him. "Your own place hasn't been cleaned in a long time. Why don't I arrange an artist dormitory for you first? You can move in there from now on."

"Thank you, Sister Lin," Xie Guan smiled at her. "A friend told me to stay at his place when I got back to B City, so I won't trouble you for now."

Before Xie Guan left, Huo Mingjun had instructed him that his rented apartment was probably already being watched by paparazzi, making it inconvenient to go back. If he returned to B City, it would be better to come straight to Huo Mingjun's place to stay.

Huang Cheng drove Xie Guan to the building. The lobby security guard recognized him and said with a beaming smile, "Hello, Mr. Xie. Mr. Huo on the twelfth floor has already notified us. You can take the elevator straight up."

That evening, Huo Mingjun didn't get home until almost nine. As soon as he entered, he found the living room brightly lit. Under the light, Xie Guan was hunched over, sitting on the sofa by the coffee table, engrossed in studying something.

Hearing the door, he looked up in this direction, then immediately stood up to greet him.

This scene was very familiar, Huo Mingjun thought, just like that time in the hotel in Hong Kong. But imperceptibly, it seemed something was quietly changing.

He and Xie Guan had known each other for almost a year now.

Xie Guan had the nose of a dog; he smelled the alcohol on him before he even got close. "You were drinking tonight?"

Huo Mingjun didn't answer his question. The faint scent of alcohol wasn't enough to make one's eyes blur with drunkenness, yet he felt that the living room light falling on Xie Guan gently blurred his outline.

"I always felt the living room was a bit empty before," he said. "It always seemed like something was missing. I just now suddenly remembered what it was."

Xie Guan: "Missing what?"

The corners of Huo Mingjun's eyes curved softly as he watched him with a slight smile.

"Missing you," he said softly.