Chapter Ten: Glib Tongue

  Leng Xue hastily picked up her phone and went online, from her astonished expression, Xiao Nan guessed that Han Hui's words had truly come true.

  "Nan Ge, you're really a celebrity now! Look at this video, it's only been half an hour since it was posted and the views have already broken 1 million. So many people are fans of yours, it's hard not to be famous."

  "It can't be!" Xiao Nan took a look and indeed, just as Leng Xue had said, the click rate was still rising. As for the comments left by netizens, they were all over the place, with people saying all sorts of things. He didn't even bother to take a closer look at this kind of boring and baseless gossip.

  At this moment, the waiter had already brought up the dishes. Among them, a female waitress took a look at Xiao Nan and looked very surprised. Then she took a closer look several times. Xiao Nan observed that after she left, she quickly found a quiet corner to fiddle with her phone...

  The power of the internet is truly great, whether it's positive or negative news, the protagonist of the news will definitely become famous, even if they are scolded by thousands of people, you are still a celebrity. Celebrities have value, and they are different from ordinary people, wherever they go, there will be people who recognize them, at this moment, Xiao Nan is deeply moved.

  Under the connection of the female waitress who discovered the New Continent, several other young sisters also came over to point and poke at Xiao Nann, and some even took the opportunity to serve dishes, circling around Xiao Nann's table to take a closer look.

  This meal is simply inedible. Fortunately, Leng Xue also had no appetite, and after obtaining Leng Xue's consent, Xiao Nan hastily paid the bill and led Leng Xue out of the restaurant. Although they encountered a few people who intentionally stared at him, Xiao Nan lowered his head and tried to avoid people's sight with his face.

  "Nan Ge, don't you want to explain something to me?" Out of the restaurant, Leng Xue still wouldn't let it go, pursuing this topic, determined to get some real information out of Xiao Nan.

  "Wow! You want to know, I can tell you. But on one condition, you also have to tell me the truth, who are you?" Xiao Nan put his hands in his pockets and smiled at Leng Xue, seemingly thinking that this move would allow him to even the score with her.

  "I..." Leng Xue was about to say something, but stopped herself. She stomped her foot in anger and pouted, saying "You're cheating, I'm not playing with you anymore. I'm going home." After finishing speaking, she hailed a taxi on the side of the road and left.

  Just after dealing with Leng Xue, Cheng Yao's phone call came one after another. "Xiao Lao Di, you're amazing! You've become a famous person so quickly! Congratulations!"

  "Cheng Jie, stop teasing me. I'm already annoyed to death by this matter, spare me, okay?" Only when speaking with Cheng Yao could Xiao Nan speak smoothly. Unlike Leng Xue, who had a childish temper and loved to throw tantrums.

  "Alright, you don't say, I won't force it. I'm just calling to tell you that Wu Ma didn't see Yunqi last night, she didn't come home all night. Wu Ma said that if she sees Yunqi, she'll definitely help ask for you."

  "Then thank you, Sister Cheng, for your kind intentions. I'll wait to hear the good news." After hanging up the phone, Xiao Nan's face was filled with worry as he considered whether to take the bus home or hail a taxi, or even walk back on foot. But before he could make a decision, six or seven men in their twenties and thirties approached him, pointing and gesturing, then surrounded him.

  The leader was a big black man. Xiao Nan had an impression of him, he was at the book signing scene, shouting to beat him up as a Yun Qi fan.

  "Kid, you're quite capable, daring to speak to Yún Qí like that. Are you tired of living?" Hei Da Ge rolled up his sleeves and flexed his wrists, preparing for a fight.

  Xiao Nan didn't tense up, instead he circled around, and the seven people formed a circular structure, surrounding him in the middle. These people weren't martial artists, they were just angry that Xiao Nan had bullied their idol, and wanted to take revenge for her sake.

  "I know how you're feeling right now. Don't worry, if you want to vent your anger, go ahead and do it! I won't fight back." Xiao Nan put his hands behind his back, pretending not to resist.

  "Are you kidding me?" Hei Da Ge asked in confusion, who fights without hitting back, unless they're a masochist or have been kicked in the head by a donkey.

  "Absolutely not, if you go back on your word, I'm not worthy of standing up to pee." Xiao Nan's righteous and powerful words made the few people who were just rubbing their fists and eager to try, suddenly become at a loss.

  "However, before you hit me, I'd like to make a statement. If any negative news about Yunqi appears, it has nothing to do with me." Xiao Nan saw that the group of people were hesitating and not taking action, so he began to clarify the interests at stake.

  "What do you mean by this?" One of the skinny guys who was so thin that it made people's hearts cold, didn't understand what Xiao Nan meant.

  "Think about it, who are you? You're Yun Fan, Yun Qi's super fans. All your actions have an inseparable relationship with Yun Qi. If others find out that the seven of you beat me up and I didn't fight back willingly; those who don't know will think you're bullying a defenseless person just because you outnumber them. This rumor will inevitably affect Yun Qi's public image if it gets out. Think about whether this is reasonable or not?"

  "Who would have thought, I really didn't think of it that way." Hei Da Ge sucked in a breath, and the fist hovering in mid-air slowly came down.

  "But... we can take you to a deserted place and beat you up, then no one will know." The thin monkey still couldn't bear it, just letting Xiao Nan go like this, feeling that he owed an apology to the goddess in his heart.

  "You're stupid! There's no wall that doesn't leak, and if nobody sees it then nobody knows?" Hei Da Ge finally reacted and spoke out the words Xiao Nan wanted to say.

  "What's the point? Can't just let this kid off scot-free, he hurt Yún Qí, if I don't stand up for Yún Qí, I'll always feel like something's off in my heart, and I won't be worthy of being a fan of Yún."

  Xiao Nan asked the thin monkey, "You said I hurt Yun Qi, please tell me how did I hurt her? Think about it from another perspective, this matter didn't bring any harm to Yun Qi at all. On the contrary, people think that Yun Qi's attitude towards fans is so down-to-earth and approachable, which has even increased her reputation in the public eye. It's a very good thing."

  After Xiao Nann said that, everyone relaxed. Because of the previous netizen comments, the majority praised Yunqi, which is enough to explain the problem.

  "Brother, I'm sorry! Just now it was my fault, I didn't distinguish between right and wrong, and I offended you." Hei Da Ge gave Xiao Nan a fist bump, and the six of them also nodded to apologize to Xiao Nan before leaving to find a place to drink and have fun.

  "Phew..." Xiao Nan let out a long breath. If it weren't for his glib tongue and quick reflexes, he would have probably been in for a beating today.

  Back downstairs, Xiao Nan went to the supermarket to buy cigarettes and saw Erpian's wife staring at him with a strange gaze. No way! Did even Erpian's wife, who can't use the internet, find out that I've become famous?

  "Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you! I don't have flowers growing on my face, it makes me feel so annoyed."

  "Hehe! Sister-in-law asked you, didn't your family lose anything?"

  Obviously, Erpin's words had nothing to do with what Xiaonan was thinking about, but she didn't understand what she wanted to say either. She shook her head stupidly: "Nothing is missing! I'm a poor man, my family doesn't have any valuable items anyway, the thief would cry if he came, what does sister mean by asking this?"

  "It's good that nothing was lost, it seems that sister-in-law was overthinking." Sister-in-law touched her bulging chest and continued: "Last night around 8 o'clock, your brother sent me back home. As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw a woman's back, fiddling with something in front of your house, looking very suspicious. It's summer, but she was wrapped up tightly and wearing big sunglasses, only her mouth was visible. I was puzzled, thinking she didn't seem like a good person, and thought about calling the police at the time. But then I thought it wasn't right, thieves don't usually enter with a big bag of food, so I let it go. Today when I asked, it's clear that you know that woman. Tell sister-in-law, is she your girlfriend?"

  It was actually when Yuner came, and Erpin's wife bumped into her. Xiao Nan let out a sigh of relief, shook his head with a smile: "That's my cousin, she lives in another city, so she's staying at my place. The reason why she's all wrapped up is because...she has skin disease, her whole body is covered in boils, women don't like to show their ugly side, wife should understand better than me." Xiao Nan said as he paid the bill, took his cigarettes and walked out of the supermarket with ease.

  Behind his back, Erpin's wife whispered: "Your cousin? For over a decade, not a single relative from your family has been seen, what a strange thing!"

  Back home, Xiao Nan took a cool shower and slept comfortably. Waking up to check the time, it was already past five o'clock, so she casually played with her phone. Because it was set on silent mode, when she looked at it, oh my god! There were nine missed calls. Eight of them were from Wu Rui. What's wrong with this guy, can't even let people sleep in peace?

  "Ancestor, you finally returned the call, didn't scare me to death!" Wu Rui's first sentence on answering the phone left Xiao Nan bewildered.

  "What's wrong with you, don't you know I have a habit of sleeping with my phone on silent mode?" Xiao Nan said with ease, not forgetting to tease Wu Rui.

  "Your heart is big enough, and you still have the mind to sleep? This is all burning eyebrows, offending Yunqi, won't the endorsement be ruined? As far as I know, Qiwike is very angry, the consequences are serious, you should be careful, make preparations, on Monday when you go to work, he will definitely talk to you." Wu Rui kindly reminded.

  "It doesn't matter, anyway there's still time left. Until the last moment, we can't give up. Isn't there an advertisement saying: everything is possible?" Xiao Nan spoke in a relaxed tone and walked into the kitchen, looking at the rice cooker and stir-fry pot, thinking about how to deal with dinner.

  "Hey, I've got something serious to tell you. Shen Wenbo is here!"

  "Are you talking about Shenzi? When did he arrive, where is he? I want to go pick him up." Shen Wenbo was Xiao Nan's university classmate and dormitory friend. It had been more than three years since graduation, they hadn't seen each other's faces or even made a phone call. This kid seemed to have evaporated like someone else's problem, disappearing without a trace.

  "Don't bother with the bill, someone else will foot it. Shenzi and I are at the luxurious Rose Hall in the Grand Hotel, hurry over! Everyone's here, just waiting for you."

  Judging from Wu Rui's tone, there were outsiders at the dinner party. Xiao Nan was puzzled, as in this city, among their university classmates, it was just him and Wu Rui, no one else.

  But in order to see Shen Wenbo, Xiao Nan didn't think about those things, got dressed and went out to take a taxi, heading straight for the luxurious and grand hotel.

  Under the guidance of Miss Etiquette, they passed through a maze-like corridor and stopped in front of the Rose Hall. Miss Etiquette knocked on the door politely, got a response, pushed it open, and Xiao Nan came in to take a look, staring at the scene in front of her, suddenly stunned...