Chapter Twenty-Two

The red 911 sped along the overpass toward the bright sky, Su Xuan lying in her seat with her eyes closed. Lin Zhiyuan drove smoothly, just like him. Being by his side, her heart was no longer as uneasy as it had been when she first arrived.

Su Xian didn't know when she fell asleep. In her hazy state, she felt someone trying to pick her up.

"Did I wake you up?" Lin Zhiyuan tucked her hair behind her ear. "We're home."

Su Xian's eyes were blurry. She first saw his concerned face, then saw Bai Lin standing in the yard behind her. She rubbed her face, got out of the car, closed the door, and took Lin Zhiyuan's hand as they walked over.

Su Xian opened the door, and Lin Zhiyuan squeezed her hand. "You two talk, don't worry about me."

Su Xian nodded. She really couldn't afford to be distracted by him now. "Then you should rest for a while."

Bai Lin had barely sat down at the table when she hurriedly said, "I've contacted Zeng Yi, but he said he won't talk to me, he'll only talk to you."

Su Xian was somewhat surprised. Could it be that he was still thinking about her? But she quickly dismissed the thought. For her now, what he thought was no longer important.

Su Xuan opened the file folder in her hand and told Bai Lin that she had decided to hold a press conference to reveal the truth. After Bai Lin finished reading all the documents, she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Um."

“Doing this will expose all your scars, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they will stop attacking.”

“It’s not a scar. There are so many people in this world who are more unfortunate than me.” Su Xuan continued, “I was just thinking that maybe for most people, the truth isn’t important. What’s important is to make everyone believe that what they know is the truth. Isn’t that what his live broadcast was all about?”

"But for me, I don't want to lie. I just need to state the facts that I believe to be true and I will have a clear conscience."

Bai Lin glanced at the sofa and asked, "Did he tell you to do this?"

Su Xian followed her gaze and saw Lin Zhiyuan half-lying on the sofa, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. He must be very tired after accompanying her all night.

Su Xian shook her head. "He just accompanied me back to the old house and helped me sort out my thoughts."

“I’ll support you once you’ve thought it through.” Bai Lin held her hand. “I’ll discuss it with the PR team, contact the media and venues. The sooner the better. I’ll have them write a press release for you first.”

"Sister Lin, I want to write my own speech for the press conference. After I finish writing it, I'll have them take a look at it."

“Okay, then I’ll contact a lawyer to draft a statement for the studio and file a lawsuit.” Bai Lin thought for a moment and then asked, “Are you still going to talk to him?”

"Of course, isn't that what he wanted too?"

Su Xian went back to her bedroom, grabbed a fleece blanket, and took it downstairs. She gently draped it over Lin Zhiyuan; the air conditioning was on, and she didn't want him to catch a cold. Bai Lin's voice, talking on the phone outside in the yard, drifted in through the half-open door. Su Xian overheard Bai Lin discussing with the PR team how to guide public opinion after the press conference.

Su Xian picked up her work phone from the dining table, returned to the bedroom, found the phone number Bai Lin had mentioned, and dialed it.

"Hello." A weary, aged voice came through the receiver.

Su Xian's mouth was dry, so she licked her lips and said, "I am Su Xian."

She was met with silence, so Su Xuan spoke first, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I just want to see you and hear your voice. Dad hasn't seen you for almost 20 years."

Hearing these words again, Su Xian no longer felt the anger she had felt when watching the live stream last time. Perhaps she had really figured it out. She no longer saw him as a father, but simply as an ordinary person.

"Your mother has passed away, did you know?"

"I...I don't know," he stammered. "After I remarried, she wouldn't let me contact you."

"So when you're sick, doesn't she care about you?"

"We divorced after a little over a year." The voice on the other end of the line sounded even older as the past was recounted.

Su Xian remembers that when he was a child, for a long time before his mother's divorce, he spent all his time in the mahjong parlor downstairs. He guessed that even if he remarried, things wouldn't be much better.

"Why are you looking for me? Don't you have money for treatment?" Su Xuan's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"No..." the person on the other end of the phone stammered, "I... am a loan shark. They found those documents while I was in the hospital and discovered our relationship."

"They said that as long as I do the live stream and find you, they won't ask me to pay them back."

"And also, I really want to see you..."

A violent coughing sound came from the receiver. Su Xian heard him put down his phone, open the medicine bottle, and take his medicine and drink water.

"Lexian, I really want to see you. I only have a few months left to live, and you're the only one in this world..." His voice grew increasingly hoarse.

It's ridiculous that he would add this clumsy supplement at a time like this.

“Beicheng is not far from Gangcheng. You have had countless opportunities to see me over the past 20 years.”

"I want to, but I..."

"Please let me finish," Su Xuan raised her voice. "It doesn't matter if you've never been here before, but what you're doing now is ruining me, do you understand?"

How can someone listen to others without using their brain at all? Doesn't he know that, legally speaking, she has no obligation to help him pay off his debts?

Su Xian took a deep breath, telling himself that he was at his wit's end, had no money for medical treatment, and had no way to find his missing daughter. He had no choice but to listen to the loan sharks.

"Dad, this is the last time I'll call you Dad." Su Xian closed his eyes. "Today I will hold a press conference to reveal the truth of this matter. I will find someone to go to the hospital to pay off your debts, I will take care of the subsequent treatment costs, and I will also handle your funeral arrangements."

"Consider it repayment for the nine years of fatherly love you gave me and raised me, and fulfill my obligations as your blood relative."

She, who once fantasized about her father returning to her side as a child, has grown up. She no longer holds a grudge against her father for not fulfilling his responsibilities. As long as she fulfills her duties as a daughter, she will have a clear conscience.

"I'm sorry," a very soft voice came through the receiver.

"Goodbye." Su Xuan decisively ended the call. Goodbye to her past self, weak and helpless.

Su Xian took out paper and pen, sat down at the table, and began writing her press conference speech word by word. Whether it was notes on a script or a character biography, she preferred to write by hand. The feeling of her thoughts flowing from the tip of her pen onto the paper was something that typing on a phone or computer could not replace.

Just as Su Xian was putting down her pen, she turned around and saw Lin Zhiyuan standing by the door. His shirt was a little loose, and he was holding a neatly folded blanket. Su Xian went over and took the blanket and put it away.

"Are you writing something?"

"Hmm, could you take a look at my press conference statement?"

Lin Zhiyuan quickly scanned the flimsy white paper between his well-defined fingers. "The logic of a science whiz is indeed very clear."

"I asked you to give me feedback, not to praise me," Su Xuan said, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"But I think you can do anything right." Lin Zhiyuan gently pinched the tip of her nose, and Su Xian blushed as he coaxed her.

"They're still eating downstairs, I'm going back now."

Su Xuan was very surprised, "You're leaving already? I wanted you to come with me to the press conference."

“They’re uncomfortable with me here.” Lin Zhiyuan hugged her. “Didn’t I tell you I think you can do whatever you want? I believe you can handle the press conference too.” Su Xuan was reluctant to let go of him.

"Then let's hug for a little longer," Lin Zhiyuan coaxed her patiently.

He must have just returned from Japan, and he spent the whole night with her; he must be exhausted. Su Xian didn't know why she suddenly felt reluctant to part with him. Thinking of this, she let go of him, saw Lin Zhiyuan downstairs, and watched him get into the Phantom and leave the courtyard.

"Sister Xiaoxian, Mr. Lin is quite handsome." Qingqing scooped a bowl of fried rice for her and placed it on the table. Because she came back unexpectedly and the housekeeper wasn't home, she had to eat takeout.

Su Xian sat down, picked up a spoon, glanced at her, and asked, "Should I tell him for you?"

Qingqing chuckled and continued eating.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Bai Lin frowned, her hands gripping her phone as she typed rapidly. "The press conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed live on the platform. I'll have PR take a look at your draft later."

Bai Lin put down her phone and looked up at Su Xuan. "Before Mr. Lin left, he told me that he had someone investigate your father's live stream. The microfinance company that Zeng Yi borrowed money from might have some connection with Liu Xiling's family."

Su Xian paused the spoon in her hand at her mouth. She only knew that Liu Xiling's family had some connections, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to quickly elevate her to the top of the popularity charts.

"From what Mr. Lin said, after the people at the microfinance company accidentally discovered Zeng Yi's relationship with you, they arranged for him to do a live broadcast and hired a large number of online trolls to spread unfavorable comments about you. It is very likely that Liu Xiling was behind all of this."

“I now suspect that she was involved in the leak of your photos with Liu Zichun yesterday, but I don’t understand why she did it. You two shouldn’t have any conflict of interest at the moment.” Bai Lin was full of doubts.

Su Xian pondered for a moment and said, "It's probably still related to Liu Zichun."

Qingqing embellished the story of Liu Xiling's previous visit to the set of "Snow Abyss".

"So she retaliated against you for this?" Bai Lin found it hard to believe. She frowned and thought for a while. "But their team does often buy negative trending topics for their rivals, which does seem like something she would do."

"Let's find out the truth first. If it really was her... everyone in this industry has some scandals." Su Xian always adhered to the principle of doing her job well and didn't engage in such dig-and-burn tactics, but since someone had stirred up trouble, she would definitely fight back.