Chapter 40 Violent: Old wounds and past loves, but unwavering sincerity. ...
When Ji Jiazhen was exposed for being a "sugar baby," Wen Siyu and Wen Qinsheng had just finished a fight.
Everything in the villa that could be smashed was completely destroyed. He sat on the cold tiles, propped up on one hand, leaning back on the sofa, his eyes wide open, devoid of any light. His right arm lay across the sofa, a small, finger-length gash running down the inside of his forearm, staining his shirt crimson.
His phone kept sending messages, vibrating on the ground. It moved a little distance, and the edge of the phone just touched the hand he was supporting himself on.
He glanced over, not intending to pay attention, but the sudden appearance of the name "Ji Jiazhen" made him momentarily lose his focus, and the pain in his wound subsided.
The message came from a group chat, as did all the other messages that made his phone vibrate. The group had been established for no more than two hours, and about fifty people were chatting enthusiastically inside. They were all idle rich kids, and he had only interacted with three or four of them before. They must have accidentally added him to the group or simply hadn't noticed.
More than one person in the group mentioned Ji Jiazhen, and he found the beginning of the topic at the very top. That was the first message in the group, and also the purpose of creating the group.
【sisiXx: A handy melon.】
Along with this message, the chat history and webpage link were also sent.
The chat history contained more than ten photos and three videos, all taken from a hidden angle under the table, and the subject of the videos was Ji Jiazhen.
In some videos, she's sitting and smiling; in others, she's standing and holding a drink. In the videos, she's exchanging compliments with people, downing her drink in one gulp, and you can tell she's in a good mood.
The link leads to a trending blog post with the hashtag: "Ji Jiazhen is being kept by a sugar daddy."
Wen Siyu sat up straight, looked at the trending topics and group chat, and roughly understood the ins and outs. His furrowed brows relaxed.
It's a common tactic in the entertainment industry: using incomplete videos and blurry photos to create a low-brow story, exploiting the evil in human nature and the inherent boredom to stir up trouble, with the core theme always revolving around "sex."
He opened the chat history again and watched the three videos carefully. In the videos, Ji Jiazhen didn't even glance at the producer mentioned in the trending search.
Even though it's completely fabricated, the fact that it's trending on social media will only bring more criticism to Ji Jiazhen, which is detrimental to her.
He was very skilled at getting people to remove trending topics; he had done this many times before.
In the time it takes to make a phone call, the group chat message count has reached 99+ again. He clicked into the group chat again, intending to leave, but found that they had started a new topic, still revolving around Ji Jiazhen, from "Ji Jiazhen is actually being kept by someone" to "How to keep Ji Jiazhen as a sugar daddy".
They were all indulging in lewd fantasies, their vulgar faces were nauseating.
Wen Siyu immediately lost his temper; the pile of dry tinder in his heart was crackling with heat. Just as he was about to explode, a phone call extinguished the fire.
The person on the other end of the phone said that the trending topic couldn't be removed because public opinion had already spread, and there were people behind it offering to push it up the trending list, so it couldn't be taken down.
He realized that this time was different from the past. Someone wanted to take advantage of the situation to give her a heavy blow. People in the industry didn't have that ability. If they did, they would have done it long ago and wouldn't have let her grow to this point.
When he hung up the phone, he saw someone in the group say that they had invited Ji Jiazhen to the mountain road rally tomorrow. The person was quite arrogant and acted like she was someone he could just call and ask.
A group of people started stirring things up, saying that she was too picky to come, and that with her reputation already like this, she shouldn't be pretending to be so high and mighty. At the crucial moment, someone who hadn't said a word interrupted their argument.
[Peng: Stop arguing, line up, I'll try it first and see what the difference is between female celebrities and internet celebrity models.]
[Peng: He looks like a fox; let's see if he's really that slutty.]
Wen Siyu's expression was indifferent and blank, but his eyes suggested that he was frowning.
He knew this man, Peng Qian. He had picked up a lot of bad habits abroad and was dragged back to China a few days ago. He behaved himself for a few days and then started acting up again.
The conversation was still going on in the group chat.
[Yu: Don't be so boring, it's no fun eating alone.]
[Peng: Let me show you around, so you can all see what I'm looking for.]
Wen Siyu looked at the string of nonsense below and remembered their talk about the mountain road rally. He started typing on the keyboard.
[w: Rally location.]
The message came abruptly, and it was only then that they realized there was this person in the group. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold, and it took a minute before someone replied.
After finding out the location, Wen Siyu set the group to Do Not Disturb mode and then made a phone call.
"There's nothing money can't solve. If we can't get it off the ground, we'll keep smashing it until we can't add anything more."
*
The day after Ji Jiazhen's incident, her name remained high on the trending search list, with gossip and news being pushed across the entire internet, and the number of related posts exploding at a rate of 99+ per second. If all the words on the internet were turned into spittle, they would be enough to drown her.
Haters are eager to drag her into hell, spewing all sorts of slander. A large number of people, however, remain steadfast in their belief in her and fight for her cause. But most people are just watching the spectacle, speculating about the number of wealthy backers behind her and digging into the background of the producers who are "keeping" her.
Amidst the public frenzy, a rally race unfolded on the mountainside.
Peng Qian made a boastful statement, and when he appeared on the field alone, he was ridiculed by many people who asked him where Ji Jiazhen was.
He was seething with anger. He spent money to get Ji Jiazhen's number, but no one answered when he called more than a dozen times. He then spent more money to get her address, and they met, talked, and even had physical contact.
She called him a worthless bastard who had lost his father, slapped him, and threw three coins at his face, telling him to go take care of his ass.
...
A group of people surrounded Peng Qian as they walked forward, deriving a sense of satisfaction from simply listening to him slander Ji Jiazhen. They used this method to mask their deep-seated inferiority complex.
"She's a slut who loves being a mistress. She doesn't even look at my legitimate relationships."
Wen Siyu had just hung up the phone when he heard Peng Qian say this.
He rolled down the car window, and the group of people beside the car looked over at the sound. He put his right hand on the steering wheel and looked at Peng Qian with sharp, piercing eyes.
"Let's have a match."
Peng Qian exhaled a puff of smoke, threw the cigarette holder on the ground, and said, "Fine."
Someone noticed that Wen Siyu's gaze was unusual and let out a slightly meaningful "woho".
The city lights were beneath their feet, car headlights pierced the darkness, the silver bodies reflected a cold light, the engines roared, and the sports cars were poised to go.
Peng Qian stretched his hand to his neck and made a "neck-cutting" gesture.
Everyone was eagerly awaiting Wen Siyu's reaction, after all, Peng Qian was a mad dog, and he was a veteran race car driver.
Disappointingly, Wen Siyu just smiled and did not respond.
A gunshot rang out, and the two cars shot off like arrows, their exhaust fumes billowing high, like a mountain mist rising.
Wen Siyu maintained a lead over Peng Qian, keeping a distance of one car length, with the speed entirely under his control.
Peng Qian realized that Wen Siyu was messing with him, so he pressed the accelerator further, trying to overtake him.
After chasing for a while, Wen Siyu began to accelerate, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. Peng Qian was caught off guard by his sudden acceleration and was instantly left behind.
Peng Qian cursed under his breath as he stared at the rear of Wen Siyu's car until the taillights disappeared around the bend in the mountain road.
A loud screeching sound suddenly drowned out the roar of the engine.
Wen Siyu is turning the corner.
wrong.
He's turning around.
He didn't intend to shake off Peng Qian; he just wanted to create enough distance to turn around.
The wheels left black marks on the ground. As soon as Peng Qian turned the bend in the mountain road, he saw Wen Siyu's car facing him, the headlights so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.
"Hold!"
He slammed on the brakes and frantically turned the steering wheel, but Wen Siyu, that madman, was pressing the accelerator and pushing forward!
Bang!!!
The people halfway up the mountain were still betting on who would be the winner when a sudden, huge crash left everyone frozen in place. Those who reacted first were still dazed, muttering, "Something's happened."
Wen Siyu had scouted the location beforehand and deliberately chose the right angle; he wasn't really foolish enough to risk his life, but calculations and predictions are ultimately inaccurate.
Peng Qian's car crashed into the guardrail, deforming it. The impact was so great that he was knocked unconscious on the spot.
Wen Siyu wasn't much better off; he was dizzy, had tinnitus, and a burning sensation in his back.
People on the mountainside were still rushing uphill when another wave of cars came up from the foot of the mountain.
A sharp-eyed person noticed and asked, "The ambulance arrived so quickly?"
"Are you fucking an idiot? The ambulance didn't have lights on or make any noise?"
"Several vehicles came up; what else could they be but ambulances?"
It's the media.
...
The incident on the mountain quickly became a trending topic. After all, compared to celebrity gossip, a group of rich kids speeding on the mountain late at night is more newsworthy.
The release of photos from the car accident scene sparked a wave of public discussion, with netizens debating the car's price, the individuals involved, their backgrounds, and even Wen Siyu's face. This tactic of diverting attention proved effective; Ji Jiazhen's trending topic, which had dominated the charts for two days, was finally pushed down to second place, then quickly to third, then fourth, and continues to decline.
The first place was taken over by the name "Wen Siyu", which also brought Wen Qinsheng and the Wen family business to the top of the trending searches.
Finally, in the early hours of the morning, the negative news about Ji Jiazhen disappeared from the list.
If Duan Lan hadn't been pushing the trending topic behind the scenes, if the trending topic hadn't remained high for people's amusement, if the haters hadn't been sending her abusive and threatening messages day and night, if the reporters hadn't been sending her harassing text messages so frequently for the sake of public attention...
There are no "ifs".
Her phone remained switched off for nine days after the incident, and she was completely unaware of any external developments.
She was unaware of the changes that had occurred to the trending topics, and she was also unaware of the sensational car accident.
Just as she didn't know, Wen Siyu's name was once displayed in a place she looked at every day.
She knew nothing about any of it.
*
"So you've had feelings for me for the past three years?"
Ji Jiazhen asked this question after listening to what Wen Siyu had said.
Wen Siyu corrected her: "It's love."
She rested her chin on her knees, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the bells on her collar, her expression complex as she frowned at him.
Are you sick?
Wen Siyu gripped her calf. "Is this how you felt after hearing this?"
Ji Jiazhen couldn't understand it at all. She tilted her head in confusion and asked him, "Don't you have any normal solutions? Why cause a car accident? Aren't you afraid of dying in it?"
Wen Siyu saw his own reflection in her eyes.
How should I tell her?
At that time, he really didn't think about living, nor did he think about being with her. He never even imagined that one day he could hold her like he does now, look into her eyes, and say the word "love" to her.
Ji Jiazhen didn't seem to really want to get anything out of him; she was just expressing her doubts, and before he could answer, she had a new question.
Why did you book the rooftop the day I returned to China?
Wen Siyu twirled her hair with his fingers, "I'll wait for you."
She moved back, pulled her leg out of his hand, shook off his hand, and became angrier the more she thought about it.
She thought every step she took was calculated, but it turns out she was the one being calculated.
"Wen Siyu, you're really something."
"Well enough."
She slapped him on the shoulder, "You dare to scheme against me like this."
Wen Siyu pulled her back and took her hand. "If you could love me even a little bit, I wouldn't bother scheming like this."
He slipped his fingers inside hers, intertwining them with hers. "So, could you try to love me a little more?"
Ji Jiazhen looked into his eyes and said, "Why are you so hung up on the word 'love'? Can love put food on the table? Whether I love you or not, I've already slept with you, aren't you satisfied?"
Wen Siyu shook his head and said it was different, "It's about whether my efforts are worthwhile."
"Is it not worth it if I don't love you?"
He fell silent.
He sat in silence with her for a while, then slumped down, resting his forehead on her shoulder.
"If you don't love me, then give me more."
Everything about her is worth it.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here's a brief background explanation:
Wen Siyu has a deep affection for his mother, even though he has never met her. He grew up under the constant beatings and scoldings of Wen Qinsheng, an environment that left certain flaws in his personality. However, he also inherited some traits from Meng Xu, making him highly dualistic. In his eyes, the world has no hierarchy, only two distinctions: Ji Jiazhen, his aunt, and everyone else. He is obedient to the former, but violent towards the latter.
Three years ago, he learned that Meng Xu had died from postpartum hemorrhage. Combined with Wen Qinsheng's attitude towards him, he developed self-loathing. Life and death became trivial matters to him at that time; he felt that living was acceptable, and dying was acceptable too, as if he were simply returning his life to Meng Xu. (He felt that Meng Xu's sacrifice to give birth to him was unworthy, because he carried Wen Qinsheng's blood.)
At this point, he liked Ji Jiazhen, but with less contact, his feelings lacked a concrete form, making them seem superficial. However, once he fell in love, he wouldn't let go, even if it was just a little bit, he was willing to give a lot. Thus, there was the mountain road car chase, the car accident he caused recklessly, and the trending topic he took down after revealing his identity to attract attention.
He wouldn't bring these things up on his own initiative, but he would explain in detail if Ji Jiazhen asked, because he was also a little scheming and wanted to see if Ji Jiazhen would feel sorry for him because of these things and thus like him.
Of course not, Sister Zhen never cares about men.
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