Chapter 48 – Yet She Repaid Kindness with Ingratitude
“Please keep today’s matter confidential. A lawyer will be here shortly to speak with you. I ask that everyone wait patiently—don’t leave at will, or the consequences won’t be something any individual can afford.”
Zhou Wen squeezed through the crowd, smiling as he spoke, escorting Xie Chengyu and Nan Xiao safely away.
They went to Nan Xiao’s rented apartment nearby. The moment they entered, Nan Xiao pushed Xie Chengyu away, keeping a meter’s distance, head lowered.
“Thank you for just now.”
She hadn’t expected that, at her most humiliating moment, it would be Xie Chengyu who descended from the sky to save her. She was genuinely grateful.
“It’s nothing.”
Xie Chengyu locked his eyes on hers.
“Are you alright?”
That question alone shattered her composure. At once, Nan Xiao recalled the round-glasses reporter’s vile question, and her cheeks burned with shame as she turned away.
Xie Chengyu thought of it too. His expression darkened, brows furrowed.
“Those reporters are bastards.”
Nan Xiao nodded weakly.
“Come in first.”
She fetched two glasses of warm water from the kitchen. Pulling down her mask by the stove, she drained one glass in a gulp, then carried the other to the living room and handed it to him.
Xie Chengyu took a sip, then said,
“I saw the trending topic. I’ll have people investigate the photo leak. You don’t need to worry.”
“No.” Nan Xiao shook her head.
“That was probably Nan Qingqing.”
At this point, she was convinced—because that very photo had been taken by Nan Qingqing herself!
Just imagining Nan Qingqing’s smug face filled her with rage. She had to think carefully about how to deal with this.
Bang bang bang!
“Xiaoxiao, are you home? Open up!”
The sudden pounding at the door, followed by Xiao Zekai’s voice, startled her.
“Who is it?”
Xie Chengyu stared at the door that was rattling under the knocks, his face souring. He couldn’t even say why such displeasure welled up.
“A friend of mine,” Nan Xiao said hastily, flustered.
Outside, Xiao Zekai kept pounding, determined not to stop until she opened. Nan Xiao’s heart was pounding up into her throat.
There was no way she could let Xiao Zekai and Xie Chengyu meet. Xiao Zekai had always disliked him. They had even broken off contact for three years because of him. Now that they had finally reconciled, Nan Xiao wasn’t about to risk losing her friend again.
“Why not open the door?”
Xie Chengyu noticed her nervousness—almost panic. Why?
“Xiaoxiao, open up! I heard your phone ringing—you’re inside!”
Nan Xiao: “……”
She had left her phone on the entryway cabinet when she came in. So when Xiao Zekai called, the ringtone rang out less than a meter from him. Of course he heard.
Xie Chengyu’s eyes darkened.
“Open the door.”
The commanding tone made Nan Xiao frown.
She would open the door, yes—but Xiao Zekai must not see Xie Chengyu here. With the pounding growing louder and more frequent, she grew increasingly anxious.
“President Xie, please… come over here for a moment—”
Outside, Xiao Zekai shouted again.
Unable to wait any longer, Nan Xiao grabbed Xie Chengyu’s wrist, dragged him into the bedroom, yanked open the wardrobe, and pushed him inside.
“Nan Xiao!”
His eyes widened at the sudden move.
“What do you mean by this?!”
Trapped among the soft fabrics, surrounded by her faint scent, Xie Chengyu was both shocked and furious. He clutched her wrist, unwilling to let her leave.
“I just need to meet someone. Please stay here for a while, don’t come out. I’m really sorry.”
Her words tumbled out in panic, her eyes not daring to meet his. Being stuffed into a wardrobe—Xie Chengyu had surely never experienced such humiliation in his life.
But she had no other choice. She had to get through this first.
Prising his hand off her wrist, she slammed the door shut under his stunned, furious gaze. Then she closed the bedroom door as well and went to open the front door.
“Xiaoxiao, are you alright?”
Xiao Zekai stood outside, hair slightly mussed despite his handsome stage styling, his face full of worry. Clearly, he had rushed here.
He seized her wrist, checking her up and down. Finally, he tugged down her mask to be sure. Only when he saw she was unharmed did he relax.
Nan Xiao had been shaken, but seeing his anxiety made her laugh softly, easing her fear.
“I’m fine. Why did you suddenly come?”
“I just finished recording a show. Zhou Ruicheng told me you were swarmed by reporters as soon as you left the crew. Did you manage to escape? You weren’t hurt, right?”
Though he had already checked her thoroughly, his ingrained worry made him ask again.
“Really, I’m fine. Didn’t you already see for yourself?”
Xiao Zekai wasn’t normally nagging, but ever since her accident at ten, he had always been overly protective of her safety. A faint warmth rose in Nan Xiao’s chest.
“As long as you’re okay. So who leaked your photo? Let me help with the PR.”
“No need. I’ll handle it myself.”
Even with a good friend, Nan Xiao didn’t want to rely on him for everything. It would feel too much.
Seeing her firm attitude, Xiao Zekai dropped it. He stood up.
“Alright then. I only came midway through recording, so I need to get back. Rest well, okay? If the photo issue gets out of hand, come find me.”
He gave her a few more reminders before leaving reluctantly.
Nan Xiao walked to the window, peeking out until she saw him get into his car and drive out of the complex. Only then did she return to the bedroom, open the wardrobe, and release Xie Chengyu.
At 1.88 meters tall, crouching in a cramped wardrobe had been pure torment.
The darkness inside was suffocating, like a locked cell. When she let him out, his face was utterly black with fury.
“Who was that just now?”
Straightening his hair, disheveled from the clothes, Xie Chengyu’s tone was heavy with displeasure.
“Was it that actor friend of yours?”
“Yes,” Nan Xiao admitted guiltily.
No matter what, he had just saved her from the reporters. And yet she had repaid kindness with ingratitude—locking him in a wardrobe.
“Sorry about just now. It all happened too suddenly. Please don’t take it to heart. I’ll definitely make it up to you another day.”
