ABOES 26: Several Centuries

When he heard the knock on the door, Ye Xinian paused.

He thought it was the assistant from the shoot who had just left, coming back for something. He reached up and rubbed hard at the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.

“What is it this ti—” Ye Xinian’s words cut off the moment he met Duan Zhiyan’s concerned gaze. He froze, visibly surprised. “Teacher Duan? What are you doing here?”

Duan Zhiyan’s eyes fell on Ye Xinian’s slightly swollen eyes. His lips pressed into a line, and his mood instantly soured.

He You followed behind Duan Zhiyan. Seeing his dark expression, he quickly spoke up, “It’s like this, the director was worried about your situation, so he asked us to come check in on you.”

Ye Xinian immediately understood, no wonder Duan Zhiyan knew his address.

He smiled at the two and said, “Thanks for the trouble, Teacher Duan, You Ge. Do you want to come in and sit for a while?”

He You now noticed the redness under Ye Xinian’s eyes and frowned. “No need. We just came to see you and drop off some food. We won’t come in.”

As he spoke, he handed over a few takeout containers.

Ye Xinian was about to refuse when Duan Zhiyan spoke. “Are you alright?”

The man’s voice was deep and pleasant, but this time, it carried an unusual rasp.

Ye Xinian wasn’t surprised that Duan Zhiyan knew about what happened. He smiled and shook his head. “Of course I’m fine.”

He wasn’t lying. In fact, he was more than fine—he was thrilled. After today, he no longer had to manipulate or scheme for anyone. He could finally be himself, and inside, Ye Xinian felt nothing but lightness and relief.

But in others’ eyes, he didn’t look fine at all.

Though he was smiling, the redness around his eyes was glaring, his nose slightly pink, and his lashes still damp, as if he had just been crying.

To Duan Zhiyan, it looked like Ye Xinian was trying hard to put on a brave face.

Duan Zhiyan’s dark eyes were unreadable, but a storm was brewing behind them.

After a pause, he reigned in anger and said in a gentle voice, “Don’t overthink it. Just focus on resting for now. I can talk to the director about pushing back the filming of episode two.”

Ye Xinian was surprised and quickly said, “It’s okay. I’ll rest today and adjust. No need to hold up the team because of me.”

Duan Zhiyan wanted to argue, but the words stuck in his throat.

Ye Xinian thought Duan Zhiyan didn’t believe him and added, “Really, I’m doing much better now. And I’m sorry to trouble you and You Ge.”

“It’s no trouble,” Duan Zhiyan replied. After a brief pause, he continued, “Why don’t you take my contact info? If you still don’t feel up to filming tomorrow, just let me know. I’ll talk to the director.”

Ye Xinian was about to decline, but when he met Duan Zhiyan’s worried gaze, his brow furrowed.

One of the biggest changes in Ye Xinian’s second life was his heightened intuition. He had become far better at reading people’s emotions.

He could clearly sense that Duan Zhiyan was genuinely worried about him.

He You said they were sent by the director, but this was Duan Zhiyan. There were very few people in the industry who could order him around.

If Duan Zhiyan came to see him, it could only have been voluntary.

So the question was: Why did Duan Zhiyan care so much?

Since the incident, many friends had reached out to offer comfort but Duan Zhiyan was the only one who had come to see him in person.

This kind of concern felt so good. If it were the old Ye Xinian, he probably wouldn’t have thought twice and would have gladly accepted it.

But now? He wasn’t that naive boy anymore. He didn’t dare accept kindness without questioning the motive.

What if the sweet concern now turned into a trap later?

That wariness made Ye Xinian’s smile dim slightly. He refused Duan politely but firmly. “Really, it’s fine, Teacher Duan. I’ll be there filming tomorrow.”

Duan Zhiyan didn’t push further. “Alright. But don’t force yourself if you’re not up to it.”

Then he took the food boxes from He You and handed them to Ye Xinian. “These are some meals and desserts.”

Ye Xinian couldn’t refuse again and took the boxes, thanking him once more.

Duan Zhiyan gave a small nod and said nothing more. After saying goodbye, he turned and left.

Only after the two disappeared into the elevator did Ye Xinian close the door behind them.

He opened the containers but didn’t eat a single bite.

—

Just as Duan Zhiyan and He You left the building, they saw Xia Huaiming’s latest post on Weibo.

Duan Zhiyan’s grip on his phone turned so tight that his fingers went white. He gave a cold chuckle. “He really doesn’t know when to quit.”

He You glanced at the furious guy and tried to calm him down. “Don’t be angry. That guy just dug his own grave with this post. Even if we do nothing, netizens will eat him alive.”

Duan Zhiyan’s voice was calm, but cold as ice. “Call someone at Weibo. Have his account banned. I’m calling my mother.”

He You’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re planning to…”

Duan Zhiyan didn’t answer. He looked down and dialed Yu Qiu.

He You sucked in a breath. He knew Duan Zhiyan was truly enraged this time.

He didn’t say anything more and turned to make the call.

—

After hearing Duan Zhiyan’s request, Yu Qiu wasn’t surprised. She simply asked, “What exactly did Xia Huaiming do to get everyone calling me about him?”

He paused. “Chi Xiwen called you?”

Yu Qiu chuckled and shook her head. “No, Chi Ling. With the Chi family’s influence, it should’ve been easy to destroy a business. But the fact that Chi Ling called me tells me he’s not just trying to bankrupt the Xia family.”

“That’s why I’m curious, what did they do?”

After a moment, Duan Zhiyan replied, “He hurt Yunxing.”

Yu Qiu’s expression changed drastically. “You found Yunxing? When? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

He had expected this. He explained, “The test was done just last week, but the results aren’t back yet. Aunt Tan probably didn’t want to tell anyone too early.”

There was a long silence on the other end.

Finally, Yu Qiu’s voice came back, trembling slightly. “I’ll return to China as soon as I can. Don’t worry about the Xia family, I’ll take care of them.”

Duan Zhiyan nodded. “Alright.”

—

It didn’t take long after Xia Huaiming posted his rant before it made the trending list.

Netizens were stunned—this was a new level of shameless. Not only did he blame Ye Xinian, the actual victim, he even dragged the whole internet into it.

Even those just casually following the drama couldn’t stand it anymore.

【Okay. I was just here to spectate, but you clearly want a fight. I’m happy to oblige.】

【Go see a doctor. Brain issues.】

【Mental Hospital No. 6 in Haishi: Sorry, sorry. Our dog got out. I’m taking it back now.】

【This “it” really hits the mark.】

【What a pathetic excuse for a human being.】

【You f**ing idit son of a—%￥@……】

Comments flooded his post and Xia Huaiming fired back, arguing with netizens directly in the replies.

But the war didn’t last long—twenty minutes later, users noticed he stopped replying.

Just when they thought he had chickened out, the official Weibo account posted this:

@WeiboOfficialAssistant: Upon review, account @XiaHuaimingGMofXiaGroup has been found to have committed multiple violations. The account is now permanently banned. Restrictions include commenting, posting, or changing the username. Ban duration: 2021-06-17 to 9999-12-31.

Netizens erupted with laughter.

【HAHHAAHAHAHA this is the best thing ever!!!】

【Justice served!】

【LMAO. Banned for several centuries!!】

【Absolutely deserved! That’s karma!】

【The ban is so petty but perfect—he can still log in and see comments but can’t respond. I’m living for this.】

【This is the best thing that’s happened all week!】

—

At the same time, Xia Huaiming noticed something wrong with his Weibo account. He was about to call his assistant when his father’s furious call came through.

“Are you trying to bankrupt us? You wanna destroy this company?! Get your ass back here!”

Xia Huaiming’s anger vanished when he heard his father’s tone. His expression changed. “What happened?”

When he rushed home, he learned that in just half a day, every investor in Xia Group had pulled out, and the company’s cash flow had collapsed.

The company was in chaos, and a flood of employees had lined up at HR to resign.

Only then did Xia Huaiming realize this mess wasn’t just about his reputation.

“How… how is this possible…” He turned pale. “I just slept with someone. Why is this such a big deal? Why are the investors pulling out?”

What the Xia family still didn’t realize… was that this went far beyond mere scandal.

It only takes a few days to bring down a company especially a flashy newcomer like Xia Group that hadn’t even put down real roots yet.