Let Me Be Spoiled - Chapter 67

The room was silent, both of them holding their breath, with only the faint sound of breathing in the air.

Xie Yan was tall, and as he stood beneath the wall lamp, he blocked most of the light. His shadow stretched long, almost completely enveloping the petite Ruan Anning.

He looked at her in silence, as though her words didn’t surprise him in the least, and said slowly, “There’s no need.”

Ruan Anning looked up at Xie Yan, her tears gone. “There is a need. I’ve thought about it for a long time, and it’s only after all these years that I finally understand.”

She could now recall what happened back then without panic. “I was still young at the time, and I really was scared. All I wanted was to run away, to never be involved with it for the rest of my life.”

Xie Yan frowned deeply, a hint of impatience in his expression. He lit another cigarette but barely smoked it, letting it burn between his fingers.

Following his gaze, Ruan Anning spoke softly. “I’ve been running for almost ten years. I can’t keep avoiding it forever. I don’t want this thing to rot away in my memory.”

She paused, then went on. “From where things stand, this is my own matter. Whatever the consequences, I should be the one to bear them. This isn’t your fault, Xie Ge, nor your responsibility. How could I let you carry it for the rest of your life—especially now?”

Xie Yan exhaled a smoke ring, his lips parting as if to speak. Ruan Anning seemed to sense it coming, and she quickly sped up her words to get the next sentence out.

“The meaning of telling the truth isn’t just that.”

Ruan Anning had thought she would feel timid and afraid speaking her heart in front of Xie Yan, yet the more she spoke, the more courage welled up inside her. Her thoughts had completely calmed. “I’ve suffered because of this. I’ve felt humiliated. I’ve found it hard to trust anyone, and I’ve always feared that outsiders would learn I was molested. I couldn’t even bear to think about it without feeling too ashamed to lift my head. But none of this was my fault. I’ve been hurting myself with the crime committed by a bad person. That’s wrong.”

Her gaze was firm. “And I’m not the only one who’s gone through something like this. Many children have been through it or are going through it now. They, too, are ashamed for all sorts of reasons and afraid to speak up. Everyone has the right to hide their wounds and avoid being hurt again. Since I can face this matter openly now, I can stand up and tell everyone who cares about it the full story, put it on the table, and make them pay attention.”

If the past can’t be changed, at least the future might be better.

After finishing this long speech, Ruan Anning felt a sudden lightness and even smiled faintly. “Saying it like this makes me sound a bit self-important, but in truth, this just sped up my decision to face myself, and gave me the courage to risk everything.”

Xie Yan stubbed out his cigarette. He could no longer bring himself to refuse.

Keeping a promise didn’t mean turning away from someone brave enough to stand again.

After Ruan Anning left, Xie Yan called Xu Yingzhi.

He said, “Hold the press conference as soon as possible.”

There was an angry voice on the other end, saying a few sharp words.

Xie Yan was unfazed, speaking softly. “It’s time to tell everyone exactly what happened back then.”

After learning the truth, Xu Yingzhi immediately went to a welfare home hundreds of kilometers away, found the staff who had been there at the time, and personally brought them to Hongcheng. She rented a large conference venue and convened a press conference.

To the reporters’ surprise, Ruan Anning also appeared at the event, even sitting in the front row.

She spoke slowly and calmly about what had happened eight years ago, without adding any deliberate emotion, telling it simply as if she were an outsider. She presented her and Xie Yan’s records, proving they had indeed lived in the same welfare home, along with her medical records from the time and the testimonies of staff, confirming the events were real.

The reporters were stunned. They had written the wildest speculative pieces, yet reality still managed to shock them more.

The press conference was streamed live across the internet. Countless people tuned in to see how Xie Yan would clear his name.

And then, the barrage of on-screen comments shifted, from cold sarcasm and vicious insults at the start, to a flood of “I was wrong” reactions. Not only toward Xie Yan, but also toward Ruan Anning, admiring her courage to speak the truth in such an environment.

Although he was the supposed central figure of the conference, Xie Yan didn’t say a single word from beginning to end, only occasionally nodding during the clarification of facts.

He had no interest in putting on a show.

During the Q&A, some of the questions were too excessive. Ruan Anning didn’t mind, but Xie Yan grew impatient and tapped the table.

The gesture was obvious, carrying a warning. Normally, for a public figure, openly snapping at reporters would leave a bad impression no matter the reason.

The live chat was filled with giddy amusement.

【So fierce, all the time, all his life—never a moment he wasn’t fierce in public or in private…】

【Yanyan really is the same inside and out, no pretense at all. (Speaking through my 800x rose-colored filter.)】

【I’m gonna strangle that idiot reporter—still asking for the details? Ask your mom instead!】

【Grumpy Xiao Xie, roasting people live. This moment calls for the cute-kid version of ‘Don’t Touch Me.JPG.’】

Just before the press conference ended, Ruan Anning walked up to Xie Yan’s seat, bent down slightly, and made a motion to hug him.

Her eyes were closed, her brows curved in a smile, and two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. She looked adorable.

Xie Yan froze for a moment, then stood up and embraced her.

Every reporter present, and every viewer watching the live broadcast online, could clearly hear what she said.

“Thank you for protecting the weak and timid me back then.”

Only Xie Yan could feel the warmth of her tears soaking into his shoulder.

The most serious accusations had already been cleared up. Rumors that Xie Yan had been a troublemaker since childhood, always picking fights, were also disproven, and both fans and righteous onlookers had washed his name clean. While these were facts to begin with, there were still some people, including members of the media, who refused to believe this was the truth. They suspected Xie Yan and the people behind him had somehow bribed Ruan Anning into fabricating a story.

After much diligent digging, they finally found the old man who had been beaten back then, who was now serving a life sentence for rape.

No one questioned the truth of it anymore.

From the time he filmed White Whale until now, Xie Yan had been in the public eye for less than a year, yet he had already been caught up in three major scandals. Each one had been serious, but none had managed to ruin him. Instead, each time his popularity soared. Even without new works, Xie Yan was now one of the hottest figures in the industry.

Many reporters wanted to arrange in-depth interviews, but Xie Yan had Xu Yingzhi turn them all down. He only wanted to focus on filming Goodbye, Rose. Because of this unexpected incident, the entire crew’s schedule had been seriously delayed, and Xie Yan had almost been denied leave to return to Jinan for his birthday.

In the end, Xie Yan said there were still matters from last time that hadn’t been dealt with, and only then did Wu Yun let him go.

It wasn’t untrue—Xie Yan was going back not only for his birthday, but also to meet with Feng Hong. Though it was nowhere near as important as meeting Fu Qing, it was something he couldn’t neglect.

The day before his birthday, Xie Yan filmed until eight in the evening, caught a ten o’clock flight back to Ji’an, and landed at three in the morning.

He went home and slept for a few hours, setting an alarm for the morning. When he woke, it suddenly occurred to him that he had never contacted Feng Hong personally and he had always asked Fu Qing to pass along his words.

Maybe, deep down, he truly didn’t want to get involved again.

The next day, they first flew to the city where the Feng family lived. After landing, someone came to pick them up. Fu Qing didn’t want a driver and took the wheel himself and drove them there.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xie Yan felt fairly relaxed. He treated the upcoming meeting as the last entanglement he would ever have with the Feng family. Just knowing that once it was over he would never see them again kept his mood from souring.

Or perhaps the annoyance of meeting Feng Hong couldn’t compare to the happiness of spending his birthday with Fu Qing afterward.

Halfway through the drive, Fu Qing fell silent.

Even if Xie Yan wasn’t the most sensitive person, he could feel Fu Qing’s bad mood.

He leaned closer, looking up at him. “Fu Ge, are you upset because I’m going to meet Feng Hong?”

Normally, Fu Qing was good at keeping his emotions in check or rather, ordinary matters weren’t enough to stir his feelings.

Only things concerning Xie Yan were different. It pained him to see the young man still having to deal with the Feng family.

His voice was slightly hoarse, and it was rare for him to try to change Xie Yan’s mind. “I can go. Why do you have to meet them yourself?”

Xie Yan pressed his lips together. “If I don’t say it to him in person, Feng Hong won’t give up. He’s always been like that.”

Just like ten years ago, when Xie Yan had no wish to be adopted, yet Feng Hong still managed to win him over.

Fu Qing’s hands tightened abruptly on the steering wheel at those words, his knuckles and veins standing out sharply, carrying a faintly grim edge.

Xie Yan paused. Not knowing how to coax someone with words, he bent down instead, pressing his lips to Fu Qing’s knuckles, then slowly tracing along the veins to his wrist.

It was a long kiss.

With a glance down, Fu Qing could see Xie Yan’s bright eyes and the lips pressed to his skin.

Hot and damp.

Xie Yan parted his lips and said softly, “I’m not a child anymore. Is Fu Ge still that afraid I’ll be bullied?”

Maybe it was the rush of hormones from the kiss, but what followed was outright, shameless coaxing. “Even if they do bully me, it doesn’t matter. The whole point of going with Fu Ge is so you can back me up.”

And so, for the rest of the drive, Fu Qing was riding high on the thought of standing up for the kid from his own family who had been wronged.

Xie Yan didn’t know if that counted as coaxing him successfully.

In any case, he had used every trick he could think of. If it didn’t work, so be it.

Or rather, he had used up all the methods he could on the road. If they had been at home in bed, he could have found more effective ones.

An hour later, the car pulled into the Feng estate and stopped in the courtyard.