Xiao He was completely unaware that Officer Li had developed an inexplicable "criminal" filter towards him due to their previous encounter. Seeing Officer Li actually made him somewhat pleasantly surprised: "I ran into some trouble just now but it's all settled. Officer Li, are you heading back to the police station?"
However, the misunderstanding continued to unfold. In Officer Li's ears, Xiao He's words automatically completed themselves:
Ran into some trouble — Got arrested for committing a crime.
All settled — Just got released.
At least he's out, so it couldn't have been too serious.
Officer Li sighed regretfully and patted Xiao He's shoulder with profound sincerity: "What's done is done. Take it as a lesson, be more careful in the future. Focus on your acting career and live properly. I'll be going now—actually, I hope we don't meet again."
Xiao He: "? Okay...?"
Wait a minute! Why does this feel weird?
But Officer Li had already hurried off. Just as Xiao He was about to call him back to clarify, Li Zhicheng finished his conversation and came out.
"You know the police?"
He looked at Xiao He with an expression of shock that seemed to say "you've betrayed us all."
Xiao He: ...Who betrayed who? Since when were we on the same side? I'm a law-abiding good citizen! Never done anything wrong!
Wait, why is Li Zhicheng making this connection? Does he really think we're alike?
After the initial shock, Xiao He found this actually made sense. His own "criminal aura" was so strong even the police suspected him, so it was natural for Li Zhicheng to think they were birds of a feather—which probably meant this guy thought Xiao He also had his eyes on Li Hanyue.
Xiao He broke out in a cold sweat.
He absolutely did not want to be "the same kind" as this guy!
Whatever, once he got back he'd quietly report this creep.
Xiao He believed the police would thoroughly investigate once they got the tip.
He refused to believe this guy didn't have any skeletons in his closet...
"That guy? My good buddy," Xiao He said deliberately. "We're really close. He heard I had some minor issues so came to check on me."
—Despite having only met Officer Li twice and not even knowing his full name.
But that didn't stop Xiao He from bluffing Li Zhicheng.
Sure enough, Li Zhicheng's expression grew more solemn, his gaze towards Xiao He gradually changing.
Xiao He didn't explain further. "I should get going now. See you later, Uncle Li."
"Let me walk you out?" Li Zhicheng offered tentatively.
"No need."
Xiao He quickly hailed a cab and returned to campus.
Li Zhicheng stared at Xiao He's retreating figure, fingers twitching slightly, murderous intent fully surfacing in his eyes.
"Originally I wanted to choose that bitch..."
The man rasped in a low voice.
"But..."
What could be more challenging than "me" killing "another me"?
—
Back in his dorm after the cab ride, Xiao He first tidied up his belongings.
He lived in a four-person dorm with lofted beds and desks below, including an ensuite bathroom—relatively good accommodations for a public university. Everyone had been satisfied with the arrangement. But now in their senior year with most students out for internships, Xiao He had the room to himself.
After a quick cleanup and ordering takeout, Xiao He sat at his desk eating while booting up his computer.
Surprisingly, that celebrity Ran Yunrui was quite famous online. His car accident had already blown up across the internet.
Remembering the guy who used profanity as punctuation, Xiao He's curiosity was piqued. He followed the trending topic to see the commotion.
Ran Yunrui had starred in two popular idol dramas, with recent news about him filming a major IP idol drama as male lead at the studio complex—something his fans were eagerly anticipating.
Now with the accident, fans were in an uproar. Footage of the scene spread everywhere while marketing accounts seized the opportunity to stir the pot, fanning the flames higher.
Clicking through videos, Xiao He found two main clips circulating online: one showed car wreckage from the rear-end collision but conspicuously omitted the actual vehicles, leaving everything to imagination; the other showed Ran Yunrui on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.
The real kicker was a bunch of dubious chat logs from so-called "insiders"—how insider? Naturally unspecified—claiming the rear-ending driver was hired by a stalker fan who'd been pursuing Ran Yunrui for days despite multiple attempts to shake them off. This time while evading, the cars accidentally collided. Now Ran Yunrui was hospitalized in unknown condition—such terrible luck...
Perfect! Absolutely authoritative chat screenshots—clearly undeniable! Our idol must have suffered tremendously!
Fans swallowed these logs whole without hesitation.
[OMG are stalkers this brazen now? Straight up Fast & Furious?]
[Can't people follow stars normally? This is terrifying! Down with stalkers!]
[Wuwu hope Brother Yunrui is okay!]
[Ahhh what does this stalker look like? Any photos from the scene? So mad I could kill if I saw them IRL!]
[Willing to trade ten years of my life for Yunrui's successful surgery please wuwu...]
Xiao He stared dumbfounded.
Holy socks, is this even Chinese anymore?
No wonder they wanted hush money. That manager Cheng Hongwen must have planned this PR spin back at the traffic police station.
Not only maximizing benefit from the incident but also using it to strengthen fan loyalty while cracking down on stalkers—
Xiao He would bet his bottom dollar most of these "leaks" came straight from Ran Yunrui's company.
Even those seemingly brain-dead inflammatory comments were probably company-paid trolls.
The propaganda machine was frighteningly effective. Had he not witnessed everything firsthand, even he might have believed Ran Yunrui was fighting for his life in some ER.
Xiao He shook his head helplessly.
No wonder people looked down on traffic stars. They manipulated narratives, manufactured conflicts—barely any professional skill yet surrounded by rabid fans.
He wondered how these girls would react knowing Ran Yunrui used curses like punctuation...
After another round of browsing to confirm no footage or photos of himself had leaked, Xiao He finally relaxed slightly.
At least Cheng Hongwen knew where to draw the line. Despite the tall tales, they hadn't directed fan rage towards civilians like him.
Otherwise Xiao He wouldn't have minded letting Ran Yunrui's expletive-filled tirade go viral.