Chapter 90: Huo Chen and Lin Huaizhi Are Cyber-Bullied
In the video, Li Meiqing was wearing a qipao, radiating an air of classical beauty. Huo Chengzhang stood behind her, appearing refined and approachable.
The woman held a handkerchief, dabbing the corners of her eyes from time to time as she spoke explosive words.
“Huo Chen is my child, but he is hopelessly stubborn. For the sake of a man, he has abandoned his parents. It truly breaks our hearts.”
“Of course, he is our only son. As long as he realizes his mistakes and returns to the right path, the Huo family will still be his. His father and I will be waiting for him at home.”
As she spoke, Li Meiqing let out a sob, looking as pitiful as could be.
Huo Chengzhang put an arm around her shoulders, looking directly into the camera. “My wife hasn’t been able to eat or sleep well these past few days. She looks so haggard, and it pains me to see it.”
“Huo Chen, are you really going to abandon your parents for a man named Lin?”
“And to that man—if you are watching this video, please give us back our son. Stop clinging to him.”
The video froze on the image of the two of them supporting each other as they walked back into their house. Because of this interview, the entire internet exploded.
[Holy crap! Was that dating show actually for real?! Is Huo Chen really hooked up with Lin Huaizhi?!]
[Lin Huaizhi is just a heartless capitalist. I suspect he knew about Huo Chen’s identity beforehand and flirted with him recklessly just to use him as a stepping stone!]
[My god! Huo Chen isn’t exactly a saint either! He fell out with his parents over a guy?]
[Exactly! And we don’t even know what kind of outrageous things he did for his parents to kick him out of the company! You can’t judge a book by its cover!]
[I think the most disgusting one is Lin Huaizhi. The guy has already been kicked out of his home for him, and he still won’t let him go!]
[I agree! Someone like Huo Chen is clearly a business elite with nothing but his career on his mind. Back on the show, it was Lin Huaizhi who shamelessly chased him! Maybe he was just tricked by Lin Huaizhi!]
Because of Li Meiqing and Huo Chengzhang’s maneuvers, the internet was now full of backlash against Huo Chen and Lin Huaizhi. However, Lin Huaizhi was being scolded much more severely.
To Lin Huaizhi, this was neither painful nor irritating. He had snagged a peerless beauty—what did a little scolding matter? It was worth it.
However, after Li Meiqing and Huo Chengzhang spoke out, a few “troublemakers” also emerged.
These included people who couldn’t stand Huo Chen, business rivals whose deals he had snatched, and those within the Huo Group who had always been jealous and wanted to kick him out.
Oh, and those who had a grudge against Lin Huaizhi.
The entertainment industry was a tough business. Huaimeng was currently dominant, and many people wanted a slice of the cake or to pull Lin Huaizhi down.
Surprisingly, the first to jump out was Zhou Mi.
After the cheating scandal, this rapper had basically disappeared from the internet. This time, he was the first to speak up, with the word “revenge” practically written across his face.
[When we were filming This is Love, Lin Huaizhi declared from the start that he came to chase Huo Chen. I’m not being a conspiracy theorist or discriminating against Huo Chen, but let’s be honest: given Huo Chen’s temperament and face, would Lin Huaizhi really fall in love at first sight?]
Zhou Mi didn’t say it directly, but anyone with half a brain could see what he was implying: Lin Huaizhi had known Huo Chen’s identity all along, and his pursuit wasn’t about love at first sight, but about the Huo family’s prestige.
Soon, Fang Mo also jumped out.
He did so purely for Chu Xiaoran’s sake. After all, Chu Xiaoran had been selling cars and watches lately, looking haggard from Lin Huaizhi’s torment, which pained Fang Mo’s heart!
[I believe Lin Huaizhi isn’t that kind of person. Although he liked Brother Chu before, people change. It is his right to stop liking Brother Chu and chase Huo Chen instead.]
[Huo Chen is also a good person. During the first episode of This is Love, he and I were partners. He seemed cold and spoke very little, but he was actually very gentle and took good care of me. He doesn’t look like someone who would abandon his parents for a man.]
Fang Mo looked like he was defending Lin Huaizhi and Huo Chen, but every line was laced with a “tea-like” manipulative sweetness.
Naturally, those who didn’t know about their history felt Fang Mo’s words were reasonable and that he was a good person.
Then came Chu Xiaoran.
Chu Xiaoran didn’t say much—just one sentence, but it was incredibly suggestive.
[Lin Huaizhi, is this the result you wanted?]
This caused netizens to speculate wildly. Some said Chu Xiaoran was blacklisted because he discovered Lin Huaizhi’s secret; others said Lin Huaizhi kicked Chu Xiaoran to the curb because he set his sights on the more prestigious Huo Chen.
Without exception, these speculations placed Lin Huaizhi in the role of the perpetrator and Chu Xiaoran in the role of the victim.
People are always like this. They like to speak up for those in a “weak” position. Their most common arguments are: “How could that person be like that?”, “How could that girl lie about being raped?”, or “That man is rich and powerful; he obviously looks down on the poor.”
They love to defend the “justice” in their own eyes. As for the truth… who cares?
But Huo Chen and Lin Huaizhi weren’t completely isolated. There were still people who saw them clearly.
Xu Qiao was the first to stand up for Lin Huaizhi.
[Lin Huaizhi is a very good person, and so is Huo Chen. Besides, it is his freedom to chase whoever he wants. Whether he likes someone or not is his business. Whether he knew Huo Chen’s identity beforehand is also his business.]
[Even if he did, it’s a universal truth since ancient times that people strive for higher ground! Finally, as for the specific situation between Huo Chen and his family, a one-sided account cannot serve as evidence.]
Then came Dai Keqing.
[The identities of the civilian guests in This is Love were provided by themselves. The production team only did a basic background check. Even we didn’t know Huo Chen’s full identity, so Lin Huaizhi had even less of a way to know.]
El followed closely behind.
[The Boss is a very, very good person. He doesn’t look up to or down on anyone because of money! He wouldn’t suck up to someone for the sake of wealth either!]
Later, Hu Xiaoxu and Su Rui also spoke up on social media, affirming the character of Lin Huaizhi and Huo Chen.
The two people at the center of the controversy, however, didn’t take any of this to heart.
That morning, Lin Huaizhi wrapped himself in a blanket and pulled back the curtains to look down. There were still several unfamiliar faces lingering around the apartment complex.
Lin Huaizhi tsked. “They’ve been watching for three days and they’re still there. With that kind of persistence, why can’t they do something productive instead of being paparazzi?”
Because of these paparazzi, he hadn’t gone to the office these past few days. Instead, Zhou Ning, fully disguised, delivered documents to the house.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be at home—Huo Chen was here, so of course he was happy to be close—but the problem was that because of these paparazzi, he and Huo Chen were stuck indoors. They couldn’t even go for a walk or have a date.
It felt like being in prison. It was incredibly stifling.
Huo Chen walked out of the bedroom fully dressed. He came up behind the young man, turned his face toward him, and pressed a parting kiss onto his lips.
“I’m leaving.”
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