After Huo Xiu answered in such a manner, the madman’s emotions seemed to cool down slightly. He was no longer hysterical, finally becoming capable of a semblance of sober communication.
After a period of silence, he turned his gaze toward Xu Qingfeng, who was still pinching his nose. He could sense the loathing directed at him, but he was used to it, so he didn’t care. However, looking at this man who was as different from himself as clouds are from mud, he couldn’t stand how clean the other looked. Driven by the resentment in his heart, he snarled through his mask, “This has nothing to do with a vixen like you. Why haven’t you beat it yet?”
Xu Qingfeng thought to himself: My, what a big mouth he has.
But what on earth was a “male vixen”? Weren’t vixens usually female? Why did that sound so indecent, as if he had been dragged into some domestic dispute of Huo Xiu’s? He didn’t like this; he even felt like leaving the spot. But quickly, Xu Qingfeng remembered the event Huo Xiu might face having his hand ruined.
In case, it was impossible to leave.
“I feel a bit dizzy,” Xu Qingfeng said, though his eyes remained crystal clear. He leaned directly against the nearby railing, propping his forehead with the back of his hand, and spoke in a tone similar to that of an old rogue: “Oh boy, I can’t walk anymore… whatever shall I do…”
Since he acted this way, the freak could do nothing about him and didn’t want to scatter his energy further. For a moment, he chose to ignore the man and shifted his attention back to Huo Xiu. He ripped the baseball cap off his head and slammed it onto the ground to vent his rage.
“How are you not at fault?!”
His eyeballs bulged like those of a demon crawling out of hell, spiderwebbed with red capillaries. “Not letting me stand by your side is your greatest sin! I have clearly done so much for you, yet you turn a blind eye. Can’t you just let me love you?”
“Why? Just why?!”
Each question only made him appear more absurd. Especially under Huo Xiu’s frigid, indifferent gaze, he looked more and more like a jumping clown.
In truth, not much time had passed since this person first appeared in Huo Xiu’s field of vision. But this love so intense it bordered on madness was terrifying. Had it been someone with a weaker psyche, they might have already been driven to a breakdown by the harassment.
This man was named Xu Qiao.
Originally, he was a “rich second generation.” He had become obsessed with Huo Xiu years ago, starting from the first time he heard him perform. Initially, it was just a typical idol infatuation, which was relatively normal. However, in these past few months specifically since Huo Xiu returned to the country Xu Qiao became firmly convinced that this was an opportunity granted by the heavens, a chance for a deeper development in their relationship.
He wasn’t content with forever sitting in the audience; he wanted to stand beside Huo Xiu, turning him from someone unreachable into someone he could touch at any time…
In the span of just a few short months, his status had shifted from a wealthy heir to an unemployed vagrant. Why did this happen? It was largely because the methods Xu Qiao used to realize this absurd dream were too aggressive. He began to intrude into Huo Xiu’s life, moving from incessant phone harassment to stalking in the real world.
Beyond stalking, he took perverse pleasure in sending photos he secretly snapped every day to Huo Xiu’s phone, using them to prove his existence and signal: ‘Today is another day of loving you.’
At first, Huo Xiu maintained his respect and chose to look the other way, wanting to avoid wasting time and hoping that “out of sight, out of mind” would work. But eventually, he began receiving certain obscene and self-gratificatory harassment. Only then did he finally take action.
He was not someone who enjoyed using his fists; he only resorted to force because verbal rejection had no effect. After all, the upbringing he had received since childhood constrained him to be a man of gentlemanly conduct. Yet Xu Qiao, through his own perversion, became the first person to ever be beaten by him.
Huo Xiu had originally wanted to report Xu Qiao to the police directly, as it was the best and fastest way to solve the problem. However, his family did not want their son who possessed a perfect image to have any blemishes. Nor did they want the Huo family to be the subject of any gossip. Naturally, they blocked this formal approach.
They even stated: “He’s just a fan who likes you; it’s quite normal. You should show respect to everyone who likes you. Their affection is a form of recognition don’t you know that by now?”
At the time, Huo Xiu did not respond, but silence did not mean consent.
Force did indeed solve the problem for a while. After being punched so hard he couldn’t get up, Xu Qiao vanished for a long time. During his absence, Huo Xiu enjoyed a brief period of peace and was finally able to use his phone normally again, rather than refusing to even look at it.
But that life could only last until Xu Qiao reappeared. Not long after…
Xu Qiao resumed his previous behavior, no longer even fearing a beating. By this point, he was already an unemployed gambler who had lost everything. Perhaps because he had nothing left, he no longer feared anything. Xu Qiao attributed all his misfortune to Huo Xiu, saying:
“If it weren’t for you, how could I have started gambling? It’s because you broke my heart that I had to find ways to numb myself… I even dragged my parents down with me…”
“It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! Do you know that, Huo Xiu?!”
As he grumbled, he drew closer. However, noticing Huo Xiu’s clenched fist at his side, he paused momentarily due to a deep-seated, instinctive fear. But the pause didn’t last long; driven by an intense obsession, he continued forward.
Xu Qingfeng, who had been watching the movements closely, observed carefully to prevent any sudden changes. Based on his current judgment, Huo Xiu could handle this situation; there was no need for him to intervene yet. He remained calm and held his position. Although he didn’t know the full story, the vibe Xu Qiao gave him made his skin crawl.
He had thought Gu Tianze was the worst antagonist, but he hadn’t expected there would be something a hundred times trashier howling here. Looking at it this way… the “scumbag son” suddenly seemed much more pleasant at least he was clean.
Xu Qiao had gone mad. Lacking both logic and restraint, he continued his advance and reached up to rip the mask off his face. With a morbid, completely inhuman smile, he pointed at his own face and asked, “Surprised?”
The face was clearly a product of plastic surgery, filled with a sense of “tech.” Everything from the brow shape to the mouth and face shape had been altered. One thing was easily recognizable: it was modeled after Huo Xiu. The surgery hadn’t fully healed yet, and the swelling made the face look as grotesque as could be.
No matter how much he changed, he couldn’t replicate the original. Paired with his skeletal body and filthy clothes, it was a jarring mismatch that only invited ridicule.
Seeing this face, Huo Xiu’s dark brows knitted tighter, and his thin lips pressed into a hard line.
Seeing this reaction, Xu Qiao laughed even harder, looking entirely deranged. He cradled his cheeks in his hands, his eyes brimming with a sense of “bliss.” “This is the result I got with the money I worked so hard to scrape together. Aren’t you touched? I love you so much.”
“Because I like you too much, I wanted to become you. That way, whenever I look in the mirror, I can see you.”
He continued in a boasting tone, “And I thought, why would you ignore my love? It must be because I didn’t look the way you liked. But you must love your own face. If I have your face, you will definitely love me.”
“Right? Isn’t that right?!” Xu Qiao’s emotions fluctuated wildly and shifted rapidly.
He stepped forward, wanting to grab Huo Xiu’s arm to demand validation. Before he could touch a thread of his clothing, he was met with a kick to the stomach that sent him flying two meters away. He literally left the ground; one could only imagine how much strength Huo Xiu possessed.
In the beginning, Huo Xiu’s attitude toward Xu Qiao was no different from his usual self modest and polite. But Xu Qiao’s actions had surpassed the limits of Huo Xiu’s tolerance and had deviated from the path of a normal human being.
After Xu Qiao hit the ground, his first instinctive reaction was to protect his face, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. He didn’t even care about his arms, which were bleeding from the friction with the ground.
Watching this, Xu Qingfeng didn’t blink for a long time, making his eyes feel dry. At this moment… he didn’t just find the madman disgusting; he also found the expressionlessly violent Huo Xiu somewhat frightening.
If one day Huo Xiu came to hate him, would he treat him with the same coldness? Would he meet the same end a miserable downfall?
Today, it wasn’t just Huo Xiu who saw another side of him; Xu Qingfeng had also seen a “special” side of Huo Xiu.
Huo Xiu didn’t continue the assault. He simply said, “Leave. Don’t ever appear before my eyes again.”
A cold warning like that would have been enough for a normal person, but to a madman, it was merely a potent drug that triggered him.
“Why do you want me to leave? I’ve done so much for you. I’m not even angry that you don’t give me anything in return… I only hope you’ll allow me to pursue you… is even such a humble request impossible?”
“You’re too much… you’re really too much…”
Xu Qiao slowly clutched his stomach and stood up. His eyes, bulging like a fish’s, rolled with terrifying emotions as he looked up from below. His voice was no longer screaming; instead, he spoke in a calm, declamatory tone: “If you act like this, I will get very angry.”
He swiftly pulled up his pant leg and whipped out a sharp dagger strapped to his leg. Only one obsession remained in his mind: Since I’ve already been ruined, then I’ll ruin Huo Xiu too!
In that case… wouldn’t it be perfectly reasonable for two pieces of trash to be together?
Holding the dagger, he charged toward Huo Xiu. All these actions happened in a split second.
Xu Qingfeng now knew the cause and the process, but he had to prevent the ending. He absolutely, positively could not let Huo Xiu get hurt again. Driven by that clear conviction, Xu Qingfeng, who had been leaning against the railing, sprinted toward Huo Xiu even faster than Xu Qiao!