Pei Mingxuan wasn't that foolish; her acting skills at this moment were on par with an award-winning actress.
"What?" Sun Mo's expression was inscrutable; he couldn't distinguish between truth and falsehood.
"Say no more, let's quickly return to the company and discuss this..." Yang Hong hurriedly came over to pull Sun Mo away, turning back to glare fiercely at Pei Mingxuan.
He absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Sun Mo like this; they were being forced to take the final step!
After these people left, Gao Hao stepped forward and said, "It seems there's still more drama to come."
"Then let them try," Pei Mingxuan sneered.
Qin Zhao came forward and said, "Miss Pei, I officially invite you on behalf of our studio."
Pei Mingxuan was stunned. She looked over and saw Ji Fei behind him, blinking her clear almond eyes at her.
The top-tier group was truly a breath of fresh air in the entertainment industry.
"Thank you, but I can't join a new company when I might be embroiled in scandal. After this blows over, I'll come find you," Pei Mingxuan nodded in gratitude before leaving alone.
Clearly, Pei Mingxuan still planned to face the coming storm by herself. The possibilities that Qin Xian could analyze, she could likely guess as well.
It's just that she might not have good ways to counterattack.
[Looks like there'll be a good show to watch tonight. Better keep an eye on my phone to get the first-hand gossip.]
The Qin family thought the same, after all, they had followed the drama to this point.
"Let's go, Second Brother said he's coming to pick us up to celebrate your successful performance tonight," Qin Yan came forward smiling.
Gao Hao then approached the Qin family and said, "You all should leave through the back door with Little Tao. Let Ji Fei and Qin Zhao use the main entrance; quite a few fans have arrived."
When Qin Zhao and Ji Fei followed Gao Hao to the entrance, Ji Fei was stunned.
The crowd outside was almost endless. The show's crew had even arranged security guards.
"This is so exaggerated?"
Qin Zhao said, "It can't just be our fans, right?"
Qin Zhao had a good idea of how many fans might come to support him, and if it was too many, the studio would intervene.
As for Ji Fei, she was still considered a newcomer. Although she had attracted quite a few fans, those who could spontaneously come to support her were still relatively few. After all, strictly speaking, Ji Fei was still mainly known for variety shows.
"There are also fans of the male god group."
Qin Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "They haven't left yet?"
"How dare they face their fans now? They snuck out through the back door," Gao Hao said mockingly.
"Didn't the staff tell the fans they had already left?" Ji Fei asked curiously.
"They did, but no one believed them."
Qin Zhao turned to Ji Fei and said, "There are too many people. Be careful not to get squeezed later."
Ji Fei nodded.
As soon as they stepped out, they heard various excited shouts. Fans on both sides were pushing forward, and the security guards could barely hold them back by linking hands.
Besides the supportive fans, Ji Fei heard many inquiring about the male god group. Judging by their tone, it was as if they had come to interrogate criminals. No wonder they didn't dare to leave through the front door.
However, it made it difficult for them to move. Several times, the human wall of security guards could barely withstand the pressure.
After a while, black-clad bodyguards came up to help maintain order. These were the Qin family's bodyguards.
In the distance, Ji Fei saw Qin Xian in a formal suit, standing by the roadside, waiting for them.
Clearly, he was worried about them, so he had arranged for the car's bodyguards to come and help.
With the Qin family's bodyguards present, Ji Fei and Qin Zhao quickly got into the car.
Qin Zhao had collected a pile of fan letters. Ji Fei saw them and became quite curious about what fans would write to their idols.
Just as she was thinking this, she heard a shrill cry. "Ji Fei, I'm your fan, please look at my letter."
Ji Fei suddenly jolted, not out of vanity, but pure curiosity. So, before the car started moving, she lowered the window and saw a young girl being held back by bodyguards. When the girl saw her, her excited expression became distorted, and she frantically waved a pink letter in her hand.
The bodyguard looked back, saw Qin Xian behind Ji Fei nod slightly, and let the girl rush to the car.
The girl clung to the car door. Ji Fei was about to say thank you and reach for the letter.
But then she saw a flash of cold light, and immediately heard Qin Xian's urgent breathing beside her.
"Move away!"
Before Ji Fei could react, she was pulled back by her collar and crashed into a solid embrace.
Inside the car were mixed cries of alarm, while Ji Fei was already dazed, only hearing the thunderous heartbeat of Qin Xian behind her, with one arm stretched across her eyes.
The blade sliced through the sleeve of the black suit and then the white shirt underneath, and blood immediately soaked through.
"It's all your fault! You must have schemed to harm Brother Mo. Brother Mo is so good, all those exposés were deliberately slandering him! It's you who would do anything to win, bribing the manager to harm him together. It must be like this!"
The girl outside had a distorted expression, trying to pull out the knife to stab again, but was seized and pinned to the ground by the bodyguards who had rushed over.
People around were shocked, some constantly taking photos and videos.
Qin Zhao, enraged, got out with Gao Hao to report this girl to the police.
The car immediately started, and the others accompanied Qin Xian to the hospital to treat his wound.
Ji Fei, feeling guilty, helped support Qin Xian's hand and said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If I hadn't been curious..."
"What does this have to do with you? Qin Zhao set up the script, and the fan belongs to someone else. You were just unlucky," Qin's Father said while urging the driver to go faster.
"It's okay, the wound isn't deep." Qin Yan, having studied medicine, could at least provide some emergency treatment.
Sitting opposite, Qin Rong was actually scared to the point of reddened eyes, but still patted Ji Fei's hand and said, "Second Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. Third Brother has encountered this kind of thing before. Some fans are just quite irrational."
Qin's Mom also worriedly said to Ji Fei, "Feifei, don't blame yourself. It was this boy Qin Xian who told the bodyguard to let the person approach. He brought this trouble on himself."
Ji Fei felt a tightness in her chest and turned to look at Qin Xian.
Qin Xian calmly looked at Ji Fei, his cold, ink-like eyes gleaming with a soft light. "It's alright."
Ji Fei opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. She actually felt a bit uncomfortable inside. It was the first time someone had protected her like this, and it just felt a bit awkward.
[That fruit knife would have at most scratched my arm. Taking a hit myself wouldn't have been a big deal. Qin Xian's actions... were quite heroic. He's really a good person. I should thank him properly later.]
Qin Xian gave her a helpless sidelong glance, and could only continue, "Protecting you is what I should do."
It wasn't just being heroic, it was a husband protecting his wife.
[Ah, right, right, right, I forgot. This guy values responsibility above all else. Protecting his nominal wife is his duty. I've enjoyed the benefits of this identity.]
Qin Xian: ... That didn't seem to be what he meant to express.
Hearing this, the Qin family members exchanged glances, seeing the worry in each other's eyes. How to put it? Although they knew Qin Xian and Ji Fei were a marriage of convenience, Ji Fei's subconscious attitude towards her husband seemed too distant.
She used to cling to him, but now not only did she not cling, she had the attitude of an outsider.
Even Qin Xian's self-sacrificing rescue didn't move Ji Fei to tears, which was really worrying.
So while Ji Fei was accompanying Qin Xian to treat his wound, everyone gathered to secretly discuss the matter.
While treating the wound, Qin Zhao brought the police to collect evidence.
It was then that they learned the situation. The girl was an underage fan, and when her family received the call and rushed over, they caused a scene.
"Seeing how unreasonable the parents are, it's clear how they spoiled such a fanatical child," Qin Zhao fumed. "At the police station, they were still yelling for the police to arrest me and Second Sister-in-law, saying we framed Sun Mo."
"It's our fault that Sun Mo gave a disappointing performance on stage, and it's our fault that Sun Mo hooked up with someone else's girlfriend. Because everyone who goes against us ends up in a bad situation, they even cited the Best Actor Team as evidence."
"They're so obsessed with their idol that they've lost their minds, like they've joined a cult."
"What's even more ridiculous is that she asked Sun Mo to come save her, saying Sun Mo cares about his fans the most."
"Will he care?" Ji Fei asked in shock.
"Of course not. This is the fan's personal behavior. Forget Sun Mo, even his company won't care. If it were the old Pei Mingxuan, she might have come to handle it, trying to minimize the negative impact and win some hearts along the way. But now, when Sun Mo is in such a predicament, how could he possibly deal with fan issues? At most, they'll issue a statement apologizing to us and then severely condemn the fan's behavior."
After Qin Zhao finished speaking, Gao Hao came in and said, "The other side has already responded. After all, it's trending on social media, so they handled it quite quickly. Otherwise, given their current situation, they'd truly be in dire straits."
Qin Zhao sneered, "I wonder what those crazed fans will think when they see their idol apologizing to us and distancing themselves from her. Second sister-in-law, what do you think? I'm planning to sue them to the fullest extent."
Gao Hao frowned and looked at Ji Fei. Knowing Qin Zhao's stubborn temperament, he could only try to persuade Ji Fei, "The other party is a minor. If they do something extreme... There are many such examples in the entertainment industry, and it could be very troublesome. You should know that public opinion usually sides with the weaker party, not the one who's right. Moral blackmail is terrifying. You've just entered the industry, and it's not good to get involved in something like this. It's best to downplay the issue and resolve it peacefully."
Qin Zhao moved his lips, looking unsatisfied.
Ji Fei looked at Qin Xian, "You're the one who got hurt. What do you think?"
Qin Xian said, "The target was you and Qin Zhao. You two decide."
Gao Hao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that Ji Fei was more reasonable.
Ji Fei glanced at Qin Xian's wound and said, "Then let's sue them to the fullest extent."
Qin Zhao immediately broke into a smile.
Gao Hao let out a surprised "Ah!"
Ji Fei continued, "Age has never been a get-out-of-jail-free card. Everyone must face the consequences of their actions. Depression, suicide threats - we'll address all of these upfront. We won't fall for any of it. If she harms herself, that's her and her parents' responsibility. They'll have to bear it themselves; it has nothing to do with us. We only seek justice under the law. We want anyone who encounters this kind of situation to receive the fairest response possible. Even if the outcome isn't good and public opinion doesn't side with me, at worst, I'll leave the entertainment industry. It's not like I have to be in it."
