Chapter 142: Every One of You Has Something Seriously Wrong with You

"Want me?"

Taozi Baobao was startled and stood up immediately, looking at Shen Xian in a fluster. "Can I just pay you? Please, don't force me to be your girlfriend, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian was left between laughter and tears. "I’m sorry, I didn't explain myself clearly."

"I meant that I want to sign you to my agency as a singer."

"I have a brand new genre of music that requires your voice. I listened to your singing earlier, and it meets my standards perfectly."

Hearing this, Yang Tao felt relieved, though her face flushed with embarrassment. She had misunderstood him.

Seeing Shen Xian looking at her with a half-smile, her peach-blossom eyes glistening, she lowered her head, her cheeks reddening once more.

"By the way, besides 'Taozi Baobao,' do you have any other accounts on social media?" Shen Xian asked.

Yang Tao replied somewhat sheepishly, "I do, but I released a song on it once. The quality wasn't very high, and I have fewer than ten thousand followers."

Shen Xian asked, "Then why don't you use your 'Taozi Baobao' account to promote your music?"

"I can't waste the credibility of that account," Yang Tao explained. "Otherwise, people will say I'm just pushing garbage."

Shen Xian thought that made sense.

"As for the troupe, I need to go back and discuss it with our director," Yang Tao said. "If the director has no objections, I will sign with you."

Shen Xian nodded. "That's necessary. Be sure to convey my vision to them in full."

Yang Tao rose to leave. Before heading out, she turned back to look at Shen Xian. "Mr. Postman, regarding your reputation right now... do you need me to help clear things up?"

Shen Xian shook his head. "Don't worry about what happens next. I have my own arrangements."

He walked her to the door. Standing at the entrance of the private room, Yang Tao stopped again. "Let's keep in touch on WeChat."

Shen Xian nodded.

The door to the adjacent room suddenly opened, and a beautiful figure stepped out.

Zhou Wan.

She bit her lip, watching the man and woman standing there, laughing and talking together.

Shen Xian looked back and naturally saw her, but he quickly withdrew his gaze.

Taozi, not seeing Zhou Wan, waved at Shen Xian with a radiant smile. "Goodbye."

Zhou Wan watched Taozi’s retreating figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Shen Xian turned back to Zhou Wan and smiled. "What a coincidence."

"Who is she?" Zhou Wan asked.

Shen Xian’s gaze was calm and devoid of any hostility. "A friend."

He did not offer further explanation.

That night when he walked out of the villa, the night he was drenched by the autumn rain and caught a cold, he had been trapped in endless internal conflict, waking up repeatedly in a panic, struggling wildly between letting go and trying to win her back.

It was that very night that he killed all his attachments.

"Wanwan..." Meng Yanzhou suddenly stepped out from the private room.

Seeing Zhou Wan and Shen Xian locked in a stare, his eyes flickered before he turned his attention to Shen Xian. He narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Then he remembered.

He had recorded a video of a man walking alone in the autumn rain after leaving Zhou Wan's villa.

It seemed they had fallen out. Does that mean he had a chance now?

"Hello, I'm Meng Yanzhou." Meng Yanzhou approached with elegant poise, proactively offering his hand to Shen Xian. "A friend of Wanwan's."

"Shen Xian." Shen Xian did not refuse the handshake.

Yet, strangely, Shen Xian clearly felt Meng Yanzhou’s hand trembling, as if filled with hidden resentment.

Acting like the host, Meng Yanzhou smiled warmly and asked, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Shen Xian shook his head. "No, thank you. You two enjoy yourselves."

With that, Shen Xian turned and left.

Zhou Wan chased after him and blocked his path. "Shen Xian, is there nothing you want to say to me?"

Shen Xian shook his head. "Sorry, no."

Feeling Shen Xian’s coldness, Zhou Wan’s rebellious streak flared up. She stood in his way. "Why won't you even admit you were wrong?"

"I did nothing wrong, so why should I admit to it?" Shen Xian looked up. "Also, did I ever tell you that no matter what happened, you were supposed to trust me unconditionally? And what was the result?"

"Sorry, it’s not appropriate to discuss this now. Meng Yanzhou is still waiting for you."

Shen Xian stepped aside and walked past her.

Zhou Wan’s eyes reddened instantly. She watched Shen Xian’s departing back, tears streaming down her face.

What she wanted was actually very simple. She had been willing to give Shen Xian a chance to correct himself, so why was he so unyielding and so unwilling to explain?

"Without love, I feel light," Shen Xian muttered to himself.

Just as he returned home, a knock sounded at the door.

He opened it to find that same Shen Wendong, the old man from Haicheng. "Shen Xian, come back to Haicheng with me. I’ll take you to meet your biological parents."

Shen Xian took a deep breath, his eyes darkening. "I told you, my biological parents are long dead!"

Dead or alive, what difference did it make?

It had been over twenty years. They knew where he was, so why had they never looked for him?

Coming for him now could only mean they had encountered a problem they couldn't solve on their own and wanted him to go back to help.

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, they are waiting for you in Haicheng," Shen Wendong said. "Come back. Blood is thicker than water."

Ridiculous.

It’s easy to talk when it’s not your own back that hurts.

When people were calling him a "boy who sells his body," where was the blood thicker than water?

Where were they then?

"Watch my lips—get out!" Shen Xian pointed toward the elevator.

Shen Wendong sighed and shook his head. "Young man, don't be so headstrong. You are facing an unsolvable problem now, and your reputation is in ruins. Going to Haicheng to avoid the storm would be a wise choice."

*Bang.* Shen Xian slammed the door shut, having no patience for the old man's nonsense.

The old man left once again.

About half an hour later, the knocking resumed.

Standing at the door was a very capable-looking woman in her forties, wearing a suit with short hair and a look of distinct arrogance in her eyes. It was the kind of temperament only found in those from government offices.

"Hello, let me introduce myself. I am from Haicheng, and my surname is Duan." The woman got straight to the point.

Shen Xian frowned. "What is it?"

"If anyone comes looking for you to go to Haicheng, do not go under any circumstances. If anyone claims to have information about your biological parents, you must say that you are an orphan," the short-haired woman said.

Shen Xian rolled his eyes. "Why?"

The woman's voice was cold. "Do as I say, and it will be to your benefit."

Are these people sick? Every single day.

One person tells me to go acknowledge my family, the other tells me not to. What on earth is going on?

"You people are all insane," Shen Xian said, slamming the door shut.

Move. I have to move!

If I don't move, I'm going to be driven crazy.

After the woman left, Shen Xian immediately started looking for a new place. He decided he would move somewhere where no one could find him, far away from these powerful people.

They were all sick in the head.