Chapter 153: I Beg You, Please Help Me

Losing is more reassuring than possessing. Although Shen Xian had only briefly possessed Zhou Wan, every single moment spent with her was an inner exhaustion for him.

He would think: Zhou Wan comes from such a prominent background; will her parents be just like Ning Zheng, obsessed with social status and family lineages?

He would also think: Will someone as broken as me be unable to ever give her a sense of security and the life she desires in the future?

Furthermore, he would think: Because of Qingqing's existence, should Qingqing's biological father return one day, what kind of position would that leave him in?

During every exhausting night, Shen Xian was killing his own feelings for her.

"Fortunately, I finally don't have to endure that inner exhaustion anymore." Inside a self-built villa located in an urban village, Shen Xian stood on the third tier.

The surroundings were quiet, the street lamps cast a dim glow, and only the barking of dogs echoed in the distance.

Utter tranquility.

He stroked his newly purchased black East German Shepherd. Its fur was pitch black; the dog was very well-behaved and extremely loyal.

Life like this was actually quite nice.

No one to disturb him.

He had abandoned his old phone number and WeChat account.

Because of Zhou Wan, he had decided to make a clean break with his past self.

It didn't matter if he stopped using them; after all, he had never had many friends anyway.

His only true friends originally were Xiao Yang, with Ning Cai counting as another.

And now, even Ning Cai could no longer be considered a friend.

As for Xiao Yang, he would go find him after some time. Right now, he was simply too exhausted, his heart riddled with holes, and he needed time to heal.

He had never wronged anyone, yet he had failed himself above all.

He also knew that Zhou Wan and Ning Cai were undoubtedly searching the entire world for him right now.

However, what good would an apology do?

He was terrified of the moment when conflicts erupted, where the other party would use his soft spots as weapons to attack him, pressing his dignity into the dirt and grinding it until nothing was left.

On the balcony, he opened his laptop and began typing. The dog lay beside him while steam rose from a teacup.

No matter the wind or rain, no matter how much inner agony he suffered, nothing could delay his writing.

Writing was an absolute must; he didn't know how to sell his body, so he could only rely on typing to reward his readers.

In the book *My Son Wang Teng Possesses the Demonic Emperor's Demeanor*, due to his low spirits, the recent chapters had been rather perfunctory.

To pad the word count, he had written extensive recipes and explanations for tonifying the kidneys, listing numerous kidney-nourishing foods.

Bizarrely, not a single reader complained that he was padding the word count or writing filler.

"Normally, when I write fight scenes or romantic plots that I think are fantastic, the readers all accuse me of padding the word count. But the moment I write about tonifying the kidneys, not a single reader flames me, and they even praise my writing."

"This proves that my readers care deeply about kidney health."

"It also proves that my readers all have poor kidneys and genuinely need some nourishment."

"Exercise some restraint, brothers."

Shen Xian muttered to himself, shaking his head to clear away the chaotic thoughts and returning his focus to writing.

...

At Langxi Road KTV, Xiao Yang had just woken up.

Working the night shift meant his biological clock had long been inverted.

He ordered some takeout and casually shared a modest meal in the office with one of his girlfriends.

"Darling, you never have time to take me shopping anymore," his girlfriend whined coquettishly.

Xiao Yang didn't even lift his eyelids. "Spit it out, which bag caught your eye?"

The girlfriend immediately sprang up and planted a kiss on Xiao Yang's cheek. "I knew you were the best to me! The latest LV model, eighty thousand yuan."

Xiao Yang unlocked his phone and tapped away. "Transferred."

Showcasing care and warmth pales in comparison to transferring a massive sum of money.

"It's so good to be rich. Once you have money, women become much more docile and family conflicts vanish," Xiao Yang said, shoveling a bite of braised catfish from the local eatery. "They're even willing to eat takeout with me."

A knock sounded at the door.

An impeccably exquisite face peeked in from outside.

Then came a second face, equally exquisite, flawless, and fair-skinned.

Closely following was a third face, somewhat familiar, bearing a striking resemblance to a certain celebrity.

With three great beauties arriving all at once, his girlfriend grew jealous. "Darling..."

Before she could finish, Ye Qiu walked through the doorway.

Although he wasn't in military uniform, his aura was overwhelming and his gaze sharp.

"You should go shopping for your bag first," Xiao Yang instructed.

His girlfriend nodded, smiled politely at the group, and immediately headed out the door.

Just as she reached the threshold, she suddenly froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Wait, wasn't that the mega-star Zhou Wan?

She wanted to turn back for another look, but the door had already closed.

Forget it, she could just ask Xiao Yang tomorrow.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Shen Xian?" Seeing all four of them appear simultaneously, Xiao Yang's heart skipped a beat. "I watched the livestream; wasn't the matter resolved perfectly?"

"Has Shen Xian contacted you?" Zhou Wan asked.

Xiao Yang shook his head. "No. What on earth is going on?"

Zhou Wan took a deep breath. "He has vanished. His phone is turned off, and he isn't replying to WeChat messages."

Xiao Yang's expression turned grave. While pulling out his phone to call Shen Xian, sure enough, the line was switched off.

He then opened WeChat to send Shen Xian a message, only to find the prompt: This WeChat user account has been deleted.

His WeChat account was gone!

Xiao Yang raised his head, staring straight at Zhou Wan and Ning Cai. "Did you people hurt him?"

He understood Shen Xian; if he hadn't been deeply wounded, he would never have done this!

Hearing this, both Zhou Wan and Ning Cai fell silent and nodded despondently.

"I did hurt him. I told him more than once whether he had money stuck in his eyes," Zhou Wan said, tears beginning to stream down her face once more.

"Tell me exactly what you said to him, word for word, without hiding a single thing!" Xiao Yang's voice was stern, devoid of its usual playful grin.

"I said that Meng Yanzhou was my first love that day, and that I had liked him for a very long time."

"I also told him that Meng Yanzhou was indeed better than him—more handsome, from a wealthier family, and much more well-bred. At the very least, he wouldn't sell out his friends or his soul for money!"

"You could sell them out for five million; in the future, will you sell me out for money too?"

"I also said that day... Shen Xian, you make me so disappointed. No wonder nobody in the village likes you. You were often interrogated and dragged away by the police when you were in school; why didn't others suspect anyone else, but suspected you? It's because you have those tendencies, because your childhood was too miserable, so you're capable of doing anything for money!"

Zhou Wan sniffled, fighting to keep her tears from falling, yet the more she spoke, the more heartbroken she felt. "I only said those things out of anger! I've always had this flaw of having a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

"But that doesn't mean I don't love him!"

Listening to this, Xiao Yang was filled with fury, his single hand slamming repeatedly against the table. "Do you have any idea what Shen Xian has been through? How could you say such things to him? Especially using his past traumas to strike at him and crush his dignity to dust!"

"If you knew what he had endured, you would understand how deeply your words wounded him!"

"Celebrity Zhou, Zhou Wan, before you open your mouth to speak, can you please take his feelings into consideration!"

Gripped by stifling frustration, Xiao Yang pulled out a cigarette and lit it, not even offering one to Ye Qiu, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Zhou Wan wept bitterly, sobbing uncontrollably, tear-droplets clinging heavily to her long eyelashes. "Xiao Yang, please, help me. I really don't want to lose him!"