ASPWL Ch23: We Are Waiting

But before Huo Ze could take out his phone to ask someone to check for evidence, there was a commotion outside the crowd.

A man in a suit, accompanied by several security guards, pushed his way in, shouting angrily: “What are you all doing here? Are you trying to cause trouble?”

Wen Wen and Zhao Wei both looked up simultaneously, and upon seeing the man, they seemed to find their backbone.

Ye Leyao was puzzled, then saw Zhao Wei and Wen Wen rush forward at the same time.

“Dad!”

“Honey, you finally came!” Wen Wen said, her eyes turning red as she pointed at Ning Xu, Ning Xing, and the crowd, “It’s them… They not only slandered our son as gay but also said…”

Ye Leyao’s tone was shocked:

[This is Zhao Wei’s dad? So Wen Wen still doesn’t know she’s a beard?]¹A woman who accompanies a gay man as an escort to a social occasion, in order to help conceal his homosexuality is called beard.

Papa and Mama Huo were shocked and looked over simultaneously.

What?

Could it be that Zhao Yang is also…

Then they heard Ye Leyao continue:

[Zhao Wei later deliberately exposed this matter near Ning Xu’s competition to mess with Ning Xu’s mindset. I remember Ning Xu mentioned Zhao Yang in his response, saying that he and his son were both perverts.]

[His son was two-timing, and Zhao Yang…]

Ye Leyao carefully recalled the plot, and his expression became wonderfully colorful:

[Zhao Yang liked to play with more exotic things, even went to sea for thrills…]

Huo Ze’s hand shook, and he almost threw his phone away.

Papa and Mama Huo were even more shocked.

Their worldview took quite a hit.

[Ah, I can’t take it anymore. I’m just a reader, why do these explosive plots keep torturing me!!!]

Papa and Mama Huo: “…”

Who said it wasn’t?

They didn’t even read novels! Aren’t explosive plots happening around them every day?

But, they do love to watch, hehe.

Huo Ze held his phone, his expression even more complicated.

Good news: There’s plenty of evidence of the father and son online.

Bad news: Some of it’s criminal.

Huo Ze looked at Huo Jing.

Maybe we should call the police?

Huo Jing gave a barely perceptible nod.

Calling the police was indeed the best choice now.

With his big brother nodding, Huo Ze had no more hesitation. He quickly took out his phone and sent a message to a tech-savvy friend, asking him to collect and organize the evidence as quickly as possible.

…

Ten o’clock on a weekday morning is prime time for many office workers to slack off.

In this age of short video live streaming, many people’s first choice for slacking off is also short video apps. At this time, some sharp-eyed viewers noticed an unfamiliar arts section streamer suddenly appearing on the entertainment live homepage.

Many netizens clicked in:

—“Wrong section?”

—“Should I contact an admin to report the error?”

—“Hey, streamer, stop shaking the camera. I think I just saw God Xu flash by!”

God Xu was Ning Xu. As the AD of this year’s hot championship team KTW, Ning Xu was not only the soul of KTW but also the eSports player with the most endorsements in the current eSports scene. Even many netizens who didn’t understand eSports had heard of his name.

Seeing this comment, netizens were all stunned.

—“On closer look, the person opposite also looks like Z from the team.”

Z refers to Huo Ze, whose in-game ID was Z.

Mistaking God Xu was understandable, but they couldn’t possibly mistake Z too, right? So the netizens who initially just planned to watch the excitement stopped and waited patiently for the live camera to stabilize.

The streamer’s hand shook for about tens of seconds before the camera finally stopped trembling, and the sound that had been cutting out finally transmitted clearly:

“Xiao Xing,” a calm middle-aged male voice sounded, with suppressed anger, “Explain what’s going on here?”

“Explain what?” Having just learned of the deception, Ning Xu was initially sad, but now seeing this family’s shamelessness, he was only left with anger, “Your son two-timed, deceiving both me and my sister, and you need my sister to explain?”

Ye Leyao also angrily protested: [Victim blaming? Ridiculous, old hag!]

The netizens in the live chat recognized Ning Xu’s voice:

—“It really is God Xu!”

—“Streamer, can you move the camera a bit?!”

—“Two-timing? Never heard that God Xu was dating anyone, what’s this ‘deceiving both me and my sister’s feelings’ about?”

The live chat was filled with confused question marks, but the streamer had no intention of explaining.

The surrounding crowd was also in an uproar. As soon as Zhao Yang arrived, he had the security guards chase them away, and now he had the nerve to question the victim:

“We all bought tickets to see the art exhibition, so what right do you have to chase us away?”

“Exactly! Is it because you can’t stand the embarrassment?”

The crowd was particularly angry, but Wen Wen was completely relieved.

Great, now that Zhao Yang was here, she felt confident and supported.

Looking at the crowd now, her eyes were full of disdain.

“You all are just jealous of our Zhao Wei!” Wen Wen shielded Zhao Wei behind her and looked at Ning Xu with contempt, “Just because Zhao Wei has achieved something now, does that mean you need to slander my son like this?”

Her son was so outstanding; how could he possibly be gay?

“And you, Ning Xing,” Wen Wen turned her focus to Ning Xing, her gaze sweeping over her with disdain, “I told you before, when you come to see your father, don’t dress so flamboyantly…”

Ye Leyao was utterly shocked by Wen Wen’s twisted logic.

[No wonder I always thought Wen Wen’s mind was off. Turns out she is the legendary pampered wife!]

[Blindly believes in her husband and son and takes all criticism of them as jealousy, while imagining everyone else covets her husband…]

[Seriously, Zhao Yang, with his scruffy beard and pot belly, embodying the epitome of a greasy middle-aged man, and smelling awful, who would even be interested in him?]

Ye Leyao made a snarky remark, and the Huo family members nodded in agreement.

In the end, they felt more sympathetic towards Ning Xing.

Looking at Ning Xing now, she was indeed very upset.

Compared to Ning Xu, who only knew Zhao Wei online, Ning Xing had invested more emotionally. Now being slandered by Wen Wen like this, her eyes reddened, her chest heaved, and she couldn’t say a word for a long time.

When had Ning Xu ever seen his sister like this?

His eyes were full of pity, and just as he was about to speak sarcastically, he heard Huo Ze say, “Ning Xu, come over here for a moment.”

With so many eyes and cameras around, Ning Xu knew that even if they were in the right, the crowd would choose to believe them. But without concrete evidence, he couldn’t act impulsively.

Glaring angrily at Zhao Wei, who was hiding behind Wen Wen, Ning Xu pulled Ning Xing over.

Fans on the live stream have now finally confirmed it.

These voices were indeed those of Huo Ze and Ning Xu!

But who could tell them what exactly happened? Why was Ning Xu accusing Zhao Wei of two-timing?

Could it be that Ning Xu had been cheated on?!

Fans were instantly furious and couldn’t help but gossip:

—”Streamer, my dear streamer, can you please tell us what’s going on?”

The streamer didn’t speak, and Wen Wen’s voice came again: “What, now that you see you can’t slander my son, you all are having a meeting to discuss what to do next? Let me tell you, don’t think that just causing a scene will be the end of it. I won’t let this go!”

“All the negative impact on the art exhibition and that slap from Ning Xing just now, you two siblings must compensate us for everything! Otherwise, I will definitely hire a lawyer to sue you!” Wen Wen said aggressively.

Ye Leyao was once again shocked by Wen Wen’s shamelessness. Seeing her like this, he found her very familiar:

[Is this… being a bully under someone’s protection? Isn’t Wen Wen a bit too much?]

Mama Huo: “Pfft—”

I must say, Ye Leyao’s description is as accurate as always!

Huo Ze pulled Ning Xu aside, whispering something to him.

Ye Leyao leaned over to eavesdrop and just caught the word “reporting to the police,” instantly feeling relieved.

[I didn’t expect that this eccentric esports kid actually has some sense? Thinking of calling the police; he’s making progress, not bad!]

[Before, seeing him so edgy, I thought he was heading towards being a goth kid!]

Huo Ze: “…”

You have the guts to complain in your heart, but not to my face!

And, no matter how edgy this esports kid is, he’s not as much of a second-dimension nerd as you are, you otaku!

Although surprised and confused by what Huo Ze said, Ning Xu chose to trust him unconditionally. He took his phone and went with Ning Xing to the side to call the police.

Huo Ze’s phone buzzed, and his friend sent over the information just then.

In a good mood, Huo Ze decided to temporarily ignore Ye Leyao, this two-dimensional nerd.

After all, without Ye Leyao, they might have really lost this season’s playoffs!

Seeing this, Wen Wen suddenly raised her voice: “Junyi, you must teach your Xiao Ze well; don’t let him follow those two black-hearted people and learn bad things!”

Mama Huo, wearing a light smile, retorted, “Don’t worry, my Xiao Ze may have a dark heart, but he wouldn’t do something as unethical as two-timing and scamming money.”

Hitting a sore spot, Wen Wen’s face changed dramatically. She glared viciously at Mama Huo and snorted, “What evidence do you have that my Xiao Wei is two-timing? And… Xiao Xing willingly spent money on my son. As for you, don’t just believe what others say! Be careful not to be deceived!”

“Fortunately,” Mama Huo’s smile remained graceful, “I’ve been smart since I was a kid; hardly anyone can deceive me, unlike you—”

She said, glancing meaningfully at the Zhao father and son.

Zhao Yang and Zhao Wei felt a chill down their spines simultaneously.

Why was Mama Huo looking at them?

Could she have found out something?

Zhao Wei suddenly became nervous, swallowed hard, and couldn’t help but tug at Zhao Yang’s arm, “Dad, maybe we should just let it go…”

“What are you afraid of?!” Zhao Yang lowered his voice, “Your mom doesn’t know! Besides…”

His voice got even quieter, “Those things happened abroad; how could it be managed here? And your mom wasn’t wrong. Anyway, you’ll definitely break up with Ning Xing later, so you might as well get some compensation while you’re still in touch!”

Zhao Wei thought about it and felt that Zhao Yang made sense. His well-planned art exhibition had been ruined by Ning Xing and Ning Xu. Without some compensation, how could he continue his studies abroad afterward?

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, settled down for a moment. Zhao Wei then thought of something: “But what about these people…”

Seeing this, Zhao Yang turned to the security guards and said, “What are you standing there for? Get them all out! If anyone dares to take another picture, smash their equipment!”

His words instantly sparked anger among the crowd. The people who came to see the art exhibition were all prominent figures in the art world, and the live stream audience exploded:

—”This guy must be seriously ill!”

—”Just try to smash it!”

—”If I were the streamer, I’d lie down right now and see what they dare do!”

The security guards, hearing this, felt as speechless as the audience on the live stream.

Each of them was just an ordinary worker earning a regular salary, not one of those expensive bodyguards. Don’t expect them to put in more effort than their pay is worth!

So, the audience in the live stream heard the voices of the security guards:

“You all just step back a bit, don’t crowd too much. If someone accidentally steps on your foot, it’s going to hurt yourself, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, yeah, over there in the corner, you get a clearer shot!”

“It’s just taking a picture; it won’t cost you anything. They’re making a big fuss, but since they’re being so unreasonable, you all cooperate a bit.”

“How could you not hear clearly? It’s quiet in the exhibition hall now. If you really can’t hear, go to the surveillance room. My colleague is there. Give them my name, and you can watch the surveillance…”

Ye Leyao was almost dying of laughter:

[Uncle Security, well done!]

[Exactly, it’s just taking a picture; it won’t hurt anyone. Why are they so stingy and refusing to let anyone take pictures?]

As if hearing Ye Leyao’s thoughts, the streamer’s hand shook, and the camera, which had been aimed at the ground, suddenly swung up, capturing Ye Leyao’s laughing face.

In the sea of “hahaha” comments flooding the live stream, one suddenly stood out:

—”Is that Ye Leyao?”

But unfortunately, this comment was quickly drowned out in the flood of messages.

Inside the exhibition hall.

Zhao Yang and Wen Wen were particularly annoyed at the security guards for their “inaction.”

“If you keep this up, I will complain!” Wen Wen shouted angrily.

The security guards didn’t even look at her.

Wen Wen was furious, scanning the surroundings with her gaze, and finally landing on Mama Huo.

Mama Huo raised an eyebrow slightly.

Then Wen Wen said, “Junyi! Quickly call your bodyguards to help us; help us get rid of this bunch…”

“That won’t do!” Mama Huo interrupted without hesitation.

Wen Wen was stunned, and before she could ask why, Mama Huo explained, “After all, you said it yourself; homosexuals are perverts.” Mama Huo said this with a mock regretful tone, “I suppose you wouldn’t want help from people like us, right?”

Wen Wen was dumbfounded.

Zhao Yang stepped forward and pulled her arm, saying angrily, “We don’t need their help! I have my own way. You wait here, I…”

“Who are Zhao Yang and Zhao Wei?” A stern voice suddenly broke the commotion in the hall.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up.

They saw three police officers in uniform standing at the entrance, their expressions serious.

Zhao Wei’s body suddenly trembled, and he instinctively wanted to turn and hide in the crowd.

Zhao Yang’s expression changed drastically, and he followed Zhao Wei, trying to flee.

Ning Xu suddenly spoke up, pointing at the two of them, “They are. I am the one who reported them.”

The police nodded slightly towards Ning Xu, then turned to Zhao Wei and Zhao Yang, speaking in a voice that was not loud but clear enough for everyone to hear, “We received a real-name report from the public that you two are involved in fraud and the production and distribution of obscene and pornographic videos. Please come with us.”

Zhao Wei’s legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Zhao Yang’s face turned pale, devoid of any color.

Wen Wen looked at the police, then at the father and son, her expression stiffening: “…There must be some mistake, right?”

[How could it be? The police wouldn’t come to arrest someone unless they had solid evidence~~~]

[We were waiting for the police, what were you waiting for?]

Watching the father and son’s pale faces, Ye Leyao felt particularly pleased.

[So, at this point, if we told Wen Wen what her husband really did…]

Before Ye Leyao finished musing, Mama Huo suddenly stepped forward, standing beside Wen Wen, and said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Do you know what kind of obscene videos Zhao Yang and Zhao Wei were distributing?”

Wen Wen turned in disbelief and said, “Do you mean you know…”

Mama Huo smiled warmly and said, “It’s the type of homosexual videos you despise the most.”

Wen Wen’s body shook, showing a deeply shocked expression. She screamed, “Impossible—”

Footnotes:

• 1
  A woman who accompanies a gay man as an escort to a social occasion, in order to help conceal his homosexuality is called beard.