Chapter 142: The Voyeur

Before she knew it, Tong Xiaoya’s eyes were brimming with tears. Su Bai handed her tissue after tissue as her body shook with uncontrollable sobs. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only watch her silently from the side.

After a long while, when Tong Xiaoya had finally let out her bottled-up emotions, she wiped the corners of her eyes and asked in a voice thick with tears, "Do I look hideous when I cry?"

Su Bai shook his head with a gentle smile. He understood that everyone has moments of vulnerability. The strength people display in public is often just a facade. When Yang Mengke had been burned and was hovering between life and death, Su Bai had hidden in the hospital stairwell many times to cry by himself, yet he still had to appear strong and optimistic in front of her. There was no choice; he had to give her hope.

It was the same for Tong Xiaoya. In this world, even if you show how pitiful you are, how many people will truly feel for you? Most will only see your vulnerability as an opportunity to step on you, or they will feign sympathy just to get close and take advantage of you—a classic tactic of scoundrels. People only show their most fragile sides to those they trust the most.

Tong Xiaoya couldn't even remember the last time she had opened up to anyone. Even with her close friends like Yang Mimi, she rarely confided in them because they already knew a fair amount about her situation. Sharing more would only burden them with her negative emotions. It was better to keep it locked away and digest it alone. Yet, meeting Su Bai today had brought her to a breaking point, and she had poured her heart out to him—something she never would have expected. She didn't know why she trusted him so implicitly. Despite having met him only twice, he possessed a sense of calm that put her at ease.

"By the way," Tong Xiaoya wiped her remaining tears and looked at Su Bai, "what brings you to Beijing? I hope I haven't interrupted your plans."

Su Bai had been wondering whom to ask for advice regarding a gift for Elder Han. "There is an elder, a man of great prestige, who did me a huge favor. I only just found out about it, and I want to visit him to pay my respects, but I'm struggling with what kind of gift to bring."

Tong Xiaoya thought for a moment. "I have a nice set of purple clay teapots at home. They’re quite suitable for an elderly person. Why don't you take those? They aren't overly ostentatious, but they show your sincerity."

Su Bai felt a bit hesitant, but Tong Xiaoya insisted, "You've helped me so much today. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Su Bai nodded. After they tidied up a bit, they left the hotel together, heading toward Tong Xiaoya’s home to retrieve the set. As they stepped out, however, Su Bai felt an inexplicable sensation of being watched. Tong Xiaoya immediately noticed his change in demeanor. "What is it, Su Bai?"

Su Bai waved his hand gently. "You get in the car first. Someone is taking pictures. I’ll deal with it and be right back."

As soon as Tong Xiaoya was in the vehicle, Su Bai activated his "Detection" ability. He spotted three people hiding in different, discrete locations, each holding a phone to record them. Had he not possessed this ability, news of him and Tong Xiaoya having a secret rendezvous at a hotel would likely have been trending by tomorrow.

Su Bai moved with lightning speed, appearing before the first person. He held out a hand and said, "Don't make me use force. Hand over the phone." The man tried to argue, but Su Bai snatched the device away and sprinted toward the second target. He repeated the process with all three, eventually tossing them to the ground.

"Speak. Who sent you?" The three men exchanged glances, clearly unwilling to reveal their employer. They assumed that as a public figure, Su Bai would just delete the footage and leave it at that. Su Bai grabbed one of them and slammed him against the wall. "My time is limited. Tell me, who told you to film this?"

The other two watched in shock, unable to believe the raw strength of a mere singer.

"Lin Zifeng!" the man gasped, struggling to breathe.

Su Bai stood expressionless as he took the phones. "Delete everything, one by one!" The men trembled as they scrubbed their devices. When the second person was deleting his files, Su Bai suddenly froze. "Wait." His face turned icy as he snatched the phone back.

Inside the device was a video of Yang Mimi kissing him. "Where did you get this?"

The man stammered, "I... it was filmed by Lin Zifeng."

"Has it been posted anywhere?"

The man shook his head frantically. Under intense questioning, Su Bai finally pieced it together. When he had stepped in as a substitute for Lin Zifeng to film the kissing scene with Yang Mimi, Lin Zifeng had been furious. Lin Zifeng had a habit of secret filming and had recorded the moment. The phone in the man's hand was actually Lin Zifeng's, and Lin Zifeng was currently waiting in a nearby car. These men were just hired hands, and they didn't know if Lin Zifeng had leaked the video or not.

Su Bai took all three phones and headed straight for a black commercial van in the parking lot. With his "Detection" ability, Lin Zifeng had nowhere to hide. Lin Zifeng had been watching Su Bai move toward his hired men and was already fearing they had been compromised. Yet, he held onto a sliver of hope, determined that once he got back, he would destroy Su Bai’s reputation. If the video of Su Bai and Yang Mimi kissing were leaked, followed by the video of him meeting Tong Xiaoya at the hotel, he didn't believe Su Bai could survive the backlash. He would be shredded by netizens.

But as he saw Su Bai walking directly toward his vehicle, his fear became palpable. "Drive! Quickly, drive!" Lin Zifeng urged his driver, but it was too late. Su Bai was already standing in front of the car.