I’m Keeping the Overbearing CEO After He Went Bankrupt [Rebirth] 22

Chapter 22: Qingbao Wipes His Hands

By the time Chu Qing returned to the waiting room, his entire face was burning hot.

He patted his cheeks.

After an hour’s wait, once the votes from the judges and the audience were counted, the contestants were called back to the stage to receive their awards.

As expected, Chu Qing once again won first place, a well-deserved victory.

Those who disliked Chu Qing couldn’t say much; any criticism seemed pale and weak. After all, it was truly good, the adaptation was too brilliant. At most, they could bring up a few lines about Chu Qing’s dark past or express their dissatisfaction on behalf of An Zuo.

And the second place went to Li Tian.

His singing score was on the lower side, but his adaptation score was just a little short of surpassing Chu Qing’s, so he secured second place, even pulling a significant distance ahead of the third-place winner, Jiao Changxu.

XXX: Congratulations to Chu Qing, congratulations to Teacher Chu for winning first and second place today. Teacher Chu is so amazing! [doge face]

XXX: Tian Tian is amazing! We will protect you, don’t be afraid! You deserve it! We will walk the flower road with Tian Tian

XXX: Tian Tian’s fans above, are you sick? Are you blind or disabled?

Originally, the bullet comments were all focused on cursing Chu Qing, but now Li Tian had suddenly become a new target, shielding Chu Qing from public opinion.

Because Li Tian’s fans had been constantly pushing the “depression” persona, and because the show had already gone viral due to Chu Qing, Li Tian’s depression attracted a lot of attention from the outside world.

Many passersby and outsiders, including those big V’s and public figures, came to watch out of curiosity, and then felt that Li Tian didn’t seem like a depression patient at all. They felt he was using depression as a shield, damaging the reputation of depression, and so they all started cursing Li Tian in order to defend depression patients.

[T.N:Big V’s: This is a term used in China to refer to verified, influential accounts on social media platforms like Weibo, similar to a “blue check” on Twitter. These accounts often have a large following and can significantly influence public opinion.]

@ALittleDog_v: Depression is not something certain A-listers can casually use to solidify their fan base or milk fans for sympathy. Please don’t bring this group into the fan circle, and please don’t tarnish the reputation of people with depression, thank you.

@PsychologistZhangWang: I saw someone tag me, so I’ll say a few words. There are many types of depression patients, and I can’t definitively say that Li Tian is not one. It’s just that the common condition for most patients is fatigue and a loss of interest in the outside world. I don’t know what Mr. Li is like off-camera, but his performance on-camera is indeed very energetic.

But what I want to say is, even if you are a depression patient, you cannot use this as a weapon to hurt others, or even to convey such a negative message to the public on camera. In doing so, even if you are a patient, you are also hurting and offending other patients. This is my personal opinion.

Some were sincere, while others were just trying to ride the wave of popularity and cultivate a “caring for the vulnerable” persona. One by one, they all came to step on Li Tian.

Li Tian had originally just wanted to casually play up a persona, but now he had touched on a sensitive topic he shouldn’t have, causing the matter to snowball. Originally, it was just a small circle, which was easy to fool, but once it was brought onto the social stage, with everyone analyzing and discussing it together, they quickly determined that Li Tian was not a patient and collectively attacked him.

Everyone’s slogan was—since he likes to pretend to be a depression patient so much, then we’ll make him depressed : )

After the rankings were announced and Chu Qing was given a small gold medal, he didn’t participate in the celebration banquet; after all, it wasn’t mandatory. He accepted everyone’s congratulations and then quickly returned to the dormitory.

Curled up in his blanket, Chu Qing scrolled through his phone and saw that his related topics were all about An Zuo, likely stirred up by Li Tian’s fans, but it had mostly been brought under control.

After all, Chu Qing had now attracted new fans, and Starry Sky was protecting him very tightly, doing a perfect job of controlling the comments.

Chu Qing felt a little helpless as he looked at the comments saying he had insulted An Zuo and that they were waiting for An Zuo to diss him.

Chu Qing was certain that his Uncle An Zuo would absolutely not attack him as the netizens were saying…

Ding-dong!

Just then, a notification came from Weibo.

@AnZuo has tagged you…

Chu Qing: “???”

No way??

Chu Qing clicked on it in disbelief, and then…

Alright then.

@AnZuo: Not bad! As expected of you! /wink @ChuQing_Teal

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Chu Qing casually liked and reposted it.

And then… everyone exploded.

XXX: wtf?? wtf??? Am I dreaming? What did I just see!! What the f*ck did I just see??!

XXX: Oh my god! Teacher An Zuo, who hasn’t posted in a million years, actually posted?! And… he knows Chu Qing?

XXX: Ahhhhhh Teacher Chu is so amazing!! As expected, the friends of big shots are also big shots!! Even Teacher An Zuo approves of Teacher Chu’s talent! Teacher Chu is our pride!

XXX: erm… I just want to ask now, do the faces of those who were pessimistic and Li Tian’s fans hurt?

XXX: Was Teacher An Zuo’s account hacked? Heh, don’t tell me that Chu Qing even climbed into Teacher An Zuo’s bed?

XXX: Whoa, look, Li Tian’s fans have gone crazy. They’re even daring to curse Teacher An Zuo just to diss Chu Qing. Respect. Just wait for the music and opera circles to come and tear you apart

Chu Qing scrolled through these comments, a little surprised.

He hadn’t expected that the negative comments targeting him were getting fewer and fewer.

Chu Qing propped up his chin, not understanding what he had done to suddenly make people like him.

Perhaps, as Huo Li had said, showcasing his strengths was the easiest way to clear his name.

Chu Qing smiled, didn’t look anymore, and just put down his phone, lying lazily in his blanket, taking out the Rubik’s Cube to play with.

Watching the blocks being arranged into the same color and then scrambled again, the colors swirling, and the “click-clack” sound from the friction as it turned, Chu Qing felt a sense of satisfaction, and his mood calmed down, as he continued to turn it mechanically.

After playing for so many years, Chu Qing could solve it in about ten seconds, without even needing to look, as accustomed to it as breathing.

“Is it that fun?”

Chu Qing was startled. He turned his head and saw that Huo Li had already climbed in through the window at some point and was standing by his bed.

Startled so suddenly, the cube in Chu Qing’s hand fell off the bed. Chu Qing became even more nervous, anxiously scrambling down and fumbling to pick it up.

“Don’t move, don’t move,” Huo Li stopped Chu Qing, coaxing him. “I’ll get it for you.”

Only after getting the cube back did Chu Qing let out a sigh of relief and put it away.

Huo Li frowned slightly but didn’t ask any more questions.

He had consulted a doctor before, who had said that this was normal, that some people would use an object as a source of comfort.

Looking at how old and worn the cube was, it must have been something he had for many years.

After putting away the cube, Chu Qing realized he wasn’t wearing his gloves and immediately started to panic, looking for them.

“Qingbao.”

Huo Li took Chu Qing’s wrist and said gently, “Sit down. Don’t look for them.”

“I…”

“Sit down.”

Chu Qing frowned. After sitting down, he wanted to hide his hands behind his back.

But Huo Li grabbed his hand, holding that hand with its rough, broken skin. “I came today to put medicine on you.”

Huo Li shook the tube of ointment in his other hand, frowning. “I’ve been watching you all this time, and I still don’t know when you started scratching again.”

Chu Qing said nothing.

“Be good. Don’t move.”

Huo Li placed Chu Qing’s hand on his own knee, squeezed out a little ointment, and carefully applied it to Chu Qing’s fingers, palm, and the back of his hand.

The ointment was cool, forming a barrier over the wounds.

“Qingbao, if I catch you scratching or tearing at this skin again, I’ll have to punish you.”

Chu Qing paused, then said with his head bowed, “A c-canary can’t… be insubordinate.”

“You’re quite the talker. You’ve really learned to be bad,” Huo Li said, raising an eyebrow. “Then let me put it another way. The next time you scratch, I’ll serve you well.”

“…”

“Be good. Don’t wear gloves at night from now on. I’ll put medicine on you.” Huo Li looked at Chu Qing’s hands, covered in wounds, especially around the nails, his eyes full of heartache. But he didn’t show his emotions, just gently continued to apply the medicine.

“Little Qingbao, you’re a musician. These hands are very precious. Don’t torment them.”

“Are you listening?”

“…Mmm.” Chu Qing turned his head away, feeling a little ashamed to have Huo Li look at his hands so closely.

“Are you done yet…”

Huo Li shook his head. “Feeling embarrassed now? Then will you scratch next time?”

Chu Qing said in a muffled voice, “I don’t want to either.”

Seeing Chu Qing’s low spirits, Huo Li blinked. “Then the next time you can’t control it, you can give me a kiss.”

With that, he added, “I’m not afraid of pain. You can kiss my lips until they’re broken, it’s fine.”

Chu Qing: “…”

“No.”

“Tsk.”