Chapter 9: Reputation Precedes  

Xia Nanxing went on a deletion spree, swiftly blocking and removing all of Lu Huaijin’s contact information.  

From phone numbers to WeChat, and across several major social media platforms, Xia Nanxing didn’t mind the hassle—she methodically purged him from every account.  

Once everything was clean, she exhaled in relief. “Ah, the world feels so much fresher now.”  

Xia Wenbo and Lu Jiashu stood by the hospital bed, watching in stunned silence as Xia Nanxing hung up the call and busily navigated through app after app to erase Lu Huaijin.  

In the past, even when Xia Nanxing had been driven to tears, she’d never resorted to blocking and deleting.  

This time was truly different.  

Xia Wenbo pressed his lips together, thinking to himself: *She must’ve been pushed to her limit this time.*  

The person she loved had made their relationship public—but not with her. Even he would be furious in her shoes.  

Anger was good. Anger could help curb that *love brain* of hers.  

Xia Wenbo decided to be bold for once. Gambling that his sister wouldn’t retaliate the next time her *love brain* flared up, he promptly liked her post, took a screenshot, and shared it on his own Moments, declaring Xia Nanxing’s newfound single status to the world.  

With her little brother and best friend leading the charge, likes and comments flooded Xia Nanxing’s post in an instant—chaos in the best way.  

Xia Nanxing rolled her eyes. “Hah—so it’s not that no one saw it. They were all just lurking for drama?”  

“Eight different group chats have @‘ed me asking what your post means,” Xia Wenbo said, waving his phone in front of her.  

The most notorious *love brain* in the *Capital circle* had finally come to her senses—how could that *not* be breaking news?  

Lu Jiashu chimed in, “Plenty of people have DMed me too.”  

Everyone who’d attended Lu Huaijin’s birthday party had seen him escort Xia Nanxing to the hospital. Naturally, they were all scrambling for firsthand gossip.  

Xia Nanxing gritted her teeth. “So many people just waiting to laugh at me, huh?”  

“Haven’t you given them enough material over the years? You’re the eldest daughter of the Xia family—if you *still* went crawling back to Lu Huaijin after this, I’d never let you live it down,” Lu Jiashu said bluntly.  

“Almost forgot about *you*, you snake. You’re the one who enjoys my misery the most.” Xia Nanxing jabbed a finger toward the door. “Get out. You’re annoying.”  

Lu Jiashu scoffed. “You—! After I was the one who brought you to the hospital—”  

“I didn’t *need* you. My brother’s here. You’re not a doctor, so stop acting like you did me some huge favor. Go back and suck up to your dad before you end up as Lu Huaijin’s stepping stone. *Then* I’d really die laughing.”  

As the saying goes, *truth hurts*.  

With words that sharp, an argument was inevitable.  

Xia Wenbo, long accustomed to their bickering, didn’t even bother mediating. Instead, he kept his head down, typing furiously to reinforce Xia Nanxing’s declaration of moving on.  

Mid-reply, he suddenly looked up, eyes wide. “Sis… President Qin just liked your post.”  

The room fell silent. Lu Jiashu frowned. “Which President Qin? Qin Heming?”  

“Who else? I even checked—it’s definitely him.” Xia Wenbo tensed. “The Xia and Lu families haven’t pissed him off recently… right?”

“Who dares to offend him? His methods are ruthless. Ten years ago, when our families banded together, we could still compete with the Qins. Now, everyone avoids crossing his path.” Lu Jiashu said with concern, “I’ll call Lu Huaijin and ask. He’s recently been working on a project with the Qin Corporation—maybe he accidentally offended President Qin somewhere along the way.”

“Honestly, you two are unbelievable. Must you jump to so many conclusions? Couldn’t Qin Heming just be laughing at me?” Xia Nanxing corrected them. “Besides, he’s not as bad as you make him out to be. Given the Qin family’s circumstances, if he weren’t ruthless, wouldn’t he have been devoured by others?”

She was absolutely certain Qin Heming was laughing at her.

Xia Wenbo disagreed. “Sis, you’re too naive to say President Qin isn’t that bad. A man who makes everyone pale at the mention of his name, known for his ruthless tactics, wouldn’t stoop to such petty amusement.”

Lu Jiashu chimed in, “Sometimes, I really don’t feel like talking to people like you who think looks equal righteousness.”

Xia Nanxing wanted to argue but couldn’t find solid ground.  

After all, when she had pursued Lu Huaijin back then, her excuse had been that he was too handsome—she’d fallen for him at first sight.  

Even though Xia Nanxing couldn’t stand Lu Huaijin now, she couldn’t deny his looks. That face of his was truly top-tier, especially when he was 18 and wearing his school uniform—handsome enough to outshine the heavens. There were very few in this world who could rival Lu Huaijin in looks and demeanor.  

And wouldn’t you know it, Qin Heming was one of them.  

Precisely because Qin Heming was so ridiculously good-looking, her words lost all credibility.  

With too many past scandals to explain away, Xia Nanxing refused to back down. She pointed at Lu Jiashu and declared, “Just you wait.”  

She picked up her phone, opened Qin Heming’s WeChat, and typed directly: [Are you laughing at me?]  

Qin Heming, who had just been liking her moments, replied instantly: [Yeah.]  

“See? See? He *is* laughing at me! I told you I was right!”  

Triumphant, Xia Nanxing shoved the chat log in Lu Jiashu’s face.  

With the evidence staring her in the face, Lu Jiashu had nothing to say.  

But two seconds later, it dawned on Xia Nanxing—wasn’t it a bit silly to brag so loudly about being laughed at?  

Her smile vanished instantly, and she awkwardly went back to her phone, pretending nothing had happened.  

Xia Wenbo was stunned. “Wait, Sis, you’re *that* bold? You just straight-up asked him. And more importantly, President Qin actually replied. He doesn’t seem like the type to have time for this.”  

Even a single-word reply like “Yeah” felt like Qin Heming was stooping to her level.  

Xia Wenbo had assumed a big shot like Qin Heming had transcended such trivial human tendencies. Turns out, he wasn’t immune after all.  

With genuine sincerity, Xia Wenbo said, “Sis, your reputation is even bigger than I thought.”  

“I know what I’m doing. No need for your commentary.”  

Her reputation preceded her—some good, some bad. Xia Nanxing could guarantee that right now, it wasn’t good. In fact, it was probably a little rotten.