The next morning.

While Rao Linchang was still in a deep sleep, dreaming of playing chess with the Duke of Zhou, the cameraman quietly snuck into his bedroom with a camera on his shoulder.

The bedroom, softly lit by a warm-toned lamp, was completely silent, and the cameraman made sure to walk as quietly as possible.

【(whispering) As we all know, the comments can breathe.】

【(whispering even softer) Then why are you whispering?】

【(super softly) I don’t want to wake up my darling Chang Chang, what about you?!】

【(sign language) Same here!!!】

【You’re the real pro.】

After finding a hidden spot in the corner of the room, the cameraman finally focused the lens on Rao Linchang’s face.

In the warm glow of the light, the young man lay on his side, sleeping sweetly and innocently.

His eyes were tightly closed, with fine, messy black hair softly scattered across his pale cheeks and the pillow. The lower half of his face was tucked under the blanket.

As the camera zoomed in, his closed eyes looked like two crescent moons, beneath which were thick, raven-like lashes, gently fluttering with his soft breaths.

They resembled two butterflies, poised to take flight, stirring one’s heart for no reason at all.

【What kind of divine angle is this?!】

【I’m freaking out!! The cameraman totally gets us!!!】

【Who else gets this, fam?! I was lying in bed, opened Chang Chang baby’s livestream, and now I’m face-to-face with his sleeping face!!】

【I feel you, I feel you! This has to be a reward for all the poor souls who have early 8 AM classes. So, rounding up, it’s like Chang Chang baby slept in my arms last night!!!】

【I don’t care, I don’t care!! I’m an adult, so I’m kissing him first! (kissing like crazy) (kissing like crazy) (kissing like crazy)】

【Honestly, I don’t get why you all are being so irrational. This is just Director Gao’s way of trying to please me, nothing about it is making me swoon. (puts on pants) (lights cigarette) (takes a deep drag) (exhales slowly) (ah, that feels great!)】

【??? Why did I just get hit by a car the moment I entered???】

While the chat was still going wild, with everyone “driving,” a sudden “click” of a door opening interrupted the frenzy.

In the next second, Song Linxuan tiptoed into the frame.

【Ahhhhh!!! Abort! Abort! Abort!!!】

【The production team is out of control! How can they just let an Alpha guest walk into an Omega’s room? How is this any different from a guy barging into a girl’s room?!】

【Exactly! Get this guy out of here now!!】

【Damn it, Song Linxuan, if you dare lay a finger on my precious Chang Chang, I swear I’ll curse you with a lifetime of impotence!!!】

Rao Linchang, still dreaming, was pulled back from the Duke of Zhou’s realm by a faint sound.

Before he could open his eyes, he felt the mattress beside him sink under some weight.

Not fully awake yet, he assumed it was Tan Yue and was about to mumble “Tan Doggie” when suddenly, a strong waft of perfume hit him.

The scent was overpowering and flashy—definitely not something Tan Yue would wear.

Realizing this, Rao Linchang furrowed his brow and snapped his eyes open.

And there he saw—

Song Linxuan was puckering his unsightly lips, leaning in towards him!

Rao Linchang, who already wasn’t fond of physical contact, felt a jolt of alarm the moment he opened his eyes to this sobering scene. His scalp tingled instantly.

Without thinking, he swung a slap with full force!

Smack—!!!

A sharp, loud slap landed right on Song Linxuan’s face.

Both Song Linxuan and the cameraman were left completely stunned.

Even the barrage of comments fell silent, too shocked by the brilliant scene to keep typing.

“You… you dare hit me!” After snapping out of his daze, Song Linxuan clutched his face, staring at Rao Linchang in disbelief.

Rao Linchang usually wasn’t the type to wake up in a bad mood.

But now, he felt like a ball of fire, burning with rage.

Without a word, he threw off the blanket, stretched out his long, lean legs, and kicked Song Linxuan square in the chest.

Caught off guard, Song Linxuan was sent crashing to the floor.

It wasn’t until he felt the sharp pain in his rear that Song Linxuan finally realized—this guy really had the nerve to hit him!

“Rao Linchang! Are you crazy?” Even sitting on the floor, Song Linxuan maintained an arrogant expression. “Do you know who I am? How dare you hit me! Do you have any idea what I’ll—Wha—?!”

“I don’t give a damn who you are!” Rao Linchang, now furious beyond reason, was seeing red at Song Linxuan’s audacity.

Rao Linchang got out of bed, and without hesitation, delivered another hard slap to Song Linxuan’s face. “Since your mother never taught you not to barge into other people’s rooms, your grandpa here will teach you a lesson!”

“You son of a—!” Song Linxuan was enraged by Rao Linchang’s second unrelenting slap, especially with the lingering resentment from yesterday’s humiliation.

Unable to hold back, Song Linxuan clenched his fist and swung it toward Rao Linchang’s face!

Seeing this sleazy fool daring to fight back, Rao Linchang was even more fired up, determined to hit him harder.

In an instant, the two of them were tangled in a brawl.

The cameraman, finally snapping out of his shock, realized how fast things had escalated and rushed to put down the camera to break up the fight.

【I… my… god! What just happened!!】

【Uhh… am I allowed to talk about this? Are the haters at work yet???】

【Thanks for asking, I’ve already screen recorded it and posted it on Weibo. Get ready to be slammed by the whole internet, you uncivilized madman.】

【You call that uncivilized? Well, I hope next time someone tries to kiss you without permission, you’ll happily offer your lips for them to chew on!】

【Since the haters are here, I gotta say it: Chang Chang baby is so handsome! Well done!!!】

【Wuwuwu, I feel so bad for my princess Chang Chang. He was just defending his own rights, and you stupid haters have no reason to attack him!!!】

【Mindless haters, that’s what these idiots are. No matter what someone does, it’s always wrong in their eyes.】

【Who’s mindless here? Song Linxuan was just doing the task given by the director. If Rao Linchang didn’t want to cooperate, he could’ve left the show, why did he have to hit someone?!】

【To hell with the director’s task! Open your dog eyes and look at what Jie Rui and Tong Kaiyi are doing next door!!】

【Sister water army, come quickly!! Our precious Chang Chang is being horribly wronged!!】

【Editing the video, don’t panic. We’re always here.】

Five minutes later.

Both Rao Linchang and Song Linxuan were brought before Director Gao.

Director Gao looked at Rao Linchang, who had no visible injuries but was still clearly simmering with anger, then at Song Linxuan, whose face was bruised and swollen with rage.

He had no idea where to begin.

Finally, it was Song Linxuan who broke the silence first, saying, “Director Gao, as a representative of the investors, I demand you replace Rao Linchang.”

Yes, the phones used on the show were sponsored by Song Linxuan’s family’s company, with a sponsorship of ten million yuan.

In a dating show, that kind of investment was no small deal.

After saying that, Song Linxuan immediately assumed a lofty posture, looking down at Rao Linchang as if he were waiting for him to beg for mercy.

But Rao Linchang merely raised an eyebrow and smirked, “If Young Master Song didn’t get enough of a beating, I can gladly throw in a few more punches.”

Seeing that Rao Linchang was still so defiant despite being on the verge of ruin, Song Linxuan turned back to Director Gao and said, “Director, if you replace him, I’ll add another five million to the investment.”

Director Gao parted his lips, but before he could speak, Rao Linchang cut in, “Is Young Master Song a dog? You seem to enjoy throwing your weight around.”

Furious, Song Linxuan let out a cold, angry laugh. “Rao Linchang, you really are one stubborn bastard, aren’t you? Fine.”

Song Linxuan turned to Director Gao again, raising his stakes. “Ten million! Director, I’ll invest another ten million. Just get this eyesore of an idiot out of here.”

To be honest, if it had been any other Omega contestant in opposition to Song Linxuan today, Director Gao wouldn’t have hesitated to take the ten million and boot the troublesome person off the show.

But the person in question happened to be Rao Linchang.

And who was Rao Linchang?

Some washed-up, irrelevant minor celebrity?

No, no, no—he was the legitimate spouse on the marriage certificate of the show’s real backer!

And who was that backer?

Back when no platform dared to buy his show, it was Rao Linchang’s sponsor who saw its potential, providing him with a live-streaming platform and investing heavily to secure exclusive rights for his small program.

Otherwise, forget about two successful seasons—he wouldn’t have even gotten the chance to air it!

So.

Even if the sponsor’s husband—Rao Linchang—slapped Song Linxuan today, it wouldn’t matter. In fact, if he slapped Director Gao himself, he’d be the one kneeling and calling an ambulance, making sure his delicate hands weren’t hurt by his old face.

As Director Gao was thinking about this, Rao Linchang had already stood up from the couch. “Director, don’t miss out on a rich idiot offering you a free ten million.”

He added, “But if you take the money, it can’t count as me breaching my contract. So, kindly transfer yesterday’s paycheck to my account, and I’ll be on my way. Best of luck to you all.”

With that, Rao Linchang gave a casual wave, as if this was no big deal, and turned to leave.

“Hey—” Director Gao wanted to stop Rao Linchang.

But, as usual, he was a beat too late, and Song Linxuan quickly seized the opportunity to speak. “Hold on.”

Rao Linchang tilted his head, looking at him with a smirk. “What’s the matter, pighead?”

Despite the insult, Song Linxuan didn’t get angry. He continued smiling. “Rao Linchang, you don’t actually think you can just waltz out of here after hitting me, do you?”

“And what if I do?” Rao Linchang raised an eyebrow.

“No need to rush off just yet. My company’s legal team will be here any minute.” Song Linxuan’s smile brimmed with malice. “Just wait—I’ll make sure you lose everything you have.”

After a brief pause, he added, “If you can’t afford to pay, this young master might generously allow you to make it up in flesh.”

Rao Linchang was amused by this absurd remark, but his eyes, sharp and clear, were filled with coldness. “Song Linxuan, if I give you face and you don’t appreciate it, I can also learn to use power to pressure people, got it?”

“Laughable.” Song Linxuan, despite the pain in his mouth, burst into laughter. “This is truly the first time in my life that an eighteen-line star is threatening me. Come on, bring all your wealthy backers and have them try to crush me.”

Rao Linchang smirked. “Fine, since you’re asking for it…”

Before he could finish, the door to the temporary reception room was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Director Gao turned his head to see the assistant director rushing in, who then leaned in and whispered, “The legal departments of Run City and Xinghui have arrived.”

Director Gao’s heart sank, and he instinctively stood up.

Two groups of people in suits walked in through the door. One of them was Assistant Chen, whom he was very familiar with—an invaluable aide to the President of Run City.

The other was Secretary Sun, whom he had seen a few times—Secretary to the Chairman of Xinghui.

Neither group was easy to handle, but Director Gao took the initiative to greet Assistant Chen first: “Assistant Chen is here.”

“Hmm, there’s been too much negative online buzz, so I came to understand the artist’s situation,” said Assistant Chen, whose name was Chen Yan. He was a young man with a gentle appearance.

Yet, his deep, penetrating eyes were incredibly sharp, as if they could see right through your inner thoughts.

It made one involuntarily feel a chill inside.

“Ah, sit down, sit down,” Director Gao said, giving up his seat, wiping his cold sweat, and chatting with Secretary Sun.

Once everyone was seated, Rao Linchang, standing in front of everyone, looked like a child being punished.

So, he plopped down in a seat as well.

Of course, with Tan Yue’s assistant here, he wasn’t going to be at a disadvantage!

Today, Chen Yan was determined to teach that clueless Song Linxuan a lesson. If he didn’t, he’d be reporting Tan Yue’s situation to his grandparents!

Song Linxuan didn’t know what Assistant Chen from Run City was here for, but he still gave Secretary Sun a meaningful glance.

Secretary Sun was a formidable woman. Receiving the young master’s signal, her eyes sharpened, and she took the initiative to speak: “Director Gao, based on the video evidence we have collected, Rao Linchang was the first to assault Mr. Song Linxuan and then hired fans to extensively defame him online. Therefore, Xinghui demands that Rao Linchang publicly apologize to Mr. Song via a live video stream, and compensate for defamation, mental anguish, and medical expenses.”

“Otherwise,” Secretary Sun’s gaze narrowed.

The lawyer behind her promptly handed a paper to Rao Linchang.

“We will proceed with legal action,” Secretary Sun directed a threatening look at Rao Linchang.

In her eyes, Rao Linchang, despite having a few wealthy backers, was still insignificant compared to Xinghui.

She didn’t take Rao Linchang seriously at all and was focused on swiftly resolving the issue for the young master.

So she didn’t take Rao Linchang seriously at all.

Her only concern was to resolve the issue quickly for the young master.

“An injury assessment?” Rao Linchang didn’t even touch the paper, merely tilting his head slightly to glance at it.

He then smiled and lifted his sharp, clear eyes. “Excuse me, but how did this pighead get assessed with a minor injury when he hasn’t even been to the hospital?”

“Coincidentally, this hospital was funded and built by my family,” Secretary Sun responded.

Song Linxuan arrogantly pointed to the injury assessment report. “I told you not to provoke me, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re scared, aren’t you? Hmm?”

“I’m so scared, absolutely terrified,” Rao Linchang glanced at Song Linxuan and then turned to Secretary Sun. “Let’s proceed with legal action. My demands are simple: I want Song Linxuan to apologize publicly across the entire internet and compensate me for all my losses. Lastly…”

Rao Linchang glanced at the name on the injury assessment report. “Shu Yun Hospital, right? If it’s closed down, that’s fine. I want the hospital director and the morally bankrupt doctors who issued this assessment to apologize via a video, and have that video displayed on every public screen in the hospital for a year.”

Director Gao thought to himself, a public execution would be kinder than just closing down the hospital.

Secretary Sun responded with a scornful smile to Rao Linchang’s demands.

It seemed this minor celebrity still didn’t realize the kind of person he had provoked.

To dare to ask her for compensation in return was audacious.

Song Linxuan couldn’t stop laughing. “Rao Linchang, have you lost your mind? How dare you—”

Before he could finish, Assistant Chen, seated respectfully on the main sofa, spoke with calm authority. “Alright, Mr. Rao.”

Secretary Sun: ?

Song Linxuan was stunned. “Assistant Chen, what did you just say?”

Director Gao appeared calm on the surface but was internally lighting a candle for Song Linxuan.

Assistant Chen opened the black file in front of him and pushed it towards Secretary Sun. “This is the compensation amount your company is required to pay Mr. Rao Linchang.”

He then opened a blue file and pushed it towards Song Linxuan. “This is the compensation amount Mr. Song Linxuan is required to pay Mr. Rao Linchang.”

Secretary Sun didn’t even glance at the files and stared directly at Assistant Chen. “What does this mean, Assistant Chen?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Rao Linchang flashed a smile, revealing his cute little fang-like teeth. “Didn’t Young Master Song ask me to find my wealthy backers? Well, Run City Group is my backer.”

Director Gao struggled to suppress his laughter.

Husband or not, calling him a backer was amusing.

Young couples really know how to play.

“Who are you trying to scare?” Song Linxuan shoved the file in front of him angrily. “If you really had the backing of Run City, you’d be a top-tier star by now, not some no-name minor celebrity!”

Rao Linchang pushed the file back towards Song Linxuan, shrugging innocently. “It’s not my fault. My backer at Run City Group is just a janitor; he doesn’t have the money to make me a top star.”

Assistant Chen: ?

The president is a janitor???

The situation was too absurd for him to even imagine.

Rao Linchang continued, “If this makes you think that I’m an easy target just because I’m a minor celebrity, then next time, remember to lift your dog eyes a bit higher. Don’t look down on people just because you’re short. Got it, Young Master Song?”

Song Linxuan slammed the table in anger. “Who the hell are you calling a dog—”

Rao Linchang angrily slapped Song Linxuan’s face. “Young Master Song, in a law-abiding society, we should be civilized and polite. Don’t use such vulgar language; it’s not appropriate. Understand?”

“You!” Song Linxuan was furious beyond words.

Rao Linchang’s eyes turned cold.

The young man didn’t adopt any fierce expression, and his lips even carried a faint, shallow smile.

Yet, because of the chill in his gaze, his entire demeanor became sharply intimidating, as if he had transformed into a different person.

Song Linxuan involuntarily shivered.

He had initially thought that Rao Linchang was just a naive and easily manipulated pushover.

But now…

This wasn’t a little white rabbit at all; this was clearly a formidable snow fox!

Seeing that Song Linxuan had fallen silent, Rao Linchang lost interest as well.

He turned to look at Chen Yan. “Assistant Chen, can you handle this?”

Chen Yan stood up. “Mr. Rao, don’t worry. I will handle it properly.”

“Then I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to pack my things,” Rao Linchang said, and with that, he turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he turned back and added, “Oh, right.”

Assistant Chen, who was about to sit down, immediately stood up straight.

Rao Linchang extended his reddened hand towards Chen Yan. “Young Master Song’s face made my hand turn red. Make sure to get compensation for this.”

Song Linxuan: ……..

Damn it!

Assistant Chen nodded. “Mr. Rao, don’t worry. I won’t overlook any of the compensation required.”

Rao Linchang didn’t say anything more; he simply nodded and left.

Seeing that the backer’s mood had clearly soured and was about to give up, Director Gao hurriedly went after him.