"Are A'Luo and Miss Yin possibly rekindling their old flame? That would be quite unfair to Shen Qiang, wouldn't it?"

"Since we've run into each other so coincidentally, why doesn't Miss Yin explain why she broke up with A'Luo back then?" "You think I'm covering for her?" Luo Xi’s lazy smile vanished from the corner of his lips; his gaze swept over the reporters, cold and laced with mockery. "A minor celebrity about to quit the industry to marry into a wealthy family—does she even warrant stealing my headline?" The reporters were momentarily confused by his meaning. Did he genuinely believe Yin Xiaomo had snatched his camera time by saying that? Impossible! Yin Xiaomo’s heart tightened, and she couldn't help but look toward Luo Xi.

Was he trying to help her out of this mess? Yet, the coldness and disdain in his tone felt like a clamp tightening around her chest.

Luo Xi also glanced at her briefly, as if she were a complete stranger; his eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, just deep and dark in color.

He quickly shifted his gaze away, glanced up at his watch, and arched an eyebrow. "I have to rush to my next engagement; I only have half an hour. Besides, it's too noisy here. Ah... there’s a quiet-looking coffee shop across the street. If you must interview me, please hurry it up, and follow me there."

Just as the reporters exchanged troubled glances between Yin Xiaomo and Luo Xi, unsure who to choose, a chilling voice cut through the crowd: "Luo Xi, everyone has abandoned you—what kind of heartbroken lover are you still trying to play now?"

It was as if he’d been stabbed suddenly. Luo Xi’s complexion instantly turned so pale it seemed translucent! The reporters stared in shock at who dared to disrespect Luo Xi so openly. They saw it was Liu Bao, a veteran entertainment reporter from Explosive Weekly, infamous in the industry, credited with manufacturing numerous scandals.

His most notorious act involved viciously attacking a newly debuted starlet, ruining her reputation so thoroughly that the young woman ultimately committed suicide. He was once beaten so badly—losing several front teeth—for offending a celebrity with underworld connections, yet he never stopped, seemingly addicted to creating sensational dirt, earning him the nickname "Liu the Violent."

While everyone was still stunned into silence, Liu Bao quickly shoved his way in front of Yin Xiaomo and unleashed a barrage of venomous questions—"Yin Xiaomo, your mother was a lounge singer; why have you hidden this fact from the public?" "Are you illegitimate?" "I heard you and your mother were performing in bars around the age of seven—does that make you the so-called 'child prostitute'?" Liu Bao’s small eyes fixed on Yin Xiaomo like a viper’s! Yin Xiaomo fought back the sharp pain in her heart. When that reporter suddenly attacked Luo Xi verbally, his momentary, fragile stiffness had cracked the fortress she had built around her heart for Xiao Cheng.

However, as the reporter turned his fire onto her with a string of attacks, her expression instantly turned to frost.

She looked at the reporter coldly.

She recognized him. During the An Huini incident, he had repeatedly used vile language and personal insults against her; he had been the primary source of muckraking from the media at that time. And even after the truth of the An Huini affair came to light, this reporter seemed unsatisfied with his ultimate failure in the court of public opinion, choosing to mock and sneer at her whenever they met.

"No comment. Please step aside!" Yin Xiaomo stated flatly, straightening her back, attempting to stride past Liu Bao.

All the reporters were startled. Few celebrities dared to ignore Liu Bao’s malice. Liu Bao himself faltered in surprise and abruptly grabbed Yin Xiaomo’s arm, a sharp, needle-like darkness flickering in his eyes.

"Don't walk away! Did I get it wrong? Oh, right, right, your birth mother wasn't a lounge singer! She must have been—a prostitute—that's it, hehehehe..." Summer of Foam III