"Did you hear? Boss Su persecuted a couple, someone's already gone to confront him!"
"Really? But I heard he bullied two beautiful ladies in the city and caused public outrage. They say his shop's been surrounded!"
"Bullshit! I heard he betrayed two women and got them stabbed to death by an angry mob…"
"But… 'Wang Quan Fugui' doesn't sound like a girl's name, does it?"
A bystander eating melon seeds voiced his confusion, and the crowd fell silent for a moment.
One old woman who had been arguing the loudest said, "Why not? 'Fugui'er' sounds just like the name of a rich young lady! Maybe those people were just hired actors…"
Hu Tao, who was among the crowd, was completely lost. She turned to Zhongli and whispered, "What kind of wicked thing did Su Han do this time? Everyone's talking about it, and each story sounds crazier than the last."
They were already on the forty-sixth version. Even advertisements weren't spread this wildly.
Zhongli's lips curved slightly. "Judging by common reason, this must be a misunderstanding. Perhaps if we visit Su Han, we'll learn the truth."
"You're right! Let's go! If we're late, we might miss the best part of the gossip!"
Hu Tao dashed off, afraid she'd miss the juiciest scene.
Meanwhile, next door to Su Han's Yujing Terrance branch, Cloud Retainer frowned at the noisy crowd.
"What are these mortals squabbling about? How could that child Su Han persecute anyone? This must be slander! Don't you agree, Ping?"
Madame Ping, who had just emerged from seclusion, smiled faintly. "A misunderstanding, yes, but not the kind you're imagining. Since you enjoy a bit of spectacle, why not watch it unfold for yourself?"
"You have a point. This immortal shall return soon!"
After all, it wasn't just mortals who loved gossip, immortals did too. Without it, the endless years would be unbearably dull.
…
By now, a huge crowd had gathered in front of Su Han's shop.
The shopkeeper, seeing that business was at a standstill, was forced to step outside. Bowing slightly to the tearful young ladies, he said, "Ladies, please calm down. If there's something wrong, we can talk it out. My boss won't run away. If he truly did something wrong, tell us and let everyone hear it…"
The already emotional women grew furious at his words.
"Your boss is utterly despicable!"
"That's right! Poor Qing Tong and Wang Quan Fugui! How could he drive them to their deaths?"
"They finally found happiness, and he just had to ruin it! A few harsh words weren't enough, he sent hundreds of people to beat them! They were defenseless!"
Nearby merchants, hearing this, grew even more excited.
So Boss Su wasn't even human anymore, he was destroying evidence now!
How much did he hate that couple to hire hundreds to attack them? Utterly shameless!
Some business rivals whom Su Han had refused to cooperate with even paid their men to spread wild rumors. If they couldn't make money, they might as well see Su Han's shop go under.
Because some people were like that, seeing others succeed made them more miserable than losing money themselves.
The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. When had his boss ever sunk so low?
As far as he remembered, his boss was a supreme expert. If he disliked someone, a snap of his fingers would turn them to dust, why would he need hundreds of people?
"Wait… isn't there some misunderstanding here?"
"Step aside. I'll handle this."
The shopkeeper was about to question further when Su Han himself finally came out.
He had no choice, if he didn't, who knew what kind of monster the rumors would turn him into!
The moment the main culprit appeared, the girls became even more agitated.
Meanwhile, the envious neighboring bosses silently prayed that the girls would just tear Su Han apart.
"Boss Su, you're finally out! Tell us, why did you persecute Qing Tong and Wang Quan Fugui?"
"Yeah! Speak up! You can't leave until you explain yourself!"
"How could you be so cruel? Qing Tong and her lover had it so hard! It wasn't enough to stab them in reality yet you had to break their hearts again in the story! A thousand arrows pierced their hearts!"
"Wuwu… stop it, sisters! Just thinking about that chapter makes me cry again…"
On the rooftop, the immortals who were about to descend to defend Su Han froze mid-air when they heard that last part.
"Wait… did she say… manga?"
They blinked in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the girls below were passionately discussing the tragic love story from the comic.
Of course, most of their conversation still involved cursing Su Han.
But as they talked, the crowd began to realize the truth, these women weren't avenging real lovers.
They were angry because of a story.
It wasn't about an evil capitalist hurting people, it was about fictional lovers in a manga.
The realization killed the gossip a bit, but hearing the girls talk so excitedly, the onlookers grew curious.
What kind of comic could make so many women cry like this?
After listening for a while, Su Han couldn't help laughing. He turned to the crowd and said, "About Wang Quan Fugui and Qing Tong, don't worry, there will be follow-ups. Since you like them so much, consider this a small bonus. I'll give you a tiny spoiler…"
The crowd went silent.
Su Han smiled faintly. "Wang Quan Fugui didn't die right away. There's still more to his and Qing Tong's story. And I promise, every couple will get their happy ending."
At that, the girls squealed with joy.
Their biggest fear was another tragic "love that could not be," but now that Boss Su himself had promised, they could finally rest easy!
Overjoyed, one bold fangirl suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.
Seeing that, the others' eyes lit up, that was allowed? They rushed in immediately!
Su Han was stunned.
He'd never expected to be mobbed by his own fans!
While the girls eagerly kissed him, the nearby bachelors ground their molars to dust in frustration.
That damn Su Han... wasn't it enough that he was rich? Now he had the girls too? How could they not hate him!
It took an entire stick of incense before Su Han finally escaped the mob of adoring fans.
By then, his face was covered in lipstick marks.
Worst of all, someone had even tried to tear his clothes, utterly shameless! Doing that in broad daylight!
When he fled back to his courtyard, Hu Tao took one look at him and burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face.
"Hahaha! Zhongli, look at him! Su Han's face is covered in kisses! I knew those girls wouldn't let him go!"
"The Hall Master is indeed correct," Zhongli said with a faint smile. "But this also proves, from another perspective, that Brother Su's new manga is yet another masterpiece."
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