"No need," Tang Yumeng shook her head and said, "Doing that would only give off a sense of protesting too much. Don't mind those rumors. They'll fade away if they're ignored long enough."

"Okay," Xiao Xue nodded, but she knew that if the rumors kept spreading, they would have an extremely negative impact on Tang Yumeng's reputation. Xiao Xue was somewhat annoyed, yet there was nothing she could do since Tang Yumeng had given an order.

Lin Chuan strolled into the City Committee at ten o'clock, completely at ease.

The security guard at the door saw Lin Chuan and hurriedly said, "Oh… Young Master Lin is here, come on, have a cigarette."

"Uh…" Lin Chuan was taken aback, when had this bunch of bastards become so attentive? They used to look at him with disdain, and now they actually called him Young Master Lin and even offered him cigarettes? Were pigs flying? Lin Chuan took the cigarette and said, "Okay, thanks."

The security guard also lit the cigarette for Lin Chuan, watching him as he entered the City Committee building.

"Damn, really acting like a big shot?" The security guard at the door glared at Lin Chuan and cursed, "Motherfucker, just a pretty boy, right? A gigolo kept by someone."

"Would you like it if you were kept?" Another security guard asked with a laugh.

"Like it? A thousand times over."

"Me too…" The other security guard laughed shamelessly.

Lin Chuan was in a good mood today, his career was going well lately, and that bastard Long Wu hadn't been looking for trouble. So, Lin Chuan always felt pretty good. Of course, he was always on guard for Long Wu to come looking for trouble. With Long Wu's personality, he would surely make trouble. Not just Long Wu, anyone would. Who would stay calm after being chewed up for no reason?

As soon as he reached the break room, the normally bustling area suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked at Lin Chuan with envious eyes.

Luo Guoqing saw Lin Chuan and hurriedly got up, pulling Lin Chuan toward the exit. The room burst into laughter once more: "Haha... pretty boy, really fattening him up."

Luo Guoqing was dragging Lin Chuan out.

"Old Luo, what do you mean?" Lin Chuan quickly asked with a cigarette in his mouth.

When they reached downstairs, away from others, Luo Guoqing asked quietly, "Did you really have an affair with Tang Yumeng?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Lin Chuan glared at Luo Guoqing.

"Fuck your grandfather, the whole City Committee, every department and office, is spreading the rumor that Tang Yumeng is keeping you, that you're her gigolo, a pretty boy living off a woman," Luo Guoqing widened his eyes and said, "Are these rumors really unfounded?"

"Who said that?" Lin Chuan's face immediately darkened. At that moment, he suddenly remembered how the security guard at the entrance was so attentive and immediately realized the severity of the situation. If even the security guard knew about it, who in the world didn't know?

"How the hell would I know," Luo Guoqing shook his head and said, "When I came here today, there were quite a few people discussing it in the lobby. And in the break room, they were all talking about it."

"It must be Song Wen." Lin Chuan clenched his fists and wanted to rush into the break room.

"There's no evidence," Luo Guoqing quickly said, "He hadn't even come to work when I arrived. What's the rush? You need evidence for these things."

"It's him," Lin Chuan said angrily, "Yesterday at noon, I had lunch with Tang Yumeng in the office, and he happened to see us."

"Ah?" Luo Guoqing was startled and said, "You had lunch with Tang Yumeng in the office?"

"Yeah," Lin Chuan nodded.

"Then why do you even deny it?" Luo Guoqing revealed a sycophantic smile and said, "Damn, you've suddenly become a dragon soaring to the treetops. Good for you."

"Bullshit. It's not like that at all," Lin Chuan retorted angrily, "It was just a thank-you meal."

Luo Guoqing's expression instantly turned grave, "This must be someone trying to smear Tang Yumeng."

"Definitely." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "I'm going to settle the score with Song Wen right now."

"Don't be hasty," Luo Guoqing urgently gestured, "There's no proof for this matter. Tang Yumeng can cover for you once, but not a second time. If this is really Song Wen and Song Wu's doing, they must have prepared for it. If you barge in like this, isn't that like running into the line of fire?"

Lin Chuan was stunned, his face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists tightly.

Boom…

Suddenly, he smashed his fist fiercely against the pristine white wall, and the wall actually cracked open, the white plaster crumbling and falling off in pieces. Luo Guoqing saw this and turned pale with fright, realizing just how strong Lin Chuan was, enough to crack even such a solid wall with a punch.

Lin Chuan, with a macabre smirk, said, "Don't let me catch you with evidence, or I'll make sure you die ugly."

If it were Lin Chuan who Song Wen and Song Wu had offended, that might have been the end of it; but they had to go and smear Tang Yumeng. That was something Lin Chuan couldn't tolerate. His mind was already filled with rage, a kind of anger he had never felt in all his years.

"Don't act rashly, young man," urged Luo Guoqing hastily, trying to comfort him.

"I won't be rash," Lin Chuan said calmly as he lit a cigarette.

"That's good," Luo Guoqing sighed with relief.

At the City Committee, rumors spread even more wildly, even becoming the talk of the town after lunches. And as the rumors spread, they inevitably got exaggerated along the way. In the end, several versions of the rumors emerged, with some even saying that Tang Yumeng and Lin Chuan had once done that unspeakable act in the office because they had once been seen coming out of the office with disheveled clothes.

The rumors were as plentiful as cow hair, becoming more widespread and fiery the more they were passed on.

At noon in the canteen, Lin Chuan became the focus of disdain. Originally an unknown, he was suddenly recognized by many, and even those who did not know him were curiously staring at Lin Chuan, eager to see what the man who had won the heart of Jiangbei City's number one beauty, Tang Yumeng, looked like.

As Lin Chuan entered the cafeteria, he instantly became the subject of pointing and whispering. Lin Chuan became indignant. Old Luo hurriedly comforted him, advising him not to lash out in public, as that would only give people something to hold against him.

Suppressing his anger, Lin Chuan sat down with his tray at a table.

Not far away, a young man in a suit looked at Lin Chuan with contempt, saying, "He's just so-so. I can't understand what they see in him."

"You're handsome, it's just a pity she doesn't want you!" the others around teased in unison.

"Could it be that he's rich?" someone asked.

"Even if he's wealthy, can he be richer than Tang Yumeng?" the crowd retorted.

Whoosh...

Lin Chuan stood up, grabbed his tray, and slammed it hard onto the head of the man in the suit.

Clang...

The stainless steel tray immediately made the man's head swell. The man fell onto the floor on his butt. Immediately, the surrounding crowd erupted.

"What are you doing!" The young man in the suit glared at Lin Chuan and said, "Assaulting someone in front of so many people."

"Spreading rumors can get you sentenced," Lin Chuan stood on a chair, looking down from above, and said, "I was being light on him by hitting him."

"You!" The young man in the suit scoffed, "You've got some nerve, being so fierce even at the City Committee. Do you really think that just because Secretary Tang protects you, you can do whatever you want?"

Slap...

Lin Chuan slapped the young man, who suddenly saw stars in front of his eyes. He glared at Lin Chuan and said, "Bastard, I'm going to fight you."

As he spoke, the guy immediately pounced.

It was a pity, as he was no match for Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan grabbed the man's arm with one hand and pulled a swift move, pressing him to the ground. Standing on the man's chest, Lin Chuan said, "I'm telling you, I'll get to the bottom of this matter sooner or later. Whoever is spreading rumors behind the scenes, I'll surely seek justice."

"Wow, not bad for someone with backing," said the Song brothers as they walked in.

The crowd parted to make way for them.

Letting go of the man in the suit, Lin Chuan coldly approached the Song brothers and asked in a stern voice, "Song Wen, you must be the one behind this."

"Hahaha..." Song Wen laughed loudly and said, "Lin Chuan, you know spreading rumors can get you sentenced, slander is also illegal."

"You!" Lin Chuan was so angry that his face was red and his neck thickened. Without evidence, he couldn't just accuse; he could only hold back for now. Investigating this would be difficult because one can't just question each person at the City Committee, and even if you did start asking around, they might not tell the truth. In the end, it might just be futile effort.

The Song brothers had a smug look on their faces, saying, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with being a kept man. All the men here would love to live that kind of life. It's just that you're a little too arrogant for a kept man, aren't you? Beating someone up in front of all these people?"

At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "Kick him out!"

"Kick him out."

"Kick him out."

The angry shouts were overwhelming. This time, the Song brothers had plotted well. They first spread the rumors in secret, then leveraged the admiration that these City Committee men had for Tang Yumeng to band together and drive Lin Chuan away. Without lifting a finger, they managed to achieve what they wanted from behind the scenes.

Some of the men at the City Committee had backgrounds and status. While each of them was weak individually, collectively, their strength was considerable. Now, Lin Chuan felt as if he stood atop a volcanic crater. Watching the crowd shouting at him, Lin Chuan felt helpless for the first time. He knew that if it came to blows, they stood no chance against him – he could take down dozens of them in a few short minutes. But he couldn't afford to be reckless. The more he fought back, the more it would seem like he had something to hide, the more it would seem that Tang Yumeng was indeed keeping him.

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