Xie Baoqing, Oh Xie Baoqing, Why Did You Provoke That Crafty Cao

Liu Jinying instantly felt like he was in a Zhang Yimou film.

He looked ahead, behind, left and right…

No way out.

Nowhere to retreat!

Liu Jinying furrowed his brows, forcing composure: "Who are you people? What’s the meaning of surrounding me like this?"

"Liu Jinying, right?"

The leader pulled out credentials, flashing the national emblem: "State Security Department. Come with us."

"What’s this about? What did I do?"

"You’ll find out when we get there."

"I’m not going. Why should I? I have a flight to catch—let me go!" Liu Jinying shouted, his bravado thin and shaky.

"Liu Jinying, we’re giving you face—take it. Otherwise, things will get ugly," the leader sneered.

Prisoners don’t take kindly to rapists.

And State Security doesn’t take kindly to traitors.

Two officers grabbed Liu Jinying by the arms.

He struggled with surprising strength, curling into himself to keep them from wrenching his limbs apart.

"Police brutality! Help!" he yelled.

Bystanders filmed the scene, though few understood what was happening.

Journalists lurked among them.

"Take him away."

Despite his resistance, Liu Jinying was eventually subdued, his laptop and backpack confiscated.

"Help me!" he kept shouting.

No one paid him any mind.

Liu Jinying roared in fury: "Cao lied to me! He said he’d hand over the USB drive in 24 hours—why were you so fast?!"

The leader smirked. "With the evidence we have, you’ll never see daylight again. Cooperate now, and you might earn leniency. Keep making trouble, and even that chance disappears."

Liu Jinying’s heart turned to ice.

His hatred for Cao Cheng burned hotter.

Hadn’t he promised to wait 24 hours before submitting the drive?

Clearly, he’d handed it over much sooner—maybe even before the post went live.

Liar.

A damn liar.

Nothing crushes a man like hope dashed at the last moment.

Liu Jinying had already cleared customs. The plane was within reach—safety just steps away.

But now, all that hope had curdled into despair.

He couldn’t take it.

The entire ride, he raged, cursing Cao Cheng as a fraud.

——

The paparazzi filming the scene were thrilled.

"Perfect! The more drama, the better. If he’d gone quietly, where’s the spectacle?"

"Ha!"

"Kid, you got it all clear?"

"Crystal clear, boss."

"Then move! Get a shot of them hauling him off and upload it raw."

"No edits?"

"Edits ruin authenticity. Keep it raw—especially since others are filming too. If they post first, we lose the scoop."

The junior reporter beamed. "Boss, you’re a genius."

"Damn right. Stick with me, kid, and you’ll feast like a king. Now chase them down!"

——

State Security made no effort to silence witnesses.

The evidence was solid, the investigation thorough.

No need for secrecy.

While Liu Jinying was being detained, simultaneous raids were unfolding elsewhere—the entire network was being dismantled.

Recent directives from higher-ups emphasized public awareness in counter-espionage.

In the past, such cases were handled discreetly, met with hushed fear.

But as the nation grew stronger, confidence demanded transparency.

Grassroots organizations—like the Jiangbei civilian patrol in Sanjiang or the Chaoyang volunteers in the capital—had proven invaluable, helping nab criminals and spies alike.

It was proof: the ocean of public vigilance could drown even the craftiest demons.

This was part of the message.

Even if bystanders stayed silent, State Security would’ve gone public eventually.

——

But they hadn’t anticipated this.

Before the raids were even complete, the story had already exploded online.

A celebrity gossip account, Entertainment King, known for breaking showbiz scandals, suddenly pivoted to espionage.

They posted footage of Liu Jinying’s arrest, complete with a full backstory.

And they tagged Cao Cheng.

@Cao Cheng!

The move sent their follower count skyrocketing.

Cao Cheng replied instantly:

"Is that Liu Jinying getting arrested? Ahem—listen up, everyone! My USB drive is still right here. His arrest has nothing to do with me. I’m not the vengeful type. Sure, Liu and I had… minor disagreements, but no blood feud. Not my doing, okay?"

At first glance, he seemed innocent.

The 24-hour window hadn’t even passed.

But then people watched the video.

The audio was unmistakable.

State Security arresting Liu Jinying at the airport. His facade crumbling. His outburst—calling Cao Cheng a liar.

"Twenty-four hours? It hasn’t even been twelve!"

And State Security didn’t act on whims. They’d need time to verify evidence.

Which meant Cao Cheng had submitted the drive long before.

Savage.

Even worse? Playing dumb afterward.

The video’s audio exposed him. Yet he’d tried to feign ignorance without even watching it.

Fans facepalmed en masse:

"Babe, maybe watch the video before tweeting."

"Seriously, babe, just watch it first."

Comments flooded in, all variations of the same plea.

Minutes later, Cao Cheng deleted the post.

He replaced it with a clapping emoji and a new message:

"Karma’s a bitch. The universe balances itself. Divine justice, etc. Hmph~~~"

"……"

"How thick is his skin?"

"That ‘hmph’ is sending me."

"LMAO, the pettiness. I love it."

"You just love his money. I love the attitude."

"Three seconds of pity for Liu. Any more would disrespect our king."

"Liu Jinying, why’d you have to poke the dragon?"

"Honestly, I feel worse for the other forty-something guys. Apologies and deleted posts won’t save them."

No lies detected.

Did anyone really think Cao Cheng would let his rivals off the hook?

Ordinary trolls—jobless, powerless, loveless nobodies—weren’t worth his time.

Too little emotional payoff.

But industry peers? Top players riding the hype?

Oh, they were going down. Every day they spent locked up was another day of emotional harvest for Cao Cheng.

They were his bread and butter.

——

Again and again, Cao Cheng’s blunt tactics left onlookers shaken.

Many lurking critics sighed in relief.

Thank god they’d stayed quiet this time.

After all…

Nothing in this world can withstand scrutiny—at best, it's just a matter of whether the problem is big or small.

By now, everyone had pretty much figured it out: Cao Cheng had a professional cyber (hacker) team by his side, keeping a close eye on his rivals.

If they stayed quiet, fine. But the moment they made a move, they’d easily get targeted.

However, no matter how much these people regretted their actions later, the fans were thrilled.

Especially when Young Master Cao personally jumped into the fray to "battle" with his fans—it made everyone else green with envy.

A fan commented: "Feel bad for that Liu Jinying. Got arrested and was still screaming, ‘My husband’s a fraud!’ Said they’d have 24 hours to run, but nope—got nabbed at the airport. LOL…" 11K likes!

"Stop saying it was me. Keep slandering me, and I’ll sue you for defamation. One more word, and I’ll sue for libel. Watch yourself, woman!"

"Ahhh… my hubby replied to me!" the woman squealed.

Mostly because there was a photo—and it was a good one.

Cao Cheng didn’t mind teasing her a little.

Cao Cheng replied: "Was I replying to you? I was shutting you down."

"Hubby shut me down—I’m gonna have his babies now!"

Cao Cheng: "…"

…

"Xie Baoqing, why’d you have to mess with Cao the Villain?" 18K likes.

Cao Cheng replied: "Call me Mengde."

"Sure thing, Cao the Villain."

"Mengde."

"Cao the Villain."

"You just wait…"

…

Almost every fan was just killing time anyway.

This ended up creating some bizarre scenes.

Despite not being a celebrity, he’d somehow crafted himself into this heartthrob persona—rich, witty, and a little shameless.

That was exactly what many fans loved about him.

Nothing like the wealthy elites they imagined. More like a dreamy, domineering CEO with a hint of cunning.

Perfect for them to project themselves into.

This wave of antics only strengthened Young Master Cao’s fanbase even more.

…

Right around the time things were heating up, a minor incident happened in the entertainment industry.

With all the buzz around Cao Cheng, it barely made a ripple.

But as the hype around Young Master Cao gradually died down, people started paying attention to the entertainment world again.

And they found plenty of fresh gossip to feast on.

They swarmed over immediately.

Cao Cheng’s gaze shifted there too.

The matter itself wasn’t big.

Logically, Cao Cheng shouldn’t have bothered—just a quick glance would’ve been enough. It had nothing to do with him.

But…

The moment he saw it, he recognized it from his dreams.

Wasn’t this the "Backstabbing Incident"?

Perfect.

Another wave of emotional energy to harvest.

The main players were Bian Xiaoxiao and Yin Xiaotian—neither exactly A-list stars at the time, just acting in some third-rate period drama. Their fans weren’t paying much attention.

But the fallout from this incident was huge.

Especially since it dragged in a bunch of other celebrities, one after another, with all kinds of fans jumping into the fray.

At least ten stars were tangled up in this mess.

Meaning a whole field of wild emotional energy, ripe for Cao Cheng to harvest.

Beautiful.