The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 4

Xie Zhixin… was crying?

What happened?

Guan Jinnian clicked into the trending topic, and the most viewed post was a screen recording from a live broadcast, shared by a gossip account.

Guys, what’s the deal here? I cranked the volume all the way up and you can definitely hear him crying. Any fans of Xie out there who can explain why your idol’s breaking down? [Attached video]]

In the video, Xie Zhixin was first seen sitting quietly on a couch, scrolling on his phone. Whatever he saw must’ve upset him—he suddenly stood up and went into the bathroom.

There was no camera inside, so viewers couldn’t see her, but the audio continued. Apparently, she tried to remove or turn off his mic, but failed—so everything was still being recorded.

Rustling sounds followed, then faint sniffles. After a while, the sobs became louder and more heartbreaking.

Even though only the sound was captured, anyone could tell—Xie Zhixin was truly devastated. She’s crying lasted over half an hour, then came the sound of water, maybe washing her face, and the mic being reattached. He eventually reappeared on camera.

Her  usual cold, distant expression had returned, as if nothing had happened.

But those red-rimmed eyes didn’t lie…

Netizens watching this felt complicated emotions.

【What the h**k???】

【Wait, that was really Xie Zhixin crying?!】

【If I hadn’t seen this myself, I’d think people were exaggerating…】

【Dude, your cool image is officially cracked!】

【The softest image collapse of the year, honestly. Kinda cute.】

Fans and casual viewers were equally stunned. No one expected the usually icy, composed Xie Zhixin to fall apart like that—sobbing in the bathroom while live on a reality show. It felt surreal.

Guan Jinnian stared at the explosion of question marks in the comment section, feeling overwhelmed.

This guy… really knows how to cause trouble. He regretted not stopping Xie Zhixin from joining the show in the first place.

And sure enough, things started spiraling.

As the “crying incident” picked up steam, viewers began revisiting clips from the show. Someone pointed out that Xie Zhixin had red eyes in multiple episodes. Previously, no one paid attention—but now, every frame was under a microscope.

[Seriously, how do people spot this stuff?!]

[So she’s been secretly crying all throughout the show?? What’s eating him??]

[It’s messing with my head seeing his usual poker face now…]

What started as mild curiosity quickly turned into deep speculation. Fans were still trying to protect her image, but the mood was changing.

Then someone dropped a comment that shifted the conversation entirely:

[Probably heartbroken. My buddy bawled the same way after a brutal breakup.]

That one theory opened the floodgates.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to know about Xie Zhixin’s love life. It didn’t take long before amateur sleuths connected the dots—and zeroed in on Guan Jinnian.

Unaware of the online chaos, Guan Jinnian had spent the last two days offline, handling logistics for persimmon gift box shipments. He ensured every package went out smoothly and coordinated with local delivery services. Finally, he relaxed a little.

That evening, Lin Shen messaged him for a game of badminton. At first, Guan Jinnian wanted to stay home, but figured it was time to reconnect with the outside world a bit.

So, after dinner, he hopped on his electric scooter and headed to the county gym, where Lin Shen was already waiting.

“You’re early again?” Guan Jinnian asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” Lin Shen, already sweating, gave a sheepish smile. “Habit of mine. Don’t mind me.”

Guan Jinnian stretched and took the racket. He noticed Lin Shen seemed to want to ask something but was holding back.

Lin Shen smiled and said, “Let’s warm up first. We can spill tea during the break.”

“Feels good to get moving.” Guan Jinnian tossed a water bottle to Lin Shen, who was collapsed on the bench, panting.

“Thanks… I’m out of shape,” Lin Shen groaned. “Working 996 drained the life out of me.”

“You look pretty fit, though,” Guan Jinnian teased. “You must’ve played sports before.”

“I used to—back in school. Now, all I do is work and collapse,” Lin Shen waved him off. “Even my last relationship fell apart because I had no energy left to give.”

The word “ex” made Guan Jinnian freeze for half a second, then he quietly took a sip of water.

Lin Shen continued, “Back in college, I dated someone younger. Had to show up early on dates, or they’d sulk. At first, I found it adorable. Later, juggling work and emotional labor got too much. Eventually, I had to walk away.”

Guan Jinnian looked down, his grip tightening on the water bottle.

“And you?” Lin Shen asked casually. “Been in a relationship before?”

“We just broke up recently,” he replied.

“What happened?”

Almost without thinking, Guan Jinnian answered, “Because he…”

He was about to say he got tied up in a fake couple for promo, but stopped.

That had always been his excuse.

But now he realized—it wasn’t the real reason.

Even if the promotional couple angle had been a misunderstanding, it became a shield. A convenient excuse, so no one could ask, “How could you leave someone who loved you so much?”

In truth, like Lin Shen had said—it was all about energy.

When a relationship becomes one-sided, the person who keeps giving eventually burns out.

But admitting that just made him look selfish.

He didn’t want that guilt. So he used the first excuse he could find—and left.

“You look like you have more to say,” Lin Shen teased. “Don’t tell me she cheated?”

Guan Jinnian exhaled slowly. “No… it’s kind of like your story.”

“Relationships are rough,” Lin Shen sighed. Then, with a grin, “So, was your ex also in showbiz?”

“Hey now, don’t be nosy,” Guan Jinnian laughed.

“Come on~ I won’t ask who. Just tell me—is she famous?”

Guan Jinnian joked in the same tone, “Yup. Super famous. You’d be shocked.”

Lin Shen grinned. “Damn, no wonder you’ve got high standards~”

“Buzz off. Let’s finish our game.”

Guan Jinnian rolled his eyes, grabbed the racket, and motioned to resume.

As usual, Guan Jinnian posted his daily update and announced the afternoon livestream. He wanted to check what was happening with the Xie Zhixin drama—but just as he opened Weibo, his mom interrupted.

“Nianzi, look at this comment.” She handed him her phone. “Someone’s asking if we can sell the dried persimmons separately.”

He looked over the comments, then sat down with his mother to discuss packaging and pricing. They finalized three options: a premium gift box, a bulk purchase, and a budget-friendly batch with slight imperfections.

By the time they were done, it was time to go live. No time for gossip now.

“Good afternoon! Can everyone hear me?”

He went live right on time.

“Hi, I’m Shopkeeper Nian, nice to see you again!”

[Shopkeeper!! You’re back!!]

[Missed your face the past few days~]

[Screen’s a bit blurry… lemme lick it clean 😂]

Things were going smoothly… until the viewer count spiked past a million—and kept rising.

Suddenly, the chat exploded:

【Here to see what the superstar’s ex looks like 👀】

【Same. Came for the tea.】

【He’s cute?? No wonder Xie Zhixin liked him…】

【How does it feel to date a top celeb?】

【Better question: how does it feel to dump one? 😂】

【Yeah, seriously—what’s it like to dump someone that famous?】

The messages flew by too fast. Guan Jinnian read one aloud without thinking:

“What’s it like to dump a top star?”

He blinked, wondering if he’d misread.

Then a text popped up on his phone.

[Xie Zhixin]: “Jinnian, the news got out. Please don’t check Weibo. Let me handle it first…”

Guan Jinnian was speechless. He’d only been offline for one afternoon—how had it all blown up so fast?

His mom noticed something was off. “What’s wrong, Nianzi?”

He glanced at the villagers just off-camera, ready to pack persimmon orders. Then he thought of the warehouse full of produce.

Whatever. Let the rumors fly.

This was golden traffic. If he didn’t make the most of it now, he’d regret it all night.

He took a deep breath, ignored the barrage of messages, and turned on his best business smile.

“Welcome, everyone! Be sure to hit follow. If you order dried persimmons today, you’ll get a buy-one-get-one-free deal!”