The Ex's Tears Are So Hot - Chapter 8
After handling the termination of his contract, Xie Zhixin regained access to his Weibo and posted a public statement.
[@Xie Zhixin : I apologize for having my personal matters become a public issue. Here’s my official response to recent events online:
Mr. Guan and I were in a relationship for three years, but we broke up—because of me.
We’ve collected evidence and are pursuing legal action against those spreading false rumors. The internet isn’t lawless, and we will protect Mr. Guan’s rights. Please stop the attacks, or we will take legal steps.
I’ve officially ended my contract with Fengyue Entertainment and will be starting my own studio. For updates, follow @Xie Zhixin.
Our investigation confirms the malicious intent behind the smear campaign, including hired trolls from Fengyue. The studio and troll account details are listed below.
I urge you to publicly apologize for orchestrating the attacks on Mr. Guan and using my name for unauthorized promotional campaigns. If you don’t, we’ll take legal action for defamation.]
Reading this, Guan Jinnian had mixed feelings. He hadn’t expected Xie Zhixin to step up and take full responsibility. Not only did he shoulder the blame for their breakup, but he also called out Wu Zhaoyan by name, publicly severing ties rather than settling things privately.
Within minutes of this post going up, Xie Zhixin’s follower count began to plummet—over 300,000 lost in no time.
This was bound to have severe consequences: a huge drop in fans, damaged public image, and potential termination of endorsement deals. The fallout was serious.
In the comments, fans expressed disappointment, disbelief, and anger.
“I supported you when you weren’t famous. Stood by you through thick and thin. When I thought someone hurt you, I defended you without hesitation. And now you just say, ‘don’t cyberbully’? Did you ever consider how we, your fans, would feel? I’m hurt and disappointed. I won’t stick around anymore. But I wish you the best.”
A fan expressing herself with restraint.
“So you’re dating and still protecting that guy? Is he really worth it? You just threw us under the bus for him. I won’t wish you well. I hope you regret this. /smile”
This was from a more possessive, angry fan.
Fan IDs with “谢” were dropping like flies, their comments flooding the post. Only after scrolling for quite a while did comments from neutral users or “passersby” begin to show.
[LOL, she got dumped and is still trying to protect the guy? That’s intense.]
[Call him love-struck. He’s obviously head-over-heels. Who knows what went on behind closed doors?]
[Are you assuming it was all Guan’s fault? How do you know? You might be part of the problem.]
[Sometimes people break up because they just don’t click. No one has to be the villain.]
[Don’t forget Wu Zhaoyan’s role in this. It’s clear a lot of the hate Guan got was fueled by fake accounts.]
[As a neutral shipper of Xie and Wu, I now feel like I was delusional…]
[Seriously, the forced CP with Wu was always suspicious. Xie didn’t respond to it once. The hype felt one-sided.]
[Classic Wu Zhaoyan tactic—fake hype, misleading marketing. Just like always.]
From these, Guan Jinnian realized something: Xie Zhixin had never cooperated with Wu Zhaoyan’s promotional tactics. It gave him a strange sense of relief. At least the man he once cared for wasn’t a shallow, fame-chasing puppet.
Just as he was about to close Weibo, a new post from Xie Zhixin appeared.
[@谢知新v: I don’t know if you still read my Weibo. I don’t dare send you messages directly anymore, afraid you’ll hate me even more. So I’ll leave my apology here quietly.
Thinking back on our three years together, you were always the one giving, accommodating me. And I gave so little in return. I’ve come to understand how badly I failed you as a partner. I’m sorry.
I know I was selfish. I still can’t accept losing you.
I’m reflecting, trying to change. I only hope you’ll give me another chance to win your heart again.]
This post immediately caught fire, the comment section flooded.
[Wait… is this directed at Guan Jinnian?]
[Stars writing long love notes on Weibo now? Wild.]
[Dude, sigh… what are you doing…]
[His girlfriend fans are going to riot again 😂]
[So the breakup was your fault? Now you admit it?]
[Maybe he was manipulated?]
[They never even fought online. Guan Jinnian’s past is squeaky clean. I’m keeping an open mind—too many plot twists lately.]
Guan Jinnian was dumbfounded. What was Xie Zhixin doing?
Posting something so emotional, publicly… what good would it do?
He jumped out of bed, storming toward the guest room to confront him—but his hand froze at the door handle. No. He had decided to let go. If he kept reacting to everything Xie Zhixin did, they’d never truly break free of each other.
He stepped back, trying to calm the storm inside his head.
This wasn’t his burden anymore. Xie Zhixin had accepted the consequences. The chaos would die down eventually. Wasn’t that what he wanted?
Then why couldn’t she feel at peace?
He sat down again, barefoot on the cold floor, staring blankly at the door. The emptiness inside felt colder than the floor beneath him.
His phone buzzed.
It was a message from Lin Shen:
[Are you okay?]
[I just saw Xie Zhixin’s post.]
Guan Jinnian didn’t reply. He got up, went outside, and noticed Xie Zhixin was gone.
His mother noticed too. “Little Xie…?” she asked, glancing at the guest room door.
“She left,” Guan Jinnian said calmly. “Don’t worry about her.”
Lin Shen stood up to leave, and Guan Jinnian offered to walk him out. Once outside and out of earshot, Lin asked, “What happened in there last night? Why that dramatic post?”
Guan Jinnian sighed. “She finally realized I meant it when I said we were over.”
Lin looked at him. “If she really changes… would you take her back?”
Reconciliation?
Guan Jinnian honestly didn’t know. Ever since coming back, he had avoided that question.
He needed time—to breathe, to think, to figure out how he even felt anymore.
“…I’ll see when the time comes,” he said, quietly, eyes lifted toward the moon.
The next morning, Xie Zhixin was gone. Not a message. No goodbye. Just like her Weibo said—she wouldn’t bother him again.
If not for that emotional post still trending, it would’ve felt like none of it had happened.
At breakfast, Guan’s mother noticed how distracted he was.
Later, while uploading a previously edited video, she saw decent engagement. But the comment section was still mixed—some positive, but others still stuck in their earlier judgments.
Rumors are easy to spread. Truth takes time to sink in.
Miss Huang’s words echoed in her mind: “Returning to the public eye is what really matters.”
His gaze lingered on her number in his call log… but he didn’t press it.
Doing a relationship reality show meant both of them had to appear. Could he really drag Xie Zhixin into that? Didn’t that contradict everything he had just said about letting go?
He put down the phone.
Forget the variety show. Focus on videos. Help the family. Tune out the noise.
Black PR was still PR. If it helped sell fruit, he could handle a few more insults.
He steeled himself, preparing to film more footage—until Lin Shen called again, practically laughing.
“Quick, check Weibo! Your ex is going off the rails again!”
What now?
On Weibo’s trending page, Xie Zhixin’s emotional post was no longer top. A new one had taken its place:
#谢知新怎么追问我# (How should Xie Zhixin win me back?)
A passerby who sat near him on a red-eye flight had posted nine photos.
[@小鹿珂珂: Took the late-night flight and ended up seated near Xie Zhixin. OMG he’s so good-looking I couldn’t even make eye contact. But… he literally cried the whole time. His eyes were so swollen. The photos are blurry—I couldn’t bear to take clearer ones.]
All nine showed him, mask on, eyes red, lashes wet.
Comments exploded:
[Okay, I never thought I’d say this—crying looks kind of good on him.]
[Where’s he going? Did he get rejected?]
[He went to Guan’s place to block sasaeng fans, right? Maybe he failed to win him back and cried all the way to the airport.]
[No wonder he told his fans to stop harassing Guan. Honestly, I’d be mad too.]
[Some fans are wild. Acting like he owes them everything. It’s manipulative.]
Originally, this post was just quietly circulating.
Until one user commented:
[Bro… she’s not dead. She just broke up with you. Could you stop crying? You’re gonna run out of tears.]
Xie Zhixin replied to it himself:
[@谢知新v: Then tell me how to get her back.]