Chapter 57

“No, his belt is way too easy to pull, right?”

What a tease.

Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, and the atmosphere instantly turned dangerous. Mu He quickly tucked his bathrobe back, acting as if nothing had happened.

Her hair was almost done. Huo Siheng unplugged the hairdryer and set it aside. Mu He held her phone, typing, though most of her attention was on him, even noticing the subtle changes in his breathing.

His lips brushed against her neck, light and teasing, again and again, near yet distant. Mu He’s whole body shivered involuntarily, using all her self-control just to resist: “I…I need to take care of important business first.”

Huo Siheng’s hand slowly moved upward: “This is important business too.”

Mu He tried to distract him: “I think I know why the woman in the video looks exactly like me!”

He didn’t stop, his tone rising slightly: “Hmm?”

“A fan said it was synthesized using a face-swapping app.”

As if responding to her, a message from “Little Deer Chaotic Collisions” popped up: “Wow, goddess replied to me! So excited! I really love your portrayal of Xiyin… My boyfriend said if we can find the original video, he can help produce a comparative analysis report.”

Mu He showed him the chat on her phone.

Huo Siheng frowned, his eyes deep and dark like the dense night.

“Incredible, right?”

Mu He felt a weight lift and sighed with relief: “They can even swap faces. Oh, I need to call Xi Jie.”

Ye Xi answered instantly: “Yanyang, what’s the matter?”

Mu He briefly explained the fan messages she received. Ye Xi couldn’t believe it, rubbing her sore temples, raising her voice repeatedly to confirm: “AI face swap?!”

“Yes. It’s a new technology imported from abroad. There are no other known cases domestically yet.”

The previously deadlocked situation suddenly had a breakthrough, like timely help in a snowstorm, rain after a long drought. Ye Xi immediately became lively, smiling brightly: “Screenshot the fan account for me, I’ll contact them.”

A clarification plan had to be made as soon as possible to restore Mu He’s reputation.

“Xi Jie,” Mu He softly reminded, “the most important thing now is to find the original video.”

“Oh right, right, I’m flustered,” Ye Xi exhaled deeply, “I need to report this to the company.”

Her individual power was limited; such matters still needed the PR department to handle.

“Xi Jie, I plan to report to the police.”

Ye Xi was surprised: “The police?”

The entertainment circle usually handles matters privately; calling the police is rare because once it spreads outside the circle, the consequences are hard to control.

But this time, the nature of the incident was serious. Reporting to the police was indeed the best option. With the police’s help, not only could the original video be obtained quickly, but the published investigation would also carry authority and credibility.

Ye Xi hesitated, consulting with company leaders before giving Mu He confirmation: “Report to the police.”

The decision was made.

The heavy stone on her heart was lifted. Mu He felt clear-headed, lazily lying beside Xi Heng, looking up at the starry sky through the transparent ceiling, her eyes finally showing a genuine smile.

Huo Siheng had noticed her previous forced smile. He asked quietly: “Important business done?”

Mu He didn’t answer. She turned sideways, her fair and soft hand slipping along the collar of his bathrobe, exploring endless springtime before reaching its ultimate destination…

The stars trembled and fell one by one across the sky.

At the other end of the city, Zhong Mingyu, exhausted from finishing a night shoot, stood on the hotel balcony. She looked up at the moon. The scandal online about Mu He being “sugar-daddied” by a Deep City businessman was rampant. Though ironic, she finally felt psychologically balanced.

In this fame and fortune arena, unless one has a strong family background, who can truly stay untainted?

Mu He hadn’t walked the same path as her?

No one should look down on anyone.

Time passed.

Early in the morning, Mu He went to the district police station with Tan Mian to file a report. Because of the special nature of the case, the police took it very seriously. After registering, they immediately launched an investigation.

#MuHeReportsToPolice# quickly trended on Weibo. Xingyu’s official account issued a statement:

Xingyu Media V: @EntertainmentCircleAffairs @Paparazzi et al. maliciously published false statements about our artist Mu He and incited netizens to attack her… We demand the immediate deletion of related posts and a public apology. We reserve the right to pursue further legal action.

“Lawyer’s notice warning!”

“Please, I can recite this by heart already. Can’t they change it up?”

“I get the lawyer notice routine. But what’s this about reporting to the police?”

“Just for hype, so embarrassing it went out of the circle. Seriously, don’t they have a clue about the mess they’ve made?”

“Shameless people are invincible.”

…

While netizens debated, the police quickly arrested suspects Fan and Fang for online fraud. Both confessed. According to their statements, someone offered to buy dirt on Mu He, raising the price repeatedly. Greedy for profit, they found a video of a certain online celebrity meeting a wealthy man at a hotel, and using face-swapping software, replaced the celebrity’s face with Mu He’s, creating a new video to profit from.

The original video, as key evidence, would not be publicly released. However, before the police officially published the results, the high-definition original video had spread online, accompanied by a detailed comparative analysis. A new term, “AI face-swapping technology,” exploded into public awareness, topping the trending list.

“Village connected to the internet, I’m stunned!”

“Face swap! What kind of devilish technology is this? My hair stands on end.”

“Poor Mu He. I truly believe she suffered extreme mental harm, just as Xingyu’s official account said. If it were me, seeing my face swapped onto another woman’s body, I would have peed myself from fear.” [Likes] 10,089

“No wonder she reported to the police. This isn’t just defamation anymore!”

“Think about it carefully. The people behind slandering Mu He are so sinister. If the original video hadn’t been revealed, she couldn’t have cleared her name even by jumping into the Yellow River!”

“Rumors are easy to make, clarifications hard to run.”

Some trolls argued just to argue: “This way of clearing her name is refreshingly sincere and unpretentious.”

“Please dig out the eyes if you don’t want them, thanks.”

“Have you compared the two videos? Stop rambling here.”

As @EntertainmentCircleAffairs, @Paparazzi, and other marketing accounts publicly apologized on Weibo, public opinion swung strongly in Mu He’s favor. The audience condemned malicious trolls, while Qian Zhizhe and ordinary fans comforted her in tandem. A City Police online report confirmed it was a case of fraudulent video created using AI technology to defame, spread false information, and violate privacy, restoring Mu He’s innocence.

Then, Ping’an A City posted on Weibo, commenting: “No organization or individual may use relevant information technology to conduct legally prohibited activities and infringe upon the legal rights of others.”

This sparked discussion among netizens about how “technology development is a double-edged sword.”

At last, the dark clouds over Mu He’s head dissipated completely. Yuan Xiner, witnessing the whole clearing process, was left in shock. She never expected the high-priced video she bought to be fake!

Fake!

Faces can be swapped—truly a first in her life.

These paparazzi would do anything for money. Where is their professionalism?

Fuming, Yuan Xiner devoured a whole roast duck, then told her assistant to buy milk tea and egg tarts.

Fortunately, her experience in this area was sufficient; she hadn’t foolishly used her own account to trade, so even if the police summoned her, the fire wouldn’t reach her.

But she overlooked one thing: even if the video is cleared, the marketing accounts and hired internet army might leak something. There is no wall that doesn’t let air through; to keep a secret, one must not act at all.

Following the trail, Huo Siwen eventually exposed Yuan Xiner’s scheming completely. He knew Fourth Uncle wouldn’t let this end easily and called to report.

“Fourth Uncle, I found the person. Behind her… it’s the Ding family.”

Targeting Yuan Xiner isn’t impossible, but they needed to notify the Ding family first, so a trivial matter wouldn’t affect relations between the two families.

“No need to worry about that,” Huo Siheng said calmly. “I guess someone will be even more anxious to clean house once they know.”

Huo Siwen listened, completely confused: “Fourth Uncle, who exactly are you talking about?”

Huo Siheng said meaningfully: “Someone who is very likely to become my father-in-law in the future.”

Huo Siwen’s mind filled with question marks. He wanted to ask more, but the line went dead with a busy signal, so he had to give up.

Huo Siheng went into the kitchen and poured a glass of warm water. The phone on the table rang, displaying an unfamiliar number from South City. He answered: “Mr. Ding.”

Ding Wu had been in the U.S. on business for the past couple of days. After landing at A City airport, he only then heard from his assistant about his daughter being maliciously defamed: “Yanyang, is she alright?”

“She’s fine.”

Ding Wu was silent for a few seconds: “Do you need me to do anything?”

“Very simple,” Huo Siheng said, “clean house.”

Ding Wu was momentarily stunned: “Who?”

“Ding Jian.”

There was no need to say more. Ding Wu immediately understood the twists and turns behind it. He had previously heard about his third son supporting a female celebrity, but had not confronted it directly: “I will take care of this matter.”

“Xi Heng…”

Hearing that soft voice from the other end, Ding Wu’s heart stirred, his expression extremely complex.

To resolve things quickly, Xingyu specially held a press conference that afternoon. Mu He had just returned from the venue. After calling his name, she realized he was on the phone. She quickly pressed her lips together, signaling him with her eyes to continue.

Huo Siheng couldn’t continue because Ding Wu had hung up voluntarily.

“Was it smooth?”

“Mm,” Mu He nodded as she walked over and leaned on his shoulder, puffing her cheeks: “My best friend told me something.”

What Huo Siwen could investigate, Zhong Lifi—Yuan Xiner’s competitor—could also check. Publicly and privately, Mu He had no intention of standing by while Yuan Xiner bullied her like this.

Mu He also couldn’t tolerate it. No matter the circle, offending people was never wise—but this time Yuan Xiner truly crossed her bottom line, hiding in the shadows to defame someone else’s reputation and still managing to get away unscathed. Who gets to do such things?

She thought seriously: “I want to strike back.”

In polite terms, it’s called “returning courtesy with courtesy.”

This coincided perfectly with Huo Siheng’s plan. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his tone carrying a hint of indulgence: “Alright, then let’s strike back.”