The storm

Chapter 1

The Day the Sky Collapsed

“Boycott Xiao Chen!”

“Get him out of the industry!”

“He’s disgusting!”

“Apologize!”

“Shameless!”

The screams rose like violent waves beneath the

building, crashing endlessly against the glass windows of the twenty-third floor.

Outside, hundreds of reporters and angry fans crowded behind metal barricades under the cold evening rain of Beijing.

Flashlights burst continuously through the darkness while giant LED screens on media vans replayed scandal headlines over and over again.

“RISING ACTOR XIAO CHEN EXPOSED IN INDUSTRY CONTROVERSY

NETIZENS DEMAND REMOVAL FROM UPCOMING DRAMA”

“FAKE IMAGE” CELEBRITY UNDER FIRE

The internet was exploding.

And inside the silent apartment above the chaos,

Xiao Chen stood motionless beside the window, staring down at the crowd below.

The city lights blurred faintly in his eyes.

Or maybe that was because he had not slept properly in three days.

Rainwater slid slowly across the glass in uneven lines, distorting the world outside into something unfamiliar.

Strange.

Just a few months ago, those same people had screamed his name with love.

Now they screamed it like hatred tasted good in their mouths.

Xiao Chen tightened his grip unconsciously around the curtain beside him.

His fingers trembled slightly.

The fabric slipped from his hand.

For a brief moment, he looked as though he might lose balance completely.

“Careful.”

His manager’s voice broke the silence behind him.

Liang Wen stood near the living room table with two phones in one hand and an iPad in the other. Dark circles rested heavily beneath his tired eyes as endless notifications continued flashing across every screen.

Another article.

Another accusation.

Another trending hashtag demanding Xiao Chen disappear.

Liang Wen turned one phone face-down with frustration.

“It’s getting worse.”

Xiao Chen said nothing.

The apartment felt unusually cold tonight despite the heating system running quietly in the background.

Or maybe emptiness simply made places colder.

The television remained muted, but subtitles moved rapidly beneath another entertainment news broadcast.

Scandal.

Rumors.

Speculation.

Everyone wanted a piece of him now.

Not because they cared.

Because destruction entertained people more than success ever could.

Xiao Chen slowly walked toward the sofa before sitting down heavily.

The exhaustion in his movements no longer looked physical.

It looked deeper than that.

Like something inside him had quietly cracked.

Outside, another wave of shouting rose from the streets below.

“XIAO CHEN APOLOGIZE!”

“LEAVE THE INDUSTRY!”

Someone threw something toward the building entrance downstairs.

Security guards immediately rushed forward.

Liang Wen rubbed his forehead.

“Don’t look at social media tonight.”

Xiao Chen finally spoke softly.

“Give me the iPad.”

His manager hesitated.

“Xiao Chen—”

“The iPad.”

Reluctantly, Liang Wen handed it over.

For several seconds, the room remained completely silent except for rain tapping softly against the windows.

Then Xiao Chen opened the screen.

The comments flooded endlessly beneath every article.

I always knew his smile was fake.

Trash actor.

Cancel him immediately.

He used people to climb upward.

Disgusting.

I regret supporting him.

He should disappear forever.

This words keep ringing in his ears his shut his eyes andd then he keep scrolling….

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