There was a watermark in the lower right corner of the video indicating the production time, so everyone knew this video had been edited a long time ago.
Following the clues, people discovered there was a group, and the newly converted CP fans got excited.
No one knew where they got the group ID from, but it spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and a huge number of netizens began frantically requesting to join the group.
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【I’m numb. Hundreds of verification messages popped up instantly.】
YuanYue’s Little Heart: 【I have a premonition—the group is going to explode [smile]】
YuanYue’s Little Fluff: 【Mainly because the video BoBo edited is just too insane, totally impossible to resist, okay】
Cen QiaoQiao had been lurking the whole time. When she saw the messages, she immediately started clacking away on the keyboard—
YuanYue’s Little Bridge: 【It’s Sister Yue and the Professor who are too amazing. What can we even do? [shrug]】
YuanYue’s Little Belly: 【BridgeBridge speaking the truth hhhhh】
YuanYue’s Big BoBo: 【So what do we do now? So many people are adding the group—should we approve them? @YuanYue’s Little Button】
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【Approve them. We need to unite the power of CP fans and go crazy shipping together! You take one candy, I take one candy, add them up into a pile, everyone gets to lick one—how great is that!】
【Agree】
【Support】
【+12345】
YuanYue’s Big BoBo: 【I suggest the few of us pull another small group for easier communication】
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【Okay!】
They acted immediately. Little Button quickly created another group and named it—
YuanYue Processing Sugar Plant: Hardcore Founding Elders!
Then they started approving requests.
One minute later, in the YuanYue Processing Sugar Plant: Hardcore Founding Elders group:
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【We’re screwed. The group is full. What do we do?】
YuanYue’s Big BoBo: 【Then make another one!】
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【ojbk (okay)】
Two minutes later—
YuanYue’s Little Button: 【The second group is full too】
YuanYue’s Big BoBo: 【……】
YuanYue’s Little Belly: 【YuanYue’s popularity is just unreal】
Since two groups weren’t enough, then three groups, four groups, five groups…
By the end of the day, Little Button and Big BoBo had a total of 152 groups!
And the number of people joining was still continuously increasing.
Little Button and Big BoBo went on a voice call—
Little Button: “I can’t do this anymore. If this keeps up, my account’s going to get banned.”
Big BoBo: “Wait a second, let me catch my breath first… Now every time I hear a notification sound my whole body reacts automatically, my nerves are completely taut.”
Little Button: “There are still so many people queued up to join. What do we do?”
“How about we set a threshold for joining? We can’t let just anyone in. Who knows if there are people with bad intentions or just here to muddy the waters.”
“Sounds good. Then what threshold do we set?”
The two racked their brains, and finally decided—
Divide by age group.
Under 12: discouraged—go back and study hard, come back after graduating elementary school.
Ages 12 to 15: one middle school math problem.
Ages 15 to 18: one high school math or physics problem.
And clearly stated: At this stage, studying comes first. Joining the group is not encouraged. If you really want to join, fine, solve the problem correctly first. Only then will we believe that shipping CP won’t affect your studies. Thanks for your cooperation~
The problems weren’t particularly hard, but definitely not easy either.
They’d also change daily, updating at any time.
To solve them, you didn’t need to be a top student, but at the very least your usual grades had to be decent.
In the evening, #IfYouWantToShipYuanYueSolveProblemsFirst trended.
【Grinding hard at my desk [image]】
【Hahaha! The one above is too hard, I’ve got an easier method [image]】
【I think my solution is also pretty good [image]】
……
【Why is the top comment such a massive problem-solving scene? XSWL (I’m laughing myself to death)】
【With YuanYue, mom will never have to worry about my studies again】
【Eleven-year-old me crying in the bathroom—why can’t I join the group, sob sob… I want to eat sugar!】
【Only two more months till 12, keep it up! Almost there!】
【Are the group admins discriminating against elementary schoolers?】
【The one above, don’t start a fight. The announcement makes it very clear—elementary schoolers aren’t allowed to join so they can focus on studying】
【So do middle schoolers not need to study properly then?】
【Middle schoolers have a far stronger ability to discern right from wrong than elementary schoolers. They have the right to make their own choices】
【Don’t mind the trolls—haters get lost!】
【This is what a positive-energy CP looks like. Way better than those entertainment-industry couples who sell personas and grab dirty money, by who knows how many miles!】
In the future, these groups gathered countless top students and academic gods. While shipping CP, group members also solved problems online together, helping one another.
Quite a few excellent candidates for University B and University Q came out of it, and even a new generation of scientific researchers were hardcore YuanYue CP fans.
When parents heard their kids were following YuanYue, they immediately nodded in relief.
“That’s right. Learn from good people, become a good person. Who knows, maybe in the future you can be like Professor Xie and Academician Jiang, become a scientist, and bring glory to the country!”
The kids shipped sugar while studying; even doing problems put them in a good mood, and they were full of hope for the future.
It’s said that when psychologists and educators were researching “the power of role models,” they even specially created an “YuanYue Role Model Branch,” attracting countless scholars to rush in and explore how it positively influences the next generation—
Just what kind of charm do these two possess, to be able to inspire generation after generation of young people?
Those are stories for later; we won’t go into them for now.
……
A single video’s sugar content was far from enough. After that, someone else posted a drawing.
In the picture, afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window. The woman leaned against the man’s shoulder; the man slightly lowered his head. The two wore the same pair of headphones, sharing the same song.
Quiet and serene, like a fairy tale.
Maybe the photographer’s hand shook, or maybe the focus wasn’t quite right, the image looked a bit low-res, slightly blurry.
【So is it YuanYue?!】
【If only it were a bit clearer.】
【It’s definitely YuanYue! They’re ridiculously compatible】
【So geniuses go on dates just like us ordinary people too?】
【The one above—what misunderstanding do you have about geniuses?】
【When Sister Yue leans on the Professor’s shoulder she looks so gentle, really with zero aggressiveness】
【Please let it stay sweet forever!】
【Anyone asking for a high-definition version?】
【Me me me me! Is there an HD version?! [expecting]】
【Searching the entire internet for the HD version】
……
Very soon, a Weibo account posted the high-definition image.
The caption explained: I’m the artist of this drawing. At the time, the two guests came to my place to have a painting done, and I didn’t even realize they were the Professor and Sister Yue.
I also didn’t know afterward. Today I saw the trending topic and suddenly remembered it. I dug it out and took a look; sure enough, it’s them!
It’s really sweet~
Blessings!
【Image saved, thanks for your hard work, artist】
【This couple is really addictive, you just can’t stop】
【Treasure CP, surprises everywhere】
【Waiting for more scoops—whoever else has photos of Sister Yue and the Professor, hurry up and hand them over】
【Ah! So sweet it hurts~】
……
And speaking of it—after netizens finished camping for the official announcement, watched the video, and collected the pictures, they still weren’t satisfied. They even started疯狂@-ing people, calling friends and acquaintances, with the momentum of nationwide celebration.
Among those being crazily cued (mentioned) was Jiang’s Private Kitchen!
【Your newly baked son-in-law, come claim him】
【Uncle Jiang is about to become a father-in-law hhhhh~ congratulations!】
【Feels like it’s too early to say congrats—after all, the precious little padded jacket has been snatched away. Uncle Jiang might be squatting in a corner sulking right now】
【Why do I feel like Xingxing would be even more depressed? He’s a total sis-con!】
【No no no, Xingxing has been in closed training recently recording a show—he probably doesn’t know yet】
【Once he finishes recording, he’ll probably burst into tears with a waah】
【Such a huge sadness~】
【@Jiang’s Private Kitchen Where’s that legendary operations editor who lives on Weibo? Why haven’t you shown up yet?】
【Maybe playing dead】
【Or maybe Uncle Jiang is still in a fit of anger】
【Anyway, it feels kind of bad】
【Another good show to watch! [anticipation]】
【The new son-in-law and the old father-in-law won’t start fighting, will they?】
……
Amid the many speculations, far away in Linhuai, Cao Dou had just picked up his phone and opened Weibo, getting ready as usual to reply to netizens’ comments or repost some customers’ check-in posts from the shop.
Who knew that suddenly he stared at the screen, eyes widening, and then his hands started shaking.
With a clang, the phone fell, hitting the floor.
It took a full five seconds before he reacted, then he bent down to pick it up.
He blinked, looked at the screen again, and saw that right behind the number-one trending topic #ProfessorXieJiangFuyueOfficiallyAnnounceRelationship# was a black-and-red “explosive” tag.
Clicking in, it was the official announcement photo of Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue.
Scrolling down, everything was uniformly full of blessings.
Th-this-this…
How could that be?!
Yes, Professor Xie had come to the shop a few times, but he’d never seen anything off between Jiang Fuyue and him, had he?
How did they end up together and even officially announce their relationship?
Do Senior Brother and Sister-in-law know? This question suddenly popped into Cao Dou’s mind.
He thought about it, grabbed his phone, and went to the back kitchen.
Jiang Da had just finished a beautiful wok toss, the movement crisp, the technique superb.
“Senior Brother…”
“Little Douzi? Why are you here?”
“That…” He hesitated to speak.
Jiang Da paused slightly, his first reaction being: “Is there a customer dissatisfied with the dishes? I’ll go take a look…”
As he spoke, he wiped his hands clean and was about to head out.
Cao Dou quickly stopped him: “No, it’s not that…”
“Hm?”
“That…” Cao Dou suddenly felt he’d been rash.
Jiang Da: “If there’s something, you can just say it. It’s fine.”
“You… are you sure it’s fine?”
“Of course!” He wasn’t someone who couldn’t take opinions. Jiang Da was very confident in himself.
Cao Dou: “En… it’s just… um… does Yueyue have a boyfriend?”
Jiang Da froze, then widened his eyes: “What?”
“Uh! I mean, now she does.”
“?”
Seeing Jiang Da’s completely blank face, Cao Dou raised his phone in front of him: “This.”
Two minutes later—clang—
The man directly dropped the ladle, abandoned the wok, and dashed outside.
After a few steps, he doubled back, and in the moment Cao Dou was stunned, snatched the phone away and angrily ran to the baking room.
Han Yunru: “Why are you coming at a time like th—” came.
The last two words were blocked in her throat by the photo she saw before her eyes. She widened her eyes.
After a long while: “…This is… Yueyue and Professor Xie?”
Jiang Da kept a dark face and nodded.
“They… are together?” Han Yunru’s eyes were dazed, as if she hadn’t quite come back to herself.
“Could the official account also be spreading rumors?” Jiang Da asked instead of answering, a trace of expectation in his eyes.
Han Yunru: “Probably not?”
Jiang Da’s face darkened completely.
So his precious daughter had really been abducted by someone?!
……
The Han family actually found out even earlier.
As soon as that official announcement post from Huaxia Academic was published, less than half an hour later, an old acquaintance called Han Qishan—
“Old Han, congratulations, congratulations! To gain such a son-in-law, you’re truly blessed!”
Han Qishan: “Huh?” Gain what?
“Your granddaughter’s husband, and you’re still pretending with me? We’ve known each other for decades, no need for that.”
“No… granddaughter’s husband? You haven’t woken up and are still dreaming, right? What nonsense are you talking about?”
Having said that, he didn’t even listen to the other side’s explanation, and hung up with a bang.
“This Old Zhang, who knows how many bottles he downed last night. Early in the morning and still not sober, spouting drunk talk…”
The old man shook his head, grabbed his cane, and went out for a walk.
He only came back half an hour later. Just as he entered, he heard the landline ringing.
He walked over and picked it up: “Hello.”
“Hey—Old Han, about that project from last time, I’ve seriously thought it over. Giving you one point of profit isn’t really a big issue.”
Han Qishan raised an eyebrow. This didn’t sound like something an iron rooster would say. He immediately became wary.
“What are you up to? You wouldn’t budge no matter what before, and now you’re delivering yourself to my door. This makes me uneasy.”
“Ahem! I won’t hide it from you either. Anyway, now you and Hanqing Bio are one family. I had a batch of drug applications delayed before, couldn’t ship them for ages. See if you can say a word to them, just one sentence, very simple. Guaranteed no risk at all…”
“Drugs? Hanqing Bio? What do you mean? Why is everyone saying such weird things today?”
“Old Han, that’s no fun. It’s all public across the entire internet and you’re still hiding it? That’s not thick-skinned at all! If I had such a big backer, I’d have broadcast it to the whole world long ago. You weren’t like this before, since when did you become so low-key? It’s totally not your style.”
Han Qishan was nearly dizzy from being led around by these sentences: “Explain it clearly to me, what public across the internet, what big backer?! If you don’t make it clear today, I’m going to your company to get to the bottom of it!”
“Wait… do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?”
“Do I need to know something?” Han Qishan gritted his teeth.
“Hiss!” The other side sucked in a sharp breath. “This is serious. Go check the news quickly.”
With that, he hung up directly.
Check the news?
Han Qishan had originally wanted to turn on the TV, but couldn’t find the remote. He simply picked up his phone. Once he unlocked it, good lord, dozens of unread WeChat messages.
He casually opened one, and the entire screen was full of congratulations.
Han Qishan was even more confused. What exactly were these people congratulating him for?
Then he opened another one, still congratulations, but with an extra Weibo link. He clicked into it—
Xie Dingyuan and Jiang Fuyue’s photo just barged into his eyes without warning.
Five minutes later, the old man had read all the messages and even browsed Weibo once around.
“Eldest, Second, Third, get your *sses down here!”
Hearing the roar, the three mighty generals immediately appeared. Han Shen and Han Ke were the fastest. Han Heng had originally been sleeping soundly in his room; after being woken up, he hurriedly tumbled downstairs in a panic.
“Dad, what’s wrong?”
“What happened?”
“I was sleeping so well…”
Han Qishan shot the youngest son a fierce glare: “Sleep, sleep, sleep, you only know how to sleep! Are you a pig?”
Han Heng: “?” Just very innocent, okay.
“Yueyue is about to become someone else’s, and you still have the mood to sleep like the dead?”
The three of them sharpened their gazes at once.
“Dad,” Han Shen frowned, “what’s going on? What do you mean Yueyue’s becoming someone else’s? Say it clearly.”
“See for yourselves!” The old man snorted angrily and threw the phone at him.
Han Shen finished reading, his face as heavy as water.
Han Ke leaned over: “Let me take a look too…”
Half a minute later, his expression was taut.
Han Heng saw he couldn’t squeeze in, so he simply pulled out his own phone, opened Weibo, and scrolled the trending list: “Holy cr*p, this is an official announcement already? One, two, three, four, five… holy cr*p, so many trending topics!”
He, a dignified Best Actor and the entertainment industry’s acknowledged top-tier traffic, still didn’t get this kind of treatment.
Han Qishan: “Enough talking. Grab your weapons, let’s go to the Xie family to settle accounts!”
“Dad, Dad, don’t… calm down.”
“Yeah, rushing over like this won’t solve anything.”
Han Qishan: “I’m angry!”
“Yes, yes, yes, we know you’re angry. Whose little cabbage gets rooted by a pig and wouldn’t be angry? I’m angry too!”
Han Ke nodded: “Exactly!”
Han Heng: “I think we should still grab weapons…” He was really furious!
Han Shen yanked him back: “What nonsense are you making? Don’t add chaos, settle down.”
Then he turned to the old man: “I think we should first ask Yueyue and see what her attitude is.”
For the official account to dare do this, it must have sought opinions from both sides and obtained consent.
In fact, he already guessed Yueyue’s attitude. Still, he had to hear it with his own ears before he could feel at ease…
Just then, Jiang Fuyue came downstairs from the second floor.
“Grandpa, Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Youngest Uncle, I’m willing.”
Willing to be with Xie Dingyuan.
And also willing to make the relationship public.
Jiang Fuyue had wanted to say it last night. Today, she finally said it out loud.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
