Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
Ye Yunqing answered the phone, “Mom.”
“Qingqing, are you up?” came Chu Lan’s gentle voice on the other end.
Ye Yunqing lifted the covers and sat up. “Yes, I’m up.”
Chu Lan: “Have you been tired these past two days of recording?”
Ye Yunqing: “It’s fine, easier than filming.”
Chu Lan: “I saw the news online. I’m sorry, Qingqing. I never expected that throwing you a birthday party back then would lead to such rumors.”
Ye Yunqing paused.
It was his seventeenth birthday. There was no need to make a big deal out of it, but Chu Lan had suggested hosting a birthday party and inviting some classmates.
He knew that her intention was for his good, hoping that the party would make him feel more at home with the Chu family. The rumors that followed were entirely unexpected.
Ye Yunqing: “It has nothing to do with you. Many classmates knew about my situation; it just happened to be spread by someone. It didn’t even reach me before Jingyao dealt with it, so I wasn’t really affected.”
From childhood, whenever he encountered storms or accidents, Cheng Jingyao would always be the first to stand in front of him, shielding him from the wind and rain.
“We’re one and the same,” Cheng Jingyao had emphasized countless times, and Ye Yunqing had always taken it to heart.
But Chu Lan was still somewhat angry: “But those netizens… they’re saying such horrible things. You and Jingyao are together, and we, as elders, have no objections. Who are they to judge whether you’re a match?”
In fact, the comments from the marketing accounts and trolls were far worse. They said that Ye Yunqing was ungrateful, never satisfied, and that he had schemed to seduce Cheng Jingyao, all to transform from an outsider to an insider, tying himself completely to the Cheng and Chu families.
They said he entered the industry by following Cheng Jingyao, relying on him to snatch resources, land movie roles, and even win the Best Newcomer Award.
They even claimed that he had gone to great lengths to adopt a child, intending to split the Cheng and Chu families’ inheritance in the future.
In their eyes, not only was Ye Yunqing’s background and status unworthy of Cheng Jingyao, but he was also an ungrateful, vain, and manipulative person.
What angered Chu Lan even more was—
“They’ve even portrayed me as the evil mother-in-law of a wealthy family, saying I must not have given enough to separate you and Jingyao, which made me so angry that I couldn’t even get a good night’s beauty sleep.”
Ye Yunqing couldn’t help but smile and said, “That’s nonsense! You gave so much back then; how could outsiders understand?”
Chu Lan was momentarily stunned, then chuckled, her frustration slightly eased.
Qingqing was referring to when she first learned that Jingyao and he had confirmed their relationship. She was so happy that she immediately bought a house and a car for Ye Yunqing, transferred some shares to him, and insisted that he accept it as a “meet-the-parents gift.”
If those haters knew, they would probably die of envy, clapping their hands and marveling at how well Ye Yunqing had “seduced” Cheng Jingyao.
Chu Lan, still concerned, suggested, “Should I step in and have the trending topic removed, then issue a statement?”
Ye Yunqing felt warmth in his heart: “No need, Mom. Yaoyun Entertainment’s PR team will handle it.”
Chu Lan was an outstanding businesswoman, the current chairwoman of Tianlan Group. She had never spoken out for her son in the entertainment industry—mainly because there hadn’t been an opportunity. Now, it wasn’t necessary for her to get involved in the muddy waters of the entertainment circle.
Chu Lan was also worried that she might inadvertently make things worse, so she said, “Alright, but let me know if you need anything. If Yaoyun’s legal team isn’t enough, Tianlan’s is always available.”
Ye Yunqing opened the bedroom door and walked out. “Yes, if needed, I won’t hesitate to ask for your help.”
“We’re family; there’s no need to talk about being a bother.” Chu Lan playfully scolded. “Is Tuntun awake?”
Ye Yunqing just reached the living room, seeing Cheng Jingyao and Tuntun. His lips curved slightly. “Yes, he’s in the living room doing morning exercises with Jingyao.”
When Tuntun was younger, he wasn’t as physically coordinated as other children his age. When he started kindergarten last year, he was slower than the other kids in learning morning exercises, which made him quite frustrated. Ye Yunqing and Cheng Jingyao got a video from the teacher and taught him at home, helping him catch up. Now, they occasionally still practice with him.
Hearing his dad’s voice, Tuntun immediately turned and ran over. “Daddy!”
Upon hearing her grandson’s voice, Chu Lan quickly said, “Hang up and start a video call so I can see Tuntun too.”
Ye Yunqing scooped up the running Tuntun and started a video call with Chu Lan. “Tuntun, say hello to Grandma.”
Today, Tuntun was especially energetic. His chubby little face squeezed up close to the camera, and in his sweet, high-pitched voice, he said, “Good morning, Grandma!”
When Chu Lan had Cheng Jingyao, she was already an older mother, and now, in her sixties, she sported a trendy, slightly curled short hairstyle reminiscent of the Hong Kong style. Her face bore the gentle marks of time, and her smile was warm and kind. “Good morning, Tuntun. Have you had breakfast yet?”
Tuntun shook his head. “Not yet. We’re waiting for Daddy.”
The late-rising Ye Yunqing: “…”
Cheng Jingyao, who was sitting right beside him, chuckled softly, earning a glare from Ye Yunqing.
On the other end of the video call, Chu Lan smiled without saying a word, pretending not to notice their interaction, and asked Tuntun, “Did you have fun at the amusement park the past few days, sweetheart?”
“Yes!” Tuntun’s eyes lit up at the mention of the amusement park, and he couldn’t help but boast, “Grandma, I won lots and lots of badges at the amusement park!”
Chu Lan replied, “I saw that online. You’re amazing, Tuntun.”
Tuntun giggled with pride.
Chu Lan’s face was full of smiles. “Next time, will you take Grandma to the amusement park too?”
Tuntun nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I’ll take Grandma to play!”
Chu Lan added, “Then why don’t you and Daddy come over to Grandma’s house in a few days, and we can go to the amusement park together.”
Tuntun looked at his two dads, and after seeing them both nod, he said, “Okay, I’ll come with Daddy and Big Daddy.”
Chu Lan responded, “Great. Now go have breakfast, and Grandma will be waiting for you at home.”
Tuntun replied, “Okay, bye-bye, Grandma.”
After hanging up the phone, Ye Yunqing went back to the bedroom to freshen up, while Cheng Jingyao lifted Tuntun into his booster seat. The family sat down for breakfast, as they usually did.
As he chewed his food, Tuntun asked, “Big Daddy, when are we going to Grandma’s house?”
Cheng Jingyao thought for a moment. “Hmm… how about Friday?”
The innocent Tuntun nodded happily, “Yay! We can go to the amusement park on Friday!”
He didn’t realize that today was only Monday.
Cheng Jingyao let Tuntun enjoy his excitement and then turned to Ye Yunqing. “Mom saw the trending topic?”
He had already guessed why his mother called, and he was used to her reaching out to Ye Yunqing more often than to him.
Ye Yunqing nodded. “Yes, Mom said the netizens made her out to be an evil mother-in-law, and she was really upset.”
Cheng Jingyao laughed, “If my mom were an evil mother-in-law, then there wouldn’t be any good ones left in the world.”
Just as he finished speaking, Cheng Jingyao’s phone pinged with a notification.
He opened the Weibo notification and raised an eyebrow. “Looks like Mom couldn’t resist and didn’t want to be labeled as an ‘evil mother-in-law.'”
Curious, Ye Yunqing leaned over to look.
@TianlanGroupV: The Chairwoman says, ‘The dowry was indeed too little. She originally planned for young Mr. Cheng to bring the family fortune as part of the marriage’ /doghead @EntertainmentGossip: Mr. Yao’s parents probably didn’t write a big enough check; otherwise, how could they not stop Ye Yunqing from ‘marrying’ into the wealthy family and climbing the ranks? It’s said…
Top Comment:
@MindYourOwnBusiness: Today, let’s give my ID to Gossip Brother and all those idiots worrying about whether they’re a good match or not.
@TianlanGroupV replied @MindYourOwnBusiness: The Chairwoman says, you’re absolutely right!
The haters: … Feeling embarrassed.jpg
Entertainment Gossip quickly deleted the Weibo post, but Tianlan Group’s official account posted a screenshot of the original post, publicly shaming them. The Gossip Brother soon gave in and issued a public apology, while the paid marketing accounts and internet trolls also fell silent.
Meanwhile, the CP fans celebrated like it was a holiday: [Our mother-in-law said herself that she wanted Mr. Yao to marry in!]
@JingXingQingYun: #ChengYunRising# The young master of a fallen noble family x the bandit chief who brought his family fortune into the marriage: Why did the king of the mountain become a son-in-law?…
Comments: This is gold! More, please!
***
The trending topic temporarily subsided, and while Tuntun asked countless times why it wasn’t Friday yet, Ye Yunqing’s agent, Brother Li, arrived with Xu Youyou.
Li Jianping said, “Although President Cheng and Chairwoman Chu spoke out and helped us push back on the trending topic from a few days ago, those who planned to attack you won’t give up easily. Mr. Wang and I both agree that the best counterattack is to let your work speak for itself—show results, silence the haters, and make the rivals understand that trying to block you is useless.”
Ye Yunqing nodded and took a few documents from Xu Youyou.
Li Jianping continued, “These are a few film scripts I’ve selected, with a list of potential competitors attached at the end. The ones circled in black have confirmed they’ll be auditioning; the ones circled in red are the rivals who’ve been behind the scenes slandering you ever since the photos of you and Tuntun were taken during the trending topics.”
Ye Yunqing glanced at the list and focused on one name that was heavily circled in red. “This person…”
Li Jianping replied, “This is one of the actors competing with you for the lead role in Sunshine. You met during the audition.”
Ye Yunqing vaguely remembered, but—
Just one failed audition, and they’re targeting him this much?
