Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
Cheng Jingyao never did get his kiss.
Ye Yunqing shot him a look, pulled his hat lower to hide his smile, and said, “Let’s go home.”
Cheng Jingyao didn’t press the issue. Holding the little one, he followed along, cheerfully replying, “I’ll hold you to it later.”
***
The family of three avoided the paparazzi and returned home, where Aunt Liu, the housekeeper, had already prepared lunch. They also had a guest.
Ye Yunqing said, “Sister Xiaoxiao?”
The short-haired woman by the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window had just finished a phone call. She turned around and gave Cheng Jingyao a “warm welcome.”
“Well, if it isn’t our Film Emperor Cheng, the man who just crashed Weibo’s servers! What brings you home ‘personally’?”
Ye Yunqing, who had just half-removed his mask, couldn’t help but smile but then suddenly paused. “Crashed Weibo’s servers?”
Could it be that the special follow’s new Weibo post just now—
He quickly turned to look at Cheng Jingyao.
However, the other party, still holding the little one, nonchalantly entered the room. “It’s nothing, just made an official announcement.”
Ye Yunqing quickly took out his phone, and after a long wait, finally logged into the emergency-repaired app, only to see the Weibo post that had rocked today’s entertainment world.
@ChengJingyaoV: The luxury car is mine, the child is mine, and @YeYunqing is mine too—my lover whom I’ve cherished since childhood. [Attached: Childhood photo, Marriage certificate]
Ye Yunqing was stunned for a moment. He repeatedly confirmed the account that made the post—it wasn’t a secondary account or a fake one—it was Cheng Jingyao. The moment his “scandal” broke out, Cheng had made an official announcement.
He had openly declared their relationship, standing up for him clearly and firmly.
He looked up at Cheng, who then took his phone away, speaking gently but firmly, “Wash up and eat first.”
Ye Yunqing glanced at the little one who was already eagerly climbing into the baby chair. “…”
Alright, no matter what, eating is the most important thing.
***
Cheng Jingyao’s Weibo post immediately drew most of the attention—after all, rumors about a man who inherited billions with one hand and won a Film Emperor award with the other were far more enticing than those about a newcomer like Ye Yunqing.
In the time it took Ye Yunqing to finish lunch, fans and the general public’s reactions went from shock to doubt to outright outrage.
【WTF?! Did this scandal just hit me directly?!!!】
【Brother! If you’ve been kidnapped, just blink!】
【@YaoYunEntertainment Get to work! Where the h*ll are you when your boss’s account gets hacked?】
【D*mn! Did my husband get married behind my back?】
【One second: Haha, let me see which celebrity’s life is falling apart today. The next second: D*mn! It’s my own family :)】
【Huh? The kid is actually my husband’s?!】
【Wait a minute, President Yao, you like men? But you have a child?? You have a kid and still married a man?! What is the mother, a living incubator?!】
【You two are disgusting, I’m unfollowing.】
【You’re only twenty-three, and the kid is four or five years old? We don’t expect you to be a virgin, but you couldn’t have been making babies at eighteen, right?】
The hashtags #NewBestActorBatsforBothTeams and #ChengJingyaoSurrogacy quickly shot to the top of the trending topics, even surpassing #ChengJingyaoYeYunqingOfficialAnnouncement.
If Ye Yunqing’s scandal had sent gossip accounts into a KPI-driven frenzy, then the dirt on Cheng Jingyao made those same accounts reach “ecstasy.” Even people within the industry started to drop hints and spread veiled accusations.
After all, Cheng was a fast track to traffic, and everyone wanted a piece of the action.
They stopped questioning whether Ye Yunqing had a child underage and instead started grilling Cheng Jingyao.
People claimed that Cheng was using his vast wealth and power to dominate the entertainment industry, that his aloof and princely image was fake, that his acting, his box office success, and even his charity donations were all fake—just like the face that was idolized by the nation.
Sitting on the living room sofa, Ye Yunqing grew increasingly angry as he read through the posts, his pale, refined face tinged with a flush of anger. His breathing became quicker, completely losing the calm he’d had when he first saw his own scandal.
A large hand reached over and covered the phone screen, “Stop looking. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Cheng Jingyao took his phone away and handed him a small piece of watermelon.
Looking at Cheng’s calm expression, all of Ye Yunqing’s frustration dissipated.
The other party’s actions were telling him: Don’t worry, this little “problem” isn’t worth stressing over.
Wang Xiao, the short-haired woman who had just “welcomed” Cheng Jingyao home earlier, was not only the general manager of YaoYun Entertainment but also Cheng Jingyao’s personal manager. She regretfully said, “President Cheng, our big Film Emperor Cheng, you might need to face reality.”
She pulled up a real-time public opinion analysis report from the PR department on her tablet and switched to work mode.
“You admitting that the luxury car and the child are yours might clear Yunqing of cheating allegations, but it also exposes your hidden marriage, giving the haters a new angle of attack. Now, they’re not only suspecting you of swinging both ways but also accusing Yunqing of using you to climb the ladder—”
Wang Xiao suddenly paused, glancing at the little one sitting next to Ye Yunqing, staring at her with wide, innocent deer-like eyes.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “In short, the situation is not looking good.”
She pulled up a document on her tablet. “This is the PR department’s drafted statement. It emphasizes that you two were childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven, who’ve known and loved each other for years. You registered your marriage as soon as you reached the legal age, and the reason for keeping it secret was that Yunqing was a private individual at the time, and you didn’t want his identity to be overly exposed.”
“Later, Yunqing entered the industry by chance, and the company had plans to gradually go public, like with your interactions at the award ceremony.”
Ye Yunqing: “…”
Interactions? You mean tripping and falling into each other’s arms as a way of greeting?
The way it was put, he almost believed it himself.
Wang Xiao tapped her tablet a couple more times and sent a link to both of them. “Since you two have gone public, you should establish a CP super topic. It’d be best if you could provide some material and photos for the PR department to use. There’s an internal poll going on right now to choose your CP name.”
Ye Yunqing took back his phone and opened the link: [Cheng Jingyao X Ye Yunqing CP Name Voting: 1. YaoYun; 2. JingYun; 3. ChengJiaLiYe (Family and Career); 6. ChengYunZhiShang (Soaring Above the Clouds); 7. Other.]
He exchanged a glance with Cheng Jingyao. Although they didn’t fully understand it, they silently agreed on choosing “7”.
Call it whatever, just don’t make them choose—it’s too embarrassing!
“One more thing,” Wang Xiao glanced discreetly at the little one, “The company suggests providing an explanation for…” Tuntun’s background.
Both Ye Yunqing and Cheng Jingyao paused and looked at Tuntun, who was happily munching on watermelon, his lips stained red.
As soon as Tuntun turned his innocent gaze toward them, Ye Yunqing pulled him into his arms. “We… we’ll discuss how to word it.”
Wang Xiao, feeling a bit sympathetic, quickly changed the subject. “There’s also one more critical issue—you’re both losing followers at an alarming rate.”
This was something Ye Yunqing had noticed too. Cheng Jingyao had a larger fan base, so his losses were even more severe.
Wang Xiao continued, “Although neither of you is positioned as an idol, and you don’t need to deliberately cultivate fans, public opinion and reputation are still important for both of you.”
“The current public opinion is not in your favor. Some of Yunqing’s endorsements are considering terminating their contracts. Even if the company issues a statement to clarify things, it will only convince some people.”
It’s typical for netizens to only get half the story when following gossip. Later on, when they remember it, they’ll still think, “Oh, isn’t he that guy who secretly got married and had a child?”
Wang Xiao said, “If there’s no continuous exposure, it’s hard to reverse a bad impression.”
As the saying goes, “It’s easy to start a rumor, but hard to refute one.” Even though they just announced that they are a legally married couple, there are still people questioning whether Ye Yunqing truly deserved his Best Newcomer Award.
Previously, the rumored “sponsor” behind the scenes was unknown, but now it’s verified as “Cheng Jingyao.” Given his background, the rumors about “buying awards” seem even more believable.
And there’s all sorts of bizarre negative rumors that it’s impossible to chase down and explain to each netizen individually.
“What kind of exposure do you suggest?” Cheng Jingyao, who had remained silent, asked, “Should we make an 18+ film?”
Wang Xiao paused for a moment, then clasped her hands together, “If you’re willing! I’ll arrange it immediately!”
Ye Yunqing’s face flushed slightly. He covered their child’s ears and elbowed Cheng Jingyao, “Don’t say such things.”
Cheng Jingyao looked at his son’s clear, wide eyes, coughed, and gave Wang Xiao a “get to the point” look.
Wang Xiao finally brought up the main issue and pulled up a file on her tablet.
“The producer of a reality show on Pineapple Video just contacted me. They want to invite you to participate in a family live-stream reality show.”
“A family live-stream reality show?” Ye Yunqing asked, “Does that mean bringing Tuntun on camera as well?”
Tuntun, who had been quietly nibbling on watermelon, suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Ye Yunqing. Excited, he quickly said, “Daddy, I want to join too!”
No matter what, he wanted to be with his dad.
“And Big Daddy too.” Tuntun grabbed Cheng Jingyao’s arm, “All of us together.”
Their family should be together, and no one should bully Daddy.
The little guy’s face was serious, but a tiny watermelon seed was stuck to his round, chubby cheek, moving up and down as he spoke in his soft, babyish voice.
Wang Xiao screamed internally: Ahhhhh! I want to have kids now!
She smiled warmly and nodded, “Yes, Tuntun will also be on the show.”
“The producer and director of this show have worked with the company before. Pineapple Video is partly owned by Shiyao, so both the team and platform are reliable. I evaluated it and thought it was feasible, so I came to ask for your opinion.”
Ye Yunqing wasn’t against interacting with Cheng Jingyao on the show; his only concern was that too much exposure might not be good for Tuntun. Even though the little guy seemed very excited just now, it still needed careful consideration.
Cheng Jingyao took the tablet and seriously reviewed the proposal, “Who is the producer? They’re brave to invite us in the middle of all this.”
Wang Xiao replied, “The producer thinks your family’s unique composition might help break some stereotypes.”
“Also—” Wang Xiao lowered her voice and pressed her hand to her lips, “I heard that the producer’s wife works at Shiyao Group headquarters.”
Cheng Jingyao raised an eyebrow, and Ye Yunqing suddenly understood: No wonder, they’re on our side.
***
That afternoon, Ye Yunqing logged into his official Weibo account and reposted Cheng Jingyao’s post:
@YeYunqingV: My love [heart emoji] @ChengJingyaoV: The luxury car is mine, the child is mine, and @YeYunqing is mine too…
YaoYun Entertainment’s official account immediately followed up with a statement, confirming that Ye Yunqing and Cheng Jingyao are legally married, and included a lawyer’s letter, reserving the right to pursue legal action against gossip accounts and netizens who spread defamatory rumors.
Shortly after, Shiyao Group’s official account posted a lawsuit receipt, suing three media outlets, 72 gossip accounts, and over a hundred netizens for defamation against the group’s CEO and his spouse.
Under the threat of legal action, the flood of negative rumors finally subsided.
Fans who couldn’t accept the marriage quickly unfollowed, but rational fans were still observing the situation since the company’s statement didn’t mention the child who had been photographed.
Critics latched onto this point, continuing to question whether Cheng Jingyao had deceived a woman into having his child or used surrogacy.
It wasn’t until 8 PM that night that the couple finally addressed the issue.
