Chapter 11

Receiving the good news that his uncle was returning to the country, Shu Shiyun's mood lightened considerably during his evening livestream. Tonight, he kept it simple—a casual entertainment stream, casually revealing the timing for the winter collection’s launch discounts. As he halfheartedly responded to comments, his gaze remained fixed on the upper right corner of the fan leaderboard.

At the top spot hung a default sketch avatar, the user silent throughout except for a few large gifts dropped upon entering the stream.

[Seeing the boss standing firm in the livestream brings such calmness.]

[Yun is ridiculously beautiful, truly my number one in looks.]

[With that kind of beauty, why bother with a clothing brand? Please become a beauty streamer, I'll support you!]

[My Yunbao hubby is at number one, you better beat him first.]

Shu Shiyun lowered his head to reply to new messages. Upon refreshing, three chat boxes popped up simultaneously. He neatly deleted them before looking up to see many longtime fans entering the stream, prompting him to smile and wave.

“Welcome, everyone.”

[Our baby looks great, much healthier than before.]

[I went to the store recently but couldn’t get the same style. The red sweatshirt Yun wore in his videos sold out.]

[Is Yunbao no longer attending offline events? Will there be a meetup for his birthday?]

Shu Shiyun glanced at the scrolling comments and replied earnestly: “The sold-out items will be restocked at upcoming events. Sometimes, on weekend nights, a few batches drop at fixed times; if you have the time, keep an eye out. I was pretty busy recently, but my livestreams should stabilize soon, probably back to the usual chat and PK modes. The birthday celebration is still far off, but I’m considering meeting more of you then.”

[Yun is so gentle. Is he in a relationship?]

Several comments with the same implication flashed by. In the past, Shu Shiyun would have ignored them, but this time, seeing the number one spot's avatar, he changed his mind.

“Yes, I’ve been dating recently. It’s not fully settled yet, but I wanted to share that much.”

The moment these words left his mouth, the chat exploded, the messages flying by at a dizzying speed.

[Oh my god!]

[Who the hell is it? Who?!]

[Don’t ask, it’s me. Please bless us.]

[Hubby, are you saying this just to tease me? I admit I’m jealous. Tell me you’re joking!]

[No longer single? Break up then!]

[What a joke. Do you think I’m a girlfriend fan? We’re all Mama fans here.]

[Who wouldn’t want to pinch Yunbao’s pretty little face?]

[Who wouldn’t want a child like Yunbao?]

“It was a well-thought-out decision. Please don’t worry; I’ll take care of my relationship properly.” Shu Shiyun smiled at the many warm reminders. “I won’t reveal anything about the other person since they don’t work in front of the camera. So I hope everyone will respect that and not ask too much. Just come to see me, that’s enough.”

After announcing this, some fans inevitably drifted away.

Seeing the time was near, he waved goodbye to those still in the room and ended the stream. Just a second before logging off, he noticed some messages pop up but ended the stream automatically before he could read them, leaving the screen pitch black.

Feeling that something was off, he opened the backend and indeed saw several devoted fans had shared a video a few seconds earlier.

“Brother, this video account keeps spreading rumors about you. Do you want to deal with it?”

Opening the video, he found a small marketing account with a few thousand followers repeatedly playing a few seconds of footage with ambiguous voiceover.

At a glance, the background seemed familiar, but zooming in, he recognized it as the corridor and private room of Shuiyuntian.

The first clip showed him falling into Shang Chenghuai’s arms in a brightly lit private room, the footage shot through a narrow crack in the door. He hugged Shang tight, and the other placed a hand on his shoulder. The video cut at exactly this moment, making it seem as if Shang was pushing him away, though in reality, Shang merely rested his hand on his shoulder.

The second clip showed him being helped by a waiter to sit in the hallway’s resting area, holding his head and frowning, clearly in discomfort.

In both clips, only half of his side profile was visible, while Shang’s neck down was shown without revealing identity. The footage was blurry, likely due to distance, but the uploader mentioned his initials, prompting many in the chat to guess who it was.

After watching, Shu Shiyun clicked on the comments and found many toxic and dark speculations.

[Looks so innocent on stream, but in reality, so wild? Throwing himself into someone’s arms like that.]

[So what happened next? He looked so weak—did it happen right there in the room?]

[Send the video!]

[I have it, type 1 and I’ll share it. You won’t expect how forward he was.]

[Seriously? People actually believe that? Anyone typing 1 must be brain-dead.]

[When you’re old, I’ll sell you health supplements. Can’t believe anyone trusts this, speechless.]

[No way! I love Yunbao so much. You video accounts spreading blurry rumors like this aren’t afraid of being sued?]

[Who says that’s our Shu Yun in the video? Don’t be ridiculous.]

[But that person really looks like Yunbao. He’s even wearing YS’s new coat, which sold out ages ago.]

The video had only been posted an hour ago, yet the comments had surged past a thousand.

Shu Shiyun skimmed the account name but didn’t care much. He’d encountered such rumor accounts before; they ride the wave of controversy, get scolded, then delete their posts. He simply replied briefly to the fans who forwarded him the video:

“Don’t worry, it’s all fake.”

His fans were reassured by the reply and went back to their fan groups to calm newer fans, asking him no further questions.

Watching everyone calmly coordinate their responses warmed Shu Shiyun’s heart. He casually sent small red envelopes to several fan groups and then logged out.

He had no intention of responding to such obviously problematic videos. After tidying himself up and lying down, he saw a message from Shang Chenghuai: a photo of their dog, 09, raising its paw, with three large characters meaning “Say hi.”

Shang Chenghuai: “Ready to rest?”

Shu Shiyun promptly saved the 09 sticker.

“Yeah, just finished.”

“The lighting on today’s stream was different from before.”

“You’re very observant. My fill light broke.”

“I want to give you a set of streaming equipment.”

“Why?”

Shu Shiyun turned over and lay quietly, waiting for a reply.

The status stayed at “typing…” for a while. At first, he thought Shang wanted to gift him something but wasn’t sure how to do it smoothly. When the new message finally came, his playful mood vanished.

Shang Chenghuai: “The gear I use at Chengtian is professionally calibrated for eye comfort. I’ve personally tested it before. I think you’ll like it. I’ll arrange for someone to help set it up so you won’t have to fuss with it yourself. You’ve always been bothered by this, haven’t you?”

Shu Shiyun: “…”

Well, he shouldn’t have had any hope for Shang.

That man was only a little smarter when he confessed to him before. The more they spent time together, the more Shu Shiyun realized that Shang was serious about many things, often blurring the line between joke and truth.

But somehow, that made him even more endearing.

—

Several days passed without any news, and the Lan family finally lost patience.

The night before, Shu Shiyun had chatted with Shang Chenghuai for over two hours, nearly uncovering all the details about his family. He even fell asleep hearing the reassuring, deep, gentle voice on the other end.

When he woke, his phone had already shut off automatically. He’d just set it on the table to charge and was entering the bathroom when urgent voices came from outside the window.

“I told you, I’m Shiyun’s father. Why is this nanny so stubborn? What’s wrong with us waiting inside?”

“Yeah, are you even reasonable? We’re his family. Why tell the security we’re trespassing?”

“Don’t waste time arguing with him. Shu Shiyun must’ve told her to say that. Maybe he’s upstairs laughing at us!”

“Enough! Haven’t you caused enough trouble already?”

“Mom, Dad! I already explained it wasn’t me who started yelling at him that day, I—”

“Enough! Shut up!”

Hearing those voices, he knew it was the Lan family.

Standing before the large washbasin, he leisurely brushed his teeth and freshened up, then changed into a thin sweater and went downstairs.

The nanny had prepared breakfast early. He entered the kitchen first and nearly finished the special bacon sandwich he’d requested the day before before carrying a glass of milk to the living room door.

“What’s going on making such a racket so early?”

He strolled lazily, feigning just the right amount of surprise upon seeing the three Lan family members blocked by the community security outside the courtyard.

“Shiyun, finally awake! Let them in quickly.” Lan Suzi’s expression was urgent. “They blocked us here all morning and you didn’t answer your phone.”

Shu Shiyun’s face cooled as he gestured to the security to leave. When the three entered, looking disheveled under the eaves, he leisurely explained, “My phone died and shut off. You know I like to keep Do Not Disturb on while resting. Next time, just let me know in advance.”

Lan Suzi hesitated, as if wanting to mention he hadn’t replied to messages from a few days ago, but now to bring it up would seem like blaming him.

“Shiyun, I came specially with Lan Xuan to apologize.” Before he could speak, Tang Yitong quickly stepped forward, apology written all over her face. “We all heard what he said to you that day. He really went too far. It’s our fault for not disciplining him well. So we came to bring him to you and apologize.” She turned and glared fiercely at Lan Xuan.

Lan Xuan looked reluctant but forced his head down when facing Shu Shiyun. “I was impulsive last time. Sorry.”

“Show some sincerity!” Tang Yitong saw Shu Shiyun’s expression remain unchanged, so she pushed Lan Xuan hard. “You’re brothers with Shiyun after all. You don’t side with your own family, instead bragging to bad friends, then expecting Shiyun to cover for you? You’re getting worse!”

Lan Suzi urgently added, “Hurry, apologize to Shiyun properly.”

Watching this pointless farce unfold, Shu Shiyun chuckled lightly.

“If you’re really unwilling, forget it. I think Lan Xuan has his own ideas. After all, he’s an adult. Family can’t control him.”

Though gentle in tone, his words were clearly provocative.

Lan Suzi, seeing him reject the apology, grew angry and slapped Lan Xuan hard on the back, shouting, “What are you standing there for? Do you think you’re right?”

Lan Xuan coughed, his face flushing red, losing his temper at last. “Why are you hitting me? I already said it’s not just my fault. If he promised something and then changed his mind, how am I supposed to save face in front of my brother?”

“You’ve got some nerve!” Lan Suzi, enraged by this uncooperative stepson, turned to grab whatever was at hand.

Lan Xuan stiffened his neck. “What did I say wrong?”

Tang Yitong felt heartbroken seeing her son hit but dared not show it in front of Shu Shiyun, only urging Lan Xuan to apologize.

But Lan Xuan was a proud man. To say sorry to Shu Shiyun was already giving him face. He couldn’t tolerate any more.

Seeing the scheming look on Shu Shiyun’s face, and Lan Suzi pacing about as if itching to grab the wooden floor rack in the foyer to hit Lan Xuan, Shu Shiyun decided to give him a hand.

He frowned slightly, feigning urgency as he looked toward the nanny still standing outside.

“Auntie, please put away the broom. Don’t let my dad take it.”

Before the nanny could react, Lan Suzi stormed out and snatched the broom up. After a brief hesitation, he swung it hard across Lan Xuan’s back.

In the next instant, Lan Xuan let out a heart-wrenching scream, eyes wide with disbelief.

“You really hit me! Are you crazy?”