Downstairs, everyone was having breakfast together. Noticing that Shao Yuye still hadn’t come down, Lin Kexin quietly tugged Shen Wanwan’s sleeve:
“About last night… did you see it?”
Shen Wanwan: “What is it?”
Lin Kexin leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Someone exposed Brother Ye, saying he hid his background and deceived the audience.”
“Oh.” Shen Wanwan responded without much emotion. “I know.”
Lin Kexin asked cautiously, “Is Brother Ye… in a bad mood?”
Shen Wanwan took a sip of milk and said lightly, “He’ll be fine soon.”
Shao Yuye was in his room going over last night’s events with Brother Li.
When someone knocked on the door, he didn’t respond at all.
Until Shen Wanwan’s cool voice sounded at the door: “Open the door.”
The voice was soft, but it carried such weight that he jolted up from the bed and rushed to open it.
“Why are you here?”
Shen Wanwan handed him the tray.
“Eat your breakfast.”
She walked into the room. The curtains were still drawn, leaving the entire space dim and gloomy. Shen Wanwan, without any hesitation, walked over and pulled the curtains open.
A flood of light poured into the room.
The once dark and stifling space instantly became much brighter.
Holding the tray in one hand, Shao Yuye casually picked up a bun with the other and stuffed it into his mouth.
The fragrance of red bean paste spread through the air, a gentle sweetness blooming on his lips.
Shao Yuye froze for a moment. He turned to Shen Wanwan, surprised.
“Sweet?”
He didn’t like sweet things at all.
“Mm. Eating something sweet makes you feel better.”
Shen Wanwan sat down beside him and pinched his cheek lightly.
“You look like someone carrying the weight of the world.
“Ugly.”
Since his little sister asked, Shao Yuye tugged up the corner of his mouth, trying to look a bit more cheerful.
But Shen Wanwan wasn’t buying it at all. She reached out and pressed his lip down, dragging his facial line back into its original expression.
“If you don’t feel like being happy, then don’t force it.”
That was true.
He really couldn’t feel happy right now.
Shao Yuye let out a mocking smile.
“It’s just ridiculous.”
Family scandals shouldn’t be aired outside.
He really didn’t want to bring up those depressing matters at all, and there wasn’t much worth saying either. He just wanted to show his fans the best side of himself.
A dark and miserable idol couldn’t stand on stage shining and giving fans strength. All that negativity would only drain the fans and make them irritable.
It was pointless.
He didn’t want that.
Shen Wanwan smiled. “Just explain things clearly to everyone.”
Shao Yuye nodded. “Mm.”
Shen Wanwan was about to speak when 001 suddenly said: {The female lead is right outside the door.}
Shen Wanwan looked over.
Through the narrow crack of the door, she could only see the hem of Bai Ling’s skirt.
Bai Ling had been peeking through the gap, and after seeing how close Shao Yuye and Shen Wanwan were, her feelings instantly became complicated.
She stood at the door holding a tray, feeling caught between advancing and retreating.
If she went in, she feared disturbing the warmth inside. But if she left quietly, she felt unwilling.
Forget it, better to leave.
She turned around, but bumped her elbow against the door panel. It made a crisp *creak*. Shao Yuye turned his head and their eyes met.
Bai Ling’s face flushed as she looked at him and explained, “I… I saw you didn’t come down for breakfast and was worried you’d be hungry.”
Shao Yuye was still holding the red bean bun Shen Wanwan brought him.
He froze for a moment, surprised she cared.
Shen Wanwan looked at Bai Ling with a faint, amused smile.
“Just put it on the table.”
…That line again!
Bai Ling felt irritation rise in her chest. She tried to walk in and say something comforting.
“Shao Yuye, I saw everything online. Don’t let it bother you too much. Skipping meals will only make it worse, so I brought you a lot of—”
Before she could finish, Shao Yuye suddenly let out a full burp.
Just now, while chatting with his sister, he accidentally ate several red bean buns.
He glanced regretfully at the breakfast Bai Ling brought.
“Sorry, I don’t think I can eat anymore.”
He was full.
Bai Ling: “…”
Everything Shen Wanwan brought was the kind of sweet food Shao Yuye disliked the most, so why did he finish it all?!
In the end, Bai Ling carried her untouched tray downstairs.
001 watched her retreating back, completely baffled: {…Incredible. The situation has totally reversed… The female lead keeps getting shut down whenever she’s near you!}
Shen Wanwan curved her lips. “Do you know why?”
001: {Why?}
“Because I have you.”
The rarely soft-hearted Miss Shen gently rubbed the little light orb’s head.
001, pleased at being praised, twisted its body happily.
{Not really, it’s mainly because you are amazing.}
Shen Wanwan, who had never known the meaning of modesty in her life, said confidently, “Mm, I am the light.”
She didn’t need to borrow anyone else’s light.
Nor did she need to depend on anyone.
Even if the light was faint—
It was still hers.
Morning light, clear and gentle, shone in through the window.
001 didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he felt the light on its host’s body seemed to have brightened a little again.
The livestream that day had been harmonious.
Thanks to Shen Wanwan, all negative news about Shao Yuye was blocked.
Until the end of that day’s recording.
Words alone couldn’t express his emotions clearly, and he wasn’t the type to write some long sentimental essay recounting his life.
In the end, Shao Yuye decided to go live on Weibo.
Shen Wanwan reminded him: “You’ve held it in all day. There might be a lot of extreme hate comments.”
Reality was exactly as she predicted. Almost the moment the stream started, hate comments flooded in:
[Shao Yuye pretending to be dead? Got the guts to record a show but not to respond?!]
[LOL, king of covering things up. The more he tries, the more yesterday’s post seems true!]
[What’s this livestream for? Keeping fans? Hahahaha!]
But such comments were quickly drowned out by the enthusiasm of the ‘Yu Yu’s.
Earlier in the day, Shao Yuye’s studio had posted a statement saying they would pursue legal action against false accusations, and that Shao Yuye would talk to everyone about it personally that evening.
The ‘Yu Yu’s were extremely worried. Thankfully, the show was fully livestreamed, so they could see that Brother Ye was doing fine.
Now that they could finally talk to him face-to-face, everyone spammed the chat like crazy:
[Aaaaah Brother Ye!!!]
[Brother Ye! Brohter Ye! Brother Ye!!!]
[Brother Ye is clarifying tonight? Great great great!]
[Brother Ye please, tell us she’s not your sister okay? She really doesn’t understand you QAQ]
[So Shao Hongyuan really is Brother Ye’s biological father?]
[Feels like Brother Ye really doesn’t like them.]
[I wanted to say last night. His expression in that family photo looked bad, impatient even.]
Shao Yuye had originally been calm.
He had hoped he could peacefully tell fans about this meaningless story from the past.
But there were always a few people stirring things up:
[Can you respond to these points? Back in the competition, did you really say that just to manipulate fans?]
[Your Dad helped you a lot behind the scenes, right? Playing the sad underdog for years, and now that public opinion is good, you’re switching to the rich young master route?]
[Why don’t you dare respond? Did I hit a nerve? Avoiding the real issue, putting on a show for fans. Look at all the braindead fans, you’ve been exposed yet they still worship you.]
The words ‘braindead fans’ made the veins on Shao Yuye’s exposed forearms pop.
They could insult him, but to insult his fans as braindead…
He suppressed his anger. Under the light, his eyes dimmed.
The provoking comments continued:
[I bet tonight he’ll say some nonsense like cutting ties~ let’s hear the speech Top Idol Shao prepared all day!]
[Huh? Abandoning family for fame? His parents really suffered, raising such an ungrateful wolf…]
Seeing that last comment, the anger that had just ignited in him was instantly doused like cold water poured over his head.
He stared at it, then suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
But the smile was icy and didn’t reach his eyes.
Shao Yuye leaned back in his chair, spine touching the backrest. His tongue pressed against the inner wall of his right cheek, a faint, disdainful scoff slipping from the corner of his mouth.
“Parents?”