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Chapter 418 – The Movie Emperor’s Beloved Neighbor – I Can Pretend (01)

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[Points settlement: 10,000 points awarded for breaking up the male and female leads. Side quest: gain the affection of more people. Completion rate: 100%. Reward: 1,000 points.]

The mechanical female voice finished speaking in a hurry before going offline.

The one person and two dogs still remembered that the broadcasting system had gone on a blind date. When they opened the water mirror to take a look, they saw a beautiful young woman dining with a gentleman. He even thoughtfully pulled out a chair for her.

“Our little broadcaster has been snatched away by some stinky man!” Qiu’er was unwilling to accept it. The broadcaster had gained consciousness because of him—she was practically half his daughter. How could a father feel okay about his daughter being taken away?

Xiao A patted Qiu’er’s head. “She has to grow up eventually.”

Bai Tang had just been lectured repeatedly by Qi’s mother about not trusting strangers easily, so he was also suspicious of the girl’s date. “Qiu’er, go check that system’s background. We can’t let our little broadcaster be bullied.”

Qiu’er immediately perked up. “Got it!”

While Qiu’er went off to investigate, Bai Tang flipped open the plot of the next world.

…

The next world’s main storyline takes place in the entertainment industry.

The female lead and the second male lead were childhood neighbors and had a good relationship. Later, due to her parents’ job transfer, her family moved to another city, and the two lost contact.

After the second male lead grew up, his parents were swindled out of their assets during business dealings. The shock ruined their health, and both were hospitalized. They needed money—but he had none. So he chose a path that could earn money relatively quickly: entering the entertainment industry.

With his good looks, he initially did well in the industry. However, after he refused a sponsor’s casting couch demands, the sponsor became furious, feeling that his pride had been insulted. He had people drag the young man to an unspeakable party. After being forced to drink, the second male lead ran to the restroom to vomit—only to be caught by reporters.

His carefully built image and reputation collapsed overnight. His endorsements were terminated, and he was required to pay enormous breach-of-contract penalties. Meanwhile, the hospital kept urging for payment. All these burdens crushed him until he could barely breathe.

In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he jumped off a cliff and ended his life.

…

After his death, the female lead finally returned from studying abroad. She received all the letters he had sent her over the years—the latest one being his suicide note.

On her way back after visiting his parents, she was discovered by a talent scout and entered the entertainment industry. She acted alongside a top movie emperor, appeared on variety shows, and was paired in CP promotions. She experienced explosive fame, fan backlash, eventual acceptance, and even being framed in a casting couch scandal—only to be saved by the male lead.

After going through all of this, the lovers finally ended up together.

The second male lead’s role in the story mainly affects the male and female leads indirectly. The female lead has a strong sense of responsibility and believes that if she hadn’t delayed her return due to a cold, her childhood neighbor—the boy who grew up with her—might not have died.

On one hand, she has to take care of the second male lead’s parents; on the other, she has to continue filming. Meanwhile, the movie emperor’s elders accuse her of bringing along two elderly couples to act pitiful and scheme for the family’s fortune, and they refuse to let her marry into the family.

As for the second male lead’s parents, they have no other options left. Wanting to avenge their son, they can only cling to the female lead, who is working in the entertainment industry, and use her to uncover the person who framed their son. Because of this, the female lead falls into a massive career crisis, which at one point hinders the development of the relationship between the male and female leads.

Fortunately, with the help of the movie emperor, everything turns out well in the end. The male and female leads get their happy ending, and the second male lead’s parents, having fulfilled their wish, end their lives hand in hand with smiles on their faces.

…

Compared to the main couple, who overcome countless hardships, the story of the second male lead’s family is simply heartbreaking—tragic to the point that anyone who hears it would be moved to tears. Only the word “tragic” can truly describe it.

Bai Tang pressed his lips together and said nothing, as if deep in thought.

Xiao A asked, “Host, what’s wrong?”

“I’m thinking about something,” Bai Tang said. “Can the money in my little pouch space be taken out and used?”

“The currencies of each world and country may not be compatible, but gold is universal,” Xiao A replied. “You can sell gold or silver and exchange it for the local currency of the next world.”

Bai Tang counted the gold in his pouch space… and then realized he couldn’t even finish counting it.

“So I’m actually this rich~,” Bai Tang sighed.

Suicide was out of the question, of course—but the second male lead’s parents couldn’t be left without medical expenses. Money was necessary.

“I’m ready. Start the transfer.”

Bai Tang pulled the two little dogs into the teleportation array. Amid Qiu’er’s shout of “Wait—!”, they disappeared from the main system space.

“Ah—!”

The moment the boy opened his eyes, he realized he was falling through midair. The sound of rushing wind roared past his ears, and he couldn’t help but scream. The sharp wind poured into his mouth, cutting his throat painfully.

A flash of white light appeared. A small squirrel curled itself into a ball, descending slowly under the protection of a barrier.

A few minutes later, the barrier landed steadily on the ground and popped with a soft “bo.” The little squirrel stood upright on its hind legs, holding a pine nut and nibbling on it noisily. That had nearly scared it to death—better eat something to calm its nerves.

The two system entities appeared. Qiu’er ran up to the little squirrel ingratiatingly, acting cute. “Tang Tang, I’m sorry—I haven’t finished adjusting the teleportation timing yet…”

Qiu’er hurriedly explained that because of the timing error, they had already arrived at the point in the plot where the second male lead’s reputation had been ruined and he jumped off a cliff to end his life. According to the original storyline, what came next would be Bai Tang’s part.

The little squirrel calmly finished its pine nut, dusted off its paws, and transformed back into a human.

The young man’s face still carried traces of despair. His eyes were red, and he looked gaunt and worn—nothing like the once-popular rising star he used to be.

Bai Tang pressed a hand to his chest. The original host’s emotions had yet to fade, and he could still feel that sense of utter despair—being driven into a corner with no way out. It made him deeply uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of your parents.”

If there was anything the original host worried about most, it was his frail, sickly parents.

As Bai Tang made his promise, the tightness in his chest suddenly lifted. A wisp of light smoke drifted out from his body, forming into the faint figure of a gentle, serene young man who smiled at him.

The sun broke through the clouds, and the young man’s figure became more and more transparent.

Bai Tang felt a pang of sympathy—after all, the original host hadn’t done anything wrong. “Qiu’er, can you let him have a good life in his next reincarnation?”

Qiu’er paused and glanced toward the system space. “Yes, that’s possible.”

In his past worlds, Bai Tang had done many good deeds and saved many people. All of that counted as merit. Using merit to exchange for someone’s better next life was no problem.

The young man said “Thank you” to Bai Tang, then was guided by Qiu’er toward his next life.

“Tang Tang, stop looking. Let’s go,” Qiu’er said.

“Not yet,” Xiao A said. “Before the original host jumped, he called his manager. The manager has already found the shoes he left behind at the cliff. Based on the scene, it’s been concluded that the host has jumped. The police are currently searching the entire mountain. If the host suddenly appears unharmed, it could attract unnecessary trouble.”

Xiao A had always been the more rational of the two systems, meticulous and careful in everything he did.

“Ah, then what do we do? We can’t exactly fake Tang Tang’s death, can we?” Qiu’er scratched his head, unable to come up with a good solution. From such a high cliff, anyone who jumped would either die or be severely injured—there was no way someone could come out completely unharmed like Tang Tang. But injuring Tang Tang on purpose was even more unacceptable. Why should he suffer for those people?

“I’ve studied acting. I can pretend~”

It had been a long time since Bai Tang last set foot in the entertainment industry, and his acting itch was kicking in—he was eager to try.

“That works. It’s our only option right now,” Xiao A said, circling around Bai Tang’s feet. “People who fall from cliffs usually injure their heads or limbs. Host, pick a place to ‘injure.’ Qiu’er and I will help cover it up.”

After some discussion, Bai Tang decided to “injure” his foot. To prevent him from slipping up, Qiu’er and Xiao A would make some adjustments to his foot to ensure the act wouldn’t be exposed.

By the time Bai Tang “struggled” his way back up the mountain and reunited with his manager, the manager suppressed his impatience. “It’s good that you’re fine. Can you still walk?”

Bai Tang nodded, indicating that he could.

The manager glanced at the two small dogs following at Bai Tang’s feet, a trace of disgust flashing in his eyes. “Where did those stray dogs come from? Get rid of them.”

Bai Tang hugged Qiu’er and Xiao A. “No. If it weren’t for them, I’d definitely be dead this time. I can’t abandon them—I’ll take care of them myself.”

The manager frowned but said nothing more.

Whether it was the original host or Bai Tang, both had always been obedient by nature. After such a heavy blow, it was only natural for a rebellious streak to emerge. They were just two stray dogs—so be it.

When the police saw that the person had been found, they withdrew. On the way back to the city, news of Bai Tang’s attempted suicide by jumping off a cliff spread rapidly. Netizens cursed nonstop. Especially after seeing photos of him with only minor facial scratches and an injured foot, they found him even more pretentious. They accused him of staging the whole thing for attention—just another self-directed act to regain popularity. To think they had once been fans of someone like him.

Bai Tang closed his eyes, pretending to rest, while in reality he let Qiu’er and Xiao A handle things—exchanging gold for this world’s currency.

After arriving at the hospital, Bai Tang immediately paid his parents’ medical bills. Watching the young man swipe his card, the manager’s brows furrowed deeply. Hadn’t he just paid an astronomical breach-of-contract penalty? How did he still have money for medical expenses?!

But soon, the manager found a reasonable explanation for himself. Bai Tang valued his family above all else—setting aside money specifically for their treatment was only natural. Judging by how much Bai Tang had earned over the past two years, this payment would probably use up nearly all of it.

Just as the manager expected, after treating his injuries, Bai Tang asked him to arrange work so he could earn money.

“You think you can still get jobs with your current reputation?” The manager raised an eyebrow, looking at the naive young man with a cold sneer.

The young man unconsciously twisted the hem of his clothes with both hands, his gaze lowered, his voice trembling with unease. “Brother Li, please help me again. My parents’ medical expenses are about to run out—I can’t…”

By the end, his shoulders trembled, and soft sobs slipped out.

The manager sized Bai Tang up. With his reputation in ruins, the only things he still had going for him were his looks—and his body was still “clean.” President Zhang was still very interested in him. If he could curry favor with President Zhang…

…

“Fine. I’ll go back and talk to the company. Get some rest these next few days—I may contact you at any time.”

The young man looked up in surprise. His slightly reddened eyes were misted with moisture, hazy and soft, making people unable to resist the urge to bully him.

The manager’s eyes lit up. Why hadn’t he noticed before how alluring this kid was? No wonder President Zhang couldn’t get him out of his mind.

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Author’s Note:

The male and female leads will both appear in the next chapter.

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Chapter 417 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Pinky Promise (24)

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The middle-aged couple was pitiful, but the one who had been hurt wasn’t Bai Tang. Bai Tang sympathized with them, yet he couldn’t forgive them on Wei Rushuang’s behalf.

He followed Qi’s mother out of the office, the voices inside gradually fading away behind them.

Qi’s mother suddenly stopped. Coming back to her senses, she said to Bai Tang, “Mom has to go back now. Will Tang Tang be okay on his own?”

Meeting her concerned gaze, Bai Tang felt warmth spread through his heart. His voice turned soft and sweet. “I’ll be fine. If something happens, I’ll call Mom to come rescue me.”

Bai Tang’s response was exactly like that of a child who depended on his parents, giving Qi’s mother—whose maternal affection had nowhere to go—a great sense of fulfillment.

Look, she was the child’s strong and reliable support!

Qi’s mother patted his head and said gently, “Alright then. After class, I’ll have the driver come pick you up.”

“Bye, Mom.”

After Qi’s mother left, Bai Tang returned to the classroom. It wasn’t until the bell for the second period rang that Wei Rushuang came in with reddened eyes.

Bai Tang asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”

Wei Rushuang shook her head. What had just happened had shocked her too much. She knew Bai Tang cared about her, but she didn’t want to say it out loud and scare him.

In order to make Wei Rushuang forgive their daughter, that couple had actually taken out a knife, saying that a life should pay for a life. They had almost committed suicide right in front of her. Fortunately, the dean of discipline stopped them in time—otherwise a tragedy would have occurred.

In the end, Wei Rushuang’s parents arrived, and the dean told her to go back to the dormitory and rest. Her mind was in chaos. As she walked aimlessly, she somehow ended up near the teaching building. Since she was already there, she decided she might as well go in and attend class.

Wei Rushuang was distracted. The poisoning incident from over a month ago had been too serious—every teacher and student in the school was paying attention to it. The professor sighed. Seeing that Wei Rushuang was spacing out but not disrupting the class, he simply turned a blind eye and let her continue daydreaming.

During class no one gathered around, but once it ended, many classmates who cared about Wei Rushuang crowded over.

Bai Tang and Wei Rushuang ended up trapped in the center of the crowd. The dense ring of people and the overlapping voices of concern nearly made Bai Tang’s ears explode.

Wei Rushuang was completely different from her usual self. Instead of her normal quick-witted energy, she seemed to be drifting toward a dazed and absent-minded state.

It took Bai Tang quite some effort to escape the enthusiastic classmates with her. By then, the Qi family’s driver had arrived. Not daring to leave Wei Rushuang alone at school, he brought her back to the Qi residence with him.

Qi’s mother glanced at the Wei Rushuang who had come back with Bai Tang, sympathy flashing in her eyes. She let out a faint sigh that was almost inaudible, patted Bai Tang’s head, and told him to go upstairs while she pulled Wei Rushuang to sit on the sofa.

No one knew what Qi’s mother said to Wei Rushuang, but when Bai Tang came out after changing his clothes, Wei Rushuang was clearly much more cheerful.

“I’ll have the driver take you home,” Qi’s mother said. “Don’t let your parents worry.”

The young girl was still tender and inexperienced. What she had gone through so far hadn’t been too much—but that afternoon, two lives had nearly ended right before her eyes. It wasn’t strange that she didn’t know how to handle it.

After Wei Rushuang left, the house finally fell completely silent.

Bai Tang walked behind Qi’s mother and reached out to massage her shoulders.

The comfort made Qi’s mother let out a soft moan. After quite a while, the rhythm of his hands slowed. She patted Bai Tang’s hand, signaling that he could stop.

She pulled him to sit down beside her. Looking into his pure, innocent eyes, she steeled her heart and told him about some of the darker sides of the world.

A child couldn’t remain under protection forever—sooner or later, he would have to learn to face life’s storms.

In several lifetimes, the elders around Bai Tang had cherished him like the apple of their eye. No one had ever thought of letting him go through hardships; they had shielded him from everything bad. As a result, Bai Tang still maintained a rather innocent nature and held great kindness even toward strangers.

Seeing this, Qi’s mother felt deeply worried.

Kindness was a good thing—but one couldn’t be without caution.

Frightened by the examples Qi’s mother gave, Bai Tang sat there in a daze. When she finished speaking, he quietly handed her a glass of water.

“Mom, it can’t be that serious, right?” Bai Tang felt that those kinds of things wouldn’t happen to him. How could it be so extreme?

Qi’s mother really wanted to knock on his head and see if it was filled with nothing but pine nuts. “Have you already forgotten about the cyberbullying incident? Don’t imagine everything to be so beautiful.”

“Take that middle-aged couple today, for example. Tang Tang, do you think they’re pitiful?”

“They are pretty miserable… They only have one daughter, and something like this happened…”

“But have you thought about it? The matter was already being handled through proper channels, so why did they still go to Wei Rushuang in private? Apologizing is fine, but why didn’t they apologize properly at her home? Instead, they went to the school, sought her out alone, and even staged a suicide attempt to ‘repay a life with a life’ for their daughter.”

“That’s because they knew the teachers would stop them—they wouldn’t actually die. And a young girl with little experience would be frightened. There’s a good chance she might agree to withdraw the lawsuit.”

“School is a place for learning—so why choose to cause a scene there? Between pitiful parents and a girl who wasn’t severely injured, who do you think people would side with? Emotionally, people tend to favor the weaker party. If they used death to pressure her and she still refused, how do you think others would view Wei Rushuang?”

“If they couldn’t reach the Wei family and came to the school to contact her parents through the teachers, that would be one thing. But they deliberately only met Wei Rushuang. Her parents only found out after those two caused a suicide scene. Tang Tang, what do you think?”

Bai Tang lowered his eyes slightly, his emotions unreadable. “I understand.”

Qi’s mother said softly, heart aching, “Tang Tang, Mom also hopes you’ll never have to face life’s storms. I’m telling you all this just in case. Not everyone is worthy of your trust.”

“Mhm~”

Everything Qi’s mother said was for Bai Tang’s sake—Bai Tang knew it, and so did the two systems—but his mood still wasn’t very good.

This feeling only improved after Qi Yuanxu returned from the company.

After learning the reason for Bai Tang’s low spirits, Qi Yuanxu sighed. He gently stroked the boy’s soft hair. “Tang Tang, don’t think too much. Mom was just speaking casually. I’ll protect you.”

Bai Tang responded with a muffled “Mm,” still a little down.

Like a little squirrel, his emotions came quickly and went just as fast. Besides, what Qi’s mother said hadn’t even happened yet. In this lifetime, with Qi Yuanxu protecting him, there was no way he would end up miserable. In fact, as long as the male lead in any world was Bai Tang’s lover, Bai Tang would never meet a tragic end.

To help lift his spirits, Qi Yuanxu arranged for Bai Tang to take part in a radio drama. When fans found out, they rushed to their Weibo accounts, eagerly urging for updates—they couldn’t wait for it to be released so they could ship the CP.

With the biggest crisis in the original storyline already over, Bai Tang and Qi Yuanxu’s lives gradually returned to peace. More and more people online became their fans. Bai Tang also put aside the things Qi’s mother had said to scare him and threw himself wholeheartedly into voice acting.

As Bai Tang himself put it, “Being liked by others is a kind of recognition of my abilities—it feels amazing.” In order not to disappoint his fans, he worked hard to improve his voice acting skills. When he was about to receive his graduation certificate, he even considered applying to a film academy’s voice acting department for formal training.

At the time, Qi Yuanxu felt utterly despairing—but seeing how enthusiastic Bai Tang was, he didn’t dare interrupt him, afraid that Tangtang would get upset and ignore him.

Fortunately, Bai Tang still remembered his promise with Qi Yuanxu: they would get married after he received his graduation certificate.

On the day he got his certificate, Qi Yuanxu showed up with flowers to congratulate him. Before they could even take photos, Bai Tang dragged him off to register their marriage.

Looking at the two freshly issued red marriage certificates in his hands, Qi Yuanxu still felt a little dazed. He and Tangtang were officially registered now—they were legally a married couple. No one could ever take Tangtang away from him again.

“Now that we’ve got the certificates, Ah Xu, come with me to sign up. I want to properly study voice acting~”

Qi Yuanxu had never been able to refuse Bai Tang—especially when Bai Tang used his ultimate move: acting cute. The dominant, decisive man from the workplace was nowhere to be seen. Now, whatever Bai Tang said, he followed—going wherever he was pointed without the slightest deviation.

That night, after Bai Tang had fallen asleep, Qi Yuanxu opened his eyes. He carefully moved the boy’s arm off himself, quietly got out of bed, opened the drawer, and took out the two red certificates they had received that afternoon. Click, click—a few photos were taken.

Your special-followed account has posted a new update.

Night owls were still hiding under their blankets, playing on their phones, when a notification suddenly popped up. When they tapped it, they saw that Yin Yue—who hadn’t posted on Weibo for a year—had updated:

[A testament to Tang Tang and me.]

Attached image: two red marriage certificates.

This post—calling it a midnight bomb wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Netizens who were still awake sat up in bed, rubbed their eyes, refreshed their screens, and confirmed that they weren’t seeing things. One after another, they flooded the comments with congratulations.

Qi Yuanxu acted quickly—everyone who offered their congratulations received a red envelope, and the amount wasn’t small.

As dawn began to break, Bai Tang couldn’t feel Qi Yuanxu beside him and slept restlessly. Meanwhile, Qi Yuanxu, thoroughly satisfied, put down his phone. After telling the netizens “I’m off,” he shut it down and pulled his beloved boy into his arms to sleep.

Those who had gone to bed early the night before woke up to the news and were devastated—beating their chests and stomping their feet, crying that they had missed out on a fortune. They frantically tagged Qi Yuanxu, urging him to wake up and continue the celebration.

But the person everyone was calling for not only didn’t wake up—he was still holding their little “pine nut” and sleeping soundly. Life was truly wonderful.

After graduation, the relationship between the male and female leads had completely ended. Compared to Bai Tang and Qi Yuanxu’s smooth marriage, blessed by their family, Wei Rushuang’s side played out like a melodramatic “Here’s ten million—leave my child” scenario.

Yan Yang was unmoved by money. He tore up the check on the spot and turned to walk into the pouring rain. Wei Rushuang wanted to chase after him, but her parents held her back. From that moment on, she never saw Yan Yang again, nor heard any news about him.

Qi Yuanxu could actually find out where Yan Yang was, but he chose not to say anything. Since it was Yan Yang’s own decision, there was no need for him to interfere.

Five years later, Yan Yang returned with an international journalism award. Over those five years, he had worked as a war correspondent. Now, carrying honor and recognition, he came back to see the Wei family again and formally asked to marry Wei Rushuang.

Yan Yang had become widely renowned. If he married Wei Rushuang now, it would only benefit the Wei family’s company. However, Mrs. Wei, worried for her daughter, refused him on the grounds that being a war correspondent was too dangerous. Unexpectedly, Wei Rushuang publicly agreed to marry Yan Yang. The Wei parents had no choice—after putting him through numerous tests, all of which he passed, and after he promised to transfer to a safer position, they finally relented and approved the marriage for their daughter’s happiness.

After getting married, the two moved into a house Yan Yang had bought. It wasn’t big, but it was warm and cozy. Their life was simple, yet happy.

The Qi family was wealthy and influential. Since Qi Yuanxu had married a man, there were concerns about having no heir, and relatives from branch families had been eyeing the main family’s assets. Unexpectedly, Qi’s mother, already in her forties, gave birth to a second child. Although it was a girl, she became the treasure of the entire family.

The little princess especially loved clinging to Bai Tang, and Bai Tang adored the soft, cute child as well. The closer the two were, the darker Qi Yuanxu’s expression became. He had thought that after getting married, he could prevent others from coveting Tang Tang—but in the end, he was defeated by his own family. And he couldn’t scold or hit her, which made it all the more frustrating.

Though she was his younger sister, Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang raised her like a daughter. The little girl fully inherited Qi Yuanxu’s presence and charisma, forcefully entering the company. Qi Yuanxu completely let go. On her first day taking office, he packed his things and ran off with his beloved. When she got home and saw the note left by her brother and brother-in-law, she was so angry she stomped her feet.

“Tang Tang, being able to meet you in this life is wonderful.”

“Then I’ll allow you to meet me again in the next life.”

“Then it’s a promise.”

“Mm, pinky promise.”

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Author’s Note:

This world arc ends here. There was supposed to be more voice acting content, but it didn’t turn out to be much—it went a bit off track. Still… it was sweet~

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Chapter 416 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Gentlemen, Draw Your Swords (23)

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“Come here.” Qi Yuanxu carried Bai Tang on his back to the table, pulled open the drawer, and took out the hair dryer inside.

A gentle stream of warm air blew through his hair. Long fingers moved through the strands, stirring up the faint scent of shampoo.

They had gotten engaged today, and tonight would be their wedding night. Thinking about what might happen later, a faint blush spread across Bai Tang’s fair face. His eyes were half-lowered, his curled eyelashes trembling slightly with the movement of the hair dryer—beautiful and adorable.

In the livestream chat, the fans were howling.

[“awsl, Pinecone is so cute, I’m in love, I’m in love…”]

[“I can’t handle this, I really want to rua him…”]

[“No way, if anyone’s going to rua him, it’s me…”]

[“I want to make him cry.”]

Qi Yuanxu muted the sound. Bai Tang still didn’t know, so he just let things proceed as usual.

After his hair was dried, the shy little squirrel lowered his head and said softly, “I… we… what time are we going to sleep tonight?”

After saying that, the boy’s face turned even redder, as if he felt a bit too bold.

Since Qi Yuanxu had muted the audio, the fans couldn’t hear their conversation, but seeing the boy’s flushed face made their imaginations run wild.

[“That must be something indescribable.”]

[“Dad Yin is being a hooligan…”]

[“Pinecone is so innocent. I want one too.”]

[“Make him cry, make him cry, make him cry…”]

Qi Yuanxu kissed Bai Tang on the lips. Bai Tang’s lips were soft and moist; he wrapped his arms around Qi Yuanxu’s neck and kissed him back.

His husband had suffered too much in the past. From now on, he would treat him even better.

“I’ll treat you well~”

Qi Yuanxu’s voice turned slightly hoarse. “Okay. I believe you.”

Fortunately, he hadn’t forgotten that the phone was still livestreaming, so nothing R-18 happened.

When he picked up the phone, Bai Tang finally noticed the livestream chat scrolling like crazy. The whole person froze.

Just now… did everyone see that?

Ah, I have no face to see anyone anymore…

The little squirrel covered his face and squatted in the corner like an ostrich.

[“Pinecone is too cute. With his back to the wall, he looks like a squirrel hiding food.”]

[“+1”]

[“+2”]

[“Yinyue, why are you just standing there? Go comfort him.”]

[“Why is the author such a straight guy? How did he manage to chase such a cute boy? Why don’t I have one…”]

[“The person above, keep dreaming…”]

Qi Yuanxu pulled the little squirrel who was pretending to be an ostrich out of the corner. “They want to see the mansion—and you.”

“And you agreed to that?”

“I only agreed to let them see the mansion. Tang Tang is my private treasure.”

Bai Tang lightly punched Qi Yuanxu’s chest. “You’re the private treasure…”

The boy’s voice was soft and sweet. He didn’t dare look directly at Qi Yuanxu, but the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

“Then I’ll be Tang Tang’s private treasure.” Qi Yuanxu clasped Bai Tang’s fingers. “Tang Tang, keep me safe.”

Bai Tang glanced at the phone, then suddenly took it from him. “You’re my private treasure. I’ll take everyone to see the mansion. You stay in the room.”

The livestream was unmuted, and Bai Tang’s soft voice came through.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Pinecone. A Xu is tired, so I’ll take everyone to tour the mansion~”

The fans immediately exploded.

[“Oh? ‘Tired.’”]

[“Tired, huh? We get it, we get it~”

[“So Dad Yin is tired, huh~”]

The fans kept emphasizing the word “tired.” At first Bai Tang didn’t understand what they meant, but after seeing it repeated so many times, he finally realized.

The boy’s face turned bright red. “Don’t talk nonsense. That’s not what happened.”

[“We understand, we understand~”]

[“Right, right, it’s not that Dad Yin is tired—it’s Pinecone who will be tired…]

Bai Tang stopped looking at the screen and started introducing the house while holding the phone.

“This is the first floor. When you come in through the door, this is what you see.”

A passing maid noticed Bai Tang and greeted him, “Tang Tang, why did you come downstairs? Do you want a late-night snack?”

Bai Tang had a very gentle personality and never acted superior toward the staff, so everyone liked him.

“No, no, I’m not hungry. I just came down to walk around. Auntie Chen, you should go rest—no need to worry about me.”

Bai Tang waved his hands repeatedly, causing the phone in his hand to shake along with the movement.

Auntie Chen smiled. “If you need anything, just say so. We’re all family here, so don’t be too polite.”

“I won’t be polite. Good night, Auntie Chen~”

Bai Tang was obedient and lovable, and Auntie Chen adored him. She hugged the boy and rubbed his head vigorously.

When Auntie Chen finally let go, most of Bai Tang’s soft hair fell back into place, though a few stubborn strands still stuck up on top of his head.

Bai Tang looked utterly incredulous. It had been a long time since anyone had rubbed his “little squirrel head.”

The boy’s dazed expression made the fans in the livestream burst into laughter.

[“I’m telling you, Pinecone must be super rua-able. Auntie Chen has good taste.”]

[“I’m so jealous of Auntie Chen. I want to try it too…”]

[“No, you don’t. Pinecone is mine.”]

[“Gentlemen, draw your swords!”]

[“Come on then, draw your swords!”]

Bai Tang continued the tour while holding the phone. “This is the first-floor garden. There’s… Auntie, you’re here too?”

Qi Yuanxu’s mother was sitting in the garden enjoying the moonlight, with a cup of fragrant flower tea beside her.

“Tang Tang, not ‘Auntie,’ it’s ‘Mom.’ Come on, call me Mom and let me hear it.”

Mother Qi looked at Bai Tang expectantly, and Bai Tang didn’t disappoint. He obediently called out, “Mom.”

Mother Qi beamed with joy. “Good boy, Tang Tang~”

She even stuffed a small cookie into Bai Tang’s mouth. “What are you doing, Tang Tang? Come sit with Mom and have some tea.”

After swallowing the cookie, Bai Tang said softly, “A Xu started a livestream. The fans want to tour the mansion~”

Oh, they’re her son’s fans.

Mother Qi’s eyes lit up. She waved at the screen and greeted them, “Hello everyone. Thank you for liking my A Xu, but don’t forget about my Tang Tang too.”

Mother Qi was easygoing, humorous, and friendly. The fans in the livestream immediately changed their comments from [“Draw your swords!”] to:

[“Auntie, does your family still need another son? The kind who can be Tang Tang’s husband.”]

The comments on the public screen were neatly formatted and scrolling quickly. Mother Qi stared at them for a while before finally figuring out what the fans were saying.

“That won’t do. Tang Tang can only be my daughter-in-law. I can’t give him to you. If you want to steal him, go challenge AXu to a duel.”

As she spoke, the comments instantly changed again:

[“Call Yin Yue out—duel!”]

Mother Qi laughed at the fans’ antics and covered her mouth. “You said it yourselves. I’ll go call him right now.”

With that, she stood up and walked inside.

The comments frantically started saying, [“No need, no need!”] but unfortunately Mother Qi had already walked away and didn’t see them.

Bai Tang followed with the phone in hand and saw Mother Qi leaning by the doorway, saying something to the person inside.

As Bai Tang approached, Qi Yuanxu walked out and ran straight into him.

Qi Yuanxu looked at the phone screen and said in a low voice, “I heard you want to steal my Tang Tang.”

The comments exploded like crazy. Qi Yuanxu wrapped one arm around Bai Tang’s waist.

“No. Tang Tang can only be mine.”

With that, he tapped the screen, and the livestream instantly disconnected.

The fans exploded:

[“Holy crap—don’t turn it off! We haven’t finished seeing the mansion yet!”]

[“If you won’t show us the mansion, at least give us Tang Tang!”]

[“Between the mansion and Tang Tang, we choose Tang Tang…”]

In just one night, almost everyone who watched the livestream became a “squirrel.” Bai Tang was Pinecone, so they were the “squirrels” who loved eating pinecones. No problem with that logic.

Shipping a CP and seeing it become real—there was almost nothing more exciting than that.

After one thing happened after another, Mother Qi originally wanted Bai Tang to take a leave of absence, or even suspend his studies for a year and return to school after the situation calmed down and everything settled. But Qi Yuanxu disagreed.

Bai Tang asked, “Wouldn’t it be better if I didn’t go to school and stayed with you?”

Qi Yuanxu was usually the clingy one. Even Mother Qi had suggested it, yet he opposed the idea. It was very unusual.

Qi Yuanxu leaned close to Bai Tang’s ear, his warm voice soft and alluring. “If you suspend your studies, the wedding will have to be postponed.” His tone even carried a hint of grievance.

Bai Tang’s eyes lit up, full of affection. “If you’re willing, we could go get married right now.”

He was already an adult and legally old enough to marry.

Qi Yuanxu patted his head. “Not yet.”

“?”

“My ID card says my birthday hasn’t arrived yet.”

Bai Tang took out his ID card and checked. It was true. Although the year made him the right age, his birthday hadn’t come yet—he was still twenty-one.

Qiu’er said, “Tang Tang, don’t be sad. It’s only one more year.”

Xiao A sighed. “A marriage certificate can add academic credits. What a pity.”

Bai Tang: “…” Why is everyone focusing on completely different things?

School still had to continue, so Bai Tang still had to go back.

Mother Qi stepped forward with full “parent authority” and volunteered to take Bai Tang back to school.

Along the way, Mother Qi walked in front while Bai Tang followed behind, carrying a bag in his hand. Whenever someone greeted Bai Tang, Mother Qi would grab a handful of wedding candies from the bag and stuff them into the person’s hands.

“You’re one of my Tang Tang’s classmates, right? Thank you for taking care of my Tang Tang before.”

Mother Qi’s behavior attracted plenty of curious looks from passersby. Embarrassed, Bai Tang tugged lightly at her sleeve.

“Mom, weren’t you going to see the dean of discipline? I’ll take you there.”

Bai Tang pulled Mother Qi along and hurried toward the faculty office building. Watching their backs, the students started whispering.

“I didn’t expect Bai Tang to be so well liked by the Qi family. I just heard him call Mrs. Qi ‘Mom.’ If he can call her Mom, that means he’s definitely been accepted.”

“I’m so jealous…”

Mother Qi found the dean of discipline and politely expressed her apologies for the recent incidents involving Bai Tang. Then she discussed the matter of certain students helping online haters carry out cyberbullying against Bai Tang.

Bai Tang waited outside the office. At that moment, Wei Rushuang was also called over by the dean and happened to meet Bai Tang at the door.

“Tang Tang, congratulations on your engagement.”

On the day of Bai Tang’s engagement, Wei Rushuang had to go for a medical check-up, so she couldn’t attend the engagement ceremony.

“Thank you. When you and Yan Yang have good news, remember to let me know. A Xu and I will definitely give you a big gift.”

When the topic turned to her relationship with Yan Yang, Wei Rushuang looked quite troubled.

Their family backgrounds were quite different, so the Wei family didn’t really approve.

“Student Wei, please come in.”

The dean of discipline noticed Wei Rushuang standing at the door and called her inside.

Wei Rushuang pinched Bai Tang’s cheek, then walked in gracefully. When she saw Mother Qi, she politely greeted her.

Not long after, a middle-aged couple hurried toward the office.

“Student, excuse me—is this the dean of discipline’s office?”

Bai Tang stood up and replied, “Yes, the dean is inside right now.”

“Thank you, student.”

The middle-aged couple went inside. Soon, loud crying could be heard from the room. Bai Tang leaned forward to look inside and saw the couple kneeling in front of Wei Rushuang. She tried to avoid them and attempted to help them up, but couldn’t lift them.

The room quickly became chaotic. Mother Qi said goodbye to the dean and walked out carrying her bag.

“Mom, what happened inside?”

“It’s nothing. The parents of the girl who poisoned Wei Rushuang earlier came.”

---

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Chapter 415 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Cute, Makes Me Want to… (22)

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Although the security guards were trying to stop them, the group kept insisting they were Bai Tang’s relatives. The guards couldn’t be sure whether it was true or not, and while they were hesitating, the group managed to force their way inside.

“Bai Tang! Bai Tang! I’m your eldest aunt! Don’t you remember? After your parents died, I even took extra care of you. Have you forgotten all that?”

The security guards rushed over in time and stopped the middle-aged woman, preventing her from crashing into the guests.

But the woman kept shouting loudly, trying to pin the label of heartless ingratitude on Bai Tang. If they wanted these people to shut up, sure—that was easy. Just pay them. After all, Bai Tang had become successful now; how could he not help his relatives a little? They didn’t know much about how big or powerful the Qi Group was, but they did know the Qi family was rich. Rich people feared having a bad reputation the most. If they were afraid of causing a scene, then they should hand over money to keep their mouths shut.

A group led by Bai Tang’s eldest aunt had come precisely with that intention. Their crude behavior and filthy words were like several rat droppings falling into a pot of white porridge, making everyone present feel utterly disgusted.

Even the way people looked at Bai Tang began to change.

As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes; the son of a rat will dig holes. With relatives like these, perhaps Bai Tang’s character wasn’t much better.

And the heir of the Qi family had fallen into the hands of someone like this. His judgment of people seemed questionable. Could he really support the Qi Group in the future?

Thinking this way, the gazes people cast toward Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang grew deeper and more calculating.

They hoped Qi Yuanxu would keep making such mistakes. If the Qi Group declined, they would have a chance to bite off a piece of that fat prize.

Qi Yuanxu held Bai Tang’s hand, and the warmth made the stunned Bai Tang feel a little comforted.

“I forgot to tell you about them. They…”

“It’s alright. Leave it to me.”

Qi Yuanxu led Bai Tang over to stand beside Father Qi and Mother Qi before turning back to deal with the people who had come to ruin his and Bai Tang’s engagement ceremony.

“So unfilial! You climb up to rich people and forget whether your own family lives or dies! Bai Tang, how can you face your parents? Look at your cousin—he’s starving! Meanwhile you eat well and dress well…”

Bai Tang’s eldest aunt dragged out a chubby boy about Bai Tang’s age from behind her, crying loudly about how unfair the heavens were.

“That’s right! Just to find you, our whole family came out without even eating breakfast!” the fat cousin said, staring at the food on the long banquet table and drooling.

“Bai Tang, if you have any conscience at all, come out and help us… give us some support…”

The crowd watched coldly as the aunt threw her tantrum, waiting to see how the Qi family would handle the situation.

Bai Tang clenched his hands tightly. Mother Qi patted him gently.

“We know you’re a good child. You must have suffered a lot before…”

Bai Tang felt he couldn’t let them continue spouting nonsense. Just as Qi Yuanxu was about to reach the group, Bai Tang finally gathered his courage and said: “You’re lying! After my parents died, you took my three hundred thousand yuan compensation money. You never returned it!”

Three hundred thousand yuan might not be worth mentioning to the people present, but to the original Bai Tang, it was already three-fifths of the compensation money his parents had received. In total, he had only gotten five hundred thousand yuan in compensation.

Bai Tang’s eldest aunt froze for a moment. The relatives who had come with her had all borrowed money from Bai Tang before, but none of them had taken as much as she had.

Feeling the piercing gazes from the people behind her, the eldest aunt raised her voice and shouted, “Th-that’s not true! It wasn’t that much! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Outsiders might not know her well, but the relatives who came with her certainly did. Since Bai Tang dared to say it out loud, it was probably ninety percent true.

Qi Yuanxu walked up to Bai Tang’s eldest aunt and looked at her with a faint, mocking smile.

“How much money do you want?”

Any normal person could tell that Qi Yuanxu was unhappy, but the eldest aunt thought he was afraid. Immediately casting aside her guilt toward the other relatives, she raised one hand and spread five fingers.

“Five million. Bai Tang grew up under our watch. During holidays and festivals, we bought him notebooks, pens, food, and drinks—everything high-quality and carefully chosen. If it weren’t for us, Bai Tang wouldn’t have gotten into university, and you wouldn’t have met him, would you?”

The people behind her nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, yes. Not just five million—five million for each of us.”

The fat cousin looked at the strikingly handsome Qi Yuanxu with envy.

“I also want to work at your Qi Group. If Bai Tang ever does something disgraceful to the family, and you don’t dare say anything to him, I can personally teach him a lesson…”

Asking for money was one thing, but now he even wanted to beat Tang Tang. Qi Yuanxu absolutely could not tolerate that.

The moment the fat cousin finished speaking, a heavy punch suddenly landed on his face.

No one expected Qi Yuanxu to strike so suddenly. Bai Tang’s eldest aunt froze for a moment. Only when the fat cousin spat out blood along with a tooth did she come back to her senses. She immediately crouched down, hugging her son and wailing loudly.

“Police! Where are the police? I’m calling the police! Just because you’re rich, does that mean you can hit people whenever you want?!”

Qi Yuanxu shook his hand lightly, then stepped forward and planted his foot on the cousin’s stomach. His deep, refined voice sounded like that of a demon.

“Who did you say you were going to teach a lesson to?”

The cousin still didn’t realize he had said something wrong and stammered, “B-Bai… Bai Tang…”

Qi Yuanxu’s eyes darkened, and he pressed his foot down harder, making the cousin howl in pain.

“What are you doing?! Let him go!” Bai Tang’s eldest aunt was nearly in tears with anxiety. She tried to rush forward and hit Qi Yuanxu, but the security guards grabbed her and dragged her away.

After all, letting these people barge in had already been their negligence. If they let them lay a hand on Mr. Qi as well, their jobs would definitely be gone.

“You dare say one more bad word about Tang Tang?”

Under the sunlight, Qi Yuanxu looked like an asura, his terrifying aura leaving everyone present too shocked to speak.

Bai Tang jogged over to Qi Yuanxu’s side. “A Xu, forget it.” He didn’t want A Xu to fall into darkness because of him.

“Alright.” Qi Yuanxu glanced back and gave Bai Tang a smile. “Say one last thing to them.”

Looking down at the group of intruders from above, Qi Yuanxu said coldly, “If you want money, fine.”

The relatives were overjoyed and quickly covered the eldest aunt’s mouth before she could start cursing again.

They were taken backstage. Father Qi and Mother Qi stepped out to smooth things over.

“Please forgive the disturbance and don’t laugh at us. Tang Tang is a good child, but unfortunately he has such troublesome relatives. Even I feel heartache watching this.”

With that single sentence, the Qi family’s stance was clear.

They would not abandon Bai Tang.

The guests who had come to witness the ceremony were all shrewd people. Everyone understood.

Meanwhile, the fans watching the live broadcast after witnessing the farce at the engagement ceremony began flooding the chat with [“666.”]

[“Yinyue is so powerful—his aura is at least two meters tall. And that punch just now was way too cool!”]

[“Ahhh, Yinyue, you’re my idol!”]

[“Pinecone is so pitiful, having such a bunch of vampire relatives.”]

[“I’m a medical student. Preliminary diagnosis: that cousin isn’t sick—he just got fat from overeating.”]

[“D*mn, that’s seriously disgusting.”]

…

The fans chattered endlessly about what had just happened, and some curious ones even started investigating Bai Tang’s past.

Bai Tang’s former life wasn’t exactly a secret. Soon enough, people with determination uncovered the story of Bai Tang and his awful relatives.

[“Bai Tang is so pitiful…”]

[“Father Yinyue must treat Tang Tang well…”]

Back at the venue.

After the engagement ceremony ended, the guests gradually began to leave.

Qi Yuanxu kissed the corner of Bai Tang’s lips and said gently, “I’m sorry. You were wronged today.”

Bai Tang shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s me who made Uncle and Aunt lose face.”

The Qi family was a prestigious clan that valued reputation above all else. Bai Tang had even worried that those people would make things difficult for Father Qi and Mother Qi.

“My parents won’t mind. Our family isn’t afraid of this sort of thing,” Qi Yuanxu reassured him.

The strange and troublesome Bai family relatives who had been locked backstage were still fantasizing about their bright future, unaware that their current lives would soon become the best memories of their lives.

Lawyer Li, who had just finished dealing with the Lin Zigao case and hadn’t even rested for two days, received another new case: Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang were suing the Bai family relatives for borrowing money and refusing to repay it.

Lawyer Li: “…My vacation…”

But there was no helping it. The boss had given the order, so he packed up the materials and began preparing the case.

The evidence wasn’t difficult to gather. After visiting the neighbors a few times, everything was collected. There were witness testimonies—after Bai Tang’s parents died, those people had borrowed money and often bragged about it to others. As for physical evidence, although Bai Tang didn’t have any IOUs, he had bank transfer records, which could also serve as proof.

That evening, the Bai family members were released unharmed. When they tried to look for Bai Tang, they were told that the Qi family had already left. The venue had only been rented, and the rental time had now expired—no one was allowed to remain.

The Bai family relatives were driven away in a sorry state. Bai Tang’s eldest aunt stood at the entrance, supporting her son while wailing loudly. A flock of crows flew past, but no one paid her any attention.

It was already late at night, and they were halfway up a mountain. They couldn’t even get a taxi. The relatives cursed under their breath as they walked down the mountain, still clinging to their beautiful fantasy—if they really managed to get five million yuan, they would be set for life.

After wailing for a while without anyone responding, the fat cousin rubbed his stomach.

“Mom, I’m hungry. Let’s go back and eat.”

“Eat, eat, eat—you only know how to eat!” the eldest aunt snapped, poking her son. She had worried herself sick over this family, yet neither her husband nor her son gave her any peace of mind.

Grabbing her chubby son by the arm, the eldest aunt angrily headed down the mountain.

…

At the Qi residence

Bai Tang followed Qi Yuanxu back home. Father Qi and Mother Qi treated him exactly the same as usual, which finally allowed Bai Tang to quietly relax.

The suit felt somewhat restrictive. Bai Tang didn’t like wearing fitted suits very much, so as soon as he entered the room, he rushed into the bathroom to shower and change.

The engagement livestream had long since ended. Qi Yuanxu logged onto Weibo, where the comment section was filled with people condemning Bai Tang’s bizarre relatives.

Qi Yuanxu typed a message:

[Thank you all for your concern. Tang Tang and I are doing well. We’ll get married after Tang Tang graduates.]

[Congratulations!]

[Will the great god give out red envelopes at the wedding?]

[Wishing you 99!] (meaning: wishing the couple a long-lasting relationship)

[May you stay together forever~ (hint hint for red envelopes)]

Ever since fans found out that Yinyue was actually Qi Yuanxu, their admiration for him had grown even stronger. Rich, handsome, with a pleasant voice—he was basically a complete life winner.

[Will you start a livestream, Dad? I want to see the mansion and Tang Tang.]

[Want to see Tang Tang +1]

[+2]

[+3]

…

The fans’ enthusiasm kept rising as they egged Qi Yuanxu on to start a livestream.

Yinyue replied: [You can see the mansion, but you can’t see Tang Tang.]

Fans: [!!!!]

[“Hahaha, Dad is jealous.”]

[True love—definitely true love. Loves the beauty, not the mansion.]

[You can keep Tang Tang, Dad. Give the mansion to me.]

Those who liked them liked them even more, while those who disliked them watched coldly from the sidelines.

No one knew what Qi Yuanxu was thinking, but he actually started a livestream.

Seeing Yinyue’s breathtakingly handsome face up close, the fans immediately burst into excited screams.

[“Ahhh! I can see Dad!”]

[“Dad Yin’s god-tier beauty—I’m in love! I’m so jealous of Pinecone…”]

[“Where’s Pinecone? Where did he go?”]

Just then, the sound of the bathroom door opening came from behind.

Bai Tang walked out wearing a bathrobe, water still dripping from his hair.

“Achoo—!”

The young man leaned over Qi Yuanxu’s back.

“A Xu, I’m done showering~”

Unlike the deliberately lowered voice he used when voice acting, the boy’s natural voice was softer and sweeter—almost milky in tone. Combined with his delicate face, he looked incredibly adorable.

The livestream fell silent for a few seconds.

Then it instantly exploded with excitement.

[“So… so cute. I want to rua him.”] (rua = slang for wanting to pet or squish something cute)

[“Dad Yin, don’t move—let me do it!”]

[“How can someone be this cute? I suddenly don’t even know who I should be jealous of.”]

[“Don’t know who to envy +1”]

[“Don’t know who to envy +2”]

[“Jealous + phone number…”]

---

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Chapter 414 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Do You Like Sour Food? (21)

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In reality, things had gradually calmed down. However, online, the news that Yinyue and Pinecone had argued spread like wildfire. The cause of it all was Shuang Manyue. She had quite a number of fans and was usually very active, but suddenly she hadn’t logged in for nearly half a month. According to her close friend Coffee Without Sugar, Shuang Manyue had encountered a small health problem.

When something happens to a creator people like, fans naturally want to know the details as soon as possible. As they kept digging, they discovered that she had been poisoned. This was no small matter—everyone wanted to know who the culprit was. Later, an even more shocking piece of news surfaced: Shuang Manyue was actually the daughter of the Wei family. Mrs. Qi had even gone to visit her, holding her hand affectionately while asking about her condition.

News about wealthy families had always been entertaining, and more and more people joined the gossip crowd. Under the efforts of certain curious individuals, the alternate accounts of Shuang Manyue, Yinyue, and Pinecone were all exposed.

Netizens happily munched on the gossip. What a huge scandal. No wonder Pinecone had been able to hire the famous Lawyer Li—it turned out she had the support of the Qi family’s heir. However, Mrs. Qi seemed to prefer Wei Rushuang. As for Pinecone, who had neither power nor status, she would probably have no choice but to quietly withdraw from the stage.

Ever since the girl who poisoned Wei Rushuang was caught, Lin Zigao had been living in constant fear, worried that the matter would implicate him. He kept a close eye on the developments online, and as the news continued to escalate, his fear reached its peak.

The Wei family was not someone he could afford to offend, and the Qi family was even more far beyond anything he could imagine. He was finished.

In fact, the girl who poisoned Wei Rushuang was not particularly strong-willed. She quickly confessed that she had done it to “avenge her favorite creator.” After examining the chat records between Lin Zigao and the girl, the police determined that Lin Zigao had incited someone else to commit a crime. The police acted swiftly and “invited” Lin Zigao back to the station to assist with the investigation.

Back at the Qi residence—

All of Mother Qi’s maternal affection was now poured onto Bai Tang. She cherished him as if he were the apple of her eye. Father Qi wouldn’t question him, and Qi Yuanxu wouldn’t even dare to touch him carelessly—after all, he was her precious daughter-in-law.

The news online had some impact on the Qi Group. After dinner, the family sat on the sofa watching television. Bai Tang said, “I’m sorry that such an ugly scandal has been caused.”

Bai Tang had also worked at the company before, so he naturally knew how important a company’s image was. An enterprise with a bad reputation could not stand firmly in the industry.

Qi Yuanxu took Bai Tang’s hand. “Don’t worry. The impact isn’t big.”

Bai Tang turned his head and met Qi Yuanxu’s possessive gaze.

Mother Qi said, “Why worry? This is a small scene. Back when the children’s father was chasing me…” She waved it off. “Anyway, with our family background, we don’t need a marriage alliance.”

In the original storyline, the premise of the marriage alliance was that the male and female leads liked each other. Under the Wei family’s manipulation, the outside world believed it was a political marriage, which invisibly elevated the Wei family’s status. Otherwise, with the Wei family’s strength, they wouldn’t even qualify to be considered for a marriage alliance with the Qi family.

Mother Qi shrugged indifferently. Father Qi always agreed with whatever Mother Qi said, and Qi Yuanxu had already set his heart on Bai Tang alone. The entire family stood on Bai Tang’s side.

The position of the young madam of the Qi family was firmly his.

Bai Tang leaned comfortably against Qi Yuanxu’s chest. He casually picked up an orange, peeled it, broke off a small segment, and fed it into Qi Yuanxu’s mouth. Qi Yuanxu paused for a moment, then continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Just as Bai Tang was about to break off a piece to eat himself, Qi Yuanxu lowered his head and ate the orange from Bai Tang’s hand instead.

Bai Tang: “?”

Qi Yuanxu: “The ones Tang Tang peels taste especially good. I like them.”

Bai Tang smiled slightly. “If you like them, then eat more~” He picked up another orange and started peeling it. This is really too careless of me, he thought. We’ve been together for so long, and I didn’t even know Ah Xu likes oranges. I’ve been too inattentive.

The young couple looked so sweet together that Mother Qi felt happy watching them. She picked up an orange, peeled it, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then she gave Qi Yuanxu a strange look.

She had raised her son for more than twenty years—since when did he like sour things? Or was there something wrong with the child’s sense of taste?

Bai Tang enthusiastically kept peeling oranges, as if trying to make up for the amount from more than twenty worlds.

Perhaps sensing the overly intense gaze from beside him, Qi Yuanxu turned his head and met Mother Qi’s eyes. She suddenly understood.

Ah, so this is the power of love.

An entire plate of oranges was fed to Qi Yuanxu by Bai Tang. Bai Tang wiped his hands with satisfaction, his soft and gentle voice saying words that sounded almost devilish:

“I’ll peel more for you tomorrow~”

Just then, Auntie Zhang came over carrying a fresh fruit platter. She happened to catch the cold glance Qi Yuanxu shot her and involuntarily shivered.

“Y-Young Master… what’s wrong?” Auntie Zhang asked nervously.

“Nothing.”

A small hand covered Qi Yuanxu’s stomach and slowly rubbed it. “Eating too many oranges seems to cause bloating~”

With Bai Tang around, Qi Yuanxu had eyes for no one else, fully enjoying Bai Tang’s attentive care.

A day passed, and Bai Tang returned to school for classes. Along the way, many people pointed and whispered about him.

He jogged all the way to the classroom. When he entered, the seated students all turned to look at him, but no one said anything. They already knew about Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang being together. Although they were somewhat shocked by Qi Yuanxu’s family background, it wasn’t something they couldn’t accept.

Just before the professor arrived, Wei Rushuang entered the classroom as the bell rang. She still sat beside Bai Tang, her pretty face showing an uneasy expression.

This time, Bai Tang didn’t lie down to sleep. After hesitating for a long time, Wei Rushuang finally gathered the courage to speak.

“Tang Tang, I’ve wanted to explain things to you for a long time, but my phone was confiscated. I swear, the moment I got it back, I called you right away…”

They say it takes a hundred days to recover from serious injuries to muscles and bones. Although Bai Tang had already removed most of the poison, Wei Rushuang had inhaled it for quite a long time, so some damage still remained. For example, if she spoke too quickly or for too long, she couldn’t help but start coughing.

As soon as she coughed, even the professor lecturing at the podium looked over.

“Not paying attention in class is your own business, but please don’t disturb other students who want to study.”

The professor had seen all kinds of students before. A teacher can only guide someone to the door—cultivation depends on the individual. If a student doesn’t want to study, no one can force them, but disturbing others who do want to learn is wrong.

Bai Tang gently pressed an acupoint on Wei Rushuang’s hand, and miraculously, she stopped coughing.

Seeing that they had quieted down, the professor didn’t pursue the matter and continued explaining the lesson.

Bai Tang thoughtfully handed her a cup of water. “Drink this. It’s good for your throat.”

Inside it, he had added a health-restoring potion produced by the system, which was especially suitable for people whose bodies had been injured.

After the poisoning incident, Wei Rushuang had become a little afraid of drinking water or tea. But since Bai Tang was the one offering it, she felt she had to drink it no matter how scared she was—otherwise she would be letting down Bai Tang’s kindness.

Seeing the look on her face as if she were marching to her death, Bai Tang couldn’t help laughing. Actually, the heroine was quite cute.

Qiu’er said, “The heroine is cute as long as she doesn’t try to steal the male lead. If she does, then she’s not cute at all.”

Xiao A added, “Qiu’er is right.”

The tea wasn’t bitter; it even had a faint sweetness to it. Wei Rushuang said softly, “Tang Tang, please don’t be angry with me, okay…?”

Bai Tang replied, “I’m not angry~”

After a friendly exchange throughout the class, Wei Rushuang finally believed that Bai Tang wasn’t angry. She also learned that he and Qi Yuanxu were about to get engaged.

Thinking about that man, whether from what she had personally seen or heard from her parents, Wei Rushuang had to admit that Qi Yuanxu was a good man.

The ones most shocked were the drama fans.

They had always known that the great Yinyue was outstanding, but they never imagined he was also the heir to a wealthy family.

The wealthy world was full of complications. The gap between Pincone and Yinyue’s family backgrounds was huge. What everyone worried about most now was whether they could actually be together, or if their parents would forcibly break them apart.

However, they didn’t have to worry for long. The Qi Group publicly released good news.

Qi Yuanxu would become engaged to Bai Tang on the first day of next month.

Everyone was in an uproar. Those who supported them said it was only natural; those who didn’t said the relationship was just an act.

Bai Tang didn’t put on airs. Recently, he had been very active online, replying to fans’ questions. According to him, they would hold a livestream on the day of the engagement.

The fans counted the days on their fingers until the livestream. To their surprise, they realized—wait, the first of next month was tomorrow! Soon they would finally see the real faces of their favorite CP. They were full of anticipation.

The reason the engagement date was set for tomorrow wasn’t because it was an auspicious day.

It was simply because Qi Yuanxu didn’t want to wait even a moment longer.

He was eager to mark Bai Tang as his, to shelter him under his wings. The grievances Tangtang had suffered before had only happened because others thought he was alone and easy to bully, so they chose the softest target.

From now on, Tang Tang belonged to him, Qi Yuanxu.

Anyone who opposed Bai Tang would be opposing Qi Yuanxu—and the entire Qi Group.

On the day of the engagement, the event was extremely grand. Qi Yuanxu wished he could present all the best things in the world to Bai Tang.

Bai Tang wore a custom-made suit and attended the ceremony hand in hand with Qi Yuanxu. Under the witness of their parents, they announced their engagement. After a year, once Bai Tang received his graduation certificate, they would choose an auspicious day to hold their wedding.

The guests attended the engagement ceremony with all kinds of intentions. Some wanted to seek cooperation with the Qi Group, while others hoped to build more connections. In any case, not a single person dared to disrupt Qi Yuanxu’s engagement banquet. Everyone wore cheerful smiles, and streams of flattering and congratulatory words poured out.

As long as the words were blessings, Qi Yuanxu accepted them all.

Holding a wine glass and looking almost otherworldly, he moved among the guests with his newly minted fiancé, receiving everyone’s congratulations.

“May you have a long and happy marriage.”

“Wishing you harmony and happiness…”

“Happy engagement…”

Bai Tang listened happily, and the fans watching the livestream were also delighted. Although the camera was a bit far away and it was hard to clearly see the two main figures, it was rare to witness the engagement ceremony of a wealthy family.

The fans generously offered their blessings. Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang had also prepared big red envelopes—anyone who sent congratulatory messages in the livestream comments could receive one. The more auspicious and longer the blessing, the bigger the red envelope they could get. The livestream chat was extremely harmonious. While watching the broadcast and marveling at the life of the wealthy, waves of good wishes flooded the screen so quickly they almost left afterimages.

On such a joyous day, no one wanted to provoke Qi Yuanxu.

Yet there were always people who lacked judgment—like using an egg to strike a diamond, just to see which was harder.

Bai Tang had quite a few troublesome relatives. In the past, they constantly pretended to be pitiful and poor to borrow money from him. But when Bai Tang later said he didn’t even have enough money to pay his tuition and asked them to return what they owed, each one suddenly became extremely busy, as if they had business deals worth tens of millions to negotiate every minute.

After Bai Tang arrived, he didn’t pay much attention to them anymore. But now that they had learned Bai Tang was about to marry into a wealthy family, all their little schemes resurfaced. Using the excuse that they were Bai Tang’s relatives, they tried to force their way into the engagement ceremony.

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Author’s Note :

Here it is, here it is—the update is here.

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Chapter 413 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Missing a Night (20)

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When Qi’s mother pulled her husband away and led Bai Tang out of the restaurant, it was already very dark.

Qi’s mother glanced at the time and asked, “The dorm curfew at school has already passed, right?” Although Qi Yuanxu didn’t really need anyone to worry about him, as a mother she still cared a lot about her child, so she was very familiar with Z University’s schedule.

Bai Tang nodded and awkwardly tried to pull his hand free from Qi’s mother’s grip. Well… being such a grown person yet still being held by an elder like a child was a bit embarrassing.

Qi’s mother looked at the boy’s fair and clean profile, and the more she looked, the more she liked him. Her son had inherited her taste—his standards when choosing someone were high.

Wanting to repair the relationship between mother and son, Qi’s mother sincerely invited Bai Tang to stay at the Qi residence. “Tang Tang, since you can’t go back to school now and tomorrow is the weekend with no classes, why not come home with Auntie and stay the night?”

She had already made a plan: once Bai Tang arrived at the house, she would push the young couple into a room together and shut the door. Whatever awkwardness they had would be resolved. After all, husbands might quarrel at the head of the bed but make up at the foot of it.

Bai Tang, who had never been good at refusing elders, nodded helplessly. Yet he also felt a little happy inside. He had misunderstood Ah Xu, and he really wanted to see him.

Qi’s mother was overjoyed. Turning to Qi’s father, who was carrying the bags behind them, she said, “Go start the car.”

Compared to the gentle tone she used when speaking to Bai Tang, her attitude toward Qi’s father could practically be described as fierce.

As a devoted husband, Qi’s father had no objections. He took the car keys out of his pocket and headed toward the parking lot.

Qi’s mother then turned to Bai Tang with a smile. “Tang Tang, you see? Men need to be disciplined. If you don’t keep them in line for three days, they’ll start climbing onto the roof. In the future, you don’t need to be polite with Ah Xu. If he treats you badly, come tell Mom, and I’ll deal with him for you.”

Bai Tang blinked after hearing this. The words sounded a little familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before.

Qiu’er said, “In the past, the mothers of the male leads who liked Tang Tang basically all said something like that.”

Xiao A said, “So… does that mean the male lead’s mom also traveled across worlds together with Tang Tang?”

Bai Tang lowered his head shyly. Seeing this, Qi’s mother secretly felt delighted—her son was truly blessed.

When they arrived home, Qi’s mother led Bai Tang around the Qi house. “This is Ah Xu’s room. Ever since he went to college, he rarely comes back to stay. The house has been much quieter.”

What parent wouldn’t want their child close by? Qi’s mother was no exception. Perhaps with Tang Tang around, the house would feel more lively again.

Qi’s mother called Qi Yuanxu several times, but he was still angry and didn’t pick up. After the phone rang a few times, she stopped trying.

That brat won’t answer my calls? Fine—then your wife is mine tonight.

No one knew a son better than his mother, and Qi’s mother understood Qi Yuanxu’s temperament perfectly.

She said to Bai Tang, who was looking at her expectantly, “Ah Xu didn’t answer my call. He’s probably busy with company matters. They secured that project last time, and these past few days they’ve been starting the preliminary work.”

Bai Tang was not completely unfamiliar with the Qi Group. Every time Qi Yuanxu worked overtime, he would explain the reason to him. Over time, Bai Tang had gained a general idea of the company’s recent developments.

Bai Tang nodded obediently and didn’t think about calling Qi Yuanxu himself. It was better not to disturb Ah Xu.

Qi’s mother happily pulled Bai Tang along to have a late-night snack. “Tang Tang, you’re too thin. The housekeeper made this ginseng chicken soup at home. It tastes quite good—give it a try…”

Bai Tang couldn’t refuse the elder’s kindness and ended up being force-fed a stomach full of meat. Only when Qi’s father shot a disapproving look did Qi’s mother finally stop and let Bai Tang go rest.

The room Qi’s mother arranged for Bai Tang was not a guest room, but Qi Yuanxu’s bedroom.

Although there were many guest rooms in the house, how could they compare to the master bedroom? Bai Tang would be part of the family in the future, so why should he stay in a guest room?

So this is where Ah Xu grew up…

Bai Tang gently touched the furniture in the room. In his mind, he could almost see scenes of Qi Yuanxu sitting on the chair reading, or pulling open the curtains to bask in the sunlight.

He threw himself onto the bed, but the pure white sheets were not as soft as they looked. Bai Tang couldn’t help letting out a hiss as he held his waist where it had bumped against the bed. He rubbed it with his healing ability, and once the pain was gone, he lifted the sheet—only to discover it was a hard wooden bed.

Bai Tang: “……”

Did Ah Xu grow up like this? Even sleeping wasn’t comfortable. That’s so hard…

Seeing Bai Tang’s distressed expression, Xiao A quietly said to Qiu’er, “The host seems to have imagined a whole ‘tragic little cabbage’ story.”

Qiu’er: “……”

He had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have let Tang Tang read so many tragic novels. The master who entered the world was the chosen child of fate—how could he possibly have had such a miserable life?

But in order to make things a little easier for the foolish master who was still waiting downstairs at the school dormitory, Qiu’er still spoke up for Qi Yuanxu against his conscience.

“Tang Tang, you don’t know this, but the male lead had it really hard when he was young. Mr. and Mrs. Qi wanted to train his independence, so they made him sleep on a hard wooden bed from a very young age. He also had to run every day carrying weights, take five foreign language classes, attend hobby classes…”

Xiao A flipped through the records of the male lead’s childhood life. He looked at Bai Tang, whose face was full of sorrow and sympathy, then at Qiu’er, who was becoming more and more enthusiastic as he talked, and couldn’t help rubbing his forehead.

He finally understood where the host’s overactive imagination came from—Qiu’er had corrupted him.

“Ah Xu had it so hard. He didn’t even have a happy childhood…” Bai Tang strengthened his resolve to give Qi Yuanxu happiness.

Qiu’er wore a pleased expression as if thinking, This child can be taught, which made Xiao A’s teeth ache. He didn’t know whether the male lead had suffered before, but with Qiu’er around, constantly leading the host further and further astray, the male lead would definitely experience some “suffering” in the future.

Qi Yuanxu waited downstairs at the dormitory building all night. When morning came, students gradually came downstairs and headed out. Seeing Qi Yuanxu there, many of them were quite surprised.

They thought to themselves that Senior Qi was truly devoted. Yesterday, quite a few people had seen him knocking on the dormitory door in the corridor, asking for it to be opened. Anyone with eyes could tell the young couple had argued. Qi Yuanxu was usually such a proud person, yet he had lowered himself and was now waiting downstairs early in the morning.

As the sun rose, the air began to grow hot.

Qi Yuanxu had not slept all night. With so many things weighing on his mind, he looked somewhat worn and haggard.

He called Bai Tang’s phone. The ringtone kept ringing, but no one answered, until it automatically hung up.

It wasn’t that Qi Yuanxu didn’t want to go upstairs to look for him. But judging by Tang Tang’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t open the door for him. If things escalated, it would only give people at the school something to laugh about. Qi Yuanxu didn’t care about being laughed at, but Tang Tang hadn’t graduated yet, and he hated being pointed at and gossiped about. Qi Yuanxu couldn’t let others look down on him.

Time passed second by second.

What Qi Yuanxu didn’t know was that the boy he longed for so much was currently at his house, sleeping soundly in his bed.

The night before, Bai Tang had been fed so much by Qi’s mother that he was too full. He stayed up until four in the morning trying to digest the food before finally falling asleep. At this moment, he was still very sleepy.

When Qi Yuanxu later learned that Bai Tang hadn’t returned to the dormitory all night, negative emotions flooded his mind and he was on the verge of exploding. Just then, a servant at home, following Qi’s father’s instructions, “secretly” called him and informed him that Bai Tang was at the house.

Qi Yuanxu immediately got into the car and, for the first time, rushed home with such anxious urgency.

This was the first good sleep Bai Tang had had in half a month without Qi Yuanxu beside him. But this was Qi Yuanxu’s room—there were traces of him everywhere, and his scent lingered in the air. Bai Tang felt unusually at ease and slept soundly.

Finally, the boy had slept enough. He groggily opened his eyes, only to be startled by a figure sitting at the bedside.

“Ah Xu~”

His just-awakened voice was slightly hoarse, yet full of dependence.

Qi Yuanxu pulled Bai Tang into his arms. The sense of fulfillment in his soul made him let out a deep sigh.

“You scared me to death. Don’t ever do this again, okay? If something happens where you think I’ve wronged you, I’d rather you confront me directly—even hit me if you want—than see you torture yourself like this.”

Qi Yuanxu could feel how thin the boy had become. The weight he had finally managed to gain was gone again.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you…” Bai Tang felt extremely embarrassed and annoyed with himself. They had already been together for so long—how could he still fail to trust him?

But when he saw the elder of the other person’s family holding someone else’s hand and calling them “daughter-in-law,” Bai Tang’s rationality snapped. In his mind, marriage had always required the blessing of one’s parents, whether in ancient times or in modern times. That was why he had overthought everything…

“It’s fine as long as you’re okay. Just don’t ignore me again in the future…” Qi Yuanxu was still shaken. Only by holding the boy tightly did he feel a slight sense of security.

“I won’t do that again. I promise.”

Looking at the tired expression on Qi Yuanxu’s face, Bai Tang suddenly remembered what Qiu’er had told him last night about Ah Xu’s childhood. His heart suddenly tightened.

“Why don’t you take better care of yourself? If one day I’m not around…”

What Bai Tang originally meant was that in future worlds, if he hadn’t yet arrived to begin his mission, Qi Yuanxu shouldn’t neglect his own life. But the words “I’m not around” sounded to Qi Yuanxu like “when I leave in the future.”

Qi Yuanxu held him even tighter. “I’m not good at taking care of people. Tang Tang, take pity on me and keep an eye on me from now on, okay? If I ever have Tang Tang and then lose Tang Tang… I wouldn’t be able to go on living.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Bai Tang’s unfinished words faded away under Qi Yuanxu’s tender, affectionate gaze. He pulled Qi Yuanxu down to lie beside him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I can’t sleep well when Ah Xu isn’t here. Ah Xu, sleep with me~”

Of course, Bai Tang didn’t actually want to sleep himself—he wanted Qi Yuanxu to sleep.

His man had unshaven stubble and dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t slept all night. No one was made of iron—how could someone endure staying up all night without catching up on sleep afterward?

Qi Yuanxu didn’t really want to sleep. He kept his eyes open, looking at the boy in his arms. No matter how long he looked, he couldn’t get enough of him.

How wonderful. His Tang Tang had come back.

“Go to sleep already~” Bai Tang glared slightly and closed the other man’s eyes with his hand. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. When you wake up, I’ll still be here. I promise.”

Qi Yuanxu caught the unique scent of pine nuts and milk that belonged to the boy. His emotions gradually relaxed, and combined with his physical exhaustion, he soon fell asleep.

Bai Tang had already slept too much earlier, so he wasn’t sleepy at all now.

Qi Yuanxu was holding him tightly, and Bai Tang had no intention of getting up. Qi Yuanxu was at a moment when he lacked a sense of security. If he woke up and didn’t see Bai Tang immediately, he might spiral into dark thoughts again. It was better to stay quietly where he was.

It had been a long time since he had gone online. Bai Tang picked up his phone and started scrolling through the comments under his Weibo posts.

When one’s state of mind changed, the way one viewed things changed as well. Right now, Bai Tang especially liked reading the comments from people who envied and blessed him and Qi Yuanxu. He blocked the ones who cursed at them and replied to the ones offering blessings.

Before he knew it, Bai Tang became completely absorbed in it. Even when Qi Yuanxu woke up several times during his sleep, Bai Tang didn’t notice. Seeing the boy obediently staying in his arms while playing on his phone, Qi Yuanxu smiled slightly before closing his eyes again and continuing to catch up on sleep.

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Author’s Note :

Qi’s mother: Serves you right for not answering my call. Go feed the mosquitoes.

Bai Tang (worried): Where did the mosquitoes bite you? Let me see.

Qi Yuanxu (raising his arm): Here, here, here—and here too.

Qi’s mother: ……

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Chapter 412 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – The Script Is a Little Different (19)

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Wei Rushuang still wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her throat suddenly felt sore and itchy, and she began coughing uncontrollably.

Mother Qi felt somewhat annoyed with herself. “Shuangshuang, focus on resting and talk less. It’s better for your throat.” The doctor had said that those toxins had the greatest impact on the vocal cords. Earlier, Wei Rushuang had already kept her company for quite a while. Now that visitors had arrived, she suddenly realized she shouldn’t have let her talk for so long. What a careless mistake.

Wei Rushuang found it difficult to speak. Bai Tang thoughtfully handed over a glass of water. “Shuangshuang, have some water.”

Mother Qi took the glass and passed it to Wei Rushuang, inwardly sighing that Bai Tang was such a good child. Bai Tang lowered his eyes slightly, poured another glass of water, and handed it to Mother Qi. “Auntie, please have some water.”

“Alright. Your name is Tang Tang, right? Such a lovely name.” The boy was so well-behaved and considerate. If her own son hadn’t already had someone in his heart, she might even have tried to play matchmaker.

Yan Yang watched from the side without saying a word. He liked Wei Rushuang very much, but his family background was worlds apart from hers. Now that Wei Rushuang had found a good partner and his mother seemed to like her too, he felt happy for her. This relationship of his had never been made public anyway—better to bury it deep in his heart so that Wei Rushuang wouldn’t be put in a difficult position.

Yan Yang and Bai Tang seemed to share a silent understanding. Neither of them made a scene. Their quiet demeanor only made Wei Rushuang feel worse. Several times she wanted to speak up and explain, but each time she was coincidentally interrupted by the conversation between Mother Qi and Bai Tang.

Bai Tang sat there as if on pins and needles. The gentler and kinder Mother Qi was, the more uncomfortable he felt.

After sitting for a short while, Bai Tang stood up to say goodbye. “Auntie, I still have homework to turn in tonight, so I won’t disturb Shuangshuang’s rest any longer.”

Qi Yuanxu had always been independent. It seemed that in every lifetime he rarely made his parents worry, having been self-reliant since childhood. Mother Qi’s overflowing maternal affection had nowhere to go, and after only five minutes of chatting with Bai Tang, she had already developed a fondness for him.

“I’ll have the driver take you home,” Mother Qi said.

“There’s no need to trouble him.” Bai Tang stood up and gave Mother Qi a deep bow. Holding back his tears, he quickly left the hospital room after hearing her reminder to “be careful on the way.” While going downstairs, he could no longer hold it in and burst into tears.

Yan Yang took one last deep look at Wei Rushuang but said nothing. After exchanging a few polite words with Mother Qi, he also got up and left.

If it had been another girl encountering such a situation, even if she didn’t make a scene at the company, she would at least have confronted the person involved.

But Bai Tang didn’t do that. He didn’t want things to become so ugly. He didn’t want to go to Qi Yuanxu’s company and cause a scene that would damage Qi Yuanxu’s reputation, nor did he want to confront him directly. He was afraid of hearing an answer from Qi Yuanxu that he didn’t want to hear.

The little squirrel was still the same timid little squirrel. He had already experienced more than twenty happy worlds—he should learn to be satisfied.

Ever since Bai Tang and Qi Yuanxu had started their sweet relationship, Qiu’er and Xiao A rarely appeared anymore. Unless they sensed that Bai Tang was in mortal danger, Qiu’er was quite happy to give Bai Tang and the male lead some private time together.

Qiu’er: In the past I was immature and always interrupted my master and Tang Tang while they were dating. Now I realize my mistake. I’ll correct it and strive to earn my master’s lenient treatment in the future.

With Xiao A keeping Qiu’er company in the system space, Qiu’er felt even less lonely and thus appeared very rarely.

When Bai Tang returned to the villa, Qi Yuanxu had not yet gotten off work.

He wiped away his tears and comforted himself with the same words Qiu’er used to comfort him: “Tang Tang, you can do it. You’ve grown up.”

He wanted to pack his things and move out. After walking around the villa, he realized something unexpectedly—aside from a laptop, everything he owned had been bought for him by Qi Yuanxu. There were very few things that truly belonged to him.

With that in mind, Bai Tang didn’t waste any more time. He packed the laptop into his backpack, cast one last reluctant glance at the villa, and quietly closed the door before leaving.

Bai Tang believed that making a big scene wouldn’t be good for anyone. As long as everyone understood the situation without saying it out loud, that was enough. So he sent Qi Yuanxu a message: [School’s been busy lately. I’ve moved back to the dorm.]

The third year of university was busier than the first two years, something Qi Yuanxu had experienced himself. What Bai Tang said contained no obvious flaws.

Still, the man who received the message frowned. He pulled up Bai Tang’s class schedule, and sure enough, it was exactly as Bai Tang had said—his classes were packed from morning to evening. The evening study sessions were elective courses. Bai Tang didn’t like joining clubs, so if he didn’t take electives, he wouldn’t have enough credits to graduate.

Although the Qi family was immensely wealthy, they didn’t have the power to let Bai Tang graduate without attending classes.

Left with no choice, Qi Yuanxu simply told Bai Tang to take good care of himself.

Aside from Bai Tang moving back to the dorm, their daily lives and habits seemed unchanged.

During classes, they kept their video calls on mute. After class, Bai Tang would review his lessons without speaking. At night, even when he was tired during their usual rest time, he still didn’t say much. The atmosphere between them felt somewhat strange, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly why.

Bai Tang thought to himself that once Ah Xu grew tired of him, he would naturally cut off contact.

Qi Yuanxu, however, couldn’t get away. Every time he tried to ask Bai Tang out, Bai Tang would refuse with excuses—he was too tired from classes, or he needed to review and study.

Once or twice was understandable, but after many times, Qi Yuanxu began to grow suspicious.

Finally, on the second weekend after Bai Tang left the villa, when Bai Tang once again declined to go out with him, Qi Yuanxu canceled a company meeting and personally went to Bai Tang’s dormitory.

“Bai Tang, someone’s here for you!” one of his roommates shouted, waking Bai Tang, who looked as though he was reading but whose mind had actually wandered far away.

Following the voice, Bai Tang looked toward the door. Against the backlight stood a tall figure. When Bai Tang turned around, the man raised a gentle smile. “Tang Tang, look what I brought for you.”

A sweet, roasted chestnut aroma drifted from the paper bag in Qi Yuanxu’s hand—it was sugar-roasted chestnuts, Bai Tang’s favorite.

Bai Tang lowered his head without saying a word.

They hadn’t seen each other for half a month. The longing he had been suppressing in his heart burst out all at once. He didn’t dare lift his head, afraid the other man would see his tears.

His roommates tactfully filed out one after another, even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Qi Yuanxu walked over to Bai Tang and pulled him into his arms. “Tang Tang, I missed you.” He buried his face against Bai Tang’s neck and took a deep breath, finally easing the pain of half a month of longing.

“W-Why did you come…” Bai Tang tried his best to keep his voice from trembling.

The perceptive Qi Yuanxu released him and looked at him directly. “Tang Tang, do you have a cold? Your voice sounds different.”

“Yeah, a little,” Bai Tang replied, unwilling to say more. The more he spoke, the easier it would be for his lie to fall apart.

Before his tears could spill out, he quickly said, “I still need to study. Ah Xu, you should go back to work.”

With that, he pushed Qi Yuanxu out the door, closed it, and leaned against it, crying silently.

Qi Yuanxu realized something was wrong with Bai Tang and knocked on the door. “Tang Tang, open the door. Can we talk?” He tried to keep his voice gentle, but the anxiety in his heart kept growing.

Bai Tang ignored him. No matter how Qi Yuanxu knocked, he didn’t respond. Students in the same hallway opened their dorm doors to see what was happening, only to find the campus heartthrob pounding on a door.

“What’s wrong, Senior Qi? Maybe no one’s in that dorm,” a kind classmate said. It was too noisy for anyone to study, sleep, or play games in peace.

Qi Yuanxu realized Bai Tang wasn’t going to open the door. The uneasiness in his heart grew a thousandfold. He called Yan Yang.

“It’s me, Qi Yuanxu. Has Tang Tang been bullied at school?”

This was the only explanation Qi Yuanxu could think of for Bai Tang’s strange behavior.

Yan Yang was silent for a few seconds before replying, “No. Bai Tang is doing fine at school. Maybe you should ask Mrs. Qi—you might find your answer there.”

Qi Yuanxu’s call made Yan Yang realize that he might not know the truth. Otherwise, why would he still be concerned about Bai Tang? He should already know why Bai Tang was unhappy.

For now, let’s not talk about how Qi Yuanxu confronted Mrs. Qi after returning home.

At the hospital, Wei Rushuang—who had been lying in bed for so long she felt like she was about to grow mold—was finally discharged. The moment she got her phone back, she immediately called Bai Tang.

“Tang Tang, it’s me, Shuangshuang! Don’t take Mrs. Qi’s words to heart. There’s really nothing between Qi Yuanxu and me—it was just Mrs. Qi’s misunderstanding. After you left that day, I wanted to call and explain, but I coughed twice, and my parents thought my condition had worsened again. They insisted the bodyguards take my phone away, saying the radiation would affect my recovery. I just got it back now. Listen to me—I don’t like Qi Yuanxu at all…”

Wei Rushuang spoke in a rush, her words somewhat disorganized, but the meaning was clear enough: she had absolutely nothing to do with Qi Yuanxu. She already had someone she liked—there was no way she would fall for him.

Bai Tang was stunned for a moment. After explaining everything clearly, Wei Rushuang hurriedly hung up and immediately dialed her dear boyfriend’s number.

“Yan Yang, listen to me…”

By the time Wei Rushuang finished explaining everything to everyone one by one, she was so exhausted she practically collapsed onto the bed.

Both physically and mentally drained—life really wasn’t worth it.

When Qi Yuanxu received Wei Rushuang’s call, he was talking with Mrs. Qi. He turned on the speaker, and Wei Rushuang’s sweet voice came through. Only then did Mrs. Qi realize where she had gone wrong.

She had completely misunderstood!!!

It turned out that her son’s partner wasn’t the young lady from the Wei family, but a boy named Bai Tang.

Bai Tang… Bai Tang… The name sounded familiar somehow. Mrs. Qi tried hard to recall, and the image of a boy in white appeared in her mind.

Qi Yuanxu said coldly, “Mom, my marriage is my own decision. I hope there won’t be a next time.”

After saying that, he hurriedly left the Qi residence and rushed to the school to find Bai Tang.

Qi Yuanxu had never spoken to her in that tone before. Mrs. Qi froze for a moment. It wasn’t until the sound of the door slamming echoed through the house that she snapped back to her senses. Grabbing Mr. Qi’s hand as he came out of the study, she said anxiously, “Honey, it’s over—I’ve driven away our daughter-in-law.”

Mr. Qi: “?”

It was already too late—the dormitory gates had been locked. Qi Yuanxu didn’t call Bai Tang, afraid of waking him up.

Tang Tang had always been a light sleeper and woke up easily. Tomorrow, when Tang Tang came downstairs, he would explain everything in person.

What Qi Yuanxu didn’t know was that while he was on the way to the school, Mrs. Qi had already called Bai Tang and asked him to come out to meet her.

Bai Tang thought that Mrs. Qi must have discovered the relationship between him and Ah Xu. She was probably going to meet him, throw down a five-million-yuan check, and tell him to leave.

But when he arrived at the meeting place, he saw that not only was Mrs. Qi there—Mr. Qi was there as well.

Bai Tang was momentarily stunned, then he walked over and sat on the sofa opposite them.

“Hello, Mr. Qi, Mrs. Qi.”

It was still that pleasant, soft voice, but it lacked energy.

Mrs. Qi looked up at him. The boy no longer looked as lively as he had half a month ago. His face was pale and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes.

This child probably hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

Mrs. Qi’s heart ached. She reached out and held Bai Tang’s hand resting on the table.

Bai Tang lifted his eyes. Mrs. Qi said softly, “Child, you’ve suffered…”

Bai Tang thought to himself: This script is a little different from what Qiu’er said.

Meanwhile, in the system space, Qiu’er—who was once again innocently implicated while lying in Xiao A’s arms—sneezed.

“It feels like Tang Tang is saying my name…”

Xiao A replied, “Go to sleep. If the host calls us, I’ll let you know.”

Qiu’er: “Oh~” He rolled over and went back to sleep.

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Author’s Note:

Bai Tang: This script is a little different.

Qi Yuanxu: You’re not allowed to leave.

Bai Tang: But Qiu’er said…

Qiu’er: Tang Tang, please don’t say it!!!

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Chapter 411 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – A Huge Misunderstanding (18)

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Bai Tang successfully avoided the crowd and used the water mirror in the restroom to observe what was happening in the operating room.

Wei Rushuang was being rescued. This kind of drug had a certain level of toxicity—it could damage a person’s nerves and render them unable to speak. An overdose could even be life-threatening, and Wei Rushuang had taken an excessive amount.

“Qiu’er, let’s help Shuangshuang,” Bai Tang said. Looking at Wei Rushuang on the operating table, her eyes tightly shut yet her face still showing clear signs of pain, Bai Tang felt quite distressed. She was in the prime of her youth—if she were left with lasting aftereffects, how painful her life would be.

Qiu’er did not hesitate and immediately agreed. “Sure, no problem.”

The female lead was destined to face this ordeal—it was unavoidable, a trial meant to advance the relationship between the male and female leads. Although Qi Yuanxu was currently with Tang Tang, they were not yet married, so nothing was truly set in stone. Many people still divorce even after getting married. Qiu’er did not dare take that risk, so it was easier to simply cure the female lead directly.

The operating room was difficult to enter, and Bai Tang had no intention of going inside anyway. Xiao A and Qiu’er helped Bai Tang remotely extract the toxin from Wei Rushuang’s body. The poison had already spread throughout the female lead’s body, circulating in her blood. Even modern medical methods could not guarantee the complete removal of all toxins from a poisoned person’s body—but Bai Tang could.

The young man hid inside a stall in the men’s restroom and had Xiao A activate a shielding function to prevent anyone from disturbing him.

The water mirror floated in the air, reflecting the female lead’s pale and pained face. A glow appeared in Bai Tang’s hand, and as his fingers touched the water mirror, a semi-transparent thread extended, guiding the female lead on the other side.

With the system’s protective barrier in place, the doctors and nurses in the operating room saw nothing. On the operating table, Wei Rushuang slightly parted her lips, and a translucent filament extended outward. Before long, the black toxin was drawn out through the thread.

In the men’s restroom, Bai Tang guided the toxin into a disposable cup. The black liquid emitted a faint, barely noticeable stench. The smell was not strong, which explained why it could be mixed into tea without being detected.

Bai Tang did not completely remove all the toxin from Wei Rushuang’s body. The doctors were still trying to save her—if she suddenly showed no symptoms at all, it would not help her but harm her. She would probably be surrounded by various experts studying her before she even left the hospital.

Only after confirming that Wei Rushuang’s bodily functions would not be damaged by the poison did Bai Tang stop.

He had not used his healing ability for a long time, and his technique had grown rusty.

Bai Tang felt slightly annoyed. Having lived a comfortable life for too long, he had almost forgotten the means that could save his life. What if he encountered danger in the future and Qiu’er and Xiao A could not accompany him—what would he do then?

Qiu’er said, “Tang Tang, don’t worry. Xiao A and I will always protect you—and the male lead will too~”

After recovering his memories, Qiu’er had been acquiring the world’s energy much faster than before, and his power was steadily increasing day by day. He was not at all worried about the situations Bai Tang feared. Once he leveled up again, in the three thousand worlds—aside from his master—who else could possibly be his opponent?

He completely ignored the fact that standing beside him was Xiao A, whose background was unknown but who could always suppress him with ease.

Xiao A only smiled without saying anything. Qiu’er cared a lot about saving face—some things were better left understood rather than spoken aloud.

Inside the operating room, Wei Rushuang’s vital signs finally returned to normal ranges. The doctors and nurses breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief. At least she had been successfully rescued.

Wei Rushuang was pushed out of the operating room, and the counselor and Yan Yang quickly stepped forward to ask about her condition. When they learned that her life was no longer in danger, their brows finally relaxed. Thankfully, she was safe.

This was an attempted malicious murder. After investigating the conference room, the police discovered that only the cup of tea Wei Rushuang had drunk was contaminated, while the tea in the large pot was completely fine. Their preliminary conclusion was that someone had deliberately targeted Wei Rushuang.

Now the matter had become serious—the nature of the poisoning incident had escalated significantly.

When the Wei family received the news, they rushed to the hospital without delay. After learning that someone had tried to harm Wei Rushuang, they immediately mobilized all their connections, determined to find out who had done it.

Only after his face no longer looked so pale did Bai Tang go to visit Wei Rushuang.

The Wei family was wealthy, so Wei Rushuang was staying in a VIP private room. There were not many people around to disturb them. When Bai Tang arrived, aside from Wei Rushuang’s parents, only Yan Yang was there.

“Bai Tang, you’re here.”

Bai Tang had not seen Yan Yang for a long time. Today he seemed somewhat different from before—the lively energy he used to have was gone, and he appeared much more mature.

Hearing the voice, Mr. and Mrs. Wei turned their heads and saw a fair and clean-looking young man standing at the door.

Few people in business lacked the ability to judge others. The boy’s temperament was pure and gentle. Knowing that their daughter associated with someone like him reassured them somewhat.

“Hello, Uncle and Auntie~”

Hearing Bai Tang’s greeting, Wei Rushuang’s parents nodded slightly. With their daughter still lying unconscious in the hospital bed, they simply could not bring themselves to smile.

Qi Yuanxu slammed the accelerator and sped all the way to the hospital.

The ward door was violently pushed open. Before Bai Tang could even see who it was, he was pulled into a tight embrace.

The familiar cool scent, mixed with a faint smell of sweat, immediately told Bai Tang who it was—and that he must have rushed here in great haste.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t me…” Earlier, when Qi Yuanxu had texted Bai Tang, Bai Tang had been in the middle of extracting the poison, so he asked Xiao A to reply for him. Unexpectedly, the straightforward Xiao A, following the principle of being concise and clear, gave no extra explanation. As a result, Qi Yuanxu thought Bai Tang had been hospitalized. So before work even ended, Qi Yuanxu skipped out and rushed over.

“Thank goodness you’re still here…” Qi Yuanxu murmured softly. Tang Tang couldn’t get hurt—absolutely couldn’t.

“Mr. Qi.” Mr. and Mrs. Wei looked slightly surprised.

The business circle wasn’t very large to begin with, and only a few people could truly rank among the top. As the next head of the Qi family, Qi Yuanxu had appeared more frequently this year, so many people had become familiar with him.

Qi Yuanxu hugged Bai Tang and took a deep breath before letting him go, though he still held his hand.

He quickly returned to his usual cold and aloof demeanor. If not for his slightly disheveled clothes, no one would have guessed that he had been the one panicking just moments ago.

“Mr. Wei, Mrs. Wei,” Qi Yuanxu greeted calmly. All his tenderness was reserved for only one person.

Wei Rushuang’s parents did not ask further questions. Young people liked to fool around, and if the relationship was serious, they would naturally announce it themselves. Other people’s family matters were not something they could interfere with.

They asked the doctor about Wei Rushuang’s condition and were told that they would have to wait until she woke up before conducting another examination.

Bai Tang and Qi Yuanxu sat for a short while before getting up to say their goodbyes.

Perhaps because of the trauma Qi Yuanxu had carried over from the previous world, today’s scare had intensified his possessiveness. He wished he could see Bai Tang every moment of the day.

Bai Tang tried his best to coax him, saying every comforting word he could think of, but Qi Yuanxu still refused to relax his watch even a little. In the end, Bai Tang had to sacrifice his “charms” before he finally regained his “freedom.”

The “freedom” here meant that Bai Tang didn’t have to follow Qi Yuanxu around every second. However, they had to make a phone call every half hour. If Bai Tang was in class, he had to silence his phone and turn on video instead. In short, Qi Yuanxu needed to confirm that Bai Tang was safe and sound.

News that the carefully chosen successor had slammed the door and stormed out in front of a room full of senior executives quickly reached Qi Yuanxu’s parents. Father Qi was furious—what kind of matter could make Qi Yuanxu so anxious? If there was something urgent, couldn’t he have simply instructed his assistant?

The poisoning of the Wei family’s only daughter was no secret. In less than a day, the news spread throughout the upper-class social circles. At the same time, some people noticed that after Wei Rushuang was admitted to the hospital, Qi Yuanxu had also rushed there—and to the very same hospital.

These two events happening one after the other inevitably made people think.

Political and business marriages were common in this circle. Considering the Qi family’s status in the business world, and since the Qi family had not released any official news, people only talked about it privately and did not dare mention it in front of the parties involved.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Eventually, the rumors reached Father Qi and Mother Qi as well.

Mother Qi was overjoyed—her son had grown up and finally had a girl he liked.

Father Qi’s eyes were also filled with satisfaction. The Qi family no longer needed marriage alliances to expand their business empire, but cultivating oneself and managing the family were fundamental principles. Qi Yuanxu was already grown up—it was time for him to start a family, build a career, and take over the family business.

Parents always worry about their children. Qi Yuanxu had only recently entered society, and his parents were also afraid that he might be deceived by others. The Qi family was not some small, insignificant household—many young women had their eyes on them. However, his parents had protected him well. Before Qi Yuanxu joined the company, they had never publicly exposed him. They also worried that the young lady of the Wei family might be approaching Qi Yuanxu deliberately out of greed for the Qi family’s wealth.

Thus, on a bright and pleasant morning, Mother Qi carried her newly custom-made handbag and got into the driver’s car to head to the hospital.

The Wei family were businesspeople. After Wei Rushuang woke up and underwent a checkup, the results showed that her body was recovering quite well. So Mr. and Mrs. Wei returned to their company.

At that moment, Wei Rushuang was alone in the hospital room. Two bodyguards stood at the door, and aside from them, there was no one else around.

When Mother Qi arrived, Wei Rushuang was arranging flowers.

The beauty looked calm and gentle, the very image of grace and virtue. Mother Qi nodded inwardly—she seemed like a well-mannered young lady.

The bodyguards asked Wei Rushuang for instructions, saying that a lady had come to visit her. Wei Rushuang felt slightly flustered. She smoothed her hair with her hand and checked herself in the mirror before asking the bodyguards to let the visitor in.

Wei Rushuang and Yan Yang had started off on the wrong foot. From initially disliking each other, they gradually discovered each other’s strengths, developed good feelings, and eventually began dating. Before she was hospitalized, Yan Yang had told her that he had informed his parents that he had a girlfriend, and his mother had even said she wanted to meet her future daughter-in-law. Unexpectedly, her future mother-in-law had arrived so quickly.

Mother Qi smiled warmly as she asked about Wei Rushuang’s health. Her gentle and caring words made Wei Rushuang develop a favorable impression of her, and she secretly felt happy that her future mother-in-law seemed so kind.

There were only a few words of concern to exchange, so it did not take long before Mother Qi shifted the topic to marriage.

Wei Rushuang blushed and said, “Auntie, it’s still too early to talk about that.”

Mother Qi laughed. “Shuangshuang is shy…”

Yan Yang and Bai Tang came to visit Wei Rushuang, coincidentally meeting in the elevator—one carrying fruit, the other holding fresh flowers. The moment they entered the hospital room, they heard Mother Qi say, “I guarantee that A-Xu will never bully you…”

It was like a bolt from the blue. The two who had just walked in, along with Wei Rushuang, were all stunned.

Yan Yang and Bai Tang had the exact same thought: Wei Rushuang and Qi Yuanxu are getting married.

Wei Rushuang stammered, “A-Auntie, are you talking about… Qi Yuanxu?”

Mother Qi smiled brightly. “Yes. What’s wrong?”

Wei Rushuang looked across the room at Yan Yang, then noticed Bai Tang’s little face turning deathly pale as all color quickly drained from it. She immediately tried to explain.

“Auntie, you’ve misunderstood. I—”

Mother Qi patted Wei Rushuang’s hand, assuming the young people simply didn’t want to get married so early.

“If Shuangshuang thinks it’s too soon, getting engaged first would also be fine.”

Bai Tang came back to his senses and forced a smile. He placed the flowers into the vase and said stiffly to Wei Rushuang, “C-c-congratulations, Shuangshuang… y-you’re getting… m-married…”

The boy lowered his head. Tears swirled in his eyes, and his trembling voice revealed his emotions at that moment.

Wei Rushuang immediately sensed something was wrong and hurried to explain.

“Tang Tang, that’s not it. I’m not—”

Before she could finish speaking, Mother Qi instead felt that the young man had quite a good character.

Mother Qi thought that he must have overheard her conversation with Wei Rushuang. Perhaps he liked Shuangshuang—or maybe he liked her son, A-Xu. Even though he was heartbroken, he was still able to offer his congratulations.

Bai Tang wiped away his tears and tried his best to smile.

“Hello, Auntie. I’m Shuangshuang’s classmate. I came to visit her.”

The boy looked fair and delicate. A trace of admiration flashed through Mother Qi’s eyes as she smiled in response.

“Hello.”

Yet in her heart, she also felt a hint of regret. He was quite a good child—but unfortunately, A-Xu already had someone he liked.

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Chapter 410 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – I Finally Have an Official Status (17)

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“Pinecone is hyping things up and lying…” Qi Yuanxu read aloud the comment on the screen.

Bai Tang snatched the phone back and covered it so Qi Yuanxu couldn’t see. “It’s all nonsense, hahaha. The fans are just too immersed in the drama.”

Bai Tang tried to laugh it off, but the male lead had sharp eyesight and an excellent memory—he had already skimmed through everything on the screen in an instant.

He wrapped his arms around the boy, then flipped over and pulled him onto his lap. His fingers swiftly logged into his own account and publicly responded to the attention-seeking controversy that had been causing an uproar all afternoon.

Ding ding ding—you have a new message.

Yin Yue: [I was busy this afternoon, so my reply to everyone was delayed. Most people guessed correctly—@PineconeIsTheBest and I are indeed in that kind of relationship. This is the treasure I finally managed to win over after great effort, so please don’t scare him away. My lifelong happiness is in your hands.]

Right now, the fans’ minds were filled with one overwhelming thought: “The real person has responded.”

[Holy crap, am I actually witnessing a real-life CP?]

[No way, no way, no way—I was just joking about it. Did it really come true…?]

[I’ll hold my CP flag high! Have you ever seen Yin Yue acting so affectionately and intimately with anyone else?]

Listening to the nonstop notification sounds, Bai Tang felt a headache coming on. “Is this really okay? Some fans might stop supporting you…”

Making their relationship public would indeed cause some fans to leave, but Qi Yuanxu didn’t rely on this for a living. He supported Tang Tang—his “puppy”—with the profits earned by the Qi Group.

“It’s fine. I’m a low-popularity CV now. Tang Tang mustn’t abandon me…”

It had to be said that, under the “training” of his secretary—who had been hypnotized by Qiu’er—Qi Yuanxu had become increasingly skilled at matters of romance, and his skin had grown much thicker. He was now completely different from his original cold and aloof male-god image.

“Never. I’ll always like Ah Xu—I’m Ah Xu’s little fan forever~”

Qi Yuanxu’s pitiful expression pleased Bai Tang. He wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and took the initiative to offer him a kiss.

It was rare for Tang Tang to take the initiative, but since he wasn’t the “active” type, Qi Yuanxu soon turned the tables.

The two became deeply entangled. Suddenly, a flash of light flickered nearby. Startled, Bai Tang shrank back, nearly reverting to his original form.

Qi Yuanxu tossed aside the phone and gently stroked Bai Tang’s back. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

Bai Tang’s heart pounded rapidly—he couldn’t tell whether it was from fright or from the excitement of desire.

Qi Yuanxu then reached an arm around Bai Tang’s shoulders to hold him while quickly typing with his other hand.

“Thanks for everyone’s questions—now I finally have an official status.”

Attached image: a one-third side profile of Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang.

Both of them were extremely good-looking—the boy was delicate and refined, while the man was handsome. The two leaned closely against each other in an intimate pose. Although the photo didn’t directly capture what they were doing, judging from their posture, there was a ninety percent chance they were kissing.

With their pleasant voices and high visual appeal as a pair, many fans screamed in excitement, and the CP fans who had supported them in character officially turned into fans of their real-life pairing.

[Just based on their looks, this CP is locked in for me—locked in!!!]

[I can’t take it anymore—someone get me a first-aid kit, hurry…]

[Waaah, my heart is broken. Just kidding—‘Yinzhi’ CP, charge forward!]

It would have been impressive enough that their voice acting had such high-quality sound, but in real life they were also so pleasing to the eye. It was practically heaven feeding them success on a silver platter—how were others supposed to live? Boohoo… haha, we were just pretending again.

Qi Yuanxu’s public statement not only failed to make fans withdraw their support, but instead attracted even more netizens who became new fans.

What made people scream the most was the issue of the “official status” Qi Yuanxu mentioned. It wasn’t hard to see from this that Qi Yuanxu was the one who fell in love first, and he was also the one who made the first move, actively pursuing Bai Tang.

[So does that mean Yin Yue is the ‘shou’?] Usually, the one who gains an official status is the shou, right?

[How is that possible? Just listening to Yin Yue’s voice, he’s clearly the dominant ‘gong.’ And Pinecone’s soft, milky voice—you’re telling me he’s the gong? It’s not that I look down on him, I just can’t imagine it…]

The topic shifted from their CP, to their official status, and then to who was the gong and who was the shou. The speed of the discussion left Bai Tang dumbfounded. Were netizens these days always so imaginative?!

Inside the small white room, Xiao A—who had been pulled by Qiu’er to register seven or eight accounts to guide the discussion—quietly logged off after completing the task, hiding his achievements and fame.

“Tang Tang, now everyone knows I belong to you. You have to take responsibility for me—you can’t abandon me.” Before him was Qi Yuanxu’s magnified handsome face. Paired with his shameless words, it somehow didn’t feel out of place at all.

“As long as you treat me well and don’t look for anyone else outside, I’ll give you an official status,” Bai Tang said. He knew Qi Yuanxu was coaxing him and wanted him to be happy. Since his lover had already taken real action, how could he not show some response?

The long night was perfect for lovers to engage in activities that deepened their relationship.

As sweet as Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang were together, those who opposed them were just as frustrated.

Lawyer Li, fully representing Bai Tang, refused any settlement.

Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo were still taken to court. In the end, they were ordered to compensate Bai Tang for emotional distress, reputational damage, and various other expenses, and they also had to publicly apologize to him.

This was already the result after Bai Tang showed mercy and let them off lightly. The fact that they didn’t have to go to prison was already very fortunate.

If Lin Zigao had been a magnanimous person, he wouldn’t have falsely accused others or incited his fans to carry out online harassment.

After the verdict was announced, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Why could Pinecone’s popularity soar, collaborate with Yin Yue as a CP, and receive the love of thousands, while he himself was now like a rat crossing the street? Almost all the dramas he had voiced were taken down, and the projects he was currently working on were also replacing him.

Ye Yinghuo, on the other hand, more or less accepted reality. His family was fairly well-off, and they could certainly afford the compensation. After learning about the trouble he had caused, his family felt ashamed and decided to send him abroad to study.

Thus, the incident of online harassment seemed to come to an end with Lin Zigao’s defeat in court and Ye Yinghuo’s departure overseas.

After Bai Tang’s explanation, Wei Rushuang also accepted the fact that Qi Yuanxu and Yin Yue were the same person.

The female lead’s halo was not just for show—if she couldn’t attract the male lead, could she really fail to attract supporting characters or cannon fodder?

Wei Rushuang was secretly admired by the vice president of the club, who frequently invited her to participate in the voice acting club’s activities under the pretext of club work.

While talking to Bai Tang on the phone, she walked toward the school’s voice acting club.

“Tang Tang, the club has been preparing for a voice acting event recently. Do you want to participate? The first prize is very generous…” Wei Rushuang spoke as if coaxing a little white rabbit, offering a reward extremely tempting to Bai Tang—a gift voucher for a large Songguo snack package.

On the other end of the phone, Bai Tang was tempted but didn’t immediately agree, seemingly struggling over whether to sign up.

“Hello, Senior Wei. I just brewed some tea—would you like a cup?” As soon as Wei Rushuang pushed the door open, a junior student smiled and handed her a cup of tea.

Every club had its own benefits, and the voice acting club’s daily perk was a constant supply of snacks.

Wei Rushuang didn’t think much of it. After saying “Thank you,” she took the cup and drank it in one go.

“Uh…”

The disposable cup fell to the ground, and the remaining tea spilled out, soaking a patch of the concrete floor.

“Senior Wei… Senior…”

“Shuangshuang…”

Wei Rushuang felt an intense burning sensation in her throat. She clutched her neck, but the girl who had just brought her the tea had already disappeared.

“Shuangshuang, Shuangshuang, what’s wrong?” Hearing the commotion on the other end of the call, Bai Tang repeatedly asked what had happened, but received no response from Wei Rushuang.

“Call an ambulance!”

“Go find the school doctor and notify the counselor!”

The voice acting club was thrown into chaos. A perfectly healthy person had suddenly collapsed, her face turning dark—anyone who saw it would rush forward in concern. Coincidentally, the club had gathered all its members for a meeting, and with so many people present, everything quickly descended into disorder.

Wei Rushuang’s phone had fallen to the ground when she collapsed. With the vice president and others rushing forward to lift her and take her to the hospital, the phone was kicked somewhere unknown.

Unable to get any answer over the phone, Bai Tang hurried downstairs and was about to run to the school after changing his shoes at the entrance.

“Tang Tang, calm down. The female lead is fine,” Qiu’er said. Since Wei Rushuang hadn’t caused any trouble, Qiu’er had a fairly good impression of her. “Today marks a turning point in the plot. Put on your coat first—I’ll explain the storyline to you with Xiao A. The female lead has already been taken to the hospital.”

Since the female lead wasn’t competing with him for a man, Bai Tang had almost forgotten that there was even such a thing as a plot.

The story had now reached the stage where the female lead was given a drug that would make her mute out of jealousy. In the original plot, the one who served Wei Rushuang the tea was Bai Tang. However, Bai Tang was no longer following the storyline at all. The cannon-fodder female supporting character who liked Qi Yuanxu—if she were to feel jealous, she would be jealous of Bai Tang rather than Wei Rushuang. She wanted to harm Bai Tang, but Bai Tang didn’t live on campus and left school immediately after classes, giving her no opportunity to act. Logically, this part of the plot should have simply faded away.

But whether it was a twist of fate or the overwhelming force of the original storyline, although the cannon-fodder female supporting character who was jealous of the female lead was gone, there was now an additional male supporting character who had gone from jealousy to resentment toward Bai Tang. The more Lin Zigao thought about it, the more unwilling he felt to accept the situation. Earlier, Bai Tang had been scorned by netizens—so how had the tables suddenly turned?

Although most of his fans had abandoned him, not all of them had. Among those who still supported him was an obsessive fan at Z University who had joined the voice acting club because of a love for radio dramas.

Under Lin Zigao’s instigation, the girl successfully blamed Bai Tang for her beloved idol’s fall from grace. If it hadn’t been for Bai Tang meddling, Lin Zigao would still be the male god adored by everyone.

The girl’s hatred toward Bai Tang was stirred up, and by association, she began to hate the people around him as well.

Wei Rushuang was one of them—and also the easiest target for the girl to approach.

To avenge her idol, the girl put drug powder into the tea. Taking advantage of the fact that she had just joined the club and that everyone was unfamiliar with her, she handed the tea to Wei Rushuang. After seeing her drink it, she quickly blended into the crowd. There were many people in the club—some chatting, others busy with their own tasks—so no one really paid attention to what others were doing.

And so, after many twists and turns, the plot returned to its original track. However, unlike before, this time Bai Tang was not the scapegoat.

By the time Bai Tang rushed to the hospital, Wei Rushuang was still undergoing emergency treatment. A large crowd stood outside the operating room, whispering among themselves. The noise was as loud as a marketplace, and it was only after a nurse came to demand silence that the situation improved somewhat.

The counselor had already notified Wei Rushuang’s family and, at the same time, told the other students to return to school first.

Bai Tang was also among those being asked to leave. As he walked with the crowd, he suddenly clutched his stomach and said he had a stomachache, telling everyone to go back without waiting for him. Then he turned and ran toward the restroom.

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Chapter 409 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – What Does It Matter? (16)

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Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo were different from their fans. They themselves were public figures, and whatever actions they took would be eagerly imitated by the many fans who admired them.

When Qi Yuanxu presented the evidence to the public, everyone was shocked. The two had relied on playing along with each other, using incomplete screenshots to force Pinecone out of the group. They also used ambiguous remarks to incite their fans to “take revenge” on their behalf. What clever tactics—truly clever tactics.

Netizens mocked the two men’s fans en masse: Look, this is the idol you admire. You were used without even realizing it. All for that ridiculous jealousy—Pinecone did nothing, yet you managed to cyberbully him to this extent. If someone truly had a conflict with those two, would they not even deserve to live in this world anymore?!

The Ye Yinghuo and Gaoliang fans who still retained their conscience and sense of morality lowered their heads in shame and went to Pinecone’s Weibo to leave apology messages.

The public is clear-eyed; when the evidence is conclusive, there is no need for further explanation.

This time, it was Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo who panicked. To minimize their losses, their only option was to seek an out-of-court settlement.

If possible, they did not want to end up as defendants under any circumstances. After weighing their options, both Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo tried to obtain Bai Tang’s forgiveness so that he would withdraw the lawsuit.

However, they were not familiar with Bai Tang and had no contact information for him. After much difficulty, they finally obtained his contact details, but no matter what they did, they could not add him as a friend.

Bai Tang did not have the habit of adding strangers. Without any relationship or collaboration, what was the point of adding someone? Posting updates would feel like being monitored by others, something Bai Tang greatly disliked. Like a little squirrel by nature, he loved freedom and hated being judged or criticized by people he did not know.

Both Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo were extremely self-serving. They knew someone had to take the blame for this incident. Former friends, each fearing the other would shift the blame onto them first, secretly went to seek Bai Tang on their own. When they failed to find him, they turned to the people around him.

Lin Zigao approached the president of Ling Tian Voice Acting Studio, while Ye Yinghuo used his connections to contact Coffee Without Sugar.

The result was obvious—both sides were rebuffed. Neither managed to reach the person they wanted to contact. Worse still, after discovering that the other had secretly tried to negotiate a settlement with Bai Tang without informing them, they felt deceived and got into a physical fight. A detective hired by Qi Yuanxu to monitor them recorded the fight and posted the video online, turning them into a laughingstock among netizens.

Not only did Lin Zigao and Ye Yinghuo fail to drag Bai Tang down with them, their actions instead made more people like Bai Tang. He neither fought nor argued, and his personality was genuinely kind. If they had not gone too far, Bai Tang likely would never have taken things to this extent—everything that happened was of their own making.

Thanks to the lawsuit, the popularity of Return to You rose to an even higher level. Fans waited every day for updates, and Coffee Without Sugar’s Weibo was flooded with activity.

“It’s not that I don’t want to produce the follow-up quickly, but even the landlord has no surplus grain~” Coffee Without Sugar came out to play the victim, letting everyone know she was truly powerless.

As a result, the fans shifted their target. Yin Yue’s and “PineconeIsTheBest” Weibo accounts received 99+ private messages every day. Bai Tang logged in only rarely, but even then, after tapping through messages until his hands felt sore, he had not even finished reading half of them.

“Tang Tang, stop looking. Using your phone for too long is bad for your eyes.” Qi Yuanxu snatched Bai Tang’s phone away. Tang Tang had been staring at his phone for five hours straight without stopping.

“I’m almost done reading them. A-Xu, give me back my phone~” The little squirrel acted spoiled; he truly found the fans adorable. Reading their private messages put him in an especially good mood, and once he started, he couldn’t stop.

“No. It’s time to get up and go for a walk outside.” Qi Yuanxu pulled Bai Tang out for a stroll.

Although Bai Tang was unwilling, he obediently got up. However, his eyes repeatedly glanced toward the phone Qi Yuanxu had put in the drawer. He decided that tonight, after A-Xu fell asleep, he would secretly read the messages again—hehe.

Amid the fans’ constant anticipation, the continuation of Return to You was finally released. Three episodes were dropped at once, including the completed ending.

Even though they had read the original novel and knew the finale was a happy one, when Xing Ze got married, the fans were still heartbroken.

“Waaah, Prince Liang An is too tragic! Xing Ze, you jerk!”

“I can’t bear to watch this. You ignore such a wonderful young prince and marry another woman instead—if Xing Ze doesn’t love him, I will. An An, come into big sister’s arms.”

“An An must never forgive him. No explanation means tacit admission. There’s nothing to forgive about a scumbag.”

…

The comment section was filled with people sympathizing with Liang An and scolding Xing Ze, leaving the production team dumbfounded. Even the fact that Xing Ze was voiced by their beloved Yin Yue did not spare him.

“Good thing it’s voiced by Yin Yue—otherwise, a scumbag like Xing Ze wouldn’t just be getting verbal criticism from us.”

The fans’ remarks made Bai Tang break out in a cold sweat; verbal attacks were already quite serious.

To prevent another incident like the Lin Zigao affair, Bai Tang posted on Weibo, publicly praising Qi Yuanxu’s voice-acting skills.

“Yin Yue is an extremely talented voice actor. It’s a great honor for me to be able to work with such an amazing CV in my first drama. The fact that everyone likes it and can immerse themselves in the story is also an affirmation of me. Thank you all for your love. The characters in the drama are just characters—please don’t project them onto the real people. Sending love to Yin Yue / heart.”

As soon as Bai Tang posted, fans rushed over upon hearing the news. After reading the content, they almost burst out laughing.

Pinecone was simply too adorable. The fans were not irrational—they just felt indignant on Liang An’s behalf in the drama. Yin Yue was a voice actor they genuinely liked, and the fact that he could stir such strong emotions in everyone only proved his ability. Moreover, Pinecone had even posted on Weibo to speak up for Yin Yue—he was probably worried that the incident that had happened to him might repeat itself. His personality was so kind, and he was just too cute.

Those who liked Bai Tang grew even more fond of him, and even casual viewers developed a better impression of him.

Not long after Bai Tang posted on Weibo, Qi Yuanxu also made a post: [Pinecone is amazing. Keep it up, keep it up!]

Yin Yue’s Weibo posts had always been for promoting new dramas. Apart from a post a year ago announcing his temporary withdrawal from the voice-acting industry, he had never publicly praised another voice actor. Yet since returning, he had already posted twice mentioning “PineconeIsTheBest,” showing just how much he truly appreciated Pinecone.

The CP (couple-pairing) fans caught the scent of possible romance and began stirring things up in the comments.

[Could it be that Yin Yue has something going on with Pinecone?]

[Exactly—protecting his ‘little wife’ like this? /snicker]

[Raising the flag for my CP…]

Originally, everyone was just joking, since the two were indeed a CP in the drama. However, Bai Tang wanted to see how netizens were evaluating his own partner, so he logged in to secretly browse.

With so many people saying it, Bai Tang couldn’t help but wonder when he and A-Xu had accidentally leaked something.

Thinking this, Bai Tang replied under a popular comment:
“How did you know?”

Because he had been lurking online so much recently, Bai Tang forgot to switch to his alternate account. The reply he posted from his main account immediately caught the fans’ attention.

[Wow, the person involved replied! Could there really be something going on? We caught Pinecone—quick, tell us! What exactly is your relationship with Yin Yue?!]

[Pinecone and Yin Yue must be very close—probably more than just friends, right?]

Among the fans, some egged things on, while others were dissatisfied.

[Although the CP is fun, it should stay within the radio drama. Why did Pinecone reply with his main account? Is he trying to ride on the hype?]

It was not uncommon for newcomers to use popular figures to gain attention. Since Bai Tang was a new voice actor who had only just worked on his first drama, and he had mistakenly posted a reply suggesting an ambiguous relationship with Yin Yue from his main account, it indeed made him look suspicious of trying to capitalize on the publicity.

The more he said, the more mistakes he might make. There were too many comments tagging Bai Tang for him to read them all, and he also vaguely felt that he had caused trouble for Qi Yuanxu. Afraid to look further, he hurriedly logged off.

Unable to get an answer on Weibo, eager fans went to the drama’s comment section instead. Their questions about the relationship between Yin Yue and Pinecone soon pushed down the earlier comments sympathizing with Liang An and calling Xing Ze a scumbag.

After seeing it, a team member calmly replied, “Oh—they’ve gone public.”

Fans who didn’t believe Yin Yue and Pinecone were actually involved were stunned. What was going on? Were they really together?

For a time, the solo fans who couldn’t accept that their idol was no longer “their husband” threw tantrums in the comment section of Return to You. They refused to believe it—this wasn’t real, it couldn’t be real.

Yin Yue had an enormous fanbase. Whether solo fans or CP fans, they all flooded in at once, causing the app used for listening to radio dramas to freeze and crash. The official technical team worked hard to repair it, and just when the software had barely returned to normal for less than three minutes after waves of fans logged in again, it crashed once more.

Seeing the flood of comments—half crying and wailing, half demanding confirmation—Coffee Without Sugar closed her computer with a headache.

She sent Bai Tang a message: [The production team has exploded.]

Through Xiao A’s projection, Bai Tang saw the grand spectacle online. Feeling that he had caused trouble, he apologized in the group chat: [Sorry, I’ve caused everyone inconvenience.]

Everyone in the group was one of their own, and most already knew that Yin Yue and Pinecone were together in real life, so they all replied that it was fine.

[Lan Family]: Why hasn’t Yin Yue come out yet? Most of the people going crazy are his fans. He should at least say something.

[Ming Jing]: Is he even a man? If he still doesn’t show up, I’ll look down on him.

Unless the person involved was merely toying with Bai Tang, the fact that the other main party had remained silent for most of the day meant that all the rumors were directed at Bai Tang, which was clearly unfair.

[Pinecone]: Don’t misunderstand. Something came up at Yin Yue’s company, and he hasn’t returned yet.

Bai Tang quickly spoke up to explain on Qi Yuanxu’s behalf. Just after he finished typing, the lock on the living room door turned—the other main party had returned.

Subconsciously, Bai Tang hid his phone behind his back. But how could such a small action escape Qi Yuanxu’s sharp eyes, especially when he always paid attention to Bai Tang the moment he came home?

“Tang Tang, what’s wrong? Are you hiding something from me?” Qi Yuanxu walked over and stood in front of Bai Tang, who was sitting on the sofa, leaning in close. The soft back cushion sank into a small dent.

“Ah—no, nothing…” Bai Tang’s eyes darted around, clearly lying.

“Really nothing?” Qi Yuanxu leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against the young man’s face, causing a faint blush to spread across his cheeks.

“All right. If Tang Tang says there’s nothing, then there’s nothing. I haven’t seen you all day—I missed you so much.” Qi Yuanxu took the initiative to change the subject and gently kissed Bai Tang on the lips.

“Mmm~ I missed you too, A-Xu…”

Qi Yuanxu tenderly cupped the back of Bai Tang’s head, deepening the kiss of longing.

Bai Tang became immersed in it. The hand he had hidden behind his back was suddenly covered by Qi Yuanxu’s hand. Then, all at once, his hand felt empty—his phone had been taken away.

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Author’s Note:

Netizens have given him a huge boost! The male lead can’t wait to prove to the world that Tang Tang is his.

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