Jiang Yuyao’s sudden emotional breakdown left everyone somewhat bewildered.
When others asked her what was wrong, she refused to say a word, only weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain, biting her lip as tears fell.
With no other choice, Shen Linzhou had to hold Jiang Yuyao and leave the gathering first, refusing the production team’s request to follow and film.
【Yuyao must be heartbroken, right? She had good intentions, but not only did Sweet Bean and Da Meng not appreciate it, Zhou Ruoyu also threw a tantrum. Her kindness was completely taken for granted.】
【I also think Zhou Ruoyu went a bit too far. She only got on the show because of Yuyao’s recommendation, and now she’s making things difficult for her. That’s just repaying kindness with ingratitude.】
【If you ask me, it’s all Song Ying’s fault. Before she came, everyone was fine. As soon as she arrived, she started forming cliques with the small-time influencers. She’s nothing but a troublemaker.】
【I hope Shen Linzhou can comfort his wife. Seeing her cry like that just now broke my heart.】
Jiang Yuyao’s tears of sorrow didn’t affect Song Ying’s mood in the slightest.
For her, eating and drinking to her heart’s content was the real priority.
The table full of dishes was split in half with Sweet Bean and the others, leaving just enough for the “Win-or-Lose Couple” to eat their fill.
On top of that, Qin Shu kept cracking jokes for his wife, making Song Ying laugh uncontrollably.
Zhou Ruoyu quickly finished the noodles in her bowl. Seeing Song Ying still eating heartily, she couldn’t help but sneer.
“Yuyao is crying, and some people are still here laughing and joking around, showing no sympathy at all.”
“……?”
Song Ying wore an expression that said, “Are you okay?” “If you’re so sympathetic, why aren’t you crying along with her?”
“If she cries, I have to be sad; if she laughs, I have to be happy; if she dies, do I have to follow her to the grave too?”
“It’s 2023 already, the Qing Dynasty fell ages ago, and there are still people with such a servile mentality, wanting to share life and death, joys and sorrows with their masters?”
Earlier in the morning, Song Ying had felt a bit off due to motion sickness—her mind wasn’t working properly, and she felt somewhat sluggish.
Now, after eating and drinking to her satisfaction, she was full of energy and ready for battle.
Zhou Ruoyu had walked right into the line of fire, clearly asking to be scolded.
“Song Ying! What do you mean by that!”
Zhou Ruoyu hadn’t expected Song Ying, a newcomer, to speak to her like that.
Didn’t she care that they were still live-streaming?
“Isn’t my meaning clear enough?”
Song Ying lifted her eyelids, her beautiful sparrow eyes sparkling with clarity. “If you want to be a sycophant, do it yourself. Walk on your own two feet, don’t drag me into it—not even with passive-aggressive remarks. Is that so hard to understand?”
“You!”
Zhou Ruoyu was so angry she choked on her words. In the end, she could only turn to Qin Shu. “Mr. Qin, your girlfriend is being so hurtful with her words. Aren’t you going to do something about it?”
“Do something?”
Qin Shu seemed to find this amusing. He peeled a shrimp and fed it to Song Ying. “Sorry, but she calls the shots in our house.”
“Besides, Teacher Song never hurts anyone with her words unless they deserve to be called out.”
Qin Shu never cared about how others saw him.
He joined the variety show purely to assert his claim and, by the way, back up his wife.
To him, Song Ying was the standard.
Zhou Ruoyu’s attempt to tattle had clearly been directed at the wrong person.
“Birds of a feather flock together. Today, I’ve truly witnessed the character of you two!” Zhou Ruoyu gritted her teeth and sneered, turning to leave.
Behind her came Qin Shu’s nonchalant reply, “Oh, then you really haven’t seen much at all.”Zhou Ruoyu’s steps faltered. She turned around, ready to snap back, but her peripheral vision caught Qiao Yu still leisurely eating his meal, showing no intention of speaking up for her. Instantly, her anger flared even hotter.
“Eat, eat, eat! Is it really that delicious?!”
She swatted away Qiao Yu’s chopsticks and stormed off the table in frustration.
Left alone, Qiao Yu was utterly bewildered: …?
He had only eaten half his meal!
Just then, Qin Shu handed him an unused pair of chopsticks, his eyes filled with sympathy.
“Bro, rough times.”
Qiao Yu glanced at Zhou Ruoyu’s retreating figure, then down at the noodles in his bowl. Thinking about how he still hadn’t settled dinner, he finally accepted them, muttered a thanks, and continued eating.
After leaving the table, Zhou Ruoyu kept waiting for Qiao Yu to chase after her and comfort her.
But no matter how long she waited, he never came. Furious, she broke down in tears right in front of the cameras.
【??? What is Qiao Yu doing? Why isn’t he going to comfort Xiao Yu?】
【LOL, the classic “noodles over people” scenario. Zhou Ruoyu must be fuming, right?】
【But slapping someone’s chopsticks in public is really rude, isn’t it? If I were Qiao Yu, I’d have lost my temper on the spot. Zhou Ruoyu brought this on herself—how does she even have the nerve to cry?】
【I always thought the “Double Fish” romance was fake. Now they can’t even keep up the act, huh? They say “Journey of Detective Love” is cursed—every couple that joins ends up breaking up. Looks like this curse isn’t going to be broken anytime soon.】
【Good, let it stay unbroken! I’m petitioning with my blood for Song Ying and Qin Shu to break up. Let go of that pretty boy—I’ll take him!】
Meanwhile, on the other side.
“How’s that? Do you need me to press harder?” Qin Shu’s voice was low and magnetic, almost teasing.
“Mhm, a little deeper. Yes, yes, right there.” Song Ying let out a soft, contented sigh.
The camera cut away.
The sun was shining just right, a warm breeze gently blowing. Under the blue sky, endless waves of green grass swayed in the distance—utterly serene and relaxing.
Song Ying had eaten a little too much, and Qin Shu sat beside her, gently massaging her stomach.
Qiao Yu finally finished his meal and went to look for Zhou Ruoyu.
No one else was around.
At that moment, Sweet Bean thought for a moment, then approached Song Ying, carefully choosing her words to offer a reminder.
“Sister Ying, variety shows are easily subject to malicious editing. Like your conversation with Zhou Ruoyu earlier—if someone with ill intentions cuts it the wrong way, it could really hurt your image…”
Back when Sweet Bean and Da Meng first joined the short-video platform, they went viral overnight, but because someone edited their content maliciously, they almost faced online harassment and had their accounts suspended.
Ever since then, the two had been extremely cautious with their words and actions.
Someone as straightforward and bold as Song Ying was a first for Sweet Bean, which was why she couldn’t help but offer a warning.
“Thank you, sweetie. You’re so adorable!”
Looking into Sweet Bean’s worried eyes, Song Ying gently pinched her round little face. “But I’m not afraid.”
“In the past, I was kind to everyone, careful and cautious. And what did it get me? The kind get bullied. First, they said my acting was terrible, then they accused me of seducing certain male actors, and finally, even while minding my own business at home, trouble fell from the sky—I was labeled a homewrecker for no reason.”
“So now I’ve figured it out—people will say whatever they want. If someone’s determined to smear you, there’s no stopping them. Since that’s the case, why bother worrying about what others think? Might as well live freely and happily first.”
Song Ying had never been a people-pleaser.
As a child, her parents doted on her. After marriage, Qin Shu indulged her.
The people closest to her had raised her with love and care, not so she could be pushed around by strangers.
For the past six months since her comeback, to avoid causing trouble for Sister Hong, she had endured and held back. But all it earned her was others taking advantage and bullying her even more.
If there was nothing left to endure, then there was no need to endure any longer.
From now on, she was Niohuru·Ying!”Should have been like this long ago.”
Qin Shu chimed in lazily from the side, as if still thinking Song Ying had realized it too late.
Those captivating fox-like eyes lifted slightly, originally lazy and alluring, yet the moment they met the camera, they carried a wild danger, as if warning everyone in front of the lens.
“The person I hold in the palm of my hand, whom I can’t bear to say a harsh word to—who gives anyone else the right to slander or bully them?”
“If anyone is blind enough to seek their own misery, then go ahead and try. After all, from childhood till now, I’ve never been afraid of anyone.”