The bustling city avenue was filled with a steady stream of cars, and the pitch-black night sky held not a single star.
To be honest, the old, worn-down urban village stood in stark contrast to the prosperity of the avenue, as if one had stumbled into the wrong place.
“No need, no need, that would be too much trouble for you.”
“Am I that old? You always address me so formally.”
Song Xun shook his head. He was only trying to show respect and didn’t think Yan Jiayu was old at all—he wasn’t about to take the blame for that.
“Right now, paparazzi are camped out under your building. Although most of the evidence has been collected, it still takes time to organize it. Even if a statement is issued, these paparazzi won’t let go of any potential news.”
The paparazzi were everywhere, and the neighborhood where Song Xun lived wasn’t exactly discreet—otherwise, there wouldn’t be a crowd of them gathered below.
“I’ll think about it a bit more,” Song Xun said, feeling somewhat drained. Then he asked, “Why are you at my place? Did you see the trending topic?”
Yan Jiayu shook his head. “I’ve been really busy these past few days and haven’t checked Weibo much. My assistant told me that someone claiming to be your father was livestreaming outside your building.”
He took out his phone and photographed the household register and bankbook.
“I’ve taken pictures of everything.”
Song Xun felt a warmth in his heart.
Words always felt inadequate. Apart from “thank you,” he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Even though the original owner had always caused trouble for Yan Jiayu, he was still willing to help so much.
“Yan Jiayu,”
Those bright eyes looked at him.
“Hmm?”
Song Xun tightly grasped his hand.
Yan Jiayu suddenly felt a bit nervous. He didn’t know what Song Xun wanted to say, but his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of his throat. Their eyes met, reflecting only each other.
“You’re really a good person.”
Thanks, but no need to say more.
That sounded a lot like giving him a “good person card.”
“Is that all? Just a good person?”
He looked at Song Xun, a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Song Xun was taken aback for a moment, then said with even more conviction.
“You’re a great person!”
…Forget it.
Yan Jiayu drove the car near Song Xun’s home and looked at the paparazzi swarming like zombies. The security guard had warned them repeatedly, but they’d rather squat in the bushes than leave.
A rookie paparazzo, holding an expensive camera, sighed.
Today, all he managed to capture was that Liu Fumin—Song Xun was nowhere to be seen.
The other paparazzi were all competitors. Though they appeared calm on the surface, they were eyeing each other warily, ready to pounce on any news.
Seeing this scene, Song Xun frowned. If things continued like this, the residents here would surely start to resent him.
Yan Jiayu’s hand rested on the steering wheel, not rushing him. The car was silent.
“Persistent as ghosts, staying here late at night—aren’t they afraid of being carried off by mosquitoes?”
At the same time, the paparazzi suddenly slapped their faces. The mosquitoes were full of blood, having feasted to their hearts’ content.
The neighborhood had excellent greenery, filled with trees. In the summer, there were more mosquitoes than trees.
“Have you decided? If you go back now, you’ll be walking right into the lion’s den.”
There was no telling when these paparazzi would leave. Staying in a hotel all the time wasn’t convenient, and finding a suitable place to live in such a short time wouldn’t be easy.
There was a ready option—why not take it?
Besides, Yan Jiayu had helped him so much. If he kept making excuses, it would be too disrespectful.
“Then I’ll graciously accept your offer and trouble you, Teacher Yan.”
“What would you like to drink?”
“Just water is fine, thank you.”
Song Xun sat rather stiffly on the sofa, gazing out through the massive floor-to-ceiling window at the bustling high-rises beyond, their twinkling lights like brilliant pearls.
The city center was truly different.
He felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden—the living room of this apartment was larger than his entire flat. The decor was minimalist, just black, white, and gray, lacking any lived-in warmth, which perfectly matched his impression of Yan Jiayu.
Being wealthy really was different.
Although the original host earned a decent income, he spent even more, never bothering to save money, let alone afford such a grand house.
Neither of them had eaten yet. Song Xun had been thinking of ordering takeout and was about to ask Yan Jiayu what he wanted when, to his surprise, Yan Jiayu smiled.
“What would you like to eat? I’ll cook.”
Seeing Song Xun’s astonished expression, Yan Jiayu opened the refrigerator, pulled out the remaining vegetables, and shrugged, indicating that he really could cook.
“I really wouldn’t have guessed,” Song Xun said, giving a thumbs-up. “I thought you were the type who never lifted a finger. Who knew you were skilled in all eighteen martial arts?”
“Mostly because sometimes I really don’t know what to eat, so I just cook for myself.”
Yan Jiayu genuinely enjoyed the cooking process—it was therapeutic. Sometimes, when work frustrations got to him, he would even get up in the middle of the night to prepare three dishes and a soup, then eat breakfast in the early hours of the morning.
“I’m fine with anything, not picky. Just make whatever’s convenient for you.”
Hugging a cushion, Song Xun sat obediently on the sofa. Seeing Yan Jiayu nod, he felt awkward doing nothing while freeloading a meal.
Yan Jiayu didn’t refuse his offer to help.
The ingredients in the fridge had been prepared by the housekeeper the day before—fresh vegetables and meat.
Song Xun rarely cooked normally; he preferred to laze around whenever possible, and when he couldn’t, he spent his time fishing or working.
He assisted Yan Jiayu by prepping the ingredients, then watched as Yan Jiayu effortlessly tossed them into the wok with practiced ease, the movements so fluid and pleasing to the eye it was like watching a scene from a film.
The oil sizzled but obediently stayed in the pan without splattering everywhere.
Song Xun recalled his own past cooking attempts—they had been nothing short of disastrous. Not only had he failed to drain the water properly, causing it to splash into the hot oil, but he had also turned the heat up too high, leaving the kitchen in complete disarray.
He truly admired those who could calmly and skillfully prepare a meal.
Yan Jiayu had no idea that cooking a decent meal would earn him Song Xun’s newfound respect.
An hour later, three dishes and a soup were ready, each appealing in color, aroma, and taste.
Once they were on the table, Yan Jiayu picked up some food for Song Xun to try.
“How does it taste?”
Simple ingredients, light yet flavorful—even someone like Song Xun, who preferred rich and spicy food, couldn’t find any fault with it.
It preserved the natural freshness of the ingredients.
“Delicious!”
Song Xun’s eyes sparkled as he praised Yan Jiayu’s cooking.
“As long as it tastes good.”
As he ate, Song Xun recalled that in the original novel, after Mu Heng and Yan Jiayu got together, they often cooked together, sharing sweet moments.
Now, somehow, he was the first to taste Yan Jiayu’s cooking.
Chewing thoughtfully, he swallowed and said, “By the way, Teacher Yan, I noticed last time we had Sichuan food that your taste is quite similar to Mu Heng’s—both of you prefer lighter flavors.”
Yan Jiayu’s movements paused for a moment. He really didn’t want to hear another person’s name in such a situation, especially since that person was suspected to be his love rival.
But reason told him he couldn’t let his displeasure show in front of Song Xun, so he forced a smile.
“Is that so?”
“Yes! And your personalities are quite similar too—both cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and both very kind-hearted.”
Once Song Xun brought up Mu Heng, it was like opening a floodgate. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Mu Heng, because they lived together and shared a mutual dislike for someone, they had plenty to talk about. Most of the time, it was Song Xun talking nonstop while Mu Heng nodded along.
He was so engrossed in his story that he didn’t notice Yan Jiayu’s expression darkening.
“Song Xun, the food is going to get cold.”
Snapping back to reality, Song Xun felt a bit embarrassed and quickly closed his mouth, focusing on eating.
The company’s public relations team received Song Xun’s evidence and immediately issued a statement without delay.
First, there was no legal relationship between Song Xun and Liu Fumin, so Song Xun had no obligation to support him. Moreover, Song Xun had transferred a significant amount of money to Liu Fumin over the years.
Second, all tuition and living expenses for Song Xun’s education were covered by his mother, Ms. Bai, while Liu Fumin had not spent a single penny and had provided no emotional or moral guidance to Song Xun.
Third, Liu Fumin’s livestreaming and causing a disturbance outside Song Xun’s building had created a negative impact, severely damaging the city’s image and violating traffic regulations.
Following the previous statement, discussions about the incident had already exploded. This new statement caused another uproar.
Most of the netizens who had earlier attacked Song Xun chose to stay silent, with only a small portion issuing apologies and deleting their negative comments.
Meanwhile, Song Xun’s fans were thrilled.
[Where are all those foul-mouthed people now? Why aren’t they speaking up?]
[Laughing to death. Still talking about “ungrateful” and “heartless”? I hope you all get a stepfather like that, sucking your blood for a lifetime.]
[Song Xun really had it rough. Even after all this, he still sent money to that old man before. Sigh.]
Some stubborn individuals even tried to morally pressure others, arguing that even if the stepfather hadn’t spent money on him, he should still bear the responsibility of support in name.
[Hey, legally illiterate person upstairs, what you need most right now is to focus on your elementary school exams.]
[Sis, keep roasting them, please.]
Sister Zhang looked at these comments with immense satisfaction. After all the grievances Song Xun had endured over the years, he had finally gotten some justice.
“You’ve had it tough all these years. It was only last year that you finally showed some backbone, even though you kept causing trouble and making things difficult for me.”
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting dappled patterns across the room.
The air conditioner was on in the office, but Sister Zhang found it too dim, so she pulled open all the windows, flooding the entire office with light.
“Only last year?”
This sounded a bit strange.
Hadn’t the original host been in the industry for several years?
A staff member brought over contract documents. Sister Zhang waved her hand, signaling for her to leave them on the table before dismissing her.
Hearing Song Xun’s confusion, Sister Zhang pursed her lips.
“Otherwise? Before, I signed you because you were low-maintenance, gentle, and easy to work with. For years after that, you never caused any trouble, stayed diligent and professional. Who knew last year you’d turn into such a mess—obsessing over Yan Jiayu, slacking off during filming, and ignoring the arrangements of advertisers during shoots.”
Sister Zhang rubbed her temples. The old Song Xun had been so likable—even if his acting wasn’t outstanding, he loved to study and was driven. When he later turned into that state, she had struggled internally many times but ultimately decided not to give up on him.
Hearing all this, which was completely different from the original story he had read, Song Xun’s mind buzzed. He said weakly, “So that’s how it was. You’ve really worked hard all these years, Sister Zhang.”
Sister Zhang waved her hand dismissively. It was all in the past now. As long as he didn’t cause her trouble anymore, everything was fine.
“Speaking of which, do you know why your dad—no, that old man’s scandal suddenly blew up?”