After seeing the confused comments in the comment section, many people in the know laughed themselves half to death.
Some kind-hearted people began explaining the reason, while the fun-seekers skillfully started making memes.
Before long, the meme “Although I sleep on the street and gnaw on steamed buns, I am still a young master” quickly climbed onto the headlines.
Naturally, this also included a push from the company behind Bai Jianwei.
In truth, they were also extremely shocked, because they had known absolutely nothing about Bai Jianwei’s real background. They had only thought he was a poor young man who desperately needed a monthly salary of three thousand.
But what did that matter?
The PR girl gave a wicked smile.
What Bai Jianwei’s identity was did not matter to them. What truly mattered was that they had to seize this rare opportunity and make one grand comeback!
Trending searches, headlines, money—they were coming!
Bai Jianwei naturally knew nothing about everything happening outside for now. He was still thinking about what was about to happen.
For example… bringing the audience to meet his parents.
Bai Jianwei seemed to be leading the way with complete focus, but in truth, his mind had already wandered far away, thinking about all sorts of things.
His parents did not have a good relationship. Although they had tried to hide it in front of him before, no affection meant no affection, and it had been painfully obvious. This was also one of the reasons he had run away from home.
Although he did not know why the two of them had agreed, in truth, he was still a little happy.
There was a hint of joy in Bai Jianwei’s eyes. After not seeing each other for one or two years, would their relationship be a little better? Would the two of them have become more normal? Could he experience the feeling of having a normal family?
But the moment he reached the door, the expectations in his heart and his slightly cheerful steps all came to an abrupt stop.
He, the cameraman who had followed him over, and the thousands upon thousands of viewers in the livestream all heard the fierce argument coming from inside the room.
“You know Weiwei doesn’t like grapes, yet you still prepared them?”
“I only came back this morning, all right? If you hire housekeeping, can’t you make sure they’re more careful?”
“So it’s my fault, then?”
In just a few short sentences, the image of a pair of plastic spouses was painted vividly.
Anyone could tell that this couple clearly did their own thing, rarely came home all year round, and had even left their only son outside to fend for himself, completely neglected.
At this point, the livestream room, which had only just quieted down with great difficulty, became lively again. The filthy comments inside were almost impossible to look at directly.
【There are so many secrets in wealthy families. Looks like Bai Jianwei won’t be able to hype this up after all.】
【This show really suits a drama-eater like me. Melon after melon, delicious.】
【Hahaha, look, Bai Jianwei’s face changed. I bet he didn’t expect this result either.】
【Exactly, exactly. So what if he’s a little rich? What’s there to act so arrogant about?】
【Those compilations of him looking down on people will always be ironclad evidence in my heart!】
How should one put it…
After Bai Jianwei’s expression changed for that instant, his eyes returned to normal. There was even a little helplessness in them.
Just as the netizens said, everyone knew there were plenty of plastic couples among the wealthy, but they did not have to be this plastic. They were about to disgrace themselves beyond the circles of the rich!
Bai Jianwei looked at the group of people beside him exchanging glances and was forced to shoulder everything.
He lifted his fair, slender fingers to his lips. His expression was indescribable as he coughed twice, loudly and very fake, afraid that the people inside would not hear him.
I’ve done my best. Now it’s time for you to show off your acting skills!
【…My silence is deafening.】
【At this point, why not just go straight in? Everyone already knows your parents’ relationship is plastic anyway. Everyone already knows you’ve crashed and burned.】
【So Bai Jianwei having parents is no different from not having them, right? Since things are already like this, how does he still have the nerve to hype up a wealthy young master persona?】
【Mm… it looks like he has nothing, but he has money.】
【And it’s money he can never finish spending or enjoying. Think about it. Every day, you sleep in a mansion, eat delicious food, and travel all over the world. Are parents really that important?】
【Damn… who stole my life as a wealthy young master?!】
With the reminder already this obvious, the argument inside abruptly lowered in volume, and there was even a faint sense of chaotic panic.
“Quick, quick, quick! Weiwei is back. The two of us need to pretend!”
“Do I need you to remind me? Link your arm with mine.”
Bai Jianwei: “…”
Should he remind his parents that they had not closed the door properly, and that everything that should and should not have been heard had already been heard by everyone?
Bai Jianwei’s face was full of complicated emotion, but the door was quickly opened, accompanied by two affectionate calls—
“Weiwei, you’re home? Your dad cut a fruit platter for you!”
“Weiwei, hurry in. Your mom just finished cutting a fruit platter for you!”
“…”
The atmosphere fell dead silent again.
Even the livestream viewers, who were used to watching drama, were at a loss for words. The entire screen of bullet comments was filled with embarrassment.
【Uh, no… If I didn’t hear wrong just now, wasn’t that made by the housekeeper?】
【How have they still not realised anything? These two silly parents are actually kind of shippable!】
【And… didn’t they just say there were grapes inside that Bai Jianwei doesn’t like? So the husband and wife both pushed the blame onto each other??】
【If this isn’t love…】
【What do I do? Have I gone crazy? I actually think they’re really shippable!】
【What exactly does this couple look like? I’m really so curious!】
The corner of Bai Jianwei’s mouth twitched. As if he could not bear to look directly, he turned slightly to the side, revealing the view in front of him.
And because of this, the pair of plastic spouses who had not shown their faces until now finally revealed their appearances.
The first thing shown to everyone was the stunning impact of two beautiful faces untouched by time.
The man was handsome, the woman was beautiful, and both carried the oppressive aura of people in high positions. They were lofty and commanding, dignified even without anger. One glance at them could even make a person’s legs go weak.
And yet these two people, after seeing their son, revealed sincere smiles. Even their eyes were bright, and every part of them was filled with happiness.
But this was not the most shocking part. The moment the two faces were revealed, even the cameraman, who had seen plenty of big scenes, could not help his pupils shrinking. The hand holding the camera trembled slightly, which was rare for him.
Fortunately, his professional instincts supported him in time, allowing him to steady the camera and preventing an even bigger accident.
If even the cameraman was like this, then there was no need to mention the livestream viewers. Rows upon rows of “holy shit” rapidly swept across the screen, only to be quickly covered by new bullet comments.
【Holy shit, isn’t this the person I burn incense to every day?】
【Holy shit, isn’t this the father I’ve never met?】
【Holy shit, isn’t this the richest man??!】
Compared with Bai Yun, Rong Sinian was much more famous in the public eye—
A walking stack of RMB, the household-name richest man in Zhonghua, someone ordinary people could usually only see in the news.
And now—they were seeing him in an obscure flop of a show!
How could they not worship properly?!
The very next moment, digital incense-burning, digital Buddha-worshipping, and digital ritual-casting appeared all over the livestream room. The moderators banned batch after batch of people, but still could not completely suppress it.
On the contrary, because too many people flooded in within a short period of time, the famous Lüjiang server, under everyone’s watchful eyes and fully living up to expectations… lagged again.
Countless people left in high spirits and began moving the battlefield, going crazy on Weibo instead.
【What? This is money? Let me inhale, inhale, inhale, inhale—!】
【Is Lüjiang poisonous or what? grits teeth】
【At the moment I most wanted to watch the drama, Lüjiang, you actually crashed? Crashed??!】
【Wuwuwu, but that doesn’t stop me from eating melons! Handsome dad, I know now. But who is the beautiful mom? The moment I saw her, I wanted to scream respectfully!!】
【I found it, I found it! Pianist, pianist! She’s very famous overseas, her résumé is unbelievably outstanding, and she’s a Chinese musician who has won famous international awards like the Warsaw Chopin and Tchaikovsky competitions!!】
【Wuwuwu, this is the first time in my life seeing my goddess look so vivid and alive. I’m definitely following this livestream!】
In just a short instant, “plastic parents” and “richest parents” rushed onto the trending searches together. Countless drama-loving netizens rushed over at the news, displaying digital incense-burning, digital Buddha-worshipping, and digital money-inhaling one after another.
Online, waves surged violently. In reality, everything was calm.
What everyone saw was the glamorous appearance of the husband and wife, while what Bai Jianwei saw was their linked arms.
His mother, a world-famous pianist with countless fangirls in the piano world, a mature, elegant, and graceful woman in the eyes of outsiders, was currently using her slender, delicate hand—painted with red nail polish and obviously very well maintained—to quietly pinch the flesh on Rong Sinian’s hand.
Although Rong Sinian’s face looked calm on the surface, with even a faint smile at the corners of his lips, in reality, the veins on his hand had bulged very clearly.
One look was enough to tell that she had shown no mercy.
After welcoming Bai Jianwei and the group inside, Rong Sinian immediately released their linked arms with lightning speed, as if he utterly disliked it.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures that had just been leaning closely against each other were now standing far apart, giving off an extremely distant feeling.
And all of this—the people who had entered the room, the few remaining livestream viewers left after Lüjiang’s server lagged, and even Bai Jianwei himself—understood perfectly well. This pair of plastic spouses had finally been unable to endure it and could no longer keep pretending.
The atmosphere became stagnant and heavy. No one dared to act rashly, choosing instead to stay silent.
Bai Jianwei was used to it. He had even adapted quite well.
Alas, anyone who had lived under these circumstances for twenty years would get used to it!
Unexpectedly, in the very next moment after that thought crossed his mind, a hand he had touched since childhood, a hand so familiar it could not be more familiar, took hold of his and led him toward the sofa in the living room.
Bai Yun pointed with her other hand toward the extremely expensive redwood tea table in front of the sofa. On it sat a neatly arranged fruit platter.
There were all kinds of fruits inside, a dazzling variety with bright, fresh colours. At a glance, one could tell they would taste delicious—fruits especially suited to summer.
The scorching sun had been high in the sky just now. They had clearly only got out of the car and walked briefly through the courtyard, yet several large men carrying cameras were already sweating slightly.
Originally, this was not much of anything. Their mouths were just a little dry. But once they saw the fruit not far away, all their senses seemed to be magnified.
Such a big, abundant, refreshing fruit platter—surely they would get a share, right?
Such a beautiful, kind-hearted celebrity, so concerned with preserving his reputation, would surely invite them to eat some too, right?
Everyone swallowed and involuntarily followed Bai Yun’s direction.
Then, the two of them ignored them completely.
“Baby, you’ve worked hard. It’s so hot outside. Good thing I feel sorry for you and had your dad prepare a fruit platter. It’s just that he put some grapes inside and doesn’t know your tastes at all. Later, Mom will help you pick them out!”
Bai Jianwei nodded happily. “Mm-hm.”
Only… had this little game you two were playing as husband and wife still not ended?!
On the other side, Rong Sinian laughed from anger and pointed at himself with a finger. “Me?”
Bai Yun found a fork for Bai Jianwei, then somehow brought over two cups of cool, refreshing orange juice from somewhere—one for herself and one for Bai Jianwei.
After that, she turned her head and glared at Rong Sinian. “What ‘me’? Where do you get a say here? Aren’t you going to go entertain the guests?”
Rong Sinian: “…”
Fine. Not only did he have to take the blame, now she was even confidently ordering him to work.
Rong Sinian—the richest man, yet at home not even worthy of a single cup of orange juice—finally looked toward the “irrelevant people.”
After all, he was still a big boss. Even though he had slightly concealed the oppressive aura around him, his presence was still intimidating. Now, paired with that half-smiling, not-quite-smiling expression, it made several people shiver deeply.
He smiled and said, “Forgive us for the poor hospitality. Would you like something to drink?”
Everyone: “…”
Even the other owner of the house had not received the orange juice and fruit treatment. As for people like them…
Everyone forced a smile and shook their heads to refuse, their heads shaking with almost exaggerated intensity.
Rong Sinian was satisfied. The smile on his face became a little more sincere. He truly ignored them, turned around, and went to find his wife and son.
Only after he left did the remaining people slowly let out a breath. Their faces were full of relief, yet they also felt somewhat heartbroken.
See? It was still rather comfortable.
Once this show of authority came down, hadn’t they immediately cooled off?
The kind of chill that went straight to the heart.
