Desire! This Romance Is Overflowing with Ambiguous Atmosphere! So Sweet! - Chapter 9

The livestream sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.

Although Wen Shiwu and Yu Zheng had publicly agreed to participate in Rumor Lovers, they still had to respect the show’s rules and go through the voting process.

The program’s official Weibo account seized the moment to stir up excitement.

Rumor Lovers V: “Is it love or burden? Truth or lies? Rumor or reality? Rumor Lovers Season 3 is officially recruiting guests! We invite netizens to vote for ‘the rumored couple you most want to confirm as real’! The top three pairs will receive recording invitations from us! The heart-pounding game is about to begin…”

Netizens swarmed the voting link in no time.

As expected, Wen Shiwu and Yu Zheng’s names shot to the top of the list by a landslide.

Wen Shiwu had initially held onto a sliver of hope.

Thinking maybe not that many people were interested in their rumor…

But not only were their votes far ahead, even her family group chat was buzzing with excitement, eagerly watching the drama unfold!

It all started when her unpredictable actor father, Wen Shengyi, tossed the voting link into the group and tagged everyone.

[Actor Dad: Whoa! Family, come vote! Whether you’re free or not, give our Little Zhaoxi a click!]

Little Zhaoxi was Wen Shiwu’s childhood nickname.

It came from the role she played at age 12, acting alongside her actor father Wen Shengyi in the drama Winter Harbor, where they portrayed father and daughter.

The rest of the family responded enthusiastically.

[Screenwriter Aunt: Voted! Little Zhaoxi’s rumor video is even more thrilling than the kiss and bed scenes I write for my leads! Amazing!]

[Producer Uncle: My dog watched it and immediately ran to the neighbor’s yard to find its crush. They’re busy right now.]

[Director Brother: Doesn’t look acted. Recommend a thorough investigation.]

[Supermodel Mom: Oh my! Oh my, oh my! Oh my, oh my, oh my! Is this the naked man Wuwu’s been keeping at home? The real person is actually this handsome?!]

Wen Shiwu: ???????

Fuming, she jabbed at her phone screen: “What naked man! I don’t keep a naked man at home!”

Wen Shengyi quickly sent a series of photos.

They were of Wen Shiwu’s bedroom, her bed covered with handmade cotton dolls modeled after Yu Zheng.

Except those dolls weren’t wearing clothes.

They were naked.

With two pink heart-shaped dots on their chests. Wen Shengyi even recorded a video where he reached out and pinched them.

Wen Shiwu: “…”

She freaked out: “Ahhh! Dad! Dad! Can you stop gloating and causing trouble?!”

Wen Shengyi blinked innocently twice.

Watching his little “leaky cotton jacket” swiftly exit the family group chat, he turned to his wife with an innocent look: “Whoa, she’s embarrassed and angry.” She won’t even let me enjoy the gossip and drama.”

Something’s fishy!

It’s just some gossip, right?

He had plenty of other ways to dig into it himself!

…

After leaving the group, Wen Shiwu tossed her phone aside, flopped forward, and buried her face in a pillow, completely unaware of what her unpredictable father was scheming.

Lin Yixian had been munching on sunflower seeds beside her for a while.

Watching Wen Shiwu’s mental state gradually deteriorate, she could pretty much guess what was happening: “What? Your dad saw the hot search?”

After all, she’d been Wen Shiwu’s manager for many years.

Lin Yixian knew a secret.

One that the entire entertainment industry wanted to uncover but had never found even a trace of over all these years.

Wen Shiwu debuted as a child star at the age of five. At twelve, she starred alongside the nation’s film emperor, Shengyi. Their on-screen father-daughter dynamic, an unreliable peacock of a dad and a sassy little cotton-padded jacket full of holes went viral, propelling her to become the nation’s beloved daughter. From then on, her acting career soared smoothly.

Everyone thought she had stumbled upon incredible luck, riding on Shengyi’s coattails, or that she had some powerful backer pulling strings behind the scenes.

But no one knew…

Shengyi was actually her biological father!

Wen Shiwu mumbled gloomily, “Yeah, not only did he not help me, but he also sent the link into the family group chat so everyone could vote for me!”

Lin Yixian burst out laughing: “Hahahaha, that’s hilarious.”

Wen Shiwu lifted her head defiantly: “Xian-jie, you’re still laughing! Whose side are you on anyway?”

Lin Yixian shrugged: “I was originally on your side, but who told you not to listen and insisted on sneaking photos of Yu Zheng? See what happened? You got caught! And now you have to go on a dating show!”

“But I just couldn’t help it…” Wen Shiwu muttered under her breath. “It was such a golden opportunity! It was my idol’s first time attending an awards ceremony in person!”

She’d never had the chance to share a stage with him before.

“Besides,” Wen Shiwu sniffled, “this whole mess blew up mainly because Luo Xuan spread rumors about me!”

Lin Yixian looked at her pitiful, deer-like eyes.

She let out a sigh.

Just as she was about to offer some comfort,

she saw Wen Shiwu suddenly flip over excitedly, quickly tossing her worries to the wind: “But the photos I took of my idol that night were so handsome, hee hee hee…”

Lin Yixian felt her blood pressure spike.

She almost couldn’t restrain the urge to strangle Wen Shiwu.

But Wen Shiwu didn’t notice.

She earnestly scrolled through the photos on her memory card, admiring the top-tier divine visuals she had captured from the side stage that night.

In the photos,

Yu Zheng stood under the dazzling starlight of the stage lights. Blue light fell upon his thick, long eyelashes, creating a dreamy, feather-like illusion.

He held the microphone high.

The bones and tendons of his fingers were clearly defined, pale and cool like bamboo joints.

As his lips drew near the mic, his Adam’s apple moved with them. Captured from the side, the prominent bulge made him look incredibly sensual.

Not to mention his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

And Yu Zheng, who usually disliked anything flashy, had surprisingly worn a diamond brooch that night, making him appear even more alluring and noble.

Wen Shiwu: “Sigh… pant…”

Lin Yixian: “…”

She felt like smacking her on the head.

“But speaking of which, why did Yu Zheng help you anyway?”

Lin Yixian was puzzled: “Not only did he help you escape security, he also spoke up for you during the live stream, and he’s even willing to go on this dating show with you…”

“Could it really be like the netizens say? Are you Yu Zheng’s white moonlight, the dimpled sister?”

“What are you thinking, Xian-jie?” Wen Shiwu was utterly disdainful of her imagination. “We longtime fans all know that Yu Shen’s white moonlight knew him ten years ago. I’ve never met him before.”

“Really never?” Lin Yixian still found it strange. “You met so many people on set when you were little. Wasn’t there any exceptionally handsome, talented guy who could sing beautifully?”

After all, Yu Zheng wasn’t known for having a good temper, and he was far from kind-hearted, he rarely meddled in others’ affairs.

This man debuted at the peak, born to shine. Nuwa sculpted his face into a work of art, God gifted him a heavenly voice, and blessed him with enviable songwriting talent.

Perhaps precisely because of this, his rebellious defiance and capricious nature were seen as entirely natural by everyone. He inherently possessed enough capital to never bow to anyone.

In truth, this time, it wasn’t necessary either.

He could have remained silent to protect himself, staying aloof from the controversy with an air of innocence.

But he insisted on stepping forward to speak up for Wen Shiwu.

Lin Yixian stared at her.

Stared so intently that Wen Shiwu began to feel uneasy.

She couldn’t help but search through her childhood memories, and suddenly, a person flashed through her mind.

But Wen Shiwu quickly dismissed the thought.

They weren’t alike.

Besides, how could he be considered a prodigy of his generation?

Ah…

I wonder how he’s doing now.

I hope life has been a little kinder to him.

Wen Shiwu shook her head. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Forget it,” Lin Yixian waved her hand dismissively. “Maybe I’m overthinking it. But it’s just as well, it’ll make clearing up the rumors easier and keep his fans from constantly targeting you.”

“Anyway, when you’re on the variety show with Yu Zheng, be careful! Don’t cause me any more trouble!” Lin Yixian drilled the warning into her.

Wen Shiwu’s ears ached from the noise.

She lifted her face, dragging out her words in an utterly perfunctory tone: “I… knooow…”

After all, her feelings toward Yu Zheng were purely innocent.

Joining the dating show was just to clear up the rumors. No matter how underhanded the production team might be, fake could never become real.

As long as she kept her secret Weibo account, the one where she masqueraded as Yu Zheng’s top fan, constantly posting things like “Hubby is so irresistible” under wraps, and no one discovered she was the famous artisan in the fandom who specialized in making Yu Zheng-themed cotton dolls, she was sure she wouldn’t stir up any bigger messes.