Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 16

The theme of the Surprise livestream that day had been “The CP Chemistry Challenge.” The participants in that challenge, aside from Yuan Xingzhou, Ye Huai, Yuan Cheng, and Tan Yanke, had included another pair of veteran actors in their fifties.

The production crew naturally had their reasons for choosing these three groups to form a contrast: Yuan Cheng and Tan Yanke represented a passionate young couple, Yuan Xingzhou and Ye Huai were the sweet newlyweds, and the veteran actors, celebrating their silver wedding anniversary, symbolized the reserved and subtle older generation.

All three livestreams had started simultaneously. Yuan Cheng and Tan Yanke were the first to recognize each other, dramatically throwing themselves into a hug and spinning around, stealing much of the limelight. However, no one expected the mishap on Yuan Xingzhou’s end. When Yuan Xingzhou lunged at Wen Ting, the viewers in Yuan Cheng’s room instantly fled to watch the drama. Consequently, not many people had seen the final scene of Yuan Cheng and Tan Yanke embracing and kissing.

Yuan Xingzhou hadn’t been aware of this detail either. Hearing Ye Huai bring it up now, he instinctively looked over at him.

While Yuan Xingzhou was stunned, the media below were in an uproar. Who would have thought that before they could even ask a single question, the people on stage would start throwing heavy-duty bombs and tearing into each other? And Yuan Cheng’s problem was quite serious!

The premise of Idol Love Season was for eight strangers (idols) who didn’t know each other to freely choose a partner to form a CP, competing for a chance to act in a short drama while finding a suitable person to date.

The uncertainty of mutual selection and the open and hidden struggles among the cast were the selling points. Since Yuan Cheng and Tan Yanke were already a couple, why were they participating? Wasn’t this clearly a staged act to deceive people?

As for Tan Yanke’s identity… it was one thing for everyone to know the truth, but to state it openly was another. Even if the production crew were fools, they wouldn’t dare. Thus, Yuan Cheng was either a fake couple deceiving the Surprise crew and audience, or he was unqualified to be a fixed guest here.

The reporters were incredibly excited, and the other guests were secretly gloating. Everyone tacitly looked toward the staff. A terrifying silence filled the scene.

Amidst the surging undercurrents, the livestream chat was flooded with punctuation marks.

Densely packed question marks and exclamation points covered the screen; the audience’s brains likely couldn’t process any other words at that moment.

Wen Ting sat in the lounge, calmly watching the livestream and opening the chat to enjoy the “melon-eating” crowd’s amusement.

“???????????”

“?? what?”

“?? Are you sure this is a group interview livestream for a major Papaya TV dating show? Why are the guests tearing into each other??”

“WOC, I literally sat bolt upright from my deathbed! Let me see what kind of divine press conference this is!”

“I can feel the staff trembling through the screen. Ye Huai, are you a devil?”

“Huai-Zhou CP is number one in the world!!! Brother Huai, you look so cool protecting your wife!”

“Ye Huai really is a wife-protecting maniac!”

“Yuan Cheng is so ‘bitchy,’ finally someone dared to confront him directly…”

Soon, the various fan bases reacted.

“Not a Yuan Cheng fan, but am I the only one who thinks Yuan Xingzhou is the bitchy one? Yuan Cheng was kindly letting him introduce himself!”

“Cheng-fans don’t start trouble but aren’t afraid of it. Our Yuan Cheng is a fixed guest and in the C-position today. Are the two over-the-hill former teammates so jealous they can’t hide it anymore?”

“Yuan Cheng clearly had good intentions. This is a case of treating a kind heart like a donkey’s liver—no, it’s ‘biting the hand that feeds you’ (biting Lu Dongbin).”

“Isn’t Yuan Xingzhou more popular now? Does he need to introduce himself on an occasion like this? Is there no host for this livestream?”

“LMAO, Yuan Cheng started with the shady operations. They’re all fixed guests; why is he acting like a big shot? Does he want to turn this into his home field? Does he think the other guests are dead?”

“Former group fan here—I don’t like Ye Huai, but he’s always been an indiscriminate ‘bitch-detector.’ Yuan Cheng has probably lived a peaceful life for too long and forgot who the number one arrogant prick in the group was.”

“Also a former group fan—the one I hate most is Yuan Xingzhou.”

When the ST group was popular, it was during a gap between old and new boy bands in the country. The ST members had high visuals and the company’s full backing, so they attracted many fans, holding concerts and releasing albums in their debut year. They “harvested the leeks” (extracted money from fans) many times.

However, in the second year, members began to voice interests in other developments, and there were internal issues at Huayu. Ultimately, the group disbanded hastily, leaving fans deeply disheartened.

When the news of Yuan Xingzhou and Ye Huai’s marriage broke, they actually bore a portion of the group fans’ fury. Many suspected the group disbanded because of Yuan Xingzhou’s issues.

Eighty percent of Yuan Xingzhou’s anti-fans consisted of former teammates’ fans. Over the years, most fans had moved on or gotten married themselves, but the anti-fans remained as persistent as ever, feeling disgusted whenever he appeared.

As some people reminisced about the various grudges within the ST group, Yuan Cheng’s anti-fan-defense station quickly provided a comment-control template. “Cheng-fans” began a crusade against Yuan Xingzhou, reposting “big character posters” (propaganda-style callouts) on Weibo.

However, almost simultaneously, the Huai-Zhou fan army, after their brief shock, also gallantly marched out to battle.

The composition of Huai-Zhou fans was actually quite complex. A significant portion of them weren’t typical “stans”; they simply liked the visual pairing of the couple, their way of interacting, or the aesthetic beauty of their romance.

Normally, they didn’t participate in fan-circle bickering, but today, with Ye Huai and Yuan Xingzhou together, it was impossible for them to stand by.

“This is exactly what I’ve been worried about,” Li Yu said, sitting opposite Wen Ting with a frown. “The more intimate Xingzhou and Ye Huai appear, the tighter they are bound. When they unbind in the future, the backlash will be even more severe. To be honest, I don’t quite understand your current way of thinking.”

On the livestream screen, the staff had finally reacted and rushed to the center to smooth things over with jokes.

Ye Huai’s arm, however, remained behind Yuan Xingzhou throughout, as if declaring his ownership.

Wen Ting exited the livestream, glanced at Weibo, then logged into a forum, asking in confusion: “What’s there to not understand? Yuan Cheng was being so bitchy, any human being wouldn’t be able to hold back, okay?”

“He… was indeed out of line,” Li Yu said. “But that’s not what I’m asking about. I’m asking about the variety show. They’re recording in a few days—what is Ye Huai thinking?”

Wen Ting thought for a moment and countered: “Then let’s talk about what you are thinking first?”

“They’re going, so they can’t just be showing off affection,” Li Yu said bluntly, seeing Wen Ting’s directness. “In my opinion, it would be good to have a fight or cause some friction.”

Wen Ting rejected this immediately: “This is a dating show. The production crew invited them because they’re number one on the CP charts.”

“No, the crew invited them for the heat. Who says perfection is always good? A bit of a flaw makes it look real.” Li Yu paused, then added patiently, “We’re in the same company, after all. If our hearts are aligned and we want to unbind early, it’s quite easy. Am I right?”

“There is some truth to that, but…” Wen Ting said, “there’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

Li Yu gave him a surprised look.

“I admit, when I first found out the Huai-Zhou CP was a one-sided operation by Xingzhou, I was furious. He did a very poor job there,” Wen Ting said politely. “But the heat of the Huai-Zhou CP is already so high. Our Ye Huai didn’t get any benefits before; if he can get more opportunities because of this now, I don’t mind.”

“Ye Huai never lacks opportunities. Does he really need to borrow heat from a CP? Your favoritism toward Yuan Xingzhou is too obvious,” Li Yu said.

“Then what are you still dissatisfied with?” Wen Ting smiled. “You’re his manager; you should be grateful to me instead.”

Li Yu was momentarily speechless. “Does Ye Huai know you’re like this?”

“What difference does it make?” Wen Ting said. “In my work, I naturally consider his attitude first. As long as he isn’t in a hurry, why should I waste my energy?”

In the livestream room, the staff had interrupted, framing the previous incident as “frenemy” bickering to gloss it over.

Because it involved sponsors and station leadership, the reporters couldn’t press the matter further. Thus, everyone tacitly moved past that topic and conducted a seemingly normal interview.

Of course, it was only seemingly normal, because except for the official reporters from the video apps who interviewed the fixed guests as planned, everyone else rushed toward Ye Huai.

As a result, throughout the entire interview, Ye Huai—as a guest participant—carried the show, becoming the center of attention for all the media personnel.

Yuan Xingzhou had originally made full preparations. Who could have guessed that as soon as the interview began, Ye Huai—who had repeatedly emphasized his “unfamiliarity with the business” and said he hadn’t prepared anything—actually entered “quick-fire answer” mode when facing media questions.

Yuan Xingzhou felt like he was having a heart attack.

If this “Young Master” gave an answer that contradicted what Yuan Xingzhou had said, how would they clean up the mess? Yet no matter how much he hinted or gestured, Ye Huai seemed completely oblivious.

This Young Master held the microphone, clearly entering a “lone beauty” mode, like a peacock spreading its feathers.

“I want to ask Ye Huai, what are your thoughts on the Huai-Zhou CP dominating the charts so aggressively?” Reporter A raised a hand and, seeing Ye Huai looking over, explained with a smile, “I mean the CP charts.”

Ye Huai nodded: “I thank everyone for their affirmation of me.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“I also want to ask Ye Huai. Ye Huai, over here…” Another reporter raised a hand. “When did you and Yuan Xingzhou start dating? Was there a specific moment?”

Ye Huai said: “Actually, the feeling of falling in love is something you experience gradually. At first, it might just be admiration, but as you pay more and more attention, you discover more of his merits and uniqueness, and it develops into liking. There isn’t an exact point in time.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“One last question,” someone asked. “What aspect of Yuan Xingzhou do you admire most?”

“In my eyes, he is perfect.” Hearing it was the last question, Ye Huai became exceptionally patient and gave a small smile. “Xingzhou can play the piano, he plays the guitar exceptionally well, his singing is beautiful, and he loves to cook—he doesn’t let me do anything at home.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “???”

Ye Huai said this so naturally that Yuan Xingzhou was dazed. He could only play the guitar—when did he learn the piano or how to cook?

“Of course, there is one last thing,” Ye Huai hadn’t finished yet, emphasizing to the crowd. “The most, most, most, most important point…”

Everyone’s attention was drawn, and they all looked up.

Yuan Xingzhou also turned back blankly.

“…He loves me especially much,” Ye Huai said while nodding, announcing to everyone. “He only loves me, and no one else.”