Although the gossip blogger didn’t mention any names, the clues—last name starting with J, alpha, popular singer—were enough for the internet to guess who it was. The person being discussed by everyone online right now was clearly Jiang Yu.
Ren Bai was even more sure. He had been with Jiang Yu last night, and after Jiang Yu returned from work, he only went out with Yu Shiqing. The gossip also matched the situation: hotel room. And the two of them were currently living together.
After reading the Weibo post, even though the matter was urgent, Ren Bai couldn’t hide his curiosity.
“You two really held hands last night?”
As soon as he asked, Jiang Yu looked at him with a blank face. Ren Bai twitched the corner of his mouth and rubbed his ear, lowering his voice.
“I mean… I should at least know whether you two are really… or just…”
Halfway through, he saw the look in Jiang Yu’s eyes and decided to shut up.
He turned to Yu Shiqing.
“I’ve been trying to contact the gossip blogger on the way here but couldn’t get through. I also mentioned it to Huaze, but you know, Huaze won’t spend money to help you with PR.”
This was different from the last unexpected scandal. This time it was obviously a premeditated stalking aimed at Jiang Yu. From the description, they had been photographed shopping for pajamas and followed all the way to the hotel room door. If those pictures were posted with malicious intent, netizens who didn’t know the truth might really believe them.
Ren Bai added,
“But since they’re targeting Jiang Yu, it’s probably better to let Manager Tan handle it. He might get results faster.”
After all, this gossip post was actually just a way to ask for hush money to pressure Jiang Yu into paying to make it go away.
Just then, they heard the door open.
Tan Yanfei walked in.
Many staff members saw him and greeted him warmly:
“Brother Tan’s here!”
“Good afternoon, Brother Tan!”
“Brother Tan’s here to see Mr. Jiang, right? He’s inside.”
It was a huge contrast to when Ren Bai entered and nobody noticed. Tan Yanfei smiled and nodded at them. As Jiang Yu’s manager, he was respected wherever he went. He was used to this kind of flattery and enjoyed it—it was a symbol of his status.
“Jiang Yu.”
He walked up to Jiang Yu and, noticing Ren Bai and Yu Shiqing were also there, put away his smile and got straight to the point.
“You’ve been exposed for dating someone. The news couldn’t be contained and it’s already trending. I contacted someone—here’s the video the other side sent.”
He pulled out his phone. Ren Bai was the first to go look.
The video was already edited and had a watermark. From the two of them leaving the hotel, entering a lingerie shop, and returning to the hotel together—every clip was clear.
Jiang Yu was marked in each gif, with a comparison photo from when he was rushing to an event, wearing the exact same outfit. Yu Shiqing was marked by the clothes he wore—an outfit Jiang Yu had worn before.
One of the gifs was especially eye-catching: Jiang Yu was holding the other person’s hand as they walked into a steamy lingerie store. It was easy to imagine all kinds of things.
Even Ren Bai couldn’t help but start to believe the gossip—it looked too real!
Tan Yanfei’s expression was grim.
“Let’s talk in the break room.”
As soon as the door closed, he turned around.
“Jiang Yu, I warned you before. And you both dressed like that? It might backfire. Netizens might think Mr. Yu is an omega. That puts us at an even bigger disadvantage. I’m still waiting for their asking price, and once I get it, we’ll transfer the money to buy the video and bury it.”
Jiang Yu sneered.
“Buying something like that will only make it look like I’m guilty.”
Tan Yanfei froze, suddenly having a bad feeling.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jiang Yu said. “So what if it gets posted? It’s fake anyway.”
Tan Yanfei frowned hard.
“That’s a really irresponsible thing to say. No matter if it’s true or not, once it’s posted, it will affect you. And in the video, your behavior with Mr. Yu—how are we supposed to explain that? How am I supposed to clear it up for you? Even I don’t understand it!”
Jiang Yu looked at him. His sharp eyes were cold and deep.
Tan Yanfei lost his composure for a moment, then apologized through clenched teeth.
“Sorry, I’m just worried. You don’t understand—getting into this kind of mess is like getting stuck in a swamp. If it’s not handled well—”
“I want you to stay calm,” Jiang Yu interrupted. “I don’t think this is a big deal. Even if the gossip is true, so what? I’m still single.”
Tan Yanfei was stunned.
“But your fans…”
He didn’t finish. Because Jiang Yu was never the type of idol who relied on fans. He was a singer. A king of pop.
Yu Shiqing looked at Jiang Yu too. From how he handled the last hot search scandal, it was clear that Jiang Yu had a strong personality and didn’t care about fake rumors. Seems like it was the same this time.
Ren Bai quietly leaned over and asked Yu Shiqing,
“So we’re just… not dealing with it?”
Yu Shiqing replied,
“Yeah.”
First, his attitude toward gossip was the same as Jiang Yu’s—it wasn’t worth worrying about. And besides, his face wasn’t clear in the gifs. Second, even if he wanted to handle it, he didn’t have the ability to.
Only Tan Yanfei looked uneasy. As Jiang Yu’s manager, he was understandably concerned.
Ren Bai understood and suggested they return to the hotel to avoid being gawked at by other staff.
After going back, the four of them had dinner together downstairs and then returned to their rooms.
Yu Shiqing put on his pajamas before stepping out. When he went to the minibar to get water, he saw Jiang Yu sitting there, drinking coffee with one hand and typing something on his phone with the other.
When he saw Yu Shiqing approach, Jiang Yu glanced at him, noticed the neatly worn pajamas, and looked away, satisfied.
Yu Shiqing said,
“Still drinking coffee this late?”
“Yeah,” Jiang Yu replied. Then paused and added, “I still need to write a song later. Just one cup to stay awake.”
Yu Shiqing said,
“We have to get up early tomorrow. Try to rest early.”
Jiang Yu’s fingers stopped above the screen.
“Oh. Okay.”
That was the end of their conversation. Yu Shiqing got his water and went back to his room.
Since he had decided not to deal with the gossip, he read his script until around ten and went to bed.
The Next Morning
Yu Shiqing went down to breakfast first.
“Where’s Jiang Yu?” Ren Bai was already seated, looked up and stretched his neck to check the door.
“He’s still washing up,” Yu Shiqing replied.
Ren Bai quickly asked,
“Then tell me—what was with the Weibo post Jiang Yu shared last night?”
Yu Shiqing asked,
“What Weibo post?”
“You don’t know?” Ren Bai looked shocked. “After eight last night, he reposted the gossip Weibo and totally clapped back. It was wild.”
Knowing Yu Shiqing didn’t use social media, Ren Bai pulled out his phone and showed him.
“Here, this one.”
Jiang Yu V:
Going out with a castmate to buy pajamas—do I need to report that to you?
Repost:
Ren Bai opened the comment section while giving a thumbs up.
“He’s got guts. Respect!”
Top Comment 1:
Who’s the “castmate”? Omega? Beta?
Jiang Yu: Yu Shiqing. Male alpha. Want to know anything else?
Top Comment 2:
So why are you living together?
Jiang Yu: To read the script. Want me to show you the gif?
Top Comment 3:
Why are you wearing couple outfits then?
Jiang Yu: That’s my clothing. You should ask Yu Shiqing why he leaves the house with nothing but his bad habits.
Ren Bai let out a small “uh” and quickly backed out. He laughed awkwardly.
“Anyway, the details aren’t important. You get the idea.”
Yu Shiqing remembered last night, how Jiang Yu had been messing with his phone at the minibar for a long time.
Seeing he didn’t respond, Ren Bai continued smiling.
“Jiang Yu’s really got your back. I thought the scandal would drag you down, but the way he handled it? Not only did neither of you get hurt—you even got some free hype.”
He opened the trending list.
#JiangYuYuShiqing was still in the top 10.
“Look it’s been there all night.”
The detailed page showed a mix of jokes and jokes from netizens:
“Understandable. Year-end’s here. The paparazzi need to hit their quota too.”
“Even alphas with alphas are being stalked so hard. These paparazzi are weak lol.”
But most of the clickbait accounts used big front-page photos of Jiang Yu and Yu Shiqing, grabbing a lot of attention.
“This Yu Shiqing… he’s so handsome…”
“A guy like this was overlooked? I’d be a fan just for his face!”
“Okay, Jiang Yu is hot, I agree. But if Yu Shiqing’s this good-looking, how is he still so unknown? These photos are definitely edited.”
Ren Bai was thrilled and ignored the negative comments.
“Looks like our luck has turned. Everything’s going great lately.”
Just then, Tan Yanfei walked into the restaurant.
He spotted Yu Shiqing and Ren Bai from afar, and his frustration boiled over. Originally, he planned to use this situation to teach Jiang Yu a lesson and push Yu Shiqing away kill two birds with one stone. But now, it had backfired and only helped Yu Shiqing. He was so angry he didn’t sleep all night.
Ren Bai waved.
“Manager Tan, over here!”
Tan Yanfei forced himself to smile despite wanting to scream. He didn’t want to show it.
Later, when Jiang Yu came down and finished eating, he and Yu Shiqing went to the filming set together. They trained until sunset before returning to the hotel.
After two days of intense training, even with proper stretching, Yu Shiqing’s muscles were sore. So, he and Jiang Yu went straight to their room. Dinner was delivered upstairs.
After washing up, Yu Shiqing came out holding his script and asked,
“Do you have a pen? Lend me one?”
“I’ll get it.” Jiang Yu went back to his room, grabbed a pen, and came out to see Yu Shiqing already sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table, script spread out.
“Thanks.”
Yu Shiqing took the pen and started jotting down notes.
Jiang Yu stared at him for a moment, then suddenly walked over and sat across from him.
Yu Shiqing didn’t pay attention, as Jiang Yu pulled out his phone and started searching for the live stream function.
Fans who had been waiting got the notification and rushed in as soon as the stream started. The screen was still black, but the comment section was already exploding no one could even read what was being said.
Jiang Yu’s face only appeared for a few seconds before the camera flipped revealing a man in pajamas, head down, writing something. Hair strands covered his face, making it hard to tell who it was.
Then Jiang Yu’s voice came through:
“Yu Shiqing.”
The man replied after a second:
“Hmm?”
The comment section went wild.
“That’s Yu Shiqing??”
“Jiang Yu really is living with Yu Shiqing!!”
“Omg is that the new pajamas??”
Jiang Yu asked,
“What are you reading?”
Yu Shiqing replied,
“The script.”
“What are you writing?”
“Notes.”
Jiang Yu’s hand slowly tightened around the phone. He stared blankly at the top of Yu Shiqing’s head on the screen.
“I’m giving you a chance to start over.”
The audience cracked up.
“So, this is the legendary ‘bundle of bad habits’—I’m in love!”
“LOL the first time Jiang Yu lost an argument. Yu Shiqing is amazing!”
Yu Shiqing heard the danger in Jiang Yu’s tone. He paused his writing and decided to fix things.
Jiang Yu started again:
“Yu Shiqing.”
Yu Shiqing put down the pen and looked up with a faint smile.
“What is it?”
His usually cold eyes softened, and the sharp lines of his face were gentler with that slight smile.
Looking directly at his face on screen, Jiang Yu tightened his grip even more. His mood completely changed something hard to name, hard to explain.
But when he glanced at the flood of comments on the side, the brief moment passed without a trace.
“AHHH MOM I’M IN LOVE!!!”
