ABOES 8: He’s a Boy

As soon as Ye Xinian finished speaking, silence fell over the dining room.

Su Qing was so shocked that she lost grip of her glass, spilling water all over herself.

Jiang Yin, seated next to her, hurriedly scrambled to hand her some tissues.

Even the livestream chat paused for a moment before it exploded with a flood of exclamation points and question marks:

【???】

【!!!】

【Did I hear that right?】

【What did he just say?】

【WTF! Engaged?!】

【Ye Xinian, how old are you?! How are you already engaged?!】

【I became a fan today, and now my world is shattered today. I’m in shock.】

…

Even Director Zhao, who was seated behind the monitor at the time, stood up in shock and told his assistant, “Quick, get me my phone! I need to call Xie Yi!”

The assistant dashed off to get the phone, just in time to hear Director Zhao muttering in frustration, “Kids these days, why do they say whatever comes to mind…”

The atmosphere around the dining table had turned stiff. Aside from Ye Xinian, everyone else was utterly stunned.

Ji Xi was the first to recover from the initial shock. He forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood as he looked at Ye Xinian. “Xinian, we’re still filming, you know. I was just joking earlier but your joke might be a little too much.”

Now that Ji Xi had spoken up, the others began to chime in as well.

“Yeah,” said Jiang Yin. “Xinian, you really know how to mess with us.”

Su Qing added, “You actually scared me.”

Yan Jing didn’t say anything, but she nodded in strong agreement.

Only Duan Zhiyan stayed silent, lifting his gaze to look deeply at Ye Xinian.

He didn’t think Ye Xinian was joking at all.

Sure enough, the next moment, Ye Xinian said seriously, “I wasn’t joking.”

Ji Xi’s smile instantly froze, and it took him a moment before he forced out the words: “Not joking? You’re really engaged?”

A shy smile tugged at the corner of Ye Xinian’s lips. He lowered his head slightly, his long and curled lashes fluttering like little brushes.

“Mm, I’m really engaged.”

Everyone’s expressions grew more complicated.

The livestream viewers had also gone wild. Bullet comments flooded the screen endlessly:

【I’m not crazy.】

【Are rookies these days this bold? First day in the spotlight and already dropping the relationship bomb? Just say you don’t want to be in showbiz!】

【My expression is exactly like Ji Xi’s right now!】

【I seriously don’t get it. If you’re already engaged, why enter the entertainment industry at all?】

【This better not be a publicity stunt…】

【Actually, it didn’t feel fake to me. Did you guys see Ye Xinian’s smile just now? That really didn’t look like acting.】

…

“How old are you, Xinian? Why get engaged so early?” Yan Jing couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.

Ji Xi quickly added, “I remember you’re only nineteen.”

Ye Xinian nodded and smiled as he explained, “It’s a bit complicated. At first, it was an engagement arranged by our parents. He fell for me at first sight, but I didn’t feel anything special at the beginning. So after spending time together, I realized he’s someone I can trust my future with.”

His smile was clean and warm, full of infectious energy. Everyone could glimpse the sincere affection he held in his heart through that expression.

Su Qing saw the smile at the corner of Ye Xinian’s lips and couldn’t help but smile with him. “Feels like you really like her, Xinian.”

Ye Xinian looked a little embarrassed at that. He gave a quick nod and then lowered his gaze. Even the tips of his ears, hidden beneath his black hair, were visibly red.

The others exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

Only Ji Xi couldn’t hold back. “But Xinian, you really didn’t need to go public this early, right?” — especially not on a show like this.

Though he didn’t finish that sentence out loud, everyone understood what he meant.

The three female guests agreed the most, after all, Ye Xinian had just debuted. To abruptly announce his engagement in a public setting like this would definitely affect his career moving forward.

Duan Zhiyan remained silent, simply raising his teacup and taking a sip.

Ye Xinian smiled faintly, then lifted his head. His cheeks were still slightly flushed, but his tone was unmistakably serious.

“We’re getting married eventually, so it was only a matter of time before it became public. I thought, instead of springing it on my fans later and catching them off guard, it’s better to be upfront from the start.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being honest with the fans and the audience.”

His tone was sincere. The guests all had mixed expressions upon hearing it.

Even the previously noisy fans in the livestream chat paused their typing after hearing what he said.

A moment later, the chat began to flood again.

【That… makes sense.】

【Honestly, I respect Ye Xinian’s attitude. It’s rare for celebrities to be this straightforward nowadays.】

【Oh my god, did you see his expression when he talked about his partner? His eyes were literally glowing! He must be head over heels.】

【I don’t get why y’all were mad earlier. I think it’s amazing that he’s so open. It’s way better than those celebs who sneak around and get caught by paparazzi.】

【Exactly.】

【I wasn’t into him before, but now I think I might be falling for Ye Xinian.】

…

Su Qing was also touched by Ye Xinian’s words. “You’re really sincere and responsible when it comes to relationships, Xinian. I’m honestly a bit jealous of the girl you’re engaged to.”

Ye Xinian had been waiting all night for that line.

He gave an awkward little smile then lowered his voice and said softly, “He… isn’t a girl.”

Su Qing blinked. “Huh?”

Ye Xinian said, “He’s a boy.” Then lowered his head again, looking a little sheepish.

The others looked visibly shocked.

And the livestream chat? It absolutely blew up.

【WHAT?!】

【OH MY GOD. In just a few minutes, my new favorite just announced he’s engaged, and now he’s coming out as gay in front of the guests and live audience?!】

【Ye Xinian really said, ‘I’m gonna be real with y’all,’ huh?】

【!!!】

【But seriously, he’s so honest. I’m liking him more and more!】

【+1】

…

Su Qing was so flustered she didn’t know what to say. “I… I’m sorry. I thought it was a girl… Xinian, don’t take it the wrong way!”

Ye Xinian gently shook his head, still wearing a soft smile. “It’s okay. I wasn’t clear about it at first.”

That was pretty much the end of the topic. It was getting late anyway, and Director Zhao chose this moment to announce the end of the day’s livestream for Let’s Travel Together.

They chatted a bit more, divided up the dishwashing duties, and then headed off to rest.

Since Ye Xinian had cooked dinner alone, he didn’t have to help with the dishes and was allowed to head upstairs first. Duan Zhiyan and Jiang Yin also contributed a lot catching fish earlier, so they too were excused. In the end, the dishwashing was left to Ji Xi, Su Qing, and Yan Jing, the three who had caught the fewest fish.

The livestream may have ended, but the fan discussions were far from over.

Barely a moment after the stream wrapped, fans had already uploaded the recorded footage to Weibo. Some even clipped the part where Ye Xinian admitted to being engaged and gave it a deliberately vague but explosive title—

【A Male Guest on Let’s Travel Together Comes Out and Admits Engagement Live on Air】

There were only three male guests on Let’s Travel Together. Fans of Duan Zhiyan and Ji Xi nearly had heart attacks when they saw the headline.

However, the moment they clicked on the video, they breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Oh. Not our guy.

Okay, we’re good.

Then they looked again—and froze.

Wasn’t this Ye Xinian, the new guy who just debuted a couple of days ago?!

How was he already out and announcing an engagement?

Netizens were dumbfounded but after watching Ye Xinian’s sincere explanation, they all fell into thoughtful silence.

【Not gonna lie, I kind of like Ye Xinian now.】

【He’s just so straightforward. You really don’t see many celebrities this honest with their fans anymore.】

【Exactly. And he laid it all out from the start. If fans can accept it, they’ll keep supporting him. And if they can’t, they haven’t invested too deeply yet and can bow out early. That’s actually really kind.】

【I seriously love Ye Xinian’s attitude. If my old idol had been even 1% as honest as he is, I wouldn’t have unfollowed them. QAQ】

【Too many celebrities hide things nowadays. It’s so rare to see someone this genuine.】

【An artist who’s this honest with their fans—what are you waiting for? Stan now!】

【Just for this attitude alone—unless he has some massive scandal in the future, I’m his fan for life.】

…

As more and more people watched the clip, the reposts and views on that Weibo post skyrocketed. Influencer accounts rushed to share it for traffic.

The buzz continued to build, and more people were moved by Ye Xinian’s sincerity. Even some official media outlets couldn’t resist reposting the clip.

By the next morning, the hashtag #YeXinianHonesty was trending on the hot search list.

With just a few sincere words, Ye Xinian had gone viral.