ABOES 17: End of the Livestream

Duan Zhiyan picked up the phone from the table just as the livestream reached the mystery guest reveal segment. When Song Jing appeared on screen, the comments paused for a beat then filled with question marks.

【Who is this guy?】

【He looks unfamiliar. No clue who he is.】

【Wait, I thought it’d be Chu Wen!】

【I wanted to see Chu Wen!】

【+1】

…

The real-time comment feed was visible to everyone, including Song Jing. His smile froze awkwardly.

Just then, Ye Xinian stepped in with perfect timing, smiling warmly as he introduced him. “This is Song Jing, my best friend. He has helped me a lot in the past, and this time, he kindly agreed to join me for this livestream. I hope you’ll all support us!”

The moment Ye Xinian finished speaking, the skepticism in the comment section eased.

【Oh, he’s Xinian’s friend!】

【Welcome, Song Jing!】

【Actually, he’s kinda good-looking when you look closely.】

【Still a little bummed it’s not Chu Wen, but hey—if he’s hot, I’m good.】

…

Seeing the atmosphere shift, Song Jing’s expression finally relaxed.

Duan Zhiyan skimmed through the comments then shifted his gaze back to Ye Xinian on screen.

Across from him, Chi Xiwen grumbled once, but when Duan Zhiyan took the phone, he simply grabbed the tablet and kept watching the livestream himself.

“By the way,” Duan Zhiyan said, putting down the phone and looking at Chi Xiwen across the table, “When are you planning to tell Uncle and Auntie?”

Chi Xiwen’s brows furrowed briefly at the question, but then he sighed lightly and spoke in a hoarse voice, “I’ve been thinking about that all day.”

Yesterday, they had gone to the police station and stayed until late into the night.

He could still hear the older officer’s words echoing in his ears—

“Even though you haven’t done a paternity test yet, I’ve handled a lot of these cases. Usually if there’s a strong resemblance, like six-tenths or more, it’s probably a match. But of course, we can’t rule anything out yet. I can’t say for sure—just that the odds look good.”

“And right now, we don’t have solid evidence to prove a biological relationship between Ye Xinian and your family. We can’t request a court-ordered paternity test unless we find proof. Unless… you contact Ye Xinian privately and he agrees to take the test voluntarily.”

Chi Xiwen stared at the screen where Ye Xinian was smiling. “I want to take him for a paternity test right now. But I’m scared of scaring him… What if he already has a happy family? What if even after knowing the truth, he doesn’t want to come back?”

“I do want to tell my parents now but I’m afraid. You know how many times we’ve been let down. And with Grandma’s health as it is… I can’t give her hope just to crush it again.”

Duan Zhiyan lowered his gaze. “But you’ll have to tell them eventually.”

After a long silence, Chi Xiwen finally said in a raspy voice, “I’ll wait until the police find some sort of preliminary evidence of a biological link. At least then… I’ll feel more certain. Until then, I don’t want to disturb Ye Xinian.”

Duan Zhiyan understood the inner struggle completely. Glancing at the dark circles under Chi Xiwen’s eyes, he gently changed the subject. “You should rest soon. You’ve been running on fumes for two days.”

Chi Xiwen smiled faintly, still watching the stream. “I will. Just a bit longer… I want to watch a little more…”

What he didn’t know was that tonight, too, would end up sleepless.

…

That night’s livestream was a huge success. Even before it ended, both Ye Xinian and Xiao Yu were trending.

Surprisingly, Song Jing was trending too—though his team had paid for that one.

During the stream, Ye Xinian had subtly played up their close friendship. Song Jing’s team immediately capitalized on the momentum and bought a trending tag:

#YeXiniansaysSongJingishisbestfriend#

Clicking on the tag brought up a flood of comments praising both their looks and “legendary friendship.”

After the stream ended, Song Jing even ran over to take selfies with Ye Xinian, hinting that he would post them later and hoping Ye Xinian would repost.

Ye Xinian didn’t object. He smiled, posed for several photos, and then left.

On the ride back, Xie Yi opened Weibo and saw that Song Jing had already posted.

@SongJing: Tonight’s stream with Nian Nian was so fun! Sharing today’s selfies~ Feeling so happy~ #photo #photo

Xie Yi clicked in and saw that Song Jing had not only posted photos with Ye Xinian but also with Xiao Yu.

She frowned. “Looks like Song Jing and his team plan to ride your popularity as far as they can.”

Ye Xinian gave a calm, indifferent smile. “It’s fine. He won’t be riding it for much longer.”

Hearing the layered meaning behind those words, Xie Yi raised a brow. “You’ve already made arrangements?”

“Almost,” Ye Xinian replied. “But it’s close.”

“Good,” Xie Yi nodded, clearly pleased with his decisiveness. “Let me know the moment you’re ready. The team’s on standby.”

“Thanks, Yi Jie.”

“No problem.” Then she asked, “Are you going to repost his Weibo?”

Ye Xinian nodded. “Of course.”

If you’re going to put on a show, it has to be seamless.

He logged into his main account and reposted Song Jing’s post.

@YeXinian: I had a great time too. Looking forward to working together again!

Almost instantly, a message from Song Jing popped up on WeChat.

[Song Jing: Wait, really?! Are we gonna work together again? I just saw you reposted me!]

Ye Xinian’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

Some people just didn’t know when to stop.

[Ye Xinian: I’m not sure yet, but if we ever need someone for an event, don’t worry. I’ll definitely recommend you to Yi Jie first!]

Song Jing was so thrilled he was practically dancing.

[Song Jing: I love you so much, Xinian!]

Even as he stepped out of the car and scrolled through Weibo with glee, Song Jing unlocked the door to the apartment, only to find the living room lights on.

A man sat silently on the couch.

It was Xia Huaiming.

At the same moment, back at home, a notification popped up on Ye Xinian’s second phone.

It was a message from a man with a blank avatar: [Got a photo of them leaving together.]

Ye Xinian’s gaze turned icy.

Just moments ago, that man had professed his feelings to him and now he was going off with the so-called “fiancé.”

He replied coldly: [Follow them. Get a photo of them going in and out of the hotel if you can.]

[OK.]

Just as Ye Xinian turned off his phone and headed for the shower, it rang again.

He glanced at the caller ID.

[Haishi Public Security Bureau].