ABOES 13: Family Background

Xia Huaiming waited patiently for two seconds without getting a response from Ye Xinian. He couldn’t help leaning in slightly and caught a glimpse of the pale skin on the back of Ye Xinian’s neck. His eyes darkened, throat moving as he swallowed, and without thinking, he leaned in closer.

The unfamiliar breath sent Ye Xinian’s senses into high alert. He immediately leaned back, putting distance between them, then gave a sly smile. “Not telling you yet!”

With that, he straightened up and settled back into his seat.

Xia Huaiming froze for a second before realizing he had just been teased.

Though slightly disappointed, he wasn’t in a hurry.

The finer the wine, the longer it should be savored.

“Alright,” Xia Huaiming said. “Keep your secret. I’ll wait for my surprise on your birthday.”

As he spoke, his gaze slid slowly downward, his smile full of implication.

Ye Xinian swallowed his disgust and smiled as if he didn’t catch the hint.

The meal dragged on unbearably.

Xia Huaiming tried to take Ye Xinian’s hand several times again, but Ye Xinian avoided him each time, subtly but decisively.

After enough failed attempts, Xia Huaiming began to sense something was off and his expression turned a little sour.

Ye Xinian pretended not to notice. He had already gotten what he wanted from this lunch and had no need to keep enduring it.

As the meal ended and Xia Huaiming was just about to suggest they go back to his place, Ye Xinian’s phone rang at just the right time.

After taking the call, Ye Xinian gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Huaiming, I have to swing by the office.”

Xia Huaiming’s face immediately darkened. “That’s it? Just one meal?”

“I can’t help it,” Ye Xinian replied innocently. “It’s work, I have to deal with it. Don’t be mad. Once I finish this busy stretch, I’ll make time for you!”

Xia Huaiming still looked upset.

Even so, Ye Xinian had no intention of wasting another second on this dog of a man. Pretending not to notice his expression, he stood up, paid the bill, and walked quickly out of the restaurant—leaving Xia Huaiming behind with face ashen.

No one knew how much time passed before Xia Huaiming finally forced down his anger and took out his phone to call Song Jing.

Song Jing sounded surprised but happy to get the call. “I’m at home. Should I come meet you? Just send me the address…”

“No need,” Xia Huaiming cut in. “I’ll come to you.”

Song Jing froze. “You’re coming to the apartment?”

Thinking about Ye Xinian’s coldness today, Xia Huaiming’s irritation flared again. He raised a brow. “What? You don’t want to try it at home?”

If Ye Xinian didn’t want him, there were plenty of people begging for him.

Song Jing was excited by the implication and couldn’t help smiling. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

After hanging up, Song Jing put down his phone and went to shower.

…

Meanwhile, Ye Xinian had returned to his apartment after leaving the restaurant.

Soon after, he received a message from Xie Yi. It was a draft Weibo post for him to review.

After reading it, Ye Xinian replied: [Looks good.]

Xie Yi sent back a thumbs-up emoji and didn’t follow up.

That night, a major entertainment gossip account posted a single-line Weibo update:

@EatMelonPeople: A netizen ran into Ye Xinian and his fiancé out on a lunch date today. #Photo##Photo#

The account was well-known in the industry, and with Ye Xinian frequently trending lately, the post quickly blew up.

[WTF!]

[It really is Ye Xinian!]

[So he does have a fiancé, I thought that was just for publicity…]

[Why are people so obsessed with celebrities’ personal lives? He already said he had a fiancé, can’t he go on a date after filming ends?]

[They look so sweet together. I hope no one bothers them.]

[Whoa, they’re sitting really close… are they kissing??]

After that last comment, netizens zoomed in on the photo.

In it, Ye Xinian and a man were leaning close—so close their heads nearly touched. Everyone started grinning meaningfully.

[If that’s not a kiss, what is it?]

[They’re totally smooching!]

[Suddenly shipping this so hard!]

[Too sweet.]

[He really likes his fiancé. Filming just ended yesterday, and they’re already on a date today.]

[Tsk tsk tsk. Men!]

[Not gonna lie, kinda jealous.]

[Wait, his fiancé’s actually pretty handsome!]

[Too bad you can’t see his face clearly.]

That last comment hadn’t been up for long when a fan posted a full-face photo in the fan forum.

[Ahem… funny coincidence—I was at that restaurant today too. Snapped this casually.]

The photo was taken from behind Ye Xinian, only showing half his face, but the man sitting across from him was clearly visible.

He wore a suit and glasses, looking like a refined and well-educated gentleman.

Fans and netizens alike got excited.

[OMG! He’s really hot!]

[Wait, why does he look so familiar?]

[?? Where have you seen him?]

[Give me two minutes—I’m coming back with details!]

…

The commenter returned in under a minute.

[!!! This guy is the current general manager of the Xia Group—my god, he’s my actual boss! I just gossiped myself into danger QAQ]

Seeing “Xia Group,” many netizens froze.

[Is that the Xia Group I’m thinking of?]

[Wait, my local mall was developed by their company!]

[I just did some digging. Xia Huaiming, X University grad, heir to the Xia Group… holy crap, he’s loaded.]

[So Ye Xinian’s marrying into a mega-rich family?!]

[No “technically” about it, he is.]

[Now I’m really curious about Ye Xinian’s background.]

When the internet wants to know something, they’ll find it, and this time, Xie Yi’s team was helping push things along.

Before long, users dug up Ye Xinian’s family background.

And the first thing fans thought was: Is this a mistake?

Ye Xinian was the son of an ordinary office worker?

Do rich families not care about background anymore?

Skepticism spread until someone claiming to be his middle school classmate came forward, confirming it.

To prove it, they even posted a graduation photo.

Ye Xinian was easy to spot—clearly the most handsome boy in the picture, smiling shyly in his school uniform.

[OMG, baby Xinian was so cute!]

[He’s been handsome since day one.]

[That confirms it then.]

[But how did he end up engaged to Xia Huaiming?]

[Didn’t he say on the show that Xia Huaiming pursued him? It’s love, not matchmaking.]

[Hard to believe rich folks believe in “true love.”]

[Wow, way to sound ancient. It’s 2120. People still care about social status in relationships? Come on. Let them be in love.]

That last comment earned thousands of likes instantly.

[Yeah, love’s love. Why bring family background into it?]

[This makes them even cuter to ship! No matter where they come from, they stick together.]

[That’s love!]

[I’m shipping them hard now!]

…

By the next morning, the hashtag #YeXinianAndFiancéOnADate was trending at the top.

Ye Xinian scrolled through nearly every comment under the original post and checked the trending topic.

Seeing that public opinion aligned perfectly with his plan, he finally relaxed.

He logged out of his main account and posted from his alt, using the same hashtag:

@LovesRiceCakes: Crap… I actually got caught in a photo today QAQ. Hope Mr. Xia won’t be mad, but seeing everyone’s blessings, I’m actually pretty happy!

Plenty of netizens were posting under the same hashtag, so his tweet blended in.

Though it didn’t go viral, it still racked up almost a thousand views.

Ten minutes later, someone replied to his alt:

[??? Are you joking, or is this actually Ye Xinian’s alt?]

Ye Xinian stared at the comment for two seconds, lips curving into a smile.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he closed the app.

After organizing his thoughts, he dialed Xia Huaiming’s number.

The ringtone rang for a long time—just as Ye Xinian was about to give up, the call connected.

The man’s voice was lower than usual, slightly hoarse. “Hello? What is it, Xinian?”

Without overthinking, Ye Xinian said in an apologetic tone, “I need to tell you something, please don’t get mad…”

Xia Huaiming frowned. “What is it?”

“Promise you won’t be mad first,” Ye Xinian insisted.

Xia Huaiming hesitated before saying, “Okay. I won’t be mad.”

Only then did Ye Xinian “breathe a sigh of relief” and tell him they’d been secretly photographed during lunch and it had gone viral.

How could Xia Huaiming not be angry?

To him, Ye Xinian was just a short-term plaything, not a long-term partner.

He only agreed to let Ye Xinian announce their engagement publicly because it would deter other suitors.

More importantly, while the show revealed Ye Xinian was engaged, no one knew to whom.

But now, with the paparazzi photo, it was obvious that Xia Huaiming was his fiancé.

Once that “engaged” label stuck to him, it would be hard to mess around freely anymore.

Sure enough, after hearing the news, Xia Huaiming snapped. “What? I got caught on camera?!”

Amusement flickered in Ye Xinian’s eyes, though his tone was all guilt. “Yeah, I don’t know how it happened… and now it’s on the trending list. I’m sorry, I’ve caused you trouble…”

“What the hell?” Xia Huaiming’s voice rose. “All I did was have one meal with you and this happens? Contact someone now and get that post taken down!”

Ye Xinian found his fury amusing, but said, “Okay.”

Of course, he had no intention of taking it down. In fact, he’d spend more money to keep it trending longer.

Still, he kept his tone soft and placated Xia Huaiming, putting on his sweetest act.

For the first time, Xia Huaiming wasn’t in the mood to keep chatting and urged him to get the post removed.

Just as Ye Xinian was about to hang up, a familiar voice sounded from the other end—

“I just took a shower in the dark again. I don’t know why the bathroom light keeps flickering…”

Ye Xinian’s pupils contracted slightly.

That was Song Jing’s voice.

The call ended. The line went dead.

Bathroom light flickering…

In an instant, Ye Xinian knew exactly where they were—the apartment Xia Huaiming had given to him.

It was a nice place in every way… except for the faulty bathroom light. It had acted up a few times when Ye Xinian still lived there.

So they were cheating, in his home.

No wonder they’d dared to mess around in the wedding suite before.

Ye Xinian took a deep breath and pushed down the nausea in his chest.

He pulled out his phone and checked the calendar.

Next Friday was Xia Huaiming’s birthday—

And also the second filming of Let’s Go Travel.

Just a little longer. He’s almost there.