ABOES 28: Program Suspended

The call this time was still from Officer Wang.

When Ye Xinian answered, he was browsing today’s Weibo hot search list.

Earlier, the production team of Let’s Travel Together officially announced that the show would be suspended starting today.

The moment the news came out, many fans panicked.

【? What’s going on?】

【Why is it suspended??】

【Ahhhhh my joy is gone QAQ】

【When will they resume filming? This was the only variety show I could see my idol on lately!】

【There must be a reason. You can’t just suspend filming for no reason, right?】

【Could it be related to yesterday’s livestream ban?】

【That’s actually pretty likely!】

Not long after, the netizens’ speculation was confirmed.

Ye Xinian’s follow-cam cameraman posted this on Weibo:

@XiaoZhangLovesPhotography: Sigh, the show suspension is actually my fault. I acted on impulse but I absolutely don’t regret it. So satisfying!

The fans and netizens instantly understood what had happened.

【What the hell.】

【Wasn’t Xiao Zhang Ye Xinian’s follow-cam guy?】

【Damn, then we’ve solved the case!】

【F***, so it really was because the livestream got banned?】

【Even if the stream was banned, it shouldn’t affect recording unless… oh hell, don’t tell me that the bastard surnamed Xia really sued the production team? If that’s the case, then suspension makes sense…】

The cameraman didn’t reply directly, but he did quietly like that comment.

This small gesture was essentially a silent confirmation of the guess.

The viewers and fans were furious, especially the fans of the other cast members, with Duan Zhiyan’s fans being the angriest.

Their idol had finally joined a variety show, and now they couldn’t even watch it. Fans were nearly exploding with rage!

Countless netizens and fans flooded Xia Huaiming’s Weibo to start a new round of verbal attacks.

【What the hell is wrong with you?】

【Tsk, you scumbag.】

【Give me back my idol!!! I’m fuming!】

【If this show really gets canceled, I’ll hold a grudge against you for life! The internet never forgets, Xia Huaiming!】

【Sobs, this was my girl’s only gig lately. I’m heartbroken!】

The more Ye Xinian scrolled through the comments, the guiltier he felt. Just as he was about to post a Weibo to apologize to viewers, Officer Wang’s call came in.

Ye Xinian didn’t ask for the results because the moment Officer Wang opened with “Congratulations,” he already knew what would follow.

He really wasn’t the biological son of Mr. and Mrs. Ye. His birth parents were someone else.

A strange, indescribable emotion rose in Ye Xinian’s heart, but the heavy stone that had weighed on his chest for years finally began to fall.

All these years—whether in this life or the last—Ye Xinian had always asked himself:

Why were his parents so biased?

Was it because he didn’t rank first in first grade? Or because he was too quiet and introverted to be likable?

He had worked so hard to be his best. After first grade, he always ranked in the top three. Top middle school. Top high school. Even top university.

But he still couldn’t compare to Ye Nan.

Born from the same womb, Ye Nan was pampered and protected, practically spoiled.

Being unloved for so long had left Ye Xinian with deep-rooted insecurity.

That’s why he had mistaken Song Jing for a true friend in his past life, and fallen for Xia Huaiming, a scumbag who just showed a bit of kindness.

Like a child starving for love—any scrap of warmth, and he would fall wholeheartedly.

After a long silence, Ye Xinian finally opened his mouth hoarsely, “Thank you, Officer Wang. I understand.”

Officer Wang gave a low reply, then after a pause, added, “When would you be free to come by the station? No rush, of course…”

Ye Xinian thought for a moment. “I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead,” Officer Wang said.

After organizing his thoughts, Ye Xinian asked, “Do… do my birth parents know already?”

“Yes. Before I called you, I had already notified them. They also know you’re not in the best state lately, so they specifically asked me to tell you—it’s fine if you don’t want to see them right away. They can wait. But…” He paused briefly before continuing, “But your father called me personally and asked if you could visit your grandmother first.”

Ye Xinian froze. “Grandmother?”

“Yes,” Officer Wang replied. “She’s ill—acute myeloid leukemia.”

Ye Xinian’s heart sank. “Leukemia?”

Officer Wang didn’t know much about the medical side. “It’s been a while. Your father said she’s been refusing treatment, and he’s really at his wits’ end. That’s why he was hoping you could visit her.”

“You probably don’t know, but this case has been sitting at our precinct for years. Your grandparents used to come often back then. Later, your grandfather got sick and passed away a couple years ago. After that, your grandmother stopped coming too.”

“I used to wonder why the old lady didn’t come anymore, it turns out it was because she fell ill…” Officer Wang sighed deeply, clearly moved by the twists of fate.

Ye Xinian fell silent again.

These so-called biological relatives that he’d never met, each one seemed to truly care about him but to Ye Xinian, they were still strangers linked by blood.

He didn’t know them. He didn’t know what the Chi family had been through all these years.

However, at the end of the day, he would still have to meet them. Whether they were rich or poor, they were bound to him by blood.

And they were people who truly cared about him.

After all, if they didn’t care, they wouldn’t have known about his recent struggles. They wouldn’t have told Officer Wang it was okay—they would wait.

After a long while, Ye Xinian finally spoke again, “Officer Wang… could you tell me about them?”

Officer Wang was momentarily stunned, then smiled with delight. “You mean you want to know about your parents?”

Ye Xinian nodded. “Yes. I want to understand a little first.”

Officer Wang hadn’t expected him to accept things so quickly. He was pleasantly surprised and suggested, “Then why don’t you come to the station this afternoon? Don’t worry, if you’re not ready to meet your parents, I’ll arrange everything.”

“Thank you for the trouble,” Ye Xinian said.

After hanging up, he let out a long breath.

The call screen closed, and the phone jumped back to the Weibo homepage.

Ye Xinian glanced at his profile. Since yesterday’s scandal, his follower count had jumped by hundreds of thousands, with countless netizens flooding his comments to show support.

Many were genuine fans, but most were sympathizing with his situation.

Originally, Ye Xinian didn’t plan on using this for pity, nor did he intend to respond on Weibo but now that the show was suspended because of him, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

His temple throbbed with pain. Taking a deep breath, he called Xie Yi.

The call was picked up quickly. “Xinian? Chu Wen and I are already in the car, we’ll be at your place in half an hour. I checked the script, there’s a web drama audition tomorrow, I’ll bring it over—”

Ye Xinian had to cut her off: “Xie Yi Jie,” he paused, then continued, “I might need to go to the station today and I might not make the audition tomorrow either.”

Xie Yi was clearly stunned. “Why? What happened? Did that bastard Xia Huaiming do something again?! Wait! Don’t panic, I’ll call a lawyer right now—”

Ye Xinian couldn’t help smiling faintly as he interrupted her again. “It’s not Xia Huaiming. Yi Jie, it’s about my biological parents.”

Xie Yi first breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately tensed again, “What?”

Ye Xinian calmly explained the situation.

Xie Yi was silent for a long time.

She had known Ye Xinian’s family situation was unusual, but not this unusual.

“Do you need me to go with you to the station?” she asked quickly. “I’m almost at your place.”

Ye Xinian smiled. “No need. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

“Then let Liu Ran take you over. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and mask. There are probably lots of people watching you right now,” she warned.

Ye Xinian agreed one by one, then added, “One more thing, is Yi Jie. I want to post something on Weibo.”

Xie Yi frowned. She could already guess why, even if Ye Xinian didn’t say it.

After thinking it over, she finally said, “Okay, go ahead. But be prepared—some overzealous fans might say awful things.”

Ye Xinian gave a grateful smile. “I understand.”

This whole mess had involved others. Even if he got cursed, he could accept that.

There was still plenty of time before his meeting with Officer Wang. First, Ye Xinian messaged Liu Ran to arrange pickup, then opened his Weibo.

After thinking for a bit, he wrote and posted the following.

@YeXinian: I’m very sorry that the production team had to suffer because of me. I sincerely apologize. I’ll contact the director and take full responsibility for the legal fees. Lastly, thank you all so much for your support. I’m doing fine, so don’t worry.

He had braced himself for criticism.

But what Ye Xinian didn’t expect was that shortly after he posted, Yunxing Entertainment and the Let’s Travel Together official account both reposted his Weibo.

@YunxingEntertainment: If the show’s suspended, then so be it—we’ll just do another one. As for the lawsuit costs, our treasure doesn’t need to worry at all. Don’t stress, the company’s got it!

@Let’sTravelTogetherOfficialWeibo: The company’s already reimbursed it! Xinian, why are you worrying? Get some rest at home, we’ll see you on the next show!

Even Duan Zhiyan reposted it.

@DuanZhiyan: Rest well. We can work together again on the next variety show.

At that moment, another notification popped up—“Duan Zhiyan has followed you.”