TSBDRA 33: The Innocent Need No Defense

“Besides, Xu Xishuang doesn’t have any friends, connections, or resources. He didn’t even hire a private investigator—it’s so clean and simple it’s hard to believe. How did he even find out about Tang Min?” The person on the other end was still puzzled. “It’s like he knew out of thin air…”

After speaking, the person waited smugly for Yan Yushan’s response. Instead of praise, what came back was his boss’s angry voice, “Did I tell you to look into Xu Xishuang?”

The person on the other end immediately tensed up. “B-Boss, I just thought, just in case…”

“No need to investigate him,” Yan Yushan said coldly. “Anything else to report?”

The other person: “No, Boss. Are we still going after Tang Min?”

“Mm.” Yan Yushan replied, “Once the dating show he’s on airs today—wait until it finishes, then release everything. Don’t worry about who’s backing him.”

The other person: “Got it, Boss. We’ll get it done right away.”

After hanging up, Yan Yushan stared at the photo of Xu Xishuang on his phone screen. He gently stroked the side of Xu Xishuang’s face with his index finger, then opened his contacts and tapped on a name.

A few seconds later, the call connected.

Yan Jingmo put down a signed document and got straight to the point. “Ran into trouble?”

It wasn’t common for Yan Yushan to call him first unless something big had happened.

“I need to mobilize some people,” Yan Yushan said bluntly. “Time’s tight. It might get a little messy and it could affect the family.”

Yan Jingmo chuckled. “That’s rare. You being impulsive. Is it for that Xu Xishuang guy?”

“Don’t rush to deny it,” Yan Jingmo said, amused. “Don’t forget, the people working for you also work for me. I just have to ask them to get the full picture.”

Yan Yushan let out a silent sigh. This was why he preferred not to talk to Yan Jingmo unless absolutely necessary—they knew each other too well. Their networks overlapped. If he wanted to pull something major, he couldn’t bypass his brother. Any tiny thought would be instantly exposed.

“I’ll say it again. If you really like him, settle it early. Don’t drag your feet,” Yan Jingmo said. “Also, when chasing someone, remember to rein in that temper of yours. Don’t just start yelling at people. You’ll scare him off. Xu Xishuang looks like he’s one gust away from flying off—he can’t handle your temper.”

Yan Jingmo rarely spoke this much. Ever since the incident, the lively, cheerful version of him had been replaced by this silent one. Only with family did he occasionally let down his guard and say more.

“I won’t,” Yan Yushan replied softly. “I can’t even care for him enough.”

Yan Jingmo looked genuinely surprised. “Are you really my brother? My brother actually said he wants to care for someone?”

Yan Yushan’s eyebrow twitched.

Yan Jingmo recovered quickly and continued, “Don’t worry about the family. Those people still can’t touch us. Do what you need to do.”

With phone in his left hand and paintbrush in his right, Yan Yushan dabbed some blue onto the canvas while replying, “Thanks, ge.”

“No need to thank me. Just bring him home soon and make Mom happy,” Yan Jingmo said. “I won’t be settling down in this life. She’s only got you to pin her hopes on.”

“I know,” Yan Yushan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m hanging up. Get back to work.”

He ended the call cleanly and continued painting.

Meanwhile, Xu Xishuang had just finished watering the flowers. He put the watering can aside and went into the side door. He grabbed a few wet wipes and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his forehead and neck.

He had been thinking about getting a haircut for days now, but between laziness and lack of opportunity—and Yan Yushan not allowing him to use sharp objects—his hair was still longer than most guys’, almost touching his shoulders.

He casually pulled out a small hair tie he’d bought online a few days ago and loosely tied his hair back into a little ponytail. Then he took the elevator upstairs.

Outside his room, he instinctively glanced across the hallway.

Yan Yushan’s door was open, but it looked empty inside. Xu Xishuang turned back, opened his own door, went in, locked it, and flopped onto the bed.

He found a comfortable spot, propped a soft pillow behind his waist, pulled out his phone, and waited for Can I Like You to start streaming.

As the undisputed top star, Yan Yushan’s participation had given Can I Like You another popularity boost. Even the short teaser released earlier had already been rewatched countless times by netizens. Now that the full episode was finally airing, many people even bought subscriptions just to watch it right away.

The show aired every Friday at 6:30 PM. Most people had already left work and were commuting with phones out, headphones on, ready to hit play.

【Ahhhh finally it’s here!】

【First】

【Nope, you’re not first anymore】

【I’m so happy—today we get Yan-ge’s dating show, tomorrow we get his gaming show】

【Heads up, Yan Yushan didn’t attend the recording of the big variety show on Fruit Channel. I was there—he wasn’t】

【Yeah, no Yushan. The show’s official account said he had something urgent and couldn’t make it】

Seeing those comments, Xu Xishuang—who was about to skip the opening—suddenly froze. He remembered something.

The day he recorded Can I Like You, Yan Yushan had originally been scheduled to rehearse a different show in Studio 2. That day, Yan Yushan had joined him for the dating show recording… and went home with him afterward. He hadn’t left again since.

…So, did Yan Yushan skip that prime-time variety show because of him?

Xu Xishuang pushed the thought aside, deciding to finish this episode before asking him.

【It’s starting! It’s starting!】

He ignored the barrage of fan comments on screen and focused on the content. He’s curious how much the director had cut and how the final edit looked.

【Holy crap, who is this guy—he’s so good-looking! That’s Xu Xishuang?】

【Film Emperor Yan living up to his name. The moment he walked in, all the guests stood up lol】

【The regular cast’s shocked expressions are hilarious】

【Why did it just start out of nowhere? No greetings? No questions?】

【LOL who would dare ask Yan Yushan personal questions?】

To Xu Xishuang’s surprise, the director had cut almost nothing. Every question he had asked, every conversation with Bai Keke—they had kept it all.

【LOL I’m dying, Xu Xishuang is so cute】

【I officially declare Xu Xishuang my new adorable dummy wife. Heehee, I’ll teach you how to date!】

【Even without the bone structure, he’s captivating… Film Emperor Yan, you really are the king of roasts】

【Help! Xu Xishuang’s so confused—when the other guests rewatch this they’ll probably die of embarrassment, he exposed all their little thoughts hahaha】

【How is someone this pretty and I don’t even remember him?! He must be new】

【FYI, our darling Shuangshuang has been an actor for a few years now, just super low-profile so he’s not famous】

Because Xu Xishuang had so many scenes, more people started discussing him, and some even began explaining his past roles. Among his tiny fanbase—which was just a sliver compared to Yan Yushan’s—some active fans were now inviting others to follow him.

Seeing the scrolling comments, Xu Xishuang moved his fingers to open the input box, planning to send a message as an “insider”:【Xu Xishuang will be leaving the industry soon. No need to follow him.】But before he could finish typing, the tone of the comments shifted.

【He’s faking it. No way someone can actually be this clueless.】

【How does this not feel fake? If he’s clueless about love, why would he stir up a CP with Yan Yushan before?】

【Am I the only one who finds him annoying? He talks more than the regular cast—Tang Min barely got a word in】

【Yan Yushan didn’t say much either because Xu Xishuang totally hogged the spotlight. Does he have no self-awareness? Desperate to get famous or what?】

With love comes hate—Xu Xishuang had learned this long ago, even before transmigrating into this book, when he filmed dramas. He didn’t care if they were trolls or paid haters. Shrugging, he hit send.

【Leaving the industry? The sooner the better. Someone this irrelevant quitting just means fewer wasted resources.】

【Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang are friends, didn’t they already say so? Why are some people being so nasty about it?】

【This is the first time I’ve seen a dating show blow up over CP drama between celebrity guests… usually it’s the regular participants getting all the heat.】

【Ahhh the person who said Yan Yushan stopped talking, show yourself—he wasn’t talking because he was staring at Xu Xishuang the whole time!!!】

【I swear this isn’t just my delusion! I didn’t even ship their CP before, but go watch it—Yan Yushan was flat-out staring at Xu Xishuang, no attempt to hide it at all!】

Xu Xishuang’s eyebrow twitched. He forced himself to ignore the comments and skipped ahead.

Sure enough, Yan Yushan had been watching him almost the entire time, rarely looking elsewhere. He himself had been engrossed in chatting with Bai Keke—completely oblivious.

…He didn’t notice but didn’t the crew and editors notice either?

In truth, Xu Xishuang was wrong to blame the production team. Of course they noticed. They wanted to cut it but if they did, there would be barely any footage of Yan Yushan left!

Yan Yushan’s appearance was their biggest draw. If the final cut showed almost no scenes of him, his fans would riot.

So they had no choice but to air it all. They tried to shift focus toward Xu Xishuang, Bai Keke, and the regular guests, hoping viewers wouldn’t catch on.

That clearly failed. Viewers noticed quickly, and the buzz grew hotter. Now the whole comment feed was about Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang.

【Don’t tell me this is just friendship. That look is not innocent, Film Emperor Yan】

【I watched the whole show at 3x speed—Yushan stared at Xu Xishuang for 80% of the time】

【If he’d just looked at him less, I could still lie to myself they were just friends】

【So… no one’s interested in the regular guests’ love lines anymore?】

【Starting to wonder who this dating show is really about】

Yan Yushan’s fans started to panic. They’d never seen him act this way toward anyone.

Several major fan accounts held emergency meetings, then tried to calm the more volatile fans. They even sent someone to ask his manager directly what was going on. If Yan Yushan really planned to date, they needed time to prepare.

Since his debut as an actor and eventual rise to Film Emperor, his fans had always known he might settle down one day. He had never been linked to anyone and was always focused on work. His looks also drew a large number of younger girlfriend-boyfriend fans. Their hatred for Xu Xishuang was the strongest—some even started leaving insults on his Weibo.

Kong-jie, upon receiving word: …She knew this day would come.

She just didn’t expect it to come this fast!

Grimacing, she called Yan Yushan to ask what was really going on.

Upstairs, Yan Yushan had lost track of time. Fully immersed in painting Xu Xishuang’s face, he frowned when the phone rang and set his brush down.

“What’s wrong, Kong-jie?” he asked.

“Check online,” she said weakly. “You kept staring at Xu Xishuang during the dating show. Netizens are saying your relationship looks suspicious. Everyone wants to know if you two are dating. Give me an answer—how are we responding?”

There was silence on the line.

“…Yan Yushan? Are you listening?”

“I’m listening,” he replied.

He had just been reading Xu Xishuang’s messages.

Xu Xishuang: “Did you watch this week’s ‘Can I Like You’?”

Xu Xishuang: “Looks like our CP is trending again. Do we need to clarify it?”

Staring at the word “clarify,” Yan Yushan thought that Xu Xishuang still didn’t like him. He didn’t want to admit his one-sided feelings, dragging Xu Xishuang into more drama.

So he replied: “No need to respond.”

He smiled wryly and continued typing: “The innocent need no defense.”

He knew he wasn’t innocent about Xu Xishuang but since Xu Xishuang didn’t reciprocate, there was no relationship, just friendship. That wasn’t a lie. Since there was no real evidence, as long as they said nothing, netizens would eventually convince themselves otherwise.

So Yan Yushan replied to Kong-jie, “No need to respond to anything. Let them think what they want.”

Kong-jie rubbed her temples: “Fine. It’s your studio anyway.”

She gave the fans an official reply. The fan representative relayed the message, calmed the others, and—as Yan Yushan predicted—started convincing themselves and others.

【Yan-ge said he and Xu Xishuang are friends. He watched him because he was worried about his health】

【Yeah, he probably noticed something was off and stayed alert in case he needed help. That’s why he took him to the hospital so quickly】

【It’s pure friendship. CP shippers should just stick to their own corners, don’t spread nonsense here】

With sheer numbers, Yan Yushan’s fans soon reclaimed the comments section, drowning out talk of romance.

Xu Xishuang had just sighed in relief when he got a message from Guoguo.

Guoguo: “Are you dating behind Mama’s back?!”

Xu Xishuang: “…Since when did you become my mom fan?”

Guoguo: “Don’t try to change the subject!”

Xu Xishuang: “No, really. I’m not in that kind of relationship with Yan Yushan.”

Guoguo: “I’ll tentatively believe you. So can I post the proof now?”

Xu Xishuang: “Go ahead. Don’t forget to tag the show for traffic.”

Guoguo: “Mm-hmm!”