Chapter 93

Some people, when spreading rumors, can fabricate thousands of words of slander from a single shred of evidence. Yet, when their claims are disproven, they suddenly demand rigorous proof, dismissing anything even slightly imperfect as inconclusive.

[This isn’t a real rebuttal; no one directly said it’s Ye Chen. [doubt] ]

[+1, I don’t get why YC fans are so ecstatic.]

[YC fans, stop clinging to the National Medical Research Institute. [shrug] ]

While trolls clung stubbornly to their narrative, Ye Chen, at the center of the storm, finally broke his silence with a new Weibo post.

Ye Chen V:

[It’s a great honor to meet Nobel Prize winner Academician Zhang Zhaoqian. I am also deeply honored that my family’s traditional formula could make a small contribution to the research conducted by Academician Zhang and his team. I believe your work will bring hope to those suffering from illness. [heart] ]

The post included a photo of Ye Chen and Zhang Zhaoqian standing side by side. Ye Chen, dressed formally, appeared humble and respectful, slightly bowing to accommodate Zhang’s shorter height—a gesture that earned him goodwill from onlookers.

As trolls scrambled for a last-ditch effort, the National Medical Research Institute’s official Weibo account unexpectedly liked Ye Chen’s post. The seamless coordination between the two sides made it seem as though the institute was owned by Ye Chen himself.

Having endured relentless trolling, Ye Chen’s fans seized the moment to counterattack. With renewed vigor, they fired back:

[Face-slapping delivered at lightning speed, hahaha!]

[Hello? The ones accusing us of clout-chasing earlier—still here? Come out and face the music. Don’t play dead. [smile]]

After venting their frustration, the fans shifted focus to Ye Chen’s store and the family formula.

[Chen Chen opened a shop without telling us? Order placed. [ok] ]

[Our boy is from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners?! No wonder he’s so good at planting things—was he trained by growing herbs, haha!]

[Wuwuwu, I cleared the stock. Chenbao, can I get a signed photo?]

[A traditional medicine heir breaking into showbiz, secretly opening a shop to sell medicine—this could be the plot of a novel, hahaha.]

The trolls, dealt a heavy blow, fell silent for a while. But they soon regrouped and shifted their attack to the formula’s effectiveness, attempting to portray Ye Chen as a charlatan harming patients.

[The official account only said it’s a ‘new direction for treatment.’ How effective it is remains to be seen. Plenty of similar research in the medical field ends inconclusively. And now fans are hyping up the whole traditional medicine heir angle—awkward.]

[+1, let’s wait for the research to fail and see who gets slapped then.]

[In this day and age, still touting traditional medicine formulas? Obviously a scam…]

As the debate reignited, a few comments with a vastly different tone quickly rose to the top, garnering significant likes:

[I’m a family member of a patient. My father was a miner and has suffered from pneumoconiosis, bedridden and reliant on oxygen for years. Two months ago, a fellow patient recommended this spray for symptom relief. My dad tried it, and now he can walk again. If you don’t believe me, check my Weibo for his medical records over the years. If I’m lying, may lightning strike me dead! I’m just afraid your negativity will affect the research and sales of this life-saving product!]

[Have a conscience. You don’t understand the pain we endure. If you know nothing about the medicine, don’t recklessly criticize it and take away our last hope!]

[Patients with financial difficulties can get the spray for free by presenting their medical records and proof of poverty. Key point: free. My dad’s been using it, and his condition has improved. Please boost this!]

The accounts liking these comments were partly hired bots, but the commenters themselves were genuine. Many were patients or family members who had benefitted from Yun Song’s spray after years of fruitless attempts at treatment. Their past posts about seeking medical help were enough to verify their credibility. They cared little about celebrity fandom wars and only wanted to protect the spray—their last, effective lifeline—from the storm of negative publicity.

This successive series of face-slapping shattered the trolls’ meticulously constructed “Dimension Hammer No. 1.”

While the health product industry is notorious for scams, Ye Chen’s product turned out to be surprisingly reliable. Not only was the production process legitimate, but the product also genuinely helped many people in pain. The trolls’ desperate attempts to drag Ye Chen down only boosted his reputation, allowing him to rise to the moral high ground. From this point on, the trolls could do little more than mock his unconventional image, finding no new material to exploit.

The first wave of accusations had lost momentum, so the trolls shifted their focus to another angle, mocking Ye Chen for “dating while leeching off Shen Mofeng.”

[They and Bi An’an must’ve turned their on-screen romance into the real deal, right?]

[Tsk tsk, secretly dating while still clinging to the Film Emperor to hype up CP rumors. Talk about having it all.]

[And now he’s wormed his way into Shen Mofeng’s studio. Say what you will about YC, but his thigh-hugging skills are easily top-tier in the industry.]

Not long after, Bi An’an’s Weibo account released a statement. The first half was the usual platitudes, denying any romantic relationship and calling on everyone to stop spreading rumors, with promises of legal action against defamers. But the second half? That was a different story.

It included a surprisingly unique financial statement. A quick glance revealed a list of mundane items like potatoes, cabbages, and tomatoes—reading more like a wholesale market invoice. The quantities were listed by the ton, and the recipients were various Hope Schools funded by Bi An’an. At the bottom of the statement was Ye Chen’s flamboyant signature.

Bi An’an V:

[The above are the ingredients for charity lunches supplied to Hope Schools funded by me, with the expenses covered by Ye Chen. Upon learning about my efforts in philanthropy, he expressed a desire to provide long-term, stable support for underprivileged students despite having no prior experience. Thus, he privately consulted me on multiple occasions regarding these matters. Our relationship is strictly limited to this, so please refrain from overinterpreting or distorting his motives for engaging in charity work. When poor, one should cultivate their virtue; when wealthy, they should share their blessings. That’s all there is to it.]

The statement concluded with over a dozen photos of Ye Chen visiting various Hope Schools. In every picture, Ye Chen was surrounded by smiling children, grinning himself with his signature dimples on full display.

Immediately, the comments section was flooded with fans of Bi An’an, Ye Chen, and hired PR accounts working together to maintain control. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive:

[Just how many good deeds has our little brother done behind our backs?! [Angry emoji] ]

[Thank you, haters. Without you, we wouldn’t have known how amazing Chen Chen is.]

[After reading this, I bought 100 charity lunches too. Chen Chen, way to go! [Picture] ]

Meanwhile, any trending topics unfavorable to Ye Chen had been swiftly taken down. Replacing them on the trending list were posts debunking rumors and lavish praises for Ye Chen:

#TheBestYeChen#

#YeChenSponsorsPoorPatientsForFree#

#YeChenCharityLunches#

#BiAn’AnDeniesRelationship#

For a moment, the trolls lost their morale. Ye Chen stood firm on the moral high ground, and any further attacks would only draw backlash from neutral bystanders.

[Hah, the trending topics got wiped fast. Wonder how much this PR stunt cost.]

[Is Shen Mofeng’s studio dead set on protecting him? What’s the deal with Shen Mofeng anyway?]

As soon as Shen Mofeng’s name came up, his possessive fanbase—who also happened to despise Ye Chen—rallied once again. Regaining their momentum, they launched another offensive, determined to drive a wedge between their “cloud boyfriend” and Ye Chen:

[Hah, what’s there to say about Shen Mofeng? It’s Ye Chen who’s shameless enough. I heard that during 《Aspiration For The Throne》 filming, Ye Chen practically waited on Shen Mofeng hand and foot, treating him like a god. There were crew members everywhere, yet Ye Chen insisted on personally preparing Shen Mofeng’s three meals a day. [Smile emoji] Even after filming wrapped, he kept throwing himself at Shen Mofeng, desperately trying to please him. If I had such an obedient dog, I’d toss it a few bones too. [Smile emoji] ]

[+1. Ye Chen stans, stop deluding yourselves. The hundred-billion Film Emperor and sole heir to the Shen family fortune—is your guy, who worked part-time in a diner, really worthy? xswl [dying laughing emoji].]

[Besides, Shen Mofeng signed Ye Chen into his studio to make money off him. Helping him with PR is perfectly normal—it’s just business. Nobody wants their cash cow to collapse before it starts producing. Stop making everything about that ‘angle.’]

The public opinion online experienced several twists and turns, with the focus repeatedly shifting. Eventually, it settled on Ye Chen’s attempts to flatter and cling to Shen Mofeng, along with the issue of Ye Chen’s fans “contributing” to him. After all, this angle seemed to leave no room for a reversal—Shen Mofeng would never issue a statement saying, “Ye Chen didn’t cling to me,” right?

Long-time haters, seizing on the trending heat, relentlessly pursued this angle, occasionally throwing in random insults about other matters that quickly got suppressed. However, just when it seemed like the negative attention had died down, it came roaring back. At that moment, Shen Mofeng dropped a “statement” like a bombshell, exploding in the middle of the trolls’ frenzy.

Shen Mofeng V:

[My little boy, Ye Chen.]

The photo showed two hands tightly clasped together, with a beach in the background.

It was Shen Mofeng’s public declaration of their relationship, and it was a bit too bold, a little over the top.

It had to be done more carefully.

—That’s what Shen Mofeng thought.

After a brief flurry of “?” and “???” flooding the screen, Shen Mofeng’s comment section was soon overwhelmed with screams and a storm of questions.

[Is it official now?! Did you finally announce your relationship?!Has the FengYe girl really made it?![

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: It’s true.

[No way! I refuse to believe it!!![

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: You have to believe it.

[When are you two going to register your marriage abroad? Can you hurry up? I’m really anxious.]

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: I can go anytime, it’s up to Chen Chen, I’m also very eager.

[Oh my God, when did it start? I’m going to cry! Please, we need details! We can’t miss this chance for some extra traffic!]

Amidst the hundreds of thousands of comments, Shen Mofeng caught this one and responded in a flurry: Alright, here’s the detail: I first noticed Chen Chen when we were filming 《Aspiration For The Throne》…

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: …He was always waiting for me, and at that time, this bowl of fish soup felt like home…

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: …That day, I arrived in Florence, and it hadn’t snowed there in many years. But the day I went, there was fine snow falling from the sky…

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comments: …Our families are only separated by a wall now, but I’m a serious person, I don’t [explicit], I asked Chen Chen to turn…

Ye Chen: …

In response to the many comments, Shen Mofeng quickly fired off several replies.

Ye Chen, standing nearby, covered his face with one hand. He was curious but couldn’t bear to look directly at it. He could only peek through his fingers, blushing with embarrassment, feeling like he wanted to smack Shen Mofeng.

Shen Mofeng shamelessly coaxed, “Baby, I didn’t mean to say so much.”

Ye Chen chuckled, “Got it, you were forced, right?”

Shen Mofeng sighed with a weary expression: “The audience are our parents in terms of food and clothing, we can’t afford to offend them, so I must answer whatever they ask.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head and frantically typed, responding to fans’ questions.

— I’m really just helping with the cooking. Do you think I’d let Chen Chen do everything?

— I saw that post in the fan club, the analysis was good, mostly accurate, but there are a few details that don’t match reality…

[I’ve never seen an artist so active after revealing their relationship, answering fan questions like this. Am I living in a dream? Why don’t you publish a memoir about you and Ye Chen? It would definitely sell like crazy.”

[Publish a memoir +1]

[+2]

Shen Mofeng V replied to the comment: Sure, but you guys asked for it. I never even thought about it myself.

[You’re something else! Still blaming the fans?! Are you afraid Chen Chen will beat you up, hahaha…]

[I actually really understand, Old Shen must’ve been holding this in for months, haha. With his personality, he should’ve come out long ago, but Chen Chen is shy and probably didn’t want to announce it. What a good guy, getting all bottled up.]

[Bro, bro, can you please stop talking for a second? Can you leave some space for us FengYe fans to work our own sugar? Don’t you understand the fun of shipping a couple?!]

[Please, bro, shut up +1.]

[CP fans being force-fed sugar by the real deal… wasn’t it someone who said Wind Ge would strip and run last time…]

The atmosphere was celebratory, and any discordant voices in the comment section were immediately drowned out by the happy fans of FengYe.

Meanwhile, the haters, who had been beaten down by the string of twists today, were still trying to make a last-ditch effort, attempting to create a weak narrative that Shen Mofeng and Ye Chen wouldn’t last.

However, to their surprise, Shen Mofeng didn’t just hold back—he went for the kill. Before the haters had even begun to establish their narrative, Shen Mofeng’s tweet announcing his relationship, with over 100,000 shares, was immediately reposted by another major influencer.

Shen Ting V:

[From now on, we’re one family.]

The accompanying photo showed Shen Mofeng, his parents, and Ye Chen together, with the background clearly in Shen Ting’s home.

Although Shen Ting’s Twitter didn’t have as much heat as his son, the newly crowned film emperor, it still had over 20 million followers as a well-known entrepreneur.

At that moment, Shen Mofeng was soaring to the peak of his career, but suddenly, his father had just stolen a little bit of his spotlight.

Shen Ting’s tweet quickly became the subject of intense attention, and the comments were filled with jealous remarks.

[Calling you daddy every day, but now you’re someone else’s daddy… [Jealous] ]

[Wuwu, I’m so jealous of Ye Chen! What a chosen child! [Jealous][Jealous] ]

[I’ve been studying the stars, and it seems your family’s yang energy is too strong and lacking a goddaughter. How about me?]

Shen Ting V replied to the comment: Thank you, I already have two sons, that’s enough.

When netizens realized that Shen Ting also selectively responded to comments, they became even more excited.

[May I ask, are you satisfied with Ye Chen?]

Shen Ting V replied to the comment: Very satisfied.

[Your wife is really graceful!]

Shen Ting V replied to the comment: Elegant and dignified.

[Mrs. Shen is so beautiful! No wonder she could give birth to such a handsome son.]

Shen Ting V replied to the comment: Yes, my wife is the most beautiful.

Shen Mofeng: “…”

Ye Chen happily scrolled through Shen Ting’s Weibo, exclaiming, “You’re really like Uncle…”

The attention-seeking… no, the attention-grabbing genes must be on the Y chromosome. It wasn’t wasted at all, all passed down to the son…

The author has something to say:

Shen Mofeng: Naked! Running! Shouting!

Ye Chen: “…”

Shen Ting: You guys are still far from it, hehe, young people.

Shen Mofeng: ?

Shen Ting: Back in the day, when I first met your mother…

Ten minutes later.

Shen Ting: Then, your mother remembered me…

Ten minutes later.

Shen Ting: This was the first time your mother rejected me. I regrouped and continued to pursue her…

Ten minutes later…

Ten minutes…

Ten…

…