Chapter 43

Just a few seconds after sending this message, Ye Chen suddenly felt uneasy and hastily retracted it.

Shen Mofeng’s breathing became heavy. “Too late, I heard it.”

Not only did he hear it, but he also had a vivid image in his mind.

Ye Chen’s gaze became vacant, his soul seemingly drifting away: “…”

He had definitely searched for the phrase “kneeling and licking” before!

How could this happen?!

Shen Mofeng seemed to know what he was thinking and kindly explained: Sometimes when you search for keywords on Weibo, it doesn’t show everything, but if you scroll through each post, you might find it.

In other words, if the account selling accounts posted a hundred Weibo posts with the words “kneeling and licking,” Ye Chen might only see ninety of them when searching, while the other ten might not show up in the search results but can still be found by scrolling through the timeline. This is a bug in Weibo, with its randomness and annoyance.

Not everyone is aware of this bug… like Ye Chen.

Ye Chen: “…”

Isn’t Weibo causing trouble?!

Before Ye Chen could gather his thoughts, Shen Mofeng sent another ultimate move.

It was a series of pool photos Shen Mofeng had taken for a well-known foreign magazine many years ago. The scale was quite large, with Shen Mofeng wearing swim trunks and draped in a towel. Between his two well-defined chest muscles was a shallow groove, glistening with water droplets. The two lines of muscles extended into the edge of the swim trunks, disappearing… This wasn’t just suggestive, it was downright provocative.

And in the repost of this post…

— “Ahhh! I f***ing have social security! I don’t care, I don’t care, I have Gege’s baby in my belly, wuwuwu…”

Clearly, this “social security” line was also hidden by Weibo’s bug.

For a moment, Ye Chen’s mind went blank. After a while, he dryly said, “Shen Ge, in my belly… at most, there’s your meal…”

Shen Mofeng was originally in a good mood, but upon hearing this, he burst into laughter.

He didn’t doubt that this account was fake. Although he hadn’t been in a relationship, he knew what people in the circle were like. If you looked at it from a stereotypical perspective, many soft and cute zeros(bootoms) did indeed speak in a more “girlish” manner privately. Saying there’s a baby in the belly was something they could say.

On the other side, Ye Chen briefly switched perspectives, putting himself in Shen Mofeng’s shoes to think about the situation. Suppose there’s a male artist who’s a fan of Ye Chen, publicly showing respect and admiration, behaving in a submissive manner like a grandson, but secretly harboring homosexual feelings for him, fantasizing about him in those ways on Weibo—kneeling and licking, social security, having a baby… indulging in those kinds of fantasies about him.

Ye Chen felt repulsed, his hair standing on end.

Oh no, Shen Ge must think I’m disgusting… Ye Chen panicked, his face flushed, futilely trying to explain, “Shen Ge, I was wrong, please don’t be mad at me. I don’t disrespect you or have those inappropriate thoughts. I just wasn’t thinking, I saw others posting those things, so I followed suit. I’m straight, I could never think of you like that. I promise I won’t follow such trends in the future, I’ll use my brain more…”

—While crying and pleading for forgiveness, he hurriedly logged into Weibo to start a second round of frantic deletions.

Shen Mofeng couldn’t even be bothered to mock Ye Chen for claiming to be straight. He calmly said, “I guess you’re preparing to delete your Weibo. Well, I’ve already scrolled back to January last year and taken dozens of screenshots. If you start deleting now, it won’t make any difference.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen’s facial features scrunched up in distress: “…”

No wonder there hadn’t been any activity all day!

My Shen Ge, a dignified actor, is he really this idle? How idle?!

Ye Chen wiped his sweat vigorously, typing out a sincere apology: “Shen Ge, it’s all my fault. If I made you uncomfortable, I’m really sorry. I apologize.”

At this moment, he even prepared to confess about his fake Weibo account to Shen Mofeng, and he had his excuses ready: because he wasn’t in the habit of reposting celebrity news, there was nothing about Shen Mofeng on his real account. He was afraid his idol would be unhappy if he saw it, so he resorted to such tactics to win his favor… which was mostly true.

As for the fact that he had been a fake fan all along, he would never admit to it…

Shen Mofeng lightly sneered, “I’m not disgusted, nor am I angry with you. I just sent those screenshots to tease you… Don’t overreact.”

His tone was generally normal, not filled with the anger Ye Chen had imagined. Initially relieved, Ye Chen sighed deeply, marveling at Shen Ge’s ability to remain calm even in such situations. However, his relief lasted only a few seconds before he sensed there was more to Shen Mofeng’s words. He quickly became alert and asked, “If you’re not angry with me, then… what are you angry about?”

Shen Mofeng chuckled coldly and sent another screenshot.

The screenshot showed news about a rising young actor starring in a popular online drama adaptation of a major IP. This young actor’s name was Zhang Kunhao, two years senior to Ye Chen in terms of debut, and he portrayed a rebellious and handsome character. Ye Chen had worked with him last year in the same campus drama mentioned in the Weibo post. Ye Chen played the role of the studious and excellent male second lead, while Zhang Kunhao played the arrogant campus bully male lead, and they were often seen together with other cast members.

The repost by the young woman said: “What should I do? I want to climb a wall. Ahhh! Zhang Kunhao is super handsome and super polite in real life, with perfect skin. You can’t even see his pores up close…”

Ye Chen exclaimed in disbelief: “Ah ah ah!”

Are you trying to catch Zhang Kunhao’s attention, Xiao Jiejie? What’s with this tone of close contact?

And why are you still climbing walls when you’ve been a fan of his for three years, Xiao Jiejie?!

Is my Shen Ge inferior to Zhang Kunhao?! My Shen Ge’s acting skills and attractiveness index can turn him into scum in seconds!

Seeing Ye Chen not responding for a long time, Shen Mofeng typed: hello? Chen Chen, are you still there?

Shen Mofeng: Do you want to explain to your real idol?

Even the inexperienced virgin Ye Chen couldn’t help but feel as if he had been caught cheating by his legitimate wife. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he replied embarrassedly: It’s just… casual talk.

Shen Mofeng scrutinized his words: “Want to climb the wall,” did you climb it?

Ye Chen replied instantly: No, I didn’t!

Shen Mofeng: How long did you “want” to?

Ye Chen sweated profusely: Not long, just a day.

Shen Mofeng leisurely queried: You worked together on a web drama, had close contact, and then fell for him?

Ye Chen: I really didn’t like him, it was just a passing thought.

Shen Mofeng chuckled at his wording but pretended to be displeased, teasing nonsensically: Am I not as handsome as him?

Ye Chen: You’re the most handsome, really. He’s just attractive at first sight.

Shen Mofeng: Are you sure?

Ye Chen: “…”

Ye Chen, full of the will to survive, coaxed: He’s not even that attractive at first sight. I must have been blind just now.

Shen Mofeng laughed until his stomach hurt: Then am I not as polite as him?

Ye Chen: You’re polite, and you’re even more gentlemanly.

Before Shen Mofeng could ask the next question, Ye Chen volunteered: And your skin is better than his, you don’t even have pores.

Shen Mofeng was soothed by his flattery and was about to let the matter go, but Ye Chen, thinking himself clever, added: And your body is better than his, he has a little belly. He actually relies on post-production.

Shen Mofeng suddenly felt annoyed again: Have you seen it?

Ye Chen asserted confidently: Yes! I’ve seen it clearly!

Because we filmed a scene together where we had swimming lessons!

Shen Mofeng: “…”

Just because of that extra sentence, Ye Chen had to coax Shen Mofeng for another five minutes to make him feel comfortable.

Ye Chen poured his heart out: Shen Ge, I’ve genuinely idolized you my whole life. Everything else isn’t true fandom, it’s just *ephemeral^[1]過眼雲煙(guò yǎn yún yān) – idiom: fleeting, as transient as a fleeting cloud and casual stanning…

As Ye Chen spoke, he felt like a smooth-talking scumbag, as if he were saying to his legitimate wife, “I’ve only loved you in my whole life, I was just casually playing around with the other women.”

…Is Shen Ge’s heart really so broad, or is it narrow, demanding such high loyalty from fans? Ye Chen was bewildered by Shen Mofeng’s actions, feeling that it was almost like jealousy, but this speculation was too bold and outrageous, so Ye Chen quickly suppressed it.

Finally, Shen Mofeng showed great mercy: Alright, let’s forget about this.

Ye Chen collapsed on the bed, limbs weak: “…”

Now was the time for regret, deep regret.

Before he could fully calm down, Shen Mofeng called again.

Ye Chen answered the phone, feeling powerless: “Shen Ge.”

Shen Mofeng warned: “Don’t delete your Weibo, don’t set it to private. I have a lot of screenshots. If you secretly delete any of them, I’ll find out.”

Ye Chen, with this intention: “…”

Shen Mofeng threatened coldly: “If I find out, I’ll…”

Ye Chen trembled, and took a breath towards the edge of disobeying his Imperial Father: “What will you do?”

Shen Mofeng: “I’ll confiscate your alt account.”

Ye Chen wailed: “What are you after…”

Shen Mofeng suppressed a laugh: “Just for fun.”

Ye Chen held back his tears: “Then have fun, as long as you’re not angry…”

A real man wouldn’t mind letting his savior have some fun, right?!

A seemingly irreparable situation was glossed over so casually.

Ye Chen didn’t dare to erase his alt account, but fortunately, Shen Mofeng didn’t mention it again, as if he truly didn’t care. Ye Chen felt anxious for a few days, but seeing Shen Mofeng’s silence and being busy with shooting schedules and farming, he didn’t have time to overthink. The lingering worry in his heart gradually dissipated.

Two days before New Year’s Eve, Ye Chen finished a series of tasks arranged by Gu Qiu and hurried to Italy. This endorsement shooting assignment lasted for seven days, excluding the time spent traveling. It was officially stated as sacrificing the Spring Festival holiday for work, but in reality, it was no different from a vacation in Italy. The brand was very generous, arranging for someone to take care of all of Ye Chen’s expenses while abroad. What’s more, Ye Chen didn’t stay in a hotel but in a luxurious private villa with a charming appearance, reminiscent of a castle. It was said that the brand specially provided it for Ye Chen, showing their sincerity.

“The fireplace can still make a fire.” Xiao Gao, looking inexperienced, squatted in front of the fireplace, studying it. “How do you make a fire? Like in the movies…”

“I’m skilled at making fires. I do it every day in the village,” Ye Chen said with a simple smile, rolling up his sleeves and approaching. “Do you want to see me make one for you?”

“…” Xiao Gao swallowed nervously. “No, it’s okay.”

In the end, my Chen Ge’s broken painting style can’t be reversed…

The author has something to say:

It’s coming soon, this time it’s really fast…

For those worried that I’ll seriously torture Shen Ge, don’t worry! Both sides are taken into consideration! (。

Small overturns bring joy. The big overturn will have to wait until Chen Chen falls in love with Shen Ge, and they become all lovey-dovey and sticky to the point of no return. Then, there’s no fear of the story going off the rails… It’s all about inclinations and interests. [doge]