A sudden wave of public gossip came and went quickly. Within just two or three days, barely anyone was talking about it anymore, as new rumors quickly replaced it.

Gossip lovers are always fickle; they never linger too long in one melon patch.

According to the follow-up information Qin Mingyuan received, Yun Yuexian was indeed facing some challenges. While the promotion of the film remained unaffected, his other appearances had decreased, and two endorsement deals had been canceled.

It was obvious who was behind this. As for whether Liang Zichen did anything to help him, that remained unknown.

Qin Mingyuan’s life was peaceful for a while, until the end of July, when his original body’s parents returned from abroad.

“Birthday?”

After getting off the plane, they went straight back to the Qin family villa. Qin Mingyuan, after finishing his work, made time to go over.

“Honey, you’ve been so busy with work that you’ve forgotten about your own birthday. The day after tomorrow is your birthday! Why else would your father and I rush back so urgently? We haven’t celebrated your birthday properly in years, and this time, we’re going to do it right,” Zeng Lianyi said, disapprovingly, with a hint of guilt.

The day after tomorrow was the 25th… Qin Mingyuan lowered his eyes. He hadn’t realized that his birthday was the same day as the original body’s, something that hadn’t been mentioned in the book, so he naturally didn’t know.

Seeing him not respond, Zeng Lianyi assumed he had completely forgotten. She sighed, then quickly became excited again. “I’ve been thinking, we should throw a big birthday party for you at the villa! Invite lots of people and fill the house with guests. Let’s pile up the birthday gifts for our darling!”

Qin Mingyuan quickly vetoed the idea. If she really went through with it, his birthday party would inevitably turn into a social gathering, and he had no interest in spending his birthday making small talk with people with ulterior motives. “I’m not a kid anymore. There’s no need for a big birthday party. Let’s just have a quiet dinner together.”

Sitting nearby, Qin Pei nodded in agreement. He wasn’t fond of loud gatherings either, but he couldn’t resist his wife’s love for parties. When they were abroad, they often attended such events, but he never found them enjoyable—just noisy enough to give him headaches.

“But in my eyes, you’ll always be my baby! My darling!” Zeng Lianyi pouted, feeling a bit disappointed. She thought birthdays should be lively and fun.

But seeing her son’s helpless expression, she realized he really didn’t want a big party. She didn’t insist, knowing that birthdays were meant to make him happy. “Alright then. On your birthday, I’ll cook a special meal for you myself…”

“Lianyi!” Before their son could respond, Qin Pei suddenly sat up straight, looking a bit unnatural as he interrupted. “Didn’t you have something to talk to Mingyuan about?”

Qin Mingyuan watched his father speak and then mouth the words to him, “Don’t let your mom cook.”

Suddenly understanding what was going on, Qin Mingyuan followed his father’s lead and changed the subject. “What’s the matter?”

At the mention of this, Zeng Lianyi’s earlier enthusiasm faded, her expression turning serious. She squinted at her son with a somewhat strange look in her eyes. After a moment, she said, “Honey, I saw the gossip about you from a while back.”

Qin Mingyuan had long forgotten about that incident, but after a brief pause, he remembered what she was referring to. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “So?”

Seeing that he still wasn’t being honest with her, Zeng Lianyi scooted closer to him. “The gossip said you like the youngest son of the Yun family. What’s that all about? Don’t you like Xiao Pei? Honey, you can’t be a playboy!”

Seeing him about to speak, she quickly added, “Don’t rush to deny it. At first, I didn’t believe it either, but I was worried about you, so I had someone look into it. It turns out that for a while, you really did treat him differently. Most people in A City know about it. What’s going on?”

Since her son was all grown up and mature, Zeng Lianyi usually didn’t interfere in his affairs. She would occasionally ask his assistant but didn’t pry too much into his personal life.

But this time, the issue had become public knowledge, and she was concerned, so she did some basic investigating. To her surprise, it seemed like she had uncovered a huge secret about her son.

She couldn’t stay calm after that and even watched some of the videos of Yun Yuexian’s public appearances. The boy seemed innocent and harmless on the surface, but something about him didn’t sit right with her.

It was a woman’s intuition—she just didn’t like him, though she couldn’t explain why. Perhaps it was just a lack of chemistry.

Unlike Yun Pei, who was a bit reserved and not good at interacting with people, their first meeting had been a bit awkward, but Zeng Lianyi had taken an immediate liking to him.

Yes, women can be that fickle, trusting their instincts completely. It was the same way she had fallen for her husband!

So when she found out that her son might have an unclear relationship with Yun Yuexian, she experienced the feeling of a fan’s dream being shattered for the first time—completely suffocating!

Being stared at and questioned so bluntly by his mother, Qin Mingyuan couldn’t help but feel even more helpless. Thanks to the original body, his reputation had taken numerous hits. “I don’t like him.”

“Then what…”

“Don’t you know there’s such a thing as a tactical retreat?” Qin Mingyuan quickly interrupted her before she could continue. “It’s just that a lot of people misunderstood.”

Zeng Lianyi froze for a moment, but then her eyes lit up. So her son had been nice to Yun Yuexian just to get closer to Yun Pei, gradually winning over those around him before moving on to the main target.

She patted her son’s shoulder, feeling proud of him. Her “blockhead” of a son had actually pulled off a successful strategy!

Qin Mingyuan could easily guess what his mother was thinking and thought to himself that he hadn’t actually said any of that. “But after learning more, I found out that Yun Pei and Yun Yuexian don’t get along, so I’ve kept my distance.”

Having spent many years abroad, Zeng Lianyi wasn’t familiar with the Yun family’s dirty laundry. She wanted to ask more when she heard this but thought it would be prying into Yun Pei’s privacy, so she swallowed her questions. “It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you’re getting along well with Xiao Pei now~”

Qin Mingyuan nodded cooperatively, inwardly apologizing to Yun Pei. It seemed that in Zeng Lianyi’s mind, there was no clearing up their relationship anytime soon.

Qin Pei, sitting to the side, watched his mischievous son seriously deceive his wife. Zeng Lianyi was usually quite sharp, but she seemed to let her guard down when it came to family.

Qin Pei believed most of what his son said but couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. He couldn’t explain why, but it felt like ever since their return, his son had become a bit sneakier.

But ultimately, it didn’t matter. As long as his wife was happy, Qin Pei wasn’t concerned about whether his son had a girlfriend or not.

“By the way, didn’t you mention wanting to invite Liang Zichen to be a brand ambassador? Have you made up your mind yet?” Qin Mingyuan quickly shifted the topic to prevent his mother from wandering too far in her thoughts.

At this, Zeng Lianyi’s expression grew more serious, and she shook her head. “I’ve decided not to use him after all. While he’s talented and popular, I just don’t feel a connection. I don’t get any inspiration when I see him.”

What she didn’t say was that the decision had partly been influenced by the previous gossip scandal.

In the aftermath, all the parties involved had made statements to varying degrees, and their son had even gone so far as to send out lawyer’s letters, handling the situation swiftly and decisively.

Liang Zichen, however, remained silent throughout the entire ordeal. Aside from his mother’s vague comments, he didn’t clarify anything or acknowledge the issue, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Whatever his reasons, Zeng Lianyi didn’t appreciate this lack of accountability, so she scrapped her earlier plans.

After all, there were plenty of celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry. It wasn’t hard to find a more suitable candidate.

She glanced at her son regretfully. It was a pity their darling wasn’t a celebrity, and didn’t like being in the spotlight. Otherwise, with his looks, charm, and presence, he would’ve been the perfect ambassador for their brand.

Qin Mingyuan had no idea why she was suddenly looking at him with such a sigh, but he felt that it wasn’t anything good. He didn’t ask and quietly took a sip of tea instead.

Putting aside work-related thoughts, Zeng Lianyi refocused on her son’s upcoming birthday. Since he didn’t want to invite a lot of people, she would respect his wishes.

However, she quickly thought of something and placed a hand on his arm. “Darling, you said you only want a small family dinner for your birthday, and I agreed. But don’t you think it’s a bit lonely with just the three of us?”

Qin Mingyuan put down his tea and looked at her. “The other members of the Qin family are probably too busy, and there’s no need for them to come just for my birthday.”

Why is this child so dense? Zeng Lianyi clicked her tongue softly and prompted him, “You could invite some of your friends, you know.”

The motion of lifting his cup halted, and Qin Mingyuan seemed to understand who she was referring to, but he didn’t play along. “I’m always busy with work. Where would I find the time to make friends?”

“Xiao Pei.”

Zeng Lianyi wasn’t going to waste time hinting anymore and just came out with it. “I mean Xiao Pei, honey. How can you miss such a great opportunity to invite him to your birthday?”

“He might not be free.” Qin Mingyuan held the cup, his thumb lightly rubbing the handle.

“How do you know if you don’t ask?” Zeng Lianyi said with a tone of frustration. “You two have each other’s contact info, don’t you? Ask him if he’s free the day after tomorrow and if he’d like to celebrate your birthday with you.”

Qin Mingyuan didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the brown tea in his cup. “Wouldn’t that be a bit too forward?”

“Why would it be? If you’re not forward, how are you going to, you know… make progress?” Zeng Lianyi coughed slightly. “If you’re too shy, you can say I’m the one inviting him. If it really bothers you, give me his contact info, and I’ll ask him for you. I don’t mind helping out.”

Qin Mingyuan’s lips pressed together slightly, forming a faint, almost imperceptible curve. He put down his cup and hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone.

Seeing him do this, Zeng Lianyi gestured with her chin, urging him to ask.

Receiving her look, Qin Mingyuan slowly opened WeChat and sent a message.

Zeng Lianyi, curious about what he had written, leaned forward to peek, but Qin Mingyuan quickly moved the phone away. She only caught a glimpse of the contact name.

“Mimosa”? She sat back down, smiling into her tea. Their blockhead of a son was surprisingly cheesy—he even had a cute nickname for Yun Pei.

After about four or five minutes, Qin Mingyuan’s phone pinged with a message.

[Mimosa: What’s up? Is something wrong?]