Chapter 012: Find a Handsome Guy and Have a Baby

She had plenty of free time these days—sleeping all day, staying up all night, keeping real-time tabs on the latest trends on Weibo.

GossipRabbit:

“At a recent party, a certain two-character rising actress showed up with two different male companions. First half of the evening, she was with someone who appeared to be from a powerful background. The second half, with the young CEO of a startup. [Pictures ×9]”

Hat Trick:

“The Ziwei starlet is two-timing? Her private life is even messier than parachute-entry Fang Yimeng’s. This industry is really something. [Pictures ×9]”

The contradictory rumors felt just like the old days when Liao Ran posted vague, cherry-picked Weibo posts to stir the pot.

Soon, netizens on Weibo were hooked and running wild.

“These pics were shot so well—they clearly highlight Liao Ran’s unique right-angle shoulders and collarbone. Her face may be blurred, but anyone who’s watched her dramas would recognize her from a mile away. Too iconic.”

“This industry is chaos. Just yesterday I was roasting emo girl…”

“Hey, some of you using nicknames are seriously annoying. Why are you saying ‘emo girl’ on the main feed? Can’t you type properly? Is ‘Fang Yimeng’ that hard to spell!?”

“Guys, stop arguing! Am I the only one who noticed the real detail here? That second male companion with the sharp jawline—doesn’t he look exactly like the rich heir rumored to be involved with Fang Yimeng a few days ago?!”

“Spill the tea! This gossip is juicy and fresh!”

Lying on her soft bed, Fang Yimeng scrolled through the Weibo comments, grinning with satisfaction. Especially when people praised the photos for giving off a luxurious vibe—she took it as them complimenting her photography skills.

Her smile grew even deeper.

Just as she was happily swiping through her phone, someone knocked on her door. Her mother peeked in and clicked her tongue at her disheveled, lazy pose.

“Ayi, Mom has something to discuss with you.”

Leaving the door open, Mother Fang turned and walked off.

Reluctantly dragging herself out of bed, Fang Yimeng shuffled in her slippers to the small study next door.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw a composed man in a custom-tailored dark silver suit seated on a leather sofa, his gaze calm and steady as he looked at her.

Her mother sat behind the long table and pointed to the empty seat beside the man.

“Bro?! You’re back from your business trip? Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve picked you up!” Her bright eyes lit up even more at the sight of Fang Jianyan.

He let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Miss Fang the celebrity has been trending for days. If I go out in public with you, the next headline would probably be ‘Fang Yimeng spotted with rich heir at Scenic Park again.’”

That completely shut her up.

“Ayi is your sister! What kind of talk is that?” Mother Fang lightly scolded him.

Fang Jianyan reined in his sarcasm and lowered his eyes to look at his phone.

Only when her son finally went quiet did Mother Fang turn to Fang Yimeng and say,
“Ayi, your birthday’s coming up at the end of the year. You’ll be twenty-six.”

“Mom, can we not keep bringing up a woman’s age all the time?” Fang Yimeng protested playfully.

But Mother Fang ignored her and continued,
“Your dad’s not as healthy as he used to be. He just came back from a follow-up at the hospital—now he’s got high blood pressure and all kinds of rich-people illnesses.”

“Your father and I always said we wouldn’t pressure you kids, that you’d find your own blessings in time. But we’re just regular parents. We’re getting old, and we’d like to see a house full of grandchildren too.”

The topic was quickly veering off course. Alarm bells rang in Fang Yimeng’s head. She instinctively glanced at her older brother, who shared some similar features but had sharper, more defined looks.

He didn’t react, just kept tapping on his phone like none of this concerned him.

“Don’t look at your brother. He’s taken over half the Fang family business and barely has time to manage his personal life. He’s been self-disciplined since he was a kid—I never worry about him. But you…”

Mother Fang looked exasperatedly at her daughter, who was putting on a pitiful act.

“You said three years ago that you wanted to go out and make it on your own. Fine, we let you play in that world. But it’s been three years—don’t you think it’s time to come back to reality? It feels cold-hearted to push your brother to have a child, but if we push you, there’s no pressure.”

Fang Yimeng: “???”

Is this something a mother should even say?

“I think Xiao Lu has great genes—good looks, tall, decent build. If you had a kid with him, I’m sure the baby would turn out well.”

“Wait, Mom… Lu Jingshan and I just… just confirmed our relationship. We’re not at that stage yet. And even if we were, let’s not forget—I’m the one with all the assets. He’s got nothing. A prenup would be a nightmare…”

She tried reasoning with her mother to kill off this wild idea.

But Mother Fang simply waved her hand and said matter-of-factly,
“Then don’t get married. We’re okay with you having a child out of wedlock. You’ll be at home—you won’t suffer a bit. You’re not getting any younger, so go ahead and have a child while the time is right! And from now on, no contraception when you’re with Xiao Lu.”

“That’s settled then. Spend more time with him. Mom’s waiting for the good news from your belly!”

With that absurd declaration, she fled the study—fully aware of how outrageous it sounded.

Fang Yimeng was still stunned, trying to process how her mother could be this open-minded.

Fang Jianyan lifted his phone and shoved the screen in her face.

“Where’d you find that pretty boy? He’s got your back so well. When did this relationship happen? How come I, your brother, know nothing about it?”

The screen showed a very familiar Weibo trending topic.

The top two headlines were especially eye-catching:

“Hualing Invests Over 100 Million in The Actor, Insists on One Actress [Explosive]”

“Hualing’s CEO Posts Personally [Trending]”

Fang Yimeng, still proud of her “romance,” rolled her eyes and said,
“While your sister was busy falling in love, you were still in the office playing with modeling clay.”

She quickly grabbed her phone and clicked on the second trending post.

It was a newly registered account with a yellow verification badge, listed under “Hualing CEO.”

Hualing CEO Lu Jingshan:

“Miss Fang, looking forward to working with you.”

Although it didn’t name her directly, it wasn’t hard to figure out who “Miss Fang” was.

Hualing had just invested a massive sum into a variety show that, not long ago, had been hit with a wave of backlash from netizens demanding the removal of judge Fang Yimeng.

This was a subtle but very public way of saying:
Hualing is stepping in personally—to protect Fang Yimeng.

The trending topics exploded. Real-time comments on Weibo were in chaos.

“Guys, is the Hualing CEO using the same image from this morning’s Liao Ran scandal?! I don’t get it, but I’m shocked. Why that pic?! This melon is too complicated!”

“Wait a sec—if this Lu guy was part of that morning gossip drama, does that mean he and emo girl… are more than friends?”

“Oh my god. This melon? I understand it… but I also totally don’t.”