Chapter 29

Su Yan was a man of action. That very night, he brought up the idea of joining the variety show Mom’s Back to its director.

Wang Mingdong was utterly shocked. “You… you’re sure about this?”

He had never imagined that his show, Mom’s Back, would attract an athlete like Su Yan, who had never participated in any variety shows before.

But… the thing was…

This show was about moms, not dads!

This put Wang Mingdong in a bit of a dilemma.

However, he was also unwilling to let go of such a golden opportunity.

After all, this was Su Yan! Getting him on the show would be an instant success.

In the end, Wang Mingdong gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, we’ll have you on for the next episode.”

Although this was a private discussion, walls had ears, and the news soon leaked out.

That very night, the internet erupted into a frenzy, and the topic shot straight to the trending list.

#Ruan Xizhi and Su Yan Are a Thing#
#Su Yan Joined the Parenting Show for Love#
#Xing Xiaochi Is Su Yan’s Son#

The rumors grew wilder and more ridiculous.

Some people even created a side-by-side comparison of Xing Xiaochi and Su Yan. Two completely unrelated people were suddenly claimed to share the same nose, eyes, and mouth.

This image spread like wildfire, and the trending hashtag #Xing Xiaochi Is Su Yan’s Son# skyrocketed to number one.

【Oh my god, I never imagined Su Yan and Ruan Xizhi had that kind of relationship.】

【Wuwuwu, my husband isn’t pure anymore QAQ】

【My worldview just shattered. Someone tell me this isn’t true!】

【If even Su Yan isn’t pure, I’ve lost faith in all men.】

【So this is why Ruan Xizhi knows how to shoot! Her man is a sharpshooter, and Xing Xiaochi inherited the shooting genes!】

The more ridiculous the claims, the more people believed them.

The trending topic wouldn’t die down.

And unfortunately, Xing Xiaochi’s actual father saw it.

After working for several hours straight, Xing Peixuan took a break to eat and check in on his son’s variety show—only to be greeted by the glaring hot search.

His deep eyes narrowed, a sharp chill rising within them. His expression darkened as he clicked in.

The first thing he saw was a side-by-side comparison of his own son with another man. The analysis was so detailed, as if it were undeniable proof.

A vein throbbed at his temple. His grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Great. Just great.

He felt like he’d just been cuckolded.

His secretary rushed in as soon as she heard the news, only to find her boss’s face as black as the bottom of a pot.

This was bad.

She immediately stepped forward. “Mr. Xing, don’t be upset. I’ve already informed the legal department. This will be handled properly. You won’t see this nonsense again.”

True to her word, the account that first posted the image was swiftly sued and forced to apologize.

[@666YourDad: I sincerely apologize. Xing Xiaochi is NOT Su Yan’s son. I won’t say more—can’t say more—but yeah, he’s not. Now I’m off to cry while paying my lawsuit fees. 55555.]

Su Yan’s fans, seeing this post, revived instantly.

【AAAAAH, is this real?!】

【Explain properly before running away!】

【I was literally crying in bed thinking Xing Xiaochi was Su Yan’s kid. And now you’re telling me he’s NOT?!】

【Then why is Su Yan joining a parenting show?】

【Yeah, I want answers.】

【This is all BS! Su Yan’s company even made an official announcement. Not only did they appoint Ruan Xizhi as their brand ambassador, but they also launched the long-rumored custom-designed youth sportswear series. You all know what that means!】

【I’m in tears. Does Yan God really like Ruan Xizhi that much?】

【No, I refuse to believe this!】

The situation snowballed. What was once just a rumor became an “undeniable fact” in the eyes of netizens.

Fans even vowed to boycott the sportswear line, swearing they’d never buy a single piece.

Not only was the clothing brand under attack, but Ruan Xizhi and Xing Xiaochi also became targets. Su Yan’s fans flooded the Mom’s Back live broadcast, bombarding it with insults.

Ruan Xizhi’s fans were caught completely off guard.

【WTF, these haters are like machine guns!】

【Damn, they’re saying Xing Xiaochi looks like Su Yan? No wonder he has that manga-like face—good genes from his “dad”!】

【This drama is too much. I can’t keep up.】

The live stream and trending topics were completely dominated by Su Yan’s fans. The situation spiraled beyond anything Wang Mingdong had expected, and he quickly contacted Su Yan for guidance.

But his messages went unanswered.

When he called, the line was busy.

Su Yan never expected to receive a call from Xing Peixuan.

Technically, their families were long-time acquaintances, but in reality, they were nothing more than old classmates.

Now, they were even business rivals.

Back in school, they never got along. Xing Peixuan had been like a wild delinquent—always sporting fresh bruises or cuts.

In recent years, though, he’d settled down and taken over the family business.

“How rare.” Su Yan got straight to the point. “What do you want?”

Xing Peixuan’s voice was dangerously low. “It’s about my son.”

Su Yan raised an eyebrow. “Your son?”

He had never heard of Xing Peixuan having a kid.

Then, suddenly, an image of Xing Xiaochi flashed in his mind.

Same last name… could it be—

He tested the waters. “Xing Xiaochi?”

Xing Peixuan’s voice grew even darker, laced with a clear warning. “You’d better clean up this mess.”

He could tolerate a lot of things.

But when it came to Xing Xiaochi—he wouldn’t.

Su Yan picked up on the heavy implication in Xing Peixuan’s tone.

He hadn’t expected Xing Peixuan to actually have a child.

And for that child to have been kept completely hidden from the public…

It was clear how much Xing Peixuan wanted to protect him.

“Alright.” Su Yan didn’t want to anger Xing Peixuan, not only because of their family connections but also because of Ruan Xizhi.

“Rest assured, Mr. Xing. I’ll handle it.”

The issue was still spreading, so Su Yan drafted a statement and posted it online.

[@SuYanV: My sponsorship of Mommy’s Back was purely a personal decision. Xing Xiaochi is the son of a friend, and Ruan Xizhi is my friend’s wife. I participated in the parenting show solely because of my niece, Tongtong. Please don’t overthink it.]

With this clarification, Su Yan’s fans finally understood and stopped the online war.

• “I knew it! Hubby will always be the clean and pure hubby.”
• “Phew, thankfully, hubby didn’t let us down. I believe in men again! Time to make up with my boyfriend.”
• “Wait, Xing Xiaochi is his friend’s son? Which friend???”
• “What?! Tongtong is actually hubby’s niece? No wonder she’s so adorable!”
• “I really want to know who Xing Xiaochi’s father is!”
• “Am I the only one who thinks Xing Xiaochi and Su Tongtong would make a perfect pair? Their families know each other, they’re evenly matched, and Xiaochi is completely under Tongtong’s control—OMG, a match made in heaven!”
• “+1 to that!”

After Su Yan cleared things up, the discussion shifted—now, everyone was curious about Xing Xiaochi’s father.

When Xing Peixuan saw this, his expression finally eased. He was confident that with the internet’s sleuthing skills, they would soon discover—

As he scrolled through the comments, one accidentally caught his attention.

• “I searched through everyone Su Yan has interacted with. There are several people with the last name Xing, but there’s no way it’s Xing Peixuan from Haicheng. That guy is arrogant, a lifelong bachelor. If he has a son, I’ll do a handstand and eat sh*t live!”
• “Exactly! He used to be a playboy, but he never messed around with women—just extreme sports like racing. Now, he’s completely focused on business. When would he have had time for a child? Definitely not him!”
• “Xing Peixuan is my husband! He would never have an illegitimate child—I believe in him!”
• “Girl, how many husbands do you have?”
• “Rumors say that for someone as rich and handsome as Xing Peixuan to not be interested in women, he’s probably gay. People are already digging into it.”
• “Damn, Xing Peixuan is all about that thrill-seeking lifestyle!”
• “Besides, the Xing family has no investments in the tourism or resort industry. Plus, Xing Xiaochi looks nothing like him. Anyone with eyes can see that—his nose, eyes, and mouth don’t match at all.”

Xing Peixuan: “………”

As he read these comments, his anger reached a boiling point.

• What do they mean, ‘not a single feature looks alike’?!
• What do they mean, ‘if he doesn’t chase women, he must be gay’?!
• What do they mean, ‘he’s all about the thrill’?!

All complete and utter nonsense! Ridiculous!

No one had made him this furious in years.

Just as his temper was flaring, his phone rang.

Caller ID: Ruan Xizhi.

Ruan Xizhi’s first thought when she got the call was to put her plan into action.

Since Xing Peixuan didn’t want to see Xing Xiaochi, she was going to make sure he saw him every day. What kind of father hated looking at his own child?

Parents always found their kids cuter the more they saw them. One day, he would see how adorable Xing Xiaochi truly was.

After all, she had initially found the little rascal annoying, but now, she thought he was quite well-behaved.

Kids just needed time to grow on you.

As soon as the call connected, Ruan Xizhi planned to get straight to the point—but she suddenly couldn’t recall how the original owner of her body addressed him.

Considering Xing Peixuan was older, she tentatively called out,

“Brother?”

Silence.

Then, she tried again—

“Husband?”

On the other end, Xing Peixuan raised an eyebrow. His fiery anger inexplicably lessened upon hearing those two words, and an image of Ruan Xizhi’s fair, delicate face flashed before his eyes.

The corners of his lips twitched, and he responded casually,

“Mm.”

Ruan Xizhi hadn’t expected this contract marriage to feel so real—but it was just a title, so she didn’t care.

“I wanted to discuss something with you.” She tested his attitude.

“Mm.”

He sounded… surprisingly calm.

Seeing this, Ruan Xizhi didn’t beat around the bush. “Didn’t you say I’d be responsible for taking care of the child? That’s fine, but I have one request that I need husb—husband to cooperate with.”

The word still felt a little awkward.

But to Xing Peixuan, it sounded just fine. “Go on.”

“The child is still too young to grow up without a father figure,” she said seriously. “For his education and healthy development, I hope husband will come home once a week to spend time with Xiaochi.”

She didn’t say “spend more time with him”—she made it a fixed schedule. Even if he only saw it as a duty, it was still a responsibility he had to fulfill.

Her goal was simple: she wanted Xing Peixuan to see more of Xing Xiaochi.

After listening to her well-reasoned proposal, Xing Peixuan smirked.

As expected, a child with a mother was indeed a treasure. The way she arranged things was logical, well-structured, and reasonable.

He was now certain—leaving Xing Xiaochi in her care was the right decision.

After a brief silence, Ruan Xizhi thought he might reject the idea. She was about to continue persuading him, subtly guilt-tripping him into agreeing—

But then, he simply said—

“Alright.”

Ruan Xizhi had just opened her mouth to keep arguing, but she immediately shut it again.

Well… at least he had some sense of fatherly responsibility.

“Alright, then it’s settled.” She told him her return date. “Due to some circumstances, the production team said I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Translation: You need to come home tomorrow.

Without hesitation, Xing Peixuan replied, “Okay.”

He agreed so readily that Ruan Xizhi suddenly felt suspicious.

…Was she the one getting played instead?

But after thinking about it, that didn’t seem likely.

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

Xing Peixuan raised an eyebrow, his deep eyes flickering with an unreadable expression.

“Mm.”

This was the perfect opportunity to let everyone know exactly who Xing Xiaochi’s father was.