Shen Mo was curled up on the sofa, staring blankly at the television, occasionally glancing at the time on his phone. The digits at the very end took an age to change.
Every second truly felt like a year.
The sky outside grew darker and darker. Aside from the occasional reply to his messages, Sheng Yiyang hadn't said when he would be back. Unable to sit still any longer, Shen Mo slipped on his slippers and walked out the door to the opposite apartment.
He raised his hand, put it down, hesitated for a long time, and finally pressed the doorbell.
Shen Mo's heart hammered against his ribs, making him quite nervous.
Inside the living room, Yu Zimo, who was being supervised while doing his homework, snapped his head up. "Is that my Momo?"
Zihuai glared at him, telling him to focus on his schoolwork, and then got up to open the door.
Seeing Zihuai, Shen Mo felt a bit awkward. He cautiously poked his head in, trying to see where Yu Zimo was. Zihuai chuckled, invited him in, and said softly, "That brat hasn't finished his homework, so I'm making him do it on his knees."
Shen Mo looked up at Zihuai, somehow feeling that his smile was a little terrifying.
Shen Mo probably couldn't imagine that a dignified world champion had been thoroughly chewed out by a homeroom teacher because his son hadn't finished his homework—and the worst part was that he couldn't even argue back...
Zihuai had been utterly aggrieved by the whole ordeal.
As soon as he got home, he vented to Yu Chen, which resulted in Yu Zimo receiving a joint beating from both of them. Right now, the boy was kneeling in the living room to catch up on his homework.
When Yu Zimo saw Shen Mo, it was as if he had seen a savior. He pouted and let out a loud wail, "Momo! Come save me!"
Startled, Shen Mo stood frozen in place, not daring to move.
Zihuai raised a hand and gave Yu Zimo a firm rap on the head. "Keep it down and finish your homework! Do you want me to get called in by your homeroom teacher again? Humph!"
Zihuai narrowed his eyes dangerously, causing Yu Zimo to shrink his neck.
Standing a short distance away, Shen Mo watched their interaction, his eyes tinged with envy. He could see genuine affection for Yu Zimo in Zihuai's eyes.
Not disgust.
"Momo?" Zihuai said. "This brat is terribly mischievous, yelling and screaming all day long, but he's always fond of you... Don't be scared."
Shen Mo shook his head. He looked at Zihuai and opened his mouth, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get them out, and the more anxious he grew, the more impossible it was to speak. His eyes instantly reddened with panic.
Zihuai cast an appealing look at Yu Zimo, who simply waved his hands in bewilderment.
Zihuai glared. Well, what now?
Fortunately, Yu Chen came out just in time. He threw an arm around Zihuai's shoulders and looked at Shen Mo. "Sheng Yiyang?"
Shen Mo nodded hurriedly.
Zihuai looked at Yu Chen quizzically. *Did something happen to Sheng Yiyang?*
Yu Chen gently squeezed Zihuai's shoulder, as if saying *I'll explain later*, and turned to Shen Mo. "He's already on his way back. Check your phone—he sent you a message."
Shen Mo blinked, stunned for a few seconds, and then bolted out the door like a shot.
Yu Chen: "..."
He knew it. Sheng Yiyang must have failed to reach Shen Mo, which was why he had contacted him instead.
Back in his apartment, Shen Mo snatched his phone from the sofa and messaged Sheng Yiyang. A call came through almost immediately, bringing the familiar, gentle, and deeply affectionate voice to his ear: "Momo! I'm sorry, I was standing in line to buy your favorite peach blossom pastries... I'll be there in about half an hour!"
"Mm."
Sheng Yiyang's lips curved into a smile. Hearing Shen Mo's tiny acknowledgment, he began to chatter cheerfully about things going on at the studio.
"Momo, they're so clumsy," he complained. "They can't even post a video properly; they're the ones who delayed me. Humph!"
In reality, Sheng Yiyang had accidentally sent the wrong file—he had mistakenly sent the video he secretly recorded of Shen Mo to the bearded guy and the others. If the bearded guy hadn't checked before posting...
The Bearded Guy: *Who knows where you get the nerve to talk about us?*
Skinny Monkey: *I bet he sent it on purpose just to show off his relationship!*
Sheng Yiyang: *Even though it was a mistake at first, I really wanted to show off later.*
"Momo, they're all yelling at me, they don't like me at all," he whined. "Momo, you like me the best, right?"
Shen Mo sat by the doorway, obediently holding the phone to his ear. Hearing this, his small face flushed slightly, and he replied in a low voice, "Mm, I like you."
Then, as if to emphasize, "I like you very much."
Sheng Yiyang smiled brightly, then plaintively recounted the insults hurled at him by internet trolls, claiming there were bad people trying to tear them apart and take Momo away from him.
"Beat the bad people!" Shen Mo declared.
"Not leaving. I'll stay with Yangyang forever."
Ling Chen: *So the bad person is me, then?*
Certain Netizens: *Never have we seen such a shameless person.*
While Sheng Yiyang was on the phone, melting into sweetness with Shen Mo, the internet had completely turned upside down.
It all started an hour ago when Sheng Yiyang reposted Ling Chen's Weibo. The content was minimal—just a single word: "Ha," dripping with supreme sarcasm.
While Ling Chen was still there playing the aggrieved victim and demanding an explanation, less than a minute later, Sheng Yiyang's studio dropped a series of images and videos.
The pictures were chat logs showing how Ling Chen had bad-mouthed Sheng Yiyang behind his back, how he had bragged about Sheng Yiyang's affection for him, and how he had fawned over another guy at the same time.
[So this is what the person meant by "knowing each other since childhood"? Turns out it was just a lifelong utilization...]
[As an outsider, Sheng Yiyang is so pitiful. These messages are from five years ago, right? Unreal. Sheng Yiyang was deceived for a full five years; waking up from that wasn't easy.]
[Our Yangyang said before that he liked Ling Chen because back in high school, only Ling Chen wasn't afraid of him. But look at this... Ha ha ha. Not afraid of him to his face, but cursing him to death behind his back. Our Yangyang is truly miserable.]
[Unbelievable. That video is even more explosive. One second Ling Chen is all smiles at Sheng Yiyang, and the next, his expression turns into one that looks like he wants to hack Sheng Yiyang to pieces. By the way, who is the guy standing next to Ling Chen? Isn't that someone famous?]
[How come I never noticed Ling Chen's acting skills were this good?]
[Damn it, Sheng Yiyang, you're just changing the subject! Whatever our Chenchen does is his own business; he's just being a fool, what does that have to do with our Chenchen?! You're dragging our Chenchen into this because you want to protect that homewrecker!]
[Exactly, exactly! Sheng Yiyang, you fickle, scumbag!]
Yang's Army: [...]
Ling Chen's fans sure knew how to bite! But Yang's Army weren't pushovers either, and they immediately fought back, with Shen Yue leading the charge as the strongest combatant:
[A homewrecker my foot! Yangyang has had nothing to do with that person for ages, okay? Who does he think he is, does the whole world have to revolve around him? The nerve of him.]
[And they even have the nerve to call our Yangyang a scumbag. Ling Chen must be the flying ace among scumbags! Loves a new one every second, changes three a year! Absolutely unbelievable, wonder if his body can even handle it!]
[If you insist on talking about homewreckers, Ling Chen is the real one. That guy he clung to in high school already had a girlfriend, oh and he still stuck his face right up to him, yet he has the gall to bad-mouth our Yangyang!]
[Oh, he wasn't the only one in high school, there were so many, everyone should just watch the show for fun.]
Shen Yue kept firing back while throwing out evidence, making Ling Chen's fans type with trembling fingers. Meanwhile, looking at the evidence being presented, Ji Rong couldn't help praising Sheng Yiyang, "It's your blessing to have fans this formidable!"
After all, even they hadn't uncovered all of those details yet.
In an instant, Ling Chen's newly gained followers plummeted wildly, dropping even lower than his follower count before he started gaining them.
Staring at the pictures and comments on his computer screen, Ling Chen shrieked, "Sheng Yiyang, you did this on purpose! You've been playing me since high school! You knew all along, you've always known!"
Clearly, he blamed Sheng Yiyang for the information Shen Yue had uncovered.
Sheng Yiyang: *I really am taking the blame for nothing.*
Looking at Sheng Yiyang's latest post on his computer, Ling Chen's eyes turned as venomous as if soaked in poison, cold and ruthless. *You want him to step on me to climb to the top? I refuse to give you what you want!*
Sheng Yiyang's new post read: *I said before, I have nothing to do with that person. Still trying to step on me to climb? Ha, then be prepared. I'm no nice guy. Finally: he is not a homewrecker, he is my lover. I was blind in the past and missed out on him; from now on, he is the only one for me.*
[He? Not "she"?]
[I kept saying that figure didn't look like a woman no matter how you looked at it.]
[Look at those eyes, he must be gorgeous. When is Yangyang going to let us see him?]
[Yangyang smiles so tenderly when he looks at him, completely different from how he smiles at that other person.]
[Leave that other person out of this. What's Yangyang's name?]
[Yangyang, when are you two planning to get married? I support you!]
Sheng Yiyang liked and replied to this comment: *Thanks for the support. Marriage? Up to him—I'm ready anytime.*
[Aww, aww!]
[Aww, aww!]
[Production team, please arrange a dating reality show for them.]
Sheng Yiyang replied: *Maybe another time, he's not in the industry. Please don't disturb us, thank you. I'll introduce him to you guys when there's a chance.*
Staring at the words "not in the industry," Ling Chen sneered inwardly. Not right now, perhaps, but who knows about the future?
Glancing at his shattered phone on the floor, he felt even more frantic and agitated. He used his computer to post a message, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, stepping out of the elevator, Sheng Yiyang saw Shen Mo sitting obediently by the doorway. A mix of surprise and heartache washed over him as he hurried forward, pulling Shen Mo into his arms and asking with concern, "Aren't you cold, sitting out here? You silly Momo."
Shen Mo shook his head, burying himself in Sheng Yiyang's embrace and holding onto him tightly.
Hearing the commotion, Zihuai opened the door and watched the scene with an amused smile. Yu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Want to come in and chat?"
Sheng Yiyang glanced at Shen Mo. Shen Mo nodded, a guilty look in his eyes—it felt like he had just barged in on them, and he hadn't even apologized yet.
However, none of them minded such a trivial thing.
As Yu Chen and Sheng Yiyang talked, Shen Mo stayed pressed right against Sheng Yiyang, blinking in confusion as he listened.
What did *'You and Shen Mo have gone public?'* mean?
*“Whatever information comes out, Ling Chen will only think you released it. You need to be prepared—not just you, but Shen Mo as well.”*
Hearing his own name, Shen Mo lifted his gaze to look at Yu Chen, then gripped Sheng Yiyang's hand tighter, as if sensing some impending danger.
Sheng Yiyang curved his lips into a smile. "I know. I know who Ling Chen will go after when he realizes, and I'll protect Momo well."
Sheng Yiyang tightened his grip on Shen Mo's hand and led him away.
Watching their retreating figures, Zihuai leaned against Yu Chen's shoulder, looking somewhat puzzled. "I somehow feel like Sheng Yiyang is plotting something."
Yu Chen kissed the corner of his lips, signaling him not to worry. "That brat is quite fond of them."
The subtext was that they would help him out as well.
Back in his apartment, Sheng Yiyang pulled Shen Mo into his arms and delivered a long, sweet kiss. "Momo, so many people like us! They all support us staying together forever! Aren't you happy, Momo?"