TCFGBH Chapter 34

Although Xia Yan had received Tu Xi’s mother’s business card, he had no intention of contacting her.

Anger needs time to accumulate. The more she’s ignored, the greater her resentment will become. As a “scumbag” boyfriend, all he needed to do was wait.

After a few days of rest, his sprained ankle was nearly healed, with only a slight redness remaining.

Like rouge, it adorned his snow-white skin.

The Beaufort endorsement shoot went smoothly. The handsome youth tried various clothing styles, looking like a captivating painting through the camera.

On the day the advertisement was released, it exploded on trending searches.

The largest billboard in the capital was replaced with his poster.

Despite having no notable works, his innate looks and enigmatic charm captivated countless people. Under the gaze of his eyes, even reckless romance didn’t seem like a big deal.

The faint resistance was overshadowed by praise, almost invisible.

His secondary account, which had already gained over a million followers, offered a glimpse into his private world. Fortunately, it was a very “clean” account.

Apart from occasionally posting some landscape photos, the only exception was that intimate hug photo from that day.

Yes!

Even though Wang Dazhuang had complained about it all afternoon, he didn’t delete the photo.

The most popular comments in the thread were very harmonious. They analyzed that the youth must have been drunk; otherwise, someone who dislikes physical contact wouldn’t hug someone else.

There were also comments suggesting he and the curly-haired guy were good friends.

Ambiguity needs to be avoided, but hugs between friends were normal.

One could only say that Tu Xi’s “clean-up” was indeed clever. Who would have thought that a bar-hopping playboy could be so innocent that he hadn’t even touched the other person’s hand?

Under these circumstances, if someone suspected an inappropriate relationship between Xia Yan and the curly-haired guy, they would feel filthy.

Fixed thinking requires a massive shock to break.

Xia Yan planned to deliver that “shock” on the live broadcast day.

In front of tens of thousands of viewers, seeing the ambiguous messages firsthand would be enough to sentence him to death.

–

The new guest for the Heartbeat show hadn’t been found yet. The director decided to move up the live broadcast to stabilize the impatient fans and maintain the hype.

At 7:45 PM, the studio was packed with people, and the staff were bustling around in a state of chaos.

“Has the new equipment requested by the director been prepared?”

“Almost done.”

“What’s going on with the lighting technician? The light in live broadcast room 3 is shining straight down from above. Do you want the audience to see Sadako?”

“I’ll adjust the angle right away.”

“There are only fifteen minutes left until the broadcast starts. Everyone, hurry up and get ready.”

“Director, Xia Yan’s agent called and said they’re stuck in traffic. They might arrive a bit late,” the assistant director said, running over. “They might not have time for makeup.”

Although the male actor’s makeup was simple, it still required time.

The director’s eyelids twitched as he thought of the new equipment and Xia Yan’s almost perfect appearance, and he said meaningfully, “It’s fine. That’s Xia Yan.”

The assistant director was momentarily stunned, then realized.

Right! That’s Xia Yan.

Although there had been online rumours about his Beaufort photos being edited and beautified, those who had seen Xia Yan’s natural face knew that it was real.

It was merely restoring his beauty.

The assistant director immediately calmed down and quickly called the agent. “Hello! Is Xia Yan a bit stuck in traffic? It’s okay, take your time. Safety is important…”

–

At 7:58 PM, Xia Yan arrived at the studio at the last possible moment.

The live broadcast was divided into eight single-person live rooms. Since Fang Xihua’s position had been vacated due to his arrest, only seven remained… to prevent any speculation about the show treating guests differently based on their live room numbers.

The director waved his hand and arranged the rooms according to the guests’ arrival order.

Xia Yan arrived last and was assigned to Room 7.

With just two minutes left.

The director hurriedly led the way, saying, “The solo live broadcast will be 30 minutes long. You can randomly pick questions from the bullet comments and chat with everyone. Don’t be too formal.”

“After the solo live broadcast, we’ll gather in the lobby for a 30-minute group live session.”

The director stopped in front of a wooden door. “Here we are.”

“Okay.” The youth opened the door.

The cameraman was Xia Yan’s old acquaintance, who had filmed him before. A soft leather computer chair and a clean white desk with a computer were set up, allowing him to see the bullet comments in real-time.

Xia Yan sat on the sofa and gave a nod to the cameraman as a greeting.

Time ticked to eight o’clock.

The live room opened.

The youth propped his chin on his hands, a casual smile at the corner of his lips. His curled eyelashes blinked gently, and his peach-blossom eyes gazed straight at the camera.

In a daze, it felt like he was gazing directly at himself.

As if one had become his beloved.

He said, “Hello everyone, I’m Xia Yan.”

The number of viewers skyrocketed in the first thirty seconds, but the bullet comments were slow to appear.

The youth poked the computer and wondered, “Is it lagging?”

【Nooooo!!!! Wife, I’m here!!!】

【Heart racing, blushing, I’m in love. Wife, marry me.】

【Give the director a drumstick; the shoot looks so so so good, even better than the Beaufort ad photos.】

…

The bullet comments flooded in densely, layer upon layer, making it hard to see more than a few words. The most common word was ‘wife’.

Xia Yan’s mouth twitched slightly.

He was a gong, damn it! It should be ‘husband’!

He pretended not to see the comments about pants flying off and naturally talked about a few things, blocking most of the repeated comments and randomly selecting a few questions to chat with the audience.

“What’s my next schedule? The Beaufort ad shoot is done. All that’s left is the ‘Heartbeat’ variety show. I haven’t taken on any other jobs yet.”

“… Ah! It’s not that I haven’t been offered work; it’s that I don’t want to.”

“Work is for living. Since I’ve already earned enough to live on, why continue working hard?”

“Why participate in Heartbeat? Of course, it’s because they offered too much.”

“Mr. Zhao’s money…” Xia Yan read out involuntarily. He didn’t want to be involved with the Zhao brothers, so he avoided such questions. But since he had started speaking, he decided not to be overly reserved.

“Of course, a hundred million dollars is tempting.” The youth blinked innocently and said arrogantly, “But the attitude with which he gave the money really annoyed me.”

The crowd: “!!!”

Wow!

They were always the ones begging, and it was unheard of to need to please the money-giving sponsor to get the money.

As expected of you, Xia Yan.

A bullet comment asked: 【Hubby if someone gave you a hundred million dollars now, would you be with him?】

“I probably would.”

Thanks to his good upbringing from his past life, the youth sat upright and gracefully, exuding elegance and ease. He was not shy about being on a live broadcast as a public figure.

He candidly revealed his inner desires: “That’s a hundred million dollars, enough for me to spend the rest of my life. If I took the money, I’d retire from the industry immediately.”

Did you hear that?

Tu Xi’s mother should hurry up and throw money at him.

With such materialistic statements, everyone’s admiration for him should be shattered. It was about time for the affair to make its appearance.

Xia Yan glanced at the time—there were ten minutes left in the solo live broadcast.

He pretended to receive a message, pulled out his phone, and placed it on the desk. “Sorry, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Xia Yan was at the peak of his popularity, and no one from the show wanted to offend him.

A little assistant was promptly assigned to guide him.

With the main character of the live room gone, the viewers in the chat started to chat among themselves.

【There are only ten minutes left. Even Xia Yan can’t wait; his stamina… ah, forget it! As expected of my wife, let me handle the physical work. Wiping saliva.】

【LOL, Xia Yan only answers questions from people who call him ‘hubby’ and ignores those who call him ‘wife’. As expected, every shou has a desire to counterattack.】

【Xia Yan is the gong (five cents per comment).】

【Wife’s answer is so real. From now on, let’s set a small goal to earn a billion.】

【Those who want to steal a wall corner, save it. Go watch Tu Xi’s live stream next door, responding with laughter. Hypocritical wife.】

…

When the youth made his comment, many viewers flooded into Tu Xi’s livestream.

【Tu Xi, your wife said he’d break up with you for a billion.】

【You’re so good to him, but he’s willing to break up for a billion dollars. It’s too selfish. Why not break up with him first and let him taste the bitterness of love?】

【I’m conflicted. Although rationally, I know Xia Yan isn’t a suitable boyfriend, I can’t bear to let go of him when I see him.】

【Break up with Xia Yan.】

【Break up with him.】

The bullet comments were a chaotic mess.

Among them were those genuinely feeling wronged for the man, those who enjoyed the drama, and those harboring dark, twisted thoughts, hoping for the couple to break up so they could…

The man pieced together the general truth from the comments. His eyes were shaped in a non-threatening manner, and when he smiled, his lower eyelids would slightly puff up, highlighting his warm chestnut eyes and giving him a very gentle appearance.

But when he wasn’t smiling, his high nose bridge and smooth, sharp jawline added a touch of aggressiveness.

“A hundred million dollars, huh? It does sound like a lot. My entire fortune now…” The man’s fingers tapped on the desk, creating a low, rhythmic sound.

The tension among the viewers grew.

After about a minute, Tu Xi calmly continued, “It’s just over two billion dollars.”

The crowd: “???”

【Although we know celebrities make a lot of money, this is just too exaggerated.】

【Tu Xi is a top star with many dramas, movies, and endorsements, but even so, I can’t calculate it reaching this amount.】

【Could he be trying to flatter Xia Yan?】

The bullet comments were filled with skepticism.

Tu Xi adjusted his sleeve and spoke about his assets calmly and accustomedly: “Since entering the industry, after taxes, I’ve earned around a billion. This money was spread across investments and grew to three billion, and it’s still growing steadily.”

“Another seventeen billion comes from shares my grandfather gave me, as well as real estate, jewelry, antiques… scattered items, but it all adds up.”

“If Xia Yan wants money, I can give it to him without needing to change partners.”

At this point, he lightly smiled and added, “When we first started dating, I wanted to give him a villa in Lan Ting to make him more comfortable, but it was rejected.”

Lan Ting focuses on high-end properties, with the latest transaction price at 170 million RMB.

Although it doesn’t match a hundred million dollars, it’s still quite a sum, especially considering… gifting a villa right after starting to date. What a divine boyfriend!

Yet, Xia Yan turned down the offer.

“It’s not just that. Yachts, antiques, gems… Whenever something costs over a million, he always finds various reasons to refuse.”

The man’s voice was gentle and affectionate.

“He just talks about wanting money, but in reality…”

【What?】

【Hurry up and tell us! I’m dying of curiosity.】

…

“Can’t say.” Tu Xi’s fingers were interlocked, smiling at the screen, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. It was as if he was warning some restless viewers through the camera, “I won’t break up with Xia Yan. He’s my love for a lifetime.”

【Wuwuwu so spoiled! I’m shipping them hard.】

【Another day of crying for an absolutely beautiful love.】

【I’m not here to break you up, I’m here to join you!】

…

The viewers had just received a dose of dog food and, seeing Xia Yan return from the restroom, quickly switched their attention back to his live stream. Some savvy ones even watched both streams simultaneously to keep up with the drama.

Xia Yan’s phone had received several messages while he was away.

The screen emitted a faint white glow.

However, because the phone was flat, the camera only captured a blurry portion of the text, making it hard to read. Upon his return, Xia Yan’s attention was immediately drawn to his phone.

He tilted his body, nonchalantly picking up the phone.

“Someone sent me a message. Let me check!”

He unlocked it with facial recognition and opened the text.

In the next second, his expression changed dramatically—panic, anxiety, and a hint of affection were all visible to the viewers.

Realizing his mistake, he hurriedly tried to put the phone away.

However, his hand slipped, and the phone slid off the table and fell to the ground with a thud, shifting the camera’s angle from parallel to below.

The bright white screen revealed clear black text.

The viewers were quick to screenshot, import the photo into a beauty app, and flip it horizontally to reveal the text.

[Brother Xia, I miss you so much.]

[When will you break up with Tu Xi and be with me? I can give you a hundred million dollars.]

[Love you.]

If this had happened before, netizens would have definitely thought Xia Yan was cheating.

However, after Tu Xi’s explanation, everyone’s attitude changed.

Holy crap! Which scoundrel is trying to harm my wife? Why send such ambiguous messages in the live stream on purpose? Pull them out and beat them up!!!