Three days later, the eagerly awaited moment arrived. Weibo’s official lottery platform released the list of winners on time. Since there were a whopping 1,500 winners, when the list came out, everyone’s eyes were practically spinning. Many even used magnifying glasses to try and find their own names.
A few minutes later, phrases like
[A Thousand Lucky Winners Announced]
[I’m Sour Because I’m Not on the List]
[November Assassination List Arranged]
[Both Female Fans, Why Such Unfair Fate]
[Lottery Platform Rigged]
[I Have a Grudge Against the Programmers]
“The Brat’s Splurging Doesn’t Faze His Dad,” and others shot to the top of the trending topics, making it seem as if the entire internet was having a wild celebration. Even news about a lesser-known actress taking on a new role couldn’t compete with these eccentric netizens.
Several self-media outlets that didn’t make it to the list were feeling sour about it. They claimed that Yin Minglu’s marketing behavior was aimed at grabbing attention and that he was a typical spoiled brat who was squandering money. They even published articles like “A Compilation of Prodigal Heirs from China and Abroad,” with Yin Minglu featured prominently. The article suggested that “getting rich is no easy feat, but squandering wealth is in our nature.” It hinted that heirs like Yin Minglu, who openly spent their family’s hard-earned wealth, were not fit to inherit the family legacy. It also pointed out that the game hadn’t even made money yet, and Yin Minglu was already indulging himself. His father was competing to become the richest man in the country, while he was being a burden.
These comments from outsiders left those in the industry amused but without words. They thought that the notion of free-to-play games not making money was a misconception held by outsiders. On the surface, it appeared that Yin Minglu’s game wasn’t making money, as they frequently ran in-game events that allowed many players to enjoy the game without spending money. However, if anyone got their hands on the studio’s monthly revenue statement, they would be shocked by the figures rolling up at the top. Not to mention the daily influx of tens of thousands of users, with the game lobby always packed.
In essence, with Deer Factory in hand, Yin Minglu had his very own cash cow, a treasure trove, allowing him to achieve financial freedom at such a young age. And he was only sixteen! If anyone had a child this successful, they’d wake up from dreams laughing.
Moreover, this massive internet-wide lottery event, despite many people criticizing Yin Minglu for being wealthy and reckless, was actually quite beneficial for him.
Within just two or three days, Yin Minglu’s Weibo followers had increased by twenty million, and they were all active fans who would fervently call him “Brainy Hubby” or “Brother Lu.” Some people had gotten so used to calling him these nicknames that they couldn’t change their habits. From a businessman’s perspective, this kind of deal was more than worth it. He was making a fortune.
If you took a closer look at Yin Minglu’s simple but audacious show-off Weibo post, “My dad gave me a watch. I didn’t study much, so I don’t know what brand it is. Can you guys help me out? With so many diamonds, it must be expensive, right? [Image included],” you would notice more than just the watch. Even though there was a watch covered in dazzling diamonds, what everyone noticed most was the person. The young boy had an exceptionally handsome face, with playful hints in his eyes and around his lips, like a mischievous little creature that had stolen some honey. He flashed his gleaming white teeth, perfectly suited to endorse GG, radiating the brilliance of a small sun, warming the hearts of onlookers.
The likes, comments, and shares below had already surpassed those of similar-level celebrity artists, making him a top trending topic.
[Hubby, don’t be shy; I don’t believe you don’t know the brand]
[The price at the official store has so many zeros; I’m bad at math, I can’t count them]
[It’s definitely not cheap. I found a similar one on Taobao for 300 yuan. So expensive!]
[Hubby, when are you going to announce our marriage to the public? It’s not nice to keep it from your dad]
The tabloid media absolutely adored Yin Minglu. Regardless of whether the headlines were good or bad, discussing his lavish spending, the game’s losses, or his flashy flaunting, just adding his name would guarantee a surge in clicks. He alone was feeding numerous online media outlets.
Moreover, this rich young man seemed to have a lot of free time. Not only did he interact with fans and post on Weibo every few days, showcasing his daily splurges, but he also promoted his new games, held spontaneous lotteries when he wasn’t feeling great, and created hot topics himself. Even when he had no fresh material, fans were still eager to join in.
On a regular afternoon, Yin Yunqiu was reading the newspaper in the living room when he saw his younger son picking and choosing among his belongings, apparently deciding on new material for showing off. He smiled indulgently because the more flamboyant his child’s displays of wealth, the better it was for the company’s image. Shareholders would feel more confident in a company that appeared to be thriving.
People would believe that the reason the heir of the company flaunted his wealth like this was because the company was doing exceedingly well. If the company were on the verge of bankruptcy, who would have the time to flaunt their wealth every day?
“Is this golden pig too tacky, Dad?” The young boy picked up a golden pig ornament, looked at it from different angles, and felt it wasn’t suitable. Then he picked up a bunch of car keys with a limited edition car logo, inspected them for a moment, and shook his head, saying, “Uncle gave me this, but I’m not of legal driving age yet. It wouldn’t be good if I got accused of driving without a license. I can’t let Little Jiang steal my thunder all the time. Last time, everyone was praising the driver for being handsomer than me. They really have no taste.”
The young boy mumbled to himself for a while and then seemed unwilling to give up showing off his sports car. He grabbed a box of items, ran over, and took them from his father, saying, “Dad, let’s go to the yard and strike some poses. You can take pictures of me.”
What kind of whims did his son have this time? Yin Yunqiu put down the financial newspaper he was reading and followed his son to the courtyard.
In the courtyard, the young boy ordered someone to bring the sports car over, opened the car door, and then deliberately threw his carefully prepared box of items, including car keys, onto the ground. Amid the bewildered gazes of onlookers, he pretended to fall out of the car. Then, his belongings dropped to the ground, as if they had fallen from his person. He said, “Dad, go ahead and take pictures.”
Thus, the young boy’s Weibo was once again flooded with content. The “Flaunting Wealth Falls” trend quickly spread among the upper-class elite. People marveled at a world-famous wine-red sports car, from which a handsome young man had “fallen.”
They also noticed the items that had fallen with him: an expensive smartphone, a luxurious vintage wallet, stylish sunglasses, countless limited edition game albums, and what seemed to be a perfect score report.
People exclaimed in amazement; this rich second generation had such unique ways of flaunting his wealth. He sure knew how to play! Following him closely was the son of the Macau gambling tycoon, who “fell” beneath his extended Rolls-Royce, complete with a hand of playing cards still gripped in his hand. Countless others imitated the trend, “falling” beneath their private planes or amidst their closets full of beautiful clothes and high heels, or even under their carefully preserved antiques.1T/N: The only falling trend I can do is falling off the bed QAQ
Yin Corporation’s stock price surged once again, and shareholders had even more confidence that Yin Corporation was swimming in wealth.
Once the young boy had his fill of fun, he stopped and began behaving like a well-behaved child.
Yin Yunqiu rarely browsed Weibo, but one day, he opened the app on a whim. His official account had always been managed by someone else and had never posted any personal updates. The content was overly business-oriented, catering to an older audience and business partners.
As a result, after logging in for a while, he found under his latest Weibo post that countless people were calling him “father-in-law” and “father,” and a shameless group of netizens even asked him if he would approve of the marriage with the young boy.
Yin Yunqiu: “…”
A trace of displeasure welled up in his heart. He promptly replied to that top comment, “Impossible.”
Ignoring the comments below that seemed like zombies rising from the grave, he went to his younger son’s Weibo. He clicked on a picture of his son eating barbecue by the roadside. His son had also posted a picture with a caption that read, “Can your family afford to eat so many skewers like ours?”
The picture showed two boys holding a large pile of grilled meat skewers, and it seemed that the spiciness had made the young boy’s lips red. His cheeks were flushed from the heat, making him look strangely cute.
Yin Yunqiu raised an eyebrow and was about to wait for his son to return so he could educate him about not eating junk food too often. However, amid the laughter and joking comments about being unable to afford such luxuries and humorous encounters, he noticed a few conspicuous comments.
[Keep acting spoiled like this, and your dad will eventually get tired of you.”
[What you gain will eventually be lost]
[Get ready to become a pauper]
These comments contained subtle curses, and their style was distinct from the others.
While there had been criticisms of his son’s flaunting of wealth and its negative impact before, most netizens didn’t care. They were more focused on lottery draws or offering compliments.
However, this unique style caught Yin Yunqiu’s attention, and he couldn’t help but be intrigued. He slightly pursed his lips and, with a cold expression, he wanted to question the author of these comments. Why would they say he would eventually lose something? That was his child, the one he had raised with so much care and effort, teaching him how to read and write, feeding him when he was hungry, and clothing him when it was cold. He had always been protective of him. Yin Minglu’s current ability to complain, throw tantrums, and occasionally act spoiled were all traits nurtured by him. His son should be able to grow up freely under his protection, and outsiders had no right to interfere.
Moreover, outsiders thought it was him who had made his son what he was today. In reality, his son had taught him how to be a good father, not just an emotionless work machine. His son showed him that even in the midst of busy work, he could have a small, warm family.
Speaking of getting tired of his son, he only had one child, Yin Minglu. Due to their blood ties, he feared more than anyone else that someday his son would find out the truth and leave him without looking back, returning to his biological parents. As the boy grew older and became more outstanding, his personality became more daring, and he grew more loving and caring. Yin Yunqiu’s sense of unease grew thicker. He was afraid that one day, the boy’s biological parents would come knocking, and a single tear would make his son soften, causing him to abandon Yin Yunqiu.
Regarding the wealth of the Yin family and the heir’s position, outsiders believed that his son would care about them and hold onto them tightly. However, his son could carve out his own path with his own hands, and therefore, he didn’t care and wasn’t attached to them. In the vast Yin family, apart from the gratitude for over a decade of upbringing, there was nothing that could keep his son by his side.
With these thoughts in mind, Yin Yunqiu leaned back in his chair and slowly exhaled a suppressed breath. After a while, he snapped out of his gloomy thoughts and returned to his usual composed and astute state. He silently visited the Weibo profile of the person who had posted those comments, examining it with a critical gaze. He couldn’t help but feel that those comments held a deeper meaning. What did they mean by “you will eventually lose”?
He forwarded the profile to his assistant, instructing them to investigate the owner of this Weibo account. He had just come across a picture of a gorgeously styled dress, and it seemed oddly familiar. Although he couldn’t quite remember it at the moment, he was certain that the owner of this account was a girl, and a relatively young one at that.
This girl seemed to care deeply about his son. Three out of every five of her Weibo posts were related to his son, and they all contained malicious content and venomous words. Yin Yunqiu cast a cold glance at those comments and continued scrolling. After going through hundreds of posts, he was about to exit the page when he noticed something familiar: a makeup kit, a hairband, a dress, and some toys—all of them looked strikingly familiar.
It was as if he had dug out a bag of clothes and toys years ago when he had his falling out with his son’s mother. Almost instantly, he remembered who the owner of that dress was, the girl who had stood on the game finals stage with his son. She had been dressed like a living doll, and when she had seen him, her eyes had sparkled, and she had smiled radiantly.
The author has something to say:
When Dad finds out, things will get interesting.
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