Chapter 50
Shen Yan thought he was being naive. He assumed a kiss was just a kiss, but Su Yunzhe’s enthusiasm quickly escalated.
Shen Yan hesitated about whether to push him away, but Su Yunzhe let go of him first, leaning back lazily on the couch. His reaction was unmistakable.
Shen Yan was both surprised and a bit embarrassed. “You…”
“You’re wondering why I’m not going home for New Year?” Su Yunzhe, aside from that obvious issue, seemed entirely composed.
Shen Yan couldn’t help glancing downward, marveling at how calm Su Yunzhe was otherwise. He hesitated, lost for words.
Su Yunzhe turned his head and smirked. “Thinking about letting me continue?”
…
Shen Yan snapped back to reality and quickly changed the subject. “I thought you had a good relationship with your dad. Is it because of your stepmom?”
Su Yunzhe nodded. “Yeah.”
“Hard to get along with?” Shen Yan asked.
He’d never met Su Yunzhe’s stepmother and had never heard much about her. In fact, Su Yunzhe rarely talked about his family. But judging from Su Mubai’s character, he didn’t seem like the type to bring chaos into his household.
As expected, Su Yunzhe shook his head. “Not really. She’s actually quite decent. But when I started college, my dad handed over Yunkong Entertainment and all the family businesses to me. She wasn’t happy about it. After all, Yingying is also his daughter, a legitimate heir, but my dad gave everything to me. She got upset and started acting like I owed her. I was young and hotheaded back then…”
When Su Yunzhe had just entered college, Su Mubai offloaded all his responsibilities onto him. Despite being a top student, Su Yunzhe struggled against the board members and senior executives, who were like sly foxes. He took his frustrations out on his father and found it even harder to stomach his stepmother’s attitude.
So, he moved out in a fit of pique.
Looking back now, it didn’t seem like such a big deal.
It wasn’t entirely his stepmother’s fault either. Su Mubai had married her and even had a child with her, yet he excluded them from the inheritance. Anyone would feel slighted.
Still, Su Yunzhe could understand his father’s perspective.
Su Mubai had been deeply in love with Su Yunzhe’s mother. If it hadn’t been for his stepmother’s relentless pursuit, a drunken encounter, and an unexpected pregnancy, Su Mubai would probably never have remarried.
It always felt like there was some calculated scheming involved.
Perhaps Su Mubai harbored similar suspicions, feeling guarded around his new wife.
And Su Yunzhe was his most treasured connection to his first wife. How could he willingly divide the inheritance meant for his beloved son with someone else? Even if that person was also his daughter, she couldn’t compare to the child he had with the love of his life.
Su Yunzhe didn’t blame his father. He understood his stepmother’s dissatisfaction, seeing it as human nature. After graduating, he let it go.
But his change of heart didn’t resolve everything. His stepmother remained upset, her resentment lingering. Whenever he visited, she gave him the cold shoulder and quarreled with Su Mubai, causing chaos in the household.
Not wanting to deal with the drama, Su Yunzhe stopped going home for the holidays. His father, caught in the middle, suffered as well.
Initially, he spent New Year with his grandparents, but Su Mubai would always find out and summon him home. Eventually, he started traveling the world during the holidays, spending New Year wherever he liked.
Shen Yan’s mind filled with an image of Su Yunzhe spending New Year alone in an empty, cold house. He felt a pang of sympathy and scooted closer, taking Su Yunzhe’s hand and leaning his head on his shoulder. “It’s okay. From now on, I’ll spend New Year with you.”
Su Yunzhe’s heart softened, but another part of him grew harder.
He squeezed Shen Yan’s hand, his expression turning playful. “So, you were inviting me.”
Shen Yan: “…”
Could he not? Shen Yan just felt bad thinking about his own lively, warm family holidays compared to Su Yunzhe’s lonely ones. How could that lead to this conclusion?
But considering Su Yunzhe’s current state of mind, it was clear what he was focused on.
Shen Yan cleared his throat and clumsily redirected the topic. “So, Su Yingying must be mad at you too. But I get the feeling she likes you. Does she not know about this?”
“She probably does. When I first took over, she was still young, seven or eight. But her mother must have told her later.” Su Yunzhe’s demeanor suddenly returned to normal.
“Does that mean she doesn’t care anymore?” Shen Yan asked.
Su Yunzhe rubbed his temples, pondering, as though unsure how to phrase his response.
It was rare to see Su Yunzhe at a loss for words, which piqued Shen Yan’s curiosity.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t it that way? She doesn’t strike me as someone particularly manipulative,” Shen Yan said.
Although Su Yingying had been cold to him since learning he was Su Yunzhe’s boyfriend, her initial impression on him was positive. Despite her overt dislike during later encounters, her behavior seemed genuine, not calculated.
But judging by Su Yunzhe’s reaction, Shen Yan felt he might have guessed wrong.
Now that he thought about it, the relationship between Su Yunzhe and Su Yingying was indeed peculiar.
According to Su Yunzhe’s story, Su Yingying ought to despise or even loathe him. After all, the Su family inheritance was no small matter, and sibling rivalry over it could be as fierce as ancient battles for the throne.
Su Yingying had been deprived of her inheritance from a young age, and it seemed logical that she would grow up resentful.
Yet, she showed no such hostility towards Su Yunzhe. On the contrary, she appeared to respect him.
Meanwhile, Su Yunzhe remained distant, never initiating contact.
Was there more to the story?
In the end, Su Yunzhe simply shook his head. “It’s nothing, probably just me overthinking.” He stood up abruptly, adding, “It’s late. Let’s sleep. I still need to…” He pointed to a certain part of himself. “…take care of something.”
…
Shen Yan awkwardly averted his gaze, unwilling to respond for fear of saying something that might make Su Yunzhe change his mind.
Fortunately, Su Yunzhe just stared at him resentfully for a moment before heading upstairs.
Shen Yan breathed a sigh of relief, slumping back on the couch. He didn’t follow right away, instead mulling over what had caused Su Yunzhe’s hesitation earlier.
It wasn’t that Su Yunzhe didn’t want to tell him—he was usually forthcoming about anything except business secrets.
This time, however, was different.
Could there be some hidden secret between the siblings?
Unable to figure it out, Shen Yan decided to drop it. When he estimated that Su Yunzhe was done showering, he went upstairs to shower himself.
The next day was New Year’s Eve. The servants had already prepared everything for the holiday, but Su Yunzhe planned to cook the reunion dinner himself.
Initially, he’d intended for it to be just the two of them, thinking a romantic dinner would be nice. However, Qin Mofeng showed up uninvited and refused to leave.
So, romance went out the window, and the focus shifted to making enough good food for everyone.
Shen Yan and Qin Mofeng weren’t much help in the kitchen, so they assisted with small tasks while Su Yunzhe took charge. After an afternoon of bustling around, the meal was finally ready just in time for the Spring Festival Gala. They set the table and ate while watching and critiquing the show.
Despite his regretful demeanor the previous night, Qin Mofeng seemed back to his usual self. But as midnight approached, he grew unusually quiet, frequently checking the time on his phone. At 11:55 PM, he dashed outside to make a call. It was clear he was calling Ling Sicheng.
Ling Sicheng likely wouldn’t pick up, but for Qin Mofeng, expressing his feelings during this special moment was enough.
Even Su Yunzhe, who hadn’t properly celebrated New Year in years, pulled Shen Yan in for a kiss at midnight, whispering some embarrassingly sweet words in his ear.
Worried that Qin Mofeng might return at any moment, Shen Yan quickly ended the kiss and demanded red envelopes instead.
Before long, Qin Mofeng came bursting back inside, exclaiming, “Damn it! Su, you picked this time to make a move? That’s nightmare fuel for the whole nation on New Year’s! Don’t you feel guilty?”
Confused, Shen Yan asked, “What are you talking about, Brother Feng?”
Qin Mofeng tossed his phone to Shen Yan. “See for yourself! I just got this notification, accidentally clicked on it, and—ugh!” He shuddered. “Even censored, it’s disgusting.”
While Qin Mofeng ranted, Shen Yan had already read the news. It was about Duan Yang and Shen Jiaqi, caught in compromising positions—not just the one he’d seen before, but seven or eight videos of them being intimate in various locations, including backstage at a performance while still in costume.
The report revealed that Duan Yang and Shen Jiaqi had been involved for years, and even after Duan Yang married Shen Yan, their relationship continued. They’d barely spent any time together as a married couple, with Duan Yang and Shen Jiaqi living in a semi-cohabitation arrangement.
The news spread like wildfire, overtaking Spring Festival Gala discussions on social media. Hashtags like “Duan Yang 18+,” “Duan Yang cheating during marriage,” “Duan Yang playing the victim,” and “Duan Yang’s fake persona” trended instantly, dominating the headlines.
A few days ago, Duan Yang had hired online trolls to smear Su Yunzhe and Shen Yan across the internet. When Su Yunzhe didn’t respond, Duan Yang smugly assumed he had no way to fight back. Feeling victorious, he started posting on Weibo, expressing his supposed undying love for Shen Yan at every opportunity.
Uninformed netizens were moved by his “deep devotion,” rallying to defend him. They praised his character, acting skills, and the fact that, despite his privileged upbringing, he was “humble and kind”—a shining example in the entertainment industry. He was elevated to unprecedented heights of public admiration.
But now, with irrefutable evidence laid bare, it was as if someone had slapped Duan Yang squarely across the face. Even his supporters felt betrayed, realizing they’d been blind.
Keyboard warriors, known for their lack of loyalty, switched sides with astonishing speed. Their fury at being deceived fueled a barrage of scathing comments and ridicule, leaving no room for mercy.
Shen Yan handed the phone back to Qin Mofeng.
This didn’t surprise him. Su Yunzhe wasn’t the type to silently endure slander. What caught Shen Yan off guard was Su Yunzhe’s choice of timing for the counterattack.
Shen Yan could already envision Duan Yang’s downfall. During the New Year holiday, when everyone was idle and well-fed, what better pastime was there than venting frustration online?
And this was just the beginning.
It wasn’t long before the “all-powerful netizens” dug up even more dirt—this time, videos of Duan Yang committing domestic violence. The footage vividly captured multiple instances where Duan Yang resorted to beating Shen Yan whenever things didn’t go his way. Shen Yan bore visible injuries in nearly every clip.
Coincidentally, discussions about domestic violence had been trending on social media recently, sparked by a scandal involving another celebrity. This fresh revelation about Duan Yang struck a nerve, instantly making him public enemy number one.
By the morning of New Year’s Day, Duan Yang’s transgressions had escalated beyond infidelity and domestic violence. The ever-diligent netizens tracked down a former housekeeper of Duan Yang’s family. Wracked with guilt, the housekeeper finally stepped forward to reveal everything they knew.
The housekeeper recounted in detail how, after marrying Duan Yang, Shen Yan endured countless indignities, swallowing his pride in an attempt to keep the peace. When Shen Yan eventually became utterly disheartened and begged for a divorce, Duan Yang refused and even resorted to imprisoning him. Desperate, Shen Yan disguised himself as a woman to escape.
The revelations were so thorough that they included details even Shen Yan himself hadn’t known.
But none of that mattered—the netizens believed it.
Thousands of users flooded Weibo, tagging the authorities and demanding a formal investigation. They accused Duan Yang of illegal imprisonment, insisting he should be jailed for his crimes.
