On the day Shen Yuan’s episode aired, he was in class and missed the live broadcast.
Qiao Hailou sat cross-legged on the carpet, the baby half-sitting in his lap. As soon as Shen Yuan appeared on screen, the baby seemed to recognize his father, waving his little hands and babbling excitedly in baby talk.
Hailou chuckled: “What’s the matter, Little Peanut? You know that’s your dad, right?”
The baby giggled, sucking on his tiny hand.
Hailou recorded the show, then bundled the baby up to take him to early education classes—swimming, music, and playtime—where he met other children. Most attendees were mothers, but seeing a father come alone wasn’t unusual, and he exchanged friendly parenting tips with the other parents.
With nothing else to do, Hailou also filmed a vlog on his phone.
After class, he brought the baby home, changed him into a onesie, and prepared a bottle of milk. The baby’s eyes lit up at the sight of it, reaching out eagerly, pressing and releasing his tiny hands, desperate for the bottle.
Hailou teased him a couple of times, but the baby pouted, on the verge of tears. Hailou quickly popped the nipple into his mouth, and the baby clutched the bottle, drinking with watery eyes.
Hailou tapped his little nose: “Wow, your dad’s really raised a delicate one—already about to cry?”
The baby ignored him, absorbed in his milk.
Hailou also changed a fresh diaper. By the time he finished, the baby had almost finished half the bottle, still sucking. When Hailou removed the empty bottle, he fussed again, so Hailou gave him a pacifier, and he settled down.
Soon, the baby had fallen asleep. Hailou remained vigilant, then took the time to unpack a dozen boxes of baby supplies from recent deliveries.
You would never imagine what a bored person could do.
Even at home, Hailou pursued excellence—he wanted to be the most professional dad. He bought every brand of diaper available, domestic and foreign, and conducted a thorough comparison: material, design, absorbency, comfort, and durability. Surprisingly, his top choice was an obscure domestic brand. Sometimes quality alone doesn’t determine sales; marketing and distribution matter just as much.
Hailou thought it a shame—if he were the company’s owner, he could sell much better. He discovered the company collaborated with a well-known university, so the tech was solid, but their sales department was weak. He considered negotiating a buyout.
While the baby slept, Hailou filmed some videos. After dinner, he edited and uploaded them to the accounts he ran across multiple platforms. His previous vlogs had mostly been everyday parenting, with modest views, usually only 10,000–20,000 clicks. This time, focusing on “dad life,” he gained over a thousand new followers.
Hailou mused that as a CEO, spending millions of seconds making videos was no big deal. This one was carefully done, so why not promote it a bit? The cost was negligible, and it was a little show-off opportunity.
After Shen Yuan’s episode aired, he gained over 200,000 new followers that week, posting only a collection of his works.
Riding this wave, KLLK magazine released behind-the-scenes photos of his shoot. His looks were stunning, the photos high-quality, and fans rushed to pre-order the magazine, finally able to afford some official merchandise.
Amusingly, some film companies contacted Shen Yuan privately, asking if he wanted to act. Being a jewelry designer sounded glamorous, but ultimately he was still working for someone else. Acting promised higher pay, requiring little skill—just keep his looks and serve as a perfect decorative role.
Shen Yuan politely declined, though he said he might consider designing jewelry for a production if offered.
With his newfound online fame, both admirers and detractors couldn’t help but notice.
Prince Qin saw Shen Yuan trending through mutual friends’ posts. Their social circles overlapped significantly, and some joked that Shen Yuan had become a celebrity. Prince Qin checked online—videos and photos were everywhere.
Studying abroad, he had been buried in books from dawn to dusk. Blocked by Shen Yuan, he could only hear news secondhand, and suddenly it felt like another world.
Only a little over a year had passed, yet both had changed drastically.
Prince Qin didn’t dare claim he’d improved, only that he was trying to catch up. But Shen Yuan’s transformation seemed faster. Where once he had been an uncut gem, hiding his brilliance, now just a little polishing had made him dazzling.
Prince Qin felt disheartened—could he even catch up?
Li Lin’s classmates and friends all knew Shen Yuan. The gentle older brother often treated them to meals, spoke eloquently, and was handsome—how could they forget such a striking young man?
Seeing Shen Yuan trending, they immediately pestered Li Lin:
- “Your brother’s trending!”
- “He’s famous now! Is he going into acting? Introduce me too!”
- “You could be a young star too! Both brothers famous, so cool!”
Which teenage boy hasn’t dreamed of becoming a top celebrity—rich, powerful, adored by countless girls?
Li Lin wanted to see news of Shen Yuan but also dreaded it. Since his father had brought him back to the country, he hadn’t contacted his brother. Thinking about Shen Yuan marrying Qiao Hailou still pained him. He’d been sulking, his mood terrible, even changing his gaming livestream style. Once polite and refined, he’d grown irritable.
He deliberately told himself not to watch or think about Shen Yuan, but these friends kept poking him in the heart.
Li Lin replied uniformly: “Don’t mention my brother. One more time, I’ll block you.”
He wanted to run away, but being underage, he couldn’t leave for another six months. Once he turned eighteen, he planned to sign with a club and be independent.
Rui Xia, seeing the program introducing Shen Yuan as a jewelry designer, understood immediately.
So this young man’s relationship with Qiao Hailou made sense—Hailou was a jewelry company CEO. The program noted Shen Yuan was under twenty.
Rui Xia felt conflicted.
Why would someone so young marry Hailou? In their grade, they didn’t match—a jewelry designer and a CEO marrying could only suggest ulterior motives. Anyone might assume Shen Yuan married for wealth, power, and connections.
Was it too cynical to think that way? Rui Xia forced himself to consider: what if he truly loved Hailou? Then he would have to admit it.
Now that his real name was known, the rest was easy to investigate.
In the K-country elite circle, Shen Yuan was already well-known, socially adept, and widely connected. Rui Xia quickly learned much about him. Outwardly charming, yet willing to humble himself to gain connections… someone so servile and opportunistic, it seemed a waste for such a kind, pure face.
Rui Xia found it hard to believe someone so calculating could truly be in love with Qiao Hailou.