Chapter 50
“Like…”
The man remained silent, his curled finger turning pale from the pressure.
Inside the conference room, the arguments continued. Yet all the noise and commotion seemed distant, fading into the background.
Ye Yuyuan turned away from the window. The sheer white curtains billowed lightly in the wind, and within his dark eyes, emotions surged and faded in an endless tide. The sun was beginning to set, painting the snow-capped Alps in hues of gold and crimson.
“Mm?”
Thousands of kilometers away, Fang Huai listened intently. But after a long moment, all he could hear was the sound of soft breathing.
He walked out onto the balcony, then suddenly hopped onto the windowsill, one leg propped up, gazing into the horizon where the land disappeared into the night.
The evening breeze lifted his bangs, revealing his strikingly handsome features. He was wearing shorts today, and his fair, well-defined calves dangled carelessly in the air.
Starlight spread across the rippling surface of the Yangtze River, shimmering with the current as it flowed toward the sea.
There was a seven-hour time difference between Switzerland and China.
On one side, the sun had just set; on the other, night had already deepened. One side had snow-capped mountains that remained frozen year-round, while the other had a river that surged forward in an eternal spring.
Ye Yuyuan’s slender index finger curled and then slowly relaxed.
He gazed at the distant, snow-covered mountains in silence for a long time before asking,
“We just saw each other the day before yesterday?”
Fang Huai, not understanding the point of the question, nodded. “Yeah, two nights ago.”
That night, Ye Yuyuan had been in a bad mood. Fang Huai had coaxed him into eating a piece of cotton candy—he remembered it clearly.
On the other end of the phone, the man remained silent for a while longer.
“Just one day.”
After a long pause, Ye Yuyuan murmured in a low voice.
He closed his eyes, his thumb brushing lightly over the cufflink on his sleeve. The corners of his lips curved into a faint, fleeting smile—almost imperceptible—before returning to their usual neutrality.
Just one day.
And yet, he already missed him this much.
“Ye Yuyuan.”
“Mm?”
Fang Huai looked toward the river in the distance. His heart felt as if it had been gently placed into the soft night breeze, stirring a desire to say something. But just as the words reached his lips, he suddenly didn’t want to say them anymore. He let out a small laugh, shook his head a little sheepishly, and said,
“Nothing, I forgot.”
The person on the other end was silent. After a moment, Ye Yuyuan spoke in a low voice, “The sunset over the Alps was beautiful today.”
His voice, usually calm and distant, carried an unexpected warmth.
Ye Yuyuan had never liked anyone before.
It wasn’t until much later that he finally realized—this was what it felt like to like someone.
Today, he saw a breathtaking sunset. Yesterday, he had a cotton candy that was unbelievably sweet. The day before, he ran into an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. All these small, seemingly insignificant moments—he wanted to tell him about every single one. Every beautiful thing he saw reminded him of him.
Yet, all the words he wanted to say condensed into a single sentence: “Today’s sunset was beautiful.”
But in truth—
He wanted to watch the sunset with him; He wanted to save half of the cotton candy for him; He wanted to introduce him to every friend who had ever been part of his memories; He wanted to be there for every moment of his past, present, and future.
Every single second of his life…He wanted to see him.
“……”
After hanging up, Fang Huai exhaled softly, a hint of confusion flickering in his heart.
Not far beyond the window, tiny specks of starlight scattered across the river’s surface, like silk embroidered with diamonds, undulating in the wind. In that moment, the breathtaking beauty of the vast mountains and rivers seemed to reveal itself through this small fragment of the world.
For a fleeting second, Fang Huai suddenly had the urge to tell Ye Yuyuan—Tonight’s stars… are beautiful.
*
Handling a scandalous rumor is actually quite simple.
With countless cases and experiences over the years, plus the situation with Fang Huai and Li Li, it was obvious to any discerning person that the trending topic was a paid promotion orchestrated by Li Li’s side for publicity.
At first, Fang Huai was worried that exposing the truth might be bad for Li Li—after all, he had grown up with Fang Jianguo. Although the old man was eccentric, he held some rather traditional views, and his instinct was to believe that the girl would suffer the most in this situation.
It wasn’t until Shi Feiran explained things to him that he realized that wasn’t the case.
Fang Huai was momentarily confused.
“Why would she…”
“For profit, obviously. What other reason could there be?” Shi Feiran found it amusing and didn’t elaborate further.
In just half a day, Li Li’s Weibo followers had more than doubled. She had been nothing more than an unknown actress before this, and it seemed she was deliberately taking the controversial “black-and-red” route—embracing notoriety for fame. Riding the wave of the trending topic, she quickly posted another tweet playing the victim.
@Chestnut (Li Li) Like Sweet V: I sincerely apologize to Fang Huai’s fans. There is really nothing between Ah Huai and me. He was just being kind when he offered to share his umbrella. It was small, so we had to stand close… I hope you won’t disrupt his normal life. Say whatever you want about me instead.
When Shi Feiran saw the post, he found it absolutely ridiculous. She had taken advantage of the situation yet still played the victim—a true “white lotus” act. She had twisted the entire narrative, turning herself from someone who had deliberately clung to Fang Huai for shelter into a helpless girl being hit on by him. And now, she was milking the online hate for sympathy.
If it had just been a standard publicity stunt, it would have been distasteful at worst. But Li Li’s team was outright parasitic, fully committing to the mess, convinced that Fang Huai wouldn’t openly confront them. They were trying to force Fang Huai into cooperating.
[Vampire Li Li, get lost already.]
[Fang Huai is such a scumbag. His whole image is crumbling. The pictures clearly show him taking the initiative to offer his umbrella and chat her up. Now that the photos are trending, this girl, who just focused on acting and never stirred up drama, is getting bashed while he stays silent?]
[You people better open your damn eyes and look properly. Where the hell is the ambiguity here?! If he wanted to clarify things, he should have done it properly. Instead, she posts this manipulative “pity me” tweet? Li Bai Lian (White Lotus Li), you and your team leeching off Fang Huai can all go to hell!!]
[Lmao, Fang Huai’s fans really live up to their rabid dog reputation. He’s obviously a scumbag. Sharing an umbrella is one thing, but why stand so close? Li Li was wearing a low-cut top—was he trying to… Holy shit, what a perv.]
Shi Feiran scrolled through the barrage of Weibo comments, his mind rapidly formulating countermeasures. He was just about to discuss the best way to handle the situation with Fang Huai when, after refreshing the page, he suddenly saw two new trending posts!
The first one was from Feng Lang.
@Feng LangV: It’s raining. [Image]
The photo showed a lone figure standing in the rain, holding an umbrella. The boy had a tall and slender frame, and the loose linen shirt he wore was dampened at the corner by raindrops. His body was slightly angled, and his light amber eyes carried a pure, misty clarity.
His umbrella tilted slightly to the right, leaving his left shoulder exposed to the rain. Under the right side of the umbrella, a small black kitten rubbed affectionately against his pant leg.
The image had minimal post-processing, but the atmosphere was breathtaking. The overcast sky cast a cool, muted tone over the gray walls and white tiles blurred by rain. The only spots of warmth were the umbrella, the kitten, and the gentle, luminous light in the boy’s eyes.
Feng Lang hadn’t posted on Weibo for a long time, and just like last time, his post immediately filled up with all kinds of excited comments.
[Aaaaaah, hubby, have you finally remembered your Weibo account exists?!]
[Did you take this photo? Turns out my husband is a photographer delayed by his acting career.]
[WTF, I thought Feng Lang would post when he joined the cast, but he didn’t. I thought he’d post when Frost started filming, but still nothing… I thought he had disappeared from the face of the earth, and now he’s suddenly back from the dead.]
[Aaaaaah baby!! I’m inhaling this!! He’s too handsome!!]
After posting, Feng Lang couldn’t be bothered to read the comments. He put down his phone and lazily yawned.
A message popped up on WeChat.
Glancing at the sender, he saw it was from someone saved as “Dead Fish Eyes.” The message contained just two words, “Thank you.”
Feng Lang scoffed, pressing the voice message button as he lazily replied, “Wasn’t even for you. Why are you being so self-absorbed?”
It was Fang Huai. Even if Ye Yuyuan hadn’t asked him to post, he would’ve done it anyway. His Weibo influence was clearly greater than Ye Yuyuan’s, and besides, this was the solution that had the least negative impact on Fang Huai.
There was a long silence from the other side. Then, after a while, another message came in:
“For another thing too, thank you.”
Was he really lowering himself like this?
Feng Lang smirked but didn’t reply this time. He simply tossed his phone aside.
Still, Ye Yuyuan’s thanks—he fully deserved it.
After all, he had taken a big loss for this.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shi Feiran saw the Weibo post, smacked his forehead, and immediately came up with an even better solution!
Soon, the hashtag #Fang Huai Holding an Umbrella# shot up the trending charts.
It included a nine-image collage of Fang Huai holding an umbrella—for a cat, for a scriptwriter, for a fan he met on the street… Basically, all sorts of umbrella-holding moments. The caption playfully mocked, “Scumbag Fang Huai, do you have another cat outside?”
Each photo had an eerily similar angle—Fang Huai standing with his back to the camera, slightly turned to the side, holding an umbrella with clean and gentle eyes. And the one with Li Li? Mixed into the collage, it didn’t stand out at all.
Soon after, a surveillance video surfaced online.
It showed Fang Huai handing the umbrella to Li Li and walking away in the rain himself. Seeing the footage, it became instantly clear who had actually pushed their way in and who had supposedly “flirted.”
[HAHAHAHA my baby looks at Li Li with less affection than he looks at the cat. Flirting? Liking her? Not a chance.]
[Baby: Dating? What’s that? Never heard of it.]
[Li Li is so disgusting. A next-level white lotus who even lies? Gross. I distinctly remember her saying ‘Huai Huai offered to hold the umbrella for her,’ right? The audacity!!]
[My poor baby, standing in the rain like a true gentleman… Aaaah, I wish he’d hold an umbrella for me too!!!]
Most people, including Fang Huai himself, didn’t understand why Li Li had pulled this stunt when the lie was bound to be exposed. Not only did she get scolded, but she gained nothing from it.
Only a few people saw the bigger picture—hype was the real goal of this whole publicity stunt.
Li Li had been an unknown, irrelevant actress. But thanks to this scandal, even if the reaction was overwhelmingly negative, at least now she was famous.
In this industry, being hated wasn’t the worst thing. The worst thing was being invisible—when nobody even bothered to look your way.
Li Li eventually got plenty of acting offers as she had hoped. However, due to her lack of integrity, she never achieved any major success. Still, compared to many small-time actors who remained unknown their entire lives, she was already doing much better.
Shi Feiran, on the other hand, was sharp, and Fang Huai didn’t suffer any losses in public opinion. In fact, besides gaining another wave of goodwill from casual fans, the phrase “I want Fang Huai to hold an umbrella for me” briefly became a trending topic.
Fans and netizens eagerly joined in the fun—some photoshopped themselves under Fang Huai’s umbrella, others made meme stickers, some edited “wedding umbrella” pictures, and people even posted on social media pretending, “It’s raining today. Thank you, boyfriend Fang Huai, for picking me up.”
The joke spread like wildfire. Not only young people but even many middle-aged and elderly folks came to know who Fang Huai was.
Some people joked that overnight, Fang Huai had held umbrellas for millions across the country.
Among all the photos and memes, there was only one picture that stood out.
In that picture, a man in a neatly tailored suit stood with his back to the camera, holding an umbrella in his hand. Facing him was a tall, slender young man, tilting his head slightly, staring at him in a daze.
The rain had just stopped, and the boy’s eyes seemed to hold a sky full of stars. The entire scene was unbelievably romantic.
Everyone else was waiting for Fang Huai to hold an umbrella for them.
But in this one photo, in this one moment, there was only one person—standing in the pouring rain—who had held up an umbrella for him.
*
The “umbrella incident” soon came to an end.
Fang Huai had a lot to focus on, especially since filming for Frost was about to reach his character, Lin Shuheng’s, scenes.
For the past few days, he had been spending all his time at the set—discussing the script with the writers, going over character details with Lin Shengyun, and cramming knowledge. But even with all this effort, something was still missing.
One issue was his lack of experience and professional expertise. The other…
“Have you really never liked anyone before?” Lin Shengyun asked seriously for the first time. “I can’t see any emotions from you.”
Until now, Lin Shengyun hadn’t realized how big of a problem this was. He had assumed that with Fang Huai’s looks, plenty of people must have pursued him—maybe he had even been in relationships before. But to think that wasn’t the case at all…
Then how had he managed to act so convincingly before? Had he actually met someone like Lin Shuheng in real life?!
The idea was so absurd that Lin Shengyun shook his head, pushing the thought away.
