You've swallowed too much online brainwashing

Ye Yizhou: !!!

Ye Yizhou hurriedly turned to meet Yan Qingdu's deep eyes and denied it innocently but firmly:

"I'm not, I didn't, don't listen to his nonsense. I never said I was going on a dating show!"

"Who's that?"

Hearing the unfamiliar male voice from Ye Yizhou's end of the call, Wei Zhao's voice involuntarily rose a notch. "Ye Yizhou!"

"What random guy are you fooling around with?"

No wonder he had thought there were strange noises coming from Ye Yizhou's end just now.

"We're not fooling around. This is true love, okay?"

Kneeling on the edge of the bed, Ye Yizhou hooked a hand around Yan Qingdu's tie, pulled him close, and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth as if coaxing him.

True love?

Would you listen to what you're saying? Do you even believe it yourself?

Yan Qingdu reached out and pinched Ye Yizhou's cheek, offering no comment on his explanation.

Ye Yizhou sat back, scooped his phone off the bed, and held it to his lips. "I'm twenty-four. Is having a man in my bed really something to make such a fuss about?"

"Huh? Where did you find true love this time? Don't you like Song Jincheng?" Bewildered, Wei Zhao voiced his deepest confusion.

Ye Yizhou was stunned. "Huh?"

Yan Qingdu raised a hand to straighten his cuff, his gaze lowered toward Ye Yizhou. His dark eyes were unfathomable, as still as a freezing pool.

That silent sense of oppression was like an invisible weight, impossible to ignore.

Ye Yizhou slowly turned toward Yan Qingdu and raised a hand as if swearing an oath. With an innocent yet resolute expression, he shook his head. "Your Honor, I'm innocent."

The next second, Ye Yizhou lowered his head to speak into his phone, his tone instantly turning much colder. "You've swallowed too much online brainwashing! Don't tell me you're one of the people spreading those rumors online!"

"Huh?"

Thrown by Ye Yizhou's attitude, Wei Zhao began to wonder whether his memory was failing him. "Wait, weren't you the one who said you had an unforgettable first love?"

"Should I leave, then?" Yan Qingdu's features were deep-set and cool, and one eyebrow shifted ever so slightly.

Ye Yizhou hurriedly caught Yan Qingdu's hand and pulled him down to sit beside him.

"Sit down."

Ye Yizhou's attitude was forceful, allowing Yan Qingdu no room to refuse, his gaze firm and serious:

"If you leave, it'll only make me look guilty. There's nothing you can't hear. I won't allow this kind of distance between us."

Ye Yizhou held Yan Qingdu's hand tightly.

Yan Qingdu looked at Ye Yizhou, seeing the urgency and earnestness in his eyes. A trace of doubt crossed his mind, then quickly faded.

Yan Qingdu held Ye Yizhou's hand in return. He said nothing, but that still reassured Ye Yizhou.

"Did I ever name Song Jincheng as that unforgettable first love?" Ye Yizhou retorted irritably into the phone.

Wei Zhao thought back carefully. "Well, no."

Ye Yizhou didn't deny having an unforgettable first love, merely frowning in displeasure at Wei Zhao's claim. "That piece of trash doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as my first love."

"Huh? What's going on? Why do I feel like you're openly showing your dislike and disgust for Song Jincheng now?"

Wei Zhao keenly noticed the change in Ye Yizhou's attitude. He hadn't been this cutting before.

"Song Jincheng puts on this aloof, pure-as-the-driven-snow act, but behind the scenes, he was kissing Liu Shengnan, Jia Yu Entertainment's boss, in the hallway at the Peach Spring Banquet like they couldn't bear to pull apart. Liu Shengnan married into his wife's family himself. He lives off his wife and still has the nerve to cheat. Fuck, that's so fucking disgusting."

Ye Yizhou's tone barely concealed his contempt and disdain. It disgusted him to death.

"Holy shit, that happened? That's some huge gossip. Is it legit?"

Wei Zhao hadn't expected to hear gossip like this and couldn't help pressing curiously, "Where did you dig up that juicy gossip? Let me in on it."

"I saw it!"

"Huh? You saw it?" After thinking it over, Wei Zhao felt something was off. "The Peach Spring Banquet is an exclusive members-only entertainment club with the best privacy in Kyoto. How did you see it?"

"I happened to go drinking at the Peach Spring Banquet that day and stumbled right into them. I hid quickly, so they didn't notice me. Fuck, so filthy. My eyes are ruined."

Utterly disgusted, Ye Yizhou tilted his head back and rubbed his eyelids with his hand.

"You went drinking alone?"

Wei Zhao still felt there was something odd about this.

The Peach Spring Banquet was members-only. Money alone couldn't get you in, much less just anyone.

Wei Zhao was about to ask how he had gotten into the Peach Spring Banquet when the random guy beside Ye Yizhou dropped a bombshell.

"He wasn't alone."

Yan Qingdu's voice was cool, his tone unreadable. "He also hired eight male models to drink with him."

Ye Yizhou: ...

"What? How many? Is that actually true? All innocent on the outside, but that wild in private? It's fine for you to hire eight male models to drink with you, but Song Jincheng can't have something going on with someone? Double standards much?"

This was the first Wei Zhao had heard of anything like this, and he was stunned.

Because the Ye Yizhou he had known over the past two years was a gorgeous, well-behaved, mild-tempered little pretty face, a little dramatic and a little too wrapped up in love.

He hardly ever got angry, and even when he did, he never swore at anyone. He was as pure as an innocent little flower.

Wait, hadn't Ye Yizhou just sworn?

In a flash of realization, Wei Zhao belatedly understood what Ye Yizhou had meant when he said in the interview that he was a good actor.

"Tsk. What are you thinking? I was just drinking. Mainly, drinking with good-looking people is more fun."

Ye Yizhou didn't deny any of it, but made a point of clarifying, "And don't compare me to that scumbag. He's getting ready to go on a dating show as a single man while carrying on with a married man. That's already moral corruption. Let's see when he finally goes down."

"Eugh, you really can't judge a book by its cover!" Wei Zhao found it disgusting too and sighed.

"What are you looking at me for? So what if I hired male models? I didn't do anything with them. Besides, if I hadn't gone to the Peach Spring Banquet and hired male models, how would I have run into you?"

Ye Yizhou noticed the way Yan Qingdu was looking at him.

At first, Yan Qingdu's gaze had left him feeling a little guilty, but the more he explained, the more justified he felt. He even straightened his back with righteous confidence, looked him straight in the eye, and said haughtily, "Did you misunderstand me? I can't believe you'd think I was that kind of person. Apologize to me right now."

Yan Qingdu: ?

He hadn't even said anything, had he? Yet he was taking all this blame.

"Forget it. I'm so understanding and reasonable, and I've never liked being pushy. I forgive you!"

Seeing Yan Qingdu's speechless, helpless expression, Ye Yizhou suppressed a smile and waved a hand with feigned magnanimity as he spoke.

Yan Qingdu ignored Ye Yizhou, got up, and left the room.