Chapter 27 Part 1

The forum used an anonymous system. Many people claiming to be industry insiders, stakeholders, classmates, colleagues, relatives, and friends came to dish the dirt under pseudonyms. It had always been a source for all kinds of entertainment gossip and scandals.

However, precisely because the anonymity offered high confidentiality, the exposés were a mix of truth and falsehood. Regardless, the topics were eagerly consumed by the public. Entertainment Big V Marketing Accounts would regularly come here to browse when they lacked material, so the forum’s daily active user count remained consistently high.

A thread slandering Ji Nuo had just surfaced on the front page and immediately drew the attention of countless netizens. Clicking in, they found the poster to be a rather famous exposé pseudonym, “I Have a Friend.” Even though the initial post didn’t reveal any concrete evidence, a large wave of netizens still settled in to follow the thread.

This was the exposé account’s habit; they usually built up anticipation before revealing anything. Because the accuracy of their past exposés had reached as high as 90%, they were hailed as “Friend God.”

Netizens thought this time they’d have to wait a day or two for “Friend God” to release the info. Sometimes, these waits hinted at taking payment for silence, causing some exposé threads to fizzle out. But even so, this “I Have a Friend” was still a top player in the anonymous exposé forum world. Moreover, this time the target was Ji Nuo, whose recent popularity was sky-high, so the thread’s heat instantly soared.

Unexpectedly, this time the poster started updating the thread in under half an hour:

[Directly naming Ji Nuo. We all understand certain unspoken rules; I’m just presenting the facts here.] The implication was that they feared being sued for defamation and couldn’t go too deep, leaving it to everyone to read between the lines.

[Setting aside the hot searches before Ji Nuo joined “Where Are the Cubs Going?”, from the official start of recording, there have been 15 hot searches directly naming him in less than four days. There are even more related searches without his name. Considering he used to rely on negative publicity to get noticed, this is a significant investment.]

[Let’s talk about the little guest paired with him, Lu Ao’ao. What astonishing achievements has he brought? Including but not limited to finding a massive, rare Thelephora ganbajun mushroom, a giant top-tier matsutake mushroom, vision akin to X-ray during the bamboo worm digging segment that allowed Ji Nuo to dig up more than the other three groups combined, and even independently making a snare trap during the chicken-catching competition.

Friends who followed the live broadcast should know a lot of this happened when the cameras weren’t rolling. And that’s not all; this child is only four years old! Even with the earlier independent washing-up scene as setup, it’s still riddled with inconsistencies. You can check the live stream replays and analyze it yourselves. I dare not say more specifically.]

[And that’s not even the worst. As far as I know, Lu Ao’ao was sent to an orphanage “after being rescued by Ji Nuo from human traffickers” on the very same day. Yes, his current status is unequivocally an orphan.

I bet they’ll use this identity to milk sympathy from those so-called Real Mom Fans and aggressively attract another wave of fans. Love me, love my dog – besides his so-called face fans and Han Cheng CP fans, Ji Nuo will also gain a bunch of Real Mom Fans who are virtually raising the kid for free. I believe after just two more episodes of the kid variety show, the scandal-ridden, plastic-surgery has-been Ji Nuo will explode in popularity across the whole internet~]

In truth, the scripted act accusations had been circulating among haters for a while, and Lu Ao’ao’s performance in the show, which far surpassed the other kids, repeatedly shocked people. However, as the live broadcast continued, the show itself, along with Ji Nuo, Han Cheng, and the cub, constantly generated new topics of discussion. The public discourse was scattered among various new hot spots. Even though haters kept jumping up and down in the live stream rooms, they couldn’t compete with the overwhelming majority of genuine viewers.

It wasn’t until this forum thread systematically compiled everything that netizens felt a sudden jolt of realization:

[Right! I kept saying this kid was too overpowered! And I got chased and scolded for miles by a horde of Mom Fans. I have to say, whoever came up with this tactic is brilliant! Ji Nuo starts off drawing the dilapidated house twist plus cooking, instantly solidifying his hardworking and capable image.

I’ve never seen a variety show stock the worst option full of staple foods and cooking oil, but with this kid serving as a foil, the scripted traces around Ji Nuo seem much lighter. And all the attention is on the child, reducing the resistance towards Ji Nuo significantly. A masterstroke!]

[Ah bah ah bah… it can be like this… I’m someone who watches variety shows just for fun and I was completely fooled without realizing it.]

[Friend God, can you reveal which Grand Buddha Ji Nuo has latched onto? From gossip I heard, Han Cheng is just the cover, behind the scenes… /dirty grin]

[To think I was following this so emotionally, even starting to ship their family-of-three sweetness. Turns out it’s a meticulously schemed, sinister script! I spit on it!]

[I feel sorry for the kids in the other three groups. They’ve been utterly trounced by Lu Ao’ao in various ways these past few days, especially Young Master Xu, who became the cannon fodder comparison group for Lu Ao’ao’s freakish antics. Seems like the big boss behind Ji Nuo is even more powerful than the Xu Family. How disgusting!]

[Yes, yes, I also think Little Fatty is quite cute. Anyone with kids knows a six or seven-year-old being an annoying brat is perfectly normal. Besides, he didn’t do anything terribly evil, yet he’s been cyber-bullied by Lu Ao’ao’s Mom Fans. I feel so sorry for him.]

…

When asked why he was so forthcoming this time, “Friend God” replied pointedly: [It’s just that the person involved is too formidable. I’m afraid of being silenced and having my post deleted~]

As for the speculation about the big boss behind Ji Nuo, although “Friend God” didn’t explicitly confirm it, they posted a deeply meaningful emoji, making everyone instantly understand.

“Friend God’s” words instantly multiplied the thread’s credibility several times over. Netizens’ replies became even more scathing, collectively demanding the father-son “scripted act” get lost from the kid variety show and return the other children to a pure environment!

Watching the righteous indignation of netizens in the forum replies, Xu Chengyi finally vented the frustration that had been building up for two days.

Thought being protected by Han Cheng meant they could be fearless and unbridled?

He knew perfectly well that Ji Nuo had absolutely nothing behind him besides Han Cheng. And no matter how successful Han Cheng was, he was still just a celebrity.

As for the rumors about Han Cheng having a “Red Background” or being from a “Century-Old Prestigious Family,” Xu Chengyi didn’t believe a single punctuation mark of it.

If Han Cheng truly had such a background, even the slightest connection would cause rumors to circulate within their social circles. Over the years, he’d never heard of any prestigious family having a young master surnamed Han named Cheng—not even an illegitimate child.

Others might be a bit skeptical, but he was 100% certain that Han Cheng’s so-called noble scion identity was entirely a persona crafted by his management company. This was incredibly common in the entertainment industry.

Back then, even a small star like Cen Xi, who had a sliver of capital backing, managed to fight Han Cheng to a standstill. Not to mention the Xu Group standing behind himself. Even though he didn’t hold full power within the group, just bearing the title “Young Master Xu” was a universal pass. That was something the corporate slaves in the entertainment industry could never compare to.

Moreover, this time, to prevent Han Cheng’s brainless fans from disrupting his plan, he didn’t immediately expose and tear down Han Cheng. He intended to deal with Ji Nuo and that disgusting little brat first, then see if Han Cheng would remain cooperative…

Xu Chengyi gently fondled his cigar, his eyes filled with the venomous malice and smugness typical of someone from a privileged class toying with the weaker.

As soon as the big exposé hit the anonymous forum, it was immediately reposted by various marketing accounts to other platforms. Its popularity soared, and the related tags quickly gathered a massive crowd of onlookers eagerly voicing their opinions.

However, Ji Nuo, who had just gotten off the plane, was completely oblivious to all this. Having been forced to rest and sleeping excessively the previous day due to illness, he felt refreshed upon waking that morning. He wasn’t the least bit sleepy during the three-hour-plus flight.

The seating arrangement in first class for the two adults and one child was still Ji Nuo in the middle, the cub by the window on Ji Nuo’s right, and Han Cheng across the aisle on his left.

Han Cheng had taken the script handed to him by Qian Lei as soon as he boarded the plane. It was a new script sent by a director he’d collaborated with before. The filming schedule clashed with his current commitments, but the director expressed willingness to wait for him.

Given their past relationship, even though Han Cheng was busy, he had to read the script first and give a definitive yes or no as soon as possible, so the other party could prepare accordingly.

On the other side, the little cub, having slept plastered against Han Cheng the previous night, had experienced a whole night of nightmares about succumbing to inner demons. Roused early that morning by the “flood,” his small body couldn’t handle the sleep deprivation. Not long after the plane took off, he leaned against Ji Nuo and promptly fell asleep.

To avoid his subconscious temptation to admire his idol’s handsome profile while hard at work, Ji Nuo simply lifted the armrest, wrapped the cub in a thin jacket, and held him to sleep.

Watching the child’s sweet, peaceful sleeping face throughout the journey, Ji Nuo’s heart felt almost overwhelmed with a burgeoning paternal love.

In less than ten days, the little one’s previously thin, bony frame had visibly filled out and become rounder. Although they were outside every day during live streams, the child’s skin tone had also lightened considerably from its previous dark tan. Looking at the Q-version features, a miniature copy of Han Cheng’s, Ji Nuo felt no one could resist such an adorable baby.

During this time, his thoughts inevitably turned to the cub’s identity as an orphan. Although he lamented that their time together would be brief, the cub was so endearing on the show. Even if he couldn’t find his biological parents, surely plenty of high-quality families would be waiting to adopt this child when the time came. He could at least feel reassured when saying goodbye to the cub…

Thinking this, Ji Nuo gently reached out a finger to brush aside the stray hair on the cub’s forehead, stroking along the child’s soft hairline. A sense of melancholy inevitably lingered in his heart.

Pondering the limited time left, Ji Nuo suddenly remembered the Hospice Care Worker who seemed to have vanished. Since he hadn’t been in much pain lately, he’d almost forgotten he had a terminal illness. The system hadn’t replied to his messages, and Ji Nuo hadn’t actively remembered to check either.

He counted on his fingers – this morning marked exactly seven days!

A cursed, unlucky guy like him rarely encountering such a good thing – of course, he wanted it. He had planned to contact customer service as soon as the seven-day queue period was up. But holding the child in his arms at the moment was inconvenient, so he didn’t act on it immediately.

When the plane came to a stop, the cub in his arms still hadn’t woken up. After discussing with Han Cheng, they decided Ji Nuo would just carry the sleeping cub off the plane.

It had been consistently drizzly in Cloud City for the past two days. Worried the child might catch a chill exiting the airport, Han Cheng also draped his own jacket over the cub.

While a live variety show takes utmost precautions to keep the filming location secret and prevent too many fans from gathering, the return flights of the guests after the live broadcast ended were very difficult to hide. Entertainment media and fans, timing it precisely after the broadcast ended, staked out the airport, acting like wolves who wouldn’t release their prey until they had it in their jaws.

Therefore, the moment the trio of two adults and one child emerged from the arrivals gate, they were immediately surrounded by a dense throng of reporters and fans. Fortunately, Xue Xiaoshan and Qian Lei were prepared; besides clearing a path, they’d also arranged for security. Although progress was slow, they ensured the reporters and fans couldn’t get too close.

Han Cheng and Ji Nuo wore color-coordinated outfits. Ji Nuo held the sleeping cub in his arms. The lower part of the cub’s body was wrapped in Ji Nuo’s jacket, with Han Cheng’s jacket draped over the very top. Han Cheng had one hand protectively behind Ji Nuo’s back and the other shielding both Ji Nuo and the child from the front.

This scene didn’t look like Han Cheng returning with his pretend boyfriend after filming; it looked more like Ji Nuo’s first public appearance after giving birth, with the attentive Hubby escorting his “wife and child” the entire way.

Even the entertainment reporters, who had rushed to the scene like vultures and hyenas, pushing forward with their heavy equipment, couldn’t help but pause momentarily at this sight. Was this family, so harmonious they could be biological, truly as despicable as the internet exposé claimed?

In Ji Nuo’s arms, even the soundly sleeping Long Aotian was awakened by such a noisy racket. Sensing the child lifting his head, Ji Nuo patted his back and pulled Han Cheng’s jacket up higher, shielding the cub from the glaring flash photography.