Chapter 81

Yu Xi stayed in the hospital for another two days.

His body was fine overall, but mainly, Luo Qin had calculated that his first Heat Period was coming up soon. If Yu Xi really went back like that, he would either pass out on the way to work, or be isolated by the pure-love warrior Yi Chen, or even get marked by an Yi Chen who couldn’t hold back anymore. Staying in the hospital, right under his watchful eyes, was the most reliable option.

Under Luo Qin’s watchful gaze, Yu Xi safely got through his first Heat Period. Yi Chen marked him just right, and the next day, Luo Qin took the opportunity to collect a sample of Yu Xi’s pheromones for the Pheromone Matching Degree test.

“When will the results be out?” Yi Chen asked.

“About a week,” Luo Qin replied.

Yi Chen diligently took notes. “How do I check the results? Is there no self-service manual?”

“No. Wait for my notification.” Luo Qin sealed the sample. “If I don’t tell you the results after a week, that means it’s over 75% match with someone else. We’ll go with a tacit understanding—you don’t ask, I don’t say, okay? Don’t make things awkward for both of us.”

Yi Chen: “…”

Yi Chen: “:)”

Yi Chen: “Get lost.”

Luo Qin laughed heartily and left. Yi Chen returned to the bedside, where Yu Xi was packing his things. With the Heat Period over, he was getting discharged today.

He had come suddenly back then, so he didn’t bring much luggage. By the time Yi Chen handed him a cup of water, Yu Xi had almost finished packing.

Fresh out of the Heat Period, Yu Xi felt a bit cold. The water temperature was just right, so he took the cup from Yi Chen and sipped it.

“Does it hurt?” Yi Chen asked with concern, looking at the wound on the back of his neck. The gland was already wrapped in gauze, soaked with medicinal water that faintly seeped through.

“It’s okay.” Yu Xi instinctively raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, but his fingertips met pain, so he lowered it again. “It doesn’t hurt if I don’t touch it.”

His gland had already been dug open with a wound and hadn’t healed yet, and now it had to be marked again. Yi Chen had been extremely careful with every bite.

—Luo Qin’s worries were a bit excessive. With Yu Xi still injured, even if Yi Chen lost his reason and bit through himself, he wouldn’t allow himself to cause Yu Xi even the slightest extra harm.

Yu Xi leaned closer to Yi Chen.

Freshly marked, he felt weak all over and very much wanted to stay close to Yi Chen right now.

It was psychological, or perhaps physiological anticipation—as if as long as he stayed by Yi Chen’s side, all unstable emotions would dissipate in the scent of peppermint pomelo, leaving him satisfied and at ease.

Yi Chen tilted his head and kissed Yu Xi’s lips. “Shall we go?”

“Mm.” Yu Xi nodded.

They were just stepping out of the ward when his phone vibrated. The director of Weekend Go Where posted the schedule for the sixth episode in the group chat.

[Director: For the sixth episode, we’ll visit @Yu Xi @Yi Chen’s homes.]

[Director: @Yu Xi @Yi Chen, get ready~]

[Director: Anyone need to change the address? Or should we go with the ones you gave at the start?]

[Yu Xi: No change, that’s fine. Welcome everyone to my place.]

[Yi Chen: Address unchanged.]

[Fang Peng: Looking forward to it. Any precautions? Tell us ahead of time so we don’t accidentally step on something during the live stream.]

[Yu Xi: Nothing for me. Ask @Yi Chen—he has a room that’s off-limits.]

[Yu Xi: Should we bust the door open during the live stream?]

[Director: An off-limits room? Sounds juicy.]

[Wen Yimeng: How do you know it’s off-limits?]

The group chat was lively.

Everyone tacitly avoided asking about Yu Xi and Yu Wan, focusing on the sixth episode plans. But Liang Shuo, who usually talked a lot, was unusually quiet in the group today.

Wang Hui’s message came in too.

[Wang Hui: How are you guys?]

[Yu Xi: How in what way?]

[Wang Hui: You tell me.]

The matter had been blowing up for days. Yu Wan was Yu Xi’s mother, and their strained relationship, plus Yu Xi being sent to the hospital right after the fifth episode live stream—with Yu Wan specially coming to visit—any one of those was hot search material. Yu Xi had vanished for two whole days, worrying Wang Hui sick. He was finally replying.

[Yu Xi: Don’t worry, won’t affect work.]

[Wang Hui: Fine, now I’m the capitalist.]

[Wang Hui: The real capitalist is right by your side.]

[Wang Hui: @Yi Chen, don’t lurk.]

[Yi Chen: I requested rest, but the workaholic wouldn’t allow it.]

[Yu Xi: Really fine. On set as scheduled tomorrow.]

Yu Xi and Yi Chen left the hospital. In the car, Yu Xi chatted with Guan Zifan about work—he was in great shape today.

Having gotten through the sudden stress response and spoken some things out, Yu Xi’s state had completely adjusted.

—From the moment Yu Wan entered the hospital, they were no longer simply mother and son.

[Guan Zifan: I’m a bit worried Yu Wan might pull some tricks on you.]

[Guan Zifan: If we counterattack, I’m a bit worried…]

The streetscape rushed past the window, the city’s clamor noisy. Yu Xi withdrew his gaze and slowly typed.

[Yu Xi: I’ll handle it myself.]

–

Facts proved that high traffic and high exposure made the fifth episode of Weekend Go Where a huge success. Yu Wan had only shown her face at Liang Shuo’s home, but her fans surged across platforms, her attention skyrocketing in just a few days.

Now, Yu Wan’s discussion heat was extremely high—not just because she was a dance performer, but because of the account she had managed before going abroad for competitions.

She posted lots of snippets of daily life.

When Yu Xi studied, she brought tea and water, fussing over him warmly. For a student, studying was a silent battlefield, and she became his silent support behind the scenes.

She carefully prepared exquisite bento boxes, balanced with meat and veggies, nutritionally perfect. She celebrated Yu Xi’s birthdays, prepared surprises, accompanied him when he was alone, stayed up late watching over him, and proudly watched him on the award podium.

Netizens dug up detail after detail, discussing Yu Wan, following Yu Wan. She cloaked herself in the image of a gentle, warm mother, and the netizens’ discussions etched those adjectives even deeper.

It was as if Yu Wan had truly become the perfect mother in the netizens’ mouths.

Was it?

Yu Xi remembered how Yu Wan had filmed those scenes back then.

Bringing tea and water, fussing warmly?

That was filmed all at once when Yu Wan was in a decent mood, changing outfits a few times, tweaking lines, then edited into completely unrelated events.

Exquisite bento? Birthday surprises?

Those only appeared on camera. Yu Wan didn’t allow Yu Xi to eat anything extra beyond what was needed for basic growth and survival.

Because Yu Xi had shows, he needed to maintain his figure. He couldn’t gain weight. He had to strictly control his sugar.

Proud gaze from under the podium?

Impossible. Yu Wan was furious every time. She pursued absolute perfection—first place, top prize. Anything less was enough to make her tear her heart out.

But she always practiced her expressions diligently. She could perform the look of a proud mother in front of outsiders. She was too practiced at it.

She constantly filmed daily life, recording bits and pieces with the lens, but most of her shots focused on herself. Yu Xi was just an NPC to fit her “plot.”

She had been meticulously managing her image for a long time.

Now, those old managed posts were being dug up again.

And thanks to the heat, she was invited as a judging guest on a live dance variety show.

Facing the camera, looking at the stage and audience, lights falling, she felt nothing but enjoyment.

The gazes she had always pursued and craved, the attention, discussion, and adoration she chased—she seemed to achieve all her goals overnight.

She faced the camera with a brilliant smile.

Her participation in this variety show wasn’t just for simple attention.

She had another purpose.

She was back.

She needed Yu Xi’s “forgiveness.”

Even if Yu Xi wouldn’t “forgive” her, she could use some methods to force his “forgiveness.”

Yu Xi was her child; she knew him inside out.

She had controlled him so tightly before, making him shut his mouth tight. Now, she could use the same methods to make him speak.

The variety show inevitably brought up her relationship with Yu Xi. The host asked what exactly happened back then, and Yu Wan timely mentioned her illness.

—Injury and illness could draw attention.

A mother with an illness, ignored by her child, would stir even more discussion.

Yu Wan smiled gently and briefly recounted the events from back then—seven parts concealment, three parts truth—subtly painting Yu Xi as someone who wouldn’t listen to her, wouldn’t care for her, stubborn, reckless, and unadvisable.

Softening her tone, Yu Wan said, “In the coming days, I might need to be hospitalized again. I really hope my child can let go of the past grudges and we can reconcile. Can we?”

The guests on site were moved. The host kept comforting Yu Wan as she lowered her eyes.

How could she not know the consequences of saying these words? She knew full well. Precisely because she knew, she could use it to pin down Yu Xi.

The power of public opinion was immense. This was a world where even boiling noodles into a clump would get you flamed in the comments for not deserving to care for kids or be a mom. Across the internet, no one could have flaws; everyone could impose sky-high moral standards.

As long as she stood on the moral high ground, she didn’t need to say anything—others would charge into battle for her.

Yu Xi had no room to not obey her.

—That was what Yu Wan thought.

But when she got off the show and waited a long time before checking the comments, her eyes suddenly widened.

There was no her.

Nowhere was there any of her.

The hot searches were filled with all sorts of topics she scorned, but not a single entry linked to what she said on the variety live stream.

Her words, her manufactured moral high ground, were like a stone thrown into water—no ripple at all.

And on the hot searches, she saw Yu Xi.

Yu Xi and Yi Chen were filming at school. During a break, he enthusiastically interacted with fans gathered around.

The interaction video was posted by fans on V Blog.

Yu Xi looked earnestly at the camera, wearing a school uniform, no special styling—his hair in a very natural state. “No problem, you can film! We’re just doing test shots now, not the main episode, so no spoilers!”

“What’s different about me now compared to high school?”

“Of course there’s a difference!” Yu Xi’s eyes curved slightly. “Everyone grows up.”

The frame froze: Yu Xi with a gentle smile, sunlight falling, breeze brushing his clothes. The vibrant, youthful spirit of a teenager was effortlessly captured.

Yu Wan was slightly stunned.

The Yu Xi in the frame was so mild-mannered—the Yu Xi who obeyed her every word without rebellion before she left. Yet now, he seemed to cast a massive shadow, enveloping her.

—Her words hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed.

Someone could effortlessly divert the public’s attention, making everyone ignore every word she said.

The stone she hurled with force was caught lightly by Yu Xi and tossed into some unattended bush.