ASPWL Ch64: The Truth is Exposed

At the same time, in the next room.

Qin Yao was also watching the livestream chat.

—”Oh, I see! No wonder I felt their expressions were weird this afternoon. So it’s a love triangle: you like me, but I don’t like you, and I like someone else!”

As soon as this comment appeared, countless netizens suddenly had an epiphany.

—”Now it all makes sense!”

—”This also explains why the atmosphere between them was so strange when they were assigning rooms just now.”

—”And during the afternoon at the amusement park… Xia Yang’s expression was really telling!”

—”So, Le Yeyao figured it out in the afternoon?”

—”Damn, no wonder they call him the ‘Melon King’! He eats gossip faster than any of us!”

—”Seriously, even now Le Yeyao is ahead of us in getting fresh, hot gossip!”

Exactly!

You have to wonder, how does Le Yeyao get so lucky? He didn’t even intend to chase gossip in the first place, yet he stumbled right into it!

The spectators expressed their envy and frustration.

—”Can I please just swap souls with Le Yeyao for a moment, just to get a bite of that gossip? Just one bite!”

—”Yes, yes! After one bite, I’ll swap right back!”

As the gossip-loving netizens expressed their envy, a comment suddenly floated by:

—”Didn’t realize it before… so Yu Bai is a heartthrob, huh?”

Netizens couldn’t help but laugh.

Seriously? Do Yu Bai’s fans think we’re blind or stupid?

—”You can only say something like that to fool your own fans.”

Some netizens who didn’t know the full story asked, “Even though the relationship drama is a bit wild, isn’t it undeniable that Yu Bai has some charm?”

Yu Bai’s fans sneered: “Sounds like someone’s just jealous.”

If Yu Bai’s fans hadn’t been so eager to jump in and defend him, the netizens might have let it slide.

But now, seeing them rush to defend their idol, not only the netizens but even Papa and Mama Huo couldn’t help it.

Mama Huo logged in to her alternate account and posted a bold comment that started looping at the top of the livestream chat:

—”Setting aside family background and career development, just on looks alone, aren’t Xia Yang and Qian Yue among the best in the industry? Do Yu Bai’s fans really think he’s some kind of unattainable ‘pure white moonlight’ that’s worth these two top-tier people fighting over?”

The sarcastic but sharp comment got over a thousand likes in just a few seconds.

Netizens chimed in:

—”Exactly.”

—”Too bad, Yu Bai’s fans don’t get it.”

—”It’s not that they don’t get it; they’re pretending not to.”

—”Honestly, this whole mess wouldn’t have happened if Yu Bai had been clear from the start instead of leading people on.”

—”Now that you mention it, Yu Bai does seem a bit scummy. I can’t believe I used to like him.”

Modern netizens aren’t fools. Even those who didn’t figure it out initially were now seeing the light after reading Mama Huo’s comment.

Yeah.

Whether it’s Qian Yue or Xia Yang, if they wanted to find a partner, wouldn’t people line up for a chance? Why would they need to humble themselves and fight over someone?

Is it really necessary?

Suddenly, the chat was flooded with analysis of the trio’s relationship.

Since Yu Bai had personally admitted he liked Xia Yang, that meant he was with Xia Yang while not rejecting Qian Yue’s advances.

No matter how you look at it, Yu Bai was the bad guy here!

What more is there to defend?

Seeing the chat staying on track, Qin Yao sighed in relief.

Just then, his phone rang—it was the director calling.

Qin Yao answered, and the director’s slightly anxious voice came through: “Mr. Qin, something’s wrong! Qian Yue is heading that way too!”

Qin Yao’s brows furrowed instantly, and he quickly said, “Try to get the cameraman to delay her a bit. I’m on my way.”

After hanging up, Qin Yao got up and headed downstairs.

This was a chance Yu Bai had served up on a platter, and he couldn’t miss it.

The garden.

Le Yeyao and the cameraman, after hearing such shocking gossip, instinctively held their breath in unison.

[We can’t get caught now!]

[If we’re discovered, we won’t get any of the juicy details.]

The cameraman clearly thought the same and motioned for Le Yeyao to crouch down to avoid being seen.

Le Yeyao slowed his steps and walked to the flowerbed in front of them.

There was a long, four-meter flowerbed with dense plants nearly two meters tall. The dim lighting provided enough cover to hide them completely.

Not far from them, across the flowerbed, there was a small clearing with a stone table where Yu Bai and Xia Yang were sitting close together.

Le Yeyao carefully parted the plants in front of him, ignoring the mosquitoes buzzing around, and through the gaps, he could see the two figures clearly under the dim light.

Le Yeyao’s eyes lit up:

[This angle is perfect!]

[Whoa, Yu Bai is even holding Xia Yang’s hand!]

The cameraman glanced at Le Yeyao, then at the dense plants in front of him, unsure who he should be filming.

After all the effort to catch some juicy gossip, was he really going to miss the shot?

The cameraman was itching to move.

Just then, Le Yeyao suddenly turned to the cameraman and pointed to a gap at the base of the plants beside him.

In a whisper, he said, “You should be able to get a shot from here.”

The cameraman, excited, waved his camera at Le Yeyao and quickly moved forward, squatting down to find the perfect angle to film.

As a result, viewers of the livestream suddenly noticed the camera shaking violently, but within a few seconds, it stabilized again.

This time, however, Le Yeyao was no longer in the shot—only a few plant leaves and some dark soil.

The camera suddenly turned again, this time brightening the view, and Yu Bai and Xia Yang’s figures appeared. Though they were some distance away, the image was incredibly clear.

The viewers hadn’t even started getting excited when Xia Yang’s hesitant voice sounded: “Really? Are you sure you never responded to Qian Yue? You’re not lying to me?”

The chat exploded:

—”Ahhh, so it’s really them!”

—”Oh my god, Le Yeyao, you’re so lucky! You’re this close to the action!”

Le Yeyao, fully engrossed, shook his head upon hearing Xia Yang’s question:

[Fool, he’s lying!]

[If he hadn’t responded to Qian Yue, how would they be together? In fact, Yu Bai was the one who pursued Qian Yue!]

Unfortunately, Xia Yang couldn’t hear Le Yeyao’s thoughts.

The viewers didn’t know the full story either, but they were more clear-headed than Xia Yang and quickly started analyzing:

—”You can tell Yu Bai is lying. If he really only liked you, why would he be with you and still string along Qian Yue?”

—”Ahhh, I wasn’t even mad before, but seeing Yu Bai holding my son Xia Yang’s hand makes me feel like my precious cabbage is being snatched by a pig! Yu Bai, let go of my son!”

The chat was in an uproar when suddenly Yu Bai reached out, gently pinching Xia Yang’s cheek, and said tenderly, “When have I ever lied to you?”

Xia Yang looked up, silently meeting his gaze.

Le Yeyao cringed with disgust.

[Ugh, just like Li Siyuan said, Yu Bai’s acting is terrible!]

[His expression and actions are so greasy!]

After a moment, Xia Yang averted his eyes slightly.

Le Yeyao couldn’t help but sigh internally.

[Come on, you actually believe him?]

The livestream viewers were just as frustrated—how could Xia Yang believe Yu Bai’s nonsense so easily?

Xia Yang, don’t be so gullible!

At that moment, the chat suddenly started flooding with comments:

—”Quick, go to Qin Yao’s livestream!”

—”Check out Qin Yao’s stream!”

—”Qin Yao and Qian Yue’s stream, now! Hurry!”

The viewers were confused, but they obediently switched streams and opened Qin Yao and Qian Yue’s livestream.

Hmm?

Qin Yao and Qian Yue are heading in the same direction as Le Yeyao and the others!

At the same time, deep in the garden.

Xia Yang’s expression still seemed unchanged, but Yu Bai knew him well. He understood that Xia Yang’s silence meant his attitude had softened.

So Yu Bai pressed his advantage: “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep my distance from Qian Yue from now on, but you also need to promise me that for the next two days of filming, we should keep some distance too.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Yang immediately frowned. “Why?”

[Why? Of course, because Yu Bai needs to balance everything!]

[If he only keeps his distance from Qian Yue but stays lovey-dovey with you, do you think Qian Yue won’t notice something’s up? Qian Yue isn’t blind.]

Qin Yao heard Le Yeyao’s inner thoughts. He paused slightly, confirmed the direction, and then answered Qian Yue: “Yu Bai.”

Qian Yue froze, turning to look at Qin Yao in disbelief. “You—”

“I know about your relationship with him.” Qin Yao didn’t hide it. “So I think you have the right to know about this.”

Qian Yue’s brows immediately furrowed, her expression becoming slightly serious. “What is it? And how do you know about my relationship with Yu Bai? Did I make it too obvious this afternoon?”

The Qin and Qian families had been connected for some time, so Qin Yao had known Qian Yue for a while.

But Qin Yao didn’t answer her question. He just emphasized again, “When we get there, move quietly. And no matter what you hear, don’t act impulsively.”

Qian Yue was even more confused.

What was Qin Yao trying to do?

Qian Yue didn’t know, but the livestream audience did!

Seeing this, they exploded with excitement:

—”So, Qin Yao, you knew about this all along?!”

—”Damn, so we’re the only clueless idiots here?”

—”Speak for yourself, I’m not a clueless idiot!”

—”But didn’t Qian Yue just say ‘my relationship with Yu Bai’? Didn’t Yu Bai claim he didn’t like Qian Yue?”

—”Could it be that Yu Bai is really playing both sides?”

—”No way?!”

—”It sure looks like it! Didn’t you see Qin Yao said Qian Yue has the right to know? Isn’t that implying that Yu Bai is two-timing?”

As soon as this was said, countless gossip-loving netizens couldn’t help but start screaming.

—”Holy crap, we’re eating some juicy gossip now!”

–”I knew it! I knew it! Le Yeyao’s expression this afternoon was way too telling!”

—”Hurry, hurry! Go back to Le Yeyao’s livestream!”

In their quest for fresh gossip, the netizens were running back and forth between streams.

Song Zhehan stood in the public lounge on the third floor, his gaze falling on Qin Yao and Qian Yue downstairs before quickly shifting away, frowning in thought.

Li Siyuan, upon coming downstairs, saw him deep in thought and couldn’t resist coming over. “What’s up?”

They weren’t that high up, and the sky had already darkened, so visibility was limited.

Even so, after scanning the garden for a few moments, Song Zhehan still noticed two figures under the streetlight.

Qin Yao seemed… to be heading in that direction too.

So Le Yeyao should be there as well, right?

Song Zhehan suddenly smiled. “Wanna check it out?”

Li Siyuan’s interest piqued immediately. “There’s still something interesting going on at this time?”

Song Zhehan turned and headed downstairs.

Without hesitation, Li Siyuan followed him.

Deep in the garden.

Yu Bai held Xia Yang’s hand, his tone soft and sincere: “Of course, it’s because I want to protect you. Think about it, both of our careers are on the rise, and a lot of fans don’t want to see us dating. What if they notice if we interact too much on the show?”

Xia Yang frowned, clearly displeased. “I’m not even pursuing popularity. Aren’t you the same? Even if our relationship is exposed, how much impact could it really have on our careers? It’s at most a temporary issue.”

Le Yeyao couldn’t hold back anymore and started laughing internally.

[It wouldn’t affect Xia Yang much, but it would have a big impact on Yu Bai! After all, he’s juggling two relationships at once, and not just that—he’s got a bunch of other unresolved flings too!]

[When all those people come knocking for answers, no wonder Yu Bai would be in trouble!]

They were getting closer.

Qin Yao glanced at Qian Yue and lowered his voice, saying, “No matter what you see or hear in a moment, don’t say a word.”

Although Qian Yue was confused, seeing Qin Yao’s serious expression, she didn’t ask any more questions and quietly followed him.

The narrow path reached its end, and as they turned a corner, Qian Yue immediately spotted Le Yeyao crouched beside the flowerbed, along with his cameraman.

Qian Yue’s eyes lit up, and she was about to greet them, but Qin Yao quickly raised a finger to his lips.

Qian Yue stopped herself, and at that moment, she heard a faint yet familiar voice—

“…I know coming out won’t have much impact, but you can’t deny that we’d lose some fans if we did, right?”

Qian Yue’s brows furrowed even more.

That voice was one she couldn’t be more familiar with—it was Yu Bai’s.

Coming out?

Could it be that she had made herself too obvious this afternoon, and Yu Bai’s agent had noticed? Was Yu Bai talking to his agent?

If they made their relationship public now, it would indeed impact Yu Bai’s career.

Qian Yue suddenly felt uneasy, debating whether to go over and help Yu Bai calm his agent down. But just then, another male voice rang out—

“But I want to come out, Yu Bai. Are you afraid to come out because you’re hiding something from me?”

It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck right next to Qian Yue’s ear.

For several seconds, Qian Yue couldn’t process what she’d just heard.

There was no need to go over and confirm; Qian Yue knew exactly who the owner of that voice was—Xia Yang.

It was because of Xia Yang that Qian Yue had deliberately given Yu Bai the cold shoulder when they were choosing rooms earlier. Even after returning to her room, she had been sulking.

Yu Bai had packed his things and immediately gone to apologize to her.

Although Qian Yue was still a bit unhappy at the time, she thought that since they were filming a show, and she hadn’t seen Yu Bai for a long time.

She didn’t want their limited time together to be filled with arguments, so Qian Yue didn’t hesitate much before forgiving Yu Bai.

The two reconciled and chatted for quite a while before parting ways.

Even ten minutes ago, Qian Yue had received a message from Yu Bai.

Yu Bai said he was going downstairs to see if there were any ingredients in the kitchen; he wanted to show off his cooking skills tonight.

Show off his cooking skills…

Was that Yu Bai and Xia Yang announcing their relationship?

Absurd, ridiculous.

If they were going public with their relationship, then what did that make her?

Qian Yue’s eyes suddenly reddened, and tears began to well up.

Yu Bai’s voice continued to come through, soft and a bit deliberately ingratiating, “Xia Yang, I’ve told you many times; I wouldn’t lie to you. I truly like you, but now really isn’t the time for us to make our relationship public… You know how ambitious I am; if we make it public now…”

Song Zhehan and Li Siyuan had just walked over and heard these words. Before they could react, they saw Qian Yue’s tears streaming down her face.

Li Siyuan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Is there really some drama here?

Song Zhehan, on the other hand, had a meaningful expression on his face. He glanced at Qin Yao first, then at Ye Leyao, who was listening intently to the gossip.

“Don’t worry, Xia Yang. I promise you, I will definitely go public with our relationship, but not now. Can you wait for me a bit longer?”

Wait longer?

What’s the point of waiting? Why not just announce it now?

Qian Yue couldn’t hold it in anymore and walked briskly toward the stone table.

She walked with such momentum that it only took a few seconds to reach Yu Bai and Xia Yang.

When Xia Yang saw Qian Yue, his brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes fell on Qian Yue’s tear-streaked face, startling him.

Yu Bai was also taken aback by Qian Yue’s sudden appearance. He was just about to speak when “slap!”—Qian Yue smacked him hard across the face.

“I don’t think there’s any need to wait. If you’re going public, do it now. And while you’re at it, let’s announce my relationship with you too!”

Ye Leyao never expected Qian Yue to suddenly show up. He stood up and turned around, only to find that not only was Qin Yao there, but Song Zhehan and Li Siyuan were also present.

“When did you all get here, President Qin?”

“So, you all heard it too?”

Qin Yao walked toward Ye Leyao, followed by Song Zhehan and Li Siyuan.

They all kept silent, as if by agreement.

“Yu Bai, how about it?”

Yu Bai was completely stunned by the slap. When he looked up, he saw Qian Yue staring at him with reddened eyes.

Xia Yang stood frozen, and at this moment, many things that he couldn’t figure out before suddenly became clear.

Indeed.

That makes sense.

If they were just ordinary friends, Qian Yue wouldn’t have hugged Yu Bai in front of everyone, wouldn’t have been so clueless as to suggest sharing a room with him, and certainly wouldn’t be standing in front of him right now, delivering a merciless slap to Yu Bai.

So it wasn’t all in his head.

Yu Bai was lying to him!

Xia Yang’s expression instantly turned icy.

“Yu Bai, I need an explanation,” Xia Yang said coldly.

Yu Bai, clutching his face, was filled with panic.

What was going on… Why was Qian Yue here?

Hadn’t he just agreed with Qian Yue before going downstairs that she would come down later?

And he had triple-checked this conversation location; it was supposed to be very secluded, definitely not somewhere to be discovered.

How did Qian Yue find her way here?

It’s over.

It’s all over now.

Yu Bai’s panic was plain to see on his face.

Seeing him like this, Xia Yang’s heart sank. He suddenly felt an intense fatigue and incredulity.

His boyfriend was actually also another girl’s boyfriend.

If people heard this, they’d die of laughter, right?

Xia Yang was trembling with anger. It took a long while for him to calm down and coldly question, “When? When did you start being with Qian Yue?”

Yu Bai opened his mouth, “I… Xia Yang, let me explain…”

“What, you can’t even admit to our relationship?”

Qian Yue had quickly regained her composure. Looking at Yu Bai in front of her, her eyes were full of disappointment.

When Yu Bai had pursued her, she had just come out of a failed relationship.

So, when dealing with Yu Bai, Qian Yue was extremely cautious, preserving all the evidence she could.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it; luckily, I saved all the evidence.”

Qian Yue gave a faint smile, “Whether it’s the phone call where you confessed or the voice messages, I even have proof of all the gifts you bought for me.”

Yu Bai’s face turned pale, “Qian Yue…”

But Qian Yue didn’t even glance at him. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned to Xia Yang, and gave him a slight smile, “We can just compare notes, and everything will be clear, won’t it?”

The blow Xia Yang received was no less than Qian Yue’s. Seeing this, he nodded.

Indeed, Qian Yue was right. There was no need for Yu Bai to participate; just comparing notes with Qian Yue would make everything clear.

“Let’s go.” Xia Yang wearily rubbed his temples.

It was at this moment that Yu Bai suddenly realized, no, he couldn’t let them go.

If they really went ahead and compared notes, he’d be finished!

The Qian family definitely wouldn’t let him off—

Yu Bai quickly stepped forward, grabbing both Qian Yue’s and Xia Yang’s arms. “Qian Yue, Xia Yang, wait a minute! I can explain! Please, just listen to my explanation first, okay?”

Qian Yue shook off Yu Bai’s hand. “Go ahead, I’ll listen right here.”

After speaking, she took out her phone and started recording.

Xia Yang also pulled his hand away, pursing his lips without saying a word.

Yu Bai opened his mouth, but it took him a long time before he could speak with difficulty. “Qian Yue, Xia Yang, I…” Yu Bai was utterly panicked. Ever since Qian Yue had appeared before him, his mind had been a blank. What could he say now?

What could he possibly say to gain forgiveness from Qian Yue and Xia Yang?

Suddenly, Yu Bai seemed to think of something, and his eyes lit up slightly.

Ye Leyao noticed this and couldn’t help but mutter:

“I have a feeling Yu Bai isn’t going to say anything good.”

Sure enough, as soon as Ye Leyao’s words fell, Yu Bai spoke in an especially earnest and serious tone: “Qian Yue, Xia Yang, I truly like both of you! I never wanted to deceive you. Both of you are incredibly important to me. Can’t the three of us just stay together like this?!”

Ye Leyao closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking with laughter:

[Hahahahahaha, what a ‘I truly like both of you’—]

[I knew nothing good would come out of Yu Bai’s mouth! That scumbag really is shameless!]

Qin Yao was also struggling to hold back his laughter.

Just as Song Zhehan was about to speak up, Xia Yang’s fist moved faster than his words.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Bai, who had been standing just moments ago, was knocked to the ground by Xia Yang.

Xia Yang’s punches came one after another, landing directly on Yu Bai’s face. “Like? You like both of us, do you? Do you have no shame, Yu Bai?! You’re nothing but scum! A beast!”

Ye Leyao could no longer hold back. He quickly turned around and reminded the cameraman beside him, “Quick, quick, quick, don’t film this fight. What if the livestream gets banned? Hurry up and film me instead!”

Netizens: “?”

Well, you’re actually a pretty good guy.