FLME Ch27.1: Melon King

The recording exists, but whether it can be sent out is a big problem.

Yu Wen placed his phone on the coffee table, and the three of them sat on the sofa, listening to the recording from start to finish.

…It was brilliant, truly brilliant.

Chu Han was hearing this recording for the first time and almost laughed in anger.

Xie Heyu had nothing to say.

Yu Wen’s expression was serious.

“First, we need to find the staff who went to the bathroom in the middle and ask if we can release the audio of his urination. Then we need an account, an account with no traceable address…”

Xi Su: “Just blur it, right?”

Yu Wen couldn’t help but say, “You can’t blur a recording.”

“Oh.” Xi Su said openly, “Then just cut out the middle part.”

Chu Han: “That’s just editing.”

With signs of argument again, Xie Heyu interjected calmly, “You can blur it, make the dialogue in the middle fuzzy, and then speed it up.”

Online controversies are not courtrooms; there’s no need to be so detailed.

Yu Wen gladly accepted, asking him to use advanced technical processing on the middle section, especially to heavily blur the words “Teacher Yu.”

Xi Su: “Didn’t you say there’s no blurring in recordings—”

Yu Wen: “It doesn’t matter.”

The wording doesn’t matter. He didn’t want his name to be associated with such a major scandal.

Xie Heyu was tapping the edge of the keyboard, with some doubts. He wanted to say that technical blurring might still be reversible, but seeing Yu Wen’s determined expression, he said nothing more.

For the sake of heat, Xie Heyu suggested having Xie Jiamo find a familiar media outlet for exposure.

Once the boss was ready to take over, Yu Wen planned to step back. The inexplicable “meeting” lasted until three in the morning, and Yu Wen sent them out—mainly Chu Han and Xi Su.

“Sleeping on the floor in my place? Dream on. Where do you want to put it in such a tiny place? There’s a budget hotel on the left when you exit the neighborhood. Stay there for the night and be safe on the way. Goodbye.”

It was barely manageable with four people in a single apartment, but three could be tried. Unfortunately, these two were unwilling to give way to each other, firmly refusing to allow the other to have that honor. Yu Wen had no choice but to pack them up and send them away.

Feeling overly popular, Yu Wen momentarily misunderstood, “Do you have any ulterior motives towards me?”

He was met with two identical looks of disbelief.

Such synchronization, Yu Wen was even a bit amused by them.

“…Since you don’t have any ulterior motives towards me, why must you stay at my place? There’s no gold to pick up in my house.”

Xi Su said sincerely, “I’m too lazy to move.”

Chu Han, reservedly, said, “After all, I have a closer personal relationship with you, which is definitely better than Teacher Xi. If I leave and he doesn’t, it might give the impression that my status in your heart is lower than his.”

Yu Wen: “…Oh heavens.”

Is friendship now also about comparison?

Xi Su, leaning against the door frame, had been running between the company and home all day. Before Yu Wen replied, he was still shuttling between the two places and hadn’t settled down yet. He was really tired now.

Xi Su: “Why do we have to leave, and he can stay?”

He sulkily drooped his lips and glanced toward Xie Heyu.

Xie Heyu was leaning against the entrance, resting his head against the wall, with half-closed eyes, exuding an aura of exhaustion.

It was three in the morning; it was hard not to be tired.

Yu Wen didn’t need to turn around to know the state of Teacher Xie. After Xie Heyu left, he hadn’t planned to call him back, but Xie Heyu said it was a company matter and couldn’t be handled by just him. The car turned around halfway and came back.

Yu Wen widened his eyes, “How is this the same?”

How many meals does he owe Teacher Xie? Why not repay with a bed?

Xi Su was about to retort, but Xie Heyu suddenly opened his eyes, turned around, and picked up the computer bag from the sofa. “I’ll go to the hotel, it’s just a few steps away.”

By the time Yu Wen came to his senses, he was already holding the computer, standing at the door with one hand in his pocket. “Sleep, see you tomorrow.”

Xie Heyu gave a slight nod, leading the confused Chu Han and Xi Su into the elevator.

As he turned away, Yu Wen clearly saw him gently pinch his brow, his furrowed brows full of fatigue.

Yu Wen: “…”

Teacher Xie’s skin is still too thin, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Before the elevator doors closed, Yu Wen couldn’t resist showing a bit of disgust when he saw Xi Su’s striking blue hair.

Xi Su turning back: “?”

—

In the following days, Yu Wen had several magazine shoots. It was his first time doing a magazine shoot, so he was quite focused, and his online browsing frequency decreased significantly.

As a result, he didn’t notice the heated discussion online after the recording was released.

[…]

[I’ll sort this out: the recording circulating now is edited, and this recording is of the recording session during editing.]

[Is this a nesting doll scenario?]

[I don’t care who’s right or wrong; I just want to know which melon king accidentally recorded someone editing the recording?]

[This recording is increasingly funny.]

[I heard the sound of water being drawn (strategically adjusting glasses)]

[Could it be in the bathroom? The entertainment industry’s scandals are getting more absurd.]

[What’s going on? Don’t tell me one person edited in a bathroom stall and the next person recorded in the next stall.]

[Hahaha I imagined that scene and it’s so funny hahahaha]

[I want to know who provided this recording. I’m curious why you were at the scene.]

[Isn’t it written above, source: A righteous and enthusiastic citizen.]

[Righteous and enthusiastic citizen haha wtf]

[What did the sped-up section in the middle say? I feel so uncomfortable not hearing the full version!]

[Sped up is fine, but it even has subtitles.]

[‘Indecent, not suitable for playback’ hahaha who added those subtitles, help]

[I want to see how indecent it is. Come on, technician!]

[Come on, some bored netizen, restore this part.]

[It’s a bit difficult, probably will take several days, who’s that bored.]

[I’m bored.]

[I’m bored.]

—

[Life doesn’t have so many viewers, but there are these bored assholes upstairs.]

[Hahaha wtf crazy!]

—

On the weekend, there was a live broadcast in the morning.

At six in the morning, Yu Wen yawned and got up, standing at the entrance of the neighborhood to take a taxi to the broadcast location.

The broadcast location was in the same city, so there was no need to fly around. Unfortunately, it was in the suburbs, requiring a departure two hours in advance. After arriving and doing makeup, the broadcast would start around 8:30.

…Who watches live broadcasts at 8:30 in the morning? Yu Wen secretly complained.

Upon arriving in the suburbs, Yu Wen got into the business car arranged by the platform. Chu Han was already on the car, with his bangs set with a clip, forming a tuft.

“Good morning.” He was also yawning.

After a brief greeting, they both took a short nap on the car. When they reached the orchard, Yu Wen saw several prominent banners and roll-up stands outside through the car window and nudged Chu Han, “Your fans.”

Today’s schedule was open to the public, so it was no surprise that fans were waiting.

Yu Wen confidently thought: I also know a bit about fan support.

Around the orchard were a dozen or so girls. When they saw them get off the car, they immediately rushed towards them in a crowd.

Yu Wen quickly ran away, creating a ten-meter gap between him and Chu Han, finding a shady corner to watch, happily observing until a small flag was handed to him.

…?

Following the flag upwards, he saw a smiling face. A young girl handed him the flag, looking a bit nervous.

“Teacher Yu, here’s your support color.”

Yu Wen pointed at himself, with a big question mark on his face: Me???

He took the flag, stunned for a moment, and when he looked up again, he found four or five more people around him. Yu Wen was momentarily confused, thinking he was surrounded by enthusiastic citizens.

“We are your fans. We discussed your support color in the group these days, and since you haven’t been online, we tentatively chose bright yellow.” The leading girl, timidly pointing at the flag in his hand, said, “Bright yellow, bright and warm, like you.”

Yu Wen was startled by these two adjectives, “Ah?”

Bright and warm?

Are these synonyms for being seriously ill?

His expression was so vivid that the girls giggled and their nervousness disappeared.

“There was no way, since Teacher Yu didn’t go online, we had to decide ourselves first. What color do you like?” Another more lively girl with a high ponytail asked.

Yu Wen stared at the support flag in his hand.

—

The flag had two sides, each printed with a half-body picture. One side showed him sitting on a mountaintop watching the sunrise in profile, while the other side had him getting off a business car, yellowish streetlights dancing on his dark hair, wearing a white T-shirt and long pants, with a smiling corner of his mouth. The overall vibe was extremely gentle.

He examined the flag curiously and said, “I like, um… blue, I guess.”

“OK!” The girl with the high ponytail snapped her fingers. “Then let’s do a blue-to-yellow gradient. What about the nickname? What nickname does the teacher like?”

Yu Wen looked up at her, feeling a bit familiar but unable to place her immediately. He pursed his lips and said, “Anything is fine.”

“Can we call you Xiao Yu?”

“…Sure, everyone calls me Xiao Yu.”

“What about Yu Bao? Baby? Wife? Daughter?”

Yu Wen almost answered immediately, but then hesitated and finally said, “All… fine.”

These two words were squeezed out with great difficulty.

The girl laughed so hard she nearly fell apart, “Teacher, has anyone ever told you that you’re really well-behaved privately? It makes people want to bully you…”

The words “looking very well-behaved” triggered Yu Wen’s long-forgotten memories. He pondered for two seconds and then realized, “Ah, I’ve seen you before.”

— On the day he ran into Xi Su meeting with a private investigator, he had taken a photo with a young girl in a café.

The girl was surprised, “You remember something from so long ago? Your memory is really good.”

Yu Wen was a bit pleased, “So you’re now my fan?”

The girl nodded, “Yes, yes.”

Yu Wen asked, “What do you like about me?”

“…”

He asked seriously, with no sarcasm. The girl thought for a moment, winked at him, and said, “I like how you look. I’m attracted by your appearance.”

Yu Wen winked back at her, with a smile on his cheeks, “Thank you.”

The girl clutched her heart, her smile calming down, “Even if you’re a baby, your mother is a man.”

Yu Wen: …

The girl asked, “Why are you silent?”

Yu Wen looked serious, “I’m thinking.”

Everyone burst into laughter instantly.

Yu Wen had a strange aura that could make everything feel relaxed.

Recently, Chu Han was caught up in scandalous rumors. Although Xie Jiamao had quickly signed a contract with him and started handling the situation, the gossip would not dissipate so quickly. Fans had given him several handwritten letters of comfort, which he had been reading along the way, with a touched expression hidden beneath his calm demeanor.

Yu Wen waved his small flag, “Teacher Chu, hang in there! Teacher Chu, don’t worry!”

Teacher Chu was annoyed by his noise and stuffed the flowers from the fans into his arms.

Yu Wen had to find a place to put the flowers.