***
Bonus chapter! Thank you for the donation! ^^
***
Viewers examined the photo, their attention quickly shifting to the little actor being carried.
"Don't cry, let your big sister give you a hug!"
Zhou Hang had hesitated for just a second, and someone else had posted the photo first. Even though it was only Pei Rong's back, "a picture is worth a thousand words."
At this point, trying to cover things up was pointless. The best response was to strike back hard with a recent, clear photo of Pei Rong.
Sooner or later, more people would find out that Pei Rong had returned to acting—and that he'd been consistently playing "supporting roles."
Inspired by the sudden flood of comments saying, "Let your auntie give you a hug," Zhou Hang arranged the PR move.
One minute later, a new hashtag replaced the negative one.
[@QingShanZai Film Crew: This is your dad. This is you as a child. This is you now. @PeiRong, @ChenQiming.]
The post included three images: a GIF from Pei Rong's new drama, the photo released by the gossip account, and a current photo of Chen Qiming.
Since Zhou Hang's company was the main investor in Qing Shan Zai, and both the male and female leads were under his management, it only made sense to promote the series and its actors while the topic was hot.
Chen Qiming was never the type known for drop-dead gorgeous looks anyway, and the photo used wasn't even a retouched one—making the comparison especially brutal.
[@ChenQiming reposted: I grew up kinda rough—sorry for wasting my dad's great genes.]
The entire internet fell into a brief, silent stare at the three images.
"I really want to quit my job and just travel."
"Turns out, not working is the ultimate secret to improving your looks."
"He was already stunningly beautiful three years ago—how can he be even more gorgeous now? I'm crying."
"That lazy, elegant aura of his is different now {gesturing}. It's hard to put into words."
"Pei Rong really brought the spoiled young master character to life! His expression, his looks—you can tell at a glance he was raised in a wealthy family."
"Beauties always appear in clusters. Can someone tell me whose little one that is sitting on the beauty's shoulder? I have zero resistance to cute kids. If I don't see a photo of this little one not crying today, I'm going to lose it."
"Crying right into my heart, ugh sweetie, come here, let me hug you. Are you joining the entertainment circle? Auntie will support you and buy you milk powder!"
"Chen Qiming, don't cry. Every child Pei Rong plays the father of ends up 'losing their looks' when they grow up. They're all victims of his beauty."
"Maybe they should just wait until my little one grows up to film the sequel."
"I never really cared for Chen Qiming before, but since he's the grown-up version of my little one... I can't help feeling a mix of annoyance and pity."
"Chen Qiming, riding on someone else's good looks—impressive."
Zhou Hang's ingenious PR tactics ended up directing all the buzz straight to the film crew.
The mutual banter about "growing up less attractive" actually boosted the public's goodwill toward the crew and Chen Qiming.
Pei Rong's fans regrouped at an incredible speed and returned! Not only did his Weibo followers bounce back, they instantly surpassed his numbers from three years ago!
A new wave of people eagerly asked, "Where's the little one? Are there any other photos of the gorgeous Pei?"
Lu Qin resisted the urge to handle the PR himself and left it to Zhou Hang.
He scowled at the marketing account's comment about "begging for scraps in the entertainment industry."
If anything, the entertainment industry should be begging for his wife's attention.
That marketing account was definitely getting shut down. Lu Qin looked into its past posts—it had badmouthed plenty of celebrities. It wouldn't be hard to sue it under someone else's name.
And as for how those on-set photos got leaked... He'd have Secretary Gao investigate. Anyone who couldn't keep their mouth shut would be removed, one by one, and kicked out of the film industry—a warning to others.
Thinking about how Pei Rong would now focus on supporting roles and might be mocked by haters with comments like, "Look who's regretting leaving the industry now," Lu Qin felt an urgent need to announce their relationship to the world.
The wife of the Lu Group's CEO doesn't need to care about the entertainment industry's petty crumbs.
He wanted to get married. He wanted to flaunt their marriage certificate.
***
The online drama didn't affect Lu Qin's plans to celebrate Pei Rong's birthday in real life.
After settling the sleeping toddler with Grandma Jiang, Lu Qin gave Pei Rong a gift.
Pei Rong: "..."
Lu Qin, doing his homework as an expectant father, explained: "I heard you need to monitor fetal movement regularly in the later stages of pregnancy."
Pei Rong said expressionlessly: "Your son's heartbeat can't be detected through me, thanks."
Lu Qin kissed him. "I just wanted to hear your heartbeat."
With no filming scheduled, President Lu was feeling particularly unrestrained.
The next day, when Pei Rong woke up around noon, he noticed something unusual on his hand. Lifting it, he saw a massive diamond ring on his ring finger.
As his memories trickled back, he recalled being coerced into accepting a marriage proposal.
Damn.
He'd actually been smug earlier, thinking Dundun had ruined Lu Qin's daytime proposal plans.
Who proposes with a fetal doppler, then complains the acceptance isn't sincere because the heartbeat didn't speed up?
Seriously, they were already in the middle of that—how much faster did he expect it to beat?
The stunning beauty had been forced through repeated proposals, repeated acceptances, and repeated... demises.
By the end, Pei Rong's heart was as calm as still water, but that beast Lu Qin would still go wild every time he heard "I do," only to find some fault later and start all over again.
Lu Qin had gone to work and called at noon, reminding him to eat—the food was already prepared and waiting in the pot.
Pei Rong hung up immediately. He was furious. Lu Qin was truly an animal.
That evening, Lu Qin attended a business dinner. He hadn't planned to drink much, but his friends kept bringing up Dundun, congratulating him on his son. Those closer to him knew he was pursuing Pei Rong and wished him success, making it hard to refuse the toasts.
Lu Qin returned home smelling strongly of alcohol, but he was still sober overall—he wouldn't dare get drunk when he needed to take care of his partner.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he spotted Pei Rong at the top of the stairs, frowning as he descended step by step.
Seeing Lu Qin, Pei Rong felt a surge of anger. He grabbed the diamond ring with his left hand, ready to yank it off and hurl it at him.
It probably won't get smashed, right?
Whatever. If it breaks, we'll fix it. Lu Qin has the means to replace it with an even bigger one.
Lu Qin: !!!
You can't take it off!
Staggering, he leaned against the wall, drunkenly hugged Pineapple squatting on the sofa, and started playing the victim.
His voice was hoarse, heartbroken.
"Pineapple, you absolutely must not end up like me… not even knowing your wife was pregnant, it was all my fault, my wife left me… You have to treat Orange well, only then will you have the chance to take care of the kittens. It's dangerous for Orange to handle it alone, don't let him suffer… I'm so angry, and I don't even dare say it…"
As he rambled on, the slightly drunk Lu Qin genuinely grew somewhat sad. The alcohol amplified the hidden knots in his heart, and his voice grew increasingly dejected.
The big, burly Pineapple bristled slightly, tolerating it again and again.
Orange looked at him as if he were an idiot, then glanced up at Pei Rong: Meow!
Pei Rong stood with his arms crossed, staring coldly at him.
You idiot, which one of these two male cats could possibly get pregnant?
Watching Lu Qin's drunken confession, he couldn't help but frown.
Although he didn't personally feel it, missing the pregnancy and Dundun's growth was truly an irreparable regret for Lu Qin.
That's why he had been so tolerant of Lu Qin's wild ideas in bed.
But it still didn't seem to be enough. Lu Qin needed a lot, a lot more to make up for those two-plus years of absence.
Pei Rong's gaze deepened. How could he make Lu Qin let go of his regrets and stop using them as an excuse to play the victim and demand benefits?
His faint gaze swept over Pineapple and Orange, and then—a flash of inspiration. He lowered his eyes and sent a message to Jiang Yan.
— Do you still have all the previous prenatal checkup records?
— Yes, why?
Pei Rong: "Photoshop."
If he pretended to be pregnant, wouldn't that fulfill Lu Qin's longing? And wouldn't it also make him abstinent? Two birds with one stone!
Complete abstinence.
The stunning beauty was utterly, fiercely tempted.
A fake pregnancy check-up would only make that dog Lu Qin get carried away and push his luck.
If they were going to do it, it had to be the real experience—so that Lu Qin would never dare bring it up again.
Besides, Pei Rong also wanted to know: was all that talk from Lu Qin about what he’d missed just... empty longing?
Dundun was born, and he’d returned to his old self—what was supposed to be a pregnancy had turned into a cozy bit of romance by the fireplace.
But if he were really faced with Pei Rong being pregnant, how would Lu Qin react? Would he find it strange? Would he be put off by the complications of pregnancy? Would he finally commit to abstinence?
The great beauty gently rubbed the diamond on his ring finger.
This would serve more than one purpose.
