Chapter 143 - 142: Livestream & Paying Respects

Chapter 143: Chapter 142: Livestream & Paying Respects

On the ride back, Jian Xilin called.

Huo Xinghai assumed he was calling with New Year’s greetings, so he answered with a laugh. "Brother Jian, you’re calling bright and early."

Jian Xilin sounded completely drained. "Xinghai, you’re trending."

Huo Xinghai frowned. "Did I get photographed? Don’t the paparazzi even take a holiday for the New Year?"

"It wasn’t the paparazzi," Jian Xilin said. "One of your fans took the picture. They got so angry that they posted it in a fan group and on a fansite."

Huo Xinghai was completely baffled. "I just went to the supermarket with my family. What’s there to be angry about?"

Jian Xilin paused for a second. ’Family?’ But the video only showed Huo Xinghai and a little girl. Then it clicked. The fan must have misunderstood.

Jian Xilin breathed an inner sigh of relief, though he was still exasperated and annoyed. "See for yourself. It’d be best if you did a livestream to clarify things when you get back."

Let the bullets fly for a while. After all, it was free publicity; it would be a waste not to use it.

At that thought, Jian Xilin couldn’t help but smile. Several television stations had invited Huo Xinghai to their New Year’s Galas, but he had turned them all down to spend time with his family.

Jian Xilin had been lamenting the missed opportunities for days, but it looked like this would make up for it.

Just as Huo Xinghai hung up, Huo Xingchen, who had already gotten the full scoop on the drama, burst out laughing. He read the trending topic’s headline aloud: "Huo Xinghai’s Secret Marriage and Daughter—Viral!"

"What is this?" Huo Xinghai muttered, frowning as he opened Weibo. After reading it, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’How old am I? How could I possibly have a daughter Gugu’s age! Can’t people use their brains when they start rumors?!’

After getting the gist of it, Huo Xinghai posted on Weibo: "Not true!"

It was just two words, followed by an @ to the original poster with a demand for deletion.

Immediately, countless fans who had been waiting for an explanation flooded the comments to rally behind Huo Xinghai.

Some more irrational fans swarmed the account of the original poster, hurling insults. They accused her of starting rumors, chasing clout, and being desperate for fame.

And those were the polite ones. The less civil ones went after her entire family tree, posting comments so vile they’d burn your eyes out.

The original poster said nothing more and simply deleted her account.

Jian Xilin, who had been monitoring the situation online, posted an article at just the right moment to guide public opinion.

He didn’t condemn the original poster, but simply urged everyone not to post unverified information online, and to respect privacy and the facts.

At Jian Xilin’s prompting, Huo Xinghai reposted the article without adding a single word of explanation.

Still, some netizens suspected that Huo Xinghai was just trying to save face, and that only his foolish fans would believe whatever their idol said.

That night, Huo Xinghai started a livestream without any warning.

At first, only a few die-hard fans noticed, but the news spread quickly. Countless fans and other netizens flooded the stream; some simply wanted to see Huo Xinghai, while others were just there for the gossip.

[Haibao’er!! Happy New Year!!!]

[Haibao’er, are you at home? Are you spending the New Year with Sister Qing?]

[You cruel, cruel man! You wouldn’t even see me over the New Year! Tell me! Why didn’t you perform at a single New Year’s Gala!]

[To the person who just commented, I almost called the police!]

...

With a gentle smile, Huo Xinghai greeted the viewers on screen. "Happy New Year, everyone... Nothing special, just wanted to chat with you all."

"My mom’s playing chess with Gugu." Huo Xinghai held up his phone and panned it around the living room.

The viewers were all stunned by the festive New Year’s decorations.

[You’ve single-handedly shattered my stereotype of what a mansion looks like.]

[A mansion during the Spring Festival isn’t that different from my house, just a little bigger.]

[Haibao’er is wearing the same outfit as me!!!]

Seeing that comment, Huo Xinghai paused for a moment with a curious expression, then smiled. "My mom bought this outfit online. Everyone in our family got one, but they look very different on each of us. I’ll take you to see."

"Yeah, yeah, let’s go see your Sister Qing first." Huo Xinghai took the elevator straight to the third floor and walked directly to their childhood playroom.

He pushed open the door to reveal a room with a large floor-to-ceiling window. Outside was a view of the lake at night, while inside, the room was bathed in warm yellow light. All sorts of toys were neatly organized on shelves.

The camera panned over to show Gu Qingyin and Gugu sitting on opposite sides of a game board on the left side of the room. They were playing Gomoku on a Go board.

The two of them, one big and one small, were dressed in identical outfits. At a glance, you might have mistaken them for sisters.

[Sister Qing!!!]

[The star of the scandal has appeared!]

Huo Xinghai pointed the camera at Gu Qingyin but directed his question to Gugu. "What do you call me?"

Gugu seemed a little confused, but she still answered in a clear, bright voice, "Uncle Xinghai."

Huo Xinghai hummed in acknowledgment and asked, "And what do you call her?"

Gu Qingyin looked up just as Gugu answered again in her bright voice, "Grandma!"

The comments exploded.

[Sister Qing is a grandma? You can’t tell at all!]

[Did I oversleep? I just woke up and I’m seeing a real-life little princess from a super-rich family.]

[The camera just flashed past the little princess’s bag. It was covered in jewels. If those are real...]

[HISS—! Some people are born in Rome, and some people...]

...

Huo Xinghai turned the camera back to himself. "You heard her, right? She calls me Uncle. She’s the youngest child in the Huo Family, so isn’t it normal for her to be doted on? After all, she’s the only one."

The livestream wasn’t even over, but the tag "Little Princess of a Rich Family" was already shooting up the trending list.

Right after that, the "Huo Family Matching Outfits" tag also started trending.

Even though they were the same clothes, they had a completely different effect on each person.

People say clothes make the man, but this family’s personalities and auras were so distinct that the clothes couldn’t possibly overshadow them.

At first, the netizens were discussing the clothes and auras, but somehow the conversation took a turn, and they started debating which of the triplets was the best catch.

The eldest: the elite, domineering CEO—cold and noble.

The second: the top-tier singer—gentle and charming.

The third: the esports legend—wild and rebellious.

Which one is your ideal type? Vote now!

By the time Gu Qingyin saw this poll, three hours had passed. The total number of votes had exceeded ten million. Netizen participation was incredibly high, and the comment section was a battlefield of endless debate.

Gu Qingyin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Do they have to get so invested? Even if they do manage to decide who’s number one, what’s the point?’

Shaking her head, Gu Qingyin got up and went to the fourth floor, heading to a room at the end of the hallway.

The room was large but somewhat empty. Aside from memorial tablets and an altar, it was completely bare of furniture.

"Master," Gu Qingyin said, standing before the altar and smiling at a memorial tablet. "Another year has passed."

She had prepared the tablet and altar after she returned to make it easier to pay her respects.

"It’s been so long, and you haven’t even come back to visit me." Gu Qingyin wrinkled her nose in discontent. "You haven’t gone off and reincarnated already, have you?"

She lit a stick of incense as she spoke.

Seeing this, Huo Yunjing materialized and joined her in lighting incense to pay respects.

Gu Qingyin glanced at him but said nothing.

Huo Yunjing’s heart leaped with joy, but his expression grew even more solemn. ’You have to make a good first impression when meeting an elder.’

But unexpectedly, just as Huo Yunjing placed his incense stick in the holder, it snapped in half.

Huo Yunjing froze, and Gu Qingyin’s eyes narrowed.

’She had paid her respects so many times, yet this was the first time she’d ever gotten a response from her master. Although... the response wasn’t for her.’