Chapter 29: Waiting Online, It’s Pretty Urgent

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Waiting Online, It’s Pretty Urgent

The director held up a large megaphone. "Is Gu Qingyin really Huo Xinghai’s biological mother? Please answer and explain!"

The moment he spoke, the entire set fell silent, and Fu Zimo could barely contain the gloating look in his eyes.

The Lin Family Siblings exchanged a glance, both shocked and expectant—they were very curious about this question, too!

Huo Xinghai stared at the director, his face devoid of expression. For someone who was always smiling, he was especially intimidating when his expression turned cold.

The director broke out in a cold sweat under his gaze and explained with a forced laugh, "This is a question the netizens are particularly concerned about. The questions for the other two families were also suggested by them, and we only picked one..."

’We’re already being incredibly merciful! If we’d asked some of the other questions, our livestream would have been completely overwhelmed.’

Huo Xinghai continued to stare at the director without a word, a sense of regret already creeping in. ’Maybe bringing Gu Qingyin on this show was a mistake.’

"May we start answering now?" Gu Qingyin asked, her tone perfectly calm.

’I was all prepared for some real trouble, but this is it? This generation of netizens is pretty weak.’

Huo Xinghai lowered his gaze, quietly picked up his whiteboard, and after a slight pause, began to write.

Gu Qingyin also began to write her answer, looking far more relaxed than anyone would have expected.

The director subtly breathed a sigh of relief. When Huo Xinghai put on that cold expression, his aura was remarkably similar to the head of the Huo Family—so oppressive you could barely breathe.

A moment later, the mother and son raised their answer boards in unison.

Their answers were surprisingly identical. Scrawled across their boards in big letters were the same five words: Mind your own damn business!

The director and guests on set: ...

The netizens in the livestream chat: ...

No one could have imagined such an answer, even if they’d racked their brains. Damn, they’d gone for a direct confrontation, with a clear message that they wouldn’t humor anyone.

While the response was infuriating, especially to the netizens who’d asked the question, you couldn’t say it was unreasonable. After all, the right to answer belonged to Huo Xinghai and Gu Qingyin. Whether they answered was their choice, and how they answered was their prerogative.

No one is obligated to satisfy others’ curiosity, not even celebrities.

A flash of regret crossed the Lin Family Siblings’ eyes. ’You can answer like that?! We were just too straightforward!’

Annoyed, Mrs. Fu and her son immediately objected.

"That’s evading the question! It doesn’t count!" Fu Zimo insisted forcefully. "Either they answer again, or they get no points."

"And why not?" Gu Qingyin turned to the director. "Isn’t this game called the ’Telepathy Test’? For our lines of thinking to be so bizarre and still end up the same—isn’t that a sign of perfect telepathy?"

Huo Xinghai nodded in agreement. "The rules never said we had to write the *factually* correct answer. As long as my mom and I give the same answer, we’re correct, right?"

"But you didn’t answer the question directly. You’re just trying to bluff your way through," Mrs. Fu said with a look of condemnation, her tone self-righteous. "We need to be honest with the netizens and not betray our fans’ trust."

Gu Qingyin smiled and retorted, "Do you know why the old man in the story lived to be ninety-nine?" Before anyone could answer, she continued, "Because he never meddled in other people’s business."

Mrs. Fu was left speechless. She felt that Gu Qingyin was not only calling her a meddling busybody but also cursing her to an early grave. She wanted to refute both points, but the two thoughts clashed in her mind, leaving her momentarily choked and unable to speak.

"Besides," Gu Qingyin said with an earnest expression, "I’m being completely honest." She held up her board and tapped the words. "This was exactly what I was thinking in that moment."

Huo Xinghai nodded in agreement. "Me too." He smiled. "I’m a very honest person. I always say what’s on my mind and would never stoop to lying."

[A fan of Haibao’er for three years here, I can confirm! It’s true! Our Haibao’er has been brutally honest ever since his debut!]

[No one’s forgotten how Haibao’er almost got blacklisted right after his debut for being too blunt, right?]

[Netizens should just stop. What does it matter to you if they’re mother and son or not?]

[If you have so much free time, maybe worry about yourselves. Are you working hard enough? Did you get a raise?]

But while fans chimed in with support, the haters were just as active.

[They’re totally hiding something! Definitely have a guilty conscience!]

[Isn’t it an easy question to answer? Why are they dodging it?]

[Something’s up! There’s definitely something fishy going on!]

With both sides sticking to their guns, an argument quickly erupted.

The uproar online didn’t affect things on set. After a quick discussion, the show’s producers and director unanimously agreed to award them the points.

There were always loopholes in the game; finding them was a skill in itself.

Mrs. Fu and her son sulkily shut their mouths, and the game continued.

The subsequent questions were much more ordinary—the kind any normal mother and son could answer with their eyes closed.

And yet, Gu Qingyin and Huo Xinghai managed to get four of them wrong.

Now, even their fans couldn’t help but feel suspicious. ’Could they really be fakes? Is the show pulling a "real or fake mother" gimmick?’

The haters went wild. For a time, the internet was flooded with rumors that Huo Xinghai had hired an actress to compete with Fu Zimo, only for the plan to backfire spectacularly.

"I’m sorry," Huo Xinghai said, looking dejected. ’I don’t even know Gu Qingyin’s birthday, and I had all this time to ask her over the past few days.’

Gu Qingyin waved a dismissive hand and comforted him with a smile, "Our situation is a bit different. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other in the future."

The ever-impartial camera faithfully broadcasted this entire exchange live as well.

The entire internet exploded.

’That’s basically an admission, isn’t it? They’re admitting they barely know each other! Not knowing her birthday could be explained away, but what she just said clearly implies they only met recently!’

「Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office of the Huo Group」

Xue Ning was reporting the online situation to Huo Xingye.

After hearing the report, Huo Xingye nodded, not looking surprised. "Release a public statement. And have the legal department start collecting evidence to sue the rumor-mongers."

"Understood." Xue Ning turned and headed straight for the legal department. There were a lot of people to sue this time, and he intended to oversee it personally. He wouldn’t let a single one slip through the cracks.

And so, just as the show’s guests were choosing their accommodations, the Huo Group’s official verified account posted a clarification.

Huo Group V: Our madam simply looks young. We advise all netizens to choose their words carefully. [Image]

Netizens clicked on it and saw a DNA paternity test report. The names listed were Huo Xinghai and Gu Qingyin.

That’s right. Gu Qingyin had gotten another DNA test.

It was because Huo Xinghai had been incredibly envious that Huo Xingye got to do a DNA test with their mother, and he had been desperate for one of his own.

Of course, Gu Qingyin had agreed. It wasn’t a big deal. ’The triplets must all be treated exactly the same!’

When the test results came back, Gu Qingyin had given the Protective Jade Pendant to Huo Xinghai. It wasn’t just a gift; it was imbued with a mother’s blessing and love.

The Huo Group itself didn’t have many followers, so few people saw the post initially. But the corporation flexed its financial muscle and paid to get the post trending, so now everyone following the story saw it instantly.

After a brief silence, a new kind of firestorm erupted.

Netizens no longer had any doubts about Gu Qingyin’s identity, but they were now even more curious about her beauty regimen! How on earth did she manage to look like she was the same age as her son?

Waiting online for an answer! It’s urgent!