“Buddy, I’ll be honest. This whole thing feels like a kind of moral kidnapping, doesn’t it? Those two who claim to be Liu Xie’s brother’s… what was his name again?”
After listening to Ye Qingchang’s general description of the situation with Liu Xie’s family, Zhu Niao felt like her brain was short-circuiting as well.
“Liu Anran,” Ye Qingchang added.
“Right, Liu Anran. Those two claiming to be Liu Anran’s parents—regardless of whether they really are—they haven’t done nearly as much for him as Liu Xie has.” Zhu Niao slapped the table, startling Gou Yu, who was slurping noodles beside her.
Gou Yu choked, coughed violently, and a single strand of noodle actually slid out of his nose.
“That’s what I’m saying, but people online don’t seem to think that way.” Ye Qingchang pulled up the comment section of a related video.
The section was flooded with people demanding that Liu Anran recognize his roots and return to his biological family.
Tucked between them were a few clear-headed comments that felt rather abrupt.
“Let me see… ‘They didn’t even raise him, and now they remember they want to suck his blood?’ Hey, look, there are some normal people after all,” Zhu Niao said, pointing at the comment as if she had discovered a new continent.
“Those are the minority. A minority among the minority,” Ye Qingchang said.
“Why?”
Ye Qingchang didn’t answer. She simply pointed at the sensible comment Zhu Niao had highlighted and refreshed the page.
The comment was gone.
Clearly, the comments were being moderated. It seemed someone was guiding the narrative in a specific direction.
A direction unfavorable to Liu Anran.
“Besides, even if people feel annoyed, it’s just a passing feeling. No one is going to resist this kind of censorship,” Ye Qingchang seemed to see through it all. “Because they have no reason to empathize with a young CEO who has enjoyed the life of a wealthy young master. There’s no reason for them to speak up for someone of that status. Right now, Liu Xie’s brother is truly isolated and helpless.”
“Damn…” Zhu Niao felt a sense of despair just imagining the situation. “Then what does Liu Xie’s family say? If they stepped in, it would definitely be fine, right?”
“I saw that too.” Ye Qingchang scrolled through her phone and showed it to Zhu Niao.
There were three videos in total.
One was a paternity test result; it was a bit blurry, but the name “Liu Anran” and the final result were visible.
Another was a statement from the Liu family, saying they respected all of Liu Anran’s choices.
The last piece of news claimed that the relationship between Liu Anran and the Liu family was actually quite poor, with frequent arguments. It claimed that no one in the Liu family liked the adopted child and that his current company was built by sucking the Liu family’s blood before he tried to go solo.
“That last one is obviously total bullshit, right?” Zhu Niao pointed at the final news report. “Even if the dynamic between Liu Xie and her brother was a bit confusing at first—one with a foul mouth and the other with thick skin—surely they’re closer than newlyweds now?”
“That’s true, and we know that, but other people don’t.” Ye Qingchang spread her hands. “In fact, this version fits public perception and expectations better. Why would anyone trust an adopted child with a business empire they worked hard to build?”
Zhu Niao thought about it; it did seem to be the logic people followed.
“But this is too strange. One thing after another, and now it’s a perfectly closed loop of logic.” The more Zhu Niao thought, the fishier it felt.
“It is strange. But only people like us who know the truth can detect the strangeness. Everyone else just thinks it’s reasonable.” Ye Qingchang shrugged. “Someone is clearly targeting Liu Xie’s brother on purpose.”
“That’s just…” Zhu Niao’s face twisted slightly. “This is why I say being a young CEO isn’t something a normal person can handle.”
“So Liu Xie’s brother is under a lot of pressure right now, and she went to find him.”
“Well, that’s something. At least he has someone by his side.”
“Not necessarily,” Ye Qingchang said. “Yesterday, I went to his company with her. We got all the way to the lobby, and they wouldn’t let her in. Her brother doesn’t want to see her right now.”
“Hiss…” Zhu Niao sucked in a breath. “Wait, if the two of you couldn’t even get inside, and other people saw that, wouldn’t it just confirm the rumors that he’s on bad terms with the Liu family?”
“That’s why his pressure is probably even higher now.” Ye Qingchang looked helpless. “If we’re lucky, we’ll see Liu Xie back in class next week. If we’re unlucky…”
“Would the blow really be that big?” Zhu Niao, who had no siblings, didn’t quite understand.
“Duh. You can see it yourself. How much Liu Xie cares about her brother, and how much he cares about her.” Ye Qingchang rolled her eyes at Zhu Niao.
“I feel like this plot is like a pair of lovers who can’t be together. It’s like the part of Romeo and Juliet where their families come between them.”
After speaking, Zhu Niao sighed. “Is this where it ends? To be honest, I really ship them. Liu Xie never said who her romance task target was, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure it’s him.”
“Hey, if Liu Anran really doesn’t come back, but Liu Xie does… make sure you don’t mention him in front of her.” Ye Qingchang warned.
“Don’t worry. I might not be a great student, but I know how to be a person. I’m not the type to tear open a friend’s wounds.”
“Really?” Gou Yu chimed in from the side.
“Shut up, foot-fetishist.”
“You really hold a grudge, don’t you?”
Zhu Niao slumped onto the table. “Even if we know the situation, we have no idea how to help her.”
“I can’t think of anything. Can you?” Ye Qingchang shook her head and looked at Zhu Niao.
Zhu Niao just sighed. “The only thing we can do is wait for it to end. If it’s a bad result, we’ll comfort her, I guess? I can’t think of anything else.”
She turned to look at Gou Yu.
Gou Yu thought for a moment and pushed his free tea in front of Zhu Niao. “If you can’t think of what to do, just drink some tea. At least you’ll have to go to the bathroom afterward.”
“I’ve realized I really give you too much face lately.”
Ye Qingchang watched blankly as Zhu Niao started beating Gou Yu again. She looked down and took another slurp of her noodles.
Beside her were Yang Shuli and Xu Nian.
She constantly felt like a third wheel, especially now.
And at times like this, she especially missed Liu Xie, who wasn’t around.
At least if Liu Xie were here, there would be two third wheels keeping each other company.
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Can you have third wheels.