Part 3
“Of course my Daddy Shulv can do that!”
Jiang Shulu had just finished a brief chat with Jiang He and Liang Yi, whom he was meeting for the first time under less-than-ideal circumstances. Neither of them wanted to be on camera, so they had gone to a different area. As Jiang Shulu was walking out of a small grove, Yao Xuanyu came running for him.
On the split-screen, Tang Yue was speaking with righteous conviction. Yao Xuanyu was pulling Jiang Shulu along as if his wife was about to go into labor.
“Uncle Jiang, if you don’t hurry up, Brother Tang Yue is going to become someone else’s wife!”
It was only seven in the evening. The director was urging the guests to set up their tents according to the schedule, then bring out the tables and food. Jiang Shulu had only been gone for a moment, but it felt like he’d been late for half a lifetime.
What did he mean, Tang Yue is going to become someone else’s wife?
[Kids are so hilarious, hahaha!]
[Who would believe this is the same Yao Xuanyu from the first episode who looked like he owned the world?]
[What is this cheesy drama? I was just on Weibo and saw Miu Shuhuai’s fans getting excited, saying he’s going to be the ‘other man’ and they’re doing a giveaway?]
[Miu Shuhuai’s fans have always been a strange bunch, but I never knew people actually shipped Miu Shuhuai x Tang Yue?]
[The bigger the heart, the more ships you can hold.]
[So where did Jiang Shulu go just now?]
Tang Yue didn’t think Miu Shuhuai was being serious at all. There was a backstage video from an awards show years ago that had gone viral. In it, Miu Shuhuai told Tang Yue he had a dog hidden in his jacket, and Tang Yue actually fell for it. The man loved to joke around, but not in an uncomfortable way, perhaps because his smile was just so bright. His canine teeth and dimples gave him the stereotypical impression of a group’s youngest member, but UL was the opposite. The leader was the sunshine of the group and also the most popular.
This was a persona that Away lacked, which often led to fans making shameless suggestions online, like having Away and UL merge for a few days.
Tang Yue had never noticed Miu Shuhuai’s canine teeth before, but the child he had given birth to was born with them.
I don’t have them, Tang Yue thought. It can’t be the leader, can it? But he’s never mentioned it. I still haven’t told him I gave birth to Mian Mian, but the leader seems to have guessed. I’ll ask him next time.
These past few days with Jiang Shulu had been so sweet that Tang Yue had almost forgotten such an important detail. He zoned out at an inopportune moment, right in the middle of this variety-show-esque conversation.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like he was staring blankly at Miu Shuhuai.
[No way, Tang Yue! How could you get lost staring at Miu Shuhuai! I condemn this—]
[Please don’t let there be a marriage alliance between Away and UL.]
[I don’t think Jiang Shulu can actually do a flash marriage, can he?]
[This is not the battle of the leaders I was hoping for!! Why weren’t things this dramatic when they were still active, sob.]
Jiang Shulu arrived just in time to see this.
Tang Mian looked like he was fuming with disappointment. “Daddy, stop looking! You’re not allowed to find me a stepdad like him.”
Stepdad.
Yao Lixin, who was nearby, almost choked, not realizing he was setting up his own tent incorrectly.
When Tang Yue zoned out, he had a certain aura about him. The audience might have mistaken him for looking at Miu Shuhuai, but the man himself was quite sure that wasn’t the case.
Miu Shuhuai waved a hand in front of his face. “What’s wrong?” he asked Tang Yue. “Are you not feeling well? I remember you used to seem…”
Miu Shuhuai seemed to reach out to pat Tang Yue’s shoulder, but in the next second, another hand shot out and pulled Tang Yue away. He instinctively looked up. Jiang Shulu was already smiling and greeting Miu Shuhuai. “Long time no see.”
The two of them had seen each other quite often back in the day. Sometimes their packed schedules would overlap, and they would end up at the same hotel. Away was always well-funded, partly because of Jiang Shulu’s wealthy background, so they always stayed in the best hotel, with UL in a slightly less luxurious one. Since Jiang Shulu and Jiang He were uncle and nephew, no one made a big deal out of it. In fact, after events, UL would often invite Away to hang out. But it was usually just Yao Lixin and Liu Xichao who went. Tang Yue didn’t like crowded places unless it was to broaden his horizons, and Jiang Shulu seemed completely detached from the word “fun.”
Miu Shuhuai didn’t dislike him, but he felt that the rumors about Jiang Shulu’s passion for the industry couldn’t be entirely true, even if he did rebel against his family to form a boy band in his early twenties. The man’s innate need to be the best at everything was just irritating.
Even when Away debuted and took the internet by storm, Miu Shuhuai felt that out of the four of them, Tang Yue was the one who held the purest love for their work. It was different from Yao Lixin’s love for dancing; Tang Yue seemed to genuinely cherish the opportunity. Occasionally, when UL ran into Away rehearsing for a show, Tang Yue’s focus was unparalleled. To put it dramatically, it was like he was in his own world. Miu Shuhuai even thought the group was holding Tang Yue back; if he went solo, he could probably go even further.
He never expected that after Away disbanded, Tang Yue would vanish for five years, only to reappear with a child.
Maybe it was the way the show was filmed, but some people felt there was a hint of regret in the way Miu Shuhuai looked at Tang Yue.
[Is this what they call a shuraba?]
[A shuraba needs an ex, a current partner, and a white moonlight. This doesn’t fit any of those.]
[This is so staged!! It’s like they’re trying to make Jiang Shulu jealous!]
[Screenshotting the look in Miu Shuhuai’s eyes when he was in the same frame as Tang Yue. There’s definitely something there. I’ll be savoring this.]
“It hasn’t been that long,” Miu Shuhuai said, a teasing smile on his face. “I see you in the papers all the time. You know, acquiring some company, going on a blind date with some heiress…”
[So staged +1, but please, give me more!]
[Anything can be used as fuel for my ship!]
“Can’t compare to Captain Miu’s long-term relationship taking a detour,” Jiang Shulu retorted.
[How dare he imply our Teacher Miu got cheated on by his boyfriend!]
[That was harsh. Jiang Shulu, you didn’t used to be like this.]
[See, some people’s gentleness is just a facade…]
[Who cares! As long as our Tang Yue gets the real gentle treatment, that’s all that matters. I can’t guarantee anything else, but after that kiss on the boat, I’m all in. I have to see this ship to the end! Why has no one on the internet figured out who Tang Mian’s mother is? It can’t actually be Tang Yue himself, can it?]
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