As various online comments fermented, they also stirred up quite a wave in the upper-class circles of City A.

When He Jie and his companions saw the message, they were riding horses in the suburbs. He was so surprised that he almost fell off his horse.

"What? An illegitimate child? Which unscrupulous media outlet made up this story?"

"What nonsense! There's a video above; it's Brother Du."

"Have photo editing techniques become this advanced now? They can even edit videos? Let me see!"

The crowd gathered around, excitedly discussing the topic on their phones, expressing various surprised exclamations. Xie Ming found it amusing and didn't take it to heart at all, assuming it was just gossip media trying to generate buzz by using the topic.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Holy crap, look at this topic! The mother of a wealthy CEO's illegitimate child! I want to see who it is..."

Everyone crowded around, and someone couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, what a headline! Did he actually manage to get a picture?"

"Really? No way! Brother Du doesn't look like he has a child at all?"

The person said they had posted the video in the group chat, and Xie Ming became interested, picked up his phone and started watching. Suddenly, the group, which had been discussing enthusiastically, fell silent.

Fang Yizhou looked at the video, then at the headline, and suddenly scoffed, "I thought it was really true! These gossip media outlets are desperate for fame, aren't they? They'll publish anything, aren't they afraid of being censored..."

He Jie also pursed his lips and sighed, "I thought it was someone else, but it's just Brother Che. But whose child is this? He's wrapped up so tightly..."

Wang Shuo said slowly, "These media outlets are so boring, what nonsense are they broadcasting..."

Fang Yizhou, having witnessed something, suddenly burst into laughter, chuckling between sobs: "Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter... There are actually... there are actually netizens saying they're a couple... Hahahaha, help..."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this and rushed to the online comments section to watch. Only Xie Ming frowned as he watched the video, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, he asked, "Four years ago, that... Ye Zhao, did she fake a pregnancy?"

Fang Yizhou stared at his phone and replied dismissively, "You think it's Ye Zhao's? How could that be? They said it was a false pregnancy back then..."

He Jie chimed in, "Exactly! How could Brother Du have a child with that woman? He might as well have... found someone to date with Brother Che!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone laughed even more unrestrainedly, gleefully gossiping about Jiang Che and Shen Du.

Xie Ming felt increasingly uneasy, especially when he thought about Ye Zhao and Jiang Che's relationship. Just two days ago, when he was discussing work with Jiang Che, he had mentioned that he would be visiting Ye Zhao in the next couple of days. How could it be such a coincidence? Was it possible that everyone had been deceived? Ye Zhao hadn't faked her pregnancy at all; the child was Chen Du's.

Thinking of this, Xie Ming suddenly stood up and walked out, leaving everyone looking at the direction he left with puzzled expressions.

"What's wrong with him? Why is he walking so fast all of a sudden?"

"I don't know, maybe something happened at home?"

The group didn't pay much attention to Xie Ming, continuing to gossip about the two of them, laughing even more unrestrainedly. In contrast to their gossip-loving attitude, the people in Shen Jiayi's circle next door fell into an eerie silence when they saw the news.

Shu Yang, who was far away on set, called Shen Jiayi to verify whether the matter of Shen Du having an illegitimate child was true. However, Shen Jiayi was also confused. Before she could come to her senses, she saw the gossip about Shen Du and Jiang Che. Looking at the various comments online, her worldview seemed to be slowly cracking.

But she wasn't the only one who was devastated. Few of the socialites and rich heiresses in A City's high society disliked Jiang Che and Shen Du. After all, they were young, promising, capable, and their looks were stunning. How could anyone not like them?

Now that the two are rumored to be having an affair, everyone's hearts are broken. They are searching everywhere to find out the truth of the matter. Some people are also digging into the child's information, but after searching everyone in the circle, they can't find a child of the right age. They are either too old or too young.

Meanwhile, the gossip media that broke the news had disappeared from the public eye within just one hour.

Even so, due to Jiang Che and Shen Du's influence, the various gossips online did not stop, and even intensified.

Ye Zhao read through the various comments online for a while and was about to call Chen Du when he unexpectedly called first.

"Ye Zhao?" A deep, resonant voice came through the phone.

"Yes, it's me."

"Have you seen what's going on online?"

"Yeah, I just saw it."

Ye Zhao was actually a little angry. She had repeatedly reminded Shen Du about this matter, but she didn't expect that he would still expose the existence of the child.

Chen Du noticed her emotions, remained silent for a few seconds, and slowly said, "I'm sorry, it was my negligence that led to this situation."

Ye Zhao didn't say anything upon hearing this, but only asked, "Now that the online discussion has reached this point, have you thought about how to handle it?"

Without much hesitation, Chen Du frankly said, "I want to announce the existence of Yuanbao. What do you think?"

Ye Zhao paused for a moment, then asked, "What happens after it's announced?"

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Du slowly said, "It's just that your matter with Jiang Che might have to wait..."

Ye Zhao subconsciously asked, "What does this have to do with me and A-Che?"

Shen Du patiently explained, "He's also in the picture now, and everyone's paying attention to him. If your story gets exposed again, it might cause even more discussion."

Ye Zhao fell silent upon hearing this, then said calmly, "Think about it. I'll have someone pull back the hype first, but clarifying Yuanbao's identity is the best course of action right now."

Ye Zhao understood what he meant, but she felt that even if her relationship with A-Che were made public, it wouldn't matter. Since things had already come to this point, as long as she wasn't worried about being discussed, there was nothing to worry about.

However, whether or not to go public is a matter between the two of them. Ye Zhao also wanted to wait for him to arrive so they could discuss the specifics of what to do.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Du stood by the window in silence for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, his brows furrowed. Yang Xu came in and interrupted his thoughts.

"President Shen, we've already informed all the major media outlets, and the previous media outlet has even sent someone over. What's the next step?"

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Du said in a deep voice, "Make preparations, we'll hold a press conference tonight."

Yang Xu was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. He knew that Shen Du would definitely announce his relationship with Yuan Bao, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. What would happen to Miss Ye and President Jiang?