Chapter 12

If we're talking about which of the four couples in "Super Cute Family" has the most fans, it's undoubtedly the Fang-Ye couple—Ye Sisi and Fang Yi.

The two collaborated on a period drama years ago, actively promoting themselves during the show's airing and attracting a large fanbase as a couple. Later, their on-screen romance blossomed into a real-life relationship, leading to a surge in popularity. Coupled with their frequent public appearances together in recent years, their fanbase has only grown, naturally making them the most popular on-screen couple in the entertainment industry.

Therefore, fans of the couple have been eagerly anticipating this recording of the show.

However, the live broadcast this morning was far less successful than expected.

Ye Sisi's team bought trending articles early in the morning, and within just ten minutes of the live stream starting, terms like "Fang Yi cooks porridge for his injured wife" and "Fang Yi lovingly feeds her porridge" were already at the top of the trending list.

However, these purchased trending topics did not generate much discussion, and the comments section was filled with paid commenters and fans controlling the narrative.

Occasionally, a passerby would comment, "Why does Fang Yi look so strained?" This comment was immediately met with a rebuttal from fans.

It wasn't until a humorous blogger captured Fang Yi's facial expressions and captioned it: "I came to watch a heartwarming family variety show, but ended up with a bunch of memes?!"

The blog post included two images:

The first picture shows Fang Yi with dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly hopeless as he stirs the porridge in the pot, captioned "A working-class person forced to get up early to cook porridge."

The second image is a GIF of Fang Yi unconsciously glancing at the camera while feeding Ye Sisi porridge, with the caption "Let me see where the camera is."

This blog post immediately sparked heated discussions among netizens.

[Hahaha, I recognize that expression; it's exactly how I look every morning when I'm forced to get out of bed.]

[Where did the loving couple go? Fang Yi's face seems to scream "I'm being forced to work."]

[They even need to find a camera angle for a kiss? That's so fake!]

[They're even filming at home, but their acting is getting worse and worse.]

As the discussion heated up, more netizens began to question it.

Why did Fang Yi look so reluctant when he cooked porridge for his injured wife?

Why do we have to be so careful about the camera position even when we're having intimate interactions?

Why does Fang Yi, who is only thirty years old, appear so greasy on the show?

These three questions resonated with many passersby.

[Isn't everyone saying that Fang Ye and his wife are the sweetest couple in the Chinese entertainment industry? Do you usually just watch them?]

[Do you shippers usually just ship this kind of artificially sweetened content?]

This isn't saccharin, it's clearly gutter oil! I'm about to throw up from all the oil.

The criticism grew louder, and even the hashtag "Fang Ye couple's acting is bad" became a trending topic.

The fans who ship the couple are also confused.

Our favorite couple wasn't like this before. Their photos together on Weibo used to be so sweet.

Ye Sisi's team was caught off guard, and the publicity plan they had planned in advance actually had the opposite effect.

Ye Sisi herself was well aware of the reason; she and Fang Yi had already reached a tacit understanding on certain matters.

But recently, Fang Yi has become too lazy to even cooperate with acting, and she feels this perfunctory attitude most clearly.

But right now she still really needs the title of "most loving couple in the Chinese entertainment industry," and there's nothing she can do about Fang Yi for the time being.

Since we can't change Fang Yi, let's try something else.

Didn't they say they weren't sweet enough? You know, when it comes to sweetness, the worst thing is comparison.

The best comparison point is, of course, Jiang Xueru.

Ye Sisi immediately instructed her team to adjust their strategy, and soon, terms such as "Jiang Xueru lives alone" and "Jiang Xueru and Gu Qingyue are a contract couple" became trending topics.

There were very few fans who shipped Jiang Xueru and Gu Qingyue as a couple.

In the early years, many people shipped the two because of their good looks, but later Jiang Xueru's reputation declined. In addition, the two had never been seen together before marriage, and their marriage was announced suddenly after marriage. The marriage was inexplicable, and soon rumors of a contract marriage spread.

CP fans are drawn to that ambiguous, unpredictable feeling of being close yet distant. CPs without genuine feelings won't have many fans, even if some do ship them.

After winning the Best Actress award at the age of 19, Jiang Xueru received increasingly lower quality scripts and did not produce any outstanding works for several years, which led her to be jokingly referred to by her haters as "starting high and ending low".

It wasn't until two years ago, after marrying Gu Qingyue, that she returned to the public eye with the period drama "Years Like Songs".

Therefore, many of Gu Qingyue's fans believe that Jiang Xueru became popular again by riding on Gu Qingyue's popularity.

This marriage not only failed to bring Jiang Xueru any real fans who shipped her with her on-screen couple, but it also became one of the main reasons why she was criticized.

Ye Sisi deliberately brought up the old issue again, causing Jiang Xueru's public image, which had been improving due to her recent good performance, to once again turn into a battle between fans and haters.

[As expected, it's another contract couple drama; they can't even be bothered to pretend.]

[Gu Qingyue never appears on variety shows. Does she simply not want to cooperate with acting?]

[Is Jiang Xueru living alone? Was the warm family atmosphere she created all fake?]

Surprisingly, however, many voices also appeared in support of Jiang Xueru under this trending topic.

So what if they're a contractual couple? At least they're not pretending, which is much more genuine than some poorly acted "loving couples."

I'd rather see reality than fake displays of affection.

Ye Sisi gritted her teeth in anger as she read the comments.

She didn't expect that this move would actually make many people sympathize with Jiang Xueru.

......

While the outside world was rife with violence and chaos, Jiang Xueru was watering the newly planted flowers in the yard with Qiuqiu, seemingly unconcerned about the online uproar. Sunlight shone on the mother and daughter, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

However, the live stream was somewhat affected by Ye Sisi's outrageous actions.

[It seems Jiang Xueru and Gu Qingyue are now truly confirmed as a contractual couple. Not only does Jiang Xueru live alone, but Gu Qingyue didn't even send a video call to check on her after the livestreaming incident. It seems he really doesn't care.]

What does it matter to Guan Jiangjiang whether Gu Qingyue cares or not?

[Jiang Xueru came back by sucking Gu Qingyue's blood, and now she's just using him and throwing him away, right?]

[I've said it countless times, Jiang Jiang got the role in "Our Years" through her own abilities. You can watch the interviews with the director and screenwriter.]

[If Jiang Xueru doesn't like Gu Qingyue and doesn't need his resources, then why did she marry him?]

Why don't you explain why Gu Qingyue chose to marry Jiang Xueru?

[Waaaaah, stop arguing! I said they got married because they loved each other so deeply!]

[Shut up, you CP fan!]

[...]

While the live stream was buzzing with noise, Jiang Xueru's villa remained completely quiet.

Qiuqiu sat cross-legged on the soft carpet, her little mouth pouting high.

Ever since she was "mocked" by viewers for telling jokes in the live stream this morning, the little girl has been determined to improve her sense of humor. Right now, she is holding a book called "The Complete Collection of Children's Jokes," frowning as she studies it carefully, and occasionally imitating the tone of the book while talking to herself.

Jiang Xueru, meanwhile, nestled on the other end of the sofa, intently reading the script in her hands.

Yu Ling just delivered the script for "Hello, Mom" ​​this morning. The final audition in a few days is crucial for her. She is almost buried in a pile of documents, only playing with Qiuqiu for a while during lunch. The rest of the time she maintains the same posture, and even the movement of turning the pages is so light that it is almost inaudible.

[What is Jiang Xueru looking at so intently? She hasn't touched anything all afternoon?]

[What's with the "dedicated" persona? It's all over the trending topics that they're in a contractual relationship.]

[Stop arguing, can't you see they're working diligently?]

Occasionally, viewers would wonder what Jiang Xueru was watching, but the comments section was quickly flooded with arguments about trending topics.

As dusk fell, Jiang Xueru rubbed her aching neck and was about to get up and turn on the light when she suddenly heard a faint noise coming from downstairs.

"Mom!" Hearing the commotion, Qiuqiu dropped her joke book and ran over nervously to hug Jiang Xueru's leg. "There seems to be someone downstairs!"

Jiang Xueru glanced out the window; night had completely fallen.

Her suburban villa is usually very quiet, and no one should be visiting at this time.

"It might be the wind." She patted Qiuqiu's head reassuringly, but she also had some doubts in her heart.

Just then, another rustling sound came from downstairs, this time clearer—it sounded like someone was trying to open the door.

Qiuqiu immediately remembered the big bad guy she had encountered last time, and her little face turned pale: "Is it another big bad wolf?"

Qiuqiu spent the whole day reading fairy tales, and her mind was filled with images of the Big Bad Wolf trying to eat Little Red Riding Hood.

Having learned her lesson from the previous accident, Qiuqiu was smarter this time. She pulled Jiang Xueru along and tiptoed into the kitchen, where they tiptoed to take two frying pans out of the cupboard.

"Give!"

She handed the smaller pot to Jiang Xueru, and then struggled to lift a large soup pot herself, looking both nervous and serious.

Jiang Xueru was amused by her daughter's posture, but she still obediently took the pot.

She gestured for Qiuqiu to follow behind her, and the mother and daughter tiptoed downstairs, one in front of the other.

The living room was pitch black, with only moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains. A tall, dark figure could be vaguely seen moving along the wall, seemingly groping for something.

Jiang Xueru held her breath, immediately stopped Qiuqiu, and picked up the pot herself, ready to rush forward—

"Smack!"

The chandelier suddenly turned on, and the bright yellow light instantly dispelled the darkness.

The man standing by the switch was clearly taken aback by this scene. He stared blankly for a second at Jiang Xueru holding the pot and Qiuqiu carrying the large soup pot behind her, then raised an eyebrow and smiled:

Is this some kind of special welcoming ceremony?

Gu Qingyue was wearing a dark gray suit with his tie loosely hanging down, looking travel-worn.

One hand remained in the position of pressing the switch, while the other hand naturally caught the pot that Jiang Xueru almost dropped.

......

Jiang Xueru froze on the spot, her expression shifting from wariness to surprise, and finally settling on a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment.

Why are you back?

Jiang Xueru quickly hid the pot behind her back, pretending that everything just now was an illusion, and coughed lightly.

Qiuqiu peeked out from behind Jiang Xueru, her eyes wide open: "Are you the weird uncle who made me call him Dad?"

Gu Qingyue bent down and picked up Qiuqiu, pot and all, with a smile in her eyes: "Looks like I came back at the wrong time? What are you doing?"

"We're fighting the big bad wolf!" Qiuqiu explained seriously, waving the soup pot in her hand.

Gu Qingyue was amused and turned to look at Jiang Xueru, who was still in a daze: "So... I look like the Big Bad Wolf?"