VHBF – Chapter 47 Movie King Daddy (Part 6)

That evening, at exactly seven o’clock—the peak traffic time on Weibo—office workers and students who had just finished dinner picked up their phones to scroll through their feeds.

The notorious gossip account “First Line of Entertainment,” famous for breaking scandals, dropped a new post that instantly set Weibo ablaze.

The controversy surrounding Movie King Zhu had already been raging for over half a month and still hadn’t dropped from the trending searches. It had been “First Line of Entertainment” that first broke the news, and once the fire was lit, other gossip accounts swarmed in, digging up every scrap of “dirt” they could find.

Some were riding the wave, some were just there for the drama, and some were gleefully kicking him while he was down. The matter snowballed, bigger and bigger.

“First Line of Entertainment,” being the one who started it, became the biggest winner—its ranking shot up, followers increased by several million, and its traffic was almost rivaling A-list celebrities.

Now, with Movie King Zhu’s scandal still hot, “First Line of Entertainment” posted again: A movie king with the surname Z may have hidden marriage and a child. At 9 p.m., we’ll drop hard evidence.

The revelation dropped jaws. Since the previous scandal about Movie King Zhu had come from this same account, and considering the hottest Z-surname actor in the industry right now was none other than Zhu Ji, netizens instinctively thought of him.

The comments exploded:

“Are they talking about Movie King Zhu Ji?”

“Same thought! Is ‘First Line’ just determined to ruin Zhu Ji? Clinging to him every day—feeding on blood buns is disgusting!”

“I admit Zhu Ji has plenty of black history now, but hidden marriage and child? I absolutely don’t believe it!”

“Isn’t ZJ already dead from all this? These gossip accounts drag him every day! Pah!”

“Doesn’t have to be Zhu Ji—it could be Movie King Zhang, or Movie King Zhao. Both are older and unmarried.”

“Zhu Ji is so gross. He built up that fake pure-white persona, fans worshipped him, now it’s all collapsing! And he still dared to hide a wife and kid? Ugh!”

“Have some decency. Let’s wait for 9 p.m. If the hammer isn’t solid enough, I’ll personally roast First Line!”

Inside Zhu Ji’s core fan group, Worldly Silence—the same one where Wu Xin Chasing Stars had first posted pictures—someone forwarded the Weibo link: What do we do? Who leaked this?!

The group owner cursed furiously, while admins scrambled in panic. Everyone in the group had been hardcore fans for years. None of them should have leaked anything. So where had this shady gossip account gotten its news?

From seven to nine, the peak two hours of Weibo activity, the rumor fermented. Soon, the hashtag #MovieKingZhuSuspectedHiddenMarriageAndChild climbed to the top of trending. Fans, haters, and rubbernecking passersby all camped under “First Line of Entertainment” to wait for the reveal.

Haters didn’t even wait for the evidence; they were already celebrating. They mocked that Movie King Zhu didn’t deserve fans, that deceiving them about marriage and a child should blow him up on the spot. They even ridiculed the few fans still resisting, saying they deserved to stan the wrong idol.

Every insult under the sun was hurled. The hammer hadn’t even dropped, yet the blame of “hidden marriage and child” was already strapped tightly onto Zhu Ji’s head.

“His persona collapsed anyway. With such poor character, it’s no surprise he’d hide a marriage and child, right?”

At the same time, another name began to surface repeatedly—whether pushed by paid trolls or genuine fans—Wei Ming. He was the newcomer who had once been rumored to be suppressed and bullied by Zhu Ji on set.

Wei Ming, with his delicate features and soft, youthful charm, was the popular “puppy-like” idol type. He had been a nobody when he debuted, but thanks to the scandal of being “oppressed” by Zhu Ji, he attracted attention as the “victim.”

With the spotlight on him, people noticed not only was he good-looking, but also seemed to act decently well in videos. Rumor had it he was hardworking too.

Since Movie King Zhu was famous for his acting, suppressing a rookie was supposedly a simple matter. So, Wei Ming’s perseverance earned him sympathy and favor from Zhu Ji’s haters and the general public. His popularity skyrocketed.

People even said: If you must stan someone, stan a kid like this! Cute, pure, hardworking—you don’t have to worry about being lied to.

After “First Line of Entertainment” stirred things again, Weibo’s staff sensed a coming storm. They worked overtime, bracing for impact.

At exactly 9 p.m., under the eyes of millions, “First Line of Entertainment” dropped the hammer.

First Line of Entertainment: Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Enough nonsense—here’s the hammer. JPG.JPG

Attached were two photos.

The first was a DNA report. It clearly listed Zhu Ji’s name alongside a child with the same surname. “Based on DNA analysis, under conditions excluding external interference, results support a biological relationship between Zhu Ji and Zhu Yinyin. Paternity index: 99.9999%.”

Just that alone made jaws drop. People immediately opened the second photo.

A refined, jade-like man held a small child in his arms. His brows were lowered, hand gently patting the child’s shoulder in comfort. The photo had a quiet warmth to it, leaving many netizens uncharacteristically silent.

Haters, however, were first to speak:

“Hahaha! This is the hardest hammer I’ve ever seen! What now, brain-dead Zhu Ji fans? Your idol should come explain!”

“So disgusting! Hidden marriage and child while playing the ‘pure white moonlight’ act? Pah!”

“Someone tell me this isn’t real! Did oppa really lie and have a secret child?”

Their glee drowned out the few remaining fans, who fell silent.

Trending topics shot up one after another:

#ZhuJiHiddenMarriageAndChildConfirmed

#ZMovieKingLies

#WorldlySilenceFansQuit

Weibo even lagged for half a minute under the surge, but managed to stabilize.

At that moment, Zhu Ji was at home with Yinyin, having finished dinner, watching cartoons on their old TV.

His phone rang.

Since the scandal broke, he had changed his number—his old one leaked, and haters harassed him daily. Only a few trusted friends had the new number.

He glanced at the screen, and his gaze froze.

Yang Bingbing: “Brother Ji, someone’s smearing you again! They’re saying you hid a marriage and had a kid!”

Zhu Ji had long stopped using WeChat or Weibo, so Yang Bingbing sent texts instead, one after another.

“Brother Ji, these idiots are hilarious. I’ve known you for ten years—how would I not know if you were married? With a kid? Pah!”

“F*** them. Brother Ji, you gotta fight back! You just gonna let them keep slandering you? Say the word and I’ll stand with you right away!”

Yang Bingbing himself was a top star now. Originally a singer from a talent show, with his bold, rock-boy style and outstanding vocals, he rose quickly. Later, with the music industry declining and actors enjoying more exposure, his agent suggested he try acting.

At first, he was clueless, constantly scolded by directors despite professional coaching.

Meanwhile, Movie King Zhu Ji was the darling of every set, always passing takes on the first try. Unable to stand it, he gave Yang Bingbing a few pointers.

Encouraged, Bingbing shamelessly kept asking questions. Zhu Ji never turned him away, teaching patiently, until eventually Bingbing improved enough to even win a Best Actor award.

To him, Zhu Ji wasn’t just a friend—he was a mentor and brother. So when Zhu Ji’s scandal broke, Bingbing immediately wanted to defend him, but Zhu Ji stopped him, saying he planned to leave the industry anyway and didn’t want Bingbing risking his own future.

Now, with this new round of slander, Bingbing refused to believe it.

Zhu Ji frowned slightly and finally opened his long-abandoned Weibo. On the homepage, the trending searches about him were all there.

He skimmed them, fingers twitching, and replied to Bingbing.

Bingbing paced his apartment, anxious, about to call when his phone pinged.

Zhu Ji: “No hidden marriage. The child is real. Mine.”

Yang Bingbing: “???!!!”

He immediately called.

Zhu Ji glanced at the sleeping child beside him, silenced his phone, and didn’t answer right away. After carrying her gently to the bedroom and tucking her in, he returned to the living room.

He picked up the call. On the other end, Bingbing’s voice burst out:

“Wait, what do you mean? The child’s really yours?!”

“Where did she come from? How do I not know this?! That photo—don’t tell me it’s not photoshopped? When did you have a kid? You hid this from me? Some brother you are!”

Zhu Ji rubbed his temples. “Calm down.”

“How can I calm down? Say something, ge!”

Zhu Ji gave him a brief version of Yao Li’s story. Then said, firmly: “Yinyin is my child. No matter how she came into this world—she’s mine.”

His usually warm eyes flashed with sharpness. With a sigh, he added: “Target me if they want. But dragging a child into it? That’s too much.”

Bingbing’s voice rose with excitement: “So you’re finally ready to fight back, Brother Ji? Good! I bet it’s that damn Wei Ming behind this. Not famous, but bold enough!”

“Haha, once this storm passes, I’m bringing gifts to see my little niece!”

He knew Zhu Ji had been planning to quit the industry, but hearing his resolve to retaliate, he was overjoyed. His fondness for the three-year-old “niece” skyrocketed.

He even reopened that photo, saving it to his phone. Though her face wasn’t visible, just that chubby little back was unbearably cute.

Through rose-colored filters, Bingbing thought she must be the most adorable thing ever. He wondered—did she look like Brother Ji?

After the call, Zhu Ji looked around his small, tidy home. Bingbing would be disappointed—he wasn’t planning a comeback. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight back.

Logging into his verified main account, ignoring the endless @mentions, he posted:

Zhu Ji: This is an adult’s battlefield. Don’t drag children into it. No hidden marriage. The child is mine. Don’t bully my daughter.