Chapter 198 Come to Think of It, I Should Thank Your Mother

Lu Er, dressed in a loose gray hoodie, sat on the living room carpet. “Bai Zhi, how’s the online public opinion now?”

“The haters are stirring things up, saying you abandoned your family for a man and are spreading values that go against public morals. They’re calling for a boycott of your works and endorsements.”

Lu Er pressed his lips together, his gaze dimming for a moment. “Mm.”

“Your true fans are controlling the comments, saying love has nothing to do with gender.”

Bai Zhi paused, her voice lowering. “Most major brands have already terminated contracts. Your commercial value has dropped sharply.”

“I expected that long ago. Homosexuality isn’t exactly a mainstream value here. As a public figure, I really didn’t set a good example.”

“The new era promotes freedom in love. Your mother forcing you into marriage was wrong to begin with. We could expose it and let your fans—”

“No.”

Lu Er cut her off. “She holds the moral high ground in this matter. I’m her son—taking this to court would only make things worse.”

“No matter what, she is still my mother. She raised me all these years…”

Bai Zhi sighed. “Then what are you going to do? You can’t just sit and wait to be crushed.”

Lu Er stared at his Weibo homepage on the computer screen, harsh comments scrolling past one after another.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’ll post something and test the waters.”

After hanging up, he leaned against the sofa and stared at the ceiling in a daze for quite a while.

Soft noises came from the kitchen—Song Jingmo had a day off today and was preparing lunch.

After hesitating for a long time, Lu Er finally opened the Weibo editor.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard before typing a single line:

“Give time to time—let the past pass, and let the beginning begin.”

The moment the post went live, the comments and reposts skyrocketed.

Lu Er closed the page and walked toward the kitchen.

Song Jingmo had his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, focused on stirring the soup in the pot.

From behind, his shoulders looked broad and straight, his waist lean—simple homewear somehow giving off a restrained, ascetic charm.

Lu Er wrapped his arms around him from behind, burying his face in his back, and said in a muffled voice, “I posted on Weibo.”

Song Jingmo didn’t turn around, but his voice softened. “Thought it through?”

“Mm.”

Lu Er rubbed against his back. “I can’t keep hiding forever. I have to work, earn money, and pay off that 10 billion debt.”

Song Jingmo turned off the heat and faced him.

His deep eyes fixed on Lu Er seriously. “Don’t push yourself too hard. We’ll pay the debt together.”

Lu Er shook his head. “I’m not forcing myself—I just don’t want you to be too tired.”

Song Jingmo brushed the hair from his forehead. “It’s my fault for not being capable enough. Other CEOs can casually throw around hundreds of millions as pocket money. Only I…”

Lu Er’s nose tingled, but he laughed through it. “My Doctor Song is already amazing. Besides, how many CEOs like that even exist? Have you been watching too many short dramas…”

Song Jingmo tapped his nose. “I don’t watch short dramas. Compared to your admirers, I really am poor—and my family is too.”

Whether it was Cong Jinyue or Yan Huaijin, either one earned far more than him.

Lu Er kissed him. “No matter how much they earn, I wouldn’t like them.”

Satisfied, Song Jingmo pushed him lightly. “Go get the bowls. Time to eat.”

At the dining table, Lu Er scrolled through Weibo comments on his phone.

Ye Qingge commented: “It will pass. It will come. It will be yours.”

Such a simple sentence made Lu Er’s eyes heat up.

Ye Qingge had been his friend since his debut. They had worked together many times and were very close.

To publicly support him at a time like this undoubtedly required courage.

Yan Huaijin also commented: “Look forward. The road is long—I’ll always be here.”

Right after that came Gu Jinzhou’s comment, as sarcastic as ever: “Yo, our top star Lu finally decided to show up?”

That single line sent the post straight onto the trending list.

Lu Er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly felt the air around him drop several degrees.

Song Jingmo set down the dish he was holding, his gaze sweeping over Lu Er’s phone on the table, his expression unreadable.

“Yan Huaijin still has feelings for you, it seems.”

After saying that, he turned and went to the kitchen to bring the soup.

Crap.

The vinegar jar had overturned again.

Lu Er hurried after him, like a large dog trying to please its owner. “What ‘still has feelings’? We’re just ordinary friends.”

“Ordinary friends would publicly support you at a moment like this? And leave such an ambiguous comment—‘I’ll always be here’?”

Song Jingmo’s tone turned slightly cold. “His intentions are obvious to everyone.”

“Didn’t Ye Qingge support me too?” Lu Er muttered. “Even Gu Jinzhou commented…”

“They’re different,” Song Jingmo said bluntly. “Yan Huaijin has never given up on you.”

Lu Er opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

He circled around to stand in front of him, blocking his way. “Doctor Song, Mr. Song… are you jealous?”

Song Jingmo lifted his eyes to look at him. In those usually calm and composed eyes flashed a hint of awkwardness. “Wasn’t it obvious enough?”

Lu Er poked his chest. “Then how do you want me to coax you?”

Song Jingmo caught his wandering fingers and sighed. “I just don’t like others having improper thoughts about you.”

“Don’t worry,” Lu Er said, leaning into his arms. “There’s only you in my heart—before, now, and in the future.”

Song Jingmo wrapped his arms around him, resting his chin on Lu Er’s head. After a long silence, he spoke, “My parents came back to the country a couple of days ago.”

Lu Er stiffened. “Huh?”

“They’ll be going abroad again in a few days,” Song Jingmo said softly from above him. “I was wondering… if you could come have a meal with them.”

Lu Er suddenly looked up, almost bumping into his chin. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’m totally unprepared!”

“You weren’t in a good mood these past few days. I didn’t want to pressure you.”

Song Jingmo let go of him. “They only got back the day before yesterday. After resting a bit, today is actually a good time to meet.”

Lu Er started pacing anxiously. “You still should’ve told me earlier—I need to prepare a gift…”

“No need to prepare anything special.”

Seeing his flustered state, a smile finally appeared in Song Jingmo’s eyes. “It’s not like you haven’t met them before.”

“How is that the same?”

Lu Er ran a hand through his hair. “What do your parents like? Tea? Red wine? Wait—with their jobs, can I even give expensive gifts?”

Watching him panic, Song Jingmo stepped forward and held his face. “Er’er, listen to me.”

Lu Er quieted down, looking at him with wide eyes.

“My parents are very open-minded. They’ve known about us for a long time.”

Song Jingmo’s expression softened. “My mom—you’ve already met her several times in Warsaw. As for my dad, he loves watching the spy dramas you act in. He’s your fan.”

Lu Er blinked. “Really?”

“Really. My dad may look strict, but he’s actually very kind.”

A trace of helplessness flashed in Song Jingmo’s eyes. “The only thing they’re dissatisfied with is why I took so long to bring you home.”

Lu Er froze for a few seconds, his face slowly turning red. “Your parents are so nice, but my mom keeps making things difficult… I…”

“Er’er, the one I like is you. What your mother does doesn’t affect my feelings for you.”

Song Jingmo picked up some shredded wood ear mushrooms for him. “Come to think of it, I should actually thank your mother.”

Lu Er: “?”