Chapter 113

Chapter 113

"Title: Holy crap, this is really something else!"

Xu Qingran's live stream hadn't ended yet, but the external public opinion platforms were already exploding.

The first to catch up with the news was inevitably the Star Horizon Forum.

The homepage, which had just been discussing Xu Qingran causing a scene at Xu Qingan's wedding banquet, was instantly filled with thrilling screenshots from the live stream, once again showing the newbies to Star Horizon what it truly means to be the forum's hottest topic.

The original post's number of replies was increasing every second.

"?"

"Huh??"

"Forced perspective?"

"Photoshopped?"

"Have you shippers lost your minds?"

The original poster quickly responded: "It's real!"

"Young Master Xu's live stream is still on, you can go and see for yourself if you don't believe it!"

Then, within just ten minutes, another wave of gossip enthusiasts flooded into Xu Qingran's live stream.

It instantly hit the top of the charts, and due to the surge in popularity, it was even promoted across the entire platform, leading to even more people inadvertently clicking in to witness everything.

At this moment, the mood of the live stream audience—

They must be seeing things, actually witnessing the esteemed deputy of the Silver Dragon Battalion and the commander of the Golden Wing Battalion kissing.

The commander even grabbed their deputy's waist, so steamy.

They didn't even use forced perspective, they kissed openly for over ten minutes.

Mind-blowing.

"...Hold on, there must be some misunderstanding here."

"Holy crap, whether there's a misunderstanding or not, I'm totally obsessed with them now!!"

"I always said they were real! (Screaming)"

"But wait, doesn't Commander Shen have a partner? I remember he addressed in a live stream that his relationship with his partner is legitimate, not violating social ethics, so it definitely can't be Xu Qingran, right? So now one is live streaming flirting with his brother-in-law, and the other is live streaming infidelity??"

"Don't talk nonsense, the Little Lunatic and Commander Shen haven't explained yet!"

So, Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran, what exactly are you two doing?!

Little Lunatic, do you remember you're still live streaming!

The Little Lunatic Xu didn't care.

Holding onto Shen Tingyu, like a rarely pampered and accompanied haughty cat, he nuzzled his head against Shen Tingyu's neck a few times, soaking in his scent.

Shen Tingyu sensed something off and asked him, "Why are you so affectionate today?"

Before he could get an answer, the corner of his eye caught something shiny flickering at the edge of the kitchen. He instinctively glanced over and noticed a small device perfectly positioned to capture every corner of the kitchen, the camera's position even glowing slightly.

Clearly, it was live.

And what he saw rapidly scrolling and glowing were the live chat comments.

Shen Tingyu's mind blanked out for a moment.

After a moment, he gave Xu Qingran a gentle pat on the back, trying to keep his cool: "...Your live stream is still on."

Xu Qingran seemed to remember this only after being reminded.

But he wasn't in a hurry, his smiling expression made it unclear whether he was completely drunk or still sober: "Ah, the live stream."

With that, he pulled him right in front of the camera.

Then he said to the live-stream audience: "Hey everyone, let me introduce you to my boyfriend."

His peach blossom eyes curved slightly, his expression a mix of pride and triumph: "Yep, your Golden Wing heartthrob? He's mine."

"...??"

"He's lost it, completely lost it."

"Holy crap, is this a public announcement of their relationship?!"

"Wait, what about Shen Tianyi and Commander Shen's official partner??"

Xu Qingran was quick to catch the comments.

Catching the last comment, he raised an eyebrow: "What about them? I'm his official partner."

"??!"

"Wait, what?!"

"So it's confirmed, the one dating Commander Shen is Young Master Xu!"

"Wasn't there a rumor that debunked this?!"

Xu Qingran continued: "Tianyi?"

"Tianyi? Of course, he'll keep living with us."

"..."

"A threesome, huh?"

"Typical little lunatic, grabbing both, big and small, all at once. Nice, nice, nice."

As Xu Qingran responded to the comments, Shen Tingyu stood by, watching.

Clearly, he was still reeling from the sudden announcement. Even though this wasn't how he imagined going public, his head was still spinning. He watched the comments flying by and the viewer count climbing, feeling a rush of excitement.

Shen Tingyu's hand slid down to Xu Qingran's wrist, their fingers naturally intertwining.

Then he solemnly told the audience: "Xu Qingran is the lover I mentioned before."

"And, we are in a legitimate relationship."

The barrage of comments was a chaotic, tangled mess.

Even with Xu Qingran's sharp eyes and quick reflexes, he couldn’t read all the messages, unable to tell if there were more wild comments or well-wishes. However, amidst the sea of chaotic comments, he managed to accurately catch a few haters and Shen Tingyu's toxic fans.

Their remarks made him laugh in anger.

He shot back, "If I’m not good enough, then who is? You? Someone as good-looking, capable, and tough as me is a rare find—good luck finding another. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and DM Commander Shen to convince him to break up. See if he even replies."

Shen Tingyu: "..."

Xu Qingran: "What's wrong with me kissing him? I don't just kiss his lips, I even—"

Before Xu Qingran could say something even wilder, Shen Tingyu clamped a hand over his mouth.

The little lunatic, tipsy and unruly, nipped lightly at Shen Tingyu’s palm.

With one hand covering Xu Qingran’s mouth, Shen Tingyu used the other to adjust the live stream settings.

While doing so, he calmly said, "That’s it for Vice Officer Xu’s live stream today. Thanks for tuning in."

After he finished speaking, the live stream screen instantly went black.

Leaving the viewers hungry for more drama.

"Wait, that’s it? They’re just ending it?"

"Seriously, are you two trying to stir up trouble because the empire’s been too quiet?"

"At least give us an explanation! A clear one! How are you two—an uncle and a future niece-in-law—going to make this relationship work? Are you really going with the crazy twist that Shen Tianyi and Shen Tingyu’s samples got mixed up during the matching process?"

"Can the fans even defend this? Look at Young Master Xu’s cocky attitude—did he use his status to seduce him?"

"They haven’t even explained yet, so haters need to chill with the assumptions."

"QAQ Wuwu, losing two crushes in one day, but that moment was so cute..."

"So, no one’s talking about what these two are rushing off to do after cutting the stream so suddenly?"

"...I’m still reeling—what was the little lunatic about to say? (wide-eyed shock)"

"I’m gonna lose it—I’ve donated so much money! What’s so secret that a high-tier fan like me can’t see!"

After abruptly ending the stream, Shen Tingyu pulled Xu Qingran back to the edge of the platform.

He hoisted him onto the platform, cupped his face, and asked sternly, "Xu Qingran, do you know what you’re doing?"

Xu Qingran looked down at him, calm and composed, a faint smile on his lips.

He didn’t look drunk at all.

Shen Tingyu’s heart skipped a beat as it dawned on him.

Before he could choke out a word, Xu Qingran said, "I know."

"I told you—I’m not drunk."

With just those two sentences, Xu Qingran cut off everything Shen Tingyu was about to say.

Xu Qingran then said to him, "Weren't you asking me about making our relationship public?"

Shen Tingyu, of course, remembered.

He had said they would go public whenever people found out. Unfortunately, the public trusted the personas they had created and their soulmate compatibility data too much, and with their work as cover, no real anomalies had been uncovered until now.

Xu Qingran smirked casually, "Now that we've been discovered, shouldn't we go public?"

Indeed, they had been discovered.

However, it was clearly Xu Qingran's 'mistake' under the guise of being drunk. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but a few sips of red wine wouldn’t make him lose his mind; his thoughts were still crystal clear.

After Xu Qingran finished speaking, he saw his boyfriend’s eyes slightly reddened.

Not from excitement or the usual anger, but simply from the faint mist that had formed in his eyes. The usually dignified Commander Shen, in front of him, was as loyal and straightforward as a big dog, making Xu Qingran unable to resist pinching his cheeks playfully and kneading his handsome face.

"What are you doing? It's just going public, Shen Tingyu. If you really cry, I’ll tease you about it."

Shen Tingyu wouldn't really cry his eyes out.

It was just the emotions surging in his heart at that moment—emotions that were quite unfamiliar to his former self, like crying from happiness—were rare, and his body, unused to such feelings, had a slight reaction.

Shen Tingyu hugged him, rested his head on his chest, and suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

"No," he explained, "Back then... I thought you didn’t want to go public, so you answered me like that."

After Shen Tingyu asked and got his answer, he didn't say anything.

But as someone sensitive and thoughtful, he couldn’t help but get caught up in his own overthinking for a while. He had even considered whether to go against Xu Qingran's wishes and use some underhanded methods to 'accidentally' leak the news.

He never expected Xu Qingran to be the one to reveal the truth in the end.

Shen Tingyu felt that the comments had it backwards.

He was the one who had struck gold with a partner like Xu Qingran.

Xu Qingran laughed at his silliness, "Are you an idiot?"

"You’re not some embarrassing secret, why would I be unwilling? I just wanted to watch those bored netizens play detective, step by step unraveling our relationship, and then react like they’d caught us red-handed."

Xu Qingran's tone turned to disappointment, "But they were so clueless and didn’t catch on, plus I was in a good mood today and wanted to cheer up my boyfriend, so..."

Before he could finish, his words were silenced by a kiss.

Xu Qingran hummed, welcoming the other's aggressive advance.

However, he didn't forget the purpose of today.

After a moment, he pushed the person away and got down from the platform, "By the way, why did you come back so early today? I was thinking of making you some dinner and a late-night snack."

Shen Tingyu held him and said in a deep voice, "I do want to eat something now."

"But not dinner or a late-night snack."

Xu Qingran locked eyes with him and instantly got the hint.

But before he could respond, Shen Tingyu directly hoisted him onto his shoulder, showing rare boldness as he carried him upstairs.

Xu Qingyao, who had been silently watching: Ah, I'm dead!

Wuwuwu, the sugar my brother and his partner sprinkle is just delicious.

While Xu Qingran and Shen Tingyu were busy with other matters, the internet was in an uproar.

Unsurprisingly, his livestream shot up to the top of the trending list.

Both his and Shen Tingyu's names, along with related hashtags, were dominating the top spots of the rankings, followed by the word "explosive."

The poor programmers across various platforms were in for another grueling day.

Everyone was spamming tags at Xu Qingran and Shen Tingyu, hoping they would come forward to explain the livestream incident from tonight.

However, the two seemed to have gone radio silent, remaining quiet for hours. Their phones and communication devices were blown up with calls, not just from media personnel but also from various friends and relatives.

But they had already cut off all communication beforehand, with their phones set to silent mode.

They didn’t care one bit.

Until the news media couldn’t wait and contacted the head of the Shen family overnight, rushing to interview him.

They asked, "Mr. Shen, how do you view the fact that your youngest son, Shen Tingyu, is dating your future grandson-in-law, Xu Qingran?"

The head of the Shen family, though getting on in years, still looked healthy and spirited.

He frowned and said, "He’s not my grandson-in-law."

The reporters gasped: Oh?!

Is he so angry that he wants to completely disavow the engagement relationship between Xu Qingran and the Shen family?!

The media reporters loved these dramatic scandals of wealthy families, hoping for even juicier drama.

But the next second, they saw the head of the Shen family giving them a puzzled look: "What? Has no one told you about this?"

The reporters hesitated: ...About what?

Head of the Shen family: "The Shen family had already confirmed with Xu Qingran, the Silver Dragon Vice Officer, a few years ago that there was a small error in his soul compatibility data with Tianyi."

"In fact, their soul compatibility didn't even reach the number suitable for marriage, so the Shen family had already called off the engagement with Tianyi. He is now single and unattached, and Tingyu is also unmarried..."

After a pause, the head of the Shen family added without changing his expression: "Xu Qingran is a good kid. With my son's temperament, he’s lucky to have found someone like him."

"Let the young people figure things out on their own. I have no objections."

After the interview, all the media reporters were left speechless.

The Shen family had never mentioned this before! Otherwise, how could this mess have happened?!

The head of the Shen family even had his assistant provide official documentation from the Soul Matching System Bureau.

It was only then that everyone understood.

According to the head of the Shen family, Xu Qingran had long called off his engagement with Shen Tianyi, so there was nothing wrong with him dating Shen Tingyu later, and it didn't violate any moral or ethical standards.

When Shen Tingyu said—they were officially together, it was true!

Once the news broke, netizens collectively exploded.

Whether they were fans of Shen Tingyu or Xu Qingran, or even the toxic anti-fans of both, everyone was collectively stunned.

The fans who had been defending their idols all day were left in tears.

Great! Just as expected, these two know their boundaries and would never do anything inappropriate!

The toxic fans are utterly heartbroken.

The haters are getting their faces slapped yet again.

Meanwhile, the official Soulmate System Bureau has updated its records.

They not only confirmed the authenticity of the data provided by the Shen family but also officially announced the revision of the DE-type matching data between Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran.

From 0.01%, it has been revised to 0.00%.

Netizens were baffled: ???

Why did it decrease instead of increase? And wasn't the minimum supposed to be 0.01%?

Subsequently, the official explanation for the 0.00% data was released.

It left netizens both shocked and amazed.

0.00%.

A pair of souls whose compatibility cannot be fully assessed by the system—

—Which means they could be 10%, 20%, 30%... or even the highest 99.99%!

An unprecedented, special couple in the Empire!

"...I can only say, as expected of my Young Master Xu. Even in the widely popular soul matching, he stands out as unique."

"So, can we CP fans officially start shipping them now?!"

"Who would have thought that after such a long battle between toxic fans and haters, the ultimate winners would be the most niche and under-the-radar CP fans..."

"I'm coming clean: from today onwards, I'm a CP fan of Commander Shen and Vice Officer Xu!!"

"I'm not hiding it anymore; I've actually been secretly shipping them all along. Who knew it was actually legal!"

Besides, something hilarious happened online.

All the friends and acquaintances Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran have made so far did the same thing after seeing the news:

Mu Ziyu: @ShenTingyu @XuQingran?

Ni Xiaoyuan: @ShenTingyu @XuQingran?

Ji Huaixiu: @ShenTingyu @XuQingran?

Zhang Zhihe...

Including the management and officers from the two camps who were once tricked by them, everyone followed Mu Ziyu's format and posted. The Qi, Mo, Xie, and Lin families, Su Wenming, Su Wenxu, and even the Tower Master joined in.

The funniest part is that official accounts like the Grandis Military Academy and the Tower of Evil also joined in.

In an instant, the hashtag #ShenTingyuXuQingran? went viral.

Clicking on it, you'll find all the usually aloof big V accounts making quite a scene.

Of course, among these acquaintances, there were a few exceptions.

For example, Xie Nanjun, who has an exceptionally good relationship with Shen Tingyu, and Mu Yesha, who currently leads the empire, simply posted a '.' on their social media. Netizens quickly caught on and swarmed their comments, asking if they had known the truth all along.

Among these people, Feng Yao somehow dug up a screenshot from her live stream on Taiyue South Continent.

—The picture that accidentally captured a couple with a white pet kissing by the seaside.

Caption: Finally, I can say it! Yes, the couple that accidentally appeared in the live stream that day was these two! @Shen Tingyu @Xu Qingran! (Those who have been shipping them for a long time say, you really missed a lot.)

For a moment, the internet was buzzing like New Year's Eve.

Until much later.

It was probably morning on Feixing, where Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran were.

Shen Tingyu, who logs into his social media account once in a blue moon, came online.

Everyone rushed to see, only to find he did nothing but stay logged in.

Just as everyone was scratching their heads, he finally dropped a new post.

With two pictures.

The first one was a full desk, almost overflowing with various property deeds and bank statements.

The second one was the back of a brown-haired head on his bed, facing away from the camera, clearly still asleep.

Caption: Well, everything I have, and me, are all yours @Xu Qingran.

Netizens: …… Wow.

At this moment, those who had been eagerly following the drama all day felt like they'd been kicked in the gut while just walking by.

And were force-fed a big helping of dog food!

General Shen Tingyu is indeed decisive.

Quiet as he may seem, he's like a silent tiger—strikes hard when he does.

Hours later, all the toxic fans who had insulted Xu Qingran during his live stream, upsetting him with harsh words, received legal notices. The legal proceedings had already been initiated, and Shen Tingyu himself made it clear that no one would be spared, with no room for negotiation.

Those IP addresses were quickly banned across various platforms.

Netizens were blown away by the swift action.

"Who understands, since I started following the little lunatic, I've always been the NPC in a fantasy novel."

"Damn, that's so satisfying, hahaha!"

"I hereby declare that the little lunatic's partner has totally won me over! The i-lunatics are all in for this marriage on behalf of the little lunatic!"

Until the afternoon, no one saw Xu Qingran log in to update his status.

Just as the heat was gradually dying down, and everyone was lamenting that this really didn't seem like Xu Qingran's high-profile and flamboyant personality, a post that stood out like a sore thumb suddenly appeared on the front page of Star Horizon's forum discussing Shen Tingyu and Xu Qingran's relationship.

"Title: Rumor has it that your Golden Wing Battalion's General Shen Tingyu isn't up to snuff"

An old post, mysteriously revived by someone.

Clicking in, I found that the latest reply was from Xu Qingran's verified account.

"Xu Qingran: Tried it myself—it works great."

——End of main text——

(That's it for the main story! If you're interested in follow-ups like the sister, married life, and how the empire is developing, check out the bonus content in the extras!)

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