Chapter 98 Engagement

Chapter 98: The Betrothal

The buzz surrounding Yu Xin’s unmasking captivated the Starnet for three full days before finally showing signs of quieting down.

His follower count on the Flying Fish Platform surged at an astonishing rate, quickly surpassing many long-established streamers and placing him among the platform's top ranks. Replays and highlight clips of his past livestreams also saw a continuous rise in viewership.

His original fans eagerly rewatched episodes of "Wilderness Adventure" again and again, overwhelmed by this sudden windfall of content. The atmosphere among his fanbase felt like a festive holiday.

Even Cheng Zikun’s account gained countless followers, as fans flocked to his personal page, demanding to know why he had kept Yu Xin’s secret from them for so long.

“Well, well, Young Master Cheng, who would’ve thought even a seemingly upright man like you would betray the cause!”

Cheng Zikun replied to this comment: “Was I supposed to speak up? Wasn’t it great being carried in the game, or what? Or was the food not delicious enough?”

Yu Xin made good on his promise, privately recreating all the dishes he had made on the show. He invited Cheng Zikun, Qi Wei, and Jing Yun for a small celebratory dinner.

Cheng Zikun, particularly fond of the spicy crab, consumed more than half of it himself while enjoying some drinks. Qi Wei and Jing Yun, experiencing Yu Xin’s home cooking for the first time, had initially intended to discuss business, but quickly abandoned the idea, too engrossed in their meal to even lift their heads.

Before dinner, Cheng Zikun playfully posted photos online of their lavishly set table and Yu Xin cooking from behind, prompting netizens to cry foul.

“By the way, Xin-ge, I heard Yu Ning’s restaurant has been completely scrapped—apparently, its opening has been postponed indefinitely,” Cheng Zikun said, gloating.

“He had planned to use the restaurant to impress his father with a stellar performance. Everything was set, and he even promised Lucas half the shares to lure him in. Now, with the restaurant not opening at all, Lucas is throwing a fit.”

Lucas had been a successful Silver Shell Three-Star Head Chef before Yu Ning tricked him into quitting to start the restaurant and join the show. Now, not only had he lost face and reputation, but he also couldn’t return to his old job. The promised shares were nowhere in sight—no wonder he was kicking up a storm.

Yu Ning had used family money to start the business, and all funds had been poured into the restaurant’s initial preparations, leaving nothing extra to compensate Lucas.

In reality, given Lucas’s reputation, opening the restaurant would at least prevent losses, but it would fall far short of the booming success Yu Ning had envisioned.

In that scenario, not only would Father Yu be dissatisfied, but Yu Ning himself would find it unacceptable.

Moreover, as Yu Xin once again became the center of attention, netizens dug up all the past conflicts and grudges between him and the Yu family.

The Yu family was thrust back into the spotlight.

This situation was largely the Yu family’s own fault for having previously crafted such a perfect public image—portraying themselves as having gone above and beyond in raising the imposter son without asking for anything in return, even providing him with substantial support after he left. The real son they found, Yu Ning, was depicted as a kind angel—despite growing up away from the family, he remained good and talented, holding no resentment toward the imposter who had taken his place.

In the Yu family’s narrative, only the imposter son, Yu Xin, was painted as the bad guy—aloof, unlikable, ungrateful, and having committed numerous transgressions during his time as the Yu family heir, exhausting his parents’ last shred of affection and patience. Being driven out of the family and mocked online was, in their telling, exactly what he deserved.

But what was the truth? Were the Yu family members really as virtuous as they claimed?

People in the know had long since come forward with revelations: after Yu Xin was forced to leave the Yu family, his student status was revoked, and he lost his Imperial Star citizenship. He could only survive on a temporary residence permit while working multiple jobs to get by.

These facts weren’t difficult to verify—former classmates, teachers, and even people from the same social circles as the Yu family could corroborate this.

Furthermore, aside from the unverified claims made by the Yu family, the original Yu Xin had done nothing wrong.

Take the case of the switched identities: Yu Xin was just an infant at the time. The Yu parents couldn’t even recognize their own child—the main reason their biological son grew up elsewhere lay with them. How could they have the audacity to blame Yu Xin?

Moreover, while Yu Xin seemed to have benefited from the situation, was that really the case? Growing up ordinarily in a normal family, healthy and happy, versus living in luxury until 18 only to be kicked out—the choice wasn’t difficult to make.

Netizens finally caught on: the Yu family had been playing them for fools.

Back when the true and imposter sons were hot topics, the online narrative had been overwhelmingly one-sided—was no one behind the scenes pushing the narrative?

If Yu Xin hadn’t cleared his name through the variety show, these accusations might have followed him for life.

No wonder Yu Xin had chosen to lay low—who wouldn’t be scarred after going through such experiences?

In recent days, Yu Xin’s reputation had reached its peak. The more people liked him, the more they sympathized with his past hardships, and the stronger their dislike for the Yu family and their company grew.

The Yu family’s previously spotless public image made the backlash even more severe—once a crack appeared, the chain reaction was devastating.

Public trust in Yu family products plummeted, and even the stock price of Father Yu’s company began to decline.

The Yu family’s pride—their ability to control public opinion—had finally backfired.

Yu Family Residence.

“Outrageous! Absurd!”

During a family dinner, Yu Zhengqian, seated at the head of the table, read the escalating negative comments online and angrily smashed a bowl beside him.

“What’s going on? Why did public opinion reverse overnight? Is that useless Yu Xin pulling strings behind the scenes?” Yu Zhengqian fumed.

Amid this wave of backlash, several competing companies subtly joined in to kick them while they were down. Netizens quickly rallied, filling comment sections across platforms with sarcastic remarks about the Yu family.

Even on the platform where Father Yu had invested the most in marketing and had the strongest base, control over the narrative was slipping.

These competitors had all been on the receiving end of Father Yu’s underhanded tactics before—publicly disparaged and undermined—and they knew exactly who was behind it.

Previously, the Yu family’s pristine image made counterattacks ineffective.

Now, with the Yu family showing signs of stumbling, they seized the chance for revenge and to gain an edge.

Underhanded tactics were nothing new—they had simply refrained out of principle before. Now, turning the Yu family’s own methods against them felt like poetic justice.

“Dad, Xiao Xin… Yu Xin didn’t say anything. He just won a cooking competition. Netizens dug all this up on their own,” Yu Zhizhou couldn’t help but defend his former brother.

“You’re too naive!” Father Yu lamented, disappointed. His eldest son was nothing like him—laughably innocent.

In contrast, the younger son they had reclaimed had inherited some of his duplicitous cunning—yet, for some reason, he failed at almost everything.

Recently, he nearly had his facade torn apart by Yu Xin on a variety show, and now his restaurant venture had made no splash.

This younger son had plenty of malice but sorely lacked intelligence.

“Yu Xin was supposed to compete masked—how did his mask suddenly fall off right when he was accepting the award? If not for that, no one would’ve known his identity, and we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Yu Mother said bitterly.

“That was no accident,” Father Yu sneered. “He probably staged it himself. How else could he generate maximum buzz?”

“That boy seemed honest before, but now he’s learned to play dirty.”

Yu Ning sat silently, his hands clenched under the table, leaving red marks where his nails dug in.

He didn’t dare let Father Yu or Yu Mother know that he was the one who had orchestrated Yu Xin’s mask falling off.

It was he who had pushed his family into the storm.

If Father Yu found out he’d done something so foolish, he would surely be utterly disappointed.

Thankfully, he had learned to be smarter—never acting directly, so that if things went wrong, he could always distance himself cleanly.

“What’s done is done. We’ll have to move that matter forward ahead of schedule,” Father Yu said grimly.

"The netizens are nothing but dumb sheep that just follow the leader. As long as something bigger comes along to overshadow the current situation and divert their attention, this whole thing will blow over."

"Yu Ning."

Suddenly called by name, Yu Ning trembled almost imperceptibly, quickly composing his expression before facing the others.

"Do you need something, Dad?" He tried his best to act nonchalant, looking up at Father Yu.

"Get ready. Tomorrow, you'll come with me to meet Prince Linuo," Father Yu instructed.

"It's time to put your matters on the agenda."

Hearing this, Yu Ning's eyes widened slightly, hit with sudden euphoria.

Did that mean...?

Father Yu had vaguely hinted at it before, but he never expected it to happen so soon.

The shift from despair to joy sometimes happens in an instant. He desperately suppressed the corners of his lips from curling upward and said, "I'll handle it well, Dad."

*

Just as the buzz across various platforms was growing increasingly unfavorable toward the Yu family, a piece of news came out of left field, completely overshadowing the Yu family scandal.

Prince Linuo was photographed by journalists on a date with someone else—and that someone was none other than the Yu family's second young master, Yu Ning.

Unlike other royal family members who frequently appeared in gossip news, Prince Linuo had always maintained a clean reputation. This was the first time a romantic partner had been publicly linked to him.

Even weirder was the royal family's subsequent reaction. Such matters could easily be clarified—after all, the tabloids had only captured the two spending time together and dining, not checking into a hotel. It could easily have been explained away as a friendly outing.

Yet the royal family remained silent, basically confirming Yu Ning as Prince Linuo's romantic partner.

The only explanation that made sense for this was that Yu Ning was indeed in a relationship with Prince Linuo—and had even gained the royal family's approval.

Netizens were confused. The two seemed to have nothing in common—how did they end up together?

Shouldn't the spouse of a prince come from a prestigious background? At the very least, they should belong to an old aristocratic family. While the Yu family was wealthy, new money was often seen as no different from the nouveau riche in some people's eyes. Moreover, Yu Ning had only recently been taken back by the family—before that, he had grown up in the slums.

With such a background, what kind of etiquette or knowledge could he possibly possess? By any measure, he hardly seemed to meet the royal family's standards for a partner.

Most people online were inclined to disbelieve the news. However, shortly afterward, a statement from the royal family made it official.

The royal family officially announced on its media platform that Prince Linuo and the Yu family's young master, Yu Ning, were in a relationship and would soon hold an engagement ceremony.

Once this statement was released, it was set in stone—it was official—after all, the royal family would never do anything to embarrass itself.

"? It's actually real? This has to be one of the top ten weirdest news stories of the year."

"Did these two have any previous interactions? How did they suddenly get together? It's so unexpected."

"These two have absolutely nothing in common. Prince Linuo is what, 30 this year? The Yu family's young master is only 19. Their upbringings are worlds apart. How did they even catch each other's attention?"

"I think this is actually really sweet—the noble prince and the innocent young master. It's like a Mary Sue novel come to life. I'm totally shipping them."

"Doesn't the timing of this announcement seem a bit suspicious? It comes right when public opinion of the Yu family is at its lowest... Does anyone even care about those previous issues anymore?"

"Are you suggesting the royal family stepped in just to clean up the Yu family's reputation? How could the Yu family possibly have that much influence? Let's not turn everything into a conspiracy theory."

The announcement of Prince Linuo and Yu Ning's engagement instantly blew up, overshadowing all other news. The matters involving the Yu family and Yu Xin were smoothly swept under the rug and forgotten.

Riding the wave of the royal family's influence, the Yu family's reputation soared overnight, reaching unprecedented heights.

Now, who in the capital city would dare look down on the Yu family? Father Yu went out socializing like a boss. Before, he had always been the one kissing up to old-money aristocrats, but now everyone rushed to offer him a toast—after all, he was the father of the future royal.

Even Yu Ning attracted a bunch of new fans. His previously quiet, nice-rich-boy image had almost got ruined after his appearance on Wilderness Adventure, but now things were different—he was the one who had risen from a regular guy to prince consort!

His new fans were largely immature daydreamers whose greatest joy was simping for rich people online and writing public love letters to rich young masters.

To them, Yu Ning was the real-life embodiment of the romance novels they adored. They spared no effort in praising him, extolling him as if he were a god walking among men. No matter what Yu Ning posted, they could always find some angle to lavish him with compliments.

Caught up in the adoration, Yu Ning was on cloud nine. He had never received so much praise before—it was as though he truly were flawless.

Those rough past days felt like a distant dream, as if they had never truly existed.

What did Yu Xin even matter? No matter how skilled he was at hunting or cooking, what use was it? Yu Ning was now the official future royal!

Yu Xin wasn't even in the same league anymore—they were worlds apart.

In that moment, Yu Ning felt completely at peace. So this was what it felt like to make it to the top overnight. Someone like Yu Xin was no longer worth his attention.

Recently, every member of the Yu family had been living their best lives, feeling invincible and walking like they owned the place.

The only one not totally buying it was the Yu family's eldest son, Yu Zhizhou.

One day, he went into his father's study and voiced his doubts: "Father, is it really a good idea to let Ning marry Prince Linuo?"

"Prince Linuo doesn't even like Ning, does he? And the royal family is so complicated—will Ning truly be happy after marrying into it?"

As Yu Ning's older brother, he knew perfectly well that before being photographed, Prince Linuo and Yu Ning barely knew each other, let alone mutual affection.

"Are you stupid? Our family managed to survive the recent crisis, and now wherever you go, people respectfully address you as the eldest young master of the Yu family. Do you think all of this came for free?"

Father Yu was fed up with this eldest son—he was utterly clueless. How could he ever entrust the family company to him?

"Don't project your own feelings onto your brother. He's over the moon to marry into the royal family. Whether he likes it or not is completely irrelevant!"

"But..." Though scolded, Yu Zhizhou couldn't help adding, "Then why is Prince Linuo willing to marry Ning?"

"Hmph, what do you think? It's all thanks to years of effort from me, your father!" Father Yu picked up his teacup, blowing lightly on the tea leaves floating on the surface.

The under-the-table deals he had with Prince Linuo weren't something Yu Zhizhou needed to know about yet. But he had influence within the royal family—he had done so much for those people, and in return, they were helping the Yu family ascend to the next level. Wasn't that only fair?

A marriage alliance was merely one way to deepen their connection.

"Besides, do you think Prince Linuo isn't benefiting from this? Just look at how much his poll numbers surged after the engagement news broke. He's shrewd—he never makes bad deals."

It was true. Prince Linuo had always cultivated a low-key, approachable image, unlike other royal family members who acted like they were better. By marrying a commoner princess, he further locked in that image.

This impression made the public believe that if he were to become king, he would be more considerate of ordinary people.

Moreover, the pairing of a privileged prince and a pure, kind-hearted innocent had always been beloved by the masses. Coupled with relentless marketing and non-stop press coverage, it firmly captured the taste of the general public—after all, who didn't love a real-life idol drama?

"You still have a lot to learn," Father Yu said meaningfully after taking a sip of tea.

*

Iris Base.

News of Yu Ning's engagement to Prince Linuo was simply too significant to escape the Ji family's notice.

However, compared to ordinary people, they saw deeper and further.

"With this move, the connection between the Yu family and Prince Linuo has been brought into the open," Bai Yizhou remarked.

"I thought it would take them at least five years to reach this point. I never expected it to happen so soon."

Ji Yixing chuckled lightly.

"The butterfly that started the storm—it's Yu Xin."