Chapter 256: The No-Name Star Beckons, the Benefactor Becomes a Simp 27

Chapter 256: A Nobody Actor Crooks His Finger, Sugar Daddy Turns Into a Simp 27

When he got home, for some reason, it wasn't the festive, lively scene he'd pictured.

He figured that with his sister's wedding in two days, the house would at least have some festive decorations up.

But nope—the place was completely bare. Sparse furniture in a house way too big, so it just felt hollow.

"Son, sit down and watch some TV. Dinner's almost ready."

"Hey, isn't my sister's wedding the day after tomorrow? Where's my brother-in-law?" Shouldn't the whole family be having dinner together?

When Lin Huaiqing brought up her brother-in-law, Lin Xinxin's face visibly fell. Her eyes welled up, but she stayed quiet.

Lin Huaiqing had a sinking feeling he knew what was going on.

No way. It couldn't actually be what he was thinking, could it?

Lin Huaiqing handed Lin Xinxin a tissue. "Xinxin, what's up? You don't want to get married?"

"No, it's not that. I..."

Just as Lin Xinxin was about to speak, their mom walked in from the other room and cut her off.

"Son, come eat! I made your favorite—braised pork with eggplant. You used to love it as a kid."

That interruption killed the topic, but Lin Huaiqing had already filed it away in his head.

The family was eating together all cozy when Lin Huaiqing's phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and figured he'd better pick up. Otherwise, the phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

"Mom, Dad, Xinxin, keep eating. I'll step outside to take this."

The signal up in the mountains was garbage, so he had to step outside just to get the call through.

"Huaiqing, you make it home?"

"Yeah, just sitting down to eat."

"Mm... good to know you're safe."

"If you've got nothing else, I'm hanging up..."

"Wait! I called because someone spotted us at the airport and posted it online."

"What?!" Lin Huaiqing's heart dropped. "Don't tell me..."

"Yeah, they got everything. Want me to loop in PR?"

"Let me check online first. I'll hit you back."

The photos hadn't even loaded yet, but the comments were already flooding in.

"This is the proof, right? Can't get any more solid than this. My ship is real! Wishing them a long and happy life together!"

"Mommy and daddy, I've been born! Wait, why is Manman biting Baobao's lip?"

"An airport goodbye kiss! So hot! It's like a danmei novel come to life. But does Teacher Lin have a new drama filming somewhere? There's zero news about it online."

Most netizens were sending their well-wishes, though a few more level-headed ones chimed in below:

"LHQ's being kept by some rich guy, right? Classic honeymoon phase. Probably won't last six months—once he's bored, he'll toss him. Plus, isn't he getting kinda old for this?"

"Agreed! But with all this buzz, why hasn't Lin Huaiqing scored any decent gigs?"

"He's a nobody. If the Qin family's young master hadn't taken a shine to him, who'd even know his name? All this attention is already the best gig he's ever had."

That comment made Lin Huaiqing tap over to his own profile, and he saw he was already closing in on five million followers.

Shipping himself with Qin Song had definitely brought him a ton of attention, but it came with a whole lot of gossip and rumors too.

And honestly, even those nasty comments weren't wrong.

Besides the hardcore shippers, how many people would actually believe this wasn't just a sugar daddy–sugar baby setup?

Good thing the signal up in the mountains was crap, and his family—except for his sister—barely touched the internet. So for now, they had no clue about any of this tabloid mess.

After texting Qin Song back, Lin Huaiqing went back inside to eat and found his mom had put a lid over his favorite dish.

She only lifted it off once he was back.

"Son, what took you so long on the phone? The food's gone cold. Eat it while it's hot!"

"Mom! Dad and sis are still eating. Why'd you cover it? They need to eat too."

"It's fine! You just eat! Whether they eat or not doesn't matter."

Clearly, Lin Xinxin was used to this treatment and didn't say a word of complaint.

After dinner, their mom ordered Lin Xinxin to do the dishes. Lin Huaiqing tried to help, but she stopped him and told him to sit back and watch TV.

That was when he finally confirmed his suspicions.

Yeah, this family was definitely weird—like they were all hiding something from him.

When Lin Xinxin finished the dishes and headed back to her room, she looked up to find Lin Huaiqing leaning against her doorframe, giving her a warm smile:

"Xinxin, can your big bro come in? Let's have a little chat, just us two."

"Sure! Of course." Lin Xinxin was pretty fond of her brother—he was the family's only breadwinner.

Even their mom was always whispering to her that without her brother, they wouldn't have this big house or meat on the table.

"But my room's a little messy." Lin Xinxin looked a bit sheepish.

Lin Xinxin's room was super girly—all pink and soft, everywhere you looked.

"So, Xinxin, I've got a question, and I need you to be honest. You're only twenty—barely legal to marry. Why the rush?

You've got your whole life ahead of you. Won't you regret settling down this soon?"

He'd initially figured his little sister was just naive—had fallen for some punk in the village on a modded scooter and gotten swept up in the idea of marriage.

But now, it was obvious that wasn't it at all.

Because the punks in their village couldn't even afford a scooter like that, and his sister didn't seem to want to get married at all. He'd noticed it from the very beginning.

Lin Xinxin finally couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into tears, telling him everything from start to finish.

Lin Huaiqing was furious when he heard this, and he slammed the table and shot to his feet:

"Are you kidding me?! Thirty-something! Older than me! Are Mom and Dad that desperate for cash?! No way! There's no way this marriage is happening! I'm going to talk to them right now!"

So his parents were about to sell his own sister off for a thirty-thousand-yuan bride price to a thirty-something bachelor in the village.

For her, this was worse than death.

It's not like their family was that hard up for money!

"Brother! Brother!" Lin Xinxin kept tugging at him from behind, "Brother, don't go! Mom and Dad are already asleep, and they made me promise not to tell you."

Lin Huaiqing's face was red with rage, but with his sister holding him back, he had to hold off for now.

No, he couldn't wait that long—first thing tomorrow morning, he'd give his parents a piece of his mind.

Back in his own room, Lin Huaiqing grew angrier the more he thought about it, with nowhere to vent. That's when he finally remembered Qin Song, who he'd been blowing off.

For the first time, he couldn't wait to text Qin Song.

"I'm so mad! I'm so mad! What are you doing? I'm about to lose it!!!"

Qin Song replied almost instantly.

"Just got off work. What's wrong? What got you so worked up? Tell me slowly!"

Lin Huaiqing couldn't be bothered with beating around the bush, and without a second thought, he cut straight to the point:

"My parents want to marry my sister off to a thirty-something old bachelor! Thirty-something! Older than me!"

Qin Song's side showed "typing..." and after over two minutes, a message slowly came through:

"Thirty-something... is it really that old?"