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Like father, like son. The reverse was also true.

Just as Rong Yuheng had anticipated, his elderly father and elder brother had already enjoyed this exquisite scene.

Three days ago.

Rong Corporation Headquarters Chairman’s Office.

Rong Tianshen and Rong Congyan sat upright in front of the office desk, a laptop placed in the middle. During this time, a secretary came to deliver documents and was immediately pushed back by the overwhelming exclusive aura exuded by the two.

The secretary’s heart raced: The solemn and dignified expressions of the two Chairmen Rongs indicate significant changes in the company!

…

However, on the computer screen facing away from the door was the ongoing broadcast of “Treasure Hunt Grand Tournament.”

The first part of the program seemed normal, except for when Liu Wanjing implied Rong Yuheng’s name. Rong Tianshen’s gaze darkened as he uttered the word “kitchen stove?” Other than that, the whole process was relatively smooth.

Until the camera angle switched, and the scene changed to inside a large seashell—

Rong Yuheng curled up inside a tiny shell. Perhaps due to lighting and filters, his lips looked rosy and tender, drawing the audience’s complete attention with a gentle pout.

Barrage comments slowly scrolled by: “I’m sorry… those lips make me want to kiss and suck fiercely…”

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Rong Tianshen furrowed his brow.

In the next moment, a gentle voice flowed from Rong Yuheng’s lips, a soothing and lyrical tone, like the sea breeze brushing the shore on a summer day…

“My dad is a big scallop, and I’m a little scallop.”

Upon hearing this, a sense of discord suddenly rose within Rong Tianshen.

Beside him, Rong Congyan paused for a second, then swiftly caught on, a malicious smile spreading in his eyes, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude.

However, before he could relish it for more than three seconds, Rong Yuheng continued, “Our scallop family lives in the ocean, making a living by eating mud.”

Rong Congyan’s smile froze, “…”

The barrage comments also caught onto the implications, cautiously emerging on the screen:

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– Please pay attention to the abbreviation of scallops.

– Big idiot, little idiot, idiot family…

– Hahaha, what a peerless scallop genius Rong Goose is.

– Shh! Shh! Don’t comment further, what if Rong Goose’s family sees it? (Protect the best Rong Goose/doge)

– Rong Congyan: …They’ve already seen it, thank you.

Beside him, Rong Tianshen’s face turned completely dark, “Well, I’m afraid even angels can’t protect him now.”

Rong Yuheng continued to chatter in the program, “To eat fresh mud, you must get up early in the morning and bask in the first ray of sunlight over the sea…”

Barrage comments: Hahaha, why does this line sound so familiar, “A Bite of Scallops”?

Rong Congyan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, attempting to lighten the atmosphere, “Dad, look how diligent Xiao Heng is, getting up early…”

Rong Tianshen sneered, “Isn’t our scallop family quite diligent?”

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Rong Congyan, “…”

In the video, Rong Yuheng started endorsing the three major sponsors, and the barrage erupted with calls for “Daddy Sponsor to add money.”

Rong Tianshen looked even more displeased, “Isn’t this his friends’ families’ companies?”

“Dad, there’s also Tianyu’s…”

Between their conversation, Rong Yuheng had reached the phase of “operating the sand sac for breathing,” and the overwhelming “hahaha” and “???” almost covered the entire screen.

Rong Tianshen couldn’t see Rong Yuheng’s expression, which finally eased his mood. “He’s been out playing for so long without coming home. He still has the nerve to arrange all these irrelevant things in the program!”

Rong Congyan quickly tried to pacify his irritable father, “Xiao Heng is busy with his career. He still cares about the family and doesn’t forget to include them in the program… Although the way he appeared was not very graceful, his heart is in the right place.”

Rong Tianshen slammed the table with a loud noise, “What’s good about it! You always defend him. You’ve spoiled him.”

Rong Congyan said, “Xiao Heng isn’t spoiled…”

Before Rong Congyan finished speaking, as if responding to him, a gentle and clear voice came from Rong Yuheng in the program—

“I am… a big shell person! Kekekeke…”

Rong father and son, “……”

–

Rong Yuheng, temporarily blacklisted by the Rong family, was currently sitting on the throne provided by his nurturing master, swaying dangerously.

Rong Yuheng looked at the barrage of “hahaha” that obscured the screen, mixed with a few caring comments from true fans:

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“I just want to know if Rong Goose dares to come home after the program airs?”

Wen Zhecheng remained silent. After a while, he raised his arm and patted his own daredevil expert hamster, “If I had known, why bother in the first place.”

Rong Yuheng shook his head, “You don’t understand the thrill of instant gratification.”

Wen Zhecheng instantly filtered the text, his thoughts drifting…

After waiting a few seconds without a response, Rong Yuheng looked up and realized his nurturing owner had a distant expression.

Rong Yuheng paused, “… owner.”

Wen Zhecheng snapped back to reality, looking down at him, “What’s wrong?”

“I seemed to faintly see a colorful yellow in your eyes just now.”

“…”

Wen Zhecheng ruffled Rong Yuheng’s hair, casually diverting the topic, “Keep watching the variety show.”

In the program, the guests had successfully solved the known clues, and five of them stood at the bottom of a slope, looking at each other.

After Ji Yanchu’s failed attempt, Su Yuyin was itching to charge forward. The barrage comments, representing “Squid Fans,” worried for the former:

– Su ge, maybe you shouldn’t go…

– Teacher Su, this is a young people’s activity, don’t make a scene.

Seeing this, Rong Yuheng couldn’t help bursting into a short burst of laughter, “Pff…!”

Immediately after, Su Yuyin dashed out like an electric toy grasshopper, but within five seconds, she tumbled down like a rolling pin—

Holy crap!

Before the audience could get anxious, the video suddenly showed Rong Yuheng’s quick reaction as he blocked Su Yuyin for a moment. The two of them collided and fell out!

Barrage comments:

– Ah, are they okay??

– Oh my, my Su ge and Rong Goose!

– They’re fine, they didn’t get hurt. Thankfully Rong Rong blocked for a moment.

– Sob sob sob, thank you little brother for stopping our Teacher Su, I’ve become a fan [heart].

Wen Zhecheng furrowed his brow slightly. Rong Yuheng caught a glimpse of it and was about to move closer to show his loyalty when he heard Wen Zhecheng quietly ask, “Did it hurt at the time?”

Rong Yuheng’s acting suddenly stalled halfway, leaving him in a daze.

Instead of saying anything about “shared hamster,” Wen Zhecheng asked him if he was hurt.

Rong Yuheng felt like something had cracked open in his heart, like a sprout breaking through the spring soil.

“I… didn’t hurt,” he blinked his eyes, his frozen thoughts gradually returning to normal, “Hamster fur is very soft.”

Wen Zhecheng laughed softly, reaching out to ruffle his hair, “It’s quite soft, but next time remember to protect yourself first.”

Rong Yuheng obediently stretched his head for the hair-ruffling, “Okay.”

Wen Zhecheng wasn’t completely free of jealousy, but when Rong Yuheng fell just now, it was so sudden that he didn’t even have the mood to feel any jealousy. He was only concerned about the safety of his hamster.

After his worries were dispelled, a trace of sourness slowly emerged in his heart.

Especially seeing Fang Zhixu’s vivid description of Su Yuyin and Rong Yuheng entangled together on the screen, with comments like “Su Rong is so cute,” Wen Zhecheng couldn’t wait for the second episode to air.

He was definitely feeling a bit jealous, when suddenly Rong Yuheng’s face filled the screen.

An extremely strong survival instinct prompted him to rap, “… in that instant of falling, I even worried about protecting my fur color, afraid of being ignored by my nurturing owner someday!”

Wen Zhecheng, “……”

Barrage comments:

– ???

– What’s a nurturing owner, I’m intrigued!

– My intuition tells me there’s a story here, but I lack evidence!

Rong Yuheng didn’t pay attention to the barrage, he turned and cupped his face, giving Wen Zhecheng a little smile, “Owner, are you satisfied with what you saw?”

Damn, Wen Zhecheng thought, way too satisfied!

He hadn’t expected Rong Yuheng to interact with him through the show like this, so openly and yet cryptic.

Right now, he had no trace of jealousy left.

Wen Zhecheng held back for a while, but in the end, he couldn’t hold it in, stretching his long arm to pull Rong Yuheng into his arms and gently ruffling his hair.

Rong Yuheng was being ruffled, feeling both comfortable and embarrassed, he wriggled twice wanting to escape, “Hey hey, what are you doing?”

Wen Zhecheng held him down, “Rewarding you, giving you a fur rub.”

…

The two of them held the increasingly spicy main pet script in their hands, continuing to watch the program.

In the next scene, Rong Yuheng was in a room drenched in water. The sight of his waist and rear instantly triggered a barrage of wolf howls.

… Wen Zhecheng’s hand, in the motion of petting someone, paused for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

After the five guests completed this room, they engaged in a discussion. The audience in the barrage area also began making predictions. When the last three treasure chests were revealed, everyone started placing their bets.

Rong Yuheng’s “homophone pun” was laughed over as usual, mixed with some disharmonious comments:

– There’s no need to keep pushing the environmental agenda, it’s so awkward.

– This is too forced, is it necessary to cover up the initial family background issue?

However, when Yang Wen announced that “engine” was the wrong answer, both the barrage and the guests were instantly baffled.

A series of question marks scrolled across the screen. The five guests were asked to return to the center of the stage, and Liu Wanjing revealed the final answer on the cue card—environmental awareness.

Barrage comments:

– What the heck? Rong Rong was right?

– Who said there was a strong environmental cue just now, does your face hurt?

– I just want to see how Liu Wanjing will host this [eating popcorn]

– The camera didn’t miss the moment of embarrassment that flashed across Liu Wanjing’s face.

As Rong Yuheng’s words about “greenness, environmental protection, and responding to the country’s call” resounded with a clear voice, one could almost feel the “smack” of hands slapping Liu Wanjing’s face even through the screen.

Barrage comments:

– This is so awkward, I feel awkward to my toes.

– Who would’ve thought it would really be about “environmental protection”… The face was smacked, I feel awkward to my toes.

– If I hadn’t seen the background info from the investigative group on Weibo, I wouldn’t have realized it was an allusion, I thought it was just a joke.

– Now he’s getting called out just like that, what if it turns out Rong Rong is actually a billionaire… that host won’t have a face to show on stage again.

– Hahaha, I love this story, it’s so satisfying! But it’s too dramatic, can only imagine.

Rong Yuheng obediently crouched on a cushion, watching the barrage, thinking: No, dreams are about to come true.

…

After finishing the variety show, it was only around three or four in the afternoon. The two of them sat in the room chatting for a while. Rong Yuheng enjoyed a rare massage with the title of “Emperor of Shadows.”

After dinner, it was about time for Rong Yuheng to head back.

“You’re not staying here for the night?” Wen Zhecheng sounded a bit regretful.

Putting on his shoes, Rong Yuheng bid farewell to the Wen family father and son, “Qiu Jie is here to pick me up, I also have work tomorrow.”

“Well then, let me walk you down.” Wen Zhecheng followed him out, and in the garage, he saw Shi Qiu’s car parked at the elevator entrance.

Shi Qiu’s expression was a bit subtle, “Hello, Teacher Wen, I’m here to take Rong Rong back.”

“Okay, be careful on the road.” Wen Zhecheng said.

Rong Yuheng got into the passenger seat, but still leaned against the window to wave at Wen Zhecheng, “You should go back quickly, it’s getting cold down there~”

Shi Qiu quickly stepped on the gas and drove the car away, “Alright, alright, you also tuck your head back in.”

…

The second episode of “Treasure Hunt” hadn’t aired yet, but Rong Yuheng’s popularity had already surged ahead.

The reason was that the day before the second episode aired, a literary blogger posted a Weibo titled “Should One’s Family Background Be a Topic of Discussion,” and then several big bloggers reposted it simultaneously, expressing their opposition.

Commenters immediately pointed out that a certain host not only alluded to someone’s family background, but also openly mentioned it on the show.

Soon, keyboard warriors joined in:

“Is there a legal prohibition against discussing someone’s family background?”

“Why become a celebrity if you’re so glass-hearted? Do you despise your peasant family?”

The anti-troll forces then arrived on the scene:

“Legal requirements are the minimum, while moral standards are of a higher level. Using one’s hosting role to subtly attack others might not be illegal, but it violates professional ethics.”

“All professions are equal; those who allude to others’ families are the ones with discrimination.”

…

The dispute in the comments didn’t name names, but those who had watched “Treasure Hunt” knew exactly who they were talking about.

The topic of #Rong Yuheng’s Family Background# climbed the trending searches in less than a day thanks to the natural momentum.

This was Rong Yuheng’s first experience with the storms of the internet. There were voices supporting him and others hurling hurtful insults.

Holding a bowl of sour and spicy noodles, he flipped through his phone, full of sighs—

Some netizens had too vivid imaginations, basing a lifetime of conjectures on a single allusion.

The most fascinating story he read was one that said his father toiled from dawn to dusk cutting pig fodder, brought a mother pig that had just given birth to piglets to the village to sell for a low price, and with the meager money, sent him to the city for education.

But the disappointing him dropped out halfway, going for an audition to become famous in one go. Unexpectedly, his family background was unintentionally revealed by the host, so he furiously lashed out to avoid letting others know he had pig farming parents…

This excellent online commenter even directly tagged Rong Yuheng at the end of the story:

“Basking in the limelight as a celebrity, have you ever thought about the pig-raising parents at home?”

Rong Yuheng: …

He held the phone in silence for a long time, then shook his head, extending a little finger to the screen in a solemn and sacred manner—

Decided, among the thousands of trolls, the lucky one who will receive my pity is you.

@STAR—T Rong Yuhengv replied: “Don’t insult my brother as a piglet.”

Author’s note: Rong Yuheng: My dad raises pigs to support me to study~!

Rong Congyan: I’d rather be a scallop.