MCFEM C13

Chapter 13: Gossip Will Always Be the Crowd’s Favorite

“Do you still often have insomnia at night these days?”

“More or less.”

“And what do you think is the cause of your insomnia at this stage?”

“Didn’t you just ask me that last time?”

“Yes, so it’s still because of your mother, isn’t it?”

Silence.

“Your mother’s death brought you tremendous pain, something you still can’t let go of, correct?”

More silence.

“I think that’s actually a very normal emotion. You don’t need to feel pressured because of it.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Still, from the way you describe it, I get the sense that the cause isn’t just that simple. It feels more complicated, more tangled.”

“Maybe.”

“How is your relationship with your father? Do you remember how he reacted when your mother passed away?”

“No reaction. My father died even earlier.”

“…I see. And how was your parents’ relationship?”

“Pretty good.” After a moment’s thought, he added casually, “Very clingy. They had a flash marriage.”

“There’s something I’d like to confirm. Do you think your father’s death would have had any impact on your mother?”

After another long silence, just as the counselor thought to change the subject, the boy lazily replied:

“What does that have to do with you?”

Counselor: “?”

He froze, forgetting even the next question he was supposed to ask.

What do you mean, what does that have to do with me? In all his years of practice, this was the first time a client had ever thrown that at him mid-session.

No matter how he tried to continue, the boy stayed silent, making it impossible to proceed. But since the high consultation fee had already been paid, and holding to the principle that “the customer is always right,” the counselor smoothed things over politely and escorted him out.

—

“So, did you try the counselor I recommended? Did he pierce right into your soul?” Yu Bai leaned in, fishing for credit.

Gu Yang’s hand paused on his book before he drawled, “What could he do? Spoke in that slow, meandering way, asking one question that took three turns. The last one was more entertaining.”

“At least he’d wave a pocket watch in front of me to make me laugh, even had me imagine a giant rock in my heart and told me to push it away with my mind.”

“Oh? Which clinic was that? How come I never came across that kind of charlatan? Give me his contact info, I want to try him too.” Ye Chen’s eyes lit up.

“I’ve got his contact here, I’ll forward it.” He Ming’an, phone in hand, sounded helpless. “Ah Yang laughed too hard at him, got blocked on the spot. The counselor said he wouldn’t take his case anymore.”

“And he wasn’t a charlatan, by the way. He’s in the psychoanalysis school, with a solid reputation in the field.”

“Class monitor, you’re in counseling too?” Yu Bai asked curiously.

“Mm.” He Ming’an smiled, his eyes curved. “It’s just paying someone to listen to your troubles. Nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s true. Who doesn’t have a few things they can’t get over?” Yu Bai slapped his thigh. “The one I sent Gu Yang to, though, he’s amazing! Just a few words and he pinpoints your problem. Every time he talks me through something, I feel reborn.”

“Don’t exaggerate.” Gu Yang sneered. “Aren’t they all the same?”

“I think the problem isn’t them, but you.” Yu Bai sighed, shaking his head. “No matter what they ask, you’d just say, ‘more or less,’ ‘maybe,’ or ‘what does it matter to you.’”

As he spoke, he even mimicked Gu Yang’s expression.

Gu Yang: “…”

“Shut up.” He buried his face in his arms, muttering, “It’s not like there’s that much to say to someone else.”

“But Ah Yang, keeping everything bottled up isn’t good,” He Ming’an lowered his voice, just enough for Gu Yang to hear. “Those things will bind you, keep you stuck in place.”

“As long as he has even the slightest desire for release, he’ll secretly wish for someone to know his past—to understand why he’s in pain.”

His eyes flickered. “Even if that process is ugly.”

A ringtone cut through, drowning out his already soft words.

“Almost forgot!” Ye Chen hurriedly silenced his phone. “Today’s the day Cheng Zishi drops his new album.”

“Did you really need to set an alarm for that? Are you his closet fan?” Xie Wu mocked mercilessly.

“They care so much about sales in that industry—instant buys, 24-hour numbers.” Ye Chen grinned, opening Weibo. “Just picturing him with that deadpan face glued to his phone refreshing stats cracks me up.”

Xie Wu rolled his eyes at the twisted humor, but before he could retort, Ye Chen let out a surprised cry.

“Gu Yang, why are you trending?”

“What?” Yu Bai jumped, grabbing his phone, but Ye Chen had already dropped the link in the group.

The hot search was simply tagged [Guanli High School].

The top post was a gossip account’s so-called “exposé,” titled as a revelation of the hidden scandals of a city’s elite family, instantly drawing in hordes of curious onlookers.

After all, people were endlessly fascinated by the lives of the rich.

Using coded names, it claimed: two brothers of the G family once turned against each other over a woman.

The elder brother, while studying abroad, had confirmed a relationship with her. But upon his return, the younger brother also fell in love at first sight. The brothers quarreled bitterly. On the eve of the wedding, the elder brother died in a car accident. The woman became a widow, yet later was discovered to be pregnant. Under the younger brother’s care, she gave birth to a son.

The timing of that pregnancy was awkward. Several of the G family elders demanded a DNA test, but for unknown reasons, the matter was dropped. The child’s parentage remained clouded in suspicion.

Scandals like this were always the crowd’s favorite. The comments section exploded instantly:

“Sis-in-law, open the door, it’s me, your brother-in-law! (doge.jpg)”

“Where’s the rest? Don’t dangle half a melon—finish the damn gossip already! (angry.jpg)”

“So whose kid is it? The elder brother’s? The younger’s? Or the guy next door?”

“How’s this linked to Guanli High School? Isn’t that the famous elite school?”

“I go to Guanli. This rumor sounds familiar. The surname G? Anyone want to play match-the-name?”

Hundreds of replies flooded under that comment thread, people gleefully riddling and speculating, most with local IPs.

Yu Bai was stunned. G family? Could it be Gu Yang’s family?

He glanced nervously at Gu Yang, who was silently scrolling through his phone, and quickly tried to defuse it. “Hahaha, these trashy media outlets, making up stories to buy hot searches and cash in. Who knows if the person even exists—”

“Oh, it’s me.” Gu Yang finished reading, then said calmly.

“Huh?” Yu Bai gaped. He blurted out, “You can just say that?”

“They already know. This little scandal’s been around forever.” Gu Yang was still calm, pointing one by one at his classmates, each of whom looked away when singled out.

“So… it’s true?” Yu Bai asked stupidly, instantly regretting his big mouth.

“Didn’t you read the post? I was just an embryo. Who do you expect me to ask?”

Yu Bai shut up fast, burying himself in his phone again—only to see friends already posting photos.

A blurry shot: someone in Guanli High’s autumn uniform—silver-gray shirt with a navy vest—worn with a striking grace. The pale, delicate profile, hair shadowing the eyes, face indistinct.

Heavens. Who leaked that photo?

This was too low. The topic was already on hot search with huge traffic. If someone obsessive traced it back to their school, who knew what madness might follow?

Even without a clear face, anyone familiar could recognize him: it was Gu Yang. And from the angle, it was obviously taken by someone in their class.

“Damn, was it one of us who leaked this?” Ye Chen, ever the troublemaker, voiced the suspicion aloud. He glanced at Shen Mingjun, who was buried in his book amid the chaos, and chuckled. “Shen Mingjun, doesn’t your family run a PR company? You’d know about this stuff.”

The named boy’s pen froze. Beneath the desk, his knuckles went white. Still, he said coolly, “What’s it got to do with me? I haven’t taken over the company yet, and I couldn’t care less about that trash.”

He had plenty on his plate already. His mother’s younger sister had shown up with her son, claiming they had nowhere else to go. He resisted fiercely, but Zhou Yinyin was too soft, and his father—strangely—had welcomed them warmly.

He remembered clearly what Gu Yang’s heart-voice had once said: that he and Yu Zhou were actually half-brothers.

That thought weighed on him like a stone.

Because there was only one possible implication.

He dared not consider that terrifying possibility.

He wanted to ask Gu Yang for more, but couldn’t swallow his pride.

“Don’t know, or pretending not to know?” Ye Chen was still grinning, his malice now plain.

Shen Mingjun snapped. He sneered, “What’s with these word games? If you don’t want to be talked about, maybe keep yourself in check.”

Though aimed at Ye Chen, the barb inevitably pointed at Gu Yang.

“And how should I keep myself in check?” Gu Yang’s voice cut in, faint but sharp, slicing through the fog of detachment that usually hung around him. “Like you and your mother?”

Shen Mingjun’s face drained. Ye Chen, who’d been egging things on, shut his mouth, eyes lighting up as though about to witness a great show.

“Gu Yang, you—”

Before he could finish, a heart-voice rang through the classroom:

【Later in the story, Zhou Qinqin occasionally ends up in bed with Shen Shan. Truly a remarkable woman.】

The suspicion he had buried could no longer be denied. Shen Mingjun’s mind went blank with a thunderclap. He lost all strength, all defenses in an instant.