Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 47

Shortly afterward, both Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran posted statements.

Zhong Yixiao: It was I who invited the two teachers to my hotel room to pass the time. Everything started with me. We will thoroughly investigate this matter.

Actor Liu Ran: Teacher Pei is an outstanding person. Please don’t be misled by online rumors. We will find those responsible for slander and privacy violations, and provide a full explanation.

Although these were just individual posts and rather concise, their respective PR teams also issued official statements declaring their intent to pursue legal action. As for Pei Lang—he didn’t say anything. His so-called “fans” were basically just black fans, and speaking up would only stir up more trouble. The most important thing now was clarifying the gambling misunderstanding.

Pei Lang couldn’t access the hotel’s surveillance footage himself—but Yan Han could.

He called Yan Han for help, sweetly calling him “husband” in a crisp, affectionate tone. Yan Han, who had already made the necessary arrangements, was delighted and simply told him to head straight to the hotel’s surveillance room—everything was taken care of.

As expected, Pei Lang brought the two other leads to the monitoring room. The hotel manager was extremely polite and cooperated fully, explaining that no one had accessed the footage or hacked the system.

Meanwhile, since Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran had posted their statements, the incident was pushed further into the spotlight. Fans of both actors swarmed the platforms, declaring Pei Lang as the bad influence who had corrupted their idols.

Some suspected it was the result of power suppression—others thought Pei Lang had brainwashed their faves. Why else would they defend him and even call him “excellent”? Wasn’t the whole internet aware of how awful he was?

The platform descended into chaos. Insults and sarcasm flooded the comments. Even book fans who’d previously stayed quiet joined the fray. They had already been unhappy with Pei Lang being cast as Wen Yan, and now, after this mess, they were “mourning” the character.

What a tragedy to have Wen Yan’s story portrayed by someone like this!

Ignoring the online noise, they quickly reviewed the original surveillance footage.

Yes, they were playing cards. Yes, there were stakes. But the stakes weren’t money—they were snacks that Zhong Yixiao had prepared, including Pei Lang’s favorite treats.

Zhong Yixiao had also thoughtfully prepared snacks Liu Ran liked. However, she couldn’t eat much due to maintaining her figure.

It was all just to pass time. Playing cards without any stakes was dull, so they had decided to split the snacks evenly and then bet them in the card game. Whoever won the most got the most snacks. That’s it.

As they played, they unwrapped snacks, laughed, and ate. Pei Lang happened to be lucky and skilled, so he ended up winning the most. He looked as happy as a kid, grinning mischievously with pure joy—like winning a bag of snacks was the best thing in the world.

Their interactions were natural and genuine, unlike their on-camera personas. Liu Ran, normally known as the “intellectual goddess,” was laughing out loud. Pei Lang frowned as he watched the video.

“You two have a pretty rough public image. Are you sure you want to release this?” he asked.

They were reviewing the footage to clarify the truth, but their public images were so carefully curated. This playful video might cause their personas to “collapse.”

It wasn’t exactly damaging—just different from how they were usually perceived. Relaxed, natural, and even a little cute. Still, they needed to check with their respective agencies before making it public.

Both quickly stepped out to make calls. Soon, they got authorization from their companies to release the footage.

Pei Lang posted the surveillance video shortly after, along with a written explanation.

The surveillance was clear and unedited, while the previous viral audio had clearly been cut and manipulated—capturing only the game and a few misleading lines.

Friends casually playing cards at home isn’t gambling—especially when betting snacks. That simply didn’t qualify.

Even though Pei Lang’s reputation was still shaky, Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran had strong fanbases, and their fans were eager to protect them. The evidence helped shift public opinion almost instantly. Fans turned the tide, praising their idols for being down-to-earth and adorable.

Zhong Yixiao especially got a lot of love—watching him pout and frown while losing snacks, looking comically awkward with his handsome face, was just too endearing. Fans loved seeing this new side of him.

They even begged his company to post more personal content like vlogs or behind-the-scenes footage.

In short, the matter was resolved.

But Pei Lang had noticed something strange.

In the official surveillance footage, the audio sounded a bit distant. Yet in the previously leaked audio clip, the voices were unnervingly clear—like the mic had been placed right next to them. It wasn’t the same audio track.

Based on what the hotel manager had said, it hadn’t been pulled from the surveillance system.

That could only mean one thing:

The original recording wasn’t surveillance footage—it was recorded from nearby.

That explained why there was no video—just close-range audio.

So who could’ve done it?

It wasn’t Lu Lu—Pei Lang trusted him. The two actors also had no motive. That left only one possibility:

Their assistants.

Pei Lang voiced his suspicion to Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran. Both fell silent. There was no proof yet, so they couldn’t jump to conclusions. It was possible that someone had planted a device on an assistant without their knowledge.

“If there’s a problem with someone on my team, I’ll give you an explanation,” Zhong Yixiao promised. His assistant had been with him for years, and he didn’t believe they’d betray him—but he wasn’t ruling it out, either.

Liu Ran had rewatched the footage over and over. She noticed her assistant acting a little nervous. They were all experienced people—there was no reason to be flustered in that situation.

Still, it was just suspicion. Liu Ran didn’t say anything out loud. “Same goes for me. If there’s nothing else, Teacher Pei, Teacher Zhong, I’ll head back.”

She left first, and Zhong Yixiao followed soon after.

Back in his room, Lu Lu tried to lighten the mood while helping Pei Lang pack snacks. “Sister You is already investigating. We’ll have results soon.”

He comforted Pei Lang earnestly, “Too many people are out to get you. We can’t change everyone’s minds overnight, but we’ll take it one step at a time. As long as it’s not true, we’ll do our best to protect you.”

“I know.” Pei Lang nodded. Of course he knew.

This drama was his big chance for a comeback.

As one netizen had once put it: With this cast and production team, even if Pei Lang were a block of scrap metal, they could polish him into a gem.

As long as he did his best, didn’t act out, and played his role right—he still had a chance.

No one dared to openly target a production directed by Director Jin, but with Pei Lang—known in the industry as a walking controversy—every move he made attracted attention. As long as he was part of the crew, those with ulterior motives could exploit his presence to damage the production’s reputation, stir up scandal, and sabotage their work before the drama even aired.

This show had truly been riddled with disasters. Fortunately, the entire production team remained united. There was no infighting, and Director Jin, despite the never-ending stream of bad press, remained silent. He focused entirely on directing and showed no signs of being affected.

“Brother Lang, you should rest well. I’m heading out first,” Lu Lu said as he packed up most of Pei Lang’s snacks, leaving behind only a small portion for him to nibble on. “Sister You should have some updates soon. If Brother Lang has any leads, you can share them with her—it’ll help the investigation go faster.”

Pei Lang, staring longingly at the food, sighed dramatically. “Lu Lu, can you stop listening to Sister You so religiously? At least let me eat a bit more. I’m not even gaining weight!”

“Don’t argue. Sure, you don’t gain weight, but these snacks are all empty calories. If you want to eat, eat something nutritious,” Lu Lu replied firmly, ignoring his complaints before leaving.

Since someone was already investigating the incident, Pei Lang didn’t worry further. He took out his script and started reading. Not long after, Yan Han called.

“We found the source of the recording.”

“Who was it?” Pei Lang was surprised—Yan Han had gotten results in less than an hour.

“Ye Momo.”

“…?” Pei Lang searched through his memory. “Liu Ran’s assistant? She did it?”

“Yes and no. Guess again.” Yan Han was being cryptic now. But before Pei Lang could press him, a knock came at the door, interrupting the call.

“Hold on, I’ll check,” Pei Lang said, placing his phone on the table and going to open the door.

Standing outside were Liu Ran and Ye Momo. Liu Ran wore a frosty expression, while Ye Momo looked tearful and terrified. She kept her head bowed, not daring to meet Pei Lang’s gaze.

Liu Ran had noticed something off with her assistant. Though it had only been a vague suspicion, a few offhand comments from Liu Ran had caused Ye Momo to break down crying and confess everything.

She claimed she simply couldn’t accept that someone like Pei Lang—whom she believed to be a terrible person—could be suddenly praised and accepted. Just because he could act didn’t mean he was a good person.

She believed the crew’s respect for him was fake, just a show. Unable to accept the shift in perception, she had bought a recording device, carried it with her, and waited for an opportunity. When it came, she secretly recorded the conversation and gave it to someone else to edit and post online—just to show the world Pei Lang’s “true colors.”

But since nothing actually scandalous had happened, she had to manipulate the audio to mislead the public. Seeing people curse Pei Lang online had made her feel vindicated.

She hadn’t expected things to be cleared up so quickly, and even less to be discovered as the source.

Liu Ran had slapped her in anger, scolded her harshly, and dragged her to Pei Lang to apologize.

Now, Ye Momo was so terrified in front of him that she couldn’t speak. Liu Ran pushed her forward. “Explain it yourself,” she said coldly.

Ye Momo trembled, head still bowed, tears dripping onto the carpet and soaking a small patch.

Pei Lang gave a small smile. “If someone put you up to this, and you tell me who, I’ll let it go. If you acted on your own, then we’ll deal with this through legal channels.”

It was clear Pei Lang already knew what had happened, even without her confession.

Liu Ran was momentarily stunned. She looked at Pei Lang, guilt and apology in her eyes.

Ye Momo’s limbs felt heavy as lead. Her throat tightened. She looked up, startled, meeting Pei Lang’s calm, smiling gaze. Her eyes flickered with conflict. She opened her mouth—but said nothing.

It was pointless. Since he already knew, what was the point of speaking?

“You do realize,” Pei Lang said gently but firmly, “that even if you don’t name the person behind it, I’ll still find out. I’m simply giving you a chance to avoid legal consequences.”

His tone remained soft, yet carried undeniable weight.

Ye Momo’s nose stung as fresh tears spilled down. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I really am sorry.”

A Letter from the Author

Dear Readers,

You probably saw the title—yes, it’s that time. This novel is officially going VIP (paid) starting today. I, Jing Xi, deeply bow and thank you for being here. 🥹🙏

First of all, thank you so much for accompanying me this past month. Some of you may leave now that the story is going behind a paywall—and that’s okay. I’m grateful for every second you spent here. Whether you stayed for a chapter or the whole way, you gave me motivation. Thank you.

If you can, I have a small request: Please don’t remove this story from your library/collections. (≧ω≦) Every bit helps my stats. Thank you again. 💕

This is just a simple, sweet little story—not very well-written, and with its share of clumsy logic. I’m so grateful for your support despite all that.

This novel has a complete draft and will continue updating steadily all the way to the finale. So if you enjoy it, feel free to keep following along!

In fact, we’re already halfway through the plot. With VIP chapters starting today, the whole novel is only about the price of a cup of milk tea. If you’re able to, I’d love for you to accompany me to the end.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

① Pei Lang continues to take his acting seriously, while Yan Han devours every “wife-chasing” guide he can find. His methods may be questionable, but the goal is clear: catch the fox.

② After successfully getting the protagonist couple married, Yan Han will stand on his own two feet—and do a lot of things that I can’t describe in detail. 😏

③ When the TV series airs, the internet will explode. Some people’s reputations will collapse, while others will get their long-awaited redemption—and maybe even a top-tier husband.

④ Their relationship will be made public. From secrets to spotlight, they’ll love openly and honestly.

That’s all for now. Every time I go VIP, I feel nervous and a little guilty—but what must come, must come.

I wish you happiness, health, and love every day! 💖
—Jing Xi