Chapter 20: I Just Want a Male Mom

Xie Feiran felt a bit confused, but Ye Ansheng knew this was a sob-story voting segment, so before Xie Feiran was taken away by the Polar Bear staff, Ye Ansheng said to him:

“Just tell the truth.”

Tell the truth?

Xie Feiran froze.

How was he supposed to tell the truth?

Should he say Shi Baiyan is his real mother?

That the person responsible for modeling him is his real father?

Before Xie Feiran could decide what to say, he was already led by the Polar Bear staff into a separate room.

The Host was already waiting for him with a smile.

Soft pillows were placed everywhere in the room, making it very relaxing.

“Feiran, you’re here, please have a seat.”

The Host said.

Xie Feiran nodded, a smile also appearing on his face, and sat down in front of the Host.

After the Host nodded, she spoke to the staff in front:

“Open the Live Room.”

As her words fell, countless Barrages instantly flooded the Beijixiong Exclusive Interview Studio.

It seemed everyone had been waiting here for a long time.

[Did Feiran come to the interview without even changing out of his dance outfit?]

[He’s the number one, of course he’s interviewed first.]

[Hurry up and tell me, how do you know so many things!]

The Host smiled at the camera:

“Looks like everyone has a lot of questions for you, Feiran.”

“Feiran, can you talk about what your parents are like? How do they interact with you in daily life?”

Xie Feiran paused, then forced a smile as he began rapidly making up a story in his mind.

I’m making it up, I’m making it up, let me organize my words first.

“My parents treat me very well. My mother often can’t sleep for days and nights because of me.”

Xie Feiran said with a smile.

Shi Baiyan often stayed up all night designing clothes for him, sometimes scrapping over a dozen drafts in a single night.

It was normal for her to go sleepless for days because of him.

“She’s a very dedicated person, always wanting me to be a bit better than others, so she devoted most of her time to me.”

Xie Feiran kept smiling.

Shi Baiyan constantly revised plans herself, just to make him a bit more refined and beautiful than other game characters, even going to the modeling team to argue in person.

Hearing this, the Host sighed:

“So Feiran became so outstanding because he had a mother who valued education.”

Xie Feiran lowered his head.

Though he didn’t know what the Host had understood, this seemed fine too.

“What about your father?”

The Host continued to press.

“My father works overtime every day.”

There’s no such thing as a modeler who doesn’t work overtime.

In a game, planners are for sacrifice, concept artists are for drawing empty promises, and modelers are for overtime.

“He treats me well. He tries hard to meet my mother’s standards, but they still argue over my details.”

“My father always thinks I’m already good enough, but my mother thinks I could be even more refined.”

“My father says he can’t do it, that this is the best he can do, and then they fight.”

Xie Feiran recalled.

“They argue over details every time, and sometimes they wish they could strangle each other.”

Saying this, Xie Feiran smiled.

“Ah, this…”

The Host seemed unsure how to continue.

[With a family like this, it’s no wonder Feiran became so strong. I feel so sorry for him.]

[Mother being so strict about details is what made Feiran so amazing.]

[So Feiran became so great because of this? His parents fought a lot. He must have had a tough childhood.]

Xie Feiran glanced at the big screen where Barrages scrolled.

He thought to himself, he wasn’t pitiful at all.

He grew up in a warm, bright place.

As Xie Feiran thought this, he suddenly paused.

Yet again, it was a memory that didn’t exist.

He closed his eyes, trying to recall, but nothing came to mind.

Maybe, in a time he didn’t remember, he had already seen the Light God he believed in.

“It seems family had a big influence on Feiran.”

The Host tried to maintain her smile.

“Are your parents doing better now? After all, Feiran is so outstanding.”

Xie Feiran wanted to say that Shi Baiyan and that modeler always got along well—they were good friends who could barbecue after work and slack off together during work.

But the Light God had given him the identity of an orphan with both parents deceased.

So Xie Feiran could only shake his head:

“They’re both gone now.”

“Is… is that so?”

The Host looked a bit shocked.

Meanwhile, Shi Baiyan, who had been glued to the Live Room, was about to cry.

His idol—how could he have had such a hard life, with his parents gone?

As he cried, the tissues on Shi Baiyan’s desk almost ran out.

The modeler next to him couldn’t take it anymore and cursed:

“Shi Baiyan, what the hell are you doing? Watch out or I’ll report you for slacking off at work in my department!”

Shi Baiyan grabbed the modeler, pointing at the screen:

“Look at our baby.”

The modeler’s veins bulged.

He thought Shi Baiyan was truly insane.

On the other side, Xie Ling watched the live interview in silence, then turned to Cheng Yuan:

“Feiran, does he not have any parents?”

Cheng Yuan quickly pulled up Xie Feiran’s file.

The data showed Xie Feiran’s parents died in a car accident half a year ago.

“Feiran’s parents died during New Year.”

Cheng Yuan looked at the information and spoke carefully.

Xie Ling was suddenly enlightened.

No wonder he started working as a Trainee when he was still of school age.

“How much are you paying him?”

Xie Ling looked at Cheng Yuan.

The sharp gaze made Cheng Yuan’s heart jump.

He answered honestly:

“Three thousand a month, with meals and lodging included.”

Xie Ling reached out and knocked on the desk.

The tap-tap sound made Cheng Yuan panic.

Is the salary too low?

But that’s standard for newcomers, right?

Cheng Yuan thought.

Then Xie Ling closed the pen on his desk and spoke:

“Raise his salary a bit. From now on, his pay for acting and commercial work will be split sixty-forty with the company.”

Cheng Yuan nervously asked:

“Sixty for the company, forty for Xie Feiran?”

Cheng Yuan felt that a sixty-forty split was already generous.

Other artists usually started at seventy-thirty or even eighty-twenty with harsher companies.

Xie Ling lifted his eyelids slightly:

“Forty for the company, sixty for Xie Feiran.”

Cheng Yuan was stunned.

That kind of deal was on par with senior artists.

He quickly said:

“Okay, okay, I’ll go redraft the contract right away.”

After saying this, Cheng Yuan fled like the wind.

Xie Ling withdrew his gaze and turned back to the live interview.

At this moment, the Host had collected herself and was ready to dig deeper into Xie Feiran’s parental story.

Perhaps it would make for good material and spark more discussion for the show.

She was ready with her next question.

She wanted to ask what Xie Feiran was doing when his parents died, and how he coped with that painful period.

This kind of question would expose a wound someone didn’t want to face, and then pour salt into it.

If Xie Feiran cried on air, it would also make for great Live Room content.

“Feiran, can you share some stories about you and your parents?”

The Host asked.

“Ah?”

Xie Feiran froze and started inventing a story in his head.

“My parents had a great relationship. Every night after work, they’d eat dinner together. My dad was always getting knocked over by my mom’s drinking. My mom often drew pictures for me—very beautiful ones—then asked my dad to make the items. Because his skills were limited, if he couldn’t do it, my mom would scold him.”

Shi Baiyan often drew new clothes and trinkets for Xie Feiran.

The modeler was already overwhelmed by these detailed items and fabrics.

When he said he couldn’t make them, Shi Baiyan would even scold him for ruining her beloved son.

After Xie Feiran finished, the Host smiled.

“Feiran must have had a wonderful relationship with his parents.”

“Yeah.”

Xie Feiran nodded.

“But now we can never contact each other again.”

There was an indescribable sorrow in his tone.

His lowered lashes hid his eyes, making it seem like he was holding back tears.

For a moment, everyone felt heartbroken.

But the truth was—

How could he contact Shi Baiyan and the others with a game character’s identity?

If he tried, Shi Baiyan might think he was hallucinating from overwork.

“And what were you doing when your parents passed away?”

When the Host finished, her smile froze.

She saw the screen fill with messages begging her to stop.

[Hug Feiran. Host, please don’t keep asking. Is it fun to rip open someone’s wounds again and again?]

[Feiran’s parents died in a car accident. He wasn’t even seventeen at the time.]

[Stop asking, please stop.]

Xie Feiran’s expression went blank.

What was he supposed to say about when his parents died?

“I… don’t know.”

Xie Feiran stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“You can try to remember.”

The Host pressed on.

“What happened that day?”

“What happened?”

Staring at the ceiling, Xie Feiran prepared to invent another story.

He never thought wanting to be a main C would require making up a whole background for himself.

[Don’t ask anymore, do you hear!]

[Polar Bear has no heart! Feiran, don’t try to remember.]

[Don’t do this interview. Polar Bear is disgusting. Forcing people to relive their saddest memories is horrible.]

Just as Xie Feiran was about to wrap up his fabricated story, the Director suddenly told him he didn’t have to continue recording.

“Ah?”

Xie Feiran was a bit surprised.

But not having to lie and make up a story that never existed was a relief for him.

So Xie Feiran left the interview room without any hesitation.

Because he left so quickly, many people thought he’d run out to cry in private.

Stepping out of the interview room, Xie Feiran breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, he realized he had gained a whole group of mom fans, with Shi Baiyan as the leader.

Shi Baiyan: Baby, don’t worry, Mama is right here with you.

Comments below:

[No male moms, please, no male moms]

[I want a male mom, give me a male mom]

Xie Feiran: ???

What exactly happened?