Chapter 17: You Might Not Believe It If I Tell You

Yu Zhile pulled Qin Haiyu closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and sighing, "Aren’t you afraid the audience will roast you when the episode airs?"

Qin Haiyu replied with perfect composure, "Well, if I don’t look, I won’t know they’re roasting me!"

That explanation was bold beyond words.

Yu Zhile couldn’t help but laugh at her carefree little expression.

He held her as they watched the show, the two of them chatting on.

"Honey, do you think Ye Fei’s voice sounds like mine? She’s really popular with the audience now—she’s been in the top three for four consecutive weeks. I feel like she’s my biggest rival."

Yu Zhile nodded. "Your vocal styles are a bit similar, but she doesn’t put as much feeling into her singing as you do, and she’s not as beautiful as you, either. So there’s nothing to fear—just give your best performance, and she won’t be your match!"

Qin Haiyu giggled. "I just love when you talk straight like that!"

"You really can’t handle compliments at all!"

Yu Zhile patted her smooth, fair leg and continued watching TV.

At long last, the moment arrived—the final challenger made their entrance!

The editor had cut Qin Haiyu’s appearance beautifully; Yu Zhile almost wanted to send them a drumstick as a tip.

There were eight singers on stage, including Qin Haiyu, with three of them being women. Yet among those three, only Ye Fei was remotely pleasing to the eye, but even she was leagues below Qin Haiyu in looks. The third female singer, with her short hair, appeared almost masculine.

Thus, Qin Haiyu’s arrival brought an undeniably dazzling presence to the program.

But once Qin Haiyu began to sing—never mind the audience—even Yu Zhile, unprepared for what was coming, couldn’t help but be disappointed!

Off-key...

Out of tune...

Forgot the lyrics...

Such amateur mistakes, especially on a show this popular, were bound to get her mercilessly criticized by viewers!

Yu Zhile felt a headache coming on.

He said, half exasperated, half loving, "You really sang carelessly this time! Even people who know nothing about music could tell something was off. Now that it's aired, you’re going to get blasted by the audience!"

"I know I messed up..." Qin Haiyu admitted, though she hardly looked remorseful, her attitude so nonchalant that Yu Zhile was oddly reassured.

At least she genuinely didn’t care about the criticism. That took nerve.

Yu Zhile, his hand still on her leg, said, "I don’t even know what to say to you. Until you restore your image in the next episode, just stay away from Weibo—don’t go online to read the comments!"

"Heehee, I promise I won’t look!"

Wrapping her arms around Yu Zhile’s neck, her lips brushing his ear, she whispered, "Besides, I can barely find enough hours in the day taking care of you and our daughter—who has time to read what the audience says about me?"

Yu Zhile couldn’t hold back any longer, not with her arms around him and that faint, milky scent mingling with her own fragrance teasing his senses. Suddenly, he lost control, and with a mix of nervousness and excitement, he tipped Qin Haiyu onto the sofa.

More than half an hour later...

Qin Haiyu pouted, half annoyed, half playful. "Honey, this is all your fault—now I have to wash the sofa!"

"Ahem, dear, you rest—leave that heavy work to me!"

Yu Zhile was all eagerness, but Qin Haiyu tied up her tousled hair and laughed, "Alright, you go check on the baby and get some rest. I’ll wash it later."

"Yes, ma’am!" Yu Zhile, dripping with sweat and bare-chested, went back to the bedroom to check on the baby and found the little one sleeping soundly.

In that moment, a wave of tenderness washed over him—perhaps this was what they called fatherly love.

He gently rocked the crib, reaching out to touch the tiny foot peeking out from under the blanket, soft and warm, the same little foot he’d patted on her first day home.

He pulled the blanket over her feet and left the room, saying, "Honey, the baby’s sleeping sweetly. Let’s take a shower together! The sofa cover can wait until tomorrow."

"Mmm~" Qin Haiyu agreed—after all, it was nearly ten o’clock, and there’d be no sun for drying if she washed it now.

They hadn’t been out of the shower for long when the baby woke up, but this time she didn’t start wailing.

Qin Haiyu took the baby to change her diaper, while Yu Zhile picked up his phone to check Weibo. He saw that this week’s episode of “I’m a Star Singer” had been over for an hour, and as expected, Qin Haiyu was trending—number 23 on the hot search list.

Clicking in, he saw plenty of people roasting her.

"Off-key, wrong lyrics! How dare she come on ‘I’m a Star Singer’ with this kind of performance?"

"Ha! That song was hilarious! To think she was runner-up in season 6!"

"With skills like that, she should just stay home and look after her kid! Don’t come out here to disgust us for money!"

"This is the most disappointing challenger since season 9 began! The producers really shouldn’t invite these washed-up, untalented singers to drag down the show!"

Thankfully, Qin Haiyu didn’t have time to go online.

These comments made Yu Zhile’s blood boil—each word sharper than the last. While disappointment was understandable, and criticism fair, some weren't just criticizing—they were being deliberately spiteful.

Yu Zhile could barely stand to read further. Using his author’s Weibo account, which had over three million followers, he posted an explanation:

"You may not believe it, but the reason my wife, Qin Haiyu, underperformed in her first challenge was because she intended to throw the match and go home to look after our daughter after two rounds. She joined ‘I’m a Star Singer’ at my request, because I knew she missed the stage, missed singing, and also needed a break from caring for me and our daughter day in and day out. So please, be gentle with your words—don’t be too harsh. For her second challenge, she’ll give it her all. I’ve even written her a song named after my novel, as a gift to the readers who’ve always supported me. Next week, you’ll see a truly outstanding Qin Haiyu."

After posting, Yu Zhile spent tens of thousands of yuan to buy some extra heat, hoping to push the topic onto the trending list.

After all, his popularity on Weibo was limited—if he wanted to make it to the hot search, he needed something people would buzz about, like last time when he announced he was quitting writing or revealed himself as Qin Haiyu’s husband. That kind of news shot up the trending charts.

Soon enough, Yu Zhile’s post, boosted by the paid promotion, started gaining traction.

Besides the expected supportive comments, the most frequent messages were readers urging him to keep writing novels, along with some inexplicable trolls popping up to insult him.

People mocked him for being a novelist—where did he get the confidence to write songs? Others even attacked Qin Haiyu under his post, telling her to stop singing and spare them the pain.

Yu Zhile wanted to curse them out, but in the end, he chose to ignore them, just as Qin Haiyu did.

And so, Thursday rolled around.

Qin Haiyu was off to record the second round of the challenger competition for the next episode of “I’m a Star Singer.”