Futile Devices Scans

When Shen Yuan first met He Ping, he knew He Ping was a wonderful person. Later, when he learned that Wang Cheng intended to help him enter the entertainment industry, he actually disapproved. He Ping’s personality simply wasn’t suited to surviving in that world. However, Shen Yuan had no standing to say anything.

Afterward, Shen Yuan met with him several more times. Each encounter only strengthened his belief that someone like He Ping was better suited to being a flower nurtured in a greenhouse. Yet He Ping showed genuine enthusiasm for acting.

At some point, Shen Yuan found himself developing the thought, “If He Ping likes it, then there’s nothing to be done. At worst, I’ll just help him out a little.” As a result, he began involving himself in the entertainment industry as well. He even invested money in several high-quality films and invited He Ping to play the leading roles.

In the past, if someone had told Shen Yuan there was a celebrity who could enter the entertainment industry’s massive dye vat and still preserve the same pure and kind heart from beginning to end, he would never have believed it. Once someone entered the entertainment industry, innocence was supposed to disappear. Even if they never did anything bad, their thoughts could no longer remain simple.

But now Shen Yuan believed it.

He Ping was exactly that kind of person. Although it was true that he had been shielded by both Shen Yuan and Wang Cheng and therefore had not been exposed to many of the industry’s darker aspects, temptation was everywhere. The fact that He Ping remained unchanged was inseparable from his own inherently good nature.

The more Shen Yuan got to know He Ping, the more he liked him. Gradually, he stopped noticing that his gaze would often follow He Ping’s figure wherever he went. Eventually, people around him discovered that he seemed unusually interested in a celebrity named He Ping and began teasing him, asking whether they should arrange for the superstar to meet him privately.

Shen Yuan immediately retorted, saying that simply paying attention to someone didn’t necessarily mean he liked them.

His friends replied that ordinarily it might not, but if it was happening to Shen Yuan, then it definitely did.

Who was Shen Yuan? In the Imperial Capital, he was a famous playboy. Beautiful men and women were never in short supply around him. With his status, all it took was a crooked finger and countless attractive people would throw themselves at him. No one had ever seen him genuinely like anyone. Merely paying attention to someone would have been surprising enough, but he had even invested in films for He Ping’s sake. If that wasn’t because he liked him, they might as well dig out their own eyeballs.

It was only then that Shen Yuan truly began reflecting on whether he had fallen for He Ping.

He enjoyed watching He Ping act. No matter whether He Ping played the lead or a supporting role, Shen Yuan would watch every film he appeared in and collect them afterward. He also enjoyed teasing He Ping and frequently used his status as an investor as an excuse to invite him out for meals. Most importantly, he hated seeing He Ping bullied.

Two years earlier, after investing in He Ping’s first film, Shen Yuan happened to visit the set one day. There, he discovered that one of the lead actors—a currently popular star—was mocking He Ping. Without a second word, Shen Yuan replaced him and promoted He Ping to the leading role instead. He knew full well that people would assume He Ping had connections and was relying on favoritism, but he didn’t care. In fact, he wanted everyone to know that He Ping was under his protection.

All signs pointed to one conclusion:

Shen Yuan had fallen in love with He Ping.

He had never imagined that he would stumble over a man of all people, yet rather than feeling troubled, he was delighted. It turned out that falling in love wasn’t such a bad feeling after all. Once he understood his own heart, he had no intention of hiding it. However, he also knew he couldn’t confess recklessly. He still didn’t know what He Ping felt toward him. Thus, in preparation for this moment, he frequently made his presence known around He Ping, gradually making him more and more accustomed to his existence.

After dinner, He Ping didn’t dare look directly at Shen Yuan. He felt as though he were sitting on a bed of needles.

In all his thirty-plus years of life, this was the first time anyone had confessed their feelings to him. Although the dramas he had acted in often contained confession scenes, those were performances. The emotions were fake. Until now, he had never truly experienced anything like it himself. Only now that it was happening to him did he fully understand that acting was acting. The feeling of his heart racing uncontrollably in reality could never be performed convincingly on screen.

Taking a sip of tea, Shen Yuan gazed at him with smiling eyes.

“Alright,” he said. “You can ask me whatever questions you want now.”

He Ping looked up at him, his expression complicated.

“You…” he began after a pause. “Why do you like me?”

“Honestly, I’d like to know the answer myself.” Shen Yuan shrugged. “You know what kind of person I used to be. This is also the first time I’ve experienced what it feels like to truly like someone. All I know is that by the time I realized it, my eyes could no longer leave your figure. I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to get hurt. Would you call that falling in love over time?”

“I—I don’t know.” He Ping stammered.

Compared to love at first sight, falling in love gradually was far easier to accept. Shen Yuan understood He Ping well, which was why he deliberately phrased it that way. Still, he wasn’t lying. His feelings for He Ping really had developed over time.

One look at He Ping’s expression told Shen Yuan that he wasn’t completely unaffected either. However, Shen Yuan had no intention of pressuring him too much, so he said, “Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to agree to date me right now. You can take your time and think about it.”

He Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely been afraid Shen Yuan would demand an answer on the spot. His mind was a complete mess right now, and he truly had no idea how to respond. Unfortunately, he relaxed too soon.

After that night’s confession, Shen Yuan began appearing in front of He Ping more and more frequently. Other people might not have noticed anything unusual, since Shen Yuan had never been a stranger to visiting He Ping, but Yu Lu noticed.

In the past, Shen Yuan often invited He Ping out for meals and generally acted concerned about him, but he had never displayed such obvious possessiveness. In public, he usually kept things subtle. Now, however, things were different. When He Ping was filming commercials, Shen Yuan would actually drive over to pick him up. If He Ping had been a woman, Yu Lu would have immediately assumed Shen Yuan was pursuing him. The whole thing looked exactly like someone courting a romantic partner.

Still, in the entertainment industry, relationships between men were hardly unusual. Moreover, news of two men getting married had already appeared several years earlier. It didn’t take long for Yu Lu to realize that Shen Yuan most likely had feelings for He Ping, which explained all of these actions.

Yu Lu worried that Shen Yuan’s interest might only be temporary and that he didn’t genuinely care for He Ping. After all, among wealthy people, there were very few who sincerely cared about celebrities in the entertainment industry. After holding back for some time, she finally couldn’t resist bringing the matter up with He Ping. She was afraid he would get hurt.

Yu Lu didn’t know He Ping’s true background. She only knew that Yazhi’s upper management greatly favored and protected him, but she didn’t understand the real reasons behind it. As a result, she knew nothing about the relationship between Shen Yuan and He Ping outside of work. He Ping hadn’t expected her to notice. His cheeks flushed slightly. He could maintain a thick skin in front of outsiders, but not in front of people who genuinely cared about him. He simply told Yu Lu not to worry.

Despite his words, Yu Lu could clearly tell from his reaction that he had already been moved. The company had never forbidden He Ping from dating. He wasn’t young anymore, either. In fact, Yazhi’s executives had even subtly asked her before whether there was a particular actress he liked. Yet the first person who had stirred his heart turned out to be a man. If that ever became public knowledge, it would certainly affect He Ping’s career.

Yu Lu’s concerns were not without reason.

Although they had been very careful, paparazzi eventually photographed He Ping and Shen Yuan together. The internet erupted into fierce arguments. Anti-fans seized the opportunity and jumped out in full force. However, over the past three years, He Ping had built up a sizeable fanbase. Determined to protect their idol, his fans fought bitterly against the anti-fans, and the online chaos became overwhelming.

News of the matter quickly reached Wang Cheng. He had always known that Shen Yuan took especially good care of He Ping, but he never imagined Shen Yuan harbored feelings like these. He asked Chu Yifeng to call Shen Yuan. Over the phone, Shen Yuan openly admitted that he had indeed fallen in love with He Ping.

It was worth mentioning that, perhaps because his heart already belonged to He Ping, Shen Yuan had not become involved with any women during the months following his confession. It was as though he had completely changed. Some of his friends even teased him, asking whether he had finally found true love and whether the notorious playboy was now trying to preserve his chastity.

Since Yazhi made no attempt to stop the rumors, and because Shen Yuan actually wanted more people to know that He Ping belonged to him, gossip about the two continued spreading everywhere. Shen Yuan still sought out He Ping just as openly as before. His behavior was so straightforward and unashamed that it seemed as though he had absolutely nothing to hide. Meanwhile, He Ping’s career suffered no damage whatsoever from the rumors. Instead, the stories spread further and further, sounding more convincing with each retelling. Eventually, almost everyone came to believe that the two of them were a couple.

The Shen family elders finally reached the limit of their patience and ordered Shen Yuan to come home.

Shen Yuan had already intended to make things clear to his family. Although He Ping had not yet agreed to date him, Shen Yuan already knew the answer in his heart. He was confident that He Ping would eventually accept him. Therefore, before his family could seek out He Ping, he wanted to settle the matter himself.

“Is what the newspapers are saying true? Are you really together with He Ping?” Elder Shen threw the newspaper in his hand onto the table in front of Shen Yuan. His expression was extremely unpleasant. When his grandson refused to follow the path arranged for him, Elder Shen had eventually relented. His only remaining wish was for Shen Yuan to marry and have children as soon as possible. Yet Shen Yuan had delayed and delayed, and now he was involved with another man. When Elder Shen first heard the news, he had nearly been furious enough to collapse.

Shen Yuan didn’t bother picking up the newspaper. He already knew what was written there. Faced with the questioning, he admitted it openly.

“Grandfather, I’ve already decided to be with He Ping. No matter how strongly you oppose it, I won’t change my mind. He is the first person I’ve ever truly loved. Apart from him, I want no one else.”

“Even if I threatened you with my own death, you still wouldn’t change your mind?”

Elder Shen’s face darkened ominously, frightening everyone present. They were afraid the old man might become so enraged that he would suffer a health crisis. Shen Yuan’s parents, uncles, and aunts hurriedly urged him to apologize to his grandfather.

Shen Yuan remained unmoved. “Grandfather, you wouldn’t do that. The Shen family still needs you.”

Elder Shen snorted coldly. “So that means you can just stand there and watch me die from anger? Is this how you repay me? I’ve never asked much of you. I only wanted to see you get married and have children, to hold a grandchild before I die. Is even that small wish too much for you to fulfill?”

Shen Yuan frowned. “Marriage, I can help you with. As for grandchildren, you can turn around and look. Your grandchildren are already crawling around on the floor.”

“So in the end, you really are determined to anger me to death?” Elder Shen pressed aggressively.

“What exactly do you want, then?” Shen Yuan asked helplessly.

“It’s not as though I absolutely can’t allow the two of you to be together.” Elder Shen suddenly changed his tone without warning. No one present reacted in time. “If you want my approval, there’s one condition.”

Shen Yuan’s instincts immediately told him this condition would probably be difficult to fulfill. Still, since his grandfather was willing to discuss it, he wanted to hear what it was. “What condition?”

Elder Shen coughed awkwardly. “As long as the two of you do the same thing those boys from the Chu and Zhou families did—get married, undergo that IVF procedure, and leave a descendant for the Shen family—I won’t interfere anymore.”

Shen Yuan: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

So that was what the old man had been planning all along.

Shen Yuan had never maintained a steady relationship and refused to get married no matter how people pressured him. Elder Shen had probably long since given up hope. Then he suddenly learned that Shen Yuan had fallen for a man. At the very least, it meant Shen Yuan wouldn’t spend his entire life alone. Since there was already a precedent proving that same-sex couples could have children, the old man simply decided to go all in. If grandchildren were still possible, then whether Shen Yuan ended up with a man or a woman didn’t really matter anymore.

Shen Yuan never told He Ping about this. He was afraid it would scare him. Still, his own family had finally been dealt with. As for He Ping’s family, Wang Cheng had already paved the way. His mother wasn’t particularly opposed to homosexuality anymore, and Shen Yuan was, after all, someone she already knew.

After everything Guan Meifang had gone through, she no longer wished for anything extravagant. She only hoped her family could live peacefully and safely. As long as her son could live happily like an ordinary person, she would be happy too. Therefore, after discovering that her son also liked Shen Yuan, she did not interfere much. Shen Yuan was Chu Yifeng’s friend, and she assumed his character couldn’t be too bad. As a result, the most difficult hurdle—the future mother-in-law—turned out to be surprisingly easy for Shen Yuan to overcome.

In the end, He Ping got together with Shen Yuan.

At first, after Shen Yuan confessed to him, He Ping hadn’t paid much attention to it. Shen Yuan was Chu Yifeng’s friend, and He Ping had heard plenty of stories about his romantic escapades. He assumed Shen Yuan’s interest was only temporary. However, Shen Yuan’s actions far exceeded his expectations. Not only did he completely stop flirting with other women, but he also cut ties with all the women from his past and devoted himself entirely to revolving around He Ping.

Sometimes He Ping would appear alongside beautiful and glamorous actresses, yet Shen Yuan’s eyes remained fixed on him from beginning to end. Yu Lu told him that Shen Yuan barely spared those actresses a glance. Shen Yuan was also incredibly considerate, even taking the initiative to ask Yu Lu about He Ping’s schedule so he could coordinate with him.

Perhaps Shen Yuan really had changed.

Deep down, He Ping was touched. He wasn’t young anymore. He had no idea what it would be like for two men to build a life together, but he was willing to give it a try.

Shen Yuan ultimately got the man he loved. From beginning to end, however, he never told He Ping about that condition. If one day He Ping wanted a child, then they would have one. If He Ping didn’t want one, then Elder Shen would simply have to forgive him.

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