ASFSODS 65

Tong Xian’en left, and Wen Chi sat there in a daze, turning over Tong Xian’en’s words in his head, trying to assemble what they meant. What did he mean by… the riot in Country Y that they ran into might not have been an accident?

Tss.

His head felt itchy. Wen Chi scratched his cheek. Don’t tell him he’s growing a new brain?

Bzz bzz.

The phone he had tossed on the bed buzzed. Wen Chi got up to pick it up and saw it was a video call from Jiang Siheng. He jolted—crap, he had forgotten.

He tapped accept. On the screen, Jiang Siheng seemed to sense the call had connected. His gaze drew back from elsewhere, and when he saw Wen Chi’s slightly messy hair, the sharpness in his eyes softened.

Even so, the man arched a brow. “We agreed to video at ten. Teacher Wen, what time is it now?”

Meeting his gaze, Wen Chi felt inexplicably guilty. He checked the time and it was almost eleven. He looked genuinely surprised. Had he really talked to Tong Xian’en that long?

Noticing Wen Chi’s off expression, Jiang Siheng moved to a quiet, empty corner and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Chi hesitated, unsure whether to tell Jiang Siheng what Tong Xian’en had said. But then he saw the man on screen still in a black suit, with faint voices in the background—clearly he was still at the banquet—and when his eyes fell on Wen Chi, there was a trace of weariness in them.

Jiang Siheng’s gaze never left Wen Chi’s face.

“Hmm?” Seeing Wen Chi torn and unsure whether to speak, Jiang Siheng didn’t press him.

It felt like Wen Chi could see himself reflected in the man’s eyes through the screen. He rolled over onto his stomach on the bed, hugged the quilt, and spoke in a muffled voice. “Teacher Jiang, when are you coming back?”

Hearing the non-answer, Jiang Siheng said, “Tomorrow afternoon.” He paused. “If you want me to come back now, that’s not impossible.”

Wen Chi let out a long “ahhh” and fell silent.

Someone on that side called out to Jiang Siheng. He glanced over but ignored them, drawing his gaze back and saying softly to the playing-dead, silent Wen Chi, “Go to bed early. Don’t stay up scrolling on your phone.”

“Okay.”

“How many days of medicine do you have left?”

“One day.”

“Good. In a couple of days I’ll take you to the hospital for a follow-up.”

“Huh? But don’t we still have to film the variety show?”

“Your boyfriend will let you skip work.”

“…”

Wen Chi quietly turned his head to look at Jiang Siheng, as if talking in his sleep. “Boyfriend, come back soon. I miss you so much.”

The man on screen froze for a beat, then chuckled softly and nodded. “Okay.”

…

Jiang Siheng slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked up to see Qin Xiyu and Pei Yining walking over, along with Huo Yanting in his wheelchair.

Beside Huo Yanting stood a refined, handsome young man—long-legged, in a white suit, matching Huo Yanting’s.

“Who were you on the phone with?” Pei Yining hooked an arm over Jiang Siheng’s shoulder, grinning roguishly.

Jiang Siheng knocked his hand away. “None of your business.”

Pei Yining clicked his tongue and, mimicking the tenderness on Jiang Siheng’s face just now, said, “Anyone who can make you look like that, besides your little boyfriend, I don’t see who else it could be.”

Leaning against the railing, Qin Xiyu watched his friends with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Huo Yanting glanced at Pei Yining acting like an idiot and said coolly, “If he teases you next time, you don’t have to respond.”

Though Huo Yanting was looking straight ahead as he spoke, the three, Jiang Siheng and the others within his line of sight, didn’t answer him. Instead, the young man in the white suit replied, “It’s fine, Mr. Pei’s a good guy.”

Huo Yanting turned to look at the young man and lifted a corner of his mouth. “I thought people like you, intellectuals, would look down on people like us.”

Shao Yanqing seemed not to hear the edge in his husband’s words at all and said helplessly, “You said that yourself. I don’t think that way.”

Huo Yanting silently studied the constant smile at Shao Yanqing’s lips, then after a few seconds gave a soft snort, withdrew his gaze, and turned his head back.

Hearing that soft snort, Shao Yanqing shook his head and smiled without a sound.

As one of the only two there who also needed to head back to film the show, Qin Xiyu waited until Pei Yining finished clowning around, then asked Jiang Siheng when he planned to go to Yangyun Island.

“Tomorrow morning,” Jiang Siheng said.

“That soon? Sounds like you really want to see Wen Chi,” Qin Xiyu said.

Jiang Siheng shot him a glance and replied mildly, “I do but that’s not the only reason. Just now, it seemed like Xiao Chi wanted to tell me something on the call, but for some reason he didn’t. I’m worried something’s up, so I’m going early. If you don’t want to head back so soon, you don’t have to come with me.”

“Forget it. Sooner or later we have to go back anyway, and the show’s almost over,” Qin Xiyu said.

“Huh? Already?” Pei Yining snagged a glass of wine from a passing server, took a sip, and looked at his friends. “I only just started watching your variety show. I haven’t even finished, and you’re wrapping up?”

“There’s nothing worth watching,” Qin Xiyu said.

Pei Yining chuckled. “If it were only A Heng, maybe I wouldn’t bother. It’s not his first time on a variety show, after all. But this time it’s you, Mr. Big CEO, partnered with a pretty girl. I want to see if you will, like A Heng, catch feelings for someone on the show.”

Qin Xiyu snorted, “Whatever.”

The group fell silent, but suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the garden downstairs, followed by a loud, chaotic noise. Pei Yining glanced down and saw several men with their arms around each other’s shoulders, swaying as they were helped out of the garden by a waiter. When they turned a corner, Pei Yining could clearly make out their faces, and he turned back to Jiang Siheng with a raised brow. “Guess who just walked by?”

Jiang Siheng didn’t bother to respond.

Knowing Jiang Siheng’s personality, Pei Yining didn’t expect him to reply, so he answered his own question. “That Chen Han who tried to mess with your little boyfriend is with them, and I also saw Huang Chengbin, the boss of Wen Chi’s entertainment company. They seem pretty familiar, even walking with their arms around each other.”

Qin Xiyu glanced at Jiang Siheng, but the latter’s expression remained indifferent. After a moment, Qin Xiyu said, “I remember Wen Chi’s manager mentioned that the ‘audition’ back then was arranged directly by Huang Chengbin for Wen Chi, bypassing his agent.”

“Xu Yuqing, Chen Han, Huang Chengbin… Tsk. I don’t know what your kid did, but it seems like everyone’s making trouble for him,” Pei Yining shook his head, unable to figure it out.

Huo Yanting, who had been quietly listening to them, suddenly spoke up, “Xu Yuqing isn’t targeting Wen Chi. He’s targeting A Heng.”

Shao Yanqing, who had been absentmindedly staring off into space, loosened his grip on the wheelchair’s handle, slightly leaned forward toward Huo Yanting, and asked softly, “Do you want me to step away?”

The sudden proximity of the young man brought his fresh, crisp scent into Huo Yanting’s personal space, making him freeze for a moment.

When he regained his composure, Huo Yanting, surprised by his own reaction, frowned lightly, and his tone became even colder than before. “Go walk around. You’ve probably never seen this place before.”

Shao Yanqing nodded, “Okay.”

As Shao Yanqing turned to leave, Qin Xiyu noticed that Huo Yanting’s body instinctively shifted slightly in the direction of the young man, almost like he didn’t even realize that he was somewhat reluctant to let Shao Yanqing go.

Qin Xiyu silently withdrew his gaze, raised his hand to call over a waiter, and pointed to Shao Yanqing’s retreating figure. “This one’s a VIP. Show him around the old house. If anything comes up, let me know.”

The waiter nodded, “Got it, young master.”

Huo Yanting noticed the waiter approaching Shao Yanqing, and after they exchanged a few words, the waiter led Shao Yanqing in the opposite direction. Huo Yanting turned to look at Qin Xiyu.

As the most favored grandson of the old house’s owner, everyone naturally listened to Qin Xiyu. Seeing Huo Yanting’s gaze, Qin Xiyu said, “It’s quite big here. I’m worried Mr. Shao might get lost.”

“…” Huo Yanting silently withdrew his gaze.

Pei Yining saw Huo Yanting start something but then not continue and urged, “Come on, Huo Yanting, hurry up and finish what you were saying.”

The four of them were seated in a quiet corner on the second floor. Given their identities, no one dared to approach them. As long as they weren’t speaking loudly, no one else could hear their conversation.

Huo Yanting glanced at Pei Yining and said, “Go ask him yourself.”

Pei Yining: “???”

Without needing to ask, Jiang Siheng said, “Do you remember the man who appeared in my hotel bathroom four years ago?”

Pei Yining froze for a moment, then reacted with a disgusted exclamation, “I remember, how could I forget? That was so disgusting but what does this have to do with Xu Yuqing?”

“He’s the same person from back then.” Jiang Siheng spoke in a flat tone.

Pei Yining’s eyes widened. “What? But they don’t look like the same person at all. I remember when the police questioned him, he said he was your fan. How did he turn into a star now?”

Qin Xiyu also seemed surprised. Like Pei Yining, he didn’t know that Xu Yuqing was the same person from four years ago.

Four years ago, Jiang Siheng had won another major award. With his youth, looks, and innate acting talent, his national fame had soared. He had fans everywhere among young people.

After receiving the award, Jiang Siheng was scheduled to fly to another city for a gala the next day. The non-stop work had exhausted him. When the gala finally ended, he wanted to return to his hotel to rest. As he walked toward the bathroom with his bathrobe, a faint rose scent drifted out from behind the translucent bathroom door. He also saw a splash of red inside.

Jiang Siheng furrowed his brow and gently pushed the bathroom door open, only to find the clean bathtub now filled with warm water, floating with rose petals. A strange man, completely naked, was sitting in the bathtub. When he heard the sound, he looked up, his face plain yet youthful, and greeted Jiang Siheng with a familiar tone, “You’re back.”

Just one glance, and Jiang Siheng turned and left, ignoring the man’s calls behind him. He stepped out of the room, shut the door, and called Zhou Ge and Xiao Pang.

The incident was so disgusting that Zhou Ge’s face looked like he had eaten something revolting. He had arranged for Jiang Siheng to move to another hotel, and Xiao Pang took care of the rest. Zhou Ge stayed behind to investigate. He found out that the man knew Jiang Siheng’s sexual orientation and thought he could win Jiang Siheng over because of his appearance. Jiang Siheng’s solution was that the man was detained. As for where he went after being released, no one knew.

Because of this, Jiang Siheng suffered from insomnia for a long time afterward. He lost his appetite and dropped several kilos.

Though this incident was later leaked to the press by paparazzi, causing a stir, with fans rallying to protect their idols from stalkers, it had become public knowledge.

Qin Xiyu and the others knew about the incident, but now they couldn’t understand why, if Xu Yuqing was really the same man from that year, his attitude toward Jiang Siheng had changed so drastically after he had undergone plastic surgery.

Pei Yining thought for a moment and speculated, “Could it be the classic ‘from love to hate’?”

Jiang Siheng’s brows furrowed deeply, and he shot Pei Yining a cold look. “Get lost.”

“So what are you going to do? You’re going to be on the same variety show with him, facing him almost every day,” Pei Yining said.

Qin Xiyu said, “A Heng and I found that Huang Chengbin, the boss of Wen Chi’s company, has connections with Xu Yuqing from another entertainment company. It’s possible Xu Yuqing was involved in that incident too.”

Pei Yining still didn’t get one point, “Since you guys said Xu Yuqing wants to take revenge on A Heng, why is he targeting Wen Chi?”

Hearing Pei Yining’s question, Qin Xiyu and Huo Yanting both turned to look at Jiang Siheng, obviously waiting for the answer only the person involved would know.

Under the gaze of the three, Jiang Siheng lowered his eyes slightly. The coldness in his eyes flickered before he spoke in a hoarse voice. “Because I’ve been too kind to Wen Chi.”

Qin Xiyu and the others were stunned. They thought of many reasons, but this wasn’t one of them.

Jiang Siheng’s voice had always been cool. Even when in a well-lit and warm place, his tone, when heard in the night, was as cold and penetrating as if it were dipped in ice water.

They heard Jiang Siheng continue, “It’s my fault that Wen Chi got dragged into this.”