Chapter 61: Gu Fei, the Old Fox, Deliberately Teases Yan Yan
The initial stage recording took two days. Next came the theme song assessment. While the first episode aired, Lin Qingyan was practicing the theme song and dance with everyone. He didn’t even have his phone and didn’t know he had topped the hot searches.
A staff member finally told him, and Lu Yuqi also showed him the content of the hot searches. Lin Qingyan’s mouth twitched slightly; he felt a sense of social death. He had been so silly during the live stream.
Lin Qingyan hadn’t expected to be liked by so many people. Looking at the comments from netizens on Weibo, many praising him and saying they liked him, his nose suddenly felt sour, and he felt like tears were welling up.
The memories of his past life were deeply imprinted in his mind. He had once been deeply hurt by malicious words, even afraid to go out and afraid of crowds.
Lin Qingyan could hardly believe that people would like him. In his past life, he had waited too long, and even at the time of his death, he hadn’t waited for this day. He had been reborn with a deep sense of regret.
Lu Yuqi saw the glistening moisture in Lin Qingyan’s eyes. He couldn’t help but put his hand on his shoulder and lightly tsked, “What? Are you going to cry from excitement?”
Lin Qingyan smiled, hooking his lips. “No, aren’t we supposed to go to the dance studio to practice? You go first; I’ll go later.”
Lu Yuqi knew he wanted to be alone. “Okay, but come quickly. We don’t have much time to practice.”
The rules for the theme song assessment were simple: whoever learned the dance and song the fastest and received the instructors’ approval would pass. First place would be the C position for the theme song, with the rest ranked accordingly. Those who failed the assessment couldn’t participate in the theme song recording.
It was the second day of the theme song assessment. Many people had practiced late into the night. Lin Qingyan and Lu Yuqi were the same; they had only slept for two or three hours before having to practice again.
There wasn’t much time to waste. After calming down for a few minutes, Lin Qingyan decided to go to the practice room. As he was about to leave, the program manager came over, holding a self-sealing bag containing a phone.
“Yan Yan, this is your phone. Here you go.”
Lin Qingyan took the bag in a daze. The phone inside was indeed his, the one Gu Fei had given him—the same model as Gu Fei’s. He asked in confusion, “Wasn’t it supposed to be confiscated? Why are you giving it back to me?”
The program manager mysteriously leaned into his ear and said, “The leader instructed it. Use it with peace of mind. It won’t be edited into the final cut, but don’t be too blatant.”
“…” Lin Qingyan could only say thank you.
After giving him the phone, the program manager didn’t leave. She smiled and asked, “Yan Yan, can you sign an autograph for me? I really like you. I have a feeling you’ll become a huge star later!” (So she wanted a few autographs now, anticipating their future value.)
Lin Qingyan naturally agreed. “Sure, where should I sign?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the program manager taking out a stack of at least a dozen photos and a pen from her bag. All the photos were of him, screenshots from the first episode.
The program manager looked at him expectantly. “Sign them.”
“…Okay.” Lin Qingyan smilingly took the photos and pen, somewhat awkwardly signing his name—his designed artistic signature; he hadn’t signed in a long time.
“Thank you, Yan Yan, you’re so nice! I believe you’ll become a huge internet sensation. Add oil!”
The program manager left happily with the signed photos. Lin Qingyan was still dazed. He had just turned on his phone when a call came in. The contact name was: Mr. Gu.
…He understood what was going on.
Gu Corporation seemed to be the investor of this show—the big boss, the sugar daddy.
Gu Fei called on video chat. Lin Qingyan felt like the phone was a hot potato. He went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. The person in the mirror was wearing the program’s uniform loose sportswear, his hair disheveled, bloodshot eyes, and dark circles under his eyes, looking extremely haggard.
He had practically stayed up all night practicing and had only slept two or three hours after returning, without even having time to shower. He sniffed himself and showed a slightly disgusted expression; he practically stank.
Lin Qingyan: “…”
The phone kept vibrating, like a death knell.
He didn’t want Gu Fei to see him looking so bad, but since coming here, he hadn’t contacted Gu Fei. It had been over a week. He wanted to see and talk to Gu Fei, even through the screen.
Gu Fei waited for a while, but the call wasn’t answered. Just as he was about to hang up, the other party answered. The familiar light, soft voice came through the phone, with a hint of hesitation and probing: “Gu…Mr. Gu?”
After speaking, he almost bit his tongue.
The young man’s face wasn’t on the screen; he seemed to be blocking the camera with his hand, only showing a pitch-black screen.
A flash of doubt crossed Gu Fei’s eyes. His low, magnetic voice held a hint of disappointment. “It seems that in just a few days, Yan Yan has become distant with Fei Ge, calling me ‘Mr. Gu’.”
“It’s not like that…” Before Lin Qingyan had confirmed his feelings for Gu Fei, Gu Fei would tease him, making him nervous. Now that he had confirmed his feelings, he was even more nervous when speaking.
He subconsciously blurted out, “I miss you, Fei Ge.”
After saying that, his cheeks turned red.
He felt that he was becoming increasingly shameless lately.
He wouldn’t have been able to say such words before.
Lin Qingyan blocked the front camera; Gu Fei couldn’t see him, but he could see Gu Fei. The background seemed to be in the bedroom of the villa. The man’s sharp-featured face appeared on the screen.
The camera only showed a bit of his upper body. The man was wearing a black shirt, with the top two buttons undone, his collar open, vaguely revealing half of his collarbone and wheat-colored chest—a mix of abstinence and sexiness.
Even through the screen, one could feel the strong male hormone aura. Lin Qingyan involuntarily swallowed, his sexy Adam’s apple rolling up and down.
Unfortunately, Gu Fei couldn’t see it.
He was savoring the young man’s words just now. The child said he missed him. He slightly curled his lips, a hint of gentle smile in his eyes. Looking at the black screen, he spoke slowly, “Fei Ge misses Yan Yan too, so don’t block the camera. Let Fei Ge see you.”
The low voice entered Lin Qingyan’s ears, like a gentle persuasion. He could hear his own heart beating wildly, involuntarily moving the hand that was blocking the camera, his gaze evasive.
He whispered, “I don’t look good now, I’m very messy…”
People always tend to show their perfect side to those they like, and Lin Qingyan was no different.
He stared unreservedly at the tired-looking young man on the screen. His already lean face was even thinner now, but in his eyes, he was still just as handsome. No one could compare to the child’s handsomeness.
He said, “You look good, not messy.”
His tone was serious, and his gaze was fixed on the person on the screen. Those eyes, when seriously looking at something, would appear exceptionally affectionate, as if staring at the person he loved most…
“The one I love the most…” This thought lingered in Lin Qingyan’s mind for a second before being forcibly expelled. He didn’t know what Gu Fei’s feelings were, and he dared not take the initiative to break the current ambiguous relationship.
Gu Fei said again, “Yan Yan has lost weight. Is the training very hard?”
“It’s a bit hard, but it’s okay. I’m very happy.” Speaking of this, Lin Qingyan became a little excited. He moved his phone down, the camera aimed at the “A” logo on his clothes.
The young man’s voice revealed unconcealable joy and a hint of pride. “I got an A-level on the initial stage. Many people said I was great.” Actually, what he most wanted to hear was Gu Fei telling him he was great.
Seeing the bright smile in the young man’s eyes, Gu Fei couldn’t help but smile. He said, “En, Yan Yan is great.”
Lin Qingyan felt satisfied. He actually wanted to talk to Gu Fei more, but he didn’t know what to say. His brain seemed to have crashed. In the end, he only stammered, “That, Fei Ge, I have to go to training.”
Gu Fei let him hang up first. After hanging up, he regretted it. He thought regretfully that it was a rare opportunity to talk to Gu Fei, and he should have said a few more words.
He mentally scolded himself, “Lin Qingyan, you’re too cowardly!”
On the other side, the man looked at the call record on the screen, a smile of pleasure playing on his lips. He raised his hand and slowly buttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, returning to his rigorous and meticulous appearance.
A hint of ambiguous amusement flashed in his eyes.
——
The intense practice that followed temporarily put the matter aside. There were seven people in Class A, including Lu Yuqi, all working hard. Lin Qingyan didn’t dare to slack off either.
During the break, the two sat on the floor. Lu Yuqi handed a bottle of mineral water to Lin Qingyan, panting and asking, “How’s the practice going?”
Lin Qingyan wiped the sweat from his face with his arm, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp before saying, “The singing part is okay, but the dancing is a little off. I often forget the moves.”
His overall skills were among the top few trainees, but his dance was slightly worse than his vocals. Lu Yuqi could smoothly handle both singing and dancing, but he couldn’t. He still needed to practice.
Knowing that his skills weren’t enough for the C position, he said to Lu Yuqi, “No one has gone for the assessment yet. Why don’t you try? Don’t let others get ahead of you. I think you can get the C position.”
He wasn’t worried. In his previous life, Lu Yuqi was the C position for the theme song, and this time should be no different. The most skilled were all in Class A. The other five were still practicing, and they hadn’t been able to complete the dance yet.
Lu Yuqi said, “Let’s rest for a while. I’ll go later.”
Lu Yuqi had this much confidence. The C position was a sure thing for him. He rested for ten minutes before going to the assessment room. To his surprise, An Nanyi had gone in before him.
An Nanyi?
That drama queen?
Damn!