Chapter 63: Lu Yuqi Fakes a Kiss with Yan Yan in Front of Gu Fei
An Jing stood by the window, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly. He looked thoughtfully at the scenery outside, a deep emotion in his eyes.
A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door, and then someone opened the door and entered. An Nanyi walked towards An Jing, asking strangely, “Big brother, why did you suddenly call me alone? Is something wrong?”
Hearing this, An Jing turned around. He silently stared at his younger brother for a few seconds, his gaze seeming to solidify, making An Nanyi feel uncomfortable. An Nanyi touched his face strangely, “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
An Jing suddenly spoke, “Big brother just wants to ask you a question.”
An Nanyi: “What question?”
An Jing looked calmly into his eyes, his tone gentle but with a hint of something else. “You got the C-position in the theme song. Is there anything you want to tell big brother?”
An Nanyi wasn’t stupid. He quickly sensed that his brother’s words weren’t literal. His expression was a little puzzled and confused. “Big brother, what do you mean?”
An Jing didn’t beat around the bush. He directly asked An Nanyi, “Nannan, big brother knows your abilities. How did you learn this rather difficult theme song in such a short time?”
The meaning was clear. An Nanyi’s heart skipped a beat. A fleeting look of panic flashed in his eyes, and An Jing caught it.
An Nanyi’s face showed disbelief, anger, and disappointment. “Big brother, you wouldn’t suspect me of cheating, would you? I learned the theme song through my own hard work! How can you suspect me like this? Is that how you see me?”
An Jing was even more disappointed. If he could, he would have been reluctant to believe it. In his understanding, his younger brother had always been sensible and obedient, unlike An Yu, who constantly worried him.
But An Nanyi’s current reaction further confirmed his suspicions. He had previously asked the staff and the Class B contestants who practiced with An Nanyi. They all said that An Nanyi went back to rest at midnight last night and only returned to the dance studio to practice at almost 9 am today.
The practice time was too short.
And he had just watched the dance studio’s surveillance footage. An Nanyi’s speed in learning the theme song was unbelievably fast, even faster than Lu Yuqi, and…when he first started practicing, his movements seemed very smooth and coherent, as if he had practiced before.
An Jing couldn’t help but suspect. An Nanyi was his brother. He knew An Nanyi’s abilities best. It was impossible for him to learn this dance with its complex movements in such a short time.
“An Nanyi,” An Jing’s expression and tone became serious. His gaze was like sharp swords, directly meeting An Nanyi’s eyes. “I’ll give you three minutes. I hope you think carefully and tell me the truth.”
An Nanyi had never seen An Jing so serious. He nervously looked away, keeping his head down and not speaking. An Jing didn’t speak either, just quietly looking at him, making him feel suffocated.
An Nanyi panicked and finally told the truth. Half a month before the show started recording, the production team had sent An Jing an email containing a video of the theme song.
An Nanyi accidentally saw it and secretly copied the video, practicing secretly. Half a month was enough for him to familiarize himself with the dance.
“Big brother, I really didn’t mean to. I’m sorry…” An Nanyi’s eyes reddened. He looked at An Jing with grievance, whispering, “I just wanted to get the C-position. I didn’t want to embarrass you…”
An Jing was so angry his head hurt. He could no longer suppress his anger, and he scolded angrily:
“You didn’t want to embarrass me? So you used cheating to get the C-position? I really don’t understand why you participated in this show. Since you participated, work hard and prove yourself with your own abilities, not by using underhanded methods! Do you understand?”
“Nannan, big brother is really disappointed in you.”
“Big brother, I really know I was wrong. Don’t be angry…” An Nanyi’s tears fell continuously. He grabbed An Jing’s arm, sobbing with grievance, “Big brother, I won’t dare to do it again. I’m sorry.”
An Jing looked at him helplessly, “Nannan, I don’t understand why you have such a strong desire to win. You’ve been like this since you were young, always wanting to be first. I don’t know who you inherited it from. It’s different from the rest of our family.”
An Nanyi paused slightly, then heard An Jing continue, “I said before that I treat every contestant fairly and justly. I won’t treat you differently just because you’re my brother.”
“Since you cheated, your assessment score will be cancelled.”
These words were like a bolt from the blue. An Nanyi looked at An Jing incredulously, wronged and panicked. “Big brother, how can you do this to me? I’m your brother! Aren’t you the one who loves me the most?”
An Jing didn’t waver in his decision. He was a man of principle. “These are two separate matters. Big brother just hopes you’ll learn your lesson and reflect on yourself.”
“Big brother…”
“Don’t say anything. Get out.”
An Nanyi was still crying, but An Jing’s attitude remained firm and unwavering. The cancellation of his assessment score meant that he not only lost the C-position but also the qualification to participate in the stage recording.
He had still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that even if his brother found out, nothing would happen to him. His brother usually doted on him so much, but…the result was completely contrary to his expectations.
He clenched his fists, reluctantly turning around and leaving.
An Jing watched him leave, letting out an almost inaudible sigh. After calming down for a few minutes, he went out, aimlessly wandering the corridor. Passing by the Class D trainees, he stopped by the window.
Inside, the Class D contestants were practicing seriously. Their training uniforms were gray, so the figure in a light blue training uniform moving among them stood out sharply.
“Bend your right leg a little more. Don’t look down at your feet. Look ahead.”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Let’s do it again, everyone. I’ll demonstrate first. Pay attention to the details of my leg movements.”
An Jing’s gaze rested on the young man, observing his cool yet gentle profile, his serious expression as he patiently corrected others’ movements again and again, his tone and manner calm and gentle.
Looking at the young man’s face, An Jing felt a little dazed.
A contestant noticed An Jing standing outside and excitedly shouted. Immediately, everyone stopped their movements and greeted him, including Lin Qingyan.
An Jing nodded at them and smiled as he entered. “It seems everyone has been practicing hard. You’re doing well. Keep up the good work.”
Zhou Chen glanced at Lin Qingyan and said gratefully, “Thanks to Yan Yan and Yuqi for teaching us. Otherwise, we would still be worried. Everyone was worried that they wouldn’t pass the assessment.”
“Yes, especially Yan Yan helped us a lot!”
“Teacher Xiao Lin is amazing!”
Faced with everyone’s praise, Lin Qingyan touched the back of his head somewhat shyly, his fair and round ear tips slightly flushed. He smiled with pursed lips, “Don’t say that, everyone. It’s only natural. Seeing your improvement gives me a great sense of accomplishment.”
It was just a small effort for him. Seeing their anxious, dejected, and helpless expressions reminded him of his past self, and he wanted to help them.
The warmth and sincerity in the young man’s eyes were genuine. An Jing seemed to be infected by him, and his mood gradually improved. He gently patted Lin Qingyan on the shoulder, smiling, “Yan Yan, you did a great job. Keep it up.”
Lin Qingyan smiled, his eyes curving slightly. “En, I will.”
—
In the evening, after working overtime for a week, Gu Fei got off work early again today. The company’s subordinates were already used to it. They had been guessing for so long, but they still didn’t know why Mr. Gu got off work early.
The journey was a bit far, so Gu Fei had the driver drive. He sat in the back, handling work on his laptop. After finishing his work, he closed his eyes and rested, thinking about the person he was about to see, his mood relaxed considerably.
On the other hand, after dinner, Lin Qingyan and Lu Yuqi returned to the dormitory to prepare to shower. They hadn’t showered last night and had sweated a lot. They could smell the sour odor on themselves just by lowering their heads.
They both disliked the smell.
The dorm was empty. An Nanyi and Liu Yang didn’t seem to be back yet. Lin Qingyan let Lu Yuqi shower first. While waiting, he picked up a book to read, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
He thought of the video call that morning.
He thought of Gu Fei, of the words “I miss you” he had said to Gu Fei, of the things Gu Fei had said and done for him, his ears feeling slightly warm.
“What are you thinking about?”
Lu Yuqi, just out of the bathroom, stared at him strangely.
Lin Qingyan was startled and hastily denied, “Um…nothing, nothing.” After a pause, he hesitantly said, “Yuqi, I want to ask you a question.”
“What?”
He still hesitated, finally lowering his voice and whispering, “If someone likes you, what would their behavior be like? How can you tell if they like you?”
Lu Yuqi raised an eyebrow with interest, “You want to know if someone likes you, Gu Fei?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qingyan’s face immediately flushed red. He shook his head and hurriedly denied it. Lu Yuqi nodded knowingly, lightly tsk-ing, “It seems my guess was right.”
He caught sight of a figure appearing at the doorway. Lu Yuqi chuckled, “Why don’t you try?”
Lin Qingyan: “Ah?”
At that moment, Lu Yuqi suddenly leaned over, put his hand on the back of Lin Qingyan’s head, and quickly leaned down to kiss Lin Qingyan’s lips.
The man standing at the doorway’s eyes narrowed, and a huge wave instantly surged in his calm eyes, filled with unprecedented anger and coldness.