Chapter 44: Lin Qingyan is Trapped
Yi Hua Entertainment—
Lu Sheng, CEO Lu, dressed in a suit, leaned lazily against the practice room door, watching his younger brother, Lu Yu Qi… and the young man next to him, with great interest.
The young man wore a loose t-shirt and jeans. Tall and slender, his supple body moved rhythmically with the music, his movements clean, handsome, and with a youthful innocence, not at all greasy.
Coupled with his delicate face, slightly flushed from exercise, his bangs damp with sweat, and large beads of sweat rolling down his fair cheeks, he unexpectedly added a kind of masculine sex appeal and charm.
Lu Yu Qi next to him danced the same dance as Lin Qingyan, but gave a different impression. Lu Yu Qi was also handsome and cool, but with more arrogance and a strong aura.
In short, they each had their own unique charm.
Lu Sheng couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, wondering where Gu Fei had found such a treasure.
He initially thought Lin Qingyan was just a pretty face, but he discovered he was a capable and persevering hidden gem, skilled in singing and dancing. He had talent, and he was diligent, and on top of that, he had a pleasant personality.
Lin Qingyan was much more likable than his younger brother, Lu Yu Qi, who always acted cool, wore a straight face, and was arrogant and sharp-tongued.
Tsk… no wonder Gu Fei valued him so much.
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement in them. He lightly stroked his chin. He had a feeling this kid would achieve great things in the future.
The music stopped, and the two stopped their movements. Lu Yu Qi ignored the person at the door, throwing a towel and a bottle of mineral water to Lin Qingyan. “You’ve made great progress these past few days. You’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“I think so too.” Lin Qingyan didn’t show any modesty, a mischievous smile in his slightly raised peach blossom eyes.
He casually wiped the sweat from his face with the towel and took a few sips of water before noticing Lu Sheng standing at the door. He politely greeted him.
“Lu Yu Qi, learn from him. Xiao Lin is so polite. You brat doesn’t even greet your own brother.”
Lu Yu Qi remained unmoved. “Spit it out.”
Lu Sheng was clearly used to his brother’s attitude and simply ignored him, calmly smiling at Lin Qingyan. “You danced well. Confident for tomorrow?”
Lin Qingyan nodded. “Yes, President Lu, rest assured. I won’t disappoint you.”
Lu Sheng smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Mm, good luck tomorrow.” He then looked at Lu Yu Qi, his smile gone, saying disapprovingly, “You too, kid. If you embarrass me, you’re dead.”
Lu Yu Qi was the future C-position debut member, with top-notch singing and dancing skills. There was no way he’d embarrass them, Lin Qingyan thought.
It was already dusk, and the sky had darkened. Lin Qingyan didn’t stay at the company long. Gu Fei’s driver was waiting downstairs. As soon as he got in the car, his phone rang.
The caller ID was labeled “Mom”—Zhou Yue Lan. This was the first time Zhou Yue Lan had contacted him in the past two weeks since his rebirth; he hadn’t contacted his family.
His younger brother, Lin Qingyang, had asked him for money a while ago, but Lin Qingyan had brushed him off. He had long been disappointed with these so-called family members and didn’t hold out any hope.
Lin Qingyan hesitated for a moment before answering the call, calmly calling out, “Ma.”
Zhou Yue Lan didn’t detect anything wrong. She said, “Xiao Yan, why haven’t you called home recently? Your brother said he contacted you, but you hung up on him.”
Lin Qingyan said, “I’ve been busy. Is there something you need?”
Zhou Yue Lan sighed. “Ai… I accidentally fell while cooking just now and can’t even walk now. Your father is never home, and your brother is in school.”
“Xiao Yan, if you’re free, could you come home and take care of your mother…?” She groaned in pain. “I’m alone at home and can’t even go to the hospital.”
Lin Qingyan frowned slightly. He felt some resistance but eventually agreed. Although he was disappointed with his family, Zhou Yue Lan was his mother after all, and he couldn’t ignore her.
His home was quite far from here. Lin Qingyan asked the driver to take him to a nearby bus stop and took the bus himself. He called Steward Shen.
“Uncle Shen, something came up, and I have to go back to my hometown. I won’t be back tonight. Mm… goodbye, Uncle Shen.”
Lin Qingyan’s home was in the old city. He took nearly two hours by bus to reach his destination, almost nine o’clock at night. He walked along the familiar, somewhat dilapidated streets, where the old streetlights cast a faint glow.
After walking for a few minutes, he stopped in front of a very old, dilapidated building. A 10-story building without an elevator. Fortunately, Lin Qingyan lived on the second floor, so climbing the stairs wouldn’t be too tiring.
The light in the stairwell was dim. Lin Qingyan walked up the narrow stairs he had often run up and down as a child, but suddenly felt unfamiliar, lacking a sense of homecoming.
He remembered one time when he was a child, he ran too fast, stumbled, and fell down these stairs. The lack of pain wasn’t a good thing; at the time, he had fractured his right hand without realizing it.
Later, he found his right hand weak and cried to his mother. Zhou Yue Lan took him to the hospital for a check-up and found that his son’s hand was fractured. At that time, she scolded little Lin Qingyan for not walking carefully and asked if he knew how much money it cost to go to the hospital.
She cared more about the money than her son’s health. If she had only been more attentive and caring, she would have noticed that her son’s pain receptors were problematic. It’s ironic; only Lin Qingyan knew he couldn’t feel pain.
As a child, he discovered that he was different from others. When other children fell, they cried and shouted in pain; he never cried, and never felt pain.
Back then, little Lin Qingyan had told his mother, Zhou Yue Lan, that he didn’t feel pain. But Zhou Yue Lan didn’t take it seriously, thinking her son was just making things up. Later, when he mentioned it again and again, she became impatient.
“You’re so young and you’re already behaving badly, repeatedly lying. How have I taught you? Did you listen to anything I said?”
Later, as Lin Qingyan grew up, he never mentioned it again. There was no point.
Sometimes he wondered what Gu Fei’s reaction would be if he told him he couldn’t feel pain. He didn’t know, but he knew Gu Fei wouldn’t be like his mother.
…
His thoughts returning, Lin Qingyan climbed the stairs, step by step, and stood in front of his home.
He knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened, revealing Zhou Yue Lan. She was leaning against the wall, her back slightly hunched, her weight on her left leg, looking like she had difficulty standing.
Lin Qingyan looked at the woman in front of him, and compared to his memory of her five years later, she hadn’t aged much, yet her hair had grayed at only forty-plus years old. Her face, once fairly pretty, was now filled with wrinkles, making her look like she was in her fifties.
She smiled at the young man, saying warmly, “Xiao Yan, you’re back. Come in.”
Lin Qingyan hummed. “Let me help you.” He helped Zhou Yue Lan sit on the sofa in the living room, noticing that her way of walking indicated a serious injury. “Where are you hurt? Your right foot?”
Zhou Yue Lan frowned in discomfort, her voice weak. “Yes, my right foot hurts badly.”
“Let me see.” Lin Qingyan crouched down, about to roll up Zhou Yue Lan’s trouser leg when she stopped him. “No need. It’s just swollen. I remember your brother’s room has Yunnan Baiyao, but I couldn’t find it just now. Go find it.”
Lin Qingyan got up and went to his brother Lin Qingyang’s room. He didn’t see it on the desk, so he opened all the drawers below, still finding nothing, nor on the bookshelf or bed.
“Mom, did you remember wrong?” He turned to look outside. The door, which had been open, was now closed. He walked over and tried the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn.
His movements froze. His heart sank, quickly realizing that the door was locked from the outside, and he couldn’t open it no matter how hard he tried.
Various emotions surged within him, but Lin Qingyan’s expression remained unusually calm, his lips even curving into a sarcastic smile. The injury was a lie.
“Mom, did you trick me back for this?”
“Why did you do this?”
Zhou Yue Lan stood calmly outside the door, completely unlike her weak appearance earlier. There was a hint of guilt in her eyes, but her tone was pleading. “Xiao Yan, Mom did this for your own good.”
“I heard you’re suddenly participating in some talent show. You haven’t learned to sing or dance. Why bother with that stuff? That’s for rich people!”
“Xiao Yan, Mom always taught you to be down-to-earth, not to do anything crooked. There are no shortcuts in life…”
“So…” Lin Qingyan abruptly interrupted. “You don’t intend to let me out today, right?”
The person outside was silent for a moment before saying reluctantly, “Xiao Yan, don’t blame Mom. Just stay in your room today. There’s food in the drawer. Mom will let you out tomorrow.”
“How did you find out about this?”
“That’s not important. Just know Mom wouldn’t hurt you…”
“Okay, I understand. Don’t say anymore.”
Lin Qingyan clenched his fists, leaned against the door, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tears in his eyes. It was all for his own good, such a righteous excuse.
He had heard enough of this in his previous life.
This family… he really shouldn’t have come back.
His audition was tomorrow afternoon. He had to find a way to leave.
The person outside didn’t speak again. The young man sat on the floor, leaning against the door, his legs bent, his thin back slightly curved, looking incredibly lonely and helpless.
He sat motionless for a few minutes until the vibration of his phone sounded strangely in the quiet room.
It was Gu Fei calling.