Chapter 66: You and Gu Fei Got Together?
After chatting with Gu Fei for a while, Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but yawn. He had been busy practicing the theme song for two days and had only slept for a few hours. He had been stimulated earlier and was still energetic, but now that he had showered and was lying in his comfortable bed, his brain and body quickly became tired.
“Tired?”
“Okay, not very tired.” Lin Qingyan’s voice was softer than usual, with a hint of laziness and weariness.
Gu Fei imagined the child lazily lying in bed, so he also softened his tone, afraid of disturbing him. “Be good, go to sleep.”
Lin Qingyan wanted to talk to the man for a few more words, but he was too sleepy to keep his eyes open. His mind was hazy, and he could only compromise, “En…then I’ll hang up first. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Gu Fei put down his phone and looked sideways at the neon lights outside the car window. His sharp and handsome eyes were deep and calm, reflecting the glow of the neon lights, blending into the vast night.
He knew that Lin Qingyan’s participation in this talent show wasn’t easy. The child was a hardworking person, and the practice was exhausting. Seeing Lin Qingyan looking thinner than before, Gu Fei felt heartache, but this was the path the child had chosen himself, and he wouldn’t interfere too much.
Lin Qingyan had his own freedom and ideals. He would fly higher and farther in the future and stand on a bigger and more dazzling stage. Gu Fei wouldn’t confine him to his side, but he wouldn’t let him leave his control either.
Like a person flying a kite, the kite would fly higher and farther with the wind, but as long as the kite string was there, no matter where it flew, it could return to him.
And all Gu Fei could do was make this path smoother and easier to walk.
—
Late at night, some contestants were still practicing in the dance studio, or they had returned to the dormitory, chatting and laughing, preparing to wash up and go to bed. In another four-person dormitory, it was dark and quiet, only the sound of even breathing.
Physically and mentally exhausted, Lin Qingyan and Lu Yuqi were sleeping soundly. Suddenly, there were chaotic footsteps outside, and then the dormitory door was pushed open, and the originally dim room was brightly lit by the suddenly turned-on incandescent lights.
Lin Qingyan, still in his sleep, frowned uncomfortably, then someone vigorously shook his body without any politeness. He thought he was dreaming and sleepily opened his eyes to see Liu Yang’s face before him.
“You two slept soundly. I want to ask, did Nannan return to the dorm tonight?”
Having been suddenly woken from deep sleep, Lin Qingyan frowned unhappily. Seeing An Jing and several program supervisors standing in the room, he became a little more awake.
This was a commotion in the middle of the night. What kind of trouble was An Nanyi causing again?
“He didn’t come back. What’s wrong?”
“Nannan is missing. I don’t know where he went,” An Jing’s voice was filled with worry. He felt that it must be because he had scolded his brother during the day, so his brother had gone into hiding.
“Sorry, we woke you up. Yan Yan, continue sleeping.”
“Oh…” Lin Qingyan was still in a dazed, sleepy state. He scratched his messy hair and nodded indifferently, then…pulled the blanket over his head and went back to sleep.
An Nanyi’s disappearance had nothing to do with him. Sleeping was more important.
“…”
At this moment, everyone present didn’t know how to react. Their roommate was missing, yet he showed no reaction at all? Even if he didn’t care, he should at least pretend!
Especially since An Nanyi’s brother, An Jing, was here.
Looking at Lu Yuqi on the opposite bed, he was sleeping even more soundly, showing no signs of waking up.
Liu Yang chuckled coldly, sarcastically remarking, “Amazing. Nannan is missing, yet someone can sleep so soundly and peacefully.” His words were practically accusing Lin Qingyan.
However, Lin Qingyan didn’t react at all. He was sleeping on his side. An Jing looked at his still head, not investigating the reason behind it, as finding his brother was the priority.
He said, “Liu Yang, you should rest too. The staff and I will go find him.”
Liu Yang shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ll go with you. I’m also very worried that Nannan is missing.”
There was another wave of chaotic footsteps, and everyone who had come in went out. An Jing stopped at the door, glancing back at the people in the room, and switched off the light.
Checking the surveillance footage, An Jing found his brother in a storage room. An Nanyi was sitting in the corner hugging his legs, his eyes red from crying. Seeing An Jing enter, he became even more heartbroken and sobbed.
“Nannan, why did you hide here? Do you know how worried big brother was!”
An Nanyi raised his head, grabbing An Jing’s arm, sobbing, “Big brother, I really know I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it again. Can you forgive me?”
“Big brother isn’t angry anymore. Let’s go home.”
“Big brother, can you not cancel my assessment score? Please. Everyone knows I’m the C-position. If my score is suddenly cancelled, everyone will know I cheated, and they’ll look down on me.”
An Jing was silent for two seconds.
“Is other people’s opinions really that important? Did you get first place for other people?” He looked at his brother helplessly, feeling a sense of powerlessness. “Why do you make things so difficult for yourself and me? If you’ve done something wrong, you should accept the punishment.”
“Big brother…”
“Let’s go home. We’ll talk about the other things later.”
An Jing’s face turned cold, pulling An Nanyi away.
—
Lin Qingyan slept soundly and woke up to a bright and warm morning. Sunlight streamed in from the window. He stretched, feeling refreshed.
He looked around the small dormitory. Liu Yang had returned, but An Nanyi was still not there. He didn’t know if they had found him. Lin Qingyan didn’t know what had happened to An Nanyi or why he had suddenly disappeared, nor was he interested in finding out.
Lu Yuqi on the opposite bed was still asleep. He went over and woke him up. “Yuqi, wake up. It’s not early.”
Young Master Lu liked to sleep in and had a bad temper when woken. No one dared to bother him. Lin Qingyan had been the one to wake him up these days. Lu Yuqi hadn’t recovered from yesterday’s blow and reluctantly got up.
After washing up, they went to the cafeteria downstairs for breakfast. Lin Qingyan had a good appetite today. Anyone could tell he was in a good mood, and only Lu Yuqi knew why.
He curled his lips and asked, “You and Gu Fei got together?”
Lin Qingyan was drinking soy milk. Hearing this, he paused, then nodded lightly, his ears turning red again. He said embarrassedly, “Thank you yesterday.”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
These words were like a knife stabbing Lu Yuqi in the chest.
“By the way, yesterday he seemed to kick you. Are you okay?”
Lu Yuqi’s mouth twitched slightly. He remembered the eight yuan and eighty-eight cents from last night. He squeezed the meat bun in his hand tightly, saying vengefully, “Lin Qingyan, Gu Fei is not a good person. I advise you to reconsider.”
“Ah? Why do you say that?”
Lu Yuqi: “He’s petty, hypocritical, heartless, and ungrateful.”
Lin Qingyan: “Yuqi, he’s your cousin. How can you talk about him like that? That’s slander.”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
He had humiliated himself.
After breakfast, the two went to the dance studio to practice. Most of the Class A contestants had passed the theme song assessment. As soon as Lin Qingyan and Lu Yuqi walked in, they heard others talking.
“I heard that An Nanyi disappeared last night, and Teacher An and the staff were looking for him in the middle of the night.”
“No way? What happened?”
“Have they found him now? Why did he suddenly disappear?”
“They’ve found him, but I don’t know the specific reason. I just heard it from the staff.”
Lu Yuqi hadn’t woken up last night and only learned about this now. He looked at Lin Qingyan with a questioning look, and Lin Qingyan told him about the events of last night.
Lu Yuqi sneered, “He must be feeling guilty. Who knows how he got that first place.”
He dared to say anything in front of the cameras, and his voice wasn’t low. It just so happened that An Nanyi, the subject of the conversation, passed by the door. It was unclear how long he had been standing there or what he had heard. Lin Qingyan gently tugged at Lu Yuqi’s sleeve, signaling him to stop.
Lu Yuqi stopped talking.
An Nanyi acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, still wearing a friendly smile, but his exquisite makeup couldn’t hide his slightly swollen eyes. His tone was normal. “Yan Yan, Yuqi, did you sleep well last night?”
“Very well.” Lin Qingyan pursed his lips slightly and smiled at him, equally kind and friendly, and asked with concern, “But you don’t seem to be doing well?”
An Nanyi, “I’m fine. I won’t delay your practice. I’ll go first.”
Lin Qingyan: “En, you should practice hard too.”
An Nanyi looked at him strangely, seemingly surprised that he would say this, as he had been cold and indifferent before. An Nanyi hesitated, but ultimately said nothing, turning to leave.
Lin Qingyan smiled at Lu Yuqi again. “Let’s practice.”
Lu Yuqi looked at him strangely too. “Are you alright?”
Lin Qingyan smiled, his eyes curving slightly. “I’m fine. I’m just in a good mood.”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
Although nothing was said, he felt he had been forcefully fed dog food. Why was he in a good mood? Wasn’t it because of Gu Fei? Damn it, he remembered the eight yuan and eighty-eight cents again. He couldn’t get over it!
After the theme song assessment deadline, the program team announced the results of all the contestants. Most of them had passed.
First Place: Lu Yuqi
Second Place: Zhong Wangfei
Third Place: Lin Qingyan
…
Only three people failed the assessment: Liu Gui, Zuo Yutao, and…An Nanyi.
This result was unexpected.
“What’s going on? Wasn’t Nannan first place? Why didn’t he pass the assessment?”
“Did they make a mistake with the list?”