Chapter 74 The Truth Behind That Incident
Gu Fei was still on a business trip abroad, so he couldn’t be seen.
Lin Qingyan couldn’t contain his excitement. He really wanted to talk to Gu Fei, so he hid in the restroom and called him.
It was a little after six in the morning on Gu Fei’s side. The man was still lying in bed in the hotel, having worked late into the night. He was woken up by the jarring ringtone, and frowned slightly in displeasure.
He sleepily picked up his phone. When he saw the name on the caller ID, the displeasure in his brows immediately disappeared, replaced by a soft, languid smile playing on his lips.
The man raised his arm and rested it behind his head, holding the phone to his ear. His sleepy eyes were half-closed, he called out “Qingyan,” his voice hoarse and languid from lack of sleep.
Though separated by the phone, those two words, transmitted through the electric current to Lin Qingyan, were like the man whispering his name in his ear. There was no warm breath, his ear pressed against the cool phone screen, yet a faint blush still crept onto his cheeks.
Even now, Lin Qingyan still felt his relationship with Gu Fei was incredibly unreal.
He cautiously said, “Did I wake you?”
The man on the other side hummed in response. A look of distress immediately appeared on the young man’s face. “Sorry, I didn’t know. Please go back to sleep. I won’t bother you…”
Gu Fei interrupted him, “It seems Qingyan hasn’t yet understood our relationship.”
“Wh…what relationship?”
“I’m your boyfriend now, so…” Pausing, Gu Fei’s voice became even gentler, low and magnetic, “Qingyan can do anything to Fei-ge, can be unreasonable, no need to apologize.”
Lin Qingyan was stunned for a moment, a smile gradually appearing on his handsome face, shy and filled with heartfelt happiness. He murmured softly, as if to himself, “I thought I was dreaming. I’m actually dating Fei-ge…”
Hearing this, the man on the other end chuckled softly. “What? Want to back out?”
Lin Qingyan quickly denied, “No, no…”
He awkwardly changed the subject. “I called to tell you I got second place in the competition. Many fans voted for me. I didn’t expect so many people to like me. I’m really happy…”
The young man’s voice was filled with overflowing joy. Gu Fei couldn’t help but share his happiness, coaxing him like a parent encouraging a child, “Qingyan is so amazing, more people will like you.”
Finally receiving praise from Gu Fei, Lin Qingyan felt satisfied. “Mm, I’ll work harder in the future!”
“Mm.” Gu Fei casually agreed, “Beat Lu Yuqi.”
Lin Qingyan: “…”
Don’t let Lu Yuqi find out.
“Then I won’t disturb your rest…” Although he wanted to talk more, thinking of Gu Fei’s hard work, he couldn’t bear to continue disturbing him.
Just as he was about to hang up, Gu Fei stopped him.
Gu Fei said, “Did Qingyan forget something?”
Lin Qingyan was puzzled. Gu Fei chuckled softly, his husky, languid voice reaching the young man’s ears, with a hint of mischief, like a big bad wolf teasing a little rabbit, “Before hanging up…what should you say to your boyfriend?”
Lin Qingyan sluggishly realized that Gu Ye wasn’t as serious and proper as he appeared, because every time he called this person, it would end with his face flushed and heart racing.
This time was no exception.
“Fei-ge, I actually…miss you, I really like you.” He stammered, his voice soft and gentle, with undisguised affection.
But after saying these words, he immediately hung up, still timid, unable to imagine Gu Fei’s reaction after hearing them.
He would definitely laugh at him.
But, saying these things to a boyfriend should be normal, right? Right?
Boy…friend… Lin Qingyan looked at the call log on his phone screen, savoring those three words in his heart, like a candy in his mouth, sweet.
Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but giggle.
Just as he was lost in thought, a hesitant knock came from the door, followed by Lu Yuqi’s irritable voice, “Lin Qingyan, did you fall into the toilet? Why are you taking so long in the bathroom?”
“Hurry up, I’m about to burst!!”
Lin Qingyan: “…”
On the other side, Gu Fei’s sleepiness was gone. He lay in bed looking at the ceiling, those deep, sharp eyes were exceptionally bright, the corners of his lips slightly raised, making his usually calm and serious face softer.
Gu Fei thought, the kid is still easily shy and embarrassed, but he still expresses his feelings to me, so green and yet so honest and frank. Gu Fei could clearly feel Lin Qingyan’s affection for him.
He repeatedly replayed the kid’s words in his mind, a restrained yet intense emotion surging in his eyes.
The curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows blocked the morning sunlight, the hotel room was dimly lit. The man lay in bed, his body tense, his well-defined face covered in a thin layer of sweat, his lips pursed tightly.
“Qingyan…”
After a long time, his body finally relaxed, lying languidly, raising his hand to shield his eyes, also shielding the unfathomable emotions in them.
——
Lin Qingyan slowly opened the bathroom door. Lu Yuqi, waiting outside, stared strangely at his face. “Why is your face so red? Constipation?”
“Of course not!” Lin Qingyan twitched his lips slightly, then looked away, saying weakly, “It’s just a bit hot.”
Lu Yuqi only asked casually, and didn’t pursue it further; taking care of his physiological needs was more important.
Lin Qingyan paused for a moment, allowing the redness on his face to subside. He saw Lu Yuqi come out of the bathroom, sat on the bed, and kept looking down at his phone, letting out a sneer, a cold one.
“Yuqi, what are you looking at?”
Lu Yuqi casually threw his phone to him. Lin Qingyan saw the content on the screen: An Nanyi’s fans were cursing Lu Yuqi, the content unbearable. Since the third episode aired, the cursing had begun.
Lin Qingyan frowned involuntarily, glanced at it twice, and returned the phone to Lu Yuqi. He had experienced this before. He clenched his fists, saying apologetically, “Sorry, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be scolded.”
In his past life, he was the one who was most viciously cursed by An Nanyi’s fans, along with some other netizens following the trend. He didn’t want to relive that unbearable period of pain.
Lu Yuqi, however, didn’t care. “It’s nothing to do with you, I just find him annoying.”
Lin Qingyan sighed almost inaudibly. “Yuqi, you shouldn’t look at it anymore, it’ll affect your mood.”
Lu Yuqi laughed indifferently, still with his unruly, confident, and composed demeanor. “I’m in a good mood.”
Looking at Lin Qingyan, who seemed preoccupied, he spoke earnestly for the first time, “Why bother with them? Let them scold, it won’t take a piece of your flesh. Just do your own thing, make yourself stronger, and then piss them off.”
“Let them scold. If I’m not happy, I’ll go scold An Nanyi, who they like, and see who can out-scold who.”
Lin Qingyan: “…”
Sure enough, the cool king is still the cool king.
However, the words are crude but the meaning is clear, and it seems to make sense. Lin Qingyan fell into deep thought. He couldn’t be as calm as Lu Yuqi, because he was scared of being scolded in his past life.
He felt like a rat everyone wanted to beat, not even daring to walk into a crowd, not daring to make eye contact with others…
Lin Qingyan smiled, “Yuqi, you’re right.”
At that moment, he seemed to let go.
Because he was no longer alone and helpless. He had Gu Fei, the blatant favor he had once longed for, he had friends, and he had fans who supported him. His career was just beginning, with endless possibilities in the future. His path should be open and bright.
Let them scold, he would only become stronger, and then… piss them off.
——
Separated by thousands of kilometers, the longing swelled like a water-soaked sponge, unstoppable. Gu Fei had to end his work early and rushed back to Nancheng from abroad overnight.
He arrived back in Nancheng at 7 am. Gu Fei, weary from his journey, came out of the airport. His driver was already waiting outside. He got into the car, didn’t go home or to the company, and directly gave the driver Tomorrow Star’s’s filming address.
He hadn’t told Lin Qingyan about his return, wanting to surprise the kid. Passing a flower shop, Gu Fei asked the driver to stop and personally went into the shop to choose a bunch of vibrant red roses.
The clerk handed the beautifully packaged bouquet to the exceptionally handsome and mature man standing in front of him, smiling, “Sir, your loved one must be very happy.”
“Thank you.” Gu Fei took the red roses, under the watchful eyes of passersby, held them, and walked towards the car. He placed the bouquet on the seat beside him, a touch of tenderness flashing in his eyes.
“Drive.” His tone remained its usual calm detachment. The driver responded, keeping his eyes down, silently driving.
The car drove steadily on the road. The man leaned languidly against the seat back, closed his eyes and began to doze. There were faint dark circles under his eyes; the busy work and travel had tired him out.
About an hour later, halfway through the journey, the vibration of his phone woke Gu Fei from his nap. He glanced at the caller ID and calmly answered the phone.
As soon as he answered, the man on the other end excitedly said, “Gu Ye, good news! I really found out the truth about that incident at the hospital!”
Hearing this, a ripple appeared in Gu Fei’s calm eyes. He sat up straight, still speaking calmly, “Tell me everything you’ve investigated.”
“It’s quite unbelievable…”
The other party’s words came through the phone’s electric current. A crack finally appeared on Gu Fei’s cold and calm face, revealing surprise and disbelief.
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