Chapter 80: Mom Arrived
The next morning, Gu Fei drove Lin Qingyan to the filming location and stopped near the entrance.
The boy in the passenger seat was asleep, his head tilted to one side. His eyes were still slightly swollen and puffy, with faint dark circles under them. He hadn’t slept well last night and looked very tired.
Gu Fei leaned over slightly to unfasten his seatbelt. Lin Qingyan sleepily opened his eyes, his bloodshot eyes filled with confusion. “Mm… are we here?”
“We’re here.” Gu Fei reached out to rub his head, saying seriously, “Go back, eat well, sleep well. As for other things, tell me after you’ve thought it through.”
“Mm…” Lin Qingyan lowered his eyes, whispering, “I will.”
“YanYan,” Gu Fei looked intently into his eyes, his low, magnetic voice gentle. “You should know, no matter what, Ge Fei will always be by your side.”
After all, this matter was difficult for ordinary people to accept. Gu Fei knew Lin Qingyan couldn’t calmly deal with this overnight; the boy needed time to figure things out.
Gu Fei respected his choice.
Watching the man’s car gradually disappear from view, Lin Qingyan closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before turning to walk inside. As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Yuqi standing under a tree, hands in his pockets, listlessly kicking at fallen leaves.
Lin Qingyan was surprised. He quickly walked over, “Yuqi, what are you doing here?”
“Just happened to be passing by.” Lu Shao’s demeanor and tone remained cool; he wouldn’t admit he was waiting there on purpose. He stared suspiciously at Lin Qingyan’s face. “Did you cry?”
Though a question, his tone was certain.
Lin Qingyan hesitated, unsure how to answer. Lu Yuqi looked at him, a hint of ambiguity in his eyes, his words implying something deeper. “Where did you go with Gu Fei? Did he bully you into crying?”
“No!” Lin Qingyan hurriedly shook his head in denial.
He felt that the word “bully” was somehow wrong.
“That’s good.” Lu Yuqi put his hands in his pockets and turned to walk inside.
He couldn’t find Lin Qingyan last night and only learned from a staff member that he had gone out to meet an important person. As for who that important person was, anyone could guess.
Tsk… Gu Fei, you’re something.
Lin Qingyan quickly caught up with Lu Shao. The other party put his arm around his shoulder, casually patting his hair, a playful smile curving his lips, “I’ll see when you’re sold by Gu Fei and still help him count the money.”
“Gu Ye doesn’t need money.” The person least in need of money in all of Nancheng was Gu Fei, Lin Qingyan thought, then pushed Lu Yuqi’s arm off his shoulder, saying seriously, “Yuqi, we need to keep our distance.”
Lu Yuqi: “???”
Lin Qingyan explained, “Actually, there’s something I didn’t tell you. Ge Fei said I shouldn’t get too close to you.”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
Damn Gu Fei, ungrateful.
Lu Shao was furious. It was he who had sacrificed himself to bring Gu Fei and Lin Qingyan together. Now, Gu Fei wasn’t grateful, and was even wary of him?
But… could Gu Fei be jealous? After all, many netizens were shipping him and Lin Qingyan. At this thought, Lu Yuqi smirked. Interesting.
Lin Qingyan was preoccupied. After hesitating for a while, he asked Lu Yuqi, “What was An Nanyi and Liu Yang’s reaction to me not sleeping in the dorm last night?”
Lu Yuqi, “They didn’t say anything.”
Since Lu Yuqi and Liu Yang had fought last time, their relationship had become completely strained. Although they still lived under the same roof, they didn’t communicate with each other.
This was the best. Lin Qingyan had his peace. At least An Nanyi wouldn’t deliberately approach him and feign concern like before. They could live peacefully.
After a night, Lin Qingyan had calmed down a lot. He wasn’t usually an emotional person. It was just that the sudden revelation of the truth last night had been too much of a shock, causing his emotional breakdown.
Living in the same dorm, meeting An Nanyi was unavoidable. Lin Qingyan had prepared himself to face him calmly, at least outwardly. He hid his feelings well, even Lu Yuqi didn’t notice anything wrong.
Training days were busy, so busy that after showering, Lin Qingyan would fall asleep immediately. Time passed day by day in this busyness, giving him an excuse to constantly avoid the matter of acknowledging his family.
The second public performance ended. Lin Qingyan’s performance was still stable. When the second ranking was announced, his votes had surpassed Lu Yuqi’s by several thousand. It wasn’t a huge difference, but those few thousand votes were enough to push him to the top spot.
Lu Yuqi, who was now second, didn’t think it was a big deal. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t be so accepting. But losing to Lin Qingyan felt alright. “Congratulations, first place.”
Lin Qingyan felt embarrassed. In terms of overall ability, Lu Yuqi was definitely better than him. In his past life, Lu Yuqi had always been number one. “I was just lucky. Next time you’ll definitely surpass me again.”
Lu Shao glanced at him, “Of course.”
Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you two talking about, so happy?” An Jing walked up to them without being noticed. Lin Qingyan quickly turned around, somewhat awkwardly greeting him. Lu Yuqi also perfunctorily said hello to Teacher An.
“YanYan, congratulations on getting first place.” An Jing patted Lin Qingyan on the shoulder, a gentle smile on his handsome face. Seeing the man’s current appearance, a complex look flashed in the boy’s eyes. He slightly lowered his eyes, his expression gentle. “Thank you, Teacher An.”
Lin Qingyan suddenly remembered the day he was sick with a fever, when An Jing carried him to the hospital. He was delirious with fever at the time and told An Jing, “I wish I had a brother like you.”
He didn’t remember An Jing’s reaction.
But he knew that his words at the time were sincere. An Jing was indeed a good brother, and he had once envied An Nanyi. He never imagined… that An Jing was actually his biological brother.
And the younger brother his real brother doted on… wasn’t him.
An Jing didn’t notice anything wrong with Lin Qingyan and turned his attention to Lu Yuqi beside him. These two were so close; one was well-behaved and likable, while the other always wore a sullen face, incredibly arrogant.
Perhaps An Jing’s gaze was too obvious. Lu Yuqi glared at him unhappily, his displeasure clear in his tone. “What are you looking at?”
Tsk… rebellious teenagers were really annoying.
“Nothing.” An Jing narrowed his eyes, smiling faintly as he patted the rebellious teenager’s shoulder. “I just think second place is pretty good too. Keep working hard and stay steady.”
Lu Yuqi: “…”
“Then I won’t bother you two chatting.”
Lin Qingyan’s gaze involuntarily followed An Jing. The other man walked to An Nanyi’s side, not far away. He could vaguely hear their conversation.
An Nanyi reluctantly called out, “Big Brother.”
“Nannan got sixth place; that’s improvement.”
“What? Still angry with Big Brother?”
“No…”
Lin Qingyan retracted his gaze, clenching his fists secretly. His gentle peach blossom eyes drooped, concealing his disappointment. He chuckled self-deprecatingly in his heart.
Sure enough, An Nanyi and An Jing had a very good relationship, didn’t they?
They were brothers who were as close as family, and he was just an outsider.
—
After the second public performance, training wasn’t as busy. There were a few days of relaxation; the selection show’s content wasn’t just endless practice and performances.
The day after the ranking announcement, the production team held a red carpet event that all trainees had to attend. They had to prepare their own gowns.
Lin Qingyan was doing math problems in the dorm when he heard this news. He paused, slightly troubled. He didn’t have any formal attire; his suitcase only contained a few sets of everyday clothes.
Looking at An Nanyi and Liu Yang, their beds were piled with clothes. The two were happily choosing which outfit to wear. Lin Qingyan retracted his gaze and looked towards Lu Yuqi, who was lying on his bed playing a mobile game.
“Yuqi, did you bring any clothes?”
“I have one set. You can wear it.” Lu Yuqi didn’t take his eyes off the screen. He wasn’t interested in walking the red carpet; games were far more fun.
“You should wear it. I’ll ask someone else.”
Lin Qingyan got out of bed, put on his shoes, and went to other dorms. He had made some friends here, and the other dorms were lively; everyone was excitedly looking for clothes.
“YanYan, don’t stand at the door. Come in.”
“YanYan, have you decided what to wear tonight?”
“Not yet.” Lin Qingyan came in, scratching the back of his neck somewhat embarrassedly. “I came to ask if any of you have extra clothes I could borrow.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“I brought several sets. See if you like any.”
“Thank you.”
While everyone was choosing clothes, several aunts and uncles suddenly entered. Lin Qingyan hadn’t realized what was happening when he saw other trainees excitedly running over and hugging them.
“Dad, why did you suddenly come!?”
“I’m not dreaming, Mom! I miss you so much!”
It was probably arranged by the production team. If nothing unexpected happened, the trainees’ families had arrived.
Lin Qingyan watched their happy reunion, feeling uneasy. He put down the clothes and left the dorm, feeling anxious and disheartened as he walked towards his own dorm.
Before he went inside, he heard a voice from inside, An Nanyi’s, “Mom, why did you come? I miss you so much!”
“Oh, my good son.”
“Nannan looks thinner than before. Mom’s so worried…”
…
Lin Qingyan stood there, unable to take another step closer.