Chapter 46

Because of the time difference, Shen Huaixi, who had been scolded earlier while relaxing abroad, had just woken up when his manager told him about the incident involving the movie star.

Before he could even vent his morning irritability, after hearing about the situation, Shen Huaixi had to suppress his temper.

The situation came too abruptly, and Shen Huaixi was completely unprepared.

He threw off the blanket and paced barefoot around the room, as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.

Having just been scolded, another round of criticism made him very unhappy.

But more than the scolding, he was now more worried about Qin Mingchuan.

In the past, Shen Huaixi wouldn't have cared.

Because he was sure Qin Mingchuan would always stand by him.

But things had changed. After Su Xingyao's contract termination incident, he realized many things had slipped out of his control.

For instance, Qin Mingchuan's protection of Su Xingyao had become obvious.

And since then, Qin Mingchuan hadn't contacted him.

This time, with the situation escalating so dramatically, Shen Huaixi knew Qin Mingchuan would investigate.

So it was only a matter of time before Qin Mingchuan discovered his past efforts to suppress Su Xingyao through the movie star.

Shen Huaixi wasn't sure how much Qin Mingchuan knew. Holding his phone, he found Qin Mingchuan's number, unsure how to probe for information.

Lost in thought, Shen Huaixi accidentally knocked over a vase on the table.

Water spilled onto the floor.

Barefoot, he slipped and fell forward onto the floor in a clumsy motion.

Shen Huaixi winced in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

Suppressing the urge to curse, he quickly used this pitiful state to call Qin Mingchuan.

When he cried, Qin Mingchuan would soften.

Across the ocean, Qin Mingchuan, unable to reach Su Xingyao, had mostly sobered up.

When he felt the phone vibrating on his pillow, his heart skipped a beat.

Qin Mingchuan almost immediately propped himself up on the bed with one hand and reached for the phone with the other.

But when he saw the name on the caller ID, the hope in his eyes instantly turned to irritation.

Qin Mingchuan didn't want to hear Shen Huaixi's call now.

He didn't even want to mention the name.

At some point, he realized that these three words, which were once so important to him, seemed to have gradually blurred.

Especially after learning about what Shen Huaixi had done to Su Xingyao, he couldn't help but want to prolong the cold period between them.

Knowing that now was not the right time for a call, Qin Mingchuan reached out to hang up Shen Huaixi's call.

But his habit of answering the other's calls immediately over the years led him to accidentally press the answer button.

Qin Mingchuan was about to hang up when Shen Huaixi's voice suddenly came through.

"Mingchuan..."

Shen Huaixi's voice was thick with grievance, his words breaking into an unmistakable sob.

Qin Mingchuan frowned, his expression unyielding despite Shen Huaixi's sobs, and asked coldly, "What's wrong?"

Hearing the coldness in Qin Mingchuan's tone, Shen Huaixi felt a chill run through him.

For the first time in years, Qin Mingchuan was treating him so coldly.

Shen Huaixi instantly guessed that Qin Mingchuan knew about the company's issues and was furious with him.

Seeing Qin Mingchuan's displeasure, Shen Huaixi realized that now was not a good time to explain.

He rubbed his ankle, his voice a mix of coquettishness and tears, saying, "I dreamed of you last night, and the first thing I did when I woke up was to call you, but I accidentally slipped and got hurt while reaching for my phone."

After the lie, Shen Huaixi paused, waiting for Qin Mingchuan to comfort him as usual.

But after a long silence, Qin Mingchuan's expected concern never came.

The phone line was eerily quiet, and the atmosphere turned awkward in an instant.

He stopped rubbing his ankle, overwhelmed by a sudden wave of inexplicable grievance.

He had genuinely hurt himself in the fall, but his earlier tears had been an act.

But now, being suddenly ignored by someone who had always cared for him, the emotional shock made Shen Huaixi's real tears spill over.

"Mingchuan, my foot hurts... it really, really hurts."

Shen Huaixi's sobs echoed through the phone, and Qin Mingchuan's grip tightened until his knuckles turned white.

But he remained silent, offering no words of comfort.

Only after Shen Huaixi's sobs subsided did Qin Mingchuan finally speak.

"If your foot's hurt, go see a doctor. Telling me won't do any good."

Shen Huaixi, wiping his tears, choked up, his anger forcing the tears back.

Humiliated by Qin Mingchuan's indifference, Shen Huaixi bit his lip, his voice shaking.

"Qin Mingchuan, what the hell do you mean by that?"

Already in a foul mood, Qin Mingchuan's patience wore thin with Shen Huaixi's questions.

"And you?" Qin Mingchuan asked, his tone almost cruel. "Why are you calling?"

Qin Mingchuan's blunt question infuriated Shen Huaixi, who had been ready to explain but now couldn't bring himself to speak.

But Shen Huaixi stubbornly stayed on the line, chin raised, waiting for Qin Mingchuan to notice his anger and relent.

The two of them stayed locked in a tense silence for several minutes.

Finally, Qin Mingchuan let out a helpless sigh.

The tension in Shen Huaixi's eyes slightly eased as he waited for the other party to apologize to him.

However, Qin Mingchuan did not comfort him as he had expected, but instead coldly spoke a few words.

"Since you won't say it, then I will."

Qin Mingchuan took out the lighter from his pocket, flicking it open and closed.

"Why did you treat Xing Yao like that?"

The sound of the lighter closing echoed in his ears.

The sound was like a kite string stretched to the breaking point, suddenly snapping.

Shen Huaixi felt a shiver run down his spine.

He felt that Qin Mingchuan and he were like the kite and the broken string.

Their relationship, because of the issue with Su Xingyao, was likely to completely fall apart.

Unable to describe the feeling, Shen Huaixi, clearly panicked, still tried to hold onto the string.

"Mingchuan, I honestly don't get what you're saying."

Seeing Shen Huaixi still playing dumb, Qin Mingchuan suddenly felt that the other party was very unfamiliar.

Yet this scene and tone felt very familiar to him.

Many times when "incidents" occurred, Shen Huaixi acted like this.

As if he knew nothing, yet all the blame ended up on Su Xingyao.

Was he truly clueless?

Or did he understand everything but did it on purpose...

The flame from the lighter singed Qin Mingchuan's finger.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he opened the WeChat interface and took a screenshot of the other party's message.

"Huai Xi, Liu Huai has already confessed everything."

Shen Huaixi's breath hitched for a moment.

But reason told him that he couldn't say anything at this moment.

So he firmly insisted, "I think there's gotta be some misunderstanding here. Wait till I get back, and we'll discuss it in detail."

Shen Huaixi's attitude left Qin Mingchuan unable to continue the conversation.

He just hung up on Shen Huaixi.

And the screenshot that had already been sent was also unsent.

Staring at Shen Huaixi's chat page until the screen went black.

Qin Mingchuan felt his heart, which had been burning and beating for the other, slowly dying.

Years of unrequited love now felt like a cruel joke.

The person he had been so passionately fond of turned out to be nothing like he imagined.

Realizing this, Qin Mingchuan wasn't as sad as he expected.

Instead, the thought of Su Xingyao's departure made his heart feel as if a piece had been torn out.

The helplessness of not being able to hold onto someone filled him with dread.

Qin Mingchuan sat on the bed, lost in thought for what felt like an eternity.

When he finally snapped out of it, he realized his finger had accidentally tapped on his phone screen, opening his social media feed.

The screen stopped at the latest comment someone had left on his post.

asduasn: Qin, you're amazing! No duplicates online, custom-made, huh?

Qin Mingchuan was in a foul mood and didn't want to deal with these meaningless comments and likes.

But what caught his attention was the content of the post the comment was on.

The picture was of a birthday gift he had posted on his birthday this year.

A set of mecha models Su Xingyao had gifted him.

At the time, he hadn't thought much of it and had casually snapped a photo and posted it.

He hadn't expected it to be unearthed and commented on after so much time.

And especially now, when he regretted it the most.

Qin Mingchuan didn't reply to the comment; instead, he tossed his phone aside and walked over to the display cabinet.

Inside were six neatly arranged mecha models, each in a different style.

They were the birthday gifts Su Xingyao had given him over the six years they'd known each other.

He had never paid much attention to these models before, assuming Su Xingyao was just indulging his interests by giving him slightly rarer models.

It wasn't until tonight's comment about them being custom-made that it suddenly hit him.

These were all custom-made by Su Xingyao, just for him.

They were birthday gifts Su Xingyao had personally crafted for him...

Qin Mingchuan felt the mecha models in his hands suddenly weigh a ton.

A wave of overwhelming regret crashed over him, leaving him utterly defeated.

Qin Mingchuan couldn't bring himself to touch the birthday gifts Su Xingyao had given him.

He simply didn't deserve the genuine love Su Xingyao had once shown him...

...

The head of the movie star's PR department, who had been on edge all day and hadn't dared to leave work, finally received instructions from the boss late at night.

However, the message the boss conveyed to them wasn't about handling public relations for the company.

Instead, he was instructed to find a way to delete the screen recordings and screenshots of haters insulting Su Xingyao that were previously leaked by hackers.

The person in charge was completely baffled as to why Mr. Qin would want to clean up the mess for Su Xingyao, who had caused the company and Shen Huaixi to be severely criticized at such a time.

But he didn’t dare ask why.

The games and entanglements among the wealthy were truly beyond the understanding of ordinary employees like him.

However, although he couldn't understand Qin Mingchuan's thoughts, he truly couldn’t assist him with this matter.

"Mr. Qin, this content can’t be deleted anymore—someone already took care of it."

Qin Mingchuan was silent for a few seconds. This was already the second time this had happened.

Every time it came to matters concerning Su Xingyao, he was always a step behind Lu Jiuxu.

Drunk and thinking of the person who always appeared by Su Xingyao’s side, Qin Mingchuan felt his head ache even more.

Extremely distressed, Qin Mingchuan lay on the bed half-asleep, his mind constantly recalling a scene.

When he first met Su Xingyao, he clung to him so tightly that he almost lingered at the door of Su Xingyao's classroom whenever he had free time.

One day, Fu Qingyan, seeing him like this, deliberately stopped him.

"I see you following Su Xingyao around every day—trying to be his shadow or something?"

The sunlight shone on him, and Fu Qingyan deliberately stepped on Qin Mingchuan’s shadow.

"Being glued to him every day makes it look like you’re chasing him..."

Qin Mingchuan closed his eyes in pain.

So much time had slipped by...

So much that he had actually forgotten the origin of the name Star Entertainment...

Star Entertainment, when reversed, reads ‘Su Xingyao’s shadow’...

But in the end, the man who openly admitted to Fu Qingyan that he was Su Xingyao’s shadow—the one who founded the company—had destroyed Su Xingyao’s dreams and future.

In the darkness, Qin Mingchuan’s blood ran cold. His hands clenched into fists, and he slammed them into the hard wall.

Su Xingyao himself was unaware of the online backlash.

While everyone was slamming Star Entertainment and Shen Huaixi to defend themselves, Su Xingyao was busy drawing illustrations and editing the video about Lushui County that their six-member group had filmed.

*

The workload was heavy, and Su Xingyao, not wanting to be interrupted while editing, silenced his phone.

It wasn't until he finished today's editing that he remembered to check his phone.

Su Xingyao unlocked his phone and saw a flood of unread messages.

But before he could even glance at them, Lu Jiuxu’s video call popped up.

Su Xingyao, caught off guard, answered the call without hesitation.

He gave a faint smile, "Mr. Lu, did you put a tracker on me?"

"Meow~"

The other person's screen lit up, but what answered Su Xingyao was a cat's meow.

Coral's tiny paw gently tapped the screen a few times, then immediately meowed twice.

Su Xingyao reached out his finger and gently tapped Coral's tiny paw on the screen.

"Coral."

Hearing Su Xingyao call her, the cat finally realized she was in the wrong spot and lowered her head.

The next second, Coral's round, jet-black eyes and chubby face appeared in Su Xingyao's view.

And on her body, a slender, bony hand was casually draped.

Outdone by the cat, and having to hold her to prevent her from falling, the man who could only barely fit a hand in the frame gently rubbed Coral's ear with his index finger.

"The tracker wasn't put there by me."

Lu Jiuxu smiled faintly, "Coral put it there."

Su Xingyao glanced over, but the screen was mostly blocked by the cat, and he could only see a corner of Lu Jiuxu's clothes.

Coral, missing Su Xingyao after a few days, was quite restless.

Her sharp claws gently tapped the screen a few times but didn't touch Su Xingyao himself, so she anxiously pawed at the phone screen.

Lu Jiuxu, worried she might fall, cradled her in his arms.

The camera tilted slightly with this movement, and on the screen, above Coral's furry pointed ears were the man's open pajama collar and his elegant, sexy collarbone.

From this angle, it was a bit too captivating...

Su Xingyao quickly averted his gaze.

But two seconds later, the other person asked him, "Why are you looking down so much?"

Su Xingyao quickly looked up again, his eyes locked on the shorter cat.

Lu Jiuxu smirked, his narrow eyes sparkling.

"Su Meow, is the show done recording?"

"Today's recording is finished; I'm editing the video now."

After saying this without thinking, he suddenly realized he had accidentally spilled information about the show, so Su Xingyao quickly covered his mouth and stopped talking.

Fortunately, Lu Jiuxu, being tactful, didn't press further, instead starting a new topic as if he hadn't heard the question.

"When are you planning to come back?"

As Lu Jiuxu spoke, Coral's tail swished, brushing against his collar.

Forced to endure the tickling, Lu Jiuxu had no choice but to reposition Coral, pinning her restless tail under her feet.

Su Xingyao watched the screen, waiting for Lu Jiuxu to finish, then answered, "Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, by plane."

After speaking, he leaned his head closer to the camera and whispered to Coral, "Be a good girl, Coral."

Upon hearing Su Xingyao's voice, Coral happily tried to get up, her tail wagging eagerly.

Seeing this, Lu Jiuxu gently pressed her head down.

He glanced down at Su Xingyao, who was practically speaking into the phone.

Because he was so close, his eyes looked especially big.

Resisting the urge to capture this adorable moment in a screenshot, Lu Jiuxu said to him, "I'll come get you."

Su Xingyao instinctively wanted to say yes.

But then he suddenly remembered his promise to Lu Zhiyun during their hotpot dinner.

"Zhiyun and I already made plans. Tomorrow is Children's Day, and he wants to introduce me to his 'main squeeze'..."

After stroking Coral's head a few times, Lu Jiuxu lazily said, "Okay then."

"Have fun on Children's Day."

The video call had been going on for a while when Sunset finally showed up.

Unlike Coral's reserved nature, Sunset was much more bold.

It quickly climbed onto the sofa, stepping onto Lu Jiuxu's lap, and poked its head right in front of the screen.

Su Xingyao waved at the pup, "Hey, Sunset."

Hearing Su Xingyao's voice, Sunset got excited and responded with a series of barks.

Lu Jiuxu, already barely in the frame, was now completely pushed out by the cat and dog.

Su Xingyao played with the cat and dog on camera for a bit before hearing Lu Jiuxu's voice again.

"It's been a few days since I've seen you."

Amidst the cute noises from Sunset and Coral, Su Xingyao didn't quite catch what he said.

He looked up, confused, "Huh?"

He didn't repeat himself but paused before speaking again.

"Sunset and Coral both miss you a bit."

Su Xingyao softly hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes catching a glimpse of pajamas on the screen.

It was getting late, and after playing with them for a bit, Su Xingyao let them sleep.

Lu Jiuxu, who had been holding them, gently put them down. Coral obediently lay down by Lu Jiuxu's feet, but the energetic Sunset tried to climb up again.

"They're still a bit reluctant to leave."

As the man spoke, the camera finally moved upward.

First, his well-defined chin came into view, followed by his strikingly handsome face.

Gazing at the slightly upturned corners of his eyes through the screen, Su Xingyao met his gaze.

"Mr. Lu..."

He asked, "And you?"

Without specifying exactly what he was asking, Su Xingyao just followed his instincts and asked the other.

The person on the screen also looked at him.

After a tender pause, he spoke.

"Yes, me too."

After saying goodnight to each other, Su Xingyao did not go to sleep immediately.

The video call from Lu Jiuxu, countless unfamiliar calls on his phone, and various messages from his friends all indicated that something must have happened concerning him.

Su Xingyao had pretty much stopped caring about external public opinion lately.

But his friends had sent him so many messages that it would be rude not to reply.

But if he were to reply, he himself had no idea what was going on.

So, eventually, he decided to check the trending topics.

But when he searched for information about himself at that moment, the private messages on his Weibo that had been leaked had already been handled by Lu Jiuxu.

What remained were mostly one-sided expressions of sympathy from netizens and concerted efforts to criticize the actor and Shen Huaixi.

After a quick look, Su Xingyao got the gist of the situation.

However, what surprised him was that in the latest statement from the actor, they openly admitted their mistakes and even sent an apology letter to him and the netizens.

Seeing that the apology letter mentioned that the relevant personnel had been disciplined and promised to deregister the company and no longer be involved in the entertainment industry, Su Xingyao was still a bit surprised by Qin Mingchuan's decision.

But he wasn't interested in why this decision was made.

After closing Weibo, he replied to his concerned friends' messages one by one.

Before going to bed, he noticed a message in his inbox from a somewhat familiar number.

But after just a quick glance at the message, Su Xingyao didn't open it.

Not every unread message needs to be opened.

The next afternoon, as soon as Su Xingyao got off the plane, he spotted the handsome and flamboyant Lu Zhiyun in the crowd.

Dressed in black with black sunglasses, Lu Zhiyun swiftly led Su Xingyao through the crowd to the airport garage.

*

Then he proudly patted his ride.

"This is my big wife."

When Lu Zhiyun talked about his big wife, his face was full of pride.

Today, he drove a supercar that was even more flashy than his outfit.

Compared to the yellow supercar he drove last time, this all-black supercar looked even more luxurious and domineering.

After eagerly inviting Su Xingyao into the car, Lu Zhiyun raised an eyebrow at him.

“Isn’t my baby cool? Limited to just ten worldwide.”

As he spoke, he held up ten fingers to show the number.

Su Xingyao had no interest in cars.

So he didn’t even know the brand of Lu Zhiyun’s car.

But he could still tell the car was ridiculously expensive.

After all, a supercar with only ten units in the world made Su Xingyao tread lightly as he got in.

“It’s so pricey, I’m almost afraid to sit in it…”

Lu Zhiyun snapped his fingers at him, “No big deal. I’ll get my brother to take you out in something even pricier later.”

Su Xingyao thought Lu Zhiyun’s words were a little odd, but before he could think more about it, Lu Zhiyun started the car.

“Today, I’m taking you somewhere fun.”

As Lu Zhiyun took Su Xingyao out, Banyang approached Qin Mingchuan.

“Mr. Qin, how about hanging out with the guys today to unwind and have some fun?”

Qin Mingchuan was lethargic and didn’t even bother to look up, directly saying, “Not going.”

Banyang ignored him and dragged him toward the garage, “Come on, come on, there’s a special guest today, perfect for you to meet—he’s into cars too.”

Qin Mingchuan was extremely annoyed, glanced at Banyang, and impatiently asked him.

“Who is it?”

Banyang: “The Lu family’s young master.”