This was the first time An Jing had heard An Qingyan bring up the past on his own initiative.

During his time back in Anjia, his younger brother always showed a cheerful and optimistic side, and never complained about how bad his previous life had been.

He knew that An Qingyan had a very bad life before. How could such selfish parents treat a child who was not their own properly? After living together for so many years, they hadn't even realized that their "son" had no sense of pain.

If it weren't for good luck, if something had really happened to Yan Yan, they might never have been able to see her again.

Just thinking about it made An Jing feel a wave of fear.

“Yan Yan…” An Jing didn’t know what to say for a moment. His nose tingled, and he felt a lump in his throat.

Perhaps having opened up, An Qingyan smiled and spoke of what had been weighing on his mind. His voice was soft and his tone calm, as if he were recounting someone else's story:

"You know what? I actually came to Anjia once when I was in my senior year of high school, which was about two or three years ago."

A faint redness rose at the corner of his eyes, and he chuckled to himself, “An Nanyi and I were high school classmates. Back then, I thought he was my only friend.”

"That day was his seventeenth birthday. He held a very grand birthday party at home and invited all the classmates. I went too."

"Actually... that day was also my birthday." (Original URL)

"You must have forgotten, or you haven't even noticed me, because I'm too afraid to get close to you. I can't even afford a decent gift."

“I would hide in a corner and watch from afar as he was surrounded by classmates, friends and family, like a little prince… At that time, I thought to myself, if only I could be like him someday.”

"Now, my wish has come true."

“I think I’m already very lucky, so you don’t need to feel sorry for me. It’s not your fault. You are victims just like me.”

An Jing listened to these words in silence, his heart aching. He looked up at the sky, forcing back the tears that were about to spill, but in the end, he choked up, "I'm sorry, Yan Yan..."

He remembered that birthday party.

That day, he actually noticed a boy hiding in a corner watching everyone. He was a bit far away and couldn't see the boy's face clearly. He only remembered that the boy was sitting alone on the steps in front of the lawn, looking particularly lonely.

But he didn't go over to ask because he was busy celebrating his brother's birthday. When the party was almost over, he remembered the child again, but when he went to look for him, the child was no longer there.

If... if he hadn't chosen to ignore it that day, would things have been different?

Nobody knows.

Having said all this, An Qingyan felt much relieved. When he turned his gaze to An Jing's face, he noticed that his older brother's eyes were moist, and he was trying hard to hold back his tears.

He opened his arms and gave An Jing a comforting hug, saying, "Big brother, it's alright."

Something's wrong, it's so embarrassing!

It's so embarrassing to cry in front of my younger brother!

——

It was late at night.

Gu Fei came out of the gym covered in sweat, and after washing up, he lay down on the bed.

He wasn't asleep; he was still holding the wooden rabbit in his hand, idly stroking the smooth wooden rabbit's head, his thoughts already drifting far away.

He still felt puzzled about An Qingyan's ability to play the piano. In fact, An Qingyan could not only play the piano, but also sing, dance, and even act.

As for the part-time job at the music store mentioned on the phone, Gu Fei realized that the other party was lying.

He knows An Qingyan too well.

Gu Fei had investigated him a long time ago. The child had never had the opportunity to be exposed to these things before. When he was in school, he did part-time jobs in addition to studying. After dropping out of school, he was busy making money to support his family and had neither the means nor the time to be exposed to these things.

The only plausible explanation is that the child is very talented in music, dance, and acting, and performs exceptionally well even without professional training; he's simply blessed with natural talent.

Gu Fei frowned slightly, still feeling that something was amiss.

But he couldn't explain it.

There is no other reason to explain these things.

Meanwhile, at the Anjia Villa on the other side.

An Qingyan rolled around twice on the comfortable and soft bed in the new room, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He had gotten used to sleeping with Gu Fei, and now he always felt empty inside.

He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he sat up, turned on the light, rolled out of bed, and shuffled off in his slippers toward the walk-in closet.

The luggage he brought was already packed, and the clothes were neatly arranged. He opened the bottom drawer, and inside lay a neatly folded white shirt.

A moment later, the boy lay back down on the bed, but now he had a shirt he had just found in his arms. He held the shirt close, and perhaps it was just his imagination, but he seemed to smell a faint scent of cedar wood in his nostrils.

This is Gu Fei's scent, a scent that makes him feel at ease.

He closed his eyes in the darkness and slowly fell asleep.

——

The next day, the sun shone warmly and brightly.

Duan Ci's mood was not very bright. There was a pile of bottles and jars lying on the floor next to him, some of which were broken into pieces and the cosmetics inside had spilled out.

The anger once again spilled over onto the innocent cosmetics on the table. This time, the makeup artist didn't need her assistant to remind her; she very consciously turned around and left, thoughtfully closing the dressing room door behind her.

"How could it be Lin Qingyan!" Duan Ci was still furious. She kicked the table leg hard, ignoring the pain, and gritted her teeth in anger. "Didn't that guy surnamed Wu say that this role was perfect for me?!"

He was furious when he found out the final choice for the male lead from the "Legend of Kyushu" production team. What was supposed to be a sure thing was ruined by Lin Qingyan!

The assistant weakly corrected, "Brother Duan, it's An Qingyan, not Lin..."

"I fucking know, does it matter? Does it matter?!" Duan Ci was so angry he wanted to slap him to death. "The most important thing right now is that I've lost my role, stolen by that Lin guy!!"

"I already said it's An..." the assistant muttered to himself, then cautiously added, "Brother Duan, I heard gossip from the crew that the investor has changed, and President Wu has withdrawn his investment."

"I heard that the director and Mr. Wu had a falling out."

"What?! Why are you withdrawing your investment all of a sudden? Are you kidding me?" Duan Ci stared wide-eyed in disbelief and immediately called President Wu.

"Brother Wu, I heard you withdrew your investment? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I can leave whenever I want, do I need your permission?" Mr. Wu was also seething with anger, and he took it out on Duan Ci. "Damn it! What bad luck!"

Duan Ci: "What do you mean by that, you surnamed Wu?!"

"So what if I say you're bad luck?"

"Don't let me see you again, whether it's for sure or not!"

For such a role, even that lousy director dared to insult him in a sarcastic way. In a fit of anger, he threatened to withdraw his investment. Who would have thought that Wu Weiguang would attract new investment so quickly!

It's the Gu Group, after all. Who's so tough as to go against the Gu Group? It's like an egg hitting a rock. They absolutely can't afford to offend them. Now, whether they want to withdraw their investment or not, they have to.

Going against the Gu family for the sake of such a minor celebrity is absolutely insane.

This time, Duan Ci was so angry that he smashed his phone. He thought this role was perfect for him. He not only made harsh remarks to An Qingyan, but also spent money on marketing and released the news online in advance.

Many fans and netizens already knew he was going to play Shen Tinghan, but now the actor has suddenly been changed. Isn't this a slap in the face for him? How will he be able to face anyone after this?

He asked in a cold voice, "Do you know who the new investor is?"

Assistant: "It seems to be... the Gu Group?"

"Gu Group?" Duan Ci certainly knew the famous Gu Group, but he couldn't understand why such a large group would suddenly get involved... and the male lead became An Qingyan.

Could it be that the Gu family has some connection with An Qingyan?

How could that be!

Although An Qingyan has risen to prominence and become the young master of the An family, how could he possibly be related to the Gu family? It would make sense if the An Group suddenly got involved.

He had seen Gu Fei, the head of the Gu family, once at a banquet. He only looked at him from afar, but the man exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, so he didn't dare to go up and strike up a conversation.

Rumor has it that Gu Fei is sexually frigid and has no interest in either men or women. There are many people in the industry who don't believe this and try to get close to Gu Fei because of their good looks, but none of them have had a good ending.

Duan Ci quite liked Gu Fei's face and figure. His aloof and ascetic appearance was particularly captivating. If he could win Gu Fei over, he could brag about it for the rest of his life.

But they couldn't find an opportunity to make a move.

People who live high up in the clouds don't even have the chance to get close.

...

Time passed neither quickly nor slowly. An Qingyan stayed at the An family home for several days and experienced what it felt like to be cherished and pampered by family members.

Especially after they learned that he had no sense of pain, they would get very nervous and worried if he sneezed or coughed twice, especially Song Shuman, who wished she could take him to the hospital immediately.

An Qingyan gradually adapted to life back at the An family home. The script for "The Legend of Kyushu" had been delivered, and he spent the last few days at home reading the script or studying. When he got tired, he would go to the practice room to dance and relax.

However, he really missed Gu Fei.

Even though we text and call each other every day, I still miss him and want to see him, but I'm afraid of disturbing his work. We've only been apart for a few days...

An Qingyan felt distressed.

Just then, Gu Fei suddenly called him.

After chatting about everyday things, An Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Brother Fei? Are you still working today, it's the weekend?" If you're not working, I'll come find you.

Gu Fei: "Yeah, working overtime."

He sounded a little disappointed. "Well... you should take care of yourself and get some rest."

Gu Fei: "Yan Yan, I can't find a white shirt."