The sound that rang in his ears was very clear, like a loud thunderbolt ripped through the sky. Lin Qingyan was so shocked by the thunder that his body stiffened, and his blood seemed to flow backward, so much so that he forgot to resist.

This was different from what he had expected. Wen Yan actually knew him, and even... Lin Qingyan suddenly realized what was happening and tried to push away the man who was holding him, but he was held very tightly.

"Yan Yan, you're the same as me, right?"

"Yan Yan, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I was wrong..."

Wen Yan's eyes were already red. He spoke excitedly in Lin Qingyan's ear, his expression a mix of crying and laughing. He was no longer the gentle and proper young nobleman he usually was; he looked like a madman.

"You're crazy." Lin Qingyan struggled violently, his heart pounding with panic, but his voice grew increasingly calm: "I don't care who you are, please let me go right now, or I'll call the police."

“Yan Yan…”

Before Wen Yan could finish speaking, the bathroom door was forcefully pushed open by someone outside, and a tall figure rushed in quickly, raising his hand without any mercy to slap Wen Yan across the face.

The punch was delivered with full force, causing Wen Yan's face to contort in pain. He instinctively released his grip on the boy and took two steps back. Before he could recover, Gu Fei grabbed his collar and violently dragged him to the sink.

Wen Yan's back slammed heavily against the cold marble, causing her to gasp in pain. But what was even more terrifying were the eyes in front of her, which were as calm as they were sinister and ruthless, like a hunter staring at its dying prey.

He had already witnessed Gu Fei's methods. Wen Yan's scalp tingled, and cold sweat broke out all over his body. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "What do you want to do? This is between him and me, and it's none of our business."

Standing behind, Lin Qingyan breathed slightly, then said coldly, "I don't know him."

"Did you hear that? He said he doesn't know you." Gu Fei stared at the person in front of him, his pale lips parted slightly, and his deep, magnetic voice revealed a coldness beneath its calm tone, "Don't let me see you in front of him again."

Having held a high position for many years, Gu Fei always exuded a sense of oppression. The low pressure permeated the small bathroom, making Wen Yan feel short of breath. He stiffened his neck and remained silent.

Gu Fei didn't waste any more words. He let go of her hand, turned around and walked to Lin Qingyan. His chillingly cold gaze softened, and he looked her up and down before asking with concern, "Are you alright?"

Lin Qingyan shook her head gently, reached out and tugged lightly at the man's hem, not even realizing that this small gesture carried a hint of dependence. "It's okay, let's go."

Gu Fei's gaze lingered on the hem of the clothes for a moment, then he hummed in agreement, raised his hand and put his arm around the boy's thin shoulder as he walked outside, as if he were protecting the boy in his arms, or as if he was deliberately showing off his status to others.

Wen Yan stood there, watching helplessly as the two figures gradually disappeared. It was a jarring sight. His bloodshot eyes were filled with loss and pain, as if a thousand tiny needles were piercing his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Why, how could this happen..."

Since God gave him a second chance, why couldn't he win back the one he loved? Yan Yan clearly liked him, so why did Gu Fei get there first?

No... he won't give up.

He lost Yan Yan in his past life, and he can't lose her again in this life. Yan Yan must still love him!

That's right, Wen Yan was also reborn.

In his previous life, when Lin Qingyan was forced to announce his retirement from the entertainment industry, he was on a business trip abroad and was very busy. He didn't take it seriously and only discovered that Lin Qingyan had disappeared when he returned from his business trip.

They couldn't reach him by phone, there was no one at home, he couldn't be found anywhere, he didn't leave any trace, no one knew anything about him, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

An Nanyi comforted him at the time, saying that maybe Yan Yan was just in a bad mood and wanted to find a quiet place where no one would bother her to relax. He thought so too at the time.

Yan Yan likes him so much, she would never abandon him and disappear without a trace. She might come back in a few days.

But as the days went by, Lin Qingyan still hadn't returned, and Wen Yan started to panic. He began searching for him everywhere.

But the world is so big, and there are so many people, how could he find her? By the time he found the rented room where Lin Qingyan had stayed after her disappearance in a small county town thousands of kilometers away, no one lived there anymore.

Later, every time he saw Lin Qingyan, it was in the black and white photo on the tombstone...

——

"Brother Fei, I don't want to eat anymore. Shall we go back first?"

"Okay, I'll take you home."

Gu Fei kept his arm around the boy's shoulder until he opened the passenger door, then he let go. He watched the boy get in before turning around and getting into the driver's seat.

The closed carriage was quiet. Lin Qingyan lowered his eyes, his thick, long eyelashes were wet and trembled slightly. He absentmindedly picked at his fingers and whispered, "I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

A brief silence fell over the carriage again, and Lin Qingyan felt uneasy.

Before the man could speak, his chin was gently pinched. Warm fingertips touched his skin, and he felt a burning sensation in his heart.

Gu Fei gently lifted the boy's chin, his thin lips slightly pursed, and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe away the remaining water stains on the boy's face.

From her forehead to her nose and then to her cheeks, even without applying any force, the fair skin touched by the soft handkerchief turned slightly rosy.

The air in the carriage suddenly seemed to rise several degrees Celsius. Lin Qingyan dared not move, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, her voice as soft and gentle as her little orange cat's: "Brother Fei..."

Gu Fei paused, his fingertip moving down to gently press against the soft, trembling lips, stopping the boy from speaking. He only slightly widened his eyes, then lowered them to look at the hand pressing against his lips, still not daring to move.

Gu Fei finally spoke: "Lin Qingyan, you didn't do anything wrong, and you didn't cause me any trouble, so you don't need to apologize." Even if he caused trouble, it was something he was happy to do, he added in his mind.

"Hmm..." Lin Qingyan nodded slightly.

Now you can let go, right?

The fingertip pressed against the lips, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, before moving away. The man glanced at the boy's collar and then casually looked away.

Lin Qingyan looked down and realized that his collar was open, revealing a small part of his chest. The blush on his face had spread to his ears, and he quickly buttoned up the top two buttons.

"You really don't recognize that man?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qingyan's body stiffened slightly. What was bound to happen was bound to happen. There was no way to explain this. He didn't even know what was going on. If there were no unexpected events, Wen Yan would also be reborn.

"Um... I really don't know him. He suddenly rushed in, hugged me, and started talking nonsense. He probably mistook me for someone else." Lin Qingyan almost bit his tongue; he didn't even believe what he was saying.

From Gu Fei's expressionless face, it was impossible to tell whether he believed it or not. He simply looked into the boy's eyes and earnestly instructed him, "If he bothers you again in the future, you must tell me."

"Yes, I know." Lin Qingyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"seat belt."

"Oh... okay."

After the boy fastened his seatbelt, the man started the car and quickly left the Western restaurant.

Lin Qingyan rolled down the car window to let in some fresh air. The summer breeze, carrying waves of heat, rushed in and ruffled his hair. He secretly glanced at the sharp, refined profile of the man beside him, and his chaotic heart gradually calmed down.

Even if Wen Yan was reborn, so what? It's all in the past. Regardless of Wen Yan's feelings for him, he no longer has the same feelings for her.

The best outcome is to remain strangers who don't bother each other.

Gu Fei's words interrupted Lin Qingyan's thoughts, "I forgot to tell you, your student status has been restored. It's okay if you don't want to go to school; you can study on your own."

Lin Qingyan was stunned for a moment, and once again sighed that it was good to be rich. He was about to add another entry to his gratitude notebook. Just as he was about to say thank you, the man spoke again: "If you really want to thank me, then repay me with practical actions?"

Lin Qingyan: ...How exactly did this man know what he wanted to say?

Will you repay me with concrete actions?

So how should we repay them?

As the richest man in Nancheng, Master Gu lacks nothing. This is truly a difficult problem. Lin Qingyan can't think of a way to repay him yet. "Well... what kind of practical action do you need?"

Gu Fei said, "You need to think about it carefully yourself."

Lin Qingyan nodded listlessly, "Okay."

Unbeknownst to him, the corners of the man beside him curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

——

The interview for "Tomorrow's Stars" was scheduled for September 10th. With about ten days to go, Lin Qingyan became busy and gradually put Wen Yan's matter out of her mind.

He spends a lot of time practicing singing and dancing every day. This body has never learned these things before, so it takes time to adapt.

He practices at Yihua Entertainment during the day; the practice environment there is better, and there are professional teachers.

The headquarters of the Gu Group is close to Yi Hua. Gu Fei would drive Lin Qingyan there when he went to work, and then pick him up after get off work to go home together. If he had time at noon, he would also pick him up to have lunch together.

Lin Qingyan initially felt quite embarrassed, after all, Mr. Gu was a busy CEO, yet he drove him around every day, just like a parent picking up their child from school.

But gradually, he got used to it.

If Gu Fei suddenly stopped picking him up one day, he might feel uneasy.

This evening, the familiar Maybach was still parked in front of Yihua Entertainment, but the man in the driver's seat was not the familiar one. "You are Young Master Lin, right?"

Not seeing the person he expected, Lin Qingyan felt a slight sense of disappointment. He smiled politely and asked, "Yes, who are you?"

"I am Mr. Gu's assistant. He has something to do today, so he asked me to pick you up."