Chapter 40
Too stubborn? What does that mean?
Yin Mu didn't understand, blinked in confusion, moved closer to the wall, and continued to listen patiently.
Chen Qinglin's response was calm: "What's a better way? I'm doing fine now."
The man chuckled. "Really? Like participating in a dating show that no one cares about?"
"Even you noticed it, does that mean no one cares?" Chen Qinglin asked back, "You say you haven't heard from me, but you know my itinerary perfectly. Aren't you being too contradictory?"
"Okay, you caught me," the man admitted in a brisk tone, adding, "After all, we're classmates, so I couldn't help but follow your news."
"That's not necessary. You know I can't pose any threat to you right now."
"Why do you think so badly of me?" the man said helplessly. "I really care about you, and I'm telling you seriously that this path you're taking is not a good one at all."
Chen Qinglin remained indifferent: "Now that things have come to this, it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad."
"You're getting further and further away from your dream. Is that okay?"
"Even so, I don't want to sell myself out." Chen Qinglin paused and added, "Including my body and soul."
When Yin Mu heard what he said, he widened his eyes in shock and his mouth opened into an O shape.
No, what does it mean to betray yourself? It can't be the betrayal she thinks of.
The man was silent for a long time, then sighed deeply. "Your temper really hasn't changed at all, but you shouldn't say such harsh words. As the saying goes, there's always a price to pay for every gain. You're a smart man, so you understand that, don't you?"
"It is because I understand that I can clearly weigh the weight of gains and losses." Chen Qinglin said calmly, "But you, is what you have gained now worthy of what you lost?"
The man did not give a direct answer, but only said: "Everyone has different standards, it's hard to say."
"So, in fact, we both have the same point of view, but we approach it differently. There is no need to argue about this."
The man sighed softly, "Well, with your temper, I don't have the ability to persuade you. ——Since we rarely meet, let's not talk about these heavy things and just reminisce peacefully."
There was a slight rustling sound in the darkness, followed by Chen Qinglin's voice: "I don't want it, thank you."
Yin Mu was wondering when the next second he heard the sound of a lighter lighting up.
Perhaps choked by the man's cigarette, Chen Qinglin coughed twice and said, "You should smoke less. It's not good for your throat."
"Thank you for your concern. I finally feel some friendship among classmates."
Chen Qinglin ignored the man's joke and asked, "Is it okay for you to go out and have fun like this? If someone takes a picture of you and posts it online, your agent will go crazy."
"Whatever, I'm not doing anything I shouldn't be doing," the man said confidently. "Having a drink and listening to some music isn't illegal. Besides, I'm disguised so well and hiding in a corner, I won't be easily discovered."
"Well, it's good that you know the answer yourself."
They seemed to be talking a lot, yet also seemed to be saying nothing at all, leaving Yin Mu completely bewildered. Unfortunately, she didn't know any of the popular celebrities, so she couldn't tell their identities from their voices alone. She could only piece together the fragments of their conversation and make a rough guess.
The man and Chen Qinglin were classmates, presumably also an actor, perhaps even a moderately popular one? Otherwise, Chen Qinglin wouldn't have warned him to be careful about being photographed. Perhaps the two were once close competitors, but later drifted apart for various reasons, no longer in touch personally but keeping up with each other's progress online.
Chen Qinglin said he wasn't a threat to men now, but that was when he was threatening. So what had he been through to end up in this situation? Was he hidden or suppressed?
My former classmates, one is doing smoothly now, while the other can only participate in such a small variety show. It's really sad.
Yin Mu shook his head, resisting the urge to sigh so they wouldn't hear.
For a long time, neither Chen Qinglin nor the man spoke. All they could hear was the man playing with his lighter, making a "clicking" sound.
After a long time, Yin Mu became a little impatient and was about to turn around and leave quietly when Chen Qinglin finally spoke: "Lin Fan, be nice to yourself."
The man laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't let myself get hurt."
Lin Fan and Yin Mu were lucky enough to catch this key information. They didn't listen any further and retreated quietly.
She was gone for a little while, and Zheng Wei was a little dissatisfied: "Why did you leave me for so long? I was so bored!"
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't find Chen Qinglin. I don't know where he's hiding." Yin Mu lied with a smile, "How many songs did Jiang Nanyu sing?"
Zheng Wei pouted, but still answered her question honestly: "It's good enough to let him sing a song. This isn't his home turf, so why would he join in the fun?"
Yin Mu smiled indifferently and picked up the glass of wine he had not finished.
[Huh? Why did Yin Mu come back alone?]
[Isn't it possible that Chen Qinglin sneaked away on his own?]
[It's boring. I wanted to see Yin Mu and Chen Qinglin, but it turned out not to be as interesting as Zhou Jingyu and the others.]
[If Chen Qinglin also appeared on the stage the next second, what a surprise it would be.]
【Ahhh, what a beautiful wish, even though it may not come true.】
…
While listening to Zheng Wei's words, Yin Mu kept an eye on whether Chen Qinglin had returned, with countless messy thoughts tangled in his mind.
Zheng Wei noticed her absent-mindedness, nudged her elbow, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Yin Mu came back to his senses and said, "Nothing."
"It's a lie." Zheng Wei was half-believing and half-doubting, but she knew that she wouldn't get anything out of asking, so she didn't say much.
Yin Mu hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Zheng Wei, do you know Lin Fan?"
"Lin Fan? Are you referring to that celebrity?"
"Yes, that's him."
Zheng Wei was very surprised: "Don't you know him? He was very popular at the beginning of the year. He appeared in two dramas in a row, one as the male lead and the other as the second male lead."
"Hmm..." Yin Mu said vaguely, "I don't watch TV dramas very often, I've only heard of his name."
"Oh." Zheng Wei responded without thinking twice and asked, "Why did you suddenly think of asking him? Is there some gossip recently that I haven't heard of?"
"That's not true." Yin Mu quickly denied, pretending to be natural and making an excuse, "I just passed by two girls and heard them talking about Lin Fan, so I thought I'd ask you."
"Oh, is that so." Zheng Wei understood and added, "Although he is quite handsome, I have no feelings for him."
Just as Yin Mu was about to ask why, he caught a glimpse of Chen Qinglin walking towards them. Fearing that Zheng Wei was about to launch into a lengthy speech, he swallowed his question and simply said, "That's normal. How can one person be liked by everyone?"
"Yeah, he doesn't need a fan from me."
As he was speaking, Chen Qinglin came over and sat down. His expression was normal, and he asked casually, "What are you talking about?"
Before Zheng Wei could finish saying Lin Fan's name, Yin Mu spoke before her: "Nothing, I was just talking about the song sung by Jiang Nanyu."
Chen Qinglin nodded: "Oh, I see."
Zheng Wei tugged at Yin Mu's skirt, winked at Chen Qinglin, and mouthed the words, "Going back?"
"Go back." Yin Mu replied silently, then turned to ask Chen Qinglin, "Chen Qinglin, let's go back."
"Hmm?" Chen Qinglin asked, "Don't you want to stay a little longer?"
"I'm not staying any longer. It's pointless." Zheng Wei waved her hand. "Let's go. We have to buy Meng Yuan a midnight snack."
"Ah, I would have forgotten if you hadn't told me."
"Okay, Mumu, I'm going to complain to Meng Yuan when I get home."
The three of them didn't pay attention to the situation of Zhou Jingyu and Jiang Nanyu, and left directly. On the way, they bought some barbecue to take back as a midnight snack.
Back at the villa, Zhang Yang, Lu Zilin, and Zhong Mengyuan were all in the living room, playing Landlord with great enthusiasm. On the coffee table lay a pile of small notes, with many of them stuck on Zhang Yang and Lu Zilin's faces.
Zhong Mengyuan sat cross-legged on the blanket in front of the coffee table, with two pieces of earrings stuck to her ears. At first glance, they looked like some unique earrings.
Yin Mu took a closer look and burst out laughing: "What are you doing? We bought some midnight snacks, do you want to eat?"
Zhong Mengyuan stretched out his hand to stop it: "Wait, stop arguing, I'm about to win."
Yin Mu kept quiet, moved behind her, and leaned over to look at the cards in her hand: "Not bad."
"Isn't that right?" Zhong Mengyuan raised her eyebrows proudly, pointed at her "earrings," and said, "I was surprisingly lucky with cards today. Look, I only lost two hands."
Yin Mu sat on the sofa behind her and said, "I think you are always lucky."
Zhang Yang looked at his cards for a long time and said dejectedly, "This is unplayable. I'm going to lose no matter what I do."
"Then let's just play freely." Lu Zilin shrugged and said, "Look at Meng Yuan's reaction. We're both definitely going to lose. There's no point in struggling."
"That's right, let's finish this game quickly so we can have a nice midnight snack." Zhong Mengyuan turned around and asked Yin Mu, "Rabbit, what delicious food did you bring back?"
"It's the barbecue you wanted." Yin Mu said with a smile, "Don't worry, there's plenty."
Zhang Yang finally had enough of worrying about it, and cautiously played a bad card, and then lost to Zhong Mengyuan as expected.
Zhong Mengyuan threw out his final trump card, clapped his hands, supported Yin Mu's legs and stood up, speaking with the attitude of a winner: "No more playing, let's go have a midnight snack."
Zhang Yang was still unconvinced and tore the note off his face. "Next time, let's continue. I don't believe I can keep losing."
Zhong Mengyuan turned around and smiled: "Okay, I'll be with you anytime." Then he invited everyone to have a midnight snack.
After Chen Qinglin came back, he didn't say anything. He just sat aside and drank a glass of water quietly. He smiled and said, "I'm not hungry. You guys eat slowly. I'll go upstairs to take a shower first."
Zhong Mengyuan looked at Yin Mu in confusion. Yin Mu shook his head slightly and did not answer.
[Zhong Mengyuan is some kind of innate card-playing saint. He probably won all night.]
【Goodness, when will I ever have this kind of luck. 】
【Receive good luck! 】
[Is Chen Qinglin not very happy?]
[Eh? Weren't you fine at the bar?]
…
Everyone chatted and laughed while eating supper. Zhou Jingyu and Jiang Nanyu came back and joined them. They ate a little symbolically and then everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
There was still a voting session today. Yin Mu casually wrote a card and prepared to drop it in the mailbox before going to Zhong Mengyuan's room to chat. She walked to the window to draw the curtains and glanced downstairs. She saw someone standing by the swimming pool, casting a long shadow.
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