Chapter 175 The First Time
Before going on stage, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang frequently looked at Li Zhibai.
Li Zhibai noticed their gazes, waved his hand, and said, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
"Are you really alright?" Yan Liang muttered.
Li Zhibai revealed a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Lu Yanhe: "You'd better stop smiling. If you go on stage with that smile, your ranking on the trending topics will be even higher."
Li Zhibai's smile vanished, and he pursed his lips.
But Li Zhibai is still Li Zhibai. Even at the last minute before going on stage, he managed to adjust his emotional state.
"I won't let you down. Don't blame me if you do."
Lu Yanhe and the others: "..."
Who is that scoundrel who's been sitting there with a sour face for almost an hour?!
-
Watching the five teenagers work together seamlessly on stage, creating wave after wave of excitement, Vice President Ma's gaze darkened.
He had nothing to do at home tonight, so he's watching this show.
However, the performance of the artists in his company did not meet his expectations at all.
Lu Yanhe and others, who had been heavily overshadowed before, all performed exceptionally well in their solo performances. Even those who weren't there in person could see the quality of their performances through the video. In particular, their group performance of "Chasing Dreams" was the only song they had ever sung together. They had sung it countless times over the years, and even Lu Yanhe had heard it so many times that he was tired of it. But tonight, the arrangement and stage design were completely new, which was a refreshing surprise.
MX, the most popular contestant, suffered a major setback, making frequent mistakes.
It seems that recent events have greatly affected their condition.
Vice President Ma's eyes were dark, and he remained silent for a long time.
He did indeed think about Ma Zhiyuan for a long time.
This includes many things Lin Suyang said to him, including his suggestion yesterday.
Do we really have to do that?
-
The performance of "Chasing Dreams" was a success.
The brand-new arrangement and stage design have generated a lot of buzz online, with the performance video garnering over a million views in just half an hour.
Li Zhibai's terrible mood improved after the performance, and he stopped looking gloomy and silent.
As soon as he stepped off the stage, Li Zhibai slightly raised his chin, glanced at them sideways, and said, "Looking at how worried you all looked before you went on stage, do I need you to worry about me?"
"Wow, amazing!" Yan Liang exclaimed immediately.
Cheng Hai smiled and nodded, "It has to be you."
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "Indeed, it has to be you."
Li Zhibai raised his chin, shook his head, and a smug smile appeared on his lips.
That concludes all their performances; they can go home now.
They went back to the dressing room to remove their makeup first, otherwise they would have to go back and do it themselves, with hairspray and other miscellaneous things, it would be difficult to clean it properly.
Chen Ziyan and Zhou Pingan were waiting for them in the dressing room.
Seeing them return, Chen Ziyan clapped her hands and said, "You did a great job just now, much better than the performances I've seen you give before. A week of intensive training has definitely paid off."
Several teenagers beamed with joy.
Li Zhibai was smiling, but when he saw Zhou Ping'an, his smile disappeared.
Intentional.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Chen Ziyan said.
A tall man opened the door and came in, calling out, "Sister Ziyan."
Chen Ziyan, carrying her bag, said, "We're about to leave. It's too late, and I can't stay up any longer. Chen Gang will take you home later."
She turned to Zhou Ping'an and asked, "Are you coming or not? Anyway, those kids live together, so Chen Gang can drop them off on the way."
“Okay.” Zhou Ping’an nodded, glanced at Li Zhibai and Cheng Hai, and said, “I’m leaving too.”
After Chen Ziyan and Zhou Pingan left, Li Zhibai immediately scoffed, "Who cares if they leave or not."
Cheng Hai patted Li Zhibai on the shoulder and said, "In front of everyone, you'd better not go against him like this. You know how much he cares about his reputation. He was only 50 points angry before, but now he's 100 points."
Li Zhibai: "He's still angry? I'm not even angry."
He frowned. "I must find out the truth about this. Is the person who shone a laser pointer into my eyes a fan of Ma Zhiyuan?"
-
Although the execution of tonight's event was chaotic, it was a very successful event for Aurora Borealis.
The total number of viewers for the live stream exceeded 80 million, with a peak of 63 million simultaneous viewers.
As soon as the gala ended, Hou Jun received the complete data from tonight's live broadcast.
Executives at Northern Lights sent him congratulatory messages.
Hou Jun took a closer look and noticed that, apart from the expected number of top celebrities, the impromptu interview segment with Lu Yanhe had also reached the 50 million viewer mark, which surprised him.
In this data-driven era, nothing is more intuitive than data.
There are only 13 programs with more than 50 million simultaneous viewers, and only three programs with more than 60 million simultaneous viewers, one of which is MX.
"Chasing Dreams" fell short, only grossing over 56 million.
The popular group is still the popular group.
However, this was beyond Hou Jun's expectations.
The video of the Northern Lights needs to be compiled into a battle report.
Nowadays, various galas and programs like to produce "battle reports." First, they want to generate buzz for their programs and increase their chances of success in future series. Second, they want to satisfy shareholders by creating various topics and trends to boost the stock market's confidence in the group. Third, they want to get advertisers to buy in, saying, "Look, the data is so good, hurry up and settle the final payment, don't drag it out."
The data for this gala was excellent in all aspects. Hou Jun instructed the person in charge to single out and praise the program that had more than 50 million simultaneous viewers.
To their surprise, Lu Yanhe had three programs with 50 million viewers each, tying for first place.
The person in charge asked, "Should we put Lu Yanhe together with the other first-place winner?"
The other winner is Chen Mo, a top-tier celebrity. Tonight he will perform two solo songs and participate in a lucky draw.
The fact that the lucky draw segment attracted 50 million viewers proves that this top-tier celebrity truly deserves the title.
Hou Jun thought for a moment and said, "Of course, why not?"
Originally, Lu Yanhe only had two programs, and that interview segment wasn't even a planned segment; it was a last-minute replacement. However, judging from the data, the number of viewers for that interview segment was even higher than when Lu Yanhe sang "Remembering," by nearly five million.
The energy of a high school graduate taking the college entrance exam.
The battle report was sent out late at night.
They arrived at the scene so quickly that Lu Yanhe and his group saw it on their phones before they even got home.
Hou Jun also sent a message to Lu Yanhe, saying, "Your performance tonight was fantastic; the audience has discerning eyes."
Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.
The report showcased eight celebrities who had two shows with over 50 million viewers simultaneously, including him and Lee Ji-baek.
Cheng Hai's solo performance earned around 49 million, which was a bit of a pity as it didn't break 50 million.
Lu Yanhe replied to Hou Jun: Thank you, Director Hou, for inviting me to participate!
Hou Jun: You performed so well tonight, I bet you'll get invited to many parties.
Based on Hou Jun's understanding, he believes that talk shows will be the first to be affected.
Lu Yanhe gets so much attention for just a three-minute interview on stage, so why not record a whole episode about him?
There are definitely many people interested in Lu Yanhe now.
Hou Jun was unaware that while he was still thinking about it, Peng Zhixing had already sent a message to Lu Yanhe: "Little Lu, are you interested in coming to my show?"
Peng Zhixing is a recent graduate and a contracted host for Aurora Video.
However, because of his good looks and outstanding abilities, Aurora Video has invested a lot in his development. In addition to hosting the gala tonight, they also created a special interview program for him to promote the film and television works launched on Aurora Video.
After their brief encounter tonight, Peng Zhixing left a rather deep impression on Lu Yanhe.
Because hosts can easily give people the impression of being aloof, pretentious, and unapproachable, especially young hosts who have just graduated from professional schools, but Peng Zhixing gave Lu Yanhe a particularly sunny and cheerful feeling, and he was also very professional.
His impromptu interview was quite unexpected, but the host who took on this task was even more surprised.
In this critical moment, Peng Zhixing didn't falter at all.
His hands were trembling slightly, but his voice was completely undetectable; he was composed, poised, and handled the situation with ease.
This also fostered a bond of friendship between Lu Yanhe and Peng Zhixing, a friendship built on overcoming difficulties together.
Lu Yanhe remembered Chen Ziyan telling him not to casually accept interviews about his college entrance exam scores.
He sent a screenshot to Chen Ziyan, asking if he could appear on Peng Zhixing's show.
Chen Ziyan asked: Do you want to go?
Lu Yanhe said: "Brother Xing took good care of me today. He invited me to his show, and I felt bad refusing."
Chen Ziyan: Then go for it. The scores have been out for a while now, it's time to make a response.
Lu Yanhe: Okay!
He immediately replied to Peng Zhixing: I've asked my agent, it's okay, thank you for the invitation, Brother Xing!
Peng Zhixing: Then I'll prepare well and try to get more viewers to see this episode of our interview.
-
"The audience for Lu Yanhe's performance was so large?!"
Xu Weiyang exclaimed in disbelief when she saw this data online.
Xu Weiyang also participated in tonight's gala. She sang three songs, and the average number of viewers was only around 20 million, which is considered average among all the performers at the gala.
Xu Weiyang was already quite satisfied with herself. She wasn't a popular singer and couldn't compare to MX and the others. But she didn't expect that she couldn't even compare to Lu Yanhe.
The agent immediately comforted him: "He's very popular right now. What are you comparing him to now? He scored 657 on the college entrance exam. That score will keep him proud for a while. It's the time when everyone is curious and interested in him. But the 'academic genius' persona won't last long. Following celebrities isn't about following academic geniuses."
Xu Weiyang said, "But he's not only a top student, he's also a very handsome top student. Now I'm going to be proven wrong."
She had previously mocked Lu Yanhe's grades in public when she was recording "Little Song Gathering".
He was even humiliated by Yan Liang and Qin Zhibai.
The agent also remembers this incident.
She said, "This will probably become an indelible stain on your record, but it's not a big deal. At most, you'll be ridiculed."
"That's so embarrassing," Xu Weiyang pouted.
Agent: "You're both still young, what's there to be ashamed of? Things change, and his singing talent is not as good as yours. Just sing well, and you'll have your day."
"You have that much confidence in me?"
"If I don't have much confidence in you, why would I take you under my wing?" the manager said. "Just focus on singing and doing your job well."
"Hmm." Xu Weiyang nodded, then after a moment of silence, said, "Do you think I should apologize to Lu Yanhe?"
“You can apologize when you see them again. I asked you to apologize back then but you wouldn’t. Now that more than half a year has passed, and you’re apologizing to them now that they’re famous, it would make you seem too opportunistic.”
"I just couldn't bring myself to laugh at him. I didn't think before I did, and I regretted it as soon as the show was over. You know me, I just have a habit of laughing at others."
"I told you to watch your mouth," the manager couldn't help but roll her eyes at her. "What's the use of regretting it after you've said it?"
"well."
-
After that night, there was even more discussion about Lu Yanhe.
More people contacted Lu Yanhe on social media. Many people got his phone number from someone and sent him messages and made calls. Eventually, Lu Yanhe stopped answering missed calls.
This gala generated a great deal of buzz online.
These few individuals alone have generated several highly popular topics.
The next day, the story of Li Zhibai being deliberately shot in the eyes with a laser pointer by Ma Zhiyuan's fans became the top trending topic.
The matter involves two popular idol artists, attracting a lot of attention, and their fans are arguing fiercely.
Ma Zhiyuan's fans defended their idol, saying that there was no evidence yet that the person was a fan of Ma Zhiyuan, and that it was just a rumor. They also said that even if the person was a fan, it was just a biased individual and could not represent all of Ma Zhiyuan's fans, let alone Ma Zhiyuan himself.
Li Zhibai's fans were naturally outraged. How could they accept this attitude of shifting blame onto a few individuals when something goes wrong? They immediately started arguing.
When fans of idol artists start arguing, the scene is almost like a massive battle.
Li Zhibai had already gotten up late that morning, but his phone rang at nine o'clock. He was still half asleep when he saw that it was Zhou Pingan calling, so he hung up immediately.
I don't want to answer.
He still remembers the grudge from last night.
After a while, Yan Liang came to knock on the door.
“Li Zhibai, Zhou Pingan asked me to wake you up and have you call him back.”
"Let him eat shit!" Li Zhibai said irritably.
Yan Liang sighed, opened the door, and went inside.
Li Zhibai lay sprawled on the bed, hugging a pillow, and you could tell from his face that he was still half asleep.
"It's about the laser pointers. Your fans are fighting with Ma Zhiyuan's fans," Yan Liang said helplessly. "You should call back. I checked the situation online, and your two fan groups are almost at each other's throats."
Some fans even went to his Weibo account and told him to control Li Zhibai's fans and stop them from biting people like mad dogs.
Yan Liang was furious; he had suffered an undeserved calamity.
He suppressed his temper and continued to persuade, "If things really escalate, your fans will also get hurt."
Li Zhibai opened his eyes impatiently at this moment, looking at him with an annoyed expression, his eyes still sleepy.
"Call Zhou Pingan back," Yan Liang emphasized, then turned and left.
Li Zhibai sat up unhappily, picked up his phone, and called Zhou Ping'an.
After a while.
Li Zhibai's voice roared from his room: "You want me to pretend to be friends with Ma Zhiyuan on Weibo and show off our friendship? You want me to appease my fans? Do you think I'd agree to that? I don't care how he gets criticized, it's none of my business. He makes money for you guys, but he doesn't make money for me! Let him eat shit!"
Li Zhibai roared out his last words, and then fell silent.
Yan Liang silently covered his face.
Sure enough, with a thud, Li Zhibai rushed out of the room.
"Damn Zhou Ping'an! He actually made me appease my fans? If he's crazy, I'll go appease them myself!" Li Zhibai came out with a head full of bird feathers, saw that the living room was empty, and immediately rushed to Yan Liang's room. He rushed in and cursed, "If Zhou Ping'an calls you again, you curse him back and tell him to behave himself!"
Yan Liang took a deep breath.
"Is he trying to make you suffer this loss?" Yan Liang asked.
"Heh, right!" Li Zhibai gritted his teeth. "I think this bastard is most likely to take over from Ma Zhiyuan. Damn it, if I let him succeed, I'm not Li."
"Whatever your surname, you can curse Zhou Ping'an or Ma Zhiyuan, but don't vent your emotions on Weibo, and don't make any comments or likes," Yan Liang warned. "If you do, you'll only add fuel to the fire and get yourself into trouble."
"Let me tell you, I really wish I could post a Weibo right now and curse that bastard Zhou Ping'an to death!" Li Zhibai was furious.
After venting his anger for a while, with only Yan Liang in the audience, Li Zhibai finally came to his senses and asked, "Where is Lu Yanhe?"
Yan Liang said, "He had an appointment at noon today and left early this morning."
"He has an appointment at noon, why is he going out so early in the morning?" Li Zhi asked. "Is he planning to walk there to keep the appointment?"
Yan Liang was both amused and exasperated, saying, "You're so angry right now, every word you utter is filled with anger."
Li Zhibai yawned.
“It’s impossible not to be angry when someone calls me first thing in the morning,” Li Zhibai said, then added, “Even more so when it’s about this trivial matter.”
He didn't care why Lu Yanhe had left so early.
"No, I need to sleep a little longer." With that, he went back to his room.
-
At this very moment, Lu Yanhe was wandering around the mall, thinking about buying Chen Siqi a gift.
Actually, it's a bit strange to give a gift at this time, since there's no legitimate reason for it. Is it a graduation gift?
It sounds a bit nonsensical, and it's not like girls are reluctantly parting ways and giving each other a keepsake.
But Lu Yanhe still wanted to buy Chen Siqi a gift.
It's both a thank you for helping him with the arrangement at the last minute and a graduation gift.
Lu Yanhe wandered around for a long time but didn't see anything suitable.
After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to give them a pair of headphones.
Although Chen Siqi herself definitely has it.
These electronic products always need to be updated and replaced.
Lu Yanhe bought Chen Siqi a pair of the latest bone conduction headphones, which cost a little over 1,000 yuan.
After buying the gift, Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.
After finishing one task, I'm just waiting to meet Chen Siqi later.
As soon as he came out of the store, he was stopped by two girls who looked like students.
"You must be Lu Yanhe?"
"Can we take a picture with you?"
The two girls looked at Lu Yanhe with starry eyes.
Lu Yanhe was taken aback. He was stopped, so what could he do but agree?
Lu Yanhe smiled slightly when taking the group photo.
The two girls blushed slightly, unable to contain their excitement.
"Are you shopping by yourself?" the girl asked.
Lu Yanhe nodded. "I'll be going now."
"Bye-Bye."
Lu Yanhe had only taken two steps when he was stopped again.
She was still a young girl.
Lu Yanhe realized something was wrong.
He usually goes out a lot and is recognized occasionally, but he's never been recognized as frequently as he has today.
After the fifth group photo, Lu Yanhe dared not let his guard down any longer. He immediately found a shop and bought a mask to wear.
A while later, as Lu Yanhe was getting off the elevator, he heard someone next to him say, "Someone said Lu Yanhe is in this mall right now!"
Lu Yanhe was startled and instinctively lowered his head.
Fortunately, the person speaking didn't seem to realize that Lu Yanhe was right next to her and didn't notice him.
Lu Yanhe arrived on the first floor, quickly walked towards the nearest door, and left the mall.
Lu Yanhe headed straight for a bookstore ahead.
Many bookstores now operate on a model that combines selling books with selling coffee.
At 10 a.m., there weren't many people shopping in the business district yet.
The same is true for bookstores.
After entering, Lu Yanhe went straight to the bookshelves.
He only took off his mask after getting behind the bookshelf.
In this hot weather, I start sweating after wearing a mask for just a short while.
I feel very uncomfortable.
Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief, gradually calmed himself down, and looked up to find a book on the bookshelf.
The last time he came to the bookstore was when he came out with Li Pengfei. Now there are fewer and fewer bookstores, and they are becoming more and more refined and bourgeois. Books have become a gimmick and an atmosphere, while the main products are drinks and snacks. Lu Yanhe browsed around, picked out two books, went to pay and bought them, ordered a cup of coffee, and found a corner to sit down.
He deliberately positioned himself with his back to the door and facing the corner in front, so that no one could see his face.
Among the books I bought today is another novel by Nian Jin, the author of "Eight Difficulties," which is also a fantasy novel called "The Statue of Guanyin."
Lu Yanhe read in the introduction, "On his eighteenth birthday, he looked up at the sky and found a huge image of Guanyin appearing before him. Guanyin's eyes were closed, but when he looked up, Guanyin slowly opened her eyes. All around was a bustling street with a lot of traffic and people, crowded and noisy. But the moment Guanyin spoke, the whole world lost its color and sound. Only her grand voice was solemn and simple as she called out: Wukong."
It's clearly a new derivative novel based on "Journey to the West".
In this world, Journey to the West remains one of the Four Great Classical Novels and a classic in everyone's heart.
Although Liu Xiao Ling Tong is not here, he is the Monkey King in the hearts of countless people.
However, the actor who played Sun Wukong died young, unlike Teacher Liu, who caused many scandals in his later years and seemed to be losing his reputation.
Lu Yanhe felt that reading more novels was a good thing, because each novel was a different story, and each different story was a different experience and a different feeling.
Lu Yanhe felt that his past was too unremarkable, just the past of an ordinary person.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was a message from Chen Siqi: What time do you want to see me later?
Lu Yanhe glanced at the time; it was already 10:40.
He said: Have you left home? I'm fine with anything. I'm already nearby. Let me know when you get there and I'll come over.
Chen Siqi: Okay.
...
"What did Ma Zhiyuan do wrong in this matter?!" Two girls were sitting at a table not far away. Although one of the girls spoke in a low voice, her words could still be heard by Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe's attention was immediately drawn to the familiar name.
Eavesdropping is certainly not a good habit, but listening occasionally is harmless.
Girl B and Girl A seemed to disagree. Girl B said seriously, "Ma Zhiyuan didn't do anything directly wrong, but now that it's been confirmed that the fan was indeed his fan and not an imposter, shouldn't Ma Zhiyuan make a statement at this time? He's an idol, and the relationship between idols and fans is inseparable. He can't control what his fans do, but he should show the right attitude, right?"
"It's not his fault, so why did he have to make this statement? Li Zhibai's fans are biting like mad dogs, but has Li Zhibai made any statement?"
...
Lu Yanhe silently turned his body to the side.
Even sitting in this corner reading for a while, I can hear Ma Zhiyuan and Li Zhibai talking. It seems that what happened last night was quite a big deal.
It has attracted a lot of attention.
Lu Yanhe hadn't seen the news online and was unaware that their fans were already in an uproar.
Regardless of who is right or wrong in this matter, Lu Yanhe already had his own bias towards the person involved, and of course he would not change his attitude because of this incident.
Not to mention, in Lu Yanhe's view, Ma Zhiyuan may not have been wrong, but Li Zhibai was indeed the victim.
Lu Yanhe felt that the girl was right; no matter what, Ma Zhiyuan should stand up and make a statement.
He listened silently, holding a book in his hand, pretending to read, but he didn't actually absorb a single word.
...
Girl A: "I don't understand why you all have to link fans' behavior with idols. It's not something they can control."
“It’s not about being linked, but different people handle the same thing differently.” Girl B was also stubborn and unmoved, continuing to explain her point of view, “If it were me, I would speak out after this happened to restrain my fans from doing things that hurt others in the future, instead of being a coward and pretending that this didn’t happen and that it had nothing to do with me.”
"This matter has nothing to do with him in the first place."
“Yes, so this is a difference in our values,” Girl B said decisively.
Girl A was getting a little exasperated: "Then go find someone who shares your values and become friends."
After saying that, girl A got up and left angrily.
They could just pack up and go.
Lu Yanhe was surprised and also astonished.
Two friends had a minor argument over this, and it all fell apart?
Is the ship of friendship really that fragile? It capsizes so easily.
-
However, the conversation he overheard touched him somewhat.
What should the relationship between idols and fans be like?
If his fans did such extreme things, what would he do?
After careful consideration, Lu Yanhe felt that he would agree with what girl B said: no matter whether this matter was related to him or not, he could not ignore it; attitude was a very important thing.
Some might say that idols can't control their fans' behavior, which is true, but an idol's attitude can influence many things.
He thought silently for a while, and at 11:37, Chen Siqi sent him a message: I'm almost there.
Lu Yanhe snapped out of his daze and immediately set off.
-
This is a commercial area, but the restaurants are not inside the mall, but in an old residential area across the street.
There's a restaurant here that serves local cuisine, which Chen Siqi recommended to Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe booked a table here.
The best thing about this place is that it has individual cubicles.
Two people can't sit in a private room, but a small cubicle for four people is fine.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi arrived almost one after the other.
Chen Siqi was dressed very brightly today, and even wore makeup.
"Wow!" Lu Yanhe exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Siqi rolled her eyes at him: "Don't be so surprised."
"It's really rare; I don't think I've ever seen you wear makeup before."
"Nonsense, I did melt on my birthday."
"Oh, right."
Chen Siqi: Congratulations on getting into Zhenhua High School as you wished.
Lu Yanhe was stunned, his eyes widening: "How did you know I applied to Zhenhua?"
Chen Siqi pouted slightly, unable to suppress her smug smile, "Didn't you notice that you mentioned Zhenhua much more often than Yuming? I guessed it, you definitely like Zhenhua a little more."
Lu Yanhe hadn't even noticed this habit of his.
"You noticed that?"
"How does it feel to become a legend?" Chen Siqi asked.
Lu Yanhe: "I didn't really feel anything, I was just very happy that I did well on the exam."
"Keep pretending." Chen Siqi didn't believe Lu Yanhe at all. "He's probably hiding from people, crying and laughing at the same time."
Lu Yanhe recalled the half hour after receiving Liu Qin's call in the rehearsal room.
“...How could that be?” Lu Yanhe denied.
Chen Siqi had an expression that said she had seen right through him.
Lu Yanhe quickly changed the subject, picked up the paper bag containing the earphones, and handed it to Chen Siqi.
"This is a gift for you, to thank you for arranging the music for me," Lu Yanhe said. "The fact that my career as an artist has been able to survive for the past year is all thanks to your help with the arrangement."
Chen Siqi accepted it with some surprise.
"I didn't prepare a gift for you."
Lu Yanhe laughed: "It's nothing."
Chen Siqi pursed her lips.
Just then, the waiter came over with the menu. "Would you like to order now?"
"Let's order." Lu Yanhe took the menu and handed it to Chen Siqi. "What would you like to eat?"
Chen Siqi glanced at the menu, quickly named a few dishes, and handed the menu back without any hesitation.
The waiter was clearly observing the ambiguous expressions on the faces of a young couple deeply in love.
He didn't know Lu Yanhe and assumed they were just a student couple.
One is quite handsome, the other is quite beautiful, they make a good couple.
Chen Siqi said, "The waiter must have thought we were a couple."
Lu Yanhe's heart skipped a beat.
He didn't respond for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Chen Siqi, on the contrary, looked at him suspiciously.
What are you staring at?
Lu Yanhe shook his head and denied it: "No."
He put his hand under the table, scratched his knee, and his palms were sweating.
"You—" Lu Yanhe hesitated, wanting to probe indirectly.
Chen Siqi suddenly spoke up, "But that's normal. It's normal for people to misunderstand if a young and beautiful girl like me goes out to eat with you alone."
In terms of self-confidence, Chen Siqi is always far ahead of the competition.
Some people might dislike her pride, but Lu Yanhe has always liked it.
He liked seeing Chen Siqi's proud, confident, and arrogant expression.
Lu Yanhe laughed.
“I’m going to Jiangguang University,” Chen Siqi suddenly said.
This statement came unexpectedly, catching Lu Yanhe completely off guard.
"ah?"
“Jiang Guang,” Chen Siqi emphasized, “I don’t want to stay in Yuming.”
Lu Yanhe was stunned.
“I’ve always wanted to leave home and go to a faraway place to get rid of Liu Wei’an and try living alone,” Chen Siqi said. “Going to university is my biggest opportunity. They wouldn’t let me study abroad. When I wanted to apply to Jiangguang University, they wouldn’t let me either. They insisted on keeping me in Yuming. I argued with them almost every day.”
"You... are going to Jiangguang University, so does that mean you won't be coming back to Yuming except for winter and summer vacations?"
"Mm." Chen Siqi nodded. "I don't even want to come back during winter and summer vacations."
At this moment, Lu Yanhe felt inexplicably blocked out, unable to say what he wanted to say.
“Alright, then we’ll rarely see each other again.” Lu Yanhe lowered his gaze.
“This is the price I have to pay.” Chen Siqi looked into Lu Yanhe’s eyes. “I have to leave Yuming, otherwise I will be suppressed by Liu Wei’an for the rest of my life and I will never be able to turn my life around.”
“Yes, I understand.” Lu Yanhe nodded.
“You’ll be busier and busier in the future anyway, so how will you have time to meet?” Chen Siqi suddenly said with a smile. “Studying and being an artist at the same time, you must be extremely busy every day, with no time to spare.”
"That's true." Lu Yanhe's face broke into a smile again. "In any case, congratulations on successfully realizing your wish."
Chen Siqi: "Not yet, it won't be confirmed until I receive the admission notice."
Are you confident?
"More or less," Chen Siqi nodded. "It should be fine."
"That's good."
Lu Yanhe smiled, but his mood sank uncontrollably.
He could only muster his spirits and chat and laugh with Chen Siqi.
After finishing lunch, Chen Siqi glanced at him and asked, "Are you free this afternoon?"
Yes, what's wrong?
"Let's watch another movie together," Chen Siqi said.
"Okay, what movie do you want to see?" Lu Yanhe took out his phone, ready to buy tickets.
Chen Siqi: "Anything is fine, it's up to you what you want to see."
Lu Yanhe: "I don't know what movies are being released recently."
"Just pick any one."
Chen Siqi chuckled at him, "Anyway, this is the first movie we've ever watched together, so you'd better pick it carefully. If it's not good, you'll remember it ten years from now."
Lu Yanhe was moved when he heard "Part One" and "Ten Years Later," and couldn't help but think about it, but he didn't know whether Chen Siqi was doing it intentionally or unintentionally.
He looked at Chen Siqi, and Chen Siqi looked at him too.
"Why are you looking at me? Picking a movie, huh?" Chen Siqi said with a smile.
Lu Yanhe lowered his head, still unable to suppress his laughter.
"Don't blame me if you pick something that's not good-looking; it's your own fault for not being willing to choose."
(End of this chapter)
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