Chapter 191 Warmth
After hanging up the phone, Li Zhibai asked, "Did Sister Ziyan call you?"
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded. "She knows what happened at the bar just now and reminded me that I can't be so impulsive again."
"Impulsive?" Li Zhibai immediately curled his lip. "I thought she was different from Zhou Ping'an, but I didn't expect she's the same kind of person."
“That’s not fair. Sister Ziyan is Yan He’s manager. She’s only saying that because she cares about Yan He,” Yan Liang immediately said.
Lu Yanhe: "Yes, Sister Ziyan didn't scold me, she just reminded me to think twice before I act in the future."
Li Zhibai snorted twice and stopped talking about Chen Ziyan. Instead, he said, "I want to see what Zhou Ping'an will say this time."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe asked, "Has he not contacted you yet?"
"No, who knows what he's doing right now."
It's not too late now, only 10:30 pm. Could Zhou Ping'an be asleep at this hour?
Lu Yanhe found it somewhat unbelievable.
You should know that people who work in the entertainment industry are generally night owls.
At this time, Zhou Ping'an is most likely at a dinner party or something similar; even if he were at home, he wouldn't be sleeping.
The three of them rode in one car, not with Huang Kairen and his group.
Huang Kairen, Wang Yunfan, and Li Qian shared a car.
Wang Yunfan and Li Qian did not appear until the police arrived; they only came down from the second floor when they were about to leave.
The two of them made it clear that they were not getting involved in this matter and were staying out of it.
No one said anything.
Once in the car, Wang Yunfan said, "Karen, you were too impulsive. Why did you follow their impulsive actions?"
Huang Kairen frowned slightly.
"I just couldn't stand by and watch."
Wang Yunfan said, "We are artists, not police officers, and we can't manage so many things."
"Alright, Wang Yunfan, if you're worried about getting involved in this and don't want to be affected by it, then stop telling Kai Ren what to do, okay?" Li Qian gave Wang Yunfan a disdainful look. "Although Kai Ren's actions are irrational, they are righteous."
Wang Yunfan: "Do you think Kai Ren's actions are right? Who knows what the relationship is between this woman and those three men? Maybe it's just a couple arguing. What if they make up and then turn around and accuse Kai Ren? Haven't we seen enough of this kind of thing in recent years? I wanted to help, but I ended up getting myself into trouble instead."
Li Qian: "It doesn't affect the fact that Kai Ren's behavior today was very cool. Besides, everyone saw it in front of everyone. Could they possibly set a honey trap and turn white into black?"
The two argued for a long time, then suddenly realized that the person they were arguing about hadn't said a word and had been silent the whole time, so they looked at him in confusion.
Huang Kairen, sitting on the left side of the back row, kept holding his phone and staring at the screen, seemingly ignoring their argument.
"Kai Ren?" Wang Yunfan called out.
Huang Kairen did not react.
Wang Yunfan called out again, but Huang Kairen still did not respond.
Wang Yunfan shook his head helplessly.
"That's true, why should I worry about this? They don't care at all."
Li Qian glanced at him and said, "You're only just realizing that? Stop talking nonsense."
Wang Yunfan: "Li Qian, I've noticed you seem to have quite a few complaints about me."
"I just can't stand your attitude of protecting yourself while blaming others for rushing out." Li Qian looked ahead coldly. "I admit I'm a selfish person, but don't make excuses for your selfishness. If you choose to be a selfish person, then don't expect to be noble in the eyes of others."
Wang Yunfan remained silent.
Li Qian's words were like a sharp blade, piercing his heart.
But he couldn't refute it.
That's just Li Qian's personality; she genuinely believes this, which is why she said it.
Moreover, Wang Yunfan knew that Li Qian was right.
-
Why isn't Xin Zixing replying to my messages?
This is a question that Huang Kairen is pondering.
Everything that happened tonight was so sudden that Huang Kairen had no time or room to think.
Only now can Huang Kairen seriously consider why Xin Zixing got involved in such a thing.
Xin Zixing is a woman who dares to do anything when she's determined.
Huang Kairen has a deep understanding of this point.
This is also the woman he loves.
Huang Kairen will always remember the moment he fell for Xin Zixing. It was the moment Xin Zixing splashed a glass of cold water on someone's face. She was expressionless, with a hint of determination, and the sunlight shone on her face.
It was simply because someone had made unwanted advances towards her.
Xin Zixing is definitely not the type to swallow her anger when someone gropes her; she would slap them across the face.
This is even more true in life.
When the three men attacked her, Huang Kairen didn't even think twice; he knew that the three men were definitely in the wrong first.
Xin Zixing is not someone who would easily resort to violence—the more skilled she is in kung fu, the less likely she is to actually do it.
Huang Kairen asked Xin Zixing what had happened, but Xin Zixing did not reply.
He was more curious as to why Xin Zixing was at Dark Peach Bar at night.
She texted him at noon to tell him she was leaving in the afternoon.
Where will she stay tonight?
Will she be nervous at the police station?
Will those men turn back and seek revenge on her?
All sorts of questions popped into Huang Kairen's mind.
-
After giving her statement at the police station, Xin Zixing came out.
It was quite late, and the wind was strong. A gust of wind blew in my face, carrying a hint of heat.
She crossed her arms and looked at the road outside, illuminated by the dim streetlights. She took out her phone to call a car, and that's when she saw the message from Huang Kairen.
In the past hour, Huang Kairen sent her about twenty messages and made two phone calls.
Seeing Huang Kairen's anxious messages, Xin Zixing smiled slightly and made a phone call.
Huang Kairen answered the phone almost instantly.
"Hey, Zixing?"
"Hello, I was giving a statement at the police station and didn't check my phone. It was on silent mode, so I didn't hear your call," Xin Zixing said. "I'm sorry to have worried you."
Huang Kairen breathed a long sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.
"That's good," Huang Kairen said. "Are you still at the police station?"
"Yes, I just came out and am about to leave."
"I've come to pick you up," Huang Kairen said.
Xin Zixing felt a warmth in her heart. "No need, I'll find a place to stay myself. Don't come over, it'll be hard to explain if someone sees us."
"I don't care about any of that!" Huang Kairen said, somewhat annoyed. "Why did you start a fight? What if those guys hadn't been here today and kept bothering you?"
Xin Zixing said, "Anyway, they can't beat me."
Huang Kairen's voice grew even more irritated as he said, "The three of them can't beat you. What if you call three more people over?"
Hearing the annoyance in Huang Kairen's voice, which stemmed from his distrust, Xin Zixing whispered, "Okay, don't be angry anymore. It won't happen again next time."
Huang Kairen: "Send me your address, and I'll come pick you up."
“I’ll come by myself, don’t be impulsive,” Xin Zixing said. “Just stay in the hotel room and don’t act rashly.”
Huang Kairen said, "Let's just make it public."
Xin Zixing: "What about your agent? He's also thinking about your career."
Huang Kairen remained silent.
Hearing Huang Kairen's silence, Xin Zixing's heart softened slightly. While feeling somewhat disappointed, she also showed more understanding out of consideration for Huang Kairen, saying, "We've already kept it a secret for so long, what's another year or two?"
"Okay, wait for me, I'm coming now," Xin Zixing said.
-
Three people sleeping in one big bed, even that big bed is still a bit cramped.
Before going to bed, the three of them checked their phones and saw that the bar incident was trending on social media and being discussed by many people.
Lu Yanhe and the others only came out at the last moment. Before that, there was a long standoff between Xin Zixing and them, including Liu Yuanting.
This process lasted for more than ten minutes, and someone recorded a video from the moment the conflict started, which lasted for about ten minutes.
It was only at this point that Lu Yanhe and his team were able to figure out exactly how things had happened.
People at the scene also posted updates, detailing what happened.
Both Mo Hebei and Liu Yuanting's words were overheard.
Therefore, when the truth of the matter was revealed, Mo Hebei's arrogance ignited the anger of the entire internet.
"This matter is likely to escalate significantly," Yan Liang said.
"Yes." Lu Yanhe nodded. "This incident, and the appearance of a few of us, has attracted a lot of attention, especially since Brother Ren and Li Zhibai have so many fans."
Li Zhibai said with dissatisfaction, "Hey, why do you call Huang Kairen 'Brother Ren' but me 'Li Zhibai'?"
"You're only a year older than me, what are you yelling at me for?"
"Being a year older than you is still being older, so call me Brother Bai."
Lu Yanhe shook his head silently, refusing to shout.
Li Zhibai immediately pounced on Lu Yanhe and grabbed him by the neck, demanding, "Will you shout or not?"
The two of them were locked in a tug-of-war for quite a while.
"Brother Bai." Lu Yanhe gritted his teeth.
Li Zhibai then released his grip.
So, late at night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Lu Yanhe suddenly kicked Li Zhibai off the bed.
Li Zhibai woke up in shock, cursed "Damn it!" and then glared angrily at the two people on the bed.
But both of them looked like they were fast asleep, and it was impossible to tell who had kicked them.
Li Zhibai took a deep breath, "Damn it!"
Lu Yanhe closed his eyes, inwardly cursing himself for being so childish, while secretly feeling a sense of satisfaction.
-
Even at seven in the morning in July, the sun in Langhua is still blazing.
When Lu Yanhe woke up, Yan Liang had already returned from his morning run.
To be precise, Lu Yanhe was awakened by the sound of the door opening and closing.
He initially thought someone had broken into his room while he was sleeping, but then he realized it was Li Zhibai and Yan Liang who had come.
Lu Yanhe sat up in bed, looked at Yan Liang who was covered in sweat and soaked through, and asked in surprise, "Did you go for a run today?"
Yan Liang nodded and said, "I brought running shoes and clothes. I'm going to take a shower."
Lu Yanhe nodded, looking dazed as if he had just woken up.
Lu Yanhe's room could have breakfast for one more person. Since Li Zhibai was unlikely to get up before nine o'clock anyway, Lu Yanhe didn't wake him and went downstairs to the restaurant with Yan Liang.
"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe opened his phone and found an unread message from Chen Ziyan.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a job offer; Chen Ziyan asked him to call her after he woke up.
This message was sent by Chen Ziyan half an hour ago.
Lu Yanhe called Chen Ziyan.
"Sister Ziyan."
"Did you see the message I sent you?" Chen Ziyan got straight to the point. "There's a website editor named Xin Zixing, from Yemai.com, which I mentioned to you last time. She told me that she met with you yesterday and wants to invite you to participate in an event they've planned, an event to introduce the city of Langhua."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
"Xin Zixing?"
"Um."
Lu Yanhe said "Oh," and then added, "Okay, that's good."
Chen Ziyan: "I also think this job theme is pretty good, it fits your current image and style, but the pay is not high, only 10,000 yuan."
“That’s already a lot for me,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
After the split, several thousand more yuan arrived in my account.
Chen Ziyan: "Okay, then I'll agree. She means she also wants to invite Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, so it might be the three of you working on this project together."
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe was even more satisfied with the job.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Yanhe immediately asked Yan Liang, "Did Zhou Pingan contact you? Just now, Sister Ziyan told me that Xin Zixing contacted her and invited us to participate in an event on Yemai.com to introduce the city of Langhua."
Yan Liang shook his head in confusion and said, "I don't know, they haven't told me yet."
As the two were talking, they bumped into Xin Zixing at the restaurant entrance.
"Oh my, what a coincidence!" Xin Zixing smiled when she saw them.
-
The three of them sat down at a dining table.
“Yes, that’s right.” Xin Zixing nodded and said, “I saw the three of you yesterday and suddenly thought of doing this, so I sent an email to your agents last night when I was having dinner.”
Lu Yanhe said, "My agent just contacted me. I've been free these past two days, so I was planning to take a stroll around Langhua by myself."
Just as Xin Zixing was nodding, her phone buzzed. She looked at it and said, "Oh, Yan Liang, your agent replied to me. Hmm, let me see. Well, he doesn't seem too keen on you taking this job. He said you have other work commitments and need to leave this afternoon?"
Yan Liang nodded and said, "Li Zhibai does have other work tomorrow, so he has to go back today."
"And what about you?"
"I..." Yan Liang actually wanted to say that he had time, but he didn't know if Zhou Ping'an was unwilling to let him take this kind of work. If that were the case, it would be very awkward if he said he had time and Xin Zixing continued to invite him. After thinking for a moment, Yan Liang said, "I have to go back with Li Zhibai. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's okay. I didn't have time this time, we'll make time next time," Xin Zixing said.
Xin Zixing didn't have high expectations or aspirations for this job.
The plan was written on short notice to get closer to Lu Yanhe and the others, and was not something that had been planned for a long time.
Xin Zixing said to Lu Yanhe, "Do you have time today? If you do, I'll find a photographer right away."
“I’m fine with that,” Lu Yanhe nodded. “But why do we need a photographer?”
"Photos, text, and videos," Xin Zixing said. "We'll use three formats to showcase Langhua. If you visited any interesting places yesterday, you can tell me. Actually, our Yemai.com has a lot of content on urban geography. I don't want to exhaust all the interesting places in Langhua in one introduction. I'll just pick two or three and focus on showing them to everyone."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Have you done similar examples before?"
“Never.” Xin Zixing immediately shook her head. “I only thought of it yesterday, including the secondhand bookstore I went to in the morning, the restaurant I went to at noon, and the music store I went to in the afternoon. They were all very interesting and had a great atmosphere.”
“Doing it this way feels more like exploring a restaurant,” Yan Liang said. “It doesn’t feel like a record showcasing the features of a city.”
Xin Zixing said, "It doesn't matter. We didn't originally intend to make something like a documentary that airs on a documentary channel. In my opinion, the form is not important. What matters is what kind of content we want to present. So, what do our users on Yemai.com want to know most about Langhua? At the most basic level, it's nothing more than eating and drinking. We want interesting, unique, and especially one-of-a-kind things. Unearthing these things is what our website's urban geography has been committed to doing, and that's why we invite so many people to write their own urban geography."
Yan Liang was quite tempted after hearing what Xin Zixing had to say.
This kind of work is basically just going to Langhua to eat and stroll around.
How could you not be tempted to learn about Langhua while working there?
Alas, it seems Zhou Ping'an doesn't want them to participate.
Yan Liang probably guessed that this was not the type of work Zhou Ping'an liked to give them at all; it was too artistic, too niche, and the pay was destined to be low.
Zhou Ping'an always said, "Don't take on jobs that claim to be idealistic and passionate but offer low pay. If you take on too many of these jobs, people will know you're good at negotiating, and you won't be able to offer a high price anymore."
-
After breakfast, Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang were about to return to their room when Xin Zixing said, "I have an appointment. I'll be visiting a few places this morning to meet with a photographer. We'll meet again this afternoon and start working on this project then. I'll add you as a friend so it'll be easier to communicate that way."
Lu Yanhe opened his QR code and had Xin Zixing scan it.
Yan Liang also opened it.
As Xin Zixing added them as friends, she said, "Thank you again for what happened at the bar last night. I'll treat you all to dinner sometime, or... are you free at noon today? How about I treat you to lunch?"
Lu Yanhe and Yan Liang looked at each other, then shook their hands and said, "No need, no need to be so polite."
Xin Zixing: "I'm not being polite, but I am truly grateful to you all for standing up for me at that time. Although I am not afraid of them, your sudden appearance in that isolated and helpless situation gave me a lot of comfort."
She looked up at the two boys in front of her, her smile warm and friendly.
"Then it's settled. I'll send you the address later."
(End of this chapter)
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