Chapter 870 Dark under the lamp
The next day, at Yumingrenhe Hospital.
"Is that Lu Yanhe?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping'an looked up.
That's true.
He accompanied his mother to the hospital for a medical check-up today, and unexpectedly, they ran into Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi, as well as two elderly people he didn't recognize.
"Don't you want to say hello to him?" Zhou's mother asked. "Even though you don't take him with you anymore, you two worked together for so long."
Zhou Ping'an naturally didn't tell his mother about his messy affair with Lu Yanhe.
“It wouldn’t be good to greet someone in a place like this and get recognized,” Zhou Ping’an said to his mother. “How do you still remember him?”
“He helped me on the subway before, of course I remember,” his mother said righteously. “Son, I’ve always told you that people should know how to be grateful and remember those who have helped you.”
Zhou Ping'an: "...I remember."
Zhou's mother nodded.
“Your career is getting better and better, so don’t be arrogant,” Zhou’s mother said. “Although I haven’t read as many books as you, I have eaten, seen, and experienced more than you. When I was a child, I was also the daughter of a wealthy family. Don’t let these words go in one ear and out the other. I will not harm you.”
"Okay, Mom, I'm listening," Zhou Ping'an said obediently.
If anyone familiar with Zhou Ping'an were here at this moment, they would surely be shocked by his reaction. This was a side of Zhou Ping'an they had almost never seen before—
When has he ever been this obedient?!
Suddenly, for some reason, Lu Yanhe turned his head and looked in their direction.
And coincidentally, Zhou Ping'an was looking in their direction.
Their eyes met.
Lu Yanhe's gaze paused for a moment, then fell to the side.
Zhou Ping'an's mother.
"Hey, did he see us?" Zhou's mother asked.
Zhou Ping'an's heart tightened.
"I saw him, but he probably won't come over—"
Before Zhou Ping'an could finish speaking, he saw Lu Yanhe whisper something to Chen Siqi and then walk towards them.
Zhou Ping'an looked puzzled.
"Auntie, what a coincidence, you're at the hospital today too. Are you here for a checkup?" Lu Yanhe asked Zhou's mother with concern.
"Oh my, you still remember this old lady?" Zhou's mother laughed, her eyes narrowing into slits with a kind smile.
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Of course I remember."
Zhou's mother: "It was just a minor ailment that could have been treated with some medicine, but he insisted on making me come for a full-body checkup."
Lu Yanhe said, "Let's have a full body check-up, just to be on the safe side. If there's anything wrong with our health, we can detect it early and treat it in advance."
Zhou's mother nodded.
"Was that pretty girl standing next to you just now your girlfriend?"
“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “She accompanied her grandparents to the hospital for a check-up today. I happened to be free, so I came along.”
Zhou's mother: "What a filial child. I saw in the news that you artists are very busy and can't even go home once a year, yet you still have time to accompany your elders to the hospital."
"I am genuinely busy, it's not an exaggeration. If I'm on set, or have pre-arranged work that I can't get out of, even if something really happens at home, it's hard to coordinate," Lu Yanhe said. "I just finished filming yesterday, so I only have time today."
After exchanging pleasantries and showing concern, Lu Yanhe said, "Then I'll head over now, Auntie, bye-bye."
After finishing their conversation, Lu Yanhe nodded to Zhou Ping'an as a greeting before turning and leaving.
Zhou Ping'an felt quite uneasy.
"This child is so polite. He even came over to greet me when he saw me." Zhou's mother nodded in satisfaction. "You should really learn from him."
"Me?" Zhou Ping'an was taken aback.
"Why didn't you think of saying hello to him?" Zhou's mother criticized.
Zhou Ping'an had no words to express his suffering.
If it were someone else beside him, Zhou Ping'an would definitely have scolded Lu Yanhe for being hypocritical.
But the person Lu Yanhe was pretending to be was his mother.
Seeing how happy Lu Yanhe was to make his mother, Zhou Ping'an felt a bit... conflicted.
Even if Lu Yanhe was just putting on an act, Zhou Ping'an wished he would put on an act more often. He only truly cared about a handful of people in this world, and the fact that his mother liked him so much made Zhou Ping'an unable to say, "Mom, don't be fooled by him, he's a hypocritical liar."
Lu Yanhe was not a hypocritical liar. Zhou Ping'an knew this perfectly well.
Suddenly, Zhou's mother thought of something and said, "This child has really had a tough time. I've read his story, and he's had such a hard time. Even though he's not in the same company as you anymore, and you're not his manager anymore, please help him out whenever you can."
Zhou Ping'an: "...Okay."
-
Chen Siqi asked Lu Yanhe in a low voice, "Why did you go and greet Zhou Ping'an's mother? Have your relationship with Zhou Ping'an improved?"
“We weren’t as bad as we were at Xingyu. Later, he actually told me... he told me everything he knew,” Lu Yanhe said. “Aside from what Vice President Ma asked him to do, he didn’t do much else. Indeed, there was no personal grudge between us. Later, we even had some cooperation in terms of interests.”
Chen Siqi: "That's not the reason why you would take the initiative to greet his mother, is it?"
Lu Yanhe then told Chen Siqi what had happened on the subway.
At that time, someone was making sarcastic remarks about Lu Yanhe. This old lady spoke up for Lu Yanhe, and the person started arguing with her, looking aggressive and ready to fight. Lu Yanhe stepped forward again and stood in front of the old lady.
Chen Siqi was extremely surprised.
"Zhou Ping'an's mother was such a chivalrous and righteous person? How come Zhou Ping'an didn't inherit any of that?"
Lu Yanhe: "Zhou Pingan... Actually, now that I think about it, apart from helping Vice President Ma get me out of the entertainment industry, Zhou Pingan really didn't do anything else to me. With his methods, if he really wanted to cause me trouble, I probably wouldn't have been able to finish my senior year of high school peacefully and get into Zhenhua University."
“Given your personality, if Zhou Ping’an had really done something to you as maliciously as Ma Zhiyuan or Jingtai, you and he wouldn’t have been able to get along peacefully after your ‘breakup.’ You would have already started fighting,” Chen Siqi said. “I know that. Just look at how you thwarted Ma Zhiyuan and Chen Pinhe. Unfortunately, Ma Zhiyuan has become popular again and is making a comeback. What can we do?”
“What can we do?” Lu Yanhe shrugged. “He’s been being watched by Sister Ziyan the whole time, so he can’t get up.”
Chen Siqi: "He's being promoted by Zhou Pingan now."
“Zhou Ping’an didn’t really promote someone,” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m too familiar with Zhou Ping’an’s methods. There’s a completely different difference between him genuinely promoting someone and him pretending to promote someone.”
"Really?" Chen Siqi asked curiously. "If Zhou Ping'an really promotes someone, how would he do it?"
“Just look at Ma Zhiyuan back then. In any job or publicity, protecting Ma Zhiyuan’s image was the top priority. Making money was secondary.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “He would rather Ma Zhiyuan act like a big shot than let him bow down to others. He could beg and plead with grandpas and grandmas, but Ma Zhiyuan had to hold his head high.”
"And now?"
“Now—” Lu Yanhe’s lips curled up sarcastically, “it’s more about giving Ma Zhiyuan the illusion that he’s still trying to promote him, taking him to some high-profile events, and helping him find some decent jobs. In reality, he neither personally helps him build connections nor helps him plan his future development. It seems like he’s become popular again because of ‘Scandal,’ but then he’s signed him up for the rest of the film series. This IP is just exploiting Ma Zhiyuan.”
Chen Siqi: "Okay, I've learned something new."
“Zhou Ping’an is currently promoting Cheng Hai as a male artist and Meng Li as a female artist,” Lu Yanhe said. “Ma Zhiyuan can’t get any of the good resources from Zhou Ping’an.”
Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe with great interest.
"I've noticed that you're quite concerned about Zhou Ping'an's situation; you even know about these things."
Lu Yanhe laughed and did not deny it. Instead, he said, "Don't forget, Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and I were all once Zhou Ping'an's artists. When the three of us were together, our routine was to scold Zhou Ping'an. How could we not know his activities?"
Chen Siqi: "..."
“Very good, that’s a very convincing reason, I have nothing to say.”
-
Zhang Yuezhen's expression was very serious.
At this moment, her eyes were like those of an eagle—sharp and full of edge.
The news Wang Meng brought was completely unexpected and brought her a huge shock.
Zhang Yue's first reaction was: Really?
However, faced with Wang Meng's half-recorded audio, Zhang Yuezhen had to admit that it was real.
It wasn't that Wang Meng misheard, nor was it that he made things up.
When did Chen Pinhe go to see Lu Yanhe?
At that moment, it felt as if a hole had opened up in Zhang Yue's heart, and the wind was howling through it.
It's empty.
Zhang Yue really wanted to rush up to Chen Pinhe and ask him what exactly happened.
However, it didn't work.
She always thought that Chen Pinhe was unaware that she knew about his relationship with Lu Yanhe.
However, it was clear that Chen Pinhe had already found out from somewhere.
Chen Pinhe even went so far as to blame everything they had done in the past on her—
Wait, what exactly does "all of that" include?
Does that include that incident by the river many years ago?
Zhang Yuezhen's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Did Chen Pinhe also know about that matter?
At this moment, Zhang Yue felt truly apprehensive, and even her palms began to sweat.
-
"Xiao Lu, your flight is this afternoon, right?" Chen Siqi's grandfather asked.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"Have you packed everything? Are you about to leave?" Chen Siqi's grandfather asked again.
Lu Yanhe said, "It's okay, there's still plenty of time. After we have lunch together, my team will pick me up and take me directly to the airport. Everything is arranged."
Upon hearing this, Chen Siqi's maternal grandfather nodded, finally putting his mind at ease.
They made a special reservation at a French restaurant for lunch. Chen Siqi said that her grandmother had lived in Europe for several years and often ate at this French restaurant after returning to Yuming, because the restaurant was opened in China by a chef she knew in France.
Lu Yanhe recalls that the food blog "Jump Up" even featured this restaurant.
So that's how it all started.
Lu Yanhe didn't know much about Chen Siqi's maternal grandparents' past. He only knew that they had a very successful business and were wealthy. He also knew that they had lived abroad for many years and traveled to many countries when they were young.
Judging from their usual words and actions, they are both highly educated and knowledgeable individuals.
That's probably why Chen Siqi didn't go astray despite growing up in such a family environment.
Lu Yanhe actually liked the elderly couple very much. They always appeared before him with kindness, care, and concern. Regarding his work and career, they wouldn't inquire unless he mentioned it. The same was true for his family—
The two elderly people must have learned about his past through many channels. Yet they didn't ask a single question. Furthermore, despite being together with Chen Siqi for so many years, the two elders never asked when they would get married or what their plans were.
Chen Siqi had told Lu Yanhe that she had been curious about this matter privately and had asked them about it.
Her grandmother said, "We can tell from what you two children have done that you are both very sensible, so why should we say anything more?"
Chen Siqi said that if her father and Liu Wei'an brought her unease, anger, hysteria and violence, then her maternal grandparents brought her a way out, a haven and a sense of security, which is the foundation that allows her to remain rational and steadfast.
Lu Yanhe understood what Chen Siqi was talking about.
Imagine if their lives were filled with chaos and turmoil, with all sorts of disgusting and troublesome things happening off-camera, and the people around them were either scheming or complex and unpredictable. What would their understanding of the world be like?
The kind of person they choose to become often depends on the kind of people who appear in their lives.
The east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.
Lu Yanhe never considered himself superior or aloof just because he was a movie star or a superstar. Everyone he met, everyone he aspired to be, cherished and protected their own lives.
Wen Shengming considers "inviting others to his home for dinner and cooking for them himself" as a courtesy to express intimacy to his collaborators.
Shang Yongzhou typically only films one movie a year, never allowing himself to be constantly in a work rhythm.
Chen Bige doesn't need the halo of a Best Actress to restrain herself; she can play around with young people on set and doesn't shy away from her love of alcohol.
Even a workaholic like Luo Yuzhong, with such a high status in the industry, still needs to put everything down and try to cheer up his wife when she's angry.
The importance of work is undeniable, but the real, mundane aspects of life are equally irreplaceable.
Lu Yanhe found himself particularly enjoying sitting with them and having lunch.
Let's talk about the changes that age brings to the body, listen to the elderly people's memories of Chen Siqi's childhood, discuss some topics, and even have a few arguments.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
This scene didn't happen in a lively alleyway, but it was still a corner of human life.
-
Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian sat in a very popular cafe in Yuming.
“Sitting here, I don’t even need to turn around to know someone is filming me.” Jiang Yuqian glanced at Li Zhibai speechlessly. “What were you thinking, calling me here?”
“We’ve been promoting ‘Love is Not Blind’ recently, so even if the paparazzi photograph us sitting here, they won’t suspect anything,” Li Zhibai said. “In fact, I did it on purpose, letting them take pictures. That’s what Su Yang said: the more open and generous you are, the less suspicious they will be.”
The two people spoke very softly.
Although they were all wearing sunglasses and hats, people who knew them well would recognize them at a glance.
Jiang Yuqian asked, "Are there still a lot of paparazzi following you?"
Li Zhi nodded a hundred times.
“There are so many of them, following me wherever I go, all wanting to be the first to photograph who my mysterious girlfriend is.”
Jiang Yuqian smiled and lowered her head.
"Okay, then it really is... the darkest place is under the lamp."
Li Zhibai: "Who would describe themselves as being in the darkest place under the lamp? I'm speechless."
Jiang Yuqian asked, "So, is there any other reason why you brought me to this coffee shop?"
“No, I just think this coffee is really good,” Li Zhibai said. “Don’t you drink coffee? I asked you if you’d been here before, and you said no.”
Jiang Yuqian said, "If I had the luxury of having time, I would like to come to a physical store for a cup of coffee."
"Are you going to keep filming like that?"
"What else would I do if I didn't act?" Jiang Yuqian said. "I don't really like recording variety shows, that's not my personality."
"Hmm—" Li Zhibai suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Actually—"
"Stop," Jiang Yuqian suddenly said. "I know what you want to say, but stop."
Li Zhi was utterly disappointed: "Huh?"
"We haven't reached that stage yet."
"All right."
Jiang Yuqian: "Besides, your family knows you're dating, didn't they ask you about it?"
Li Zhibai: "I asked."
"Do they know?"
"I don't know," Li Zhibai said. "I told them it's none of their business, and that we'll invite them to the wedding."
Jiang Yuqian: "...What was your family's reaction?"
"Let them all curse me, that's how they always react to me anyway." Li Zhibai said with an indifferent expression. "Whatever, it's none of their business anyway."
"Have you ever thought about what if they don't accept it?" Jiang Yuqian asked.
“It’s none of their business. They can accept it or not, it’s up to them.” Li Zhibai rolled his eyes. “Why are you worried about this?”
"Shouldn't we be worried about these things?" Jiang Yuqian asked helplessly.
Li Zhibai: "What you should worry about is what kind of wedding you want."
Jiang Yuqian: "...As I just said, we haven't reached that stage yet."
"Think it through in advance, be well-prepared," Li Zhibai said calmly.
Jiang Yuqian was so angry at Li Zhibai's shamelessness that she laughed.
However, after laughing, Jiang Yuqian felt inexplicably relieved.
(End of this chapter)
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