President and Special Assistant 1

Lu Yan walked out of the elevator calmly, said hello to Daisy, and walked directly into the president’s office.

Su Mo was sitting at his desk, and Lu Yu was standing in front of him with a stack of documents in his hands, reporting on his work. When they heard the door open, they didn’t even raise their heads and continued with their work.

Lu Yan did not disturb them, but sat down on the sofa and watched with interest.

Lu Yu’s report was neither too fast nor too slow, with a moderate volume and clear pronunciation. Although Lu Yan did not understand the business content of Su’s company, he could hear that every word Lu Yu said was very important and there was no nonsense. Su Mo listened and nodded from time to time. He asked a few questions occasionally, and Lu Yu could answer them quickly. Even if he couldn’t remember something at the moment, he could quickly turn to the place he wanted to check and tell the answer.

He was indeed very capable. After listening for more than half an hour, Lu Yan stroked his chin and admitted in his heart. He believed that with such a capable special assistant, Director Su could also worry less.

After finishing the report, Lu Yu put away the materials in his hand, stopped talking, and waited for Su Mo’s instructions.

Su Mo flipped through the documents on the table and looked up, “Okay, let’s do as I just said. Go and arrange the materials for the meeting.”

Lu Yu nodded and said, “Okay.”

Turning around, he saw Lu Yan sitting on the sofa, nodded and greeted him, “Mr. Lu.” Still in his unhurried and neither light nor heavy tone.

Lu Yan stood up with a smile, “Assistant Lu, thank you for your guidance in the next few days.”

“Mr. Lu, I am too humble. I don’t deserve it.” Lu Yu said calmly.

Lu Yan continued to smile, “You can call me Special Assistant Lu these days.”

“Okay, Special Assistant Lu. I’ll be out first then.”

After Lu Yu left, Lu Yan walked behind Su Mo and touched his shoulder. Su Mo looked up at him and said, “Do you feel bored? Working is not as interesting as filming a movie.”

“It’s OK.” Lu Yan smiled, “Just treat it as an experience of life. And I don’t feel bored at all when I can look at you.”

As Lu Yan spoke, he walked around to the front, leaned on the desk, and faced Su Mo. “Come to think of it, I really didn’t know that a special assistant has to do so much and know so much.”

“Why else would you call for a special assistant?” Su Mo said with a smile, “Does Special Assistant Lu feel overwhelmed?”

“How could that be?” Lu Yan leaned forward and smiled. “Facing challenges head-on has always been my character. By the way, I have seen Assistant Lu so many times, but I have never seen him smile before.”

“Don’t even mention you. Even I, in all these years, have only seen him smile less than ten times.”

“So exaggerated? Doesn’t that mean he has facial paralysis?”

Su Mo smiled and said, “Your words are quite appropriate. But Assistant Lu is very popular in the company and has many fans. It would be a disaster if they heard about it.”

Lu Yan asked, “Is he more popular than you?”

Su Mo nodded. “To some extent, yes.”

“How is that possible?” Lu Yan said in disbelief. “You look more handsome and richer than Assistant Lu.”

“You know, it’s always easier to get close to a special assistant than to a president. And most of the ladies who can stay here to work are rational and realistic.” Su Mo smiled meaningfully.

Su Mo held Lu Yan’s hand and asked, “Where did you go just now?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “I went to spread a message.”

“Explaining why you are here?” Su Mo asked.

“Not bad,” Lu Yan smiled slyly, “I met a few female colleagues in the employee cafeteria, and I just happened to tell them that I would most likely play the role of an assistant to the president of a large company, and came here to experience the life in advance. I think by now, everyone in the company should know.”

“But your next play hasn’t been decided yet, right? Is that okay?” Su Mo asked.

Lu Yan thought for a moment, “I didn’t think too much about it at first. I just thought this was the best excuse to explain why I was here. But when it comes to filming, sometimes even the roles that have been confirmed may be replaced for various reasons. I will try to take on similar roles in the future.”

Su Mo patted his hands and said, “It’s okay. Sometimes it’s okay to tell some harmless lies. Just treat it as a joke.”

Su Mo smiled again, “Well, Special Assistant Lu, there will be a meeting later, do you want to join us?”

“Of course,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “Since we are acting, we have to do it in full. Besides, I have said that I will be a special assistant who will accompany you 24 hours a day.”

Before the meeting started, Lu Yu returned to the office and took all the necessary materials. Lu Yan and Lu Yu followed Su Mo to the conference room.

The meeting room was on the 20th floor, and the three of them took the special elevator downstairs. There was still some distance from the elevator to the meeting room, and along the way, the employees they met would take the initiative to greet them, “Director Su, Special Assistant Lu, Special Assistant Lu.” And everyone couldn’t help but smile when they called Special Assistant Lu. Lu Yan understood what they meant, so he smiled back.

In the conference room, the other staff members were ready, and Su Mo went straight to the president’s seat. Usually, there was only a special assistant seat on the left side of the president’s seat, but today, chairs were placed on both sides. One couldn’t help but sigh that the quality of employees in large companies was so high, and even the arrangement of meeting seats was so thoughtful.

All the participants smiled knowingly when they saw Lu Yan, and no one showed any doubt or confusion. Therefore, the speed at which gossip spread in large companies was also very efficient.

The meeting did not change at all because of the participation of Lu Yan. It was still a meeting where each department reported on their work, proposed solutions, and solved them.

Since Lu Yan claimed that he was here to experience life, he had to do it seriously even if it was just an excuse. So at the beginning, he focused on Lu Yu to see what he, a real special assistant, needed to do and how to do it. When each department reported their work, Lu Yu would open the corresponding information and place it in front of Su Mo. He would highlight the key points and eliminate the irrelevant details so that everyone could see it clearly at a glance.

After all departments had reported, Su Mo began to ask some key questions. Some people answered very well, while some hesitated and could not answer. Su Mo’s expression remained consistent. He did not praise anyone for answering well, nor did he get angry because someone could not answer. Afterwards, one decision, one arrangement, and one order after another came out of Su Mo’s mouth. His tone was not very severe, and his expression was very natural, but there was an irresistible aura, as if everything he said was the absolute truth and people just had to do it.

It was also the first time that Lu Yan saw Su Mo working like this, and it was still different from when they were alone. Su Mo at this time reminded Lu Yan more and more of the ancient emperors. If the department managers were generals, each leading a million troops, then Su Mo was a general, commanding and dispatching, making decisions, planning and winning battles thousands of miles away.

This was just an internal company meeting. Lu Yan wondered, what would Su Mo be like at the negotiation table? He should be even more charming. Of course, only the movie star Lu Yan would find Director Su, who was called a “devil-like man” by his rivals in the business world, charming, because only he had seen the very different Su Mo behind the scenes.

After the meeting, the meeting recorder handed the organized meeting minutes to Lu Yu. Lu Yu took it, nodded, and said expressionlessly, “Thank you for your hard work.” There was no ups and downs in his voice either.

Even so, the office secretary who was in charge of taking minutes of the meeting couldn’t help but blush slightly, lowered her head and said shyly, “Thank you, Special Assistant Lu.” This made Lu Yan, who had not left immediately, truly realize the appeal of this special assistant to the president.

After returning to the top floor, Lu Yan did not follow Su Mo into the office, but stayed and chatted with Lu Yu.

“How long has Assistant Lu been working at Su group?”

“Almost seven years.”

“So if you calculate the time, you should have come here right after graduating from college, right?”

“Yes, this is my first job.”

“Assistant Lu is really loyal. Nowadays, few people can stick to their first job until the end.”

“Actually… it’s not that I’m so loyal, but I can’t find a better job that’s more suitable for my development. When I first came to Su’s, I wasn’t the special assistant to the president, but just an ordinary assistant. Later, it was Director Su who took me to his side and taught me how to be a special assistant step by step. It may not be difficult to find a good job nowadays, but it is not easy to meet a good boss. I think it is good now.” Lu Yu answered every question Lu Yan asked.

Lu Yan felt that this paragraph sounded very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. After thinking for a while, he remembered that Qin Feng had also said something similar. At this point, Lu Yan admired Su Mo even more. Being able to make everyone around him loyal is what every superior desires, but not everyone can do it, but Su Mo did it very well. This is not something that can be learned, it is simply a natural gift.

In the secretarial office’s tea room, several secretaries were chatting together.

“I saw Lu Yan outside the conference room today. He was so handsome. He was so charming.”

“Did you ask him for his autograph or take a photo with him?”

“Oh, I forgot. I was just looking at him. Oh, I didn’t know I had the chance to meet him. I regret it so much.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be in the company for a few more days, so we’ll definitely meet again.”

“It’s hard to say. The company is so big, who knows where he will go? Besides, he spends most of his time in the president’s office, which is not a place we can go to casually.”

“So, the one I envy the most is Sister Daisy. As the president’s chief secretary, she used to see the president and Assistant Lu every day. Now there’s a handsome guy. Oh my god, I’m so jealous.”

“You have to have a good figure and good looks like her first. Not everyone can be the president’s secretary.” 

“Hey, don’t say that. Sister Daisy is really capable.”

“Yes, anyone who can become the president’s secretary must have some ability. However, no matter how capable you are, without capital, nothing can be achieved.”

“I don’t like what you said. Sister Daisy is not that kind of person, and neither is the president.”

“Little sister, how old are you? What do you know? What president and secretary don’t have some unclear relationship? Especially our president, who has both wealth and good looks. He is a diamond bachelor in the eyes of many rich girls. But he doesn’t even have a girlfriend, and he doesn’t even have a scandal. Why do you think that is?”

“Now that you put it that way it seems to make sense.”

“Hey, stop saying things like that.”

“What are you afraid of? If someone dares to do it, don’t be afraid of being criticized.”

The person who was raising her voice had her sleeve pulled, and she was still a little unwilling, “Why are you pulling me…”

“Sister Daisy!”

“Sister Daisy, you’re here too.”

“Sister Daisy.”

…

So, don’t talk about others behind their backs, be careful of people who are behind you.

Daisy glanced at them and said, “If I thought the same as you, I would not have stayed in this position a long time ago. People should know themselves and do their duty well. That is the most important thing. If you want to be a big secretary, no matter how capable you are, the most important thing is not to covet your master!”

After saying that, she walked away with the brewed coffee, leaving behind a beautiful and noble figure.

The person who just spoke turned red and white.

In fact, this was not the first time Daisy had heard people talk about her like this. Human jealousy is inherently terrible. With her sitting in this position, naturally there would be many jealous people who would make up some gossip.

Daisy thought it was nothing, and she believed that a person with a clear conscience is not afraid of any criticism. To be honest, as a secretary, it is important to follow the right boss. She was very relaxed and comfortable in her job as a secretary. Apart from completing her duties conscientiously, she never messed up anything.

She didn’t need to be a hostess for some old man, nor did she need to accompany the boss to various cocktail parties. She didn’t have to face sexual harassment from her superiors, nor did she need to help her boss fend off those annoying lovers. Every time she told her good friends about it, they were extremely jealous. They were also secretaries, so how could she be so lucky?

Daisy was very self-aware. Although she also admired handsome men like other girls, her boss was the best of the best. But she had no extravagant desires for unattainable things. She had never thought that one day she would be favored by her boss and become a phoenix. Those were all plots in novels, but she lived in reality.

This job was so good and the boss was easy to serve, so it didn’t matter if people occasionally gossip about her for no reason.

But in the past two days, she particularly hated hearing such discussions, and she felt an uncomfortable sense of shame.

It’s just that those two people were so dazzling.

In just two days, Daisy had seen them several times doing intimate actions as if no one was around, and talking about love, which was enough to make even the most heartless person get goosebumps. One was a big president, the other was a big star, and they were so close when it came to love. Although the president’s office would not have outsiders intruding, please also consider the feelings of this older single woman, who was still unmarried.

Daisy was full of admiration for Assistant Lu when she talked about this. No matter what he saw or heard, Assistant Lu’s paralyzed face was expressionless. He just did what he had to do and was never affected. Unlike herself, she always wanted to cover her eyes and ears.

No one heard Daisy’s inner voice yelling, “Please, you two, if you are so in love, just get married and come out of the closet.” So that she can be relieved and no one will gossip about her and the president anymore, and she can find her own spring. 

You know, she had been on several blind dates, and after the other party knew that she was the president’s secretary, she was stared at with meaningful eyes. Oh, oh, oh your sister, she really wanted to slap them in the face.

Of course, the two parties involved could not hear the secretary’s inner thoughts, so they had to show off when they should show off, and hide when they should hide.

Uncontrollable

Several school leaders pushed the door open and the one leading them was Qu Zhi, who had a feud with Ji You.

There was no time to think about how things had developed to this point. Zhuang Wenxuan’s mind was in a mess and his face was pale. He could almost foresee how embarrassing the future would be. He felt hopeless.

Ji You was startled by the roar and immediately let go, but it was too late. Every eye that came in clearly showed what they saw and what they thought. Ji You was at a loss and panicked.

Qu Zhi cursed in a smug manner, “It’s against morals, it’s against morals. This is a school, not a place for you to mess around, and you’re doing this to two men! Teacher Zhuang, how can you be a role model for others…”

“It’s not the teacher’s fault!” Ji You suddenly shouted, then stood in front of Zhuang Wenxuan with a determined look, “It was me, I forced the teacher. This matter has nothing to do with the teacher, the teacher is also a victim.”

Zhuang Wenxuan’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face turned even paler, and he stammered, “No…”

The Dean of Studies frowned and said, “Do you know what you are saying? Do you know what the consequences of saying this will be?”

“I know, I know very well.” Ji You had made a decision in an instant and decided to carry it out. In the blink of an eye, the expression on his face had completely changed, becoming firm and full of strength, without the slightest hesitation or panic. “It’s my fault, it has nothing to do with Teacher Zhuang, I will bear all the consequences.”

“No, it’s not like that…” Zhuang Wenxuan finally found his voice and shouted while struggling, but his voice was pitifully low due to his lack of confidence.

“Teacher!” Ji You turned around suddenly and interrupted him, his voice was a little sharp, his eyes changed from being resolute at the beginning to being soft, nostalgic, reluctant, guilty, pleading, and firm. He looked deeply at Zhuang Wenxuan and said word by word that was completely inconsistent with what his eyes wanted to express, “I’m sorry!”

Zhuang Wenxuan seemed to be stunned by his gaze and could no longer utter a word.

Ji You turned around and said, “Everyone has their own responsibility. No matter what the punishment is, I will accept it.”

Qu Zhi almost jumped up, pointed at his nose and said, “Ji You, don’t think…”

“Okay, as long as you drop out of school, we’ll let this go.” The Dean of Studies quickly made a decision. He knew that things might not be as Ji You said, but compared to students, teachers’ mistakes would bring more shame to the school. Since Ji You took the initiative to take the responsibility, he had no choice but to go with the flow. He made a decision that was beneficial to the school but not necessarily fair.

Ji You was tidying up his desk expressionlessly. Chen Yao asked behind him with tears in her eyes, “Ji You, why are you doing this?”

Ji You didn’t say a word.

Chen Yao continued, “Ji You, you are not that kind of person at all. You didn’t force Teacher Zhuang, it was Teacher Zhuang who seduced you, right?”

Ji You turned around abruptly and looked at her fiercely, “No! I forced the teacher to do this. You’d better remember this.”

Chen Yao was startled by his look. The tears in her eyes shook and fell. She smiled bitterly, “Ji You, is it worth it? You are ruining your own future, do you know that?”

Ji You’s expression softened. He was slightly distracted, but soon regained consciousness. There was deep sadness in his eyes, but more of it was an unshakable determination. “Nothing is worth it. I will never regret what I have decided.”

Ji You packed his things and put them in his schoolbag. He took two steps and Chen Yao chased after him and asked, “Ji You, where are you going? Can we meet again?”

Ji You turned around and said, “My parents are going to send me abroad. Maybe I won’t come back.”

Chen Yao’s eyes were red, but she still didn’t give up. “Which country are you going to?”

Ji You suddenly smiled and said seriously, “Chen Yao, you are a very good girl. Forget me, and you will find your own happiness.”

Chen Yao covered her mouth and cried, squatting down, “But I only like you.”

Ji You showed a sad look, as if he felt the same pain as the girl. He wanted to reach out to comfort the crying girl, but his fingers moved slightly in the air. In the end, he did nothing and slowly dropped down.

After the director called for a stop, Lu Yan quickly adjusted his mood and pulled himself out of Ji You’s world. However, Li Xue did not stop crying, but instead her crying became more intense.

Her assistant quickly went over to her and put her arm around her shoulders to comfort her, while the staff around her looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wang Yi and Lu Yan were worried that she was feeling unwell, so they hurried over to ask, “Li Xue, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to call a doctor?”

Li Xue sobbed and shook her head, “No, I’m fine… I just feel very sad, let me cry for a while… After a while, I’ll be fine.”

Even though she said this, everyone was still a little worried and didn’t dare to leave.

After a while, Li Xue finally stopped crying and stood up.

Her assistant was holding her up. Song Hui had carefully prepared a wet towel, and handed it to Li Xue as she stood up. Li Xue took the towel and buried her face in it for a while. When she raised her head again, her eyes were still red and a little swollen, and her eye makeup was naturally smudged, looking a little untidy.

Li Xue smiled shyly, but said to Lu Yan, “God Lu, it’s all your fault. You acted so well that it reminded me of my first love. I couldn’t help but…”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then started to make a fuss.

Some people teased Lu Yan, saying that he is worthy of being the best actor, and his acting was so good that people couldn’t stop feeling involved. Several female staff members also smiled and said, “Yes, yes, I almost couldn’t help crying just now. I just felt a little embarrassed, so I tried my best to hold it back.”

Some people also teased Li Xue, asking her what a beautiful woman’s first love was like.

Wang Yi patted Lu Yan on the shoulder and motioned him to follow him.

“I suddenly had an idea,” Wang Yi said straight to the point, “I want to change the ending.”

“What does Director Wang want to change it to?”

“Wait a minute, when Han Yuan comes, I’ll tell you all.”

Wang Yi told the two about the revised ending, and Han Yuan nodded, “Not bad, this ending is more tense than the previous one.”

“However, if this happens, Lu Yan’s fans will probably cry their hearts out.” Han Yuan made a rare joke.

Lu Yan was silent for a while, then said to Wang Yi, “Thank you, Director Wang.”

Wang Yi patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t be so quick to thank me. I just did it for the effect of the movie. Besides, it’s also because your acting skills are enough to support such a conflict.”

When this scene was being filmed, Su Mo happened to be free, so he went along to watch. Lu Yan had already told him about the content of this scene in advance, so that he could be mentally prepared.

Su Mo originally thought that he had made sufficient mental preparations. Moreover, after so many years of training in the business world, he had long been able to remain calm and composed in the face of adversity. His control over his emotions was beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, he still didn’t expect that being there in person would have such a huge impact. He knew it was all acting and fake, but at that moment he really felt what it meant to be heartbroken.

Ji You sat in the park in the middle of the street for a long time. He had changed out of his usual student uniform and put on a simple white shirt and black pants. In a short period of time, he seemed to have grown up overnight, from an ignorant boy to a responsible young man. The vigorous vitality in him had been replaced by a gloomy aura. Only his eyes were still persistent, eager, sincere, and pure. Especially when he saw the figure he had been waiting for for a long time appear before him.

Zhuang Wenxuan was in a trance. During this period, he was often in a trance, and from time to time, faces full of ridicule and contempt would appear in his mind, saying homosexuality, perversion and other words in a disdainful tone. However, more often, he was occupied by the figure of the passionate and energetic boy. But it would soon switch to that nightmarish evening, with the boy, with his immature body, standing in front of him with a resolute attitude, shouldering all the responsibilities and the terrible future.

Zhuang Wenxuan was in great torment. He could not forget the look in the boy’s eyes when he said “I’m sorry”, words that should not have been said by him. But he did not have the courage to honestly tell the truth. He even lacked the courage to shoulder the responsibility.

The adult world is far more complicated and difficult than that of children.

At this moment, he saw the boy standing in the park in the middle of the street, looking at him. In an instant, all the background had disappeared. The cars passing by on the street, the mothers chatting in the park, the children playing alone. Only the eyes of each other were the whole world.

Ji You involuntarily took a step forward, his eyes still eager, as if containing thousands of words.

Zhuang Wenxuan subconsciously took a step back. Even though he immediately regretted his action, it had already hurt the boy opposite him more deeply, the boy who had grown up almost overnight.

The desire in Ji You’s eyes turned into sadness; he tried to move his lips but couldn’t utter a word, as if he had lost the ability to speak in an instant.

The two of them stared at each other silently, communicating only with their eye contact.

As expected of actors of the best actor level, they had completely mobilized the whole atmosphere with just their eyes. Apart from the background noise, the filming scene was silent, everyone held their breath, and only the camera was slowly moving.

Ji You slowly smiled bitterly, and said from a distance, “Goodbye, teacher!”

Ji You turned around, and Zhuang Wenxuan took a step forward, with one hand stretched forward as if he wanted to keep something, but he didn’t have the courage to say it out loud.

Ji You was about to cross the road when he suddenly saw a child staggering towards the middle of the road. A truck was approaching from behind, but perhaps because its vision was too high, it did not see such a small child and the truck had no intention of braking at all.

Ji You didn’t have time to think about anything. He just shouted and rushed over.

Zhuang Wenxuan was still regretting his weakness when he suddenly heard a burst of emergency braking and screams coming from the center of the street. He suddenly had a bad feeling, as if something very important had left him.

Zhuang Wenxuan rushed over, pushed through the crowd, and saw a mother who had just been chatting in the park crying while holding her safe child, while Ji You was lying on the ground covered in blood.

In an instant, separation in life will turn into separation in death.

Zhuang Wenxuan trembled as he helped the disheveled Ji You up. Ji You raised his hand and held Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand. He forced a smile and moved his lips silently. The last words he said were, “Teacher, I’m sorry!”

Zhuang Wenxuan knelt on the ground, holding Ji You’s gradually cooling body, his silent sobs turned into increasingly uncontrollable cries, it was heartbreaking!

After the director yelled “Cut”, the staff came up to disperse the crowd of actors. Han Yuan, who was loyal to the crowd, was still kneeling there. Lu Yan had already half sat up and supported him with his backhand, saying with concern, “Brother Han, are you okay?”

Han Yuan waved his hands to indicate that he was fine. “My legs are a little numb. I knelt too hard just now.”

Lu Yan slowly helped him up. When Han Yuan stood up, his knees were still shaking a little.

Wang Yi had also come over, “Are you okay?”

Han Yuan smiled and said, “It’s okay.” His eyes were still a little red and swollen. As an actor of Oscar-winning level, he always cried for real in crying scenes and did not need props like eye drops, so it was inevitable that there would be some impact.

Han Yuan had slowed down and was able to walk on his own. Wang Yi then smiled and said, “The acting just now was very good. Look, several people over there are wiping their tears. It’s worthy of being a clash of two best actor winners.” He then gave the two of them a thumbs up.

“Okay, let’s stop here for today. You two should calm down. Lu Yan’s part is basically over. If there’s anything else that needs reshooting, I’ll contact you later.” Wang Yi said.

“Okay, contact me anytime if you need anything.” Lu Yan pulled at his clothes that were covered in jam, “Then I’ll go change my clothes first. I look a little scary like this.”

“Go quickly.” Wang Yi patted him lightly on the back.

After changing his clothes, Lu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Just like Director Wang said, his scenes were basically finished, if there was no need to reshoot, that would be it. The remaining scenes were basically Han Yuan’s, so he could take a proper rest.

To be honest, Lu Yan felt very uncomfortable when he was filming the scene just now. He was reborn in his previous life because he was hit by a truck. Although it was too short and sudden, and the rebirth brought him better opportunities and life, so it didn’t leave any shadows, but it was still uncomfortable to experience it again.

Lu Yan said goodbye to Director Wang and other crew members and prepared to leave. This time he could rest for a few days and come back to reunite with everyone when the filming was completed.

When he got into the car, Su Mo was already waiting for him inside, so Lu Yan did not open the passenger door as usual, but sat directly in the back.

Lu Yan got in the car and saw that his lover was in a good mood. He was about to say something when Su Mo suddenly leaned over and hugged him tightly.

Lu Yan was a little surprised. Song Hui was still sitting in the driver’s seat. When there were outsiders around, Su Mo rarely took the initiative to do anything intimate. What happened?

“Lu Yan, Lu Yan, Lu Yan…” Su Mo kept calling out softly in his ear, as if he wanted to dispel some uneasiness.

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment, and he suddenly remembered that Su Mo’s parents died in a car accident. Although he did not see it with his own eyes, there must be some shadow. This was different from Lu Yan’s situation.

Lu Yan already regretted asking Su Mo to see the scene today. He hugged him with his backhand, patted him gently on the back, and whispered, “I’m here, I’m here. Don’t worry, I’m fine, I’m here, I won’t leave you…”

After a long while, Su Mo slowly calmed down. He sat up and said with a wry smile, “I thought I had completely let it go after so many years.”

Lu Yan stroked his back slowly and comforted him, “Everyone has things that they can’t let go of, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Lu Yan, just now, I almost thought you were going to leave me. I knew we were acting, but… I didn’t feel so distressed when I saw you filming an intimate scene with someone else. Lu Yan, sometimes I think,” Su Mo smiled weakly, “it doesn’t matter if you don’t stay with me, I just hope you can be well.”

Lu Yan’s heart was gripped tightly. He put his arm around Su Mo’s waist and said sternly, “You are not allowed to think like that. Since you have provoked me, you must bear the consequences. Even if I die, I will be tied to you.”

“Yes, I know.” Su Mo leaned on his shoulder obediently and smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, as long as you still need me, no one and nothing can make me leave you.”

“I need you. I will always need you. Even if one day something extremely ridiculous happens and I forget you and don’t remember you, you must stay by my side, so that I can remember you and fall in love with you again. Even if I hate you and want to drive you away, you are not allowed to leave. Do you remember?”

Su Mo chuckled, “Oh, so domineering.”

Lu Yan curled his lips ambiguously, “Because you like my domineering attitude.”

Song Hui, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was shaking off goosebumps all over the floor. Oh my God, please save me! The sunglasses wholesaler couldn’t save him anymore, and he urgently needed the earplug wholesaler.

As soon as he got home, Lu Yan couldn’t wait to announce the good news, “By the way, I will have about a week’s vacation next.”

Su Mo sighed slightly and said regretfully, “But I’m very busy this next week, I’m afraid I won’t have time to accompany you.”

“Is that so?” Lu Yan thought for a moment and smiled slyly, “If you don’t have time to accompany me, then let me accompany you.”

“Hmm?” Su Mo didn’t understand what he meant.

“I think Director Su needs a special assistant.” Lu Yan said seriously.

Su Mo already understood what he meant, but he still touched his chin and said hesitantly, “But, I already have a special assistant, Lu Yu, who is very capable.”

Lu Yan whispered, “I’m talking about the kind that provides 24-hour personal service, warms the bed, and sleeps with you. Can Assistant Lu help you? And,” Lu Yan narrowed his eyes dangerously, “you said in front of me that other men can do it. Director Su, how is your waist?”

…

As a result, Director Su’s waist, which had been in good condition before, started to feel a little unwell.

In the past few days, the employees of Su Group had been particularly excited, especially the female colleagues. Every day before going to work, they put on exquisite makeup and checked their clothes again and again, fearing that there was something wrong. After entering the company, they also held their heads high, smiled, and were particularly energetic when working. Everyone seemed to be full of energy.

Of course, everything happened for a reason.

On the first morning of the holiday, Lu Yan got up early, prepared breakfast, and gave a short massage to Director Su, who had a bad back. The two of them enjoyed a sweet breakfast for two. When Director  Su was getting ready to go to work, Lu Yan also dressed himself up neatly.

Su Mo looked Lu Yan up and down and saw that he was wearing a well-fitting suit, his shoes were polished to a shine, and even his hair was done in an elite manner. As a special assistant to the president of a large company, there was nothing wrong with dressing like this. The problem was that Lu Yan himself was not a special assistant, but a big star.

Don’t think that employees of big companies don’t chase stars. Those office ladies who wear high heels of more than ten centimeters every day, walk with their chests and hips raised, and look aloof and keep strangers away can be very scary when they are really crazy about them. It’s just that their standards are too high and ordinary beauties are not pleasing to their eyes. But Lu Yan was obviously not an ordinary beauty, not to mention that he was a big star.

So Su Mo had to frown and remind him, “Are you going to do this?”

“Is there something wrong?” Lu Yan looked up and down himself, “I see that Assistant Lu usually wears this.”

“No, don’t you big stars have to wear sunglasses and hats to cover up when you go out? Can you be so open about it?” Su Mo said.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already figured out how to deal with it. Besides, I’ll still be with you for seven days, so any cover-up will be exposed, so it’s better to show up openly.”

Su Mo nodded. “What you said makes sense. Let’s go. Don’t be late on your first day at work, Special Assistant Lu.”

As expected, as soon as he entered the Su Group Building, Lu Yan’s appearance attracted great attention. In this society where appearance is everything, Lu Yan’s good looks were enough to attract attention, not to mention that he was now a household name, especially among young people who pursue fashion and trends.

Lu Yan followed Su Mo without looking away, all the way into the president’s independent elevator, and then went up to the top floor, pretending not to see or hear the employees’ whispers and pointing along the way.

“Hey, look, is that Lu Yan?”

“Let me see… he looks a bit like me. He’s really handsome!”

“What do you mean by somewhat similar? Do you have good eyesight? It’s basically good.”

“No way, why is Lu Yan here? And he’s following the president.”

“Oh, I really want to get his autograph. I’m a big fan of his.”

“Go ahead if you want. This is such a great opportunity.”

“I don’t dare. My legs go weak when I see the president.”

“Look at what you have accomplished.”

…

An hour later, Lu Yan appeared in the employee cafeteria on the 20th floor.

He pretended to be calm, ordered a cup of coffee, and then found an empty seat and sat down.

There weren’t many people in the restaurant at this time, but there were still some. A few ladies who were enjoying their morning tea became a little nervous when they saw Lu Yan. After pushing each other, they still mustered up the courage to come over and say hello.

“Hi, hello, are you Lu Yan?”

Lu Yan raised his head and smiled slightly, “Yes, I am Lu Yan.”

“It’s really him!” Several people were excited and asked, “We are curious about why you are here. Can you tell us?”

Lu Yan extended his right index finger to his lips and smiled charmingly, “Please keep this a secret for me, ladies. My role in the next drama is the assistant to the CEO of a large company. I want to experience the role before filming. It has not been officially announced yet, so please don’t tell anyone.”

“Of course, of course. We won’t tell anyone.” Several people nodded their heads desperately and whispered.

“Could you please sign an autograph for us?”

“Of course, but I’m sorry, I have to go back to the president’s office now. I will experience it here for seven days, there will be a chance.” Lu Yan bowed politely, then stood up and left.

As a result, within less than an hour, the news that superstar Lu Yan would be in and out of the company for seven days to experience the role spread in every office.

Zhuang Wenxuan

Su Mo pulled down his hat and hid himself in the crowd. His face couldn’t be seen clearly because of his attire. No one would have thought that he was the president of the Su Group. Some staff even thought he was a chores guy and ordered people to move all kinds of props. Su Mo didn’t say anything and just did what he was told.

Song Hui turned around and saw Su Mo moving props. He was so scared that he broke into a cold sweat. He quickly ran over to take over and then said to the crew, “Brother Rong, this is a relative of mine. He just happened to be free, so I brought him to the crew to see what he is like.”

Being called Brother Rong was embarrassing. Song Hui was Lu Yan’s personal assistant and was very prestigious in the crew. Although he was never pretentious and always polite to others, others were even more polite to him. “I’m sorry, Brother Hui, I didn’t know he was your relative, I thought he was a new handyman. Sorry, young man.”

Su Mo lowered his head and said nothing. Song Hui smiled and said, “Nothing, nothing.” and pulled the man away.

Song Hui took the people to the best viewing position according to Lu Yan’s instructions, and whispered to Su Mo, “Mr. Su, just stay here with me. Just ignore what others tell you to do.”

Su Mo just hummed and didn’t say much.

Unable to see the other person’s expression, unable to tell whether he was happy or angry, Song Hui secretly frowned. He actually let Director Su be mistaken for a prop mover. If Brother Lu knew about this, would he blame himself for not protecting him well enough?

After everything was ready, the camera started rolling and the shooting was about to begin.

In the teacher’s dormitory, Ji You proudly put out the papers one by one, “Teacher, look, I got all A’s.”

Zhuang Wenxuan seemed not surprised at all and nodded, “Yeah.”

Ji You was a little disappointed, “Teacher, aren’t you happy for me?”

Zhuang Wenxuan said, “How could that be? The teacher is very happy for you.”

Ji You’s eyes sparkled. “So, teacher, do you think I’m great?”

Zhuang Wenxuan couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems like you’re not the only one who got all A’s in the whole grade. But you’re really great!”

The last sentence was spoken lightly, but the smile in his eyes deepened.

Ji You held out his hand, “So, what about the reward?”

Zhuang Wenxuan shook his head and smiled, “I knew you were thinking about this.”

Zhuang Wenxuan said as he took out a bag from the cabinet and put it in Ji You’s arms, “Try it on and see if it fits.”

Ji You couldn’t wait to take out the thing inside, which was a shoe box. Inside the shoe box lay a pair of sneakers, the latest model from Adidas. Ji You talked about it for a long time and seemed to have mentioned it to Zhuang Wenxuan inadvertently.

Ji You raised his head and stopped smiling. His eyes were a little wet and he felt a little uneasy. “Teacher, this is very expensive.”

Zhuang Wenxuan laughed and said, “Although the teacher is not very rich, he can still afford a pair of shoes.”

“But…” Ji You wanted to say something.

Zhuang Wenxuan pressed his shoulder and said, “Okay, this is a token of the teacher’s kindness. Just accept it.”

Only then did Ji You smile and nodded.

“Try it on quickly to see if it fits. If it’s not the right size, you can exchange it.” Zhuang Wenxuan said.

Ji You took off his shoes and tried them on. They fit his feet perfectly. He looked up and smiled, “Teacher has a good eye. They are just right.”

Zhuang Wenxuan smiled gently, “As long as it’s suitable.”

Zhuang Wenxuan thought for a moment and then said, “Would you like to have dinner together? I’ll cook a few dishes to celebrate your good grades.”

“Okay.” Ji You answered without thinking.

The scene changed, and the shooting location changed to the living room which also served as a dining room.

The table was littered with cups and plates. Ji You patted his stomach with a satisfied look on his face, “I’m so full. The teacher’s cooking is really good.”

Zhuang Wenxuan smiled and said, “Even if you try so hard to praise me, I won’t cook for you every day.”

“No need to do it every day, once or twice a week is enough.” Ji You stared at him with a cunning look on his face.

“You…” Zhuang Wenxuan stood up and went to clean up the dishes.

Ji You also stood up and walked around him, “The teacher hasn’t answered me yet.”

Zhuang Wenxuan lowered his head, pretending to be busy, and said vaguely, “Let’s talk about it later.”

“I’ll take that as your agreement.” Ji You smiled and took the plate from Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand, “Teacher, let me help you wash it.”

“No need, you can go back first.”

“No, I have to help.” Ji You said with a smile as he snatched the plate from Zhuang Wenxuan.

In the playful scramble, Ji You failed to grab the plate, but he grabbed Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand which was holding the plate.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand trembled. He was already feeling a little guilty, and now the young man’s warm hand held his hand tightly, as if there was a piece of iron on his hand. His fingers couldn’t help but loosen, and the plate fell to the ground and broke into pieces.

A loud and crisp sound was heard, and Ji You was startled and stopped what he was doing. Seeing Zhuang Wenxuan’s face turn pale in an instant, he panicked subconsciously and squatted down to pick up the broken plate.

“Don’t touch it.” Zhuang Wenxuan shouted sharply.

Ji You raised her head when he heard his voice, but he did not retract his hand. As a result of this distraction, his fingers touched some sharp fragments.

With a soft “ah”, Ji You withdrew his hand, and a drop of blood fell on the fragments of the snow-white porcelain plate.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s expression was filled with pain. He grabbed his injured hand and without thinking, he put the cut finger into his mouth and sucked it.

Ji You stared at him blankly, feeling a tingling sensation at his fingertips, and called out softly, “Teacher.”

Zhuang Wenxuan seemed to be awakened by the gentle call. He took a step back and dropped the finger in his mouth. He looked a little flustered, his face was pale, and his body was shaking slightly.

“Teacher.” Ji You called again, and took a step forward following the other party’s retreat.

Zhuang Wenxuan placed his hands on his chest, lowered his head, and said in a hoarse voice, “You should go first. The teacher is feeling a little unwell.”

Ji You held one of his hands and put one hand on his shoulder, as if he understood something, and whispered, “Teacher, do you like me?”

Zhuang Wenxuan’s body was shaking even more violently. He lowered his head and said nothing. Only his hand, which was being held, was still barely resting on the other person’s chest.

Ji You murmured again, “Teacher, I like you too.”

Zhuang Wenxuan raised his head in surprise and saw the boy’s eyes, which were passionate, persistent, frank and sincere.

“No,” Zhuang Wenxuan shook his head slowly and almost imperceptibly, his face still pale, “This is wrong.”

Ji You took another step forward, and Zhuang Wenxuan was forced to step back again. There was a chair behind him, so he bent his knees and sat down.

Ji You stood next to him, put his hands on his shoulders, lowered his head, and said again, “Teacher, I like you.” Then he slowly, slowly pressed his lips against his.

Zhuang Wenxuan stared blankly at the boy’s face that was getting bigger and bigger in front of him. His heart was struggling, but his body seemed to be frozen, unable to move, until he felt a warm touch on his lips.

Zhuang Wenxuan finally stopped his futile struggle, his face turned pale, he slowly closed his eyes, and as if giving up, and as if he had used up all his courage, he hugged the boy’s waist.

The camera paused here.

When shooting this scene, the photographer in charge of Lu Yan’s part deliberately zoomed in to capture every expression of Lu Yan on the entire screen.

Su Mo was positioned right behind the photographer, and through the screen he could clearly see every expression and movement of Lu Yan.

Song Hui quietly turned his head to look at Su Mo and saw that there was no expression on his face, as if he was just watching an ordinary performance, not his lover kissing someone else, even though it was just acting.

The boss’s mind was really unfathomable. Song Hui sighed silently in his heart.

With the director’s “Cut”, Lu Yan immediately separated the parts that were stuck together and released his hand on Han Yuan’s shoulder. He bowed to Han Yuan, who had opened his eyes, and whispered, “Sorry for the offense.”

The ambiguous atmosphere before was swept away in an instant.

Han Yuan smiled, stood up and patted him on the shoulder, “You acted very well. My emotions were completely aroused.”

Lu Yan bowed his head and said humbly, “It was you, the senior, who stirred my emotions.”

Lu Yan greeted Han Yuan, then looked up to find Su Mo. Seeing that he was walking in a direction avoiding the crowd, he quickly chased after him.

The two of them came to the back of an office building, one after the other. Behind it was another building, and there was almost no chance of anyone coming through the narrow gap.

After walking a few steps inside, Su Mo suddenly turned around and pressed Lu Yan against the wall. Like a beast king who was about to eat, he hit Lu Yan’s lips hard.

When the two of them were close together, the brim of the baseball cap was touched by Lu Yan’s forehead, and it bent slightly. Then it bounced by itself and was lifted off, sliding off Su Mo’s head and falling to the ground.

Without the obstruction, the two faces came closer. Fortunately, Su Mo had not lost his mind. He knew that Lu Yan had to film a scene later, so he did not dare to bite his lips. He rubbed his lips for a while and then inserted his tongue inside.

It was a rare moment for Su Mo to be so active and strong in front of Lu Yan, and he seemed to want to eat him up. Lu Yan was very pleased, but the time and place were not right, and if he continued to pester him, he might not be able to control himself.

Lu Yan pinched the other’s raised buttocks with both hands and pushed his waist forward. Su Mo had no choice but to let him go.

The kiss was a bit intense, and after they separated, Su Mo panted slightly. At this moment, the two of them, one dressed like a college student, and the other still wearing a high school uniform, plus such an ambiguous posture, it was really an indescribable youth, full of blood.

Lu Yan raised his hand and touched his back, and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable? I shouldn’t have let you come.”

“Not really,” Su Mo stood up and looked at him, licked his lips, and smiled softly, somewhat seductively, “It’s just that when I saw the look on your face in the camera, I couldn’t control myself.”

Lu Yan finally felt relieved, rubbed his waist, and laughed softly, “I thought you were jealous again.”

“Yeah, a little bit.” Su Mo admitted honestly, “But it’s still the same sentence. This is your job. I can understand it.”

Lu Yan thought for a moment and asked, “Which is harder to accept, seeing me kissing a man or a woman?”

Su Mo said, “As long as it’s not me, everyone else is the same, it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman. Besides, it’s just acting.”

“Heh,” Lu Yan laughed and rubbed his forehead, “As expected of our Director Su, you don’t care about anyone.”

“No, you have always been in my eyes and in my heart.” Su Mo said.

Lu Yan felt his heart beating wildly. For someone who didn’t often say sweet words, it was really deadly when he said them seriously.

Lu Yan said hoarsely, “After finishing this film, I will try not to take on such purely emotional scenes in the future.”

“That’s not necessary,” Su Mo said with a smile, “If there’s a good script, you can still take it. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“How could I not care about you?” Lu Yan held his hand, interlocked his fingers and pressed them against his chest. “Look, my heart is beating so hard because of you.”

The two hugged each other for a while, and Su Mo suddenly took his hand and examined it carefully. This hand was the one that was cut in the camera during the filming just now.

Lu Yan was a little confused at first, but he immediately understood what he was looking for. He couldn’t help but laugh and feel warm, “Don’t look for it, there is no wound. I hid some jam in my hand beforehand. If you really get hurt when shooting a small shot like this, no actor can stand it.”

Su Mo said nothing, raised his head and looked at him, then grabbed his hand, stretched out his tongue, and slowly licked each finger one by one, holding each fingertip in his mouth and sucking gently before letting go. While licking, Su Mo raised his eyes slightly and looked at him with that extremely seductive look.

Lu Yan took a breath of cool air, and the numbing feeling from his fingertips turned into a heat that rushed up to his head and quickly rushed downwards.

After licking his fingers, Su Mo whispered in his ear, “Which feeling was better, just now or is better now?”

Lu Yan was naturally very clear about what this just referred to. He grabbed the man by the waist, tightly held him against his chest, rubbed his vital parts against the man’s, and said in a hoarse voice, gritting his teeth, “What do you think?”

Su Mo smiled softly, as if to avenge his teasing when they just met, and then pushed him away, “Okay, Song Hui is looking for you, it’s time to go back to shoot the next scene.”

Su Mo walked out first, leaving Lu Yan with a headache waiting for the heat in his body to subside before he pretended nothing had happened and walked out.

As soon as he returned to the shooting location, Song Hui ran over and whispered in his ear, “Director Su said he had something to do and left first.”

Lu Yan nodded, indicating that he understood. As for what was going on in his heart beneath his calm surface, it was not something that a small figure like Song Hui could guess.

Ji You sat in the classroom, but his mind had long since flown away, and he didn’t hear anything the teacher said. He propped his chin with one hand, smiled sweetly for a while, and frowned in annoyance for a while. The last accident made him sure of the teacher’s feelings for him, so he naturally felt sweet. However, he didn’t know what happened in the past few days, the teacher seemed to be avoiding him. Every time he met him, the teacher would pass by without even looking at him. When he went to look for him, he was either busy or had no time.

Did the teacher regret it? Ji You was a little worried.

Young people who are just beginning to fall in love don’t have as many concerns as adults. If they like someone, they want to be together. If they don’t like someone, they refuse. Love is originally a simple and pure thing.

Suddenly, he felt a pain on his forehead, and half of the chalk fell onto the table.

Ji You raised his head and looked expressionlessly at the physics teacher on the podium who was looking disdainful.

“Don’t think you’re great just because you got an A on the test. Who knows if you cheated to get it?”

Ji You stood up suddenly, “I didn’t cheat.”

“How could you get an A without cheating?” The teacher came over from the podium, sneering, “Before you were a poor student and didn’t listen in class, it was fine, but now you’ve learned to cheat…”

Ji You stared at him and said word by word, “I didn’t cheat.”

The teacher was a little frightened by his eyes, but still stood up straight and shouted fiercely, “Why are you so fierce? You cheated in the exam and you want to threaten the teacher? How can there be a student like you? You are a disgrace to the school.”

Ji You slowly clenched his hand into a fist, seemingly remaining calm on the surface, “I said, I didn’t cheat!”

When Zhuang Wenxuan hurried to the Academic Affairs Office, he saw Ji You sitting there with a stubborn look on his face, while Mr. Qu, the physics teacher in Class 2, was still cursing while covering his slightly swollen face.

Zhuang Wenxuan frowned. He believed that Ji You would not hit anyone casually, especially a student who hit a teacher. And the teacher’s words were too harsh. As a teacher, how could he scold a student like this?

Zhuang Wenxuan walked over and said to the dean, “Dean, Ji You’s parents and I are friends. They are out of town and can’t come back. Can you let me take the child back first? I will educate him well.”

The Dean of Studies had always had a good impression of Zhuang Wenxuan and was quite polite in his words. “It’s wrong for students to hit others. The medical expenses…”

“I can pay for the medical expenses first.” Zhuang Wenxuan said hurriedly.

“Well, what does Teacher Qu say?” The dean wanted to give Zhuang Wenxuan some face.

But Teacher Qu was clearly unwilling to let it go. “Students hitting teachers is simply unacceptable. They must be given a serious warning.”

Zhuang Wenxuan said hurriedly, “It’s too severe to record a serious demerit. The college entrance examination is coming soon, and a serious demerit will be kept on file. I think it will be enough to announce the criticism to the whole school.”

“No, he must be punished severely. It’s too abominable for a student to hit a teacher.”

Zhuang Wenxuan put away his apologetic smile and said seriously, “Teacher Qu, it is indeed wrong for a student to hit a teacher, but can a teacher arbitrarily accuse a student? We will know whether Ji You cheated or not after we check the surveillance video. If Ji You is innocent, shouldn’t Teacher Qu also apologize in public?”

“This…” Teacher Qu was unable to refute for a moment.

“Alright, alright. I think that’s it. Ji You will be taken back by Teacher Zhuang, and the whole school will be notified for criticism. This matter will be over. Teacher Qu, please be more careful in the future and don’t say anything without basis.” The Dean of Studies tried to smooth things over.

Ji You lowered his head and said nothing, allowing Zhuang Wenxuan to pull him to his teacher’s dormitory.

Zhuang Wenxuan had never seen this kid like this before. Even when he was beaten up by a few classmates when they first met, he was not as depressed as he is now. Zhuang Wenxuan felt very upset. He didn’t want to see Ji You like this at all. This boy should always be sunny, enthusiastic, and energetic.

Zhuang Wenxuan sighed, “Why don’t you say anything?”

After a long while, Ji You lowered his head and said in a sullen voice, “Why did you help me? Why did you lie? You don’t even know my parents, and you still say you are friends. Can adults lie so recklessly?”

“I…” Zhuang Wenxuan was speechless.

Ji You raised his head, his eyes moist with grievance and accusation, “Didn’t you ignore me? Why are you still helping me?”

“How could I not?” Zhuang Wenxuan sighed softly, “How could I ignore you?”

Ji You’s eyes were reddened. “Didn’t you pretend not to see me when you saw me? You always said you were busy when I looked for you. Since you want to break up, why do you still care about my business?”

“…” Zhuang Wenxuan sighed again, “I didn’t mean to ignore you, I was just thinking about something.”

“What’s the matter?” Ji You asked, “About me?”

Zhuang Wenxuan finally nodded and said, “I think you may just be confused for a moment. When you grow up, you will regret it.”

“I’m grown up.” Ji You said seriously, “I know what I’m doing. I like you, teacher, and I want to be with you forever.”

Zhuang Wenxuan seemed unable to bear the boy’s sincere gaze and turned his head away in a somewhat wolfish manner, “But I’m also afraid that one day I will regret it.”

This time, Ji You did not answer immediately. After a long while, he said sullenly, “It’s okay, teacher. If you regret it later, I won’t bother you. But now, I want to be with you. No one has ever been as good to me as you are to me. I am really happy to be with you.”

Zhuang Wenxuan struggled in his heart. Finally, he turned his head and whispered, “Then, the teacher promises you.”

Ji You rushed over in surprise, hugged him and called out, “Teacher!”

Seeing the haze in the boy’s eyes disappear, leaving only warm joy and happiness, Zhuang Wenxuan temporarily put aside the uneasiness and guilt in his heart and put his arms around the boy’s shoulders.

The next few days saw the filming of their innocent relationship. Ji You looked at Zhuang Wenxuan more and more passionately, while Zhuang Wenxuan, while enjoying the sweetness of the young love, showed a worried look from time to time, like the calm before the storm.

In the office, Ji You sat at the table doing his homework, while Zhuang Wenxuan sat opposite him with his papers on his shoulders. Neither of them spoke, but the atmosphere was very good. During this period, Ji You had become accustomed to going to Zhuang Wenxuan’s office after school to do his homework and wait for him to go home together. Ji You’s parents were away from home all year round. They had their own families. Ji You lived alone, and no one knew or cared whether he went home or not. This period of time can be said to be the happiest time in Ji You’s memory.

After Zhuang Wenxuan finished grading the papers, Ji You also consciously put away his homework books.

Zhuang Wenxuan sorted out the papers, stood up and put them in the cabinet. Ji You walked over and hugged him from behind, gently rubbing his shoulders and whispering, “Teacher, teacher…”

Zhuang Wenxuan felt helpless and amused, and tried to pull his hand, “Let go, this is an office.”

“It doesn’t matter. Everyone has gone to eat at this time. There is no one else except us.” Ji You said with a smile, “Teacher, today is my birthday.”

Zhuang Wenxuan patted his hands and turned around, “I know, I’ll make you something delicious when I get back.”

Ji You did not let go, but pressed Zhuang Wenxuan against the cabinet, and walked over and said, “Teacher, I want to kiss you.”

Zhuang Wenxuan blushed a little, “Let’s talk about it when we get back.”

Ji You smiled and said, “The teacher agreed.”

Before he could let go, the unlocked door suddenly opened, followed by a loud shout, “What are you doing!”

Seen from behind, their posture was so ambiguous that anyone would wonder what they were doing.

There was a loud explosion in Zhuang Wenxuan’s head, and his face turned pale and then blue.

Best Actor Vs Best Actor

When Han Yuan participated in a talk show, the host asked directly, “Mr. Han, I heard that you will be starring in the gay-themed movie “Uncontrollable” directed by Wang Yi. Is that true?”

Although Han Yuan was a well-known celebrity, he was not a very relaxed person when he was not in front of the camera, nor was he very good at speaking, so he rarely participated in various variety shows, and only occasionally participated in pure interview programs like this one.

Most of the hosts knew his personality and never beat around the bush, because many times, he basically couldn’t understand those words that were rich in meaning. “Yes, the movie is already in the preparation stage and will be ready to start shooting soon.”

The host then asked, “Mr. Han, please forgive me for being frank, but it is said that Director Wang wanted to ask you to make a movie about homosexuality more than ten years ago, and I remember that you directly refused at that time. I still remember the reason you refused at that time. You said that every man has a hidden homosexual complex in his heart, and you were afraid that you would be affected, so you refused to take this type of movie. Why don’t you think so now, or is there another hidden reason?”

Han Yuan nodded honestly and said, “I did say that back then, and I still think so now. But after so many years of acting, I have acted in almost every type of movie and played all kinds of roles, but I have never touched this kind of subject matter. For an actor, deliberately avoiding it is inevitably a kind of deficiency. I am a person who easily gets too deeply into the role. I didn’t dare to try it before because of this, but I think all these years of experience are enough for me to control myself well. People should still challenge themselves. I am not young anymore. If I don’t try it again, I am afraid I will regret it. Of course, the most important thing is that this is a very good script, and I believe Director Wang can present a wonderful story for us.”

Han Yuan chuckled softly, and at the end he did not forget to promote the upcoming movie.

“What kind of story is it?” the host asked.

“For this, please go to the theater to watch it when the time comes.” Han Yuan kept the suspense very seriously, which was unexpectedly cute.

The host continued to ask, “I heard that the other leading actor in this movie is Lu Yan, who just won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Is that true?”

“Yes.” Han Yuan adapted well to this kind of question and answer.

“I also heard that it was Mr. Han who took the initiative to recommend Lu Yan to Director Wang, hoping that he could play this role, is that right?”

“right.”

“I wonder if you can tell me what considerations led you to make this decision?”

“Of course it’s because he’s suitable.” Han Yuan smiled. “We worked together once before, and he’s a great actor. And I think he’s very suitable for this role.”

“At the same time, he is also a very handsome actor.” The host said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Han Yuan didn’t hear anything at all, but nodded in agreement, “Yes. If I have to say, this is probably one of the reasons.”

The host smiled and smoothed things over, “I believe that with two handsome men starring in this film, this movie is already halfway to success.”

Han Yuan smiled and didn’t answer.

The host continued the topic, “It’s really exciting to talk about it. Mr. Han is the first Chinese actor to win the Cannes Best Actor Award, and Lu Yan is the latest Chinese to win the Cannes Best Actor Award. This will be a peak showdown between Best Actor and Best Actor.”

Han Yuan said earnestly, “I am looking forward to it too.”

Later, when Lu Yan attended a brand endorsement event, he was also attacked by the media about this topic.

“Mr. Lu, what do you think about the actor Han asking you to play his lover?”

Lu Yan was always gentle and elegant in front of the media, and smiled and said, “I am very grateful to the actor Han for recognizing me. We have had a pleasant cooperation experience before, and I believe it will be the same this time.”

“Mr. Lu, this movie is about homosexual love. Do you have any concerns?”

“As a good actor, I should try different types of roles. Same-sex love is just a theme, and it is not much different from other types of movies. So I don’t think there is anything to worry about.”

“Mr. Lu, when he was young, actor Han refused to take on this type of movie because he was afraid that his sexual orientation would be affected. Don’t you have any concerns in this regard?”

Lu Yan smiled faintly and said affirmatively, “I am very sure that I am not someone who will change my sexual orientation because of a movie.”

After seeing these reports, Qin Feng smiled and said to Lu Yan, “The duel between the best actors is really a good gimmick. Moreover, it is a film about homosexual love. It has not even started filming yet, but it has attracted so much attention.”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “This kind of subject matter has always been sensitive and has been particularly popular in recent years. I’m not surprised at all that it has such an effect.” 

“To be honest, are you really not worried about the impact?” Qin Feng was still a little worried. “You are different from Han Yuan. He is already a big star. These small storms can’t cause any waves for him. Even if he is really gay, it will not affect his status in the entertainment industry. But you are in the rising period of your career. If you are infected with such rumors, it may be a devastating blow if you are not careful.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “Today’s fans are very receptive, it’s not like a decade ago. Compared to sexual orientation, grades and character are more important.”

Qin Feng seemed to have sensed something in these words. “Why do I feel like you are hiding something behind your words? You’ve been in a relationship for a year, but your girlfriend has never come to visit you on set. Even if she’s not in the entertainment industry, she’s too unenthusiastic.”

“Who said he didn’t come to visit me? He has been here several times. Besides,” Lu Yan leaned down, narrowed his eyes slightly, and smiled in a low voice, “When did I ever say that my lover is a woman?”

Qin Feng seemed to be paralyzed, his voice trembled a little, “No… yes, it’s not a woman, could it be… a man?!”

Lu Yan patted Qin Feng on the shoulder and comforted him. “You will know this sooner or later. I didn’t hide it from you on purpose. It’s just that you didn’t ask, so I didn’t tell you directly.”

Qin Feng was still in shock, and was somewhat incoherent, “Lu Yan, I really didn’t realize that you were actually bent?!”

“Well, I didn’t think I would bend at first. But now, I am bent.” Lu Yan said frankly, as if he was talking about what he ate or drank today.

Qin Feng seemed to have figured it out. “So, you don’t want to do sex scenes because you don’t dare. You’re afraid that if something happens during the filming, it will be embarrassing?”

“Of course not,” Lu Yan said, as if to say, “Your imagination is too big, please shut it up.” “I have no interest in men other than my lover.”

“So what you want to say is that you don’t like men, but the person you like just happens to be a man?” Qin Feng looked as if he was going to spit in his face if he said that.

Lu Yan smiled and said, “No, I won’t say that. If I’m bent, I’m bent. There’s no point in making excuses. But even if I’m a gay, you can allow me to be a little emotionally chaste and only be devoted to one person.”

Qin Feng suddenly thought of something and said in surprise, “Are you planning to take this opportunity to come out?”

“It’s too late to come out. I don’t plan to hide it for the rest of my life. But not now. You can rest assured for now. When I’m ready, I will definitely notify you first.” Lu Yan smiled particularly innocently.

Qin Feng felt that he was not feeling well. “Lu Yan, are you serious? I didn’t take my medicine today, so don’t joke with me.”

Lu Yan put away the smile on his face and said seriously, “Brother Feng, I am very grateful for your care for me in the past two years. We have always had a pleasant cooperation. But if you find it unacceptable, I will not blame you. My contract with the company is about to expire. I promise that nothing will happen to me before then. After that, you can choose not to take me with you anymore.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Qin Feng waved his hand, “I was just a little surprised for a moment. You are very good, Lu Yan. I am happy to be your agent, and I also hope that we can continue to cooperate. In fact, as you said, this kind of thing, if it happened ten years ago, it might be a devastating blow, but now, it is really not that serious. And considering the tastes of fans now, if you handle it well, maybe it will increase your popularity. As for the circle, even if there is an impact, it should not be big. I don’t believe that you will not be able to get a movie with me around. But there may be some obstacles in the future in terms of endorsements. “Qin Feng smiled bitterly and said, “But I think you must have thought about the consequences. I only have one thing to say, you must be cautious about this matter.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Feng, I won’t act rashly.” Lu Yan said.

“I absolutely believe this,” Qin Feng pointed at him and pretended to be dissatisfied, “You kid, you have kept it secret for such a long time, not a single bit of air leaked out.”

“So, you can trust me.” Lu Yan smiled.

Qin Feng simply couldn’t do anything about him, so he shook his head and said, “Okay, you should pay more attention to yourself. The filming will start in a few days, so you should seize the opportunity.”

“Yeah.” Lu Yan replied.

After the preliminary work was prepared, the filming officially started.

When the two leading actors met on the set, they were a little awkward at first. Although it was not their first collaboration, this time they played a couple in an arty romance film, which was very different from their previous commercial dramas. Especially when Wang Yi saw Lu Yan, the first thing he said to Han Yuan was jokingly, “Hey, your little lover is here.”

Han Yuan was afraid that Lu Yan would feel uncomfortable, so he smiled and said, “Director Wang just likes to joke, Lu Yan, don’t take it seriously.”

Wang Yi refused to cooperate, “I’m not kidding. From now on, you guys have to start building up your emotions. During this time, you’d better get used to your roles in the play so that you can get into the role better during filming.”

Although Wang Yi said this, it was mostly a joke. If two actors of the best actor level still need to worry about getting into the role, then there was no point for others to try.

Lu Yan didn’t care, so he followed suit and said, “Director Wang is right.”

After saying this, his whole demeanor suddenly changed. He raised his eyes and looked at Han Yuan with a sincere, eager, and pure look. There was longing and expectation in his eyes, and even his voice was suppressed to a hoarse voice similar to that of a boy in his puberty period. “Teacher.”

Han Yuan was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized that Lu Yan had entered the role directly. He had never shirked his responsibility in acting, and quickly adjusted his facial expression, using a gentle, somewhat distant expression, as if he didn’t care but was secretly paying attention, and nodded, and uttered a soft “hmm” from his nose.

The scene paused for a few seconds, and Wang Yi applauded, “Not bad, not bad, it’s worthy of being a showdown at the best actor level, that’s how it feels, keep it up, keep it up.”

Wang Yi smiled meaningfully at Lu Yan, “Han Yuan told me that you have great acting skills and are the best candidate for this role. I thought he was exaggerating at first, but I was convinced by your performance just now. I believe that Ji You is you, and you are Ji You.”

Lu Yan smiled, returned to his original role, and smiled humbly, “Director Wang, thank you for the award. I will work hard and not let Director Wang down.”

Wang Yi laughed and said, “Some things require more than just hard work. But Lu Yan, you happen to be a talented person, and with hard work… well, I already believe that your title of Best Actor is not just luck.”

Although it was an exaggeration, Wang Yi’s words were too direct. Ordinary directors may not dare to say this, but Wang Yi was not an ordinary director. He had made a total of 15 films so far, all of which were regarded as classics, and some were even textbook-level. He was also the director who had won the most Best Director awards at the Golden bell and Golden Image Film Festivals so far.

Among the fifteen films directed by Wang Yi, nine of them starred Han Yuan. So until now, some people were still arguing whether it was Wang Yi who made Han Yuan successful or Han Yuan who made Wang Yi successful. But more people believe that they made each other successful. Wang Yi and Han Yuan were known as the best partners in the film industry.

Facing such a perfect partner, Lu Yan was not nervous. He knew that this movie was actually tailor-made for Han Yuan by Wang Yi, and Han Yuan was the real first male lead. The character he played, Zhuang Wenxuan, was introverted and contradictory, a character with more obvious dramatic conflicts and more inner drama. Ji You, played by Lu Yan, was much purer and simpler, with almost all his emotions expressed on his face.

Lu Yan did not feel the slightest bit dissatisfied or unfair because of this. On the contrary, he liked the role of Ji You more, precisely because this character was simple and pure. And Lu Yan believed that his performance could definitely give Ji You more content.

The first scene took place in an alley. Lu Yan was wearing a student uniform of a white shirt and black pants. His hair was a little messy, his collar had several buttons torn, and his pants were covered in dust. His military green canvas backpack was left in the corner, revealing several neatly wrapped textbooks. His eyes were angry and fierce, like an orphaned and enraged beast cub, glaring fiercely at the three boys in front of him who were wearing the same student uniform as him.

At this time, he was not the actor Lu Yan, but Ji You, a senior high school student who was not valued by his parents, a little gloomy and was fighting with others.

The three boys across from him were stunned by his gaze, but soon they felt ashamed for being stunned. They puffed out their chests and shouted, “What are you looking at? I’m going to hit you. Don’t hang out with Chen Yao anymore. You’re not worthy of her.”

Ji You said disdainfully, “She is the one who is clinging to me. You’d better tell her not to keep pestering me in the future. It’s so annoying!”

“What did you say? How dare you say that to her? I’ll teach you a lesson!” The boy in the middle suddenly stood up and punched Ji You. Ji You was not a good boy either. He had fought with many people since he was a child. He quickly knocked the boy to the ground. But at this time, the other two boys also rushed over. Ji You’s two fists were no match for four hands, and he was soon punched several times. The four of them wrestled into a ball.

“Stop!” A sudden shout came from behind.

The four men did not stop, but beat them even harder. The one who scolded them walked forward and tried to separate them. However, it was not so easy to pull apart the ruthless boys. Instead, the man was pushed and almost sat on the ground.

The man angrily called out the names of the three people, “Ma Ang, Shang Zijian, Sun Yue, you are still not stopping, do you want to be punished?”

The battle group then broke up. The three boys looked at the newcomer in fear and trembled, “Zhuang, Teacher Zhuang, we won’t dare to do it again. Please don’t report us.”

Zhuang Wenxuan frowned and said nothing.

The three boys continued to beg for mercy, “Teacher, please let us go. We won’t dare to do it again. The big exam is coming up soon, and we don’t want to be punished.”

Zhuang Wenxuan sighed, “You should leave now. If I see you fighting again, I will send you directly to the principal’s office.”

“No, no, we don’t dare to do it again. Thank you, teacher. Goodbye, teacher.” The three boys shook their hands and ran away quickly.

Zhuang Wenxuan then looked down at the boy who was still sitting on the ground. His clothes were torn, blood was hanging from the corners of his mouth, and there were some black and blue spots at the corners of his eyes. He looked a bit wolfish.

Zhuang Wenxuan walked over and asked, “What’s your name? Which class are you from?”

The boy lowered his head and answered sullenly, “Ji You, Class 2, Grade 3.”

Zhuang Wenxuan sighed again. He could tell that it was the three boys who beat him, so he didn’t blame him. “Can you still stand up?”

“Hmm.” Ji You responded sullenly, slowly crawled up with his arms propped up on the ground, said nothing, walked to the corner, picked up his dirty schoolbag, put his textbooks back one by one, patted them, picked up the strap and threw it on his back, ready to leave.

The series of movements were neither fast nor slow. Except for the fact that his steps were a little slow when he first stood up, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong.

His back was straight, and his well-developed body was taller than Zhuang Wenxuan, a grown man. From beginning to end, the boy didn’t say much, but Zhuang Wenxuan seemed to see his silent unwillingness and stubbornness.

Zhuang Wenxuan suddenly didn’t want him to leave like this, “Do you want to take care of your injury first?”

Ji You paused for a moment, turned around slowly, and looked at him with his dark eyes without saying a word.

Zhuang Wenxuan suddenly felt a little anxious and explained, “If you go back like this, your family will be worried. Do you want to treat the wound first?”

Ji You continued to look at him in silence, without saying a word. His dark eyes made people feel uneasy.

After a long while, until Zhuang Wenxuan could no longer bear it, he slowly said, “No one will be worried.”

“What?” Zhuang Wenxuan almost forgot what he had just said.

“There’s no one at home, so no one will be worried.” Ji You said it calmly, but Zhuang Wenxuan could feel the sadness and grief hidden deep in his heart.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he didn’t know what to say. Ji You had already walked past him and said, “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Zhuang Wenxuan asked blankly.

Ji You looked at him strangely, “Didn’t you say to treat the wound?”

“Oh, yes.” Zhuang Wenxuan responded, a little embarrassed.

“Cut” Wang Yi called out, and the two stopped.

“The previous part was very good. Let’s leave it at that and prepare for the next one.” Wang Yi shouted, waving his hands.

The fight scene was reshot several times. Even though it wasn’t a real fight, there were some bumps and bruises. The injuries on Lu Yan’s body were caused by makeup, so it did hurt, but he was fine.

After that, the scenes between the two of them were still smooth. Lu Yan had a great grasp of the emotions and rhythm, and Han Yuan was no less impressive. It was like the time when they had acted together, and they felt that exhilarating feeling again. In the camera, they were no longer Lu Yan and Han Yuan, but Ji You and Zhuang Wenxuan, and the emotions were brought in very well.

The next scene was indoors, and they had to go to the set room. The makeup artist came over to help Lu Yan touch up his makeup. Because the time was not too long and the makeup had not worn out, the touch up was done quickly.

Soon they moved to the set room, and Wang Yi asked considerately, “How about it, do you want to give it some time to ferment?”

Lu Yan and Han Yuan smiled at each other and shook their heads, saying, “No need, let’s just get started.”

“OK,” Wang Yi gestured with his hands and smiled, “Come on, pass this one, and I’ll use the money I saved on film to give you guys extra meals.”

The staff member nearby heard this and asked with a smile, “Director Wang, is there any extra food for us?”

Wang Yi patted his shoulder and said, “Cheer up, if the shooting goes well, we will give you extra food.”

Everyone immediately cheered up and said, “Oh, one by one, let’s eat more.”

Someone even shouted in a shrill voice, “Male God Han, Male God of Lu, come on!”

Lu Yan turned around, winked at everyone, and made an “OK” gesture. Han Yuan also smiled and nodded.

Zhuang Wenxuan took Ji You directly to his teacher’s dormitory, took out the medical kit and gave him medicine.

Zhuang Wenxuan’s movements were very gentle and cautious. Ji You stared at him while he was applying the medicine. Being stared at by such a pure and frank gaze, Zhuang Wenxuan felt that his little thoughts were a little shameful. He couldn’t help blushing and whispered in anger, “Close your eyes.”

Ji You closed his eyes obediently, his long eyelashes brushed against his fingertips, and Zhuang Wenxuan’s hand holding the cotton swab trembled.

The current scene was somewhat ambiguous. Zhuang Wenxuan did not dare to think too much and lowered his head to speed up the application of medicine.

It wasn’t until Zhuang Wenxuan said “OK” that Ji You opened his eyes.

The wound felt cool and no longer hurt. Ji You said sincerely, “Thank you, Teacher Zhuang.”

Zhuang Wenxuan paused while packing the medicine box. “Do you know me?”

Ji You smiled. This was the first time Zhuang Wenxuan had seen him smile. The wound on his face, stained with red medicine, formed a funny arc when he smiled, but Zhuang Wenxuan thought his smile was sincere and beautiful. “It’s normal for teachers not to recognize students, but how can students not recognize teachers? Zhuang Wenxuan, the physics teacher of Class 5, right?”

Zhuang Wenxuan was silent for a moment, but then said something irrelevant, “If you encounter something like this in the future, just run away if you can’t win. It’s not shameful.”

Ji You was obviously stunned for a moment, and suddenly smiled brilliantly, “Yeah.”

Zhuang Wenxuan was dazzled by the smile and his heartbeat suddenly quickened.

That’s right, Zhuang Wenxuan was gay. He was naturally attracted to men with the same body structure as himself, but he had always been careful to hide his sexual orientation because he didn’t want others to look at him with strange eyes.

Zhuang Wenxuan felt a little bad that the peace of so many years was shattered by such an unexpected encounter.

The other person was still a child, a student in his own school.

Zhuang Wenxuan felt that he had encountered a problem that he had never encountered before, which was more difficult than the most difficult physics problems in the world.

Almighty Male God

When he woke up the next morning, Su Mo felt for the first time that his waist was not feeling well.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the other person’s enlarged sleeping face. It was so close that he could even see the tiny hairs on the skin clearly. Under the soft and warm light of the early morning, it felt fluffy.

Su Mo smiled slightly, his heart was sweet and full. Being able to see the face of the lover every day when waking up was really the best thing.

Su Mo carefully took Lu Yan’s hand off his shoulder and tried to stand up without waking him up. But as soon as he raised his elbow a little, his waist and hips suddenly felt sore and numb that it almost didn’t feel like his own body.

They were so busy last night that he didn’t fall asleep until almost dawn, and in such a hurry, they didn’t even close the curtains. Fortunately, there was a courtyard outside the window, with only trees and no people, otherwise it would have been a live sex scene. As a result, he was so exhausted that even his usually punctual biological clock was out of order. As for whether Aunt Fang would knock on the door early in the morning, he was too embarrassed to even think about it.

Su Mo wanted to try harder and just raised half of his body, but the hand around his waist suddenly exerted force and he fell back without any warning, falling into the other person’s arms.

The person in front of him opened his eyes, smiled slightly, and touched his lips. “Good morning.” There was a laziness in his voice.

“Good morning.” Su Mo didn’t have any temper at all and responded with a smile.

Lu Yan’s hands stroked his sore waist back and forth, and he smiled softly, “Can’t get up?”

Su Mo raised his eyebrows, and said in a charming manner, “Yes, because Mr. Lu is too brave and heroic.”

Lu Yan laughed softly, biting his ear and mumbling, “Director Su was no better, he almost killed me.”

He didn’t hear the word clearly, but he knew what it meant. Even though Su Mo was always very relaxed in bed, he still felt embarrassed.

Both people were still naked under the quilt. Early morning was the time when men were most likely to react, not to mention that they were sitting next to their lovers. But now neither of them had the strength to do anything, which showed how intense last night was.

The two of them laid in each other’s arms for a while, the atmosphere was extremely good, until they were broken by the rumbling of their stomachs. They smiled at each other, supported each other and climbed up.

Su Mo put on his clothes first and took out clothes for Lu Yan from the closet. When the two of them came here together yesterday, Lu Yan did not bring any spare clothes with him. Fortunately, Su Mo had made preparations and asked the driver to buy clothes that were suitable for Lu Yan’s size and put them in the closet early in the morning.

Even though the driver was a retired soldier, he was very careful at heart and even his underwear was not left behind.

Lu Yan held the brand new pure white underwear in his hand, with the corner of his mouth slightly curled, looking at Su Mo with extremely ambiguous eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, “Actually, I don’t mind wearing yours.” The corners of his eyes and eyebrows were very seductive.

Su Mo’s face turned red, and he suddenly remembered their first time at Lu Yan’s place. That time he didn’t bring any change of clothes, so he had to wear Lu Yan’s clothes, even his most intimate clothes. The two of them were of similar stature, so there was nothing inappropriate about it, but it just felt, how should he put it, like there was a sense of shame in showing affection in public.

It was rare for Lu Yan to see Su Mo looking embarrassed, so he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and smile while putting on his clothes neatly.

When they went downstairs, Aunt Fang had already prepared breakfast. Su Jue was sitting at the dining table. When he saw the two of them coming in, he said with a frown, “The spring night is short and the sun is rising. From now on, the king will not attend the court early¹.”

The two of them ignored his teasing and sat down to eat breakfast naturally. Su Jue felt a little bored and ate his meal obediently.

After dinner, Su Mo was called away by Aunt Fang to take care of some daily affairs in the house. Su Jue approached Lu Yan and whispered ambiguously, “You two were so intense last night. I heard everything. What do you think? My eldest brother is amazing, right?”

Lu Yan looked at him mysteriously, smiling but not answering.

The next seven days of vacation were the most enjoyable time for Lu Yan.

The two of them spent most of their time in the old house of the Su family, wishing they could stick together all the time. The sweet atmosphere made people around them want to get goosebumps all over their bodies. Su Jue couldn’t stand it after staying there for three days, and shouted that he wanted to find his lover to comfort his irritated heart. Aunt Fang was very happy to see that they had such a good relationship. She smiled every day and made all kinds of delicious food for them.

After the Spring Festival, everything returned to normal.

He was very busy with various notices every day.

When Lu Yan was called to Qin Feng’s office, he looked serious, which was rare. “What’s wrong, Brother Feng? Is there anything difficult?”

“It’s not that difficult, but I don’t know what you think.” Qin Feng said, throwing a book in front of him, “This is the script I received today, take a look first.”

Lu Yan read the script as fast as ever, and there was no need to read it carefully at this time. After more than half an hour, he looked up and said, “This subject matter is a bit sensitive.”

“Not bad. But in the past two years, there have been more and more movies with homosexual themes, and they have become more and more popular. And the director of this movie is Wang Yi.” Qin Feng said.

“Wang Yi!” Lu Yan suddenly became interested. “It seems that the role that should be given to me is Ji You. Then who will play the other protagonist Zhuang Wenxuan? Han Yuan? The age setting is suitable.” Lu Yan said casually.

Qin Feng nodded and smiled, “You guessed it right. Han Yuan was the first actor to be confirmed. And it was he who recommended you to Director Wang, hoping that you could play the role of Ji You.”

Han Yuan could almost be regarded as Wang Yi’s optional male lead. Most of Wang Yi’s films starred Han Yuan. Wang Yi also liked to tailor-make scripts for Han Yuan. The films they collaborated on have never failed to be box office hits.

Lu Yan was not surprised that Han Yuan recommended himself. After all, they had a pleasant experience working together, and the age set by Lu Yan for the role in the script was also suitable. He was surprised by another aspect. “Didn’t Han Yuan say that he would not take on movies with same-sex themes? Why did he agree to do it this time?”

Anyone who had paid a little attention to Han Yuan knew that more than ten years ago, Wang Yi approached Han Yuan to make a movie about homosexuality, but Han Yuan refused at the time and explicitly said that he would not take on this type of movie. Unexpectedly, more than ten years later, he broke this oath himself.

Qin Feng shrugged, “Who knows? Don’t try to guess what the master is thinking. So will you accept this play? The other party is waiting for your answer.”

“Take it, why not? This drama is very interesting. Although this kind of subject matter is still a little controversial, it is also rarely popular. Moreover, it is directed by Wang Yi and starred by Han Yuan.” Lu Yan put the script on the table, “However, I don’t want to shoot sex scenes, and I don’t want nude doubles. This is my only requirement.”

Qin Feng was a little embarrassed. “For a movie like this, sex scenes are a gimmick and a selling point. You don’t want to shoot sex scenes, and you don’t even allow nude doubles to be used. Isn’t this the same as rejecting them?”

“Not necessarily,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “Director Wang is not an ordinary director. You should ask first, and then we can talk if it doesn’t work.”

Qin Feng nodded, “Okay, I’ll contact her first.” After thinking for a moment, he came over and bumped into Lu Yan’s shoulder, “Why, you don’t want to do the sex scene because you’re afraid your girlfriend might have an opinion?”

Lu Yan smiled, “He won’t say anything, after all, this is the nature of my job. But I don’t accept sex scenes because of him. He trusts me, and I also want to give him confidence. I don’t want to do things that will make him feel uncomfortable. Kissing and hugging are the bottom line, and sex scenes, I’d rather not accept them if I can.”

“What a romantic person,” Qin Feng said teasingly, “If Lu’s fans heard this, their hearts would probably be broken again.”

“Why don’t you say that most people would appreciate my loyalty more?” Lu Yan raised his eyebrows.

After Qin Feng made a phone call, he stretched out his hand to Lu Yan, “Director Wang said that he would consider it and give us an answer in a few days.”

“Yeah.” Lu Yan nodded and stood up from his chair. “Then you have nothing else to do today, right? I’ll go home first?”

“There’s nothing to do today, but don’t forget the program you’re going to record in three days. It’s been booked a month in advance. Your drama ‘Almighty Detective’ is currently on the air and has great ratings, even higher than the most popular idol drama. You’re really lucky, Lu Yan.”

“Why don’t you say that I’m strong?” Lu Yan smiled and walked out.

Three days passed quickly. The program Lu Yan was going to record was called “Ultimate Brain Power”, a brainpower competition program. It had never been shown before, but it was very popular. Lu Yan himself liked it very much, and after learning that he was invited to participate in the program, he took time to find out every previous episode and watched it.

This program was divided into three stages: the selection period, the challenge period and the China-foreign competition period. It aimed to select the ultimate brain power elites from all over the country to compete with the brainpower elites in Europe. Lu Yan was invited to participate in the final China-foreign competition.

PK always makes people excited, especially when it is a PK between Chinese and foreigners, it is easier to ignite the passion of Chinese people, so the ratings of this program were very high from the beginning. Moreover, the content of this program was unprecedented, so it was naturally more popular.

This program invited one or two heavyweight guests in each episode, and it was even more exciting when it came to the final battle, as the most popular stars of the moment were invited to each episode.

Lu Yan’s popularity was already high, and the recent hit of “Almighty Detective” pushed him to a new level. Filming was indeed the best way to test an actor’s status and strength, but if you want to show up on a large scale, TV series are faster. A hit TV series are enough to make you a household name and soar in popularity.

After the show started, Lu Yan, as a special guest, did not sit in the guest seats at the beginning, but waited backstage.

He heard host Cai Jian walk onto the stage amid cheers and read out the program’s script in a powerful voice, “Where is the world’s most powerful brain power?”

“Here, here!” The audience responded in unison.

“Your talent is the wealth of mankind. Welcome to “Ultimate Brain Power” exclusively sponsored by XXX. Today is the third and final match of the China-foreign PK match, the Chinese team against the Italian team. Next, let us welcome the guests present today…”

Lu Yan seemed to be able to see Cai Jian, with slightly gray hair on his temples, waving his hands and speaking powerfully.

Until he heard a voice from the front desk, “Next, let us welcome tonight’s special guest…”

Lu Yan was startled, the door in front of him slowly opened, he smiled, and walked down the stairs in front of him calmly.

There was a burst of warm applause from the audience, and rows of light signs with Lu Yan’s name on them lit up. Although it was a recorded program, the official website also issued a notice in advance, organizing a large number of fans to support the show on site. Everyone cooperated and waited until Lu Yan appeared on stage before showing the light signs, creating a mysterious atmosphere.

The spectators who were unaware of the truth were also excited when they saw Lu Yan. They didn’t expect that they would have such a benefit when they came to the scene today.

Lu Yan walked to the center of the stage amid cheers. The host Cai Jian shook his hand and said with a smile, “When Mr. Lu came on stage, the whole place was shaken. Mr. Lu, do you have anything to say to the audience?”

Lu Yan smiled slightly, leaned forward and said, “Thank you for your support.”

“Mr. Lu, do you know why you are coming to our show today?”

“Of course, I watch every episode of your show and I love it.”

“It turns out that Mr. Lu is also a fan of our show. What an honor. So, is there any intellectual elite that Mr. Lu has a special impression of?”

“Yes. I especially like the player who did the Rubik’s Cube underwater. It was great.”

“Mr. Lu, can you tell me in detail why you like it?”

“I admire his calmness and composure. He was able to stay cool and complete the task in such a high-pressure environment. If I remember correctly, he did not play in the previous two PK games, so tonight we will definitely see his wonderful match.”

“It seems that Mr. Lu has really watched our show seriously. So please invite Mr. Lu to take a seat as the guest. The exciting PK is about to begin.”

Other guests at the event included Taiwan’s famous host and singer Tao Jing and Hong Kong’s famous actress Zhang Yiru. Lu Yan greeted them friendly before sitting down in his seat.

Tao Jing had always liked good-looking male artists, and when she saw Lu Yan, she did not hide her enthusiasm, “Mr. Lu looks much more handsome in person than on TV.”

Lu Yan had heard this more than once, and each time he responded politely, “Sister Tao is even prettier than on TV.”

Tao Jing was a generation older than Lu Yan, so it was reasonable for him to call her Sister Tao. Besides, Tao Jing had always been bold in her actions and liked others to call her that.

In the first PK, two Chinese and foreign brainpower elites had to remember the clothes, pants or skirts, hats, bags and shoes of 20 female models within 20 minutes. After that, the guests randomly selected two models from each side, and the side with more correct answers won. In order to increase the difficulty, the 20 female models were all of the other race.

The host invited Lu Yan and Zhang Yiru to select clothes for the 20 female models respectively, and then they also selected the two female models for identification. In the end, the Chinese team won this PK.

The host asked Lu Yan, “Mr. Lu, do you think this project is difficult?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “I think it’s quite difficult. It’s not easy to remember so many features in such a short time and match them accurately.”

“It seems that the protagonist in Mr. Lu’s film “Almighty Detective” has some extraordinary abilities, one of which is also related to today’s topic.”

“Are you talking about instant memory?”

“So what does Mr. Lu think of this ability?”

Lu Yan laughed and said, “I used to think that such abilities only existed in novels or TV movies. After watching this program, I realized that there are all kinds of strange things in the world. It turns out that people with super brain power really exist. I feel very shocked.”

“Mr. Lu, how do you feel about your memory?”

“I think my memory is pretty good, but I can’t say I can recall things instantly.”

“Does this mean that Mr. Lu is usually very fast at taking down speeches?”

“It’s indeed a little faster than the average person.” Lu Yan was not too humble.

“Well, today our program team has also prepared a test for Mr. Lu.”

“Really? I’m looking forward to it.” Lu Yan said with a smile.

The second PK was to remember the dice points. There were ten professional dealers on the scene, who shook out a total of fifty dice points. The two brain elites had to remember all fifty dice points and serial numbers. After the guests selected the serial number, they said the points. The PK was divided into two parts, the first part was accuracy, and the second part was speed plus accuracy. In the end, the Chinese team still won.

After that, the host invited Lu Yan to the stage.

“Mr. Lu, next is the test that the program team has prepared for you. Are you confident?”

“You can try it.” Lu Yan said with a smile.

A basketball stand was quickly pulled up onto the stage, followed by a young boy wearing a basketball jersey.

The host quickly told the rules. Ten teenegers would shoot three times. Lu Yan had to remember their names, jersey numbers, each person’s shooting results, how many shots they made, which one went in and which one didn’t. If he could remember all of them and tell them accurately, he would pass.

The host kindly reminded, “Mr. Lu, do you need to find an ally to give you some hints when you can’t remember clearly? Although they can’t speak, they can use their eyes and expressions to give you hints?”

Lu Yan did not reject the proposal and nodded, “Okay.”

Tao Jing quickly raised her hand, “I’ll do it.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Sister Tao.” Lu Yan expressed his gratitude with a smile.

The test started soon. Each of the ten boys shot three times. Before each shot, they would say their names. Originally, each person had two minutes for Lu Yan to remember, but Lu Yan only asked how to write the characters after they said their names, except for a few names that were a bit strange. It took only ten minutes for the boys to finish.

The host reminded him, “Mr. Lu, you now have five minutes to consolidate your memory.”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “No need, we can start now.”

“Are you sure?” the host confirmed.

Lu Yan nodded, “I’m sure.”

“Okay, let’s start now.”

Lu Yan said out each boy’s name, jersey number, and shooting performance one by one in order, without missing a single one.

The entire scene fell silent, as if they were afraid that any sound would affect Lu Yan’s memory. The fans were even more worried and secretly cheered for their idol.

Until the last name and score were said accurately, Lu Yan smiled slightly, and the whole place burst into applause. Not a single one was wrong.

The host was also surprised, and after a long while he smiled and said, “I don’t doubt that you can do it, but I really didn’t expect it to be so fast. Let’s ask an expert. Doc. Wei, what do you think of Mr. Lu’s performance today?”

Doc Wei was an expert judge invited by the program team. He was a professor dedicated to the development and research of human brain power. One of his famous quotes in the program was, “Science is the only standard for my testing.”

Doc Wei applauded and said, “This is an associative memory test. To be honest, this test is not very difficult. If there is enough time, almost every normal person can do it. But what is rare about Mr. Lu today is that he is very fast. You all saw that it didn’t take a long time to shoot the ball before, and he barely paused when he finally said the answer, as if the numbers and names were right in front of him and he just read them out. So, I can responsibly say that although Mr. Lu’s brain power is not top-notch, it is much stronger than that of ordinary people, especially in terms of his associative memory.”

As soon as Doc. Wei finished speaking, before anyone else could say anything, Tao Jing was the first to shout, “Lu male god, you’re awesome. Don’t you agree?” The question was naturally directed at the audience.

The audience answered in unison, “Yes!”

“Is the male god handsome?”

“hansome!”

“Lu Yan is an all-around male god, right?”

“right!”

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely heated, and the audience’s unanimous response almost blew the roof off.

Lu Yan remained calm and composed. The host Cai Jian said with emotion, “Actually, Mr. Lu, what I admire most is not your memory, but your calmness. Most people would be a little nervous when faced with such a test, let alone in front of so many fans, but you remained calm and composed. I admire you. I think I understand why you are so impressed by the brain elite who twisted the Rubik’s Cube underwater.”

The next two PKs were about seeing the big picture from the small details. The Chinese and foreign contestants picked out a few details on a model of the entire painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival and asked the other party to find the source in the original painting. In the end, the Chinese team won again.

The last PK was a duel between players that Lu Yan claimed to like and admire. Their event was blind twisting the Rubik’s Cube. The two opponents spent the same amount of time backstage to memorize the same misplaced Rubik’s Cube, then returned to the scene, covered their eyes, and restored the Rubik’s Cube based on memory. The one who restored the most won. The Chinese team won with an absolute advantage.

Lu Yan felt that this competition was the most difficult.

After this episode was broadcast, the title of “all-round male god” for Lu Yan became popular on the Internet.

As for the homosexual-themed movie that was discussed before, Director Wang’s final response was to agree to Lu Yan’s request and not to shoot sex scenes, so Lu Yan smoothly took over the film.

After the two leading actors were decided, the gay-themed film titled “Uncontrollable” began its initial promotion.

This time, the media was most interested in the attitude of the great actor Han Yuan. They were curious as to why he overturned his previous words and agreed to take on this movie about homosexuality.

Notes

1. From “Song of Everlasting Regret”, a long narrative poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi.  Because the emperor does not have enough time to spend with his beloved, he no longer gets up early to meet with his ministers. ↩︎

Majesty

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan and Su Jue turned around and saw two people walking towards them.

They were all young people, dressed formally, with the good looks that were unique to the Su family. One of them had slightly upturned eyes, looking very attractive. He was looking at Su Jue and Lu Yan with disdain, and it must be him who had just spoken.

The other one pulled his sleeve and whispered, “Ah Xi, stop talking and don’t forget where this is.”

Su Xi snorted coldly and deliberately said loudly, “What kind of place is this? This is a place where rules are followed. This is our Su family’s old house, not everyone can come here and act wildly. Even if my Big brother is here today, I have to say that it is Su Jue who does not follow the rules. If this precedent is set, then anyone can bring any cat or dog home in the future!”

The young man next to him wanted to pull him, but Su Jue waved his hand at him and said with a smile, “Alang, don’t hold him back. Let him talk. Just go on.” Then he raised his chin towards Su Xi.

Su Lang then let go awkwardly.

Su Xi raised his eyes, and they became more and more angry. “Of course I will continue. Su Jue, don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because you and Big Brother are brothers. Let’s not talk about your promiscuous behavior outside and ruining the reputation of our Su family. Today, you actually brought your little lover to the old house openly, and during the family dinner. Don’t forget the rules of our Su family, unless you really plan to marry a man?! “

Su Jue laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, and deliberately scratched his ears, “Did I hear it right? Master Xi actually criticized me for being promiscuous? It seems that you have had no fewer girlfriends than I have.”

“But I’m not as shameless as you, who is promiscuous with both men and women. And I’m not as high-profile as you.” Su Xi said angrily.

“That’s just because the media has no interest in you.” Su Jue added leisurely.

Su Xi was furious. He didn’t know when he had become no match for Su Jue. He was outclassed by him in every aspect. He was obviously not like this when they were little. “Don’t change the subject. That’s not what I want to talk about. What exactly do you mean by bringing this man home today?”

Su Jue deliberately didn’t reveal the truth. He was looking forward to Su Xi’s reaction after he knew the truth, so he deliberately answered the question vaguely. “You talk as if this is really your home. Don’t forget, I am the owner of this place.”

“You?” Su Xi sneered, “Only my big brother is the master here, don’t give yourself too much credit.”

Su Jue smiled and was too lazy to pay any more attention to him.

In the end, Su Xi couldn’t do anything to Su Jue. He couldn’t win by talking or beating him. Even if he thought he was right, Su Jue and Su Mo were brothers after all. If they really got into a fight, he might not get the upper hand. So he turned his anger to Lu Yan who was watching the excitement from the side.

Su Xi looked Lu Yan up and down for a while, and said sarcastically, “You look pretty good, and you have the capital to be a gigolo. I think you look familiar, you must be  a movie star. Su Jue likes this kind of thing. I heard that this circle is very dirty, and there are few clean people. They are not afraid of getting sick.”

“Ah, I remember now, your name is Lu Yan. The movie that Susan forced me to go to with her a few months ago was the one you starred in. I heard it was the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, right? Tsk tsk, you didn’t get this Best Actor award by crawling into Su Jue’s bed, did you?”

Lu Yan just felt that this person was a bit weird, speaking in a strange voice, and looked like a decent person, but he was a psychopath. He turned to Su Jue and said, “Is he sick?”

Su Jue curled his lips, “He is sick, like a mad dog, barking at me every time he sees me. I almost thought he had turned his love for me into hatred.”

The two of them did not deliberately lower their volume, so Su Xi naturally heard it clearly and his face turned red with anger.

The grudge between Su Xi and Su Jue had a long history.

Su Xi was the eldest son of Su Jue’s uncle, and was about the same age as Su Jue, with a difference of one month. When Su Jue was young, he was not in good health, and he was sick every other day. He was always in tears and looked like a bullied person. At that time, Su Xi was healthy and pretty. At such a young age, he was very proud because of the adults’ favor, but he knew how to pretend and was especially well-behaved in front of adults. Even Su Jue’s father, the head of the Su family at that time, loved him very much.

Only Su Mo was not fooled by his appearance and was very cold to him. In fact, Su Mo was especially gentle to Su Jue and was indifferent to all the other cousins. Su Mo, who was a few years older than them and had been outstanding since childhood, was the idol of all the younger Su family members, especially Su Xi. So Su Xi particularly disliked Su Jue. He thought that if Su Jue was not Su Mo’s biological brother, he would not deserve so much love from Su Mo, and he would pretend to be sick and pitiful to gain sympathy. It was so disgusting.

Su Xi always bullied Su Jue secretly and warned him that he should be a man and not complain. Children also have self-esteem and it is often stronger, so no matter how wronged Su Jue was, he never complained about Su Xi to anyone. But later Su Mo found out, and Su Mo scolded Su Xi rudely, and ordered him not to get close to Su Jue in the future. Under Su Mo’s care, Su Xi really had no chance to get close to Su Jue again, let alone bully him, but Su Xi did not get angry with Su Mo, but hated Su Jue even more.

Later, Su Jue’s parents got into trouble. Su Mo was still studying abroad at the time. The older generation of the Su family wanted to take the opportunity to seize power. Su Xi also took the opportunity to instigate other cousins ​​to beat Su Jue up. No one expected Su Mo to come back so quickly and so powerfully. In a short time, he took back all the power and legitimately ascended to the position of the head of the Su family. Those who bullied Su Mo at that time also fought back with their own strength.

After that, Su Jue’s whole personality changed like a painting, becoming all kinds of evil, cool and handsome, completely different from when he was a child. Su Jue was not a person who would swallow his anger, so he found a few opportunities to teach Su Xi a lesson, as revenge for the bullying he had suffered in the past, and then ignored him.

The grudge between the two deepened. Su Xi simply hated Su Jue and always wanted to find a chance to fight back. However, Su Jue was no longer the bullied he had been when he was a child. After several times, he was asking for trouble. Later, Su Jue took over Starry Sky, and the distance between the two became farther and farther.

Su Jue held great power and ran his business successfully; while Su Xi only held a leisurely position in the Su family. Although he had no worries about food and clothing, Su Mo never financially disadvantaged any member of the Su family, the most important thing for a man was his career. In this regard, he could no longer be compared with Su Jue. He had to change girlfriends more frequently than Su Jue, as if he wanted to prove his charm. Unfortunately, even the quality of his lovers could not compare with Su Jue.

Every time they met, Su Xi would always make some sarcastic remarks to Su Jue. Most of the time, Su Jue would not bother to pay attention to him. He would not even be interested in stepping on someone who was too different in strength from him. However, Su Xi thought that Su Ju did not dare to confront him head-on, so he became even more aggressive.

When Su Jue and Lu Yan were talking intimately for the first time, Su Xi automatically filled in the plot and thought that Lu Yan was Su Jue’s lover. It was well known that Su Jue was with men and women, and Lu Yan’s appearance seemed to suit Su Jue’s taste. Naturally, he would never have thought that Su Mo, who was strict, self-respecting and high-handed in his mind, would have a male lover. He even felt that no woman in the world was worthy of Su Mo.

Su Xi certainly would not miss any opportunity to strike Su Jue. He thought he had found Su Jue’s weakness, but he was so proud that he forgot that Su Jue was not such a rude person. So, hatred could make people lose their minds, as expected.

Su Xi was so angry that he spoke more and more without restraint, “Su Jue, I advise you to get rid of this person before big brother finds out, so as to avoid embarrassing everyone. And this big star, if you want to get close to him, there is a limit. You can’t just walk into the Su family if you want to. Let alone you are a man, even if you are a woman, our Su family cannot tolerate someone like you…”

Lu Yan and Su Jue looked calm, and Su Jue even had a faint smile on his face, as if he was ready to watch a good show. He had experienced how protective his elder brother was since he was a child, not to mention that Lu Yan was someone he valued so much, he couldn’t help but want to pray for Su Xi.

Su Xi always felt that the atmosphere at the scene was not right, and he became less and less confident in what he said. However, he was in a difficult situation and had to continue. However, before he could say a few words, he was stopped by a cold rebuke.

“Shut up!” Su Mo’s voice was not loud, but it contained an irresistible force.

Su Xi was startled and turned stiffly, then saw Su Mo walking out from the kitchen. “Brother, you’re home!” His voice was a little trembling.

Su Mo’s face was cold, but his voice was still calm but full of power. “Are you going to continue to speak without restraint while I’m away?”

“No, brother, it was Su Jue…” Su Xi waved his hands hurriedly, trying to explain.

Su Mo didn’t give him a chance and interrupted him, “Don’t forget where you are here. Put away your playboy, arrogant manner. Did your family tutor teach you to talk like this? Why don’t you apologize?”

“I…” Su Xi wanted to say something, but was defeated by Su Mo’s gaze. He lowered his head and said to Su Jue sadly, “I’m sorry.”

Su Jue smiled, “Who are you apologizing to, Master Xi?”

Su Xi gave him a displeased look and said unwillingly, “Su Jue, I’m sorry.”

Su Jue did not stop there, “I think you should call me Cousin¹.”

This was also what Su Xi felt most disgusted about. Although he was only one month older than him, he had to call Su Jue “cousin” and usually called him by his full name. Su Jue never said anything, but he lost his temper at this moment. It was really despicable. 

But he had to bow his head. At this time, the other members of the Su family had also arrived one after another. Except for his parents who were a little embarrassed, they all looked like they were watching a show. Su Xi knew that under Su Mo’s authority, no one would speak for him, so he had to say one more sentence, “Cousin, I’m sorry.”

Su Jue smiled and said, “Since my cousin is so sincere, I will forgive you. But whether others can forgive you depends on you.”

The “others” that Su Jue referred to was naturally Lu Yan.

Su Xi stared at Su Mo, and Su Mo just said calmly, “Either apologize or get out.”

Su Xi naturally didn’t dare to leave. He gritted his teeth and shouted to Lu Yan, “Lu Yan, I’m sorry.”

Lu Yan smiled faintly and said nothing. He stood up and walked to Su Mo, brushed off the invisible dust on his shoulders as if no one was around, and said with a double meaning, “Thank you for your hard work.”

When Su Mo looked at Lu Yan, his eyes immediately softened, just like every time he looked at him, “It should be.”

Su Mo raised his eyes and looked around. Basically, everyone who should have arrived was here. Most of them were shocked by Lu Yan’s behavior. They all had surprise on their faces, especially Su Xi, whose eyes almost popped out.

“Now that everyone is here, please take your seats. I have a few things to say today.”

After Su Mo finished speaking, he didn’t even look at the others, and walked towards the dining room with Lu Yan. Su Jue looked at the other stunned people with amusement, and quickly followed them in.

A long table had been set up in the dining room, enough to accommodate twenty or thirty people.

Su Mo sat in the main seat, and there was an extra seat on his left, which was the seat for the wife of the patriarch. Since Su Mo became the patriarch of the Su family, this seat had always been vacant, and today it belonged to Lu Yan.

Although Su Jue was Su Mo’s biological brother, his generation was separated from him, so he had to sit a few seats below.

Others came in one after another and each found their own seat and sat down.

Su Xi stared at Lu Yan who was sitting next to Su Mo with his eyes wide open, and he felt a little dazed. He had already realized that he had made a big mistake, and thinking of the words he had just said, he really wanted to roll them up into a ball, swallow them, and destroy them.

Su Lang looked at him with sympathy. Normally, he was the closest to Su Xi among all the cousins. Of course, he understood Su Xi’s temper and was aware of his dislike for Su Jue. But he was not like Su Xi who acted impulsively. He believed that Su Jue would never bring a lover back to the Su family, and if he did, it would definitely be a marriage partner. Although it was a bit unbelievable to marry a man, society is so open nowadays, and Su Jue seemed to have had more male lovers than female ones, so it was not absolutely impossible.

He originally wanted to persuade Su Xi, but failed. After all, the feud between the two of them was not just one or two days old, and Su Xi had targeted Su Jue more than once or twice, so one more time would not be too much.

But Su Lang never expected that Lu Yan’s target was not Su Jue, but most likely Su Mo.

Su Mo tapped the table lightly to draw everyone’s attention, “During this time, I have heard a lot of rumors about the brothers of our Su family. I will not interfere in your private life, but you must remember the rules of the Su family. Unless you are preparing to get married, no matter how many lovers you have outside, you are not allowed to bring them back to the Su family. Once you announce your marriage partner, you must not divorce easily unless you have no other choice. I don’t care what happened before you got married, and it doesn’t matter if you never get married, but once you get married, you are not allowed to have a mistress or a lover. The most important point is that the Su family will never allow illegitimate children to appear. Once someone is found to have violated the rules, he will take his illegitimate child away from the Su family. So you’d better make this clear to your lovers, so as to avoid being tricked and losing more than you gain.”

These rules were set by the ancestors of the Su family, and like the patriarchal system of the Su family, they were passed down from generation to generation. Although the rules were strict, they also ensured to a large extent that the Su family would not fall apart quickly like other large families. The Su family always put more emphasis on quality than quantity in their requirements for their descendants. It was precisely because of this peculiar family rule that when the Su family was not yet at its peak, countless daughters of wealthy families were willing to marry into the Su family, which enabled the Su family to rise in a very short period of time. Today, the Su family no longer needs to rely on marriage to consolidate its position, but this family rule had always been strictly enforced. So even now, the children of the Su family were still the most desired marriage targets for the daughters of wealthy families. After all, for a woman, what is more important than the loyalty of her husband? Of course, because of this family rule, some of the romantic children of the Su family never get married or have children. This was their own choice, and the head of the Su family will never interfere.

Everyone turned their eyes to Lu Yan who was sitting next to Su Mo. Su Chenghai, the eldest of the previous generation of the Su family, asked under everyone’s urging gaze, “Xiao Mo, who is the person next to you…?”

Su Mo spoke calmly, “That’s another thing I want to talk about today.”

Su Mo took Lu Yan’s hand, interlocked their fingers, and placed them on the table. “His name is Lu Yan, and he is my lover.”

“Xiao Mo, are you kidding?” The corners of Su Chenghai’s mouth twitched a little.

Su Mo replied calmly, “Of course, this kind of thing is not something you can joke about. As the head of the Su family, I should set an example. Since I brought him to the Su family today, it means that I am ready to spend my life with him. I hope you understand that Lu Yan is my lover and the one who can legally inherit my personal inheritance after my death. Disrespecting him is disrespecting me, and insulting him is insulting me.” Su Mo said the last sentence heavily and coldly, his eyes swept all the way, especially staying on Su Xi for a while, Su Xi shivered with coldness.

“Xiao Mo, how can you really be with a man?” Su Chenghai objected stiffly.

“Why not? The Su family rules do not stipulate the gender of the partner.”

“You, you won’t have children! The Su family will not recognize surrogate children!” Su Chenghai shouted.

Su Mo smiled faintly, “The next generation of the head of the family does not have to be the direct descendant of the current head of the family, so whether I have children or not does not have much impact. No matter whose child it is, as long as he is good enough and can shoulder the future of the Su family, I will designate and train him as the next generation of the head of the family. Isn’t this what you expect?”

Su Chenghai wanted to say something else.

Su Mo had put away his smile and said coldly, “I think you’d better understand one thing. I am not asking for your opinions, I am just informing you. Whether you are against or support it has no effect on me at all. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can leave immediately. I guarantee that no one will be blocked.”

Are you kidding? How can they leave?

Everyone knew what it meant to leave here.

Today, Su Mo represents almost the entire Su family. He was more arbitrary than any generation of the Su family, but under his leadership, the Su family had developed better and stronger than ever before. In the business world, many people didn’t even recognize the Su family, but only recognized Su Mo. So losing Su Mo’s support meant losing the protection of the Su family, which was a consequence that no one present could bear.

Over the years, Su Mo had taken good care of them. Although they had no real power, they had a comfortable life and could show off their status as members of the Su family in front of outsiders. Su Mo’s protective nature made him protect his family first as long as it was not a matter of principle. Although the Su family dare not act tyrannically outside, they had never been bullied by others.

Over the years, the Su family had been living a better and better life, and they had almost forgotten how terrible Su Mo was when he was ruthless. In the most turbulent years of the Su family, Su Mo adopted a high-pressure policy towards any opposition and questioning voices, until later no one dared to challenge his authority, and any decision was final in front of him.

Over the years, because things had developed smoothly and there were no more obstacles, Su Mo had gradually restrained his initial ruthlessness in front of the Su family. After all, they were family members, and as long as they had not crossed the bottom line, Su Mo was still unwilling to kill them all. Perhaps he was too gentle, so some people began to question his decisions again. If that was the case, Su Mo didn’t mind letting them realize again that the authority of the head of the Su family was unchallengeable.

Under such high pressure, everyone fell silent, and some even thought of their eldest cousin who had been exiled abroad by Su Mo and had not been able to return home yet. It is said that without the support of the Su family, he did not have a good life abroad, but no one dared to speak for him. Even his great uncle only dared to send money to him secretly but did not dare to ask for it back. Su Mo was well aware of this, but he didn’t say anything. He just turned a blind eye and pretended not to know.

“If no one wants to leave, then let’s get ready to serve the meal. Today is a family dinner, so don’t be too restrained, just be casual.” Su Mo waited quietly for a while, knowing that no one would leave, and said calmly.

Every word Su Mo spoke was calm, as if there were no waves. But like the waves hidden beneath the calm sea, the aura made everyone speechless.

From beginning to end, Lu Yan didn’t say a word, but just smiled quietly and looked at the people around him.

He had never seen Su Mo like this before.

Only during their initial encounter on the set did Lu Yan feel the majesty of a superior from Su Mo.

Every time they met after that, Su Mo was calm and gentle in front of him, and never gave him the slightest sense of oppression.

After they were together, Su Mo became even more considerate and tender, and was infinitely tolerant and even indulgent towards him. If it weren’t for their busy schedule of being together less often than they were apart, Lu Yan would have almost forgotten that he was the president and emperor of such a huge commercial empire.

Lu Yan had imagined what Su Mo was like in front of outsiders, but it had never been so real and shocking to see it with his own eyes. It turned out that the lover who was so tender and affectionate in front of him was so domineering in front of outsiders.

Lu Yan was deeply attracted by this contrast. He felt that he had fallen a little deeper, but he had no desire to do so and no need to extricate himself.

Except for Su Mo, Lu Yan and Su Jue, everyone at the table was silent and had no appetite. The three of them were very pleased with themselves. Su Mo and Lu Yan even served food to each other without any scruples.

For other members of the Su family, this was truly a family dinner that they would rather not recall.

After the meeting, they said goodbye one after another and soon there was no one left.

When there were only three people left in the hall, Su Jue finally couldn’t help holding his stomach and rolling on the sofa laughing, “Hahahaha, big brother, did you see the look on Su Xi’s face just now? It really made me laugh to death, hahahahahahahaha”

Su Mo looked at him and said, “You are not a good person either. Haven’t you provoked him enough in these years?”

Su Jue tried to sit up and held back his laughter. “It’s unfair, big brother. He was the one who provoked me first. I was too lazy to bother with him.”

It was the first time that Lu Yan saw Su Jue acting so childish. He was completely different from the usual charming, elegant and graceful gentleman.

Su Jue rolled his eyes between the two people in front of him and said jokingly, “Okay, I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll go back to my room first. I wish you a happy marriage.” After saying that, he didn’t even wait for a response and rushed upstairs.

Lu Yan followed Su Mo back to the room. As soon as he closed the door, Lu Yan turned around and hugged Su Mo, rubbing his head against his neck, calling out softly, “Su Mo, Su Mo, Su Mo, Su Mo…”

Su Mo felt a little itchy, and tried to raise his neck, but it made it easier for the other party to torment him. He felt a little itchy on his neck, and couldn’t help wanting to laugh. He raised his hand and rubbed the other party’s head, and his voice trembled, “Yeah, I’m here, what’s wrong?”

Lu Yan finally raised his head, but he didn’t loosen his arms. The lights in the room were not on yet, and through the half-open curtains, he could only see Lu Yan’s sparkling eyes. “Do you know how charming you looked just now?”

Su Mo smiled and said, “Many people think that I look scary.”

“Oh, that’s because they are not me.” Lu Yan laughed, “But as long as I think you are charming, it’s enough. They don’t need to know how good you are.”

Su Mo smiled and touched the corner of his eye, “Well, I only need to charm you.”

“I’m already head over heels for you.” In private, Lu Yan never minded saying more cheesy love words, which was also the taste they developed from being apart for a long time and only being able to rely on phone calls to relieve their longing for each other. “Do you know what I wanted to do just now?”

“Do what?” Su Mo asked cooperatively.

Lu Yan put his lips close to his ear and whispered clearly, “I want to fuck you!”

Su Mo shuddered. They had said many sweet words to each other, some of them were cheesy, but never anything so straightforward to the point of being crude. Just this one sentence made Su Mo feel like he was electrocuted, his whole body numb. He raised his chin, narrowed his eyes slightly, and deliberately responded word by word in a condescending and arrogant tone, “I allow you!”

Notes

1. This ‘cousin’ word is used to address the sons of uncles who are older than oneself. ↩︎

Charity and hypocrisy

On the evening of the concert, a high-rise topic was built in the entertainment area of ​​a certain community in connection with the concert and Lu Yan.

“My male god is so handsome tonight, I want to be his fan forever.”

“I’m a title party. I came here just to see who the owner’s boyfriend is. Owner, please explain.”

“I guess it’s the one giving the concert tonight.”

“Concert? Kong Xiange? He is truly the most popular male star in the classical music world, but it seems he doesn’t have a concert tonight.”

“The guy upstairs, it’s not that guy. He’s from the entertainment industry. Tonight, at the charity show in City X, everyone except him is a veteran in the classical music world. They said it was a farewell show, and I don’t know how an outsider got in.”

“The tone of the above comment is so sour. Didn’t they say that they were participating in the concert to replace their deceased teacher? Moreover, although they are not from the classical music circle, their performance level is not much inferior to that of professionals.”

“Can the guys upstairs not just attack? Why not just say it directly? It’s just Lu Yan.”

“Ahhh, the above poster said it, yes, it’s Male God Lu, the owner just went out for a run in excitement.”

“Did you go to the concert tonight? I just got back and was so excited. Although I know nothing about classical music, I thought it was beautiful and the male god was so handsome. He was so handsome that my nose was bleeding.”

“Because of my idol, I wore a dress for the first time in my life.”

“I am the same as the one upstairs. Because of my idol, a lowly person like me has become elegant, hehe.”

“Those who didn’t get tickets cried and fainted in the toilet.”

“The restroom upstairs, give me a corner, let’s cry together. I didn’t get the ticket because my hands were too slow, and the scalpers were not helpful either, sob sob sob sob”

“I bought the ticket from a scalper. The price is comparable to the front row ticket price at the God of Songs’ concert. But after seeing the performance tonight, it’s worth it!”

“The guy upstairs got a good knife, #squint”

“Fans who didn’t buy tickets, don’t cry. Come on, I secretly took some photos of my idol. Let me show you picture, picture, picture.”

“The guy upstairs is really nice. Take them away and lick them.”

“The photo is a bit blurry, I can’t see it clearly.”

“#sweating, I took this secretly, I didn’t dare to use the flash, you know where the theater is.”

“Ahhhhhh, is the male god wearing a tuxedo? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I’ve been fantasizing about the male god wearing a tuxedo for a long time. With his figure and appearance, he would definitely look so charming in it.”

“Yes, it’s so handsome #Drooling #Drooling #Drooling”

“Raising my hand weakly, I secretly recorded the performance, especially the second half and the encore. Does anyone want it?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, please upload it.”

“Same Request”

“+1”

“+2”

“+3”

…

“+10086”

“Uploaded, address: Password: myfamilysmalegod”

“good, downloaded”

“It sounds so beautiful, combined with the photo the owner posted earlier, my nose is bleeding…”

“It was so nice. I want professionals to analyze how the male god performed tonight. As a non-professional, I just think it was very nice.”

“Ask for expert analysis +1”

“From a professional perspective, I can only say that it is impeccable.”

“Yes. Although it’s not top-notch, it’s definitely not bad.”

“The main performance was pretty standard, but the arrangement of the final encore was simply amazing.”

“It was also amazing. It was the first time I heard Croatian Rhapsody played by piano and violin. It was unexpectedly very moving.”

“I’m a big fan of Maxim. I was almost moved to tears when I heard the song. Lu is so awesome.”

“I will support the male god of the mainland for my whole life and will be his loyal fan for my whole life”

“Lifelong fan +1”

“Lifelong fan +2”

…

“A lifetime of love + ID number”

…

The next day, the headlines of all major entertainment sections were also about the concert. The many media tickets that Starry Sky gave out were not given for free. Except for a few media outlets with a particularly large influence and a neutral stance, almost all of them were friendly with Starry Sky.  Needless to say, the media, which claimed to be neutral, could only praise the perfect performance of the concert. The overwhelming applause made those who wanted to say something sarcastic shut up.

Therefore, after Lu Yan won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, this concert brought a new surge in his popularity.

Lu Yan himself still held the same attitude. Once it’s over, it’s over. He would pay attention to the comments about the merits and demerits, but he won’t take them too seriously. The most important thing was to keep moving forward.

But after the concert, the matter was not completely over.

After discussing with each other, several seniors decided that it would be better to donate the proceeds from the concert directly to a certain organization rather than to a charity. They were all very concerned about the future of the music industry, and finally decided to donate the money to the city’s music university as a scholarship.

The music university was very happy to receive such a large amount of sponsorship, because the donors were all senior figures in the literary and artistic circles, and this charity performance was a sensation in the whole city. The president of the university wanted to take this opportunity to promote the university, so he carefully held a donation ceremony and invited the donors to attend.

The seniors felt that they were not interested in such publicity as they were too old, so they unanimously recommended Lu Yan to represent them. Lu Yan was not hypocritical, as he needed more positive exposure, so he readily agreed.

The time was set for Saturday afternoon and the location was in the auditorium of the Conservatory of Music.

Lu Yan’s car was stopped at the school gate, and Song Hui got out of the car to negotiate. While he was talking, the school leader came out to greet him. It was the Dean of Studies, who told the security guard who stopped the car to let him go, and then walked towards the car with Song Hui.

Lu Yan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, rolled down the window, took off his sunglasses, and smiled at the person who came over.

When the students passing by saw who was sitting in the car, they all stopped and looked sideways. Some girls even screamed in a low voice, “Oh, it’s Lu Yan.”

“It’s really Lu Yan. He’s even more handsome in person than on the screen. But why did he come to our school?”

“You don’t know, he brought donations to our school.”

“Really? The one in the auditorium this afternoon?”

“Yes, that one.”

“Oh, what are you waiting for? Let’s go to the auditorium. If we’re late, we won’t be able to get in.”

“Yes, yes, let’s go.”

When the Dean of Studies came to the car, Lu Yan did not hesitate, he got out of the car politely and extended his hand to shake hands with the visitor.

“Hello, Mr. Lu, I’m the school’s dean of studies, my name is Guan Wei, and the principal asked me to wait for you here.”

“Hello, Mr. Guan, sorry to have kept you waiting.” Lu Yan said with a smile.

“Not long, I just arrived too. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Shall we go straight to the auditorium?”

“okay”

Guan Wei also got into the car with them, sat in the back seat, and pointed the way to Song Hui, who was visiting the Conservatory of Music for the first time.

Lu Yan and his friends arrived neither too early nor too late. The auditorium was almost full, and on the way here they saw quite a few students rushing over.

Guan Wei smiled and said, “Mr. Lu is very popular. The students knew that Mr. Lu would come today and they were very enthusiastic. It was not easy to get them to come to the auditorium in the past.”

Lu Yan smiled politely, “Mr. Guan, you are joking.”

Lu Yan walked to the front row under the escort of Guan Wei and Song Hui. Although the students were a little excited when they saw Lu Yan coming, they were all highly educated and of high quality, so there was no crowding or blocking. Only one girl, perhaps too excited, suddenly shouted, “Lu Yan, I love you.”

Although the auditorium was not quiet, this voice was really prominent. Everyone looked at the girl who spoke, and the girl blushed with embarrassment.

Lu Yan smiled at her and said seriously, “Thank you.”

The girl’s face became even redder, but she was no longer embarrassed, but excited.

It didn’t take too long to get to the front row. Lu Yan saw that there were already several media outlets with their cameras set up, and some of them looked familiar. Lu Yan was not surprised. The principal of the school made such a big fuss just for publicity, so it would be strange if he didn’t invite the media.

The ceremony started on time at 2:30, and the first thing that happened was the speeches of the school leaders. The first person to speak was the principal, who talked about the history of the school and the honors it had won. It was all official stuff, and although it was a bit boring, it wasn’t very long. The second person to speak was the Youth League branch committee member, who spoke the same things that everyone was used to hearing.

Three or five leaders took turns to go on stage. It was obvious that everyone was particularly cautious because of the presence of the media. Everyone was dressed very formally and tried to look radiant when speaking. Each person’s speech was not long, and it took only half an hour to finish. This was really rare, so the students did not get impatient.

After the leaders finished speaking, they entered the main topic. The principal came on stage again and first thanked the seniors in the literary and artistic circles for their donations and support to the school, and then congratulated several students who received donations today.

Then the students who received the donation were invited to the stage. There were five people in total, four boys and one girl. Although the appearance index of the students from the music college was not as good as that of the performing arts college, it was still a few levels higher than that of ordinary universities. At least these students who came on stage were very good-looking, especially one of the boys, who had an upright posture, clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and had the capital to be an idol. 

However, the expressions on their faces were not so good. The four students looked indifferent, while the best-looking one had a hint of humiliation. Although he tried hard to hide it, how could he escape the eyes of Lu Yan, the movie king?

Lu Yan did not find it strange. Every school has such students, who have excellent grades but poor family backgrounds, so while working hard to win scholarships, they can also compete for the qualifications of bursaries. Bursaries are different from scholarships. In addition to requiring the recipients to be excellent enough, the most important condition is poverty, so it is always an award that makes the recipients love and hate it.

Men and women of this age are the most sensitive and vulnerable, and their self-esteem is extremely high, especially when they are still relatively outstanding. Poverty is often something they feel embarrassed about, and accepting donations is even more humiliating in their eyes.

When Lu Yan was in high school, there was such a person in his class. He worked very hard and had good grades, so he received scholarships every year and the highest amount of grants. However, he was never happy and had a sullen face all day long. He was withdrawn and indifferent, as if everyone looked down on him and was making fun of him.

Therefore, Lu Yan also understood the feelings of those on the stage.

The things that they had been hiding from everyone were now exposed, which was like being exposed to the public. However, they could not resist. The school wanted to put on a show, so they had to cooperate. The only thing they could do was to show their dissatisfaction with their expressions.

The principal was also a little embarrassed, but he could ask the students to go on stage but he couldn’t force their expressions. He just hoped to get through this process as quickly as possible.

Lu Yan was soon invited to the stage. He did not care about the students’ attitudes. He still smiled and maintained his best demeanor. He shook hands with them one by one and then handed checks to them.

Afterwards, the principal and Lu Yan took a group photo with five students. The flash lights kept shining on Lu Yan’s smiling face, the expressionless faces of the students, and the principal’s somewhat embarrassed face.

The students and the principal left the stage one after another, and Lu Yan was left on the stage by the host to give a speech.

Lu Yan was silent for a moment, then smiled and said slowly, “I want to thank the students who just stood on the stage. Thank you for accepting this kindness, so that the love of me, my teacher, and so many seniors can be passed on. The fact that you are standing here today does not mean that you are poor, but that you are excellent. I believe that you are so outstanding that you will definitely be the one who gives in the future. So, please allow me to give you a round of applause in advance.”

After Lu Yan finished speaking, he began to applaud, loud and powerful. Soon, the students in the audience also responded, and the neat applause fell on the eardrums and hit the heart. The expressions of the students who had just come on stage all changed. Their original indifference turned into excitement. There seemed to be moisture in the eyes of that girl, and the best-looking boy stared at Lu Yan in disbelief with his eyes wide open.

Lu Yan didn’t say anything more and slowly walked off the stage. The host was stunned for a long time before he started his closing speech.

On the way back, Song Hui said as he drove, “Brother Lu, those few words you just said were so good. Didn’t you see that those students were moved to tears by you?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “They didn’t cry because of what I said. They cried for themselves.”

Suddenly, Song Hui slammed on the brakes and cursed, “Fuck!”

It turned out that a man suddenly rushed out with his arms outstretched and stood in front of the car. Even someone as well-mannered as Song Hui could burst into swearing, which showed that he was really scared.

Song Hui opened the car door and yelled, “Are you looking for death? How can you block a car like this?”

The man ignored him and ran to the passenger side, panting. Lu Yan rolled down the window and saw the best-looking boy among the five students who had just been on the stage and received gifts.

The boy stared at Lu Yan, “I have a few questions to ask you, is that ok?”

Lu Yan thought it was interesting, so he got out of the car and looked at him, “You tell me.”

The boy asked directly, “Did you really mean what you just said?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “I never like to tell lies.”

The boy was silent for a while and bit his lower lip. “Have you ever received such a ‘giving’?”

Lu Yan knew that the boy would ask this question, and he probably knew something about his past.

“No,” Lu Yan shook his head, and seeing the boy frown, he continued, “Because I don’t need it. I have always had my own way to obtain the capital to survive. If you don’t want to accept gifts from others, you have to work hard to make yourself stronger. Before that, just remember that all dignity is based on your ability to survive. No one can look down on you unless you look down on yourself first. “

After saying that, Lu Yan ignored the stunned boy, got into the car, and signaled Song Hui to drive.

Before the car started, the boy suddenly came to his senses, leaned over the car window and shouted, “My name is Xiao Xuyan, please remember me.”

Lu Yan smiled and didn’t respond, and the car drove out.

This matter was not over yet.

Later, during another interview program, the host asked Lu Yan about this matter, “Nowadays, everyone advocates doing good deeds without leaving a name, but Mr. Lu previously made a high-profile donation to a certain university. I wonder what you think about this issue?”

Lu Yan did not give a direct answer. “I want to tell you a story first. Confucius’s eldest disciple Zilu once saved a child. The child’s father gave him a cow to thank him. Zilu was very happy to accept it. At that time, some people said that he wanted to give back after doing good deeds, which was not gentlemanly enough. There was a law in the State of Lu that if a Lu citizen saw his fellow countrymen who had suffered misfortune and become slaves in a foreign country, he could receive compensation and rewards from the state as long as he could redeem these people and free them. Zigong, another disciple of Confucius, redeemed Lu citizens from a foreign country, but he did not accept compensation or rewards from the state, and everyone praised him as a gentleman.”

The host was puzzled, “It seems that many people know this story.”

Lu Yan smiled, “Then many people should know how Confucius responded. The sage praised Zilu for accepting the reward, saying that more people would do good deeds in the future. But the sage criticized Zigong for doing good deeds without asking for rewards, and lamented that the people of Lu would no longer redeem their compatriots in the future.”

“So, what does Mr. Lu mean?”

“Although I don’t dare to compare myself with the disciples of saints, I am still a public figure and can serve as a role model to some extent. If everyone feels that doing good deeds will be rewarded, then more people will do good deeds. If we promote positive energy more, there will be more and more positive energy, and I am willing to do my best for this.”

“So, what benefits did Mr. Lu get?”

Lu Yan joked, “I’ve gained more attention because of this, and everyone thinks I’m a good person, and that’s the benefit.”

The host did not let it go and continued to ask, “So, what do you think about the incident a while ago where an entrepreneur, a recognized philanthropist, gave money to the public on the street in a foreign country but was rejected? Many people said he was hypocritical because of this. What do you think about this, Mr. Lu?”

Lu Yan replied calmly, “I think this probably has something to do with the issue of the grantor. Regardless of your original intention, charity is to help others. If others don’t need your help, forcing them to do something against their will is not good. It is better to give more kindness to those who really need it.”

The host concluded, “So Mr. Lu doesn’t object to the entrepreneur’s high-profile behavior, right?”

Lu Yan refused to be fooled. “I didn’t say that. It doesn’t matter whether I oppose it or not. Everyone has their own attitude and method of doing things. What I say and do is only responsible to myself. For me, it is enough to be worthy of heaven and earth and do things according to my heart.”

“Okay, thank you very much Mr. Lu Yan for participating in this interview. Thank you.”

As expected, after this interview was broadcast, it sparked another round of discussion.

As a public figure, Lu Yan’s words and deeds will indeed attract more attention. Moreover, for such a big proposition, even without Lu Yan, people have never stopped arguing. Is it charity or hypocrisy? This is not so clear. It is like judging good and evil by the result or the starting point. Each person has his own reasons and no one can convince the other.

Finally, another post temporarily ended this discussion.

“Whether I agree with Lu Yan’s views or not, I admire his attitude very much. I started paying attention to him since the big discussion he caused at the end of last year when he was hospitalized for saving someone. I found him to be a very bold and honest person, who never speaks or does things perfunctorily. As he said, he is worthy of heaven and earth and does things according to his heart. To be honest, such people are almost extinct in the entertainment industry full of lies and deception. I don’t know how he has survived to this day, but facts have proved that he has not only survived, but also lived well. Every discussion about him, no matter how it started or how it went, always ended up being in his favor. I don’t know if it’s because of his personal charm or because he’s just too lucky. I am old now, and I am no longer in the age of chasing stars. But facing such a rational, frank and profound man, who is still so pleasing to the eye, I have to admit that sometimes an old woman’s heart can’t hold back. Finally, I want to say that Lu Yan’s fans are really lucky. You have chosen an idol who is very worthy of following, full of positive energy.”

“Let’s put on formal attire and line up. Thank you for your appreciation of the male god. We will follow him for the rest of our lives.”

“Thank you for your appreciation, the male god is indeed worthy of our love.”

…

A few days later, Qin Feng placed a document in front of Lu Yan and said with a smile, “I never thought that there would be a sequel to that concert.”

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yan looked up at him and reached out to take the document.

“Your fans want to set up a charity fund for you. They’ve even thought of a name for it, it’s called the Lu Foundation. The slogan is, everyone saves six dollars a week, and the love of your idol can be given to those in need.”

“So, this is the plan?” Lu Yan had already flipped through the document.

“Yes, what do you think?”

Lu Yan had already roughly browsed through it and murmured, “It’s a good thing, but if it’s not handled properly, it will easily lead to criticism. The most troublesome thing about charity funds is whether the donations collected are actually used for charity.”

“So, what do you think?” Qin Feng seemed to have made up his mind, but he still wanted to hear Lu Yan’s opinion.

“I think we can set up a foundation to manage these donations, how to collect and how to use them. Then ask a third party to supervise and regularly announce the source of the donations, the total amount, and the purpose, etc. Try to be as open and transparent as possible. We can even let the whole society supervise together.”

Qin Feng nodded and smiled, “This is a good idea. I think the same way. Supervision by the whole society is a good idea. Your influence will become greater and greater in the future. Okay, let’s do it this way.”

Qin Feng patted Lu Yan’s shoulder again, “I feel more and more that it was great to sign you in the first place. I have a feeling that only you can help me realize my dream.”

“That’s what I wish for.” Lu Yan smiled.

Play

The concert ended successfully. The audience was satisfied, the performers were excited, and the reporters hurried back to write their articles.

Zhu Yuchi and other veterans in the classical music world were very satisfied with this farewell performance. When they played the first piece together, they seemed to have returned to the past. The conditions were difficult at that time, but everyone was full of energy and looked forward to the future. They wouldn’t say this performance was the grandest one in their music career, but it was definitely the most meaningful one. Several emotional seniors couldn’t help but applaud with tears in their eyes when the performance came to an end.

Originally there should have been a celebration party or something, but the seniors were all old, and it was already difficult for them to persist in a concert, and they really didn’t have the energy to participate in subsequent activities. Lu Yan naturally had no intention of celebrating at this time, so everyone agreed to get together again another day.

Zhu Yuchi expressed his gratitude to Lu Yan on behalf of all the old guys, “We really should thank you this time. Apart from other things, just such a big scene, if it were us old guys, we probably wouldn’t be able to do it. Thank you for making our farewell performance so wonderful.”

Lu Yan said sincerely, “It is also my wish to do something for the teacher.”

Zhu Yuchi patted him on the shoulder and said, “Anyway, I’m glad to have made a friend like you. If you don’t mind, you can come visit us old friends in the future.” He laughed again, “But as a big star like you, I’m afraid you won’t have much time in the future.”

“How could that be? I still have many questions I want to ask you seniors.” Lu Yan said.

Zhu Yuchi said seriously, “But to be honest, if you have time, you can continue your studies. Don’t waste such great talent.”

“Okay.” Lu Yan nodded with a smile.

Lu Yan was the last one to leave, after all the seniors had left. He sent them to the car one by one, repeatedly reminding them to be careful. By the time Zhu Yuchi, who stayed with him until the end, also got in the car, it was almost ten o’clock.

The concert lasted about an hour and a half and ended at around nine o’clock. Lu Yan looked at the time, quickly handed his performance clothes and other things to Song Hui, and rushed out in a hurry with only his violin case. Qin Feng rarely saw Lu Yan so nervous, so he smiled and teased, “You’re in such a hurry, are you going on a date?”

“Of course.” Lu Yan turned around and smiled, but he didn’t stop.

“Hey, what a beautiful lady! Look how fascinated he is.” Qin Feng shook his head.

Song Hui, who was standing aside, blushed again.

Lu Yan hurried to the agreed place, and sure enough, the black Lexus was already waiting there quietly.

He took a breath and tried to calm his breathing, then walked over and opened the passenger door.

Su Mo noticed the slightly damp temples on his forehead. It was so cold in winter and he was indoors so he wouldn’t sweat unless he was running. He couldn’t help but curl his eyes and said softly, “Don’t be so anxious. I’ll wait for you here no matter how long it takes.”

Lu Yan smiled at him, “I’m so anxious because I know you’re waiting for me here.”

Su Mo smiled slightly and said nothing more.

There were many things that didn’t need to be said so clearly, because they both knew it in their hearts. I cherish you as much as you cherish me.

In this world, is there anything more beautiful than equal feelings?

This was their first meeting since they parted in Rome. During this time, Lu Yan had been preparing for the concert, and Su Mo was busy with his own business. Finally, he returned home on this important day, but it was Lu Yan’s busiest time. Su Mo was considerate enough not to disturb him and only sent him a text message to inform him. Even the tickets for the concert were sent by Song Hui.

Earlier in the theater, Su Mo saw Lu Yan on the stage, and Lu Yan also saw him. Lu Yan specifically asked Song Hui to give the ticket for that seat to Su Mo, hoping to see him earlier. They both missed each other deeply, and they both felt the same. In reality, apart from a quick glance at the beginning, Lu Yan had no time to care about who was sitting in the audience. His whole body and mind were immersed in the performance of the music.

Adult love is about two men who are equally excellent and hardworking in their respective fields, shouldering responsibilities and dreams. Although they couldn’t be together day and night, and sometimes even seeing each other required such a lot of effort, it was deeper and more lasting, making people happy.

“How long can you stay this time?” Although it was not a pleasant topic, and even a bit disappointing, Lu Yan still wanted to know how much time they could spend together this time.

Su Mo turned around and smiled, then asked instead of answering, “How long do you want me to stay?”

“Of course I hope forever.” Su Mo was not a person who liked to beat around the bush. He said this because he was sure that the answer would satisfy Lu Yan, so he just said it out loud.

“Then, as you wish.” Su Mo smiled, and while waiting for the red light, he hooked his arm around Lu Yan’s neck and touched his lips.

After being thirsty for so long, how could this little bit be enough? Before Su Mo was about to leave, Lu Yan held him down and deepened the kiss.

They were inseparable for a moment, until the honking of the car behind them woke them up and they realized that the traffic light had turned green.

The two of them sat up straight and Su Mo started the car again. He forgot about everything for a moment. Fortunately, Su Mo’s car had been specially modified. The glass on the car windows allowed people to see outside from the inside, but not from the outside. Otherwise, they would have been on the front page of the news tomorrow.

Lu Yan coughed lightly, trying to suppress his impulsiveness, but at the same time he felt that they had been together for so long, they had done everything they should and shouldn’t have done, but he still couldn’t control himself every time they met. It was really… it was all due to the young people’s hot-bloodedness and the fact that they were often apart from each other.

“You just said you won’t leave this time, is that true?” Although he knew Su Mo never spoke without a purpose, he still couldn’t help but confirm it again.

“Yeah,” Su Mo looked at the road carefully this time and did not look back, but Lu Yan did not ignore his slightly red ears. He smiled secretly in his heart, thinking that the other party felt the same as himself and was a little more ashamed.

“Things in Chicago have basically been arranged, and the rest will be left to the local manager.” Su Mo explained.

“Is that okay?” Lu Yan asked casually.

“Trust the people you employ, and don’t employ them if you don’t trust them. If you have to do everything yourself, it would be too frustrating to be a boss. I pay people to do work, and their work should be worthy of the salary I pay them.” Su Mo said.

“Haha, you are worthy of being a capitalist.” Lu Yan joked.

Su Mo turned around and smiled, “This is the way of doing business. You can call me a big entrepreneur.”

“Okay, big entrepreneur.” Lu Yan continued with a smile.

The two went straight home and didn’t go anywhere.

The small villa had not been occupied for a long time. Lu Yan had been living in Zhu’s house for most of the last month. Fortunately, there were part-time cleaners who came to clean it regularly, and Song Hui also came to check it out from time to time. It was still clean and tidy.

It was cold in winter, so the house was covered with carpets. The milky white color looked comfortable, soft and warm. it wasn’t necessary to wear slippers, just take off the socks and step on them. It felt like walking on clouds.

The heater was on in the room, so when they entered the room they took off their coats and wore only shirts.

Su Mo was about to go to the bathroom when Lu Yan grabbed him and pressed him onto the sofa. “Don’t go yet. Tell me, how was today’s concert?”

Su Mo smiled. It was rare that Lu Yan could hold back until this moment to ask. It was really not easy. “It was great. It was the best concert I have ever heard.”

“Is it because of me?” Lu Yan knew that this best could not be referring to the performance level.

“Yes, because of you. In my heart, you are the best violinist in the world.” Su Mo said seriously.

Lu Yan’s eyes were shining and his face was full of satisfaction. His lover’s praise made him feel more accomplished than any other person’s praise.

“So, would you like to have the best violinist in the world play for you alone?”

“Of course, it’s an honor.”

Lu Yan smiled and stood up, took out the violin from the case, and put it on his shoulder. “So, distinguished guest, what song would you like to hear?”

Su Mo sat on the sofa and played his role in a relaxed manner. “Let’s play Croatian Rhapsody. It’s the first time I heard the violin version. It’s quite fresh.”

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes. “This customer has great taste. This will probably be a one-of-a-kind performance in the world.”

It was Zhu Yuchi who initially proposed to adapt this piece of music as an encore. Lu Yan did not have too many doubts, because after all, it was not him who adapted the piece, but Zhu Yuchi and another violin master. At first, the idea was to adapt a pure violin version, and Lu Yan also practiced it for a while. Later, he accidentally performed it in conjunction with Zhu Yuchi’s piano and felt it was very good. This was how the wonderful sound at the concert came about. It probably won’t have the opportunity to be performed on a formal stage again in the future.

So what Lu Yan said, that this was a unique performance, was not an exaggeration.

At this moment, Lu Yan, unlike the luxurious tuxedo he wore at the concert, was wearing only a white shirt with two buttons undone, revealing a bit of his muscular chest. He was no longer elegant and calm, but could be described as wild, handsome, and uninhibited. This kind of Lu Yan rarely appeared in the eyes of outsiders.

“Croatian Rhapsody” is originally a fast-paced piece of music, and now Lu Yan had deliberately increased the tempo. The fingers pressing on the strings keep jumping, and the hand holding the bow also dances very fast. It was not only a pleasure to listen to, but also a pleasure to watch. Even at such a speed, Lu Yan hit every note accurately without missing any details. Even Su Mo, who was a genius himself, couldn’t help but sigh that there were indeed differences in talents between people.

At the end of the last note, the hand pulling the bow stopped in mid-air, and the room seemed to be still filled with such tense music. Lu Yan broke out in a thin layer of sweat. Lu Yan withdrew his hand, saluted, and his eyes were bright. “Are you satisfied, guest?”

Su Mo clapped his hands softly, “Very good, I am very satisfied.”

“Well, please pay the bill, sir.” Lu Yan continued with a smile.

Su Mo continued to cooperate, “Okay, how much do you want?”

“I don’t want money,” Lu Yan said as he walked in, leaning over and whispering in the other person’s ear, “You can pay with your body.”

Su Mo raised his head and smiled, gently placed one hand on his exposed chest, and whispered, “You have the final say.”

Lu Yan’s smile became more cunning, “Since the customer is so generous, I can’t just say something in return. I’ll give you a buy one get one free and a song as a gift.”

…

After finishing, the two of them lay on the carpet together. As for the dirty spots, they didn’t have the energy to clean them up, so they had to ask the part-time worker to clean them tomorrow.

Su Mo was lying naked on his back, and finally he stopped panting and calmed down. He was exhausted during this period. He rushed back from a flight after half a day, and had no time to rest before going to the concert. Moreover, even though he only did it once, he was so crazy that he almost couldn’t stand it.

Lu Yan lay beside him, leaning over him with his elbows propped up, ruffling his sweaty hair from time to time. When he came to his senses, he chuckled and whispered in his ear, “Are you satisfied with my service?”

Su Mo forced a smile, his eyes still a little dazed, and reached out to stroke the back of his neck with the tip of his thumb, and said in a low hoarse voice, “Very satisfied.”

“Well, remember to come to me next time.” Lu Yan bit his ear and said.

“Okay, I’ll always look for you.”

After recovering, Su Mo took a shower first. To avoid another accidental discharge, the two did not shower together. When Lu Yan came out of the shower, he saw Su Mo standing by the window in a bathrobe, deep in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yan walked over and put his arms around his waist from behind.

Su Mo turned his head slightly to look at him, pondered for a while, and said, “On New Year’s Eve, come back to my old house for dinner with me?”

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment. Su Mo had mentioned to him the tradition of having a family dinner at the old house of the Su family on New Year’s Eve. Now that he said this, Lu Yan naturally understood what he meant. This was to come out in front of the Su family.

To be honest, Lu Yan was not very resistant. He was not the kind of person who liked to hide things, otherwise he would not have admitted his relationship so straightforwardly. The reason why he didn’t announce who his partner was was not because he was afraid of being criticized for his homosexual relationship. To put it bluntly, it was his self-esteem that was at work. In the eyes of the world, there was still a big gap between him and Su Mo. He hoped to make it public when he was more successful.

However, since Su Mo now had this idea, he had no objection. Besides, Su Mo’s circle was different from his after all. Even if the people around Su Mo knew about their affairs, it did not mean that it would be exposed.

“Is it okay?” Lu Yan was thinking when Su Mo asked again.

Lu Yan knew that if he objected, Su Mo would definitely not be reluctant or unhappy, but he had no intention of refusing, so he smiled and nodded, “Do you want to meet the parents? Sure.”

Su Mo also laughed, “Not really, just some uncles and brothers in the family. I want them to know that I already have someone I want to spend my life with, so that they won’t always try to force this or that person on me.”

“Is that so?” Lu Yan had not expected such a reason and immediately became serious. “Then we must let them know quickly, so that no one else will covet you.”

Su Mo teased, “You were a little hesitant just now, why are you anxious now?”

“It’s a different time now,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “and I’m not hesitating. I want everyone in the world to know that you belong to me.”

“Me too.” Su Mo said, rubbing his nose affectionately.

Concert

November 25th of this year was a memorable day for both Lu Yan and his fans. This may be the only time in Lu Yan’s entire acting career, or maybe not, but it was definitely the first time that he had been so intimately integrated with classical music.

Although he did not pursue a career in music, Lu Yan was passionate about music. Otherwise, he would not have insisted on learning the violin from Wang Chong for several years under such difficult circumstances. Perhaps what he wanted to learn most at the beginning was not the violin, but during the years he followed Wang Chong, he was deeply influenced by his teacher and had already fallen in love with this instrument that could play melodious and light music.

Although Wang Chong had a rough life, he was indifferent and optimistic. He did not give up on himself or blame others because of the setbacks in life. On the contrary, he immersed himself in the world of music, lived a happy and satisfied life with strength and confidence. In the eyes of Lu Yan, who lacked fatherly love in his childhood and had no father to guide the direction of his life, Wang Chong once played this role. The tenacity and calmness in Lu Yan’s character were influenced by Wang Chong.

Now, Lu Yan was able to attend the farewell concert held by his former teammates on behalf of his mentor. He felt very happy and cautious. He was finally able to do something for his teacher.

This farewell concert was held in a large theater in the city. Originally, according to Mr. Zhu and his colleagues, it didn’t need to be too big, a small indoor performance would be enough. But since the planning had been handed over to Star Sky, a large film and television entertainment company, and there was a big star like Lu Yan, how could they just do small things? They naturally had to do it on a large scale. As for Mr. Zhu and his friends, as long as there was a reason, they could donate more money if the event was bigger. After all, when it comes to charity, the more the better. So they had no objection. For them, it was enough to just do their own performance well.

Because of sufficient publicity and gimmicks in the early stages, even though the largest theater was used, the tickets for the concert were sold out in less than a week. Ticket scalpers online had driven up prices to sky-high levels, and many fans were crying because they couldn’t buy tickets or because the distance was too far to make it.

On the day of the concert, the scene was even more spectacular. The official performance was at 7:30, but before 6:00, a long line formed at the theater entrance, and all the people in the line were dressed in formal attire, men in suits and women in dresses. Because the weather was already very cold, the ladies put on coats over their dresses, but everyone was dressed neatly and properly.

Normally, on such occasions, the audience would not line up too early, and would basically wait until the entrance time came and then go in directly. It was really rare to see people lining up in formal attire like this, so much so that passers-by who were not sure what was going on looked sideways, wondering what big star was coming to perform today and why they had to line up like this.

Some of the people in the queue were probably not used to this kind of attire and kept tugging at their clothes and ties. Needless to say, these people were definitely fans of Lu Yan. Some of them may not even know what classical music was, but no matter whether they understand it or not, supporting the male god was a must. 

Moreover, long before the ticket sales started, the official website had been issuing various announcements, repeatedly emphasizing the etiquette of enjoying classical music, such as the need to wear formal attire, mobile phones must be turned off or in vibrating mode, no photos or videos could be taken at will, no walking around or leaving the venue during the performance, no noise, no clapping, etc., over and over again. In short, they must pay attention to quality, quality, quality! They must never lose face for their male god.

The show was about to start, and there was a large group of fans waiting for tickets at the door. Once someone bought a ticket but couldn’t come and wanted to transfer it, a group of people surrounded him and competed to bid for it, which shocked some simple classical music fans. What happened today? Wasn’t it just a farewell performance? Was it so crazy?

The happiest people were the scalpers, as the prices of the last few tickets were almost as high as the front-row tickets for a popular singer’s concert. When they had no more tickets left, several scalpers got together to inquire about how many tickets each of them had pre-ordered. Those who had bought fewer tickets were beating their chests and stamping their feet. If they had known that the price would be so high, they should have mobilized all their family members and relatives to scramble for tickets from the beginning. It’s too late to regret now. They just hoped there would be more concerts like this in the future.

When the show started and the theater closed its doors, the fans who had waited all night and endured the cold wind but still failed to get tickets finally lost hope. The fragile ones just squatted down and burst into tears, while those who were standing had red eyes and some wiped their tears secretly. They didn’t care about their image at this time. They didn’t even have time to be sad. Even the usually hard-hearted scalpers felt a little sorry for them.

At this time, the theater was already full. The first two rows were all free tickets, some for sponsors, some for invited media reporters, and the largest portion were tickets for the performers’ relatives. Because the sales were so good, even Lu Yan only took his share of the gift tickets according to the rules, and did not get any more. Except for one ticket for the most important person, Song Hui and Qin Feng each took two, and the remaining tickets were not enough for those better friends in the circle. Basically, there were not enough tickets for each person, because even if the recipient had no interest in the tickets, there would always be people around him who wanted to ask for them. As a result, they had to strictly follow the rules and no one could give more tickets. To the extent that even Qin Feng was jokingly complaining in front of Lu Yan, during this period of time, most people were calling him to ask for tickets, which made him afraid to even turn on his cell phone.

Su Mo quietly found his seat and sat down, waiting quietly for the performance to begin. The ticket Lu Yan reserved for him must be the best seat, not only could he hear the clearest, but he could also see the clearest. In order to return home on this day, Su Mo had been working overtime recently. In the last week or two, he was so busy that he slept less than four hours a day. But he finally got everything done and returned. Being able to participate in every major event in the life of the most important person was worth all the hard work.

At 7:30, the lights on the stage came on, the curtain slowly opened, and all the instruments and performers were in place. The gray-haired conductor saluted the audience, then turned around and raised his baton.

Except for Lu Yan, all the performers in this farewell concert were members of the National Grand Theatre’s orchestra at that time. The lineup at that time was not as complete as it is now, and the number of people was not as large as the current orchestra, but although the orchestra was small, it had everything it needed, and it was a complete orchestra configuration. Because the theme was commemoration, everyone’s position was the same as it was back then, and Lu Yan was in the first position on the left hand facing the orchestra, which was the position of the first violin and was also Wang Chong’s position back then.

Because everyone was sitting, and everyone was wearing suits with instruments blocking their way, it was not very easy to tell who was who. Fortunately, the violin blocked a small area, and a young man was still quite conspicuous among a group of elderly people, so the sharp-eyed fans quickly found Lu Yan.  

Some people were so excited that they were about to say a few words to their friends about their excitement at seeing their male idol, but were immediately poked in the waist by the person next to them. They immediately remembered where they were, and quickly gathered themselves together, sitting upright, but the expressions on their faces were very interesting.

Su Mo’s position was facing Lu Yan’s direction and he could see him clearly.

Like a regular concert, this performance was divided into two parts, and the repertoire was also fixed. There was only one piece in the first half. Anyone who knew a little about symphonies would be familiar with it: Beethoven’s Sixth Pastoral Symphony.

As each movement progressed, the audience felt the joy of country life along with the music. From the joy of first arriving, to the poetry by the stream, followed by a noisy and joyful gathering and the subsequent storms, when the rain stops and the wind dies down, it is replaced by pastoral idyll, the earth returns to peace, and the grass emits fragrance. The whole symphony ended in a mood of joy, peace and relief.

Although the performers were either elderly or non-professionals, they had a very good grasp of the entire performance process, and the music produced by various instruments was very harmoniously connected and responded to each other. It was definitely an auditory enjoyment, and even the most professional people could not find any fault with it. 

Today, fans who knew nothing about classical music or even thought that classical music was difficult to understand and was not popular among the general public could all feel the artistic conception that this piece of music wanted to express. Some even developed a strong interest in classical music and became loyal fans.

After the whole piece of music was over, it was time for the intermission.

The curtain slowly drew up, the performers filed out of their seats, and the staff rushed on stage to clean the instruments and prepare for the second half of the performance.

Backstage, Zhu Yuchi patted Lu Yan on the shoulder and said with a smile, “You performed very well, better than any rehearsal. You are indeed a performer.”

Lu Yan smiled modestly, “It’s Mr. Zhu’s guidance that’s good, and I also owe a lot to the guidance of my predecessors.”

The other members also came up to express their praise for Lu Yan’s wonderful performance. In the last month or so, they rehearsed together almost every day, and everyone had a good impression of this humble and hardworking young man. The initial doubts about his level were gradually eliminated during the continuous rehearsal process, and they were even more impressed by his rapid progress.

Some seniors had changed their impression of the entertainment industry as impetuous and utilitarian, and even thought that if young people in the entertainment industry were like Lu Yan, then there was nothing wrong with chasing stars. Needless to say, under their influence, almost all of their grandchildren had become fans of Lu Yan.

Zhu Yuchi added, “The second half depends on you. The old guys don’t have enough stamina to last the whole game, so it’s up to you.”

“Don’t say that,” Lu Yan said with a smile, “I should be the one thanking the seniors for giving me this opportunity. Thank you for your trust.”

Zhu Yuchi said with relief, “Wang Chong was the most talented among us. I didn’t expect that his students would be so outstanding. I really have to admire him.”

“It is my luck to meet the teacher.”

The second half of the performance began amid the audience’s anticipation, and this time the fans couldn’t help but get excited after the curtain opened.

Lu Yan has changed into a new set of performance clothes. This time he was no longer wearing a traditional suit, but a more luxurious tuxedo. The smooth and fitted cut, the handsome slit at the back, and the exquisite bow tie on the white shirt not only highlight Lu Yan’s tall figure, but also his calm and elegant temperament.

His position also changed. He stood in the center of the stage. The lights fell on him and he seemed to be glowing. He was perfect and noble like a god.

The fans were so excited that they almost stood up. In order to stop themselves from screaming, they had to cover their mouths with clenched fists, their whole bodies shaking with excitement.

Su Mo also stared blankly at Lu Yan who was glowing on the stage. He always knew how handsome and charming Lu Yan was, but in this atmosphere, his heart began to beat uncontrollably faster, and his heart from his back to his face could not help but feel burning.

Feeling the commotion in the audience, Lu Yan smiled slightly, stepped one foot back, raised the hand holding the bow, bent down and saluted, his elegance and charm beyond words.

There was another round of gasps from the audience, and then it slowly subsided.

Against the background of soft string trills, the flute played a beautiful and moving bird-like melody, followed by the oboe’s soft and lyrical introduction theme, presenting a picture of a sunny day, bright spring, pink peach blossoms and green willows beside the grass bridge, and blooming flowers.

Afterwards, the solo violin started with the soft and simple A string, and played the poetic love theme in the bright high pitch. After repeating once in the rich G key, the music turned to the A minor key, and the cello responded to the solo violin with a chic tone.

“Butterfly Lovers”, a violin concerto that is extremely familiar to Chinese people, is a work of music. The protagonist was naturally the violin in Lu Yan’s hand, which was accompanied by other orchestral instruments to play a touching love theme.

This piece of music was Wang Chong’s favorite at that time, and it was also the one Lu Yan had listened to and played the most. This time, he performed it in front of thousands of audiences on behalf of his teacher, and his technique was very skillful.

The sound of the violin was melodious and brisk. The first half of “Butterfly Lovers” was light and lively, bright and lyrical. This performance only planned to play the first half.

Lu Yan’s bowing technique was very beautiful, his fingers were slender and flexible, jumping with the strings of notes like a flying butterfly. Lu Yan was not only a performer, he was also an actor, his facial expression was very relaxed, and he showed different emotions as the music changed, making it easier for people to understand the content of the music. It was not only an auditory but also a visual enjoyment.

After more than ten minutes, the presentation came to an end. In the lyrical and slow B key, with light harmony and orchestration, it brilliantly depicted the scene of eighteen year olds bidding farewell to each other, bidding farewell to each other at the long pavilion, and being reluctant to leave.

After the song ended, the audience finally couldn’t help but burst into applause. Amid the applause, Lu Yan still bowed gracefully and walked off the stage with the other performers.

Soon, the staff pushed a piano up, and then Zhu Yuchi and Lu Yan, holding a violin, took the stage again. Audiences who had read the program knew that this was the finale of the concert, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 30-1 in A major No. 6.

Beethoven pursued plain expression in this piece. Compared with the last two pieces, there were not many changes, so it was performed less frequently, but it was just right for Lu Yan now. This piece takes about 22 minutes to play and is divided into three movements. The first movement is Allegro, with the violin and the delicate interlude of sixth notes in the exposition and the syncopation of the two instruments in the development, as well as the piano’s staccato embellishments, all of which are quite distinctive. The second movement is a very slow and emotional Adagio, while the third movement is a slightly faster Allegro with many variations.

Although there were not many changes, that was only relatively speaking. Overall, it still required a lot of skill. Especially this time, there were only two instruments alternating with each other. The violin was still the protagonist, and Zhu Yuchi, who was the accompaniment, was the leading pianist in China. If Lu Yan’s level was slightly lower, he couldn’t keep up with the rhythm, let alone become the lead.

At this point in the concert, those who had doubts or concerns about Lu Yan’s performance had nothing to say. Although Lu Yan’s performance was not up to the top level, many professionals might not be able to perform at his level on such a large stage. After all, performance was not only about the level, but also the mentality. It was not easy to present yourself in front of so many people, especially since Lu Yan was not only a non-professional, but all those who worked with him were professionals. The fact that he was able to perform smoothly already showed how strong he was mentally, not to mention that he performed beyond his level.

When the last note fell, people were still immersed in this perfect performance, and the charm of the music made people intoxicated. Zhu Yuchi stood up and walked over, and saluted the audience together with Lu Yan. At this time, people realized that the concert was over, and thunderous applause broke out. Many audience members stood up excitedly.

The two walked backstage together. At this time, someone shouted “Encore” first, and then some people followed suit. In the end, the whole theater was filled with neat “Encore” and rhythmic applause. Although the space was relatively large, the thousands of people shouting the same words rhythmically and applauding together made a lot of noise.

The audience shouted for about a minute, and finally someone else walked onto the stage.

It was Zhu Yuchi and Lu Yan who came up again this time. The piano from before was still on the stage, and it was obvious that they had made preparations in advance.

After the two performers took their seats, the audience consciously sat back down and the theater fell silent again.

This time, the sound of the piano was heard first. The smooth and flowing piano music constructed a tragic picture of ruins in ashes after the trauma of war, and the setting sun was reflected in blood, tears and dust.

This is a very famous piece of music. Many audience members recognized it right away. It was Croatian Rhapsody. Audience members who liked this piece almost jumped for joy. Then, seeing Lu Yan also on the stage, they couldn’t help but wonder: Isn’t this a piano piece, or a concerto? Why is the violin here? Is it an adaptation?

Sure enough, after the first chapter, the bright violin sound joined in, and the two instruments echoed each other, with the piano as the main instrument and the violin as the auxiliary instrument, but it was equally wonderful, and even had a different flavor than the piano solo. Those who knew the subject couldn’t help but exclaim that it could be adapted like this, but once they accepted this setting, it felt really good. Those who didn’t know the subject just felt that it sounded good, good, and really good.

When the song ended, the two performers bowed again and then walked off the stage gracefully. Lu Yan still respectfully asked the senior to go first.

The audience, still not satisfied, shouted “Encore” again, but this time no one came on stage. It was not until all the lights in the theater were turned on that the audience finally believed that the show was really over. They could only leave one by one with a mixture of regret and satisfaction.