Chapter 104 – So Playful!
Ci Tuan, used to being the little tyrant at home, hadn’t yet adjusted to the blow dealt by his ‘nemesis’. He could only stare blankly as he was surrounded by merciless laughter.
“When I tell Ci Tuan he’s fat at home, he just ignores me. It really takes you to say it, Ganzhi. Ci Tuan is completely emo-ing now, hahahaha!” Qin Taotao said with a grin as she walked over, the beautiful young woman laughing without any intention of reining it in.
Lin Ganzhi’s long-dormant desire to cuddle a cat was reawakened. Taking advantage of Ci Tuan’s stunned state, he buried his head in the cat’s soft white belly and took a deep sniff.
“A fatter Ci Tuan is even cuter~” Lin Ganzhi held the little chubby cat up and swayed him around. He thought he finally understood why Yan Shengping always liked to rub his face; it felt so incredibly good to touch something so soft!
“Come on in, it’s cold outside,” Yan Shengping said, stepping down from the stepladder.
After the fruit-picking incident, Qin Feichen’s worldview was once again shattered. Brother Yan was personally climbing a ladder to put up couplets. He felt like he had entered a parallel universe.
But what would truly blow his mind was yet to come. At that moment, Yan Shengping had just straightened out his dark gray sweater. His cool temperament made him almost blend in with the surrounding wind and snow, giving off an aura that kept others at a distance. And yet, just like that, Lin Ganzhi, holding Ci Tuan, trotted over to Yan Shengping and placed the cat in his arms.
Ci Tuan was usually very wary of strangers, but in front of Yan Shengping, he instantly became a docile ball of fur. His usually wild tail was tucked under his belly, and he settled obediently in Yan Shengping’s arms.
The crucial part was that Yan Shengping actually took him so naturally. The gray sweater he had just straightened was instantly wrinkled by Ci Tuan, but he didn’t show any sign of blaming Lin Ganzhi!
Qin Feichen had never seen Yan Shengping be so patient with anyone. When Yan Shengping had been his tutor, he had looked down on him. Having learned various forms of boxing and martial arts since he was young, he had developed a certain mindset as a child, particularly disliking bookworms and pretty boys. As it turned out, Yan Shengping was both—a bookworm who was even more handsome than the average pretty boy. On the very first day of tutoring, Qin Feichen had tried to teach this teacher, who wasn’t much older than him, a lesson.
The result was that he was mercilessly beaten to the ground by an expressionless Yan Shengping. Moreover, Yan Shengping had a particular way of fighting. He wouldn’t hit places that were easily visible, and his punches wouldn’t even leave bruises, but they would be incredibly painful. This led to Qin Feichen developing a sense of both respect and fear for Yan Shengping even after he got to know him better.
Although he knew Brother Yan liked Lin Ganzhi, seeing with his own eyes how dotingly Yan Shengping treated him still left Qin Feichen in shock. After all, he had never known Yan Shengping to be willing to hold small animals like cats and dogs.
So, as he entered the house, Qin Feichen’s surging emotions had nowhere to go. He could only give Lin Ganzhi a big thumbs-up to show his admiration.
Lin Ganzhi: ???
Is this a new way for the upper class to greet each other?
As it turned out, Lin Ganzhi was at his most formidable when he didn’t even realize how formidable he was.
As the host entertaining guests for the first time, Lin Ganzhi had even arranged the fruit platter himself that morning. Uncle Yan had washed the fruit, and Lin Ganzhi had neatly arranged the snacks in baskets according to their type. He had also made some pastries and placed them on a special three-tiered dessert stand. The table looked like a foodie’s paradise!
“Wow~ Ganzhi, you’re the best! There are so many things I like to eat. Let me tell you, my mom hasn’t been letting me eat too much recently. I’ve been so cooped up at home!” Qin Taotao said excitedly.
Seeing that Qin Taotao liked these things, Lin Ganzhi smiled in relief. He was then pulled over to the sofa area by her.
Just as Yan Shengping was about to go over, Qin Feichen, who was beside him, said, “Brother Yan, that book you promised to lend me last time?”
Yan Shengping paused, his eyes sweeping over Qin Feichen with a faint trace of dissatisfaction, as if to say, Do you have to bring this up right now?
But I’m only asking you to leave your wife for ten minutes!
Qin Feichen felt incredibly wronged.
In the end, Yan Shengping reluctantly compromised, seeing that Qin Feichen was a guest. He put down Ci Tuan and said to Lin Ganzhi, “Ganzhi, I’m taking Feichen upstairs to find a book.”
“Mmm-hmm!” Lin Ganzhi, with his mouth full of fruit, readily agreed, showing no sign of reluctance. Beside him, Qin Taotao had also taken out her phone, looking like she was about to go on a recommendation spree for Lin Ganzhi. Both of them were very excited at the moment, completely forgetting about the men opposite them.
Yan Shengping: Not happy, but I have to endure it.
Only after watching Yan Shengping and her brother completely disappear up the stairs did Qin Taotao let out a small sigh of relief. There were two types of people she couldn’t relax around: other people’s elders, and Brother Shengping. Yes, Yan Shengping was in a category all his own!
But fear was fear; the CP had to be shipped with conviction.
“Ganzhi, Ganzhi, you and Brother Shengping at the supermarket yesterday were so heart-melting. Total old married couple vibes, am I right~” Qin Taotao said with starry eyes.
Lin Ganzhi frowned. “We were posted online for shopping at the supermarket yesterday?” He was wearing a mask yesterday. How could he have been discovered?
“Yeah!” Qin Taotao swiped through her phone and found the photo to show Lin Ganzhi. “It’s a picture of you sampling fruit. But don’t worry, the sisters are only discussing it in the Super Topic. The photo hasn’t been posted anywhere else, and Brother Shengping’s full face wasn’t captured.”
Lin Ganzhi looked at the photo and immediately noticed the look in Yan Shengping’s eyes as he wiped his mouth. The back of his neck felt a little hot. So this was how Yan Shengping usually looked at him?
Seeing Lin Ganzhi’s silence, Qin Taotao thought he was unhappy. “If you don’t like it, I can contact the Super Topic administrator to delete the photos. Recently, because of the Zhong Jingyi incident, some people have been slandering you everywhere. The fans will be very considerate about this and won’t let the photos spread.” It was clear from Qin Taotao’s words that she frequented the Super Topic.
“It’s okay, as long as they didn’t get a full shot of Yan Shengping’s face. Even without these photos, people will always find a reason to slander me. Since everyone likes them, I don’t have any objections. But could you send this one to me?” Lin Ganzhi pointed to the photo of Yan Shengping wiping his mouth.
Qin Taotao gave him a motherly smile. Such an adorable Ganzhi, she just wanted to squish his cheeks! Why did he have to get married so young and promising?
“Hehehe, right away, right away!”
Lin Ganzhi’s phone vibrated. Qin Taotao had sent him photos from several different angles. Lin Ganzhi quickly saved them. The two exchanged information with lightning speed.
“By the way, Ganzhi, everyone really wants to see you in person. You have no idea how huge the reaction was after your second show aired. Now, the sisters in the Super Topic are all asking when you can hold an offline fan meeting. They don’t even need you to perform any talents; just meeting and chatting offline would be enough. I’m telling you, it’s not easy to get famous. Other people, when they get famous, wish they could be on the trending topics every day and frantically take on jobs and endorsements. But you, you don’t accept this, you don’t accept that. A lot of fans are worried about your financial situation,” Qin Taotao said, rattling on like a machine gun.
Lin Ganzhi wavered for five seconds on whether to tell Qin Taotao that he was already planning to retire. In the end, he decided to keep it a secret for now, not wanting to spoil the kid’s mood.
Hearing Qin Taotao talk about how much the fans were looking forward to seeing him, Lin Ganzhi’s feelings were a bit complicated. In his past life, he had been worn down to death in the treacherous entertainment industry. To put his heart into it again… Lin Ganzhi’s gaze gradually cooled. For now, he had no plans in that regard.
“Ganzhi? Will you consider the offline fan meeting?” Qin Taotao asked expectantly.
Lin Ganzhi turned his head and met Qin Taotao’s gaze, pausing for a moment. He then changed the subject. “Mmm-hmm, I’ll ask Brother Zhang about it.”
“Really?” Qin Taotao asked in pleasant surprise. Although she could freely come and hang out with Ganzhi, this offline fan meeting was different. It just didn’t feel right if she couldn’t scream with her sisters. Now, she had hope again. “Wuwu, baby Ganzhi, you’re the best~”
Qin Taotao excitedly gave Lin Ganzhi a hug.
Uncle Yan, who was bringing over juice, thought: Hmm, good thing the master is upstairs.
***
After going upstairs, Qin Feichen consulted Yan Shengping on many business matters. He had just been discharged from the military and was unfamiliar with many business operations. Although the Qin Family wasn’t as chaotic as the Zhong Family, there were still many elders closely watching his every move. At this time, Yan Shengping was the only trustworthy mentor and friend Qin Feichen had.
When Yan Shengping went to the bookshelf to find the book Qin Feichen wanted, Qin Feichen’s gaze fell on the black fountain pen standing on Yan Shengping’s desk. He couldn’t help but suck in a breath.
Yan Shengping pulled out a thick economics book and turned around to ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Uh, Brother Yan, this pen, did… you buy it?” Qin Feichen asked cautiously, a stampede of a thousand horses instantly galloping through his mind.
“If you have something to say, say it.” Yan Shengping put the book in his hand into Qin Feichen’s and then very protectively picked up the pen from the desk, as if letting Qin Feichen look at it for another second would be a defilement.
Qin Feichen: …
“Brother Yan! Even if you stuck this in my hand, I wouldn’t dare to take it! This… did Lin Ganzhi give this to you? It seems I’ve underestimated him,” Qin Feichen said, his face showing admiration.
Yan Shengping shot Qin Feichen a suspicious glance and said, “Reason?”
Qin Feichen never thought that at his age, he would have to explain the origin of this pen to a teacher who was only a few years older than him. But Yan Shengping’s gaze was too sharp, almost awakening the fear of being lectured by him from his student days. Qin Feichen coughed and slowly said, “Well, it’s waterproof, Brother Yan, you know that, right?”
“Yes.” Yan Shengping narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint hint of intimidation in his gaze.
Qin Feichen, under immense pressure, continued with a heavy heart, “I had a comrade in my previous unit who also liked men. On the day he was discharged, he dragged me along to pick a gift for his boyfriend. One of the pens was identical to yours. This emerald part here, you press it to switch to waterproof mode. Then, three times on the left, once on the right, and then press the top of the pen again. You… try it first.”
It wasn’t that Qin Feichen had deliberately memorized the sequence; it was just that after the shopkeeper’s demonstration, his worldview had suffered an unprecedented shock. For several nights, his dreams were filled with this pen!
“And then what happens?” Yan Shengping had a rough idea, but to try it now in front of Qin Feichen was absolutely impossible.
“It will, uh, move,” Qin Feichen described it quite euphemistically. Receiving a dangerous look from Yan Shengping, he didn’t dare to describe it in too much detail. He thought for a moment and could only start by praising his ‘sister-in-law’: “Your partner really knows how to have fun, huh~”
Yan Shengping’s gaze turned cold, but his lips curved into a smile. “Does that require your evaluation?”