Chapter 75 – Stop Flirting!
Asleep, Lin Ganzhi didn’t see his fans’ heart-wrenching cries. The next morning, when he finished washing up and went downstairs to make breakfast, the table was already set with what was clearly a high-end breakfast from a fancy restaurant. Lin Ganzhi wouldn’t believe that the large white goose-shaped pastry in the middle didn’t take several hours to craft.
“Let’s eat. It’s from Feichen’s restaurant. You don’t have to wake up so early to make breakfast anymore, it’s tiring.” Across from him, Yan Shengping took a sip of soy milk. Even in loose loungewear, he couldn’t hide his naturally lazy yet noble aura.
Lin Ganzhi paused for a moment before sitting down. The variety of dishes on the table was dazzling, and he couldn’t help but swallow. With his last shred of conscience, Lin Ganzhi asked, “Yan Shengping, don’t you dislike food from outside restaurants?”
Yan Shengping hummed in agreement and personally placed the bowl of porridge in front of Lin Ganzhi. He seemed to be in a very good mood, even the long-standing frown on his brow had smoothed out. “I was worried before. Now that Feichen’s restaurant is in charge, I naturally have nothing to worry about. Even if they wanted to do something, they wouldn’t find any openings in the Qin family’s operations.”
Lin Ganzhi blinked in surprise, mainly for two reasons. First, the Zhong family was shameless enough to tamper with their food. Second, Yan Shengping was willing to tell him something so private. This was, this was—
A thin layer of mist formed in Lin Ganzhi’s eyes as he looked earnestly at Yan Shengping across from him.
Yan Shengping’s hand, holding the spoon, paused. Although it felt a bit rushed, was the final barrier about to be broken? Yan Shengping’s fingertips trembled slightly.
In the end, Lin Ganzhi just tearfully patted Yan Shengping’s shoulder. Nothing more needed to be said. Good brother!
Left utterly confused, Yan Shengping remained disappointed for the entire morning.
After breakfast, Wenren Yi’s call came through.
“Ganzhi, you’ve got some nerve! I woke up this morning and saw you on the trending topics again. But you were right, it was so satisfying, hahaha! We’re definitely cut from the same cloth, saying no to the rules of the entertainment industry!” Wenren Yi’s tone was particularly cheerful.
“Don’t even mention it. I finally got home late at night, and I still had to deal with that mess before bed,” Lin Ganzhi said, sighing wearily at the ceiling.
“Hehe, did I interrupt you and your partner, ahem, doing things?” Wenren Yi never knew the meaning of subtlety. As soon as she said it, Que Jin’s reminders and coughs could be heard from a distance. It must not have been easy for the quiet and elegant Que Jin to be such close friends with such a wild and unrestrained person.
Lin Ganzhi, blushing, still managed to play along. “Couldn’t I have finished posting first and then started?”
Yan Shengping, passing by for a glass of water: What did he just hear?
Although their relationship was fake, he had to admit that when Lin Ganzhi said that, his mind began to fill with some rather explicit and intense images.
The chocolate-filled strawberry cookie seemed to sense Yan Shengping’s overly intense gaze. He looked up, a little dazed, his blinking eyes like those of a fawn in the forest, excessively well-behaved and cute.
“Are you tired? Do you need to go to bed and lie down first?” Yan Shengping’s question was loaded with meaning. Coupled with his concerned tone, it carried an indescribable sexiness. Even from a distance, with the phone not on speaker, Lin Ganzhi could hear the wolf-like howls of the two women on the other end.
Holy… shit? This was a master-level takedown!
Lin Ganzhi’s face went from a sunset glow to a fiery blaze. He felt like the CPU in his brain was about to burn out. If you’re that handsome, don’t play along with his act!
The two stared at each other for thirty seconds before Yan Shengping’s soft chuckle ended the standoff. He carried his water glass upstairs in an exceptionally good mood. Lin Ganzhi sat on the sofa, while on the phone, Wenren Yi was still fanning the flames, shouting, “More, more!”
It took another ten minutes for Lin Ganzhi to finally get the situation under control. Wenren Yi let out a lingering laugh before getting to the point.
“I checked the flights, and we probably won’t be able to get back until tomorrow morning. Director Fang came to talk to us this morning about something, and it seems to be set in stone. The general director of an interview-style variety show is a friend of Director Fang’s and wants to invite us to participate. The time is set for tomorrow afternoon. Que Jin and I are fine with it, and Lu Xi replied this morning that he can make it too. Are you coming?” Wenren Yi faintly sensed that Lin Ganzhi wasn’t that fond of this circle, so she wanted to ask him first.
Lin Ganzhi looked at the vast white expanse outside, his heart also filled with a sense of uncertainty. Regardless of anything else, Director Fang was a pretty good person. If he didn’t go, it would be like slapping him in the face. There was really no reason for Lin Ganzhi not to give Director Fang this courtesy.
“Yeah, I’ll go. It’s just an afternoon, and I can hang out with you guys,” Lin Ganzhi said, his obedient demeanor a complete change from his fierce, all-conquering tiger-like persona on Weibo yesterday.
Wenren Yi’s tough-guy exterior almost couldn’t contain the maternal love that Lin Ganzhi evoked. “Alright, then it’s a date for tomorrow afternoon. It’s better to talk about some things in person!”
“Okay, okay. By the way, has your grandfather not come back yet?” Lin Ganzhi asked with concern.
“No, Grandma’s condition seems to be even more serious than last year. Even my dad, the workaholic, took time off to be with her. Don’t worry, I know you’re worried about your partner. After we record tomorrow’s show, we’ll go abroad together to find him.” Wenren Yi said straightforwardly, “Don’t worry, I’ve already made all the arrangements.”
Lin Ganzhi sincerely thanked Wenren Yi before hanging up.
Then, during lunch, Lin Ganzhi told Yan Shengping about this. In the past, Yan Shengping had been very resistant to treatment, or perhaps he just didn’t care that much about his health. This time, he was going abroad for treatment, and Uncle Yan looked at him with some concern, afraid he would say something harsh and hurt Ganzhi’s feelings.
Unexpectedly, this time Yan Shengping just gave a simple “Okay” and even added, “Thank you for your hard work, Ganzhi.”
Boom!
Lin Ganzhi’s heart pounded wildly again. He finally realized what was off. Since he’d been back, Yan Shengping had become countless times gentler with him. Was he a masochist? Why was he so startled every time Yan Shengping was nice to him now? Wasn’t it a good thing that he was being gentle?!
Lin Ganzhi nodded like a timid quail, trying to avoid looking directly into Yan Shengping’s eyes. But when he finally looked up after a while, Yan Shengping was still looking at him, his eyes like a pool of spring water, warm enough to flow into one’s heart.
!!! Was this hopeless tsundere that deadly when he flirted? Was he also at the age where he should be dating? He was afraid he’d start making a move on his good brother in his sleep!
In the end, Lin Ganzhi could only focus on shoveling food into his mouth, trying his best to be a quail and not look at Yan Shengping!
The next day, after lunch, Uncle Yan drove Lin Ganzhi to the show. Yan Shengping was originally going to see him off too, but a small problem came up at the company that required an emergency meeting. Lin Ganzhi didn’t think it was a big deal. It was snowing and cold outside, so Yan Shengping’s fragile body shouldn’t be out in the fuss. However, the man himself didn’t seem to think so. His mood during the meeting was foul, making the subordinate reporting to him three times more cautious, his voice even trembling as he spoke.
“Are you cold? Why are you trembling when you speak?” Yan Shengping’s work philosophy was to never bring personal emotions into work. No matter what happened in his personal life, he should be serious when working.
The subordinate clenched his trembling legs under his thick cotton pants, suffering in silence. You didn’t scold anyone, but boss, could you please look in a mirror? Your face is practically screaming “I’m angry I couldn’t send my wife to work” in big letters!
The moment Lin Ganzhi opened the car door at his destination, he sneezed. He rubbed his red nose. The thick cotton coat he was wearing made him look like a big white ball. The little bit of neck that was left exposed had been wrapped in a thick red scarf, styled by none other than Uncle Yan, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
Uncle Yan looked kindly at Lin Ganzhi, who was standing outside the window waving goodbye to him.
“I almost forgot. Ganzhi, take this. It’s ginger tea I brewed. Take a sip after you go in. I see it’s still a walk of over a hundred meters from here. Don’t catch a cold.” Uncle Yan, as if by magic, produced something called a thermos. It was a silver-white, family-customized model. When Lin Ganzhi took it, his body tilted, and he almost fell over.
“Uncle Yan, this water…”
“It’s not much, just three liters. If you can’t finish it, share some with your friends. Drinking something hot in winter is good for your health. Don’t drink anything cold when you’re out. If you catch a cold, sir will be sad again,” Uncle Yan instructed.
Lin Ganzhi sniffled. Yan… Yan Shengping sad? How did that word not fit him at all?
However, Lin Ganzhi obediently nodded at all of his elder’s instructions. The only thing was the complicated look he gave the “bucket.” He didn’t quite understand the parental definition of “not much.” If he drank all of this… wait, it seemed he could actually drink that much. After all, he could eat a whole basin of rice.
Lin Ganzhi shyly buried his face in his scarf and waved goodbye to Uncle Yan.
As he turned to begin his difficult journey, a voice called out to him from behind.
“Lin Ganzhi, wait.” Before Lin Ganzhi could fully turn around, the person had already approached. He looked up and saw it was Qi Yushuo. He was wearing a black, ankle-length coat, and he looked dashing even when he walked. His tall, slender body seemed naturally made for wearing such anti-human coats.
Lin Ganzhi glanced at what Qi Yushuo was wearing underneath—what looked like just a thin sweater. Then he looked at himself. Lin Ganzhi asked a question from the soul: “Qi Yushuo, aren’t you cold?”
Qi Yushuo said, as if it were commonplace, “Company policy. When outside, style always comes before temperature. Sometimes in the summer, we even have to wear sweaters.”
Lin Ganzhi couldn’t help but admire Qi Yushuo’s professionalism. At least many of the idols in his world couldn’t go to such lengths.
“Did you bring lunch?” Qi Yushuo’s gaze fell on the bucket in Lin Ganzhi’s hand.
…Of course. Ten out of ten people would think that.
“This is ginger tea my uncle made for me. I’ll share some with you later. You look like you need it more than I do,” Lin Ganzhi said, a strange sense of pride welling up inside him. So this was what it felt like when his classmates used to show off their mothers’ cooking. It was warm, with a touch of pride.