Chapter 170. Dating

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Arc 9: Real World.

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【Ding, scan complete. 0 viruses detected. Do you need to do a full scan again? 】

【Yes】

Ren Wu lowered her eyelids, her face expressionless, and she entered a strange state.

Seeing that Ren Wu was completely still, as if frozen in time, the agent reached out and pushed her, saying, “What are you doing standing here like a wooden stake? Let’s go.”

A few seconds later, Ren Wu lifted her eyelids, and both eyes were completely black, with no whites. Her manager was so frightened that he held his breath. He shook his head and looked again, and the whites of her eyes were back, “Damn, I’m seeing a ghost in broad daylight!”

Ren Wu turned around and frowned as she looked at the person who was almost at the corner.

“Alright, hurry up, Grandma, you still have to go to the next film set.” The agent also craned his neck to take a look, “You’d better not even think about Li Yan. There are countless people in the industry who have been watching him all these years, and no one has benefitted at all.”

He said that a few years ago, so-and-so faked a fall at a banquet in an attempt to get close to Li Yan. As a result, she was unlucky and her dress ripped in the back, exposing herself on the floor of the hall. Many guests took pictures with their phones, and it even made the headlines. Although so-and-so became famous later, that incident still became a black mark on her reputation.

Ren Wu took two steps, then stopped moving again, and screen text appeared in the void. 【Ding! The software has encountered an error. Do you want to restart now, or wait a bit? 】

She responded 【Restart immediately 】

The next moment, Ren Wu fell forward, but her agent caught her in time, called her assistant and staff, and put her in the dressing room. Just as they were about to call an ambulance, she woke up.

The agent breathed a sigh of relief, “How are you feeling?”

Ren Wu said she was fine. When her agent asked why she fainted, she said it was because of low blood sugar.

The agent asked her assistant to get Ren Wu some juice, and seeing that Ren Wu was in a daze, he said, “Ren Wu, I feel like you’ve been acting really strange ever since you met Li Yan.”

Ren Wu smiled and said, “That’s normal.”

The agent thought about it and agreed. If he were a woman, he would also be captivated by Li Yan, who was rich and powerful, and has an appearance better than that of actors in the industry. He was not close to women, a rare gem.

On the other side, Chen You was held very tightly by Li Yan, his chest ached and he could hardly breathe. He had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, he was kissed so passionately that the world seemed to collapse and the earth cracked.

“I…I’m almost dying…”

With intermittent gasps for breath, Chen You desperately tried to breathe in the thin air. He ran his hands through Li Yan’s dark hair, making the hair that had been combed back of his head look messy.

Stepping back a few paces, Li Yan brushed the young man’s glistening lips with the pad of his thumb. His face was pale, but his expression was excellent, one might even call it joy, like a general returning victorious from a battle.

Chen You thought he had come back to life. The man’s face drew closer, and all he could see in his vision again were two rows of long, curly eyelashes. Again?

Holy crap! I don’t need to eat lunch, I’ll just eat some saliva and be full.

When Hu Wei knocked on the door and came in, Chen You was slumped in a chair, hiccuping. He had no idea how it happened. It was very sudden. Just as he was getting intimate with Li Yan, a hiccup came out of his mouth, and he immediately went limp with fright.

However, his softening didn’t have much of an impact, because Li Yan was simply in charge of handling everything.

Then things got really intense. Chen You kept hiccuping as he continued, and Li Yan became even more excited. He was like a madman when he got going, and his perverted tendencies were constantly evolving and impossible to count. It was terrifying.

After entering, Hu Wei didn’t ask any questions. He sensed the smell in the air and left. He went directly to discuss with the director about rescheduling Chen You’s two scenes that afternoon to tomorrow. The director had no objections, since the investors were paying for it anyway.

“Mr. Li didn’t say anything else, did he?”

“No.” Hu Wei loosened his collar and said to the director, “Shoot first, then check in post-production. If any shots are not suitable, delete them. Don’t be reluctant to cut them.”

The director was a sensible person, he said, “I understand.”

Hu Wei patted the director on the shoulder and said, “There’s still a little over a month left. Just keep your guard up and it’ll be over soon.”

In the break room, Chen You was hiccuping uncontrollably. A bottle of water was handed to him, and after hiccuping twice, he took it, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. It didn’t help, he was still hiccuping.

Li Yan leaned back in his chair and scrolled through his phone. After a moment, he went to get Chen You a glass of warm water and told him to follow the steps online.

Chen You did as instructed, drank a few sips of warm water, swallowed them slowly, and then did the 90-degree bend over motion. He counted in his mind and did it a hundred times in one go.

Hiccups are not fatal, but incessant hiccups are.

Li Yan reached out and brushed the stray hairs from the young man’s forehead, staring at his eyebrows and eyes, noticing the beauty mark at the corner of his eye, seemingly lost in thought.

Chen You looked up, his eyes still red. He cried while being violated, not because he was weak, but because the man was too rough. The more he begged for mercy, the more violent the other person became. It was so depressing that it was impossible for the other person to say or do something like, “Crying? Then I won’t do it anymore.”

Now, almost every time he sees the person, he experiences three symptoms in sequence, first, his legs go weak, then, his heart races, and finally, he feels itchy. These are the so-called aftereffects.

So, a little bit of fun is fine, but too much is harmful to your health, it’s really not advisable.

Chen You’s thoughts were pulled back by a slight pain on his forehead. He frowned and glared at him defiantly, damn it, why did you flick my forehead for no reason?

Li Yan did not answer. He rolled up the sleeves of both of the young man’s hands to reveal the cinnabar birthmarks, which were in very close positions, both on the wrists near the pulse points.

Chen You was a little confused when he saw the man kissing his wrist. Then it hurt. His birthmark had been bitten on both sides. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the other person. The fact that he wasn’t emitting any dark energy meant that everything was fine.

As they were leaving, Li Yan tried to carry Chen You on his back, but Chen You stopped him. Absolutely not! If anyone saw him on the other person’s back, the public opinion would be in an uproar by tomorrow. People would use their imaginations to embellish the story, and by the time it reached his father, it might be that Chen You was being sexually exploited by a wealthy businessman, shamelessly clinging to a rich man’s coattails, and selling his body before even graduating from university. And that wasn’t even the worst of it, if it really happened, the language would be incredibly vulgar.

Before Li Yan would take action, the news would have already spread. In a big forest, there are all kinds of birds, and there will always be one or two who will do stupid things or be unaware of their own mortality.

If Li Yan were to publicly announce their relationship and come out as gay, it would be good, as they wouldn’t have to hide it anymore, but… His father would be furious.

Chen You felt a chill run down his spine. The situation was difficult. Why didn’t he have a Didi or Meimei?

His nose was pinched, making it difficult to breathe, and the man’s voice was in his ear, “When are you planning to tell your dad about us?”

Chen You, “…” He had the illusion that his girlfriend was complaining about him, as if he was a scumbag who only enjoyed his girlfriend’s tenderness and did not consider their future.

“You know about my dad’s brain hemorrhage surgery. The doctor said he couldn’t be stimulated.”

Li Yan groaned, “So?”

Chen You opened his mouth to breathe, so, I don’t know either. I admit that my idea was unrealistic. I just wanted the best of both worlds, for the whole family to be reunited. But I really can’t lose either side.

One is his only father, and the other is the only person he loves. Both are important, and he doesn’t want to see them have a falling out, or have to resort to the melodramatic situation of having to choose between them.

Li Yan said, “Chen You, being a filial son and being with me are not in conflict.”

It’s a huge conflict, a really big one! My dad is now counting on me to marry a female classmate and give him a big, fat grandson, Chen You sighed heavily.

Li Yan said, “I’ll handle it.”

Chen You suddenly looked at the man, “Mr. Li, what are you going to do?”

“I know what I’m doing.” Li Yan withdrew his fingers from the young man’s nose and instead pinched his cheek, “After a while, once I’ve resolved one issue, I’ll talk to your dad then.”

Chen You glanced, unable to picture the scene of their conversation, the outcome seemed ominous.

Without saying another word, Li Yan extended an index finger and pressed it against Chen You’s nose.

Chen You instantly transformed from a handsome guy into a pig, “…”

He suddenly remembered something, “Mr. Li, did you see Ren Wu when you came over just now?”

Li Yan remained calm, “I saw her.”

Chen You said, “I asked others, and only I can smell the fragrance on her. Even her boyfriend, Old Pang, can’t smell it. Isn’t that strange?”

He started talking to himself, pouring out all the doubts he’d had for the past two weeks. He couldn’t talk to anyone else about it, so he’d been keeping it all bottled up inside, almost to the point of making himself sick, “Also, she’s a singer, she’d never acted before, and she’s not a professional actress. This is her first film, just like mine. But from the very first day of filming, she was like a Golden Horse Award winner. Her grasp of the character’s expressions and movements was impeccable. I don’t think it’s a matter of talent…”

“Mr. Li, I’ve said a bit too much. Are you not annoyed?”

Li Yan said he wasn’t annoyed, and even adopted a patient posture, waiting to hear what was to come.

Seeing this, Chen You continued, recounting all the little details of his interactions with Ren Wu. For example, Ren Wu would occasionally exhibit strange behavior, such as not being able to hear him no matter how he called her, remaining motionless as if on standby. He also mentioned their many shared interests, as if they were a clone of each other.

Li Yan smiled enigmatically, “If you have common topics, you’ll definitely get along very well.”

Chen You’s eyelids twitched. “Mr. Li, you don’t mind, do you?”

Slightly bending down, Li Yan’s nose was almost touching the young man’s. Instead of answering, he asked, “What do you think?”

Chen You straightened the man’s suit jacket, saying, “You certainly won’t mind.”

The smile on Li Yan’s lips vanished abruptly, “I mind.”

Looking at the man who could change face any moment, Chen You, “……”

He pinched a patch of skin on the young man’s neck, then glanced at his watch, it was past midnight, “You go out first and wait for me on xx Road.”

Chen You put on his military green jacket, wrapped the scarf around his neck twice, opened the door, peeked out and looked left and right. There was no one in the corridor. He casually put his earphones in his ears, put his hands in his jacket pockets, pretended to listen to music, and left without looking back.

The surveillance cameras in the corridor outside the lounge were compromised, so no one will know what happened during that time.

Chen You waited by the roadside. When the car arrived, he got in, pulled out his earphones, and stuffed them into his pocket, “Mr. Li, where are we going now?”

Li Yan turned the steering wheel, “A date.”

A date? Chen You turned his head sharply to make sure the other person wasn’t joking. He said, “You don’t look too well. Aren’t you going home to rest?”

Li Yan said, “No need.”

Chen You turned his face back and ran his hand over his jeans. He knew that this man had been hiding something from him during his more than two-week business trip, and the sad thing was that he couldn’t help him at all.

Ai, he should try to make money. The card the other party casually gave him has a lot of zeros in it, more than he could earn in his entire life as an ordinary white-collar worker. As for buying a house and a car, the other party has several garages, and the house is so big that it would be difficult to find a housekeeper or servant.

How can he possibly get this done? It’s truly impossible.

If it were someone else, they would be so ashamed that they would shrink into their crotch. Although Chen You was shameless, he was under a lot of pressure. Who would want to be a pet every day, being taken care of by someone else? He watched his parents argue, make up, and argue again, and he came to a conclusion, in a marriage, only when the couple is economically independent can they be independent in personality, and their status in the family will also undergo a dramatic change.

So, I still need to save up some money as soon as possible. Chen You secretly made up his mind that after the movie was finished, he would divide all the remuneration into two parts, one part to his father as an expense for recuperation, and the other part to save.

Li Yan glanced at the young man out of the corner of his eye, “You’re fine as you are now.”

Chen You was taken aback. How did this man know what he was thinking? Was it written all over his face? He swallowed hard, tilted his head to look out the window, and after a while, he curled up the corners of his mouth and hummed a song, looking happy.

Dating is all about routines, and going to the movies is the first step in that routine.

Chen You and Li Yan didn’t follow the second step of the usual routine, choosing a horror movie to gain attention.

The problem is that the movie is from abroad, and the two main characters speak English.

Chen You struggled to read the subtitles, unable to lose focus to keep up with the plot. But the sounds of a young couple in front of him kissing were even more intimate than in the movies. He glanced over, his eyes widening – holy fuck! Wasn’t that Old Shuai?

In the front row, Zheng Shuai was kissing a girl he met online. This was their third date, and instead of the relationship ending badly, they felt an instant connection and regretted not asking the other out sooner.

On their first date, they didn’t do anything except have a meal. Zheng Shuai paid for it, and the girl he met bought him a coffee before leaving, telling him to go home early and not to catch a cold.

After a pleasant first meeting, Zheng Shuai and the girl he met online quickly went on their second date. As usual, they had dinner together, but this time they didn’t go home immediately. Instead, they strolled around together, chatting about high school, college, and even kindergarten. Finally, they found an opportunity to hold hands.

The third time is like this.

Zheng Shuai didn’t notice Chen You. In his eyes, ears, and world, there was only the online girl, who was also his first love, and the two had just started dating.

The movie had been playing for over ten minutes, and the kissing hadn’t stopped. Chen You twitched his lips. Who would believe it, that Old Shuai’s lung capacity was this good? The girl was just as good. The two of them were even more enthusiastic and got excited here.

Not only Zheng Shuai’s side, but also the side at the nine o’clock direction, when the movie theme song started playing, beautiful and tender, all the couples in the audience were filled with pink bubbles. People in love always have a kind of idealistic color of “I hope world peace lasts forever”.

Chen You hesitated, wondering if he should follow suit and secretly give his man a kiss. A weight settled on his shoulder as the man leaned closer, his eyes closed, “Mr. Li?”

No response, asleep.

Chen You rolled his eyes. For some people, watching a movie is like sleeping in a different place. No problem.

As the movie ended, Zheng Shuai’s close-fitting cotton pants were a little damp, but fortunately, he was wearing many layers in winter, including thermal underwear and long pants, so it wasn’t noticeable. He solemnly led the girl he met online away, unaware that Chen You had witnessed the whole thing behind them.

When Li Yan woke up, his phoenix eyes turned into double eyelids, which amused Chen You. Every time he saw it, he laughed. He had never seen anyone like this before. It wasn’t just when he was sleeping, whenever he was uncomfortable, his eyes would turn into double eyelids.

Li Yan rubbed his temples and said helplessly, “Is it that funny?”

Chen You smiled and nodded, “Mr. Li, please wait a moment, let me take a picture of it for you…”

His phone was taken away, and the man’s ears turned slightly red, he was embarrassed.

Chen You still hadn’t taken a single photo before Li Yan’s eyes returned to single eyelids. What a pity, he was thinking that if he had taken one, he could take it out and look at it from time to time.

As is customary, after watching the movie, the next step is to eat.

Chen You and Li Yan had just sat down at the restaurant when Lin Fuxing made a phone call, saying he was nearby. Before long, there was another person at the table, and their time together was over.

Lin Fuxing took a sip of water and said that he found a small snake at the entrance of the hospital this morning. He also said that the snake was golden. He didn’t throw it away and is keeping it at the hospital for the time being. He doesn’t know what to do with it.

Chen You asked Lin Fuxing for the photos to look at, and after just one glance, he said, “I want it.”

He turned to look at the man, unusually serious, with a hint of pleading, “Mr. Li, I want this little golden snake.”

Li Yan said, “Okay.”

Lin Fuxing, “…” Did I say I agreed? Are you two treating me like I don’t exist? I came here to eat steak, not to eat dog food. Can you please not give me extra food?

Obviously not. Once he is at this table, he has to eat the dog food, whether he wants to or not.

Soon, Lin Fuxing regretted coming to join the table. The two people opposite him, one big and one small, were just each other, and they were showering him with displays of affection that never stopped.

Li Yan doted on the young man, Lin Fuxing knew that, but he found that the level of doting had increased again. If this continued, the two of them would definitely get married before he even got his marriage certificate.

The man hadn’t touched a woman for thirty years, but one day he suddenly encountered one, and from then on he was hooked. It was like stepping into a swamp, he quickly became deeply involved, without resisting or struggling, which was exactly what he wanted.

The little snake was in Chen You’s hands. It coiled around his fingers three or four times, its cool touch on his skin was indescribable in the dead of winter. He looked at the golden snake’s body and said, “It’s really beautiful.”

Lin Fuxing delivered the snake, along with some supplies and instructions on how to care for it, “If the snake or the puppy have any problem, you can come to me. There’s no need for yours. I’m just an old bachelor, there’s nothing I can do to help.”

He glanced at the young man looking at the snake, then at the young man’s friend, paused slightly, shook his head, and walked away.

That evening, after settling the little golden snake in, Chen You took a shower and lay in bed. He then posted some lovey-dovey emojis in the group chat, saying that he was watching a movie on the third floor of xxx Plaza that day, and that a couple in front of him had been kissing for almost the entire movie.

Zheng Shuai: …Damn it.

Wang Yao dug deep and found out everything. Zheng Shuai posted photos of a girl he met online. She was very cute, innocent, and fair-skinned. She looked like a good girl. He wondered how he managed to get her.

Zheng Shuai said that developing online friendships into real-life relationships wasn’t as bad as he imagined, and even suggested that Wang Yao, the remaining single guy in the dorm, should give it a try. He added that one can’t predict fate, and who knows where it might be waiting for them.

Just as Chen You was about to close the group chat, Pang Yilong came online and posted an emoji of someone collapsing and vomiting blood. He probably saw the chat history and knew that Zheng Shuai was no longer single. He immediately perked up and started teasing him relentlessly. While sharing his experience, he also promoted that brand of T. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he made a living by advertising.

After chatting in the group for a while, Pang Yilong messaged Chen You privately, asking if he knew anything about Ren Wu’s situation, as he couldn’t reach her by phone and she wasn’t at her apartment.

Chen You typed back: I don’t know. We parted ways after filming our last scene together this morning. I hope nothing bad has happened.

Pang Yilong replied with a split smoking emoji: We’ll talk about it tomorrow. You should go to sleep early. I’m going to look at some documents. Damn it, my dad wants me to write some kind of business plan. It’s so annoying.

Chen You sent another emoji of someone pumping air: Look for related things online, maybe a white light will appear and ideas will flow like a spring. I’m logging off now, let’s chat later.

He tossed his phone onto the bedside table, hooked his leg under the covers, snuggled deeper into the blankets, rolled over, and nestled against the man. He propped his legs up on the blankets, grabbed the other person, okay, this is the position.

Li Yan’s voice was hoarse, “Don’t you want to sleep?”

Chen You quickly loosened his grip, and even boldly patted his little head, hugged him with both hands, and murmured, “Goodnight, my darling.”

Li Yan heard this and chuckled, “How about a goodnight kiss?”

Chen You，“……”

Haha, forget it. Last time he was excited before bed and gave me a late-night kiss, going right down his throat. He was about to fall asleep and had even drunk half a glass of milk.

The next day, Chen You got up to go see the little golden snake and feed water to it.

The yellow puppy was in a bad mood when a little guy who couldn’t walk and could only crawl around came along. It was slippery, but his little owner liked it very much and doted on it, ignoring him completely. Usually, the owner would call him “Laifu” (a play on words, meaning good fortune), but today he didn’t even glance at him.

The yellow puppy’s dad was also in a bad mood.

He had already restrained himself, letting a puppy cuddle with the young man, but now there’s a snake, which is even more audacious than the puppy, and is now crawling directly into the young man’s clothes.

The man and the puppy sat in opposite corners of the sofa, both looking in the same direction.

Chen You was stroking the little golden snake, muttering about what name to give it, “How about I call you Xiaojin? Do you like that?”

The little golden snake was wrapped around his index finger, but it wasn’t very lively, perhaps because of the season.

Chen You then turned the air conditioner up two degrees and said to the yellow puppy, “Laifu, come here and say hello to your Didi.”

When the yellow puppy heard its owner calling it, it happily let out a howl, jumped off the sofa, and ran over wagging its tail.

Chen You squatted down, pointed to the snake on his finger for the yellow puppy to see, “This is Didi, why don’t you two shake hands and be friends, okay?”

The yellow puppy barks, No way! It doesn’t want to be friends with this little thing!

Chen You patted its head, “Don’t be like that. You’ll be less bored with a companion. And when you grow up, you can take your Didi out to play, chase butterflies and the sunset. Don’t you think that’s wonderful?”

Not interested, the yellow puppy lay on the ground and chewed on Chen You’s slippers.

Chen You had no choice but to say, “Then promise your Gege you won’t bully your Didi. It’s not a man’s job to bully the younger one.”

The yellow puppy stopped chewing on the slipper, looked up at the snake on its owner’s finger, let out a warning wheeze, and barked loudly, “Woof!”

The little golden snake remained listless, ignoring it.

Chen You laughed heartily, feeling that his life was complete with these two adorable children. He didn’t know why, but he was just happy and content.

On the sofa, the dog’s dad, completely ignored, started reading the newspaper.

The maid prepared breakfast and then went off to do other things, she couldn’t be found, and the butler wasn’t there either.

Only Li Yan’s family of four lived in the hall. He has a young man, and the young man has a dog and a snake.

Before 7:30, Chen You went to the set, where Li Yan was also there.

Last night, Chen You reviewed the script and even rehearsed his lines with himself. However, when filming started, Chen You was still very nervous. He mispronounced his lines several times and apologized to the actor playing the car dealership owner. He then went to get the script and tried to memorize it, desperately trying to find the right feeling.

It’s all Li Yan’s fault, standing there like a giant billboard, and he can’t help but look at him.

Hu Wei coughed and said, “Li Ge, Chen You is usually a good actor. Today, he probably wanted to perform even better because you were here, but it turned out to be a complete mess.”

Li Yan said, “I don’t expect him to achieve much in the entertainment industry.”

This answer was both unexpected and expected by Hu Wei: “Then you…”

Li Yan looked at the young man who was frowning and reciting his lines, his gaze gentle, as if he were looking at his own possession, “Whatever he wants to do, I will remove the obstacles for him and let him do it.”

For some reason, Hu Wei suddenly remembered a book he had read during his school days, which was quite inappropriate at this moment. The reason why it left such a deep impression on him was that the content of that book overturned his worldview and left an indelible mark on his ignorant years.

The book is titled “Urban Romance,” and it unfolds from the male protagonist’s perspective. He had a girlfriend, and the two had a very good relationship.

The male protagonist was always willing to grant the female protagonist’s every wish. He said affectionately, “Whatever I have, you can have it.” The female protagonist was touched, and their relationship became more and more stable. On the day their wedding was approaching, the female protagonist said that her current life was not what she wanted. She was tired of the life that was arranged for her and said that she felt like a bird in a cage.

The sweet, loving scenes were gone. The male protagonist couldn’t tolerate the female protagonist’s resistance and escape. His desire for control and possessiveness become twisted, and he locks the female protagonist in the house, preventing her from going out and cutting her off from contact with the outside world.

One day, when a friend came to visit, the female protagonist took the opportunity to escape, but the male protagonist caught her and blinded her.

The ending is that the male protagonist kills the female protagonist, cuts, kicks off the flesh and blood, stir it, grinds it into pieces, mixes it into mud, and makes several mud dolls to display in the room.

Hu Wei broke out in a cold sweat. After so many years, he still hadn’t seen any book that could surpass the content of that one from back then and take the top spot. There was no air conditioning on set, and it was very cold. He shivered.

Li Yan embodies the spirit of the male protagonist in the book. If you love me and are willing to stay with me, then I can give you the whole world. But if you want to run away or give up, I will destroy the whole world that has you in it.

However, Chen You burst into tears the first time he met Li Yan, his eyes filled with intense emotions, as if he had known Li Yan for lifetimes. He seemed to have long been accustomed to Li Yan’s control and did not resent it, so the ending should be good.

After Hu Wei finished agonizing over it, Chen You’s scene was over.

After filming the car dealership scene, the next scene was a murder scene. The set was an interior scene, and according to the original script, the scene was set at night and on a rainy day. However, since the weather forecast showed that there would be no rain for the next few days, the crew decided to create artificial rain.

Chen You changed into the black raincoat prepared by the costume team, pulling the hood up so that the shadow cast by the brim covered his eyebrows and eyes. The look was fine, but he lacked the aura of killing.

Killing a chicken or a fish is commonplace for him, but killing a person is something he’s never even dreamed of. He doesn’t know how to handle the psychological changes involved.

If Li Yan were covered in blood, he wouldn’t even need to act, the moment he held the knife, he would be a killer.

Chen You’s filming didn’t go smoothly. The first time, he didn’t use the gun properly, which was a mistake. The second time, he didn’t stick the blood pack in the right place for another actor, which was incredibly embarrassing. In the following few times, his performance was also off.

When the director yelled “cut,” Chen You went to Li Yan to ask for advice.

Li Yan said, “I have never killed anyone.”

Chen You, “…” Why is there no credibility to your words at all? It feels like you’re blatantly lying.

He flipped through the script, looking worried, and said, “How can I get into character?”

Li Yan stroked his fingers, which had slight calluses, “Your character is different from ordinary murderers. It’s because your whole family was murdered when you were young, and the misfortune caused psychological distortion. It’s a premeditated revenge, not just a simple venting of anger.”

Chen You nodded, “Go on.”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. “I think he wouldn’t be hysterical when he killed someone, but rather very happy, even excited.”

Chen You quickly glanced at the script. What the man said was exactly the same as what was written in the script. He clicked his tongue and asked, “And then? What else do you think they’ll do?”

Li Yan’s gaze shifted to the void, “If it were me, I would first stab the other person in the neck with a knife, then watch him bleed profusely while laughing and kicking him, listening to him beg for mercy at my feet like a dog. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

Chen You swallowed hard, it was a perfect match, “Mr. Li, have you read the script?”

Li Yan shook his head, “I haven’t seen it.”

Chen You shrugged, ai my Shu, you’re awesome.

He went to a corner to compose himself before rehearsing his scene with the actor who played the drunkard.

When filming started after everyone had rested, Chen You was in the right state. However, when the drunkard had a problem and his drunken walk wasn’t convincing enough, the director stepped in and acted it out himself, then discussed it with the actor.

They kept shooting back and forth like this. Either Chen You wasn’t good enough, or the other actor’s emotional delivery wasn’t right. The point where the two of them would explode just wouldn’t come through. It was very troublesome, and it took more than two hours to get it right.

To save time, the director added an extra take, which was the first meeting between the senior and junior students.

The attraction is on the street, and there are many pedestrians craning their necks to watch. Although there are no famous actors, watching a film being shot is lively enough, and it’s easy to post it on social media.

The script says that the junior student broke up with her boyfriend and lost her job selling mobile phones at a large supermarket because of her complicated feelings for the senior student. She is currently sending out resumes. She wants to go to the senior student’s company, but she is afraid that it will be awkward if she sees him.

This time, the two met by chance on the street. There were no lines, the entire scene relied on the expressive eyes when their gazes met.

Ren Wu plays the junior student, and she was already fully prepared even before Chen You got into character.

Chen You was hopping. It was freezing cold, and the north wind was blowing hard. He was very afraid of the cold, and he was wearing a thin white shirt with the top two buttons undone and the cuffs rolled up to his forearms. He was freezing to death.

Hu Wei asked the staff for two hand warmers, and Chen You put one on his chest and one on his back, waiting for them to heat up.

Ren Wu came over and joked, “I’m wearing a dress, but I’m not as cold as you.”

Chen You rubbed his hands together, DaJie, I can’t compare to you. I saw it long ago. You’re not an ordinary person. You’re from Mars. You can generate your own electricity and heat.

The director was accompanying Li Yan, praising the show to the sky and predicting how many views it would get after its premiere.

Li Yan’s gaze fell on the young man, not caring about the ratings. Just like Hu Wei said, he didn’t care if he lost money on every show he invested in.

Li Yan was present in every scene that followed.

Others thought the investor was interested in the film, but actually he was interested in his own wife.

Strangely, every time Chen You finished filming with Ren Wu, Li Yan would call him over, and then leave without a word, not knowing what he was up to.

More than a month later, filming wrapped up, and the main cast members invited each other to dinner. One of them was the one who played the role of detective, the senior student’s XiongDi. Chen You was going to leave with Li Yan, so he said he wouldn’t go, “You guys have fun.”

Unexpectedly, he and Li Yan ran into Ren Wu, and the atmosphere became quite awkward.

Chen You didn’t know how to explain having dinner alone with the investor. Ren Wu had already opened her mouth, holding back, simply saying, “Chen You, I didn’t expect to run into you and Mr. Li here.”

He secretly glanced at the man and was surprised that the man didn’t exude any dark energy or have a stern face, he didn’t seem to be hostile.

So the three of them ate at one table.

Chen You felt that the atmosphere around him was strange, but he didn’t know why. It wasn’t the smell of vinegar. He was thinking about something and didn’t feel comfortable eating. Not long after, he got up and went to the bathroom.

Only Li Yan and Ren Wu remained at the table, eating their food without exchanging a word.

【Ding, software error, error code 2020, force close. 】

【Restart. 】

In the blink of an eye, Ren Wu dropped her knife and fork. She wiped her mouth with a tissue, “Mr. Li, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. Please tell Chen You.”

Li Yan nodded.

After leaving the restaurant, Ren Wu walked laboriously to the park and sat on a bench to rest for a long time before she recovered. She took a taxi back to her apartment and sensed a murderous aura about ten meters away from the apartment complex.

With a furrowed brow, Ren Wu quickened her pace, but a sudden, sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. She swayed and collapsed to the ground.

A black leather shoe and black trousers emerged from the shadows, followed by a tall figure with an expressionless face.

Li Yan turned off the electric shock and hit Ren Wu’s head with a baton. He continued to strike her head repeatedly, the sound of the baton hitting her head being exceptionally clear in the silent surroundings.

A strange thing happened, there wasn’t a drop of blood on Ren Wu’s head.

Li Yan gripped the stun baton, and he chuckled softly, a chilling sound, “Just as I thought…”

【Ding! Warning! An unknown level of virus has invaded. Please immediately activate one-click removal to prevent the virus from damaging the program. 】

【Ding! One-click removal is ineffective against viruses. The program has been corrupted. Force uninstallation is requested. 】

【Ding! The virus has spread widely, and the program has completely crashed. 】

More than an hour later, a passerby saw the woman lying on the ground, called out to her twice but received no response, and then quickly called the police.

Ren Wu remained unconscious, but all her physical indicators were normal, and the cause of her coma could not be found.

Chen You only found out about the news this morning while he was still on the toilet, and he hurriedly notified Pang Yilong, “Have you seen the report? Ren Wu is in the hospital.”

Pang Yilong was sleeping and said he didn’t see it, “I’ll check it out in a bit and see what’s going on.”

Chen You also went. He asked Li Yan, who didn’t object and even considerately arranged for the driver to take him to the hospital, saying, “Come back early and don’t wander around outside.”

“Okay.”

Chen You hugged Li Yan’s neck, kissed him on the cheek and lips, then put on his down jacket and went out.

Li Yan got up, took a coat from the wardrobe, stood in front of the mirror, slowly and methodically buttoned it up, smoothed out the wrinkles at the collar, and smiled silently as he curled the corners of his lips.

The fog was very thick today, and visibility was low. Chen You and Pang Yilong met at the hospital, and both of them looked like they hadn’t woken up yet.

It’s understandable that Chen You is alright, since his relationship with Ren Wu is at most that of friends who get along well. But it’s unreasonable for Pang Yilong, as her current boyfriend, to be so indifferent.

When they entered the ward, the nurse had just taken Ren Wu’s temperature and said it was normal and there was no problem.

Ren Wu lay on the bed, with no visible wounds on her body. It didn’t seem like she had suffered some kind of fear that had caused her to be greatly traumatized and fall into a coma, as netizens had speculated. She seemed to be asleep.

Pang Yilong exhaled white breath, “Youzi, does Ren Wu have family?”

Chen You was speechless, “Old Pang, your question doesn’t make sense. You’re her boyfriend, and if you don’t know, how would I know?”

“What logic is this? I don’t know.” Pang Yilong scratched his head, “Who paid for the medical expenses?”

Chen You said, “The report said that the doctor contacted the last number she dialed, which was her agent. I guess that’s who paid for the medication, otherwise, it would have been someone else.”

Pang Yilong was silent for a moment, then reached out to touch Ren Wu’s face, “Don’t you think she looks like a porcelain doll?”

Chen You’s mouth twitched slightly, “A little.”

Pang Yilong said, “To be honest, Youzi, she’s similar to you in many ways. Sometimes, when I’m with her, I think it’s you, which scares me so much that I almost fainted on the spot.”

Chen You’s expression immediately turned strange. He wanted to ask something, but he didn’t ask anything. He looked again, hoping that he was just overthinking things.

Pang Yilong went to the nurses’ station, gave them his number, and said he was the boyfriend of the patient in ward 5b06. He told them to contact him directly if she needed anything, and that he would take care of her medical expenses.

That’s done quite well.

Shortly after Chen You and Pang Yilong left, a man wearing a white coat and a mask pushed open the door and closed it behind him.

The man walked to the hospital bed, leaned down, and placed his palm on Ren Wu’s head. After a moment, he removed his hand, “The newly developed software, while killing KM, also accelerated its evolution. This is troublesome.”

It’s unclear who he was referring to, the man only uttered one sentence in a magnetic voice.

In less than two seconds, a large screen appeared in front of the man, displaying several different icons. He pointed to the first icon, and a pop-up window appeared, indicating that a file was missing.

The man frowned, and his finger tapped something on the screen, prompting a message that it was under repair. A second later, a transparent progress bar appeared, connecting the screen to the woman on the hospital bed.

The progress bar was over 50%, the elevator door at one end of the corridor opened, and someone walked out, heading towards the ward they had come to.

Pang Yilong, who had returned, stood at the door of the ward, looking around strangely. He pushed the door open, but there was no one there, “Damn, this hospital is really weird…”

On the street behind the hospital, a man who had taken off his white coat and was wearing a black overcoat walked with his head down. The road, pedestrians, and vehicles behind him were all reflected in his pupils, including the person following behind him.

The man was still wearing a mask, which he had changed from a medical mask to one for smog protection, leaving only his eyes visible. His eyes seemed to encompass everything in the world. He quickened his pace, crossed the road, and disappeared behind a building.

The man suddenly stopped and looked at a figure not far away, who had been waiting for him there all along.

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