Chapter 172. Meeting The Parents

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Arc 9: Real World.

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Chen You put his headphones back on and listened to 《The Fireworks of Last Winter》, his eyes following the lyrics. He listened to it over and over again. After more than half an hour, he glanced at the man, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and went to eat the sausage the man had given him.

Speaking of sausages, Chen You has spent a lot of money on them and has tried many kinds, but his favorite is still the King of Kings brand. The corn flavor is a bit too sweet for him, and he doesn’t find it very appealing. Other types of grilled sausages just don’t quite measure up in terms of flavor.

Chen You’s mouth was still full of the taste of sausage. He took a sip of water to moisten his throat and asked the man, “Have you heard this song before?”

As he spoke, he ripped off his headphones and turned the music on.

Li Yan listened for a couple of minutes and said, “Never heard of it.”

Chen You said, “I’ve listened to it dozens of times, and the more I listen, the better it sounds, especially the lyrics. Come and take a look.”

He hovered his mouse over it and said, “This line is exceptionally well-written.” At first glance, the lyrics seemed like a dialogue with little depth, but after reading them a few times, the meaning became clear.

Li Yan glanced at it, but didn’t take it seriously.

Chen You kept pulling his hand and talking, saying that the person who wrote this song was a genius and that the lyrics were profound.

Li Yan inexplicably disliked the song, and said, “Go to sleep.”

Chen You turned his neck back and said, “You go to sleep first, I’ll listen to it two more times.”

Li Yan immediately shut down the computer.

Chen You，“……”

The snow fell heavily, one snowflake covering another, and by the next morning, the ground was completely white.

Chen You stood under the eaves, his body bundled up tightly. His upper body consisted of black down pants, a black turtleneck sweater, and a thermal undershirt, while his lower body was covered in jeans, thermal pants, thermal underwear, and boxer shorts. He was quite heavy, but he was used to having so much gear.

“It’s so cold…”

Chen You shivered. Winter is just one bad thing. No matter how many layers you wear, you still feel cold. Just like summer, you feel hot even without any clothes. These two seasons are the most loved and hated. He rubbed his hands together, then walked out into the garden to take pictures of the snow scene.

The once pristine white garden was now adorned with a string of footprints, stretching from one end to the other. Before long, the footprints became crisscrossed and chaotic, revealing just how lively the owner of the footprints was.

Chen You took over a hundred photos of the snowy scenery, and selected one or two that he considered his best shots, intending to upload them to Weibo. One of them was a selfie of his, with a blooming wintersweet tree next to him, drooping down a little and leaning affectionately on his shoulder.

He captioned it with the words: Come and see the most handsome man in the world, but then he thought better of it, deleted it, and rewrote it several times, trying out different content. Finally, when he posted it, he included two lines of ancient poetry that he didn’t even understand the meaning of, something about snow, just to show off.

Soon, there were many replies under Chen You’s Weibo post, mostly from people he didn’t know.

I am your ErJiu: I want to be that wintersweet.

Shamelessness knows no bounds: Pomelo is in my bed right now.

Dreamy moondress: There are so many people showing off today, I just walked around for a bit, and you’re the only one I’m impressed by.

Aspiring to be a heartthrob: My pomelo has amazing skin, you can’t even see his pores! Skincare companies, come take a look! You should hire my pomelo to star in your commercials!

I’m a cute little junior: Senior, today is my birthday. Asking senior to flip my name plate! *cute face emoji*

Chen You casually replied with a happy birthday message, then scrolled down through the comments. He glanced at his follower count and realized he had unknowingly surpassed 20,000.

Holy crap, so many? Chen You clicked his tongue. 《The Fifth World 》hasn’t even released a trailer yet, and it’s currently being promoted and advertised in various ways, yet the effect is so good. He can be considered an actor now.

He browsed Weibo and saw that there were already over 500 comments. Now he believed that it was true, not fake, that big-name celebrities could easily get tens or hundreds of thousands of reposts and comments just by showing off their cats, posting pictures of food, or saying good morning or good night.

After spending some time in the garden, Chen You went up to the small wooden house on the south side, “Laifu, carry your Didi to the snow, and I’ll take a picture of you two.”

The yellow puppy was gnawing on its kennel, and it’s really enjoying it.

Chen You wiped the snow off his shoes on the steps outside the small house until they were clean before going inside. He called to the yellow puppy, but it ignored him, so he simply pulled the kennel out of its mouth, “Laifu, stop chewing. You can chew it after you take the picture.”

The yellow puppy whimpered and wagged its tail at Chen You, indicating it was hungry.

Chen You poured more dog food for it and then went to scoop up the little snake from its den, “Good morning, Xiaojin.”

The little snake slowly raised its head, and upon seeing the person approaching, its golden eyes widened slightly before it crawled up the outstretched hand.

He held Xiaojin in his palm, poked it with his finger, and said to the yellow puppy, “Laifu, hurry up and eat, I’ll wait for you outside.”

The yellow puppy rolled around in its food bowl, and seeing that it was the only one left in the house, it barked twice, looked at the delicious food, then looked at the door, and decided to go out to find its little master first. It seemed quite anxious, as if it was afraid that its little master would be snatched away by a snake.

After choosing a suitable spot, Chen You placed the little golden snake on the back of the yellow puppy and began to give both of them a pep talk, basically telling them that they were Gege and Didi and should love each other and grow up together.

The yellow puppy, with its thick fur, didn’t feel cold as it carried a snake on its back. However, the snake was so small that it got lost in its fur.

Chen You had no choice but to put the little golden snake on the yellow puppy’s head, “Xiaojin, sit up. Don’t be so lazy and curled up in a ball. It doesn’t look good in the picture. You’ll be outshone by Laifu.”

The little golden snake was pulled up a bit by the hand on its body. It probably understood what was going on, so it propped up its upper body.

Chen You shouted three, two, one, cheese! The dog and snake both looked bewildered. He took about ten pictures and had the two XiongDi change positions a few times.

The yellow puppy loves taking pictures. Later, whenever Chen You says “cheese” and makes a snarling face, it imitates him. The youngest little golden snake still has a bewildered look in every single picture.

Chen You happily twisted his neck and shouted towards the hall, “Li Yan, come over here, I’ll take a picture of the three of you.”

A tall figure appeared at the entrance of the hall. The man was only wearing a black turtleneck sweater and no coat. His steps seemed as steady and powerful as usual, but in fact they were a little fast.

Chen You belatedly realized his mistake. He coughed and tried to slip away, “Aiya, I just remembered, I need to go to the restroom…”

His arm was grabbed, and the man asked in his ear with a hint of amusement in his voice, “Where to stand?”

Chen You said blankly, “It’s fine as long as it’s next to Laifu.”

He raised his phone, and the man in the camera’s view had one hand in his pocket, his narrow eyes slightly raised, his gaze fixed directly on him, intensely hot, making even the phone case feel warm.

His breathing became erratic, and his heartbeat quickened. Chen You felt a strange sensation from the man’s gaze. He took a step back, his legs feeling weak. After adjusting his angle, he looked away and took the picture.

Both the man and the little golden snake are very good-looking, while the yellow puppy is at a disadvantage when sandwiched in between. It looks great on its own, but the contrast is striking.

Chen You then handed the phone to the butler, and he himself joined in, occupying a space in the frame.

The butler pressed the red circle in the middle to confirm. The background in the shot was a corner of the snowy garden. The man was holding the young man, and the yellow puppy was carrying the little golden snake. They looked like a family of four, very heartwarming.

Li Yan took Chen You to another place and asked the butler to take pictures of them. He clearly disliked the other two little ones. The yellow puppy wanted to follow, but was stopped by a cold gaze. It was standing in the snow with a small golden snake on its head.

When Chen You looked over, the yellow puppy immediately started howling, then stopped howling when he looked away.

He rolled his eyes and thought. WTF, Laifu is such a drama queen. Look at its natural and effortless acting skills. He was speechless.

Chen You took hundreds of photos in total. He took his phone back and scrolled through them one by one. He didn’t know what to say. The first ones were the ones he took himself. Compared to the ones the butler took, they were just like a child randomly pressing buttons.

To be honest, Chen You felt quite embarrassed, there was a huge difference in skill level between him and the butler.

Li Yan said that the butler was an internationally renowned photographer.

Chen You was shocked and it took him a long time to speak before asking the butler his name. Yes, he still didn’t know.

Li Yan told Chen You the name, and Chen You opened a webpage, entered the name, and it was the first result. There was very little information about it, and it was very mysterious. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Chen You still didn’t believe it and thought it was outrageous, “Then why did you come to be butler?”

“High salary and easy work.”

“……”

Chen You’s face twitched, he was convinced by this reason.

Stealing a glance at the butler, Chen You whispered in Li Yan’s ear, “The information says he’s thirty-two, is that true? He doesn’t look thirty to me.” Although he has a full head of white hair, there isn’t a single wrinkle on his face.

Li Yan said, “How old do you think I am?”

With his hand resting on the man’s shoulder, Chen You carefully examined him, his tone absolutely sincere, “You, XiongDi is young, strong, brave and wild. Every time I spar with him, I get knocked out. Judging from the speed and power of his attacks, he’s definitely no more than thirty.”

Li Yan pulled the young man into his arms, his hand holding him tightly, his hot breath brushing against his ear, “Let’s go! I, XiongDi, want to treat you to a cup of tea.”

Chen You shrank back, thinking, MF, it makes me angry just thinking about it.

Last night was uneventful, and he slept soundly. But early this morning, before dawn, this man burst into his place and refused to leave. Not only did he wake him up, but he also dragged him along to do some exercises and stretch his muscles.

Chen You chuckled, “No, don’t be so polite! Let’s skip the tea, I only drink plain water and cola.”

He said this and then ran off, running incredibly fast, his feet crunching on the snow, and in an instant he was gone.

Li Yan curled his lips, shook his head with a smile, and the boyish scent was blown away by the wind and snow, gradually calming the restless blood in his body.

After running to a sheltered place, Chen You saved the photos. He and Li Yan hadn’t successfully come out of the closet yet, so they couldn’t send them out for the time being, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to have a good New Year.

The change in how he addressed the other happened unintentionally, and once that initial barrier was broken, things became much more natural afterward.

The butler and servants who were lucky enough to watch the live stream all had bewildered expressions that lasted for almost two days before disappearing.

Chen You was running back and forth, taking care of his father on one side and being taken care of by Li Yan on the other. He really hoped that the two most important people in his life could live under the same roof as soon as possible, which would save time and effort, and most importantly, save him worry.

A week later, Li Yan took Chen You to see a doctor.

The doctor was a mature woman in her thirties. She looked exactly like the doctor in his mind, radiating the glow of an angel in white.

Perhaps it was the warm lighting in the office, the comfortable temperature of the air conditioning, or the fact that Li Yan was sitting on the sofa behind him, and Chen You wasn’t alone with the doctor, but after sitting down, he didn’t seem nervous at all, but rather quite relaxed.

The doctor started the conversation in a friendly manner, asking, “How’s your sleep quality lately?”

Chen You said, “It’s great.” He really is great, he can fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. This is mainly thanks to Li Yan, who loves to exercise and always does it before bed. It promotes blood circulation and is more effective than any milk or sleeping pills.

When the doctor asked Chen You about his university life, Chen You recalled it with a bright smile, his face radiating sunshine and purity, saying that he enjoyed every day at school.

“You remember everything that happened on your first day of school, even minor things like the thermos breaking while you were using it and not getting your cooling mat, and you can answer those questions in a minute.” The doctor said, “This shows that your memory loss is targeted.”

She continued, “Everyone has a separate field of memory that contains everything from when you can remember things to when you leave this world. What you forget are the parts that make you sad, irritable, anxious, uneasy, and painful. What you keep are the memories that make you feel relaxed, happy, and joyful.”

Chen You’s right hand touched the ring on his left ring finger, unconsciously pinching and spinning it, “No, it’s not like that…”

He muttered to himself over and over, his whole being resisting that statement. He wanted to refute it, but he didn’t know how or what to say.

The doctor reassured him, “Don’t be nervous. Tell me why you feel that’s not the case.”

Chen You continued talking to himself, mentioning the ring and saying that he just couldn’t remember anything related to it.

The doctor glanced at the man on the sofa, exchanged glances with him, and then looked at the unstable young man in front of her, “Do you think that what you’ve forgotten are also your happy memories?”

Chen You nodded instinctively.

The doctor said, “You really want to remember.”

Chen You replied, “Yes.”

He gripped the ring tightly, “Sometimes I have blurry images in my mind. I don’t know if they happened before, or if they’re just my imagination, or if I had that dream sometime in the past.”

The doctor unscrewed the pen cap and quickly wrote on the medical record, “Have you suffered any head injuries?”

Chen You said no.

The doctor said, “You should get an electroencephalogram (EEG) done first.”

Chen You agreed, picked up the prescription from the doctor, and stood up. He glanced at Li Yan on the sofa and said, “I’ll go by myself.”

Li Yan nodded.

The hospital was quite crowded. Chen You went downstairs to queue up and pay, waiting for his number to be called.  While watching the large screen opposite him, he wondered to himself if Li Yan and the doctor would chat privately, perhaps discussing his condition.

Ai, how can someone live such a confused and muddled life?…

A moment later, Chen You finished his EEG, took the report back to the doctor’s office, and asked what it said and if he had any problems.

The doctor looked at the report and spoke at length, her tone even more friendly than before, as if she were dealing with someone so fragile that they would burst into tears and faint at the slightest harsh word.

Chen You didn’t quite understand, only remembering one term—neurotic disorder. He asked, “Is it related to my depression?”

The doctor said, “Long-term use of antidepressants can have some impact on memory.”

Chen You fell silent.

The doctor clipped the report to the patient’s medical record and handed them back to him, offering some advice, “Besides sticking to your medication, you can also do some memory-enhancing exercises in your daily life. For example, when eating, try to remember the dishes on the table and what’s on them, or when walking down the street, consciously pay attention to landmarks like shops and street signs…”

After giving several examples, the doctor, with a look of maternal affection on her face, said, “Try to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, don’t dwell on it, and be patient. The missing memories will gradually return.”

With mixed feelings, Chen You followed Li Yan out of the doctor’s office and down the escalator. Looking at the noisy crowd in the lobby, he felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Li Yan patted the young man on the shoulder, “You wait here, I’ll go get you your medicine.”

Chen sat down on a nearby chair, still not feeling like a patient. This can’t go on, he needs to take this seriously.

He sighed, and a sigh echoed in his ears, coming from a child, it was almost as if they sighed in unison.

Chen You turned his head, and next to him was a little girl with two braids, about seven or eight years old, wearing a red pom-pom hair clip.

The little girl looked over and asked first, “Gege, why are you sighing?”

Chen You said, “Gege has a bad memory and has forgotten some things.”

The little girl said, “Then the teacher definitely doesn’t like you.”

Have a poor memory and can’t memorize things, so grades are bad, and teachers don’t like it.

Chen You was unable to refute it.

The little girl swung her legs and blinked her big eyes, “My teacher doesn’t like me either, because I’m always sick, I don’t go to school, and I don’t do well in school.”

Chen You noticed that the little girl’s face was paler than normal, almost translucent, and the blue veins inside could be seen. He uttered some indistinct syllables from his throat, which sounded somewhat dry.

The little girl smiled and said, “Be strong. No matter what happens, we must face the world with a smile. My dad said it. He’s really, really amazing! He said that when I get better, he’ll take me to the ocean park.”

Chen You was stunned.

These words, why do these sound so familiar?…

Chen You watched as the little girl was carried away by her parents, vaguely hearing the words “injection,” “it won’t hurt,” and “don’t cry.” He despised himself, “Damn it, you just can’t remember a few things, why are you so mopey? Look at that child, and then look at yourself, aren’t you ashamed? You’re being so dramatic.”

After venting his anger and berating himself, Chen You felt much better. He cheered himself up and went back to do as the doctor advised, hoping to recover as soon as possible.

The end of the year passed quickly, swallowed up by two heavy snowfalls. Starting from the day before the Lunar New Year, Chen You stayed at home with his father. With the New Year just around the corner, he had no excuse to go out and find Li Yan again.

Even if you’re deeply in love, you shouldn’t leave your elderly father behind and go out to play.

Chen Weidong noticed his son’s absent-mindedness and was quite pleased, as it indicated that he was getting along well with his female classmate and that it hadn’t affected him much as graduation approached, “Youyou, have you made any progress on your job search?”

Chen You was peeling longans, saying not yet.

Chen Weidong asked, “What about that female classmate? Does she mind that you haven’t settled on a job yet?”

Chen You ate longan pulp, which was sweet, “He doesn’t mind.” He’d be thrilled actually. It would be even better if I never had to leave my room, spending my whole life in that small space of a few dozen square meters.

Hearing his son say that, Chen Weidong took a sip of tea and said, “These days, there aren’t many girls who are so understanding.”

He kicked the snoring yellow dog at his feet, “Come to the room and sleep with me, or you’ll catch a cold.”

The yellow dog squinted, shook its fur, and slowly walked beside Chen Weidong, its tail swishing from side to side. It was not even a year old, but it looked like an old man in his seventies or eighties.

Chen You looked from behind and saw that the yellow dog’s butt was wiggling and it was so fat, unlike Xiaojin, who was as thin as a lightning bolt.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Li Yan calling, “Hello, why are you calling so many times a day? Do you miss me that much?”

Li Yan, “Hmm.”

Chen You’s lips curled up. He went to his room, closed the door, and secretly spoke to Li Yan, “I miss you so much too.”

The breathing on the other end was heavy.

Chen You was in such a good mood, he was acting like an idiot feeling like he could fly. No wonder they say people in love are fools, isn’t he one right now?

The two teased each other over the phone, and the fire not only couldn’t be extinguished, but burned even more fiercely, until the phone got hot.

A moment later, Li Yan said, “Get down.”

Chen You was stunned, “You…you’re not home?”

Li Yan said, “Over there at the back gate of the residential area.”

“Holy crap, you’re amazing.” Chen You couldn’t help but laugh, “Wait for me, I’m coming to meet you right away.”

He quietly changed his shoes and went out. At the location Li Yan had mentioned, he saw a car. As soon as he got in, he was hugged.

It wasn’t just a few words over the phone, a few breaths, but a real embrace, a kiss, the scents of each other flooding their noses, being inhaled into their lungs, and buried deep within.

After finishing their business, Chen You hugged Li Yan for a while before they went home separately, without lingering on the matter.

On New Year’s Eve, Chen Weidong prepared two red envelopes, one for his son and the other for his future daughter-in-law. He said, “Later, you should wish your female classmate a Happy New Year and ask if she’s free tomorrow to go out and have some fun, and give her this red envelope.”

Chen You put his own in his pocket, saying, “Dad, you haven’t seen the person yet, so there’s no need to give a red envelope.”

Chen Weidong said to accept it without hesitation and continued, “Although our family isn’t incredibly wealthy or from a prestigious background, we can still afford to give New Year’s money. Besides, this is your dad, my attitude, and your girlfriend needs to know that I welcome her to visit our home and support your relationship.”

Chen You said okay, he went to make tea for his father, massaged his shoulders and legs, and watched the Spring Festival Gala with him.

The Spring Festival Gala programs are pretty much the same every year, and the hosts are also familiar faces. At first glance, nothing seems to have changed, but upon closer inspection, you can tell that even makeup can’t hide the wrinkles around their eyes. As people grow up, naturally some people grow old.

Chen You was busy grabbing red envelopes online, watching TV shows, and chatting with his dad, managing to do all three. While eating pistachios, his mind was elsewhere. He thought about how lonely it must be for Li Yan living alone in such a big house, especially during the New Year.

Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing have their own families to accompany, so it’s impossible for them to go there.

After spitting out the shell, Chen You received a text message from Zheng Shuai. He could tell whether it was a mass text or not with a simple scan, just like last year. No, it wasn’t, it was typed by Zheng Shuai. It was a very simple and cliché New Year’s greeting. He replied with a message.

Next were Wang Yao’s, then those of his classmates, and then Hu Wei and Lin Fuxing. Two people were missing.

Chen You called Pang Yilong, and the other end answered. It was very noisy. He said he was still eating and had a lot of people at home. They only chatted for a few words before hanging up. It was obvious that things were different between them than before, and an estrangement was unfolding silently.

In previous years, Pang Yilong would call Chen You in the afternoon to wish him a Happy New Year, and he would call again in the evening, and even at midnight. Not only that, the group chat would be very lively, with red envelopes raining down non-stop. Everyone would send red envelopes. But this year, Pang Yilong only sent one big red envelope and that was it.

Around eight o’clock, Chen You went to the balcony to call Li Yan. As expected, it was quiet on the other end, not at all like New Year’s Eve. He cleared his throat and said, “Happy New Year, Boss Li. I wish you good health, good fortune, a good appetite, and a carefree life in the new year.”

Li Yan said, “One sentence is missing.”

Chen You looked at the starry sky, “What?”

Li Yan said, “To have one’s wishes come true.”

So dissatisfied? You’ve already received so many blessings, and you still want more? Chen You rolled his eyes, “Fine, I hope all your wishes come true.”

Li Yan said he had prepared a red envelope for him.

Chen You was delighted and said with a smile, “Thank you, Boss Li, leave it there for me and wait for me to go back.”

He remembered something, “My dad gave his future daughter-in-law a red envelope, and I saw it, 888. What do you think of that number? Isn’t it auspicious?”

Li Yan, “Yes, auspicious, please thank Dad for me.”

Chen You blushed, “That’s my dad.”

Li Yan said, “He’s also my dad.”

Chen You’s face turned even redder. He breathed on the glass, poked at it with his finger, drew a circle, then another, a big circle encompassed a smaller one, “My ring is in the drawer. Don’t you dare lose it!”

He can’t wear it at home, and leaving it in his room wasn’t safe either. His father comes in and walks around every day and if it was found, he’ll have to lie to cover it up.

Lying makes Chen You feel guilty, and he’s almost at his breaking point.

Li Yan said, “The sixteenth time.”

Chen You was speechless. He didn’t know if the one who kept repeating it so many times was crazy, or if the man who could remember the exact number of times was even crazier.

Before hanging up, he heard the man say softly, “Come over next year and keep me company.”

Chen Weidong was grabbing red envelopes in his WeChat family group when he glanced at his son. His son’s face showed two words, happiness on the left and contentment on the right. He couldn’t help but sigh, I’ve been saying this all along, dating is great! Start dating early, and maybe you’ll have a significant other by the end of the year.

Fireworks are prohibited in the neighborhood, but there are always some people who don’t listen. They think, you don’t allow it, huh? I’m going to do it anyway. What can you do about it? They’re really arrogant.

The sudden crackling sound startled Laifu, who was lying on the carpet eating an apple, and he hid under the sofa.

Chen You hugged it tightly, saying, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”

Xiaojin, on the other hand, was quite calm, sitting on the fruit plate on the coffee table, as a decoration. It looked quite nice, and you wouldn’t even notice it if you didn’t know better.

Once the new year celebration is over, everything returns to its original trajectory. Those who should go to work go to work, those who should go to school go to school, those who should be confused remain confused, and those who are just drifting along continue to drift along. Everyone has their own life, and that’s how it goes.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a two-minute trailer for《The Fifth World》 was released, sparking heated discussions online and dominating headlines for several days. It ranked among the top three trending topics on Weibo. The fact that actress Ren Wu passed away shortly after filming the movie, at less than 25 years old, also became a hot topic. The audience will sigh with regret, lamenting the wasted potential. If the incident hadn’t happened, her acting career after this drama would have been very promising, and she could also sing and dance. Even if she didn’t become a huge star, she would have established herself in the entertainment industry and secured her own place.

Because of that angelic face and devilish figure, it’s rare to find someone like that.

Chen You watched the trailer. How should he put it? Even though he was the actor playing the senior in it, it felt like he was watching someone else. The voice actor’s voice was more charming than his, and the editing was excellent.

Post-production is the finishing touch that makes a film truly stand out.

Chen You followed the crew to various cities for promotion. Although one of the main actors was missing, the rest were still there. When they stood on the stage, they exuded youthful energy. Their fresh and vibrant aura seemed to overflow from the television screen, captivating countless young men and women.

As the male lead, Chen You gets a lot of screen time during promotions, which annoys him. Sometimes he can’t even scratch an itch or roll his eyes. Holding your urine is a skill that requires practice. Don’t know how? Then you have to learn, until you reach the point where your bladder is full of urine, but you feel no urge.

After travelling more than a dozen cities, Chen You no longer felt bored or weary, but rather became accustomed to it. He got used to being stared at by many people, to the feeling of camera flashes on his face, and to following the itinerary arranged by Hu Wei.

On June 6th, 《The Fifth World》 was released as scheduled. It was exclusively streamed on a certain website, with two episodes released every day. Judging from Weibo, the response was very good, probably due to the subject matter. In recent years, there have been very few domestic productions of this kind of suspenseful, bloody, and murderous films, while there are more foreign productions.

Chen You watched an episode and gained a new understanding of the trailer and the full episode. The trailer was full of ups and downs, but that didn’t mean the full episode would be the same. He looked at the comments below and saw that there were no harsh words or insults directed at his parents, which was good.

A few days later, Chen You was buying groceries at the market when more than a dozen people called out his name and surrounded him, asking for autographs. He then realized that quite a few people had watched that show.

Zheng Shuai joked in the group that before graduation, he would take a large sack and pack all of Chen You’s personal belongings in the dormitory. He said that if he was ever exploited by his boss and quit, he could still use them to auction off and live off the rest of his life.

Wang Yao also joined in the fun, saying he wanted Chen You to sign all the books on the bookshelf, just like Zheng Shuai.

Chen You sent an emoji of vomiting blood and replied: I’m not famous yet.

Zheng Shuai and Wang Yao told him that he was already famous, and that his cousins knew they were classmates and wanted his autograph. They also asked him about his daily life, and said that if he didn’t respond, it would never end.

Chen You，“……”

Perhaps it’s because the beauty mark under his eye makes him easily recognizable. Every time Chen You goes out, he gets recognized, which makes things difficult. It’s even troublesome for him to go shopping with Li Yan, so he can only play at home.

After the show aired for a few days, Chen You’s Weibo followers increased significantly. Now he doesn’t dare to follow anyone casually. It’s not a good feeling to have so many people watching his privacy and wanting to strip him bare. He never thought he would become famous, but it just happened so inexplicably.

With nothing else to do, Chen You spread out some paper to practice calligraphy, hoping to make his signature look better. However, he was never satisfied with how he wrote it. It was either too neat or too comical. His name had too few strokes, making it difficult to put on a pretentious look, and thus it couldn’t reach a high level of sophistication.

His idol’s autograph is so cool, he keeps it as treasure. Then he looked at his, ai.

Chen You was about to call Hu Wei to ask if he could design a signature for him when Hu Wei called back to tell him about his schedule for the next two days, an entertainment program and two commercials.

“What kinds of ads are they?“

“There’s a facial cleanser and another one for removing blackheads.”

“……”

Chen You looked in the mirror and said, “I don’t have any blackheads on my nose.”

Hu Wei said, “They contacted you specifically because you don’t have blackheads, you can just start shooting right away, and there’s no need for photo editing afterward.”

Chen You said, “Isn’t that deceiving consumers? That’s unethical.”

Hu Wei said they could discuss this later, “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs at seven tomorrow morning, along with your assistant.”

Chen You then approached Li Yan and told him about the program and advertisements Hu Wei had mentioned, adding that he was saving money.

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, “Saving money?”

Chen You nodded, reaching into the man’s short hair and deliberately pulling down all the strands he had combed back, so as to conceal the fierce look in his eyes and reduce his sharpness and indifference, “When I’m richer than you, I can take care of you.”

Li Yan leaned back slightly, resting his head on the young man’s lap, and said, “You can take care of me now.”

Chen You scoffed, humph, drop it! Can he take care? No thanks! He’s richer, taller, and bigger than him in every aspect. He’s a behemoth. It’s like God deliberately sent someone to suppress him.

The next day, Chen You saw his assistant. He was a little white rabbit with red lips and white teeth, who shyly called him You Ge. He thought to himself, aiya, aiya, I’m finally a Ge now!

Filming a facial cleanser commercial during the day is not complicated at all. Chen You just need to use the product to wash his face. To quote the advertising slogan, he spent one or two hours just washing his face. The director’s requirements were insane. He required that there be a few water droplets on his face and in which parts of his face. Really, it’s not complicated at all!

The program was recorded in the evening.

Chen You had watched the episode featuring his idol, and his only impression of the beautiful female host was that she laughed as if she were about to run out of breath.

The host was elegant and exuded a mature and intellectual aura. But when she spoke, she transformed into a friendly Da Jiejie, “Your appearance fits the standard of a sunny and handsome young man. You must have many female classmates who like you at school.”

Chen You said, “It’s alright.”

The host said he was being modest, and they talked about this topic for almost ten minutes before moving on to the next segment, what is your dream?

Chen You followed the script exactly. He didn’t memorize it word for word, but he remembered most of it and didn’t make any mistakes. The audience was very good at following the rhythm, clapping when they should clap and screaming when they should scream. They were very professional.

Later, the host talked about 《The Fifth World》 and asked Chen You, who is not from a professional acting background, what it was like to act for the first time, and how he got involved in the acting career.

Chen You said it was a coincidence. He answered the host calmly, occasionally turning his head to look at the audience and interacting with them.

Hu Wei, standing below the stage, gestured to Chen You, telling him to straighten his clothes so that the sponsored watch could be displayed and advertised.

Chen You did as instructed.

Hu Wei breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Li Yan’s sweetheart didn’t throw a tantrum in public, and was sensible.

As it turned out, near the end, Chen You acted out of line, his old habit kicked in, and his legs started shaking.

Hu Wei kept gesturing to him, but when the young man didn’t react, he quickly had the staff hold up a large poster with three huge characters written on it: Don’t shake your leg!

Chen You was still shaking, completely absorbed in the shaking.

Upon seeing the large poster, the host changed the subject and asked about breakdancing.

Chen You’s thoughts were taken away from his leg shaking, and his leg stopped shaking. He talked about the first time he saw breakdancing, his eyes full of memories. He also said that he did a lot of embarrassing things to learn breakdancing back then, which made the audience laugh continuously.

In such a great atmosphere, the host clapped her hands and said, “Let’s welcome Chen You to give us a performance!”

Chen You readily agreed, flashing a row of neat teeth as he smiled at the camera and the audience in front of the television, “Then let’s do a segment.”

He stood up from the sofa, walked to the center of the stage, and swayed his arms and legs to the music, performing several classic moves, including wiping windows and moonwalking, as if he were covered in lightning bolts and his whole body was electrified.

Chen You showed off his cool moves perfectly during this dance, attracting a wave of female fans.

Hu Wei stroked his chin. Young, sunny, warm, innocent, clean, and sincere—these are the words that describe Chen You. He hoped that no matter how he grew up, these qualities would remain forever.

After recording the show, Chen You asked the driver to take the car to a nearby flower shop, where he got out wearing a baseball cap and a mask.

Hu Wei followed behind and asked Chen You what he wanted to do. When he heard that Chen You wanted to buy flowers, his expression became subtle, “Buy flowers? For whom?”

Chen You looked around, “Li Yan.”

The subtle change in Hu Wei’s expression vanished, replaced by horror, “You called him by his name?”

Chen You said yes. The first time he blurted it out, the man didn’t get angry, so he continued calling name. He said, “Hu DaGe, I’ll go in and buy it and then come out.”

Hu Wei urged him to hurry up, saying that the place was too conspicuous and that if passersby recognized him and took pictures of him entering and leaving the flower shop, it would definitely be on the news tomorrow.

Chen You said he knew, and he quickly went into the flower shop. When he came out, he had a bunch of red roses in his hand.

Along the way, Hu Wei would click his tongue every now and then, like a lunatic. He couldn’t imagine what Li Yan would think if he received roses. Anyway, if someone gave him roses, he would be shocked. Okay, he admitted that no one gave him any.

The assistants didn’t dare sit too close to him, instead shuffling closer to Chen You.

Unfortunately, Hu Wei didn’t get to witness Li Yan receiving the flowers firsthand, the car was driven away by the butler as soon as it arrived at the entrance.

The next day, Chen You received a bunch of dolls at the company.

The two of them were very romantic and created little surprises, which was tough on Hu Wei, who had to clean up their mess and cover things up nicely to prevent the paparazzi from stirring things up and making a fuss.

One afternoon, Chen You was chatting with Hu Wei about a script when he received a phone call and rushed back.

Li Yan went to see a friend. He parked his car on the side of the road and had just gotten out when a truck loaded with chemicals drove straight at him and crashed into him, causing an explosion. He reacted quickly and escaped with only minor injuries.

If he had gotten off the car a few seconds earlier, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Chen You was still shaken. He touched the man’s arms and legs, and looked at the bloody cut on his chin with heartache, “Now I can earn a lot of money. Don’t go out and run around anymore. Stay at home. I’ll support you.”

Li Yan’s face twitched slightly, “Good.”

So well-behaved? Chen You blinked, excitedly asking, “Then how much do you spend each month?”

Li Yan said, “I haven’t calculated it.”

Alright, alright, I pretty much know the answer already. That’s enough. Chen You leaned against the man’s chest, avoiding his injured area, “I heard from Hu Wei that my salary has increased by two zeros, and it will continue to increase. I will work harder to earn money. You have to stay with me and make sure nothing happens to you.”

He added, “Well, I’m telling you something, and I hope it doesn’t upset you, but you shouldn’t get involved with organized crime. It’s very dangerous. You should turn over a new leaf and be a good person like me. You’ll be rewarded.”

Li Yan said, “I’m not involved in organized crime, I’m a businessman.”

Chen You, “…” Ai Gege, if you insist on saying it that way, I really can’t help it.

After he informed Hu Wei, he received a call from home, “Youyou, bring your girlfriend along on your Laolao’s birthday. Let’s go out for a meal together.”

(Laolao= Maternal Grandmother)

Chen You immediately felt uncomfortable, “It’s Laolao’s birthday, what kind of image would it be if I brought other people along?”

Chen Weidong said, “This is your Laolao’s wish. She also wants to see you get married soon and hopes to hug our Chen family’s child before she leaves.”

Chen You then reminded his father, “I haven’t received my graduation certificate yet.”

“Son, to tell you the truth.” Chen Weidong sighed, “Didn’t you film a TV series? The one that was really popular online? Now that you’re a celebrity, your XiaoGu, your DaYi, your Jiu, my old classmate, all sorts of people have suddenly become very enthusiastic, all focusing on the fact that you’re not dating anyone yet. The landline at home has been ringing so much that I’m annoyed.”

“They want to arrange a marriage for you, and they’re making all sorts of promises. Dad just says you have a girlfriend and you two are getting along really well, but they don’t believe it. So we’ll just take her over to meet them, and that’ll put an end to it.”

Chen You didn’t believe it. He was sure his father had ulterior motives and was more eager than anyone else to meet his future daughter-in-law, “Dad, have you already agreed?”

Chen Weidong said, “Yes, I agreed.”

Fuck, my dear dad! This is such a big thing, and you didn’t even discuss it with me beforehand! Chen You was in a terrible predicament. In his haste, he said, “I have an event to attend that day, I don’t have time.”

Chen Weidong knew that his son had fans, although he didn’t quite understand the show, couldn’t comprehend the plot, and was even less aware of some online news that said he was a wealthy businessman with assets of over 100 million yuan and that his son was a rich second generation. Who knew what was going on?

“Then come over after you finish the event. It’s okay if you don’t come, but your girlfriend has to come.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen You felt utterly hopeless. Where was he supposed to find a girlfriend to deal with all those distant relatives? Even his assistant was a male.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan remained remarkably calm, saying, “Then let’s go for it.”

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