Merry Christmas!
The first day of Essence of Chinese Tradition Orchestra only involved the musicians getting acquainted with each other and familiarizing themselves with the repertoire. Everyone thought they would finish early without eating lunch. However, due to Master Wu’s strictness, they started intense rehearsals after dividing up parts and didn’t show any signs of stopping until three o’clock in the afternoon. The musicians were exhausted and hungry, but no one dared to be the first to ask for an end.
Just as they were dizzy from hunger, the director came in with some staff members, pushing several large food carts. “Master Wu, everyone, you have worked hard. Come, have something to eat first before continuing.” The director smiled and pointed to a man standing at the entrance, explaining, “This meal is generously sponsored by Mr. Pei of Donghai Group as a gesture of friendship, so please eat up and don’t hold back.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked towards the entrance. A tall man in a suit stood at the door, a hint of a smile on his chiseled face as he gazed into the auditorium, his eyes falling on the elegant boy sitting at the guzheng.
Pei Yan.
Qi Feng knitted his brows and avoided the man’s gaze. Although the musicians were focused on their instruments, the hot searches for “#Pei Yan openly chasing his idol#” and “#Qi Feng Pei Yan CP#” dominated the internet these past few days. With just a glance, they could tell this was no ordinary fan chasing an idol. It was clearly a wealthy son pursuing the man he fancied.
Seeing Pei Yan in person at the scene confirmed their suspicions. They chuckled knowingly, “Oh my, thank you, Mr. Pei, for your generosity!”
“Goodness, these are Michelin-starred meal boxes. It’s my first time seeing such lavish catering!”
“We have Qi Feng to thank for letting us see the Donghai Group CEO in person!”
“Mr. Pei, are you here to visit the set or chase your idol?”
…
“I’m here to chase my idol,” Pei Yan replied, his deep, smiling eyes unabashedly fixed on Qi Feng, a hint of starlight glinting in those dark orbs. His well-fitted suit accentuated his tall, stylish figure. With his cold, dignified air, he was the envy of everyone around.
So, this was what a billionaire heir and young executive director of a conglomerate looked like – a height they could never reach but only gaze up to.
Everyone in the room watched him intently as he strode over with long steps and steadily walked up to Qi Feng’s side. With gentlemanly grace, the man lowered himself and gently asked in his magnetic, mellow voice, “Qi Feng, we meet again. I didn’t get your autograph last time. May I request one this time?”
“Good lord, why is my heart racing just watching this?”
“Powerful yet romantic, now this is the ultimate fan!”
“You sure this is just fan chasing?”
“Who could resist this? Having a fan like him must be such a blessing!”
The young musicians huddled excitedly, exclaiming that this seemed less like an idol-fan interaction and more like something else. Floating hearts filled the atmosphere. Some even sneakily took out their phones to capture the helpless, noble boy seated at the guzheng and the tall, handsome man frozen in a frame.
Qi Feng’s body was rigid.
From the moment he saw Pei Yan, unnamed anger and panic stirred within him. Usually calm and composed, he now struggled to remain poised. He really hadn’t expected Pei Yan to act so recklessly, but with everyone watching, he couldn’t berate Pei Yan nor be too overtly rejecting.
The boy remained seated motionless at the guzheng, trying to respond to Pei Yan’s antics with indifference and calm. But meeting Pei Yan’s sparkling dark eyes, his composure wavered.
“Mr. Pei,” Qi Feng said. His tone and tranquil expression carried a hint of detachment. “It would be my honor to give you an autograph.” His slow delivery betrayed the boy’s anger.
Pei Yan bent down on one knee beside Qi Feng’s guzheng stand, taking out a hardcover notebook from his suit pocket with a photo clipped inside – their first photo together on stage from some event.
Pei Yan gently placed the photo by the corner of the guzheng stand and asked, “Could you sign here?” Then he handed Qi Feng a pen.
Kneeling by the seated Qi Feng, Pei Yan’s pose still exuded immense pressure. His presence seemed to saturate the very air, surrounding Qi Feng with his warm, clean scent at every breath.
Qi Feng felt even more flustered and irritated. He took the pen and wrote a few words on the smooth white back of the photo – Don’t do this. I don’t like it!
He wanted to add, Don’t come bother me again! But it was too long. After finishing with an exclamation mark, he handed it back to Pei Yan as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you.” Pei Yan’s eyes curved affectionately at the boy’s angry handwriting. Holding the photo like a treasure, he brought it to his lips as if kissing it, as if answering what Qi Feng had written. “But I like it very much,” he said.
“You…” Qi Feng nearly choked suppressing his provoked anger. He struggled to maintain a calm, detached front.
But Pei Yan’s act of kissing the autograph excited shrieks from onlookers:
“See! And you said this was just fan chasing. Are you sure about that?”
“Shh, don’t spoil it. How unromantic.”
“Did you get his kissing the autograph on video? Too aggressive!”
Master Wu had taken an interest in Qi Feng after the show and knew why Pei Yan was here.
Seeing Pei Yan ask for an autograph, Master Wu’s expression immediately soured. He had no right to say anything to Pei Yan, but he could vent his displeasure to the show’s director:
“Director, we’re here to make music for the show, not engage in flashy antics. If this was supposed to be a rehearsal segment for the show, you should have given me a heads-up. Otherwise, don’t interfere with our practice.”
The director was put in a difficult spot: “Master Wu, here is the situation. Mr. Pei is a new investor for our show. He wanted an autograph from an artist, so we arranged it. Master Wu, you’re a respected master – the finale guest for our show. If you don’t approve, this becomes difficult to handle.”
Overhearing them, Pei Yan walked over and personally offered Master Wu a meal box with a respectful attitude. “My apologies, Master, for disturbing you today. I have long admired your great name and came to see your distinguished presence in person.”
“You flatter me,” Master Wu replied indifferently. As an old musician, he didn’t want to offend the big shot from the business circle either. “But I have poor health and cannot handle such high-end meals you bring.”
“I know,” Pei Yan said gently and steadily. “So, I ordered you some easily digestible nutritional porridge and side dishes to nurture your stomach and regulate your qi and blood. You’re a national treasure. You can’t just work without regard for your health.”
As he spoke, he opened the meal box for the elder. The thick, inviting aroma of cod and vegetable porridge wafted out.
Truthfully, Master Wu was also hungry himself. Saliva nearly spilled from his mouth as he smelled the food.
Seeing Pei Yan’s sincerity, his expression softened somewhat. “Mr. Pei, I’m just a shabby old musician. I don’t deserve such treatment from you.”
“You’re mistaken,” Pei Yan said seriously. “I love traditional music, and you’re the venerable master who has brought it into prominence. All those years, if not for you risking your life to preserve ancient musical scores handed down over millennia, our nation’s musical arts would have been lost completely. That is why I have always deeply respected you.”
Pei Yan actually knew about all that. Master Wu looked at him in surprise and appraised this young man anew.
The chaos of those years – few young people nowadays knew what had transpired. Those who lived through it would never forget. Back then, in order to protect the precious centuries-old musical materials and near-lost scores, he had nearly died. He had only one conviction: life was unimportant; the inheritance of art could not be lost.
After looking at Pei Yan for a while, Master Wu harrumphed and picked up his chopsticks. “Mr. Pei, you must also be a busy man. We’re not free here either. Let’s not waste each other’s time.”
Pei Yan took no offense at all. He accepted the lesson politely. “You’re right, I’ve disturbed the elder. Please excuse me.”
As Pei Yan left, the excited musicians crowded around Qi Feng, chattering and asking about him and Pei Yan. Many expressed envy.
“Alright, enough!” Master Wu clapped for attention. “Have you all practiced your parts well? Hurry up and eat, then continue practicing.”
Afterwards, he walked to Qi Feng’s side and advised solemnly, “Young one, in this world, desires run too deep, easily leading people astray. Let me give you one piece of advice – never forget what you yourself want, no matter when.”
Qi Feng’s mind was still chaotic. He nodded slowly.
What he wants – What did he want?
—
Pei Yan’s high-profile chasing did not cease just because Qi Feng had written: [I don’t like this].
Qi Feng’s schedule grew increasingly packed as his idol career boomed. He had activities and shows to attend nearly every day. And every time, Pei Yan would appear.
In livestream rooms for Gourmet Boutique, Pei Yan entered under his real name, placed orders, gifted rewards, and flooded the chat with gifts. The tens of thousands of fans in the rooms screamed wildly.
At Qi Feng’s show venues, Pei Yan brought his own camera crew to visit and deliver drinks, lunch boxes, and tens of thousands in sponsorships to the show team, earning exclamations of “Daddy!” from the crew.
He even gave every reporter on-site lavish gifts, delighting them into frenzied reporting: [“Pei Yan Visits Qi Feng on Set Again”], [“Wealthy Heir Brazenly Chasing His Idol”]…
As a result, the “#PeiYanQiFeng” hashtag grew increasingly viral, topping trending charts daily and spreading wildly, even reaching major foreign news sites. In a short time, it seemed the whole world knew that Donghai Group’s CEO Pei Yan was madly chasing his idol Qi Feng.
At home, Qi Feng knitted his brows as he flipped through his phone, catching a glimpse of the photos and gifs of him with Pei Yan circulating online, plus fans’ shipping comments.
His heart was a mess. Helplessly, he tossed his phone aside.
Fang Cheng picked it up and advised softly, “Xiao Feng, don’t let it bother you. It’s not anything bad in the end. Everyone knows it’s Mr. Pei chasing you and you haven’t accepted him. As long as you keep rejecting him, we have nothing to lose. It’ll just be…Mr. Pei failing at chasing his idol, that’s all.”
He almost laughed saying that. Seeing Qi Feng’s expression, he held it in and continued, “Mr. Pei doing this has actually boosted your popularity. Your income this month is ten times last month’s. More and more companies want to collaborate with you too. Even a wedding company wants you as their endorser today.”
A wedding company…
Qi Feng had zero desire to take on that endorsement.
He took the phone from Fang Cheng and quickly flipped to Pei Yan’s contact page.
This was also what irked him most – Pei Yan acted so high-profile out there these days yet didn’t send him a single message or call.
Their homes were next to each other, yet Pei Yan hadn’t come to find him at all.
Some overt chasing! It was all a show Pei Yan put on for others!
Uncle Pei must have seen all this already. Was Pei Yan trying to anger Uncle Pei to death?
Just what was Pei Yan scheming?!
Qi Feng’s fair fingertips rested on their chat window for a while before he finally tossed down the phone and headed out.
Fang Cheng hurriedly followed. “Xiao Feng, where are you going?”
“To find Pei Yan,” Qi Feng said, opening the door. “I’m going to talk to him.”
Fang Cheng immediately halted at the door, grinning. “Right, right, go find Mr. Pei to have a good talk. I won’t disturb you two.”
With that, he closed the door, locking Qi Feng out in the corridor leading to Pei Yan’s home.
Qi Feng: …
The author has something to say:
Pei Yan: My wife is coming. I’m nervous, RubbingMyLittleHandsEeagerly.jpg
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