A low, powerful rebuke resonated through the heavy air, making everyone shudder.
Qi Feng’s face instantly paled – it was Uncle Pei! Uncle Pei had come today too.
The one he dreaded facing the most.
Pei Junhai had a stern expression as he strode over and gritted his teeth to threaten in a low voice, “Pei Yan, if you don’t want anything to happen to him, leave with me immediately.”
‘Him’ referred to Qi Feng. After all, if Pei Junhai wanted to ruin a small celebrity, it would be as easy as flipping his hand.
Qi Feng’s hands were tightly clenched at his sides.
Seeing Pei Yan stubbornly unmoving, Pei Junhai coldly said, “Pei Yan, I mean what I say.”
Pei Yan pressed his lips together and finally left resentfully.
Fearing Pei Junhai would vent his anger on Qi Feng, Cheng Yu explained, “Chairman Pei, if you investigate a little, you’ll understand this matter has nothing to do with Qi Feng. It was Pei Yan pestering him…”
“Enough.” Pei Junhai harshly cut him off, “When does his endorsement contract expire?”
‘He’ naturally referred to Qi Feng.
Cheng Yu: “Around…half a year left.”
Pei Junhai: “Terminate the contract when it expires. Don’t let him appear with Donghai Group afterward.”
Cheng Yu didn’t reply, only watching as Pei Junhai left.
Qi Feng’s heart twisted.
From young till now, he had gone through many sad things, but this was perhaps the most heartbreaking.
Just now, Uncle Pei didn’t even look at him directly, yet every word was like a sharp stone, heavily smashing his soft heart.
It hurt so much he wanted to cry.
Cheng Yu looked down to see Qi Feng’s pale complexion and thought he was sad over losing Donghai Group’s endorsement.
He quickly reassured, “Changing endorsements isn’t only Chairman Pei’s decision. The PR and upper management need to consider it together. Your work for Donghai Group has been very beneficial, I’ll make sure the company keeps you on later.”
Qi Feng silently shook his head.
Cheng Yu: “Moreover, even if you lose Donghai Group’s endorsement, I can find you resources of similar value. You’re clearly the victim in this matter, everyone knows it’s Pei Yan making unreasonable demands and harming you. It won’t affect your work as an artist.”
“Thank you, President Cheng,” the boy looked up at the tall man, his eyes holding lingering sadness and helplessness after the hurt, “Fortunately…you’re here.”
Fortunately…he was here.
Qi Feng was relying on him.
He could finally become the pillar of support for the noble Young Master Qi he had yearned for but couldn’t reach.
Cheng Yu’s satisfaction surged. Even his face felt hot.
“I’m a little tired tonight, I can’t drink with you after the gala ends. But I’ll do a guqin livestream when I get home.”
Qi Feng awkwardly spoke hesitantly, “If…I mean, if you like any pieces, I can play them for you during the stream.”
Cheng Yu only suggested drinks to test the waters, but now Qi Feng’s attitude was abundantly clear.
He could barely conceal the trembling joy in his voice as he asked, “Could you play the guqin piece Phoenix Seeking Phoenix for me?”
“Phoenix Seeking Phoenix?”
Qi Feng recalled someone persistently sending gifts during a stream, asking him to play this song. He had instinctively refused then. Thinking back now, that person was probably Cheng Yu.
So, Cheng Yu had started paying attention to him so long ago.
He said awkwardly, “President Cheng, I’m not very good at this piece. Why don’t I practice it a few times first when I get back, then play it for you once I’m familiar with it? After all, my fans will be disappointed if I don’t play well during the stream.”
“No problem, no problem,” Cheng Yu didn’t want Qi Feng playing this song in front of so many either, he quickly said, “You practice first. Once you’ve gotten it down later, play it for me to hear first, okay?”
Qi Feng nodded, “Okay.”
—
The gala ended and Cheng Yu bid Qi Feng goodbye before getting in his car home.
The assistant driving kept glancing back at him, “President Cheng, you look to be in a great mood.”
Cheng Yu smiled, “Eyes on the road.”
The assistant replied, “Yes, sir.”
Cheng Yu cradled his face, gazing at the glittering cityscape.
No one knew he was reborn with his memories. He knew everything that happened in his past life.
Just like his previous life, his father was a subordinate of Pei Yan’s father. And he was always beneath Pei Yan as well.
At first, he was very afraid, afraid Pei Yan would find out what he had done. But from young till now, he had probed Pei Yan many times and found that Pei Yan had no memories at all. Likewise, Uncle Pei, Qi Feng, and the others had no memories either.
He alone knew everything.
He could clearly remember the first time he met Qi Feng.
That time, it was Grand Duke Qi’s grand celebration banquet. He followed his father to Qi Manor for the feast. While the adults were drinking and chatting, the children ran off to play in the Qi family gardens.
The Cheng family’s status wasn’t high in court, so his status naturally couldn’t compare to the children of princely and noble families attending the banquet.
So, he became the bullying target.
At that time, he didn’t yet understand the difference in status. He only knew that when he wanted to hit back at the boy bullying him, his father’s guards held him back, saying, “Young master, he’s the little prince. You absolutely can’t lay a hand on him.”
Yet he was beaten down again by the little prince, those kids sitting on him, yanking his headband, tearing his expensive ceremonial robes.
And his strong guards only coaxed and pleaded with those children, not even daring to pull them away.
When he was furious and despairing, a beautiful little boy appeared and stopped the little prince.
The boy helped him up with clean, soft hands and sternly lectured the little prince, “You should apologize to him.”
The little prince didn’t make a sound, but the other children obediently said sorry before scattering away together.
Only later did he find out that the beautiful child was the eldest grandson of Grand Duke Qi, his status comparable to the little prince who bullied him.
After that, he often thought about that boy, wanting to see him, play with him, and hold his soft little hand again.
He later heard that the boy was dragged into a pond by General Pei’s son, Pei Yan, and caught a cold from it.
He was so worried and wanted to visit him at Qi Manor. When he was lingering outside Qi Feng’s high walls, he encountered the culprit behind Qi Feng’s illness – Pei Yan.
Without a word, Pei Yan pinned him down and used his shoulder to jump over the Qi manor walls.
While he could only stand outside waiting for Pei Yan to come out.
Afterward, whenever Pei Yan wanted to sneak into Qi Manor, he would bring him along. He became Pei Yan’s human stepping stool to see Qi Feng.
His young self didn’t understand humiliation.
Every time he would obediently wait outside the high walls for Pei Yan to return, then ask about the boy’s well-being. Just hearing news of him from Pei Yan made him very happy, as if he had seen Qi Feng with his own eyes.
Later on, the Qi household declined, and the boy was sent to Yong’an Music Hall in the capital and disappeared without news for years.
Until Pei Yan became a young general and he became one of Pei Yan’s deputy generals.
Pei Yan brought him to the music hall, and he saw the noble young master from his memories again.
On the high platform, the young master in white was elegant and noble, distant and unreachable. Despite the vulgarity surrounding him, he remained like a flawless jade – alluring, every stroke of his qin brought calmness and soft resilience. A mole at the corner of his lip was inexplicably charming.
That time, he finally understood why he couldn’t forget the boy over the years, why he kept thinking about him.
It turned out this was what liking someone felt like.
But someone was even more insane and persistent than him.
He watched Pei Yan competing fiercely at the music hall, threatening any guests who wanted to buy Qi Feng’s freedom, beating up the frivolous prince who offended Qi Feng, causing a great stir in the city with his pursuit. Everyone in the capital knew Qi Feng was protected by Pei Yan, joking about them in the streets and lanes as if the noble young master already belonged to Pei Yan.
Yet he could only watch on helplessly, listening.
Until Pei Yan knelt in the grand court hall before the Emperor, vowing a military achievement: If Your Majesty grants this subject a great victory, I wish to marry Young Master Qi Feng of Yong’an Music Hall.
The ministers laughed uproariously while Pei Junhai fumed at the side, body trembling.
For the first time, he felt the crisis of impending loss.
Because he knew how powerful Pei Yan was and that he would surely win this battle.
As long as Pei Yan died, as long as Pei Yan died, as long as Pei Yan died…
The battlefield was strewn with corpses, the air thick with blood. Pei Yan beheaded the enemy commander, waving the banner triumphantly as he stabbed it into the blood-soaked earth, facing the wind and shouting loudly, “Cheng Yu, we’ve won! I can go home and marry Qi Feng now!”
He gripped his blade tightly and mustered all his strength to stab Pei Yan’s chest.
Pei Yan looked at him with shock and incomprehension, staring straight at him until death.
“Ahhh—”
Cheng Yu woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat, fingers trembling. His mind was filled with Pei Yan’s glare at him in death.
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