[Ye Jingyun had already seen through it. He intentionally wanted to use me to act in this play for his brother’s sake. He just wanted to use this method to force his brother to agree to acknowledge him.]
[Master Host, was this also within your expectations?] System 2333 really hadn’t anticipated that things could be twisted around like this. The previous script had been followed to set the plotline, yet here he was, blindly letting him make things up.
[It was written in the script that Ye Jingyun is an illegitimate child. Next time, do your homework properly; don’t spend all your time playing mahjong with other systems.］
Feeling rejected, 2333 commented: [So, Master Host, when do you plan to forgive the male lead?]
[Of course, I can’t forgive him so easily. I should be in unbearable pain and unable to accept any explanations right now. The more I suffer, the more it shows how much I love him.］
Though that’s what he’s saying, the system can’t help but feel that something is off. Clearly, Master Host’s task is to have the male lead forgiven by him. Yet now, it seems like the tables have turned, and the male lead is the one seeking his forgiveness.
Chu Yan casually scrolled through other Weibo posts and found that, under the explosive news about Ye Jingyun, the second hottest trend was related to the drama “Thunderstruck.”
Without a doubt, the popularity of this drama far exceeded general expectations. Although netizens found the script impressive, praised the exquisite aesthetics, refined dialogue, and skilled acting of the cast, the consensus was that it was a good drama, capable of becoming popular, but it hadn’t reached the level of a phenomenon.
Furthermore, during its initial stages, the drama appeared ordinary and unremarkable from any perspective. However, what caught people off guard was that after the plot crossed the halfway mark, its viewership ratings gradually left other shows in the same time slot far behind. Its dual-channel daily viewership even exceeded 2%, and its online streaming numbers consistently ranked first. It truly lived up to its name as the year’s hottest drama.
On various forums and Weibo, it almost occupied the top spot on the trending list every day, with the highest discussions centered around the character played by Zhong Yu, Young Master Su.
The character’s immense popularity had the most significant impact on Zhong Yu, providing a new reference point for the public to evaluate his acting skills. His previous subpar performances that had invited mockery on screen were now transformed due to this role, causing the audience to completely change their perception of him.
Moreover, the anti-fans who had previously criticized Zhong Yu’s acting abilities and tried to undermine his reputation in that aspect were left without solid ground to stand on. If they still wanted to mock his acting, all his fans needed to do was share a GIF of a scene from the drama where Young Master Su’s expressive gaze spoke volumes, instantly silencing them.
—
At the airport entrance, Cheng Yang placed Chu Yan’s luggage in the taxi’s trunk. When he turned around, he realized that the person who had been standing behind him had disappeared.
Just then, his pocket vibrated, and Cheng Yang hastily closed the trunk. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Upon seeing the caller ID, he was momentarily taken aback.
“Hello, Mr. Xu?”
Cheng Yang had been Zhong Yu’s assistant for almost a year. When Xu Linshen and Zhong Yu were together, he received quite a few calls inquiring about Zhong Yu’s whereabouts. However, they hadn’t been in contact for almost a month or two now. Getting a call out of the blue like this was quite surprising to him.
…
Chu Yan walked to a nearby park, took a seat, and played games on his phone for a while before realizing that his battery had drained.
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, gradually fading the distant voices until they were nearly inaudible. Occasionally, the stillness was punctuated by the faint chirping of insects.
The park’s lamplights cast a dim glow. Xu Linshen sat in the backseat, absentmindedly observing the figure on the bench. He let out a soft sigh.
He had instructed his driver to search around the airport vicinity, and they had found him easily. He had been trailing him the entire afternoon, yet it seemed like Chu Yan hadn’t noticed him at all.
Over the past three days, he had made countless calls, but Zhong Yu hadn’t answered any of them. However, he thought that even if he managed to get through, he didn’t know what to say.
Yet a strong and ominous intuition compelled him to do so, as if not taking this step would mean losing something forever…
Xu Linshen’s mind was in turmoil. The words Zhong Yu had spoken earlier kept replaying in his head. He meticulously reviewed every detail of their time together, each memory turning over and over in his mind. In doing so, he began to realize many things he hadn’t noticed before.
Because he didn’t want Zhong Yu to feel guilty or uncomfortable, he had hardly ever brought up the accident in front of him. During the filming of “A Wisp of Smoke” he visited the set a few times. He had noticed that Ye Jingyun seemed to take care of Zhong Yu. Interestingly, the fire incident occurred during the filming of scenes involving Zhong Yu and Ye Jingyun.
At that time, everything had been chaotic, but he distinctly remembered hearing that Zhong Yu was still trapped inside. This memory made his mind go blank, which was why he had rushed in despite everything, driven by that statement…
So, their misunderstanding actually started here? Or perhaps it went back even further…
The distant lamplight cast a faint, yellow glow under the shade of the trees. From Xu Linshen’s perspective, he felt as though he was dissolving into the profound darkness of the night.
A subtle, sour sensation welled up in his heart. He struggled to suppress it, but the bitterness spread through his nerve endings, overwhelming him like a deluge. Xu Linshen’s nose tingled; he couldn’t even begin to fathom how much Zhong Yu had endured due to this misunderstanding, which shouldn’t have arisen in the first place.
“Mr. Xu, the weather forecast predicts rain around nine o’clock,” Xiao Meng hesitated for a moment from the driver’s seat before finally reminding him.
He had sat on the park bench for a long time, until the sky grew darker and the park began to empty out. Mosquitoes had become more numerous in the park, and only when dusk was setting in did he stand up. However, just as he was preparing to leave, he heard a familiar voice from behind.
“Zhong Yu.”
Xu Linshen felt like every nerve in his body was stretched taut. There was an unmistakable look of worry and concern in his eyes. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his usually composed and steady demeanor now held a hint of impatience. His voice was hoarse, as if he were explaining himself, “I’ve been looking for you all along, but your manager said you’ve been busy lately…”
Chu Yan turned around, observing Xu Linshen in silence for a while before gently nodding, “I know.”
Xu Linshen saw him standing motionless on his own. He appeared calm and distant in the shadows. From Xu Linshen’s perspective, he noticed the pronounced slenderness of his body’s contours, which seemed unusually evident. It inexplicably evoked a profound sense of sadness.
“It’s going to rain soon. Can you get in the car with me?” Xu Linshen tilted his head to meet Chu Yan’s gaze. This posture was actually quite vulnerable. Since he lost the ability to stand, he has always resisted communicating with others in this manner.
The night was enveloped by the glow of neon lights, and the entire city merged into a sparkling sea of lights.
Chu Yan crouched down, looking at him. After a long while, he lowered his gaze and softly said, “I’m sorry.”
Xu Linshen was taken aback before he rasped, “Why are you apologizing to me? It’s not your fault… I should have told you all of this earlier… I let you misunderstand…”
Chu Yan shook his head, forcing a slight smile that didn’t quite reach his lips. His tone was pallid and bitter, “It’s ridiculous when I think about it now. I’ve done so much, but in the end, it was all my own doing…”
He paused, his throat catching: “In these past six months, every time I thought about the two of you, I… I felt… I felt that I was acting absurdly and ridiculously. There were even several times when I wanted to ask you directly, why? Why did you treat me like this?”
Xu Linshen gazed at him, feeling as if steel needles were piercing his veins, sending waves of excruciating pain from the depths of his heart, making even breathing difficult. The pain and self-reproach welled up in his eyes, and in a hoarse voice, he said, “I’m sorry… it’s all my fault… all my fault…”
Chu Yan let out another bitter, sardonic laugh, his lips pressed tightly together. His voice choked uncontrollably, “…”
Due to the forceful restraint, his voice sounded like a series of hoarse and desperate sobs, so muffled that they were nearly incomprehensible.
Xu Linshen sighed deeply, raising his hand to gently stroke his hair. However, a bitter taste spread to his heart, and he softly coaxed, “Shall we go back for now? You haven’t eaten all day. How about we go back and have something to eat?”
—
“Mr. Xu, the porridge is cooked and placed on the dining table. Do you need me to bring it in?” Xiao Meng spoke and couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the sofa, secretly amazed.
“Do you want to eat something first?” Xu Linshen wiped the medicine off his arm, looking at the conspicuous red marks on it. He felt both distressed and angry. With so many mosquitoes in the park, did he dare to sit there in short sleeves?
Chu Yan was completely submerged in the sofa, his expressionless face hanging low. His dark eyelashes were still damp, and not a trace of excess color could be seen on his face.
Xu Linshen sighed, “Go ahead and bring it.”
A bowl of porridge and a few side dishes were placed in front of him. Xu Linshen observed that Chu Yan still wasn’t looking at him, and after hesitating for a moment, he whispered, “Rest well after eating. I’ll have someone prepare hot water for you.”
Chu Yan remained silent, not even moving. Xu Linshen couldn’t leave him like this, so he continued coaxing, “After sitting on the plane for so long and not eating all day, your body won’t hold up. Be a good boy, have some porridge, and rest early, okay?”
“Why don’t you blame me…”
Chu Yan looked up at Xu Linshen, his voice carrying a profound bitterness from not speaking for a long time, “I misunderstood you. I treated you that way before. Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”
Xu Linshen’s muscles stiffened, and the painful and unbearable memories flooded back into his mind. He had forced himself to recall these memories repeatedly over the past six months, just to engrave the pain and the resentment in his heart.
In the past, he had thought that the mockery and disdain in Zhong Yu’s gaze were directed at his disabled legs. He resented Zhong Yu’s cold selfishness, and he resented himself for being ridiculous and pitiful. But now, looking back, Zhong Yu probably didn’t fare much better at that time. Perhaps, with his proud personality, being misunderstood by Xu Linshen in such a way might have been even more painful than Xu Linshen’s own suffering.
And yet, he had let the Lehua incident provoke his anger towards Zhong Yu. Thinking about this, waves of pain and guilt surged over him like a tidal wave.
Even under that misunderstanding, Zhong Yu had never betrayed their feelings. But what about him? His actions at that time probably shattered Zhong Yu’s heart long ago.
Chu Yan gave a bitter smile, “I should have asked you directly at that time, but I didn’t.”
Xu Linshen’s throat tightened. He gently brushed his fingers against Chu Yan’s cheek, whispering with tender concern, “Don’t think about these things anymore. What you need now is to rest.”
Chu Yan looked at him for a long time. He didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally nodded slowly.
For several consecutive days, Chu Yan remained in this state, which worried Xu Linshen. He could only encourage Chu Yan to rest at home for a few days and reschedule his work commitments wherever possible.
During these days, Xu Linshen himself was also very busy. The fact that Ye Jingyun was recognized by the Xu family undoubtedly had significant implications, both for him and for the Xu family.
Over the past two years, his father has subtly mentioned this matter to him. He had been hesitant to agree for two reasons: firstly, the revelation of having an illegitimate child could affect the reputation of the Xu family, and secondly, at that time, his own foundation wasn’t stable enough. Additionally, his mother was also reluctant to concede.
However, the situation is drastically different now…
Most importantly, he couldn’t wait any longer. If Chu Yan could misunderstand, others might as well. This method should be the simplest and most straightforward approach.
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