Chapter 28.1: Father and Son

　　Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhang Yiming remained completely unfazed, lifting his head to look at Yang Chen with a look of confusion. “Hmm? Did you misunderstand something? Chenchen, if there’s some misunderstanding between us, let’s talk it out.”

　　His voice did not waver in the slightest, as if he had done nothing wrong and was still maintaining that image of the perfect gentleman.

　　Yang Chen’s eyes narrowed at the sight of that hypocritical smile, his face contorting with sheer disgust.

　　Cui Hang leaned toward Gu Panqiu and whispered, “That is the kind of mentality only a top-tier player has. Even when death is staring him down, he can still lie through his teeth without batting an eye. I can’t believe I once thought he was just a handsome, nice guy… Wow, he’s really great at deceiving others.”

　　Zhang Yiming’s gentle, polite smile made Gu Panqiu’s stomach turn. He muttered softly, “Maybe it’s because he’s never sincere… so that’s why he has no shame either.”

　　“Even the cat would’ve been traumatized after watching that,” Cui Hang muttered, clapping a hand over his Golden British Shorthair’s eyes. “Little kitties aren’t supposed to see such filthy things. Come here, Jiujiu—” 

　　He was just about to call the little boy over when he looked up and saw that Fu Yue was already making his way to the kitchen with Jiujiu in his arms, making a swift escape from the not-so-kid-friendly scene.

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　　Qw Vydikw nbwnjzle, “Txx? Ebyv es usw xlyd cu ‘byhl’? Nkjl rlydwvp¹ Tlal, “花生” (bwāpbēdt) kp y rwd sd vbl osae “生” (pbēdt), obknb xlydp “vs byhl” sa “vs tkhl ckavb.” Qw Vydikw bwxsaswpzu xkpkdvlaralvp vbl iwlpvksd yp alqlaakdt vs rlydwvp kdpvlye sq y nbkze. ?”

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　　He jabbed a finger at Zhang Yiming’s nose. “Do you think no one knows what kind of person you really are? If you’ve got the guts, why not show everyone your WeChat and how many wives you have? Bet you’re pretty busy at night; Working at the law firm by day and responding to your wives at night. You really are a master of time management!”

　　Zhang Yiming clicked his tongue and cooed softly, “Chenchen, you’re overthinking. They’re all my clients. Of course, I have to reply.”

　　“And Lu Yao?” Yang Chen shot back. “He’s also a client of yours?!”

　　Zhang Yiming’s face twisted in anguish. “Well, since you brought it up, I’ll explain. I was interested in you at first, but after getting to know you, I realized we weren’t right for each other. I was afraid of hurting you, so I kept quiet. I didn’t handle your feelings properly, and that’s on me. I’m truly sorry.”

　　His words made it sound as if he had been the one who had been patient with Yang Chen, whose stomach churned with disgust, and fury left him momentarily speechless.

　　The bedroom door on the second floor slammed open. Lu Yao, expressionless in his bathrobe, stormed onto the staircase and shouted, “Screw your bullshit! Who do you think you’re fooling? You two kept me up all night fighting, and now you’re pretending to be all innocent?!”

　　Zhang Yiming looked up, unfazed. “We played some music last night, so it was a bit loud. My apologies.”

　　Yang Chen sneered, unable to hold back any longer.

　　“Zhang Yiming, you’re leaving me no choice! You’re hopeless in bed! Not only is it short and soft, but you also can’t last a second. How do you even have the nerve to go around provoking people? Trying to prove your sorry excuse for a manhood out of insecurity?”

　　Zhang Yiming’s expression darkened. “You’re talking nonsense!”

　　Yang Chen continued, “Oh, so you’re mad now, Lawyer Zhang? Did I hit a nerve? What’s wrong, can’t keep up the facade anymore?”

　　Zhang Yiming’s face contorted with rage, turning crimson. “That’s a load of rubbish! You’re slandering me!”

　　Yang Chen held up two fingers in a mocking vow. “If I’m lying, may lightning strike me! You’re short and sleazy; I was blind ever to be interested in you! Go to hell!”

　　In that instant, Zhang Yiming felt utterly humiliated, as if he could not survive on this planet, and dashed to his room to pack his things.

　　Cui Hang clicked his tongue. “Well, well, not bad, my boy. Looks like you’ve finally woken up.”

　　Gu Panqiu nodded. “Yeah, trash like that should be tossed in the garbage and set on fire.”

　　Moments later, Zhang Yiming stormed out of the set with his luggage, and the farce finally came to an end.

　　Fu Yue was in the kitchen, simmering a pot of taro balls. Jiujiu climbed onto his little stool, eyes wide as he watched the little doughy spheres swirl in the pot, his cat-like curiosity practically sprouting ears.

　　Jiujiu flinched as Zhang Yiming slammed the door on his way out. He turned to Fu Yue and whispered, “Were those two uncles… arguing just now?”

　　Fu Yue nodded. “Yes, they were.”

　　“I don’t like watching people argue,” Jiujiu twisted his tiny hands together. “It’s too scary.”

　　“That’s because you’re a kind little boy,” Fu Yue commented. “But if anyone ever bullies you at kindergarten, Uncle hopes you can stand up for yourself. And if they still don’t change, then you tell your daddy.”

　　Jiujiu nodded, not really understanding. “If I tell you, Uncle, will you help me?”

　　Fu Yue’s voice grew serious. “Of course.”

　　Little by little, the boy began to trust him. They seemed naturally drawn to each other, so Jiujiu did not think Fu Yue was a stranger. On the contrary, he felt safe whenever he was near him.

　　He fiddled with his fingers, lowered his lashes, and whispered, “Uncle…”

　　Fu Yue hummed in response, then scooped out the freshly cooked taro balls and drizzled them with coconut milk.

　　“You gonna quit smoking with Daddy?” Jiujiu looked up at him with big, earnest eyes. “Teacher says smoking’s bad.”

　　Sometimes, Fu Yue could not help marveling at children. They were tiny and innocent, yet so astonishingly perceptive, and each with their own little concerns.

　　He placed the bowl of taro balls with coconut milk in front of Jiujiu and ruffled his soft curls. “Yeah.”

　　Jiujiu held out a tiny finger. “Let’s pinky promise!”

　　Fu Yue felt a warmth in his heart as he hooked his finger with Jiujiu’s. “Okay. Now eat up.”

　　The little boy puffed out his cheeks and gazed at him earnestly. “Uncle, come here… I want to tell you a secret…”

　　Fu Yue laughed, scooping him into his arms. “You have more secrets?”

***

　　Even after Zhang Yiming left, everyone in the living room stayed where they were.

　　Yang Chen leaned against Gu Panqiu’s shoulder, tears silently streaking his face. Gu Panqiu gently wiped them away, offering a small smile. “Chenchen, you were really impressive just now. But a brief, messy fling like that isn’t worth crying over.”

　　Yang Chen sniffled. “Really?”

　　“Really,” Gu Panqiu chuckled. “Life has its ups and downs, and just think of this as weathering a storm.”

　　“And he’s gone,” Cui Hang added, propping his chin on his hand. “Which means a new handsome guy will show up next. Look, our show always brings in top-tier guys like CEO Fu or Teacher Shen. The next one will be even better.”

　　Yang Chen brightened immediately and glanced at the clock. “It’s almost eight-thirty! Let’s watch Qiuqiu’s debut on the music show!”

　　The guests in the living room switched on the projector, and the final episode of the Solo auditions started playing. When Fu Yue’s striking face appeared on the screen, every pair of eyes locked onto him.

　　In this episode, CEO Fu wore gold-rimmed glasses and a crisp black wool suit—his aura as the entertainment world’s crown prince blazing at full power. After all, the fate of every contestant rested entirely in his hands.

　　All it took was one glance, and Xiao Luo nearly melted on the spot. “Damn, I wanna be his dog again.”

　　News of Gu Panqiu’s return to the music scene had spread like wildfire across every forum. Even before the latest episode of Solo had aired, whispers of his advancement were everywhere.

　　Over the past week, the chatter about him had not stopped. His Weibo inbox was bombarded with messages from haters, yet Gu Panqiu scrolled past them all as if he had not even noticed.