Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 31

The fear of both gaining and losing comes from the desire to obtain something. You fear not getting it, and once you get it, you fear losing it. But if the premise of “wanting to have” disappears, so does this feeling.

More than a week had passed since returning from Iceland, and the Chen Sheng Wu Guang group chat was becoming increasingly quiet. Everyone was busily diving into new work; even Ran Lin, who usually had the least scheduled appearances, received an advertisement script for a shampoo brand and started focusing on it. By the time he snapped back to reality and thought of Lu Yiyao, he felt an unfamiliar sense of calm.

Perhaps Lu Yiyao played a role in this—since the reality show ended, he hadn’t initiated any private chats, and even in the group chats, he rarely appeared, seemingly back in his workaholic mode. Once, when Lu Yiyao did appear briefly, Ran Lin wanted to remind him not to overwork and faint, which was scary enough. But before he could finish typing, Lu Yiyao disappeared again. Ran Lin hesitated, then deleted the message he had typed.

Lu Yiyao had his agent, family, friends, and assistants; it wasn’t Ran Lin’s place to worry.

<National First Love Drifting Story> had been reversing its misfortune since the fourth episode, with ratings and reputation rising. Although it didn’t explode in popularity as Lu Yiyao had predicted, by the time the seventh episode aired, it was among the top-rated and most talked-about variety shows.

Han Ze had hit the jackpot with perfect timing. His “Black Hole” trait led the seventh episode to the highest single-episode ratings since the show’s launch, particularly after he hilariously sabotaged his teammates in two consecutive games.

Han Ze’s “sabotage” wasn’t stupidity or ineptitude, but a natural, endearing clumsiness. On camera, he looked like he was trying hard to accomplish the tasks, but inevitably, something would go wrong. The audience laughed but didn’t dislike him; instead, they found him adorable.

Even Lu Yiyao’s fans showed the utmost goodwill towards this stand-in guest. Faced with comments like “Han Ze should be a permanent guest,” they remained incredibly restrained, avoiding any major fan wars. Perhaps it was because their energy was focused on worrying about Lu Yiyao—on the night the seventh episode aired, Lu Yiyao’s team released a photo of him weakly hooked up to an IV in the hospital, successfully drawing attention to his absence.

Ran Lin wasn’t too clear about all these details; he hadn’t been checking Weibo much in the past week, busy preparing for the commercial shoot. The brand wanted to capitalize on the reality show’s popularity.

Since selecting Ran Lin as the endorser, the campaign had been in simultaneous planning. They managed to start shooting on April 1^st, just before the last episode of the reality show aired.

“Good thing I got the script and shooting schedule in advance. If they told me today, I definitely wouldn’t believe it.” On the way to the studio, Ran Lin joked with Wang Xi in the car.

Wang Xi looked at him without amusement. “Still thinking about April Fool’s Day? Your work really isn’t demanding enough.”

Ran Lin took a sip of warm soy milk from the cup holder in the door, put down the cup, and sighed almost inaudibly.

Wang Xi frowned and suddenly ruffled his hair with no tenderness in her actions. After messing it up, she looked at her handiwork, satisfied, reveling in the witch-like pleasure of teasing her much younger nephew.

Ran Lin was embarrassed, turning to look out the window. The car’s reflection showed a bird’s nest hairstyle.

“Xi Jie, do you think my hair isn’t messy enough?”

Seeing the lively look in his eyes, Wang Xi was quite pleased. Shrugging indifferently, her makeup-perfect face showed a faint smile. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll have to wash and style it anyway.”

When they arrived at the studio, the brand’s marketing director hadn’t yet arrived. Not all brands send their director to oversee an advertisement shoot; sometimes they send a manager. But this being the first ad collaboration with Ran Lin, it was clear the brand took it seriously.

Since it was a shampoo advertisement, the focus was, of course, on the hair, so as soon as Ran Lin entered the makeup room, his head was no longer his own. Halfway through the styling, the director arrived and headed straight to the makeup room.

The stylist didn’t stop working, so Ran Lin didn’t dare move, only watching through the mirror as Wang Xi greeted the director.

“It’s a surprise to see you here, Mr. He,” Wang Xi said politely to the client.

The marketing director was a man in his forties. He wasn’t tall, had a round face, and dressed in a well-tailored suit and a stylish yet tasteful shirt. He looked younger than his age, with a friendly smile that made his otherwise non-threatening features more approachable. But a closer look at his eyes revealed shrewdness and sharpness, regardless of his facial expression.

As soon as he entered, Ran Lin locked eyes with him in the mirror and caught a fleeting frown.

“No need for formalities. We are all here to work,” he said, shaking hands with Wang Xi, speaking softly but directly, his attention on Ran Lin the whole time. “How’s the progress?”

Without being named, the stylist knew the question was for him and hurriedly answered, “Another twenty minutes.”

Ran Lin doubted this because the stylist had already spent forty minutes on his hair and had only curled half of it.

Ran Lin had thick, medium-textured hair. During the reality show, he kept it about an inch long, styling it with mousse for a sleek look but not too harsh. Left natural, it gave him a fresh, sunny appearance that wasn’t too effeminate. But today, the stylist hadn’t chosen either style, opting instead for a curling iron.

The stylist didn’t use any chemical treatments, just a one-time styling. He wasn’t actually curling the hair but creating some texture and layers with a curling iron. Ran Lin rarely tried such styles, which made him look less like a student and more like a trendy hip-hop artist.

“No need for twenty minutes.” Mr. He walked behind Ran Lin, looking at him and the stylist in the mirror, his smile fading. “Wash all this off now. Forget all your creativity and just blow-dry it. The messier and frizzier, the better, OK?”

The stylist, a slender man in his late twenties with an enchanting figure and a soft, melodious voice, had almost been categorized by Ran Lin as gentle. But upon hearing that everything had to be redone, his face darkened, his chest heaving with anger before he managed to grit out, “O, K.”

His deep, masculine voice was so unexpected that Ran Lin thought he had been dubbed.

Mr. He, seemingly used to being resented, stood by with his arms crossed, calm and composed.

The frustrated stylist put down the curling iron and lightly patted Ran Lin’s shoulder.

Ran Lin got the hint and immediately went to wash his hair again, letting the texture and curls disappear with the water.

The client is king, so Wang Xi couldn’t object. She simply sat in a corner, becoming practically invisible.

After washing his hair again, Ran Lin returned to his student days. The stylist blow-dried his hair halfway, styled his bangs, and reapplied a light makeup. Once the makeup was nearly complete, the hair was let down and blow-dried again, this time according to Mr. He’s instructions: the highest setting, as messy and frizzy as possible. Ran Lin, with his eyes closed, felt like his head was in the hands of a tumble dryer.

When Mr. He finally nodded in satisfaction, exactly twenty minutes had passed.

The hairstyle had gone through several changes, and so did the shooting process.

The ad script was simple: college nerd Ran Lin confesses to a girl he likes, gets instantly rejected, then resolves to transform himself—of course, the focus is on washing his hair. In the end, with persistent determination and a completely new hairstyle—mainly the hairstyle—he wins the girl’s heart.

The shooting environment wasn’t challenging either: a studio and a bathroom, both easy to manage.

The female actress, a model, was very beautiful but lacked acting skills. Despite most shots focusing on Ran Lin, every two minutes the director would shout—

“Cut! Campus beauty, you’re rejecting him, not scared of him. Don’t keep dodging your eyes!”

“Cut! Campus beauty, why are you blushing if you don’t like him?”

“Cut! Campus beauty, you’re blocking the shot with your positioning!”

“Cut!”

“Cut!”

“Cut!”

Countless NGs left the director exhausted. Mr. He, sitting beside him and staring at the monitor, looked like a storm cloud.

Ran Lin was tired too, but seeing the female model close to tears, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy. She probably wouldn’t want to hear the words “campus beauty” for a few years.

After much difficulty, the first half of the shoot was completed, and the model could rest. She darted into the makeup room and stayed there for a long time.

Ran Lin continued with the determined transformation part—washing his hair. All close-ups focused on his foam-covered head, and in the final scene, he closed his eyes under the shower, immersed in the joy of rebirth.

“Cut!” As the director called out, he looked eagerly at Mr. He.

For Ran Lin and Wang Xi, the brand was the financier, and for the director, it was the same.

Mr. He looked serious, pondering so long that the director almost called for another take before he finally nodded slightly.

The director exhaled in relief and lifted his head from the monitor. “Good! Prepare for the next scene.”

Ran Lin, with his hair redone, looked completely different from before. His hair was smooth and natural, light as air, and his makeup had been transformed from deliberately ugly to bright and clear. His skin glowed under the intense lighting.

“You’re wasting your talent in a shampoo ad; you should be doing skin care commercials,” the stylist commented, his initial anger dissipated in the slow shooting process. He had probably forgotten about Mr. He by now and chatted affectionately with Ran Lin.

Ran Lin felt the stylist’s flirtatious eyes seemed to have seen through his “fellow-minded person”, but as the other party didn’t mention it, he played along. “I’ll definitely keep up the skincare routine when I go back.”

“Ah, your hair is so good too.” The stylist didn’t hide his envy, looking at Ran Lin in the mirror with a wistful pout. “Not like me. I lose a handful every time I wash my hair.”

Ran Lin, seeing his buzz cut in the mirror, was amused by the comment. “How do you lose a handful with that length?”

“I’m talking about before.” The stylist sighed with a nostalgic look in his eyes. “I used to have really long hair. It looked amazing, but it fell out so badly I had to cut it.”

Ran Lin almost believed him and sincerely consoled, “They say that after cutting your hair very short, the new growth will be healthier than before, so don’t worry.”

The stylist’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

Ran Lin nodded, then added, “But you shouldn’t eat too much oily food. Something lighter and healthier is better for your scalp.”

The stylist declared resolutely, “I’ll start eating vegetarian tomorrow!”

Ran Lin laughed. “Good luck.”

The stylist quieted down and looked at Ran Lin in the mirror for a while before saying, “You’re really nice, good-natured, and kind-hearted.”

Ran Lin felt a bit embarrassed by the high praise, unsure how he’d earned it, and quickly retorted, “Eating vegetarian might not stop hair loss…”

“That’s not what I meant!” The stylist glared at him irritably, looked around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers, or if there were, they couldn’t hear, then lowered his voice and said, “That Fatty He is notoriously demanding. I’ve worked with his company many times and have rarely seen a celebrity who can meet his bizarre demands without getting upset. You hear the director calling so many cuts, most of them are for him. Last month, he even made Xue… a female celebrity so angry that she walked off the set.”

The stylist seemed to think better of saying the full name and swallowed the rest of it. But in such a small circle, just a surname is enough to make a pretty accurate guess.

“What happened then? Did they continue shooting?”

“Of course, Fatty He personally coaxed the person back.”

In fact, Director He wasn’t fat. It was just his round face put him at a disadvantage. However, Ran Lin was more surprised to learn, “He’s from the brand side, and he personally went to coax someone?”

The stylist’s expression became ambiguous, and his voice grew lower. “The relationship between that female celebrity and the brand’s CEO is extraordinary. It was a directive from the higher-ups. Otherwise, who do you think dares to just strike like that? Most bear it with gritted teeth and a grimace, but still push through.”

Ran Lin had an epiphany.

The stylist patted him on the shoulder and stepped back. “Alright, handsome. It’s your turn to go on stage!”

When Ran Lin reappeared in front of the camera, he was brimming with youth and warm eyes. Holding a guitar, he stood under a garden villa-like backdrop, pouring his heart out to a girl on the balcony.

The wind machine continuously blew gentle breezes, making his hair look suave and flowing.

This segment was to be dubbed and have music added in post-production, so in principle, Ran Lin only needed to strum randomly and howl a few lines.

Holding the guitar, Ran Lin plucked a string and suddenly felt a long-lost nostalgia.

As the crew clapped the slate, the shooting began.

Ran Lin raised his head, looking at the face of his beloved girl, and as he gently strummed his fingers, gentle guitar notes spilled out, forming a heartwarming melody…

The shooting site fell silent, and all the crew members, who were waiting to be tormented by terrible music or at least a cacophony, didn’t expect Ran Lin could actually play the guitar!

As the intro music gradually faded, Ran Lin, smiling softly at the female model, began to sing with half-hummed, half-sung lyrics—

“Recently you’ve become so cold~~ leaving me somewhat at a loss~~ I never expected much~~ but wish you could love me like before~~”

“I’m eating fried chicken in People’s Square~~ wondering where you are at this moment~~ Though you might be deceiving~~ my fatigue makes me too lazy to suspect…”

Ran Lin’s singing voice was slightly huskier than his speaking voice, adding a lazy, enticing quality to the playful melody.

The entire set seemed to freeze, with only him singing and playing.

“Cut—”

Ran Lin was singing passionately, swaying lightly with the rhythm and feeling quite handsome, when his confidence was abruptly shattered.

Before he could react, the director was already on the verge of a breakdown. “Beauty, at least react!!!”

The model, mesmerized by the song, came back to her senses, her embarrassment from being yelled at all day finally erupting. “How can I react if he doesn’t finish singing!”

No one dared to offend the client, but there was always room for contention between others.

The director took a deep breath, looking at the time, which was obviously later than planned, and muttered to himself about not fighting with women, aiming to finish early and wrap up. He then spoke gently to the female model. “You don’t have to wait for him to finish. Just react and show emotion during the song… okay?”

His last words were gentle and prolonged, paired with a strained smile from the director.

The female model pursed her lips in grievance but eventually nodded in agreement, giving face.

Ran Lin, having been tormented all day and now feeling the weight of the wooden guitar, gathered his energy for the final scene.

The wind machine continued to blow, the lights kept shining, and Ran Lin, with a loving gaze towards the female model above, strummed and sang again.

This time, the female model reacted splendidly, showing surprise, shyness, and various emotions, even including a scene where she runs downstairs to face the suitor, all passed in one take.

With Ran Lin raising the shampoo bottle towards the camera and reciting the ad, the tumultuous day of shooting finally came to an end.

Ran Lin went to the dressing room to change clothes. Wang Xi, who had been like air all day, was about to follow, but then saw Director He approaching her corner.

Wang Xi immediately changed direction and greeted him enthusiastically. “Director He, were you satisfied with our performance today?”

Director He nodded, seriously commenting, “Good temperament.”

Wang Xi, half-joking, replied, “You always care about things others don’t.”

If Ran Lin had come over at that moment, he would have realized the relationship between Wang Xi and Director He was closer than he imagined.

But work is work, and personal relationships are separate. Initially, Wang Xi didn’t try to curry favor, and the other party was strictly professional. Now that the shoot was over, they could catch up.

“You always have a way with people, and your eye for talent is accurate,” Director He said, looking at the closed makeup room door. “I think he’ll become famous.”

Wang Xi saw through the old friend’s flattery. “Of course, if he becomes famous, you’ll make a fortune.”

Director He raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like you’re implying our offer wasn’t generous?”

Wang Xi shook her head. “Not implying, stating it plainly.”

Director He couldn’t maintain his aloofness, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “You’re just the contractor. If you were the client, you could swallow people whole.”

“Alright, I need to check how our kid fared after your torment. We’ll talk on the phone later,” Wang Xi said, then hurried into the makeup room.

Director He watched her leave, shaking his head helplessly.

The two had known each other for many years, meeting when he was just a publicist and Wang Xi a mere assistant to an agent. Now, in a blink, they were both forty. They had no unspeakable relationship, but they did share a friendship. The choice of the spokesperson for this ad had several options, but the final decision on Ran Lin was influenced not only by Wang Xi’s efforts but also by Director He’s input.

Capability, financial resources, relationships, and favors—in this industry, anything that can be of use is considered a resource.

“Xi Jie, how do you think I did today?” On the way back, Ran Lin, not hearing Wang Xi speak for a long time, had to ask.

Wang Xi turned to look at the expectation in his eyes, smiling lightly. “Why, starting to fish for compliments?”

Ran Lin looked pleadingly at his manager. “Xi Jie, I got cut by the director countless times today. Can’t you give me some comfort and encouragement.”

“It wasn’t you being cut.” Wang Xi finally praised, “You did well today.”

Ran Lin smiled sheepishly.

“But,” Wang Xi glanced at him lightly, “if I find out you’re hiding any more talents from me…”

Ran Lin swallowed hard, looking pitiful. “Xi Jie, leaving words half unsaid and letting people guess is really terrifying…”

Wang Xi was amused, wanting to ruffle his hair, but restrained herself.

Ran Lin was still in his rising phase; being too lenient with him now would make it difficult to control him in the future.

Wang Xi didn’t like the feeling of not being in control. One uncontrollable element was already enough for her to handle.

Ding—

A WeChat notification sound.

Ran Lin took out his phone to look, and the next second, he couldn’t help but laugh and look towards Liu Wanwan, who was sitting in the front row, turning back with a beaming smile.

The young girl had sent Ran Lin a candid photo of himself. At that time, Ran Lin had just finished his makeup and had his hair smoothly styled. Lost in thought about the script or something else, his gaze seemed a bit distant, making him look exceptionally soft and adorable.

“Not bad, right?” Liu Wanwan imitated Ran Lin’s earlier expression of seeking praise and also spoke to take credit.

Ran Lin was much more generous with his praise than Wang Xi. “Yes, professional level.”

His compliment was partly genuine, not entirely flattery. Liu Wanwan had chosen a particularly good angle for the photo. It wasn’t taken directly in front of Ran Lin but slightly to the side, capturing his most photogenic angle. Moreover, the lights of the makeup table created a halo effect in the photo, making the entire picture seem more mysterious and blending seamlessly with Ran Lin’s expression.

“It looks good.” Wang Xi leaned over to take a look and said directly, “Post it on Weibo.”

Ran Lin understood what she meant. After all, posting selfies had been a major part of his work during his long career as an unknown artist.

He uploaded the picture, didn’t say much, just added an emoji, and clicked send.

The Weibo post was instantly liked. The first to arrive were his female fans, commenting uniformly with “Ran Lin is the handsomest”. Then, a variety of comments followed. There were ones adoring him, calling him “husband”, complaining about heavy beauty filters, and all sorts.

Now, Ran Lin just found Weibo lively and didn’t take it as seriously as he did at the beginning. After scrolling for a while, he exited the app.

At 8 p.m., Beijing was still congested with traffic, and getting home seemed far away.

Ran Lin squinted for a while, unable to sleep, and then, on a whim, took out his phone and opened WeChat to post the same photo on his Moments.

There weren’t many people in Ran Lin’s Moments who could truly be called friends. He posted there mostly to reassure his mother, letting her know what her son was doing every day.

As soon as the photo was posted, he received a new message.

Ran Lin curiously clicked on it, wondering when his mother became so quick. To his surprise, it was Xia Xinran.

And just as he clicked on it, Xia Xinran, who had just liked the post, quickly left a comment: [This makeup looks good! Who is the stylist?]

Luckily, he had asked the makeup artist what his name was earlier.

Ran Lin replied to the comment: [Leo.]

Xia Xinran replied again: [💦]

Ran Lin narrowed his eyes, intuitively feeling that Xia Xinran knew this Leo and that there might be some untold story.

He imagined some unkind scenarios, but Xia Xinran didn’t reply anymore, obviously not wanting to talk about the makeup artist. Ran Lin smiled and didn’t ask further.

……

In Beijing’s Dongcheng District, in front of a certain detached villa, a matte silver sedan reflected a charming light under the moonlight.

It was Lu Yiyao’s beloved car, rarely driven by himself, but today he had the chance, although he couldn’t lift his spirits.

The dinner with his father was, as expected, hard to digest.

But still necessary.

Just like his father knew that lecturing him was useless, but still did it every time they met.

The result was him excusing himself for a schedule tomorrow, hastily leaving the table. His father knew it was an excuse but didn’t expose it, because his workaholic father probably had a busier schedule than his.

Tragic movies don’t become less sad because you know the spoilers in advance.

Similarly, knowing in advance that a dinner would end unhappily, it still ended in “unhappiness”.

He had been sitting in the car, letting the wind blow for ten minutes.

The early April night wind was still piercingly cold, gradually dispelling the suffocation in his heart.

Just as he was about to close the window and start the car, his phone rang. Lu Yiyao saw it was his sister and had an idea what it was about.

“Brother—” Lu Yimeng’s sweet, lingering voice usually only existed in the moment when the call was first connected.

Lu Yiyao’s expression softened unconsciously. “Yeah, just finished eating. About to head home.”

Lu Yimeng sounded surprised. “Just finished? I thought you were already home.”

Lu Yiyao shrugged helplessly. “Dad was on form today, making many tangential points, so it took longer than usual.”

“It’s your temper that’s improved.” Lu Yimeng could guess the situation. “If you had talked back, he would have let you leave right away.”

“I’d rather not. Auntie Zhou would have to clean up for half a day.” Lu Yiyao sighed lightly, rubbing his temples. “Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up. I need to drive.”

“Brother, you don’t love me—”

“I love you to the ends of the earth, but it’s better not to talk on the phone while driving. You too, always remember to drive safely.”

“Can’t you separate your confession to me from the traffic police’s advice!”

Lu Yiyao laughed out loud, fully imagining Lu Yimeng’s angry, hands-on-hips expression, like an infuriated Queen of Hearts.

“Alright, I forgive you.” Lu Yimeng got back to the point. “Don’t forget to come back tomorrow.”

Lu Yiyao sighed. “I dare not forget. I have a way or two to deal with Dad, but against you and Mom, I can only surrender.”

“That’s good to know. Alright, drive now. Love you.” Lu Yimeng was finally satisfied, sending a virtual kiss.

Lu Yiyao subconsciously touched his face, feeling as if the saliva from his sister’s childhood kisses still lingered there.

He was two years older than his sister. Since he could remember, their parents were always busy, and they were mainly raised by the family nanny, Auntie Zhou. Lu Yimeng used to follow him around, or more accurately, cling to him, kissing him eight times a day, leaving him with a psychological shadow for a long time, always feeling his face was wet.

But then their parents divorced, and at twelve, he was sent directly to a boarding school in England, losing the opportunity for his sister’s kisses.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

The cold air stream rushed in through the window, catching Lu Yiyao off guard.

After several sneezes, Lu Yiyao hurriedly closed the window and drove back to his apartment.

When he got home, it was already past nine in the evening. The lights in the living room were off, and Li Tong was sitting on the sofa, deeply engrossed in a movie, not even noticing his entrance.

Lu Yiyao had to reach out to turn on the light, and instantly, the living room lit up brightly.

Li Tong was startled, turned around to see him, and immediately stood up. “Lu Ge, you’re back.”

Seeing Li Tong coming to greet him, Lu Yiyao quickly said, “Don’t worry about me. Keep watching your movie.”

Li Tong verbally agreed but still took his keys and bag, placing them where they belonged. He then turned around and brought over a cup of water. However, he didn’t hand it to Lu Yiyao but placed it on the table instead.

Lu Yiyao was puzzled.

Li Tong explained, “Hong Jie said that when it’s cold, you shouldn’t drink water immediately after coming in from outside. The stomach is filled with cold air, and it needs to be warmed up gradually.”

For the first time, Lu Yiyao realized Li Tong had a magical similarity with Yao Hong in terms of attentiveness.

“Why don’t you watch movies in the home theater?” Lu Yiyao asked, seeing the paused TV in the living room and thinking Li Tong was still too reserved, so he straightforwardly said, “From now on, if you want to watch something, just go to the home theater. The experience is better there.”

Li Tong glanced up at the ceiling, projecting images of “home theater horror scenes” from his memory onto the white space, as if they were flashing by on a screen. Eventually, he looked at Lu Yiyao and firmly shook his head. “No need. The living room is fine.”

Lu Yiyao nodded, assuming it was just a personal preference, and didn’t insist.

After a quick shower and changing into home clothes, Lu Yiyao entered the home theater. This time, he didn’t watch a movie but played a vinyl record.

With the lights dimmed, blues music poured out from the record player, immersing the entire home theater in a nostalgic and romantic atmosphere.

Lu Yiyao lay on the sofa, gazing at his own movie stills, slowly zoning out. His head, which had been aching all evening, finally relaxed…

Ding!

The urgent sound of a WeChat notification, amidst the tranquil blues notes, seemed very out of place.

Lu Yiyao frowned, picked up the phone from the small table beside the sofa, wondering who was ruining the mood. But when he checked, it turned out to be Huo Yuntao.

“What’s up?”

Considering the time difference, it should be just past noon in the UK.

Lu Yiyao couldn’t think of any reason why his friend, who was notoriously fond of napping at noon, would choose this time to disturb him.

“Zoning out.”

Lu Yiyao told the truth.

“Back home?”

Huo Yuntao knew about his family situation and that every time he saw his father, he needed to zone out to stabilize his emotions.

“Yeah. Stop beating around the bush. What’s up?”

With his old friend, Lu Yiyao didn’t bother with niceties or elegance. They had seen each other at their worst, and any pretense would be ridiculed.

There was silence on the other end for a while before a voice message came through. “I’m coming back to China.”

Lu Yiyao sat up suddenly, his voice involuntarily rising, mixed with surprise and joy. “When are you coming back?”

Huo Yuntao: “Next May!”

Lu Yiyao: “…It’s not even this May yet!!!”

Having one true friend in life is enough.

Any more, and you might really be driven to madness.

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