The next morning, Lan Xingchen had breakfast with Wen Yuan and Zhou Man.
As they were finishing, Lan Xingchen asked Zhou Man, “Do you want to meet my parents?”
Zhou Man’s expression changed immediately, her eyes wide in surprise.
For all these years, she had visited the graves of Lan He and Lu Yinkong every year with Wen Yuan—not as their student, but as Wen Yuan’s wife.
Of course, she wanted to visit as their student this time, but Lan Xingchen didn’t like it, so she respected the wishes of their only child.
“You… you’re willing?” she finally asked, unsure how to phrase it.
Lan Xingchen nodded.
He had crossed that emotional barrier last night and no longer cared about lingering resentment.
“Don’t worry. I can wait,” Zhou Man said softly. “No rush.”
After all, she had waited all these years—what was a little longer? What mattered most was that he truly wanted it.
“It’s fine,” Lan Xingchen smiled. “Let’s go next year—Qingming Festival, together.”
“Okay,” Zhou Man agreed.
After breakfast, Lan Xingchen prepared to leave. Both Wen Yuan and Zhou Man had work, and he had promised Pei Qingjian he would come to see him.
He went out to get his car.
On the way back, Lan Xingchen felt unusually light-hearted. Unlike the complex, uneasy feelings from earlier, his mind now felt as fresh as the sky after an autumn rain—though there remained some blank space, built up over many years, that wouldn’t quickly fill, it was still refreshing.
The burdens that had weighed on his heart were gone. He no longer had to carefully navigate interactions with Zhou Man and Wen Yuan. He could go home whenever he wanted, or stay out.
He didn’t need to worry whether his presence was inappropriate or disrupted others’ happiness.
He had shattered his old baggage and was starting anew.
Pei Qingjian had no scenes with Ning Rong that day; his scene partner was Qin Huashu, who played his mother.
After many days of working together, Qin Huashu had grown fond of him, and the two chatted after finishing lines.
“How long have you been acting seriously, Xiao Pei?” she asked.
Pei Qingjian thought for a moment, deliberately ignoring the original host’s past projects, and said, “About half a year. I did two projects before, but I didn’t know much, so my acting wasn’t good.”
“That’s impressive!” Qin Huashu said. “Just half a year, and you’re this good?”
Pei Qingjian felt a little embarrassed. “Really?”
“Yes,” she smiled. “When I was young, it took me three years before I really understood acting. Back then, the director of our crew told me, ‘You’re only in this business because you’re pretty—otherwise, you’d have no place here.’ Hahaha.”
Hearing her frank laughter, Pei Qingjian laughed along. “Teacher Qin, you’re still beautiful now, elegant too. I’ve seen people online say it’s a shame for you to play mothers—you should be the leading lady, in a business-war drama.”
Qin Huashu laughed again. “I’d love to, but there just isn’t a suitable script. At our age, any role is a blessing.”
“That’s because your acting is great and you’re still so charismatic. That’s why people remember you and lament for you,” he said.
Qin Huashu looked at him and, as expected, liked him. She noticed how articulate he was.
A thought came to her. “Xiao Pei, do you have a girlfriend?”
Pei Qingjian shook his head.
“Then I’ll introduce someone to you!” Qin Huashu said eagerly. “Huang’s daughter—you know Teacher Huang, right? Huang Yu, from Rouge’s Passion? Her daughter is gorgeous, with a great personality, in the industry, about your age. You could start as friends and see if you get along.”
Pei Qingjian: ???
Lan Xingchen, arriving at the set just then: !!!
Well, in the drama, she was introducing him, and now off-set, his “mom” wanted to set him up too.
Pei Qingjian was completely unaware that Lan Xingchen had arrived, his attention solely on Qin Huashu.
“Thank you for your concern, but my manager won’t allow me to date right now.”
Lan Xingchen exhaled in relief. All right, all right, Zhou Peng—well done!
Qin Huashu nodded upon hearing this. “True, with your momentum right now, dating wouldn’t be wise.”
Pei Qingjian smiled. “Mostly, I just don’t have the mindset for a relationship at the moment. I want to earn more, film more, and improve my acting.”
Qin Huashu laughed again. “I didn’t expect you to be so career-focused, hahaha. That’s good—young people should focus on their careers. When I was young, I was all about my career too.”
“Mm,” Pei Qingjian smiled.
Lan Xingchen cleared his throat and interjected. “I agree with that too.”
Pei Qingjian: ???!!!
Turning around, he realized Lan Xingchen had somehow appeared behind him.
“How did you come back so quickly?” he exclaimed, standing up in surprise with a bright smile. “I thought you’d come in the afternoon or evening.”
“No need,” Lan Xingchen said, lifting the corners of his lips at the sight of Pei Qingjian smiling. “We settled it last night. They have work this morning, and I was thinking of you, so I came over.”
“Wait for me—I haven’t finished filming yet.”
“Okay,” Lan Xingchen agreed.
Qin Huashu glanced between them, then quietly looked away. Something about their atmosphere felt… off.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the relationship between her son and his friend? Then what was going on here?
Just then, Pei Qingjian said to her, “Teacher Qin, I’ll head back first.”
“Okay,” she smiled. “If you have any questions, come ask anytime.”
“Mm, thanks.”
Lan Xingchen also nodded at Qin Huashu politely.
But her earlier comment reminded him: right now, Pei Qingjian was his “golden canary” under contract—he wouldn’t be dating. But what about afterward?
Once the contract ended and they became friends, what if Pei Qingjian suddenly met someone and started a relationship?
Lan Xingchen’s heart tightened at the thought.
He keenly realized he didn’t want Pei Qingjian dating too early—if Pei Qingjian fell for someone, his attention would naturally shift. He might no longer be able to talk to him or seek him out as often.
But as friends, there was no way to compare himself to a romantic partner.
As a partner, though, of course, he’d be the priority.
Lan Xingchen studied Pei Qingjian subtly, feeling a twinge of unease.
“You really don’t want to date for now?” he asked.
Pei Qingjian nodded. “Mm.”
“And in the future? When do you plan to date?”
Pei Qingjian was surprised—he’d never thought about that.
“That’s not something I decide on whim. It depends on meeting someone I like, someone who likes me too.”
“Then what kind of person do you like?” Lan Xingchen asked, concerned.
Pei Qingjian vaguely imagined a figure, but quickly let the thought pass, keeping his mind blank.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll know when I meet them.”
Lan Xingchen: …
At a loss, he reminded him, “Your circle is complicated, you’re young and innocent—it’s easy to meet the wrong people. Be cautious, choose quality over quantity. Understand?”
Pei Qingjian nodded earnestly. “Mm, mm.”
Lan Xingchen still felt uneasy. “Show me if you meet someone—I’ll help you judge.”
Pei Qingjian nodded again.
Lan Xingchen’s unease lingered. What if Pei Qingjian grew attached before he realized the person was no good?
Such matters must be stopped at the start.
He decided: from now on, he would visit Pei Qingjian on every set. Not only visit, but come early, so he could intervene early if Pei Qingjian showed interest in someone questionable.
This thought eased him slightly.
While Pei Qingjian filmed with Qin Huashu, Lan Xingchen reminded Zhou Pengyue, “You have my WeChat, right? If anyone has bad intentions toward Qingjian, tell me early.”
Zhou Pengyue: …isn’t that you already? Who else would have ill intentions?!
“Mm,” Zhou Pengyue nodded knowingly.
Finally reassured, Lan Xingchen watched Pei Qingjian filming, focusing on his work.
Good—men should build their careers. Then, no matter who flirts or likes him, he won’t be distracted or hurt, and no one will take precedence over him.
Pei Qingjian’s scenes were numerous that day; filming went on past lunch.
In the evening, Ning Rong arrived.
She had received a voice message from Zhou Man at noon, telling their group about Lan Xingchen’s actions last night.
Ning Rong was stunned—she hadn’t expected that Lan Xingchen genuinely thought they disliked him.
Even more surprising, he had considered himself part of Zhou Man’s family, seeing the household as having three children!
Ning Rong reflected seriously and realized that Lan Xingchen’s visit last night was very likely because of Pei Qingjian.
She remembered his initial misunderstanding, her own failure to inform Zhou Man and her brother about secretly seeing Pei Qingjian, and finally Lan Xingchen’s behavior last night.
Suddenly, she reached a conclusion: sometimes her brother wasn’t entirely reliable.
From childhood, Ning Yuan had always protected Ning Rong, which led her to admire and obey him unquestioningly.
But now, she had her own idea.
After finishing filming, she nervously approached Pei Qingjian and asked, “Xiao Pei, didn’t you say a couple of days ago that you wanted to eat hot pot? I found a place that’s really delicious. Do you want to go?”
After saying that, she mustered up more courage and looked at Lan Xingchen. “Xingchen, you come too. Their spicy hot pot is really good—you’ll definitely like it.”
Lan Xingchen: …
Lan Xingchen watched her gaze burningly fixed on him and was reminded of what Wen Yuan had said about their childhood acquaintance.
He truly had no memory of it. He was probably too young at the time, and over the years he had deliberately sealed that memory away. Now, even if he wanted to recall it, he didn’t know where to start.
Pei Qingjian said nothing, only looking at Lan Xingchen.
If Lan Xingchen didn’t want to go, then naturally, he wouldn’t go either.
“I don’t really eat spicy food right now,” Lan Xingchen said calmly.
Ning Rong was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit lost.
She blinked and was about to say, “That’s fine, then never mind,” when she heard Lan Xingchen speak again. “Do you have tomato hot pot?”
Ning Rong: !!!
She quickly nodded, “Y-yes, we do, we do.”
“Good,” Lan Xingchen said.
Ning Rong was overjoyed. “Then the three of us will go together tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
Ning Rong’s face lit up instantly with a radiant smile. She seemed to want to say something more but didn’t know how, so she could only look at them shyly and said, “You should head back and rest now. It’s already late, and be careful on the way.”
“Xiao Pei, you too—get some rest. We’ll see each other tomorrow morning.”
“Okay,” Pei Qingjian smiled.
Ning Rong happily cast them one last glance before walking back.
Pei Qingjian turned to Lan Xingchen and took his hand.
“I’ll accompany you for the tomato hot pot tomorrow,” he said softly.
“No need, you should eat the spicy one,” Lan Xingchen looked at him.
“Then I’ll sip some of your soup.”
“Fine.” Lan Xingchen squeezed his hand.
The wind picked up as they walked back toward the nanny van.
Pei Qingjian looked at the pitch-black night sky. There were no stars tonight.
He remembered the starry sky he had seen as a child in the village—beautiful and sparkling.
“Do you want to look at the stars?” he heard Lan Xingchen ask in his ear.
“I do! How did you know I was thinking that?” Pei Qingjian said happily.
Lan Xingchen smiled smugly. “Otherwise, why would you be staring at the sky if not for that endless blackness?”
After speaking, he added, “Once your filming wraps up, I’ll show them to you.”
“Stars can be shown to me?”
“You’ll see when the time comes,” Lan Xingchen teased.
Pei Qingjian, curious, asked, “Don’t tell me you’ll just let me see your stars?”
Lan Xingchen: …
He raised an eyebrow. “What, do I fail to meet your standards?”
Pei Qingjian immediately hugged his arm. “No, no! In all the heavens and earth, what star could be prettier than you?”
Lan Xingchen was satisfied with that.
He looked at Pei Qingjian and suddenly thought of something.
“I’ll give you a gift,” he said.
“What?” Pei Qingjian asked curiously.
“A secret,” Lan Xingchen smiled.
Pei Qingjian frowned. “When will you give it to me?”
“Also a secret.”
Pei Qingjian: ???
“So you’re saying you’re keeping me hanging on purpose?”
Lan Xingchen shook his head. “Of course not.”
He lowered his head to look directly into Pei Qingjian’s eyes. “I just want to tell you, so you’ll know.”
For some reason, Pei Qingjian felt a little embarrassed under his gaze.
He quickly turned his head, avoiding eye contact. “Alright, alright, I get it.”
Lan Xingchen smiled and continued holding his hand as they walked toward the nanny van.
Behind them, Zhou Pengyue: …
He just muted himself, he’s not dead!
Does he think I’m some little deaf-blind kid?!
Honestly, he hates those clingy couples who refuse to publicly acknowledge their relationship the most!
I’m not some evil manager, and I’m not going to break them apart—why pretend to be friends in front of me?!
Look at you two—do you even look like friends?!
Zhou Pengyue raged silently in his mind.
Author’s note:
President Lan: Guard carefully!
Zhou Pengyue: You’re clearly the thief guarding the vault!
President Lan: ?