The mountain wind blew quietly; Fan Qing’s flamboyant smile remained unchanged in the breeze.
Three full minutes passed before the slightest twitch appeared on Nie Luo’s flawless face—his long, thick eyelashes fluttered gently.
The next second, his expression became completely neutral, voice icy calm.
“Qiheng District, thank you for your trouble.”
What?
Fan Qing hadn’t reacted yet when he saw Nie Luo put on his helmet, quietly standing behind the car.
It took him a full second to react, and the smile nearly spilled over in his eyes.
That little moment… was actually kind of cute.
“Then let’s go.”
Fan Qing didn’t make things difficult for Nie Luo and smoothly climbed into the car.
This time, however, the person behind him clearly refused to wrap his arms around Fan Qing’s waist, no matter how fast the car went.
Was he unbothered by it? Impossible.
Still…
They sped through the streets until reaching the entrance of the residential complex. Fan Qing stopped Nie Luo from removing his helmet.
He stepped out of the car, moving aside.
“Just drive the car in, I’ll come back for it later.”
Nie Luo was about to refuse but then noticed the paparazzi who were often lurking nearby.
He gave Fan Qing a deep, grateful look and accepted.
“Thanks… for everything.”
With a single stride, his long legs moved with crisp precision, every bit as sharp as Fan Qing’s—but unlike Fan Qing’s wild energy, Nie Luo’s movements carried a natural, effortless grace.
Each frame, if captured, would appear flawless.
Riding the prized car with the prized person—nice~
It was worth his boldness in accepting Jian Feishuo’s “thank-you gift.”
If it weren’t for Jian Feishuo, his progress in pursuing someone might have been slower.
Fan Qing withdrew his appreciative gaze, holding the helmet in his hand, his expression gradually cooling.
Now, it was time to settle another matter.
He hadn’t forgotten about Jingyuan.
Back at his rented apartment, Fan Qing quickly searched for the information he wanted.
In Jingyuan’s fan forum, he found a fan’s candid post—capturing not just Jingyuan, but his manager and another man.
This must be the “Mr. Zhuo” Jingyuan had mentioned.
Fan Qing then exited the forum, shaking his head slightly.
“Jingyuan’s fans… really don’t know how to protect their idol.”
But in this case, it worked in his favor.
Fan Qing quickly searched for information on this Mr. Zhuo—nothing.
Of course.
If he was a big shot, he wouldn’t expose any personal details by accident.
Still…
Fan Qing quickly picked up his phone and dialed a number.
The call was answered almost instantly, and Jingyi’s loud, familiar voice came booming through.
“Hey! Finally remembered your brother here? Where’s the next round? I’ll head over right now!”
Damn it!
These two finally contacted him!
At least they had a shred of conscience.
Jingyi, still talking, fumbled for a set of car keys—a different, yet equally flashy set from earlier.
He was about to rush off when Fan Qing’s calm, merciless voice came from the other end.
“We’ve already wrapped up. I just sent Nie Luo home.”
Jingyi froze.
Jingyi: ?
Calling a brother after the event is over… seriously, where’s the conscience in that?
Wait.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
“You sent Nie Luo home?”
Which basically meant this guy now knew where Nie Luo lived.
How could Old Nie be so easily “taken down”?
“Then what?”
Fan Qing found the question amusing.
“Do you want him to walk back on his own two legs?”
He paused, a trace of laughter in his tone.
“I wouldn’t let that happen. Those legs are more suited for…”
Jingyi quickly covered his ears in time.
Nope, he had zero interest in his brothers’ doi affairs!!!
Expressionless.jpg
Five seconds later, Jingyi wordlessly tossed the keys back.
“Then why call me? You’ve already sent him home—don’t tell me you want me to drag him out again?”
Honestly, he thought Fan Qing could handle it himself.
What was Jingyi, really?
Just a shiny, noisy third wheel.
“Of course not.”
Fan Qing’s tone became serious, sharp and cold once more.
“Do you know anything about Mr. Zhuo?”
“Him?”
Jingyi shrugged instinctively, a hint of distaste flashing in his eyes.
“He’s not exactly a good person. Why do you ask?”
“Just verifying something.”
Not a good person?
Fan Qing quickly jotted down a few deductions in his notebook.
“Can you tell me what you know?”
“I can, but honestly, I don’t know much.”
Jingyi hesitated for a moment, wondering what Fan Qing intended, but got no answer.
“All I know is simple: His family apparently went abroad a century ago, and in the past ten years, they’ve started returning to develop here. I’m not sure exactly what they do, but there are rumors they deal in hazardous goods abroad—they’re rich, way richer than my family.”
He couldn’t help smirking.
Even if they were richer, they were involved in shady businesses. His family did legitimate work—less money, but peace of mind.
“But that guy… he has plenty of rumors circulating. The one I hear most is that he’s wild in bed.”
Jingyi had just started getting interested in sharing some juicy gossip with Fan Qing, then remembered: “Don’t covet a friend’s wife.”
Tsk, what a good man.
“Anyway, I’m just warning you—stay away from that guy.”
Suppressing his curiosity, Jingyi delivered his conclusion.
“I see.”
So this Mr. Zhuo must be the new backing Jingyuan is trying to pull in.
Hearing it like this—forget what exactly he does—he’s definitely wealthy.
Moreover…
Fan Qing recalled what Jingyuan had said in the bathroom.
“Mr. Zhuo, what are you trying to do?”
Right there in the bathroom stall…
Fan Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.
Looks like this time, Jingyuan had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
Relying on Mr. Zhuo as a backer might not be stable at all, and he could easily end up compromising himself in the process.
“…Aqing?”
“Hm?”
Fan Qing made a simple sound through his nose.
Jian Feiyang couldn’t help sneaking another glance at him and spoke frankly.
“You seem… in a really good mood?”
Although, it was the first time he’d seen Aqing so genuinely happy.
Even the last time, after they were with Director Ma, Aqing didn’t seem this cheerful.
This guy really did operate purely on instinct.
Fan Qing narrowed his eyes and didn’t deny it, just nodded.
Aqing like this—he looked like a fox basking lazily in the sun.
Jian Feiyang sighed inwardly, then hesitated before speaking.
“Oh, Aqing, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Fan Qing looked at his expression, sitting up.
Judging by his face, it seemed like a big deal?
Jian Feiyang hesitated, then finally spoke in a low voice.
“The production team contacted me, asking if I’d be interested in becoming a regular member.”
A fixed guest?
Fan Qing’s narrowed eyes opened, thoughtful.
“…They’re planning to replace Guan Junhao?”
Jian Feiyang blinked, instinctively asking,
“How do you know?”
Really?
Fan Qing murmured, “Not hard to guess. Your position only really serves as a substitute for Guan Junhao. And your persona is even more eye-catching than his currently.”
However…
Fan Qing was slightly surprised. “I remember Guan Junhao’s injury isn’t too serious. He should be able to return next episode at the earliest. So why would the production team replace him with you?”
Although Jian Feiyang had made a splash on the show, from the production team’s perspective, long-term stability was the priority.
After all, the variety show had been running for years; the steady fanbase from regular members each episode was important.
So, why switch members?
Jian Feiyang scratched his head, looking even more innocent.
“Well… I’ll first ask Guan if I can tell you?”
Fan Qing slowly typed a question mark in his mind.
Did he hear that right?
What was he even saying?
Jian Feiyang, without hesitation, took out his phone and called Guan Junhao right in front of Fan Qing.
Even more impressively, Fan Qing just watched as the call was quickly answered. Guan Junhao’s greeting was familiar and casual, and the two began chatting rapidly.
“Oh, Guan, you said it’s okay? Then I’ll tell him.”
Jian Feiyang, phone still connected, leaned over.
“Guan said it’s because of his previous injury that he had disagreements with his manager. By coincidence, his contract at the company is almost up. His manager wants him to renew, but the company offered poor terms, so he refused. Then the company acted, planning to remove him from the variety show entirely.”
So he just told me all this, right in front of the person it concerned?
Wasn’t that basically the same as telling Guan Junhao—“Hey, we were just gossiping about you”?
Fan Qing couldn’t understand Jian Feiyang’s audacity and was utterly stunned.
What shocked him even more was hearing Guan Junhao’s indignant voice through the phone:
“Not only that! They’ve secretly been grooming a newcomer with a similar persona to mine, planning to completely replace me! If it weren’t for that, I might have still signed the contract. But this is completely unfair, right? I haven’t even decided whether to sign, and they’re already eyeing my spot—how cold-hearted is that?!”
His tone grew more emotional.
“When I got injured before, my manager didn’t even care about the people online criticizing me. When I asked the company, some of them didn’t even know! Even if it’s a dog being abused, someone should stand up, right? But they… didn’t even know!”
Well, not exactly.
A person shouldn’t compare themselves to a dog, at least.
Fan Qing couldn’t help but smirk, understanding the situation.
However…
A thought suddenly struck him, and he asked uncertainly,
“So the production team’s proposal to make Jian Feiyang a regular member… wasn’t your idea, was it?”
From the phone, Guan Junhao’s voice came naturally:
“Of course it was my idea! You know what they say—don’t let good resources go to outsiders!”