The recording of Pastoral Song finally came to an end in an indescribably eerie atmosphere. No specific tasks were arranged for the final day. Instead, the guests and the production crew held a simple barbecue farewell party in the open space at the entrance of the village.
The bonfire blazed, meat skewers sizzled over the flames, and the sound of beer cans popping open echoed here and there, temporarily dispelling the constraint of the past few days.
Lin Yang sat on a low stool in the corner, holding a skewer of grilled mushrooms, lacking any appetite. His thoughts were still entangled in the disastrous private screening from the previous night and Li Chenzhou’s toe-curling comment about his “acting potential.”
That massive sense of absurdity, mixed with the cognitive shock brought by the “Zhou-0907” alternate account, made him restless. The way he looked at Li Chenzhou now carried a layer of unspeakable complexity.
Li Chenzhou himself did not participate in the party. He had left Yunxi Village yesterday after the movie ended, as if this visit truly was just a small interlude in his schedule. However, the influence he left behind still permeated the air, casting an indefinable shadow of restraint over this farewell party that should have been relaxed.
“Brother Lin Yang, why aren’t you eating? These chicken wings are grilled perfectly!” Tian Rui ran over with two glistening grilled chicken wings, handed him one, and flashed a smile completely free of gloom.
Lin Yang took the wing and managed a small smile. “Thank you, I’m just not hungry yet.”
“Oh, we’re separating tomorrow. I’m going to miss everyone so much!” Tian Rui sat down beside him and took a bite of her wing, speaking indistinctly. “Especially you, Brother Lin Yang. I feel like you don’t talk much, but you’re a super good person! Let’s work together again if we get the chance!”
Tian Rui’s enthusiasm and simplicity were like a ray of sunshine, slightly brightening Lin Yang’s gloomy mood.
“Yes, there will be a chance,” he responded softly.
At that moment, Bai Lu also walked over with a glass of juice and sat gracefully on Lin Yang’s other side. She wore a white dress today, appearing exceptionally gentle and moving under the reflection of the bonfire.
“It’s true, I was really happy during this recording.” Bai Lu smiled at Lin Yang, her gaze soft. “Lin Yang is very caring. It’s very relaxing to complete tasks with you.”
Her praise was appropriate and natural, making one feel a sense of goodwill. Lin Yang’s impression of Bai Lu had always been decent. He felt that while she had a bit of distance, her surface manners were impeccable, much better than someone like Zhao Qiming who openly showed his displeasure.
He responded politely, “Sister Bai Lu, you flatter me. Everyone took care of me.”
The three sat together, chatting casually about interesting events during the recording, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Tian Rui was a chatterbox, chirping away without stop. Bai Lu chimed in occasionally with a gentle voice, while Lin Yang mostly just listened, nodding and smiling now and then. The flickering shadows of the bonfire reflected on their faces, sketching a seemingly harmonious picture.
No one noticed that in the shadows of the trees in the distance, a telephoto lens was silently aimed at them.
The next day, the guests packed their bags, said their precious goodbyes, and left Yunxi Village one after another.
Lin Yang took the production crew’s car to the airport. Looking at the green mountains and rivers receding rapidly outside the window, he felt a bit empty. Although these two weeks of pastoral life were filled with the oppression and confusion brought by Li Chenzhou, they at least allowed him to escape that cold “home” temporarily and breathe the air of freedom.
Returning to the city and that luxurious yet suffocating apartment, the familiar sense of coldness wrapped around him again. Li Chenzhou was not there, and the apartment was terrifyingly quiet.
After putting down his luggage, the first thing Lin Yang did was turn on the phone specifically designated for “Mrs. Li,” which he had almost forgotten. To relax completely, he had barely touched it during the recording. As soon as the phone turned on, various notifications for messages and missed calls surged out.
Most were from Sister So, along with some brand activities and insignificant greetings. He clicked on Sister So’s WeChat, and a string of voice messages popped up. The earlier ones were normal, expressing concern about whether the recording went smoothly and how his health was.
By the last few messages, her tone had become anxious and strange.
“Yang Yang! Have you seen the news online?” “Oh my goodness! How did you get photographed again!” “But it’s okay this time, it’s just a few photos with no real proof. I’m already contacting people to handle it.” “You and that Bai Lu… there’s nothing between you, right? You’re just ordinary colleagues, right?”
Lin Yang’s heart sank, and he immediately opened Weibo. He didn’t even need to search. Right there in the trending section of the entertainment news, he saw his name and Bai Lu’s name side by side in a topic:
#Bai Lu and Lin Yang’s Late Night Bonfire Chat# #Lushui CP?#
The accompanying photo was clearly from the barbecue party the night before, showing him, Tian Rui, and Bai Lu sitting and chatting. The shooting angle was extremely tricky, deliberately blurring out Tian Rui next to them so the focus was entirely on him and Bai Lu. In the photo, under the warm light of the bonfire, Bai Lu leaned her head and smiled at him, while he looked down slightly with what seemed like a faint smile on his lips. In reality, he was just listening to Tian Rui, but it looked… like there was indeed an ambiguous atmosphere.
The caption was even more suggestive: “On the closing night of Pastoral Song, Bai Lu and Lin Yang talked happily by the bonfire, the sweetness of their eye contact exceeding the limit! Has a drama romance blossomed? Can the Lushui CP become real?”
The comment section had already exploded. Some of Bai Lu’s fans were controlling the comments, stating “just normal interaction between colleagues, don’t mention her.” CP fans were celebrating, “What a match! Lock them together!” Many others were mocking Lin Yang, “Him again? Why is he always clinging to female stars?” “Does President Li know?” “An 18th-tier actor shouldn’t try to associate with our Lulu!”
Lin Yang frowned as he looked at the photos and comments. He hadn’t expected that merely sitting together and saying a few words could be interpreted this way. Although this scandal didn’t look severe, involving a popular young star like Bai Lu meant the attention would definitely not be low.
And… Li Chenzhou’s side… The thought of Li Chenzhou potentially seeing these photos made Lin Yang’s heart tighten. What would he think? Would he believe it? Or would he use some forceful means like he did when handling Su Yan?
He immediately called Sister So back.
“My little ancestor, you finally turned on your phone!” Sister So’s voice sounded relieved. “It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry. It’s just a few photos. I’ve already coordinated with Bai Lu’s team. Both sides will issue statements clarifying that it’s a normal colleague relationship, and the trending search is already being taken down. It’s just…”
Sister So paused, her tone a bit hesitant. “It’s just President Li’s side… he definitely saw it too. Didn’t you explain it to him?”
Lin Yang pursed his lips. “He… hasn’t come back yet.”
“Oh…” Sister So let out a breath. “Then wait for him to come back and explain it well. You’re just ordinary colleagues; don’t let him misunderstand. A person like President Li…”
Sister So didn’t finish, but the dread in her voice was obvious.
After hanging up, Lin Yang was restless. He didn’t care about these boring scandals, but he feared Li Chenzhou’s reaction. That man’s thoughts were deep and his methods unpredictable. Who knew what he might do?
He waited anxiously for a day, but Li Chenzhou did not appear. In the evening, he couldn’t help but use his old phone to log into that alternate Weibo account to see if “Zhou-0907” had any activity. The account’s homepage was quiet. There were no new reposts of love tutorials, and no opinions shared about the scandal.
Lin Yang felt slightly relieved, but the weight in his heart did not lift.
The next afternoon, while Lin Yang was reading in the study, his old phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Sister So, her tone filled with shock and disbelief:
“Yang Yang! Something strange happened!” “That construction materials company owned by Bai Lu’s family—the one where her father is the chairman—weren’t they constantly vying for a material supply project for a real estate company under the Li Group? I heard they were almost done negotiating!” “News just came from over there saying the Li side suddenly terminated the negotiations unilaterally! The reason was very official, saying something like ‘after a comprehensive evaluation, it does not meet the group’s current strategic needs’!” “This… the timing is just too coincidental! It happened the very day after the scandal came out!”
Looking at the text on the screen, the tips of Lin Yang’s fingers holding the phone instantly turned icy.
The cooperation was cancelled? On the day after he and Bai Lu were rumored to be in a scandal? There was no such thing as a coincidence in this world!
Li Chenzhou… he had indeed seen it!
Moreover, he used his most proficient and direct method to express his displeasure. No questioning, no arguing, he hadn’t even mentioned a word in front of him. He simply, casually, cancelled a valuable cooperation project. It was as easy as crushing an ant.
This was more chilling than direct anger. He used business methods to send a warning to the Bai family from a distance, which was also a silent declaration to Lin Yang: Every move you make is under my control. Any “offshoots” that appear will be pruned away without mercy.
Lin Yang slumped in his chair, feeling cold all over.
So, this was Li Chenzhou’s brand of “jealousy”? Cold, efficient, and leaving no trace, yet enough to make one shudder. He thought of Li Chenzhou’s perpetually expressionless face, imagining him perhaps just furrowing his brow slightly upon seeing the scandal before calmly instructing Cheng Wei to handle this “trouble.”
Fear seized him again, but this time, there seemed to be something else mixed within that fear. Was it… a sense of confirmation? A confirmation that Li Chenzhou truly possessed an extraordinary kind of “care” for him. Even if the expression of this care was so distorted and terrifying.
Just then, the apartment doorbell rang. The crisp sound was exceptionally sudden in the silent room. Lin Yang’s heart contracted violently, nearly jumping out of his chest. He slowly stood up, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole.
Li Chenzhou was standing outside.