The elevator opened, and Qin Yuan and the young man stepped inside.
Afterward, Qin Yuan drove the young man back, made him leave his phone number, and told him that if he ever needed anything, he could reach out anytime, as he would be more than happy to help.
Then, Qin Yuan drove his sapphire sports car for half a turn around the city. When a familiar coffee shop suddenly appeared before his eyes, Qin Yuan realized that his body was far more honest than his heart.
The sports car was parked right by the side of the road. The coffee shop had transparent glass windows, making it easy to see inside from the outside.
A few waitstaff were busy inside. When one particular figure slowly walked out, Qin Yuan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened abruptly.
Even with a pane of glass separating them, he could clearly see every subtle expression on the young man’s face.
He saw the young man wearing a uniform, holding a drink menu. The young man bent over slightly, his head lowered, while a few female customers were placing their orders. From time to time, some of them would steal glances at him.
There were several other people in the shop, some holding up their phones to take pictures.
This coffee shop had recently become quite popular online.
One day, someone had dropped by, spotted one of the waiters, snapped a few photos, and posted them online. As a result, it instantly caught the attention of countless people. Although the waiter was dressed simply, his face looked intricately carved, possessing a beauty that was entirely natural.
There happened to be some talent shows casting recently, and when the contestants’ photos were placed side by side with the waiter’s, it was safe to say that even just a side-profile photo of the waiter effortlessly outshone countless others.
Scouts had followed people to the coffee shop, wanting to sign the young man to an entertainment agency, but the young man had turned them down.
Now, quite a few people came here just because of his reputation, and the young man himself looked even better in person than in the photos. You could say that this coffee shop, which wasn’t located in a prime spot, was now doing a lot better business because of him.
Before long, the owner of the coffee shop would be moving to another region to live with his family, and he would be transferring this shop to the young man.
In the future, the young man would become the owner of this shop.
However, just as he was about to make that transition, trouble arose. Many things happened afterward, and the young man not only lost this job but also lost a great deal else.
Half of the blame for all of this lay with Qin Yuan.
In this lifetime, he wouldn’t go disturb Lin Xi; this shop would belong to Lin Xi.
Qin Yuan sat in the car, closed his eyes heavily, and in the end, desperately tried to struggle and torment himself deep within his heart, choosing to drive away instead.
No matter how much he liked Lin Xi, it simply wouldn’t do. He wasn’t the main protagonist shou of this world; if he kept going, he would end up dying all over again.
He didn’t want to experience the feeling of death a second time.
Driving back to the hotel, Fang Chen and the others had already come down from the rooftop pool and headed to the gym on the lower floor.
Qin Yuan walked straight into the gym.
Once inside, Fang Chen waved at him. Qin Yuan walked over, chose a pull-up bar, and started doing pull-ups.
Fang Chen stood nearby watching, while rubbing the soft flab that had recently grown on his stomach. He really needed to work out, or else his abs were going to disappear completely.
“You eat quite a lot. How come you just do not gain any weight?”
Fang Chen stared at Qin Yuan with burning jealousy.
“Born with it.”
With both hands gripping the pull-up bar, Qin Yuan went up and down effortlessly, making Fang Chen want to give him a hard yank.
Just as he was about to pull some little prank, Wang Xiao walked over with a towel, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“You only know how to talk. Go exercise over there.”
Wang Xiao delivered a kick to Fang Chen, sending him packing.
Fang Chen let out a couple of grunts, but for the sake of his six-pack abs, he honestly went back to his workout.
Wang Xiao set his towel aside, picked up a bottle of water, and took a drink. He had just finished training and needed a brief rest.
“Look over there.”
Wang Xiao wore an expression that screamed he was about to watch a good show.
Qin Yuan looked in the direction Wang Xiao was indicating. A group of men and women were standing over there.
He recognized a few of the men; their circle was only so big, where people ran into each other all the time.
However, Qin Yuan and his friends didn’t mix with that particular group. Those people played way too wildly, while Qin Yuan and his friends liked to have fun, they at least had some boundaries.
Qin Yuan pressed his lips into a thin line. He usually had plenty of boundaries, but when faced with Lin Xi, he had lost control entirely.
He had turned straight into a third wheel and an outlaw.
Thinking back on everything he had done back then, he felt like a total bastard.
The person who deserved to go to prison wasn’t Lin Xi’s boyfriend; it was himself.
Calling himself scum wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.
Qin Yuan let out a laugh.
Wang Xiao immediately stared at him with probing eyes.
“What is wrong with them?”
Qin Yuan asked.
Wang Xiao capped his water bottle, looking like he had just found a new target.
Qin Yuan sized up the group opposite them: four men and two women.
Both girls looked neat and pretty, not the dazzling beauty type, but certainly possessing a dainty, girl-next-door charm.
For people who played as wild as this group did, they sometimes loved hunting for types who looked this innocent.
“Probably still students,” Wang Xiao said.
Qin Yuan didn’t reply, but his gaze suddenly shifted.
Because he had suddenly remembered something, an incident from his past life. Back then, it seemed Wang Xiao had mentioned it to him as well, though just tossing it out casually as idle gossip.
Among this exact group of people, those few second-generation wealthy heirs with some background had literally played with a person until they died.
To be exact, one person died, and another was left completely paralyzed.
At that time, Qin Yuan’s mind was entirely consumed by Lin Xi, focused purely on how to make Lin Xi love him. As for other people’s business, whether someone lived or died, he didn’t care at all.
Now that he had been reborn and unexpectedly crossed paths with these people, although the two girls were strangers, judging by the timeline, there was little doubt they were the ones.
Qin Yuan’s brows gradually knitted together.
Perhaps it was because he had done too many scumbag things in his past life; after awakening through rebirth, seeing something similar, even though he wouldn’t go as far as getting people killed, reminded him that he had ruined other people’s lives before. Looking at these pieces of trash felt like looking at his past self.
He couldn’t exact revenge upon himself; after all, his nature was still inherently selfish. But bullying someone else on the side, that was something he could easily do on a whim.
“Hey, Qin Yuan?” Wang Xiao asked, looking surprised.
Qin Yuan took a couple of steps, turned his head back, and flashed a bold, dazzling smile.
“Let us go play with them.”
Qin Yuan walked toward the two girls and their group.
The group was chatting when someone unexpectedly approached. When Xu Tian turned his head and saw it was Qin Yuan, his face broke into a smile so wide it looked like it was about to split.
“Well, if it isn’t a rare guest.”
He had noticed Qin Yuan earlier, but in the past, Xu Tian had wanted to get close to him. Qin Yuan, however, had shown no interest in their crowd, even claiming that he liked quiet and found having too many friends annoying.
Only someone with Qin Yuan’s background could get away with saying something like that; if anyone else dared utter those words, they would probably be laughed out of town.
Yet here Qin Yuan was, taking the initiative to come over. Curiosity was written all over Xu Tian’s face.
Qin Yuan looked over the two girls carefully, a measuring glint in his eyes. Xu Tian was a sharp cookie; he picked up on Qin Yuan’s intentions almost immediately.
Although the two girls were fresh catches they hadn’t fully broken in yet, and were indeed naive schoolgirls who, despite their looks, fit their usual tastes, since Qin Yuan was interested, he would gladly hand them over.
Girls like this were a dime a dozen; a simple wave of a hand and they would fall for it.
“Let me make an introduction. This is Qin Yuan. Handsome, right?”
Xu Tian immediately introduced Qin Yuan to the two girls. Playing the host by offering people to Qin Yuan meant that if Qin Yuan genuinely took an interest, they would have more opportunities to hang out in the future.
The two girls seemed unaccustomed to seeing someone as breathtakingly handsome as Qin Yuan standing right before them, striking and imposing. When their eyes locked with his, especially given his smiling face and blooming peach blossom eyes that gazed at them with such tender affection, it was overwhelming.
Both girls grew faintly shy, their eyes flickering away.
“They have been doing live streams lately, dancing to earn living expenses. They are both really hardworking people.”
Xu Tian revealed their identities in this manner, hinting subtly to Qin Yuan that these girls were fair game and that money could easily buy a good time with them.
Should any real trouble pop up, he, Xu Tian, could handle it, after all, he had plenty of experience.
“Live streaming?”
“I do not really watch it myself, but I can imagine you must be great dancers.”
“We are just amateurs, dancing casually, just learning steps from videos. We are not that good,” a girl with shoulder-length hair said shyly. She stole a glance at Qin Yuan. Someone this handsome probably could not even be found on TV.
And he spoke so gently; he must have a ton of admirers.
There was no way her turn would ever come, but her heart was fluttering nonetheless.
Especially those eyes of his, they looked at everyone with deep affection, as if he were profoundly in love with them.
“Let us grab dinner together tonight. It will be lively with a big group.”
“Did you not say you do not like noisy crowds?”
“Did not like it before. I do now.”
Qin Yuan smiled half-mockingly.
Xu Tian let out an oh, then nodded.
“Qin Yuan is an expert at working out. You two should ask him for some tips.”
Xu Tian knew how to play the game and promptly stepped aside, yielding the two girls.
As for their evening plans, they could just spend a bit of money and have some fun.
Even if the flavor was a bit plain, it beat having nothing at all.
Qin Yuan genuinely began teaching the two girls some basic workout routines, standing beside them as a personal trainer, while Xu Tian and the others drifted off to the side.
Wang Xiao walked over at that moment and exchanged a knowing glance with Xu Tian.
Though Wang Xiao wasn’t quite as striking as Qin Yuan, he was still considered a major hunk on the street, well-built, making anything he wore look like runway fashion.
Once Wang Xiao arrived, Qin Yuan had him coach one of the girls, splitting the labor between them.
The sky outside darkened rapidly; it was almost time for dinner.
Xu Tian had booked a table in advance at a restaurant on the lower floor of the hotel.
Since there were quite a few of them, they requested a private dining room.
The group headed down, with the two girls trailing behind, whispering softly to one another.
Whether by coincidence or fate, just as they stepped into the restaurant, Qin Yuan unexpectedly spotted someone he had seen earlier today, the person with whose former lover he had just exchanged contact numbers.
Not to mention Qin Yuan’s surprise, Xie Fengbei was equally taken aback.
They had originally planned to leave, but someone came by temporarily, and since they liked this hotel and were staying here anyway, they decided to eat right here.
The two groups arrived practically back-to-back. While they didn’t all know each other, certain individuals were mutually acquainted.
Since they bumped into each other, exchanging a polite greeting was only proper.
Among them, Xu Tian was especially ingratiating as he hovered close to Xie Fengbei. Recently, an entertainment agency under Xie Fengbei’s management had trainees participating in a talent show, and Xu Tian had his eye on a few of them.
However, because they belonged to Xie Fengbei, he hadn’t dared to make a move casually and needed to sound out Xie Fengbei’s attitude first.
If they were free for the taking, he would make his move.
Xu Tian’s face was plastered with smiles. Though young, he had spent way too long lingering in places of vice and pleasure, making him look several years older than Xie Fengbei, who was actually his senior.
“President Xie, the trainees in your company lately are all so impressive. It seems President Xie really knows how to train talent.”
Xie Fengbei turned his head to find a grinning, flattering face crowding into his space. Having seen far too many people like this, Xie Fengbei’s gaze remained cold and indifferent.
“They have managers looking after them.”
He didn’t bother personally training every single trainee. Running an entertainment agency was just something he did for fun on the side; his primary focus was investing in various entertainment projects, like movies or variety shows. He had invested in the talent show too, whether the trainees became famous was secondary; making a profit off his investments was what mattered.
“Still, anyone able to sign with your company must be quite exceptional themselves. It is just that debut spots are so limited. What if someone does not make the debut lineup?”
Xu Tian was already dropping probes.
“If they don’t debut, they can terminate their contract themselves. My company doesn’t feed idlers.”
“True, nobody is running a charity, least of all you, President Xie.”
Xie Fengbei didn’t know much about Xu Tian, assuming this guy probably wanted to dabble in some talent show investments. Anyone with money could invest; he didn’t restrict others from doing so.
Xie Fengbei walked forward, quickly leaving Xu Tian behind him.
Xu Tian smacked his lips, his ingratiating smile instantly transforming into a heavy, ill-intentioned flash of intrigue.
From the rear right, Qin Yuan stared at Xu Tian for a couple of seconds. He could save these two girls, but clearly, without them, someone else would just take their place.
Since he had already stepped in, he might as well see it through to the end.
The world could use a few less scumbags.
He might be able to turn over a new leaf, but as for other people? He doubted they were capable of redemption.
Qin Yuan let out a soft laugh. Since he had lost love, he would just find something else to pass the time.
After all, he always had plenty of time on his hands.