24
The sensation was probably like an explosion in her skull.
It erupted into fireworks, shot up into the sky, and then crackled into sparks of light.
Steady! Xu Zhaixing, stay steady! You’ve embarrassed yourself repeatedly in front of your idol today! At this final moment, you must cherish it!!!
She slowly released her clenched jaw, letting out the breath she had been holding in her chest almost imperceptibly. Then, with a solemn expression, she took the mechanical puppy Cen Feng offered her.
Because it was battery-powered, the puppy’s tail kept wagging up and down, its body swaying along, giving off an adorably clunky, mechanical charm.
Xu Zhaixing carefully cradled it in her palms, looking at it for a long time. Then she looked up and said earnestly to Cen Feng, “Brother, thank you. I really like it!”
Her tone and expression made it seem as though he hadn’t given her a casually assembled, inexpensive little dog, but rather some priceless luminous pearl from the East Sea.
Cen Feng’s heart trembled faintly.
He packed the remaining parts back into his bag, slung the backpack over his shoulder, and stood up. His expression remained aloof, but his tone was much softer than during their first meeting. “I’m glad you like it.”
Xu Zhaixing’s ears were flushed pink with excitement, and a faint blush tinged her youthful face. Suppressing the tremor in her voice, she whispered, “Brother, I don’t know when we’ll meet again next time. This time, you seem even thinner than before. Boys don’t really need to be that thin, you should eat a bit more.”
Cen Feng seemed taken aback by her words. He paused before nodding and saying, “Alright.”
Xu Zhaixing smiled, took two steps back while still holding the tail-wagging puppy, and gave a little wave. “Bye, Brother.”
Cen Feng said, “Goodbye.”
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, turned, and walked away. Once again, he put on his cap and mask, reverting to the unapproachable young man. He walked a long distance before glancing back.
The girl was still standing there, looking in his direction. When she saw him turn, she waved obediently again.
She was too far away to see her face clearly, but Cen Feng thought she must be smiling.
The company had a day off today. When he returned to the dorm, his three roommates were all there, crowded on the living room sofa watching an action movie. Their laughter and chatter abruptly ceased the moment he entered, leaving only the sounds of gunfire and explosions from the film.
Cen Feng didn’t mind and went straight to his room.
Ever since he had nearly thrown Yin Chang out the window last time, Yin Chang hadn’t caused trouble anymore, at least not in front of him. The other two roommates had once thought he was just difficult to get along with; now they thought he was a madman, the kind who would drag you down with him when he snapped.
They were all a bit afraid of him.
However, the three of them had unanimously kept quiet about the incident. Yin Chang felt too humiliated, while the other two didn’t want to invite trouble. What if Cen Feng resented them and one night, in a fit of madness, crept into their rooms and silenced them for good?
The thought was terrifying.
As soon as Cen Feng’s door closed, the two roommates exchanged glances, looked at the displeased Yin Chang in the middle, and lowered their voices to comfort him. “It’s fine. As long as we don’t provoke him, he won’t bother us either.”
Yin Chang forced a nod.
One of them said, “Next year, they’ll select the debut lineup. If we make it, we won’t have to live with him anymore.”
The other wasn’t so optimistic. “There are over a hundred trainees, and only seven debut spots. We might not make it.” Then, remembering something, he glanced at Cen Feng’s closed door and added, “He might get selected. That would be good too—he’d move out. The end result is the same.”
Yin Chang gritted his teeth, his mind in turmoil.
A couple of days ago, the toilet in the training room’s bathroom had clogged. He had gone to the executives’ floor upstairs to use the restroom and had unintentionally overheard the newly transferred artist manager, who was specifically in charge of trainee debuts, asking about Cen Feng.
A greasy middle-aged man’s voice had chuckled and asked, “Brother Ma, so you’re into that type?”
The other had replied with a knowing laugh, “Sharp enough, wild enough. Taming that kind… must be quite satisfying, no?”
The two had shared a lewd laugh. Yin Chang had frozen in the stall next to them, not daring to move. He wasn’t a child anymore, he could understand exactly what they meant.
He had long heard this industry wasn’t clean. He just hadn’t expected it to hit so close, so soon.
At first, he had felt a sense of schadenfreude, being targeted by such a disgusting person, Cen Feng could only imagine what awaited him.
But just now, when his roommates mentioned the scarce debut spots, it dawned on him: this disgusting person held their fates in his hands.
And this person had taken a liking to Cen Feng. Whether through enticement or a transaction, as long as Cen Feng agreed, a debut spot would undoubtedly be his.
Would he agree?
No… he wouldn’t. Yin Chang understood someone like Cen Feng all too well. How could he possibly agree? It would be a miracle if he didn’t resort to violence.
But what if?
After all, it was a one-in-a-thousand debut spot.
This was the first group the company was launching since signing trainees. They would surely receive the best resources and promotion. Once they debuted, there would be endless flowers and applause, popularity, money, status—such immense temptation. Would Cen Feng really refuse?
If he refused, not only would he miss his chance to debut, but he would also offend the higher-ups. He would never make it in Zhongtian Entertainment again.
Yin Chang tried putting himself in that position…
If it were him…
If it were him, he wouldn’t—no, he didn’t have the courage to refuse.
He knew his own abilities. In a place where everyone worked hard, his efforts were just the norm, nowhere near enough to make him stand out.
He didn’t have Cen Feng’s eye-catching looks or physique, nor did he possess Cen Feng’s unique aura.
It had been the same two years ago when he first joined the company. Cen Feng was like a young man struggling free from boundless ice, yet a raging fire still burned within him—cold yet gentle, silent yet kind.
And now, that fire within him had extinguished, and his aura had changed, but damn it, he seemed even more captivating than before???
Why was this person so distinctive no matter what? Why was he always the most eye-catching one?
And what about him?
He was slender, delicate, reserved—the kind of person you’d forget at a glance.
Objectively, his looks weren’t bad; within Zhongtian, he was even considered quite handsome. Yet he still couldn’t compare to Cen Feng. How had that executive described Cen Feng?
Sharp enough, wild enough.
Yin Chang looked down at his own thin arms and legs, and a preposterous idea popped into his head.
Why… couldn’t it be him?
Things like aura—they could be changed, right?
There was a ready-made template right here. He could learn from it.
Did the company stipulate that only Cen Feng could take this path? Why did he have to be obedient and gentle? Why couldn’t he become an eye-catching, unique presence himself?
Someone patted his shoulder twice. A roommate called to him, “Hey, where’s your head at? Hurry, look! It’s the climax—the male lead is about to get his revenge!”
Yin Chang glanced at the TV and suddenly stood up. “I’m going to the company to train.”
His roommate was stunned. “Are you crazy? We finally get a day off. Why torture yourself?”
Yin Chang smiled, walked back to his room, quickly changed into workout clothes, and then asked his roommate, “Where’s that can of protein powder you have for muscle gain? I’ll mix a drink.”
His roommate laughed. “Why would you drink that stuff? You’re still growing.”
Yin Chang said, “I’ll give it a try.”
The roommate pointed upstairs. “In my room. Get it yourself.”
He quickly mixed the protein powder, grabbed his bottle, and headed out. The two roommates chatted in low voices: “Why’s he acting so weird lately?”
“Probably got provoked by Cen Feng. You saw how Cen Feng hit him that day, he couldn’t fight back at all.”
“But that’s just his style. He’s the company’s little white rabbit. If he turns into someone like Cen Feng, would he still be a little white rabbit?”
They complained a bit more, then turned back to the TV.
The noise outside didn’t affect Cen Feng. He organized the books and mechanical parts he bought today, sat down at his desk, and took out a notebook to start reading.
There were many mechanical models on the desk.
Small robots, mechanical dogs, airplanes, little tanks, and even a three-car train. They were all things he’d made in his spare time.
Becoming an engineer had been his childhood dream.
Back then, he didn’t really understand what an engineer did. It was just that the neighbor next door was an engineer. That family had meat to eat every day. Their child always wore brand-new clothes and leather shoes and had endless candy and snacks.
Whenever people in town talked about the neighbor’s family, they spoke with envy. “Her husband is an engineer. Really impressive. Makes big money.”
So, back then, the little boy thought: when I grow up, I’ll become an engineer too. I’ll earn lots of money and eat meat every day.
But dreams often run counter to reality.
In this second life, he didn’t have much expectation for this world, but he also didn’t plan to die again. Once the contract with Zhongtian expired, he would still have to make a living.
His studies had been cut off long ago; there was no way to continue now. Once he left this place, he would live as an ordinary person. Having a skill to survive on, so as not to starve on the streets, would be enough for the rest of his life.
The desk lamp cast shadows of varying sizes from the pile of models on the desk.
Cen Feng spun his pen once, and when he looked up, his gaze fell on the mechanical dog. After a moment’s thought, he reached over, picked it up, and turned the switch. The mechanical dog began to wobble and run across the desk, its limbs and tail appearing remarkably agile.
Actually, the mechanical dog he gave the girl today was a bit crude. Given the limited conditions at the time, he could only assemble it like that.
Yet she hadn’t shown any disdain, she had been overjoyed.
Why was she so easily satisfied?
What was that competition she mentioned called?
Cen Feng thought for a while, then reached over and turned on the computer. He typed “Paris Fashion Design Competition” into the browser.
The webpage loaded quickly.
Seeing the scale and introduction of the competition, the calm indifference in his eyes finally wavered a bit. She had won first place in such an international competition?
He moved the mouse and clicked on the video titled “Youngest Champion Designer in History.”
The girl’s figure appeared on the screen. In the video, the judges were presenting the award. She was smiling so brightly, taking the microphone with an innocent joy, delivering a string of clearly scripted, formal thank-yous.
Finally, she looked into the camera. Cen Feng heard her say, “Thank you to my beam of light. I will always love you.”
Her eyes were warm and bright, exactly the same as when she looked at him every time.
He clicked pause. The frame froze. He stared at the screen for a long time before finally letting out a self-deprecating laugh. So, that was just how she looked at the world. He had merely been fortunate enough to enter her line of sight and receive that warmth.
She would show kindness and care to a stranger like him, but she would also direct the same passion toward her beloved “beam of light.”
He had never envied anyone before.
But at this moment, he genuinely envied that “beam of light” she spoke of.
To be loved by someone so wonderful and warm—that person must be truly happy.
With an expressionless face, Cen Feng closed the laptop.
**
Zhaixing: No need to envy yourself.