It really was quite a coincidence.
Yu Cheng had not expected that Chu Hanfeng not only failed to throw the shoes he sent him straight into the trash can, but actually brought them along even when participating in a variety show.
Looking at the other man’s similarly slightly surprised expression, Yu Cheng could guess that this luggage definitely had not been packed by Chu Hanfeng himself.
After all, with that fleeting glance, he also spotted the suit jacket that he had previously asked the dry cleaners to return to Chu Hanfeng.
Yu Cheng secretly took a sharp intake of breath, suddenly feeling a bit of a toothache.
Especially after Fu Nian swept a glance left and right, revealing an expression of utmost envy and sighing, “There is no one else who could accidentally match items with their idol like this. With this kind of destiny, if you dare to give it, I would not even dare to accept it.”
If this destiny were not tough-lived, who would dare to accept it!
Yu Cheng felt even more uncomfortable all over.
Fortunately, the unboxing segment passed quickly and was not too agonizing.
During this time, Liang You came over to call everyone to eat, so Yu Cheng was hooked by the shoulder by Fu Nian and walked toward the courtyard. As they brushed shoulders with Chu Hanfeng, Yu Cheng subconsciously glanced at Chu Hanfeng’s very cold back of the head as he walked ahead of them.
He had no idea who had helped Chu Hanfeng take on this schedule.
Yu Cheng pondered that Chu Hanfeng must have already despised it ten thousand times in his heart, only putting on a breezy and light-hearted appearance because of the cameras, thereby managing to maintain the last shred of decency between them.
Amidst his wandering thoughts, Yu Cheng heard Fu Nian mutter in his ear, “Why do you think Chu Hanfeng suddenly agreed to come on the show?”
Actually, it was quite normal for Fu Nian to have such a question, considering Chu Hanfeng was famously unwilling to go on reality shows. Over the years, how many variety shows had thrown olive branches at Chu Hanfeng, yet the man ignored every single one of them.
Yu Cheng wanted nothing more than to complain: If even you cannot figure this out, could I possibly figure it out?
Yet Yu Cheng still tried to give a reluctant answer, “Maybe it is out of respect for Teacher Qiu Xiangzhong.”
“If you must explain it that way, I suppose it works,” Fu Nian whispered to him. “However, before coming, Teacher Qiu even said that this guest was so mysterious, always worrying that the person might throw a big star tantrum.”
Yu Cheng: “…”
Indeed, mysterious.
Had he known Chu Hanfeng would come, no matter what he said, he would not have agreed.
Fu Nian said, “Looking at Teacher Qiu’s reaction, I actually feel it has nothing to do with him.”
Yu Cheng was unimpressed, “Otherwise, who else could it be related to?”
Fu Nian thought for a brief moment.
Yu Cheng issued a soul-searching question, “You and me?”
Fu Nian turned his head and stared face-to-face with Yu Cheng.
Fu Nian: “…”
Yu Cheng: “…”
Fu Nian sighed, “Forget it, I am unworthy.”
Yu Cheng shrugged. Who wasn’t?
The two of them took their seats together. By this time, Chu Hanfeng had already sat down early and was chatting in a low voice with Qiu Xiangzhong.
It was likely that Chu Hanfeng’s arrival stirred up some of Qiu Xiangzhong’s past memories. As soon as he opened his mouth, he began talking about interesting anecdotes from filming movies with Song Feiwan back in the day, with some details even being things the two of them had never disclosed in front of the camera before.
This included the fact that Qiu Xiangzhong was completely unknown back then and was once a loyal fan of Song Feiwan.
It also included how Song Feiwan was pregnant when she performed action scenes opposite Qiu Xiangzhong, with both of them wielding swords and blades, terrified that a slight carelessness might accidentally injure Chu Hanfeng, who was still in Song Feiwan’s womb.
This feeling was actually quite wondrous.
Through the scouring and baptism of time, every single event buried within the years was coated with a dazzling, faint shimmer and presented anew before everyone.
And the little fellow who had not yet been born back then was now already this grown up.
Qiu Xiangzhong rubbed the corners of his eyes, his voice turning restrained.
As if infected by this atmosphere, Zeng Meng could not help but chime in, “I also liked the goddess Song Feiwan before I debuted, but in the end, I climbed over the wall to fan the goddess’s precious son. When I had the chance to film myself, I thought that one day I might be able to chat face-to-face with my Big Brother Feng and eat a meal together. Today, it finally came true.”
Fu Nian repeatedly expressed agreement, “Right, right! Winning the Best Actor award at the Golden Awards with your very first movie back then, that performance was simply peerless!”
Zeng Meng looked brightly at Yu Cheng, “When did Xiaocheng start liking Big Brother Feng?”
Yu Cheng wished he could completely make himself invisible during such a topic. Suddenly called out, he abruptly raised the face that had been buried in digging out crab roe, almost losing his grip on the spoon, “Ah?”
Zeng Meng had a good impression of Yu Cheng and intended to give Yu Cheng a bit more screen time. Seeing Yu Cheng’s blank look, she repeated with a laugh half-teasing and half-helpless, “I asked when you started liking Chu Hanfeng.”
Yu Cheng’s throat choked up, and for a moment even the surrounding air stagnated.
He lightly scratched the bridge of his nose with his fingertip, deliberating for a few seconds, and simply went along with what the others had said, “I also became a fan immediately after watching Teacher Chu’s first movie. His acting was great, and he was especially handsome.”
“Is that so?”
Chu Hanfeng spoke without any warning.
Yu Cheng raised his eyes and saw Chu Hanfeng’s lukewarm gaze looking over.
The man’s features were already carved deeply and dimensionally. Presumably to match the courtyard layout of this small house, the crew had intentionally lit a few kerosene lamps to increase the atmospheric feel. When that small cluster of flame flickered, Yu Cheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Looking over again, it seemed as though even the other man’s pitch-black pupils contained an extra hint of indescribable, deep-meaning implication.
And that brow ridge, which should have been imperceptibly furrowed, became especially obvious amidst the interwoven light and shadow, carrying a gaze that stared fixedly at him that grew a fraction heavier.
Yu Cheng paused for half a second, smiled, and said to Chu Hanfeng, “Of course, you are an example for all of us.”
All of us.
Instead of me.
This minor distinction felt utterly trivial for an occasion right now that was comparable to a fan meeting. In a flash, Yu Cheng could not help but softly let out a breath, feeling once again that everything was merely his own illusion.
After all, the white moonlight that everyone held high up in the sky could never be easily affected in mood by a casual lie he spoke.
The next instant, the corners of Chu Hanfeng’s mouth twitched. Yet the smile between the outer edges of his brows came across as faint, with only a muffled, vague sound of laughter emerging from his throat, “There is nothing so divine about it. Back then I just had good luck, happening to encounter a good director and script, coupled with the fact that the actors I collaborated with were all very excellent. A film’s success is the result of everyone’s joint efforts.”
“Then, Big Brother Feng, why did you go into acting?”
Liang You, who had not spoken until now, abruptly chimed in.
In fact, many people had wanted to know this question for a long time.
Given Chu Hanfeng’s background, viewed from the perspective of most people, obeying family arrangements and securely sitting in the successor’s seat should logically have been the optimal choice.
Not to mention that the Chu family was already vast and wealthy, simply the background and status that ordinary people could never hope to climb to were things countless people begged for yet could never attain. Yet as Chu Shihua’s legitimate and recognized only son externally, all of this undoubtedly came to Chu Hanfeng as easily as breathing since birth.
So what if Chu Shihua’s fleeting romantic encounters were countless? On the surface, Song Feiwan remained the true love of his life, and even after the two divorced, the Chu family still treated her with favorable preferential treatment.
Yet the trouble lay in the fact that among the vast expanse of water, restless characters were inevitably bound to appear. A few illegitimate children accidentally popped up. While they might not openly contend with Chu Hanfeng, the underhanded little moves were always countless, making it hard to guarantee they would not pose some threat to Chu Hanfeng and render an already seemingly less-than-harmonious father-son relationship even more precarious.
When all was said and done, back then when Chu Hanfeng followed in Song Feiwan’s footsteps and entered the entertainment industry, Chu Shihua had actually strongly opposed it.
Quite a few people present could not help holding their breath, watching Chu Hanfeng’s expression without blinking an eye.
Fortunately, Chu Hanfeng did not seem to reject this topic.
“Why?”
Chu Hanfeng lowered his eyes, rolling the question around on the tip of his tongue for a moment, and then his gaze swept past Yu Cheng’s seemingly absent-minded face, sneering, “Who knows? How can there be so many whys.”
Chu Hanfeng said, “Thinking about it carefully, I suppose I still had some interest in it.”
Interested?
Yu Cheng’s hands, which were wholeheartedly focused on tackling a crab claw, paused slightly. Guided by some inexplicable impulse, he recalled his past self, who seemed to have once asked Chu Hanfeng a similar question.
His past self still regarded Chu Hanfeng as the bright moon in his heart. As long as it concerned Chu Hanfeng, he was full of enthusiasm for everything.
Whenever he had free time, under the pretext of having Chu Hanfeng tutor him in his homework, he would pester the other to accompany him in conversation. Perhaps restrained by Song Feiwan’s instructions, although Chu Hanfeng’s expression was freezing cold, there were rare moments of harsh reprimands or impatience.
At that time, he was entirely fixated on staring at Chu Hanfeng’s face and unconsciously blurted out what was in his heart: “Don’t you feel that your face is very suited for making movies?”
Chu Hanfeng’s hand paused slightly, the tip of the pen writing and sketching on the draft paper falling softly onto the final stroke of a mathematical formula. The other man’s thin eyelids lifted slightly, casting a bizarre glance at him: “Do you still want me to teach you or not?”
Yu Cheng skillfully spun a triangle ruler with his index finger joints and answered irrelevantly: “Will you act in movies in the future like your mother?”
“Why act?”
Chu Hanfeng was already losing patience, his tone as cold as usual: “Isn’t it good to just be yourself?”
Perhaps feeling that this question was an utter waste of his time, Chu Hanfeng stopped bantering with him, and Yu Cheng did not bring it up again.
Yu Cheng suddenly felt that when all was said and done, despite chasing after Chu Hanfeng passionately for so many years, he had actually never truly understood this person.
Though of course, the person never took him seriously to begin with.
Whether you like acting or not, whether you want to enter the entertainment industry or not, what does it have to do with you anyway?
Lost in thought, Yu Cheng remained silent the whole time, until he abruptly felt his pant leg receive a gentle kick.
Yu Cheng: “?”
He turned his head to look at Fu Nian and Zeng Meng. Seeing that the people beside him looked completely normal, his gaze drifted sideways toward the tail of his eyes to check Qiu Xiangzhong and Liang You opposite him. Just as he was thinking the tactile sensation from just a moment ago was merely his own illusion, he realized the force brushing against his pant leg suddenly appeared again.
Surely it could not be this person, right?
With a mind-boggling expression, Yu Cheng glanced at Chu Hanfeng.
Coincidentally, Chu Hanfeng also raised his eyes, accidentally colliding with Yu Cheng’s gaze.
Yu Cheng remained silent for a good long while. Taking advantage of the fact that Qiu Xiangzhong and the others were chatting heatedly and had no spare time to mind him, he frowned and tilted his head toward Chu Hanfeng, issuing a silent question.
What is the meaning of this?
The two of them stared at each other across a distance neither too near nor too far. Chu Hanfeng was also left feeling utterly baffled by Yu Cheng’s sudden questioning look. Although his sharply-contoured face did not hold much expression, he still could not help narrowing his eyes slightly, keeping his gaze fixed for a long time without moving away.
“What is wrong?”
As Yu Cheng glared at Chu Hanfeng, Fu Nian’s puzzled voice suddenly sounded beside him.
The feeling of having one’s little covert actions caught red-handed was far too intense. Yu Cheng froze for a moment, instantly stiffening his spine and tightening his expression, wanting to say something to gloss it over.
As a result, Zeng Meng put her hands on her hips and pointed at the nose of the person next to her, asking, “Fu Nian, was it you who stepped on my foot?”
Fu Nian felt extremely aggrieved too, “Just because I snatched a fish from you this afternoon, you have to frame me?”
Everyone: “…”
In the end, it was Yu Cheng who reacted first, lowering his head to peer under the table.
Following that, everyone else mimicked Yu Cheng’s action and bent their waists.
Sure enough, they saw a lively big crab crouching beside Zeng Meng’s foot, waving its two large pincers as it prepared to climb onto Zeng Meng’s shoe, it was clearly the fish that had slipped through the net and escaped from Yu Cheng earlier.
Yu Cheng: “…”
Realizing what was going on, Yu Cheng glanced in Chu Hanfeng’s direction, instantly feeling a pang of guilty conscience.
This misunderstanding.
Was extremely awkward.
However, upholding the conviction that as long as I do not speak of it, no one else will know I am embarrassed, Yu Cheng forced himself to maintain his composure.
It was just that his composure was not quite thorough enough.
For a moment, Yu Cheng’s mind was completely filled with:
It is over.
His brain must have short-circuited just now for him to think the person kicking his foot was Chu Hanfeng.
As expected, past history made it far too easy to lower one’s intelligence.
Will Chu Hanfeng overthink this?
Could it be that he is secretly suspecting once again that I am full of crafty plots, deliberately thinking up some ghostly schemes to find ways to attract the attention of the person in my heart?
The sound of everyone bantering in his ear gradually faded away, and Yu Cheng regretted it ten thousand times in his heart.
As he had said, he should never have come to this show!
Until his arm was gently bumped, Yu Cheng snapped back to his senses.
Fu Nian whispered an explanation, “Liang You is asking you a question. One of our rooms leaked and has not had time to be patched up yet. There is only one guest room left, so tonight two people will probably have to squeeze together.”
Yu Cheng blurted out, habitually replying, “I have no problem with that.”
Once the words left his mouth, he realized the problem was huge.
There was only one guest room left to squeeze together in, but the parachuting surprise guests were him and Chu Hanfeng!
How were they supposed to squeeze?
Yet since the words had already been spoken, changing his statement now would look utterly absurd.
The next second, Qiu Xiangzhong offered, “If Hanfeng is willing, sleeping in the same bed with me is also possible.”
In the blink of an eye, Yu Cheng heard Chu Hanfeng reply, “I am certainly willing.”
Yu Cheng’s eyes instantly lit up.
Chu Hanfeng paused slightly, “It is just that I sleep late, and I am afraid of disturbing your rest.”
As he spoke, his gaze lightly swept past the frozen Yu Cheng, stating coldly and calmly, “I have no problem either.”