Chapter 39: CH 36

Chapter 36: How are you? Not so good.

Yu Nian lay on his back on the dry sand and didn’t care whether his clothes would get dirty. He looked at the stars in the sky, and his voice was very gentle, “Xie You, how have you been recently?”

After asking, he couldn’t help laughing lowly —he had also asked him this question when they met outside Qu Xiaoran’s office. At that time, Xie You replied that he was very good.

Xie You’s voice seemed to be wrapped in the night wind, it was cold but gentle, “Not very good.”

Yu Nian was slightly startled — he thought Xie You would still answer “very good”.

Yu Nian thought about it and said, “I just saw the news. A car fell into the river. The owner’s surname is Xie.”

“It’s my car.” Xie You replied, “I was going to go home in this car.”

Yu Nian tightened his five fingers holding the phone — he didn’t expect that Xie You would reveal the tip of the iceberg to him personally.

“The same thing happened to Song Ke before?”

“Yes.” Xie You asked softly after several breaths, “Are you free to talk to me?”

Inexplicably, Yu Nian’s eyes suddenly became sour.

He thought of crooked cakes, burnt egg tarts, unrecognizable small biscuits, a replaced thermos, and specially made cufflinks with a price tag of 200 yuan—Xie You in reality and the one he tried to show were actually completely different.

He was not so indifferent, domineering, and unreasonable as he seemed on the surface. The one he knew was the complete opposite.

So, how difficult must it have been for a person to hide their true self so deeply?

He didn’t realize that his tone was almost coaxing, “Yeah, of course.”

The wind from the receiver was hoarse, and it took a long time before Xie You’s voice sounded.

“My brother was five years older than me. He was born in the spring. On the day he was born, the spring rain fell heavily all night, so my mother named him Xie Li1.”

Xie You seemed to be finally able to tell a story that had been buried in his heart for a long time. He enjoyed and cherished this opportunity, and he spoke at a steady pace, “He was very powerful and smart. Several tutors said that they had never taught such a smart student. He knew all the questions I didn’t know, and he would patiently teach me the models that I couldn’t piece together. He also taught me to hold a pen, taught me to draw, taught me to tie my shoes, and took me swimming. He was very business-minded, so my father was very happy, and he always took my elder brother by his side to teach.”

“And then?”

“Then he had a car accident, and the car sank into the river. At that time…he must have been very sad and desperate. No one came to save him.” Xie You lowered his voice as if he was talking to himself, “During that time, I dreamed of him every night, and in my dream, he told me that the river was really cold.”

Yu Nian could almost piece together the past into a rough picture.

The heir whom they had worked so hard to cultivate passed away unexpectedly, leaving only the youngest son, who majored in piano at the Leto Conservatory of Music and never touched the business. Under such circumstances, there must have been tigers and wolves around.

The path must be extremely difficult, even full of mud — Xie You still walked to the present, step by step.

When Yu Qing was woken up by Yu Nian, she tugged at her long hair that had been messed up in sleep and couldn’t help complaining, “Before the filming is even finished, my hair is already dry, rough, and has split ends. I don’t know how long it will take to save them when I go back!”

She caught a glimpse of Yu Nian’s absent-minded look and bumped Yu Nian’s arm slightly with her shoulder, “Yo, our NianNian didn’t sleep well in the middle of the night and dragged me to drive the car so far away, where the signal is good, so that he can talk to a certain someone. I am finally happy!”

Yu Nian said helplessly, “Sister, what are you thinking about?”

Yu Qing casually tied her ponytail and sighed deliberately, “Hey, NianNian is already 21 years old, all grown up. You have also reached the age of falling in love! It won’t be long before you think, sister? What is a sister? Can I eat it?”

Yu Nian heard her talking further and further away and quickly explained, “There is no certain someone. He is a friend of mine. He has been in a bad situation recently, and I am a little worried.”

He also remembered that before he left, when he met Xie You outside Qu Xiaoran’s office, the other party seemed to have a lot to say, but he couldn’t say it, and there seemed to be a little…bit of grievance?

Seeing that Yu Nian was in a daze again, Yu Qing snorted heavily, “You are in a daze again! And you said there is no certain someone?”

Yu Nian found that the matter was getting worse and worse, so he didn’t explain it at all and changed the topic, “Sister, didn’t you mention before that there’s news about “Drunken Horse Spring Outing Painting”?”

Yu Qing patted the steering wheel, “Ah, I almost forgot if you didn’t ask! My old man’s friend inquired about this painting. It had been bought by a businessman from an island country and was later sent to a private museum.

Recently, it was reported that this private museum was not well managed and that all the things in the collection should be auctioned. I just don’t know how long it will take or how many people are interested. I told a helper to pay attention, and I have news to tell you.”

She glared at Yu Nian again, “It’s okay if you don’t want my help, but if you can’t afford food, at least let me have a chance to help you!”

Yu Nian hurriedly replied, “Well, I can still afford to eat now.”

“Okay, it’s already late. If you’re fine, we’ll go back?” Waiting for Yu Nian to nod, Yu Qing stepped on the accelerator, and the tire rolled up the gravel and drove to the crew.

Early the next morning, Yu Nian got up, and the entire crew was quiet. The props were scattered on the floor, and there was a mess everywhere.

Shi Rou yawned and handed the thermos in her hand to Yu Nian, “Yesterday’s filming ended at four o’clock in the morning, and Director Xu couldn’t hold it anymore. When the work was over, the little brothers of the field affairs dozed off while moving things and almost broke his head, waking Director Xu from his sleepiness.”

After talking, Yu Nian was holding the thermos by himself and was going to have breakfast with Shi Rou, but before he reached the dining room, the phone rang.

“Good morning, Brother Meng!”

“No, no!” Meng Yuan’s voice was a little impatient, “Did you drive out in the middle of the night with Yu Qing last night? You didn’t come back for more than an hour?”

The smile on Yu Nian’s face faded, and he reacted almost immediately, “Were we secretly photographed, or has it been exposed?”

“Both!”

Yu Nian calmly recalled, “Before I came to the set, I went to Yu Qing’s house to help her pack her things and brought them to the crew with me. When I participated in “Sound of Nature”, one night it was too late, and I stayed in the guest room of her house. The next morning, she had to catch an early flight for the crew. If it was deliberate, there might also be sneak shots from these two times.”

He gestured to Shi Rou, and found a corner to stand in. “So, the other party’s goal is to break the big news. Is it of me, or Yu Qing?”

Meng Yuan was sure that the matter was true, and his tone calmed down, “It’s you. The comments on the Internet have been completely guided, and your status is too different, few people think about dating at all.”

“It’s impossible to fall in love.”

“I also think it’s impossible for you to fall in love; even when you look at each other, no sparks of love can be seen!”

Yu Nian thought for a while and explained, “She is my sister; it is impossible for us to fall in love.”

Meng Yuan was silent for a while before his voice came over, “F*ck! Sister? Are you related by blood?”

“Yeah, she is my sister; there is a blood relationship, but a little far away.” Yu Nian put his hand in the pocket of his jeans and clearly said, “Yu Qing’s grandfather was my grandmother’s brother, and my grandmother is Yu Qing’s grand aunt. She is my cousin, and we often played together when we were young.”

Meng Yuan was quite experienced, and he immediately reacted, “You don’t tell us about this relationship because you don’t want to rely on Yu Qing, and you don’t want us to borrow Yu Qing’s light, right?”

“Yes,” Yu Nian looked down and smiled, “Although this idea is a bit naive, I believe that I can be popular on my own, so why add the label ‘Brother Yu Qing’ to myself?”

“It’s good to think so. If you really put this label on yourself, no matter how far you go in the future, no one else will admit that this was your own journey.”

“Thank you, Brother Meng, for your understanding.”

Meng Yuan breathed out, “I was still thinking about how to clarify this matter. After all, the relationship between men and women is the most troublesome thing. Just a picture is enough to make up a novel in people’s minds. Maybe someone will say that you are tied together for popularity.” He asked again, “Well then, you should talk to Yu Qing first to see her attitude, and we’ll discuss it after we’re done.”

Hanging up the phone, Yu Nian went to check the situation by himself. There was no need to look for it specifically. Under his recently updated Weibo, many of his fans and Yu Qing’s fans were already asking what the relationship was between him and Yu Qing.

Someone even found out that he sang two pieces of Yu Qing’s works in a row on the Sound of Nature show; the one who helped him sing on the guest part was also Yu Qing’s, and Yu Qing also mentioned his name in a magazine interview.

[Suddenly, I’m so sad! So Yu Nian sang Yu Qing’s song on the show to show his sincerity? Then he became popular again with Yu Qing’s help! No, I should just ask, did Yu Nian go directly to the show “Sound of Nature,” and Yu Qing really didn’t contribute?]

[F*ck off all the nonsense! If NianNian really has something to do with Yu Qing, and there are people covering him, then before did he still have to sing and dance with his injured foot in front of the whole audience?]

[I suddenly feel sorry for my family’s You You! Is this still not looking shady? The film crew should come to make it clear! Isn’t Yu Qing acting as the heroine, so it’s obvious that she can let her close friend sing the promotion song? You You has been preparing for so long, and he was squeezed away by a disgusting relationship! He doesn’t deserve this!]

[The squid girl feels distressed! How can this Yu Nian be better than You You? He robbed our You You’s resources and also bought a water army to control back. What a shame!]

Shi Rou’s expression was a bit ugly, and she advised Yu Nian, “NianNian, don’t be sad. Those hackers on the Internet, they just speak badly.”

Yu Nian thanked, “I’m not sad. I’m just thinking, this time, who will benefit the most? What good will it be for him to expose this matter?”

Shi Rou’s thinking direction was shifted, “When Sister Yu Qing got this role before, several big flower’s powder fans were torn into a ball. If this unclear relationship was exposed, Sister Yu Qing’s popularity will definitely be affected, so could it be for the next resource or something?”

“Well, there is a possibility,” Yu Nian analyzed, “The fans on You You’s side are very also consistent. They all concluded that I was selected to sing the promotion song because I took a shortcut by Yu Qing. This is the real shady scene. You You was squeezed out by my relationship.”

Shi Rou answered, “By this, your fans can be oppressed and his fans can come to attack you. It can clean up the point of ‘You You is not as good as Yu Nian’, and can also stir up the heat?”

“It should almost be like this. I haven’t thought of anything else yet.”

“Your brain is turning fast,” Yu Qing walked over wrapped in a big, bright-colored loose coat. Her face was bad, she didn’t wear makeup, and the dark circles under her eyes were also very conspicuous.

Because of the lack of sleep, she said in a very irritable tone, “Is he really so bold to make troubles on my head? Saying that I let you go through the back door, at least there must be a chance for me to do this!”

The wind was strong in the morning and Yu Nian moved two steps to help her block it, “Why do you wake up so early?”

Yu Qing shrugged, “I was woken up by a phone call from my manager, forcing me to ask what relationship I have with you. F*ck, you’re my brother!”

Shi Rou was stunned by Yu Qing’s fierce appearance. She couldn’t help observing quietly, trying to find out if Yu Nian and Yu Qing had similar facial features.

Yu Nian: “Sister, my manager asked me to ask you what you want.”

Yu Qing raised her finely trimmed eyebrows, “What do I want? Of course, I want to get back at them! Get back hard! The discussion about this unclear relationship will only get worse and worse, and later it may be said that I slept with you so that you could be on the show and sing the promotion song! You are in the ascendant period, and this kind of scandal is very bad for your reputation.

Besides, don’t they also say that you and I have a good relationship and I was generous wough to give you resources?”

She suddenly smiled, and waved her hands again, “No, no, don’t be in a hurry. Just wait, wait for a while. Isn’t the wave getting hot, how can we let down the people behind deliberately stirring things up? We will not waste their hard work!”

After the regular meeting, Xie You took out his mobile phone and habitually searched for Yu Nian’s news. As a result, the screen was full of news about Yu Nian’s private meeting with Yu Qing in the middle of the night and their return after more than an hour. Even the news pushed by the browser was firmly clinging to Yu Qing and Yu Nian’s enthusiasm.

Xie You held back his temper and finished reading—nonsense! Last night, I obviously talked with Yu Nian on the phone for a long time!

He wanted to throw the phone farther away so he couldn’t see it, but when he saw the photos of Yu Nian displayed on the news page, they all looked good when they were taken from random and careless angles.

Xie You gently put down the phone, carefully, not daring to use too much strength.

At this time, there was an unread message displayed on the screen.

Xie You opened it, and there was only one sentence on it, “Yu Qing is my sister.”

Why did you…explain it to me?

Xie You took the mobile phone that was placed on the table back into his hand and read the message several times.