CH 41

I looked at the person who now stood in front of me, at his pair of ocean blue eyes. His make-up contours looked three-dimensional and vivid in the sunlight, and his beautifully crafted costume made him look like a prince who had escaped from the palace; privately arrogant and aristocratic.

“Why are you here?” Ye Lin narrowed his eyes at me and spoke in a low voice.

It took me a second to recover from my astonishment.

“Are you working?” I finally asked.

Ye Lin frowned. “Yeah.”

He didn’t say anything else, and didn’t seem to want to add more, but he would not have come over if he just wanted to stand in front of me.

I wanted to find something to say. After all, standing like this is always embarrassing.

“You–”

“Let’s eat together, we’re almost done,” Ye Lin interrupted me. “Wait for me.”

He then ran back to the stage.

Just then I realized that I had become the focus of the surrounding people’s attention, and I averted my gaze from their stares.

I looked at Ye Lin, who was back on the stage, and even though there were people gathered about him, he still obviously stood out.

But I didn’t even notice his presence a moment ago.

Also, he seemed to have said that he wanted us to dine together? But I was sure I didn’t say yes.

Before I entered the dining room, another person ran over to stop me.

“Excuse me, Miss, Senior Brother Ye wants you to come over.”

“Please tell him I have something to do.”

But the clean-cut boy in front of me was insistent.

“Brother Ye said he would give me a good look if I call you over, so go over there. It won’t take long, we’ll be closing in ten minutes.”

“Why are you standing at the door?”

I turned sideways to find Piao Zheng striding towards me two meters away.

“You didn’t get blocked out by the waiter, did you?” Piao Zheng came up to me and grinned as he put his arm around my shoulder.

“I’m waiting for you, the dragon slayer, to escort me,” I joked, then turned my head to the boy on the side and said, “I’ll call him.”

The boy looked a bit fazed, “You–senior brother Ye–”

“Don’t be nervous. I’ll call him, he won’t give you a hard time.”

“No, it’s not that.” He shook his head.

This inexplicable attitude made me frown.

“What? Someone you know?” Piao Zheng asked.

“Not really, it’s Ye Lin’s junior brother.” I said casually.

“Ye Lin?” Piao Zheng glanced at me.

I pointed to the open-air stage across the street.

Piao Zheng was silent for a moment, before he suddenly said, “Want to go over and take a look?”

“Hmm?”

“Let’s go.” Piao Zheng pulled me toward the open-air stage, and I felt blindsided as he led me forward.

“Hey, little brother, follow us,” Piao Zheng shouted backwards.

I looked up at Piao Zheng in slight confusion. I could not guess what he was thinking.

When we came to the periphery of the crowd, Ye Lin, who was posing on the stage for the photographer, turned and met my eyes in the crowd. He focused his gaze, and then did not break eye contact.

His movements were natural, and such a gaze would not draw attention to me, because he was a natural actor under the camera, but I was not, and I felt a little uncomfortable. I turned my head away to look elsewhere.

“Why did you drag me over here?”

“You don’t want to meet him?” Piao Zheng asked rhetorically.

“I–” My words were interrupted by the woman running over.

“I am Ye Lin’s assistant, please follow me backstage.”

Since we were already there, it would seem pretentious to continue to refuse again, so I reluctantly agreed.

I don’t know what Piao Zheng is thinking. Does he want to……set me up with Ye Lin? I don’t think so, after all, Piao Zheng should have heard that Ye Lin is getting married to Yang Yali, and he should be clear on my stance, so why is he doing this? Is it really that just because we know each other we should go over to see him?

The backstage was a temporary work shed with few people inside. Some were sitting, some were standing, but all were dressed fashionably. The female assistant handed me and Piao Zheng each a cup of coffee. As I accepted the paper cup, I felt a gaze behind me, and I turned around to see Ye Lin walking over.

“I thought you were going to leave.” Ye Lin walked up to me, his tone deliberately ambiguous. Then he looked at the person beside me. “Piao Zheng, long time no see.”

Piao Zheng smiled. “Work has been quite busy lately?”

“Not bad,” Ye Lin said.

“It’s good to be busy with work.”

Ye Lin’s expression turned a bit playful. “I didn’t expect you to care about me.”

Piao Zheng didn’t take his comment seriously. “I can be regarded as your schoolmate in many ways. What’s more, when you were dating Anjie, I already regarded you as a younger brother.”

I frowned subconsciously. Piao Zheng should be the one who knows my heart the most, but why now…

“Come to think of it, I still have something I need to do,” Piao Zheng said, turning to me, “I’ll go now. Eat dinner with Ye Lin, I’ll call you later.” He patted my arm gently.

As I watched Piao Zheng walk out, I felt a flare of annoyance and asked Ye Lin, “Do you still need to continue the shoot ?”

Ye Lin looked at me, a strange look flashing in his eyes. “I’m going to change my clothes.”

As Ye Lin walked away, some models came in and began to gossip.

“I heard Sister Ai say that Brother Ye’s girlfriend is here. Who and where?”

One male model met my eyes and whistled.

“Zhuang Qi, you’re looking for death.” Ye Lin’s characteristically feminine voice came from behind the door of the dressing room. He walked back out and took a big step across to my side.

“Brother Ye, you’re bringing your girlfriend with you to have dinner with us, right? We also want to know what kind of demon can make you swoon. Oh no, no, I meant a fairy.”

Ye Lin smiled, and did not seem to want to pay much attention to them, but he also seemed to be very happy to have it.

He also did not clarify the situation.

I don’t understand what is going on…

“Young Ye, what do you say to that?”

“I originally wanted to have dinner with you alone, but it seems that I can’t. It’s okay if we have dinner with my colleagues, right?” Ye Lin asked me.

I looked at him, speechless.

Ye Lin took my hand, “Let’s go, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

I pulled my hand firmly but it seemed impossible to pull it out of his grasp. I frowned and looked down, and then my heart jerked tight. His wrist where he had a silk scarf looped had become accidentally exposed.

Is that a scar? My God, a wound like that…

I raised my fingers against my trembling lips, and then looked up to stare at the tall thin figure in front of me.

A suicide attempt? But why?

What kind of trick are you playing this time, Ye Lin?