Something happening once was a chance, twice is a coincidence, and a third time is destiny at play.
They had met Yun Hao twice, and this time they had the chance to talk. Yun Hao apologised for bumping into Xu Chi and had calmed down. It seemed like he was deeply afraid of the haunted house, and the moment he met them, the initial fear disappeared.
Qi Yun glanced at Yun Hao from time to time, and burst out her suppressed emotions when he was about to leave: "Big brother, you made me drop my ice cream."
Yun Hao froze, he vaguely remembered this and began to apologise. Before he uttered any sound, Qi Yun cried: "Big brother, your eyes are so pretty!"
This made Yun Hao realise he had taken off his sunglasses, and quickly put them back on: "I'm sorry, I accidentally bumped into you. How about I buy you another one?"
Qi Yun tilted her head at him, "Aren't you scared of others recognising you? Aren't you famous?"
Yun Hao was surprised at the girl, he couldn't disagree nor say anything back. Qi Yun smiled at the perplexed person and said: "My uncle already brought me one, you don't need to. If you want to make up to me, how about removing your mask so I can see your face? Big brother must be at least a little good looking, right?"
Shu Zimu was thinking about how to get Yun Hao's contact detail when he heard this shamelessness. He couldn't help laugh quietly, this child was definitely a facecon. She doesn't let a single opportunity to see a pretty face go by.
Yun Hao hesitated. He didn't want to, but since they were all males other than Qi Yun, it wasn't likely for them to be sasaeng fans. Qi Yun saw his hesitation and compromised: "There's no one else here, and my uncles won't photograph any of it. Just a second is fine, okay Big brother?"
Yun Hao looked around, there was no one else and Qi Yan and Xu Chi were tall enough to block others.
He instantly took off the mask and sunglasses.
He was quite honest, taking off both his mask and glasses for Qi Yun to see his face clearly.
A lovely and beautiful face was revealed
Yun Hao's look made him stand out from the crowd. At first, his face gave a cold and stern feel, similar to an untouchable flower. But, as you look closer, his large, round eyes added a hint of cuteness to his presence. It was enough to make fans lick their screen and want to protect him. Qi Yun was happy her guess was right and praised: " Big brother is soo handsome!"
Yun Hao smiled and quickly covered his face once again. As he turned to leave, his phone rang. "Where did you run off to? Didn't I tell you to stay home and not go out, what part of that did you not understand? Do you feel uneasy if you don't cause trouble for one day?" The speaker coldly snorted, "Are you at the amusement park? Someone posted a photo of you on Weibo. If fans find out! Find somewhere to hide now and I'll find you."
Yun Hao dropped his eyes and grunted in agreement. The speaker shouted again: "Don't run around! I'll deal with you later!"
After hanging up, Yun Hao stood there in silence. Then, he turned back to ask them: "Sorry, do you know any remote places here?"
Shu Zimu was blown away by the disrespect his idol faced. Xu Chi wasn't as affected and quickly responded: "Someone took a picture?"
Yun Hao nodded, "Yea, they posted it on Weibo, my manager told me to hide until he gets here."
Xu Chi searched for a place on his phone and found somewhere relatively quiet. Qi Yun proposed: " Big brother, let us come too. We can be your bodyguard."
Yun Hao looked at every one of them, each with a determined expression: "Then, thank you, everyone. My manager will be here soon, I'm sorry for taking your time."
Travelling with a large group was certainly easier for Yun Hao. They soon arrived at a remote place, dense with forestation. It looked like an uninhabited building and this brought a sense of relief for Yun Hao. He relaxed and chatted with Qi Yun. Qi Yun was interested in a celebrity's life, she asked him about this and that. It was remarkable to see how much patience Yun Hao had.
"How did you get found out?" Qi Yun was confused. The large sunglasses and mask made it impossible for her to recognise his face.
Yun Hao thought about it. Then replied with a guilty conscience: "I took off my mask to eat the ice cream, then got discovered..."
The entire group went silent.
Yun Hao didn't stop but burst out what was bottling his heart: "Then I ran away, wanting to find somewhere quiet to stay. I saw the haunted house, there was no one there and I ran in, then..."
Then you got scared.
This sentence was silently spoken by everyone. They remembered Yun Hao's face then, he looked like a stupified deer.
Qi Yun comforted him: " Don't worry, those ghosts are all fake. Let me tell you this, my Uncle Yan is the devil. Look, don't you think he's more frightening than those ghosts? With him, no ghost dares to come."
Shu Zimu, Qi Yao, Xu Chi: "Pftt."
Qi Yan: "..."
Yun Hao glanced at Qi Yan, his angry face was way scarier than those ghosts. He smiled back at Qi Yun: "Thank you, I'm not scared anymore."
Remembering how he was trembling with fear, the three of them (everyone but Qi Yan) laughed at the change. Xu Chi's interest in the star peaked. Was this stupid deer really the most popular fresh meat? Who knew if he was acting before or not?
Regardless of what answer Xu Chi came up with he agreed that Yun Hao had the looks and skills to be an actor.
What Qi Yun was truly interested in was looks, not so much the day to day life of a celebrity. She asked Yun Hao if there was anyone as good looking as him, the answer was after applying makeup. The two had similar mental ages and quickly diverted the topic to the taste of their ice cream.
Their conversation jotted Shu Zimu's memories. If he remembered correctly when Yun Hao was chased he had protected his ice cream well. The sparkle in his eyes when talking to Qi Yun about the taste was a dead giveaway.
"Don't eat too much ice cream in one go, you can eat next time." Qi Yun sternly educated him. Yun Hao smiled and continued to act wronged: "I rarely have breaks, and even less likely after today. My manager hardly let me go play, lest I'll be surrounded by fans."
Yun Hao looked like a child whose rob of his candy. Shu Zimu thought he saw the tip of his ears droop down, just like an aggrieved cat.
The difference between how a celebrity act on and offscreen was too great...Before Yun Hao was falsely accused, he was a handsome, naive and cute boy to Shu Zimu. Now, meeting him face to face, he was also frank and slow.
In his previous life, after Yun Hao staged a comeback, he became someone strong and powerful. He travelled to hell and back and became a man of steel. Comparing him then to the image of him at the haunted house, was too shocking for Shu Zimu.
He looked at Yun Hao happily chatting to Qi Yun and felt so angry and sorrowful. He was only a child and yet was manipulated by those he trusted the most. God knows how he survived all of that and came out so strong.
Qi Yun, the little adult, patted Yun Hao's shoulder again, "It's ok if you don't get to eat ice cream, there's are lots of food out there, like roast duck and the old city centre has a great dessert shop, and there's a famous braised meat shop too! There's a cake store near Xing Yuan Square, they have great ice cream too! You can get it delivered, or send someone to buy it for you." Qi Yun thought about it, then said: "The ice cream will melt, but if you don't mind that, you can get someone to get it for you."
"..." Shu Zimu discovered that Qi Yun was not only a facecon but also a food lover.
Qi Yun's passionate talk stimulated Yun Hao's taste buds, and he responded: "You know so many good places, I've been here for years but don't know my way around..." he drifted off and handed his phone to Qi Yun: "Can I add you on WeChat? You can tell me more about these yummy places."
"Ok." Qi Yun agreed and handed her kid phone over. The two exchanged contact details swiftly, leaving the rest muddled at the quick friendship. Shu Zimu had been contemplating how to contact Yun Hao privately, but it got resolved so fast by the two foodies. The gap between expectation and reality was too great!
Regardless, Shu Zimu was delighted to see this, he didn't need to waste his brain cells and the issue was solved. Xu Chi and Qi Yao looked at them funny, but Qi Yan was feeling upset. The reason? Probably because Shu Zimu has been paying more attention to Yun Hao than him. In short, Qi Yan's current impression of Yun Hao was so-so, he hoped his manager would come soon and take him away.
Qi Yan's wish was fulfilled shortly. It wasn't long before someone marched towards them, complaining: "What kind of trashy place is this, it's so hard to find!"
Xu Chi frowned, he wasn't sure if this person was Yun Hao's manager and stepped forward calmly to protect Yun Hao. He asked in a sombre voice: "Is he your manager?"
Yun Hao nodded and stepped out just when the manager arrived. The manager noticed there were others beside Yun Hao and made a sour face, "What happened?"
Yun Hao lowered his head slightly and explained: "I asked them for help."
The manager sized up Qi Yan a few times, then opened his mouth to blame Yun Hao: "Since you came out for ice cream, why don't you stuff yourself to death! It's fine to go out, but you were discovered and photographed! You never achieve anything, but always mess up!" The manager had doubts about them and ferociously yelled: "Did you take a photo with someone? Don't you have a brain?! Once this gets out, people will speculate. It's easy for you to get in trouble, but it's damn tiring to wipe your ass every time!"
While speaking, he had a good look at everyone, especially Shu Zimu. His appearance was quite outstanding that the manager thought of him as another little star. He ridiculed Yun Hao due to this: "Don't think everyone else is as stupid as you: Don't know how to act when meeting someone higher than you, don't know how to hug a wealthy backer's thigh, and don't know how to make friends with others, but backstabbers!"
The manager didn't try to conceal his disdain, and Qi Yan's face blackened even more at the baseless accusations.
He felt a chill and habitually shrank back, but his nature of bullying the weak and sucking up to the rich held him back. He stared back at Qi Yan and amplified his voice: "What you looking at, why don't people know their place? Take out your phones, let me check if you took a photo or not!"
Yun Hao's face paled and he pulled his manager, "Uncle, they really didn't do anything! Let's go, otherwise, we'll attract unwanted attention."
Everyone was stunned by this sudden confession, was Yun Hao's manager his blood-related uncle? Xu Chi, who was going to blow up, suppressed his anger.
However, the manager had no restraint, he walked straight up to Shu Zimu and cursed: "Our Yun Hao is a top-tier superstar, we don't accept 18th-tier actors."
"..."
Shu Zimu thought this person was odd; he was blind, delusional, and had inflicted so much pain to Yun Hao. He wasn't sure what stage the situation was in, but it's a no brainer that he would betray and frame Yun Hao in the near future. By then, he would have lost a cash cow and be sentenced a few years later.
Xu Chi saw Qi Yan's stormy look and understood that this manager would never be able to live so comfortably again. After looking at the afflicted Yun Hao, Xu Chi sneered: "Check my phone? Your boss is not even qualified to have my contact, can you afford to pay if my number is leaked?"
The manager was taken back. Whenever he looked at either Xu Chi or Qi Yan, he felt a silent pressure shoving him. But Shu Zimu didn't have such an imposing manner, and he targeted him: "Then I won't check everyone, just his is fine."
Xu Chi almost laughed at him, and as he was about to spill, Yun Hao shouted: "ENOUGH! I said they didn't do anything, what do you want to do? Do you have to say such things? Must you blame someone? You say I cause too much trouble, but you started those rumours of me abusing my position, what kind of manager do that?"
Yun Hao's sudden anger shocked everyone. The naive and timid boy they knew of was gone. His manager also couldn't believe it, he stared at Yun Hao, wordlessly.
Yun Hao's face was hidden behind his sunglasses and mask, but Xu Chi sensed that his eyes must have turned bloodshot and his figure seemed to be quivering. He took the floor: "Do you think I'm giving you room for bargaining? Yun Hao is right, I've never seen any managers like you. Isn't he YueMei's money tree? Then, how can a blind person like you become his manager? If I were your boss, I would have fired you already. With such character and IQ, you wouldn't even be fit as a bodyguard."
Due to Qi Yan's desire to acquire media companies, Xu Chi learnt a lot about this industry. YueMei was a small, second-rated company and Yun Hao was the only top-tier with potential. It stood to reason that the golden doll should be treated well, else he quit. But, they had arranged such a manager for him because he was his uncle?
The manager trembled at the words and wanted to beat them up, but when he saw three young men with good physiques, those thoughts went out the window. Instead, he opened his mouth to insult them.
Yun Hao was so anxious that he pulled on him several times, but it was all for naught. Xu Chi thought of countermeasures, though the manager was at fault he was still Yun Hao's relative. However, Qi Yan didn't have any patience left and after hearing the abusive language, he kicked the manager's pot belly. The kick caused him to fall headfirst and almost knocked Yun Hao over too, luckily, Xu Chi had run over in time to catch him.
"OW!" The manager yelled in pain, clutching his belly on the floor and threatened: "You dare hit me, I'll see you in court!"
Qi Yan grinned, walked over and picked him up by the collar. He didn't want to waste any breath on him and gave him a knuckle sandwich right on the nose.
Yun Hao watched the beating in a daze with Xu Chi supporting him. Xu Chi wanted to explain and comfort the boy, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He decided to just follow Qi Yan in beating him.
Shu Zimu wasn't expecting Qi Yan to beat him, but he didn't stop him. Yun Hao was the same, he didn't know if he didn't stop them because he was stunned or wanted it to happen. It wasn't until Qi Yao joined the excitement and kicked him a few times, that the manager stopped swearing and began to cry for mercy.
Yun Hao woke up from his daze and went to stop them.
"Don't....don't fight! I apologise to you on behalf of my uncle, please don't fight. If you hit him again, he might die!"
When Xu Chi saw Yun Hao approaching, he moved away, but Qi Yan gave him one last kick and said: "Call an ambulance, we'll cover the medical bills." After a pause, he told Yun Hao: "You don't need to apologize. If he doesn't change, we can do this again after he's healed."
Yun Hao stiffened at the warning. Xu Chi coughed twice and called an ambulance at Qi Yan's request.
"He'll be sent to a private hospital, their confidentiality measures are the best, you don't need to worry." After calling, Xu Chi comforted the blank Yun Hao.
Yun Hao froze for a moment, and said, "Thank you."
"Don't worry" Xu Chi replied, "A'Yan is just teaching him a lesson and won't do anything to you. But, you should consider what I said before, having such a manager would only hold you back. Since he's injured and needs time to rest, you can get someone else."
Yun Hao paused, ultimately shaking his head in disagreement. Xu Chi frowned at this and stayed silent.
Qi Yan and Shu Zimu were also chatting on the side. Although Shu Zimu thought there was nothing wrong with beating that guy up, he wanted to console Yun Hao. But, Xu Chi was ahead of him and Shu Zimu didn't want to overwhelm him. He turned to Qi Yan instead.
It was rumoured that Qi Yan was bad-tempered, yet they had got along so well before. He felt a little apprehensive by today's scene. If Qi Yan behaved like this in similar situations, of course, there would be such groundless rumours being spread.
Shu Zimu looked at the manager lying on the ground with a bloody nose and swollen face. His eyes trailed from him to the man beside him and asked: "Do your hands hurt?"
Qi Yan was about to answer it didn't hurt when he heard Qi Yao laughing. He immediately frowned and looked over. After perceiving his brother's ruthless look, Qi Yao's face instantly became solemn, as if the laugh wasn't made by him.
He turned back and the answer he prepared were stuck in his throat. He remembered the various romantic strategies he read about. It said, that times like he should take advantage of his partner's concern. If he said it didn't hurt, he wouldn't be able to receive anything. Qi Yan changed his answer, but then thought if Shu Zimu heard that he was in pain, would it affect his image of being powerful and reliable?
When Qi Yan was wavering, Qi Yun helped him make a decision: "How could Uncle Yan be hurt? Uncle can even break wooden boards and bricks, this is only a small matter~"
Shu Zimu was shocked by this, Qi Yan was truly too great. He curiously asked: "Have you practised martial arts?"
He didn't get affection, but curiosity towards him was good too. Qi Yan nodded and said: "At the military."
"You were a soldier?" Shu Zimu became more surprised. He had never heard of this before.
"I was for two years at uni." Qi Yan replied.
Shu Zimu sighed and realised Qi Yun was also there and had witnessed the entire event. He couldn't help asking: "...Isn't it not good to hit someone in front of children?"
Qi Yan's expression remained unchanged, "It's ok, she's used to it."
Shu Zimu: "..." Why would Qi Yun be used to it? Did you often beat people at home?