Chapter 59#
World 2: I Want to Be a Fish in Your Pond#
When his dream was only a step away from reality, Mu Feiyan didn’t hesitate or struggle in the slightest…
He gave it up.
When Qin Qing and the most precious things in the world were placed on opposite ends of the scale for him to choose, he would always choose Qin Qing.
He glanced at the staff member, walked slowly to a secluded corner, and stood beside a potted plant with lush foliage.
“I’ll withdraw from the competition tomorrow. Don’t be troubled,” he said soothingly, slowing his speech.
He didn’t feel troubled himself; he was only afraid that Qin Qing would be troubled.
Qin Qing held his phone and looked at the distant sunset.
The eternally burning crimson sphere was sinking while releasing warmth. Endless orange clouds held onto the last rays of light. When the light was about to extinguish, who would have thought that this was also when it was most brilliant?
Qin Qing blinked his sore eyes and said with utmost gentleness, “You’ve made your choice. Do you want to know what I would choose?”
Of course, Mu Feiyan wanted to know, but he was also afraid to know. To Qin Qing, he was just a terrible, arrogant jerk who didn’t understand respect and equality.
Why would Qin Qing give up revenge for a jerk?
Mu Feiyan didn’t blame Qin Qing, not even a little bit. If it were him, he would make the same choice. He could only blame himself for appearing at the wrong time, for being too proud and conceited, thinking that whatever he decided must be right.
However, facts proved he was terribly wrong.
Mu Feiyan clenched his fists and didn’t answer.
Silence meant acquiescence.
Immersed in the conversation, Mu Feiyan didn’t notice a tiny camera hidden in the lush potted plant. It wasn’t turned off and was recording everything happening right now.
After waiting a few seconds, Qin Qing sighed and said, “My choice is you.”
“What?” Mu Feiyan replied blankly, sounding a bit foolish.
His mind began to reel and feel dizzy, and he seriously doubted if he was hallucinating.
What did Qin Qing say? Who was his choice?
“My choice is you,” Qin Qing repeated clearly and slowly.
Mu Feiyan’s eyes moistened at that moment. He thought he would inevitably be the one discarded. Who would give up fulfilling their father’s last wish for a jerk? Who would give up a chance to completely change their life for a jerk? Why would Qin Qing make such a choice?
Even hearing it with his own ears, Mu Feiyan still couldn’t quite believe it.
Thinking this, he asked, “Why?”
By now, the sun was half-set, the fiery afterglow burning the horizon, emitting its final and most brilliant light.
Looking at the brilliant yet unblinding light, Qin Qing said softly, “Because it’s unfair to you. Why should your life be decided by others? Aren’t you trying so hard to realize your dream precisely to break free from constraints and gain freedom?”
“No, for you, I can—”
Mu Feiyan’s anxious defense was interrupted by Qin Qing’s gentle voice: “I watched your performance.”
He laughed softly, his tone filled with deep amazement and strong expectation: “You know, on stage, you aren’t a star, you are the blazing sun. How could I bear to trade such a dazzling you for a criminal? It’s not an equivalent exchange, do you understand? Your value cannot be measured by anything. Catching that criminal is something I can spend my whole life doing, but I will never allow your dream, your light, to be extinguished even for a second. Continue to shine on stage, Mu Feiyan. That is what I want to say to you.”
Qin Qing watched the sun sink a little lower and slowly exhaled.
On the other end, Mu Feiyan was stunned into silence.
No one had ever said these words to him. When his parents denied everything about him, they never told him—you yourself are the most precious.
When his parents only saw him as an accessory they could manipulate at will, only Qin Qing treated him as an independent person, even a blazing sun with boundless radiance.
He said he couldn’t bear for his light to go out for even a second. He was protecting him.
Even if it meant giving up revenge for his tragically murdered father, he was protecting him.
Guilt and regret had never washed over Mu Feiyan’s heart so violently. They interrogated him: Why could you treat such a wonderful person so cruelly? Why couldn’t you wait and investigate the truth? Why?
Mu Feiyan turned to face the potted plant, not wanting passersby to see his tear-soaked eyes. However, this scene was captured by the camera hidden in the leaves.
“Qin Qing, I’m sorry,” his voice choked.
“It’s okay, it’s all in the past,” Qin Qing said gently.
Mu Feiyan breathed rapidly, his hoarse voice burning with intense love: “Qin Qing, I like you.”
This confession came suddenly but appropriately.
Qin Qing didn’t know how to respond, so he could only remain silent.
Mu Feiyan didn’t mind the silence. He had to speak out all the love accumulated in his heart: “I like you so much, so much!”
He paused, seeming to think about how to describe it. But he failed. His limited vocabulary was simply insufficient to express the surging emotions in his heart.
“I can’t explain what kind of liking it is. If you want me to kneel for you, I will kneel. If you want to slap me, I will offer my face. If you want my bones, I can smash them for you. If you want my blood, I can drain it all for you. If you want my life—”
He paused here. His breathing had become very heavy, and his voice carried a morbid fanaticism and expectation, as if offering everything to Qin Qing, from flesh and blood to life and even soul, was not pain, but a passionate, sweet sacrifice.
At this moment, he was not a confessor, but a pilgrim.
“If you want my life,” he said slowly and solemnly, word by word, “I would die with a smile and close my eyes. Qin Qing, I’ll give you whatever you want. That’s how much I like you.”
Silence on both ends of the phone.
Mu Feiyan was still panting, the tears in his deep eyes gone, leaving only heart-pounding desire.
Flushed face, sweaty forehead, slightly upturned lips—the man who had just been suppressing sorrow and pain, appearing very fragile, was now burning his life so fiercely.
Because he loved someone so madly, he was so reckless.
Qin Qing didn’t know how to answer anymore.
996 stared at the phone dumbfounded, as if seeing a monster. Was this person on the phone, humble to the point of having no bottom line for love, really the second male lead in the script who was arrogant enough to challenge the heavens?
Nina’s elegant expression was also faltering. She reached out to grab Qin Qing’s phone to speak to her son herself.
How could he be so spineless! For a man, for a man…
Nina felt she was going crazy with anger.
Qin Qing avoided Nina’s hand and found his voice: “I don’t want you to kneel for me; I want you to stand straighter than anyone else. If you don’t give up on yourself, I won’t slap you to wake you up. I don’t want your bones; I want you to be strong. I don’t want your blood; I want you to be healthy. I don’t want your life; I want you to live well, live as yourself, understand? If you really like me, do as I say!”
The more he spoke, the sterner his tone became.
Anxious Nina withdrew her arm, enduring as she continued to listen.
In such a heavy atmosphere, Mu Feiyan actually laughed contentedly.
“Qin Qing, your answer proves you care about me. I seem to love you even more now than I did just a moment ago.”
Qin Qing: “…”
996: “…Damn it, the script didn’t say the second male lead was an ultimate simp!”
Nina: “…Son, that’s enough. Mom is listening right here, stop talking!”
Mu Feiyan was still laughing low, his voice filled with morbid attachment and satisfaction.
Qin Qing rubbed his temples and spoke slowly: “Do you know? Before you, I promised to wait for Ye Rongzheng to come back.”
Mu Feiyan’s laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by extremely suppressed breathing.
“Between me and Ye Rongzheng, you chose him?”
So there was this choice. When the other end of the scale wasn’t a criminal but Ye Rongzheng, Qin Qing actually leaned towards Ye Rongzheng.
His heart was torn to shreds at that moment, blood gushing out. In a trance, Mu Feiyan even tasted a hint of metallic sweetness in his throat.
His amber pupils were bloodshot, looking ferocious and terrifying. His extremely handsome face was full of wanton evil and incomparable chill. However, when he spoke again, his tone was gentle and enduring: “Qin Qing, don’t make a choice so early, okay? You can treat me like a fish, kept in your pond. When you have time, throw me some bait, and I’ll happily swim to you, circling your fingertips. When you’re busy, walk far away, and I’ll obediently stay put, waiting for you wholeheartedly. Even if you choose Ye Rongzheng in the end, I can be your secret lover. You don’t have to let him know, and I won’t let him know. Qin Qing, don’t not choose me, okay?”
Qin Qing was stunned again, then shook his head helplessly, holding his forehead and sighing.
He was also in a difficult position. Before this, he had really chosen Ye Rongzheng, but after hearing these words, he realized Mu Feiyan was about to go crazy.
Nina trembled with anger. Was this really her rebellious, eccentric son who kept strangers away? Did she dial the wrong number and find the wrong person?
996’s worldview was completely shattered by the second male lead’s speech.
It said tremblingly: “I’ve really seen it all today! Qin Qing, you must have cast some spell on the first and second male leads! You monster!”
Qin Qing sighed again and again, almost worrying his hair white.
After a long while, he said helplessly, “Mu Feiyan, I don’t keep fish, and I won’t date both of you at the same time. But I can give you time to grow. Until then, let’s both live our lives well.”
These words seemed final, yet left a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps years later, Qin Qing could make his choice. But Mu Feiyan had already made his choice now.
I won’t give up. Even if you explicitly say the person you love in the end is Ye Rongzheng, I won’t give up. I’ll snatch you back, no matter the cost.
Thinking this, Mu Feiyan smiled with satisfaction: “Okay, I understand.” No one could see the evil and crazy light flickering in his deep eyes.
“For the next competition, can you come to the studio to watch me? I have invitation tickets,” he asked hopefully.
Seeing he wasn’t pushing further, Qin Qing breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Nina, and took the initiative to say, “I’ll come with your mother. Do you have two tickets?”
“Of course. You watched my performance?”
“I did.”
“Did you like it?”
“Very much.”
“I had a dispute with a trainee.”
“That wasn’t your fault. You had clearly stated your condition, and that person still touched your things without permission. It was his lack of manners. But next time, don’t smash the instrument. You can give it to someone who needs it,” Qin Qing persuaded patiently.
“Okay, I know I was wrong. Next time I’ll give the instrument to someone else,” Mu Feiyan promised obediently, his wantonly evil face gradually softening.
“Your mother is beside me. Do you want to say a few words to her?” Qin Qing asked.
“No, I know exactly what she wants to say.”
Nina’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
Qin Qing glanced at her and decisively ended the conversation: “Then compete well. We’ll go to the venue to watch you.”
The phone screen went dark, and the distant sun completely sank below the horizon. A large expanse of fiery red clouds burned in the sky, reflecting red on Qin Qing’s snow-white face.
He squinted at the red light and sighed, “Is the sunset’s glow brilliant?”
Nina withdrew her hand, leaned back in the chair, and nodded elegantly. She would never lose her composure in front of outsiders, even if she was extremely angry right now. How dare Qin Qing play her? Liu Chengli would never be found, she guaranteed it!
“Your son possesses a brilliance even more splendid than the sunset, do you know that?” Qin Qing squinted slightly, looking nostalgically at the afterglow.
Nina had to nod. Yes, she knew.
She always knew what an excellent child she had! He was her pride!
“I’ve known Mu Feiyan for a short time, but I really want to protect his brilliance. Protect it forever, until the day I am powerless. You are his mother, why do you want to extinguish him? If a star goes out, can it still exist?”
Qin Qing turned his head and looked deeply at Nina.
His clear eyes were full of confusion and sincerity.
He said he was protecting Mu Feiyan’s brilliance, and he really did it. He refused a huge temptation, choosing Mu Feiyan’s freedom between personal gain and Mu Feiyan’s freedom.
Looking at such a Qin Qing, Nina’s anger suddenly extinguished. She couldn’t be angry at this young man who was more beautiful than the sunset’s afterglow. He was protecting her son, while she was doing the opposite.
She finally understood why her son fell so deeply in love with him.
What can be exchanged for love? Is a sincere, fearless, pure heart enough?
Enough, it’s enough!
Nina looked at Qin Qing for a long time until the afterglow in the sky was completely swallowed by the night.
She smoothed her skirt, stood up elegantly, and said sincerely, “Mr. Qin, thank you for your care for Feiyan.”
“You’re welcome, it’s what I should do.” Qin Qing also stood up, ready to see her out.
At the entrance, Nina asked, “Do you want to know Liu Chengli’s whereabouts?”
Qin Qing smiled: “No, our deal was never valid from the start. No matter how heavy the chips you offer, compared to Mu Feiyan, they are not worth mentioning.”
Nina smiled happily, her stern face softening.
“Mr. Qin, I will go to the venue with you to watch the second performance.” She opened the door and walked out, then turned back and said with certainty, “Mr. Qin, you like my son, right?”
Qin Qing was stunned.
Nina smiled knowingly and walked away slowly.
Qin Qing closed the door, stared blankly at the entrance for a while, then sighed helplessly.
996 walked to his feet wagging its thick tail and said grumpily, “You like the first male lead, and you like the second male lead too. You fickle monster!”
“My heart is naturally fickle. But you can rest assured, I won’t keep fish, nor will I drag both of them along at the same time.” Qin Qing waved his hand and sat on the sofa to recover.
996 sneered: “You like both of them, do they like you? Didn’t you say as long as someone falls in love with you, you can bloom a flower? Where is your flower?”
Qin Qing sighed lightly again, then turned around, pulling down his loose sweater to reveal a fair, rounded shoulder.
On the smooth skin behind his shoulder, a two-colored rose was blooming, half vermilion, half deep purple, layered and intertwined, breathtakingly beautiful.
996’s eyes widened, its expression shocked as if it had seen a ghost.
When Qin Qing thought it had finally guessed the truth, it laughed gloatingly: “Why only one flower? Aren’t there two people? Hahaha, I know, you fickle ghost like both, but actually one of them doesn’t like you at all! All those deep confessions were fake! You were tricked!”
Qin Qing: “…”
“By the way, what variety is this flower? Er Qiao?” 996 jumped on the sofa and studied it seriously.
Qin Qing pulled his collar back and laughed softly, holding his forehead. Having a fool by his side seemed to relieve stress.
In the Star Academy dormitory, a staff member pulled Yellow Hair to a corner and secretly showed him a video. Yellow Hair showed ecstatic joy and immediately said, “Leak it, immediately!”
That night, Mu Feiyan’s name hit the trending search.
996 bit Qin Qing’s trouser leg, dragged him out of the bathroom, and patted the phone with its chubby paw.
“Look quickly!”
Qin Qing looked down, and his brows furrowed. The video of his call with Mu Feiyan had been secretly filmed and spread all over the internet. What he said wasn’t recorded, but Mu Feiyan’s words were clearly subtitled.
Netizens’ attention and discussion were still climbing.
How cool Mu Feiyan looked on the surface, how much of a simp he could be behind the scenes—this contrast was truly disillusioning. Some fans cried out that they couldn’t take it and wanted to stop being fans. Others said they wanted to find this Qin Qing to see what charm he had to make their idol love him to the point of madness.
Another group of fans felt Mu Feiyan’s love was perverted and extreme, looking very exciting. They liked this kind of crazy beauty, so they became even bigger fans.
People said all sorts of things online. Mu Feiyan’s popularity continued to rise, but it went from purely positive to controversial.
“Will this scandal affect the second male lead’s career?” 996 asked worriedly.
“If the PR is done well, it shouldn’t have much impact.” Qin Qing shook his head.
Just then, Ye Rongzheng, far away in Africa, called. His hoarse voice hid grievance and anxiety: “Qin Qing, did you agree to Mu Feiyan?”
“No. You and he are both still young, haven’t even graduated from college yet,” Qin Qing said slowly.
“Qin Qing, I will definitely grow up quickly. Don’t look at Mu Feiyan’s glory now; once he debuts as a star, he won’t be allowed to date. If you choose him, you’ll definitely be cyberbullied by fans. Being with me is real living. Don’t like him, okay? I can also be your fish—”
Qin Qing immediately interrupted these nonsensical words.
“I have no interest in keeping fish. I choose neither, okay?” He gently rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache.
“Then you should keep both of us. We won’t force you; take your time to think.” Ye Rongzheng first pleaded, then said ruthlessly, “But I’m not a useless small fry like Mu Feiyan. I’m a great white shark! Sooner or later, I’ll take him out! Then you won’t have to choose, because your choice can only be me!”
Qin Qing’s head hurt even more.
996 was stunned, then complained: “Qin Qing, you’re not raising fish, you’re raising Gu!”
At the same time, Yun Siyu also saw the revelations online.
The words Mu Feiyan said to Qin Qing with red eyes surpassed his ultimate fantasy of love.
So there really was someone in the world who could love another person enough to not want their life! Where was Mu Feiyan’s mysophobia? His arrogance? His coldness?
The more Yun Siyu thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Unable to sleep, he got up and called Yan Boxing, who was training: “Hey, Brother Yan, I want to organize my studio. Can you come help me?”
Hearing his low spirits, Yan Boxing immediately asked the coach for leave.
Hearing he was going to organize a studio, the coach repeatedly warned: “Don’t climb high or low, be careful not to hurt yourself. We’re going to the US in early October; nothing must go wrong during this time!”
“Okay, I know.” Yan Boxing waved goodbye to the coach and went to Yun Siyu’s studio.
Yun Siyu pointed to a painting hanging at the highest point on the wall and said, “Brother Yan, help me take it down. I want to take a photo of it and sell it online.”
Yan Boxing looked at the height and said with difficulty, “Shall I find a worker to organize it for you? Let’s not do it ourselves. It’s inconvenient for you, and for me too.”
However, Yun Siyu didn’t ask why it was inconvenient for Yan Boxing. He needed money, and that painting was his only remaining, relatively satisfactory work. He hoped to sell it for a good price to maintain his life.
How much would it cost to hire a worker? He couldn’t bear to spend it.
Yun Siyu shook his head repeatedly, asking Yan Boxing to take the painting down now.
Yan Boxing used to do this kind of work often. He didn’t think something would happen to him at this critical moment, so he hesitated for a while and agreed.
As he climbed up carefully, Yan Boxing repeatedly told Yun Siyu to hold the ladder steady. But when Yan Boxing reached the top and reached out for the frame, Yun Siyu saw another excellent painting in the corner that would surely sell for a good price!
Yun Siyu let go and walked towards the corner.
The ladder wobbled at that moment, then crashed down.