Chapter 61#
World 2: I Want to Be a Fish in Your Pond#
Mu Feiyan stood on the stage, brilliant and magnificent lights converging beam by beam above his head, surrounded by a surging purple sea of stars lit only for him.
The boundless radiance he wanted, the endless starlight he desired—right here, right now, he possessed it all.
But he resolutely announced his withdrawal, right when he was closest to his dream. He said it was fine to be a speck of dust, fine to become mud; he wanted to use all his lifeblood to nurture a flower.
A flower blooming in his heart.
That flower’s name was Qin Qing.
Qin Qing stood before the floor-to-ceiling window looking at Mu Feiyan, his eyes gradually filling with tears.
“You can’t give up,” he whispered, choking back sobs, his hands pressed against the glass.
Far away on the stage, Mu Feiyan seemed to hear this mournful plea. He raised the microphone and said, “I can.”
“Don’t do this.” Qin Qing shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes.
“I want to do this.” Miraculously, Mu Feiyan responded sentence by sentence, his deep eyes fixed on that small figure by the window.
Qin Qing was on the verge of crying, his heart aching beyond measure.
“I don’t need such a sacrifice, do you understand?” He murmured to himself, “I want to set you free, let you soar. It doesn’t matter if you never land, it doesn’t matter if you fly far away. If you forget to look back, I can wait. I can wait forever and ever, in this world, in the next world, in countless worlds. When I am no longer loved, I will stop waiting, and then continue waiting to wither. Everything is natural; no sacrifice is needed. Do you understand?”
This was Qin Qing’s ideal of love.
He could always look forward to love, yet never treat “being loved” as a necessity.
The law of a flower’s growth is to bloom and wither. Having bloomed, he would have no regrets withering at any time.
“Be yourself, don’t worry about me.” Qin Qing pressed hard against the glass, raising his voice slightly.
Standing beside him, Nina took all these words to heart.
She really couldn’t bring herself to hate this young man, even though he had charmed her son into losing his mind. She had come to drive this person away, but now, she unexpectedly wanted to hug him and comfort him.
“Son, you’ve really given me a difficult problem!” Nina shook her head with a bitter smile.
Standing on the stage, Mu Feiyan also seemed to hear these words, a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes. His heart had been feeling Qin Qing’s heart all along.
“Baby, don’t cry.” After saying this, his own voice choked up.
The audience below let out sad cries, trying hard to make him stay, begging him not to quit. Purple glow sticks and purple light signs waved frantically in the darkness, surging like a tide.
However, Mu Feiyan remained indifferent to this sea of stars.
He kept his head raised, looking towards the VIP room on the second floor. There was a small figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window; that was where his gaze was tethered.
Qin Qing covered his slightly red eyes, letting tears wet his burning palm. Mu Feiyan told him not to cry, so he wouldn’t cry.
Mu Feiyan stood quietly for a while, his sexy Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, as if swallowing the deep affection erupting from the bottom of his heart.
“I am very happy now, so please don’t cry sadly for me.” He gazed at that small figure and said gently, “Doing something for you is more meaningful than shining on stage. I used to hate being bound by family responsibilities; I wanted to be free and do whatever I wanted.”
Speaking of this, he smiled self-mockingly, the deep affection in his eyes deepening further.
He looked unblinkingly at Qin Qing by the window and said slowly, “But in the future, I want to build a family with you, so how can I escape family responsibilities? When you need it, I want to step forward for you, to shield you from the wind and rain, but the current me can do nothing.”
He opened his palm, lifting many floating, glowing dust motes, and laughed low.
“This starlight is useless to you, so what use is it to me?” He closed his palm over the dust and said with unwavering determination.
The audience below stopped trying to keep him and stopped shouting. They were all shocked by Mu Feiyan’s speech. If the previous phone recording was just a green youth venting crazy love, then every word and sentence now was a mature man solemnly making a promise.
“Be together! Don’t miss out on such a good person,” a young girl shouted with a sob.
Thus, a surging wave of “Be together” swept through the entire studio. Some screamed in excitement, some whistled; the atmosphere at the scene boiled over.
Mu Feiyan immediately raised his hand and pressed down, signaling everyone to be quiet, and said in a serious tone, “Don’t force him to make a choice. The current me is not yet worthy of being with him. For the future competitions, I wish my companions all the best.”
He bowed solemnly, and the lights on the stage extinguished with him. When the darkness receded, where was his figure?
Qin Qing hurriedly turned around, ran to the coffee table, frantically pulled out a tissue, and wiped his red eyes clean.
He knew Mu Feiyan was coming soon.
The more he wiped, the redder his eyes became, but he couldn’t see it. So when Mu Feiyan pushed the door open and walked in, what he faced was not a delicate flower, but a red-eyed rabbit.
Mu Feiyan shook his head helplessly, smiled happily, then strode over and held Qin Qing tightly in his arms.
This time, Qin Qing did not struggle, did not stomp on his foot, nor did he slap him hard.
Qin Qing slowly raised his arms and gently embraced him.
This embrace carried a thick and sweet fragrance, as well as a warm body temperature, instantly settling Mu Feiyan’s drifting heart.
Nina stood aside, looking at the two in a dilemma. She should have waved her hand, ordered the bodyguards to separate the two, and then immediately tied her son back to England. This was the best way to handle the current situation.
But in the end, she did nothing. Instead, she picked up her coffee, blew on the heat, and sipped it leisurely. Forget it, let’s just pretend not to see it this time.
996 rolled on the ground, crying out in grief: “My plot has collapsed again! Qin Qing, I’m going to bite you to death!”
“Stop crying. When we get back, I’ll let you sniff a hundred bags of catnip.” Qin Qing couldn’t stand the noise and could only comfort it in his mind.
996’s wailing stopped abruptly. Its chubby body quickly scrambled up, jumped onto the coffee table, and stole a few pieces of cake it had been eyeing for a long time.
“That’s more like it,” it mumbled vaguely.
In the orthopedic ward of D City Hospital, Yun Siyu was wiping away tears.
Yan Boxing lay on the hospital bed, his right leg in a thick cast, his face covered with a layer of desperate gray mist. He neither spoke nor wanted to move, as if he had lost his vitality.
The doctor was discussing the treatment plan with his coach, and teammates had also rushed over to visit.
“Comminuted fracture of the knee, and there was an old injury. Even after surgery, he can’t engage in strenuous exercise anymore.” The doctor shook his head regretfully.
The coach’s mind went blank for a moment, then he asked anxiously, “Can he still play basketball in the future?”
Several teammates also gathered around and exclaimed in low voices, “He’s going to the US for an interview next month! Doctor, please save him!”
The doctor said with a grave expression, “His injury is too severe. The most advanced treatment currently can only ensure he walks normally. Don’t even think about running and jumping. It’s not that I won’t save him, there’s really no way.”
“I heard that an artificial knee joint replacement is possible. Can you perform this kind of surgery here?” the coach asked hopefully.
“The most advanced treatment I mentioned is artificial knee joint replacement. Even after replacement, he can’t play basketball anymore. And this surgery is very expensive. You should pay a deposit of 150,000 yuan for hospitalization first,” the doctor said.
The coach was stunned, the hope on his face disappearing completely.
After the doctor left, the coach sat by the bed, pulling his hair in worry. He was just a poor teacher; where would he get 150,000? Besides, he had just bought a house and had to pay the mortgage every month, owing a huge debt himself.
“Where am I going to find 150,000?” He looked at Yan Boxing with red eyes, unable to help complaining, “Didn’t I tell you not to climb high and low? Why did you have to climb the ladder?”
Yan Boxing lay stiffly on the bed, silent.
Yun Siyu hurriedly said, “I asked him to help me clean the studio. It’s all my fault.”
The coach was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but due to his status, he couldn’t flare up, so he could only clench his fists.
The ashen-faced Yan Boxing reacted at this moment, opening his dry lips to defend Yun Siyu: “Don’t blame him, I was careless myself.”
A teammate beside them suddenly said, “Anyway, his leg was injured for him. Shouldn’t he pay for the medical expenses?”
Another teammate immediately chimed in, “Yeah, I heard one of his paintings can sell for millions. 150,000 for hospitalization shouldn’t be anything to him, right?”
Yun Siyu loved saving face and had never told Yan Boxing about his predicament. So Yan Boxing turned his head and looked at Yun Siyu with hopeful eyes. He knew his childhood friend was the kindest and most enthusiastic; he would never stand by and watch.
Yun Siyu’s cheeks flushed instantly, and he stammered incoherently.
How could he dare tell Yan Boxing about the Ye family’s situation? And how could he have the nerve to say, I can’t afford this money?
Seeing his vague attitude, Yan Boxing’s teammates forced him: “You’re not thinking of washing your hands of this, are you? Don’t forget when you couldn’t afford to eat, Yan Boxing gave you all his allowance! You two grew up together as brothers; you know best how he treats you!”
It was precisely because he knew Yan Boxing’s goodness too well that Yun Siyu was so troubled.
He gritted his teeth and said firmly, “I’ll go raise money for Brother Yan. Please take care of him for me.” With that, he rushed out of the ward.
Running outside and looking at the pitch-black, starless night sky, Yun Siyu suddenly realized, what way did he have?
He called Father Ye. Father Ye said sternly, “I advise you to stay away from the Ye family and stop looking for death.”
This was a piece of advice. Compared to Mother Ye, Father Ye still retained a bit of conscience.
Yun Siyu agreed meekly, not daring to mention money. He walked in the dark alley, with a heavy black sky overhead and an endless winding path ahead.
He didn’t know how long he had to walk before things would clear up.
He struggled with his phone for a long time, then dialed Qin Qing’s number. It was always busy. After calling more than a dozen times, he realized belatedly that he had been blocked.
Qin Qing, who used to respond to his every plea and obey him in everything, no longer paid attention to him; Qin Qing, who was willing to dedicate everything to him, had disappeared just like that.
He really didn’t like him anymore!
Grievance broke through Yun Siyu’s psychological defense like a flood, making him squat in a dark corner and cry quietly.
After crying for a while, he took out his phone and called Mu Feiyan. He had secretly memorized the number from Yan Boxing’s contacts.
The call went through, but no one answered.
One, two, three… He didn’t know how many times he called, but Mu Feiyan never answered.
Right, he has spiritual cleanliness; how would he answer a stranger’s call? And he doesn’t know the person on this end is me.
Thinking this way, Yun Siyu’s aggrieved and sad heart actually found some comfort. He unconsciously fiddled with his phone, only to see a hot news item pop up on the screen.
Mu Feiyan he… he actually withdrew from the talent show voluntarily for Qin Qing. He had become an overnight sensation, popular all over the country. Glory, fame, wealth—all were within his reach.
But he gave them all up. He said he wanted to go back and raise a flower.
Qin Qing was that flower.
He fell into the mud, using his spirit and body, using his all of all, everything of everything, to nurture Qin Qing.
How could it be like this? He had no one to rely on, no one to ask for help, while Qin Qing’s feet were lifted so forcefully by Mu Feiyan!
Why? Fate shouldn’t be like this!
Yun Siyu forgot to cry, just staring blankly at his phone.
Unknowingly, dawn broke. He had actually curled up in the remote alley all night. A kind person passed by and gave him an old blanket, mistaking him for a homeless beggar.
He threw away the blanket, shook his numb legs, and limped back to school.
Currently, the only way he could think of was to sell his paintings. If Father Ye hadn’t exposed his use of a ghostwriter, his paintings should still be worth some money.
Yun Siyu pondered as he pushed open the dorm door, but was stunned to find Mu Feiyan inside.
He was packing his luggage, with a passport and flight ticket on the table, looking like he was going on a long journey.
“Why are you here?” Mu Feiyan frowned in disgust.
Yun Siyu asked anxiously, “Are you leaving?”
“Why are you here? Who gave you the key?” Mu Feiyan ignored his questioning, his face full of irritation he didn’t want to hide.
“I’ve moved in. Since none of you were here, Brother Yan didn’t tell you. Are you leaving? Where to?” Yun Siyu leaned closer, wanting to see Mu Feiyan’s ticket.
Mu Feiyan immediately put the ticket and passport into his backpack, frowning and saying nothing more. Since he was leaving anyway, it was none of his business who moved into this dorm.
Yun Siyu found a stool and sat down, licked his dry lips, and said weakly, “Mu Feiyan, can you lend me 150,000?”
Mu Feiyan squatted on the floor organizing things, not even lifting his head.
When Qin Qing wasn’t around, he was like this—cold, lazy, elegant, yet weary, like a vampire who had lived for centuries, uninterested in anything because he had seen it all.
The dorm was silent, embarrassment and awkwardness weaving into the thick air.
In such air, Yun Siyu gradually found it hard to breathe. He panted heavily for a while, then said, “Yan Boxing broke his leg and needs surgery. He’s your roommate; can you help him?”
Mu Feiyan looked up and narrowed his eyes.
Seeing his attitude soften, Yun Siyu immediately said, “I called Qin Qing to borrow money, but he blocked me. I returned all the money he sponsored me before, and he even encouraged me to donate, so I donated eight million. If not for him, I wouldn’t be penniless. He must have done it on purpose, to take revenge on me, using reverse psychology or something…”
Yun Siyu shook his head with a bitter smile as he spoke.
His intention was to tell Mu Feiyan that he wasn’t a bad person, that he had paid back Qin Qing’s money, yet Qin Qing was relentless.
But these words hit Mu Feiyan right where it hurt.
“If you hadn’t mentioned Qin Qing, I was prepared to lend you the money. He doesn’t need to take revenge on you; you’re not worthy. He just took back what belonged to him. My flight is at 12:30. Before I leave the dorm, please keep your mouth shut; it really stinks.”
After saying this, Mu Feiyan took a set of clothes from the suitcase, unclasped the yellow diamond necklace and placed it on the table, then walked into the bathroom.
He had gotten dusty while packing and wanted to take a shower.
The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom, but Mu Feiyan’s cold words lingered in Yun Siyu’s ears.
On the phone, on the stage, as long as the subject was Qin Qing, Mu Feiyan could utter so many incredibly sweet, overflowing with affection, intoxicating words.
But facing him, his mouth always shot out cold arrows dipped in poison.
Why? Yun Siyu thought sadly, and then he immediately found the answer. Because Mu Feiyan didn’t like him at all, not even a little bit! All his feelings were given to Qin Qing, so Qin Qing became his everything!
Tears unknowingly wet Yun Siyu’s face.
Just then, the coach called, the ringtone loud and urgent.
Without answering, Yun Siyu knew what the other party wanted to say. The hospitalization fee had to be paid quickly, or Yan Boxing would be finished. He had a bright future, and now it was all ruined. With an artificial knee joint, maybe there was still a glimmer of hope.
150,000, where am I going to find 150,000?
Yun Siyu was so anxious that tears fell straight down. Suddenly, he saw the yellow diamond necklace on the table, and his eyes lit up.
He knew this necklace was worth exactly 150,000. Selling it would get the money!
Not knowing what he was thinking, or perhaps too late to think anything, Yun Siyu grabbed the yellow diamond necklace and ran out of the dorm as fast as he could.
At 11:30, Qin Qing stood in the departure hall, watching Mu Feiyan slowly walking towards the security gate.
996 squatted at his feet and complained, “Sent another one away. Now you haven’t caught either of them.”
Qin Qing smiled, not answering.
Parting now was for a better reunion. The words were cliché, but so apt.
Mu Feiyan handed the suitcase to his mother, strode over, and hugged Qin Qing tightly.
“Can I kiss you?” He suppressed the reluctance in his heart.
“Kiss where?” Qin Qing looked up.
Mu Feiyan cupped his face, his burning lips landing on the spot on his cheek closest to his lips.
“Kiss where” meant he could kiss, but if it was the lips, Qin Qing would have to consider it. With just a two-word answer, Mu Feiyan understood his beloved’s thoughts.
“Next time, I want to kiss your lips,” Mu Feiyan said hoarsely. His deep eyes reflected a tiny Qin Qing, clear as an engraving.
Qin Qing looked straight at him too, smiling, “No need for next time.” With that, he stood on tiptoe, his slightly red and warm thin lips gently touching Mu Feiyan’s lips.
The kiss was brief, like butterfly wings brushing against a stamen, but it set off stormy waves in Mu Feiyan’s heart. His clear eyes immediately darkened, a terrifying possessiveness sweeping through him.
He grabbed Qin Qing’s shoulders, his knuckles turning white from the force.
Sensing Qin Qing frown in pain, he used amazing willpower to suppress this possessiveness, as well as all impulses to kiss back, deep kiss, wet kiss, hot kiss…
For Qin Qing, he could be utterly crazy, or bone-meltingly gentle.
He stared dead at Qin Qing, his eyes surging with crazy love and desire, like a starving beast wanting to eat a person.
996 was so scared its fur stood on end, saying fearfully, “Meow, his aura is so like Cang Ming! His rank should be Top 1!”
Qin Qing looked quietly at Mu Feiyan, a gentle and nostalgic smile still rippling on his lips.
This smile was like a clear spring, soaking Mu Feiyan’s restless heart, making him quiet and docile.
In the end, he didn’t return a deep kiss, but hugged Qin Qing tightly, whispering hoarsely in his ear, “Next time, I definitely won’t let you off.” With that, he forced himself to let go of Qin Qing, waving his arm as he slowly backed away.
Qin Qing chased a couple of steps and also waved gently.
996 sighed, “You really are a calamity. If we followed the script, Top 2’s future achievements would be very high. He would be famous across the universe!”
A passenger recognized Mu Feiyan and also lamented, “Mu Feiyan, are you really quitting the circle to go back and raise flowers? If you don’t quit, you’ll be very famous in the future! You can earn a lot of money! What future is there in farming? Don’t be impulsive.”
Mu Feiyan smiled faintly and said calmly, “I think you misunderstood. I’m not quitting to farm; I’m quitting to inherit the family business. I will soon own a hundred-hectare castle, a dukedom, and a company worth trillions. For my lover, I don’t want to work hard anymore; I just want to take a shortcut.”
The passenger wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: “…Sorry to disturb you.”
Nina: “…Son, in front of your father, don’t say that. You have to say it’s for family honor and responsibility.”
“Okay, Mom.” Mu Feiyan was still waving to Qin Qing, his eyes a bit red.
Qin Qing was also waving, the reluctance in his smile fading a bit, turning into amusement. Even without awakening, his deity was still so cute.
996 held a deep breath, then spat it out fiercely: “Damn it, I look down on this kind of second-generation rich kid who sits around eating up his fortune and has no ambition!”
The plane rose into the sky, slowly becoming an unreachable black dot. Qin Qing stood outside the airport, looking up for a long time.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and a serious voice came from the receiver: “Is this Mr. Qin Qing? This is the D City Public Security Bureau. Do you know Yun Siyu? He has been filed for investigation by us for theft. To mitigate his punishment, he said he wants to report Ye Pei for murdering her young son, and that you are an insider. Can you come to the police station to assist in our investigation?”
Qin Qing was stunned for a moment, then immediately said yes.
The sharp-eared 996 froze for a few seconds, then let out a pig-slaughtering scream: “The protagonist bottom is going to jail? How can the plot collapse like this! Help!”
Chapter 62#
Chapter 62: I Want to Be a Fish in Your Pond 19
Under 996’s urging, Qin Qing quickly arrived at the D City Public Security Bureau.
A police officer came up, took his ID card for registration, and seemingly remembering something, suddenly asked, “Is your father’s name Qin Hualei?”
“Yes.” Qin Qing nodded.
The officer scrutinized Qin Qing for a few moments before saying, “In a few days, Liu Chengli, who swindled your father out of 280 million, will be extradited back to the country. Our bureau is responsible for receiving him. We’ll need you to come back then to assist with the investigation. Liu Chengli developed quite well in the UK and did big business. He can repay all your father’s money. You’ve finally made it through. If your father had just held on a bit longer back then…”
At this point, the officer stopped and sighed with emotion.
Qin Qing said some words of thanks, his eyes also reddening slightly.
He had walked to the darkest moments of life countless times, thinking that a little further would be light, but every step forward brought only more desperate darkness.
He thought life was just like this, that no light would flicker in such deep darkness.
But he waited until, in the deepest, deepest darkness, in the place where light was least likely to appear, a star actually lit up for him.
Qin Qing smiled and said, “I didn’t do anything to him; everything is karma.”
Yes, everything is karma. If the script had played out smoothly, the person sitting in the interrogation room crying bitterly would have been Qin Qing.
Thinking of that scene, and then looking at Qin Qing glowing faintly at this moment, 996 suddenly felt that the plot collapsing didn’t seem to matter much. A flower’s mission is to bloom beautifully. Even if it withers, it should fall into a lake or river and be carried away by clear water.
Thinking this way, 996 looked at Qin Qing softly, its little nose snorting proudly.
Qin Qing didn’t know what it was thinking but felt the warmth radiating from its soul.
“Little dummy.” Qin Qing squatted down and gently rubbed 996’s round head. Passersby couldn’t see 996 and thought Qin Qing had some delusion, but Qin Qing didn’t care about their strange looks at all.
One person and one cat walked slowly on the street, lazily basking in the sunlight.
Not knowing what it thought of, 996 suddenly let out a shrill howl: “Meow, in this case, Top 3’s career is also ruined? The future Top 3 was supposed to be a world-class ball star! Qin Qing, the plot has collapsed again, help!”
Qin Qing laughed heartily. For his little stupid cat, he eventually rushed to the hospital and paid Yan Boxing’s hospitalization fee.
The next evening, the person and the cat bought a lot of beer and skewers, sitting at home eating and drinking.
996 was completely slumped, one paw holding a beer bottle, one paw grabbing a skewer of sheep kidney, paralyzed on the sofa saying resentfully: “Don’t have so many Tops in the next world, one is enough. Otherwise, if all the emotional lines collapse, I’ll damn well shorten my life.”
Qin Qing crossed his long legs, leaning lazily against the back of the chair, took a drag of his cigarette with a frown, and nodded in agreement: “One is enough; too many is really unbearable.”
His phone was vibrating continuously. Ye Rongzheng and Mu Feiyan seemed to have made an agreement, sending text messages one after another.
Ye Rongzheng: [Kiss kiss, I miss you.]
Mu Feiyan: [Baby, you have to miss me.]
Ye Rongzheng: [I’ve opened a mining factory and a security company now. Business is very good. I will definitely be more powerful than Mu Feiyan in the future.]
Mu Feiyan: [I’m going to work at the family enterprise tomorrow, temporarily serving as CEO. Is Ye Rongzheng doing okay in Africa? It suits him there because he’s a beast with only muscles and no brain.]
Ye Rongzheng: [Heard Mu Feiyan went back to inherit the family fortune? Is it because he has no ability to start his own business that he sits and enjoys the fruits of others? Really useless. Wonder how long it will take for him to bankrupt his family’s company.]
After a while, both sent a photo. Ye Rongzheng took a picture of the African savanna, and Mu Feiyan took a picture of an ancient castle.
Ye Rongzheng: [Really want to bring you here to watch the sunset on the savanna with me.]
Mu Feiyan: [I will plant the garden full of roses for you. In spring, I’ll wander through the sea of flowers with you.]