Chapter 32#
Rumors
The next morning, Lu Yan was woken by the deafening ring of his phone.
He had drunk quite a bit the night before, and after seeing Zhao Tian’er off, he got home a little late. By the time he washed up and went to bed, it was already past two, so he woke up later than usual.
Struggling to get up, he grabbed his phone and saw several missed calls, all from Qin Feng. Lu Yan’s heart tightened. Unless it was something very important, Qin Feng would never call so many times this early. Just as he was about to call back, the phone rang again, not even half a minute after it had stopped.
Lu Yan quickly answered.
Qin Feng’s voice was serious. “Lu Yan, have you seen today’s newspaper?”
“What newspaper? Not yet. I’ll have Song Hui bring a copy over.”
“Never mind. Open your computer and check the entertainment headlines.”
Lu Yan didn’t say anything more. He went into the study and turned on the computer.
He didn’t even need to search—several news items had already popped up. The black headlines were particularly jarring: “Actor Lu Yan and Rich Second Generation Come to Blows, Suspected Jealousy Over a Woman!”
Clicking in, there were a few photos. They were scenes from outside the bar the night before. The first showed Song Jing and Zhao Tian’er tugging at each other, with Lu Yan frowning beside them. The second had Lu Yan pulling Song Jing’s hand away. The third showed Lu Yan supporting Zhao Tian’er while Song Jing threw a punch from behind. The last showed Song Jing clutching his hand and bending over, Lu Yan looking at him, and Zhao Tian’er’s face pale. Two more followed: one of Lu Yan seeing Zhao Tian’er home, and the last of Lu Yan standing alone outside her apartment building, looking lost. The angles of the candid shots were very clever, and with the ambiguous captions, it could almost be turned directly into a cheesy primetime TV drama. Honestly, if Lu Yan hadn’t been the person involved, he would have believed everything the report said.
He had underestimated the paparazzi’s power. He never expected to be tracked to this extent.
And it didn’t stop there. Below this news item were several related links.
“Real Feelings or Just Acting? Lu Yan and Zhao Tian’er Bond Over ‘Wind Rises’”
“Fake Feelings, Real Emotions? Zhao Tian’er Praises Lu Yan as a Gentleman—This Is the Kind of Boyfriend to Look For”
“Romantic Moments Between Lu Yan and Zhao Tian’er in ‘Wind Rises’”
…
Recently, When the Wind Rises had been airing. During the promotional period, Lu Yan had only attended two events because he was filming The Sniper. But since Lu Yan and Zhao Tian’er were the leads, they had many scenes together and were almost always paired at promotional events.
Under normal circumstances, promotions for this kind of romantic drama would inevitably stir up rumors about the male and female leads, partly to help fans get more invested. Besides, Lu Yan had a natural gentlemanly demeanor—he was always considerate toward women and never took advantage of intimate scenes to get handsy with actresses. This had earned him great favor from Zhao Tian’er, who couldn’t help praising him during promotions. The media, of course, wouldn’t pass up such a prime opportunity for hype. For a time, rumors that the two had fallen for each other through their roles spread like wildfire.
Although fans were excited, most people just brushed it off. Usually, such gossip would fade once the drama ended.
But now, with this incident, the effect was completely different.
What had been mere tabloid news suddenly seemed confirmed overnight.
Faced with this situation, opinions varied.
Homebodies sighed that the goddess was indeed a goddess, with two handsome men fighting over her out of jealousy.
Lu Yan’s fans naturally believed their idol could do no wrong—losing his temper for a beauty was incredibly cool.
Detractors, however, condemned the public display of violence as too damaging to his image.
Casual onlookers wondered about the rich second generation’s injuries and if there would be follow-ups.
Lu Yan read silently, while Qin Feng was still on the line.
“Lu Yan, what’s this report about? What happened last night?” Qin Feng naturally didn’t believe the nonsense in the papers. If he, as Lu Yan’s agent, had no idea whether Lu Yan was dating anyone, he’d be remiss.
Lu Yan briefly recounted what had happened outside the bar the night before.
After listening, Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then said, “In that case, it depends on what Zhao Tian’er says. For now, until she responds, you’d better not say anything either. Keep an eye on the situation. As for Song Jing, since Young Master He has your back, he probably won’t dare stir up more trouble.”
Lu Yan agreed. He had thought the same.
“Song Hui will come pick you up soon. Come to the company first. I’ll accompany you to today’s engagements,” Qin Feng said.
Lu Yan had no objection. He quickly got ready, ate breakfast, and waited for Song Hui to pick him up.
Today’s engagement was a fashion show.
Sure enough, as soon as he arrived at the venue, a crowd of reporters surrounded him, most asking about the bar incident.
Lu Yan smiled but didn’t respond. Qin Feng blocked the encroaching microphones and said, “We have no comment on this matter for now. There will be an official response later. Please stay tuned, friends from the media.”
Finally breaking through the siege, both of them looked a bit disheveled and exchanged a wry smile.
Qin Feng joked through the hardship, “So many people paying attention to you means you’ve really made it.”
Lu Yan also smiled. “The price of fame—I understand.”
Today’s fashion show was quite grand. Besides a large number of celebrities, many well-known companies had been invited. So seeing Su Mo here didn’t surprise Lu Yan much.
Their seats were far apart, and neither made a point of greeting each other. The moment Lu Yan saw Su Mo, as if sensing it, Su Mo turned his head at the same time. Their eyes met in the air, paused for a moment, and they nodded at each other before looking away.
The show was still very exciting, but Lu Yan was a bit distracted. Halfway through, he got up to go to the restroom.
He didn’t actually need to go—he just wanted some fresh air. After washing his hands briefly, he walked out.
The hallway was quiet. At this time, most people were still inside watching the show.
Lu Yan opened the door, but someone was already waiting outside.
That person stood in the shadow of the corner, head slightly lowered, lost in thought. He didn’t even hear the door open.
Lu Yan watched him quietly for a while. Seeing no sign of him snapping out of it, Lu Yan slowly walked over, stopped beside him, and called softly, “Chairman Su.”
Su Mo slowly raised his head. The light cast a shadow over his straight nose, making him look even more profound. He curved the corners of his mouth and said in a low voice, “Mr. Lu.”
His voice was naturally deep, and now deliberately lowered, it stirred the heart just hearing it.
Lu Yan put a fist to his lips and coughed lightly, ignoring the brief lapse. Pointing to where he had just come from, he asked, “Chairman Su, are you going in?”
Su Mo shook his head. “No. I saw you get up, so I followed.”
Lu Yan didn’t beat around the bush. “Does Chairman Su have something to say to me?”
Su Mo nodded. The faint smile that had appeared when he first saw Lu Yan had already faded before reaching his eyes. He stared at Lu Yan for a long time, his expression solemn, as if weighing how to begin. Finally, he said, “It’s been a while. How have you been lately?”
Yes, it had been a while—almost four months since their last meeting. It had only been about a year since they first met, so four months could indeed be considered a long time.
But Lu Yan knew this wasn’t what Su Mo really wanted to say. Hearing his disingenuous words, Lu Yan felt a pang of bitter sympathy. Even though Su Mo showed no sign of embarrassment, Lu Yan could sense his inner struggle, as if his whole heart were laid bare.
Lu Yan still chose to be direct. Staring at Su Mo’s slightly evasive eyes, he asked calmly, “Chairman Su wants to ask about today’s newspaper, right?”
Su Mo blinked, then calmed down and admitted frankly, “Yes.”
Lu Yan was about to say, “What if that’s really how it was? Then what would you do?” But as the words were about to leave his mouth, he swallowed them back. He remembered how eagerly he had wanted to see this man last night.
In the world of emotions, the one who falls first doesn’t necessarily lose, but they are destined to suffer more. Without a response, any small stir can cause anxiety and unease—even for someone as strong and seemingly in control as Su Mo.
In the world of love, all are equal.
With that sympathy, Lu Yan could no longer bear to coldly ignore the other’s feelings. So he said directly, “When promoting a new drama, it’s customary to stir up a romance between the leads. In this industry, it’s hard to avoid. I think Chairman Su understands that. As for last night, I was just helping an old co-star with a small issue—nothing more. Young Master He was there too.”
It was like ice melting. The tension on Su Mo’s face softened, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly. “I understand.”
Actually, he hadn’t believed the reports in the first place. But hearing confirmation directly from Lu Yan felt different.
Lu Yan then said, “Then, Chairman Su, I’ll head back. It wouldn’t be polite to stay away too long.”
Su Mo nodded, and Lu Yan walked past him.
Lu Yan didn’t look back, but he could feel a gaze following him until he was out of sight.
When he returned to the venue, the show was nearly over. Qin Feng asked in a low voice, “What took you so long?”
Lu Yan smiled slightly. “I ran into someone important and chatted for a bit.”
Qin Feng asked casually, “Someone important?”
Lu Yan gave him a meaningful look but didn’t answer. His mood, however, had greatly improved.
Qin Feng wasn’t one to pry. Since Lu Yan didn’t answer, he let it go.
Soon, Lu Yan noticed Su Mo had also returned to the venue. But this time, they didn’t exchange glances. Both stayed quietly until the show ended.