Chapter 81: Veent

Chapter 81: Veent

It was as if he had heard something astonishing; Chen Moubai's hand paused mid-rub on the dog's head. He didn't move, so Ye took the initiative to nuzzle against him. As Ye Bao moved, he followed suit, finally reacting and cautiously asking, "You dislike him?"

Brother White Moonlight continued to smile. "I hate him."

Oh ho.

Confirmed. It wasn't an auditory hallucination earlier. This Brother White Moonlight indeed seemed to have a less than favorable attitude towards the former God of Wealth.

Yang Shu asked, "Has he told you about my past with him?"

Picking up on key phrases, sensing a whiff of gossip, his ears perked up, and Chen Moubai quickly shook his head. "No."

Ye Bao, still trying to burrow into his arms, also raised its ears in confusion.

Yang Shu guessed as much. "How dare he tell you such things."

He said, "I owe it all to him that I've become this way."

Chen Moubai finally learned for the first time that the设定as frail Brother White Moonlight was actually once a healthy individual long ago.

Long ago, back when he had just come of age, he was friends with Huochuan, just like Zhang Wenxuan, they were childhood buddies.

During the summer after coming of age, they all went to the southern coast together, obtained their yacht driving licenses, and stayed there for the entire summer, frequently going out to sea.

Everything was peaceful until the day before they planned to leave. Huochuan wasn't in good health but still wanted to go out to sea, to dive in the deep waters. Zhang Wenxuan and the others had gotten drunk the night before, so Huochuan asked him to go along.

One shouldn't go out to sea if one's health isn't up to par. He tried to dissuade Huochuan, but he insisted that everything would be fine.

He accompanied him.

And then disaster struck. The sea currents churned violently underwater, and Huochuan ran into trouble. With only him present, he rushed to save him.

Huochuan was indeed unharmed, just as he had previously claimed. But it was he who suffered. Before passing out after dragging Huochuan onto the boat, the last thing he remembered was the suffocating pressure of the water and the dull pain of hitting a reef.

When he woke up again, it was in the hospital. Huochuan had regained consciousness, his body undamaged and functioning normally. He was informed that his physical functions had significantly declined, making intense activities impossible.

After several treatments, the doctors definitively told him that he could no longer perform tasks that required any significant amount of strength.

The person he saved was unscathed, while the rescuer ended up in his current state.

His favorite sports, playing the piano, and even some normal daily activities became impossible. Everything changed from that point on.

Without accepting any apologies, gratitude, or compensation, he applied for a visa, transferred schools, and left for abroad, going to a place where he wouldn't see these distressing people and events, never giving anyone another chance to apologize.

Huochuan felt guilty. Over the years, he repeatedly sought him out, often enough that ridiculous rumors began to circulate.

Unable to get a good response from him and not having received forgiveness for over a decade, he heard from others that Huochuan had taken on someone who bore a resemblance to him.

Once might be a coincidence, but multiple times couldn't be mere happenstance.

Unable to obtain forgiveness from him, that sliver of guilt found no relief, so this person attempted to make amends through others, showering them with money and gifts, believing that by accepting these apologies, they would somehow be compensated.

A behavior more laughable than those rumors. He didn't bother to refute the rumors or stop this behavior, thinking it best to let him remain in this illusion of guilt being assuaged, trapped in the depths of the ocean that summer forever.

Then, recently, he learned that Huochuan wanted to move on from the past and intended to be with someone he loved.

So he returned.

A story that sounded mundane but was filled with tumultuous waves, Chen Bai listened with wide eyes, unconsciously grabbing two freeze-dried treats.

Having seen too many people's reactions to this situation, Yang Shu already anticipated what he would say. "Indeed, I agreed to go, and I did save him..."

It was his own decision to agree to go out to sea, and it was his choice to make the decision to save someone. These were indeed his choices. His friends pitied him for becoming this way and urged him not to let this past event drag down both himself and Huochuan for the rest of their lives.

Having heard too many veiled accusations, he understood the reaction most people had upon hearing this story.

Feeding the freeze-dried treat to Ye Bao, who had opened its mouth in anticipation, Chen Bai asked, "Friend, weren't you suffering being overseas alone for over a decade?"

"...Huh?"

Before he could finish his prepared speech, Yang Shu was taken aback when he realized what Chen Bai was saying. His words were interrupted, and he asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Being nudged by Ye Bao's moist nose, Chen Moubai stroked the dog's head and said, "Your friends are all here in the country. Wasn't it hard being alone for so long?"

His foreign language skills were passable, and he could survive abroad, but without friends around, he wouldn't know who to vent to. Objectively, he thought it wouldn't be ideal.

He might have been able to adapt in the past, but now, it was definitely not possible.

Going to such lengths for the former God of Wealth was akin to self-inflicted damage far greater than the harm caused to the enemy.

There was no accusation directed at him, nor any judgment of Huochuan's actions. Unexpectedly, the conversation took this turn. Under the gaze of the person before him, Yang Shu fell silent for a moment before saying, "...Not really."

Friends weren't essential to him, and he wasn't the type to constantly need to talk or chat with others. He could adapt to living alone.

His friend praised him for his resilience, with no ulterior motives, genuinely admiring him. "I wouldn't be able to function without friends."

After the compliment, he asked, "Do you still have friends in the country now?"

Yang Shu replied that he didn't.

Over a dozen years without frequent meetings, even the closest of friends would drift apart.

"In that case, it's perfect. Let's be friends."

Chen Bai swiftly pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen. "Friend, how about adding each other as contacts? Remember to call me next time you want to pet a dog."

His movements were practiced, his demeanor completely natural, leaving no room for reaction. Instinctively, Yang Shu also took out his phone.

It wasn't until the sound of scanning reached his ears that he realized what he had just done. On his phone, there was now a new friend named "AAA Professional Locksmith Master Chen." "...” Yang Shu: "?’" "That's me. I used to do this part-time for a while, hence the name." Sensing the momentary pause and confusion from the other person, Locksmith Master Chen casually explained, then asked, "Is 'Shu' the 'Shu' as in 'comfortable'?" Lowering his head to take another look at the newly added friend, Yang Shu replied, "Yes." Master Chen lowered his head to add a note. As he did so, something finally clicked in his mind, and he said, "Friend, the information you mentioned earlier was incorrect." "The relationship between Huo and I... well, let's just say that Huo General Manager and I aren't in any sort of intimate relationship." He hadn't interrupted when the other person was speaking out of politeness, but now he remembered this detail. After adding the note and putting down his phone, he held Yeye in his arms and said, "We have a normal boss-employee relationship." "Huo General Manager doesn't have any romantic intentions towards me," he waved his hand and continued, "And I don't have any romantic intentions towards him either." Then, scratching his head, he added, "To be honest, I have no plans in that regard." Normally, no one would want to date their client, especially a former client. The decision to remain single for life had been mentioned countless times to different people, yet Master Chen remained patient and restated it once again. A smile graced his face, not entirely serious, as if he were speaking casually, but it was clear he wasn't joking. Now it was Yang Shu's turn to be stunned. His hand paused mid-reach for the water glass as he asked, "Then before?" "Before what... Ah Qiu!" Dog hair drifted into Chen Moubai's nostrils again, and this time he couldn't hold back. He turned his head to sneeze, then rubbed his slightly sore nose with his eyes wide open when he turned back. His eyes were moist, and the tip of his nose was red. His speech interrupted, he repeated, "Before what?" "...” Yang Shu slowly took a sip of water and said, "You wanted to sneeze before?" The tone at the end of his sentence rose slightly, carrying an incredulity he didn't even realize he had. Before referred to when he had expressed his wish to leave Huochuan. Chen Moubai, realizing he had been found out, nodded honestly. "Dog hair got into my nose; it was quite itchy." He stroked the dog's head in his hand and looked at the untouched freeze-dried treats by the other person's side, asking, "Would you like to pet the little dog? It's pretty obedient as long as you give it freeze-dried treats." Yang Shu glanced at the large, fluffy paws of the white dog and its considerably larger, furry head compared to a human's. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether to be surprised by the human or comment on the dog. So it turns out that it was all those people's one-sided wishes... So this is what they call a little dog. Chen Moubai felt that Brother White Moonlight indeed liked little dogs, just that he was shy about feeding them. After saying this, he saw the other person smile and reach for the freeze-dried treats. Ye, the principle-less one, seeing freeze-dried treats across from him, headed over. A moist nose brushed against his palm, and Yang Shu looked down at the furry dog head, unable to resist laughing softly again. He whispered, "I said how he could match up." His voice was soft, and Chen Moubai, still carefully observing the big white dog, hadn't heard clearly. Curious, he began asking about life abroad, saying, "Do you eat well over there?" His first question was about food. The original topic had completely veered off course, and even Yang Shu wasn't sure how the conversation had progressed. They went from talking about Huochuan to discussing the amount of eggs needed for making fluffy little cakes. This person was seriously teaching him a simple cake recipe suitable for a novice, trying to enrich his culinary experience and enjoyment of life abroad. He had chosen to meet at the dog cafe simply because he had learned online that the other party seemed to love dogs, without having any interest in them himself. Yet, by the end, all the freeze-dried treats on the table had been fed, and he had bought more. The food-seeking squad grew from one Ye to three Yees, filling the small private room with fluff. Buried in a pile of Yees, Chen Moubai had completely forgotten why he had come here today. With a dog head in each hand, he rubbed them until his eyes narrowed in delight. He seemed genuinely fond of them, and Yang Shu asked, "Do you usually keep dogs?" His heart was pierced by a powerful force, and Chen Moubai buried his face in the fluff. When he raised his head, he said, "No." He explained, "My job keeps me traveling all year round; I can't keep a dog." Besides, he was still in debt. Keeping a dog would only cause it suffering, unsure if there would be food for it one day. Yang Shu acknowledged his response and moved on to other topics. The person was quite talkative and, to some extent, had a broad range of knowledge, able to discuss any topic. Although he usually didn't talk much, sitting here allowed him to join in the conversation more. The discussion meandered from heaven to earth, eventually returning to the starting point. Giving the last piece of freeze-dried treat to the begging Ye, Yang Shu casually stroked the dog's head and turned to ask, "If you were me back then, what would you have done?" It was a great question that made Master Chen's brain whirl. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Didn't he have a fountain in his courtyard?" He chuckled, "Kick him into the fountain for a couple of laps." Since one had to save the person and the deed had already been done, it couldn't be reversed. Instead of making things difficult for the other party and torturing oneself, it was better to quickly resolve the situation and make oneself comfortable. His smile was charming, making it hard to connect it with the words he spoke. Unexpectedly receiving such a straightforward and direct answer, Yang Shu met the other person's gaze and laughed, "Not bad."

Unlike his previous gentle smiles, this time he laughed sincerely.

He lowered his head and typed an address into the chat box, saying, "This is where I'm staying now. If you need anything, you can come find me."

"Visiting?" Chen Bai glanced at the address, sighing in regret. "It's quite far. We'll have to play together when I have the chance."

Having finished feeding the latest batch of freeze-dried food, they had been there for quite some time. Both had other matters to attend to afterward, so their very pleasant meeting came to an end here.

Afterward, he had arranged to meet with his agent. After putting his hat and mask back on, Chen Yibai entered the subway station and retraced his steps.

As he walked back, his agent also set out for this location. When he exited the subway station and returned to the entrance of the residential area, he happened to encounter his agent's car parked by the roadside.

He approached with a warm greeting. The agent, one hand on the steering wheel, scrutinized him up and down before finally unable to resist reaching out.

Although he hadn't done anything wrong, Chen Yibai instinctively protected his head, expecting another pat. However, the outstretched hand merely brushed past his head, taking something away.

The agent retracted his hand and looked down at the thin, white, soft hair from his hat that the wind had blown away, asking, "Have you finally taken the path to stealing cotton?"

Chen Yibai: "?"

The Cotton Thief relaxed for just two days before being faced with a packed schedule once again. For half a month, a significant portion of his time was spent on airplanes.

When his plane landed and he was filming a public service short film, the new episode of "Living Together" that had been edited for half a month was finally released.

A week's worth of shooting content was broadcast in three episodes, one per week. This time, the first episode of the new season was released.

With half of the regular guests replaced, what should have been a perilously uncertain premiere episode instantly topped the video software's popularity charts after airing, with related topics leaping onto the trending list.

Despite many people having already watched the live broadcast, they would still choose to watch the edited version again after it aired, searching for small details they might have missed at the time.

Due to the excessive number of people watching simultaneously and the abundance of comments, the website's comment system couldn't handle the massive data volume. The video playback stuttered, and the comment system crashed. It was only after emergency repairs that it could be used again.

The first episode was mostly about explaining the new rules of the program. The first half involved understanding the rules and drawing lots, while the second half depicted the first day of work. Whenever the camera focused on the two guest stars who started off with a disastrous situation, the comments were so numerous that they densely covered the faces.

Now everyone knew who the friend that Friend Brain had repeatedly mentioned was, and they successfully witnessed a certain Bai's working ability and a certain friend's friend power.

Amid the wails of Chen Yibai's girlfriend and boyfriend fans, the first episode had not even aired for half an hour when a new organization, which didn't even have a name yet, surged onto the trending list.

"I must be crazy, unknowingly walking here. My bottom line is not to ship anyone, but why did I end up here? I must be crazy (shaking head)."

"These two people had nothing to do with each other, their names couldn't even form a catchy couple name, but I'm still here, sobbing. This is the first time I've bravely jumped in."

"I've gotten so into it that I need insulin injections, only to find out now that these two are just friends (closing eyes)."

"On the bright side, at least Chen Yibai won't be dating anytime soon. As long as he doesn't date, they're still the best in the world."

"What law have I broken, sobbing? The first pair I genuinely liked turned out to be just friends, more painful than a knife to my throat, sobbing."

More painful than liking a couple who are actually friends is that because they are friends, there is no intention of promoting their relationship. Apart from the variety show and the previously live-streamed clips, the fans didn't receive any further information.

Xu Sinian, as usual, didn't release any news, keeping his whereabouts as secretive as ever. Since announcing his involvement in another movie, Chen Yibai also remained largely out of sight for a long time, except for the occasional updates of easily recognizable stock photos and retweets of brand tweets on the account managed by his agent.

About half a month after announcing his participation in the movie, the fans finally awaited the latest update.

Chen Yibai collaborated with Veent to shoot a conceptual promotional video, and simultaneously, Veent officially announced the signing of Chen Bai as their top-tier endorser.

The promotional video wasn't long, less than two minutes, but it was essentially a feast for the eyes and ears.

This time, Chen Yibai's piano skills, which he had possessed all along but had never officially utilized, were fully exploited. The sound recording was top-notch, and the shooting quality was exceptional, successfully overshadowing the previously circulated videos of him playing the piano that had become low-quality and grainy.

The room was dimly lit, with rain outside the window. The only source of light was the faint glow seeping in from outside, falling on the misty gray floor. The lid of the grand piano reflected the light, its lines simple and smooth.

The edges of the black and white keys caught the last remnants of the light. Seated on the piano bench was a person dressed in a white shirt, with a slender figure, slightly bowed head, and strands of hair hanging down slightly. His spine was like a young pine tree.

When he was quiet, his demeanor leaned towards something rarely seen by others – calm, reserved, and tranquil.

Long fingers landed on the black and white keys, the minimalist watch on his wrist shimmering with fragmented light. The keys fell and rebounded, the mellow sounds reverberating in the space, effortlessly stirring emotions.

"Yibai's production is bound to be high-quality! You kid, you play the piano so well, why didn't you say so earlier! You hid it deep!"

"Every time Yibai doesn't speak, he can charm me, jumping back and forth between wife and husband (peaceful)."

"Haha, Old V, you really signed him! Also, kudos to Sister Agent for picking such a great endorsement! Few but exquisite, EV and Veent are perfect matches for Yibai! Piano skills, big points!"

"I can hear that it's live sound recording. No wonder Chen Yibai could work at a five-star hotel! So steady!"

Although Chen Yibai himself was in debt, his fans' purchasing power was surprisingly strong. Starting from when he endorsed EV, even when his fan base wasn't yet solidified, he could boost sales. Compared to the endorsement fee and the sales he generated, EV could easily rank as the top brand that picked up a bargain in modern times.

This time, Veent didn't have the possibility of picking up a bargain, but the endorsement fee was definitely worth it.

With strong purchasing power from fans and good brands they endorsed, the result of mutual pursuit was a sharp increase in sales. Veent, in return, developed exclusive limited-edition commemorative products for fans.

Sales of piano brands also rose unexpectedly.

Chen Yibai saw the conceptual promotional video when he was temporarily resting in City A on the way back.

His agent handed him the completed promotional video on his phone, asking, "What do you think?"

"What do I think," leaning against the backrest of the seat, Chen Yibai took the phone, half-opened his eyes to take a closer look, lowered his gaze slightly in thought, and cautiously said, "At the time, I thought, if either the watch or the piano got damaged, I'd have to answer for it there."