Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Su Xingyao turned around and saw the boundless compassion and tenderness in Lu Jiuxu's eyes.

Su Xingyao, who had rarely felt understood, suddenly felt the grievances he had long buried in a corner of his heart surge uncontrollably.

But soon, Lu Jiuxu's gaze swept over him like a warm breeze, gently dispersing those emotions.

It seemed as if all the past pain and memories had been gently blown away and faded by this breeze.

Su Xingyao walked up to Lu Jiuxu with a sense of relief, raised his right hand lightly, and smiled brightly.

"Boss, my new album is about to start production. Sister Xue suggested I go out and gather inspiration during this time."

Su Xingyao's eyes curved like crescent moons, bright and beautiful, and in his amber gaze, only Lu Jiuxu was reflected.

In the past, Su Xingyao would have immediately bid farewell to Lu Jiuxu and suggested moving out to spare him the repeated disturbances caused by his own affairs.

But the time here had been too peaceful.

So, in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say "leave."

So, what Su Xingyao ended up telling Lu Jiuxu was that he wanted to go out and gather inspiration.

"Do you approve, boss?"

Su Xingyao asked with a soft smile.

Lu Jiuxu looked at the smiling Su Xingyao before him and didn't reveal what he was thinking.

His deep eyes met Su Xingyao's smile in the night, and Lu Jiuxu casually asked, "How long?"

"Three months," Su Xingyao replied.

Seeing the slender fingers of the person in front of him gesture the number three, Lu Jiuxu sighed, "Then the boss might take a vacation too."

Su Xingyao beamed, "Feel free to visit anytime, boss~"

*

The next day, Su Xingyao boarded Lu Jiuxu's private helicopter to his private island for inspiration and songwriting.

Meanwhile, Qin Mingchuan, who had just returned from business abroad, finally learned about the events between Su Xingyao and Fu Qingyan.

After their last unpleasant meeting, Qin Mingchuan, who had nearly cut ties with Fu Qingyan, went straight to his house.

At that moment, the usually polished Fu Qingyan was unshaven and slumped by the bed, completely neglecting his appearance.

The room stank of alcohol, with more than a dozen bottles of various sizes scattered around Fu Qingyan.

Qin Mingchuan was taken aback by Fu Qingyan's gaunt and disheveled appearance.

But recalling how Fu Qingyan had repeatedly and confidently disparaged Su Xingyao in their last conversation, Qin Mingchuan couldn't resist mocking him.

"Who are you performing this melodramatic act of sorrow for, Fu Qingyan?"

Fu Qingyan didn't even lift his eyelids at Qin Mingchuan's mockery, simply muttering "Get out" before closing his eyes again, lost in his own world.

Seeing Fu Qingyan in such a pitiful state, Qin Mingchuan felt no satisfaction—only a surge of inexplicable anger.

He walked over, squatted beside Fu Qingyan, and studied him closely.

He saw the person clutching a pieced-together photo tightly with his uninjured hand, pressing it against his chest.

Qin Mingchuan didn’t hesitate, reaching out and snatching the photo without a second thought.

Looking closer, it was a photo of Su Xingyao with Fu Qingyan during an audition.

Noticing the repaired crack in the photo, Qin Mingchuan’s eyes lingered on Su Xingyao, who was smiling brightly in the snow.

He smirked, his tone cutting and merciless.

"He skipped class on a freezing day just to go with you to the audition, waiting outside in the cold. How could Xing Yao ever call someone like you his best friend?"

Qin Mingchuan’s fingers traced the repaired seam on the photo as he muttered under his breath.

"What, you tore it and now you’re sorry? You think fixing it makes the crack disappear?"

Fu Qingyan, already in a foul mood, shot a dark glare at Qin Mingchuan and snatched the photo back.

"You’ve got nothing better to do than dig at my wounds?"

Qin Mingchuan watched as Fu Qingyan carefully set the photo on his lap, then snapped, "This is nothing compared to what Xing Yao went through because of you."

Fu Qingyan opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words to argue.

Qin Mingchuan wasn’t wrong.

Compared to the years of unwarranted anger and malice Su Xingyao had endured, Qin Mingchuan’s words were nothing.

The heated argument between Fu Qingyan and Qin Mingchuan came to an abrupt halt at the mention of Su Xingyao.

Guilt-ridden, they fell silent, each grabbing a bottle of wine and drinking steadily to numb their thoughts.

After a long pause, Qin Mingchuan broke the silence.

"Tell me the truth—what really happened with the fire?"

After Fu Qingyan mentioned the fire again, Qin Mingchuan had looked into it and had a rough idea of what went down.

But he wanted to hear it straight from Fu Qingyan.

Fu Qingyan, half-drunk, hesitated before finally spilling the guilt he’d been carrying.

"He ran into the fire to save me after getting my medicine, and he got badly hurt."

"The fire left a permanent scar on his shoulder blade."

"I saw it by chance last time—it’s huge..."

"Xing Yao almost didn’t make it out of that fire..."

Each word Fu Qingyan said felt like a knife to his chest.

But he couldn’t stop himself from confessing.

Even though he knew Su Xingyao didn’t need the truth or an apology anymore.

He was still immersed in this self-punishment, helplessly unsure how to tell everyone what Su Xingyao had endured for him.

As Qin Mingchuan listened to Fu Qingyan’s broken account, he cursed under his breath at the thought of Su Xingyao nearly dying.

"Fu Qingyan, you're such a bastard!"

He shot up from his seat and pulled the slumped Fu Qingyan to his feet, gripping his collar tightly, his veins popping out, and snarled at him, "Fu Qingyan, you really deserve to die... Do you even deserve his loyalty?"

"He put his life on the line for you, but what the hell have you done for him all these years?! What the hell have you done for him?!"

Qin Mingchuan roared.

Fu Qingyan looked at the man who looked crazed in front of him, shoved his hand away, and retorted.

"And you’re any better?"

"Xing Yao has suffered so much, and you, Mr. Qin, have been one of the main culprits."

Fu Qingyan sneered, "You’re no saint yourself, Qin Mingchuan. What right do you have to accuse me?"

Fu Qingyan, previously provoked by Qin Mingchuan, was just as harsh with his words.

He sneered and raised an eyebrow, "Is it only now, after losing him, that you care?"

"Or is this just your pathetic, too-little-too-late guilt?"

The once closest brothers now tore into each other’s ugliest truths.

"Shut up!"

Qin Mingchuan slammed his fist into Fu Qingyan’s face.

The punch was driven by all of Qin Mingchuan’s pent-up fury.

Because he knew that this punch, seemingly aimed at Fu Qingyan, was actually a punch fueled by his own self-loathing for the past self who had misunderstood and mistreated Su Xingyao without reason.

Fu Qingyan was dazed for a moment after being hit, and upon regaining his senses, he came back swinging.

Then the two childhood friends, who had once been inseparable, grappled like wild animals on the ground, disregarding their dignity.

Neither pulled their punches, nor did they consider their past friendship.

Every hit connected with a sickening thud, until both were completely exhausted and slumped to the floor, spent.

The once dignified movie star now had a face battered beyond recognition.

And the cold, handsome Mr. Qin was also a mess of bruises and cuts, with not a single spot on his face left unscathed.

The room had grown dark, unnoticed.

The only sound was their ragged breathing.

Suddenly, Su Xingyao's voice rang out.

It was the song "Sister" from his last performance on "The Voice of Heaven."

Qin Mingchuan didn't even have the strength to reach for the phone, so he just stared at the ringing device in the darkness, listening to the lyrics and berating himself, "After all these years, I never knew Xing Yao had a deceased sister."

Fu Qingyan also twitched the corner of his mouth.

"...Me neither."

After speaking, both went quiet, their eyes fixed on the ceiling.

They’re both in the wrong, and neither should act all high and mighty to accuse the other of being unworthy.

After all, before losing Su Xingyao, neither of them had truly tried to understand her.

They only accepted the kindness and warmth the other showed them, never really caring about the other in return.

*

After the fight with Fu Qingyan, Qin Mingchuan and he cut off all contact with each other.

After that, like Wen Ningshu, he found out about the villa where Lu Jiuxu and Su Xingyao lived and tried repeatedly to find Su Xingyao.

But each time he came up empty, couldn’t even find a hint of her.

Qin Mingchuan never knew how painful longing could feel.

Once he realized how he felt, he pored over his chat history with Su Xingyao again and again, watched the movies she had recommended to him, and played her songs on repeat.

He returned to all their old haunts, even going back alone to the school where they first met.

Sitting on the high wall between the two schools, looking at the empty podium of the first school, Qin Mingchuan relived his memories with Su Xingyao.

It felt like clinging to these memories, he and Su Xingyao could start over.

But when he couldn’t spot that familiar figure, Qin Mingchuan realized it was all just self-deception.

Knowing it’s one thing; accepting it’s another.

So when Qin Mingchuan learned that an auction house was going to auction a new painting by S, he somehow ended up there.

Qin Mingchuan didn’t care for art.

Why he joined the auction was because Su Xingyao had once gifted a painting by S to Wen Ningshu on her birthday.

He remembered that the artist of that painting was S.

Since it was a painter Su Xingyao liked, he would like it too.

The auction house had many works for sale, and Qin Mingchuan wasn’t interested in the earlier paintings, so he was bored and unfocused.

Just as he was looking down, lost in thought, he sensed someone moving behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Qin Mingchuan suddenly perked up.

The person who had quietly taken a seat was none other than Lu Jiuxu.

Facing his love rival, Qin Mingchuan’s eyes were fixed on his face, itching to grab him and demand to know where he had hidden Su Xingyao.

But the man in casual attire ignored Qin Mingchuan’s stare.

After a moment, the man, who had been looking down, suddenly straightened up and looked at the auctioneer, his expression shifting slightly.

Seeing Lu Jiuxu’s change, Qin Mingchuan’s anger subsided a little.

He turned around and noticed that the auctioneer was now presenting the latest work by S, the one he had been waiting for—"The Killer Whale."

On the large screen behind the auctioneer, in the undulating blue sea, three baby killer whales were swimming around their mother.

The baby killer whales’ eyes shone with the joy of survival.

The mother orca at the center of the scene had a loving glow in her eyes.

It was a very heartwarming painting.

Though Qin Mingchuan wasn’t particularly interested, he could still sense the warmth in the animals’ expressions.

Qin Mingchuan’s expression softened, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

He finally got why Xing Yao was so into S.

Someone as gentle as Xing Yao would naturally be drawn to such warm and tender art.

Soon, the auction kicked off.

The opening bid for "The Orca" was 3 million.

The moment the auctioneer announced it, several buyers jumped in to raise the price.

Though S wasn’t as famous or established as other artists, his unique style had made him a standout among emerging painters, attracting plenty of collectors.

Plus, his works rarely hit the market, so when a new piece finally showed up, many were eager to snag it.

In under two minutes, the painting had already shot up to 15 million.

For a young artist like S, this was a pretty impressive price.

Noticing the bidding slow down, the auctioneer figured the price had probably peaked.

Still, his professionalism pushed him to ask the crowd.

"15 million, going once. Any takers for a higher bid?"

"15 million, going twice..."

Just as the auctioneer was about to call it, someone in the back row lazily threw up a number.

The auctioneer, spotting the man’s gesture, couldn’t hold back his excitement and shouted, "20 million! Bidder 78 goes for 20 million!"

The price made the collectors, who’d thought the bidding was done, turn to follow the auctioneer’s gaze to the back.

There, they saw a young man dressed simply but strikingly handsome.

Qin Mingchuan, who’d been about to bid, also turned to look.

He’d been wondering why Lu Jiuxu was here now.

To his surprise, Lu Jiuxu was here to bid on S’s painting too!

Sure enough, the guy who’d just thrown in 20 million was Lu Jiuxu.

Realizing it was Lu Jiuxu, Qin Mingchuan tore his gaze away and quickly raised his paddle, adding another million.

The moment Qin Mingchuan upped the bid, Lu Jiuxu coolly tossed in another 5 million.

Qin Mingchuan glanced over and saw Lu Jiuxu’s expression unchanged, his demeanor unshaken.

But his determination to get the painting was crystal clear.

Qin Mingchuan felt a rush of frustration and suddenly didn’t want to let Lu Jiuxu win.

So he also raised the bid by five million.

In response to Qin Mingchuan's challenge, Lu Jiuxu kept bidding without batting an eye.

The calmer Lu Jiuxu seemed, the more infuriated Qin Mingchuan grew.

He went head-to-head with the other, recklessly escalating the bidding war.

As a result, "The Killer Whale" was sold for a price that far exceeded everyone's expectations, thanks to their fierce competition.

The auctioneer, thrilled by the two bidders' reckless spending, enthusiastically announced the rising price.

The other bidders, who had initially planned to join in, saw the two young men throwing money around like it was nothing and the outrageous price, so they quietly backed out.

Even Ban Yang, who had come with Qin Mingchuan to soak up some culture but had dozed off, was jolted awake by the intense and strange vibe.

Seeing Qin Mingchuan, stone-faced, going all out against someone over a painting, he was so shocked that he snapped out of his nap and rushed to talk him down.

"Come on, Mr. Qin, let it go. I’ve never seen you care much for paintings or art."

"Honestly, as someone who doesn’t get art, I don’t see why this painting’s worth so much. Maybe you should stop upping the bid? Why not go for something else..."

As he spoke, Ban Yang shot a glance at Lu Jiuxu.

When he realized who it was, he quickly whispered to Qin Mingchuan, "Mr. Qin, do you realize you’re up against Lu Jiuxu? Your uncle’s family does business with them, you know."

Qin Mingchuan stayed quiet.

Of course, he knew.

But he just couldn’t stand the guy.

He couldn’t stand him taking Su Xingyao out for a drive, throwing him a birthday party, hearing Su Xingyao call his name so sweetly backstage, or hiding Su Xingyao from him!

Seeing Qin Mingchuan clamming up, Ban Yang blurted out, as if struck by inspiration, "You’re not bidding on this painting because of Su Xingyao, are you..."

Ban Yang had just tossed it out there.

But when Qin Mingchuan’s expression shifted, his eyes went wide.

"No way, seriously??"

Ban Yang hadn’t expected to accidentally nail it and was speechless, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"I swear, you two..."

Qin Mingchuan knew what Ban Yang was about to say.

Suddenly, he just deflated, like a popped balloon.

He realized how pointless his behavior was.

Like he’d lost his mind.

Just like that, Qin Mingchuan got sidetracked by Ban Yang, and "The Killer Whale" ended up in Lu Jiuxu’s hands.

The final bid was 46 million.

After the painting was sold, a dejected Qin Mingchuan left the event early.

He wasn’t sure whether he was angry about not securing the painting or about losing to Lu Jiuxu again.

However, he hadn’t expected to unexpectedly bump into Lu Jiuxu as he left.

Catching sight of Lu Jiuxu, Qin Mingchuan suppressed his discomfort and took two steps forward.

"Mr. Lu."

Steeling himself, he greeted Lu Jiuxu, having no intention of exchanging pleasantries and eager to ask about Su Xingyao’s location.

Yet, in response to his greeting, Lu Jiuxu didn’t so much as glance at him, brushing past him without a word.

Being ignored, Qin Mingchuan stood frozen on the spot, filled with anger and an unexpected pang of loss.

Recalling that Lu Jiuxu had also left the event halfway, a sudden thought struck him.

He quickly pulled out his phone, about to type in Su Xingyao’s name.

But the number one trending topic on Weibo appeared right before his eyes.

#Su Xingyao Saves the Orca#