Chapter 7: Hello, My Name Is Qin Yan

Chapter 7: Hello, My Name Is Qin Yan

He'd already gotten up early enough, yet Su Zhiyu was up even earlier than him?

"How's he getting there?"

There's no way Su Zhiyu had his own car, and he definitely couldn't drive the original owner's.

The butler answered, "Mr. Su's probably taking the subway or bus like he usually does."

Qin Yan frowned and glanced at his watch, wondering how far he'd gotten by now.

An idol with a decent amount of fame taking crowded public transit to work—that's gotta be kind of a pain, right?

In his mind, celebrities should all have private cars chauffeuring them around.

He was about to ask why Su Zhiyu's agent hadn't set up a car, but then he remembered who he was supposed to be and swallowed the question.

Forget it.

He'd ask around later.

Qin Yan lost his appetite for breakfast too. He wiped his hands and stood up. "Get the car ready. I'm heading out."

"Yes, young master."

The butler immediately contacted the driver, and the servants in the villa all lined up at the door, watching Qin Yan leave.

"Take care, young master. Have a safe trip."

"..." Qin Yan's toes curled a little, but he waved a hand casually. "I'm out."

By the time he got to the recording studio, the lobby was already pretty packed—just about everyone who was supposed to be there had shown up.

When someone pushed through the door, the contestants who'd been chatting all looked over. The moment they saw it was Qin Yan, three or four newcomers swarmed him.

"Young Master Qin, I didn't think you'd actually show. We met at that banquet last time—remember me?"

"Young Master Qin, hey. Didn't expect to run into you here. Small world."

Qin Yan glanced over these people.

Honestly, the characters in the comic looked nothing like real people. He genuinely couldn't tell who was who, and he didn't have those memories anyway.

All he knew was that the original owner had a friend on this show—a new actor who was also a rich kid.

So who was that friend?

Just as his brain was spinning, someone ran up from the side and slung an arm around his neck, complaining, "Brother Yan's so busy—how come you didn't even tell me you were here? Didn't even hit me up."

Well, that settles it.

This must be the original owner's best friend.

Qin Yan silently peeled his hand off, glanced up, and said to the two guys, "Sorry I'm late. How come you guys are all here so early?"

He didn't directly answer the earlier question, smoothly dodging the awkward moment.

Qin Yan followed Yang Yichen over and said hi to everyone.

They were all young, so even if they didn't know each other, they clicked fast, and laughter soon filled the place.

Qin Yan chatted with Yang Yichen while scanning the room for that slim figure.

Yang Yichen followed his gaze, curious. "Brother Yan, who are you looking for?"

Qin Yan pretended to be nonchalant. "Oh, isn't Su Zhiyu on this show too? How come I haven't seen him?"

"Oh~ so you're looking for him, huh." Yang Yichen nudged his shoulder and leaned in, lowering his voice, "I told you you came here for him. You wouldn't admit it before. What, scared someone's gonna steal your little canary?"

The original owner really had come for Su Zhiyu.

Yang Yichen also knew what was going on between the original owner and Su Zhiyu, and he'd always told him not to go too far—but the original owner just wouldn't listen.

Later, Yang Yichen couldn't take it anymore and secretly helped Su Zhiyu. When the original owner found out, they had a falling out.

The original owner lost his one and only true friend.

Thinking about that, Qin Yan deliberately raised an eyebrow. "What, Su Zhiyu can be on this show, but I can't?"

"Of course you can, of course you can. Brother Yan can definitely come. I'll let you in on a secret—I've been keeping an eye out for you. Su Zhiyu just went to the bathroom."

The moment he finished, Qin Yan looked past Yang Yichen and saw a slim, slender young man walk in from a side door. The second he appeared, the whole lobby seemed to dim in comparison.

The young man was wearing just a simple, plain shirt, looking a bit washed out among the flashy crowd.

He skirted around the center, found a corner to sit in, and quietly pulled out a notebook to read. The noise and commotion around him seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Even tucked away in a corner, that sculpted face and that cool, otherworldly vibe still had a presence you couldn't ignore.

So good-looking.

Whether it was Qin Yan's imagination or not, the moment he saw Su Zhiyu, he seemed to catch that faint, elusive white peach scent in the air again.

Just like Su Zhiyu himself.

Others noticed Su Zhiyu was back too, and a few people immediately gathered around, trying to start a conversation.

Yang Yichen pursed his lips. "See? Su Zhiyu's pretty popular. Everyone likes him."

"As they should."

The words slipped out, and the pride in his tone went unnoticed even by himself. Without realizing it, his back straightened a little.

This was the Omega male lead he'd stayed up late following—the cold, aloof white moonlight. Aside from some trash, any normal person would like him.

Yang Yichen looked at Qin Yan in surprise. "Brother Yan, you're not jealous?"

"Why would I..."

Qin Yan wanted to say, why would I be jealous? Seeing more people like Su Zhiyu should make him feel happy.

But that kind of thinking could only be his as a "reader," not as Young Master Qin.

So Qin Yan changed his tune and snorted coldly. "Why would I bother with these nobodies? Su Zhiyu can only be mine."

Yang Yichen smiled. "Just be good to him, alright? Don't keep picking on him."

"So naggy."

"Really."

"Come on, let's head over and say hi."

Qin Yan, hands in his pockets, walked towards Su Zhiyu. Meanwhile, someone from the other side was walking over too.

The man in the red suit stopped in front of Su Zhiyu with a smile, "Su Zhiyu, what performance have you prepared? Can your family even afford to pay for your training?"

His tone was laced with contempt and mockery.

Su Zhiyu's hand, clutching the notebook, trembled slightly. He looked up, his turquoise eyes calm and indifferent: "I don't need my family to pay for me."

"You..."

Cheng Xiang, who relied on his family's money, was caught off guard.

He quickly recovered his cool and was about to say more, but with Qin Yan heading over and more people gathering, he decided to drop it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Zhiyu saw Qin Yan closing in. He pressed his thin lips into a tight line, and his body, which had barely settled, instinctively tensed up again.

What was Qin Yan going to do?

Didn't he hate being seen with him in public?

Qin Yan stopped about a foot and a half away.

Thud.

The footsteps stopped short, and Su Zhiyu's heart thumped in sync. Every hair on his body stood on end.

Had all that gentleness over the past few days just been a setup? Was it all leading to this...

"You're Su Zhiyu, right?" Qin Yan extended a hand towards him with a roguish grin, "Hello, I'm Qin Yan."

"?"

Su Zhiyu suddenly looked up, unexpectedly locking eyes with a gaze full of unbridled amusement, carrying the sharpness and vitality of youth, like the rising sun.

Yet, strangely, there was none of the gloom he feared most.