Chapter 58: What Will He Choose?

Chapter 58: What Would He Choose?

Qin Yan, lost in his recent thoughts, was suddenly called and turned to look.

Their eyes met. Su Zhiyu was secretly startled, but his expression stayed calm. He walked over and said lightly, "You look terrible."

"Oh, didn't sleep well."

Qin Yan looked away and noticed a document in Su Zhiyu's hand, his unease returning.

"What's that you're holding?"

"This?" Su Zhiyu glanced at it and said, "It's the show schedule the assistant director just gave me. He asked me to bring it out for Mr. Ji to look over."

Mr. Ji?

Qin Yan's eyes widened in shock.

Could it be that in just the two or three days he'd been away, Su Zhiyu had already met Ji Yucheng?

"Qin Yan? Qin Yan?"

Qin Yan snapped back to reality, his expression growing even darker. "What?"

"Nothing." Su Zhiyu pressed his lips together, looking at him with slight concern. "Recording doesn't start until tonight. Do you... want to rest first?"

Su Zhiyu didn't ask what had happened in the countryside.

He knew where to draw the line.

Qin Yan forced a smile and perked up. "I'm fine. I just heard Ji Yucheng went to see the director. I was heading there anyway—give me the document, and I'll deliver it."

"This..."

"Afraid I'll trick you?" Qin Yan curled his lips, that easygoing playboy grin slipping back into place.

Su Zhiyu paused, then shook his head. "No."

"Then leave it to me. It's no trouble."

Qin Yan grabbed the document without a second thought and turned toward the director's office.

Su Zhiyu watched his retreating figure, feeling like something was off.

"Zhi Yu."

Yang Yichen and Liu Mian walked over as well, just catching sight of Qin Yan turning down the corridor. Puzzled, Yang Yichen asked, "Where's he off to? Why's he so late today, anyway?"

Su Zhiyu withdrew his gaze. "Probably overslept."

Yang Yichen nodded in agreement. "Sounds like something Brother Yan would do. Oh, by the way, did you know Ji Yucheng is here?"

"I know."

"I heard the show invited him as a guest. Tsk, that's fame for you—work just comes to you."

Yang Yichen clicked his tongue, impressed, and Liu Mian laughed, chiming in, "Keep up the good acting, and soon directors will be handing you scripts to pick from."

"You think I don't know that?" Yang Yichen laughed heartily. "Maybe one day I'll ditch acting and become a CEO."

"Yeah, that could happen."

Su Zhiyu picked up on something and suddenly asked, "Do you guys know Ji Yucheng?"

Yang Yichen nodded, then shook his head. "I know of him—ran into him at events—but we're not really acquainted. His family's got connections, same as Brother Yan's. He's a rich kid, but way more driven than Brother Yan."

Brother Yan just coasts through life; that whole "starting a company" thing was probably just for kicks.

Liu Mian shook his head. "I don't know him. I only just found out about him."

Su Zhiyu frowned.

Qin Yan's expression shifted when he heard Ji Yucheng's name. Could they know each other?

Liu Mian asked, "What's wrong? Is something wrong with Ji Yucheng?"

"No." Su Zhiyu hesitated, then asked quietly, "Does Qin Yan... know Ji Yucheng?"

Liu Mian had no idea, so he looked at Yang Yichen, who'd known Qin Yan longer and probably knew more.

Yang Yichen shrugged. "I don't think so. Never heard Brother Yan bring him up. But the Ji family does do business with the Qin family, so Brother Yan might've bumped into him at some event or something."

Showbiz is a small world. So is business.

...

Qin Yan knocked on the director's door, document in hand.

"Come in."

Qin Yan pushed the door open. Sure enough, there was someone else in there besides the director—looked to be in his early twenties, dressed neat and put-together, with looks that'd stand out even in showbiz.

He had to admit, the guy was good-looking. He didn't come off as aggressive—more like calm water that could take in anything.

A warm, polite smile sat on the young man's face. When he saw Qin Yan come in, he gave a friendly nod and smile.

A polite, well-mannered guy.

This was someone Qin Yan had once wished would show up earlier. Now that he'd actually shown up early, Qin Yan couldn't be happy about it—in fact, he felt almost repulsed by the sight of him.

The director smiled and made the introductions. "Qin Yan, this is Ji Yucheng. Ji Yucheng, this is Qin Yan. You two know each other?"

Ji Yucheng was about to answer, but Qin Yan spoke first. "No."

The cold tone didn't sound like they didn't know each other—it sounded like they had beef, carrying an odd, tense edge that practically crackled in the air.

Ji Yucheng's expression stiffened. He looked at the director, confused, and the director looked just as lost.

Qin Yan walked over, set the document on the desk, and said, "Director, this is what the assistant director told me to give Ji Yucheng."

"Alright."

The director flipped through it, then handed it to Ji Yucheng.

Qin Yan shot Ji Yucheng a few more looks before leaving.

*Ji Yucheng.*

Ji Yucheng...?

Did Ji Yucheng and Su Zhiyu meet? In the original comic, they seemed to hit it off at first sight, and things escalated fast between them.

Especially that Ji Yucheng—though he appears gentle and modest, he really goes all out when pursuing Su Zhiyu. If he's making his move on Su Zhiyu this early, then...

What would Su Zhiyu choose?

Qin Yan leaned against the wall, feeling restless. Family issues and the whole Su Zhiyu situation were piling up, making his head spin.

"Qin Yan?" Liu Mian walked over with a puzzled look. "What are you doing here? Recording's about to start—go get ready."

Qin Yan pushed his worries aside, straightened up, and smiled. "Just a little nervous, trying to clear my head. Let's go."

Nervous?

Liu Mian snorted. "Is there anything that actually rattles you? Don't worry, it's not a competition today—probably just splitting into groups."

"Yeah."

He wondered if Ji Yucheng would be on this episode. He should've asked earlier.

The theme for this episode was sports. The remaining 12 contestants were split into 4 groups of three, and the four group leaders drew straws at the same time to pick four sports for the competition.

—'Wait, how did this turn into a sports channel? Is this for real?'

—'I came to watch hot guys get close, not play ball. I want the skinship.'

—'Who said sports are only about balls? Ladies, don't be so narrow-minded. There's yoga too—yoga is a sport, and it gets even closer! Haven't you seen yoga roleplay?'

—'Give me long-distance running! I want to hear the guys panting as they run, especially the Omegas—pant hard for me, I'm downloading this!'

—'Folks, put your pants back on. You've turned a nice sports show into an 18+ channel.'

—'Arrange billiards! An Alpha paired with an Omega, holding them from behind to shoot. Hehe, who can tell where it's pressing~'

—'Weightlifting! I want to see delicate Omegas lifting weights, or Alphas lifting Omegas, that works too!'

...

The contestants were all in their spots. After the host finished explaining the rules, Qin Yan suddenly spotted a figure crossing from the backstage area, circling around to behind Su Zhiyu.