Bai Yanfei knew that Lu Qianyi was very rich and that the place he moved into was very luxurious. It was even a bit empty for one person to live there alone. He preferred to live with Su Kai in the two rooms, which were not big but very cozy.
"Do you like it? If you don't like it here, we can move to another house. I have more than one house here."
Lu Qianyi showed Bai Yanfei around the house. Apart from it being too big, Bai Yanfei was very satisfied. He also felt that the things he was dissatisfied with were a bit strange, so he didn't offer any opinions.
"This is fine, it's close to the company."
"Then this place will do. Auntie will come and pack it up later. I told her that she won't pack your personal belongings for you. You can pack them up yourself when you have time."
"Thanks."
It was precisely this gentlemanly demeanor that made Bai Yanfei feel a great distance between him and Lu Qianyi. Lu Qianyi considered his feelings in many of the things he did, including kissing him.
After eating out, Lu Qianyi returned to the company. Bai Yanfei wanted to go with him, but there was nothing he could do to help, so Lu Qianyi told him to go back and rest.
Downstairs, Bai Yanfei saw a familiar license plate. He walked around the car, and after only a few steps, the car door opened.
Ling Zeyu pulled him by the hand and led him to a shady spot. The sun outside was quite strong, and he broke out in a sweat.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Ling?" Bai Yanfei was now able to face Ling Zeyu with composure. He looked directly into Ling Zeyu's eyes, which used to be full of love, but now were just a stagnant pool.
“Come home with me. You don’t need to live with him.”
Bai Yanfei shook off Ling Zeyu's hand: "I have something to give you."
"What?"
"Wait here for me, I'll get it down for you."
His arm was grabbed again, and Bai Yanfei knew he couldn't leave. He looked down at Ling Zeyu's well-defined hands. Many times in the office, he had watched those hands fly across the keyboard, and back then he thought Ling Zeyu was perfect in every way.
"Aren't you going to invite me up for a seat?"
"Then come in." Bai Yanfei led Ling Zeyu into the house that Lu Qianyi had given him. Ling Zeyu was relieved to see that there were no items inside that resembled those of a couple. He examined the layout of the house, trying to find any trace of Lu Qianyi's presence, but to no avail.
It seems that Lu Qianyi did not live with Bai Yanfei.
The moment this idea popped into his head, all of Ling Zeyu's previous gloom vanished.
But soon, his mood turned gloomy again.
Bai Yanfei placed a document on the desktop.
"Take it back. I don't want your charity."
Chapter 100 Let me make you some culinary disasters.
“This originally belonged to you.” Ling Zeyu glanced down and knew what Bai Yanfei was holding. “This originally belonged to you. It’s a company that your mother and Bai Zhenrong co-founded. It’s only natural that it’s back in your hands.”
Bai Yanfei's heart trembled. He lowered his eyes, realizing that Ling Zeyu already knew.
"Since you know this, you should be able to guess what I'm thinking. I will acquire the Bai family myself; I don't need your charity."
Bai Yanfei insisted on returning the document to Ling Zeyu. He did not sign it, even though he knew how tempting the terms were.
Ling Zeyu laughed: "Do you think things are as simple as you think? You've only taken some related courses. Do you think economics and management are as simple as you imagine?"
"Of course I know, so I've thought of a lot of ways to deal with it. Mr. Ling, you don't need to worry about me so much."
Bai Yanfei spoke in a very official tone, and his meaning was clear: he didn't want to be involved in these ambiguous relationships with Ling Zeyu anymore. But these words pierced Ling Zeyu's heart like needles, and he finally experienced the feeling that Bai Yanfei had gone through before.
"Can't you just say it differently?" Ling Zeyu took back the document. "So what's your plan? Can you tell me?"
Bai Yanfei shook his head: "President Ling has been in the business world for so many years, you should know that this is a trade secret. Since it is a trade secret, why would I tell an outsider so easily?"
"Outsider?" Ling Zeyu repeated the word. "Now I'm an outsider? Then who's your wife? Lu Qianyi? By what right?"
“Qianyi is my boyfriend now, and President Ling is just my ex-husband. So, President Ling, what gives you the right to speak to me like this?” Bai Yanfei replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. He was not worried that Ling Zeyu would force himself on him. If Ling Zeyu still cared about his reputation, he wouldn’t have done so.
"So you're determined to sever ties with me?" Ling Zeyu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Bai Yanfei's face. This face had appeared in his dreams countless times, and he had fallen asleep thinking of it countless times. But now, this face no longer smiled at him.
"So Mr. Ling knew," Bai Yanfei said softly. "Now that we've got the items, Mr. Ling can go ahead. I need to rest."
"Are you sending me away so quickly because Lu Qianyi is coming back? Are you afraid he'll misunderstand us?" Ling Zeyu not only showed no intention of leaving, but also sat down at the dining table naturally, looking towards the kitchen. "I haven't had your cooking in a long time."
“There are restaurants outside the community. Mr. Ling can go there to eat when he wants to reminisce about the past. Their cooking is much better than mine.”
"What you make can't compare to what's available outside, have you forgotten? Before you..."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ling, I don't remember." Bai Yanfei interrupted Ling Zeyu's recollection without hesitation. He didn't want to recall the past anymore. If he did, he would feel like an idiot during that time. He could face that past with equanimity, but he didn't want people to keep bringing it up.
"You're so heartless." Ling Zeyu walked straight to the refrigerator. He saw that it was crammed full of drinks and ice cream. He frowned. "You have a sensitive stomach, don't eat so much."
"Qianyi specially prepared this for me. I like these things, and he remembers them and prepares them for me."
Ling Zeyu was speechless. He didn't know what Bai Yanfei liked. He had never paid attention to what Bai Yanfei liked before, and even if Bai Yanfei had mentioned it, he hadn't remembered it.
It has to be said that Bai Yanfei understands Ling Zeyu very well. He knows how to say things that will make Ling Zeyu angry. Seeing Ling Zeyu's expression of losing his temper, Bai Yanfei felt for the first time what it means to build one's happiness on the suffering of others.
"These are just little tricks, only good enough to fool inexperienced guys like you." Ling Zeyu remained stubborn. No matter how jealous he was, he couldn't deny that Lu Qianyi was very good to Bai Yanfei, but he felt he could be too. Lu Qianyi was just a step ahead of him; if he had been a few days earlier, Bai Yanfei would definitely still be his.
"Mr. Ling, you don't need to think of me as so stupid. I know best whether he's sincere or not, so I like his little tricks. I'll respond to his little tricks, instead of..."
Bai Yanfei didn't continue speaking, but Ling Zeyu understood what Bai Yanfei meant.
Bai Yanfei had used these little tricks many times before, but he ignored them all. Responding? That was even more impossible.
"What do you want me to do to be happier?"
Ling Zeyu finally lowered his head, but it was too late.
"I'm very happy now. Mr. Ling doesn't need to worry so much. It's getting late, Mr. Ling can go home now." Bai Yanfei once again gave him the order to leave. He opened the door and waited for Ling Zeyu to go out.
Ling Zeyu left with the documents. After seeing Ling Zeyu's face disappear into the elevator, Bai Yanfei closed the door with a sigh of relief and squatted down on the ground.
Fighting Ling Zeyu was exhausting. Looking at that face that made him feel sad and desperate, Bai Yanfei didn't know how much courage and willpower he had to muster to calmly retort to Ling Zeyu.
But Bai Yanfei didn't expect the change to happen so quickly.
Ling Zeyu is trending again because of a few Weibo posts. It's obvious to everyone that he has a change of heart and wants to win back his wife; the news of his return to China immediately caused a media frenzy.
On this day, he was on a date with Lu Qianyi. As soon as they came out of the movie theater, they saw a camera filming them. Because of his previous terrifying experience, Bai Yanfei subconsciously started to avoid the camera.
The terrible cyberbullying he had experienced left Bai Yanfei with a lot of psychological trauma. Even now, he is afraid to face the camera and is still unaware of what happened. Lu Qianyi stood in front of him and called the driver to come quickly.
Lu Qianyi wasn't familiar with this area and didn't know where to take Bai Yanfei to stay. It was still a long way from home, and they couldn't just hide away at home.
"F**k!" The appearance of more cameras and Bai Yanfei's frightened expression made Lu Qianyi unable to help but swear. "Don't be afraid, they won't be able to film you. I'll handle it. Let's go home first."
Lu Qianyi hailed a car and got in. He paid the driver a large sum of money to take them home.
Bai Yanfei was still in shock in the car. Lu Qianyi held Bai Yanfei in his arms. He didn't know why Bai Yanfei was so scared, but his intuition told him that Bai Yanfei's fear came from the cameras and paparazzi outside.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we'll be home soon."
People couldn't just enter the residential area, and the driver couldn't drive in. Bai Yanfei was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing this, Lu Qianyi picked Bai Yanfei up and carried him into the residential area.
Bai Yanfei clung tightly to Lu Qianyi's neck as Lu Qianyi quickened her pace to get home. Bai Yanfei still looked frightened, but at least she had calmed down.
"I...I'm sorry." Bai Yanfei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Lu Qianyi put him down, and Bai Yanfei almost fell over again because he lost his balance.
Where to?
"I want to draw the curtains." Bai Yanfei broke out in a cold sweat again when he thought about the camera that had appeared outside the curtains earlier. The insults and misunderstandings he had experienced during that time were deeply ingrained in him, and he was afraid that he would experience something like that again.
Lu Qianyi drew the curtains as Bai Yanfei had instructed. Bai Yanfei nestled on the sofa, his eyes darting around.
"It's alright, it's alright, there are no cameras anymore." Lu Qianyi stroked Bai Yanfei's back, comforting him gently like a child. Bai Yanfei nestled in Lu Qianyi's arms.
"I'm scared..." Bai Yanfei closed his eyes, recalling his previous experience of being cyberbullied. He slowly spoke, "My behavior scared you, didn't it?"
He used a declarative sentence. When he first saw the camera, Lu Qianyi was clearly startled by his reaction, but Lu Qianyi stood in front of him without hesitation, which calmed him down temporarily. He couldn't imagine what kind of treatment he would have received if Lu Qianyi hadn't been there. Would he have been pelted with water bottles? Would someone have taken off their phone case and thrown it at him?
"It's alright." Lu Qianyi didn't answer Bai Yanfei's question. He felt that Bai Yanfei was still talking nonsense and that the other party's reaction was too abnormal. He needed to let Bai Yanfei calm down first.
After confirming that there were no cameras in his home, Bai Yanfei took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. After taking several deep breaths, he realized that his clothes were soaked with sweat.
"I...I'll go change my clothes."
"good."
Lu Qianyi released Bai Yanfei, who went into the room. Lu Qianyi, worried about him, stood at the door. He had many questions in his mind, but seeing that Bai Yanfei hadn't recovered, he didn't dare to ask a single one.
After Bai Yanfei changed his clothes, he sat in the room for a long time. Lu Qianyi thought something had happened to him inside, so he took the key and opened the door.
"I...I'm fine."
Looking at Bai Yanfei, who was curled up in a ball, Lu Qianyi shook his head helplessly.
“I’m your boyfriend now. Can’t you tell me anything? Then I’m a terrible boyfriend. I need to know what you’re afraid of so I can handle things for you.”
Bai Yanfei looked up at Lu Qianyi, and after a long while, he took out his phone and opened Weibo.
Lu Qianyi's eyes widened when he saw the trending topic above.
"What... what are they doing?" Lu Qianyi looked at the comments under the trending topic in disbelief. "Just because Ling Zeyu wants to win you back, his fans think you should get back together with him?"
"The power of fans."
As Lu Qianyi scrolled down further, he roughly understood what had happened.
"Isn't it just because he has a lot of fans that he acts recklessly? Is this the power of a big star? Ling Zeyu is really inhuman!" Lu Qianyi is usually very well-mannered. Even when he curses, he can't use very dirty words. In addition, he has lived abroad for many years and grew up abroad, so he knows very little about the entertainment industry in China.
Bai Yanfei shook his head bitterly: "I've been through something similar before. When I married Ling Zeyu, something similar happened. Fans said I cheated on Ling Zeyu."
Lu Qianyi paused, his eyes widening in disbelief: "You cheated on Ling Zeyu? How is that possible? You... never mind, you liked him so much before, how could you possibly cheat on him?"
“Even you can see it clearly, but he didn’t understand it at the time, or maybe he was just pretending not to understand.” Bai Yanfei smiled bitterly. “That incident made me experience cyberbullying. During that time, I couldn’t even leave the house. My fans were all cursing me online. They not only cursed me in the comments on my Weibo, but also sent me private messages to curse me.”
"Alright, that's enough." Lu Qianyi hugged Bai Yanfei. "These things aren't worth remembering, and they won't happen again. You should get some sleep. I'll be right outside. Just call me if you need anything."
“Okay…” Bai Yanfei’s heart was still pounding. He nestled in the blanket and watched Lu Qianyi walk out of the living room with her phone. The bedroom door was not closed, and Lu Qianyi was always within his sight. Seeing Lu Qianyi’s figure outside, Bai Yanfei did not feel much more at ease.
Ling Zeyu has an extraordinary number of fans, and his title as a national male god is well-deserved. He previously cultivated a very successful image of a devoted lover, and for the past year or so, he has also been portrayed as a workaholic. All of this combined is enough for fans to feel that he has let Ling Zeyu down, but only he knows why he left.
Lu Qianyi made many phone calls, and most of them told him that there was nothing he could do.
Ling Zeyu is not someone to be trifled with, and with his fans on top of that, it's even less likely that things will be suppressed easily. A friend suggested that Lu Qianyi spend money to suppress the trending topic first, and then discuss the rest later.
When Lu Qianyi was about to find someone to suppress the trending topic, he discovered it was already gone. He snorted coldly, knowing without a doubt who had done it. Besides Ling Zeyu, who else could suppress a trending topic so quickly?
But since the matter originated with Ling Zeyu, Lu Qianyi didn't think that Ling Zeyu's actions would make things quieter.
Looking back into the room, Lu Qianyi noticed that Bai Yanfei was secretly playing on his phone under the covers. He frowned and went in. Upon hearing the footsteps, Bai Yanfei quickly put his phone under the covers.