"Then what do you want in order to let me go?" Bai Yanfei's chin was pinched so hard it hurt. He grabbed Ling Zeyu's hand. "You're hurting me."
"If you let go, you're leaving." Ling Zeyu looked down at Bai Yanfei's pink lips, which were opening and closing. He knew how soft Bai Yanfei's lips were.
Before his mind could even process it, his face was already close to Bai Yanfei's.
Snap—
Bai Yanfei wiped his lips hard and took a few steps back, a gesture that greatly displeased Ling Zeyu.
Are you afraid of me?
"I think we should talk about something serious. Qianyi should be coming in soon."
Bai Yanfei looked at Ling Zeyu warily; this was not the expression Ling Zeyu wanted to see.
"You're so wary of me now." Ling Zeyu smiled wryly. "Sit down and let's talk. I lost my temper just now. I'm sorry."
Bai Yanfei froze for a moment. The usually arrogant Ling Zeyu had apologized to him. Shouldn't he be happy?
"This whole thing started because of me, but I didn't plan it. I just posted a few Weibo posts, and my fans overthought it. I tried to resolve it as soon as it happened, but... it doesn't seem to have worked to your satisfaction." Ling Zeyu explained his thoughts methodically, observing Bai Yanfei's expression as he spoke.
Bai Yanfei looked at Ling Zeyu with an expression that said, "Keep making this up."
Ling Zeyu shook his head helplessly: "Do you think I dragged Lu Qianyi into this? I can swear on my integrity that I didn't do that."
Bai Yanfei remained silent, wanting to see how Ling Zeyu would defend himself.
“Lu Qianyi stood in front of you… Do you know how jealous I was of him at that moment? I wished I could be by your side right now, I wished I were the one by your side, if it were me…”
Bai Yanfei interrupted Ling Zeyu: "There's no such 'what if.' Mr. Ling, please don't let personal feelings get involved. I just want to resolve this matter. It's already seriously affecting my life and my boyfriend's life, and I don't want to repeat the same mistake."
Ling Zeyu's hands clenched under the table. He still had a smile on his face, but the bulging veins betrayed him.
"So how do you want to resolve this now? Do you want me to remove Lu Qianyi from the trending topics and then clarify things for him?" Ling Zeyu gave a wicked smile. "Do you think I'd agree to that?"
"You can just remove the trending topic. I don't need you to clarify anything. This is a private matter between him and me, so I don't need to trouble you with these things."
Bai Yanfei originally wanted to say, "It's none of your business," but after thinking about it, he changed his words. Ling Zeyu had just forcibly kissed him; if he provoked Ling Zeyu further, who knew what Ling Zeyu might do?
"What if I don't want to?"
Bai Yanfei stared at Ling Zeyu for a long time, then shook his head slightly: "I can't help it if you don't want to. I won't break up with Qian Yi."
"Unless he breaks up with you, right?"
"What are you thinking!" Bai Yanfei suddenly stood up. "You'd better not do such a thing. It's my freedom to associate with whomever I want, and you have no right to tell me what to do."
"I have no right to interfere with you, but you two aren't married yet. Besides, you can still get a divorce even if you get married."
There was a knock on the door, and the two of them turned to the door at the same time.
"Xiaoyan?"
Bai Yanfei went over and opened the door. Lu Qianyi walked in carrying a plate of fruit. Bai Yanfei looked down at the uncut fruit in Lu Qianyi's hand, wondering if the fruit had been washed.
"Have some fruit."
Lu Qianyi placed the fruit opposite Ling Zeyu, a childish act that made Bai Yanfei's eyes twitch.
Lu Qianyi is completely clueless about housework. At home, she expects to be waited on hand and foot. She even has to wash her fruit before eating it. I wonder if Lu Qianyi knows this.
"I don't want to eat anymore. We've talked enough." Bai Yanfei turned his gaze to Ling Zeyu. "If there's nothing else, Mr. Ling can go back now. Just like I said, don't let the media take pictures of you."
"In all these years, have you ever seen me have any scandals?" Ling Zeyu stood up, looking down at Bai Yanfei with disdain. "I hope you remember what I said today. I will handle things as you said."
"Thanks."
"I don't want to hear those two words again." Ling Zeyu glanced at the table, drank the water Bai Yanfei had poured for him, and took the cup with him.
In the residential area, you can see a handsome man, so good-looking that words can't describe it, walking out with a disposable cup in his hand.
Ling Zeyu put the cup down, not knowing what had gotten into him, and just grabbed the cup and left.
If Bai Yanfei hadn't wanted to avoid involving Lu Qianyi, Ling Zeyu wouldn't have wanted to get involved in this matter at all.
After returning, he used his team to handle the matter, and it only took two days for the situation to go from trending on social media to calm down.
The quickest and most effective way to reduce the hype surrounding a breaking news story is to have a new, even more explosive story emerge.
A popular male celebrity in the entertainment industry has been exposed for his promiscuous private life and drug use.
People are intolerant of celebrities who use drugs, so the topic quickly gained attention.
As for Lu Qianyi, even though some people continued to bring up the matter, the level of attention it received was far less than that of drug-using celebrities. Therefore, news about Lu Qianyi and Bai Yanfei quickly disappeared without a trace.
For easier communication, Ling Zeyu asked Bai Yanfei to add him back on WeChat. The Mu Bai account was just a psychological comfort for him; he knew that if Bai Yanfei knew the account belonged to him, Bai Yanfei could instantly turn against him.
Bai Yanfei blocked his WeChat Moments.
He refreshed the page for a long time, but could only see that one black line.
The glaring black line stung Ling Zeyu's eyes as he held another phone. Bai Yanfei would occasionally post on his WeChat Moments, mostly in a nine-grid format, and Ling Zeyu would like every single one, sometimes even leaving a comment.
He's been too busy lately and hasn't chatted with Bai Yanfei for two or three days.
Mu Bai: Good evening~
Bai Yanfei: Good evening.
Mu Bai: I've been so busy lately, being a corporate slave is really exhausting QAQ
Bai Yanfei: I'm busy too. Have you been watching the news lately?
Mu Bai: The Olympics opening ceremony is next week.
Bai Yanfei: ...
Bai Yanfei: No, I meant entertainment news. Don't you read that?
Mu Bai: I'm not looking, what's wrong?
Bai Yanfei: It's nothing, just asking. By the way, are you in China right now?
Ling Zeyu was suddenly startled. Was Bai Yanfei going to meet him in person? He had casually mentioned wanting to meet Bai Yanfei many times before, but Bai Yanfei had no intention of returning to China at that time, so he could only wait for the next time.
Mu Bai: What's wrong? Want to come see me? I'm on a business trip in the desert, you probably can't make it.
Bai Yanfei: You're on a business trip? It's okay, maybe next time.
Mu Bai: You want to see me?
Bai Yanfei: Didn't you keep saying you wanted to meet up in person? I'm back in China now, but you're on a business trip, sigh—
Mu Bai: There will always be an opportunity.
Bai Yanfei: When are you coming back from your business trip?
Ling Zeyu hesitated. Mu Bai and Bai Yanfei were from the same hometown. If Mu Bai returned from his business trip, it would mean they could meet.
Mu Bai: It'll be another six months or so.
Ling Zeyu asked a friend who lived in the desert to take some photos of him, and he specifically asked him to take some ugly pictures. After receiving the pictures, he sent them to Bai Yanfei.
Bai Yanfei: With such a strong sandstorm, you won't come back as a rough, unrefined man, will you? Hahahaha—
Ling Zeyu touched his smooth face. A rough man? Probably not. He would never go to a place like that.
Mu Bai: Probably not, but if I become a rough guy, it seems like quite a few guys would like me.
Bai Yanfei already knew that Mu Bai was the one above. It's normal for men to occasionally talk about dirty things, and Mu Bai was very tactful and wouldn't offend anyone, so Bai Yanfei would sincerely give his advice.
Bai Yanfei: Maybe some people like this kind of thing.
Mu Bai: So what kind of guy do you like? Like the guy in the photos you take with on your WeChat Moments?
Bai Yanfei: Pretty much.
Bai Yanfei didn't like to talk too much about him and Lu Qianyi with others. If it came to looks, he liked Ling Zeyu's looks the most, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. He kept this thought to himself.
Mu Bai: Oh, I see. This kind of man might not be reliable. You should investigate him more thoroughly, otherwise you might easily be deceived by a scumbag.
After Mu Bai finished speaking, he also sent a meme of beating up a scumbag.
Bai Yanfei couldn't help but laugh when he saw it.
Bai Yanfei: I've already been hurt by a really scumbag man, I won't get hurt so easily again, don't worry.
Chatting with Mu Bai made Bai Yanfei feel relaxed. Lu Qianyi was also aware of Mu Bai's existence, but she assumed he was just an ordinary friend of Bai Yanfei's. Bai Yanfei felt there was no need to explain so much; Mu Bai was just an online friend, and there were many things Mu Bai wouldn't know. They could just be online friends, and that was fine.
Having a few close friends is always better than having a bunch of fair-weather friends.
The two chatted for a while longer before saying goodnight to each other. Bai Yanfei had many questions about Mu Bai's identity before, but the more Mu Bai revealed, the more he liked being friends with him. He felt that Mu Bai was similar to him.
“Everything is resolved. Ling Zeyu’s efficiency is quite good.” Lu Qianyi rubbed Bai Yanfei’s head. “These kinds of things aren’t my strong suit right now. If I were in the entertainment industry, I would definitely be able to resolve them quickly as well.”
The man's damn competitive spirit has kicked in again, Bai Yanfei shook his head helplessly.
"Okay, okay, the company is starting to get back on track, right? Is there anything I can help you with? Now that the rumors about us have disappeared, I can go out whenever I want."
“There’s nothing I need your help with. Just do what you can.” Lu Qianyi thought for a moment. “Why don’t you register a new Weibo account? We can also manage new media. New media is all the rage right now.”
Bai Yanfei frowned: "This requires a good operations team. Online marketing is not as simple as you think."
"Take your time, let me find someone first."
Lu Qianyi thought this was a great idea. The internet is so useful now, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.
"OK."
Bai Yanfei thought the matter was over, but he never expected there would be a follow-up.
Ling Zeyu resolved the matter. He would frequently find excuses to invite Bai Yanfei out to dinner, and Bai Yanfei couldn't refuse.
Ling Zeyu somehow learned that Lu Qianyi was planning to develop online channels. Ling Zeyu was very skilled in this area, and if he were willing to provide financial assistance, Lu Qianyi would achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Bai Yanfei hesitated. On one hand, Lu Qianyi wanted to rely on him, but he knew that if Ling Zeyu was willing to help, Lu Qianyi wouldn't have to work so hard every day.
"Well, it's been a week, have you thought it through?"
Bai Yanfei held his phone and sighed, "Can I think about it some more?"
“There are quite a few people who want to cooperate with me. Think it through, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Ling Zeyu knew that he couldn’t give Bai Yanfei too much time, otherwise he wouldn’t achieve the desired effect, but he also couldn’t give him no time at all, otherwise he would drive Bai Yanfei away.
After hanging up the phone, Bai Yanfei decided to respect Lu Qianyi's idea. He told Lu Qianyi about Ling Zeyu's plan, but Lu Qianyi rejected Ling Zeyu's offer without even listening to the whole thing.
"Don't you know he has ill intentions?" Lu Qianyi has been sleeping less and busy lately, and her dark circles have become much more pronounced.
“But the resources he has are more than we can imagine. I think you’ve been working too hard lately. I’ve thought about it for a long time and decided to listen to your opinion.”