The room was dim, the curtains blocking out the daylight, and two figures were vaguely visible on the bed.
"Jiajia, am I going with you to this National Day gala?" With alluring eyes and panting softly, he leaned in to kiss the man's lips.
"Of course. After all, I like you the most." A flash of mockery crossed the man's eyes before he grabbed the other's waist tightly, thrusting rhythmically like a motor, only to wind down again just as quickly. Yanking the other's neck down, he bit his lips and then shoved him downward with a hint of grievance, as a new round of service was about to begin.
Who knows how long had passed when it suddenly started pelting rain outside the window. The man wanted to go for another round to the sound of the rain, but he simply had no strength left. He could only cup the other's face, his hands wandering over his body, drawing out one breathless gasp after another while smugly murmuring dirty talk.
"I heard you've been going to see Sheng Yiyang every day these past few days? Huh? Living off me and still thinking about another man?" Yue Lejia rubbed Ling Chen's fair little face, pressing hard enough to leave nail marks.
Ling Chen felt a sharp pain, whining coquettishly to beg for mercy as he said in a soft, sweet voice, "Jiajia, I did it for you. That Best Actor award should belong to you. Sheng Yiyang is just taking advantage of the fact that your Yue Family isn't in Shangdu."
This remark struck right at Yue Lejia's heart. He grabbed the other's face for a kiss, then said arrogantly, "What are the Sheng Family anyway! They're nothing more than a stepping stone for our Yue Family!"
Ling Chen's eyes flickered as he threw his own family under the bus. "Jiajia, although my family isn't as powerful as the Sheng Family in Shangdu, we still have some connections. If you ever need anything, you can come to me."
Yue Lejia smiled. "Good."
Speaking of the conflict between Yue Lejia and Sheng Yiyang, it all boiled down to fighting for the male lead role in *Silence*. Yue Lejia's fame was propped up by his agency, Tianyu Entertainment, which threw resources at him and bought internet trolls; apart from being somewhat good-looking, he was utterly useless at everything else.
Yet the director and producer of *Silence* were Yu Chen's people, and they only cared about acting skills, nothing else.
Yue Lejia had been rejected three times, and in the end, he even cursed out the director right to Sheng Yiyang's face.
Afterward, he went to another production crew, intending to vie for a role there.
Before the show aired, he had people market him by claiming how much *Silence* had begged him to star, but after the show aired, he was utterly slapped in the face. Sheng Yiyang's hardcore fans spontaneously dug up the news of Yue Lejia being rejected three times, leaving him with zero face left.
Furthermore, rumors leaked out that he had bribed the Golden Rooster Awards judges to win Best Actor, and if not for his powerful backers, he definitely would have been cyberbullied to ruins.
Having brought humiliation upon himself, he blamed it all on Sheng Yiyang. Coincidentally, he learned from his eldest brother that the Yue Family was going to establish a branch in Shangdu, and he had his sights set on the Sheng Family.
The Sheng Family was already the top family in Shangdu; while they couldn't compare to the major families in Kyoto, they held an almost decisive position in maritime shipping and foreign trade.
Hearing Yue Lejia put it this way, his eldest brother was tempted. After all, every businessman hopes to expand his territory.
By the time Ling Chen left Yue Lejia and returned home, it was already early the next morning. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw his manager, Lin Junhua, looking at him with a stern expression.
Ling Chen smiled. "Brother Lin, what's wrong?"
Seeing the mottled marks beneath Ling Chen's clothes, Lin Junhua frowned. "You went to see Yue Lejia again?"
Ling Chen lowered his gaze to adjust his clothes, then looked up at Lin Junhua with a morbid expectation in his eyes. "There should be a National Day gala looking for you in the next day or two. Help me set up a meeting with Sheng Yiyang. Getting him to a National Day gala—don't you think Sheng Yiyang will thank me?"
Lin Junhua fell silent. He honestly had no idea where Ling Chen got the confidence to think that no one else was inviting Sheng Yiyang. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said helplessly, "Sheng Yiyang's commercial value is way higher than yours. The scripts handed to him are far more numerous than the ones you get."
The last sentence carried a hint of veiled sarcasm.
A flash of malice crossed Ling Chen's eyes, but then he suddenly smiled. "Brother Lin, the Mid-Autumn Festival didn't have any galas inviting him either, and he hasn't had any news lately. He must be waiting for me to bring him news."
Lin Junhua: "..."
So, is he regretting it now? Back when Sheng Yiyang pursued him so hard, what kind of stupid things had he done!
"He was the one who didn't want to go to the Mid-Autumn Festival!" Acting out of his duty as a manager, Lin Junhua earnestly tried to persuade him. "You know what kind of reputation Yue Lejia has in the industry! Why do you keep throwing yourself at him? Your acting is all right; just take your time and build up your portfolio. Within five years, I can definitely make you a top national star. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Because of Sheng Yiyang, your public reputation has already dropped quite a bit. Right now, you should just lie low for a while, polish your acting skills properly, and then give people a stunning impression. Let the audience forget about the whole business between you and Sheng Yiyang."
For the first few sentences, Ling Chen had just been nodding along perfunctorily, but the moment Lin Junhua mentioned 'forgetting about the business between you and Sheng Yiyang', his eyes widened in fury, filled with hatred. "Impossible! The relationship between Sheng Yiyang and me cannot be forgotten! I can do without Sheng Yiyang, but Sheng Yiyang must remain under my control!"
Sheng Yiyang was originally the backing he had chosen; if that backing was gone, how could he possibly survive in the entertainment industry?
Did they really take him for a fool who didn't know Yue Lejia's true nature? If Sheng Yiyang hadn't suddenly tried to cut ties with him, he wouldn't have resorted to sleeping with Yue Lejia so soon.
Seeing Ling Chen's face twist and his expression change, Lin Junhua suddenly realized that the person before him was no longer the clear, pure, and kind person he had first met. Disappointment flashed across his face. "I will submit a request to the company to change your manager."
Ling Chen fell silent, studying Lin Junhua quietly for a moment before lifting the corners of his mouth. "Fine."
He saw the disappointment and unfamiliarity in Lin Junhua's eyes, but this was his true self; everything before had just been an act—a persona performed to make Sheng Yiyang remember him forever and to win over more fans.
He had always been someone who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Ever since he was very young.
Lin Junhua left. Ling Chen stripped off his clothes right there in the living room, tossed them disdainfully onto the floor, picked up his phone, and walked barefoot into the bathroom, submerging himself in the bathtub.
*Ding—*
Just as Ling Chen expected, his phone rang. He reached out from the bathtub, groping for the phone on the nearby stand. It was an unfamiliar number.
"He's left the house."
Ling Chen bolted upright out of the bathtub, wrapped a bath towel loosely around himself, and spoke with a hint of coldness, "Send me his live location."
Ling Chen changed his clothes, put on a mask, and got into the car. Seeing the location where his phone finally stopped moving, he frowned. "Why is he going to the hospital?"
Sheng Yiyang had no idea that Ling Chen had someone tracking him. Right now, he was appearing at the First Hospital of Shangdu with Shen Mo.
Shen Mo was trying hard to open his mouth, his body tense as he gripped Sheng Yiyang's hand tightly.
"He hasn't spoken in a long time, and he strained himself a bit by speaking too eagerly the first time, but it's nothing serious. To begin with, don't talk too much, and don't speak too loudly. Once he gets used to it, you can gradually increase it," the doctor said.
Sheng Yiyang nodded, holding Shen Mo's hand as they left the doctor's office.
However, he didn't leave the hospital; instead, he headed to the psychiatry department.
Shen Mo gave Sheng Yiyang a puzzled look and shook his head at him. He wasn't sick, and he wasn't crazy! The more Shen Mo thought about it, the more wronged he felt, his eye sockets instantly turning red.
Sheng Yiyang's heart ached instantly, and he coaxed him in a gentle voice, "Momo~ Didn't Momo want to go to work with me? Let's have the doctor take a look. Can Momo go to places with lots of people now? Momo, I'll worry."
Shen Mo gripped Sheng Yiyang's hand tightly, pressing his head against Sheng Yiyang's chest, unmoving and silent.
The psychiatrist, Su Xihua, noticed the commotion outside her office, opened the door to take a look, and instantly recognized that Shen Mo had severe psychological problems. Even if he looked much better than before, it was only on the surface; his inner demons had not been resolved.
Sheng Yiyang glanced at Su Xihua, mouthed an apology silently, and then resumed coaxing Shen Mo.
Shen Mo just hugged his waist tightly, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
"Momo, this doctor was recommended to you by that brat Yu Zimo. Little Yu Zimo has already finished his health checkup, you know. Momo is so amazing, you can do it too, right~ Momo, didn't you look at Yu Zimo's checkup report? Wasn't there a psychiatry department on it too? Momo will definitely do even better than Yu Zimo, right?"
Listening from the side, Su Xihua wore a smile. How long had this guy been studying to pull off such a successful routine for dealing with children?
Still, it certainly worked on him.
Sheng Yiyang saw the smile in Su Xihua's eyes and felt a bit embarrassed, the tips of his ears turning red. Fortunately, Shen Mo made a move. He raised his head to look at him, blinking as if asking, 'I'm better than Yu Zimo?'
Sheng Yiyang smiled and lightly stroked the bridge of his nose. "Our Momo is definitely better than that brat!"
Heaven knows when his Momo had developed such a competitive streak, insisting on competing with Yu Zimo in everything from studying to drawing. It always left everyone laughing uproariously, especially Yu Zimo with his helpless 'Am I raising a younger brother?' expression.
Su Xihua didn't make them go inside immediately. As the country's most renowned psychologist, she was able to converse smoothly, allowing Shen Mo to temporarily lower his psychological defenses and excavating the depths of his inner world.
"Let's add each other on WeChat," Su Xihua took out her phone and said with a smile. "Well, I suppose we're lucky to have run into each other~ I'll send you some notes on him. With you around, he'll get better faster."
Looking at the verification field, a wave of joy surged in Sheng Yiyang's heart. He had actually been trying to book an appointment with this psychologist Su for a long time without success, never expecting to run into her quite like this by sheer coincidence.
They really were lucky to have met her.
Even when they emerged from the hospital, Sheng Yiyang's joy was palpable. Because Sheng Yiyang was happy, Shen Mo was happy, and he grabbed his hand and shook it.
Sheng Yiyang's eyes were filled with doting affection when his body suddenly stiffened. He quickly pulled Shen Mo into his embrace, his gaze sharp as he looked toward a certain spot, but saw nothing.
Frowning, he wrapped an arm around Shen Mo and strode away.
The hidden photographer let out a massive sigh of relief, picked up her phone, and sent a photo. "Son! Mom has found your graduation thesis topic! I've sent you his basic information. If you come to Shangdu and you're lucky, you might just run into him!"
Yu Xing: "......Mom, can't your patients just obediently wait for me to go find them?"
Su Xihua shot back a string of rolling-eye emojis. "Who do you think you are, waiting for you! Get your ass over here and find him yourself!"
Yu Xing: "......"