Chapter 9

"Which one are we going to?" Cheng Shao looked at the dazzling array of food stalls lining both sides of the night market and turned to ask.

But Cheng Yu, who had been walking beside him, suddenly changed direction and headed into a narrow alley next to the night market. Slightly taken aback, Cheng Shao hurried after him. "Where are you going?"

Cheng Yu said nothing. One hand in his pocket, he walked to the end of the alley looking arrogant and cool, then coldly watched five street punks gang up on a fat man.

The men had not expected anyone to come into such a secluded place. Impatiently, they drove them off. "What are you looking at? Never seen someone get beaten up before? Get the hell out of here. Look again and I'll beat you up too."

Cheng Yu chuckled and kicked one of them. Cheng Shao, following behind him, felt his head throb. "Yu, didn't you promise Grandpa that you'd never fight again?"

Cheng Yu answered casually, "Standing up for justice doesn't count as fighting."

Chapter 9

Three minutes later, as he watched the punks lying on the ground and wailing nonstop, the pent-up frustration in Cheng Yu's heart finally dissipated. He shot Cheng Shao a look, and the brothers turned and left in perfect sync.

"Wait!" The fat man, who had spent the entire brawl crouched beside a trash can with his head in his arms, finally spoke up. His large, fleshy face was bruised black and blue, with two vegetable leaves stuck in his hair. He dashed in front of Cheng Yu in a single stride.

The sour stench of slop that hit him in the face made Cheng Yu hold his breath and retreat several steps. With a look of disgust, he stopped the fat man. "Stand farther away from me."

The rejected fat man froze, then awkwardly took two steps back. Tugging shyly at his filthy T-shirt, he asked, "Sorry. I just wanted to ask... do you want to be a star? I think you have excellent looks—"

Before he could finish, Cheng Yu sneered and tilted his head toward Cheng Shao. "He's trying to scam us."

Cheng Shao could not help laughing.

With a dainty hand gesture, the fat man defended himself in an affected voice. "I'm not lying. I really am an agent. Do you know Tianguang Entertainment? Do you know Zou Wenkai? I used to be his agent."

Cheng Yu was especially curious. "Were those guys beating you up because they exposed your scam?"

Cheng Shao also asked seriously, "So did we beat up the wrong people?"

With one hand in his pocket, Cheng Yu tilted his head. "They were so cocky. Shouldn't they be beaten?"

Cheng Shao nodded. "They should."

Their exchange flowed so smoothly and naturally that the fat man had no chance to interrupt. By the time he came to his senses, the brothers had already gone far away.

"Wait, I'm really not a scammer. Believe me." The fat man hurried after them, staying more than three steps away from Cheng Yu as he shouted his introduction. "My surname is Zhu, Zhu Jianxin. I really am an agent, and I'm fairly well-known in the industry. If you don't believe me, I can take you to visit the company. Tianguang Entertainment is a very legitimate agency. We've worked with entertainment companies in South Korea to train many trainees. Do you know Shining Stars, the show Mango TV is currently holding auditions for? Our company works with that program. You have such great looks—if you sign with our company, I can definitely make you debut."

The brothers ignored him and expertly found one of their old favorite food stalls. Cheng Shao ordered two plates of spicy crayfish, a plate of foil-wrapped potatoes, a plate of foil-wrapped enoki mushrooms, and all kinds of meat skewers. Zhu Jianxin trailed behind them, only to be stopped outside by the shop owner's disgusted expression. He could only wait pitifully at the entrance.

Looking at Zhu Jianxin's bulky figure, Cheng Shao frowned. "It looks like he's still waiting for us."

Cheng Yu did not respond. Cheng Shao did not think much of it. He twisted open the iced cola the server had brought over and handed it to Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu had his head lowered, seriously playing the built-in Snake game on his phone. After dreaming his way back eleven years, the one thing Cheng Yu could not get used to was probably the fact that smartphones did not yet exist in this era. His long-established internet habits simply did not fit the environment of his dream. Fortunately, he was someone who had always been good at entertaining himself. Even with a built-in phone game, he could play with great enjoyment.

An old light bulb hanging from the ceiling gave off a dim yellow glow, outlining Cheng Yu's already handsome features with even greater refinement. The young man sat on a cheap plastic stool, his brows and eyes lowered expressionlessly as he focused entirely on the long snake on his phone screen. Under the light, his thick lashes cast two shadows that trembled faintly. Even amid the smoky bustle and clamor of the night market, his proud aloofness, cold indifference, and unapproachable aura stood out sharply, like an open refrigerator in the blazing summer heat, its chill seeping from every pore.

Nearby diners unconsciously looked over, some openly and some whispering among themselves. Cheng Shao thought proudly that it was no wonder that fat pig had used such an absurd excuse about signing up to become a star to scam them. It was probably because Cheng Yu's looks and temperament were simply too good, making even such an outrageous scam sound especially sincere.

Just as all the dishes were served, Pei Yan found them. Cheng Yu looked somewhat displeased at Pei Yan's sudden appearance and raised a brow. "Weren't you under observation at the hospital?"

"Two days of observation, then I got discharged since I was fine. What, do you dislike me that much?" Pei Yan chuckled and teased, "Too bad. You stole my first kiss, so you have to take responsibility for me for the rest of your life."

Cheng Yu curled his lip, too lazy to pay Pei Yan any attention. Pei Yan did not mind. He moved over a plastic stool and sat beside Cheng Yu, then naturally put on a pair of thin plastic gloves and began peeling crayfish for him. While feeding him, Pei Yan casually glanced at Zhu Jianxin standing across from the food stall and raised a brow. "What's going on? Why do I feel like that guy across the street has been staring at you two?"

"Trouble Yu brought on by playing hero and saving an ugly guy." Cheng Shao smiled and told him what had happened.

Pei Yan burst out laughing. "Can't be helped. Our Yu is so handsome that people try to drag him off to become a star even when he's just walking down the street."

Cheng Yu rolled his eyes at Pei Yan. Noticing the killing intent in Cheng Yu's gaze, Pei Yan immediately corrected his attitude, looking at his nose and then at his heart. "My mistake."