Page 29

Ao Qingyuan: "!!!"

"How did I get here?" Ao Qingyuan stared at Wenren Yan in shock. "Why are we out at sea?"

"Didn't you say that wherever you went to have fun, people would be watching you, so you could never enjoy yourself properly? I brought you out here to have fun. No one's following us now."

"But there's nothing much to do at sea." Ao Qingyuan shaded his eyes with one hand and looked around for a long while. "What are we supposed to do? Don't tell me we're just going to sit side by side and go sea fishing?"

"That wouldn't be so bad." As Wenren Yan spoke, he actually took out two sets of fishing gear. He handed one to Ao Qingyuan. "We can play around for now and wait."

Wait for what?

Half an hour later, Ao Qingyuan watched dolphins continuously leaping around the yacht. He put away his fishing gear in amazement. "How did you do this?"

Wenren Yan merely smiled without answering.

Seeing how relaxed and content Wenren Yan looked, Ao Qingyuan could not help asking again, "Why did you become an actor?"

Wenren Yan turned around and looked steadily at Ao Qingyuan, his gaze deep. "Do you really want to know?"

Ao Qingyuan's heart skipped for no reason. The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat strange. He subconsciously licked his lips. After hesitating for a moment, he still nodded. "I want to know."

Before Wenren Yan could respond, Ao Qingyuan hurriedly added, "Of course, if you don't want to answer, that's fine too. I won't ask again in the future—"

"For you!" Before Ao Qingyuan could finish, Wenren Yan spoke calmly. "I became an actor so I could get to know you."

Ao Qingyuan fell silent, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Wenren Yan. After a long while, he asked again, "Why did you choose this method?"

After learning Wenren Yan's true identity, Ao Qingyuan had looked up information about him online out of curiosity. He knew that Wenren Yan was the heir to Wenren Group, and that Yan Feng Capital, which Wenren Yan had founded himself, was formidable. Given Wenren Yan's relationship with Yan Donglin, if Wenren Yan had wanted to meet him, he could easily have achieved it by investing in Immortal-Demon Duel. Yet Wenren Yan had chosen another, rather laborious path. Ao Qingyuan did not understand. Or rather, he vaguely had a suspicion, but he did not dare believe it. He was afraid he was being conceited.

"Because I wanted us to get to know each other on more equal terms." Wenren Yan smiled faintly. "Setting aside our professions and all that meaningless baggage, we could interact with the same status. After minimizing all the maneuvering that comes with socializing, we could see whether we would still get along, whether we could become better friends."

No matter what Wenren Yan himself thought, the relationship between an investor and an actor could never truly be equal. It had nothing to do with whether Ao Qingyuan was outstanding. Besides, judging from Ao Qingyuan's experiences since entering the industry, if he had approached Ao Qingyuan as an investor, Ao Qingyuan's caution as an actor would have kept him from easily accepting his overtures. Wenren Yan did not want outside factors to make their relationship more complicated. He only wanted to win Ao Qingyuan's trust in the simplest way possible, in the shortest amount of time.

"Don't you think it's troublesome?" Ao Qingyuan looked steadily at Wenren Yan. "I don't trade stocks, but I know a little about the current domestic market. Coming here to act—wouldn't that interfere with your regular work?"

"I'm not that weak." Wenren Yan smiled. "If a side job could interfere with my regular work, that would mean I wasn't capable enough to divide my attention. Wouldn't that mean I lacked self-awareness?"

"That's not what I meant." Ao Qingyuan became a little flustered and immediately explained, "I mean, if you really chose to act in this drama because of me, and acting delayed your regular work, I'd feel very guilty."

"It hasn't delayed anything." Wenren Yan smiled. "And this was my own choice. No matter the outcome, don't feel guilty. You didn't cause it. It has nothing to do with you."

"But aren't we friends now?" Ao Qingyuan clenched his fist somewhat awkwardly. "If we're friends, we should care about each other."

"What about beyond friendship?" Wenren Yan keenly sensed the hesitation and ambiguity Ao Qingyuan had hidden beneath his words. Like a cheetah spotting its prey, he pressed on without giving an inch. "Have you ever worried about me in any capacity other than as a friend?"

Ao Qingyuan swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Wenren Yan paused, as though organizing his words. After a moment, he asked, "Other than as friends, have you ever considered the relationship between the two of us?"

Ao Qingyuan: "!!!"

Wenren Yan lowered his head and smiled, abruptly changing the subject. "Are you hungry? I'll find you something to eat."

The refrigerator held sandwiches, steaks, chicken cutlets, fruit, and snacks that Wenren Yan had specially prepared. Wenren Yan pan-fried two steaks and eggs, made a fruit salad, and called to Ao Qingyuan with a smile. "Come eat first. I don't know whether it'll suit your taste."

Ao Qingyuan leaned close to the steak and fanned the air with his hand. "It smells so good."

Wenren Yan opened a bottle of wine. Ao Qingyuan suddenly said, "When I was on shows or giving interviews before, those media reporters always loved asking me what kind of partner I liked."

Wenren Yan raised a brow and continued looking at Ao Qingyuan with a gentle smile.

Ao Qingyuan paused, as though gathering something within himself. His clear eyes fixed on Wenren Yan as he said firmly, "Someone like you."

Author's note:

My new novel, Rebirth: Accepting My Fate, has begun—

Everyone knew that Gu Chen was a shameless lackey who worshipped wealth, chased profit, sucked up to others, and clung to powerful people wherever he went. For the slightest benefit, he was willing to come when called and leave when dismissed, with not a shred of backbone. He was the complete opposite of his younger brother, Gu Xiu.

Gu Chen could not understand it. He had merely wanted to live a better life, so why had he ended up mocked and tormented by everyone, ultimately breaking down and committing suicide? Only after his death did Gu Chen learn that he was merely a supporting character in a wish-fulfillment novel. Gu Xiu was the protagonist. He was nothing more than a green leaf meant to set off the red flower.