Were they close?

As the old man left, he even made an encouraging gesture at Li Yi.

Not only the livestream viewers, but everyone there had noticed.

Li Yi was very popular at the nursing home.

Regardless of their status, all these elderly people doted on him.

Li Yi smiled at the old man, then turned to Grandpa Wang Song beside him and helped him carry the guqin and small table into the center of the courtyard.

Once the old man was ready, he took the flute from his pocket and wiped it.

The boy had fair skin and a tall, graceful figure. His neat white shirt was tucked in at the waist, drawing in a smooth, beautiful waistline above a pair of long, straight legs. Even a simple pair of jeans looked different on him.

Looking at him brought to mind so many songs about summer.

"Grandpa, are you ready?" Li Yi got into position and lowered his head to ask.

The old man rested both hands on the guqin. "Ready. Let's begin!"

A soft flute note broke the silence, leading everyone into a bamboo grove in the wake of a bamboo leaf. Then the deep, far-reaching notes of the guqin slowly joined in.

One high, one low; one quick, one slow; sometimes soaring, sometimes gentle.

It was like unfurling a painted scroll, telling a story long sealed away.

Only when the flute's final note faded did everyone emerge from the story.

Thunderous applause erupted at once, cheers filling the courtyard. They received the loudest applause of the entire performance.

Several old men even rose to their feet to applaud, showing how much they truly liked it.

The livestream viewers, too, gradually came back to their senses.

[They work so well together! My impression of the flute was just my dad messing around with one in his spare time, making a few breathy whistles.]

[That sounded so good! I never knew a flute and a guqin could work together like this. One is high-pitched and the other low, yet they can make such beautiful music together.]

[Li Yi looks so handsome playing the flute. He feels like a young nobleman.]

[Wait, has nobody noticed the old man? He's an inheritor of the Daoist Guqin tradition! Normally you have to pay to hear him play. His photo is still up on the official Daoist website.]

[The old man is an inheritor of the Daoist Guqin tradition, and Li Yi actually kept pace with him on the flute. Neither instrument outshone the other; they complemented each other instead. This guy is amazing!]

[So what exactly is this nursing home? How did it gather so many big shots?]

[South Mountain Nursing Home keeps a very low profile. They don't admit just anyone, so only a few people know about it.]

Netizens also clipped their duet and sent it trending, simply because the old man's status as an inheritor of the Daoist Guqin tradition was so extraordinary.

In many legends, the Daoist Guqin could ward off evil and misfortune and calm the mind. Listening to Daoist music often could even cure illnesses.

A performance by a Daoist priest with deep mastery of the Daoist arts was especially hard to come by.

These Daoist masters were free-spirited and often unmoved by money. Sometimes, even money could not buy a single performance.

Now that an inheritor of the guqin tradition had performed, how could they not clip the video and listen to it over and over?

They had originally come for the Daoist Guqin, but as they watched the video, they suddenly found themselves drawn to the young man standing there playing the flute.

Amid the classical, unadorned music, he was like green bamboo after an early spring rain, tender and fresh, brimming with vitality, making people want to draw closer and get to know him.

Just like that, Li Yi's looks made him famous beyond his usual audience.

Following the clips, people found recorded videos online, then tracked down the variety show that was currently livestreaming.

They learned that he was not only good-looking, but also a top student.

They learned that he had grown up in an orphanage and had always kept company with the elderly.

Drawn in by his looks, devoted to his character, captivated by his talent.

Li Yi had effortlessly achieved the effect Lu Xingluo had wanted.

Watching the livestream at home, Lu Junjia bit his finger and kept posting disparaging comments, but he still could not stem the enthusiasm of the netizens flocking in to express their fondness for Li Yi.

He had several phones beside him, posting disparaging remarks once on each account, but every comment was instantly drowned out by waves of other messages.

He had also been shocked when Li Yi appeared on the variety show. No matter how he tried, he could not connect Li Yi with a variety show.

He had heard before that Li Yi had grown up in an orphanage and had assumed it was some shabby place. He had never expected Li Yi to know so many impressive elderly people.

No wonder Lu Xingluo had become famous all over the internet just days after visiting the nursing home.

At that thought, a possibility suddenly occurred to Lu Junjia!

Could Li Yi have been responsible for Lu Xingluo's popularity?

If that were true, it would be laughable.

Lu Xingluo had personally pushed away the very person who had made her famous.

But how had Li Yi done it?

Lu Xingluo had only become popular because of her devoted superfan, None of Your Peace!

Could Li Yi be None of Your Peace?

But Li Yi had no money. The family only gave him 1,000 yuan in spending money each month.

What could 1,000 yuan do?

That was one afternoon tea for him.

According to Lu Xingluo, None of Your Peace had become a superfan not only because he helped maintain her relationship with her fans, but also because he paid out of his own pocket to provide perks for them.

Apparently, he had spent quite a lot. She had always assumed None of Your Peace was a wealthy young man with time on his hands.

Li Yi probably was not None of Your Peace. He did not have that much money to help Lu Xingluo.

Besides, Lu Xingluo did not treat him well.

Only an idiot would do everything possible to help her fulfill her dream just for a little familial affection.

Lu Junjia's gaze returned to his phone screen. Looking at Li Yi's face, he privately pondered why Li Yi had joined this variety show.

"After careful deliberation by the production team, our final winner is Li Yi's group! Congratulations to Li Yi's group. We'll donate your 500,000-yuan prize to several orphanages in your names," the director announced.

Su Xia came over and draped an arm around Li Yi's shoulders. "Congrats, little bro~"

"Thank you." Li Yi politely lifted his hand away. "It's a little hot. I sweat easily."

"Oh, okay, okay." Su Xia immediately removed his hand and said with a grin, "Little bro, I never would've guessed you were so popular with the elderly. Everyone likes you so much. You got the loudest applause."

"A lot of them watched me grow up. I actually had an advantage in this competition."

"How is that taking advantage? This is a charity variety show anyway. Whoever comes first, the prize ends up being donated. It's all the same no matter who donates it."

"Congratulations." Shi Yan, who was not fond of chatting, also came over.

Turning his head, he noticed a small sweat-soaked patch on Li Yi's white shirt. He rummaged in his trouser pocket, took out a pack of wet wipes, and handed it over. "Wipe it off."

"Where?" Li Yi accepted the wipes and turned his head this way and that.

"Let me do it." Shi Yan took the pack from his hand, pulled out a wipe, and lifted the back of Li Yi's collar, about to reach inside.

Li Yi showed no aversion, either.

Su Xia watched them curiously for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, "Li Yi, little bro, you're pretty close with your summer job boss."

"Hmm?" With his head lowered, Li Yi gave an absentminded response.

"What boss wipes his employee's sweat? Only people who are close wipe each other's sweat."

Shi Yan's hand paused, and Li Yi was stumped too.

Were they close?

As things stood, they probably did not even count as friends. They simply had an employment relationship.

"I'll do the rest myself." Li Yi raised his head, took the wipe from Shi Yan's hand, and casually wiped inside his collar a couple of times.

Shi Yan rubbed his still-damp fingers together and casually slipped his hand into his pocket.