"All right," Qian Le said to Lu Chiyan. "I actually called to remind you that you've got a variety show appearance tomorrow. I'll pick you up at seven in the morning. Don't oversleep."
A variety show appearance?
"Is it We Live Together?" Lu Chiyan asked.
"Yes. We arranged this show two months ago. It starts tomorrow and runs for seven days," Qian Le said. "We'll go over the details on the way."
Lu Chiyan curved his lips and replied, "Okay, got it."
After hanging up, Lu Chiyan's gaze darkened a little.
Now, that variety show really was quite something.
How had the book described the plot again... After Lu Chiyan was assaulted, Duan Linfeng had someone take compromising photos of him, then used those photos to threaten him into appearing on We Live Together as a foil to Duan Linfeng's beloved Jiang Zhinian, making Jiang Zhinian look good.
Duan Linfeng demanded that Lu Chiyan act like a diva on the show, throw tantrums and cause trouble, and portray himself as arrogant, rude, and incompetent, all to highlight how refined, courteous, generous, and talented Jiang Zhinian was...
Naturally, Lu Chiyan was unwilling, but Duan Linfeng had those compromising photos, and with his whole repertoire of psychological manipulation on top of that, Lu Chiyan somehow lost his head and agreed.
And so, on this very show, Lu Chiyan performed so terribly that the entire internet harassed him, telling him to get out of the entertainment industry.
The good reputation and popularity he had painstakingly built through two acting projects were completely ruined by this show.
Afterward, under Duan Linfeng's relentless daily manipulation, Lu Chiyan gave up on himself and went all the way down the path of being infamous.
Lu Chiyan truly had so many anti-fans back then. Every day, he received piles of threatening letters and plenty of threatening packages, the kind that were a bloody mess when opened...
Throughout this, Duan Linfeng also subjected him to psychological abuse, making Lu Chiyan genuinely believe he was an utterly terrible person.
Later, Lu Chiyan developed depression and ultimately left this world in despair.
Now that he had become Lu Chiyan, he hadn't been assaulted, and no compromising photos had been taken. He had a chance to start over. If he didn't personally toy with Duan Linfeng and Jiang Zhinian until they were dead, then his name wasn't Lu Chiyan!
A variety show, huh? I'll be sure to put on a good performance!
Early the next morning, before six, Lu Chiyan got up.
He was going away to film the variety show for at least a week, which meant he wouldn't see Qin Sili for that entire week.
His relationship with Qin Sili had been truly awful before. Now that he had come to his senses and wanted to hug Qin Sili's thigh, he would have to put some real thought into it.
So he planned to make Qin Sili breakfast himself before leaving.
Just imagine: your good-for-nothing younger brother suddenly sincerely repents and even makes you breakfast himself. Even if you aren't deeply moved, surely you'd feel at least a little touched.
As the saying went, dripping water wore through stone. Lu Chiyan believed that as long as he kept treating Qin Sili well, he would move this great villain one day!
Then, with Qin Sili backing me up, won't I be unstoppable, with nothing to fear?
At the thought of his bright and glorious future, Lu Chiyan was so happy he nearly laughed aloud.
Qin Sili was also used to rising early. He generally got up at six sharp. When he went downstairs to the kitchen for water, he walked in to find Lu Chiyan holding a plate of slightly burnt sandwiches, grinning foolishly with his teeth showing.
Qin Sili: "???"
"Sleepwalking this early in the morning?" Qin Sili frowned slightly, looking at Lu Chiyan in puzzlement.
What kind of lovely dream has him smiling so happily?
Only when he heard Qin Sili's voice did Lu Chiyan come back to his senses. His eyes full of smiles, he looked at Qin Sili and held the plate out to him. "A-Li, look. I got up early just to make you breakfast."
Lu Chiyan's doe eyes sparkled. His small face had delicate, well-defined features, and his fair skin had a rosy glow. He was very good-looking, especially when he smiled, revealing a little dimple beside the right corner of his mouth that added a touch of cuteness to his handsome looks.
"A... Li?" Qin Sili's heart trembled slightly.
"That's right. You won't let me call you big brother, so I'll call you A-Li instead," Lu Chiyan said. "Or Sisi, or Lili. Any of those work. I'll call you whichever you like!"
As he spoke, Lu Chiyan deliberately added something to show his resolve. "But don't worry. Even if I don't call you big brother, I'll definitely treat you like my own brother in my heart. I won't go against you again, and out of everyone in the whole world, I'll only listen to you!"
Qin Sili: "..."
Who wants you to treat me like your own brother!
Are we never getting past this 'own brother' business?
"Call me whatever you like." Qin Sili looked slightly awkward and averted his gaze, not daring to meet Lu Chiyan's eyes.
Those eyes were so beautiful, like stars. They lit up when he smiled, and looking into them for too long could easily draw someone in before they knew it.
He didn't dare look, afraid that if he looked too much, he would lose control.
Once he fell into them, he really wouldn't be able to get out.
Lu Chiyan smiled again. "Okay, then I'll call you A-Li!"
And that's happily settled!
Lu Chiyan took Qin Sili's hand and placed the plate in it. "I made this breakfast just for you, so make sure you finish it!"
With that, Lu Chiyan turned and ran over to the coffee machine, eagerly making Qin Sili a cup of freshly ground coffee as well.
Qin Sili carried the plate to the dining table and sat down. Looking at the burnt toast with a slight frown, he fell silent for a while.
Could he not eat it?
This looked... not particularly edible.
Compared with his usual breakfast, the difference really was rather substantial.
Lu Chiyan set the coffee beside Qin Sili's hand. "Coffee too. Take your time and enjoy!"
All right, then...
With mixed feelings, Qin Sili cut off a piece of burnt toast and put it into his mouth. After forcing himself to swallow, he set down his knife and fork and looked at Lu Chiyan, who sat opposite him, staring at him with large, bright eyes. "If you need something, why don't you just tell me?"
With Lu Chiyan suddenly going to such lengths to please him, Qin Sili didn't believe he wasn't asking for something.
"Oh, here's the thing. I'm leaving in a bit to film a variety show, and it'll take a week," Lu Chiyan said. "We probably won't see each other for a week. Don't miss me too much, okay? I'll come back as soon as filming's done."
[What I actually want to say is, don't you dare forget me this week! Our relationship has finally improved a little, and now I have to go film a variety show. I really feel a sense of crisis here, okay!]
Qin Sili froze for a moment, a clear trace of surprise in his eyes.
That... that was it?
He wasn't asking him for something involving Duan Linfeng?
It was only to tell him not to forget him, to remember to miss him?
"Mm." A faint blush rose to Qin Sili's cheeks. "Got it."