Shang Shujue suddenly revealed the culprit's identity, his tone so furious that even Song Yanqing froze in surprise. But he quickly recovered, took an ice cream out of the portable fridge, and handed it over.
Shang Shujue's eyes lit up at the sight of the ice cream. He casually thanked him, took it, and started eating, completely oblivious to anything amiss. His mind was entirely on the gossip.
Song Yanqing suddenly felt that if he held his hand now, Shang Shujue would not refuse, so he tentatively reached out and quietly took his hand, interlacing their fingers.
Shang Shujue's head was full of gossip, and he noticed nothing wrong at all. He did not resist having his hand held and continued marveling to Nuomi in his mind.
*[Zhang Yunchen is such a sweet, well-behaved kid. Even after going through so much pain, he was still kind enough to collect Xu Jiaqiao's unclaimed body and bury him.*
*He only had five thousand yuan on him back then, right? Cremation fees, mortuary makeup, an urn-all of that costs money. It must have been insanely expensive for him, but he really was willing to pay...]*
Shang Shujue took another sip of water and shifted into a more comfortable position. His eyes sparkled when he saw his fingers intertwined with Song Yanqing's.
Perhaps because he thought Song Yanqing had beautiful fingers, he even pulled his hand closer for a look, still marveling inwardly at Zhang Yunchen's kindness.
Song Yanqing was pulled much closer to him, so close that he could kiss his lips just by turning his head. It made him breathe much more softly, afraid of disturbing Shang Shujue.
Zhang Yunchen, Xu Jiaqiao, and the others knew nothing of Song Yanqing's nervous excitement at that moment.
Zhang Yunchen had not expected that he would collect Xu Jiaqiao's body and was momentarily stunned. But after thinking it over carefully, he realized that if he really encountered such a situation, he probably would do that. Whether it was Xu Jiaqiao or someone else, he would do it.
Xu Jiaqiao had never expected this younger boy, who had never even spoken to him and was little more than a passing acquaintance, to be the only person who would collect his body.
By then, that scumbag Li Yun'ao had probably already ruined his entire family, right? That was why no one had collected his body.
At that thought, Xu Jiaqiao suddenly felt so fortunate-fortunate that he had heard Shang Shujue's voice, fortunate that he had followed his advice and believed him. Otherwise, he would have been destined to walk that tragic path, deceived by his manager and that lousy company.
Xu Zhichen and the others, who had overheard from nearby, had not expected there to be more to Xu Jiaqiao's story. They looked at Zhang Yunchen, then at Xu Jiaqiao, and finally gave Zhang Yunchen a thumbs-up.
This kid was a good boy, beautiful inside and out too. They should find an excuse to help him out later.
Since he was so outstanding and had the talent, he needed to climb his way up and stand at the top of the pyramid.
*[Xu Jiaqiao, that public-spirited citizen soaked in formalin, finally got some peace for his remains. Even the wounds to his soul could receive a little solace.*
*If he knew Zhang Yunchen had collected his body, he'd have to work like an ox or a horse for him in his next life to repay him, wouldn't he?]*
As soon as that thought of Shang Shujue's ended, Xu Jiaqiao grew a little impatient. He really ought to work like an ox or a horse for Zhang Yunchen. This was an enormous kindness he could never repay.
Zhang Yunchen was getting embarrassed. After all, he had not done anything yet, and with Shang Shujue praising him in his mind, he hardly knew how to accept such an assessment.
Shang Shujue adjusted his sitting position again and happened to glimpse a somewhat familiar car logo. He unconsciously leaned forward. "Huh? Why does this car look so familiar?"
"Shang Shujue, I looked into your current identity last night. You could say your reputation is in tatters."
Song Yanqing knew Shang Shujue was clever. Once he spotted a clue, he would definitely investigate it to the end. At a time like this, he had to interrupt his train of thought, so he spoke up.
"It looks like the paparazzi caught us hugging just now. Do you need me to step in and clear things up for you?"
As Song Yanqing finished speaking, he even swung their joined hands. It looked like he was showing off, but to Shang Shujue, it was a provocation. Shang Shujue's face instantly flushed red.
"Are you crazy?! Why are you holding my hand?!"
Shang Shujue snatched his hand back and fumbled to open the car door and get out. He even stumbled along the way and nearly fell flat on his face, giving Song Yanqing a fright. Fortunately, he steadied himself without falling, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
[Ugh, how embarrassing, how embarrassing! You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me...]
Shang Shujue covered his face and ran into the training camp. Buying breakfast had not been his only reason for going out, but he could not remember what else there was for the moment. He would leave it until later.
Only when Shang Shujue reached the dormitory building did he suddenly remember that this identity of his seemed to have a job, and his workplace was Jinyuan Media. After all, he was the president of a legitimate company.
Shang Shujue immediately turned around and headed toward the parking lot outside the gates. Halfway there, his phone rang, and he assumed it was his assistant Chen Jiarui calling.
But when he took out his phone and looked, he instantly frowned in disgust. The name "Su Youchuan" displayed prominently on the screen was utterly revolting. That damned scumbag must have been contacting him because of that other scumbag Han Xu. His father must have beaten him pretty badly.
"Brother Jue, good morning!"
Shang Shujue had just hung up when Xu Jiaqiao, who was walking toward him, greeted him cheerfully. Alongside him were Yu Zeqi's roommates, Zhou Zheng and the others, and a rather plainly dressed Zhang Yunchen.
Everyone greeted Shang Shujue one after another, and he acknowledged them all with a nod. Only after they had gone some distance did he thoughtfully raise his eyebrows, feeling puzzled.
*[Hmm... never mind Xu Jiaqiao, since he already advanced, but why does everyone else look so free? Are they all that confident about their performances?*
Was that poor little Zhang Yunchen sitting outside earlier waiting for them? Huh? Is he that close to Xu Jiaqiao? No wonder he collected his body...
Tsk! Why the hell is that idiot Su Youchuan calling? So annoying! Blocked! All right, time to go to the company and have a manager sign Zhang Yunchen.
*I can't let someone else snap up such a promising talent. He seems to be an independent trainee, too. Strike first to gain the upper hand, strike late and suffer... hehehe (•̀ᴗ•́)و̑̑]*
Before Shang Shujue's myriad thoughts could unfold, another call from Su Youchuan interrupted his imagination. He frowned, impatiently hung up again, and then blocked him outright.
As Shang Shujue walked outside, he planned to sign Zhang Yunchen to Jinyuan Media.
When Zhang Yunchen heard his plans, even his fingers trembled. He had nothing right now and did not even know what he could use to repay this kindness...
If he really joined Jinyuan Media, he would be able to afford his younger brother's tuition and his mother's monthly medication...
Everyone, who had been walking along just fine, could not help looking back toward Shang Shujue. He left without turning around, heading for the main gates, clearly with something to do.
"Zhang Yunchen, although I know none of that will happen now, I still want to thank you. If you hadn't done that for me, I probably couldn't even have become a wandering ghost."
Xu Jiaqiao stopped looking at Shang Shujue too. After withdrawing his gaze, he expressed his thanks to Zhang Yunchen, who instantly flushed bright red and waved his hands, at a loss.
"No, no, no, I haven't done anything yet. You don't need to thank me. Even if it had been someone else, I probably would have done the same. There's no need to thank me specifically."
"Then wanting to help you financially is my own decision too, so you can't turn me down. Just think of it as letting me be kind."
Xu Jiaqiao reacted immediately and tried a different approach. Zhang Yunchen paused. Seeing this, the others chimed in as well, looking as though they also wanted to offer financial support.
Tears suddenly welled in Zhang Yunchen's eyes. Then he gave them a solemn bow. "Thank you. Thank you, everyone. I accept your kindness, and once I'm able to, I'll definitely repay it. But I can't take your money. Thank you."
Although Zhang Yunchen was poor, his aspirations were not. He knew very well that accepting people's gifts or food left you beholden to them. He could not accept this financial assistance. If he took it today, he would not know how to repay it later. He could take good care of his mother and younger brother.
Seeing him like this, Xu Jiaqiao and the others did not know what to say for a moment. In the end, none of them forced money or anything on him, but they paid him much more attention in other ways.
Zhang Yunchen tacitly accepted it. If he did not, these people probably would not feel good either. After some thought, he decided to compromise. This worked too. Helping one another really could bring their strength together.