Chapter 42: Don’t Judge by Appearance
The banquet the Qi family was hosting tonight wasn’t large in scale. Qi Ming’s recent investment in and collaboration with a director on a film had been a huge success in both reputation and box office, so he was naturally in a good mood. He invited a few families he usually interacted with to come over and liven things up.
Gu Yuhui was still at the company and said he would come over after finishing his work. Gu Qingxu couldn’t make it, so he told Gu Yang—who was in the same class as Qi Lecheng—to go ahead first.
After He Ming’an found out, he had his family driver turn the car around to pick Gu Yang up at the Gu residence so the two of them could go together.
Qi Ming greeted them warmly with a smile. But since they were all juniors, there wasn’t much to talk about. After a few polite words, he told his son to come down and take care of them.
After hanging up the phone, Qi Lecheng gripped his phone tightly, a quick smile flashing across his face. “Gu Yang’s here. I need to go downstairs to get him.”
He wanted to hurry down, but there were still things to deal with here.
Ye Chen talked too much, buzzing like a fly all day long.
He really hated this person.
And now he had seen those things.
Last time, Gu Yang hadn’t seemed to care much. He had even thought about… their future together.
After thinking it through, his face hadn’t shown much rejection either.
Sure enough, only Gu Yang was different—different from everyone else.
Ye Chen finally stood up from the ground. He pounded his numb legs and looked at the person in front of him.
He had sorted out his thoughts.
So what if he’d seen that pile of photos? Could Qi Lecheng really silence him?
The one who should be afraid was Qi Lecheng. Such a huge handle was now in his hands.
“Qi Lecheng.” Ye Chen curled his lips into a sly smile. He had already hidden a few photos in his pocket as evidence. “You don’t want Gu Yang to find out about your photo stash, do you?”
Thinking about what Qi Lecheng would do to Gu Yang in the future, he added, “And Gu Yang already knows what you’re going to do to him. He’ll definitely be on guard from now on. If you want to do anything later, it’ll be hard. Why don’t we work together…”
Qi Lecheng looked at him, his expression somewhat blank.
“Don’t worry. We’re classmates after all. I won’t do anything to him.”
—
After waiting a few minutes and seeing no one come down, He Ming’an suggested they just go upstairs themselves.
Qi Ming didn’t know what his son was dawdling over, so he called a servant to take them up first.
“It’s been years since I last visited. You renovated in between, right? The style’s changed a lot, but these paintings are still here.”
He Ming’an looked at the paintings hanging on the walls.
“These were all personally chosen by the previous Madam,” the servant explained. “Every time she went out to film and saw a painting she liked, she would buy it and have it sent home for us to hang up. Director Qi is very devoted. After the renovation, he had everything put back as it was.”
Gu Yang suddenly said, “It looks awkward. They don’t match at all.”
The paintings were all fresh, gentle watercolors, completely out of place with the overall avant-garde decor.
The servant lowered her head.
Seeing her discomfort, He Ming’an waved for her to leave, saying they could look around on their own.
“Whether the styles match doesn’t matter. It’s just for reminiscing,” He Ming’an said with a smile. “Time really is a wonderful thing. Even if you were the one at fault first, just putting on a bit of a performance afterward can earn you the title of ‘deeply devoted.’”
Gu Yang had heard about that incident.
There had once been a mistress of the house. Many years ago, she had directly tagged Qi Ming on Weibo and posted evidence of his repeated infidelity since her pregnancy.
She was an actress who had played many classic roles and even had the title of the nation’s first love. Public opinion exploded at the time.
Qi Ming hadn’t stepped forward to respond. He remained silent, and that act of playing dead angered the public. Coincidentally, one of his films was being released at the time and was boycotted so badly it suffered catastrophic losses.
Only then did Qi Ming publicly apologize. But the woman hadn’t been hoping for a repentant husband. Her sole goal was to win the public opinion battle. After that, she decisively divorced and left.
“Even so, although she was clearly the victim, a small group of people still criticize her to this day, saying she didn’t know how to appreciate what she had.”
“What’s worth clinging to in such unfaithful love?” Gu Yang said, rare emotion appearing on his face.
The smile faded from He Ming’an’s face as he looked at Gu Yang intently.
“But speaking of it, Uncle Qi managed a beautiful comeback just a few years later. Now he’s once again a highly sought-after big director,” Ye Chen said as he walked out from the corner of the corridor, naturally joining the conversation. “And his female companions still change constantly.”
“Who knows if there’s an illegitimate child hidden somewhere,” he added pointedly.
He Ming’an’s expression remained calm, not responding.
Qi Lecheng walked out just a step behind Ye Chen. He must have heard everything just said. He pressed his lips together, but his expression didn’t change.
They didn’t stand there long. Speaking ill of the host in someone else’s home was inappropriate. Not wanting to hear Ye Chen say anything more, He Ming’an changed the topic and dispersed everyone.
Qi Lecheng showed them where the guest rooms were. He Ming’an brought Gu Yang to rest, and they didn’t come out again until the banquet was about to start.
Gradually, most of the guests had arrived.
Gu Yang spotted Gu Yuhui in the center of the hall, holding a wine glass and chatting with Qi Ming. Noticing him, Gu Yuhui slightly raised his glass in greeting.
The dishes and desserts on the table looked exquisite, but Gu Yang barely ate. His appetite had always been low. The amount of food he consumed daily was only enough to keep him alive—thanks largely to the Gu family’s housekeeper who cooked on time.
The surroundings were filled with laughter and conversation. After standing there for a while, Gu Yang grew irritated.
He hadn’t even realized he had attended so many banquets this month.
It didn’t matter if he was missing anyway. Gu Yang tugged at He Ming’an’s sleeve and told him he was going back to the guest room to rest.
He Ming’an, who had been chatting, paused and turned to ask softly, “Want me to go back with you?”
Gu Yang refused directly. It wasn’t like he didn’t know the way.
He Ming’an glanced at Qi Lecheng, who was deeply entangled in socializing and unable to leave, and said nothing more.
Just as Gu Yang was about to open the door, someone from outside pushed it open first. Caught off guard, he almost collided into the person.
The boy walking in looked about seventeen or eighteen. He wore a gunmetal-gray casual suit, tall and well-proportioned, carrying a maturity beyond his years that set him apart from his peers.
With his hands in his pockets, he used his height advantage to look down at Gu Yang. “Long time no see, Gu Yang.”
Gu Yang perfunctorily replied the same and tried to walk past him, only to be blocked.
He tried the other side. Blocked again.
He paused, then finally lifted his eyes to meet the person’s gaze. “Do you need something?”
“Didn’t expect big star Cheng to show up today.” Ye Chen, spotting the scene from afar, waved. “There are so many classmates here, yet you only see Gu Yang. That’s not fair.”
Cheng Zishi gave him a half-smile. “Can’t help it. I’m allergic to dogs that can’t be tamed and like to bark.”
Ye Chen’s grin froze instantly.
After saying that, Cheng Zishi looked back at Gu Yang, subtly sizing him up.
He’d been filming out of town these days, but since he habitually checked the group chat, he hadn’t missed any of the drama.
Still, watching in person was far more interesting than reading about it.
Since he’d just run into Gu Yang, there was no way he’d let him leave like this.
Though they hadn’t interacted much, he knew Gu Yang did whatever he pleased and especially liked skipping group activities. Once let go, he’d probably hide somewhere and never come back.
Qi Ming noticed the person he had invited had arrived and hurried over with a smile. “You kept us waiting, Zishi. Why so late?”
“Sorry, the flight was delayed,” Cheng Zishi replied, focusing on business first.
“You’re younger than all of us, yet you arrived the latest. Shouldn’t you pour yourself a drink?” Qi Ming joked, pointing at him. “But since you’re still a student, just have some red wine instead of white.”
Cheng Zishi hated this kind of forced-drinking segment. Every time someone pressured him at a table, he had the urge to splash the drink in their face.
Drink, drink—drink your head!
But Director Qi had helped him before. Without him, he’d probably still be an unstable freelance model. So he couldn’t refuse outright.
While waiting for the waiter to bring the wine, Qi Ming introduced Cheng Zishi to Gu Yuhui. “This is the second male lead from my recent film. Only eighteen, but very talented. His future is limitless. President Gu, please look after him.”
Gu Yuhui didn’t follow up on that. He simply smiled. “Mr. Qi and this young actor seem quite close. You really are like a concerned father.”
Qi Ming, already slightly tipsy, waved dismissively.
Back when his ex-wife’s accusations had dragged his career to rock bottom, no investors were willing to bet on him. Only low-budget web dramas came knocking. Having been used to big productions and smooth success, how could he tolerate that?
With no other options, he sought out a Taoist priest and eventually found a model said to bring prosperity to his career.
After using this person, his luck indeed turned.
Since then, he brought Cheng Zishi along in every film—for good fortune and peace of mind.
Rumors of an illegitimate child even emerged later.
The wine arrived. Qi Ming handed Cheng Zishi a glass and patted his shoulder. “Go, go toast Uncle Gu. Let him take care of your career—”
Cheng Zishi raised his glass to Gu Yuhui and began to drink.
At that moment, a voice slipped into his ears.
[Qi Ming still barely looks decent now, but later on, who knows what stimulates him—he stops being satisfied with female companions and sets his sights on Cheng Zishi instead, trying multiple times to force him to submit.]
[Oh right, he’s the bottom one.]
[You really can’t judge a person by their appearance.]
After hearing that, the wine still in Cheng Zishi’s mouth sprayed out in a burst—all over Qi Ming’s face.
