Chapter 83
The moment Lin Zhiqiao’s “spoiler” came out, Qi An flung Ming Ye’s hand away with lightning speed.
Ming Ye was stunned by the sudden move and thought to himself, Did the halo stop working?
Qi An awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth and came up with an excuse on the spot. “I… suddenly don’t feel too well.”
Before Ming Ye could say anything, the crisp jingle of the bell at the bar entrance rang out. A girl of eighteen or nineteen with waist-length hair pushed the door open and walked in.
Ming Ye caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and found her vaguely familiar, so he looked more closely. In that instant, his heartbeat nearly stopped.
“One Dawn and Dusk, to go,” the girl ordered. As if she sensed someone watching her, she turned her head—and her eyes met Ming Ye’s.
Although the lighting was dim, she recognized him at once. He was her boyfriend.
The bartender repeated, “One Dawn and Dusk, to go, right?”
“No, no—two Dawn and Dusks, for here,” the long-haired girl, one of Ming Ye’s girlfriends, Yan Jue, corrected immediately. Then she turned and walked straight toward where Ming Ye was sitting.
Ming Ye knew she had seen him. There was no way to avoid this now. He inwardly thanked heaven that he had not done anything too excessive with Qi An just moments ago.
What he failed to notice was that Qi An had already taken two steps back and quickly pulled away from him.
“Ming Ye!” Yan Jue’s voice was bright with excitement and surprise. “I was just about to go look for you. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
As she spoke, she noticed the boy standing beside him. “And this is…?”
Before Ming Ye could speak, she recognized him herself. “Your name is Qi An, right? I know you. You’re on the same show as Ming Ye.”
Qi An answered awkwardly, “Y-yes.”
He really did like Ming Ye, and it was true that he had been pursuing him—but all of that only held up under the assumption that Ming Ye was single.
Lin Zhiqiao’s sudden “spoiler” had shattered the filter he had built around the image of Ming Ye as a heartbroken, newly dumped man drowning in emotional pain.
Once that filter broke, Qi An snapped right out of it. Now when he looked at Ming Ye, there was no trace of attraction left—only anger and disgust at having been deceived.
If Lin Zhiqiao had not warned him, he might already have been caught “cheating” by one of Ming Ye’s actual partners.
He had almost become a gossip story on the trending searches himself.
Qi An wanted to find an excuse to leave, but Ming Ye suddenly said, “Didn’t you just say you weren’t feeling well? Maybe you should go back and rest first?”
“Yes, yes, I’m not feeling great.” Qi An quickly went along with it. “I’m heading out first. You two have fun.”
He left without the slightest hesitation. Ming Ye secretly let out a breath of relief, thankful that Qi An had not asked about his relationship with Yan Jue.
What he did not know was that Qi An had already seen through his true nature as a cheating playboy.
And Ming Ye would never have guessed that Qi An had not really left at all. Instead, he went to a nearby clothing store, bought a change of clothes as a disguise, returned to the bar, and quietly sat down at Lin Zhiqiao’s table.
Yes—and he turned his livestream back on too.
Lin Zhiqiao and the other three all stared at him. In one exchange of glances, they quickly understood what Qi An was here for.
Another one had joined the gossip squad.
“I’m dying. My favorable impression of Qi An just shot up.”
“One second: The guy I like is trash, my heart is shattered. Next second: Since that’s the case, let me eat some gossip to calm myself down.”
“Mine is shattered too. One just collapsed a few days ago, and now another one is collapsing. Mingguang, how are you ever going to repay me for this? [spinning, jumping, tears all over my face.jpg]”
“When that Su person fell apart the other day, I was still feeling sorry for Ming Ye. Turns out… the clown was me all along. QAQ”
“I’m tired. I’m done. I don’t dare stan any idol produced by Mingguang anymore—unless they get personally certified by the Gossip King. [kind of want to die, not sure, let me live a little longer.jpg]”
“I just feel like this isn’t going to end so simply. I’m staying for more. [rubbing hands together in anticipation.jpg]”
At the next table, Ming Ye had no idea at all that these people were familiar faces.
Once the two of them sat down, the bartender quickly brought over the two Dawn and Dusk cocktails Yan Jue had ordered.
Ming Ye’s voice turned gentle. “Why did you suddenly come here?”
“I watched the livestream and knew you had a break these past two days, so I took a day off on purpose to come keep you company,” Yan Jue said. “The final debut round is coming soon. You must be under a lot of pressure, right?”
“It’s fine,” Ming Ye said. “I have confidence in myself.”
“I have confidence in you too.” Yan Jue smiled sweetly, but a different meaning quickly crept into her expression. “That makes sense. If you were really under that much pressure, you wouldn’t still have the energy to keep up your devoted-boyfriend persona.”
Ming Ye immediately cried injustice. “What do you mean, persona? Am I not devoted enough to you?”
Yan Jue huffed.
Ming Ye coaxed her with practiced ease. “You know I only like you. From the moment I saw you, nobody else has been able to leave a mark on my heart.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then what about Qi An?” Yan Jue asked. “I’ve been watching your livestreams the whole time. You two have been getting pretty close lately, and the way he looks at you feels a little off.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just for shipping,” Ming Ye said casually. “These days, hyping a CP is the fastest way to gain fans. That’s the strategy the company set up for me.”
Yan Jue gave another huff, but anyone could hear that she was not truly angry.
Ming Ye soothed her, “Alright, alright. Once my career is stable in the future, I’ll go public with our relationship—in the grandest, most special way, exactly the kind you like best.”
Perhaps boosted by the effect of his sea-king halo, Yan Jue let herself be pacified in no time.
“I’ll believe you one more time, then,” she said.
“Too smooth. He’s way too smooth.”
“That was enough to calm her down? Miss, open your eyes! Everything he’s saying is complete nonsense—don’t believe him, ahhh!!!”
“Sigh, I thought there’d be a fight. Boring.”
“My desire for drama has reached the peak. I already took my pants off and this is what you’re showing me? [powerless rage.jpg]”
Lin Zhiqiao sighed too. What a pity. I thought it would get more exciting than this…
The others at the table silently nodded in full agreement.
The next second, Lin Zhiqiao suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
Wait, wait, wait!
Everyone else at the table perked up at once. Judging by that tone… was there more to come?
Lin Zhiqiao did not disappoint.
Good grief—another one is here!
Another one? Before the others could make sense of it, the familiar clear chime of the wind bell rang again as the bar door opened once more.
This time, the person who walked in was a cute, fair-skinned boy with naturally curly black hair.
“One Dawn and Dusk, to go.”
The familiar line made both Ming Ye and Yan Jue look up. The next second, Ming Ye’s pupils contracted sharply.
Why was there another one?!
The curly-haired boy was called Jiang Yang. Clearly, he was also one of Ming Ye’s partners.
Yan Jue noticed the stiffness in the person beside her and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Ming Ye reacted with lightning speed and pressed a hand to his stomach. “My stomach’s not feeling great… I’m going to the restroom.”
Yan Jue looked worried, but there was no way she could follow him in to help. She could only say, “Call me if anything happens. I’ll wait here.”
Ming Ye waved her off and, before Jiang Yang could notice him, slipped into the restroom at high speed.
“Damn it, he got away!”
“He can escape for a moment, but not forever! Let’s all work together to send Sea King Ming onto the trending charts!”
“Can I dream of all eight of them gathering together and condemning the scumbag in one massive showdown? [melon-eating squirrel rubbing hands.jpg]”
“Eight people—that’s enough for two mahjong tables.”
Lin Zhiqiao watched the two narrowly miss each other and thought, What a shame. Such a shame.
The others at the same table sighed as well.
Just then, Jiang Yang, who was standing at the bar, looked around the room a few times. After hesitating briefly, he walked toward their dim corner and eventually stopped at Yan Jue’s table.
Lin Zhiqiao and the others held their breath. No one dared make the slightest sound.
“Hello, may I sit here for a bit?” Jiang Yang asked politely. “Mine is to go, but there are over ten orders ahead of me, so it’ll probably take a while. There aren’t any seats left elsewhere…”
Yan Jue waved a hand. “It’s fine, go ahead.”
“Thank you.” Jiang Yang then sat down across from her.
Yan Jue was waiting for Ming Ye, and Jiang Yang was waiting for his drink. Waiting was boring, so two bored people quickly struck up a conversation.
“You ordered Dawn and Dusk too?” Jiang Yang noticed the two drinks on the table and asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” Yan Jue nodded. “My boyfriend likes it. At first I couldn’t really get used to it—I thought it was kind of bitter—but over time I ended up liking it too.”
“What a coincidence, my boyfriend likes Dawn and Dusk too.” Jiang Yang’s eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly found common ground, and his tone turned much more enthusiastic. “But I still haven’t gotten used to it. I prefer drinks that are sweeter and tangier.”
Yan Jue teased him, “So you ordered Dawn and Dusk to bring to your boyfriend?”
“Exactly.” Jiang Yang nodded. “He’s nearby for a show right now, and it’s rare that he gets a break these days, so I came to see him.”
“What a coincidence, I came to see my boyfriend too. And then I happened to run into him here.” Yan Jue smiled. “Don’t tell me it’s Idol Star Dream?”
Jiang Yang looked surprised. “It is. You know it?”
“So it really is!” Yan Jue looked surprised too. “My boyfriend’s on Idol Star Dream as well.”
The two of them both let out delighted little exclamations, marveling at the strange coincidence.
“Then your boyfriend must be amazing. He’s made it all the way to the final round already—congratulations!” Jiang Yang said with a smile. “Maybe the two of them will debut together and become teammates in the future!”
“Yeah, yeah, exactly.” Yan Jue laughed. “Anyone who’s made it this far is impressive. That includes your boyfriend too!”
Jiang Yang asked, “What is your boyfriend best at?”
Yan Jue replied, “Singing and dancing! He’s incredible at both—he doesn’t even get out of breath!”
Jiang Yang brightened. “How funny, my boyfriend is also especially good at singing and dancing!”
Yan Jue let out another surprised little cry. “That really is such a coincidence!”
Jiang Yang joked, “Since there are already so many coincidences, your boyfriend wouldn’t happen to be bad at rap too, would he?”
Yan Jue burst out laughing. “He actually is! Every time I hear him rap, it sounds like his tongue is about to tie itself in knots!”
Jiang Yang said, “Same here, same here! My boyfriend’s rap is painfully bad too, hahaha!”
The two exchanged a smile and fully opened up to each other.
After a good stretch of back-and-forth like that, Jiang Yang finally remembered to ask, “By the way, what’s your boyfriend’s name? I’ll vote for him when the time comes.”
Yan Jue answered, “Ming Ye. Ming as in tomorrow, Ye as in career.”
“Wow! What a coincidence! My boyfriend is also called Ming Ye!” Jiang Yang blurted out. “Same Ming from tomorrow, same Ye from car… eer?”
His voice cut off abruptly.
At that moment, the air froze solid.
