Chapter 853: Black Under the Lamp

The next day, Yuming Renhe Hospital.

"Is that Lu Yan He?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ping'an looked up.

It really was.

He was accompanying his mother for a physical examination today; he hadn't expected to run into Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi here, along with two elderly people he didn't recognize.

"Don't you need to go over and say hello?" Mother Zhou asked. "Even though you don't manage him anymore, you worked together for such a long time."

Naturally, Zhou Ping'an had never told his mother about the messy business between him and Lu Yan He.

"It's not great to say hello in a place like this, in case we get recognized," Zhou Ping'an said to his mother. "How do you even remember him?"

"He helped me on the subway before, so of course I remember," his mother said righteously. "Son, I've always told you, one must know how to be grateful and remember those who have helped you."

Zhou Ping'an: "……I remember."

Mother Zhou nodded.

"Your career is getting better and better now, so don't be arrogant," Mother Zhou said. "Although I haven't read as many books as you, I have eaten more, seen more, and experienced more than you. When I was young, I was the daughter of a wealthy family. Don't let these words go in one ear and out the other; Mom won't harm you."

"I know, Mom, I'm listening," Zhou Ping'an said honestly.

If anyone familiar with Zhou Ping'an were here at this moment, they would certainly be shocked by his reaction. Because this was a Zhou Ping'an they had almost never seen before—

When had he ever been this obedient?!

Suddenly, for some reason, Lu Yan He happened to turn his head and look in their direction.

And it just so happened that Zhou Ping'an was looking their way.

Their gazes met.

Lu Yan He's gaze paused, then fell to the side.

Zhou Ping'an's mother.

"Hey, did he see us?" Mother Zhou asked.

Zhou Ping'an's heart tightened.

"He saw us, but he probably won't come over—"

Before Zhou Ping'an finished speaking, he saw Lu Yan He say something softly to Chen Siqi, and then walk toward them.

Zhou Ping'an showed a look of confusion.

"Auntie, what a coincidence, you're at the hospital today too? Are you here for a check-up?" Lu Yan He asked Mother Zhou with concern.

"Oh my, you still remember this old lady?" Mother Zhou laughed, her eyes crinkling into slits with kindness.

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Lu Yan He nodded, "Of course I remember."

Mother Zhou: "It was originally just a small ailment, and some medicine would have been fine, but he insisted on dragging me here for a full-body check-up."

Lu Yan He said: "Getting a full-body check-up is safer. In case there really is any discomfort in the body, it can be discovered and treated early."

Mother Zhou nodded.

"Is that pretty girl standing next to you your girlfriend?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He nodded. "She's accompanying her grandparents for a check-up today, and I happened to be free, so I came along."

Mother Zhou: "What a filial child. I see in the news that you artists are very busy and can't even go home once a year, yet you still have the time to accompany your elders to the hospital."

"It's true that we are busy, that's not a lie. If we are on set or have work scheduled long in advance that can't be pushed back, it's very hard to coordinate even if something happens at home," Lu Yan He said. "I just happened to wrap up filming yesterday, so I had time today."

After exchanging pleasantries and showing concern, Lu Yan He said: "Then I'll head over now, Auntie, bye-bye."

After chatting, Lu Yan He nodded at Zhou Ping'an, which counted as a greeting, and turned to leave.

Zhou Ping'an felt quite unsettled.

"This child is really polite. When he saw me, he even came over specially to say hello," Mother Zhou nodded with satisfaction. "You really should learn from him."

"Me?" Zhou Ping'an was stunned.

"Why didn't you think to go over and say hello to him?" Mother Zhou criticized.

Zhou Ping'an had bitter words he couldn't speak.

If it were anyone else by his side, Zhou Ping'an would definitely have cursed Lu Yan He for being pretentious.

But it just so happened that the object of Lu Yan He's "pretentiousness" was his mother.

Lu Yan He was able to make his mother so happy, and at this moment, Zhou Ping'an really felt… complicated.

Even if Lu Yan He was being pretentious, Zhou Ping'an hoped he would be pretentious like this more often. There were only a few people in this world he truly cared about, and since his mother liked him so much, Zhou Ping'an really couldn't say, "Mom, don't be fooled by him, he's a hypocritical liar."

Lu Yan He was not a hypocritical liar. Zhou Ping'an knew this clearly.

Mother Zhou suddenly thought of something and said: "This child really hasn't had it easy. I've seen his story; the path he's walked has been too bitter. Even if he's not in the same company as you anymore and you aren't his agent, if there's anything you can help him with in the future, you should help him out a bit."

Zhou Ping'an: "……Okay."

Chen Siqi asked Lu Yan He in a low voice: "Why did you go and say hello to Zhou Ping'an's mother? Have you reconciled with Zhou Ping'an?"

"It's not as antagonistic as it was when I was at Star Entertainment. Later on, he actually… he actually told me everything he knew," Lu Yan He said. "Aside from what Deputy General Manager Ma asked him to do, he didn't do much else. Indeed, there is no fundamental personal feud between him and me, and later on, there were even some collaborations involving interests."

Chen Siqi: "That's still not a reason for you to take the initiative to say hello to his mother, right?"

Only then did Lu Yan He tell Chen Siqi about what happened on the subway.

At the time, someone was mocking Lu Yan He, and this old lady spoke up to help Lu Yan He. That person started arguing with her and looked aggressive, as if they were about to make a move, so Lu Yan He stepped forward to block in front of the old lady.

Chen Siqi was astonished.

"Zhou Ping'an's mother is actually such a chivalrous person? How come Zhou Ping'an didn't inherit any of that?"

Lu Yan He: "Zhou Ping'an… actually, now that I think about it, aside from helping Deputy General Manager Ma get me out of the entertainment industry, he really didn't play any other dirty tricks on me. With his methods, if he really wanted to cause me trouble, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to finish my third year of high school in peace and get into Zhenhua."

"Given your personality, if Zhou Ping'an had really maliciously messed with you like Ma Zhiyuan or the Jingtai station did, you wouldn't be able to be at peace with him after 'breaking up'; you would have fought long ago," Chen Siqi said. "I know that much. Just look at how you blocked Ma Zhiyuan and Chen Pinhe, and you'll know. Unfortunately, Ma Zhiyuan is popular again now, making a comeback. What are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" Lu Yan He shrugged his shoulders. "He's been watched by Ziyan all along; he won't be able to rise."

Chen Siqi: "He's being backed by Zhou Ping'an now."

"Zhou Ping'an isn't really backing him either," Lu Yan He said. "I'm too familiar with Zhou Ping'an's methods. The way he truly backs someone and the way he falsely backs someone are completely different."

"Is that so?" Chen Siqi was a bit curious. "If Zhou Ping'an is truly backing someone, how does he do it?"

"Look at Ma Zhiyuan back then; any work, any promotion, had protecting Ma Zhiyuan's image as the primary goal, with making money being secondary," Lu Yan He smiled. "He would rather Ma Zhiyuan act like a diva than ever let Ma Zhiyuan bow his head to others. He could go beg everyone, but Ma Zhiyuan had to keep his head held high."

"And now?"

"Now—" Lu Yan He's mouth curled up sarcastically, "it's more about giving Ma Zhiyuan the illusion that he is still working hard to back him, taking him to some high-profile events, helping him connect with some decent work. In reality, he neither personally takes him to build connections nor helps him plan a further development route. It looks like he's popular again because of 'Scandal-Ridden', but he signed him up for the follow-up plans for this film series in one go. This IP is completely consuming Ma Zhiyuan."

Chen Siqi: "Alright, I've learned something."

"The people Zhou Ping'an is strongly backing now, the male artist is Cheng Hai, and the female artist is Meng Li," Lu Yan He said. "Ma Zhiyuan can't get any of the good resources in Zhou Ping'an's hands at all."

Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yan He with great interest.

"I've discovered that you're still quite concerned about Zhou Ping'an's movements; you know all of this."

Lu Yan He laughed, not denying it, but saying: "Don't forget, Li Zhibai, Yan Liang, and I were all artists under Zhou Ping'an. When the three of us were together, our routine was to curse Zhou Ping'an, so how could we not be clear about his movements."

Chen Siqi: "……"

"Very well, this reason is very convincing, I have nothing to say."

Zhang Yuezhen's expression was very severe.

At this moment, her eyes were like those of an eagle, sharp and full of edge.

The news Wang Meng brought was completely beyond her expectations and dealt her a huge blow.

Zhang Yuezhen's first reaction was: Is it true?

However, facing the recording Wang Meng had made, Zhang Yuezhen had to admit that it was true.

It wasn't that Wang Meng had misheard, nor was it that Wang Meng was making things up. When did Chen Pinhe go to find Lu Yan He?

At this moment, it felt as if a hole had been opened in Zhang Yuezhen's heart, with the wind blowing through it.

It was empty.

Zhang Yuezhen really wanted to rush in front of Chen Pinhe and ask him what on earth was going on.

However, she couldn't.

She had always thought that Chen Pinhe didn't know she already knew about his relationship with Lu Yan He.

But clearly, Chen Pinhe had long since found out from somewhere.

Even Chen Pinhe had pushed everything they had done in the past onto her head—

Wait, what exactly did "everything" include?

Did it also include that incident by the river many years ago?

Zhang Yuezhen's face turned pale in an instant.

Could it be that Chen Pinhe knew about that incident too?

At this moment, Zhang Yuezhen felt terrified and uneasy, and even her palms began to sweat.

"Little Lu, you're on the afternoon flight, right?" Chen Siqi's grandfather asked.

Lu Yan He nodded.

"Is everything packed? Are you about to leave?" Chen Siqi's grandfather asked again.

Lu Yan He said: "It's fine, there's still plenty of time. After we have lunch together later, my team will come to pick me up and take me directly to the airport. Everything is arranged."

Hearing this, Chen Siqi's grandfather nodded, and only then did he feel relieved.

They had specially booked a French restaurant for lunch. Chen Siqi said that her grandmother had lived in Europe for several years, and after returning to Yuming, she often came to this French restaurant to eat because it was opened in China by a chef she had met in France.

Lu Yan He remembered that the food channel of "Jump Up" had specially introduced this restaurant.

So that was the connection.

Lu Yan He didn't know much about Chen Siqi's grandparents' younger days. He only knew that their business had been very successful and they were a wealthy family. When they were young, they had lived overseas for many years and visited many countries.

From their usual words and deeds, it could be seen that they were highly educated intellectuals.

Perhaps it was because of this that Chen Siqi grew up in such a family environment and didn't go astray.

Lu Yan He actually liked this elderly couple very much. They had always appeared before Lu Yan He with a posture of kindness, concern, and care. Regarding his work and career, as long as he didn't mention it, they wouldn't ask. Regarding his family, it was even more so—

The two elders must have learned about his past through many channels. Yet they didn't ask a single extra question. Not only that, he and Chen Siqi had been together for so many years, and the two elders never asked them when they would get married or what their plans were.

Chen Siqi had told Lu Yan He that she had been curious about this in private and had asked them.

Her grandmother said: "One can tell from the things you two children do that you are both very clear-headed, so why should we say anything more?"

Chen Siqi even said that if her father and Liu Weian brought anxiety, anger, hysteria, and violence to her life, then her grandparents brought her a way out, a harbor, and a sense of security; they were the cornerstone that allowed her to remain rational and firm.

Lu Yan He understood what Chen Siqi was saying.

Just imagine, if their lives were filled with chaos, and outside the camera, everything was disgusting and troublesome, and the people around them were either harboring ulterior motives or were complex and fickle, what would their understanding of this world be like?

The kind of person they choose to become often depends on the kind of people who appear in their lives.

The east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

Lu Yan He never considered himself high and mighty just because he was a Best Actor or a superstar, and he never wanted to distance himself from his own life. Because the people he met and the people he wanted to become, without exception, all cherished their lives and protected their lives.

Wen Shengming took "inviting others to his home for a meal and cooking it himself" as a courtesy to express intimacy to collaborators.

Shang Yongzhou generally only shot one film a year and never let himself be in a work rhythm all the time.

Chen Bige didn't use the halo of a Best Actress to discipline herself; she could play with young people on set and didn't shy away from her love for alcohol.

Luo Yuzhong was such a workaholic and had such a high status in the industry, yet when his wife was angry, he still had to put everything down and coax his wife to be happy first.

The importance of work is beyond doubt, yet real, trivial life is equally irreplaceable.

Lu Yan He found that he particularly enjoyed sitting with them and having this lunch.

Chatting about the changes age brings to the body, listening to the elders' memories of Chen Siqi's childhood, discussing some topics, or even arguing a few times.

Sunlight spilled in from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

This scene didn't happen in a bustling alleyway, yet it was still a corner of the human world.

Li Zhibai and Jiang Yuqian were sitting in a very trendy cafe in Yuming.

"Sitting in a place like this, I don't even need to look back to know that someone is filming me," Jiang Yuqian looked at Li Zhibai speechlessly. "What are you thinking, calling me to this place?"

"We are promoting 'Love is Not Blind' recently, so even if the paparazzi catch us sitting here, they won't suspect anything," Li Zhibai said. "Besides, I did it on purpose, letting them film. Brother Suyang said it this way: the more generous the posture, the less they suspect."

The two spoke in very low voices.

Although they were both wearing sunglasses and hats, anyone familiar with them would recognize them at a glance.

Jiang Yuqian asked: "Are there still a lot of paparazzi following you?"

Li Zhibai nodded.

"A lot, following me wherever I go, all wanting to be the first to film who my mysterious girlfriend is."

Jiang Yuqian lowered her head and smiled.

"Alright, that really is… black under the lamp."

Li Zhibai: "Who describes themselves as black under the lamp? I'm defeated."

Jiang Yuqian asked: "Then you dragged me to this cafe, is there any other reason?"

"No, I just purely think this cafe makes really good coffee," Li Zhibai said. "Aren't you still drinking coffee? I asked if you had been here, and you said no."

Jiang Yuqian said: "If only my time were luxurious enough to come to a physical store to have a cup of coffee."

"Are you going to continue filming so crazily next?"

"What else can I do if I don't film?" Jiang Yuqian said. "I don't really like recording variety shows; that's not my personality."

"Hmm—" Li Zhibai suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Actually—"

"Stop," Jiang Yuqian suddenly said. "I know what you want to say, but stop."

Li Zhibai was disappointed: "Ah?"

"We haven't reached that stage yet."

"Alright."

Jiang Yuqian: "Besides, your family knows about you dating, didn't they ask you?"

Li Zhibai: "They asked."

"Then do they know?"

"No," Li Zhibai said. "I told them it's none of their business, and when I get married, I will invite them."

Jiang Yuqian: "……Then what was your family's reaction?"

"They just scolded me; anyway, they always have that reaction to me," Li Zhibai had an indifferent expression. "Let them be, it was none of their business to begin with."

"Then have you ever thought about what if they don't accept it?" Jiang Yuqian asked.

"It's none of their business, whether they accept it or not," Li Zhibai rolled his eyes upward. "Why are you worried about these things?"

"Shouldn't these things be worried about?" Jiang Yuqian was helpless instead.

Li Zhibai: "What you should worry about is what kind of wedding you want."

Jiang Yuqian: "……I just said, we haven't reached that stage yet."

"Think about it in advance, be better prepared," Li Zhibai said with a calm demeanor.

Jiang Yuqian was even amused by Li Zhibai's thick-skinned attitude.

However, after laughing, Jiang Yuqian felt inexplicably relieved in her heart. ===== CHAPTER 854 =====