Chapter 1701: Beiping Old Dream: Beauty Actor Overpowers the Bigwig 16

Returning to the small western-style building, Pei Yinnian finally remembered why he had gone backstage to look for Jin Chen.

He was secretly annoyed that his flustered state of mind had left his memory hazy, and he had tacitly allowed Jin Chen to follow him upstairs into the master suite, where he asked in a low voice, "I saw you tumble on stage—are you hurt?"

Jin Chen had just finished washing up when he heard this; he sat on the sofa, lifted his pajama pant leg to look, and his knee was somewhat bruised.

He poked it, and it felt a little sore and refreshing.

"A little," Jin Chen said.

This is unavoidable; in opera, a tumble differs from martial arts— to portray a character's misery, one must first kneel firmly before rising.

In this profession, who doesn't get injured? As long as the costume covers it, protecting the voice and face properly is what matters most.

Pei Yinnian had a servant bring medicinal wine to dispel Jin Chen's bruises; he sat at his desk and received a telegram from Shanghai.

It was an in-depth investigation into Jin Chen's identity.

Unaware, Jin Chen lay on the sofa like a noble lady, exposing only his knee so the servant could apply the medicinal wine.

It just smells awful.

He half-covered his nose, picked up the script written by Ling Gun Gun, and made revisions.

【What dissatisfaction do you have with my peerless masterpiece!】

【…In your peerless masterpiece, my role is too large; jumping and bouncing on stage certainly isn't you.】

Suddenly hearing the click of a kerosene lighter, the room gradually filled with the scent of tobacco.

Jin Chen looked at Pei Yinnian in surprise and doubt, "Sir, what's wrong?"

Pei Yinnian lifted his eyes to look at him, his tone deep and cold.

"You have no relatives in Beiping, and in Shanghai you're merely a clerk in a bookstore—how could you have supposedly studied opera since childhood and come to Beiping to visit family?"

Anyone could hear the surprise in Pei Yinnian's voice.

The servant massaging Jin Chen's knee turned pale several shades, trying to lower his breathing as much as possible.

"So you've been investigating me, sir."

Jin Chen set down the script, slowly sat up, and said, "In turbulent times, to protect oneself one must have a way to conceal one's identity; you should know that, sir."

Pei Yinnian's face grew steadily colder: "What are you hiding?"

"Or rather, whose person are you?"

That day, a fleeting glance at the Weiyang Theater—was it intentional or unintentional?

Jin Chen restrained the trembling servant, smiling at the corner of his mouth, and said, "Go downstairs first; let's see what scared you."

The servant glanced again at the master, seeing nothing more to say, then, relieved, left carrying the medicinal wine.

Jin Chen wanted to explain, but seeing Pei Yinnian's grim and sullen expression, he involuntarily wiped away his smile, furrowed his brow slightly, and said, "I wasn't instructed by anyone, and approaching you holds no ulterior motive."

"It seems you don't care what my explanation is; you've already condemned me."

Pei Yinnian involuntarily startled, pressed his lips, and restrained the thought of thinking the worst.

"I don't blame you for concealing things, but from now on, don't try to play any petty tricks."

Jin Chen: "……"

What have I done!

Jin Chen rose and walked over to the desk, intending to properly resolve the matter, but Pei Yinnian had lost the inclination; just then the landline phone rang, he answered it absently, and made a quiet gesturing to Jin Chen.

Jin Chen picked up the script and went downstairs.

Pei Yinnian frowned slightly, thinking Jin Chen would sit down and wait for him to finish, but his departure was surprisingly swift.

A vague, indescribable gloom welled up in his heart; Pei Yinnian pressed his fingers to his brow and continued listening to the voice on the other end of the phone.

Jin Chen seized Pei Yiqing, who was skulking about in the living room as dusk approached.

Pei Yiqing refused to stay in the old residence no matter what, and instead simply came here with them.

"What are you doing?" Jin Chen whispered, moving silently behind him.

"Ouch!"

Pei Yiqing reacted violently, startled into jumping up, nearly colliding with Jin Chen.

"Acting like a thief in your own home, that's frightening." Jin Chen, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed the person about to slip off the sofa, went around to the other side, and sat down.

"I thought it was my brother coming."

Pei Yiqing clenched the letter in his hand, still undecided, tugged at Jin Chen's sleeve and shifted over, asking, "My brother upstairs won't come down, will he?"

"Hmph, who knows."

Jin Chen lifted his black tea, took a sip—truly, he was extremely spoiled and arrogant!

"What kind of love letter is this, making you so precious?" He tapped the letter in Pei Yiqing's hand.

"It… was sent by someone on behalf of Bo Feng."

Pei Yiqing let out a low sigh, "I've read it all; he explained many things, but I don't know what to do."

"I…" Pei Yiqing rubbed his face, his handsome features now stained with worry, "I still can't let go—what should I do?"

Jin Chen clicked his tongue.

He snatched the tightly gripped letter from Pei Yiqing and tore it cleanly in half.

"What is there to cling to?"

Jin Chen patted Pei Yiqing's head, speaking earnestly: "At this hour, he's very likely sleeping with someone else."

"The kind where he's naked."

Pei Yiqing: "……"

Is this such a crude consolation?

The sorrow stuck in his chest, neither up nor down, Pei Yiqing let out a belch.

"Thinking like that should keep you from feeling hurt." Jin Chen was quite pleased with this stimulative therapy.

Pei Yiqing flopped onto the sofa, "Don't say anymore, I just finished dinner."

"Nausea is just right."

Jin Chen gave a wicked laugh as if watching a show, "Remember this nausea; from now on, whenever you see Xiao Pofeng you won't be soft-hearted."

Pei Yiqing covered his ears, feeling nauseous, and closing his eyes gave him a strange picture.

"You're so bad! Shut up!"

Jin Chen tried to lift his head, "Don't pretend to sleep, I also have questions for you."

"Ask." Pei Yiqing mumbled from the sofa.

"Does your brother suddenly get in a bad mood at night?"

Just as he asked, Jin Chen saw Pei Yiqing's body visibly stiffen a little, curled up and slowly crawling backward.

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, pressing down on Pei Yiqing's shoulder, "Where are you trying to crawl to?"

"I... I can't say; my brother said this must not be known to others."

Jin Chen: "Am I an outsider?"

"... No, but... okay, I'll say."

Pei Yiqing decisively chose to help his ally.

He sat up, leaning close to Jin Chen to whisper, "My brother has night blindness, so he fears the dark; before he was just afraid, but now it seems he gets irritable and gets a headache at night."

"But the irritability only appears at certain times; the doctor said it's because the burden on my brother's shoulders is too great, and the great pressure combined with his night blindness to cause this."

Jin Chen frowned, "Migraine?"

"Eh, I don't know either, but you'd better not say I told you." Pei Yiqing continued to lower his voice, pulling on Jin Chen's shoulder and chattering on.

"I still want to meet Pofeng tomorrow, okay?"

Jin Chen: "...... No."

His attention was jerked back, "Your brother is already suffering so much, and you're still giving him grief?"

Pei Yiqing furrowed his brows, "How come this sounds a bit weird?"

"Listening to this makes me want to call you sister-in-law."

Pei Yinnian walked to the stairwell and saw the scene: two people on the sofa seeming to cuddle while whispering.

It was a bit glaring.

His steps going down halted, and he first called Pei Yiqing's name.

Pei Yiqing stiffly turned his neck, thinking that what he had just said had been caught.

"Brother! You're still not asleep?"

"Go to sleep; tomorrow you'll go with your father to learn at the bank."

"Oh." Pei Yiqing let out a breath of relief and agreed with a muffled voice.

Jin Chen sat on the sofa, looked up at the man in the corner of the stairs, and pulled the blanket on his shoulder.

"Sir, if you find me bothersome, I can leave now."

Pei Yinnian: "...... Come up."