RBNR Ch28: Don’t love too much

Somehow, whatever Feng Chengyu did, after his visit, Qin Bao’s house arrest was lifted, and he got his phone back. The more the family was double-standard, the angrier Qin Bao became.

After starving for a few days, Mama Tao, afraid Qin Bao would hurt his stomach, made him some light congee and side dishes. After eating a bit hastily, he hurriedly left the house, surprisingly without anyone stopping him.

A call came in, from a friend he met at An Qingyan’s pool party, asking why he hadn’t gone to the audition.

“Your information was sent over, the casting director and producer were very interested,” the friend said. “But you didn’t go to the audition that day?”

Qin Bao didn’t go because he was confined at home.

Telling the truth was impossible, so he made up an excuse: “I was sick a few days ago…”

“Are you better now?” his friend asked. “I spoke on your behalf that day, and they said they’re willing to give you another chance. If you’re still interested, I’ll arrange a time for you.”

Qin Bao replied, “Yes, I’m interested. Thank you.”

His friend reminded him, “My supermodel, don’t stand me up this time!”

“No, I won’t,” Qin Bao assured, “Whether it works out or not, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

When one road is blocked, there’s always another.

Qin Bao composed himself and decided to pursue this opportunity.

However, less than half an hour later, his friend called back: “Qin Bao, did you offend someone?”

Qin Bao asked, “What do you mean?”

His friend explained, “Last time, they were quite regretful you didn’t go. They even said they’d wait for you again. But now, as soon as they heard you wanted another audition, they flatly refused without giving any face.”

Qin Bao tightened his grip on his phone, feeling a bad premonition: “Did they give a reason?”

His friend said, “Just that someone put in a word.”

Qin Bao immediately understood what had happened.

With one call from his grandfather, this opportunity vanished just like his contract with SISI.

Standing on the street, Qin Bao felt disoriented.

He was completely unemployed.

The dream he’d pursued for years was gone.

He loved the runway, loved performing. Magazines often commented that he was born for the catwalk. He didn’t want to live a life of anonymity like most people. He didn’t want to start over in a field he didn’t love at forty like Ms. Rong.

But now, even his backup plan was gone.

What was the point of running away?

Seeing the people coming and going, he suddenly didn’t know where to go.

He once thought that being an adult would mean making his own decisions. Now it seemed that restrictions wouldn’t disappear with age; his thinking was too naive. As long as he was a child of the Qin family, the constraints would always be there.

He really wanted to talk to someone.

He bought a plane ticket and headed straight to Qinan.

School was out, and the entrance to Qinan High School was crowded with students, all faces around his age, full of hope for the future. His future, however, was completely blocked.

Qin Bao wore a mask, but due to his distinctive presence, some students occasionally glanced his way. He casually grabbed a student to ask about Xu Tangzhou’s whereabouts.

Like Qin Bao, Xu Tangzhou was well-known at school; almost everyone knew him.

Qin Bao quickly found Xu Tangzhou’s classroom and peeked inside.

Most of the people had already left. Xu Tangzhou was alone, concentrating on chewing his pen, his brows furrowed as if stuck on a difficult problem, unaware of Qin Bao’s approach.

Qin Bao sat in the seat in front of him, holding onto the chair’s armrest, and whispered, “Hey.”

Xu Tangzhou looked up, startled.

Qin Bao mimicked Xu Tangzhou’s previous gesture, making a heart shape with his fingers, “Surprise!”

“Damn!” Xu Tangzhou’s eyes lit up with excitement, “What are you doing here?”

“I just felt like coming,” Qin Bao took off his mask, “Surprise inspection to see if someone’s studies have improved. Looks like they haven’t. This type of question is frequently tested, how come you still don’t know it?”

Xu Tangzhou: “…”

Qin Bao took the pen and solved the problem in a few strokes: “See, isn’t it simple? Got it?”

Xu Tangzhou looked carefully for a while: “Got it. But it doesn’t feel simple. It’s only simple for you. What should I do… I’m doomed if I can’t even solve this problem.”

He then looked at Qin Bao: “Wait, weren’t you supposed to be in Danlong today?”

Qin Bao said, “The schedule was canceled.”

Xu Tangzhou found it strange: “Really? But don’t you have work tomorrow too? How come you have time to come to Qinan?” Then he held Qin Bao’s face, “Did you lose weight?”

Qin Bao avoided his gaze and said coolly, “I’m on a diet.”

Xu Tangzhou quickly packed up his things, and the two left the school, strolling along the riverside path, planning to grab something to eat at the snack street.

Qin Bao lit a cigarette and handed one to Xu Tangzhou: “Join me?”

He had something on his mind; how could Xu Tangzhou not know? He took the cigarette and let Qin Bao light it for him, choking and coughing.

“Forget it, don’t join me,” Qin Bao took the cigarette back and threw it in the trash, “Don’t follow my bad example.”

Xu Tangzhou, eyes watering from coughing, asked, “When are you leaving?”

Seeing this, Qin Bao extinguished his cigarette too and said, “Tonight.”

“Then I’ll skip night self-study. We can eat later.” Xu Tangzhou dragged him to a big rock, patted it, “Sit down. What’s bothering you? Tell me everything from the beginning.”

Qin Bao started with the classic: “Um… I have a friend.”

Xu Tangzhou pushed him lightly.

They both laughed.

With Xu Tangzhou there, he finally didn’t feel so alone. He didn’t know how he had endured these days alone.

Qin Bao cleared his throat, “Zhou Zhou, I lost my job.”

They sat on that big rock for over an hour. Qin Bao found that confiding in his best friend was not as difficult as he had imagined.

Xu Tangzhou, having had similar experiences, understood all his points and empathized with each one.

“You’re still so young, how can you even think about marriage?” Xu Tangzhou was furious, “Let’s not even talk about the lack of a foundation for your relationship. If you don’t agree, they attack your career? How despicable! Do they know how hard you’ve worked to get here? I used to think your grandfather was just strict, but I didn’t know he was so old-fashioned! You’re an independent thinker, not an object!”

Qin Bao: “…”

Xu Tangzhou: “Oh, you know what I mean.”

It was dark. Qin Bao looked up at the round moon in the sky, not in the mood to banter.

Xu Tangzhou asked, “If you stand firm and refuse their arrangement, when Feng Chengyu marries someone else in the future, this matter will be over. They can’t possibly still force you, right? Would you have a chance to return to the runway then?”

After all, time is the best healer. As time goes on, many things might change.

“After this incident, no company dares to sign me unless I leave Earth,” Qin Bao shook his head. “Now it’s like I’m being forced into a corner, and I don’t know what to do.”

Xu Tangzhou said, “Feng Chengyu talks a good game. He could certainly help you, but I really wonder, what’s in it for him?”

Qin Bao had asked Feng Chengyu this question that night as well.

He asked Feng Chengyu, “What do you want in return?”

Feng Chengyu replied, “No conditions. Just think of it as me fulfilling my grandfather’s last wish.”

Xu Tangzhou, after hearing this, was shocked. “It’s 2203, and there are still people so ridiculously filial.”

Qin Bao thought so too.

Xu Tangzhou pondered for a moment, his brain, usually blocked on academic matters, was bold in these areas: “I’m starting to wonder if he likes you.”

Qin Bao: “………”

Xu Tangzhou said, “Look, he gives you candy, tickets, flowers, and is willing to help you with no strings attached. Why don’t you just ask him directly? If he likes you, then it’s a win-win.”

“Enough with your love-struck brain.”

Qin Bao’s face grew hot, and he reached out to flick Xu Tangzhou’s forehead.

“He gives me things because I gave him something first! He thought I knew about the arranged marriage and was just being polite!”

“You’re so hurtful. I was just saying, and you resort to personal attacks.” Xu Tangzhou covered his forehead, weakly saying, “Now I don’t even dare to share a crazy and outrageous idea I had.”

Qin Bao: “Go ahead, tell me. I won’t hit you.”

Xu Tangzhou said, “Look, from another angle, if the person you like is the one you’re supposed to marry, isn’t that like getting a pillow when you’re drowsy? No matter what he thinks, you won’t lose out by agreeing. Of course, I’m not saying you should get married now, but you could stop fighting with your grandfather for a bit…”

It was indeed a crazy and outrageous idea.

An unexpected path opened up.

Qin Bao frowned, “Are you suggesting I freeload?”

“Don’t put it so harshly.” Xu Tangzhou waved his hand, “If you want pure love, you can totally use your charm and make him fall for you.”

Qin Bao snorted, “It’s no longer pure love, I’m not interested.”

Alright then.

This one suffers from self-imposed moral constraints and severe emotional cleanliness.

Xu Tangzhou became serious in an instant, “Most people wouldn’t face your problem, so just do whatever you want. Don’t hold yourself to such high standards. As long as you’re not committing treason or murder, what’s wrong with freeloading? To me, you’re always right. No matter what choice you make, I’ll support you.”

“That’s more like it.”

Qin Bao withdrew his hand that was about to flick someone.

After a while, Qin Bao murmured, “Thinking calmly, from Feng Chengyu’s perspective, he didn’t actually do anything wrong. It was me who forgot about the arranged marriage. He has to consider the engagement and also gets scolded by me. I said a lot of harsh things, but most of the time, they weren’t really directed at him.”

Xu Tangzhou, fearing another forehead flick, stepped back a bit and said, “Don’t be too kind.”

Qin Bao, annoyed, said, “I’m just talking to you. I wouldn’t say this to his face. You have no idea how arrogant he is, not pitiful at all.”

Xu Tangzhou teased, “You like him being arrogant!”

Qin Bao said, “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t like him anymore!”

Xu Tangzhou: “Okay, okay, I get it.”

They went to a noodle shop Xu Tangzhou often visited.

Surrounded by students, Xu Tangzhou whispered, “It’s so scary. We’re at the age where we have to discuss how to avoid a forced marriage.”

The comment hit the mark, and Qin Bao felt a pang of emotion, his nose stinging.

Xu Tangzhou handed him a tissue, “Are you going to cry?”

Qin Bao, with a strained voice, said, “I’m not. Just eat your noodles and stop talking.”

When it was time to part, Qin Bao took a taxi to the airport, using his status as a university student to admonish Xu Tangzhou, “Study hard, don’t worry about my issues, and stop thinking about your brother. Studying is more important than dating! If you don’t get into college, I’ll come to Qinan and kidnap you!”

As the car started, he looked at Xu Tangzhou waving in his school uniform from the rear window, thinking about himself a year ago. He had longed to grow up then, but now he wished time could reverse.

*

After careful consideration for two or three days, Qin Bao dialed the number he hadn’t saved. With no way out, when it came to choosing between his career and his pride, the balance tipped clearly to one side.

The dial tone rang a dozen times before the call was finally answered.

“Feng Chengyu,” he said stiffly, “It’s me.”

Having rejected him and now reaching out, if Feng Chengyu dared to mock him, even just with a laugh, he would hang up immediately.

“I know.”

It was quiet on Feng Chengyu’s end.

Qin Bao got straight to the point, “About what you said that day, are there really no conditions?”

Feng Chengyu said, “None.”

“Since you called it a ‘deal,’ how can there be no conditions?” Qin Bao said, “The free ones are the most expensive. Don’t trick me.”

“Okay, there are a few requirements, if you consider those conditions,” Feng Chengyu said. “If you’re interested in my proposal, we can talk.”

Qin Bao asked suspiciously, “How does helping me benefit you? The more I think about it, the more confused I get. You want to fulfill an old wish, and you’re willing to marry someone you don’t love?”

Feng Chengyu was silent for a few seconds, and Qin Bao thought he might have walked away.

But soon, Feng Chengyu’s voice came back on the line, “Feelings can be developed. I said before, maybe we’ll get along well after we marry.”

Qin Bao didn’t like hearing empty promises. He talked about reality.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed and suggested, “Let’s talk? I’m free at four this afternoon.”

The person who had lashed out now threw the ball back, unwilling to suffer any loss.

“Okay,” Feng Chengyu said. “I’ll come find you.”

Qin Bao immediately hung up, “Bye!”

Feng Chengyu put his phone back in his pocket, turned around, and walked into a thousand-seat auditorium.

The meeting had not yet officially started, and many eyes were on him. Seeing his seemingly good mood, everyone speculated if something good had happened.