RBNR Ch74: He really wanted it

His phone vibrated, and a message popped up.

Brother Lu: [Mr. Feng, Xiao Bao has safely returned to the set. Xiao Xu said he’s fine, just has swollen eyes, and he used the gland patch properly. He went straight to Xu Tangzhou’s room after arriving.]

Feng Chengyu stood by the office window, smoking. Qin Bao might be fine, but he had bitten deeply into Feng Chengyu’s shoulder, drawing a bit of blood. Knowing he had friends with him, Feng Chengyu replied: [Got it, thanks.]

He had lost his temper yesterday.

Feng Chengyu stayed in the car until 2 a.m., watching the light turn on upstairs.

After the light went out, he went back once, finding Qin Bao fragile and disheveled, sleeping deeply on the bed.

In the morning, Feng Chengyu received another transfer from Qin Bao, the amount larger than before, indicating he was probably trying to cover his startup funding, making Feng Chengyu’s temples ache.

He knew that his Omega had never truly experienced a complete loop of love during his growth.

Qin Bao had always been the apple of his family’s eye, loved but also neglected. As a teenager, he tried to prove himself by becoming independent, but even for that, he had to trade something.

He wanted to learn dance, but he had to learn chess first because chess was seen as a way to cultivate one’s character.

He wanted to model, but his academic performance had strict requirements, and his qualifications had to be impressive.

He wanted to continue his career, but he had to marry someone he didn’t love first to solve his pheromone rejection problem and live a better life.

Everything was supposedly for his own good, and he understood that, so he compromised on everything and worked hard but never received any positive feedback, never any praise or encouragement.

Qin Bao got used to trading and got used to not getting feedback.

He would instinctively “sacrifice” certain parts of himself to achieve some desired goals, not caring about whether there would be feedback.

For Feng Chengyu, who focused on his career, he wasn’t deeply in love initially.

But watching Qin Bao struggle, endure, and shatter while trying to rise, Feng Chengyu found himself unable to let go.

He knew Qin Bao was sensitive, knew he would say things carelessly because of the marriage exposure, and knew he had a unique purity and hidden courage.

Feng Chengyu learned to lower his head and to be tolerant.

But Feng Chengyu didn’t realize that he, too, cared about what he gave and received.

When he realized he couldn’t truly have someone no matter how hard he tried, he lost his composure.

He had planned to give Qin Bao a bouquet of daffodils on their fifth anniversary and make a clear but still formal confession.

He kept track of the days precisely, but instead received a divorce notice.

It was like sending a message that was read but not replied to.

What could he do?

He smoked until the end, extinguishing it in the ashtray Qin Bao had given him.

Being nine years older, he had to make the first move.

The first step was to stay calm and start with the raging online controversy.

In the afternoon, the official Flow News account posted a new update, an exclusive interview with Feng Chengyu, stating concisely: [Flow reporter called Feng Chengyu. According to Mr. Feng, the incident was unexpected. Qin Bao wanted to keep a low profile and focus on his work, so they hadn’t planned to go public. Additionally, Mr. Feng requested that people stop spreading rumors about Qin Bao online.]

[And it’s always been me with Qin Bao. Our relationship is currently stable, thank you all for your concern.]

Feng Chengyu has always been perceived as noble and aloof, even a bit mysterious after his sudden resignation.

The revelation of his marriage to Qin Bao was already shocking, and his official response only deepened the sense of disconnect.

[Ahhh, who gets it? It feels like the dimensional wall has broken!]

[Two people from completely different worlds are actually a couple!! (Craziness)]

[“It’s always been him with Qin Bao,” look at this!]

[Help, does that mean Qin Bao was hooking up with Feng Chengyu at Grody?]

[What hook-up!!! That was legal!!!]

[(Pictures)(Pictures) Photos from back then!]

The old photos of Qin Bao supposedly “meeting a male model” at the Grody Hotel resurfaced online, and his Flow post saying “No meeting with a model, will be acting independently, thanks for the attention” was being frantically reposted.

[Indeed, no meeting with a male model, just meeting with the husband!]

[So, the person in the photos is Mr. Feng?! The silhouette behind the curtain the first night, the figure beside him the next night!]

 [Of course! Who would dare cheat with Mr. Feng as a husband? Are they tired of living?!]

[Yes, yes! Compare them! (Pictures) Here’s a photo of Mr. Feng’s silhouette at another event!]

[Wait a minute, wasn’t Qin Bao there to save a show for Baofenni? Did Mr. Feng follow him last minute??]

[My Bao also said, “Adults’ business is none of your concern”(Crying). They were already together back then (Crying)]

[Ahhh, I’m losing it!! Ahhh!]

Seeing Feng Chengyu himself speak out, some long-prepared paparazzi began releasing photos.

The two had been married for so long; how could they not be photographed? But with special warnings, nobody dared to publish them.

The most frequently captured moments were Qin Bao getting into a gray sports car after work—on set, at shows, outside studios—at least three or four times, with clear shots of both Feng Chengyu and Qin Bao’s faces.

Sometimes there were flowers in the car, sometimes Qin Bao was carrying a food box, and in one series of photos, whether Qin Bao was arriving or leaving work was unclear. Feng Chengyu was leaning against the car, pulling him in for a kiss.

It had just snowed, with deep snow by the roadside.

Alpha wore his iconic black coat, looking serious and dignified, as if about to address a vast crowd. Qin Bao was in a white puffer jacket, light blond hair, fair skin, and no makeup.

Due to the height difference, Feng Chengyu slightly lowered his head for a gentle kiss on Qin Bao’s lips, while Qin Bao naturally clutched the front of his coat.

[Ahhhhhh]

[Isn’t Qin Bao usually quite arrogant? Why is he so obedient in front of Mr. Feng (Stunned)]

[Wake up, that’s Mr. Feng! Who would dare act out in front of him?!]

[Wedding ring! Look at Mr. Feng’s wedding ring!]

[Someone analyzed the timeline of Mr. Feng wearing his wedding ring; it coincided with Qin Bao’s coming of age.]

 [So much for a marriage of convenience? Is a marriage of convenience this sweet?! Help!]

[Ahhh, such a good match!]

[Is this how your married life is? Fine, fine.]

Maybe the paparazzi didn’t expect this sudden turn of events, so they only managed to take photos, not videos. Someone made these photos into a GIF, showing a very natural, ordinary kiss.

These photos made people realize a fact: Feng Chengyu was still very young.

The political world and the entertainment industry indeed had a barrier; people forgot that the former Vice President of the Empire’s Council was only in his early thirties.

Looking at the entertainment industry, there were countless young stars and idols his age.

Politics was the career of this favored son of heaven, and being with Qin Bao was his real life.

Such a well-matched pair being together was the most natural thing.

Public opinion always shifts rapidly. Knowing about Feng Chengyu’s response about their “stable relationship,” Qin Bao found a secluded spot, mustered up the courage, and opened Flow on his phone.

He saw the photos and comments; the situation was much better than when their marriage was first exposed. But after browsing many news articles and comments, what left the deepest impression was a comment saying, “If not for the Qin family dragging him down, wouldn’t it be easy for Feng Chengyu to return?”

So Qin Bao turned off his phone again.

Since his personal information was exposed, his phone had been bombarded with calls from unknown numbers, so he enabled number protection, making it impossible for anyone outside his contacts to reach him.

But since yesterday, Feng Chengyu hadn’t called him even once.

The money he transferred to Feng Chengyu in the morning was returned through the bank.

What does this mean?

Because they agreed to divorce, does Feng Chengyu not want his support anymore, and they won’t contact each other?

The maniac exposing Omega pheromones online was still active, making Xu Tangzhou restless. It turned out that he and Ling Che only had an 18% compatibility rate, and due to this, he had once broken up with Ling Che. Fearful that Ling Che would break up with him now, Xu Tangzhou pretended not to know, keeping Ling Che in the dark.

To be with Ling Che, he had the audacity to reject Mist’s contract. Fortunately, a few days later, the maniac was caught.

Unfortunately, Xu Tangzhou’s lie couldn’t deceive Ling Che’s eyes. After the truth came out, Xu Tangzhou almost got dumped, crying as he wrote a handwritten apology to Ling Che.

Neither of their relationships seemed to be going smoothly.

Qin Bao tried not to think about Feng Chengyu, instead helping Xu Tangzhou with his apology letter on set.

Xu Tangzhou, ever the academic underachiever, made Qin Bao want to explode in frustration. The short essay was full of spelling mistakes.

Xu Tangzhou fidgeted with the paper, saying, “You’re heartless… I’m about to get dumped, and you’re still laughing at me.”

Qin Bao warned, “Worry about your own situation. After the shoot wraps up, you’ll probably be bedridden.”

Xu Tangzhou, who had been a bit wild in his youth, was now quite innocent, his face flushing. “What are you talking about? He would never make me bedridden.”

Qin Bao: “Ling Che is an S-class, right?”

“Yeah,” Xu Tangzhou replied, “why?”

Qin Bao hinted, “You’ll know if you try. He’s quite fierce.”

Xu Tangzhou immediately caught on and pointed at him, saying, “Feng Chengyu is also an S-class! You, you, you—”

“Yeah, I have plenty of real combat experience,” Qin Bao said, his face slightly flushed but trying to act nonchalant. “So you better take care of yourself.”

The young couple made up quickly. Xu Tangzhou sent an emotional apology letter and acted cute, which made Ling Che forgive him. Ling Che even sang a new song called “I Like You” at his concert, which fans criticized as a love-brain, sappy song.

Xu Tangzhou was so happy his tail was practically wagging, making Qin Bao want to punch him.

“The new song is written for me!” Xu Tangzhou hummed a few lines. “Listen to these lyrics!”

Seeing Xu Tangzhou happy, Qin Bao felt happy too.

But deep down, he felt sour because he wouldn’t even have the chance to write an apology letter, and he definitely wouldn’t dare to call Feng Chengyu.

In the past few days, he didn’t even dare to look at Feng Chengyu’s photos and could only desperately inhale the scent from the pile of stolen clothes on his bed.

Xu Tangzhou, being sensitive, immediately curbed his smugness and leaned over, saying, “I saw the trending searches these days.”

The news about Qin Bao and Feng Chengyu was so explosive and had such a lasting impact that it stayed high on the trending lists.

“Did he really agree to the divorce?” Xu Tangzhou asked. “It doesn’t seem like it. He doesn’t seem to care about the public opinion affecting him.”

Feng Chengyu really wouldn’t care.

Qin Bao knew him too well, so he told Xu Tangzhou, “He wants to wait until the five-year period is up before divorcing. He said not even a minute less.”

Xu Tangzhou said, “Is it possible he doesn’t want a divorce at all and said that on purpose?”

Qin Bao was at a loss for words.

Xu Tangzhou continued, “Anyway, I don’t believe you really want a divorce.”

Qin Bao said, “On the surface, it means our families are still tied together.”

Xu Tangzhou said, “He’s so proud, he wouldn’t want to make such a compromise, right?”

Qin Bao was now confused too. Feng Chengyu’s attitude left him feeling completely unsettled.

On one hand, he felt he had to go through with it. On the other hand, he thought Feng Chengyu might also be waiting for a release.

But more than anything, he was dissatisfied with himself.

This dissatisfaction had grown stronger over the past few days.

“Xu Tangzhou, I feel like I really hate myself.” Qin Bao tugged at the corner of his mouth in self-mockery. “I used to hate how my grandfather handled things. He made decisions for me under the guise of doing what’s best for me, regardless of whether I wanted it.”

Xu Tangzhou held his hand. “You two are different.”

Qin Bao shook his head. “It’s the same. I didn’t ask for Feng Chengyu’s opinion either. I made the decision on my own. I’ve become what I hated most.”

“Qin Bao, I’ve realized you are really good at self-inflicted psychological abuse and have a serious obsession with emotional purity,” Xu Tangzhou said bluntly.

Qin Bao didn’t respond.

“Everyone messes up sometimes. No one is perfect!” Xu Tangzhou continued, “You want to be perfect, but nobody can achieve that.”

Qin Bao wanted to be perfect.

He wanted to be the best and the strongest, to be the most deserving, whether as a model, an actor, or a lover.

“We like you, not because you’re perfect, but because you’re Qin Bao. Wake up.”

Xu Tangzhou looked at him and said, “You feel bad because you put his feelings above your own. You acted that way because you couldn’t find a better way to express yourself. These things don’t mean you’re a bad person. It just means you’re human, like all of us. Often, our ability to solve problems is very limited.”

Qin Bao was deeply moved.

He had never considered seeing things from this perspective.

Xu Tangzhou patted his shoulder, giving him an “I hope you understand” look.

Though Qin Bao was a few months older than Xu Tangzhou and appeared more rebellious, he was soft-hearted like a stubborn child.

The candy was right in front of him.

He really wanted it, but didn’t dare say so. He was afraid that reaching out would make him a weakling.

Xu Tangzhou encouraged him with a triple boost: “Let it go. Accept imperfection. You’re the best!”

Qin Bao felt a bit better. “Where did you hear all this?”

Xu Tangzhou was surprised, “Where would I need to hear it? It’s the truth.” Then he coughed, “Okay, it was in the script of a movie I was going to do.”

Qin Bao: “…”

Of course, he was an academic underachiever!

“Where it comes from doesn’t matter if it’s true,” Xu Tangzhou said. “The point is, you’re not awful. There’s still time before the five years are up. If you regret it, you must seize the chance. If he falls for someone else, you’re done for.”