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Lian Sang, the tiny monk, didn’t initially want to be so extreme, really!

At first, he felt a heart-shaped little box in his Shixiong’s pocket and curiously wanted to ask his Shixiong what it was. But he was still angry with his Shixiong, so he secretly took it out to have a look.

The little box was bright red and had hearts and some words printed on it. The little monk didn’t recognize those words, but the box looked beautiful, so he secretly opened it to see.

And what happened next! The box actually contained candy! And it was the kind of heart-shaped candy that smelled especially good!

The little monk became even angrier in an instant. His Shixiong had secretly hidden delicious candy from him and didn’t let him know! Not only did he deceive him and make him the target of ridicule by the girl and everyone else, but he also indulged in it all alone. His Shixiong was so mean!

In that moment, the little one decided that he would eat half of his Shixiong’s candy and only leave him with the other half. Let him deceive others, let him enjoy it alone!

With that thought in mind, the little one delicately picked up a dark piece of candy and licked it. It was a bit bitter, but it smelled so good! He took a small bite, savoring it in his mouth. It tasted so delicious!

The little one squinted his eyes instantly, savoring the chocolate one lick at a time. This thing was so delicious, no wonder his Shixiong wanted to enjoy it alone.

When he had eaten half of it, the little one hesitated for a moment, then couldn’t resist reaching out and taking more. Hmph, his Shixiong was so mean, so he wouldn’t leave him half, only three pieces!

With three pieces left, the little one hesitated even more. What should he do? He couldn’t stop eating because it was so delicious…

Well, how about eating one more?

Finally, when only one piece was left, the little one thought, forget it, one piece wouldn’t be enough for his Shixiong to pick out from his teeth, so he decided to eat it himself!

As a result, when Lian Qing discovered it, there was only a small half of the box of ten chocolates left in the little one’s hand.

Lian Qing was completely devastated, his eyes fixed on his Shidi… The empty box in his hand was unable to escape from the blow of this life-changing discovery for a while.

Feeling guilty, the little one stared at his Shixiong for a while, then firmly opened the coat that had slipped onto his stomach and sat up, pretending to be righteous, “Shixiong, I have to tell you, you lied to me, and I ate your candy. Now we’re even, and I forgive you.”

After saying that, the little one reached out a friendly hand towards his Shixiong. “Let’s make up, okay?”

Cai Jingfeng and Zhao Chengyi in the front seats were already laughing like crazy, while the poor driver was in a difficult situation, wanting to laugh but not daring to, fearing it would distract him.

In contrast to the joyful atmosphere in the front seats, Lian Qing in the back seat grumbled resentfully, “Well, what should we do? I still haven’t forgiven you.”

The little one withdrew his hand and thought seriously, using a sweet tone, “Then, during the Chinese New Year, when Shifu gives me red envelopes, I’ll buy you more candy.”

Little Lian Sang, the young monk, thought his plan was simply perfect, and after saying it, he nodded to himself. Then he looked at his

 Shixiong, wanting to ask how he would compensate him for being embarrassed.

But when he looked over, he saw his Shixiong’s face full of bitterness and deep resentment, staring at his hand without blinking. The little one followed his gaze in confusion and saw his own little dirty hand grabbing his Shixiong’s off-white coat.

The little one instantly loosened his grip, and the coat fell freely, landing on the ground with the side he had grabbed facing up.

Looking at the dark fingerprints on the off-white coat, Little Lian Sang blinked innocently and said, “Oh no, it’s dirty.”

Lian Qing sighed softly, “Yeah… it’s dirty. What should we do…”

The little one awkwardly patted his own chest and said, “Don’t worry, Shixiong, I’ll help you wash it!”

He didn’t notice at all that his own little dirty hand had left marks on his own coat.

The two people in the front seat were already laughing with “heh…heh…” sounds.

Cai Jingfeng, still somewhat composed, laughed while shaking his hand and handed a tissue to Lian Qing.

Lian Qing let out a long sigh and resignedly grabbed the little one’s hands, cleaning each finger meticulously. In his heart, he mourned the coat that had already been marked with his own handprints, as well as the coat on his Shidi.

Before, he used to wear clothes that cost only a few dozen yuan. Since becoming an artist, most of the clothes he wore were prepared by Cheng Jie and Assistant Chen, because Cheng Jie said artists couldn’t dress too casually, so the clothes ranged from several hundred to several thousand yuan.

But this coat was an exception. It was given to him by Yu Wenning during his hospitalization after they confirmed their relationship.

When Cheng Jie saw it later, she said it was some big brand, costing tens of thousands, and it seemed like it couldn’t be washed. The one for the little one was bought when he took him to the mall, thinking of getting him something nice to wear. He gritted his teeth and bought the coat for several thousand yuan. Most importantly, the coat was a light blue color chosen by the little one himself, and the handprints were especially prominent on it.

Now, this was not good at all. The loss was much greater than the chocolate!

The saying “fortune favors the bold” was quite reasonable, but now it had turned around, and Lian Qing was angry. He grabbed the little one and firmly spanked his little bottom a few times.

“Hey, hey, don’t hit him. He’s just a child!” Zhao Chengyi hurriedly tried to stop him.

“Yeah, little monk, if you make him cry, you’ll feel bad yourself.” Cai Jingfeng also disagreed and tried to persuade him.

Lian Qing didn’t even look up and said, “It’s fine, he’s wearing diapers.” After saying that, he gave a few more slaps.

Little Lian Sang had a puzzled look on his little face. It didn’t really hurt, but he felt a bit embarrassed…

When they reached their destination and got off the car, the little monk had already made up with his Shixiong. However, the two brothers had small handprints on their backs and chests, which were quite eye-catching. Naturally, they attracted strong attention from the three sisters in the back seat.

After learning the cause and effect from Zhao Chengyi, the sisters didn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Shaman even found the opportunity to give Lian Qing a word, “Deserved!”

Lian Qing had a mournful face and looked resentfully at the tall figure among the staff. Even though there was distance and masks between them, he could still imagine his big brother’s smiling face.

Ah, my dear Shidi, how could you throw it away like that!

In the afternoon, they played the more exciting activity of skydiving. Apart from Bu Youmeng, who was afraid of heights, Lian Qing and Lian Sang didn’t participate. The former’s back injury hadn’t fully healed, and the latter was too young.

Lian Qing’s eyes were filled with envy. Which young man full of vitality wouldn’t enjoy extreme challenges? Seeing everyone having so much fun, he couldn’t help but feel extremely jealous.

Looking from afar, Yu Wenning, with a heartache mixed with helplessness, whispered something to the program director. Then he left the group and headed towards the restroom. Before leaving, he continued to stare at Lian Qing until their eyes met, and he made a gesture to him.

Lian Qing quickly followed and, once they reached the restroom, he glanced around like a thief. Seeing no one around, he directly pulled Yu Wenning and said, “How did you manage to come here? Aren’t you busy with work?”

Yu Wenning shook his head and said, “I’ve already handled it. Besides…”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “My uncle, the person who hired the substitute to harm you, I’ve been suing him recently. The first trial has already been concluded. His charges have been substantiated, and there is concrete evidence of him embezzling company funds in private. If there are no issues in the second trial…”

Lian Qing interrupted him, saying, “Regardless of what happens to him, I believe in the law. Let’s not talk about him. Did you call me here just to tell me all this?”

Yu Wenning removed his mask, looked at him, and smiled, “What else would it be?”

“I thought you called me here because you missed me,” Lian Qing said somewhat disappointed.

“Indeed, I missed you.” Yu Wenning suddenly hugged him and then pointed at his back, saying, “What’s the deal with you and Xiao San’er’s clothes?”

As soon as this was mentioned, Lian Qing became angry and couldn’t help but complain, “Xiao San’er secretly ate all the chocolate you gave me and then used his chocolate-covered hands to grab my clothes!”

Yu Wenning rubbed his chin, turned around to look at his back, and exclaimed, “He made quite an artistic mess.”

“Big brother!” Lian Qing exclaimed in frustration.

“Alright, alright, don’t be angry. I called you here to give you this.” As he spoke, Yu Wenning took out a palm-sized chocolate bar.

“Eh, where did you get this from ah!” a smile appeared immediately on Lian Qing’s face , unable to contain his excitement, and took it from him.

Yu Wenning naturally said, “I was worried that you might not have enough to eat while recording the program, so I bought this early in the morning. And there’s bread too, do you want it?”

Lian Qing’s enormous appetite did make him genuinely concerned about him getting hungry during the program.

While Lian Qing tucked the chocolate into his pocket, he replied, “No need for the bread. You’re worrying unnecessarily. The tour guide is my good buddy, and he knows about my appetite. He always arranges for me to have extra staple food during meal times.”

Yu Wenning fell silent. After spending the whole day with Lian Qing, he remembered that Cai Jingfeng did indeed give Lian Qing more food during breakfast and lunch. He silently put on his mask, hiding the envy he couldn’t control, and reluctantly said, “Your friend seems really nice.”

“He is, but he’s been acting a bit strange these past couple of days. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is. Maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other in a long time…” Lian Qing hid the chocolate and patted it before looking up and saying, “I’ll go to the restroom first and come out later. Otherwise, Xiaosan will come looking for me.”

The topic changed quickly, and Yu Wenning refrained from saying anything to create distance between Lian Qing and Cai Jingfeng.

“Alright,” Yu Wenning said as they walked towards the restroom together. After taking a few steps, Lian Qing suddenly stopped and turned around, looking at him strangely.

He asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lian Qing replied, “Are you following me? Do you want to help me with my little buddy?”

Yu Wenning exclaimed, “…” Where is his innocent little monk?! How did he become so cheeky in just a few days of being apart?!

……

They couldn’t keep eating so casually during their trip, especially since their filming in this country would end tomorrow. So after discussing it, they decided to go to Chinatown in the evening and have their own country’s cuisine. The production staff were also present, but they were there for work.

To give this journey a perfect ending, the production team even allocated extra funds for this dinner. There was enough money left, and the sisters even ordered red wine. They ate, chatted, and occasionally had a drink.

Of course, no one knew that the money didn’t come from the production team but was secretly given by a relative of one of the guests.

Lian Qing couldn’t stand himself eating while his big brother had nothing to eat. So he frequently glanced at his big brother with a restless expression.

When they were halfway through their meal, Lian Qing noticed that his big brother seemed to be heading to the restroom. He discreetly pinched the chocolate hidden in his pocket, intending to ask Cai Jingfeng to watch over Xiaosan while he went to the restroom for a bit. But before he could speak up, Cai Jingfeng stood up and left ahead of him.

Lian Qing had no choice but to swallow the words he hadn’t spoken and continued to remove fish bones for the little one.

On the other side, Yu Wenning came out of the restroom and encountered Cai Jingfeng. He politely nodded and was about to walk past, but the person called out to him, “Mr. Yu, can we have a chat?”

Yu Wenning paused, turned around, and silently looked at him before nodding. It wasn’t surprising that this person noticed his presence. He was so focused on Li Qing, how could he not notice when Lian Qing occasionally glanced at him during the filming?

If it were someone else, they might think Lian Qing was looking at a particular camera angle. But in Yu Wenning’s eyes, the ill-intentioned Cai Jingfeng…

The two of them went to a corner outside the hotel. Yu Wenning took off his mask and extended a hand to Cai Jingfeng, saying, “Hello.”

Cai Jingfeng pursed his lips and also shook hands, saying, “Hello.”

After that, there was silence.

After a while, Yu Wenning broke the silence. He said, “Thank you, Mr. Cai, for taking care of my partner Lian Qing these past few days. He says he can eat to his heart’s content every day because he has a good brother like you.”

Cai Jingfeng tugged at the corner of his mouth, pretending not to hear the emphasized phrase “good brother.” He said, “I’ve known Lian Qing for many years, and we’ve always had a good relationship. Taking care of him is only natural.”

“Mr. Cai may think it’s natural, but Lian Qing and I dare not consider it so straightforwardly,” Yu Wenning smiled politely, extremely gentle. “After all, you’re just friends, whereas we feel indebted.”

Cai Jingfeng’s face didn’t look good, and it took him a while to regain his voice. He asked in a low voice, “If you can say these things on behalf of Lian Qing, then may I ask, what is your relationship with Lian Qing?”

Yu Wenning smiled faintly, “As you can see, we are in a romantic relationship.”

Cai Jingfeng paused for a long time before forcing a bitter smile. Speculating was one thing, but hearing it from the person involved was another.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you like him because of his appearance, or is it for other reasons?”

“It’s because of who he is as a person,” Yu Wenning answered almost without hesitation. “Even if one day he becomes old or ugly, as long as he is still Lian Qing, I will still love him.”

“But you’ve only known each other for less than a year,” Cai Jingfeng couldn’t help but feel unwilling. “Not even a year…”

“He may have known me for less than a year, but I have known him for almost three years,” Yu Wenning smiled lightly. “Believe me, my love for him will be much greater than yours.”

Perhaps some emotions fade with time and changing circumstances. But there are also some feelings that only deepen over time until they are etched into the soul.

Yu Wenning couldn’t be certain whether his feelings for Lian Qing would be engraved in his soul, but he could at least confirm the use of the phrase “etched in one’s memory.”

He suddenly didn’t want to employ the usual empty words and flattery of the business world. He spoke frankly, saying, “Mr. Cai, you’re a good person, and Lian Qing has always regarded you as his closest friend, but only as a friend. I hope you won’t make things difficult for him, do you understand?”

Cai Jingfeng’s face instantly paled, experiencing the discomfort of having his ulterior motives exposed.

Yu Wenning pursed his lips and continued, “I believe Mr. Cai doesn’t like Lian Qing that much, right? If you truly like someone, you would disregard everything and be by their side, even if it’s just to catch a glimpse of them. However, for over two years, you haven’t gone to see him until he appeared on television.”

These few sentences caused Cai Jingfeng’s already wavering heart to sway even more. In the past two years, although it was initially due to his parents’ control that he couldn’t see Lian Qing, he did have several opportunities later on, but he didn’t take them.

Just like a long time ago, he had the chance to confess to Lian Qing openly, to pursue him openly. But he didn’t do it.

He suddenly felt that Yu Wenning was much more resolute and willing to make sacrifices for Lian Qing. Just like now, leaving behind the complicated work, traveling a long distance to come here and secretly accompany Lian Qing during the recording of the program. Clearly, as the helm of the corporation, he should be incredibly busy.

If it were him, he probably couldn’t do it. At least, he couldn’t do it with as much effort and silent dedication as Yu Wenning.

Sometimes, it’s not about how rich or good-looking your romantic rivals are; it’s about how much more effort they put in compared to you.

No, he probably didn’t even have the chance to be a romantic rival to Yu Wenning because Lian Qing had already fallen in love with him.

Some people and some feelings, once missed, are missed forever.

Yu Wenning’s gentle voice entered his ears, “I don’t think someone as proud as Mr. Cai would want to be a third party, right?”

Cai Jingfeng forced a bitter smile. He truly wouldn’t stoop to becoming an unscrupulous third party…

He had considered pursuing Lian Qing before, but that idea was based on the fact that Lian Qing and Yu Wenning were not truly together.

Now, as he talked to Yu Wenning, ultimately, it was just to let himself truly give up. Otherwise, he would probably find it difficult to let go so quickly, whether it was letting go of the unattainable regrets or the dwindling yet stubborn affection he had for Lian Qing…

Indeed, Yu Wenning had truly extinguished his heart.

Enough, enough, now he had received what he sought. From now on… he would completely rein in his own heart and treat Lian Qing as a true brother…

Cai Jingfeng suddenly remembered something and looked up, asking, “Does Lian Qing know?”

Without specifying what Lian Qing should know, Yu Wenning understood in his heart and silently shook his head.

Cai Jingfeng instantly breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “Then please… don’t let him know. Between him and me, we will only be brothers from now on.”

Yu Wenning nodded gently; he believed that this person could say what he meant and do what he said. He didn’t have many other talents, but having experienced the ups and downs of the business world, he considered himself quite accurate in judging people.

Cai Jingfeng, despite his somewhat weak nature, was still a good person and had his own principles.

Yu Wenning didn’t want Lian Qing to lose a good friend.

From the depths of his heart, Yu Wenning said, “Mr. Cai, I wish you will meet someone in the near future who truly suits you, someone who is in sync with your heart.”

Cai Jingfeng smirked, “Thank you.”

…

As the two of them returned to the private room one after the other, Fu Miao asked Lian Qing, “I think you have a good memory and should be doing well in your studies, so why do you still feel like you’re not smart enough?”

Xiaoxiao proudly answered on behalf of his senior, “My Shifu says that Senior is very good at studying and always ranks in the top three of the grade. But my Shifu also says that Senior is indeed not very clever, so he can only work very hard in his studies.”

“Oh, a study prodigy, huh! But that must be tough. It’s not easy to get into the top three of the grade.”

Lian Qing smiled faintly, “But there’s a scholarship for the top three, and just thinking about that makes it not feel so difficult.”

The junior high school scholarship was relatively small, but it could cover his miscellaneous expenses for a semester. In high school, the scholarship was much larger, covering nearly half of his tuition.

Cai Jingfeng walked over and sat down beside him, taking over the conversation, “He was known as a hardworking student in school, his determination in studying was simply relentless.”

When Lian Qing saw him coming back, his expression turned sour, and he hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You’ve been gone for so long. Did you have an upset stomach?”

At the same time, he glanced at Yu Wenning among the staff members. His elder brother had also been gone for a long time!

Yu Wenning discreetly made an “ok” gesture to him, and only then did Lian Qing let go of his worries.

Cai Jingfeng shook his head, “It’s nothing, I’m just a little drunk.”

“Then drink less and eat more.” Once Lian Qing made sure he was truly fine, he continued chatting with the others.

“Why didn’t you go to college?” Fu Miao asked in confusion.

Before Lian Qing could respond, Shaman answered for him, “I asked about that too. He sent someone who had passed out on the roadside to the hospital on the day of the college entrance examination, which almost made him late for the exam…”

Cai Jingfeng furrowed his brows and took over, “On the first day of the college entrance examination, he didn’t show up in the examination room. On the second day, he appeared in the examination room with injuries and a cast on his leg. I asked him about it, and he said that the day before, he was almost late and hurried too much on the way, resulting in a car accident and passing out.”

Turning to look at Lian Qing, Cai Jingfeng said, “I always see you arrive at school 20 minutes early, so how did you happen to be late on that particular day? Are you telling me that you were late because you sent someone to the hospital and rushed too quickly, resulting in a car accident?”

Lian Qing nodded, “It’s my own carelessness. I didn’t watch the road carefully.” Then he turned to the cameraman and said seriously, “This incident reminds us that we mustn’t rush when walking, especially when crossing the road. Whether there’s a traffic light or not, we must always look left and right.”

“What a random point you’re making!” Cai Jingfeng lightly tapped his arm and said to the others, “Later, he only took two subjects in the exam, but with only two subject scores, he couldn’t get into any good schools. Plus, his leg was broken and required a long time to recover; otherwise, he would have complications. That’s why he didn’t continue with college.”

“Ah… what a world… How come good people don’t get rewarded?” Fu Miao expressed her regret.

Lian Qing hurriedly comforted her, “Sis, in the end, it’s my own fault for not paying attention when walking. But I’m doing fine now. If I hadn’t failed the college entrance exam back then, I wouldn’t be a celebrity now, and I wouldn’t have met all of you…”

Shaman intentionally changed the topic, not wanting Lian Qing to be criticized for being fake or playing the victim after the show aired. So she gave Zhao Chengyi a meaningful glance and then cheerfully said, “That’s true. It would be a pity if the entertainment industry didn’t have you. You’re the sunshine and mascot of our entire studio…”

Zhao Chengyi immediately understood and happily said, “Hahaha… Sha Jie’s words remind me that she actually ordered a Q-version figurine of Lian Qing and placed it at the studio’s front desk…”

“What? Sha Jie, when did you put my figurine at the entrance? Is it good-looking?”

“It’s very good-looking. You’re now the face of our studio, so it has to be good-looking…”

“What’s a figurine? Shixiong, I want one too…”

…

In the midst of a harmonious and joyful atmosphere, no one noticed Yu Wenning among the group of staff members. His fists clenched tightly, his gaze filled with complex emotions.