CH 28

Chapter 28: Xie Xiaoyou, what are you going to do?

After he came down from the stage, Shi Rou, who had been waiting, quickly handed Yu Nian a clean towel, slippers, and crutches and asked worriedly, “How do your feet feel, Nian Nian?”

Yu Nian first took the towel and wiped off his sweat, only then did he hold the crutches, take a slow breath, and smile, “It didn’t hurt as much as I expected.” He looked down at the slippers on his feet and said amusedly, “Little bear slippers?

“En, your little Nian Gao* sent you, saying that they were very suitable for you. I also think it looks good.” Saying that, Shi Rou took out her mobile phone and took a few photos in succession.

[*T/N: Yu Nian’s fans called themselves Nian Gao.]

When Yu Nian heard that it was a gift from a fan, he didn’t refuse. He entered the dressing room wearing bear slippers and first removed the tightly wrapped bandages on his feet.

Shi Rou saw that his calf was covered with red marks from bandages, “Fortunately, the next song you chose is a love song, you just need to stand still on the stage, otherwise it would have hurt too much.”

“Hmm,” Yu Nian didn’t want to be stubborn. He sat in front of the makeup mirror and said with a smile, “If there were both dance songs, Brother Meng and the doctor in charge would have burst out together.”

Shi Rou smiled happily and was curious, “But Nian Nian, when you were dancing just now, why did you suddenly think of unbuttoning your shirt? The live effect was really good; I almost screamed when I saw it!”

Yu Nian stroked the wet hair on his forehead, feeling embarrassed, “Actually, it wasn’t intentional. At that time I got hot and sweaty from dancing, and the costume was very tight, which made my skin uncomfortable, so I just followed the dance moves and unbuttoned them.” There was pride in his eyes, “And I have abs now.”

The stylist just happened to hear it and pointed to the clothes he was holding, “This one is not tight.”

During the gap in the waiting room, Yu Nian took the time to adjust his state. The makeup artist helped him change his makeup, wipe off the darker eyeliner, put on new ones, and make the color of his eyebrows much lighter. For a while, Yu Nian’s fierce aura became lighter again.

In the study room, Xie You was not interested in the other people on stage, and Qu Xiaoran was the same. He had nothing to do, so he just dragged Xie You to chat while waiting for Yu Nian’s second performance.

“Speaking of which, I asked my dad before about the progress on your side. My dad didn’t tell me but gave me a card. My brother did the same. When I asked him about business, he also gave me a card. Does this young master seem to be short of money?”

Xie You was puzzled, “Didn’t you just buy a car?”

Qu Xiaoran awkwardly touched his nose and said, “Haha, it appears that there is a little shortage… “

Xie You didn’t hide it, “Uncle Qu and I discussed it, and we will start with the Huanhai development project. Ding Zhaoxian can’t move for the time being, but I’m sure about Song Ke. This time, I can remove about 90% of his influence all at once.”

He said it coldly and concisely. Qu Xiaoran was very aware of the dangers that would follow, but he still got excited, “When Song Ke is cleaned up, that old fox Ding Zhaoxian will definitely keep quiet for a while!”

“Not necessarily. “Xie You sat on the chair, crossed his fingers, and looked at him calmly, “Ding Zhaoxian is not a person who will endure the situation when he is bullied. I guess, if Song Ke is really finished, he will definitely take the initiative to deal with me soon.”

Qu Xiaoran saw Ding Zhaoxian several times, remembering the other party’s dark eyes, he felt terrified, and whispered, “Then is your brother really—”

Xie You narrowed his pupils and said softly, ” There is no evidence.”

Qu Xiaoran shut his mouth and did not ask any more questions.

He looked at Xie You’s side, covered with frost, and suddenly remembered that when he was a child, Xie You was completely different from now.

In his childhood, he himself was very noisy, climbing trees, catching ants, pulling weeds, and looking for crickets, scaring the nanny every day. But Xie You was different. He had been quiet since he was a child, walking and eating regularly. He had thin skin and liked to play the piano. When he went up the tree to dig out the bird’s nest, Xie You was already able to sit on the piano bench all day and play the tune very smoothly.

He remembered that one day, Xie You stood under the tree in the courtyard with red ears, saying in a low but firm voice, “Xiaoran, I want to be a pianist in the future and go on concert tours all over the world so that many people can listen to me playing the piano.”

At that time, he held the bird eggs he had taken out of the bird’s nest and replied excitedly, “Okay, Xie Xiaoyou, I will help you sell tickets when you have a concert!”

When he grew up, he himself went to a well-known business school abroad, planning to get a diploma. Anyway, the eldest brother was here, so it was not his turn. Xie You was admitted to the Leto Conservatory of Music, majoring in piano, one step closer to his dream.

But fate always didn’t go in the expected direction. Not long after the two of them were abroad, news came that Xie You’s elder brother had passed away unexpectedly. He flew back to China overnight with Xie You, attended the funeral, and went back to school again to complete the withdrawal procedures.

The old professor who taught Xie You was very sorry and asked if he could not drop out of school and take a leave of absence. In fact, he just wanted to ask if there was room for it.

Xie You refused with a pale face, bowed deeply in silence, and said goodbye with lowered eyes.     

When he returned to the country, he looked at Xie You, saying firmly to his parents, “My brother is gone, I’m still here.”

At that time, his heart was empty, and he wanted to ask out loud, Xie Xiaoyou, what about the piano? What would you do with the dream you have held onto for so long?

But he knew in his heart that the piano was gone, and dreams would only be dreams.

Later, he hardly saw Xie You play the piano again. When he was promoted to the position of heir, Xie You would occasionally play quietly because he was under so much pressure that he couldn’t breathe.

But after Uncle Xie passed away, Xie You never touched the piano again.

Thinking back to the age of seventeen or eighteen, Xie You was wearing a black tuxedo at the finale of the teacher’s recital and was hailed by various reporters as the most anticipated future star in the classical music world.

Holding the magazine in his hand, he read the report aloud to Xie You.

Xie You rested his fingers on the keys; his face was flushed, but his eyes were particularly bright.

How proud he was—my brother, a future pianist!

“Why are you in a daze?”

Qu Xiaoran quickly regained his composure and smiled, “I was thinking about what color my supercar should be painted with. What do you think of the green one? When it will pass by someone, they will say, ‘Wow, there is a green light in front!’”

Xie You glanced at him but did not comment.

Qu Xiaoran excitedly said, “What a nice color! Didn’t you just buy the car? Why don’t we paint it together?”

Xie You stared at Qu Xiaoran, “If you dare, I’ll tell your brother that you didn’t go to work about a week before.”

Qu Xiaoran tightly covered his mouth with both hands and struggled to make a sound—”Good or bad, I’m still your brother!”

At this time, the cheers of the audience came from the video, and it was clear that they were shouting “Yu Nian”. With his attention drawn back, Qu Xiaoran put down his hands, pondering, “He probably won’t be able to dance this time, right? His feet must be hurting very much, it’s just—”

His voice suddenly froze.

On the pitch-black stage, only a ray of light fell from above, shrouding Yu Nian.

Standing behind the microphone stand, Yu Nian was dressed in white, with a light, thin shirt underneath. His skin tone, which was as white as porcelain, could be faintly seen. The three buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his collarbone and a small piece of his chest. He was wearing a jacket of the same texture and irregular cut. The fabric had a nice drape and was light and thin. The wind blew from the side, causing his hair to shake slightly. It made him appear thin, and his whole figure seemed to glow in the dark.

Inhaling lightly, Qu Xiaoran looked again, only to see that Xie You had quickly taken a screenshot.

? ? ?

Qu Xiaoran watched in shock as Xie You took one screenshot after another—f*ck, this hand speed!

Looking at the picture on the screen, he sighed again, “When this episode will broadcast, the barrage will definitely be filled with cries about Yu Nian’s beauty, peerless immortal brother, an angel descended to the earth—” 

Xie You turned his head, “Do you have any objections?”

“Of course not! How could there be?” Qu Xiaoran said firmly, “I’m saying all this from the bottom of my heart!”

On the stage, Yu Nian held the microphone with both hands, “…the feelings are true, the world knows my deep meaning, but they don’t know that my heart is like a fallen leaf, full of old scars… I lost my mind and ran away in the night rain. I don’t want to admit that I have become your past, I don’t dare ask people…”

His voice was already clear, but with his distinct pronunciation and a slightly nasal sound added to the tone, it seemed passionate and sad. The emotions between the songs were like water waves, swinging around him.     

After the song was sung and Yu Nian’s final note fell, the lights on the stage also went dark. After a few breaths, loud cheers erupted on the scene. In the auditorium, there were many light boards shining with the words “Yu Nian”.

Qu Xiaoran took a deep breath, “This voice is really good, my heart feels sore hearing it.” He elbowed Xie You again, “Look, so many people like your family’s Yu Nian, don’t you feel anything?” 

The corners of Xie You’s lips curled slightly, “They have good eyesight.”

“What else?”   

“He deserves to be liked by more people.”     

Qu Xiaoran blinked, “Tsk tsk tsk, you have read so many Overbearing President novels that I found for you before, shouldn’t you say, ‘He is mine, and no one else is allowed to see him’ at this time?” 

Xie You shook his head, “That’s not the case.”   

He looked at Yu Nian, who was dazzling and eye-catching on the stage, and the dark clouds that were tightly suppressed in his heart finally revealed a gap, allowing him to breathe freely.  

After Yu Nian finished two performances, there was nothing else to do. He sat in the waiting room and watched other singers perform on the screen. Because there were not many shots of here, he was feeling quite comfortable.  

Just as Yu Nian opened the drink provided by the sponsor and took a sip, the door of the lounge was pushed open from the outside, and Xia Mingxi walked in. 

Yu Nian smiled and said, “Have you finished singing?” Seeing that Xia Mingxi’s forehead and neck were covered with sweat, he took out a tissue and handed it to him.

Xia Mingxi sat on the sofa, wiping away his sweat while nodding continuously, “I’m done singing, but my mother really wasn’t joking. She actually made a support sign that was especially eye-catching! When I saw it on the stage, it almost scared me to death!”

He looked down again, “Nian Nian, how is your foot? Are you okay after dancing?”

Yu Nian shook his head, “It’s okay, it was just a little painful when I came down, but it’s gone now.” 

Xia Mingxi was relieved, “By the way, I just asked my agent when I came here, and he said that you performed very well this time, better than before. First place should be yours!” 

Yu Nian said that not worrying about the situation would be false, but since the final ranking has not yet been announced, he said with a smile, “Anyway, I did my best and will not have any regrets.”

Not long after, Lin Xiang and another female singer, Xue Yalin, also returned to the waiting room. It was already the last round. There were no places for elimination, and each of them had estimated their own rankings. The atmosphere among the four was very peaceful.

Xia Mingxi muttered in a low voice, “I hope I won’t be at the bottom. If I am, my parents may go to Weibo to diss me with their real names, and then I would definitely be on the front page, and maybe even on a hot search!” 

Lin Xiang sat next to him, also worried, “I hope I don’t end up at the bottom. My dad is here too. If I am at the bottom, he will definitely tell the neighbors that I am not his own and that he picked me from the edge of the flower bed downstairs more than 20 years ago.” 

Xue Yalin had a cold temperament and had never been very talkative. It might be that after the recording of this episode, all of them would be busy with their own work and it would be difficult to see each other again, so she sat closer and proposed, “It will be done here in a while, let’s have a late night snack?”

Lin Xiang slapped his thigh, “Yes! I got hungry after dancing on the stage!” He asked Yu Nian and Xia Mingxi again, “Do you want to come together?” 

Yu Nian and Xia Mingxi looked at each other and replied with a smile, “Of course, we’ll go too. I didn’t dare to eat too much before, and I’m hungry now.”

Soon, the results of the vote count at the front desk were out. Lin Xiang stood up and handed Yu Nian’s crutches to him, while still muttering, “I want to eat barbecue, but my manager is very strict, saying that eating barbecue will cause acne and won’t look good on camera.”

Xia Mingxi answered in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid, let’s eat quietly tonight; don’t worry, we will never tell your secret!”

So on the way to the front desk, Xia Mingxi and Lin Xiang were discussing the menu without any sense of nervousness, hearing them, the staff who couldn’t get off work swallowed their saliva.

In the study room, Qu Xiaoran played two games. Seeing that the results were finally going to be announced, he quickly put aside his phone and approached, saying, “Although I know that the first five million yuan must be your family’s Yu Nian, why are my palms still sweating because of nervousness?”

Xie You never looked away from Yu Nian when he appeared.

“He will be number one.”

This time, the host didn’t hold back, and as soon as he came up, he first announced third place.

“The third place in the second season of “Sounds of Nature” goes to Xia Mingxi!”

Qu Xiaoran rubbed his fingers, “The runner-up must be the next one. Can the host speak faster?”

The host at the scene announced very slowly. After the applause from the audience died down, the name of the runner-up—Xue Yalin, was read out.

Qu Xiaoran took another sip of ice water nervously, “Xue Yalin is very powerful. The people under me told me just a few days ago that her contract with her old company is about to expire and has not been renewed. She is going to sign in Xingyao Entertainment——wait, hey, the second and third have come out, then Yu Nian will—”

“Congratulations to Yu Nian for winning the second season of “Sounds of Nature”! With his excellent singing and dancing skills, he won seven consecutive first places in one fell swoop! At the same time…”

Although he knew the result for a long time, Qu Xiaoran slapped the table excitedly and turned his head, only to find Xie You playing with his phone, “What are you doing?”

Xie You curled the corners of his lips, “Posting a lucky draw on Weibo.”

“I’m going to be the first to forward it right now. I wonder if it will increase my chances of winning!” After opening the software and reading Xie You’s Weibo, Qu Xiaoran suddenly felt a little cruel, “You…you posted a lucky draw to celebrate Yu Nian winning first place, but no one else knows.”

Xie You said lightly, “It doesn’t matter, as long as he knows.”