Chapter 27

Jiang Yi felt Yang Yunran was indifferent to him, even suggesting he take more melatonin.

Jiang Yi replied, “But taking too much melatonin can cause headaches, nausea, mood swings, and insomnia.”

Having only taken two pills, Jiang Yi was already on the verge of losing control of his emotions.

Yang Yunran responded, “Then go for a run.” It’s not that he didn’t care about Jiang Yi, but he felt suspicious of his ex-boyfriend messaging him at this hour. 

What man would message his ex in the middle of the night saying they couldn’t sleep? Jiang Yi must be feeling empty, lonely, and cold.

Now that he’s seeking comfort, if he took the bait, he could turn hostile tomorrow.

Jiang Yi said, “It’s too late; the gym is closed.”

Yang Yunran remarked, “You know it’s too late now?”

Jiang Yi sat silently on the sofa, noticing it was already past midnight, and asked him, “What are you doing? Are you going to sleep?”

“Yes,” Yang Yunran thought he was being very patient.

“Alone?” Jiang Yi questioned.

Yang Yunran glanced at Harry beside the bed and told Jiang Yi, “Of course not.”

Jiang Yi suddenly stood up, furrowing his brow. Who? The guy who walks the dog or that Jimmy??

“I’m sleeping now, turning off my phone,” Yang Yunran said.

Jiang Yi sat back down, rubbing his forehead.

“Goodnight.”

His message received no response.

Yang Yunran held his phone for a while, waiting for the next message. When it didn’t come, he didn’t reply. He clicked on Jiang Yi’s profile picture and noticed he had actually activated his Moments feature.

He never had that before.

Yang Yunran clicked on it and saw Jiang Yi hadn’t posted anything.

His boring ex.

Yang Yunran tossed his phone aside and went to sleep.

Jiang Yi browsed through Yang Yunran’s Moments for a while.

Yang Yunran had only been active for a month, with sparse information. Either in class or eating noodles, the photos often showed his dog and the silhouette of another tattooed man (Jimmy).

Apart from Professor Chen, Jiang Yi’s social circle had no overlap with his.

Professor Chen always liked his posts, every single one.

There was one where Yang Yunran posted a picture of a restaurant outside.

Professor Chen commented, “Darling, stop eating out all the time. It’s not hygienic. Cook at home, okay?”

Yang Yunran replied, “I’m not good at cooking [tears].”

Professor Chen said, “I’ll find you a Chinese auntie who can cook.”

Yang Yunran replied, “Thank you, Uncle, it’s too much trouble, I’ll pass. Chinatown is pretty good.”

Jiang Yi also noticed that this was a WeChat post from ten days ago.

He hesitated for a moment, then replied to Professor Chen, “I’ll do it for him.”

In the afternoon, Professor Chen pushed his glasses up with a hint of surprise. It was unexpected to see Jiang Yi’s reply to himself in Yang Yunran’s WeChat Moment.

In their ten years of teacher-student relationships, Jiang Yi had never liked his own posts.

Aside from his surprise, Professor Chen also felt touched, thinking Jiang Yi was quite considerate of Yang Yunran, and very attentive. He couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up: “[Thumbs up][Thumbs up] I feel relieved leaving the baby to you.”

The next morning, Yang Yunran woke up: ??

His ex-boyfriend and Professor Chen, what are they up to?

What’s even more bizarre is that Jiang Yi earnestly replied, “Okay.”

Yang Yunran decided to ignore it and got up for a live stream.

After about forty minutes of streaming, his recent fans slowly increased to around three hundred thousand. It was said that many people had reposted his songs on Douyin, and the fan who reposted his livestream had twenty thousand more followers than him.

Fans were indignant: “Yeah, I reported him for you!! He’ll be banned soon!!”

Yang Yunran didn’t pay much attention. Online infringement was everywhere. If he managed every instance, he’d feel uneasy. After thanking his fans, Yang Yunran ended the stream.

Wanyan Entertainment’s agent Zhou Kai: “Yeah Yeah, Teacher, I saw you ended the stream. I want to discuss a new cooperation with you.”

Yang Yunran: “Go ahead.”

Yang Yunran was quite satisfied with their payment speed. On the day the recording was sent, the remittance arrived in less than three hours.

He took the studio version of the song and could also sell it to other companies.

Zhou Kai: “Yeah Yeah, we have a cooperation with Peach Art for a talent show.”

Yang Yunran: “I won’t participate in talent shows.”

Zhou Kai: “We’re not asking you to participate. There’s a TV series that bought your music as the theme song, scheduled to air in the summer. It’s airing around the same time as this talent show, on the same platform. The show is in production, and they want to buy a few copyrights to have the trainees practice singing and promote the TV series.”

Yang Yunran: “Sure, which ones do you need?”

In his previous life, his songs had sold copyrights to variety shows, including talent shows, but the prices were not high. With Yang Yunran’s popularity back then, such contracts were handled by the company, generally for tens of thousands per song. Accumulated over the years, these authorization contracts amounted to tens of millions.

Now he was a newcomer, and a song for two to three thousand was considered high.

Moreover, selling to TV series, movies, and variety shows was actually mutually beneficial.

The scale of TV dramas and movies, at the very least, was on the

The scale of these platforms differed fundamentally from the level of Yang Yunran’s live broadcasts, where he consistently had a hundred thousand viewers online simultaneously.

These mediums could help spread his music widely and bring him a continuous stream of future collaborations, so the price was not the main concern.

He didn’t demand exorbitant prices, asking for only twenty thousand. Zhou Kai said they wanted to buy two songs, totaling forty thousand, and promptly sent over the contract.

There was no delay this time; the contract was completed within a day, and the next day the payment was made to Yang Yunran.

In a high-rise office building.

Zhou Kai knocked on the door holding documents. “Ms. Lin, the contract is finalized, and the studio version of Yang Yunran’s song has been sent to the studio. For the song ‘Warm Night,’ I suggest arranging for two of our company’s trainees to have a face-off with Ai Huan’s international trainees. The international trainees are expected to receive considerable attention after the broadcast, ensuring maximum exposure.”

Ms. Lin, who managed everything, usually only glanced at matters related to the trainees and didn’t pay too much attention.

She took Zhou Kai’s documents. Wan Yan had selected a total of ten trainees to enter. The company conducted voice, appearance, and dance evaluations internally.

Three were Vocal. Zhou Kai took out his phone and played a recording for Ms. Lin. “This is Jiang Yifan’s voice, quite suitable for singing Yeah Yeah’s songs.”

Ms. Lin’s reaction was flat. “These trainees are also called Vocal. They sing terribly.”

Zhou Kai: “Yes… they can’t compare to Yang Yunran.”

Ms. Lin: “What does this Jiang Yifan look like? I’ve forgotten.”

Zhou Kai opened the file. “Jiang Yifan, originally named Jiang Fan. We had a master add a character to his name, and his English name is Evan.”

Ms. Lin frowned at the photo. “Evan doesn’t look good. Why hasn’t someone like him been eliminated?”

Zhou Kai awkwardly explained, “This picture was taken during the recovery period after his nose surgery… he looks a bit swollen. But he’s recovered from the swelling before joining the program, the plastic surgery was successful, and he looks much more handsome than before. All the mentors who have seen him praised him, and Jiang Fan’s Vocal ability is above average in the entire program, he’s also strong in dancing, so he’s quite well-rounded. The final selection for the group is likely, and based on Jiang Fan’s performance, he can be pushed out.”

There are nine spots for the final group, and Wanyan can secure one or two spots.

Ms. Lin hesitated for a moment, her ears feeling uncomfortable from listening. She made a hasty decision and waved her hand, saying, “Let him sing Yeah Yeah’s song. His singing style is too affected. I’ll go listen to Yeah Yeah’s songs to cleanse my ears. You should quickly finalize Yang Yunran’s agency contract. If he really doesn’t want to sign, then manage his music copyrights. I believe there’s a reason why he wants to sing with a mask on, perhaps he doesn’t want to reveal himself, use this to lure him.”

Yang Yunran was busy with another contract.

He owed three million for breaching an endorsement contract. During this time, he earned from live streaming, music licensing, and dividends from selling cars and bars, totaling two million nine.

Yang Yunran temporarily withdrew a hundred thousand from the card where Yang Liming’s chief assistant gave him living expenses, making up the amount.

After the remittance, the penalty for breach of contract was declared complete, and Yang Yunran felt relieved.

Now, in the mess, only the exposure of Zhao Zhen’s identity as a young master remained.

Yang Yunran took the dog for a walk, checked the Beijing time, and called Professor Chen only after confirming that he had woken up.

He usually had minimal contact with his parents because Yang Yunran couldn’t understand their dialect. He heard that different regions had different dialects, and despite learning for a while, he could only understand half. Moreover, his parents came from different places, one speaking Minnanese and the other speaking Jiangxi dialect, which baffled Yang Yunran.

But Professor Chen was different. Immersed in academia year-round, attracting investments everywhere, his Mandarin was fluent and smooth, making Yang Yunran feel relaxed.

Yang Yunran asked him, “Uncle, I sent you something. Did you receive it?”

Professor Chen replied, “Huh? What did you send? Not yet.”

“Just some books and souvenirs. I saw they were related to genetics, so I bought them for you.” He wrapped Zhao Yumo’s hair in plastic bags with tissues in the books, intending for Professor Chen to have them tested.

But Yang Yunran didn’t express it straightforwardly, “Tell me after you receive the books. There’s something inside… Let’s talk after you receive them.”

Professor Chen thought it was a small gift or surprise and readily agreed, “The prosthetic eyes from the German hospital are also on the way. They should arrive tomorrow or the day after. I made three for you this time! So you won’t lose them by accident.”

Yang Yunran said, “Three… That’s six years’ worth.” Every year, technology and techniques were evolving. Making three would cost at least over ten million, which was a huge waste.

He suddenly felt a pang; the money he earned at this stage was far from enough. Just from anonymous live streaming, selling music licenses, and collecting dividends from the bar, it was only enough for his prosthetic eyes.

Professor Chen said, “It’s okay, you can use them first. Once there’s new technology, I’ll immediately get you the latest.”

Yang Yunran glanced at his phone messages and said, “Uncle, how much does it cost from the German hospital? I have over six hundred in my account. Even if I transfer it all to you, it seems not enough?”

Professor Chen was stunned for a moment and said, “Why suddenly give money to your uncle? You didn’t do this before.”

Yang Yunran’s eyes were injured in a car accident when he went out with him.

Over the years, Professor Chen had been burdened with high treatment costs, even with his earning

“Expense,” Professor Chen continued, “is not exactly a small sum.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Yunran didn’t dare to say much. After a while, he said, “I’ve grown up and can earn money myself. I should cover these expenses.”

Professor Chen replied, “Do you think the money you earn as a star is enough? It’s spent in a year, just buying clothes for the red carpet. Besides, you’re still a student, still studying. Save the money you earn for yourself. Once you make big money in the future, then we’ll talk. Uncle doesn’t need your six hundred thousand.”

He persuaded Yang Yunran, and after hanging up, Professor Chen reconsidered the contract he was giving to Jiang Yi.

Actually, six hundred thousand was not a small amount. Each year, Jiang Yi received six million from the contracts.

Professor Chen silently adjusted it down by one point.

Making money wasn’t easy for him. His child went to an international school, his wife wanted designer brands, plus Yang Yunran’s medical expenses. The annual expenses were huge.

The saved fraction of a point could still be used to buy Yang Yunran a birthday gift, so there was no need to give it to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi was picking a gift for Yang Yunran.

Recently, Yang Yunran hadn’t been paying much attention to him, making him toss and turn every night. He couldn’t bombard him with messages; it wasn’t his style.

Jiang Yi could only silently browse Yang Yunran’s Moments and like his posts.

Yang Yunran hadn’t blocked him but had changed it to visible for three days.

Jiang Yi opened the PDF Professor Chen had sent him earlier, which contained Yang Yunran’s habits, food preferences, and allergy precautions. However, there was no mention of what he liked.

So Jiang Yi bought some motors and some meteorites to make a model of the solar system at home.

After returning home, Professor Chen called him, “Jiang Yi, on the baby’s birthday, I might need your help to pick up the cake. I ordered it online. The reviews seem good, but I don’t know if it tastes good.”

Jiang Yi glanced at the time and said, “Which shop? I’ll order one to taste. He likes sweet things, but the French pastries here are too sweet.”

Professor Chen gave him the shop name, and Jiang Yi ordered by phone. Seeing Jiang Yi so enthusiastic to help, Professor Chen felt guilty.

So he changed the contract to five point five. Afraid he might change his mind, he quickly sent the contract to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi didn’t care about such things; he had no desire for money.

Professor Chen said, “Because you take special care of the baby, I raised it to five point five for you.”

Jiang Yi said softly, “Teacher, I take care of him not because of these dividends.”

Professor Chen thought he was being polite and chuckled, “Teacher knows you like Yunran. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so caring. Yunran also likes you very much. He’s mentioned you many times! He said he really wants someone like you.”

“Brother,” Jiang Yi pursed his lips.

It started as a game of brothers, but he didn’t know when it had started to change.

Because of mentioned Yang Yunran, Professor Chen spoke a bit more.

He mentioned how busy he and Yang Yunran’s parents had been since childhood. Even Yang Yunran himself was busy. The child’s childhood was dull, with few close friends around him. Many were only after his money, not genuine friends, so he often ended up deeply hurt.

Jiang Yi silently noted everything Professor Chen said.

After hanging up the phone, he returned to his room to continue working on the model of the solar system.

Not long after, the ordered cake arrived. Jiang Yi tasted it, unsure if Yang Yunran would like it from this shop, and carried the small cake with an electric piano in the car to Yang Yunran’s place.

When Yang Yunran opened the door, he was a bit surprised. He was in his pajamas, having just woken up from a nap. Seeing a large box at the door and Jiang Yi standing beside it, he asked, “What’s this? Why are you here?”

“An electric piano,” Jiang Yi said. “I bought a small cake for you.”

Looking at Jiang Yi’s expressionless face, Yang Yunran tilted his head and said, “Thank you, but my birthday is on Saturday. You got it wrong.”

“Not a birthday gift.” Jiang Yi handed him the cake.

“What is this then? What kind of gift? Is it a special day today?” Yang Yunran took it; it was just a four-inch cake, enough for one person.

“Today is March 14,” Jiang Yi remembered and said, “White Day.”

Yang Yunran took a bite of the cake after opening the box and looked up. “White Day? So what does that have to do with you and me? We’re not a couple.”

… But it could be.

Jiang Yi’s mind was in chaos from his own thoughts. He glanced at him and moved his lips but ultimately said nothing. Instead, he brought the electric piano in and said, “I’ll help you set it up.”

Yang Yunran replied with an “okay” and said thanks.

Jiang Yi took off his coat, squatted down to unpack the box, revealing a pair of strong and slender arms in a black short-sleeved shirt. He deliberately unpacked it slowly, spending half an hour on the instruction manual that was easy to understand, attempting to stay with Yang Yunran a little longer.

What to do by staying longer, Jiang Yi didn’t know.

Yang Yunran finished the cake, leaving a small piece of quickly melting cream. He looked a bit reproachful and asked, “I almost forgot, I saved you a bite. Want it?”

He said this deliberately because he knew Jiang Yi had cleanliness habits. He was unwilling to drink from the same straw as before.

Yang Yunran only recalled these details recently and found there were many of them.

He definitely didn’t use the same water cup. If he handed him an ice cream he had eaten, he would definitely not lick it. If he got too close, he would leave or turn away. He wouldn’t let him hold hands. He always walked a step faster or slower than him.

Jiang Yi didn’t like Yang Yunran paying too much attention to these details.

Yang Yunran thought Jiang Yi would shake his head, so he continued, “Oh, there’s my saliva on it. Sorry about that. You probably shouldn’t eat it. Forgot you have cleanliness habits. It’s animal cream. I was going to give it to…” Before he could finish the sentence about feeding the dog.

Jiang Yi had already put down the instruction manual, reached out, and took the cake and the spoon Yang Yunran had used. “You’re mistaken. I don’t have cleanliness habits.”