Until he walked into the private room, Qi Yuan was still savoring Lin Can’s face.

He had seen a lot in his life, but he had never encountered someone as stunning as Lin Can. Just the first glance made his heart, which had been quiet for over twenty years, start to stir.

His friend Gong Yusheng noticed that something was off with his expression and raised an eyebrow, “What’s up? Did you run into something interesting?”

Qi Yuan sat down, waved for the waitstaff to leave before he spoke, “I met a breathtaking beauty.”

“Whoa!” Gong Yusheng immediately sat up straight, “What? A steel tree has finally bloomed? Our Qi Shao has found someone he likes!”

Qi Yuan lazily leaned back in his chair, his long, bamboo-like fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, “You’d be moved too if you saw him.”

“Is he that good-looking?” Gong Yusheng’s interest was piqued, “Take me to see!”

Qi Yuan didn’t move, but the playful glint in his eyes grew stronger.

Gong Yusheng didn’t rush him, quietly sipping his iced water. Usually, when Qi Yuan had that expression, it meant he was interested and ready to make a move.

A waiter knocked and entered, respectfully handing over a card, “President Qi, a gentleman on the first floor asked me to give this to you.”

Qi Yuan took it, his narrow phoenix eyes scanning it before his thin lips curled into a light laugh.

Gong Yusheng leaned over to take a look; it was a string of eleven-digit numbers, and he couldn’t help but chuckle, “Wow, that was quick! Looks like you’re in for a treat tonight…”

Qi Yuan lazily pulled out his phone.

Just a second ago, Gong Yusheng was joking around, but now he exclaimed, “Wait, you’re really going to take it?”

“Why would I pass up something that’s handed to me? I’m not an idiot.”

“At this point, you’re being straightforward. But when I asked you to help me out, you flat-out refused,” Gong Yusheng grumbled, “Think about it, the buzz would be guaranteed.”

Qi Yuan didn’t even raise an eyebrow, “Me? Participate in a dating variety show? Are you out of your mind?”

Anyone who followed the entertainment industry knew that Qi Yuan was as emotionally detached as someone who had cultivated a path of indifference in a past life. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of men and women who wanted to climb into his bed, but none had ever succeeded. How could someone like him possibly join a dating show?

Gong Yusheng pointed at his phone, which was still on the dialing screen, “With this, just take it with you. If someone’s trying to hit on you, it’s only for the resources in this circle.”

Qi Yuan pressed his lips together, a hint of darkness flickering in his ink-black eyes.

The call connected quickly, and a clear, soothing voice came through, calm and unhurried, like a gentle stream flowing under the soft moonlight, “Hello?”

“This is Qi Yuan,” he replied.

There was a brief pause on the other end before the voice responded, “Hello, President Qi. Is there something you need?”

Qi Yuan casually replied, “I just got your number.”

“Number? What number?”

The voice sounded puzzled at first but quickly pieced it together, apologetically saying, “I’m sorry, President Qi. My friend must have given you my number without my permission. I wasn’t aware of this…”

“…” Qi Yuan paused, his hand playing with the porcelain cup.

Gong Yusheng, who had been confidently declaring that people had ulterior motives just moments ago, quickly covered his nose, fearing that his breathing might annoy this esteemed gentleman.

“President Qi?” The voice on the other end called out again, sensing the silence.

“Cut the crap, just tell me your terms,” Qi Yuan said impatiently, “Is ten million enough?”

“Uh…” Lin Can’s voice was clearly awkward, “I’m sorry, President Qi, but I’m already married…”

Qi Yuan hung up the phone without hesitation.

Gong Yusheng shrank back, observing quietly. After a long moment, he weakly spoke up, “There must be some misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding?”

It took Qi Yuan a while to spit out a sentence through gritted teeth, each word dripping with frustration, “I don’t care about any damn misunderstanding!”

*

As soon as the call ended, Lin Can turned and blocked Yu Jishu, that heartless guy, who had tried to sell him to Qi Yuan!

And that guy named Qi Yuan really had his eyes on him!

Lin Can couldn’t help but shiver; it was no wonder that in a danmei novel, men could look at each other so normally. It left him, a man who had been in the closet for over twenty years, utterly shocked.

“Qi Yuan…” Lin Can repeated the unfamiliar name. Had this character appeared in the original text?

Thinking of Yu Jishu’s fawning attitude, Lin Can couldn’t help but search online. He soon discovered that this person was indeed extraordinary, not only coming from a wealthy family but also having some unspeakable influence on his mother’s side, making him someone who could walk all over Jing City.

Moreover, this person had impressive business acumen, and despite his young age, he had won numerous titles as a film emperor both domestically and internationally. His face was even more handsome and rebellious than that of an idol, satisfying the fans of the strong and beautiful.

Someone like him would surely have high standards; how could he possibly be interested in Lin Can?

It had to be that little schemer Yu Jishu who did something!

The more Lin Can thought about it, the angrier he became. He took a detour to the service center to change his phone number, wanting to avoid being pestered by that group of friends.

By the time he got home, it was already midnight. After having lunch, Lin Can went upstairs and started browsing through the original owner’s phone.

In the novel, Lin Can was just a minor character in the early stages, with no significant role aside from his shameless antics. After reading through the chat records with a few of his friends, Lin Can learned that he was currently living off a woman named Ran Yang.

He didn’t work and relied entirely on her to support him, swiping her card to buy cars and watches, and he often partied all night long.

No wonder Ran Yang was so surprised to see him at home today.

When he checked the bank balance, aside from the gold card Ran Yang had given him, the rest were all zeros.

He truly had a cleaner wallet than face, with no risk management skills at all, and it was no wonder he was quickly turned into cannon fodder.

Lin Can sighed. He had spent his last life in school, studying a major that had nothing to do with making money. Now, the original owner had presented him with a dilemma.

He flipped through the contacts repeatedly but couldn’t find anyone who could help him.

Among the hundreds of contacts, the richest person he could reach was Ran Yang, but she would probably love to see him suffer, so how could she help him?

And that man named Qi Yuan…

Just thinking of that name made Lin Can’s palms itch. It seemed that his earlier feelings weren’t just a figment of his imagination; Qi Yuan was indeed flirting with him.

Who meets someone for the first time and does this kind of thing?

Lin Can couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to clear his mind and start cleaning.

With Ran Yang gone, the original owner didn’t bother to care, and the whole house was a mess. It took him two hours to barely tidy it up.

When he returned to his room, he found that Yu Jishu had sent him dozens of WeChat messages.

“Why can’t I reach you on the phone?”

“Did you change your number? Why does it show as out of service?”

“Damn, you’ve ruined me! Hurry up and come out! To the place we had lunch! Second floor!”

“Where are you?! Lin Can, I know you’re reading this, don’t pretend to be blind! Hurry up!”

“Where are you!!!??”

“I’m begging you, Lin Can, please come! Even just reply to me! If you don’t come, I’m really going to die!”

“Voice call”

“Video call”

“Voice call”

“Video call”

…

Lin Can was baffled. Before he could think of anything else, his phone screen lit up again.

The name displayed was still Yu Jishu.

“What’s up?” he answered.

On the other end, Yu Jishu was nearly in a panic, his voice sharp and grating, “Have you come yet?!”

Lin Can replied, “I just finished cleaning, didn’t pay attention.”

Yu Jishu didn’t believe that Lin Can, who only bothered to tidy up for himself, would actually clean, but he didn’t have time to argue, “You need to come now!”

Lin Can was reluctant, “Why?”

Yu Jishu shouted in frustration, “Is this really the time to ask why?! Hurry up! If you don’t come, we’re all going to die!”

After saying that, he hung up, not giving Lin Can a chance to refuse.

Lin Can: “…”

It was pointless to answer that call; now he was being threatened with life and death.

*

“Did you get through?”

Yu Jishu trembled as he put down his phone, just as a handsome man in a black shirt asked slowly from behind him.

He quickly nodded, “Yes, I got through! Lin Can said he’s on his way!”

Qi Yuan chuckled softly, his meaning unclear, “That’s good.”

Yu Jishu felt a wave of despair.

He had calculated well; since Qi Yuan had taken a liking to Lin Can, he would do a favor to help things along. It would be good for him, good for Lin Can, and even better for Qi Yuan—a win-win-win situation.

But he never expected that Lin Can, that fool, would actually reject Qi Yuan! He even mentioned that he was married!

He had been eagerly waiting for Qi Yuan to send him his “reward,” but instead, two big guys showed up and directly dragged him to the second floor!

If it weren’t for his promise to definitely call Lin Can over, he would have probably been dumped into the river with concrete and rebar by now!

Thinking of the rumors surrounding Qi Yuan, Yu Jishu couldn’t help but shiver.

Qi Yuan shot him a disdainful glance and stood up to leave the private room.

He had just lit a cigarette when familiar footsteps approached from behind, “He’s already married, and you still want to call him out?”

Qi Yuan flicked the ash off his cigarette without replying.

Gong Yusheng, unable to read his thoughts, cautiously suggested, “If it really doesn’t work out, maybe you should just let it go. There’s an old saying: better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage. What if he’s in love with his wife? Wouldn’t that be immoral?”

“…” Qi Yuan grunted, “Have I ever done anything moral?”

Gong Yusheng rubbed his hands together, “At least we’re big stars…”

Qi Yuan was even more annoyed, “Shut up.”

Gong Yusheng immediately zipped his lips.

The cigarette burned quietly as Qi Yuan stared silently at the glowing red tip against the night.

Time passed, and a rumble of an engine approached, growing louder until it stopped at the restaurant entrance.

A tall man stepped out of the driver’s seat, not only tall but also well-proportioned, with soft yet slightly messy black hair. His white shirt tucked into black dress pants accentuated his slim waist and long legs.

Gong Yusheng’s instincts told him that this was the man Qi Yuan had his eyes on.

Sure enough, Qi Yuan tossed the unlit cigarette into the ashtray, “Let’s go back.”

When they returned to the private room, there was already another person inside—a man with obedient black hair, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.

Even though he was prepared, when he actually saw the man named Lin Can, Gong Yusheng couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Not to mention his striking features, just the ambiguous aura that straddled the line between maturity and youthfulness was enough to capture everyone’s attention.

Having been in the industry for years, Gong Yusheng had seen countless beauties and handsome men, but someone who looked both trashy and pure like Lin Can was a first for him.