Yu Yan jogged over and tugged on his sleeve. “Brother Shen, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell me?”

In just a moment, Yu Yan had completely forgotten about Shen Yuchen not replying to his messages or his vow to cut Shen Yuchen’s souvenir gift in half.

“I just got off the plane,” Shen Yuchen explained before greeting Yu Lin and Jiang Mo. “Hello, Uncle and Aunt.”

“Ah Chen, did you come to see Yan Yan?” Jiang Mo asked with a hint of curiosity.

Shen Yuchen explained, “I’m here for a business trip. It was a last-minute decision. I saw the photo Xiao Yan posted just now and realized you were nearby, so I thought I’d come over since I wasn’t busy.”

“Then join us for a walk. Yan Yan was just picking out a souvenir for you,” Jiang Mo said with a smile.

“No rush.” Shen Yuchen casually took the bag from Yu Lin’s hands. “Uncle, let me carry this for you.”

Yu Lin tried to decline a couple of times, but he couldn’t win against Shen Yuchen’s insistence.

Walking beside Shen Yuchen, Yu Yan spoke with a slight pout, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you were coming?”

If he had known, he would have chosen a better time to pick the souvenir. Now that Shen Yuchen had seen it, what surprise was left?

“To surprise you,” Shen Yuchen said in a low voice.

The word “surprise” rolled around Yu Yan’s tongue for a moment. Something about it felt odd, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.

Clearing his throat, Yu Yan changed the subject. “The mung bean cake over there is really good. Let’s go buy more.”

“You seem very familiar with this place,” Shen Yuchen remarked. He knew a bit about Yu Yan’s past thanks to the information Yu Chen had shared with him, but it was all very vague and incomplete.

“Yeah, I used to wholesale small items online and sell them here,” Yu Yan nodded and explained.

“Small items?”

Yu Yan pointed to a nearby stall. “Things like light-up headbands or small lanterns you can hold in your hand.”

“Was it profitable?”

“Not bad, enough to cover meals.”

By 9:30 PM, there was no line for the mung bean cake. Yu Yan bought a dual-flavor box with mung bean and cranberry.

When Shen Yuchen tried to pay, Yu Yan stopped him. “This is on me.”

Shen Yuchen didn’t argue and simply put his phone away.

Eating mung bean cake can be messy, so Yu Yan figured his parents and Shen Yuchen wouldn’t eat it on the street. A little disappointed, he accepted the bag from the shop assistant, planning to enjoy it as a late-night snack back at the hotel.

They hadn’t walked far when a girl holding a bouquet of roses approached Shen Yuchen.

Shen Yuchen’s brows furrowed slightly, and just as he was about to speak, the girl beat him to it.

“Sir, why not buy a bouquet for your boyfriend?”

Yu Yan, who had been watching with curiosity, widened his eyes in shock. His face instantly turned red, and even his ears looked like they were about to drip blood. He shook his head furiously.

“No, no, we’re not… I…”

“How much is it?” Shen Yuchen asked, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he took out his phone to scan the QR code.

The girl had a keen sense for the situation. “That’ll be ninety-nine. Wishing you both a long and happy relationship.”

Generously, Shen Yuchen scanned 999 instead of 99. The girl handed the bouquet to Yu Yan, who instinctively took it before realizing something was wrong.

“No, no, we’re not what you think. We’re just friends.”

Faced with the girl’s puzzled look, Shen Yuchen chuckled softly and pointed to Yu Yan. “Shy.”

The girl suddenly understood. “It’s okay. Everyone can pursue the people they like. Wishing you two peace and a long, happy relationship.”

After the girl finished speaking, she left without giving Yu Yan any chance to explain.

The roses in his arms bloomed extraordinarily brightly. Yu Yan lowered his voice and spoke each word deliberately, “Shen, Yu, Chen!”

Shen Yuchen took the extra plushies and the bag of mung bean cakes from his arms. “It’s already 10 PM. If we wait any longer, the subway will stop running. That girl selling flowers so late at night is just trying to make enough for a meal.”

Yu Yan blurted out without thinking, “So I should thank you for doing a good deed?”

“No need to thank me,” Shen Yuchen replied, lifting his brow slightly.

Yu Yan: “…”

Carrying the bouquet in his arms, Yu Yan continued walking through the streets. He couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone was staring at him, making him slightly uncomfortable.

As the two walked ahead, Jiang Mo, trailing behind, couldn’t resist snapping a picture and sending it to the family group chat, “Safe and Healthy Family.” This immediately drew out Yu Chen, who had been silent in the chat for a while.

[Yu Chen]: “These flowers look pretty good. When you get back to the hotel, ask for a vase. They’ll look great on the coffee table.”

[Yu Chen]: “Did Dad buy them?”

[Jiang Mo]: “Ah Chen bought them.”

[Yu Chen]: “???”

[Yu Chen]: “Shen Yuchen???”

[Jiang Mo]: “Yes, he happened to be in Chengdu for work.”

[Yu Chen]: “He bought flowers for Yu Yan? And tacky, gaudy red roses at that?”

[Jiang Mo]: “Yep. A young girl selling flowers late at night—it’s not easy. He bought them on a whim.”

[Yu Chen]: “Haha, his whims are quite something.”

Meanwhile, Yu Yan was trying to reason with Shen Yuchen. He thought red roses were too showy and could easily cause misunderstandings, so they weren’t a good choice.

Shen Yuchen nodded slowly, appearing to listen to his reasoning. “Next time, I’ll choose a different one. What flowers do you like?”

“I like eustomas,” Yu Yan replied instinctively.

Jiang Mo loved eustomas and often arranged vases of them at home in various colors. Just looking at them would lift her mood, so Yu Yan had grown to like them too. To him, eustomas weren’t just flowers—they symbolized a comfortable and serene life.

Only after meeting basic needs would he start thinking about whether the flowers at home looked nice.

“Then next time, I’ll give you eustomas.”

“Okay,” Yu Yan agreed before realizing something felt off. “Wait, no, you don’t need to give me flowers. I…”

Yu Chen called him just then.

Yu Yan was a bit surprised. “Brother, are you off work? Why are you calling at this time?”

“Right now, this instant, throw that hideous thing in your arms away!” Yu Chen was furious.

Yu Yan instinctively glanced down at the roses in his arms.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” he asked. The roses were innocent.

Yu Chen gritted his teeth as he spoke. “Throw away that ugly thing right now, and punch Shen Yuchen for me!”

“Brother, are you having trouble at work?” Yu Yan’s tone was cautious and gentle.

It was as if Yu Chen had punched a pillow—he was full of rage with no outlet. “I…”

“Brother, work is never-ending. Why don’t you take a break and pick it up tomorrow? After the speech, Mom, Dad, and I will head home, so don’t be upset.”

Yu Chen: “…”

“Clack—” The call was abruptly hung up.

“Was that your brother? What did he say?” Shen Yuming glanced sideways.

Yu Yan felt puzzled. “Not sure. Is there some sort of crisis at Chaoxing recently?”

“No.” Shen Yuming casually made something up. “Could it be that he’s having relationship problems?”

“Maybe, but my brother isn’t the type to vent his frustrations on family because of other issues.”

Shen Yuming lightly rested his arm on Yu Yan’s shoulder, steering him away from an oncoming shared bike. “Ask him about it when we get back. It’s probably nothing serious.”

“You’re probably right,” Yu Yan agreed. “If it were something big, he would’ve called my parents.”

Could it be that Yu Chen and Xi Yuan are having relationship problems? Is that why seeing the roses I’m holding bothered him?

Since this trip to Rongcheng won’t last long, Yu Yan could only hope that by the time they return, Yu Chen and Xi Yuan will have reconciled.

“Brother Shen, will you be busy these next few days?” Yu Yan hesitated a little.

Shen Yuming glanced down. “Not too busy. Why?”

“I have a speech coming up in a few days. Will you come to watch?”

Yu Yan stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly to look up at him. His long, dark lashes fluttered lightly, and his bright, jet-black eyes reflected the light from the street lamps.

Shen Yuming was suddenly reminded of a time in elementary school when he went home and told his parents about a school performance. He’d been performing a piano piece as the finale and had casually asked if they’d come to watch.

A smile spread across Shen Yuming’s face. “I’ll be there. Send me the time and location.”

“Yay!” Yu Yan’s face immediately lit up with a brilliant smile.

Before the charity speech, Yu Yan accompanied Song Yunjing to the filming of a documentary.

The filming was scheduled to last several days, but Yu Yan only accompanied her on the first day to familiarize herself with the location.

Song Yunjing was dressed in traditional ethnic attire and had her makeup done, ready for filming.

“Have you coordinated everything with the production team?” Yu Yan asked.

Song Yunjing nodded. “Yes, it’s all set. They’re starting with supporting roles and establishing shots. The show is almost wrapped up, and I don’t have many scenes left, so it won’t be an issue.”

Yu Yan felt reassured. “The show should be edited quickly. I’ve reached out to a few variety shows for you to appear as a guest and promote it.”

“No problem.” Song Yunjing gave him an OK gesture. “Oh, by the way, did you know Wen Xia went abroad?”

“Abroad?” Yu Yan raised an eyebrow. “With all the debt she owes, she managed to go abroad?”

All of Wen Xia’s unreleased dramas had been shelved, and the production teams were either replacing her face digitally or reshooting her parts, both of which were expensive options. On top of that, she had a lot of endorsement deals that required compensation.

The sum of money owed was no small amount. If she paid one, others would surely follow suit and demand payment.

After a moment of thought, Song Yunjing said, “She’s repaid part of the debt.”

“Part of it?”

“Better than nothing.” Song Yunjing shrugged. “By the way, several productions next door to Star Origins have halted filming.”

Weren’t those Qike’s investments?

After the Qi family declared bankruptcy and underwent restructuring, those projects were abandoned. Without funding, filming couldn’t continue.

“Has anyone taken over the projects?” Yu Yan asked curiously.

“Haven’t heard of anyone yet. Are you interested in taking over?” Song Yunjing teased.

Yu Yan shook his head. “Not interested. It’s a losing deal.”

Those projects were mainly Qike’s way of promoting his little flings. The scripts and crews weren’t particularly outstanding, and taking them over would only result in financial losses.

What intrigued him was who would eventually take over the projects and what their connection to Qike might be.

Knowing that Yu Yan had a speech to deliver, Song Yunjing reminded him before the shoot began that he could leave anytime if he had other commitments. Her assistant was there to ensure things would be fine.

Yu Yan agreed. His main purpose for coming was to make it clear to others that Song Yunjing had someone backing her up and that no one should try anything inappropriate.

The filming included night scenes, which meant it wouldn’t wrap up until late in the evening. Yu Yan had already arranged a car for Song Yunjing, as he needed to leave early to rehearse for the charity speech scheduled for the next morning.