CH 66

Chapter 66: Nian Nian, I’m hungry

After emerging from behind Xie You, Yu Nian cautiously said, “Is it going to rain?”

Qu Xiaoran, avoiding Xie You’s gaze, replied to Yu Nian, “Yes, yes, it’s probably going to rain heavily. We just had an earthquake, and if there’s a landslide or mudslide, it would be a tragedy. So we need to leave quickly!”

He looked at Xie You again, inexplicably feeling nervous. “Um… don’t stare at me like that. It’s making me uneasy and scared!”

Xie You averted his gaze, his voice filled with disappointment. “Then let’s set off.”

After saying that, he licked his lips—there really was no more spring water.

The return journey was very difficult, with rough and bumpy roads and occasional traffic jams. Yu Nian was getting drowsy from the heat, and Xie You, noticing this, tentatively suggested, “Do you want to… lean on me and sleep?”

Yu Nian half-opened his eyes and replied, “Okay,” as he turned his head and leaned on Xie You’s shoulder. He relaxed his body, and soon his breathing became steady.

Xie You sat very upright, not daring to move at all. Whenever they encountered a bumpy section, he would carefully lift his hand to protect Yu Nian’s head, and once it stabilized, he would put his hand down. The car was very quiet, and he could still hear Yu Nian’s breathing. His mind wandered aimlessly, thinking that when they returned, he would change out of this outfit and wash it in a few days.

Yu Nian hadn’t slept for long when he woke up to the sound of raindrops hitting the car window. He stretched lazily and looked at the gradually brightening sky and the misty rain outside the window. “Where are we going now?”

Xie You looked away from the documents he was reviewing and answered in a low voice, “We’re going to the airport now, back to Ning City.”

Yu Nian nodded, but he was somewhat worried. “Can the plane fly?”

“I have a private plane parked at the airport; it can take off,” Xie You replied, but then he added with concern, “Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

“No, I’m awake now.” Yu Nian lowered his gaze. “Suddenly, everything from yesterday feels like a dream. Not long ago, I was trapped in the mountains, worrying about aftershocks, and now I’m already on the way back to Ning City.”

Xie You’s fingers twitched, but after a few seconds, he reached out and tidied up the stray hair on Yu Nian’s forehead. He slowed down his voice and reassured him, “You’re safe now.”

The plane landed at Ning City Airport around noon. They came out through a special passage, and the black Aston Martin was already waiting in the parking area, ready to pick up Yu Nian. 

Yu Nian turned his head and noticed that Xie You was also looking at him. They averted their gazes, and their footsteps gradually came to a stop. Yu Nian put his hands in his pockets and spoke first, “Thank you for coming to find me.”

Xie You didn’t have his tie on, and the top two buttons of his black suit were undone, lacking the usual tidiness. His tone was restrained and gentle, “Go back and rest well.”

“Yes, when I get back, I’ll livestream first. There are many rumors online, all sorts of things, including rumors of my death. The company’s official denial doesn’t seem to work, so maybe I’ll have to personally livestream to debunk them.” Yu Nian said with a smile. After a two-second pause, he advised Xie You, “You should also take a good rest.”

“Alright, I have two meetings and eight documents to approve when I get back. Once I finish approving them, I’ll rest,” Xie You replied.

Yu Nian nodded again. “Well, then,” he curved his eyes, “I’ll go first.”

Xie You gazed at Yu Nian’s brows and eyes. “Okay.”

After a few seconds of silence, neither of them moved. Yu Nian smiled, his eyes sparkling like stars. “I’m really going now.”

There was a hint of a smile in Xie You’s eyes too. “Okay.”

Once they got in the car, the driver first took Meng Yuan and Shi Rou to the hospital before changing course to take Yu Nian home. After taking a shower, Yu Nian, with slightly damp hair, sat in front of the computer. He updated his Weibo first and then opened the live-streaming app, waving at the camera.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Yu Nian, glad to see you all again.”

The screen was filled with various emojis and greetings, and Yu Nian patiently explained, “I’m sorry for worrying everyone. I’m fine. The situation at the time was that I went to the water source base near the event site with the staff from the Funa Poetry brand. Because the event site was not yet set up, I took a small path with a local guide to see the water source location.”

“When the earthquake happened, both the guide and I avoided the falling rocks and debris on the mountain and weren’t injured. But since the path back was blocked by rocks, we couldn’t go up and had to wait for rescue in an open space near the water source.”

After speaking, Yu Nian even stood up and turned around. “Look, I’m really fine now, completely uninjured. Please don’t believe the rumors on the internet.”

[Phew, thank goodness! I was really scared when I saw the news! It’s good that you’re okay! Praying!]

[Those clickbait accounts are so disgusting, with all those random pictures and claims of insider information from staff members! Who curses someone with severe injuries? So infuriating!]

[Seeing Yu Nian safe and sound finally puts my heart at ease! I don’t believe those clickbait accounts, but I always felt uneasy! May the heavens protect Yu Nian!]

At that moment, the screen darkened, and there were notifications of gift purchases, as usual, with 999 diamond gifts.

Ignoring the barrage of exploding comments, Yu Nian looked at the username “Nian Nian You Yu” and smiled brightly. Suddenly, he said, “I’ve made you worry for so long. How about I sing a song for you? What do you want to hear?”

In the next second, the barrage quickly scrolled with titles like “Elegant,” “Mountain Snow,” interspersed with “Ripples,” “Distant Stars,” “Nothing to Lose,” and other song titles.

Yu Nian thought for a moment. “Then let’s sing ‘Mountain Snow,’ but I haven’t opened up my voice. If I hit a wrong note, you’re not allowed to laugh at me.”

After saying that, Yu Nian adjusted the camera angle, placed his hands on the piano keys, and pressed them firmly. The crisp sound of the piano filled the air.

[What the hell? Is today the Lunar New Year for Nian Gao Girl? I can actually hear Yu Nian playing ‘Mountain Snow’ live! Damn!]

[Nian Gao is cooked! Mushed! Exploded! So beautiful! Yu Nian, you sing songs with such a wide vocal range, yet you just sit there and sing, without changing your expression or breath? Are you worthy of the tag ‘annihilating cover songs’ for this song?]

[Ah, my ears have been blessed! But wait, doesn’t this phrase sound a bit off? Hahaha, Yu Nian, you really can’t survive without a prompter! You even forgot the lyrics to your own song!]

[Haha, this is hilarious! Guaranteed to trend! Well-known singer live-streaming, forgetting the lyrics, improvising on the spot, all with a serious face!]

During the interlude, Yu Nian glanced at the barrage and instantly broke character, amused by their comments. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he pretended not to see the question asking if he forgot the lyrics. After a short hum, Yu Nian continued singing, “You are the mountain breeze, the snow in dreams, irreplaceable… With scattered red flying flowers, the Milky Way sprinkles silver scales, my heart was captured long ago…”

After finishing the song, Yu Nian looked at the screen full of “hahaha” and “aaahhh” comments. He tapped the black and white piano keys twice and smiled. “Indeed, my talent comes from the prompter. This time, little fairies will help me keep it a secret, okay?”

The barrage filled with “good” scrolled rapidly. However, shortly after Yu Nian ended the livestream, the hashtag #YuNianForgetsLyricsWhileLivestreaming# trended, skyrocketing in popularity and quickly entering the top five.

Meng Yuan promptly called Yu Nian, laughing over the phone. “Hahaha, what happened to the little secret? Your fans don’t go easy on you!”

“Probably because it’s an open secret?” Yu Nian chuckled and then expressed his concern. “Brother Meng, how’s your hand? And Sister Rou Rou’ foot?”

“Shi Rou just twisted her foot a bit. It hurt for a while, but it’s mostly fine now after going to the hospital. My hand is not a big deal, didn’t hurt the bones.” Meng Yuan remembered something. “By the way, did Yu Qing come back?”

“No, I called her. When she heard that I was okay, she took a plane back and said it was convenient since she hadn’t removed her makeup. She can continue filming on set when she returns.”

“Hahaha, your sister is full of energy! It was really scary this time, but I read the official reports. The magnitude wasn’t high; it’s just that our location was close to the epicenter, so the impact was strong. Several houses in the village collapsed, and there were quite a few animal casualties, but fortunately, there weren’t many casualties among the people. It’s luck in an unfortunate situation!” Meng Yuan sighed for a moment. “Well, let’s not dwell on that. Rest well and take a nap. Oh, and Funa Poetry contacted me. The event is canceled, but they will pay you what was promised and even send you a big red envelope. Also, ‘My Day’ will be broadcast tomorrow. Remember to repost it. If you forget, don’t worry—I’ll remind you again.”

“Okay, Brother Meng, you take care and rest well!”

The next evening at 8 o’clock, “My Day” aired on Amber TV right on schedule. As soon as the opening music played, Xie You put down his work, watched attentively, and quickly took screenshots.

When the camera focused on Yu Nian frying bacon, the crew asked if he usually cooked for himself whenever he had free time.

Yu Nian replied, “Yes, I do. I learned to cook when I was in college. I hope to cook for someone I like in the future.”

After hearing these words, Xie You’s expression froze for a moment. He remembered something and couldn’t sit still anymore. He grabbed his coat and headed downstairs.

Yu Nian was in his study, video chatting with Yu Qing while nibbling on a pen and trying to write a song. However, he didn’t have any inspiration for writing or drawing. His thoughts drifted off, and he somehow recalled that night when Xie You held him and said, “It’s okay, I found you.”

Unconsciously, a smile appeared on Yu Nian’s face. He twirled the pen between his fingers and spontaneously wrote, “Your silhouette looks so beautiful under the night sky, but I dare not look too closely. My mood is entangled, afraid that you’ll find me annoying… I’ve become so greedy, unable to bear being apart.”

After finishing, he showed it to Yu Qing. She raised her delicate eyebrows and smiled. “Oh, my, no wonder you have someone you like. Your thoughts are so vivid!”

Yu Nian was about to say something when he suddenly heard the doorbell. He glanced at the entrance and said to Yu Qing, “Sister, let’s stop chatting for now. I’ll end the video call.” With that, he directly hung up.

Hastening to the door, Yu Nian opened it and saw Xie You.

“Why did you come over?”

“Yu Nian, I-I’m hungry!”

Hungry?

Yu Nian smiled. “Then come in. I’ll make some late-night snacks for you.”