Chapter 14: Rescuing

Lin Qinghe then realized that he was being harassed.

He had heard about playing erotic tunes in Tranquil City; his colleagues had gone to brothels out of curiosity and described some scenes to him in a few words. By nature he was calm and uninterested in matters between men and women, so he never expected to encounter a similar situation one day.

In the past, when Prince Chengxuan embarrassed him in public, he had always managed to extricate himself and ignore it completely. In comparison, this was nothing.

He remained composed and spoke clearly: “Mr. S? Only elegance is performed here. Vulgar interests are better suited for private amusement at home.”

As soon as he finished, the top donor directly fired back.

【WorkThreeHoursADay: The streamer is clearly promoting the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, yet here you are playing on the edge. You’re so rich; if you think your money can’t be spent, why not donate to those in need.】

Mr. S was lavish, and his background was presumably complicated. Most netizens had been somewhat cautious and self-protective, but the top donor’s firm attitude stirred everyone’s sense of justice.

【Not Bending for Five Buckets of Rice: Exactly, exactly, that’s too much.】

【Heartbroken: If you really want to hear it, go find paid services yourself.】

【Little Erlang: We won’t accept this dirty money!!!】

…

He wasn’t even angry or overreacting. Such purity and spotlessness only intensified the dark thoughts in one’s heart. The person on the other side of the screen curled his lips, as if discovering a fun treasure, his smile evident.

“Yo, Brother Qi, what are you smiling about? You look so pleased.”

“Get lost. Is Young Master Qi’s business something we can ask about?”

“Yes, yes, I spoke out of turn.”

Teasing voices rose around them, everyone guessing that Song Lianqi must have found a new prey. People in their circle came from wealthy backgrounds, second and third generations, and usually played around with boys and girls, all consensual.

Compared to reckless spendthrifts, Song Lianqi seemed somewhat different. As the eldest son of the Song family in Western Capital, he was quite talented and handsome. It was hard to imagine such a favored son of heaven lowering himself to hang out with a ragtag bunch.

But the playboys all knew that Song Lianqi was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Despite his decent appearance, he had a cruel heart and was far more depraved than them. The last boy introduced to him had been sent to the hospital and still hadn’t fully recovered—a real sin. Song Lianqi had peculiar tastes: he liked those who resisted and refused to yield; the feeling of breaking their pride inch by inch was addictive to him.

Truly perverted.

Song Lianqi waved his hand dismissively and didn’t respond.

He held a cigarette in his right hand and typed slowly, head bowed.

【Mr. S: That depends on who plays it. If you play, it’s elegance.】

With those words, it was an open provocation. Everyone held their breath; they had never seen such a scene. The man’s skin was far too thick.

Lin Qinghe didn’t want to entangle with Song Lianqi. He nodded briefly and said, “Find someone else. The gifts will be returned in full.”

Getting a bit impatient, huh.

Song Lianqi’s mood improved even more, and he pressed on aggressively.

【Mr. S: Can I hear you play this piece next week?】

Just when the stalemate was at its peak—

【Congratulations to streamer #42315693 for winning this period’s championship and topping the gift rankings! Keep up the good work~】

【. sent ten yachts】

【Congratulations to . for becoming the streamer’s No.1 Guardian~】

【Congratulations to . for becoming a Seven Notes permanent VIP~】

What?

Ten yachts!!!!????

Everyone in the livestream was dumbfounded and didn’t understand what was going on.

The next moment, . spoke.

【.: So fond of listening? Come to Western Capital another day; I’ll treat you.】

【.: Now get lost.】

That “treat” was definitely not an ordinary invitation. Everyone knew Western Capital was a place where wealthy magnate families gathered. Dropping ten million on gifts without batting an eye and telling someone to get lost—no one would believe there wasn’t something deeper.

【Colombia Wind: So… so handsome.】

【Cao Cao Is Crude: Holy shit, holy shit, this plot… sorry, but why is this somehow kind of sweet?】

【Celine Is My Wife: To be honest, I… also find it sweet.】

【Little Red Riding Hood: I never expected, I came here just to listen to pipa playing, but I witness a battlefield of romance? Actually feels kinda good.】

【Prince Crown: Help, why am I seeing images of a domineering… ahem, protector… in my mind.】

【Heartbroken: Must be He He’s friend.】

【Don’t Want to Farm: On a bright and sunny afternoon, I personally participated in a twelve-million-yuan project, enough to brag about for life.】

【Red Crisp Hand: Hahahahaha, dying of laughter.】

【Pagoda: Too awesome. I admit I’ve never seen such a big world.】

The entire livestream exploded. If Song Lianqi’s actions were unbelievable, then Cen Han’s actions were an order-of-magnitude heavier blow.

Song Lianqi lost face; the smile in his eyes faded, turning cold.

Someone sitting close to him noticed his change in expression and said indifferently, “What’s up, Young Master Qi? Did the beauty offend you? I say, people need to be coaxed. Give him some sweetness first, then strike when the time is right.”

Song Lianqi’s mood had plummeted. He pocketed his phone and stood up to leave.

Someone tried to stop him: “Hey, Young Master Qi, won’t you stay a bit longer?”

“Yeah, there’s still the main event.”

Song Lianqi grabbed his suit jacket and said flatly, “The main event can wait. I have something to do, I’m leaving.”

Mr. S’s username disappeared from the interface, and Xi Nian breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Brother Cen Han had stepped in promptly; otherwise, this would have been hard to resolve. If it were private-message harassment, she could handle it, but this Mr. S seemed to have some serious problem. Who would openly gift so much to request an erotic tune? He must be mentally deranged.

【.: Sorry for disturbing everyone’s mood.】

【.: Please carry on.】

In comparison, everyone’s favorable impression of Cen Han doubled instantly. Rich, low-key, and polite—was there any limit to how awesome he was?!

No need to guess: it was Cen Han. Lin Qinghe glanced at Xi Nian, his thoughts turning, and said, “Thank you for rescuing me. A melody of ”Ode to Your Favor“ to express my gratitude.”

【Tangerine Peel: Thank you, top donor big brother!!!】

【Little Mushroom of Talented Girl: Thank you, top donor big brother!】

…

Nian Nian Go!: Brother Cen Han, as expected of you. You stunned the whole place when you stepped in, so dashing.

Nian Nian Go!: Thank you so very much; you are the benefactor of my career.

When Cen Han was about to return to his study, Xi Nian called anxiously, saying that Lin Qinghe was being bullied, that a perverted man had sent two million in gifts and demanded an erotic tune.

Given Lin Qinghe’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t say anything harsh. He was always gentle with others, even when offended he wouldn’t argue. It wasn’t cowardice or being an easy target; rather, it was indifference. Because he didn’t take such things to heart or even pay them any mind, they weren’t even qualified to make him frown, let alone merit harsh words.

But to Cen Han, this was intolerable. Lin Qinghe should be a shining star of Starlight Entertainment’s future. Those who wanted to get their hands on him should examine whether they were worthy.

Cen Han: You did well.

When Xi Nian saw that “You did well,” she instantly understood that going to Cen Han for such matters was the right call. She immediately expressed her enthusiasm.

Nian Nian Go!: I’ll keep working hard!

In a spacious and cozy room, Lin Qinghe sat on the carpet, leaning over a low table in front of him, burying his head in intense calculations.

“13.2 million, 13.4 million.”

“13.58 million.”

“13.69 million.”

“13.8 million.”

From two streams, he had received a total of 13.8 million in gifts. After deducting two million to be returned to its sender, ten million of which was contributed by Cen Han, the remaining 1.8 million was his salary. Split evenly with Seven Notes, he was left with 900,000.

900,000.

A sizeable income.

Enough to survive here, finally no longer penniless.

After sorting out his current assets, Lin Qinghe wandered out in his free time and ran into Aunt Su, who warmly said they’d prepare hotpot tonight and asked what he thought.

Earlier, he had stumbled upon a food documentary on his phone by chance, with two episodes covering hotpot. It was late at night, and Lin Qinghe had felt a bit peckish.

The meals recently had been quite mild, piquing his desire to try it, so he said to Aunt Su, “Okay.”

“Alright, then I’ll have them deliver the ingredients now.”

By the time the setting sun was nearly gone, the ingredients were prepared, and Aunt Su had Lin Qinghe and Cen Han move to the glasshouse in the courtyard.

The water in the pot was boiling, steam rising continuously, meat rolls swirling. The smell of food made one’s appetite stir. Su Rong considerately asked Master Chen in the kitchen for a dual-flavor hotpot, fearing Lin Qinghe couldn’t handle too much spice.

Lin Qinghe took his seat. This was the first time he had dinner with Cen Han; the previous days, the other man had eaten out before returning.

He looked up at the person opposite and initiated the conversation: “Mr. Cen, I need another favor. I’d like to return the excess gifts.”

Once the amount exceeded the allowed range, the return process became complicated, and he couldn’t handle it alone.

“Excess gifts?” Cen Han paused, asking somewhat absentmindedly, “What do you mean by excess?”

“The twelve yachts.”

He set down his chopsticks, and Cen Han nodded in agreement: “They should indeed be returned.”

Lin Qinghe knew Cen Han was very wealthy, but not to what extent. His teacher had once used a saying to describe it, roughly meaning that if Cen Han suffered any misfortune, the entire Western Capital would be shaken, and other places would be affected, with Western Capital as the epicenter.

The Cen family’s business interests were extremely extensive, and the cooperative relationships among them were intricate. That was just domestically, not counting overseas, where Cen Han’s parents were expanding their territory far away, their power not to be underestimated.

Wealthy as he was, his principles did not allow him to accept that precious pipa and then pocket ten million on top of it. That wouldn’t be proper.

Cen Han saying it should be returned actually made him feel relieved.

But unexpectedly, Cen Han added a twist: “However, my share can be left out.”

Lin Qinghe’s beautiful eyes showed confusion. Cen Han looked at him for a few seconds, then chuckled and said, “If you remove my top-donor spot and someone else causes trouble, do I have to throw another ten million at it?”

It did make some sense. Different donation levels meant different ranks; the higher the level, the more donations. Having this big boss hanging at the top could indeed provide some protection from harassment.

But Lin Qinghe couldn’t tell if this was Cen Han’s deliberate excuse. He concealed his feelings and didn’t argue: “Then let’s leave it at that for now.”

Cen Han acknowledged, and the topic was dropped.

The red broth on the left emitted an enticing aroma, with chili oil floating on the surface. Compared to the healthful mushroom soup on the right, its color was more eye-catching. The Cen family members could all handle spice very well; what ordinary people considered spicy was mild to them. So it was predictable how disastrous Lin Qinghe’s eager attempt would turn out.

He picked up a slice of lamb roll from the red broth.

“Cough… cough cough…”

“Cough cough cough…”

He regretted it to death.

A glass of cold water was handed to him, and he quickly took it and drank every drop. Cen Han then poured him another.

“Cough…”

Both spicy and choking.

Lin Qinghe covered his mouth as the spiciness subsided a little. Caught off guard by this incident, he didn’t think too much and said naturally to Cen Han, trying to suppress his voice: “Excuse me, paper.”

He had no idea how suggestive his current state was: the corners of his eyes tinged with red, a faint glimmer of moisture in his eyes, his thin lips seeming painted with rouge, setting off his fair and delicate complexion.

Cen Han’s gaze became somewhat unfathomable. He unhurriedly placed the paper into Lin Qinghe’s palm and slowly advised, “Don’t force yourself if you can’t handle spice.”

The person who couldn’t handle spice had no time to reply, covering his mouth with the paper and coughing again.

Lin Qinghe took the lesson to heart: never touch the Cen family’s chili.