Chapter 29: Teasing Part 1

The medical staff tended to Cen Han’s wound. His bloodstained shirt and suit were cut open. Cen Han’s thin lips were pale, tinged with a pathological whiteness.

His endurance was beyond ordinary. Even when he felt the pain distinctly, he didn’t frown in the slightest or make a sound.

The phone on the side table vibrated twice, and the screen lit up.

Gu Yan: Where did you go?

Gu Yan: Does it take that long to take a call?

Gu Yan: We’re one short, President Cen.

Lin Qinghe noticed Cen Han’s gaze on the phone, but it was out of his reach, so he helped by handing it over.

Cen Han swiped the screen with his left hand and tried to input the password one-handed, but his fingertips were covered in cold sweat. Two attempts failed, and on the third, the screen froze. He gave up.

He looked up to find Lin Qinghe watching him.

The atmosphere was slightly strained.

“899090.” Cen Han raised his eyebrows and gestured with his chin towards Lin Qinghe, his intention clear.

Just as Lin Qinghe took the phone, another message from Gu Yan arrived.

Gu Yan: What fair lady has waylaid you?

He felt a bit embarrassed, as if accidentally peeking into someone’s privacy, and pretended nothing happened while continuing to unlock the phone.

“Mr. Cen, it’s unlocked.”

Cen Han didn’t seem inclined to reply to the messages himself. Perhaps it was because the way Lin Qinghe had looked at him just now carried a subtle, unspoken something that made him feel he was being mocked.

“Come closer, I can’t see.”

Lin Qinghe hesitated for two seconds, then moved closer to Cen Han. “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate?”

Cen Han: “Inappropriate for what?”

“Secret.”

Lin Qinghe’s expression looked as if he’d learned something he shouldn’t have, but Gu Yan’s questions were normal—unless the second vibration had brought some misleading words.

Cen Han said ambiguously, “Don’t worry, I won’t silence you.”

Xi Nian & medical staff: ???

Lin Qinghe treated it as a joke and deliberately ignored Gu Yan’s last question. “It’s a message from Dr. Gu, asking where you went. It seems they’re one person short.”

“Just say I ran into a bit of trouble and am in the VIP reception room.” Cen Han turned his head, his high nose bridge making his handsomeness almost surreal. “Cancel tonight, we’ll meet again next time.”

Lin Qinghe shielded the screen as he typed, though with little effect. Cen Han caught the line “What fair lady has waylaid you?” and finally understood why Lin Qinghe was uncomfortable. He found it somewhat amusing.

Cen Han: Ran into some trouble, now in the first-floor reception room. Off tonight, next time.

Gu Yan: What happened? What trouble?

Lin Qinghe and Cen Han were a bit close. He was about to ask how to reply when he unexpectedly met a pair of deep eyes. He paused for a moment before speaking. “How should I reply to Dr. Gu?”

Cen Han definitely knew about that message from Gu Yan.

The shadow on the screen receded a little. While the wound was being bandaged, the pain was worse than before, and Cen Han’s attention was diverted for two seconds.

“Tell it like it is.”

Lin Qinghe nodded, deleting and revising, carefully composing his words.

Cen Han: A hotel staff leaked an artist’s schedule to the media. When caught, he pulled out a folding knife and cut his hand.

Gu Yan: Whose hand was cut?

Cen Han: Mr. Cen’s.

Cen Han: No, mine.

Lin Qinghe forgot to reply in Cen Han’s tone. The corrections made the exchange even stranger. He didn’t know whether to retract or not.

“This is definitely not Cen Han.” Amidst the shuffling figures and clinking glasses, Fu Li rested his elbow on Gu Yan’s shoulder and watched him type. “I say, it’s rare. Cen Han letting someone else handle such a private item as his phone.”

Gu Yan leaned lazily against the table, noncommittal. “Shouldn’t your main concern be that Cen Han is injured? It’s probably Assistant Zhang.”

“Being able to direct how to reply means it’s not hospital-serious. The first part was entirely in Cen Han’s tone, but the latter…” Fu Li shook his head with a smile. “Doesn’t seem like Assistant Zhang’s style.”

Seeing that Gu Yan had already realized it wasn’t Cen Han, Lin Qinghe stopped hiding it.

Cen Han: The doctor is bandaging Mr. Cen, says it’s not serious but not light either.

Gu Yan: Okay, we’ll come take a look.

As the bandaging neared its end, Lin Qinghe informed Cen Han, “Dr. Gu and your friends are planning to come over.”

“Let them.”

Cen Han: Okay.

“Let’s go check it out.” Gu Yan put away his phone and straightened up. “A knife attack, that’s quite rare.”

Gao Yuan was a tough nut, refusing to speak. He Liang, on the other hand, was flexible, spilling everything to save his skin. The matter wasn’t complicated, but because Cen Han was injured, Assistant Zhang had to take it very seriously.

“Mr. Cen.” Assistant Zhang pushed the door open and entered. “We’ve almost finished questioning.”

“He Liang received a message from a stranger one day, asking him to interview Mr. Lin. If he managed to film a video defaming Mr. Lin, he was promised a generous reward. He Liang didn’t believe it at first, but the other party directly wired him 200,000 yuan, and he became tempted. I believe they must have investigated He Liang and knew his character, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so straightforward.”

“He Liang consulted his friend Zhang Ming, gathered some people, and when ready, contacted the employer. The employer sent Gao Yuan’s phone number and told him Mr. Lin’s address and the questions to ask during the interview. It happened that this afternoon Mr. Lin had filming, and his comings and goings were spotted by Gao Yuan, who then alerted He Liang and his group to lie in wait near the hotel.”

“Normally, no matter how controversial Mr. Lin is, netizens just curse a few lines from behind their screens; it shouldn’t reach this level. According to He Liang, Gao Yuan seems somewhat obsessive. After some persuasion, the truth matches Mr. Lin’s suspicion: Gao Yuan and the employer are fans of Xu Anyu.”

“So the cause was that Gao Yuan told a friend that Mr. Lin was staying at the hotel; the friend posted the news in a fan group. The employer saw it and asked for Gao Yuan’s contact info. Gao Yuan and the employer hit it off and decided to teach Mr. Lin a lesson.”

Assistant Zhang narrated clearly. The shortened version was simply that Xu Anyu’s fans disliked Lin Qinghe and seized the chance to cut short his acting career.

Strange yet not strange, both unexpected and expected. From the fans’ perspective, Lin Qinghe threatened Xu Anyu’s position. But from Lin Qinghe’s perspective, he hadn’t stolen or robbed; he’d earned Li Ran’s recognition through his own merits, with a clear conscience.

Moreover, the capable should ascend. Xu Anyu had to pay for his own mistakes.

“Mr. Cen, how should we proceed?” Assistant Zhang asked.

Cen Han listened quietly, then asked without stating a course of action, “Who is the employer?”

“Not in the Western Capital. She’s the daughter of a company president, surname Ye.”

“Surname Ye?” / “Yes, Ye Wenbing, a relative of the Ye family in the Western Capital.”

The Ye family ranked fairly high among the upper class in the Western Capital.

Cen Han said nonchalantly, “Contact him.”

Assistant Zhang grasped Cen Han’s intention, looked up Ye Wenbing’s number, dialed, and put it on speaker.

“Hello? Who is this?” / “Mr. Ye, good day. I’m Assistant Zhang, assistant to the president of Fengrui Company.”

“Fengrui? Oh, Assistant Zhang, hello hello, what can I do for you?”

“Your daughter is Miss Ye Lan, correct?”

Ye Wenbing hesitated, growing cautious. “Uh… what about her? Just say what’s on your mind.”

Sensing Ye Wenbing’s fear of being scammed, Assistant Zhang explained, “I understand Miss Ye is fond of a certain celebrity. But liking is one thing; she shouldn’t harm others for her own selfish reasons, don’t you agree, Mr. Ye?”

Ye Wenbing knew about his daughter’s idol worship and didn’t interfere much. “What do you mean? Who has my daughter hurt?”

Assistant Zhang smiled politely. “Calm down, we’re all reasonable people. Miss Ye used money to collude with a hotel staff, bribe the media, and attempt to maliciously slander an artist under Starlight Entertainment. Fortunately, Mr. Cen discovered it in time with ample evidence. Otherwise, it would be a loss for Starlight Entertainment and also for Fengrui.”

“The only bad part is not just the artist’s injury, but Mr. Cen also got cut.”

Ye Wenbing was shocked, a chill spreading from his feet to the top of his head. “This… I’m terribly sorry.”

He wiped away sweat. “You see… my daughter is young and ignorant. Tell me what compensation is needed. I’ll cover it. Ask whatever you want, just don’t make things hard for my daughter.”

That was exactly what Assistant Zhang was waiting for. “Mr. Ye is a good father. Mr. Cen would like to speak with you.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Hello, Mr. Cen.” / Ye Wenbing waited a moment.

“Ye Wenbing?” / The voice was slow and deep, unfathomable, instantly leaving him breathless.

Ye Wenbing hurriedly apologized. “It’s me, Mr. Cen. I’m so sorry. I failed to discipline her properly. I didn’t expect my daughter to do such a thing. Which hospital are you at? I’ll buy a ticket and fly to the Western Capital right away.”

Assistant Zhang held the phone in front of Cen Han.

“There’s no need to come.” Cen Han spoke. “Miss Ye is young and ignorant. That’s your family matter; I won’t interfere.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll advise her well.” Ye Wenbing couldn’t gauge Cen Han’s thoughts. Cen Han mentioned neither his own injury nor his daughter, so he probed, “Is that artist alright?”

Cen Han glanced at Lin Qinghe. “Not too well, quite frightened.”

Lin Qinghe, forced to be “quite frightened”, looked puzzled: ?

If the Cen family wanted Ye Lan to suffer, they could certainly do it. Ye Wenbing, having struggled in the business world for years, was a shrewd man and quickly understood. “I and my daughter will apologize to that artist. How about this: although our company’s resources and connections aren’t as good as Starlight Entertainment’s, from now on, for any events, TV dramas, or films related to that artist, our company will give full support and work hard to control negative public opinion against him. Endorsements and collaborations can be easily arranged. My cousin is in the Western Capital; I can ask him to mediate.”

The outcome was already irreversible, and mutual harm wasn’t a good choice. Businessmen valued profit. Getting Ye Wenbing to back down with gratitude while advancing Lin Qinghe’s career was a brilliant move, Assistant Zhang thought.

Ye Wenbing thought his answer was satisfactory, and while he was still on tenterhooks, Cen Han said, “Mm, the name is Lin Qinghe. Don’t get it wrong.”

He immediately responded, “Alright, I definitely won’t get it wrong. Mr. Cen, please trust me.”

The main culprit was dealt with. Now only Gao Yuan, He Liang and the others remained. Assistant Zhang had a plan. “President Cen, Gao Yuan’s case is serious. It’s best to hand him over to Officer Fu. As for He Liang and his group, they’re blinded by money. I’ve already arranged for them to have a good mouth-washing.”

Unsurprisingly, Gao Yuan would undergo a comprehensive reformation.

Cen Han nodded. “Fine.”

The evening’s farce ended there. Xi Nian vented to a friend on WeChat, and the two reached a consensus, frantically typing complaints for ten minutes before taking a break.

She took a sip of juice and gave her opinion. “Brother Qinghe only has me as an assistant. I might not be able to prevent things like this. In the future, Brother Qinghe’s schedules will increase, and it’ll truly be more than I can handle.”

The main concern was safety. If Gao Yuan’s knife had actually landed on Lin Qinghe, the consequences would be unimaginable. Cen Han’s actions made her realize that this request was reasonable and not excessive.