Exactly as Chen Yu had guessed, Liu Yao's face at this time was rather wonderful.
That morning, she'd happily walked out to shop, only to meet a crowd of scornful stares and abuse. She rushed back home and hurriedly looked online, a bad premonition rising in her heart.
The barrage of curses on her Weibo account alone was enough for her to realize that the situation had changed in every way.
Now still shots of her abusing Shao Li were everywhere, while that little bastard was being hailed as the musician Xiao BaoBao.
Pacing and pulling her hair, she called Headmaster Feng.
But as soon as he answered, the always affectionate Feng Min growled, "Liu Yao, how could you have been so vicious? And to even get caught on tape?"
Understanding that she couldn't lose this man yet, Liu Yao suppressed her irritation and cried touchingly, "I couldn't hold it in anymore, that Shao Li tried to say I'd seduced you to use you! I couldn't stand our love being so insulted. Besides, he was the one who made it so we can't see each other every day!"
Feng Min softened hearing such devoted words, so he merely chided, "Well, you should have been more careful."
"You're right, it was my mistake, I'll take care in the future. But darling…what happened? Didn't you say Shao Li's an orphan without any connections? How could he get such a respected reporter to investigate for him?"
As soon as the response to Class_Act was posted last night, Feng Min also considered who could be behind this. Shao Li wasn't as simple as he'd thought, but he still couldn't have enough influence to completely turn the tables on them. The one responsible was probably...Zhao Cui.
Having lost his job and reputation and watching Shao Li become famous overnight, Feng Min was angrier than ever. In the end, however, he hadn't reached his former position for nothing. When the risk of crossing Zhao Jia was factored in, he was aware that he had to swallow this loss.
Feng Min was forced to sigh and tell Liu Yao that Shao Li seemed to have gotten the support of an immense power. "Yao'er, we can't try to do anything to Shao Li again. The consequences would be unimaginable. At any rate, I'll be able to find another job soon so hold tight for a bit, okay?"
Liu Yao reluctantly agreed, but how could she be willing? After she hung up, she flung the phone away and scoffed at the useless Headmaster Feng, no, ex-Headmaster Feng.
Just as she was wondering how to get that damned Shao Li back, a call from her mother arrived.
When Liu Yao picked up, a calm but cold voice sounded "Yaoyao, what happened?"
Trembling, Liu Yao stuttered, "M-mother, I can explain. It's all because of that bastard Shao Li, he framed me!"
Madam Liu listened to the rambling account, frowning at how crass this daughter was. She couldn't fathom how her own child could turn out this way, without a speck of refinement or talent.
Nevertheless, the situation had to be resolved. The story had quickly reached the upper circles of B City, and some companies had already started distancing themselves.
When Liu Yao paused for a breath, Madam Liu stopped her from continuing, saying, "Alright, I understand. I'll take care of this. Don't do anything more and stay quiet until I tell you otherwise."
Liu Yao promised straightaway. She could disregard anyone but her mother, who had always been strict and demanding.
Confident that her daughter would listen to her, Madam Liu clicked off. First, she'd investigate whether this Shao Li's past as an orphan could be used to pull down his reputation and turn attention away from Liu Yao's shameful behavior.
---
During the next few days, Chen Yu used his leave from work to practice music, loll around, and meet with Zhao Cui.
Perhaps afraid to scare the young man, Zhao Cui was very gentlemanly during these dates. Despite unfailingly arranging secluded seats in case Shao Li, who hadn't been to such luxurious restaurants and concerts before, was uncomfortable, Zhao Cui didn't take advantage. The most he did was to hold Shao Li's waist and sneak some kisses.
In addition, Zhao Cui unexpectedly didn't even mention Shao Li's big reveal as Xiao BaoBao. Chen Yu was initially prepared to rebuff any attempts to contain Shao Li's musical activities, but when the issue wasn't brought up after some time, he relaxed.
Thus on Saturday evening, Chen Yu got into Zhao Cui's car without a care. After opening and closing Shao Li's door for him, Zhao Cui naturally fastened the boy's seatbelt and kissed his cheek.
Holding his baby's small hand under his on the driving stick, Zhao Cui smiled and asked, "Shao Shao, are you excited? The orchestra tonight is supposed to be quite good."
Chen Yu nodded enthusiastically, shyly exclaiming, "They're the best B City's ever had! The conductor used to lead the New York Philharmonic, but he came back because he was born in B City. Isn't that amazing? And, and, the violinist..."
Zhao Cui's grip tightened as he heard Shao Li praise the musicians to the skies. His baby was always thinking about music, how could he have time to think about their relationship?
With a somewhat sinister gaze, he replied, "Well, it's so rare for you to want something, let's hope they live up to their reputation." If they didn't...well, B City had so many musical groups, one less wouldn't make much of a difference.
Chen Yu felt the temperature drop in the car and realized Zhao Cui was unhappy. The source of his sudden displeasure was also fairly clear. It was certainly something along the lines of 'What's more important, music or me?'
The easiest way to appease him would be to go somewhere else, but that wasn't an option tonight. For one thing, he truly couldn't wait to appreciate this group's performance. For another, this was his chance to goad Liu Yao and her mother into arranging his murder.
Chen Yu had been keeping track of Madam Liu's progress in looking into his past, so he knew that she still hadn't found out who his biological parents were. Rather impatient with waiting, as soon as he'd learned that she avidly attended all of this orchestra's concerts using her older brother's leverage, he'd arranged an encounter to speed things along.
Laughing inside, he leaned over to lightly brush his lips against Zhao Cui's chin and whispered, "Thank you, I, this is really special for me."
As a matter of fact, it was, since without Zhao Cui, Shao Li had no way to gain access to such an exclusive venue.
The car swerved for a moment when Zhao Cui took his hand off the steering wheel to capture the fleeting warmth on his chin. His previous vexation disappeared, and he turned a heated gaze towards the boy blushing next to him.
"Shao Shao," the hoarse voice rang out in the quiet car as Zhao Cui raised their interlocked hands and kissed each of Shao Li's fingertips. "I want to give you everything you want. That's what it means for me to love you."
Yes, he'd spoil his baby so much that he couldn't even imagine being happy, going somewhere, doing anything without him. He'd fulfill Shao Shao's every wish, until what Shao Shao wanted most became himself.
Not knowing Zhao Cui's thoughts, Chen Yu's heart shook. He'd passed through so many lives, and in each one he'd been disregarded, abandoned, sacrificed. He already couldn't remember when someone had last cared for him. Perhaps even in his original life, such genuine and tender warmth was unfamiliar to him.
Chen Yu wasn't a kind person, and the cycle of being stepped on in passing and regenerated probably hadn't helped. But he also wasn't so cruel as to treat everyone with the same apathy.
At the very least, he could no longer act in accordance with his earlier intentions to treat Zhao Cui merely as a placeholder for the hidden boss character and play with him if he felt like it. Regardless of whether this was actually reality or not, Chen Yu decided to accompany Zhao Cui sincerely for as long as they lasted.
Driving contentedly, Zhao Cui only felt that Shao Shao seemed to be opening up to him, so that by the time the two arrived at the concert hall, the atmosphere around them was pleasant and closer than before.
When Shao Li appeared, many of the people around him recognized Xiao BaoBao. But the people who could procure seats here unsurprisingly had some etiquette training, so that no one rushed up to him. Just the glances and murmurs, however, were enough to irritate Zhao Cui into sweeping the petite boy up under his coat and striding towards his private box.
Chen Yu peered over Zhao Cui's coat collar, sweeping through the crowd for Madam Liu, and found her walking behind them. Unlike in B City, the general public here didn't recognize anyone from the Liu family except Liu Yao, so she strutted along without being worried about condemned.
When she noticed the crowd mentioning that Xiao BaoBao was at this concert, as expected, the well-maintained woman halted and scrutinized the faces around her for Shao Li's.
Although she didn't know how a commoner like that got in, this could be a chance to put him down. Maybe she could ask the conductor to embarrass him on stage?
As her brain spun, she finally met a bright pair of eyes staring straight at her, set in the face she'd watched on the screen. Seeing that face in real life with an empty, fixed expression...her mind blanked out, not due to the attractiveness or even embarrassment at being caught looking for him so vulgarly, but because of the similarity to the child she'd dispatched so long ago.
Madam Liu shook her head frantically and stumbled back. Impossible, he was dead, they both were. How could he be alive?
Chen Yu sneered. I hope you like my gift. Make good use of it, ah, don't disappoint me.