Isn’t money good?

Chapter 6

Sheng You filmed from the side front angle.

In the video, Yan Shiqiu squatted on the sand, his brows curved as he looked at the little girl in front of him. His actions and expressions naturally revealed gentleness, and the tone he used to coax the child was soft, like a midsummer night’s breeze, drifting lightly as if afraid to disturb the quiet of the evening.

That was a Yan Shiqiu Ji Yunnian had never seen before.

When the short thirty-second video ended, Ji Yunnian, as if bewitched, clicked to replay it again.

When he came back to his senses, Ji Yunnian: “…”

Sheng You sent him a few more WeChat messages.

[Sheng You]: Finished watching yet, finished watching yet? Isn’t it shocking enough for a whole year?

[Sheng You]: Damn, he’s even sharing candy with the other kids now, and they’ve all gotten chummy. He’s playing “Eagle Catches Chicks” with them… my entire worldview just collapsed!

[Sheng You]: This Yan Shiqiu is exactly like in those novels, possessed by another soul, right? How could he possibly coax children?!!!

[Sheng You]: …Shit, he noticed me.

[Sheng You]: Come save me quick!

Ji Yunnian: “…”

[Ji Yunnian]: No time, you’re on your own.

Utterly cold and heartless.

After reading, Sheng You silently sent his friend a middle finger emoji, but Ji Yunnian ignored him.

…Forget it.

He would rely on himself. What could Yan Shiqiu do, eat him?

Sheng You straightened his back, raised his chin proudly, giving off a “I’m the best” vibe, and strode toward Yan Shiqiu.

Yan Shiqiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized the other probably knew “him.”

Even though he didn’t recognize who this man was, Yan Shiqiu didn’t show the slightest panic. Calmly, he stepped out of the circle of children and even smiled at Sheng You.

“Don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t secretly filming you just now, I was filming the scenery, got it?”

Classic self-exposure?

Yan Shiqiu tapped his chin with his fingertip. “So you really were secretly filming me.”

Sheng You bristled, “I was NOT secretly filming you! Don’t you understand Chinese?!”

“Mm-hm.” Yan Shiqiu raised an eyebrow.

He asked again, “Young master, what are you doing here? Experiencing life?”

He was very familiar with the brand of clothes the man wore—he had been the brand’s Asian ambassador in his past life. The only flaw of this brand was its price, extremely expensive. That set the man had on now could buy a mid-range car.

Sheng You crossed his arms, “So what? The park is open for everyone, you think only you can come?”

Apparently, he didn’t like the original Yan Shiqiu much either.

Still, this silly rich second-generation was kind of amusing.

“Of course not, I was just curious why you happen to be here too.”

Touching his chin, Yan Shiqiu studied him with a smile, then teased, “You didn’t… follow me here, did you?”

Sheng You: “…”

Yan Shiqiu: “…”

Bullseye.

“Why are you following me?” Yan Shiqiu asked in confusion.

“Who’s following you, it’s just the same path, okay?” Sheng You snapped back instantly, but his momentum faltered, his eyes shifting to the side, clearly lacking confidence.

Yan Shiqiu stared at him in silence.

After half a minute, Sheng You couldn’t take it anymore and blurted out, “Fine, yes, I was following you, so what? I was just curious, is that not allowed?!”

“It’s not exactly forbidden.”

Yan Shiqiu’s thoughts turned, and he suddenly said, “But you owe me mental damages.”

Sheng You: “???”

Yan Shiqiu spread his hands and lied with a straight face, “You scared me.”

Sheng You: “…”

Yan Shiqiu grinned, “Not much, not much, just buy me dinner. It’s five-thirty now, perfect time for dinner.”

Sheng You stared at him in shock, his expression saying loud and clear: How can anyone be so shameless.

“Unwilling? Then I’ll just tell the group chat… say that you—”

Before he could finish, Sheng You cut him off, “Shut up, fine, I’ll treat you, where do you want to eat? Cheng Mansion Banquet? Li Family Cuisine? Tan Family Cuisine?”

Yan Shiqiu shook his head. “Not those.”

His eyes lit up. “Let’s have hotpot!”

Sheng You blinked. “…Huh?”

At a hotpot restaurant not far from the park, Sheng You hid behind the menu, secretly watching Yan Shiqiu enthusiastically ordering dishes.

“If you want to look, then look openly, it’s not like I’ll stop you.” Yan Shiqiu said without even raising his head.

Sheng You lowered the menu and stared straight at him, as if trying to see through his soul.

Unbothered, Yan Shiqiu continued flipping the menu, asking, “Do you eat duck blood? Duck intestines? Pig brain? Uh, can you handle braised intestines?”

Sheng You’s mother was German, so dishes like offal had never appeared on their table. He frowned, “Can’t you order normal dishes?”

“These are normal, they’re hotpot essentials.” Yan Shiqiu looked up, noticing Sheng You’s furrowed brows and resistant eyes. “Fine, if you don’t like them, we won’t order them.”

Feeling especially considered, Sheng You grew awkward. After some hesitation, he muttered, “Then… duck blood.”

Yan Shiqiu raised his brows, then smiled. “Alright.”

After handing the menu to the waiter, Yan Shiqiu sipped his chrysanthemum tea. “So, after staring at me for so long, did you figure anything out?”

Sheng You smirked, “Didn’t figure out much, except that you have really thick skin.”

“You broke?”

“Yep, very poor.” Yan Shiqiu joked. “Thanks to you, I can afford hotpot today.”

Suspicious, Sheng You asked, “Ye Peiyuan doesn’t give you money?”

“Why would I ask him for money?”

He wasn’t the original Yan Shiqiu, after all.

In fact, he’d need to tally up how much the original had spent from Ye Peiyuan and pay it back.

Sheng You rested his chin in his palm. “You’re really strange today.”

Glancing around the modest restaurant, he added, “The old you would never have rejected the fancy places I offered, and definitely wouldn’t come here.”

“It’s not that cheap, two hundred yuan per person, huge expense.” Yan Shiqiu countered.

“Is that the point?” Sheng You was exasperated.
“Of course!” Yan Shiqiu brushed past it lightly.

After chatting for a while, he was sure Sheng You wasn’t close with the original Yan Shiqiu. The whole thing today was just the man being bored.

Soon, their pot and dishes arrived.

Considering Sheng You probably preferred lighter flavors, Yan Shiqiu ordered a “yuan yang” pot, with mushroom broth on one side.

When he got up to make dipping sauces, Sheng You stared longingly.

“Coming?” Yan Shiqiu asked.

So Sheng You followed.

Unfamiliar with sauce combinations, Sheng You fumbled around until Yan Shiqiu stepped in to make one for him.

“Thanks.”

Yan Shiqiu waved it off with a smile. “Try it, guaranteed delicious.”

Skeptical, Sheng You dipped tripe into the sauce, then his eyes lit up after one bite. “This is good!”

“Right?” Yan Shiqiu chuckled, eating his own food.

He’d also scooped two ladles of spicy broth into his bowl, which was now bright red. Watching him eat so happily, Sheng You couldn’t help asking, “Isn’t that too spicy?”

“I’m from Shancheng.”

“…My bad.”

Yan Shiqiu grinned, lifted some duck blood, and ate with relish.

The way he ate made it contagious—Sheng You, who usually avoided offal, swallowed hard, tempted. Finally, he caved and scooped a piece.

Yan Shiqiu encouraged warmly, “It’s good.”

Sheng You hesitated, then blew on it and took a bite.
The next second, his eyes widened.

“!!! Delicious!”

“Want another order?” Yan Shiqiu suggested.

Sheng You didn’t answer, just called the waiter over.

Dinner ended with both of them satisfied. By the time they left, night had fully fallen, neon lights flooding the city streets.

“I’ll drive you back?” After hours together, Sheng You’s impression of Yan Shiqiu had improved greatly.

“No need, I’ll take a cab.” Yan Shiqiu declined, then casually asked, “Should we add each other on WeChat? I can recommend you more good food.”

“You already have me.” Sheng You didn’t suspect anything.

“Do I?” Yan Shiqiu pretended to search his contacts, then looked up. “Can’t find you. Why don’t you ping me?”

Sheng You nodded, “Alright.”

He sent Yan Shiqiu a sticker.

Perfect.

Yan Shiqiu looked down at his phone.

Sheng You.

He remembered it well.

“See you.” Yan Shiqiu waved as he got into a cab. “Next time.”

“Bye.” Sheng You stuck his hands in his pockets.

Watching the cab merge into traffic, Sheng You headed toward the parking lot. Suddenly, his phone buzzed twice.

He checked it and froze.

Yan Shiqiu had transferred back the money for dinner.

After a pause, Sheng You smiled, took a screenshot, sent it to Ji Yunnian, and wrote: 【I don’t hate Yan Shiqiu anymore, he’s pretty fun.】

—

Back home, Yan Shiqiu washed the clothes he bought, hung them on the balcony, showered, then went into his study to look up the new film Fang Yuhua had mentioned.

The director, Chen Hangsheng, was famous, with four dramas shortlisted for the Feitian Awards, and he had launched one Best Actor and two Best Actresses, while winning Best Director and Best Screenwriter twice himself.

As Fang Yuhua said, Chen Hangsheng was holding open auditions for the fourth male lead. Online news was everywhere, and Yan Shiqiu quickly found the information.

The new drama was an original palace series, set in a fictional dynasty. The story followed a neglected prince who endured in silence, eventually rising to the throne, defeating foreign enemies, and restoring prosperity.

Most of the cast had been set, only a few roles were left unfilled, so open auditions would start the day after tomorrow, in batches. The fourth male lead was first.

Because it was original and to keep things fair, no company had access to the script. Only a little public info was released online, and auditionees would draw random scenes on the spot.

That made things harder.

After reading everything available, Yan Shiqiu pursed his lips and opened Chen Hangsheng’s past works, watching them one by one.

Nearly thirty hours later, after binging his dramas and interviews, Yan Shiqiu had a rough idea of how the man shaped characters and relationships.

Shutting down his computer, stretching, he noted the time, showered quickly, and left with his bag.

Auditions were held at Chen’s own studio, split into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Yan Shiqiu’s slot was in the morning. He arrived just as the first person went in.

After collecting his number, he waited in the lounge, which was crowded. Choosing a corner seat, he sat down.

Beside him was a young man wearing ear muffs, hunched over… playing PUBG?
And losing almost instantly every time.

“You shouldn’t loot first, hide!” Unable to watch, Yan Shiqiu reminded him.

The young man still moved too slowly, and bam, dead.

Yan Shiqiu: “…”

The youth turned his head, eyes gloomy. “You can play, right? You’re good, aren’t you? Carry me!”