Isn’t money good?

Chapter 43

Yan Shiqiu came out of the elevator just as the police were taking the sasaeng fan down in another elevator.

Returning to his room and no longer seeing that sasaeng fan, Yan Shiqiu let out a breath of relief. Otherwise, he would have been disgusted all over again.

He had barely managed to recover from it.

Though the sasaeng fan had been taken away, there were still quite a few people in the living room: Liu Xi, Zhou Yu, the hotel manager, two hotel staff members, police officers, and Ji Yunnian.

Seeing Ji Yunnian, Yan Shiqiu was surprised. “How did you get here?”

“Liu Xi called me. I was a bit worried, so I came over.”

Ji Yunnian actually wanted very much to go up and embrace Yan Shiqiu, to pull him forcefully into his arms for comfort, but knowing he couldn’t, his rationality firmly suppressed the surging impulse. He only looked at him with concern, his voice softening, “Are you alright?”

“Mm? I’m fine.” Yan Shiqiu smiled faintly.

The smile wasn’t genuine at all.

Ji Yunnian frowned, took two steps to stand in front of Yan Shiqiu, and before he could react, raised his hand and firmly flicked his forehead.

Yan Shiqiu covered his forehead, looking completely bewildered: ???

Ji Yunnian lowered his eyes and pulled at both of his cheeks with his hands. “That smile was too ugly.”

Yan Shiqiu was stunned for a moment, then looked up to meet Ji Yunnian’s gaze. Ji Yunnian rubbed his face again and suddenly complimented, “Nice skin.”

“…”

Yan Shiqiu slapped away his hands. “You’re taking advantage of me.”

Ji Yunnian chuckled softly. “What advantage could you possibly have that I’d want to take? Is there anything you have that I don’t?”

“No, but is your skin as smooth as mine? You just complimented it.”

“I could also compliment an egg. After all, a peeled hard-boiled egg is the smoothest.”

“Childish ghost, taking back what you just said.”

Ji Yunnian crossed his arms and looked him up and down. “Why do you care so much about my evaluation? You secretly have a crush on me, don’t you?”

Yan Shiqiu: “…”

After a few seconds, Yan Shiqiu suddenly burst into laughter, the smile spreading from the corners of his mouth all the way to his eyes, a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

Ji Yunnian thought to himself, this is how he should smile to look good.

“Alright, enough playing around.” Yan Shiqiu waved his hand, smiling as he said, “Thank you. I’m really fine, just felt a bit disgusted earlier, but I’m better now.”

Ji Yunnian looked at him for a while, then nodded. “That’s good then.”

“Can I speak now?” Liu Xi interjected.

She handed Yan Shiqiu a glass of warm water, saying, “The police want to talk to you, just routine questioning. If you don’t want to bring it up again, I can refuse for you. Zhou Yu and I have already told them most of it anyway.”

Yan Shiqiu took the water, had a sip, and shook his head. “No need, I’ll go talk to them.”

Ji Yunnian said, “I’ll go with you.”

Yan Shiqiu hesitated for a few seconds, then didn’t refuse.

At this point, Fang Yuhua also arrived, bringing a lawyer with him. Seeing the police conducting routine questioning with Yan Shiqiu, he walked over with the lawyer.

Yan Shiqiu told the police everything from beginning to end in detail. After the police finished recording, they asked, “Do you know him?”

“No, I don’t.”

Fang Yuhua took over, “From here on, the lawyer will handle everything. He’ll go to the police station with you. Thank you.”

The police weren’t encountering this situation for the first time and were already used to it. They put away their notebooks and left with the lawyer and Zhou Yu.

The hotel manager and two staff members kept apologizing to Yan Shiqiu. Fang Yuhua escorted them out and reminded them at the door not to leak what happened tonight before letting them go.

With all the outsiders gone, only Yan Shiqiu, Ji Yunnian, Liu Xi, and Fang Yuhua remained in the living room.

After finishing his messages, Fang Yuhua said, “I’ve booked another hotel. Should we go there now?”

Although the manager had just promised to change his room, Yan Shiqiu felt uncomfortable and really couldn’t continue staying at this hotel. Hearing Fang Yuhua mention it, he was about to nod.

Ji Yunnian suddenly spoke up: “No need. He’s staying at my place.”

Yan Shiqiu was stunned for a second, then whipped his head around. “What?”

“I said, you’re coming to stay at my place.” Ji Yunnian looked at him, then offered another option, “or you could go to Wen Chen’s.”

He couldn’t go to Wen Chen’s.

Wen Chen’s mother didn’t like him, and she was currently staying at Wen Chen’s house. If he moved in, it would put Wen Chen in a difficult position, and he’d feel awkward too. But Ji Yunnian’s place…

That was even stranger!

Besides, if he stayed at Ji Yunnian’s house, wouldn’t he be plainly telling Ye Peiyuan that he’d been lying to him before? What difference would that be from exposing himself?

Yan Shiqiu suddenly stood up and pulled Ji Yunnian into the bedroom.

Seeing the door close, Fang Yuhua was a bit surprised. Recalling how Ji Yunnian had called him earlier, offering to help on his own initiative, he had a bad feeling.

He instinctively stood up, but Liu Xi coughed and stopped him, “It’s better to let them talk alone.”

Fang Yuhua looked at her in surprise.

After a moment of silence, he sat back down and said with certainty, “You were placed beside Yan Shiqiu by Ji Yunnian.”

“Yes.” Liu Xi nodded. “I’m responsible for protecting him.”

Connecting this to how Ye Peiyuan had deliberately sent internet trolls to attack Yan Shiqiu and suppressed his trending topics, Fang Yuhua said with understanding, “Ye Peiyuan?”

Liu Xi didn’t deny it.

“Why?” Fang Yuhua really didn’t understand.

Wasn’t it just a breakup? What kind of grudge was this?

Liu Xi crossed her legs and just smiled without saying anything.

Having worked for over a decade in the chaotic entertainment industry, Fang Yuhua had seen all kinds of people and understood many unspoken rules. Seeing her reaction, he realized Liu Xi wouldn’t say more, and the issues involved were probably beyond what he could touch.

He withdrew his gaze and nodded. “I understand.”

Meanwhile, in the bedroom.

Yan Shiqiu sat on the bed while Ji Yunnian sat on the single sofa facing him.

“I can’t stay at your place. Staying at your house would be no different from going directly to Ye Peiyuan and confessing everything.” Yan Shiqiu frowned, his expression clearly disapproving.

Ji Yunnian agreed, “Indeed, no difference.”

“So…”

Ji Yunnian interrupted him, changing direction, “But he very likely already knows and has started targeting you. It’s no longer the joke-like mindless internet trolls from before.”

Yan Shiqiu’s breath caught, his heart instantly jumping to his throat, his stomach heavy with dread. The mix of fear and shock in his emotions left him speechless for a long time before he found his voice again, “What has he done?”

Ji Yunnian didn’t hide anything, “Today’s incident was deliberately arranged, with someone pushing it from behind, and that someone is Ye Peiyuan.”

Yan Shiqiu was immediately confused. “But what benefit would that bring?”

At most it would just disgust him.

“There is a benefit.” Ji Yunnian’s expression darkened, his face grim as he said, “He had trending topics and internet trolls ready. As soon as you reported to the police, someone would immediately release videos that would be pushed across the entire internet.

Soon after, you’d trend because of this, and then someone would expose the sasaeng fan’s identity.”

Yan Shiqiu caught the key point, “What identity?”

“He went to the same high school as you, two grades above, and had a crush on you since high school. He even attended the birthday party you held, and there are photos of you two together.”

Yan Shiqiu was stunned.

Fuck, what kind of nonsense was this?

Ji Yunnian could barely continue, picking out the main points, “That’s not all. Ye Peiyuan also had someone compile a collection of dirt on you, including claims that you once actively seduced Qin Heng and Wu Yi, trying to use this to destroy you by painting you as sexually unsatisfied and actively throwing yourself at people…”

Yan Shiqiu listened quietly to the end, feeling the full malice, and broke out in goosebumps.

If all this information was released, combined with manipulation, using his sexual orientation as ammunition, public opinion would reach its peak. Even if he could eventually prove he was purely a victim, compared to how easily rumors spread, dispelling them was extremely difficult. Some people simply wouldn’t listen.

Moreover, how many netizens had dark, perverted minds? They’d cover their ears and shout “I’m not listening, I’m not listening, I’m not listening.”

He would only become fodder for people’s gossip, then be completely ruined. It might even affect “Mountains and Rivers in Turmoil”, and going further, could even impact Ji Corporation.

Yan Shiqiu felt his spine go cold. He grabbed a pillow from beside him and held it tightly against his chest. Only when his arms were no longer empty did he feel slightly more secure.

After a long silence, he spoke, “So that person tonight was arranged by him?”

“He was the catalyst. Ye Peiyuan gave him your room key card. As long as he came, all subsequent plans could proceed. If he hadn’t come, there should have been backup plans.”

Yan Shiqiu gripped the pillowcase tightly, his knuckles turning white. “Mm.”

He pressed his lips together and asked again, “Was it stopped?”

Having said this, nervousness surged again. He held his breath, waiting for Ji Yunnian’s answer.

Ji Yunnian said, “It was stopped.”

In an instant, air flowed into his lungs, his suspended heart returned to its proper place. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his tense muscles also relaxing.

“Tao Qian has extensive connections, especially with various marketing accounts and self-media. He’s familiar with almost all of them and has had dealings with them. If Ye Peiyuan wanted to wage a public opinion war, he couldn’t avoid these people. I had Tao Qian investigate, and he found out quickly.”

Ji Yunnian stood up, walked in front of him, reached out to gently touch his head, his voice becoming gentle like a summer night’s breeze, incredibly tender, “Don’t be afraid. Nothing happened.”

Yan Shiqiu looked up, staring intently at Ji Yunnian, both confused and bewildered, “Ji Yunnian, why are you so good to me?”

To completely suppress this matter, money alone definitely wouldn’t be enough. Ji Yunnian must have reached some kind of agreement with the other party.

Ji Yunnian wanted to say: Because I like you.

But he couldn’t say it.

If he did, Yan Shiqiu would definitely run away and avoid him.

“Am I that good?” Withdrawing his hand, he looked down at Yan Shiqiu and chuckled softly, “Aren’t we friends? I’m just naturally good to my friends.”

“Really?”

“What else would it be?”

“…”

Unable to help laughing, Yan Shiqiu asked, “By the way, what kind of gifts do you like?”

Ji Yunnian raised an eyebrow, “You’re going to give me a gift?”

“Well, you should think about that yourself. If I tell you and then you buy it, what’s the point? I’m not lacking anything I can’t buy myself. Gifts are about the element of surprise.”

That made sense.

Yan Shiqiu made an OK gesture.

Ji Yunnian hummed in acknowledgment. He glanced at the time and returned to the original topic, “Back to business. So are you coming to my place or going to Wen Chen’s?”

“Let me think about it.” Yan Shiqiu hugged the pillow, quietly considering.

Ji Yunnian threw out the bait, “At my place you can look at paintings. You really like Bai Zhi’s artwork, don’t you?”

Yan Shiqiu: “…”

Direct hit.

Yan Shiqiu tossed aside the pillow and got off the bed, “Give me ten minutes to pack.”

Ji Yunnian’s lips curved up, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Ten minutes later, Yan Shiqiu came out wheeling two suitcases.

Fang Yuhua already had his answer and didn’t bother asking unnecessarily. He just said, “I’ve looked at several houses, but none are particularly ideal, so please be patient and wait a few more days.”

Yan Shiqiu nodded, “Please hurry.”

Returning to the Ji family home, it was already 1 AM.

The living room lights were still on. Yan Shiqiu thought someone was still awake, but after entering the foyer, he didn’t see anyone.

Ji Yunnian handed him slippers and told him, “Leaving lights on is a habit in my family. If someone hasn’t come home yet, we leave a light on for them.”

How nice, Yan Shiqiu thought.

In his previous life, his family had been the same. No matter how late it was, they would leave a light on for whoever was coming home late. That was the warmth of family, telling the person that someone at home was waiting for them.

“Your room has been prepared, it’s on the third floor. I’ll take you up.” As Ji Yunnian spoke, he picked up one of the suitcases and quietly went upstairs.

Yan Shiqiu carried the other suitcase and followed behind.

Reaching the third floor, Ji Yunnian pushed open the nearest door, turned on the room lights, and carried the suitcase inside.

“The bathroom has all the toiletries. They’re all new.”

Placing his hand on Yan Shiqiu’s head again and ruffling his hair, Ji Yunnian used a gentle, coaxing tone, “Take a good shower and get some rest. Don’t think about anything, and don’t worry. I’m here.”

Yan Shiqiu met his focused gaze, and it felt as if a tiny spark had settled in his heart, the small flame spreading warmth throughout his limbs.

He realized he was completely relaxed and felt very secure.

His eyes curving, he gave Ji Yunnian a radiant smile, “Good night.”

Ji Yunnian replied gently, “Good night.“