The bus drove towards Sunny Orphanage.
Everyone chatted on the bus.
Aurora felt a surge of emotion.
“An orphanage, I never thought places like this still existed in the city. How can parents be so heartless as to abandon their own children?”
Lin Mu Ci naturally chimed in.
“It’s not always abandonment by parents. Some have parents who met with an accident and relatives refused to take them in, and another situation is being maliciously discarded.”
Yang Wei Yang turned her head curiously towards her.
“Xiao Ci, how do you know so much?”
Lin Mu Ci faltered slightly. She cleared her throat.
“I heard.”
Ling Qian He chuckled softly from behind her. Lin Mu Ci’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she thought with annoyance.
*Why is he laughing!*
*Is he proud of catching my little slip-up?*
…
When Lin Mu Ci got off the bus, everyone was taking a break.
Feng Yu Ting walked over to Ling Qian He.
In a corner out of the camera’s view, he snorted coldly, his tone displeased.
“Since you have a new flame, you still dare to come here?”
“Aren’t you afraid of being consumed by those past memories? Ling Qian He, can you truly be this heartless? Others don’t know your background, but I am perfectly clear.”
“You’ve forgotten the incident at the orphanage back then… you almost went to jail!”
“If it weren’t for Lin Mu Ci helping you…”
He gritted his teeth, and Ling Qian He said in a low voice.
“The fault was not mine.”
“Besides, how do you know Sister Mu Ci will necessarily be upset?”
Feng Yu Ting’s face turned red with anger.
“You’re openly bringing another girl back to the orphanage, and you think she won’t be upset? You’re trampling on your shared memories. You doing this… you doing this…”
Feng Yu Ting’s voice trembled slightly.
Ling Qian He turned and walked away, ignoring him.
Feng Yu Ting clenched his fists tightly. This damned kid!
If he betrayed Lin Mu Ci, he shouldn’t blame Feng Yu Ting for being ruthless!
Lin Mu Ci could sense the undercurrents between the two men, but her focus was solely on the mission.
The mission required them to find information at the orphanage.
Find a childhood photo of Ling Qian He from a pile of group photos.
Lin Mu Ci coughed. Childhood photos might be difficult for others, but this mission was no challenge for her.
Everyone split up to search.
The photographer followed behind Lin Mu Ci, and Ling Qian He also walked beside her. The two, one tall and one shorter, made a harmonious pair in their backs.
“Brother Qian He!”
“Is it Brother Qian He who’s here?”
A few children rushed forward, and Ling Qian He distributed snacks to them.
The top idol knelt patiently. He had faint dimples on his lips, and a gentle smile on his face. In the sunlight, his expression was tender. Lin Mu Ci watched him silently as he petted the children’s heads.
The bullet comments were silent for a while before someone posted.
[He looks so gentle when Qian He looks at them like that. Who would remember he’s only twenty years old?]
[The girl Qian He likes must be very happy. Sob sob sob.]
Lin Mu Ci was momentarily speechless.
The system tutted and sighed.
“Poor little villain, his blackening value is still increasing… perhaps he sees his own childhood in these children? After all, he was treated so terribly back then. Honestly, we didn’t expect this little world to glitch and have you directly ejected from it.”
“He searched for you like crazy back then.”
“He had already passed the police academy entrance exam, but he ultimately chose to enter the entertainment company.”
“Deep down, he’s a very resolute person. But if it weren't for that, he wouldn't be Ling Qian He.”
The system sighed heavily.
Lin Mu Ci felt like the system was stabbing her again.
“Stop stabbing, stop stabbing.”
Standing there, she felt utterly uncomfortable.
Yang Wei Yang found many old orphanage group photos from the director’s office. Everyone crowded around, chattering.
“How is Tutor Ling in there? There was no news saying Tutor Ling was an orphan.”
When Ling Qian He debuted, his agency had kept his background hidden.
So, his origin from an orphanage wasn’t widely known; only those with keen interest could uncover some details.
“Hey, look, is this Qian He?”
Lin Mu Ci dared not look.
Ling Qian He stood behind her and asked her.
“Why aren’t you looking?”
Unable to evade, Lin Mu Ci reluctantly glanced at the group photo.
Memories flooded back.
A boy fierce as a wolf cub, yet possessing an incomparably handsome face. His dark eyes slanted upwards at the corners, and his brows and eyes were filled with wildness.
This level of handsomeness was highly recognizable. Only Ling Qian He could possess such unreal, manga-like beauty.
“It’s little brother Qian He, sob sob sob. How can he be so handsome? I’m about to faint from his charm.”
“But why is he at the orphanage?”
Ling Qian He spoke.
“I hadn’t gone home yet then, so I stayed at Sunny Orphanage temporarily.”
His words implied there must be some hidden reason behind it.
However, everyone hesitated to pry, fearing they might touch upon his painful past. It seemed that since his debut, he had indeed never mentioned his family.
At most, he would mention an elder sister who was very important to him.
Qian He had always been cautious about this matter.
Fans only knew that he had a doll that accompanied him since his debut.
Regarding anything else, his family relationships were completely unknown.
Yang Wei Yang cautiously glanced at Ling Qian He. The production team signaled them to talk more and engage Ling Qian He to secure camera time. She gritted her teeth and tentatively asked.
“So, Tutor Ling has no family?”
Ling Qian He frowned.
Lin Mu Ci, afraid he would get angry and take it out on Yang Wei Yang, spoke first.
“He… has a brother who was in a vegetative state.”
The viewers watching the live stream were very curious.
This matter was also not widely known.
[Little brother Qian He has a brother in a vegetative state? He’s never mentioned it before. How does Lin Mu Ci know?]
Ling Qian He lowered his head, his eyebrows cast down, only his long eyelashes trembling slightly in the light and shadow.
“Yes, there was a brother in a vegetative state, but he has recently woken up.”
“I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t want to put family matters in the spotlight.”
There had always been speculation about Ling Qian He’s background.
He had an outstanding aura.
Countless luxury cars.
Whether it was sponsorship or brands he wore himself, they were incredibly expensive. Even his fan site operators were often stunned by his casual purchases; a watch worth millions was common, and a mansion worth tens of millions was bought on a whim.
Thus, his fans referred to him as a rich young master from a wealthy family.
Even when facing business CEOs, he held his own.
However, in the orphanage group photo, the young Ling Qian He wore a simple white shirt. While it couldn’t conceal his peerless elegance and unparalleled beauty, it was evident that he was likely quite poor.
Could five years truly change a person to such an extent?
…
The production team took a break, and the photographer served food. Ling Qian He did not eat. He sat on the orphanage steps. Lin Mu Ci walked over, unable to help but ask him in a low voice.
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
“Did you intentionally—intentionally want the program to come to the orphanage? You know very well that once the show airs, everyone will definitely dig into your past. Don’t you care at all?”
“Aren’t you afraid of your persona collapsing?”
Ling Qian He pursed his lips and looked up at Lin Mu Ci.
“Persona collapsing?”
“What persona?”
“The humble, polite, sunny, and elegant Ling Qian He in front of the audience?”
Lin Mu Ci, still foolishly oblivious, didn’t realize she had walked into a trap.
“Yes, aren’t you afraid of your persona collapsing?”
“If your past at the orphanage is revealed, Ling Qian He, it will cause a huge uproar…”
As soon as she spoke, she felt something was not quite right.
Ling Qian He opposite her tilted his head back, and in the bright light, the smile on his lips gradually spread, like wild grass growing unbridled, overwhelming her, and her breathing instantly quickened.
He stood up, approached her step by step, then leaned close to her ear.
In a corner of the orphanage wall, unseen by others, he whispered into her ear, asking her word by word.
“How do you know about my past at the orphanage?”
Lin Mu Ci: “……”
In her mind, the system’s stern, unyielding warning voice echoed.
“Host revealing information related to the previous穿越 to this world, violating world taboos… as it was not an intentional violation, you are warned once. Any further intentional disclosure of your identity will result in immediate deletion!”
Lin Mu Ci was so angry she wanted to curse.
It was this little scoundrel, Ling Qian He, who had set a trap!
He was so malicious!
In her mind, the system’s cold warning voice sounded, and in reality, Ling Qian He leaned close to her ear and said.
“How can my persona collapse?”
“Will people know that I drank and fought when I was a teenager at the orphanage?”
“Or will they know that at fifteen, I loved a girl so much that I was going crazy?”
“I drank because you went on a date with another man. I fought because the punks on this street harassed you. Even if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t regret it.”
“Moreover, with my current status in the entertainment industry, I’m no longer afraid of my persona collapsing.”
“No one will allow me to fall from grace—there is no second Ling Qian He in this world. As long as no one has ever surpassed me, as long as I remain the most popular Chinese star in the world, these rumors will only add to my legend and be harmless.”
“Fans won’t believe that I drank and fought.”
“They certainly won’t believe that I was hopelessly in love with a girl at fifteen.”
“I am an unattainable fantasy from the clouds.”
“But only I know.”
“Every second I lost you, I was on the verge of madness!”
Lin Mu Ci’s breathing was erratic.
Flustered, she asked the system in her mind.
“Are the cameras on?”
“Is it live?”
The system said.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, the cameras are on… that photographer forgot to turn them off again. Do you want to use points to redeem a mute function?”
“There’s a few seconds delay for the live broadcast, it’s still in time.”
“Otherwise, if Ling Qian He’s words are broadcast live, you should know what the consequences will be, right?”
Lin Mu Ci gritted her teeth in anger.
Damn it—why should she clean up the mess created by Ling Qian He and the photographer?
“Quickly mute it for me… how many points?”
The system’s voice was cheerful.
“Twenty points, honest price!”
Lin Mu Ci: “Scam!”
Why didn’t they just rob her!
But despite her immense anger, she still had to pay the points.
She took a deep breath and looked at Ling Qian He, her hatred boiling.
“Tutor Ling, I really don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“I’m also not interested in Tutor Ling’s past.”
“Whether Tutor Ling was a hooligan or a thug in the past is completely unimportant to me.”
“I just feel that we are filming a program right now, and Tutor Ling should restrain himself. You’ve been in the industry longer and should know that it’s not easy for newcomers to get ahead. I will not let anyone or anything affect my career.”
Ling Qian He looked at her deeply.
Then he leaned even closer.
He was too close.
Lin Mu Ci nervously clenched her fists, fearing he would kiss her the next second.
She had already spent twenty points to mute the video.
She definitely didn’t want to spend more points!
Ling Qian He’s laughter was captivating, and then Lin Mu Ci heard his voice, setting a fire in her heart.
“Partnering with me for a fake romance, wouldn’t you rise to fame faster?”
“Only a top idol can elevate another to top idol status.”
Lin Mu Ci gritted her teeth.
“No way!”
“Can’t I become famous through my own efforts?”
“I will absolutely not fake a romance with you!”
…
The audience watching the live broadcast, who were intently observing Lin Mu Ci and Ling Qian He talking together, suddenly lost sound and protested.
【Where is my royal lip-reading translator?】
【What are they talking about?】
【The production team is too unreliable! How can the equipment malfunction at this time? Hey, hey, hey! I’m about to have a heart attack and need to call an ambulance!】
However, even without sound.
Just seeing the distance between Ling Qian He and Lin Mu Ci getting closer and closer.
It was just—
This is too much!
Sob sob sob, do these two have something going on?