Variety Show

The hallway was silent.

Liang Shining stood rigid at the door.

He was about to say something, but Ying Huai at the door didn't look at him at all. Instead, he gazed at the person behind and slowly took another step forward.

"Dage?" Ying Huai looked at Ying Qi, speaking softly, uncertain.

"Mm, what's wrong?" Ying Qi smiled gently, lightly teasing his younger brother. "Haven't seen each other in so long — did you miss your big brother?"

The moment his words fell, he saw his usually languid, unserious younger brother's eyes redden without warning.

Ying Qi froze for a moment, his originally gentle expression instantly shifting: "What's wrong? Xiao Huai?"

He frowned and stepped forward twice. Ying Huai took a deep breath and managed a smile: "Nothing, it's just....... really been too long since I saw Dage."

Ying Qi is Ying Huai's half-brother — same father, different mother — currently the largest shareholder of the Ying Family, and the only person who had always protected Ying Huai after he was blackened across the internet in his previous life.

—But perhaps precisely because of this, not long after, Ying Qi had a sudden car accident during a business trip and died on the spot — rescue efforts failed.

Ying Qi didn't believe his brother's "nothing" at all.

He stared at Ying Huai for a few seconds, then suddenly turned his gaze to Liang Shining beside him: "Is it because of him?"

Ying Huai was stunned. "What?"

Liang Shining inwardly thought this was bad. He was just about to speak when Ying Qi calmly said: "He just said he's your boyfriend."

Ying Huai: ???

Ying Qi's voice was as gentle as ever, but somehow sent a chill down the spine: "If he bullied you, tell Dage, and Dage will help you—"

"No!" Ying Huai blurted out suddenly.

He was somewhere between amused and helpless. He sighed and said softly: "I have no relationship with him at all, he's just an unfamiliar stranger. Dage, it might have been a misunderstanding just now..."

"Then why did he come out of your house just now?" Ying Qi's voice remained gentle but struck at the heart of the matter. "An unfamiliar stranger?"

Ying Huai: ......

Looking at Ying Qi's expression of "I won't let this go until I get a reasonable explanation today," Ying Huai gritted his teeth and said softly: "He's... my disciple."

Liang Shining's eyes lit up. Ying Huai glared at him, then gritted his teeth and added: "One who doesn't know how to respect his master at all. Might get kicked out by me any day now."

Ying Qi turned his head thoughtfully: "So you didn't open the door just now to chase after him?"

......Ying Huai had absolutely no idea what kind of things his brother, a company president, usually watched.

"Of course not! I came out for something else."

Ying Huai took a deep breath and pulled Ying Qi toward the stairs: "Since Dage is here, give me a ride on the way."

The hallway fell quiet for a moment. Liang Shining silently exhaled, his tense body finally slowly relaxing.

But the next moment, Li Xiang behind him suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "Ying Huai announced a new Variety Show?"

Liang Shining turned around sharply.

·

Inside Ying Qi's car.

"So you came back to the company for that newly announced Variety Show?" Ying Qi turned his head to look at the person in the passenger seat.

Ying Huai, who had been staring at Ying Qi in a daze, came back to himself and instantly regained his half-smiling expression: "Yes."

Afraid Ying Qi would worry, he pressed at his reddened eye corner and smiled playfully: "Can't really call it an announcement either. I was just 'informed' via Weibo myself."

But Ying Qi misunderstood Ying Huai's meaning. He frowned and slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"This Variety Show — your manager decided it for you, right?"

Ying Huai was stunned. Before he could say anything, he heard Ying Qi slowly say: "Xiao Huai, if you don't want to be on this Variety Show, I can find a way to help you..."

Before Ying Qi could finish, Ying Huai suddenly said: "No need!"

His emotions were too intense for a moment, his heart contracted, and Ying Huai couldn't help but break into a fit of coughing.

Ying Qi was startled by Ying Huai's reaction.

"What's wrong? Your heart acting up again?" Ying Qi quickly reached for the medicine in Ying Huai's pocket, but was directly stopped by Ying Huai.

"No, just choked a bit."

Ying Huai said hoarsely. His fingers were ice-cold, pressing against Ying Qi's with a slight tremor, but he still managed a smile: "I'm fine."

—He remembered that in his previous life, Ying Qi had also said he'd help him turn it down, but due to Ying Father's obstruction, it had ultimately come to nothing.

And not long after that, Ying Qi had his accident.

Ying Huai took a deep breath: "I can handle this myself. Dage doesn't need to worry."

Ying Huai looked at his worried big brother, his peach blossom eyes curving little by little: "Dage just needs to always stay by my side."

Ying Qi always felt something was off about his younger brother's state.

But Ying Huai had always been the type to keep everything inside since childhood, and Ying Qi couldn't bear to push him too hard.

He sighed and reached out to touch Ying Huai's soft hair: "Is there anything you need Dage's help with?"

The moment his words fell, he saw a glint of cunning flash through the peach blossom eyes of the person before him: "There really is one thing — I need Dage's help with it."

·

Inside the Lu Group building.

It took Ying Huai half a day of coaxing and persuading before his overly worried big brother finally left.

His mouth was parched from talking, and his mind was full of wanting to find a glass of water once he went upstairs. He didn't notice at all who was in the elevator when he entered.

Until a slightly mocking voice came from behind: "Oh, the busy Mr. Ying actually has time to come back to the company today?"

Ying Huai was stunned. He turned around, bewildered, and came face to face with a heavily made-up young man.

"You've come to see Young Master Lu, haven't you." The young man said mockingly.

Seeing Ying Huai staring at him without answering, he assumed his guess was right and instantly became even more smug: "I saw what happened at the last banquet on the livestream. The great star Ying actually sucking up to someone like that — it's truly laughable..."

"Excuse me," Ying Huai suddenly spoke, cutting him off.

He looked up innocently: "May I ask who you are?"

The young man's face instantly flushed with anger: "Ying Huai, don't push people too far!"

"I entered the company at the same time as you. Don't think that just because you're famous you can insult people like this—"

"Entered the company at the same time as me, huh," Ying Huai said with a smile, "then it's not my turn to insult you."

His gaze swept over the young man's heavy makeup and the smell of alcohol on him, and his peach blossom eyes curved: "You do enough insulting yourself."

"You—" The young man's eyes instantly reddened with anger.

"Don't change the subject! You came to see Young Master Lu today, didn't you! Can you have some shame and stop clinging to Young Master Lu......"

"Sorry to disappoint you again," Ying Huai's throat was still a bit sore, he covered his lips and coughed, "I'm not here to see Lu Jing."

The young man glared at him and said contemptuously: "Then why aren't you pressing any other floor?"

Ying Huai froze for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

He looked back at his manager's floor, which they had long since passed, and sighed silently.

He had been pestered by this person the moment he entered, and had momentarily forgotten to press the button.

—But anyway, he needed to go up to Lu Jing's floor too, so he might as well change the order.

Ying Huai pressed his brow. He stared at the only lit button and suddenly realized something.

"You're going to see Lu Jing?"

The young man froze, his expression instantly becoming unnatural: "Don't talk nonsense—"

"Lu Jing's floor requires a special keycard to access. If you're not here specifically to see him, then I'll have to call security and ask who's stolen a keycard," Ying Huai said with a half-smile.

The floor rose little by little as the two talked, and the young man's expression grew more and more tense.

He had been at the company for many years without making a name for himself, so he'd used the courage from alcohol to come up with this idea.

Now that Ying Huai had exposed him, the young man instantly panicked.

Watching the floor approach, he suddenly pulled something from his pocket and quickly stuffed it into Ying Huai's hand: "Don't slander me here. It's clearly you shamelessly trying to come up to ask Young Master Lu for help, and you're framing me—"

Ying Huai looked up, bewildered. The next second, a soft 'ding' came from behind.

Ying Huai had an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

He slowly turned around and came face to face with Lu Jing's slightly darkened expression.

Ying Huai's gaze followed Lu Jing's line of sight downward, landing on the keycard the person had just stuffed into his hand.

Ying Huai: ......

Before he could say anything, he heard Lu Jing say in a low voice: "Get out."

The young man's expression instantly fell. Ying Huai turned around without hesitation, but the next second, felt his wrist tighten.

"Ying Huai stays," Lu Jing's voice fell by his ear, "the other one — get out of the company."

The elevator doors slowly closed along with the young man's pleas. Ying Huai, who had struggled in vain, sighed and turned back helplessly.

"Shixiong, you believed what he said, didn't you?"

Ying Huai closed his eyes tiredly. He barely needed the other to answer to know that Lu Jing had already done so.

Lu Jing sneered: "Why shouldn't I believe? The facts are right in front of me — that keycard was just in your hand—"

"The keycard was forced into my hand," Ying Huai struggled with his wrist, "Shixiong saw it when the door opened, didn't you."

Lu Jing paused, his expression still mocking: "Then you could have gotten off at another floor in between. Ying Huai, last time at the Hospital you couldn't avoid me fast enough — why are you coming specifically to find me today?"

"I missed my floor," Ying Huai said innocently, "sorry for letting Shixiong imagine so much."

Lu Jing: ......

His face alternated between green and red, finally becoming a mix of shame and anger: "Ying Huai, what's the use of being stubborn now? You came to beg me about that Variety Show, didn't you?"

"I'm the one who had your manager sign you up for this Variety Show. Even if you come find me today, I won't cancel it."

Ying Huai looked up at him and said with a half-smile: "Who said I came to see Shixiong?"

Lu Jing didn't believe it at all.

He became more and more convinced, his expression mocking again: "Last time you snuck into my office to lurk, you probably didn't get a good look, did you."

"This time I'll invite you to take a good look—"

Before he could finish, the office door opposite was slowly pushed open.

Immediately after, a displeased voice came from across.

"Lu Jing," Lu Father stood opposite, speaking in a low voice, "let go."

"Where did the manners I taught you go?"

Behind Lu Father, Ying Qi slowly walked out and smiled gently at his younger brother.

A flash of disbelief crossed Lu Jing's face. He suddenly released Ying Huai's hand: "Father, I wasn't just now—"

"Apologize," a flash of impatience crossed Lu Father's face, "don't make me say it twice."

Lu Jing's body tensed for a moment. His face was ashen, but under Lu Father's pressure, he finally turned around and said to Ying Huai, word by word, in a low voice: "Sorry."

Ying Huai's peach blossom eyes curved. He rubbed his wrist and smiled at the two people opposite: "Dage, Uncle Lu."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Uncle Lu."

Lu Father stared at Ying Huai intently for a few seconds, said nothing, and turned to walk directly into the office.

Ying Huai didn't mind. He took a step forward to follow, then suddenly heard Lu Jing's stiff voice behind him: "How do you know my father?"

Ying Huai didn't answer. He toyed with the Hongyu Jewel at the end of his hair and suddenly laughed: "Speaking of which, Uncle Lu's office has a floor-to-ceiling window with a much better view than Shixiong's."

—And Lu Father, even more than Lu Jing, is less of a person.