CH 32.1

Amidst the cheers of the audience, Su Chengyang was helped down by the staff.

When you devote yourself entirely to something and pour your emotions into it like sea water, it’s not something that can be easily escaped from, even if you desperately want to break free from that suffocating feeling and find your own emotions in the performance.

The applause, cheers, and tears of the audience were like a hand pulling Su Chengyang into the sea. She heard a group of people shouting her name, and she turned back desperately. She knew that she must have looked very miserable, but Su Chengyang was clear in her heart that she was an artist, and she needed to present her best side to the audience. Tears blurred her vision, but she pushed through and squeezed out a smile at the intersection of light and shadow.

“Chengyang…” Xiao Lu sat in the front row of the audience, silent next to Lin Yu.

It was as if she had followed Su Chengyang into the eerie song and dance, experiencing the hearts of those who had undergone special traumas.

Although Su Chengyang hadn’t said anything and hadn’t made a sound the entire time, she had the audience’s attention completely focused on her movements, drawing them deep into her emotions.

The stage in the studio was briefly shrouded in darkness, the host didn’t appear on stage, and the lights went out completely. The audience spontaneously applauded, continuing until the lights came back on.

Lin Yu seemed to snap out of his thoughts, looking at Xiao Lu next to him and saying, “Let’s go backstage.”

Xiao Lu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Okay.”

When they left the stage, Su Chengyang’s emotions seemed off, and Xiao Lu couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. Although she didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, she had heard of actors who had gotten too deep into their roles, and it had affected their health. Speaking of which, there was someone around them who had gone too deep into their role and was still healthy 一 Song Mingan.

The two of them stood up and walked towards the backstage area. Just before they entered the hallway, the host wiped away tears, took the cue card, and walked onto the stage. The audience below was still immersed in the shock brought by that song and dance.

“This is a very perfect and meaningful performance, whether Terry wins tonight or not, he has already succeeded. Let us applaud and thank Terry and Miss Su Chenyang for the wonderful performance they brought to us!”

The host’s words were like a bombshell thrown into the crowd, causing a commotion.

“Is Su Chenyang really the dancer?”

“I almost didn’t recognize her!”

“She’s actually my sister! I’ve hit the jackpot!”

“Su Chenyang is amazing!!”

. . . . .

Lin Yu’s footsteps faltered as he walked towards the aisle. He turned her body and looked towards the audience, where the applause was even louder, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Su Chenyang would become the most brilliant jade in this world, even if he only had a year’s time, even if this jade might not want to become his collection.

No…

Perhaps he shouldn’t be so selfish. Even the fleeting thought of possessing the shining and sparkling thing was wrong.

If he could push her into the spotlight himself, that would probably be enough.

Upon arriving at the backstage rest area, the costume teacher stopped Xiao Lu and the others at the door and explained, “Miss Su’s emotions are a bit unstable right now, so it’s better not to let anyone else approach her.”

Terry and Xiao Lu looked worried and said, “We can’t let her be alone either. I heard that when actors get too deep into their roles, accidents can happen.”

Terry nodded in agreement. “At the very least, don’t let her be alone. Miss Su has a strong empathy ability, so it’s dangerous for her to be alone.”

The costume teacher was a bit hesitant. “But Miss Su said…”

“Let me in.” Lin Yu walked up behind them and looked through the crack in the door of the rest area. There was no movement.

In fact, what initially attracted Lin Yu to Su Chengyang was her rare ideas, followed by her innate empathy ability, which allowed her to handle all roles and emotions.

So, Lin Yu chose to take on this controversial dance on her behalf.

“This…” The costume teacher hesitated.

Based on her many years of experience, it was best not to let men near Su Chengyang right now, as it could exacerbate her emotions.

Lin Yu saw what she was thinking and smiled, saying, “Please don’t worry, I won’t approach Chengyang. I just want to confirm her current state.”

Xiao Lu also said, “Chengyang trusts Boss Lin, let him go in and take a look.”

Xiao Lu originally wanted to go in herself, but she was usually quite straightforward and worried that she might accidentally say something wrong, which would make Su Chengyang’s situation even worse.

The costume teacher could only nod her head and say, “Okay, just don’t provoke her.”

Lin Yu nodded and thanked her, “Okay, you’re tired too, go rest first.”

After that, he carefully pushed open the door and walked in, then gently closed it.

It was almost 9:30 in the evening and the lounge was not lit, so he could only vaguely see the outline of the room by the light coming from outside the window.

He squinted his eyes and stood still, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

When the image in front of him became slightly clearer, he saw Su Chengyang curled up in a small corner of the sofa.

He took a few quiet steps forward and softly called out, “Chengyang, are you okay?”

Su Chengyang tightly hugged her arms and her body seemed to tremble a bit. She instinctively shrunk into the sofa, wanting to hide in the darkness.

“I-I’m fine…” Su Chengyang knew it was Lin Yu who entered the room, but she couldn’t help feeling afraid and wanting to escape, as if she would be dragged back into the abyss if she wasn’t careful.

“Can I come over and check on you?”

“No!” Su Chengyang’s voice immediately became sharp.

Lin Yu stood still and didn’t approach her any further.

“Your performance was very successful, congratulations,” he said.

It seemed that as long as he didn’t get too close to her, Su Chengyang could keep her sanity temporarily.

“Thank you,” Su Chengyang said in a muffled voice.

Lin Yu patiently watched her and gently coaxed, “You can rest for a day tomorrow. Is there anywhere you want to go? I’ll have Xiao Lu take you there.”

Su Chengyang shook her head. She usually had very little free time and often spent it alone. She didn’t have anywhere she wanted to go, nor did she know where she could go.

“The cinema?”

Su Chengyang shook her head.

“Amusement park?”

Still shaking her head.

“Beauty salon?”

Again, shaking her head.

Unconsciously, Lin Yu took a few steps forward and reminded Su Chengyang with his voice that he was trying to get closer to her. When he saw that Su Chengyang didn’t react, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Food court?”

Su Chengyang was taken aback and hesitated to nod, but in the end, he didn’t dare and whispered, “Manager Lin won’t let me go.”

“You can go occasionally,” Lin Yu said.

Unexpectedly, Su Chengyang still didn’t react much after hearing this. Instead, she buried her head between her knees, and her tense body relaxed.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Yu asked softly.

With each sentence he spoke, he took a step closer to Su Chengyang.

Su Chengyang realized this, but she didn’t feel scared.

She found it strange herself. On the way back to the dressing room from the stage, she felt that her body was about to be engulfed by some kind of low emotion. In such a situation, she chose to deal with this emotion the same way as before 一 slowly fighting it alone. At this time, the appearance of others would only make things worse for her.

But Lin Yu was different.

Since the first time Su Chengyang saw him at the elevator entrance, the most profound impression he left on her was gentleness. He had helped Su Chengyang a lot, and he had always been gentle with her, although sometimes he seemed strict, but Su Chengyang knew that was his job duty.

In Su Chengyang’s heart, Lin Yu’s image had always been more like an angel. She couldn’t help but feel that he wouldn’t hurt her, nor would he bring her anything bad. Lin Yu was the person she could trust with all her heart.

Perhaps it was just an illusion that appeared in her mind, but this was undoubtedly Su Chengyang’s most sincere thought.

So when Lin Yu stopped in front of her, she looked up at him with tear-streaked face and asked, with a childlike innocence, “Can I go to school?”

In the dim light, it seemed as though the Milky Way was pouring into Su Chengyang’s eyes. She was like a stray dog who had been wandering for a long time, hoping that Lin Yu would give her the response she wanted.

Looking at her like this, Lin Yu’s fingers curled unconsciously around his body. His throat rolled up and down, and he slowly raised his right hand to wipe away the glistening tears on Su Chengyang’s cheek.

However, his fingers paused in mid-air, uncertain if his actions would hurt her.

Su Chengyang seemed not to notice his hand so close to her, her gaze fixed on his not-so-clear expression in the darkness. After a long time without getting any response, her expression gradually became uneasy.

“I…”

The next moment, a warm hand lightly stroked Su Chengyang’s cheek, as if treating an extremely fragile piece of art, rubbing her cheek with his fingertips in a probing manner.

Su Chengyang was stunned, staring at Lin Yu blankly, not coming back to her senses for a while.

Seeing that Su Chengyang showed no signs of fear, Lin Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the pressure of his fingers on her cheek increased slightly as he swept away the hair covering her face, revealing her entire face.

“Why do you want to go to school?” Lin Yu acted as if nothing had happened, hoping to pull Su Chengyang out of her “hurt” mood with these questions.

But he did not know that in the instant his hand touched Su Chengyang’s cheek, her mind went blank, and she couldn’t even think of being afraid.

She answered mechanically like a puppet, “I haven’t been to school, I just want to take a look.”

After speaking, Su Chengyang felt a sense of shame inexplicably. In the past, she never thought her background was so pathetic. Even if she lied, it was only at the company’s request. But in front of the person she considered the best in the world, she inevitably thought that she was indeed pitiful.

Will Lin Yu look down on her?

But what of it?

Yes, what of it?

Lin Yu’s middle finger touched her hot earlobe, and he couldn’t help but flick it lightly.

“Oh, do you plan to go back to school after one year?” he asked.

“After one year?” Su Chengyang looked confused.

“Yes, I have seen your information. You dropped out of school before graduating from high school. If you want to go to school, you can go back and take the college entrance examination.” Lin Yu said softly.

Su Chengyang’s heart skipped a beat, that’s right! “Su Chengyang” had a school record! Unlike herself, Su Chengyang was an orphan who didn’t know who her parents were, but “Su Chengyang” knew that her parents died in a car accident, and the assets in her family came from the demolition of an old house!

So, did she just say she hadn’t been to school? Wouldn’t Manager Lin think she was lying to him?

Su Chengyang felt uneasy in her heart, looked up at him cautiously, and with a hint of flattery in her eyes, she said, “I didn’t…”

Su Chengyang had just spoken when a hand covered her eyes, plunging her into complete darkness.

“lie to you…” Su Chengyang’s voice trailed off uncertainly.

Lin Yu covered her eyes with his hand and sighed, “Chengyang, don’t look at me like that.”

Perhaps because she couldn’t see, Su Chengyang’s other senses felt unusually sharp. Lin Yu’s palm was dry and touched her eye area lightly, creating an inexplicable itch.

Su Chengyang caught a whiff of a light fragrance emanating from Lin Yu’s sleeve, and her cheeks turned slightly red. She held her breath and said softly, “Manager Lin…”

Lin Yu’s throat tightened. “Hmm?”

“You’re too close…” Su Chengyang murmured softly.

Lin Yu’s body shook, and his palm seemed to have been burned. He quickly withdrew it and lowered his gaze, saying, “I’m sorry.”

Although Lin Yu had taken his hand back, Su Chengyang still felt the faint fragrance lingering around her nose.

She was a little afraid to breathe and looked up at Lin Yu’s expression, but she couldn’t see clearly in the darkness.

“Can I turn on the lights?” Lin Yu took a step back, keeping a safe distance from her.

Su Chengyang’s attention has completely shifted, and she no longer feels afraid, but is somewhat uneasy, as if there is something uncontrollable raging in her heart.

She buried her head between her knees and murmured, “Mm-hmm.”

Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, touching Su Chengyang’s hand, curling his fingers into her palm, as if doing so could hold onto a trace of warmth left by Su Chengyang.

He turned and walked to the door, placing his fingers on the light switch. Suddenly, Su Chengyang called out to him from behind.

“Manager Lin.”

Su Chengyang acted on impulse, she didn’t even know what she wanted to say.

At the sound of her voice, Lin Yu turned back, whispering, “What’s wrong?”

Su Chengyang thought about whether or not she should explain that she hadn’t attended school, but Lin Yu didn’t seem to care. If she suddenly brought it up, he might become suspicious.

Su Chengyang remained silent in the darkness for a long time, and suddenly remembered her conversation with Mary in the bathroom.

Mary had said that before she had any interaction with Lin Yu, she had seen him several times, but he didn’t remember her.

Su Chengyang fell silent, and Lin Yu stood patiently by the door, waiting quietly.

“Manager Lin, do you remember… our first meeting?” Su Chengyang asked.

“The first time?” Lin Yu responded.

Su Chengyang replied with a “yes” and added, “Not on the day of the audition.”

She reminded him.

Su Chengyang didn’t know what she was thinking when she asked this question, nor was she clear about whether she wanted a negative or positive answer, and even less certain about what she would do once she got an accurate answer.

At that moment, she wanted to take back what she said, but it was too late.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yu said, “If I’m not mistaken, I bumped into you accidentally on the day I made an appointment to audition at your former agency.”

Su Chengyang’s heart seemed to skip a beat, as if a soft feather had lightly brushed against it. She lowered her gaze and whispered, “You remember.”

Lin Yu was puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Remembering someone he had met once should not be an incredible thing, right?

“It’s nothing.” Su Chengyang shook her head slightly and said, “Manager Lin, I’m fine now, no need to turn on the lights. Can you please call Xiao Lu for me?”

Lin Yu was taken aback, nodded, and went to the door of the rest area to call Xiao Lu.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and turned around to look at Su Chengyang, saying, “Sorry.”

Su Chengyang knew he was apologizing for accidentally bumping into her, but she didn’t think it was something that deserved an apology.

“No need to apologize,” Su Chengyang muttered.

“Rest well, I’ll come pick you up in an hour.”

“Mm…”

Lin Yu left the room, and Su Chengyang finally felt his presence around her dissipate.

She lifted her face and couldn’t help but touch the spot where Lin Yu had bumped into her, still feeling the warmth.

“Manager Lin…” Su Chengyang murmured.

At this moment, Su Chengyang felt like she understood Mary’s feelings.

Even though Su Chengyang had been single since birth, she still had to admit that Lin Yu was a very charming man, both in appearance and character, and he made her heart flutter.

“But this is not possible.” Su Chengyang looked dazedly in the direction Lin Yu had left.

Crossing Lin Yu’s safety zone would result in being mercilessly pushed away.

Moreover, Su Chengyang didn’t want to fall for someone and have to desperately chase after them just to be qualified to stand by their side.

In every way, Su Chengyang should not have such a naive thought. It’s too stupid, isn’t it?

Two minutes later, in the next second after Su Chengyang calmed down, Xiao Lu rushed in.

“Chengyang, are you okay?” Xiao Lu turned on the light carelessly and asked worriedly.

The sudden light pierced Su Chengyang’s eyes, making her unable to open them.

She covered her eyes with her hand and tears almost flowed out. Finally, she understood why the person who came in just now was Lin Yu instead of Xiao Lu. If Xiao Lu came in directly, Su Chengyang felt that she might have been stressed by her.

“I’m fine. How did the competition go?”

During the ten minutes that Su Chengyang locked herself in the room, the fourth guest had finished performing, and the competition results should have been announced.

Xiao Lu held a cup of honey water and walked to Su Chengyang. She shook her head and handed the cup to Su Chengyang, saying, “Here, my cousin brother made the honey water. Drink some while it’s warm.”

Su Chengyang blankly took the cup from her hand and said, “Thank you.”

Xiao Lu sat down next to her and pulled the chain wrapped around her body with her hand, sighing, “Su Chengyang, you’re amazing. I almost cried when I saw you. Do you know how many years it’s been since I cried? I didn’t even cry when I was being trained in the army. When you guys got off the stage just now, I saw Terry and was really angry. I really wanted to beat him up.”

Su Chengyang was amused by her, “Assault is a crime, don’t break the law.”

Xiao Lu patted her shoulder and took out her phone from her pocket, handing it to Su Chengyang with solemnity. “Miss Su, I solemnly inform you of one thing 一 you’re on the hot search again.”

Su Chengyang took the phone in surprise and drank some honey water to calm down. She then clicked on Weibo and saw her name on the hot search.

Xiao Lu kept talking beside her, “The program was live-streamed. After your performance, the audience in the live broadcast room went crazy. The barrage was so dense that you couldn’t even see a gap. The fourth guest who performed was particularly pitiful. The audience on-site and in the live broadcast room were still reeling from your performance and didn’t even know what he performed after the live broadcast ended.”

“Did you see? Everyone is praising it. It’s really great. I feel like my brother really picked up a gem. You’ll definitely become famous in no time!”

Su Chengyang smiled and didn’t take it to heart. She clicked on the hot search about herself.

【Sister, you’re my goddess!!!】

【I won’t allow anyone to miss Su Chengyang’s performance today!】

【I want to smoke and damage my lungs with every expression my older sister makes tonight!】

【Ah, I cried so much that my mom chased and beat me. She said I’ve never cried so miserably since I was born!】

【I used to dislike death metal, feeling that it was too noisy and depressing. But combined with Sister’s dance, it feels powerful. Luckily, she finally bit the perpetrator to death.】

【Help, help, help! Su Chengyang’s final smile hit my heart!】

【Wuwuwu, it’s all Sister’s fault for previewing this program. I didn’t even have time to watch the second episode of the trip. I have to go back and catch up now.】

【Su Chengyang is on fire! I want to see you act!】

. . . . .

Su Chengyang frowned and looked at the homepage full of praises, feeling that something was not quite right. She put it down and flipped through it for a long time, finally finding a few different comments:

【don’t understand, just asking, is Su Chengyang acting like a mentally ill patient who is going crazy?】

【Hmm, this outfit is really revealing…】

【The style is too dark, right? I’m getting goosebumps and feeling nauseous.】