Chapter 05
Liang Yuxuan nodded expressionlessly.
“Miss Liang, did I say something wrong…?”
“No,” Liang Yuxuan gave a faint smile. “Thank you for reminding me of all this.”
At ten o’clock the next morning.
Lu Yuan was woken up by his alarm to walk the dog. After taking good care of the Border Collie, he swung by Bian Xuâs residence. Just as he arrived, he saw Bian Xu walking out of the bedroom, fully dressed.
It looked like he had stayed in the recording studio all night and had just returned.
“Where is she?” Bian Xu pointed to the empty bedroom, raising his wrists to adjust his cufflinks.
Lu Yuan hadn’t slept enough and was still a bit dazed. “You mean Miss Liang?”
“Who else?” Bian Xu raised an eyebrow, walking over to the dining table in the outer room and pulling out a chair to sit down.
“Oh, you were in the recording studio at the time, so I didn’t tell you. Miss Liang left in the early hours of the morning. She said she was moving out with the dance troupe to catch a noon flight back to China, so she wouldn’t wait for you.”
Bian Xuâs hands paused on his knife and fork. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. “So she really did just come for a dog.”
Lu Yuan didn’t quite catch the meaning, but afraid of asking a stupid question, he changed the subject: “Boss, when I was on the phone early this morning, Miss Liang accidentally overheard me. She knows about the news regarding you and Miss Bei. I put in a lot of effort to smooth things over, but I don’t know if she bought it… Do you want to explain it to her again?”
The butter knife in Bian Xuâs hand sliced open a piece of cheese toast. “The toast is overcooked.”
“Huh?”
“The cheese smells fishy.” Bian Xu frowned.
“…”
This was top-tier, premium cheese; where would a fishy smell come from?
This kind of “emperor’s palate”âwhich could even taste whether an Australian lobster was already on its last breath before being shelled aliveâwas truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people who found everything delicious.
“Iâll severely reprimand the kitchen later.” Lu Yuan clenched his fists. Seeing that Bian Xu was only focused on being picky about his food, Lu Yuan took out his phone to log into Weibo and check for updates on the news.
The internet signal on the island could be temperamental. After refreshing for a good while, Lu Yuan finally loaded the trending hashtag: #Bei Ying’s Camp Denies Romance#.
ROF Studio’s statement read: “Recently, the content circulated across various network platforms regarding our group member Miss Bei Ying’s ‘romance’ is entirely false. Miss Bei Yingâs three-day, two-night itinerary in Amsterdam was strictly related to work for her upcoming solo single this autumn. We are grateful for Teacher Bian Xuâs guidance and care for his junior during this time, and we thank everyone for their concern.”
Lu Yuan handed his phone to Bian Xu. “Miss Beiâs side released a statement clarifying it as a work relationship. They even gilded themselves a bit, making it sound like you actually guided her on her new single… When the song comes out, do you want to distance yourself from it?”
Bian Xu didn’t even glance at the screen. He tapped a cigarette out of his pack and flicked his lighter. “Let her be.”
It sounded like he was leaving Bei Ying some face.
Lu Yuan couldn’t quite grasp Bian Xuâs attitude toward Bei Ying and didn’t dare to ask too much. If he found out his boss really had done something guilty, he would die of a guilty conscience every time he faced Liang Yuxuan in the future.
Liang Yuxuan was such a wonderful girl. She had been with his boss for over half a year and kept it so low-key that there wasn’t a single peep about it. Was it because she couldn’t leverage the benefits?
Setting aside how many doors money could open in this capital-driven era, just looking at Bian Xuâs grandfatherâa highly respected figure in the musical and dance theater world with an incredibly vast networkâhis connections directly aligned with Liang Yuxuanâs industry.
Yet previously, when someone from the South Ballet’s board of directors accidentally discovered Bian Xu and Liang Yuxuanâs relationship and wanted to bend the rules to arrange a lead role for her, giving her a chance for an early promotion, she actually rejected it.
Lu Yuan hesitated, then gently reminded him, “Miss Liang probably hasn’t boarded her flight yet. Are you really not going to give her a call? A clarification on the news is one thing, but as the old saying goes…”
“Do I pay you a salary to perform stand-up comedy?” Bian Xu snuffed out his half-smoked cigarette and stood up, walking into the bedroom. He let out a lazy yawn, evidently heading back to catch up on sleep. “Unless the sky is falling, don’t knock on my door before dark.”
After a flight lasting over ten hours, Liang Yuxuan arrived at the Nanhuai City West Suburb Airport at 6:00 AM.
Because her Achilles tendinitis was acting up, Qin He had arranged for her to be upgraded from economy to business class. As a result, Liang Yuxuan disembarked earlier than most of the troupe, retrieved her luggage, and walked out alone.
While she was waiting for a car outside Gate 3, Qin He caught up to her. “Little Xuan, you’re still here? Did no one come to pick you up? Why don’t you leave with me? My husband will be here any minute.”
Having crossed the ocean overnight and then immediately rushed through a long-haul flight, Liang Yuxuanâs physical strength was on the verge of total exhaustion. She was too tired to deal with even basic social pleasantries and just wanted to get into a stranger’s taxi and be invisible.
But Qin Heâs warm-heartedness was hard to refuse, so she had to tell a white lie. “I won’t trouble you, Teacher Qin. My friend will be here shortly.”
“A boyfriend?”
“No,” Liang Yuxuan smiled awkwardly. “A roommate I share an apartment with at Xijiang Huacheng.”
Qin He nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t mean anything by it. The reason Iâve been asking about this over the past two days is because a variety show approached our dance troupe. I looked around, and you are the most suitable candidate. You have outstanding looks, you conduct yourself properly, and your professional skills are impeccableâyou wouldn’t ruin South Ballet’s reputation. It’s just that the production team requires the participants to be single.”
Liang Yuxuan shook her head. “Teacher Qin, I just want to focus on dancing. Please leave the opportunity for someone else.”
Qin He thought that after explaining it this far, Liang Yuxuan would at least ask what kind of variety show it was.
“You kids… Some of you are too superficial; the moment you see that you can’t make it in this industry, you squeeze your heads trying to become internet celebrities or enter the entertainment circle. And you? You’re completely stubborn. You stubbornly stick to the rehearsal room and refuse to go out and see the world.”
“Director Cao said it last year, didn’t he? You are a ballet dancer. Casting doesn’t just depend on your dancing skills, it also depends on your acting skillsâwhether you embody the character. You’re young and lack life experience to begin with, yet you still isolate yourself behind closed doors. How are you going to carry those major productions in the future?”
Liang Yuxuan lowered her eyelashes. “I know.”
“I’m not criticizing you, I’m just reminding you that sharpening your axe won’t delay your wood-chopping. Enriching your life more will help you break through your bottlenecks…”
A black sedan pulled up in front of the two women.
Qin He hurriedly said goodbye to Liang Yuxuan. “My husband is here. Let’s leave it at that for now, Little Xuan. Remember to go to the hospital this weekend to get your Achilles tendon checked, and let me know the results immediately. If you need treatment, get treatment; if you need a break, take a break. Don’t put any mental pressure on yourself.”
