Chapter 24: Not Really Wanting to Live Properly

After hanging up the phone, Chi Ran was in a foul mood.

Zhou Yan, standing nearby, craned his neck, straining to catch snippets of their conversation. When he had heard Yu Ling’s voice earlier, he had immediately handed the phone to Chi Ran, thinking to himself, "This household would fall apart without me!" He had hoped that Yu Ling’s call would improve Chi Ran’s mood and had been ready to take the credit, but to his surprise, Chi Ran’s expression had only darkened further.

Seeing the gloom on Chi Ran’s face, Zhou Yan didn't dare utter a single sycophantic word.

*No way,* he thought. *What could Yu Ling have said to make him this angry?*

Zhou Yan had met Yu Ling before. She was breathtakingly beautiful, born for the spotlight. Even in the entertainment industry, where beauties were as common as clouds, her appearance was top-tier. A few years ago, when she still had influence, her looks and styling at major galas and award ceremonies would always go viral. Other female celebrities would go to great lengths to avoid being photographed next to her.

Don’t ask why. To ask was to know that standing next to Yu Ling meant being overshadowed, which would only lead to ridicule. This, to some extent, had led to her isolation. This circle was realistic, and on a larger scale, people were just that realistic.

Because of Chi Ran, Zhou Yan had been quietly keeping an eye on Yu Ling. He had even, behind Chi Ran’s back, hired people to investigate her. The results had shocked him so much that he hadn't slept a wink that night. After learning the full extent of her experiences, only one thought had crossed his mind: *I am such a wretch.*

She had suffered so much. With her bright, striking, and aggressive beauty, she looked like someone not to be trifled with. Who would have guessed that, in reality, she was a poor, pitiful thing?

At last year’s All-Star Night, her seat had been deliberately placed in a drafty spot where the air conditioning couldn't reach and the venue's heating barely touched. It was freezing in Linhe that day, well below zero. She had sat there in a thin dress with just a coat draped over her shoulders, looking so timid and fragile that the words "easy to bully" were practically written all over her.

It was obvious to anyone that she had been frozen to the bone that day. Yet, she hadn't received a single award; she had simply been summoned there to be humiliated. There was no helping it—only the A-list heavyweights had the right to decline invitations from the organizers. For the small-fry like her, refusing was tantamount to suicide.

If someone sent you an invitation and you didn't show up, wasn't that a slap in their face? Did Yu Ling dare to refuse? The answer was clearly no. Sometimes Zhou Yan wondered if the girl had committed some terrible sin in a past life to suffer so much in this one.

But there was something strange. He knew about Lin Mianmian targeting Yu Ling. Given Chi Ran’s temper, he couldn't stand it and had tried to trip her up in private, yet Lin Mianmian always managed to come out unscathed, often turning the tables on Chi Ran. Over the past year, every move Chi Ran made had ended in failure. He didn't know what kind of tactics that woman used or what dark tricks she had up her sleeve, but he simply couldn't outplay her. Had it not been for Yu Ling’s sudden, unannounced livestream this time, Zhou Yan would have thought Lin Mianmian was an empress reborn—someone whose word was law, where those who followed her prospered and those who opposed her perished.

"Zhou Yan."

Hearing Chi Ran call his name, Zhou Yan immediately stopped his wild train of thought. He looked at him seriously and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Chi Ran lit a cigarette, the scarlet ember flickering between his slender, well-defined fingers. "Come with me to catch two people."

He didn't usually smoke; he had no addiction. He only smoked a cigarette or two to vent when he was extremely agitated. Seeing him smoke, Zhou Yan’s confusion deepened. *What on earth did Yu Ling say to him?* He was dying of curiosity, but Yu Ling’s situation was the priority; there would be plenty of time to ask later.

Hearing the words "catch people" from Chi Ran, Zhou Yan knew this wasn't a simple matter. He didn't hesitate to grab his phone and car keys, turning to ask, "Where to?"

Chi Ran stubbed out the cigarette without explanation. "Just follow me."

. . .

On the road, Chi Ran gave a brief summary of the situation. Once he grasped the ins and outs, Zhou Yan realized that Chi Ran intended to take matters into his own hands. He stepped on the brake and looked back at him: "You’re going just like this?"

Chi Ran nodded. "Just like this."

"That won't do." Zhou Yan pulled out his phone and unlocked it. "You’re a singer, a public figure. Can you please not forget your identity so easily?" Chi Ran was reckless by nature, acting entirely on impulse without regard for the consequences.

Zhou Yan sighed silently. Who told him to be so unlucky as to be Chi Ran’s manager? If anything happened to Chi Ran, it would just mean more work for him, and he would be the one stuck cleaning up the mess. To avoid trouble, he decided to take precautions.

"Leave this to me. I’ll have Jingyi send some people. That area happens to be under Jingchen’s jurisdiction, and his profession makes it much easier to handle. Once we catch them and resolve the issue, we can just file the paperwork afterward. They’re breaking the law anyway, so it won’t be a problem."

Chi Ran didn't speak, so Zhou Yan took that as consent. He dialed the number, and once the call connected, he explained the situation. Zhou Jingyi agreed without a second thought. Zhou Jingyi was the second son of the Zhou family; he had followed the family elders into politics and was currently working at the police station.

Zhou Yan started the car and said to Chi Ran, "Listen, this matter with Yu Ling will definitely have to be solved by the police eventually. It has to be treated as a legal matter—that’s the most direct way to get public approval, and it’s the fastest. It saves a lot of trouble in the middle."

"Jingyi is one of our own. It’s perfect that he’s handling this, as it’s all legal and by the book."

"Hm." Chi Ran finally made a sound.

This startled Zhou Yan. Usually, when this man decided on something, even nine bulls couldn't pull him back. That he was being so agreeable today was truly rare. If it weren't a sunny day and he wasn't blind, he would have thought the sun had risen in the west.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and reached a conclusion: Perhaps it was because that person was Yu Ling.

Chi Ran might be reckless with himself, squandering his health and acting as if he didn't care about living, but once the protagonist of the event became Yu Ling, he didn't dare to be reckless anymore. Yu Ling was the person he held dear; he feared nothing, except for the possibility of her getting hurt—not even in the slightest.

So he compromised. If the matter could be resolved sooner, Yu Ling would suffer less.

Zhou Yan thought of that name buried deep in his own heart, and his heart began to ache as well. He shook his head with a bitter smile. Love, he realized, was truly a mysterious thing.