Chapter 36: The Little Old Man

"Hmph!"

A slender woman walked past Lin Yi, rolled her eyes, and walked away with a look of disdain.

???

Did I offend her?

Lin Yi frowned as he watched her retreating back.

"Lin Yi, do you know who that is?" Tong Liya asked with a smile, holding her wine glass.

"No idea." If he had known, he wouldn't be in this situation.

"Qu! Wan! Ting!" Tong Liya slowly pronounced her name.

"Qu Wanting? When did I ever offend her?" Lin Yi was baffled. He didn't think he had any connection with this woman.

"Pfft!" Seeing Lin Yi's confused expression, Tong Liya couldn't help but giggle. "Lin Yi, are you really clueless or just pretending?"

Lin Yi shook his head and looked toward Qu Wanting. Suddenly, she turned her head.

Their gazes met in the air.

"Hmph!" Qu Wanting gave a haughty snort, turned her head away, and resumed chatting with her friends with a smile.

Hey!

Lin Yi’s eyes widened. Who are you looking down on?

Did I eat your rice—no, I mean, your food?

"Haha." Seeing their expressions, Tong Liya covered her mouth and chuckled, then explained the cause of the matter to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi suddenly had an epiphany.

Oh, so his song "Your Answer" had bumped her off the top spot on the new music charts.

That explained it.

But what could he do? He didn't intend for that to happen.

"Lin Yi, what did Director Zhang Yibo want with you just now?" Tong Liya asked curiously. She had seen Director Zhang Yibo talking to Lin Yi for a while before hurrying off.

Previously, she had heard some entertainment gossip from Chen Meng: the third male lead in the crew of *Fleet of Time* was acting like a diva, the director didn't like it, they had an argument, the actor walked off the set, and in a fit of rage, the director deleted all his scenes and started recruiting for a replacement.

So, she guessed that Director Zhang Yibo might have approached Lin Yi to cast him as the third male lead.

"Sigh, how should I put it?" Lin Yi took a bitter sip of his wine. "He asked me to play the third male lead in *Fleet of Time*, but I've never acted before. I don't even know how."

"If you've never acted, you can go to the set and observe how others do it! Don't be so timid; you only live once, and it’s best to try everything," Tong Liya encouraged.

"Hmm!" Lin Yi nodded earnestly.

Indeed, being afraid of this and that won't get me anywhere!

*Fleet of Time* would be his first acting role, and perhaps his last. He would perform it well to give himself and the director a proper result.

"Lin Yi, I have things to attend to, so I won't chat anymore." Seeing her close friends waving at her, Tong Liya smiled brightly and walked toward them excitedly.

"Okay." Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and looked at the delicacies on the table. His throat moved; now he could finally start eating properly.

Lin Yi ate as he walked, picking up a piece of cake and popping it into his mouth.

"Hiss! So sweet! My teeth hurt from the sugar!" Lin Yi’s teeth chattered. His peripheral vision caught sight of some watermelon, and his eyes lit up. He took small steps to the table, picked up a piece, opened his mouth, and gobbled it down.

"So refreshing!"

"Refreshing, right? This watermelon is incredibly good."

Huh?

Lin Yi followed the source of the voice and saw an old man in a suit wolfing down watermelon.

Lin Yi thought for a moment, picked up a piece of watermelon, and advised, "If you eat too much, your stomach will hurt."

The watermelon must have been chilled in the refrigerator, which was why it was so refreshing! But too much cold food would make your stomach protest, especially for an elderly person. You shouldn't consume too many frozen things.

Good grief, he didn't stop even after being warned; he just kept shoving it into his mouth!

Lin Yi stared in disbelief at the man's gluttonous behavior.

"Hey, you really shouldn't eat so much, watch out for an upset stomach." His conscience getting the better of him, Lin Yi pulled on the old man and tried earnestly to persuade him.

"Hey, you young man are really meddlesome!" The old man looked dissatisfied and glared at him.

"Dad, why did you run off to this corner? The doctor said you can't have cold things." A girl rushed over.

"Pfft!" Lin Yi couldn't help but laugh, only to be met with another eye-roll from the old man.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it, I didn't mean to." Lin Yi stifled his laughter.

Everything has its match.

The old man followed his daughter away, looking very displeased.

Once he was gone, Lin Yi started eating again. He had come here to snag some food, and he hadn't forgotten his original goal. Besides, his stomach wouldn't let him forget.

"Xiao Ya, who was that boy you were with just now? Tell us the truth!" Qi Wei glanced at Lin Yi and asked.

"Xiao Ya, don't tell me you have a boyfriend," Bao Wenjing said with a giggle.

"No way, he's just a friend."

"Oh! What kind of friend? A 'boy' friend?"

"You silly girl!" Tong Liya tapped Bao Wenjing on the head, looking annoyed.

"Xiao Ya, your friend looks so familiar! I remember seeing him somewhere, but I can't name him," Qi Wei said.

"Oh, that's Lin Yi, a boy who has been very popular lately." Tong Liya originally wanted to call Lin Yi a singer, but after thinking about it, she felt that didn't fit, and calling him a "boy" seemed better.

"Lin Yi?" Qi Wei was a bit puzzled, then it suddenly clicked. "Oh, so it's him. No wonder he looked so familiar."

Although she didn't read news or magazines much, she still caught bits and pieces of information about him. She liked to listen to music to relax, and whenever she opened the Kugou Music app, Lin Yi's handsome face would appear.

She had heard Lin Yi's song, and it was actually quite good. Even though the lyrics were ordinary, the sincerity of the emotion was undeniable.

Whether a song can move an audience depends on whether it touches their hearts and hits their soft spots. Honestly, this song had moved her, and she had put it on repeat many times.

Having struggled in the entertainment industry for so many years, she had also experienced dark times and moments of helplessness where no one understood her. She had had to grit her teeth, tears streaming down her face, as she groped for light in the darkness.

In the end, she had succeeded.

"His song is quite good," Qi Wei said sincerely.

"Sister Qi Wei, do you know him?" Bao Wenjing asked curiously.

"Lin Yi! A boy who's very popular lately. When you have time, you should listen to his song, 'Your Answer'."

"'Your Answer'? I've heard it. I thought it was just average; I don't know why it's so popular."

"Only those who have experienced hardship can understand the meaning of that song," Qi Wei said softly.

"Oh." Bao Wenjing pouted and nodded.

"So full, I ate a bit too much." Lin Yi sat on the sofa, unbuttoned his shirt, and rubbed his bulging little belly.

He felt a bit of regret.

He shouldn't have eaten so many greasy sweets at the start!

Now look at him! There were still so many delicious foods he hadn't tasted, but his stomach was already full!