LBC |Love Beyond Control/Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Xin Yuan stood in front of the tightly shut courtyard gate made of sandalwood.

On both sides of the courtyard gate were stretches of wall with no end in sight, and on top of them were layered blue roof tiles like fish scales. Every single tile was painted with a different totem, and even the floor bricks at the corner of the wall were carved with intricate patterns.

It looked just like a delicate tomb.

Xin Yuan had already prepared himself to accept any punishment. However, when he stepped into the courtyard gate, he saw a pair of “loving” figures sitting in the middle of the front hall.

His mother was smiling brightly as she leaned against Xin Jianye’s shoulder, as if she had been waiting for him for a very long time.

“Xiao Yuan, during this time, it’s all because your dad and I have been too busy, and we didn’t have time to care about you more.”

He Ye stood up and walked over, taking Xin Yuan’s hand. “But I didn’t expect you to be so sensible. Not only did you not give us any trouble at all, you even secretly prepared such a big surprise for us.”

Xin Yuan had long been used to his mother’s superb acting. He was neither surprised nor did he respond, waiting for He Ye to bring up the real topic she wanted to talk about.

“Aren’t you going to tell your dad about the director you ran into a while ago, Wang Muge? That way your dad can be happy for you too.”

He Ye’s smiling eyes curved until they seemed almost ready to squeeze out honey, but Xin Yuan instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

How did his mother know that Wang Muge had contacted him?

If his mother could even find out about this, then had the things he had been doing with Xiang Zhufeng these days already been discovered too?

“Xiao Yuan, you’ve grown up. It’s a good thing that you have your own ideas, but don’t forget your dad is still here. If you have anything, you can come to Dad for help.”

Xin Jianye was wearing a black satin Tang suit, and he was rubbing a sandalwood bracelet in his hand. With that faint smile of his, the flesh at the corners of his eyes gathered together, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.

“If it hadn’t been at a dinner party before, when Dad ran into Director Wang’s private assistant and happened to hear him casually mention Director Wang’s recent casting, Dad still wouldn’t have known that the newcomer Director Wang has taken a liking to is you.”

Hearing that this was the reason, Xin Yuan immediately let out a breath of relief.

Knowing that Xiang Zhufeng had not been implicated, Xin Yuan quickly returned to normal. “Thank you for your concern, Father, but the final result still has to wait until after the New Year, when I finish my audition.”

“Silly child, since your dad has already spoken up, of course he has made preparations for you,” He Ye said, stroking Xin Yuan’s hand. “You also know that the cultural company under Hanhai has only just gotten started not long ago. Since an opportunity has come knocking on its own, your father and I will definitely do everything we can to support you.”

He Ye’s smiling eyes were gentle, but she could not hide the ambition that was about to overflow from the bottom of them.

In the eyes of outsiders, she was the glamorous Mrs. Xin, but no one knew better than she did that Xin Jianye had married her back then because she held leverage over him that he could never reveal no matter what. Rather than letting her become a ticking time bomb, it was better to simply make use of her.

Over these years, she had gradually gained Xin Jianye’s trust, using all kinds of matters, big and small, to prove to Xin Jianye that she was not just a pretty vase, but a vase with brains, ability, and unwavering loyalty.

Her efforts had not been in vain. Xin Jianye had given her management rights in the company, giving her a chance to show what she could do. But she also knew that with Xin Jianye’s cold and ruthless personality, once she lost her value, Xin Jianye would destroy her without the slightest mercy.

He Ye had always been wondering exactly how to pave the way for Xin Yuan, so that even if one day she was no longer around, Xin Yuan could still live out his life in peace and wealth.

And now this surprise had fallen from the sky, giving He Ye an opportunity she had not even dared to imagine before.

Xin Jianye was not satisfied with Hanhai’s current scale. Over these years, he had recruited teams and kept trying to transform toward light industry and entertainment, but it still had not gone smoothly.

If Xin Yuan could seize this opportunity, he would become Xin Jianye’s biggest cash cow in the future. No matter what Xin Jianye truly thought in his heart, on the surface he would still have to treat Xin Yuan well and ensure that he lived a life of wealth and comfort.

“Xin Yuan, what exactly are you thinking!?”

The moment they returned to Xin Yuan’s room and locked the door, He Ye immediately poked his forehead with her fingertip. “Something this important, and you didn’t even tell me? Do you know how many people are crying and begging to act in Wang Muge’s productions? If your father hadn’t happened to know about this and handled everything for you from beginning to end, what confidence do you have that you would definitely be chosen!?”

“I never said I would definitely be chosen.” Xin Yuan replied calmly.

If Xiang Zhufeng had not recorded that video for him back then, saying that there was a story in his eyes and that he was naturally very suitable for the camera, he might have already given up on this opportunity.

“You!”

He Ye was so angry that she could not speak after taking several breaths. After a while, she forced herself to calm down and continued, “I’m telling you, Xin Yuan, don’t think that just because you changed your surname to Xin, you really are some young master. As long as Xin Hui is still here for one day, you could be kicked out of this family at any time!”

It was that same familiar line again. Xin Yuan sneered in his heart.

Maybe in his mother’s eyes, going back to a hard life was the most terrifying thing in the world, which was why she kept using things he did not care about at all as the biggest threat to him.

“Remember this, this is your only, and last, chance. If you can’t seize it, there will never be a place in the Xin family for a worthless person like you.”

Xin Yuan stayed in the old residence.

To be exact, he had been locked up by He Ye.

Every day during the day, professional teachers would come to teach him acting.

From the eyes to the bearing, from positioning to the camera, even the frequency of blinking and the speed of speaking all had a new set of rules that had to be learned again.

In the first few days, He Ye was worried that Xin Yuan still had other plans, so she directly took away his phone.

It was only after seeing that Xin Yuan had been staying obediently in the room all along, without the slightest resistance, that she mercifully returned his phone to him on New Year’s Eve and told him that this time she would let it go, but there must not be a next time.

On the first night after being locked up, Xin Yuan wondered whether Xiang Zhufeng would blame him.

After all, he had left in such a hurry, his expression so embarrassed. He had not had time to explain anything to Xiang Zhufeng, and had only kept begging Xiang Zhufeng to trust him, and to absolutely not contact him. Once he finished dealing with these matters, he would definitely find a chance to explain everything to him.

On the second night, he no longer cared what Xiang Zhufeng thought of him.

He only wanted to see Xiang Zhufeng again.

When Xin Yuan was four, he thought that if Mom could hug him a little more, that would be great.

When Xin Yuan was thirteen, he thought that as long as Mom could be happy, even if he had to call a very frightening person Dad, he was willing.

When Xin Yuan was eighteen, he thought that maybe it was really because he had not worked hard enough, which was why his mother had been disappointed in him again and again.

Now, at twenty, Xin Yuan finally thought for himself for the first time.

He wanted to escape all of this.

No matter what method he used, he had to escape this cage and be with the person he truly liked.

Outside the window, festive lanterns hung everywhere. Xin Yuan looked at that row of dazzling red light and suddenly thought of the day Xiang Zhufeng bought Spring Festival couplets and Fu characters back to the rented apartment.

Xiang Zhufeng told him that it was the first time in so many years that he had bought those things.

Because before, he had never felt that he had ever had a home.

In the end, those things were all burned to ashes in that fire, and he still had not been able to keep his promise to spend a Spring Festival together with Xiang Zhufeng.

Xin Yuan opened his phone. He had originally thought that the first thing he would do after getting it back was video call Xiang Zhufeng.

But the dial button stopped under his fingertip, yet he still could not press it.

Because the moment he saw Xiang Zhufeng’s avatar, he already felt like crying a little.

“Why are you calling me so early, have you already eaten your New Year’s Eve dinner?”

As if he had been waiting for this moment, Xiang Zhufeng answered the video almost one second after Xin Yuan called.

His tone was still as ordinary as ever, as if they had just been clinging to each other a second ago and had never been separated at all.

Xin Yuan could not answer for a moment, and only gave a soft “Mm.”

Xiang Zhufeng knew Xin Yuan was crying. After a few seconds of silence, he suppressed his own equally uncomfortable feelings before speaking. “I can’t touch you right now, so even if you cry, you can only wipe it off yourself.”

Xin Yuan knew Xiang Zhufeng was comforting him, and deliberately huffed. “I’m not a kid, I don’t need you to wipe it for me.”

“Then don’t hide from me, lift up the phone and let me take a good look at you.”

Xin Yuan finally turned his face, which had been tilted to one side, toward the screen, only to discover that Xiang Zhufeng’s video frame was pitch-black.

“What happened on your side? Why can’t I see you?” Xin Yuan’s eyes reddened another shade with worry.

“The phone camera broke that night and I haven’t had time to get it fixed yet,” Xiang Zhufeng explained. “It’s fine, as long as I can see you.”

Xin Yuan’s eye corners visibly drooped, full of both disappointment and worry.

“Where are you living now, have you found a suitable place? Do your injuries still hurt? What did you eat tonight?”

“You asked so many questions at once, which one do you want me to answer first?” Xiang Zhufeng chuckled softly.

“All of them.”

Xin Yuan could not see anything, and his brows could not help but knit tighter and tighter.

But because his eyes were too round and bright, even when the corners of his eyes pressed down slightly, his gaze still looked like dewdrops just formed, so clear that every emotion could be seen through.

Xiang Zhufeng held the phone with both hands, gently stroking the cracked screen with his fingertip.

Luckily, Xin Yuan could not see him right now.

He could not see that he had found a place even worse than before, could not see how miserable he looked because of headaches and insomnia, plus his wounds becoming inflamed, and how he had been running a fever on and off for several days.

“I’m all right, really,” Xiang Zhufeng said. “You know my survival ability, don’t worry about me.”

Hearing Xiang Zhufeng say that, Xin Yuan felt even worse. “I can’t go find you during this period, but I will definitely find a chance as soon as possible. If you have anything at all, you must tell me.”

“What’s most important for you right now isn’t coming to find me, it’s taking good care of yourself, understand?”

“Xiang Zhufeng, actually, I…”

Xin Yuan seemed to want to say something but stopped. Several times he tried to speak, but each time he bit back his lower lip.

Xiang Zhufeng knew what Xin Yuan was struggling with, and comforted him. “Xin Yuan, everyone has their own secrets. You don’t need to rush to tell me. When you really want to say it, then tell me.”

Xiang Zhufeng had barely finished speaking when footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

Xin Yuan did not have time to hang up the phone. By reflex, he hid the phone behind his back, grabbed the book beside him, turned it face down, and placed it on his lap, pretending to be reading.

Three seconds later, He Ye directly pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing Xin Yuan seriously reading a book on the bed, she looked satisfied, but still said, “If you had worked this hard earlier, I wouldn’t have had to worry so much about you before.”

He Ye came closer and closer, and cold sweat even seeped from Xin Yuan’s fingertips.

Luckily, He Ye did not suspect him. She only glanced around casually before continuing, “The teacher told me that you have a lot of talent, but after all, you don’t have any experience at all. If you want to get the role, you still need to put in a lot of hard work.”

“I’ll prepare well.” Xin Yuan only wanted He Ye to leave quickly, so he immediately promised.

“In order to help you prepare better, I’ve already arranged everything. Starting tomorrow, you’ll follow the teacher to a closed training camp and train all the way until the day of the audition.”