Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 56

Chapter 56: Hold You in My Arms
Although the two days of promotional activities were very tiring, Shen Jintai felt even more radiant because he had so many people chasing and loving him. The love of his fans gave him nourishment.

It was a gloomy and cold day in Nancheng. Li Meilan looked at the itinerary and said, “You have an appointment with someone?”

Shen Jintai nodded. “Auntie Fang.”

Li Meilan: “Yan Qiuchi’s mother?”

Shen Jintai nodded, smiled, and said, “Auntie Fang has always taken great care of me. It’s been a long time since I saw her. I miss her a lot…”

Li Meilan: “Is Yan Qiuchi going?”

Shen Jintai chuckled. “Why would you ask that?”

Li Meilan laughed. “It’s obvious. Your credit is indispensable now that this drama is so popular. He, as the boss, should be there to reward you, the great hero. Isn’t that how it usually goes? Hahahaha.” She was only joking. Li Meilan knew how cold Yan Qiuchi really was. A pool of autumn water may not be as cold as him*.

*Clarity: It’s a double meaning as Qiuchi = autumn pond water, so she’s saying literally a pool of autumn water wouldn’t be as cold as him.

“Be careful when you’re there. Don’t let anyone find out.” Li Meilan explained. When Shen Jintai showed her the restaurant he was meeting them at, Li Melian smacked her head. “Never mind. This restaurant is so expensive that most people can’t afford to go.”

Shen Jintai: “If I wear a mask and hat, is that good enough?”

Li Meilan said, “I’m not sure.” Shen Jintai gave her a look. Li Meilan was probably in a good mood. She had been making jokes nonstop today. “You have a slender waist. I could tell it’s you from a glance, even if you wrap yourself up like a dumpling.”

Shen Jintai: “I’ll wear a coat, sister.” He was heavily armed this time. He wore a hat, a face mask, a light gray coat, and sunglasses.

Li Meilan took off his sunglasses. “It’s too much. This is enough.”

It may be because she was too familiar with it, but she thought his eyes and eyebrows were particularly recognizable. It looked very distinctive. She stared at them and said, “Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Your eyebrows are gorgeous.”

Shen Jintai smiled when he heard this, and his eyes were full of smiles.

The car had arrived at the restaurant. As soon as Shen Jintai got out, he saw a familiar figure.

Fuck.

Li Meilan saw Yan Qiuchi through the car window. He was wearing a black coat, and was standing elegant and tall. His usual cold and calm demeanor was present. He was standing at the restaurant door, blending in with the landscape that couldn’t be ignored. Among so many people, it was always obvious to spot him.

So handsome. Li Meilan couldn’t help being a nymphomaniac. She had seen many beautiful and handsome men in the industry, but it was ones like Yan Qiuchi that attracted her the most.

Yan Qiuchi caught sight of Shen Jintai. He instantly recognized him just from his figure and beckoned Shen Jintai over.

Shen Jintai was surprised that he was recognized so quickly. He waved his hand and walked towards Yan Qiuchi. When he reached him, he thought it would be impolite to wear a mask, so he took it off and said with a smile, “Am I late?”

Yan Qiuchi: “No, we arrived early.”

The word “we” made Shen Jintai feel relieved. Mrs. Yan was also there. When he first saw Yan Qiuchi, he couldn’t tell if it was a coincidence or if Mrs. Yan had set them up again.

Shen Jintai followed Yan Qiuchi in. There were only rich people since it was a very high-end restaurant. However, The East Palace was really popular, so it was still watched by the rich. It was currently dinnertime, so the restaurant was full of people. Several of them instantly recognized him.

Mrs. Yan was already waiting for them in the private room. After Shen Jintai entered, he immediately took off his hat and bowed with a smile. “Auntie.”

Seeing Shen Jintai smiling so sweetly, Mrs. Yan was overjoyed. She now had a fan filter for him. Seeing him, she felt as if his body was glowing like a star.

Shen Jintai straightened up as Yan Qiuchi helped pull a chair out for him. He glanced back and was a little flattered. “Thank you.”

“It’s cold outside,” Mrs. Yan said with a smile.

“A little bit.” Shen Jintai took off his coat as he was talking. As soon as he took it off, Yan Qiuchi stretched out his hand, took it, and hung it up on the coatrack nearby. Shen Jintai realized why he had always used the word gentlemen when he referred to the male protagonist now.

Yan Qiuchi also took off his coat and sat down beside him after hanging it up.

“These things were usually done by waiters, but now that you are so hot, I am afraid it’ll be inconvenient for you. I didn’t let any waitstaff in, so Qiuchi will take care of it personally,” Mrs. Yan said with a smile.

“I’m flattered. Hahahaha,” Shen Jintai replied calmly.

Yan Qiuchi looked over. Seeing Shen Jintai smiling, his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know what was wrong.

Mrs. Yan gave Shen Jintai the menu and asked him about what had been going on in his life while ordering. Mrs. Yan really loved him. She asked everything in detail, like, how was the food, whether he was tired from filming, when he would have another break, and if there were a lot of fans at his promotional events.

Mrs. Yan: “I bought you a lot of body-nourishing supplements. When I leave, have Qiuchi take it to you. Winter is the best time to drink these tonics.”

Shen Jintai was beaming. It was obvious he was in a good mood. “How many things have you brought me? Can’t I carry it by myself?”

“Why did you think I asked him to come! It’s to serve us.” Mrs. Yan glanced over at Yan Qiuchi with a smile. Her eyes held a bit of mischievousness in them. “Is it alright with you, Qiuchi?”

Yan Qiuchi retained his calm demeanor and lightly said, “Okay.”

This kind of situation was what Mrs. Yan had dreamed of for many years.

Shen Jintai’s aura made people happy when they saw it. He was milder than before yet still retained his confidence. He looked at Mrs. Yan the whole time as they were having their conversation, occasionally revealing a smile at the corner of his mouth. He hardly looked over at Yan Qiuchi.

It didn’t feel like he was deliberately doing it. It was just his attention was focused on talking with Mrs. Yan.

Yan Qiuchi sat next to him and was responsible for adding tea and pouring water. He had received an elite education since he was a child. His tutoring was perfect. In addition, as the eldest son, he took care of Yan Yaoxuan when he was a child, so he could be very thoughtful and considerate. Growing up like this, Yan Qiuchi was extremely competent at taking care of people.

Mrs. Yan held her cheeks as she listened to Shen Jintai, while keeping Yan Qiuchi in her peripheral vision. Yan Qiuchi was drinking some wine. His face, neck, and ears were a little red, but his expression remained unchanged. She leaned back on her chair and refocused her attention on Shen Jintai, who was talking.

Shen Jintai was excited when he was talking about the fans he met while attending his promotional events. While he talked, Yan Qiuchi continued to stare at him and smiled. For people with high abstinence and coldness, this kind of smile was faint but was particularly warm because it made people feel joy from the bottom of their hearts.

Yan Qiuchi’s face was a little stained with the color of wine. It caused his eyes to have an ambiguous look. He stretched out his hand and gently touched Shen Jintai’s teacup with his fingers. He felt it was cold, so he poured him more tea.

Mrs. Yan tugged at the broken hair behind her ears*, turned her head, and continued to listen to Shen Jintai. She felt like a stepmother. Seeing this kind of situation, she felt very happy for no reason.

*(耳边的碎发) Refers to being careful and considerate.

It was getting dark outside. Looking down through the floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a lot of traffic on the street, and the lights were shining brightly. Mrs. Yan let out an “Ah” and said, “It’s snowing.”

It was really snowing. The streetlights were fluttering under the snow. The three of them went silent as they looked out the window, gazing at the falling snow. Mrs. Yan said, “Seeing the snow reminds me of last week’s episode. It was also a snowy day, but it made me cry to death.”

Shen Jintai smiled and said, “I was the same way when I was acting. It wasn’t easy to settle down after my scenes. But it’ll be fine later. I’ll be the one who’ll be abusing others. Hahaha.”

Mrs. Yan laughed as she suddenly stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. She looked at the entrance of the restaurant and lamented, “Ah, why are there so many people.”

Shen Jintai was surprised. He got up and came over to look. Sure enough, he saw a group of people crowding around the entrance of the restaurant. Flabbergasted, Mrs. Yan said what he was thinking. “It’s your fans.”

“I’ll ask the staff to take a look.” Yan Qiuchi said as he stepped out of the room. When he came back, he took the coats off the coatrack and said, “They’re waiting for you.”

Shen Jintai put on his coat as Mrs. Yan said, “How did they know about this?”

Shen Jintai joked, “Maybe I’m too popular.”

Yan Qiuchi: “I asked the manager. We can go through the back door.”

Mrs. Yan turned to look at Shen Jintai. He walked to the window and looked at the heavy snow that was falling outside. Among the fans were little girls who were waiting for him, as they kept stomping their feet to keep warm from the north wind.

“Let me say hello to them,” Shen Jintai said. The three of them headed downstairs.

This was a restaurant that Yan Qiuchi was a regular at. The manager had arranged for several male waiters to come and assist. They surrounded Shen Jintai as they made their way to the entrance.

As soon as the doors opened, the north wind blew in, bringing bits of snow with it. The crowd suddenly stirred with endless screaming as hoards of people all held their phones, snapping pictures of Shen Jintai wildly.

Though Mrs. Yan had seen the world, she had never seen such a crazy sight before, so she retreated in fright. Yan Qiuchi looked back at her, and she waved her hands, motioning for them to go on first.

Shen Jintai felt emotional thinking about all the fans that were waiting for him on a cold, snowy day like this. When a fan gave him a gift, he reached out to pick it up. The phones were so close to him that they were about to smack his face. Shen Jintai took the gifts in his arms, smiled, and bowed a few times.

Yan Qiuchi suddenly stretched out his hand and blocked him. Seeing a fan rushing up out of control, he put his arms around Shen Jintai and pulled him forward tightly. The male waiters formed a barrier and blocked the crowd. Not letting go, he continued to walk forward quickly with Shen Jintai in his arms. As he walked, his coat wrapped around Shen Jintai, causing his face to lean against Yan Qiuchi’s arms, touching the warm shirt underneath.

The heights of the two were very conspicuous among the crowd. One was wearing a black coat while the other was gray as the figures moved and broke through the crowd.

Mrs. Yan looked horrified as she witnessed the scene through the glass door. It wasn’t the first time she had seen Shen Jintai with so many fans, but a video was much different than experiencing it in person. She watched as Yan Qiuchi sent Shen Jintai into the car that quickly drove off. Some fans started to chase after it.

The road was slippery from the ice, and a little girl slipped and fell. Yan Qiuchi helped her up. The little girl looked at him, blushed, and said, “Thank you.”

Yan Qiuchi returned to the restaurant and stayed there until the crowd had dispersed, then said to Mrs. Yan, “Let’s go.” As he turned to her, he saw she was staring at him with a big grin on her face. He pursed his lips slightly. The waiter held the door for them as he grabbed his mother’s hands and walked slowly out.

Mrs. Yan took advantage of the situation and put her arms around his shoulders. Snow continued to fall on them as Mrs. Yan laughed loudly and said, “Xiao Jin is really popular.”

Yan Qiuchi’s complexion was cold. His handsome and resolute face remained unchanged in the face of the north wind. He finally knew what it felt like to hold a person tightly in his arms. Now that it was empty, he couldn’t bear the cold wind.

The author has something to say:

The plot of protecting and pulling in front of the fans was written three times:

Once for Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan.

Once for Yan Qiuchi and Shen Jintai.

The first two times were to pave the way for the third time.