Chapter 31 – Conviction and Defiance

After Da Lingzi returned with breakfast, she shot a sidelong glance at the two people in the living room who, instead of sitting on the sofa, insisted on sitting on the floor! The tension was palpable, but having spent enough time at Cheng Yishu’s side, she naturally understood the unspoken rules—what to ask, what not to ask, what to do, and what to leave alone.

Tai Ruo moved naturally into the dining room to tidy up the dishes, softly calling out, “Um… Cheng, come wash up and have some breakfast… Kai, you haven’t eaten either, so I brought you a portion too. It’s from that place you said was delicious last time!”

There was still no response from the living room. The two of them sat facing each other on the floor, eyes meeting—you look at me, I look at you… Yet the anger in their gazes had faded entirely, leaving only the calm after a storm.

“Cheng likes the fried dough sticks from that place the best, and Kai says their sweet tofu pudding is the best… See? Even your tastes are compatible…”

“As if I could ever eat with him!” Cheng Yishu suddenly snapped, startling Da Lingzi so much that her burly frame gave a violent shudder just as she was heading toward the living room.

Chen Kai, however, suddenly burst into laughter—a strange mix of helplessness and amusement, but undeniably good-natured and sincere.

“What are you laughing at?!” Cheng Yishu glared at the face he’d just roughed up, frowning. “Is it really that funny?”

“I’m the one who got hit—what’s it to you if I laugh?” Chen Kai eased his smile, looked calmly at Cheng Yishu, and extended his hand. “Help me up.”

“Why should I?” Cheng Yishu ignored the outstretched hand and got up on his own, brushing off his pants. “If you want to get up, do it yourself. I didn’t cripple you.”

“Fine…” Chen Kai sighed, used the sofa arm to struggle to his feet, and with a grimace, rubbed his battered face and complained, “You really didn’t hold back… Ow…”

When he looked up, he saw Cheng Yishu watching him with a complicated expression, as if wanting to speak but holding back. Chen Kai understood perfectly well, but continued to feign indignation.

At the dining table, the two men sat facing each other, each eating their own breakfast. As for what they tasted in their meals, perhaps only they themselves knew.

Chen Kai scooped up a spoonful of sweet tofu pudding, savoring it slowly, and glanced at Cheng Yishu’s thoughtful face as he chewed on his fried dough stick.

This young man—despite his years in the industry—was still too naive, unable to hide his feelings, wearing every thought on his face. Though Tan Jing had let him go, one couldn’t deny that, all those years, she’d had a protective affection for him.

The smooth tofu pudding slipped down his throat. Chen Kai smacked his lips, finally putting down his spoon. It was about time to break the lingering silence.

“Yishu…” Chen Kai began tentatively.

“What?” Cheng Yishu shot him an icy look, almost reflexively.

“Look at you, like a lion with its hackles raised! I haven’t even said anything yet—why are you so quick to react? I’m the one who got beaten up—I haven’t even complained. Can't you just let me finish?” Chen Kai’s mouth twitched as he spoke softly.

“Fine.” Cheng Yishu nodded, set down his chopsticks, wiped his hands with a napkin, then leaned back in his chair, regarding Chen Kai with an unhurried air. “What else do you want to say?”

Chen Kai smacked his lips, and facing Cheng Yishu’s “whatever” expression, he actually forgot what he’d wanted to say for a moment.

“No words left?” Cheng Yishu, seeing his hesitance, felt an unspoken satisfaction. Suppressing his amusement, he stood up. “Then I’m going to sleep.”

Just as he was about to leave, Chen Kai called out in alarm, “Wait! I can’t just get beaten up for nothing, right? At least let me finish!”

“Alright, go ahead,” Cheng Yishu paused, sat back down, and gave Chen Kai his full, if slightly sarcastic, attention.

Chen Kai cleared his throat and called out, “Hey, Da Lingzi, you better keep your distance. If there’s any commotion over here, don’t come running—I wouldn’t want you to get caught in the bloodshed…”

Da Lingzi, who was tidying up Cheng Yishu’s clothes in the cloakroom, paused at Chen Kai’s theatrics, then smiled knowingly, but didn’t respond.

Cheng Yishu tilted his head, locking eyes with him. It was the first time Chen Kai felt uncomfortable under someone’s gaze. He reached to adjust his tie, but finding his hands uncooperative, yanked it off and tossed it on the table.

“We were supposed to discuss a brand endorsement today, but you decided to disappear. Two hours ago, I had to call and postpone it until tomorrow. Luckily, I have a decent relationship with them, otherwise you’d have been branded as a diva for sure!”

Chen Kai’s tone was nothing short of earnest. Cheng Yishu said nothing, only glanced pensively at his used chopsticks.

“Yishu, we’ve argued and fought, but I still think we need to talk. The road ahead is long, and I don’t want any barriers between us when we should be working closely together.”

“When I asked if you had a girlfriend, or someone you wanted to date, it wasn’t to pry into your privacy. Whether you do or don’t, I need to be prepared—if anything gets exposed, I need to be able to handle the PR, right?”

Though Cheng Yishu remained silent, Chen Kai knew every word was landing, taking root. Otherwise, how could he have become the one and only exception Chen Kai had made for Xingchen Entertainment?

Cheng Yishu didn’t reply, only glanced at Chen Kai. With no alternative, Chen Kai continued, “Just like last night, when you vanished. According to our contract, shouldn’t I have known where you went and what you were doing? At the very least, when you got back, you should have told me why you missed work.”

“So everything I do, everywhere I go, I have to report to you?” Cheng Yishu’s voice was cold. “Can’t I have my own life, my own friends?”

“Yishu, this isn’t your first day as an artist, nor are you new to the industry. You know very well that I—no, the whole team—needs to know where you are at all times, no privacy.”

“I refuse!” Cheng Yishu sat up straight, meeting his gaze. “I’ve never done that, not even before.”

“Then do you want to keep living like before, drifting and stalling your career? Or do you want to trust me, and together reach new heights—prove to Tan Jing, to everyone, that you’re not just an idol, but a truly multi-talented artist?”

Though Chen Kai’s words were softly spoken, they crashed in Cheng Yishu’s mind like a thunderclap.

Show the world, show everyone—including the one who abandoned him—

That he, Cheng Yishu, could do it. That he could stand on the stage everyone dreamed of.

His fingers, curled into his palm, slowly clenched into a fist. In his eyes, as he looked at Chen Kai, that long-lost determination and defiance finally surfaced.