RALP Chapter 23

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Now though Du You has acquired Xinwen Entertainment, he’s just the owner in name. He knows nothing about the entertainment industry, so he hired an experienced manager to run it. He still spends most of his time in his own company.

Meanwhile You Haoyu has spent all his time on bettering himself. He’s got not much time either, since there’s an audition for a film in just one month.

The movie’s director has been in the business for a long time. All his movies are critically acclaimed and sells like hotcakes. He’s got enough awards lined up to fill a cabinet.

He also has a peculiar trait – he likes picking newbies to be his movie’s protagonists, and enjoys teaching and molding them into the form he wants.

This is an opportunity for You Haoyu.

While he’s finally set on pursuing his dreams, Xiao Tiantian also, finally, sees the damaging materials online.

It’s already been a month since the exposé, and You Haoyu has long since stopped being a popular topic. There’s always new gossip and drama to fill the insatiable curiosities of the public.

Xiao Tiantian stayed off the grid for so long because he was also ripped to shreds online earlier, so he only learns about this today.

He is regretting it a lot.

The once top-tier idol got pushed from his throne into hell, abandoned by his management company even. You Haoyu would’ve been at his loneliest and most helpless, but he had nobody to stay by his side.

If he saw this earlier he would have immediately looked for You Haoyu and stayed by his side, hugging him while telling him he’s the best.

Xiao Tiantian is just so bitter when he imagines that proud, imposing figure of a man fall into the abyss alone.

But, it’s not too late yet.

He calms himself down, then says [System, locate You Haoyu.]

While the system is looking up his whereabouts, the door to his room is opened. Xiao Tiantian turns his head in that direction, then he awkwardly turns it away when he sees who it is.

Though he got soft back at the airport and let him bring him back, that doesn’t mean he’s forgiven Shen Chen already.

The man abandoned him like he was a torn shoe, so don’t expect him to come running back to him with just a few good words and pleas.

Shen Chen is already somewhat exhausted dealing with the boy’s cold, apathetic attitude towards him.

He’s done all he could now, even shifting his own career down the priorities list to put him at the top, but Xiao Tiantian doesn’t look like he’s forgiving him any time soon.

He did follow him back, which means he was still something to him in his mind, but he’s completely changed as a person; the lovable, caring person from before was gone.

What should he do; what could he do?

Shen Chen slams on the door frame in frustration.

His system having finished its search and confirmed the location, Xiao Tiantian takes his coat and walks outside.

“Please move, Mr. Shen.” He says coldly, not giving even a cursory glance to the man.

Shen Chen is filled to the brim with unrequited love in the bottom of his heart as he looks at this little boy who tortures him so.

He has now endlessly abandoned his face and his pride; he doesn’t even look like himself anymore.

But Xiao Tiantian has grown an outer shell of spikes now, not allowing him to close in on him even one bit.

It is the first time this old bachelor from his prominent family has felt the events transpire out of his control, but the more he’s like that, the more he finds himself infatuated with him.

“Where are you going?” Shen Chen’s throat is parched.

“That is none of your business.”

Shen Chen pauses, before continuing, “where, I’ll go with you.”

“Mr. Shen is quite busy day in, day out. I wouldn’t dare inconveniencing you.” Xiao Tiantian just keeps spouting hurtful things after hurtful things.

Though really he wouldn’t dare let Shen Chen accompany him on his search for other members of the Top. If Shen Chen saw that he would definitely get jealous out of nowhere and maybe even lock him up and do this and that to him violently.

Xiao Tiantian is getting excited just from the imagination, but he suppresses it all and looks as heartless as ever, “or, do you plan to supervise my every move, snap off my wings of freedom, and make me no longer capable of escaping your line of sight?”

Shen Chen pinches himself between his brows, and wants to say something.

Then suddenly, his phone rings.

He wanted to reject the call immediately, but then he takes it seeing the person calling.

But not before telling the boy, “wait. It’ll be just a sec.”

Xiao Tiantian glares at him while he twists his lips into a cold smile – compared to him, his business calls are more important afterall.

His heart growing cold, he walks out the door without hesitation.

“Wait!” Shen Chen wants to stop him seeing the man leave.

But then immediately the voice on the other side of the call calls him back.

With a ‘thomp,’ the door is slammed shut right before him.

“Hey, are you still there?”

The irritating voice is coming from the phone again.

Shen Chen retracts his gaze and rubs his forehead, “dad, what do you want.”

“What do you think I want!”

Though he’s Shen Chen’s father, he sounds quite young, “that important business gathering last time, you not only skipped it as the host himself, but it was for a man? Do you realise how damaging this is for the Shen Conglomerate’s reputation!”

Secretary Dong himself of course didn’t have enough weight to support the whole occasion by himself, so he called the chairman of the board as soon as possible, but he was still more than half an hour late when he managed to make his way there.

While the dignitaries present might not be as big as the Shen Conglomerate in the business world, but they’re still established persons of their respective fields and all potential partners in business. Something like that happening; perhaps they wouldn’t say anything out loud but they’ll not be pleased for sure.

If they were dissuaded enough they might even turn from potential partners into competitive rivals or even enemies.

“You’ve said that many times already,” Shen Chen furrows his brows, “I’ll personally apologise to our partners, but I will not budge on this. I have no regrets for doing so, and I will do the same thing even if it happens again.”

If he didn’t go after Xiao Tiantian back then, he wouldn’t have lost reputation, but he would lose his love.

His father can feel his blood pressure rising back up again seeing how deluded his son has become.

“Then, then what about after that? Your secretary has told me that since you took that man home you’ve practically disappeared from the company. Yes, you can pursue your love; you know your mother and I didn’t say anything even when you came out to us, but you can’t just straight up abandon your job for love?”

Shen Chen was quiet for a short while before answering, “since I reached adulthood you’ve handed the company to me, and then threw away everything to dedicate yourself to those disgusting meals of yours.”

He half-closes his eyes, “isn’t it a bit too late to start lecturing me.”

His father is likely fuming now, “my meals aren’t disgusting!”

That’s what set him off?

Shen Chen then says, “I’ll be hanging up.”

“You damned brat——!”

Shen Chen cuts the call off.

He looks back up from his phone to see the vast, empty living room. It’s so quiet one could perhaps even hear a needle falling onto the ground.

Nothing is going well for him. Whether career-wise or romance-wise.

Sometimes, not even he is sure what he is really doing. But, there is this voice inside him that urges him to definitely secure Xiao Tiantian by his side.

It is just like common sense, like how humans will die without air, he also won’t be able to live without Xiao Tiantian.

He isn’t sure how that thought came to be, but Shen Chen has always acted according to his heart.

And when he is in front of Xiao Tiantian, that feeling is at its most intense.

The clock continues to move forward, tick, tock. The minute hand makes a revolution, and another revolution.

Shen Chen sits down on the sofa, and buries his hand into his palms.

Sometimes, even he doesn’t recognise himself anymore.

Outside, autumn is giving way to winter. A yellowed leaf is quavering as it falls down by the window. It is growing cold, and the silent solitude isn’t helping at all.

Meanwhile, his father is indignant to hear the dialing tone from his phone.

He might be getting on in years, but he’s still an old man from a prominent family himself. He will definitely not concede endlessly just because of his son.

That is when the door to his staff room gets a knock, and the waiter’s excited voice is coming from beyond the door, “chef, the customer is here! It’s still a ‘full course’!”

Of course, that wouldn’t be something listed on the menu. It’s just that the customer would always order every single dish on the menu once, so it’s a convenient nickname they came up with.

The father is cheered up immensely by that. He puts on his toque and leaves the room. Then, pulling his sleeves upwards, he’s ready to roll.

Du You himself is wearing a coat for the cold. Once into the restaurant though, warm air immediately rushes towards him; the central heating is churning along quite nicely there.

Without the need for words, the waiter has already taken his coat off and led him to his usual seat.

The restaurant is still devoid of customers. The dishes come pouring out, and when Du You is finished, the chef is here again with his little notebook for a personal interview.

Almost every time he visits the chef would be here like so, trying to ask for his opinion on the dishes.

Du You isn’t much of a connoisseur himself – for him, as long as it’s not lethal, then it’s edible.

Though, while he certainly has a limited word bank for description of the food, the chef always seems enthused by what he says.

This time it’s become worse, even. Tears are actually rolling off his cheeks while listening.

Du You is perplexed.

The man sniffles as he says, “apologies, customer, it’s just that seeing you would remind me of my son.”

Du You understands. He often sees this person talking about his family in his WeChat posts. He must really value them.

“Do you think you can spare a minute to listen to me?” The chef looks as if he’s mourning in a funeral.

On his WeChat he has over a thousand ‘friends,’ all are his relatives or business partners.

When he posts there no matter what the content is, even if it’s just a picture, there will still be countless ‘likes’ and comments.

But, the exception is when he complains about his son. Those posts never get any likes or replies. People just swipe past it as if they couldn’t see it at all.

Until, he received a sole ‘like’ for it from Du You.

Therefore, he realises, that this young man, is not only a comrade who understands his meals, but he’s also polite and understanding of others.

Du You gestures an invitation for him to take a seat.

The waiter comes forth to take the empty dishes away, while the chef takes a sit opposite Du You and starts confiding in him.

“I just had an argument with my son. Recently he’s been infatuated with this man and is running after him, to the degree that he is failing in his actual work.”

The man takes a tissue and blows into it, “as a father, of course I needed to guide him along, no? But he doesn’t even listen to me anymore, and he actually scolded me instead! And he said my meals are disgusting!”

The chef looks so hurt and pained recalling that, “I don’t even want to care what the others say, but when even my son says that so bluntly, you know, I’m just so devastated.”

Du You does not have a son, so it’s quite hard for him to empathise, but since this is a family man, he would certainly have hoped that his family would be supportive of him no matter what, so he nods, “I suppose it is very devastating.”

The chef’s face glows like he’s found a true friend, “I knew that you would be able to understand me.”

While speaking, the waiter comes with a mega-turbo-deluxe ice cream dessert. There’s chocolate rods, waffles, sprinkles and all sorts of colourful, vibrant fruits in decoration. It looks gargantuan and endlessly attractive.

“Oh, this is on the house,” the chef tells him, “it’s part of our hidden menu, and the only thing that damned brat of a son of mine likes. Please help yourself.”

Du You takes a spoonful and puts it into his mouth.

It’s soft ice cream. Fluffy, delicious. The jam is slightly sweet with a detailed texture. The fruits are so juicy they explode in the mouth and spreads the sweet and sour tastes onto every corner of the mouth.

“Delicious.”

The chef seems to have calmed down somewhat now, “that’s good to hear,” then, he pauses before continuing, “actually, I told you this to ask a favour of you.”

“Now my son never listens to me at all. I’m not sure how I can get through to him at all. He and you are both young and I believe you would have a shared language. Perhaps he might actually listen to people like you.”

Du You is still chewing on his ice cream.

Meanwhile the system is panicking inside his mind [Host, it’s a trap! Spit that thing out now! Getting involved in family matters is super troublesome.]

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TL’s notes: I guess I didn’t realise this the first time I was reading but, I actually feel slightly moved by the passionate plea of a parent. I’m going to call my parents and tell them I love them now.