Shao Yuye’s audition in the morning lasted all the way into the evening.
His acting was still a bit raw, with plenty of areas needing refinement. But what Zhang Zhifeng valued was precisely that kind of purity. He decided to keep Shao Yuye around and gave him a lot of guidance on performance, even helping him work through a few key plot points.
Brother Li was practically beside himself with excitement.
“Ah Ye! There’s hope! I really think you’ve got a shot!”
But Shao Yuye didn’t take it to heart at all. This was far from a done deal.
On the ride back, he even started wondering if he’d taken on too many gigs lately?
It used to be understandable. Working hard every day for his career.
But now that he’d found his sister, it was a whole different story.
Shao Yuye said, “Brother Li, don’t schedule anything for me in the near future.”
Brother Li had long been immune to this young master’s impulsive whims, but he still tried to persuade him patiently:
“Ah Ye, I urge you to think this through carefully. This is a critical turning point in your career. You can’t afford to mess up!
“There are fewer and fewer stages left for idols now. If you don’t seize this chance to transition, do you really plan on being an idol at forty or fifty?!
“Even if, best case, you can still sing and dance at that age, can you be sure you’ll still have that many fans? This business of selling youth, it’s not sustainable when you get older!”
In Brother Li’s view, Zhang Zhifeng’s project was a golden opportunity.
As long as the audition went well, once they signed the contract and Shao Yuye put in a good performance, <Last Shot> could be the first real step in his transition.
“I was just saying, no big deal.”
Shao Yuye gave Brother Li a pat on the shoulder and said sincerely, “Brother Li, all these years, I’ve relied on you, really. I remember everything you’ve done for me.”
As he spoke, he pressed his other hand to both their chests in a heartfelt gesture.
This display of genuine emotion had Brother Li so touched he was about to say something, when Shao Yuye continued.
“So, in honor of our years together… I’m skipping training the day after tomorrow!
“Just one day!”
“……”
The tears that had just welled up in Brother Li’s eyes instantly vanished.
“You little brat!”
When did he learn to use sugar-coated bullets and big sticks at the same time?!
Still, it was just skipping one training session, Brother Li let it slide.
With fewer stages available for idols in the country now, Shao Yuye had still been diligently practicing every day, afraid that if a stage opportunity came up again, he’d be rusty and let fans down.
These past few years, he’d been so obsessed with work that he hadn’t had a proper break in ages.
As the nanny van was about to pull into the neighborhood parking lot, Shao Yuye’s gaze involuntarily shifted.
He slowly rolled the window down halfway.
The cool night breeze, tinged with dampness, drifted into the car.
Just then, a familiar black Maybach passed by smoothly.
When the rear windows on both sides aligned, Qi Luozhou turned his head slightly, and the contours of his face were gradually illuminated by the streetlights outside.
Their eyes met. Suddenly and unexpectedly.
Qi Luozhou was the first to raise a faint, unreadable smile.
Shao Yuye: “……”
Damn it.
What kind of feeling is it to run into your arch-nemesis in your own neighborhood, and then have him give you a mild smile?
Shao Yuye’s hair practically stood on end as he returned home.
When the elevator arrived at his floor and he stepped out.
He almost thought he’d gone to the wrong place.
The previously clean and bare doorway now featured a person-tall money tree, brazenly adorned with several very expensive brass coins.
He silently backed into the elevator and double-checked the floor.
18th.
No mistake.
It was his place.
In the time it took to go back and forth, the hallway light—motion-sensor controlled—had dimmed.
For the first time, he noticed a glow of light seeping out from the gap beneath his front door.
A strange feeling surged in his chest. He stood there as if struck by lightning, staring at that glow for quite a while.
Until the elevator doors closed with a *ding*, triggering the hallway lights again—
He took a deep breath, entered his passcode, and opened the door.
Shen Wanwan was lounging lazily on the sofa, watching TV.
Hearing the sound, she sat up. “Brother, you’re back.”
The entryway was cluttered with shopping bags of all sizes, practically blocking any path through.
Shao Yuye stared, dumbfounded, still in a daze.
“What is all this?”
“Clothes, pants, shoes, ties… Too much to remember.”
Shen Wanwan couldn’t recall exactly.
“I was too lazy to open everything, you do it.”
“You bought these for me?!”
Shao Yuye felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing in reverse, starting from the nape of his neck all the way to the crown of his head, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
Damn.
He had a sister now!
And she’d even bought him so many gifts!
After changing his shoes, he heard her ask, “Have you eaten?”
Shao Yuye: “No.”
He’d been stuck on set all day and had planned to just grab some instant noodles and call it a day.
But right now, the most important thing was opening gifts. He didn’t feel hungry at all as he sat cross-legged in the entryway, ready to start unpacking the shopping bags.
“You should’ve said something earlier.”
Shen Wanwan shot him a reproachful look and walked toward the kitchen.
Shao Yuye caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and assumed she was heading to the bathroom.
Alone, he happily unwrapped each shopping bag.
They were all luxury brands, and Shen Wanwan had great taste.
She had bought him a complete set of items from head to toe, even down to more than a dozen tie clips.
Despite already unwrapping for nearly half an hour, he was only halfway through the mountain of bags.
Just then, a faint aroma of food drifted to his nose.
Shao Yuye froze.
He turned his head. Shen Wanwan, wearing heat-resistant gloves, was bringing out a steaming hot bowl of freshly made beef noodles. The rich aroma filled the entire space, making his stomach growl with hunger.
“Come eat, now.”
Shen Wanwan only knew how to cook this one dish—it was something her mom had taught her.
Shao Yuye didn’t move.
Shen Wanwan frowned and urged again, “Hurry up!”
It was rare for her to cook.
Shao Yuye stood up, his throat bobbing involuntarily.
One word suddenly surfaced in his mind—
…Home.
After the age of nine, after witnessing the destruction of his original family, that beautiful word had become abstract.
But now, in this moment, it became real again.
The indoor lighting was a cool white.
Her expression was calm and indifferent.
But with just her presence, the entire home felt warm.
Shen Wanwan handed him the chopsticks. “You’re not allowed to say it’s not good!”
She had plated it beautifully.
White noodles, vibrant green vegetables underneath, a perfectly round fried egg on top, with neatly sliced beef arranged to the side.
The four colors blended harmoniously. It was visually appetizing.
Shao Yuye sat down and took a huge bite.
Her cooking wasn’t great.
She’d added way too much salt. It was ridiculously salty.
But he kept eating, bite after bite, ravenously.
Shen Wanwan smiled faintly. “Why’re you eating so fast? No one’s fighting you for it.”
Shao Yuye didn’t respond. He ate every last noodle, even drank the soup—
Then let out a loud, unrestrained burp.
Shen Wanwan wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Do your fans know you act like this at home, without the slightest idol image?”
Shao Yuye praised her: “The noodles were delicious.”
Afraid she might not believe him, he quickly added,
“Really, really good!”
Shen Wanwan accepted the compliment as only natural, giving a small nod.
Because he had eaten so fast, his stomach still felt the hunger pangs.
But he knew, his belly was already completely full.
Along with it, the heart that had long wandered without a home also felt full and warm.
Finally, he took a photo of the empty bowl and posted it on Weibo.
@ShaoYuye: [(photo.jpg) Lucky day.]
The ‘Yu Yu’s quickly flocked in—
[Was today Brother Ye’s lucky day?]
[What good thing happened to him today?!]
[I don’t know what good thing happened, but I’m just so happy for him anyway!!]
[Hope Brother Ye is happy every single day! 💐💐]
After reading the comments for a while, Shao Yuye suddenly put his phone down and said seriously, “I’m heading out for a bit!”
He couldn’t wait another second!