Chapter 21 – Could It Be a Thief?
Lin Ran raised an eyebrow, watching Shi Cha—who suddenly seemed like a completely different person—start roasting Lu Lecheng mercilessly. Lin Ran chuckled and joined in.
“In that case, I have a regret too. During those three years of competing, I only ever won championship trophies. I still don’t know what the silver and bronze medals feel like.”
Everyone else: “???”
You too? Why have you started showing off too?
But with Lin Ran chiming in like that, Shi Cha’s earlier comments didn’t come off as overly aggressive anymore. The atmosphere at the scene became much more relaxed.
Zhong Jiarong picked up the thread. “If we’re talking regrets, I have one too. Sigh, I’ve performed at the Spring Festival Gala six years in a row. At this point, I’ve completely forgotten what it feels like to watch it from home.”
His comment had everyone laughing, and the others began sharing their own “Versailles” moments from their respective fields.
Throughout the rest of the conversation, Shi Cha held his own perfectly—engaging, articulate, and completely at ease.
The show wrapped up quickly amidst the warm and cheerful atmosphere.
Afterward, Shi Cha waved goodbye to the others and politely declined the ride arranged by the production team. He stood alone by the roadside, preparing to hail a taxi to the station.
But once he was away from the others, the hand reaching for his phone began to tremble. He tapped the ride-hailing app several times, but couldn’t open it.
A black van pulled up silently in front of him.
Then, the door opened—and Lin Ran stepped out.
He walked over to Shi Cha and, seeing how pale his face was, felt as if a giant hand was squeezing his heart.
Gently, he straightened Shi Cha’s coat. Then, placing his warm palm over Shi Cha’s trembling hand clutching the phone, he said in a soft and steady voice, “I’ll take you home.”
To Shi Cha, that livestream had merely been an impromptu acting class—an exercise in temporarily distancing himself from the emotional impact of Lu Lecheng’s words.
He had slipped into a role: someone who was composed, witty, and not above tossing a few playful jabs.
By now, he had just stepped out of the role he had been playing. His true self—the real Shi Cha—started to resurface. His head spun in waves, and his hands and feet grew icy cold, no longer obeying his commands.
“I…” Using Lin Ran’s hand for support, he tried to refuse being sent home.
But after uttering just one word, Lin Ran pushed him into the van, leaving no room for refusal.
“I’m a good friend of your brother’s. I can’t just leave you here alone. Come on.”
Shi Cha struggled to steady his emotions, determined not to lose face in front of Lin Ran.
Once inside the car, his phone rang.
It was his close friend Du Yan calling.
“Shi Cha, where are you? Don’t run off. I’m your temporary manager now and I’m coming to pick you up.”
Shi Cha glanced at Lin Ran, who was sitting to his right, and quietly declined Du Yan’s offer.
“I’ve got a friend giving me a ride. No need to trouble you.”
Du Yan was surprised. “Wait, you actually have friends besides me?”
Shi Cha: “…”
Then Du Yan added, “Don’t tell me it’s a girlfriend?”
His loud voice carried every word perfectly through the phone speaker.
Shi Cha secretly glanced at Lin Ran, wondering if he had heard Du Yan’s nonsense.
“I—I’m already on my way back. You don’t need to come.”
Fearing that Du Yan might say something even more ridiculous, Shi Cha sped through his words and hung up decisively.
Thanks to Du Yan’s interruption, Shi Cha gradually pulled himself out of his panic.
Lin Ran rested his head on his hand, turned toward Shi Cha, and quietly asked, “You have a girlfriend?”
Shi Cha’s heart skipped a beat. Unsure whether Lin Ran had caught the first part of the call, he quickly denied, “No, I don’t.”
After speaking, he turned his gaze to the window.
No, it wasn’t really a denial—he was telling the truth.
On the glass window, Lin Ran’s shadow was still looking toward Shi Cha.
Their eyes met in the reflection, and Shi Cha awkwardly looked away.
Because the manager and assistant were also in the car, Lin Ran understood that Shi Cha wasn’t comfortable in this environment, so he didn’t push the conversation. He only occasionally threw out a casual comment or two.
An hour later, the car entered Shi Cha’s city.
“Where do you live? I can drop you off on the way.”
Shi Cha didn’t understand—Lin Ran didn’t even know where he lived, so how could it be “on the way”? But he pressed his lips together and still gave his address.
After all, after this, the two probably wouldn’t see each other again.
Selfishly, he wanted to spend a little more time with Lin Ran, even though they hadn’t said much.
When Lin Ran heard the name of the residential complex, he raised an eyebrow. “Is that the place your brother Shi Jian lives?”
Shi Cha nodded. “Yeah. After I graduated, I moved there.”
As for why he moved out, he didn’t say, and Lin Ran didn’t ask.
Shi Cha asked, “How did you know that was my brother’s place? Have you been there before?”
As far as he knew, Shi Jian hadn’t actually lived there.
“That house was designed and decorated by me,” Lin Ran said.
Shi Cha nodded. “Oh.”
So that must be why Lin Ran knew where his brother’s house was—because he helped decorate it.
What Lin Ran didn’t say was that he had never actually been inside Shi Jian’s place. The design plans were originally for his own home, but Shi Jian had seen them, liked them, and ended up having the exact same setup installed.
Half an hour later, the car pulled up at the entrance to the complex. Shi Cha quickly said, “You can just drop me off here. I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
Lin Ran didn’t insist and told the driver to pull over.
Shi Cha opened the door, grabbed his luggage, and stood outside, waving to Lin Ran who rolled down his window.
Only after Lin Ran’s car had driven far away did Shi Cha slowly drag his suitcase toward home.
Lu Lecheng’s earlier words had indeed affected him, but over the years, he had learned to regulate his emotions.
Right now, his heart and mind were full of Lin Ran.
Just as Shi Cha was about to enter the complex gate, someone suddenly jumped out and crossed his arms, blocking his way.
It was Du Yan.
Squinting, Du Yan looked him over like a spy. “Who just brought you back?”
Du Yan had been waiting for Shi Cha in the security guard’s room. The person who brought Shi Cha back was a bit far away, so he hadn’t seen clearly.
Shi Cha pursed his lips but didn’t try to hide it. “Lin Ran.”
“What? Lin Ran? The Lin Ran—the one who’s hot right now?”
After his surprise, Du Yan scrutinized Shi Cha again. “What’s your relationship with him? Why did he bring you back?”
Shi Cha was too tired to answer and simply walked around Du Yan toward home.
“You definitely haven’t watched the livestreams these past couple of days.”
Feeling a bit guilty, Du Yan rubbed his nose. He really hadn’t watched the livestream.
“I’ve been crazy busy these past few days—picked up a bunch of new clients. I’ve barely had time to rest or even go home. Just as I finished up, I thought of you. I was worried you wouldn’t have a ride back, so I was planning to drive out and pick you up.”
Du Yan rambled on the whole way, while Shi Cha only occasionally responded with a brief “Mm.”
When Du Yan came inside, he suddenly felt something was off.
“Why do I feel like you came back from recording some variety show and that you’re in a much better mood? Did something fun happen?”
Shi Cha ignored him completely, simply pulling dirty clothes from his suitcase and stuffing them into the washing machine.
Du Yan followed, still gossiping. “Or… did you meet someone who made you happy?”
Shi Cha’s hand paused on the washing machine controls, but he resumed pressing buttons casually and replied, “No, stop guessing.”
Du Yan slapped his thigh. “Then there is something!”
He rolled his eyes. “Could it be Lin Ran?”
Shi Cha just happened to be by the sofa and threw a pillow at Du Yan.
“Don’t say nonsense. Lin Ran and I don’t have anything.”
“Oh, Lin Ran, huh?”
Du Yan caught the pillow easily and hugged it. “Shi Cha, you might not realize this, but you only deny like that when you’re lying. Usually, you just ignore me!”
Shi Cha: “…”
Du Yan, sitting cross-legged with the pillow, had already started analyzing.
“Lin Ran’s a former Peak champion. Even retired, he’s an idol to esports fans. And since you love Peak so much, you’re probably a fan too. Fans getting personally escorted home by their idol—that’s definitely something to be happy about.”
Du Yan nodded at his own reasoning, convinced he was right.
Shi Cha: “…”
Well, if you want to interpret it that way, fine.
…
Inside the van.
Manager Li Xin’an was reviewing the earlier livestream footage. After watching it, he turned to Lin Ran and asked,
“You said you were going to promote your movie, right? But I looked through it all, and you never mentioned it once.”
He quickly added, “Don’t tell me you forgot. Don’t blame me for dragging you onto Qi Jing’s show.”
Lin Ran hadn’t forgotten. When he saw Shi Cha yesterday, he changed his mind on the spot.
He didn’t reply to Li Xin’an but gave another instruction: “Help me pack my stuff today. I’m moving tonight.”
“Moving? Where to?”
“To that residential complex we just passed. I have an apartment there. Didn’t you say someone found my current address before? It’ll be better if I change places.”
Li Xin’an looked at him with suspicion in his eyes.
“I saw the hot topics about you online these past couple of days. You’re not seriously interested in that kid, are you? Let me warn you—right now you’re at the peak of your fame. Stirring up a fake relationship for hype is one thing, but if a real romance breaks out now, that won’t be good. You’ll lose a ton of fans.”
Lin Ran didn’t care at all. “Let them drop. I’m planning to be a director in the future and basically won’t take acting jobs anymore. No need to maintain a single status just to keep fans loyal.”
Li Xin’an was shocked and turned around in disbelief. “Dude, you’re joking, right? You’re really going to date that kid?”
Lin Ran chuckled lightly. “Date? I haven’t even gotten him yet!”
“Whoa—” Li Xin’an gasped, then hurriedly told the assistant and driver, “Pretend you didn’t hear any of this!”
He then leaned toward Lin Ran with a serious face. “Are you really sure?”
Lin Ran nodded. “Of course.”
Li Xin’an bit back his frustration and could only warn, “Just keep it low-key while you’re chasing him.”
Lin Ran: “…”
Li Xin’an thought for a moment, then asked, “So, now that you’re moving there, how do you plan to woo him?”
“I’ll give you some advice. You can bring him food and drinks every day, invite him to watch movies. Actually, no—that’s too obvious. You guys need to be discreet, not wandering around. Forget it, just watch movies at home.”
Lin Ran: “…”
He lifted his eyelids slightly and looked at the chatty Li Xin’an.
“Let me remind you—You’ve been chasing this guy for almost ten years and still haven’t won him over. If I listened to you, would I ever have a chance to get out of being single?”
Li Xin’an: “…”
I try to help you with ideas, and you hit me like that!
I shouldn’t have said anything!
He turned away angrily, deciding not to talk to Lin Ran anymore today.
Five minutes later.
“The Peak All-Star Tournament this time is being held right here in our Seaport City. It lasts four days in total, but we’re not participating in all the matches, so we don’t have to go every day. Also…”
Li Xin’an went through all the details of the All-Star Tournament on his tablet in a smooth and detailed manner.
Lin Ran had taken part in several All-Star tournaments before, so even without Li Xin’an explaining, he was familiar with everything.
At the end, he suddenly said, “Later, get in touch with the club and help me prepare two Super VIP tickets.”
“Huh?” Li Xin’an was puzzled. Lin Ran himself was a player, and he had a special player’s seat.
“Two tickets? For whom?”
“What, you want to come too? If you guys want to go, prepare a few more tickets separately—don’t put them next to mine.”
Li Xin’an: “…”
“Don’t tell me you want to bring your crush along?”
By this time, the car had arrived at the company building. Lin Ran didn’t answer Li Xin’an’s question but his expression clearly told him: You guessed right.
Li Xin’an: “!!!”
After getting out of the car, Lin Ran reminded his assistant to start packing his stuff and said he’d move out once he finished his work.
That night, just past ten, Shi Cha was already lying in bed.
As he was about to sleep, he suddenly heard quite a bit of noise outside his door.
He had lived here for three months and never heard any noise outside before. Now suddenly there was a commotion.
Could it be a burglar?
Wearing his pajamas, he quietly went to the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, then carefully crept to the door and looked through the peephole.
Outside, there were no burglars—just movers in company uniforms carrying large and small packages into the neighboring apartment.
Inside the apartment, a girl was directing where to place the items. Though from Shi Cha’s vantage point, he couldn’t see her clearly.
Shi Cha thought to himself: So the girl across the hall just moved in recently—no wonder I hadn’t seen anyone before.
Though the noise was somewhat loud, it wasn’t enough to disturb the neighbors and was still within a tolerable range.
Seeing that there was no threat, Shi Cha relaxed, put the knife down on the table, then found a pair of earplugs and put them in. He returned to bed and soon fell asleep.