Chapter 54 – Qiu Qian vs Kang Jian
After Chaos Street had broadcasted for around a month, there was almost no young people who didn"t recognize the two roles Chen FengGe and Luo Zai.
Other than its fixed time slot on television, Chaos Street was also trending on the internet. Because it was popular, all of the online streaming sites promoted it well. With the support of various internet giants like Full Circle, the download and streaming of Chaos Street on various online platforms far exceeded that of just on its official website. It had pretty much reached the extent of being readily available anywhere and everywhere that the audience felt like watching it. This meant it could attract audience"s attention even better.
Of course the episodes online was a few episodes behind that being broadcasted on television. This was to thank the audience members who were willing to tune in at the set time every day. If those on the internet wanted to catch up then they would need to pay a fee similar to that of purchasing an ice cream. This was originally a small service provided to those who were both impatient but didn"t want to sit through advertis.e.m.e.nts. However they didn"t expect that the people who subscribed to this service soon blew out as the promotions got bigger and bigger. When an a.n.a.lysis after one month of broadcasting it was found that approximately 20% of the audience watched it via a platform other than TV.
All of this represented one thing. And that was that Bai Lang had become popular again.
It wasn"t just Bai Lang. The first male lead Sun XinBin and also a few supporting stars, all got a lot of attention from fans.
Because the popularity of this drama arose from the entire team. From the director, producer, guest stars, main stars, and even people responsible for the background music and special effects, on each level they had brought an above-average effort. The combined together effort could be summarized by the audience in three words: "great to watch".
Without a doubt, the fact that the budget was large was one of the primary reasons behind this. Also this drama had been through three years of reflection. After it was carefully and meticulously edited and re-examined, of course it would become better and stronger. Also another reason that the majority of people weren"t aware of was that the patron and boss of this drama practically appeared on set every single day. In these circ.u.mstances how did anyone dare to slack off.
So the fact that Chaos Street got popular was very natural. There wasn"t even a single thread of artifice.
Under this kind of great promotion it took only two weeks of broadcasting Chaos Street for Bai Lang to gain back his previous popularity, just as Kang Jian said. It really wasn"t an exaggeration.
So, the main characters as well as some supporting characters in the drama were all notified that they would be partic.i.p.ating in some variety show programs. After all popularity was a wave. Right now any programs that were able to invite some members of the show, whether they be main or supporting, to come on to discuss some interesting snippets and clips, would experience a significant rise in viewership. So these invitations began to flood in like flakes of snow during a snowstorm.
Thus once people started to talk, very quickly the gossip that Boss Qiu would come to visit the set every day was soon exposed and spread out. Even the fact that Boss Qiu had gotten angry because of Bai Lang"s kissing scene was talked about, with exaggerated vinegar for effect. Under this kind of gossip, Qiu Qian"s image practically became that of stereotypical modern jealous husband. It made Bai Lang laugh for a long time.
However this type of chatter meant that Bai Lang and Qiu Qian"s relationship was easier for fans to accept three years later.
After what had happened, Bai Lang no longer cared to think about whether or not his relationship with Qiu Qian was showy, and whether he should try to mask it somewhat. Life was so unpredictable that it was important to grasp every moment. This was how Bai Lang and Qiu Qian felt after experiencing these three years.
Because of this thinking, the number of times Bai Lang and Qiu Qian appeared together in public was also more than three years ago.
This included the grand opening of a particular luxury shopping mall.
Qiu Qian had received an invitation to attend as a VIP guest and dragged Bai Lang along as a companion.
And among the many artistes who had also been invited along by the publicity company, it also included Kang Jian who had a small popularity.
This was actually the very first, and only time, that Qiu Qian and Kang Jian had ever met.
***
The new boutique shopping mall SKAI was given the t.i.tle of the most luxurious and high-end shopping mall in A City, and had gathered together all the most popular flagship luxury international and domestic brands. The target audience were wealthy people, particularly young men. Inside there was even a counter selling sports cars.
The Qiu family owned one complete level in the shopping mall and had opened a VIP entertainment club there which would provide the wealthy patrons with a luxurious place to rest and recover after spending big in the mall. This combination of conspicuous consumption and wealth of entertainment would make it very popular with rich madames.
As the representative of the club, Qiu Qian was invited to attend the mall"s grand opening reception as a partner. Thinking about the fact that in the future he might consider doing his shopping here too, he dragged Bai Lang to see what type of shops he liked and if his own family"s entertainment club would interest him.
Such a grand and dazzling opening reception naturally would invite many artistes and models to attend. A lot of them were the domestic brand representatives of the various luxury brand shops in the mall. The publicity company was very intelligent and inside the grand atrium as well as the fountain garden, they held a small runway show. Other than building up the atmosphere, it would also satisfy the desire of various rich people invited along to spend their money. Because of course on the day of its grand opening, the shopping mall wasn"t actually open to the public but only to those several hundred specially invited VIPs.
Kang Jian was one of the people in the runway show. His eyes met Qiu Qian"s, who was sitting below.
When their eyes met briefly, Kang Jian"s heart thumped. Then he immediately looked at Bai Lang who was sitting next to Qiu Qian and had his head lowered, looking through the programme in his hand. Only this way he could confirm that this person really was the Boss Qiu who sometimes appeared on the news.
This was the first time Kang Jian had ever seen this so-called "love rival" which he had built up in his fantasies. In the stories, Boss Qiu was wildly handsome and charismatic, and this really seemed to be the case. He had handsomely carved and angular features, as well as broad shoulders and a figure, which even if he didn"t stand up, was clearly strong and powerful.
So even though Kang Jian was the one on the stage, an overpowering sense of jealousy washed over him.
Because this situation of being on and off the stage even more clearly accentuated the difference in the status of these two people.
Kang Jian finally saw clearly why, even though he had tried so hard to be friendly, Bai Lang still persisted in ignoring him and not contacting him… wasn"t it only natural? Even though he was famous now, in this kind of situation, he was still just a performing monkey for the rich VIPs off the stage. Anyone with brains would know which one to pick, right!?
This type of harsh reality shattered the fantasies Kang Jian had in his head.
Particularly when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, these two people"s heads bent together as they talked. Qiu Qian was leaning over, he whispered something in Bai Lang"s ear which made him laugh. When Qiu Qian saw it, he came even closer and kissed him suddenly which made Bai Lang freeze. He turned quickly to look around, then helplessly and tolerantly continued to converse with Qiu Qian in a low voice. During this time… at least until the point which Kang Jian had no choice but to leave the stage, Bai Lang had not raised his head once to look onto the stage.
As he left the stage, dark feelings of envy and hate once again swirled in the depths of Kang Jian"s heart.
***
Kang Jian"s mood was dark but actually Qiu Qian"s wasn"t good either.
After seeing Kang Jian on the stage, and in the reception party which followed after, Qiu Qian stuck closely by Bai Lang"s side and didn"t leave one step. This was because he could keenly feel that even though Kang Jian stayed far away and didn"t come close, however his gaze was constantly on Bai Lang all the time.
Qiu Qian slightly adjusted his angle and blocked this gaze which made him extremely displeased. If it wasn"t because Bai Lang had in a rare occasion pointed out a few counters and said he wanted to go and buy a few sets of bedsheets later, then Qiu Qian would have dragged him away long ago and taken him someplace where that gaze wasn"t able to see him.
However Kang Jian"s strange behaviour reminded Qiu Qian of some things. According to Bai Lang, at the point to which he was reborn, he had Kang Jian were only ordinary friends. There wasn"t any romance which only occured in his past life when he got famous for the second time. According to Bai Lang, the reason Kang Jian kept making trouble them was probably just because Bai Lang had been cold and dismissive of him since filming "Partners".
However when Qiu Qian saw the expression in Kang Jian"s eyes when he looked at Bai Lang, he immediately knew that things weren"t so simple. He also didn"t forget that series of missing calls from Kang Jian from over three years ago. It definitely was too much for something as simple as being "friendly".
When he thought about this Qiu Qian"s expression became darker and darker. However he didn"t expect that Kang Jian picked this time to actually pluck up the courage and approach them.
"Ah Lang, such a coincidence. We meet again."
Kang Jian raised a gla.s.s of champagne. His cloying gaze from before had completely vanished. On his face was a friendly and innocent smile.
Bai Lang nodded his head. Qiu Qian turned and asked Bai Lang, "Who"s this?"
This way of speaking, which was directly talking over and ignoring Kang Jian, showed his antagonism. In addition, Kang Jian was "famous", there was also an implied insult.
A flash appeared in Kang Jian"s eyes however on the surface he maintained the appearance of respectful friendliness. "It"s an honor to meet you Mr Qiu. I"m Kang Jian, previously I was in the same training cla.s.s as Ah Lang. We"re old friends. I didn"t think we"d meet here, such a coincidence."
This type of thick skin made Qiu Qian look at Kang Jian from top to bottom. He smiled lightly, "Oh. So you"re Kang Jian?"
Kang Jian"s expression flickered. "Ah Lang has mentioned me before to Boss Qiu?"
"No, but I remember you." Qiu Qian said in a meaningful tone of voice. "Didn"t we speak on the phone before?"
"Phone?" Kang Jian couldn"t help pausing.
"A long time ago, on a particular morning, you called Bai Lang"s mobile and I picked up. However you probably didn"t know it was me."
Qiu Qian"s expression was very generous.
Kang Jian"s sense of danger immediately rose. "Re-really? I don"t seem to recall…."
"That"s true. This type of small thing, why would Mr Kang remember it?" Qiu Qian smiled dangerously. "At that time, Mr Kang didn"t you have a senior brother called Wu ShenEn? It seems he got involved in a drug scandal, I wonder how he is now."
As soon as Kang Jian heard that his face immediately went white.
Because three years ago, the fact that Bai Lang"s mobile had been picked up by a man, was something that he had told Wu ShenEn….
Right now Qiu Qian suddenly brought up this phone call, and even pointed out Wu SheEn…. Could it be that Qiu Qian had long ago found out about this!?
When he thought about it, Kang Jian"s heart flip-flopped and he swallowed hard. "This, Mr Qiu, what"s the meaning of your words?"
Qiu Qian only laughed very faintly. So faintly that all the hairs on Kang Jian"s arms stood up.
Just as he thought when the laughter stopped, Qiu Qian"s eyes became cold enough to freeze someone. "Get lost. That"s my meaning."
This kind of overwhelming pressure forced Kang Jian to take an involuntary step backwards. His legs also felt weak however his eyes couldn"t help looking towards Bai Lang.
However Bai Lang"s face was very peaceful. There wasn"t any type of strange expression. It was clear that he already knew about it from a long time ago.
So that meant the he already knew the horrid things he had done…. When he thought of that, Kang Jian"s face went hot. He couldn"t stay there any longer. He didn"t even make any explanation but only turned around and frantically left the venue.
When Qiu Qian saw him fleeing, he couldn"t help but make a spitting noise.
Bai Lang however stopped smiling and asked, "Why all of a sudden?"
He knew that Qiu Qian wanted revenge on Kang Jian, however wasn"t it all supposed to be done under the surface?
Qiu Qian thought about Kang Jian"s cloying glances from before but he didn"t want to tell Bai Lang. He only said, "Some people, if you don"t completely rip faces with them {T/N: shred all pretense of cordiality}, they will continue to show up and find opportunities to disgust you."
Bai Lang thought about it and it seemed to be right. "That"s true. Kang Jian really is a strange one."
Qiu Qian didn"t want to continue this conversation so he changed the topic. "Let"s not talk about him. What do you still need, just buy everything today."
Bai Lang nodded. "You don"t have anything on after this?"
"No. I"ve cleared my schedule today."
However Bai Lang was the one who picked up his phone. He looked at the time showing on the screen then dialled a number.
Qiu Qian raised his eyebrow but Bai Lang only smiled at him. He waited until the phone connected.
A few seconds later a loud voice came through the phone, "h.e.l.lo h.e.l.lo h.e.l.lo! Ah Bai! Are you looking for me~~~"
In this day and age, second year primary school students already started carrying phones in order to make it more convenient for their parents to contact them. The phone that Bai Lang gave Qiu XiaoHai didn"t have all functions but could only be used for making phone calls. However this was enough to make Qiu XiaoHai overjoyed. He really loved it when Ah Bai or daddy called him to chat.
"Is it time to finish cla.s.s now?" Bai Lang asked.
"En! Ah Bai! Let, let me me tell you ah, just then the teacher said–"
Following it was a string of loud chatter. Standing to one side, Qiu Qian could also hear his son"s very loud and energetic voice.
Bai Lang replied a few times then said, "Then after you finish school Hong Hong will bring you over okay? Me and your dad are at the mall. We will take you around to pick out a present. It"s almost your birthday."
There was an excited and piercing cry from the phone. Bai Lang had no choice but to slightly hold the phone away from his face. Qiu Qian s.n.a.t.c.hed it and said, "Be quiet, dumba.s.s. No one talks on the phone like you. Our ears hurt to death."
"I want to go I want to go ah!! Daddy!! Hurry and tell Ah Bai!!" Qiu XiaoHai was still yelling into the phone. "I can finish school now!! I will tell the teacher right away!!"
Qiu Qian clenched his teeth. His ears really hurt.
"No, you be good and finish your last cla.s.s. Otherwise Ah Bai and I will go home."
"Ahhhhh– No ah!! Wait for me wait for me!! I, I, I want to go together!!"
From Qiu XiaoHai"s cries it was clear to see that the present wasn"t the important part. The part that made him the most joyful was being "together".
Qiu Qian admonished him a few more times before finally hanging up and returning the phone to Bai Lang. He asked, "How about mine?"
It was a coincidence that the Qiu family father and son"s birthdays were only separated by approximately one week.
Both of them were Leos, in the future they were definitely bound to argue.
"If you don"t like bedsheets," Bai Lang pretended to be put out. "Then I need to think about it some more."
"Let me give you a hint, I like what"s on top of the bedsheets more." Qiu Qian leaned in closer to Bai Lang to whisper.
"So should I wrap myself up in a bow?" Bai Lang raised his eyebrow.
Although there were a lot of people around them, Qiu Qian was not able to suppress his urge and lowered his head and stole a pa.s.sionate kiss.
***
After meeting at the shopping mall, Qiu Qian decided to roll up his sleeves and pull the net in. He wanted to take care of Kang Jian properly.
However he didn"t expect that before he could do that, he was the one who got thoroughly disgusted.
Hong Hong came with a report, "Kang Jian finally slept with someone. The photo is in the file, he"s a small male model. Not someone that we stuffed in."
Qiu Qian didn"t open the folder, he didn"t really care. "Doesn"t matter. Expose it and take care of everything as we discussed."
Hong Hong pointed to the file again. "I think it"s best if you look first."
Qiu Qian paused. Then he opened the folder and glanced at the photo.
A few seconds later Qiu Qian viciously ripped up all the contents of the folder. It wasn"t enough to a.s.suage his rage so he also savagely kicked the leg of his desk.
"f.u.c.k! So G.o.dd.a.m.n disgusting!!"
"How do you want to deal with it?" Hong Hong asked.
"Give him some money and tell him to get plastic surgery. Don"t expose it until he does it. Also let Kang Jian earn some profit and this time introduce Brother Chen Dong to him. After he loses his entire family and fortune, we"ll see what else he can get up to!" Qiu Qian"s breathing was ragged. He stared viciously at the photo that had landed on the floor.
In the photo was a delicate and pretty youth. When he smiled, the appearance was actually 50% similar to Bai Lang.
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