I Heard That I Am Poor

Chapter 99: She wants to see me

“Exactly, in the end, it’s all about the game of capital. Whoever is ruthless wins. You can’t just throw a lot of money around and end up feeling humiliated, being dragged along by your competitors to ride on their popularity wave, and still have to smile and send someone else to the top four, right? This was done beautifully!”

Meng Yuan understood the situation clearly and wholeheartedly agreed, “Zhao Shuya’s skills are lacking, and his marketing tactics are so disgusting. The production team isn’t stupid; they’ll try to appease the situation and calm things down. They won’t be foolish enough to mess with you. Besides, if you really make a scene and quit, their viewership will definitely drop significantly.”

Yu Nian took a sip of water and closed the cap, his smile bright, “Yes, I guess I’m relying on my position to bully others.”

He relied on his own position, as well as Xie You’s position.

Meng Yuan exaggeratedly gave him a thumbs-up, “You’re doing a great job at this bullying!”

Seeing Yu Nian glancing at his phone several times, Meng Yuan casually asked, “Waiting for a reply?”

“Yeah, I messaged Xie You, but he hasn’t replied yet.” Yu Nian was worried and couldn’t help but glance at his phone’s silent screen again.

Meng Yuan looked at the sky outside, “Maybe he’s still working late or in a meeting? President Xie seems to be quite busy.”

Yu Nian shook his head, “He is busy, but I know his schedule. He should finish work by 7:30 tonight, and he doesn’t have any dinner appointments.”

That’s why he was worried.

And what he feared the most was if Xie You had something bothering him but didn’t tell him, leaving him to worry needlessly.

However, not long after, Xie You called. Meng Yuan watched as Yu Nian barely said a few words before the call ended, and his expression became worried. This made Meng Yuan anxious too, and he began to speculate if something had gone wrong in their relationship again, “Nian Nian, what happened?”

Yu Nian held his phone, didn’t answer immediately, and only said, “Brother Meng, I’ll go to Xie You’s place first.”

When he arrived at Xie You’s home, it was already past nine in the evening. Yu Nian followed the butler who came to greet him, and they walked inside. The surrounding trees and lights created interwoven shadows, far away from the bustling city, and in the silence, the faint scent of plants could be smelled along with the chirping of crickets.

At the entrance of the main mansion, the butler stopped and respectfully said, “Young Master is inside. I cannot enter without permission.”

Recalling that Qu Xiaoran had mentioned before that Xie You’s family doctor had been bribed by Ding Zhaoxian to change the medicine he was taking, and if Xie You hadn’t been vigilant and had the medicine tested, he might have been in grave danger by now.

He also remembered the call from earlier, where Xie You endured the pain, his voice hoarse as he said, “Nian Nian, I miss you. My head hurts so much.”

For those years, Xie You suffered from sleepless nights due to headaches but dared not see a doctor or take medication. He even isolated anyone he couldn’t completely trust to prevent them from hurting him. He hid every ounce of vulnerability behind a tough exterior.

And now, he had lifted that tough facade to reveal his vulnerability to Yu Nian.

Yu Nian politely thanked the butler and followed Xie You’s instructions, placing his finger on the fingerprint scanner. With a beep the door opened, and Yu Nian walked in.

The subtle scent of cedar filled the air. Yu Nian didn’t rush inside but stopped at the door. In the darkness, he heard Xie You’s tired and hoarse voice say, “Nian Nian?”

Only then did Yu Nian reply gently, “Yes, it’s me.”

With a soft click, the light of a gentle wall lamp was turned on, breaking the darkness inside. Yu Nian saw Xie You lying against a plain-colored pillow, his face pale, the loosely tied black robe revealing a large area of his chest, like a handsome aristocrat in a Western painting. In the warm light, his long eyelashes and straight nose cast a faint shadow. It seemed like he was in unbearable pain as he slightly furrowed his brows, and when he looked at Yu Nian, there was a subtle hint of yearning in his eyes.

Once Yu Nian approached and sat beside the bed, Xie You instinctively leaned closer, pressed against him, as if finally letting go of his worries. He spoke in a low voice, “You finally came. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yu Nian kissed his dry lips and asked, “Have you taken your medicine?”

Xie You avoided eye contact and didn’t answer.

Sensing that Xie You’s psychological trauma was still affecting him, Yu Nian didn’t press further. Instead, he patted his own thigh and smiled, “Just like last time, come and lean on me. I’ll give you a massage, maybe it will make you feel better.”

Xie You didn’t refuse and leaned against Yu Nian’s thigh.

Yu Nian rubbed his hands together, applying gentle pressure to massage the acupoints on Xie You’s head. As he spoke in a soothing tone, he talked about seeing a new shopping mall opening on the way, how the roadside trees had grown lush, and the flowerbeds blooming with unknown flowers. He mentioned how the sunset was getting later, and the sound of crickets becoming more common…

Gradually, his voice faded, and Yu Nian lowered his head. He noticed Xie You’s chest rising and falling rhythmically, breathing calmly, and the slight crease between his eyebrows eased a bit. He was sleeping deeply.

Considering the air conditioning in the room, Yu Nian gently pulled a thin blanket over Xie You. Assured that Xie You was still asleep, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head to find the bedroom door lock making a slight sound as the door was gently pushed open. Xie You’s mother appeared at the doorway.

She was elegantly dressed in a light blue evening gown, her long hair up in an elegant style, adorned with a diamond necklace, and wearing a pair of white lace gloves on her arms – likely rushing back from a social event.

They had met once at the hospital before, and Yu Nian was worried about waking Xie You, so he remained seated by the bed, smiling and nodding as a greeting.

Ruan Yunmei placed her hand on the doorknob, her fingers instinctively tightening a bit. She saw Xie You lying on Yu Nian’s thigh, already fast asleep, his forehead smooth, showing no signs of pain.

Her eyes suddenly turned red. She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, gesturing to Yu Nian to keep quiet. Seeing him nod, she stood at the door and quietly watched for a while before gently closing it.

Although it was an unfamiliar room, the presence of Xie You was enough to make Yu Nian feel at ease. After a long day of shooting, and with no time to rest, his accumulated fatigue came rushing back. He smelled the familiar scent, leaned against the soft pillow, and unknowingly fell asleep.

When he groggily woke up, it was already late in the night. He lay in bed for a while before fully coming to his senses, realizing that he was still covered with a thin blanket, but Xie You was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Yu Nian was about to get up and look for him, the bedroom door opened, and Xie You walked in, with a hint of moisture on his body and drops of water still on his chest, un-dried.

Seeing Yu Nian awake, Xie You’s gaze instinctively softened. “Did I wake you up? I broke out in a cold sweat just now, so I took a shower to freshen up.” He noticed Yu Nian’s gaze fixed on his chest and hurriedly adjusted his collar to conceal the exposed skin.

With a faint blush on his ears, Xie You changed the subject and asked, “Are you sleepy now, Nian Nian?”

Having slept for a while, Yu Nian was no longer drowsy. He shook his head and asked, “Not anymore, why do you ask?”

Xie You unlocked his tablet and brought up a document, lying down next to Yu Nian, then handed it over like a treasure. “Take a look.”

Yu Nian took the tablet and, upon seeing the high-definition image on the screen, his breath hitched, and his eyes couldn’t help but remain fixed on it. “This… is the Chang Fang Zun?”

The screen displayed a clear picture of a bronze vessel with beast-face and kui motifs as the main decorations and thunder patterns as the background. The four corners were adorned with elephant heads. From the angle of the photograph, it seemed that there were inscriptions on the inner side of the open mouth of the Fang Zun.

Yu Nian stared intently at the image of the Fang Zun Vase in the form of a ritual wine vessel, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. After a while, he finally spoke, “There are two lines of inscriptions on the inner side of the Fang Zun, and the last characters are ‘To the esteemed eldest son, Zun Yi’.”

He took a shallow breath. “When this Fang Zun was unearthed, my grandfather was guarding it nearby. Later, he studied it day and night but hadn’t fully deciphered the two lines of inscriptions on the inner side when the Fang Zun was stolen and smuggled out of the country. For decades, it has never reappeared.”

He remembered that his grandfather used to talk about it from time to time, saying that he didn’t know if he would have the good fortune to see the Chang Fang Zun again in this lifetime and study those inscriptions on the front.

Xie You listened patiently and said, “This bronze vessel is now in the possession of the Monti family in Italy, and they are about to transfer it.”

Yu Nian’s eyes brightened, excitedly asking, “In what form?”

“In the form of a private gathering,” Xie You coughed lightly, deliberately avoiding eye contact. “I can take you there.”

The next day, after Yu Nian finished performing his new single “Dream Reverie” at the live music scene of “Echo Radio,” Meng Yuan bumped fists with him and praised, “Nian Nian is very suitable for this kind of highly professional music scene. The effect is excellent, even better than in the studio.”

Yu Nian took off his in-ear monitor, nodding, “Yeah, I really like it. The band accompaniment creates a fantastic atmosphere!”

Seeing the smile on Yu Nian’s face, Meng Yuan found it strange, “Oh, did something good happen? You seem extremely happy this morning.”

Taking a big gulp of water, Yu Nian asked, “Brother Meng, have I received the appearance fees for the last two variety shows I participated in?”

Hearing Yu Nian bring up the appearance fees, Meng Yuan rubbed his chin, “What’s going on? Are you short of money again?”

Holding the water bottle, Yu Nian nodded honestly, “Yeah, I want to buy something, and it’s likely going to cost a lot.”

Recalling how Yu Nian spent two billion to buy the “Insomniac Scroll” and recently sold the Doucai Chicken and Stone-pattern Cup for nearly three billion, Meng Yuan wisely refrained from asking what he intended to buy. Instead, he quickly calculated Yu Nian’s earnings and couldn’t help but ask anxiously, “Is it enough?”

Yu Nian wasn’t entirely sure, “It should be enough.”

At that moment, Yu Nian received a text message on his phone. After reading it and taking a dozen seconds to respond, he asked Meng Yuan, “Can you free up two hours later?”

Meng Yuan checked his schedule, “I can, the rest of the shooting time is flexible. If we push it back by two hours, you’ll have to work late in the evening. What’s the matter?”

Yu Nian replied, “Yeah, Xie You’s mother invited me to meet her.”