"Then you've got beef with the Chen family?" Ye Erlan asked while sipping water.
Ning Qian smiled. She knew Ye Erlan wouldn't blame her.
"Yeah."
When Ye Erlan and Ning Qian first met, they were both at their most down - and - out. They had endured others' insults, so they naturally disliked those who were full of themselves. Moreover, the Chen family had repeatedly provoked them. It was truly disgusting.
They had been kind - hearted. If someone like Xiao Mubai had known about this, he might have directly taken action against the Chen family.
"Why did you come here today?" Ning Qian asked.
Ye Erlan looked at her. "I got interested, so I came to take a look."
Ning Qian was skeptical. She knew this guy well. Ye Erlan was extremely lazy. He wouldn't just come for a visit out of interest. There must be something.
"Come on, tell me. What's going on?"
Ye Erlan paused. He thought about why he had come to see Ning Qian. Actually, he had initially wanted to tell her about Lin Xian, but he hadn't found a good way to start. Then he had encountered that incident when he first arrived, so it had been delayed.
But now Ning Qian was asking. He really needed to tell her. Otherwise, what if this girl got angry?
"Do you remember what I told you before?"
"Huh?"
"I've met the person I've liked for a long time, and I've sort of agreed to be with him."
Ning Qian was a bit surprised, but then it seemed normal. After all, someone as outstanding as Ye Erlan was never short of admirers.
"When will you bring that girl over for us to meet? I'm curious to know what kind of person she is, to have lured away our great designer, Ye Erlan."
"It's not a girl. It's a boy."
This statement silenced the atmosphere. It was a boy?
So Ye Erlan actually liked a boy. No wonder he hadn't looked for a girlfriend over the years. It turned out he just wasn't interested in girls.
But when it came to boys around him, there weren't many. Could it be Xiao Mubai? Had the two of them been secretly in a relationship right under her nose for so long?
"It's Lin Xian."
Ye Erlan said it casually, but Ning Qian was greatly shocked.
It was actually Lin Xian, the great movie star.
But it made sense. Since they returned to China, Lin Xian had always appeared around them in various ways and had always helped Ye Erlan. Even on the night of the EL fashion show, it was after they met that Ye Erlan had lost his composure and said those things to her. And it was Lin Xian who had called her, saying Ye Erlan wasn't in a good mood.
So this was the relationship between them?
The recent gossip about Lin Xian must be related to this. No wonder the photo of Lin Xian in the amusement park looked so familiar. It was one of Ye Erlan's camera compositions.
She had known Ye Erlan for several years and understood him well.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ye Erlan asked, seeing that Ning Qian was silent. He thought she might not have accepted it for a moment.
"Lin Xian? Oh my god. Brother Ye, you're amazing."
Ye Erlan smiled. "I've known him for many years. We were high - school classmates."
"Tell me your story. We've known each other for so long, but I know nothing about your past."
Ye Erlan didn't hide anything. He had already let go of those past events. Now, he didn't feel anything when talking about them. They were all in the past, and he didn't care anymore. Moreover, he was now successful in both his career and love life.
He began to tell Ning Qian his story.
It was many years ago. He became Lin Xian's deskmate, and their relationship was quite good. Mainly because of Lin Xian, his personality had become better. He was no longer as introverted and withdrawn as before.
Slowly, their brotherly bond seemed to change. He always involuntarily wanted to get close to Lin Xian. But since they were good friends, such behavior seemed normal. However, Ye Erlan knew he wasn't normal. He began to wonder if he was sick. Why did he want to get close to someone?
Slowly, he realized it was a feeling called love.
Their relationship had always been good, especially since Lin Xian had always been nice to him. Sometimes, Ye Erlan wondered if Lin Xian felt the same way about him, which was why he was so kind.
As time went on, Ye Erlan fell deeper and deeper.
Later, Lin Xian, as an art - major student, was away from school for a long time to take professional courses in another city.
At that time, Ye Erlan seemed to be the only person in the class still in touch with Lin Xian. They would call each other late at night. Lin Xian would tell him interesting things that happened to him and say there were many fun things there. If he had the chance, he wanted to take Ye Erlan to see and experience them.
Ye Erlan would tell him what the teacher had reviewed and what new lessons had been taught that day, how his grades had changed, and that the owner of the wonton shop at the school gate always asked why Lin Xian hadn't been for breakfast recently.
Actually, he had always been curious about the new things Lin Xian mentioned. His family wasn't wealthy, and his parents were strict. He really hadn't seen much of the world. And Lin Xian said he was willing to travel around with him. That really made him happy.
Ye Erlan suddenly realized that he was truly in love with this guy. Lin Xian was good - looking, and his grades were excellent. He was the best in every way.
He even dreamed about him at night. In the dream, Lin Xian and he traveled from city to city, saw different parts of the world, and tasted all kinds of food. Of course, there were also the amorous feelings of a young boy's dream.
When he woke up, he was sweating, and the quilt was wet.
He decided that when Lin Xian came back, he would confess his love. He believed Lin Xian liked him too.
Not long after, Lin Xian came back with excellent grades. He was as dazzling as the moon surrounded by stars.
One night later, Ye Erlan summoned up his courage and pulled Lin Xian to the playground. Then he whispered his feelings.
However, he witnessed Lin Xian's expression change from shock to disgust and then back to calm.
He said Ye Erlan shouldn't be joking. Such jokes weren't funny.
He said Ye Erlan should forget about all this. They would always be good friends.
He said they should just act as if nothing had happened.
Ye Erlan knew he had been rejected. He didn't say a word and slowly walked home. When he got home, his mother thought he had been criticized at school and was in a bad mood, so she specially warmed up some milk for him.
He didn't sleep all night. His mind was filled with Lin Xian's words and their year - long acquaintance. He cried. As a boy, it was his first cry in more than a decade.
The next day, he still went to school as if nothing had happened. Lin Xian also acted as if nothing had happened and even brought him soy milk from the school cafeteria as usual.
He knew Lin Xian really didn't take what had happened last night seriously. So, fine. They could just be friends.
Two days later, the news spread that Lin Xian was in a relationship, and his girlfriend was the class beauty from the next class.
Just as he was wondering how credible the news was, Lin Xian appeared in front of him, holding a girl in his arms.
It was the first time Lin Xian had appeared with a girl in his arms. Although he was very popular with girls, he had never agreed to date anyone or even flirted.
But now, he was holding a girl.
"Hey, Yezi. I forgot to introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Jiang Yuan."
Then he turned to the girl and said, "Jiang Yuan, this is my deskmate Ye Erlan, my best brother."
Brother?
So they were really just brothers.
He thought life would go on like this. But two days later, that girl named Jiang Yuan came to find Ye Erlan.
She said Lin Xian had told her everything. She knew Ye Erlan was a person with abnormal sexual orientation, a humble beggar for love.
She said not only Lin Xian but also she looked down on people like Ye Erlan.
She said Lin Xian also thought homosexuals like Ye Erlan were disgusting.
Ye Erlan's psychological defense was collapsing. So, in Lin Xian's heart, he was so despicable. That was how it was.
Just then, Ye Erlan's father had an accident while doing business in Ireland and seemed to have died there.
His mother insisted on going to Ireland to see his father. He also wanted to leave this sad city. So Ye Erlan dropped out of school less than a month before the college entrance examination.
Unexpectedly, after arriving in Ireland, he found out that his father wasn't dead. Instead, he had a mistress there and had faked his death to deceive them.
Ye Erlan's mother was heart - broken. Overwhelmed by hatred, she stabbed a sharp dagger into Ye Erlan's father's body. The dagger went in white and came out red, truly ending his father's life.
Later, the police came. Ye Erlan's mother confessed everything and committed suicide right in front of Ye Erlan.
After that, Ye Erlan, who had become happy, returned to his initial withdrawn self. It was as if he had lost everything and the last bit of light in just a few days.
After that, he had been wandering, working odd jobs everywhere. But he never gave up his dream. Until he met Yu Nian, a girl who smiled beautifully and was very gentle.
She encouraged him to cheer up and helped him participate in the World Designers' Competition.
That was how L was truly born.
Later, even though he got the second place, life remained the same. It seemed that the competition was really insignificant.
But Ye Erlan was not willing to be mediocre and bury his talent.
With Yu Nian's help, he established a studio. Then he invited a girl he had met while working, Ning Qian, to join him.
Slowly, things began to improve.
Whether it was when he first lost his parents or after he got the second place in the competition, Ye Erlan had endured a lot of contempt. Yellow - skinned people were not well - received there, especially a little boy with no power.
It seemed that everyone could trample on him and insult him.
This was why Ning Qian and Ye Erlan hated those who bullied others with their power.
Later, EL became more and more famous, and Ye Erlan and Ning Qian's status was increasingly respected.
After that, they met Ai Fo and several other friends. They managed EL very well. In the blink of an eye, it had changed from an unknown brand to an international high - end luxury product, mainly thanks to Yu Nian's connections.
After they returned to China, he met Lin Xian again. Lin Xian said he loved him and had been looking for him for many years.
Actually, Ye Erlan was very afraid. He was afraid that his heart, which he had finally closed, would be opened again.
But everything seemed so easy.
It was just because that person was Lin Xian, the one he had liked for many years.
So in the end, he was willing to be with Lin Xian regardless of everything. He just wanted a ceremony, as if a ceremony could make him feel at ease. As for what had happened many years ago, it didn't seem so important anymore.
Now when he thought about it, he felt relieved.
...
After listening to the story, Ning Qian felt a pang of sadness. She never expected such a story and that Ye Erlan had experienced so much. She never expected...
"So you've been with Lin Xian these days?"
"Yeah. He had a car accident that night while trying to explain the gossip to me. But the news was blocked."
Ning Qian could understand. After all, Lin Xian was a big - name star. If the news broke out, it would be hard to handle, considering he had so many fans and other information could easily be dug out.
Suddenly, she thought of something and felt a bit uncomfortable. "Brother Ye, we've known each other for so long. I really regard you as my dearest brother.
Actor Lin is a nice guy, I can feel it. But..."
"Huh?" Ye Erlan was a bit confused. Did Ning Qian have other thoughts? Logically, her impression of Lin Xian should be okay.
Ning Qian took a deep breath. "Brother, you know how Lin Xian treated you back then. That woman's words were so hurtful. Aren't you afraid?"
Ye Erlan smiled. Actually, he had been worried about that at first because it was a thorn in his heart. But after Lin Xian's car accident, standing at the threshold of life and death, he suddenly figured it out.
Since those things were in the past, they were just in the past.
Moreover, he hadn't heard Lin Xian confirm those things. So he might as well let it all go.
Even if he lost in the end, he would have no regrets. The person he fell for in his youth, no matter what, even if it was like a moth flying into the fire, he was fearless.
"I know, but who asked him to be Lin Xian?"