The hospital room door was gently closed, and the room finally returned to silence.
Lin Luan let out a long breath, his tense nerves starting to relax. This job of being a rented boyfriend was really hard work, and he still had to watch out for people listening through the walls.
But lately, why did he feel like Miss Su Jin wasn’t as perverted as before…
That was a dangerous thought—falling for someone in a transaction for money, wouldn’t that just make him an idiot?
Aside from the home he shared with his sister, any other gentle place was not meant for him.
Sigh.
Lin Luan sighed, subconsciously shifting to a more comfortable position to lie down, when his hand accidentally touched something hard on the nightstand.
It was his phone.
Phone!
Only now did Lin Luan suddenly remember that ever since the attack yesterday, he hadn’t touched his phone at all. Wasn’t he completely out of contact?!
Xiaowan must be worried sick!
He hurriedly reached for his phone and turned on the screen.
As expected.
On the lock screen, notifications for unread messages and missed calls were almost overflowing—no matter how much Lin Luan scrolled, he couldn’t reach the bottom.
[Brother, come home soon…]
[Brother, I had a nightmare, I dreamed you abandoned me…]
[Brother, I can’t find you…]
Lin Luan’s heart nearly broke when he saw that last message. He quickly replied to Lin Wan:
[Sorry, Xiaowan, my phone died yesterday, I had to go on a business trip last minute, I’ll be back in a few days. Be good, go to school, don’t worry.]
After sending it, he immediately left the chat and saw a message from Shen Yu, to which he hastily sent a quick reply.
Once the two messages were sent, within seconds his phone vibrated non-stop.
Lin Wan instantly replied with a [crying hard] emoji, followed by a voice message.
“Brother, you scared me to death! Don’t ever do this again!”
Her voice was thick with a nasal tone—Lin Luan could almost feel the snot bubbling up.
Shen Yu’s reply was much simpler: [As long as you’re okay.]
Seeing these replies on the screen, Lin Luan finally felt somewhat relieved and got up to prepare for his discharge procedures.
He remembered Su Jin had just told him to get plenty of rest these two days.
Lin Luan straightened his hospital gown, rotated his arm in a circle to loosen up.
Mm, he was pretty much recovered.
Miss Su Jin’s idea of rest… Did that mean he didn’t have to go to work? Then after getting discharged, to make it up, he should cook a big meal for Lin Wan.
Mm… I’ll go buy some groceries later.
Just as he was thinking this, Lin Luan received another message.
It was from Shen Yu.
[Can you… come see me? I have something I’d like to ask you for help with.]
Lin Luan was taken aback.
Shen Yu… needs something?
***
Shen Yu’s home, in her bedroom.
Staring at her phone, Shen Yu’s fingers kept refreshing the chat interface, hoping to see Lin Luan’s reply the moment it arrived. She had hesitated for nearly half an hour before sending that message.
She really did have something to ask Lin Luan—and it wasn’t a small thing.
She was going to take Lin Luan back from that sly fox woman.
Out of a desire to protect Lin Luan, she hadn’t told him she already knew about his sugar mommy.
After all, that was money earned at the cost of a man’s dignity, and if people found out, it really wasn’t something to be proud of.
She knew Lin Luan’s character very well. If he realized someone knew what kind of work he was doing, he’d pretend not to care, but deep down he’d eat himself up over it.
She would not allow that to happen.
So, she’d come up with a perfect solution—a way for Lin Luan to escape that wicked woman while preserving his dignity.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz.
Her phone vibrated. It was a message from Lin Luan.
[Alright, I’ll come to your place in a bit.]
Lin Luan endured the lingering pain in his back and took a cab to Shen Yu’s house.
He’d changed into a simple disguise: hoodie and jeans, looking like an ordinary innocent college boy. He adjusted the shoulder of his hoodie to make sure it properly covered the bandage on his shoulder.
Lin Luan figured Shen Yu must have run into some kind of trouble and needed help—like fixing a pipe or moving something heavy… although right now, he probably couldn’t move anything big.
Better ask her directly. Shen Yu wouldn’t ask for help without a good reason.
A moment later, Lin Luan stood in front of Shen Yu’s door.
Knock knock knock. He knocked. “Shen Yu? Are you home? It’s me, Lin Luan.”
Creak—the door opened.
Lin Luan watched as the door slowly swung open, then stood there in shock.
The Shen Yu standing inside wasn’t the gentle girl-next-door in a plain white T-shirt he was used to.
She was dressed in a meticulously put-together idol costume: a light blue cropped top dotted with sparkling sequins, paired with a matching pleated mini skirt.
On her legs were white over-the-knee socks, and on her feet, dainty loafers.
Her long hair had been carefully styled, and a light blue butterfly hairclip sat by her ear, with tiny heart-shaped sequins at the corners of her eyes.
Lin Luan felt like he was seeing stars—this DokiDoki KiraKira feeling made his heart skip a beat.
“Lu’an, you’re here.” Shen Yu’s eyes didn’t meet his, instead looking at the floor. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the tips of her ears faintly red.
Clearly, this outfit made her a bit nervous too.
“You… you’re…?” Lin Luan couldn’t take his eyes off Shen Yu.
This was so strange. Was this really Shen Yu? Where had her literary air gone?
Shen Yu said nothing more, just stepped aside to let him in.
She poured Lin Luan a glass of water, but didn’t rush to answer his question. Instead, she sat across from him and started chatting about seemingly trivial things.
“Lu’an, do you remember? Back in elementary school, at the talent show, you insisted on doing somersaults on stage and ended up ripping your pants. I was the one who lent you my school jacket to tie around your waist.”
Shen Yu smiled as she spoke, eyes full of nostalgia.
“That…” Lin Luan was unsure what Shen Yu was up to, but could only play along for now. “You still remember something that embarrassing?”
“Of course I do.” Shen Yu continued, her tone gradually softening. “And in middle school, I said I wanted to learn piano.”
“That was when my dad had just gone to Italy, and we couldn’t afford one. You secretly went to help the music store owner move goods all summer, and with the money you earned, plus my saved pocket money, we rented a secondhand electric piano and put it in your house…”
She paused, stood up, turned around, clasped her hands behind her back, and tilted her head slightly as she looked at Lin Luan with gentle eyes.
“Back then, you were my first—and only—audience.”
It was also at that time that she and Lin Luan had made a childhood marriage promise as childhood friends.
But Lin Luan probably didn’t remember any of that now.
Listening to these familiar memories, Lin Luan felt a bit moved.
“Why bring all this up all of a sudden?” he asked, feeling Shen Yu was acting strangely today.
Shen Yu took a deep breath and lifted her head.
“Lu’an, I want to debut as an idol. My dad only gave me three years. If I can’t stand on the biggest stage in the country in three years, I’ll have to go abroad.”
Lin Luan was silent for a moment, then said, “It’s alright, with your talent, you can definitely do it.”
He wasn’t just saying that for comfort. Shen Yu had been accomplished in music since childhood, collecting so many awards she’d lost count.
“I really appreciate your faith in me, Lu’an.” Shen Yu suddenly changed the subject. “But, I need a manager—someone I trust completely, who can handle everything for me.”
She looked Lin Luan straight in the eyes and spoke each word clearly:
“Luan, will you be my manager?”
Lin Luan froze.
So this was what she wanted to ask him?
“Me? A manager?” He instinctively shook his head. “Shen Yu, don’t joke around. I don’t know anything about this, have no connections or resources—how could I manage you? I’d just hold you back.”
“No, you’re perfect.” Shen Yu was firm. “You’re smart, a quick learner, and… you know me better than anyone else. Most importantly, I trust you.”
“I… I can’t do it.”
“You can!” Shen Yu pleaded. “I’m not asking for a freebie, I’ll pay you a salary. Please… just be with me, even if it’s just this once, let me be selfish, okay?”
Lin Luan pressed his hand to his forehead.
The words “please” alone were enough to shake him.
He was never good at refusing others—especially not his childhood friend.
“Alright… I’ll do it.” Lin Luan finally agreed. “But! As soon as you start making real progress, you have to find yourself a better manager! Okay?”
“Mm!”
Shen Yu beamed with joy.
She looked at Lin Luan, her smile tinged with a certain slyness.
Lin Luan, I’m going to save you.
Right now, Lin Luan was like a puppy being raised as food by a fox.
The easiest way to save him was to take that food away.
Though she wasn’t a fox, if anything, she was more like a rabbit.
But she wasn’t just any rabbit—she had fangs and sharp teeth.
Shen Yu was absolutely confident she could snatch food from the fox’s jaws.
Lin Luan, oh Lin Luan…
If your rise in life must involve a bad woman—
Then let me be that bad woman.
At least I’ll never hurt you, right?