Volume One, Chapter 93: Is There Something Going On Between Them?

"I'm here to back him up, not to play fair."
This line quickly went viral online.
Fans left a flurry of comments:
"Wow, sis is just too cool. Fairness has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to support. If you have the guts, go find your own."
"Alright, maybe it's a bit lacking in magnanimity, but I love it!"
"Look, look! I knew there had to be something between those two!"
"The aura is just overwhelming!"
Jiang Yu paid no mind to the online commotion. Once the show ended, he boarded a flight back to the airport closest to home.
He then took a cab back to his hometown, a small fourth-tier city.
By the time he arrived, night had already fallen.
In a fourth-tier city, the streets were much quieter at night compared to the bigger cities. Scattered streetlights kept lonely vigil.
Carrying his luggage, Jiang Yu made his way into an old residential complex, retraced his memories, and stopped in front of a familiar door. He knocked softly.
It was late, so he dared not knock too loudly. If no one heard, he planned to check into a budget hotel for the night and return in the morning.
Seeing no one answer, Jiang Yu picked up his suitcase, preparing to leave.
Just then, a man's voice sounded from inside, "Who is it?"
Hearing the voice, Jiang Yu hesitated, then called out, "Dad."
"Xiao Yu?" Jiang Anfu's voice was filled with disbelief.
"It's me!"
Recognizing the familiar voice, Jiang Anfu threw on a jacket and hurried to open the door.
Seeing his son suddenly appear at the threshold, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed them vigorously. "Kid, why are you home so late?"
Jiang Yu smiled. "After the show, I bought the nearest flight back. Just wanted to come home early and spend some time with you and Mom."
"Who is it, old Jiang? Who's come by so late?"
Hearing voices and noticing her husband hadn’t returned, Pan Lanzhi also threw on a coat and, rubbing her sleepy eyes, came to the door—
Only to find Jiang Yu standing there!
"Xiao Yu?"
She rubbed her eyes again—no, it wasn’t a dream. Her son really was home!
"Xiao Yu, child, coming home so late, and you didn’t call your dad to pick you up! Did you have dinner? I’ll cook you some noodles. One egg or two?"
As she spoke, Pan Lanzhi headed for the kitchen.
Jiang Yu quickly stopped her, smiling, "Mom, I’ve already eaten, and eggs aren’t easy to digest at night. Let’s have them for breakfast, okay? Tomorrow morning, I’ll have two eggs!"
"Noodles, noodles—my son comes home and you want to serve him noodles? Can’t we have anything else? Haven’t you had enough noodles in your life?" Jiang Anfu put on the airs of a patriarch.
"You old fool, if noodles aren’t good, why have you eaten them for decades? Now you’re complaining?" Pan Lanzhi rolled her eyes, then turned to Jiang Yu with a smile. "Fine, no noodles. Tomorrow morning, your dad will buy some meat, and I’ll make dumplings for you!"
A warmth filled Jiang Yu’s heart. He nodded. "Alright!"
After a long flight and several hours in the car, fatigue overtook him. He yawned.
"Son, come and tell your dad about life after graduation! Let’s have a proper father-son talk!" Jiang Anfu slung an arm around Jiang Yu’s shoulders, guiding him toward the room.
"You old thing, can’t you see the boy’s yawning? Can’t you talk any other time—does it have to be in the middle of the night?"
Pan Lanzhi pinched Jiang Anfu’s waist, then turned to Jiang Yu.
"Son, go wash up and get some rest. You must be tired. Sleep in tomorrow!"
Jiang Anfu looked at his wife, wounded—his fatherly dignity scattered all over the floor!
Jiang Yu laughed and nodded. "Alright, Dad, Mom, I’ll go to bed now."
At this hour, his younger sister Jiang Ru was surely already asleep. Jiang Yu quietly washed up and slipped back into his room.
His own room was spotless and tidy.
He pulled back the covers and lay down.
Taking out his phone, he sent a message: "I’m home."
It was so late, he didn’t expect any replies. He put his phone aside.
Whether it was exhaustion or simply his body’s weariness, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
And slept deeply...

Jiangxia.
In a luxurious restaurant.
Three beautiful women had another stunning woman surrounded.
The three who formed the siege—one was an alluring femme fatale, one was irresistibly cute, and the last possessed a baby face with an arresting figure.
Their designer clothes alone made it obvious these women came from affluent families.
At this moment, their expressions were nearly identical—faces of pure gossip-hungry anticipation.
The one being besieged was a woman of cool, distant elegance. Her breathtaking beauty was tinged now with helplessness.

"Confess and you’ll get leniency, resist and there’s no going home for New Year. If you keep refusing, you’ll rot in jail," Fang Shanshan, sweet and adorable, announced with mock ferocity.
"Fang Shanshan, you’ve got the lines backward!" Tong Yuan, the baby-faced beauty, played the role of air-headed cutie—but anyone who fell for that was sorely mistaken.
"Tong Yuan, we’re here to interrogate Su Muyu, why are you undermining Shanshan?" The seductive Qin Shuyao hooked a finger under Su Muyu’s chin.
"Sorry, my bad! Now, spill it!" Tong Yuan put her hands on her hips, acting fierce. "We agreed—if you’re in love, you have to tell us everything!"
These sisters had grown up with Su Muyu, as close as iron—nothing was ever kept secret.
Su Muyu made a final struggle. "What do you want me to say?"
Fang Shanshan snorted. "Playing dumb? You’re all over the hot search. That guy who sang the love duet with you—Jiang Yu, right? Are you two together or not?"
Tong Yuan joined in, equally fierce. "Yes, is what the internet’s saying true or not?"
"Little miss, if it weren’t for this trending topic, we’d still be in the dark. Not cool! Started dating and didn’t tell us? When did it begin?" Qin Shuyao pinched Su Muyu’s chin.
A barrage of questions—Su Muyu’s ears grew redder and redder. She hurriedly retorted, "What are you all imagining!"
"Xiao Yu is just a new artist in our company, and I was assigned by work to mentor him, that’s all!"
"Really?" Tong Yuan eyed her suspiciously. "Nothing else?"
"Really, nothing!"
"Sis, come on—there could be something!" Fang Shanshan jumped up. "He’s so handsome, and you’re telling us there’s nothing? Are you planning to become a nun?"
"It’s only you single-from-birth types who believe her. Our princess here—since when has she ever looked at a man like that?"
Qin Shuyao exposed her at once:
"Did you see her eyes when she sang the duet with Jiang Yu? I swear she was about to melt!"
"And that line—‘I’m here to back him up, not to play fair.’ Would she say that for any other man? If she says there’s nothing between them, even a dog would shake its head in disbelief!"
"If you ask me, with such a handsome guy, just sleep with him first—if it doesn’t work out, break up; no harm done!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" At this, Su Muyu completely lost her composure. She downed her wine in one gulp, then slumped over the table, pretending to be dead.
Her friends burst into triumphant laughter.
Case closed—how could they not be delighted?
"Next time, invite him out so your sisters can check him out for you!"