Chapter Fifty-Five: Flames on the Battlefield, Lords Toyed by War

East Sea Broadcasting Station, Online Media Department.

As Liao Yuan stepped into the office lobby, a group of colleagues began exchanging looks in his direction. Liao Yuan frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Yuan-ge, Yuan-ge!” Xiao Peng hurried over to his side and whispered, “Director Xi from Department One is here. She’s talking with Director Lai right now!”

Liao Yuan gave a nonchalant reply. “Does that have anything to do with me?”

“Uh... yes? No? Yuan-ge, don’t look at me like that. Should I say yes or no?”

Liao Yuan fixed Xiao Peng with a gaze so intense it made the latter’s scalp tingle. At last, he set his briefcase on the desk, began sorting his manuscripts, and said, “Xiao Peng, in the future, don’t spread baseless rumors. If you don’t know the facts, you have no right to speak. Understand?”

Cold sweat broke out on Xiao Peng’s back as he replied, dejected, “I understand.”

“Mr. Liao.”

Zhu Jiayin, the anchorwoman of “Idol Express,” came over just then. Leaning over Liao Yuan’s desk, her strong perfume wafted toward him at once. “Isn’t it strange that Director Xi came to our office so early? That’s never happened before. Xiao Ru was the first to arrive today, and she saw Director Xi sitting at your desk for quite a while. And get this—she came alone...”

“Alright, I get it.” Liao Yuan stood up, finished sorting his manuscripts, and motioned to Xiao Peng to join him as they headed for the studio to begin work.

Zhu Jiayin hesitated for a moment, mouth opening and closing, before she turned and demanded, “I really want to know, who the heck started the rumor that Mr. Liao and Director Xi are having an affair? Is there any proof?”

Someone laughed. “Come on, that’s been circulating in the office forever. No smoke without fire...”

“I don’t know if they ever had anything going on.” Zhu Jiayin sneered. “But with all my years of experience, I can tell you, Mr. Liao has absolutely no interest in women right now!”

With that, she buttoned up her blouse, looking indignant, and stalked off to the restroom. There, she pulled out several pads from her bra, scrunched them into a ball, and tossed them into the trash with a resentful huff. “Are they blind? I have a figure like this and he doesn’t even notice. Serves him right to stay single!”

...

Online Media Department Director’s Office.

Lai Yibai poured two cups of warm tea and set them on the coffee table, asking curiously, “Director Xi, did you really date Liao Yuan in the past?”

Xi Yun, dressed in a crisp business outfit—a white blouse with a black suit and skirt—looked every bit the sharp professional, her figure accentuated by the attire. But unlike her usual energetic self, she seemed somewhat haggard and tired today.

She forced a smile at Lai Yibai’s question. “The past is like smoke—there’s no need to dwell on it. I’m here just to talk to Liao Yuan.”

“About what?” Lai Yibai pressed, her gossipy instincts burning.

“He can’t go on down this misguided path,” Xi Yun said firmly.

Misguided path?

Lai Yibai was taken aback, then frowned. “I know Liao Yuan’s talent. He’s been shining in our department—you’ve seen his achievements. Just last week, Director Zheng personally awarded him the ‘Star of Broadcasting’ certificate. Director Xi, if I may be frank, you can’t judge Liao Yuan with old assumptions. He’s not the same as he once was, and he’s certainly not ‘going astray’ as you put it. Don’t you realize how popular ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is now?”

“I know him better than you do!” Xi Yun declared. “His talent shouldn’t be confined to a mere radio host.”

Lai Yibai’s gaze flickered.

After a moment, she smiled. “Director Xi, being a radio host is a profession too. Sure, it has its limits, but Liao Yuan is also a mystery novelist, and writers are celebrated everywhere. His ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ is often trending on Weibo, and his followers have topped a million. Oh, maybe there’s something you don’t know...”

She unlocked her phone and, after a bit of tapping, handed it to Xi Yun. “Director Fu Yuntao’s studio announced last night they’ve bought the TV and film rights to ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Lost City of Jingjue’ for a sky-high fee. They didn’t reveal the amount, but you know Fu Yuntao—the king of variety shows—money’s no object. If they say it’s a fortune, it must be several million at least. They’ll be holding a signing ceremony soon. And that’s just the first part of the series. As ‘Ghost Blows Out the Light’ grows in popularity, the sequels will bring Liao Yuan even more untold wealth. His future is beyond imagining...”

It was clear Xi Yun was hearing all this for the first time.

She fell silent, staring at the flood of news reports about the deal on Weibo.

“Director Xi, can you tell me about Liao Yuan’s past?” Lai Yibai ventured cautiously.

Xi Yun seemed not to hear, suddenly asking, “Fu Yuntao—he’s the director of ‘Produce 101,’ right?”

Lai Yibai nodded. “That show’s been hot these past few days, and yes, it’s his work.”

Xi Yun didn’t reply. She stared at the Weibo post from Fu Yuntao’s studio, then quickly lowered her head, logged into a music app on her phone, and played a song for Lai Yibai to hear.

Recognizing the familiar melody, Lai Yibai smiled. “Isn’t this ‘For the Rest of My Life’? Director Xi, you like this song too? Great minds think alike.”

“Liao Yuan wrote this,” Xi Yun said quietly. “He wrote it for me.”

Lai Yibai gave a noncommittal “Oh,” thinking she’d never heard such shameless words before.

Then, realizing what Xi Yun had said, she stared in shock. “What did you say?”

“Liao Yuan wrote this song. He doesn’t just write novels; he also composes and writes lyrics. He comes from a musical family and is proficient in many instruments, especially the piano—he fell in love with it at first sight. In his world, he can do without anything but the piano.”

Xi Yun looked even more worn. “He truly is a genius. I’m the one who let him down.”

Lai Yibai seemed to choke, coughing repeatedly and beating her chest, then wiping tears from her eyes in disbelief.

She didn’t know what to say.

She glanced from the news about Fu Yuntao’s studio to Xi Yun, then back to the lyrics of “For the Rest of My Life.”

“I want to take you to see the endless blue sky, to shout out loud how much I adore you. The past rushes by, but you’re always moved. For the rest of my life, I want only you...”

These lyrics, written for you?

Damn, she’d seen shamelessness before, but nothing like this.

The room fell silent.

In short, Lai Yibai found it impossible to believe. Never mind whether Liao Yuan actually wrote the song; she doubted someone as easygoing as him had ever had any romance with Xi Yun at all!

Besides.

A person’s energy is limited. If Liao Yuan could write novels and compose music, then he was practically a monster!

Xi Yun sighed. “Some people love beauty, not power. He’s like King You of Zhou, who was willing to light the warning beacons again and again just to make Bao Si smile, even if it meant losing his kingdom.”

Lai Yibai rolled her eyes. Comparing herself to Bao Si? Shameless.

A faint sadness colored Xi Yun’s voice. “At first, it was his talent that drew me in, but later, when I saw what a bigger world there was, I realized his was such a tiny corner. His refusal to pursue greatness for the sake of a woman only disappointed me more. If only he’d chased his original dream and become a great pianist instead of giving up his future for love...”

Delusional woman. Truly shameless.

Lai Yibai watched the usually formidable Xi Yun show such girlish melancholy, her mind full of snark, though she comforted her aloud: “What’s past is past...”

Xi Yun wept softly. “Director Lai, do you think there’s a chance I could win him back?”

She still wants him back?

Shameless, shameless, shameless!

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Lai Yibai said, hugging Xi Yun’s shoulders in consolation. “You two have a foundation. If he really is your King You of Zhou, then even if he loses the world, he’ll come back for his Bao Si.”

Damn, did I really just say something that shameless...