Chapter 99

  André Mondé

  At some point in time, in the midst of an inescapable nightmare that recurred at midnight, I had dreamed of this person countless times before waking up with a start.

  In the dream, the man stood under the sun with no temperature, his golden hair was dazzling to the point of being eye-catching, he opened his mouth and revealed a row of neat white teeth, and gave a sinister smile that seemed to be the most evil in the world, as if the next second, he would pounce on him, bite through his neck, and suck all the blood from his body...

  Nightmares usually end quickly here - for ordinary people, ordinary nightmares will only wake the dreamer up when they are dying or extremely tense in their dreams. But for Jian Ran, this golden-haired devil doesn't even need to do anything, just standing there and smiling at him is enough to scare him awake from his dreams.

  Such nightmares had caused a long period of insomnia and a history of neurasthenia during his adolescence.

  It took a long time to forget some things that shouldn't exist in memory, walk out of the shadow, return to campus, graduate normally, and then come into contact with the film industry, enter the public eye...

  His busy career left him little time to look back on his past.

  But he had no idea that twelve years later, when his life was on the right track and he almost forgot that this person ever existed in his life, he would suddenly re-enter his world without warning - the large bunch of fiery red roses in his arms seemed to be handed over from a witch's hand like thorny flowers, holding it steadily in place, only feeling dizzy and nauseous from the fragrance of the roses...

  He wanted to turn around and run away.

  Like in those years, be a weak and timid deserter.

  But this time, Jian Ran knew he couldn't do that - here was his career, his friends, his future - countless eyes were watching him, and he was no longer the boy who could just shrink away when things happened.

  At this moment, Andre's tall figure cast a shadow that completely enveloped him. He mustered up his courage and slightly raised his chin to form a firm arc, meeting the gaze of those amber-colored eyes deeply buried in his memory.

  In his memory, this person had always possessed a stronger and taller physique than his peers, with an endless power that made anyone dare not to make any resistant moves in front of him. He had once thought innocently that after so many years, he must have grown up a lot too, perhaps when they met again, he wouldn't be as afraid as before... But the fact was that in the past twelve years, Yuan Jin Yan had indeed grown into a standard adult male physique of 1.76 meters tall, and at the same time, on the other end of the earth, someone else was growing up rapidly...

  He was close to 185cm in high school and now he's probably grown about 10cm taller.

  Even the expensive white suit on his body couldn't conceal his sturdy muscles, and it seemed that the collar was impatiently pulled open to reveal a carefree style, under which one could easily see the wheat-colored skin and the faintly bulging muscles.

  But those hands... after a quick glance, almost immediately withdrew their gaze. At this moment, the large bouquet of roses in his arms, which had just been in those big hands, looked like a bunch of toy flowers, ridiculous and laughable.

  "This thing was meant to be in your hands, I've had enough of the strange looks from the corridor." Disregarding the pale face and trembling body of the black-haired young man, who looked like he might collapse at any moment with cold sweat on his forehead, Andrei Mond, a man with an air of satisfaction, raised his hand and gently plucked one of the roses from the bouquet in the young man's arms. He chuckled softly, his low voice filled with contentment, "I've always thought you suited red roses."

  The rose he had plucked "cracked" and broke off directly from the stem.

  He talks to himself, completely in a monologue, and looks like he doesn't even care if no one responds to him, enjoying it thoroughly.

  Andre's appearance drew the attention of some people in the banquet hall - this was natural, originally he was tall and handsome, if not for the ferocious aura that even a suit and tie couldn't hide, he could almost be considered a handsome rich young master...

  What's more, he came in with a big bouquet of roses in his hands.

  Then, in the eyes of the female stars present, a look of expectation burst forth, and in their hearts, they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of such a large bouquet of flowers and a tall, handsome man to come before them, making themselves the most envied person tonight. However, little did they know, this bouquet of roses was casually stuffed into another man's arms...

  If there's been some kind of misunderstanding here.

  Andrei Mondi's excitedly hugging and kissing the young black-haired man completely dispelled any romantic notions the girls present had.

  "Oh my god, I'm worse than a man."

  This is what most of the ladies present are thinking at this moment.

  "But he's really handsome and has real acting talent, I'm surprised why Hollywood didn't discover him earlier - if he were younger, he'd be even more popular now."

  The number one heroine of "Mysterious Seeds", international movie queen Sarah, raised the red wine glass in her hand, gently shaking it, while glancing sideways at the two male creatures standing not far away, and said to the female companion beside her in a light tone: "I always thought Asians were yellow, now I find out how terribly wrong I was - look at him, when he's facing women, he's like a chivalrous medieval knight; when he's facing men, he instantly becomes a princess who needs protection..."

  She stopped again at this point - actually, there are not a few Asian people who look pretty, such as some Korean stars, strictly speaking, they are even more beautiful than the girls.

  But Yuan Jinyan is different.

  Compared to those real idol stars, he seems to still be a little short if he wants to make a living just by his face. However, when he stands in front of people like this, every word and action gives people an indescribable special feeling: some people are born to be actors, and Yuan Jin Yan is probably one of them.

  When he appears on screen, people sitting in front of the TV find it hard to take their eyes off him.

  It's as if everything he does is right, and it's all a matter of course - even in the midst of a crowded courtyard, holding a bouquet of fiery red roses, being hugged and kissed by a man who looks like a bear.

  Thinking of this, Sarah couldn't help but feel that her worldview was somewhat collapsing.

  At this time, Sarah's companion couldn't help but nod her head and admit that the young black-haired man standing next to Andrei, who looked like a bear, didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable - for God's sake, she still can't help but recall the shocking moment when she accidentally saw them kissing for a few seconds. She sighed: "Men and women are all the same."

  Sala snorted: "Beauty can be devoured."

  And yet, there were not a few people who, like them, were whispering and discussing in hushed tones. The banquet hall, which had just been filled with laughter and joy, had fallen into a brief and terrifying silence, but had finally regained some of its original vitality. Although he could feel countless pairs of eyes on him at this moment, as if needles were piercing through his suit and stabbing into his skin, the stinging sensation made his nerves tense and suddenly woke him up.

  Then, he made a stunning move - he stuffed the large bunch of roses in his arms back into the tall man standing in front of him, and then took a few steps back, staring at the person in front of him with those black pupils, warningly saying: "Why are you here?"

  Andre squeezed the bouquet of flowers and shook it casually - the fully bloomed bouquet dropped several bright red petals due to his action, he smiled and replied: "I thought you were going to stand there staring at me without saying a word all night."

  She pursed her lips and looked very displeased.

  Andre shrugged: "I thought you had some awareness when you saw the surname 'Mond' on the list of investors, and even wondered if you would come to this premiere - what surprised me is that you really came; What disappointed me is that you obviously came with the idea that 'it's probably not him since this surname is so common'..."

  He politely indicated that he was too lazy to listen to his chatter, and it was very tiring to talk to Andrei because when he spoke English, he had a very heavy accent, which hadn't changed at all even after so many years.

  Yes, it was because of "learning English" that he...

  He realized he was almost irresistibly being pulled back into the depths of his memories. He shuddered slightly, making an effort not to let any inappropriate glances of "panic" appear on his face - because he knew that now many people, including Mr. Mandro, were paying attention to him, and he really couldn't afford to make any more out-of-place moves to pique their curiosity...

  Collecting his thoughts, he said in a low and cautious tone: "If I had known you were going to be here tonight, I definitely wouldn't have come."

  "Truly heartless."

  At this sigh, the man's lips were slightly raised, as if he had expected the situation.

  He glanced at the fire-red rose in his hand, almost feeling that his own eyes were about to be scorched. He tightened his icy hand slightly and made himself sound very calm as he said: "It's been so many years, Andrei, meeting again in this setting, I think we don't have to——"

  "It was you who said it would end back then."

  “……”

  "And you should know that control is never in your hands."

  "Mr. Mond," a spark of indignation had come to his assistance, and he was able to repress the fear that had so far kept him silent, "I think I made myself quite clear both then and now—"

  "You can't leave me, after all." Andre took a step forward, and when he saw the young man with black hair take a step back immediately, his amber eyes sparkled with a joyful and wanton light that only carnivores have when they are about to catch their prey. He lowered his voice and came to the front of the young man, slightly bowing his head, saying in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "You can't leave me, whether it was back then or now... Ah, I really miss the days when you smiled and called me Professor Monde or Andre. At that time, I was the sky above your head - and now, you're an actor, and I'm an investor. The world is just so wonderful, guess what those producers would think if I insisted on replacing the lead actor of 'God's Redemption'?"

  She slightly widened her eyes in surprise.

  After a long time, he squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "Despicable."

  Andre's smile at the corner of his mouth deepened: "Of course, you're not worthy of me."

  With that, the man blew a puff of air into the black-haired young person's ear, and then he straightened up, and then he patted the solemn shoulder as if they were good buddies, laughing in a voice that everyone standing around them could hear, "Look at you, I just made a joke and played a little prank, and you got scared like this—"

  At this time, the producer of Mandro standing beside blinked his eyes, and the expression on his face which had been bewildered all along suddenly revealed a relieved look: "My goodness, Andrei, do you know our rising star in the East?"

  It's probably an exaggeration to describe Mandro as a "legend", but Andre let out a hearty laugh, turning his head with sparkling eyes to look at the middle-aged man in front of him: "Yes, yes, but he was my junior in high school - and at that time, it was not common for our school to have foreign students, and they were of different ethnicities... He was the sensation of our school, and when he first transferred to our school, many people would run to his classroom door after class to catch a glimpse of him."

  "Andrei said, pausing for a moment, with a smile: 'At that time, I thought to myself, I must become friends with this Eastern person - unexpectedly, he really became my very good friend.'"

  Every word from Andre is like a reminder of what happened back then with Zhen Ran.

  As he conversed with Mr. Mandro, Juren's face grew increasingly unsightly; he wanted to leave - yet in Andrei's sidelong glance, he could see a warning component - as if warning him that if he dared to walk away, the events of today would probably not end so well - and this vicious and unscrupulous person, if his nature had not changed in all these years, then this warning was not just a warning, but rather a "prediction of something that could happen at any moment", which would be more accurate.

  He had no choice but to stand still, his face cold as he listened to the person he hated most in the world making nauseating small talk with the director of his crew.

  "But Andrei said, you used to study in Germany?"

  "It's been several months."

  "Ah, judging from your behavior, I thought you were here in this country for the first time."

  Facing Mandro's astonished gaze, he smiled warmly and hadn't had time to respond when he looked up and saw Andre grinning: "Later on, he ran back to his country without a word, which hurt me deeply. For so many years, I've been entangled in whether I did something wrong that drove away my angel..."

  He couldn't help but laugh at this.

  But Mandro thought Andre was just making an exaggerated joke.

  He was literally suppressing the urge to escape from this banquet hall immediately - and breathing in the same space as Andrei Mond, just thinking about it made him feel a surge of irrepressible disgust in his chest cavity, really.

  ……

  Fortunately, it wasn't long before the time for the banquet to start was half an hour away. The originally tightly closed doors of the banquet hall were reopened, and guests who had received invitations from actors or high-level crew members entered in an orderly manner. The already lively banquet hall became even more lively with the addition of more people, which was undoubtedly a lifesaver for Jian Ran. From the moment the door opened, he kept looking towards the entrance.

  Although he didn't think Jiang Chuan's appearance would have a good impact on the current situation.

  But as long as she thought of being able to see him, Jin Yan would feel a little more at ease in her heart.

  He had been waiting with an expression that was a bit too obvious, and now he finally got rid of Andrei, the producer of Mandrake, who turned around to notice - slightly furrowed his brow, and for a moment there was a hint of gloom in those amber eyes, but soon he perfectly concealed them, asking in the same relaxed tone as before: "Waiting for someone?"

  "It's none of your business," Jian Yan said coldly. "Can you leave after saying enough? My friend is about to..."

  "Do you still have friends? You never had friends before."

  "It's still because of you—" At the moment he heard Andrei speak, his calm eyes flashed with a hint of great emotional turmoil, but soon that emotion seemed to be forcibly suppressed by him. He lowered his head and said gloomily, "Forget it."

  Andrei seemed to enjoy recalling past events and chuckled: "Go on."

  He clenched his teeth and shook his head, forcibly turning around to walk away from him - in the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of displeasure on the tall man's face, an expression that made him almost reflexively want to open his legs and escape, and he had already seen Andrei raise his hand as if preparing to grab him.

  He's in trouble if he gets caught!

  When this thought drilled into his mind, almost every cell in his body went on high alert. He slightly shifted his body as if wanting to evade Andre's hand, but didn't expect that at this moment, a warm large hand suddenly stretched out from another direction and directly grasped his wrist, pulling him backward with a force that was neither light nor heavy, causing him to stumble, yet perfectly avoiding Andre's capture.

  His sturdy back bumped into a solid chest.

  The next second, he keenly felt a familiar and reassuring aura enveloping himself.

  "What's going on?"

  A low, magnetic male voice sounded at a close distance, and he carefully heard his own heart "rumble" as it fell to the ground - He raised his head to look at the man standing behind him. From his angle, he could see Jiang Chuan's thin lips pursed into an not very happy angle, and those azure eyes reflected the outline of another golden-haired giant.

  From this angle, the man's chin curve is perfectly visible, as if it were a sculpture created by a top-notch artist.

  He suddenly froze, and for a moment, the tense emotions in his eyes were swept away. He didn't struggle free from Jiang Chuan's hand on his wrist, but instead leaned against him, slightly turning his body to ask the man behind him with some excitement: "What took you so long?"

  "Just opened."

  The man answered concisely, but his eyes were fixed on the golden retriever standing in front of them, slightly taller than him. Although he was slightly shorter, when Jiang Chuan and Andrei stood together, the former's aura didn't lose out to the latter at all. When he turned his head calmly, even Andrei couldn't help but feel a sense of astonishment.

  Wait and see.

  What's wrong?

  He blinked, somewhat unresponsive, and when he turned his head back to look at Andrei, he saw that the other's amber-colored pupils had become a thick, dark golden color, probably due to the lighting in the banquet hall. He stared at Jiang Chuan, who was firmly grasped and fixed in his arms, and said, "Leicht Reid."

  He directly called Jiang Chuan's real name?

  What's going on?

  Suddenly, he felt a bit dizzy and turned his head to look at Jiang Chuan. At this moment, the expression on the latter's face had already revealed something: he indeed knew the blonde in front of him, and judging from the not-so-pleasant expression on his face, their relationship was probably far from harmonious.

  "What are you doing here?" Andre asked in German, his eyes darting to the young man with black hair, "And what is he doing with you?"

  "Good grief, it's here already." Jiang Chuan said in a cold tone, "Still need your approval?"

  Andre cracked a smile: "Of course not, Master Reins."

  Jiang Chuan didn't seem too pleased to hear this title, his deep blue eyes flickered for a moment, and he didn't respond. He turned around and pulled the young man with black hair who looked confused away, but at that moment, Andrei said in a moderate tone behind him...

  I don't know why you suddenly appeared here, nor do I know why you seem so enthusiastic about something that belongs to me. However, since it's you, I certainly don't have the ability to compete with you - I'm just reminding you slightly, Lelouch, that when you've had enough fun, remember to return him to me, I won't be picky, after all, I've already waited for twelve years.

  “……”

  The man who had just turned around paused for a moment, and then, in a place where the people behind him couldn't see, he lowered his eyes, and those long and dense eyelashes covered up all the emotions in his azure pupils.

  He turned his head and said a sentence in German quickly.

  Andrei listened and was taken aback for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

  He walked up quickly, and before he could react, he pinched his chin: "It seems that you are not a nobody without me, you are much more formidable than I imagined."

  Andre glared at him, but before he could raise his hand to swat it away, a crisp slapping sound was heard, and someone had beaten him to it. Jiang Chuan withdrew his hand, coldly staring at the golden-haired man who was rubbing his hand with an ambiguous smile. Suddenly switching to English that Jian Ran also understood, he warned in a low, ominous tone, like a storm about to break:

  "Stay away from him."

  This sentence is also unclear whether it was said to Andrei.

  Still talking about Jian Ran.

  He barely had time to ask "what" out of conditioned reflex before being dragged away forcefully. He turned his head back, and Andrei was still standing in the same spot, with a smile on his face waving at him - that smile which never reached his eyes he knew all too well, cold enough to freeze one's blood solid.

  Jian Ran felt that she had brought trouble to Jiang Chuan.