But he genuinely hadn’t expected Xiao Churan to call at that moment.
Hearing the endless ringing, Xiao Churan suddenly felt inexplicably nervous.
She muttered to herself, “Could this mysterious dancer really be Ye Chen? But… why? He’s a feng shui master, sure, but two top female stars fawning over him like that doesn’t make sense, does it?”
Ye Chen had no idea this glitch would happen.
He was already fed up with Beijing.
When he wasn’t performing, everyone was pressuring him to have kids.
When he was performing, that American nutcase kept hugging and kissing him.
It was miserable either way.
So, he’d already told Gu Qiuyi that once these four shows were done, he’d head straight to the airport and fly back to Jinling.
There were still Shanghai performances to come, but those didn’t involve dancing.
Plus, the next shows weren’t for a few days, so there was no need to stick around.
Finally, when the song ended, Tawana came up and hugged and kissed him again.
Thankfully, from the second show onward, she’d toned it down, not as over-the-top as the first.
After the kiss, Ye Chen and Gu Qiuyi left the stage.
They hurried to the dressing room, and as Ye Chen changed, he said, “I can’t stay here any longer. I’m heading straight to the airport. Nannan, when you get back, please say goodbye to Uncle and Auntie for me. I won’t go back to see them.”
Gu Qiuyi, surprised, asked, “Brother Ye Chen, even if you’re eager to go back, do you have to leave now? It’s already past nine.”
Ye Chen said, “I have to go.”
Gu Qiuyi teased, “Missing Ms. Xiao, are you?”
Ye Chen said seriously, “What Ms. Xiao? That’s your sister-in-law.”
“No way,” Gu Qiuyi huffed, saying sternly, “She’s the third wheel. I just don’t make a fuss about it.”
“Alright, alright,” Ye Chen knew he couldn’t win this argument with Gu Qiuyi. He had no chance.
If they talked about who came first, Gu Qiuyi would say she’d known him since childhood, definitely before Xiao Churan.
If they talked about legal marriage, she’d say parental arrangements trump all, and what’s a marriage compared to that?
This girl always had her logic.
And Ye Chen, knowing he was in the wrong, didn’t want to argue.
So, he surrendered, saying, “Fine, call her Ms. Xiao if you want. I’ve been away for days, and it’s time to go back.”
Gu Qiuyi didn’t press him, saying, “Then I’ll take you to the airport.”
Ye Chen said, “I’ll drop you home first, then drive to the airport. Chen Zekai will arrange for someone to pick up the car later.”
Gu Qiuyi countered, “No, I’ll take you to the airport, and after seeing you off, I’ll drive back!”
Ye Chen was helpless. It was already past nine, and the last normal flight to Jinling that night was at eleven. If he hurried, he could make it. If he missed the check-in, he’d have to use the Ye family’s private jet.
A private jet was convenient, but if the landing time didn’t match public flight schedules, it could raise red flags.
If Xiao Churan checked and saw no flights or trains landed at that time, how would Ye Chen explain his return?
To avoid complications, Ye Chen said to Gu Qiuyi, “Fine, we’ll go to the airport together. But I’ll have Old Chen arrange a helicopter to pick you up from there. You’re not driving back alone, I won’t have it.”
“Whatever,” Gu Qiuyi laughed, “As long as I can see you off!”
Meanwhile, in Jinling, Xiao Churan saw in the livestream that the mysterious dancer had left the stage.
So, she waited a few minutes and called Ye Chen again.
Ye Chen’s phone was on the dressing room table.
When it rang, the incoming call screen overrode the earlier missed call notification.
He had no idea Xiao Churan had called during his performance.
Making a shushing gesture to Gu Qiuyi, he picked up the phone, answered, and smiled, “Churan.”
Xiao Churan’s heart sank, and she felt a sudden panic.
She asked, “Honey, what… what are you doing?”
Ye Chen said, “I’m about to head to the airport.”
“The airport?” Xiao Churan was surprised, “Why are you going to the airport now? Isn’t the show still ongoing?”
Ye Chen said, “My work’s done. There’s a flight to Jinling tonight, so I’m heading out now to catch it.”
Xiao Churan grew more uneasy.
“What’s going on here?”
“Is Ye Chen really the mysterious dancer?”
“Why didn’t he answer when the dancer was on stage?”
“And just minutes after the dancer’s performance ends, he answers?”
“Plus, right after the dancer’s done, he’s heading back to Jinling. The timing… it’s just too perfect, isn’t it?”
“Could… could the mysterious dancer who’s been cozying up to Tawana for four days really be him?!”
