…
After parting with them, Ye Chen checked in, choosing a window seat, then passed security and headed to the gate.
He was cutting it close, and by the time he reached the gate, boarding had already begun.
Ye Chen joined the queue, boarded the plane, and settled into his seat. He pulled out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Xiao Churan, “Wife, I’m on the plane. It takes off in twenty minutes.”
Xiao Churan replied, “Do you want me to pick you up at the airport? It’ll be midnight by the time you land.”
Ye Chen smiled, “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll just take a taxi.”
He added, “Oh, and wife, don’t wait up for me. Get some rest.”
Xiao Churan responded, “How can I sleep knowing you’re coming back? I’ll wait for you at home.”
Touched, Ye Chen said, “Then I’ll hurry home as soon as I land!”
The plane soon finished boarding and began to push back.
The airport wasn’t too busy at night, and the plane took off five minutes ahead of schedule.
On board, Ye Chen was bored. With no internet, he fiddled with his phone absentmindedly.
That’s when he noticed a missed call from Xiao Churan.
The call had come a few minutes before their actual conversation.
Reconstructing the timeline, Ye Chen realised Xiao Churan’s first call must have come while he was on stage, performing with Gu Qiuyi and Tawana.
It was the only time he hadn’t had his phone on him, which explained the missed call.
He didn’t think much of it.
But as he locked his phone, he glanced at the girl next to him, who was watching pre-downloaded short videos on her phone.
She’d likely cached a bunch of videos before takeoff to pass the time and was now scrolling through them.
By chance, she landed on a fan-recorded video from Tawana’s concert.
The video was of Ye Chen performing “Assassin” on stage.
At that moment, the big screen beside the stage zoomed in on Ye Chen, sword in hand, every move and detail magnified crystal-clear for the audience.
Ye Chen suddenly realised a serious issue.
Though his face was covered the whole time, someone very familiar with him could still recognise him by his build and mannerisms.
So…
Could Xiao Churan have recognised him?
Thinking back to the timing of Xiao Churan’s first call, Ye Chen broke into a cold sweat.
Xiao Churan was a big Tawana fan. Normally, during Tawana’s concert, if she wasn’t busy, she’d be watching fan livestreams on her phone.
If she was watching a livestream, she likely wouldn’t call him mid-performance.
But what if she recognised him—or suspected it was him—in the concert footage?
That call would’ve been perfectly timed.
No matter how capable he was, he couldn’t be in two places at once.
If he was performing on stage, his phone would inevitably go unanswered!
The timing of Xiao Churan’s call suggested it wasn’t just to chat—she was testing if his phone would connect!
Ye Chen felt a chill down his spine.
If it was just about dancing with Tawana and Gu Qiuyi, it wouldn’t be a big deal even if Xiao Churan knew, since she was aware he had some skills.
The problem was that Tawana had gotten physically close to him in all four shows, even making it onto trending searches.
If Xiao Churan asked about it, how on earth would he explain himself?
