Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 13
Passionate Eyes
After supper, Li Tingyan escorted Lin Chi home. When they reached the entrance of his building, Lin Chi made no indication of inviting Li Tingyan upstairs.
They weren’t a couple deeply in love, so there was no need for such reluctance to part.
However, as Lin Chi lifted his bag, the strap slipped, causing the bag’s unfastened opening to spill its contents onto the ground.
“Damn it.”
He hurriedly picked up the scattered items from his bag. It was always filled with various things: sunglasses, notebooks, pens, chocolates, mouthwash.
A small bottle of perfume rolled into a crevice, unnoticed by Lin Chi, but Li Tingyan reached out and retrieved it for him.
When Li Tingyan picked up the perfume bottle, along with it were two tickets that had fallen onto the car mat.
“What are these?” he asked, holding up the items.
They were two tickets for a performance.
They were red in color, resembling film rolls, with the vividly inked words “The Golden Lock.”
“Oh, these,” Lin Chi raised an eyebrow.
He had almost finished gathering his things, his bulging backpack now resting on his lap.
He casually took the two tickets from Li Tingyan.
“Our school’s drama club is hosting a play next week. Since several of our main actors are graduating, we’ve specially arranged a big production. We rented the school auditorium and printed tickets to make it formal. We’ve invited quite a few people to come watch.”
Lin Chi shook the tickets teasingly at Li Tingyan, the red tickets casting a faint crimson glow under the light, reflecting on his fair face.
“These are complimentary tickets for the leads, for us to invite friends. Will you come?”
Lin Chi’s tone was playful, knowing Li Tingyan was likely too busy with his responsibilities to come watch a student play.
But Li Tingyan’s gaze lingered on the tickets as he asked, “Who are you playing?”
“The Third Young Master, Jiang Jize,” Lin Chi smiled. “The rogue who deceives Cao Qiqiao’s feelings,” he sighed slightly in resignation. “I wonder why they couldn’t give me a more upright role.”
Li Tingyan chuckled.
He could understand the thoughts of Lin Chi’s drama club classmates.
Although not perfectly fitting the original description, Lin Chi’s appearance alone would probably make the audience understand why the Third Young Master could indulge in fantasies amidst tender affection, with people lining up to love him.
Li Tingyan took the ticket from Lin Chi’s hand.
He didn’t make any commitments, uncertain if he would have the time that day.
“I’ll try my best to come,” he said.
Lin Chi smirked, playfully reaching out to touch Li Tingyan’s face. “You don’t have to try so hard. It’s just a little play. It’s not like I’m stepping onto Milan Fashion Week.”
But after saying that, he coldly pushed Li Tingyan aside and shouldered his bag, stepping out of the car without looking back.
He entered the building without turning his head, just raising his hand in farewell to Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan watched his departing figure, smiling. He looked down at the red performance ticket in his hand, designed like an old photograph, like a deep red soul, lightly resting in his hand.
He put the ticket away in his inner pocket.
.
Lin Chi didn’t really expect Li Tingyan to come. He had many friends, and even many people from his department came to see his performances. He was as busy as a butterfly, and now that he was a senior, many people openly or secretly invited him to dinner.
But he had been busy with work recently and hadn’t accepted all of the invitations, even reducing the frequency of his meetings with Li Tingyan.
However, on the day of the performance, Li Tingyan did appear in the audience.
Lin Chi had given Li Tingyan a ticket for the middle of the fourth row, which had the best view in the entire theater.
Before going on stage, he glanced down at the audience. Clearly, Li Tingyan’s seat was empty.
He wasn’t disappointed; he had expected as much. But after he finished his final preparations and stepped onto the stage with the other actors,
The dim lights illuminated the stage, also illuminating his heavily painted face. He glanced down at the audience and distinctly saw Li Tingyan sitting where he should have been, on the empty seat.
Noticing Lin Chi’s gaze, Li Tingyan raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
“He’s really here…” Lin Chi thought to himself. He gently swayed the folding fan in his hand, but the play had already begun, and he quickly lost interest in the audience below.
Li Tingyan watched the performance on stage attentively.
He had seen “The Golden Lock” before. It was performed by several well-known actors in the theatrical world, directed by a prominent director. Chen Baishang, who played the female lead, had even won the Plum Blossom Award.
Compared to such a production, this one was entirely a student performance, at best an amateur theatrical performance, which seemed somewhat inexperienced.
Yet Li Tingyan’s gaze remained fixed on Lin Chi, who played Young Master Jiang of the Jiang family.
In this play, Cao Qiqiao was unquestionably the protagonist, while Lin Chi’s Young Master Jiang was just one of the minor supporting roles.
However, Li Tingyan clearly felt that the atmosphere heated up a bit as soon as Lin Chi appeared on stage.
Surrounding him were mostly students, and he heard several suppressed whispers and murmurs.
Men and women alike.
Li Tingyan couldn’t help but glance around and raised his eyebrows with interest.
Next to him were several girls whispering softly, “Isn’t that the senior from the directing department, a fourth-year student? He looks quite good in this role.”
“Yes, that’s him. He was specially invited for last year’s school performance.”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem to be single.”
With these words, there were suddenly a few more sighs around.
Li Tingyan shook his head and couldn’t help but smile.
His gaze returned to Lin Chi. He could completely understand the feelings of the students around him.
In the original story, Jiang Jize was a typical playboy, indulging in pleasure, drinking, gambling, and everything else without a shred of sincerity. Yet he somehow ensnared Cao Qiqiao, becoming her only emotional anchor.
But as soon as Lin Chi appeared, Li Tingyan, leaning his head on one hand, thought carelessly and somewhat irresponsibly, if Jiang Jize really had Lin Chi’s looks, perhaps Cao Qiqiao’s falling for him wouldn’t seem so unjustified.
Lin Chi was dressed in a gray waistcoat over a snow-white shirt, with the cuffs lightly rolled up to reveal a golden watch on his wrist. His jet-black hair was meticulously groomed, his face made up, embodying the image of a playboy from head to toe.
Yet his eyes were tender and affectionate as he gazed lightly across the table at Cao Qiqiao.
Loosening his wrist, he held a small teacup and flirted and joked with his sister-in-law across the table in a frivolous, even crude manner, completely disregarding social norms.
But those affectionate eyes were like spider silk, fixed on the female lead. His lips curved slightly, seemingly absent-minded yet subtly alluring.
Anyone who saw him couldn’t help but be captivated.
Especially Cao Qiqiao.
Li Tingyan couldn’t help but think that Lin Chi must have some talent for acting.
Compared to some of the exaggerated young actors in today’s entertainment industry, Lin Chi’s performance seemed more naturally integrated.
He had heard Lin Chi mention that besides modeling, he had also played bit parts on set before—not the kind where you just lay there as a background, but ones where he was given a few lines.
He even had a chance to play the second male lead in a web series later on.
Unfortunately, the producer of that web series had impure intentions and hinted at him discussing the script in his room when he came for auditions.
Given Lin Chi’s temper, with one punch, he lost a good opportunity as the second male lead.
Fortunately, Lin Chi didn’t care much about it and even joked about it over drinks.
“Actually, I prefer modeling to acting. Walking the runway suits me better.”
But now, as Li Tingyan watched him on stage, applauding slowly along with the audience, he couldn’t help but wonder: if Lin Chi had more opportunities, if his outstanding appearance hadn’t brought him so much trouble.
Or if Lin Chi could just lower his guard a bit.
What would his situation be like now?
How many people would witness his dazzling charm?