After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 14

Pei Yutai’s gaze met those black lenses. Shen Xu was smiling, but Pei could feel an aura radiating from him that clearly said: I’d like to see what kind of nonsense you’re about to spew!

Despite the sweltering summer heat, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

After a brief internal struggle, he swallowed the words he had originally intended to say and rambled out a random introduction: “I… I’ll do a self-introduction. My name is Pei Yutai, I am eighteen years old…”

He proceeded to perform the same rap lyrics from his earlier introduction all over again.

The crowd:

Pei Yutai glanced at Shen Xu and said, “I’m finished.”

Shen Xu withdrew his gaze, turned back to Lin Yizhou, and picked up where he left off: “A blessing in disguise—I believe things will only get better for you from here on out, Teacher Lin.”

Wen Yue wanted to chime in, but she was interrupted by Director Tu’s loud megaphone: “Has everyone gotten to know each other well enough?”

The guests: “Yes.”

Director Tu: “Then, before we set off, and to prevent any accidents, we’re going to play a little warm-up game.”

Pre-departure Warm-up Game: Beach Relay Race.

The Rules: Each guest must carry a teammate on their back and run a lap around a designated area. The guest who was being carried then picks up the next teammate and runs, and so on. The final guest does not need to carry anyone and simply runs a solo lap. The team with the fastest time wins.

Director Tu held up the megaphone: “Now, the two teams are perfectly symmetrical in terms of numbers, so everyone must participate. The strength distribution is even—four men and one woman on each side. As for the order, that’s entirely up to your teams to decide.”

“Before we start, there’s one thing we need to tell you in advance: the results of this game will determine whether your mode of transportation later is completely effortless or partially effortless. So, you need to work together for a win-win outcome!”

Shen Xu took off his sun hat and put it on his head, suggesting: “Since you’ve said that much, Director Tu, why don’t you specify what ‘completely effortless’ and ‘partially effortless’ actually mean?”

Someone from the other team chimed in, “Yeah, stop keeping us in suspense.”

Shen Xu looked over and saw Nan Qiguang watching him. Seeing Shen Xu’s gaze, Nan gave a nod of greeting.

The two had once shot a magazine cover together with several senior industry figures. They had gotten along well at the time, but both had been busy since the shoot and hadn’t kept in touch; they were merely acquaintances.

Shen Xu nodded back in response.

“Since you asked, I shall show some mercy,” Director Tu said, pointing toward the shore. There were three vessels anchored there: two yachts and one wooden boat that required manual rowing.

“It’s 100 kilometers from here to the island we’re heading to. The losing team will have to use that wooden boat for one-third of the journey. Do you understand now?”

Pei Yutai was shocked, his competitive spirit instantly igniting. “Rowing 33 kilometers in that kind of boat? If we don’t die of exhaustion, we’ll be half-dead! We have to win, brothers!”

Though the other guests didn’t say much, their competitive streaks were clearly showing. The distance was one thing, but whether the boat would capsize halfway was another concern entirely.

“Yes, we must win,” Shen Xu agreed with uncharacteristic seriousness.

Pei Yutai wanted to say something more to boost morale, but hearing Shen Xu’s voice, he immediately swallowed his words.

Director Tu raised the megaphone: “You may now discuss your internal lineup and who will carry whom. You have three minutes.”

Considering the physical builds of the members, Lin Yizhou’s team decided that Shen Xu would go first, carrying Pei Yutai. Pei Yutai would then carry Lin Yizhou, Lin Yizhou would carry Jiang Siyuan, Jiang Siyuan would carry Wen Yue, and Wen Yue would run the final leg alone.

A whistle blew; the starting members of both teams got ready.

A second whistle blew. Shen Xu took off with Pei Yutai on his back. On the other team, Nan Qiguang took off carrying a buzz-cut actor.

Under the blazing sun, both teams were giving it their all.

Shen Xu managed a two-second lead.

In the second round, Pei Yutai set off with Lin Yizhou on his back. He started steadily, maintaining the lead, but on the return leg, he tripped over something and crashed to the ground. Lin Yizhou was thrown right off his back.

The teammates standing nearby rushed over to help. Shen Xu was the fastest, pulling Lin Yizhou up: “Are you okay?”

Lin Yizhou shook his head and immediately went to Pei Yutai’s side, who was being helped up by Jiang Siyuan. His voice remained calm: “How are you?”

Pei Yutai immediately crouched down: “Get on quickly, I’m fine.”

Lin Yizhou hopped onto his back without hesitation. Unfortunately, despite the quick recovery, they had lost their lead and were now trailing behind.

There were no further mistakes for the rest of the race, but because of Pei Yutai’s stumble, Lin Yizhou’s team remained behind and ultimately lost.

Watching the other team celebrate, Pei Yutai lowered his head and said, “I’m sorry. If it wasn’t for me…”

Shen Xu crossed his arms. “So, you do know how to apologize properly.”

Wen Yue looked at him and comforted, “It’s okay, it’s not like you did it on purpose.”

Jiang Siyuan put a hand on his shoulder, also offering comfort: “Don’t blame yourself. Maybe the heavens just want us to try our hand at rowing for fun.”

Lin Yizhou nodded in agreement. “It’s most important that no one was hurt.”

Hearing this, Pei Yutai looked up at him with unreadable emotions in his eyes, but quickly lowered his head again.

Director Tu brought out the megaphone: “The winning team can now take their luggage and set off! As for the losing team, you can discuss rowing techniques and choose which segment of the journey you want to use the wooden boat for. Don’t say I’m heartless!”

“Hard work ahead! Good luck!”

“Good luck, we’re heading out first.”

The guests from the other team cheered them on as they boarded the yachts.

The five guests standing on the beach: “…”

Shen Xu looked around at his teammates and was the first to speak: “So, does anyone know how to row a boat?”

Pei Yutai shook his head. Wen Yue shook her head. Jiang Siyuan shook his head. Lin Yizhou nodded.

The corners of Shen Xu’s mouth curled up involuntarily. “Then, does Teacher Lin have any tips or techniques to share with us?”

Lin Yizhou nodded. He crouched down and quickly sketched a wooden boat in the sand that matched the shape of the one provided by the crew. He then assigned members to specific positions based on the vessel’s characteristics, explaining the reasoning, the best ways to exert force, and the optimal pivot points.

Shen Xu silently moved to the side, using his body to block the scorching sunlight for him.

After about seven or eight minutes, Lin Yizhou stood up and looked at the members: “Does everyone understand?”

Shen Xu gave a thumbs up and was the first to respond: “Understood. That was very clear and easy to follow. Great job!”

Wen Yue followed closely: “I get it too. Yizhou, when did you learn all this?”

Lin Yizhou said nonchalantly, “I learned it before. A coach explained it, and I just remembered it.”

Wen Yue pressed further: “Curious, how long ago is ‘before’?”

“Thirteen years old.”

Lin Yizhou answered every question, but his responses were simple and omitted any background reasons.

Wen Yue patted Pei Yutai on the shoulder and laughed, “Little brother, when I heard Yizhou say earlier that you could recite any classical Chinese text from primary to high school, I thought he was joking. Now it seems I was the one being narrow-minded.”

To this, Pei Yutai remained silent.

[Comment Section]

User A: I’m ashamed to say that as a rowing coach myself, my explanations aren’t even as good as this Lin Yizhou guy’s.

User B: Besides rowing, this guy seems to know how to draw too…

User C: It’s over, I think I’ve fallen for Lin Yizhou. I feel like he has this mysterious aura!! It’s that feeling where the more you dig, the more you find! (gestures wildly) You guys get it, right? (crying emoji)

Shen Xu looked at Lin Yizhou and asked, “I know a little bit about rowing too. I heard that if a skilled person sits at the bow to guide everyone, the boat will sail much more smoothly. Is that right?”

Lin Yizhou nodded.

Wen Yue immediately caught on to Shen Xu’s intent and said, “So, we can have Yizhou sit at the bow to guide us.”

Shen Xu asked for his opinion: “Is that okay?”

Lin Yizhou: “It’s fine.”

Shen Xu nodded with a smile. “Then, which part of the journey does everyone want to use the wooden boat for?”

After a brief discussion, the group decided to use the wooden boat right from the start.

With the agreement reached, everyone headed toward Director Tu, while Lin Yizhou and Shen Xu trailed slightly behind the crowd.

As they walked, Lin Yizhou suddenly felt a shadow loom over him. A hat was placed on his head, and before he could react, a pair of sunglasses was rested on the bridge of his nose, quickly darkening his vision.

Lin Yizhou’s body stiffened instantly. Behind the black lenses, his eyes blinked; realizing he could still see his surroundings clearly, his body gradually relaxed.

He had never worn sunglasses before. Before he became afraid of the dark, there was no need; after he developed the phobia, he didn’t dare, always feeling that sunglasses would completely cut off his line of sight.

Now, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Once he recovered, he realized something felt off. Why was Shen Xu giving him his hat and sunglasses?

He tilted his head toward the man beside him, who only offered a curved-lip smile. In that instant, he understood Shen Xu’s intention.

From Shen Xu’s actions, it was clear he knew Lin Yizhou was afraid of deep water like the ocean. By putting on the hat and sunglasses, it blocked out part of the view and altered the appearance of things, which could psychologically alleviate some of the fear.

After all, no ocean is truly black.

Before he could ask anything, he heard Shen Xu explain loudly, “You’ll be sitting at the bow later, facing the sun. I’m worried it’ll be too bright for you—wearing these is better for your eyes.”

Lin Yizhou knew he was explaining for the audience’s benefit and cooperated, responding, “Thank you.”

Shen Xu’s lips quirked. He leaned in a bit closer and whispered, “They say if you collect seven Dragon Balls, you can summon a dragon. I wonder how many ‘thank you’ someone needs to collect to get a chance at becoming a ‘legitimate boyfriend’?”

Lin Yizhou remained composed: “I don’t have that function.”

Shen Xu laughed. “Right? I thought it sounded a bit far-fetched too. Otherwise, at the rate you’re dying to say ‘thank you’ to me eight hundred times a day, you’d become my boy-friend very quickly.”

Lin Yizhou chose to remain silent.

The guests and a few staff members walked back. Seeing Lin Yizhou wearing the hat and sunglasses, Wen Yue paused and asked, “How did his sunglasses and hat end up on you?”

Before Lin Yizhou could speak, Shen Xu repeated the explanation he had just given.

Wen Yue patted Shen Xu on the shoulder and smiled. “You’re still the thoughtful one.”

With the help of the staff, the guests boarded the boat according to the positions Lin Yizhou had assigned. Lin Yizhou was the first to board and sat at the bow. As the waves overlapped and the boat rocked continuously, he gripped the wooden planks tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his lips completely bloodless.

When Shen Xu boarded and saw his state, he reached out to steady the brim of Lin Yizhou’s hat. His voice was soft yet firm: “Remember what I said? My gaze will always be on you.”

“Even if you are dragged into hell, I will be the first to notice and jump down to pull you back up.”

“So, don’t be afraid.”

Having finished, he intentionally raised his voice: “Hey, your hat is crooked. You need to wear it securely, or a gust of wind will blow it away later.”

He leaned closer to his ear again, repeating slowly: “I am right in front of you. My gaze will always be on you.”

Before today, Lin Yizhou never believed that words could truly soothe a person’s terror—or rather, their fear.

In his life, what had echoed in his ears during childhood were mostly the perfunctory, cold, or blaming words of his parents. As an adult, he had received flowers, but they were always accompanied by even more malicious speech.

Gradually, he had become a man of few words, fearing that words of rebuttal would become a sharp blade piercing someone else’s weakness.

But at this moment, he seemed to feel the power of language from another dimension.

Since stepping into the water to board the boat, Lin Yizhou’s racing heart hadn’t stopped for a second. Images of Gu Lan grabbing him and jumping into the moat flashed through his mind; he felt as if he wasn’t on a boat, but at the bottom of a river, waiting for the call of drowning at any moment.

But now, the shrill words of Gu Lan’s hysteria—”Neither of us should live, let’s die together”—were replaced by Shen Xu’s warm and steady voice. His erratic, pounding heart gradually found a rhythm.

Simultaneously, his tense body began to relax, and his cold limbs started to warm up.

Seeing that he was doing a little better, Shen Xu leaned in again and whispered with a chuckle, “If you’re still really scared, you can just close your eyes later. Don’t worry, I know how to row; I’ll lead everyone well.”

“Though, I don’t recommend closing them. Closing your eyes heightens your other senses. My suggestion is to look at me—I’m handsome enough that you shouldn’t get tired of it for a while.”

With that, Shen Xu helped him check the chin strap of the hat and said loudly, “Now it definitely won’t be blown away.”

Sitting down, Shen Xu pretended to look at the scenery on both sides, then let his gaze fall on Lin Yizhou, sighing, “The scenery in front of me is truly too beautiful.”

Wen Yue, sitting in the middle, heard him and agreed, “I think so too. Ocean views are always the most beautiful place in my heart.”

Shen Xu stared at the person in front of him and praised sincerely, “Yes, it’s truly beautiful.”

In this moment, it was as if he were looking at a painting where the sea met the sky, and the person before him was undoubtedly the most vivid and brilliant stroke in that painting.

“I could never get tired of looking at this for a lifetime.”

“The scenery is beautiful indeed,” Jiang Siyuan, sitting behind Shen Xu, also looked toward Lin Yizhou and joined the conversation. “But saying you wouldn’t get tired of it for a lifetime—isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”

Hearing this, Shen Xu didn’t turn around. His eyes remained fixed on the person in front of him, clearly unwilling to waste words on anyone else: “Whether it’s an exaggeration or not, I’m the one who decides.”

Lin Yizhou’s gaze, hidden behind the sunglasses, fell upon Shen Xu’s eyes. Even though he knew the other couldn’t see his eyes, he still looked away.

Those eyes seemed to have a magical power, capable of pulling a person in at any moment.

Director Tu sat on the yacht, holding the megaphone, shouting with the momentum of a major competition: “Is everyone ready?”

Unexpectedly, he didn’t receive the powerful response he imagined. Only Shen Xu replied with a smile, “Ready. But I suggest you stop talking big while sitting comfortably on a yacht.”

Director Tu paused, then giggled: “Alright, I’ll disappear immediately. I’ll be waiting for you at the one-third mark! Goodbye, my dear guests~”

His voice faded with the whoosh of the yacht moving away.

Lin Yizhou took a few quiet, deep breaths, intending to stand up and check everyone’s seating arrangement.

He summoned his courage to stand, but his legs immediately protested, refusing to support his weight and allowing him to fall toward the sea.

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