Silence. A deathly, absolute silence!
The atmosphere, in an instant, became unbearably awkward!
Qin Lang’s heart sank. Oh no.
He should have found a more tactful way and tone to bring this up.
But truth be told, Qin Lang was feeling pretty annoyed himself.
Why on earth should he be expected to date someone with depression? Wasn’t that just setting the poor girl up for trouble?
As parents, couldn’t they put themselves in his shoes for once?
It wasn’t like he was some pushover; he had his own backers too!
But just as the awkwardness peaked, the wife of Director Zhao let out a strained chuckle. “Xuanxuan, I think there’s been a misunderstanding!”
A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Qin Lang looked utterly bewildered.
Pfft!
Zhao Qinghui couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. “Xuanxuan, you didn’t actually think it was… Hahaha, oh, this is priceless!”
The tension in the room suddenly thawed.
Director Zhao and his wife’s faces also showed a mix of wry smiles and helplessness.
It seemed… he really had gotten the wrong end of the stick?
“That’s my fault for not explaining clearly,” the sister-in-law said with a rueful smile. “My son, because of his depression, has lost interest in everything. But he really likes you. He’s a fan of yours. So what I meant was… if you have the time, could you possibly visit him and talk to him? Try to cheer him up a bit?”
Qin Lang was stunned. That’s what this was about?
So it wasn’t a matchmaking setup after all. Well, this was… more than a little embarrassing.
Qin Lang felt his cheeks flush. After all that fuss, he’d been flattering himself.
The clown in this situation was none other than himself!
“Of course, if you actually wanted to be my daughter-in-law, I’d be absolutely delighted!”
The sister-in-law added the last part with a teasing lilt in her voice.
Qin Lang gave an awkward laugh. “But I’m not a doctor. What good would my visit do?”
“Yunkong’s primary physician said his condition is very unstable right now. He won’t listen to a word any of us say,” she explained. “It’s only when he hears your voice, or listens to your songs, that he calms down. So, your words… he might actually be willing to hear them.”
Qin Lang frowned slightly. Ah, so that was it.
This was the real reason Director Zhao had extended the invitation, wasn’t it?
“This is a private family matter, which is why we arranged this gathering today,” she continued. “As his mother, I’m hoping you can lend a hand at this crucial time. If your help could slowly guide my son out of his depression, I would be eternally grateful.”
Looking into her earnest eyes, Qin Lang hesitated.
He didn’t know much about depression, and he had no idea how much he could actually help.
But if lending a hand could help someone suffering from depression find their way out, could save a family, could bring a smile back to a mother’s face…
Then it wasn’t a favor he could refuse.
Besides, even setting aside personal feelings, for Director Zhao’s sake alone, he couldn’t really say no.
“I… I can agree to do this.”
“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful!”
Qin Lang quickly added, “But I have to be upfront: I have no idea if anything I say will make a difference. So please don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“That’s fine, that’s perfectly fine. Just you being there is enough! We have a family doctor on hand; you just need to cooperate with him when you’re there.”
Qin Lang gave a small nod. “I’ll go over tomorrow, then.”
“That would be absolutely wonderful!” The sister-in-law’s eyes reddened, and her voice grew thick with emotion.
Qin Lang felt a wave of empathy. As a mother, that pure, unconditional love for her child was impossible to hide. If he could genuinely help her in some way, it would be a tremendous blessing.
With the main issue settled, the dinner finally began to wind down.
“Qinghui, why don’t you see Yunxuan out? You’re close in age; you two should get together more often,” Director Zhao said with a smile.
Zhao Qinghui grinned cheekily. “Of course! I’ve liked Xuanxuan from the very start!”
By the time Zhao Qinghui escorted Qin Lang outside, the fans who had gathered earlier were already gone. He wondered what method Sister Lin had used to disperse them.
“Xuanxuan, I’m really happy you’re taking on the role of chief planner for the Jiuzhou Poetry Gala,” Zhao Qinghui said, her expression turning serious as they were about to part ways. “I have one request to make of you.”
She looked at him earnestly. “Please, make this an incredible show. Make people rediscover poetry, make them fall in love with it again. I’m counting on you.”
Seeing the sincerity in Zhao Qinghui’s eyes, Qin Lang nodded. “I’ll do my absolute best. As for how well it turns out… I can’t make any promises.”
“That’s good enough. Thank you. On behalf of all poetry lovers in Jiuzhou, thank you.”
With that, she stepped forward and gave Qin Lang a firm hug, flashing a bright smile. “I’m really looking forward to your show.”
…
“Sister Lin, I know I messed up! I’m sorry!”
The moment Qin Lang got into Sister Lin’s car, he sensed the heavy atmosphere.
Ever since he’d gotten in, Sister Lin had sat there looking like he owed her millions, silent and stone-faced.
Qin Lang knew he was in the wrong. When they’d arrived, Sister Lin had told him repeatedly—begged him, really—to keep a low profile. And what had he done? Caused a huge scene right off the bat!
Following the principle of “a wise man doesn’t argue with a woman,” Qin Lang decided to own up to his mistake straight away.
“You messed up? Oh, tell me exactly how you messed up. You think just saying sorry is enough?” Sister Lin snapped, clearly annoyed.
Qin Lang broke out in a cold sweat. It didn’t matter what world you were in—an angry woman was an angry woman.
“Well… I got lost,” he offered with a weak chuckle. “I didn’t know where the A and B wings of the Gemini Hotel were, so… oh, come on, Sister Lin. Look, I already admitted I was wrong. Can’t you just forgive me this one time?”
Lin Ruo shot him a withering glare.
She wasn’t truly angry. She just found Qin Lang utterly exhausting to manage.
Even going to a simple dinner turned into a major incident. They’d agreed on keeping a low profile, and instead, he’d stirred up a storm that had the whole city talking.
If she hadn’t stepped in quickly to manage things, who knows what might have happened today?
And now, the online chatter had started. Plenty of people were using the incident to attack Qin Yunxuan.
Normally, an agent should be thrilled if their artist is trending again and again. But the frequency with which Qin Lang hit the hot searches was just too high. It seemed like every little thing he did attracted massive public attention.
While part of Lin Ruo felt gratified by this, another part of her was deeply uneasy.
She knew all too well: the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Even if you walked a perfectly straight line and never did anything wrong, one tiny misstep… and the consequences would be catastrophic.
Her show of anger was mostly meant to be a warning, a way to rein him in a bit.
But now, looking at Qin Lang’s cheeky, grinning face, Lin Ruo realized her heartfelt lesson was like casting pearls before swine—completely wasted on him.
