AFM Ch 3

Jing Mian was stunned.

It was like he was caught off guard by a violent storm that swept through his mind, causing him to completely shut down, and his thoughts stopped, almost ceasing to function.

How can this be?

Ren Congmian’s cell phone rang despite the fact that he was calling his childhood friend, and the other party called him “Mianmian.”

And the childhood friend who occupied all of Jing Mian’s early memories also called him that way.

Although everything in front of him was too outrageous, it slowly coincided with his own premonition, and it seemed that there was only one possibility left.

The person in front of him is his childhood friend?

……

!??

In other words, he didn’t make a mistake just now; Ren Congmian is the stage name of the other person.

And Ren Xingwan is the real name?

Ren Xingwan is Ren Congmian!?

!!!

His brother next door… turned out to be a widely known celebrity?

The amount of information was overwhelming, and for a young man who was extremely shocked, he felt like he couldn’t turn his head around.

The mysterious familiarity turns out not to be baseless. Apart from the identity of a celebrity, the other person is also his childhood friend.

He cursed himself for not recognizing his brother from the beginning, Jing Mian’s knuckles tightened, and he fell into complete confusion.

Most importantly— the beautiful and gentle childhood friend in his memory has turned into a completely different appearance upon their reunion.

The young man raised his eyes, looking at the tall, mature, and stern man in front of him, surrounded by a daunting aura like encroaching frost.

Jing Mian: “…”

No wonder he couldn’t recognize him.

Is this the same person??

This was very different from the reunion that Jing Mian had imagined after so many years.

Jing Mian’s steps were a little stiff.

Returning to the place he had just left, as he raised his eyes, there was a blush that even he had not noticed, and he spoke, “If I hadn’t called, how long were you planning to keep it a secret?”

Mr. Ren sat there and seemed to think for a moment.

The soft black hair tips were illuminated by the night scene of the city, as if against the light, irresistibly unable to look away. The man fell silent for a moment and said, “… I thought you would recognize me at first sight.”

Jing Mian was slightly stunned.

Feeling embarrassed in his heart, this time it was Jing Mian’s turn to be speechless. He said, “I didn’t expect you to be in the elevator.”

Mr. Ren said, “We made eye contact.”

Jing Mian: “?”

The man’s gaze moved to the side, his expression unchanged. “We also talked later.”

Jing Mian: “??”

The young man swallowed silently and seemed to understand. Mr. Ren’s implicit meaning was probably that even so, you still treat me as a stranger.

It was as if he was silently refuting what he said about the elevator just now.

Jing Mian: “…”

Honestly, when they first met just now, Mr. Ren gave him the impression of being calm. Despite being reticent, he could be charming, tease him occasionally, smile, and exude an aura of control over the situation.

And now, Jing Mian faintly felt that this was the other person’s true personality.

This contrasting feeling.

Jing Mian slightly pursed his lips.

Jing Mian pondered for a moment and said softly: “Mr. Ren… shall we get to know each other again, is that okay?”

There was a slight pause in Ren Xingwan’s eyebrows, and he looked at Jing Mian.

The question that was about to be asked, ‘Why do you call me Mr. Ren?’ turned into a simple “Okay.”

Jing Mian’s fingertips intertwined as if he was thinking, and he said, “My name is Jing Mian, twenty years old this year, studying at A University. In addition to my parents, there is also a four-year-old brother at home.”

At this moment, the waiter who happened to walk to the table nodded and interrupted their conversation, “If you need to dine, you can order anytime.”

He pushed a serving cart with dishes, the lid was lifted, and a tray was gently placed on the table. The waiter introduced, “Antipasto with Italian flavor, an appetizer presented by the restaurant. Please enjoy.”

Jing Mian originally wanted to continue, but his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the plate.

Because he noticed that next to that string of dishes with unknown English names, there was a bowl of white ice cream ball adorned with blueberries.

The waiter timely reminded, “The ice cream is vanilla-flavored.”

Jing Mian: “…” His favorite flavor is vanilla, and his favorite fruit is blueberry. For him, this dessert is irresistibly tempting.

Jing Mian resisted the urge to take a bite before the dessert melted. He wanted to continue introducing himself, such as mentioning that his mother is a stepmother, his younger brother is his half-brother from another mother… like how he likes the game “Glory,” his idol is Ash, and he is an unknown small streamer.

But there seems to be no need to mention these.

In Mr. Ren’s eyes, they might not be resume points worth mentioning.

So, after some thought, Jing Mian asked, “And Mr. Ren?”

Mr. Ren is very famous. Even without the childhood friend relationship, Jing Mian knows a lot about him.

Every industry has an invisible network.

So, Ren Xingwan stands at the top of the entertainment industry’s food chain, undoubtedly a dominant and predatory figure.

After adapting to this fact, Jing Mian suddenly understood why the man had such financial power and could afford to book the entire restaurant.

He thought Mr. Ren’s introduction would be brief, but soon he heard the man’s voice slowly saying, “My name is Ren Xingwan.”

“My stage name is Ren Congmian, and besides my parents, there is also my grandmother at home.”

Mr. Ren paused for a moment, “She is not my biological mother.”

Jing Mian raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

Ren Xingwan’s biological mother appeared during his childhood, and he remembered that.

Jing Mian: “?”

And wait a minute.

Why is the format the same for everything, but there’s a notable absence of mentioning the age?

Caught in between asking the man’s age and probing into the current situation of Mr. Ren’s mother, Jing Mian hesitated for a moment and decided to change the subject.

After some thought, he suddenly thanked the man, “Thank you for helping me in the elevator.”

Mr. Ren’s thin lips slightly pursed.

He raised his hand, and although his expression remained unchanged, he naturally placed the ice cream in front of Jing Mian.

Just asking:

“Do you often get harassed?”

Jing Mian shook his head, “Only this time.”

Mr. Ren: “Is he a thug?”

Jing Mian: “…Cough…”

He was stunned by Mr. Ren.

The statement itself wasn’t startling; what was surprising was that it came from Mr. Ren’s mouth.

Jing Mian hesitated, “Not really, he didn’t do anything, at most, he’s just an enthusiastic fan.”

He believed that Mr. Ren would be more understanding. After all, the other party was a big star and would encounter incidents with overzealous fans must be more frequent compared to them, who were not even considered contenders in the world of game streaming.

Ren Xingwan was silent for two seconds and suddenly asked: If, against your will, someone wanted to have a long-term romantic relationship with you, would that count?”

Jing Mian’s pupils slightly trembled.

How did the conversation suddenly turn into a legal advice column?

He swallowed a bit of saliva and hesitantly nodded, “That would count.”

Mr. Ren: “…”

Mr. Ren asked, “What if he proposes?”