Chapter 116: Seeking an Answer

There was no need to mention how much Uncle Gao regretted it, nor how he complained to Lin Chuan about being buried under work.

By the afternoon, the news had already stirred up quite a commotion online.

Amid the torrent of criticism, Lin Chuan’s fans did their best to defend their idol’s image, but they could not help feeling somewhat uneasy. After all, judging from the photographs, Lin Chuan did seem a little...

Yet that very evening, the situation suddenly changed.

As an advertisement began airing on television stations across the country, it caused another considerable stir.

It was only an advertisement. Surely it was not enough to create such a sensation?

But yes—it was only an advertisement, and it really had caused a sensation.

This was the first advertisement Cardi had produced since entering the Chinese market. It contained none of the mindless slogans or exaggerated content typical of commercials.

It simply showed a masculine, handsome man sprinting up through an unfinished building until he reached a place resembling a rooftop, where all sorts of obstacles lay scattered in chaotic heaps.

The man cast a resolute glance toward the opposite side, then accelerated and took off, weaving through the obstacles. Far from appearing clumsy, he moved with remarkable agility.

His movements were not flashy, yet they struck the viewer with tremendous force.

Combined with flawless cinematography and stirring background music, the advertisement somehow created the impression of watching an action blockbuster.

Li Wei was a homebody. Every day, he surfed the Internet, played games, and read novels. From time to time, he listened to his favorite songs and kept up with the celebrities he liked.

That day, his favorite urban-life drama was playing on television. The show’s greatest appeal lay in its abundant comedy.

Although this was already his second time watching it, he remained thoroughly entertained.

Halfway through the episode, an advertisement suddenly interrupted the broadcast. A man in sportswear ran from the ground floor to the rooftop, crossing all kinds of obstacles before finally reaching his destination.

Walking along railings, crawling like a cat, rebounding off walls, leaping accurately across great distances, diving through the air and performing backflips... These were movements ordinary people would find nearly impossible, yet on that man they appeared completely natural. There was not the slightest trace of awkwardness; from beginning to end, everything flowed together in one seamless sequence.

Most importantly, the man was none other than one of Li Wei’s favorite idols—Lin Chuan.

The moment the advertisement ended, Li Wei set his cup of instant noodles aside and dashed toward the bedroom.

He opened a webpage and entered the online forum he visited regularly. He had intended to share the news with the other members, but the moment he opened it, he was stunned.

The forum was practically flooded with posts about the advertisement. No matter which one he clicked, everyone was enthusiastically discussing the same subject.

“The advertisement is amazing! Brother Chuan is unbelievably handsome. I don’t even want to watch the drama anymore.”

“How did Brother Chuan perform those moves? Could he have used a stunt double?”

“Plus one. I also think it might have been a double. Those moves were so difficult—could Brother Chuan really have done them himself?”

“Have you heard of Cardi? Have you seen Cardi’s earlier advertisements? None of their commercials used stunt doubles. Everything was done through personal ability.”

“That may not necessarily be true. Don’t forget, this is China. Anything is possible here.”

“Ahem. Whether it was a double or not, I’ve already fallen hopelessly in love with that advertisement. From now on, I’m never watching television again. I’ll watch only Brother Chuan’s commercials.”

After reading every reply in one sitting, Li Wei smiled calmly and typed a line on his keyboard:

“After seeing your comments, I can finally relax.”

For a time, with the appearance of the advertisement, the morning’s news quietly vanished without leaving so much as a ripple. It had been completely drowned out.

Over the next few days, as more and more people saw the advertisement, Lin Chuan’s image grew grander once again. Some young people even began imitating him, performing parkour in streets and alleys.

Their movements were clumsy, and mistakes happened one after another, but not one of them showed any intention of backing down.

Before long, parkour had become wildly popular throughout the country.

What had begun with a handful of people gradually grew into dozens, then hundreds... Some even went so far as to create a dedicated parkour forum, where they studied difficult techniques and searched for locations better suited to the sport.

...

In a spacious and luxurious office, Lin Chuan sat on a leather sofa. Across from him sat a beautiful, mature woman—Zhao Xinyi, Yuan Ye’s cousin.

“The filming of the second advertisement will be somewhat more difficult, but there’s no need to worry. I believe you’ll overcome it,” Zhao Xinyi said with a faint smile.

“Don’t worry,” Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

Their discussion of work was essentially over. It had mainly concerned the filming schedule for the second advertisement. Since the commercial released recently had produced such obvious results, the senior management at Cardi’s headquarters had decided that the Chinese branch should strike while the iron was hot and move the schedule forward.

They hoped to have the second advertisement broadcast before the Lunar New Year. In addition, the foreigners at headquarters had begun to look at this yellow-skinned Chinese man, Lin Chuan, with new respect.

Lin Chuan had no objections. Although he had several commercial performances scheduled toward the end of the year, he was not particularly busy, and his schedule remained relatively flexible.

Zhao Xinyi gathered the documents and placed them back on the desk. Then she walked over again and sat down.

“A few days ago, I saw that news article.”

“What news?” Lin Chuan asked, momentarily confused.

“The girl who went to the cinema with you—the one who is Yangyang’s mother, An Xier?” Zhao Xinyi asked with a faint smile.

“Uh...” Only then did Lin Chuan understand. After a moment’s thought, he said, “No. She’s just a friend of mine.”

“Just a friend? It certainly didn’t look that way to me. Friends aren’t usually so intimate, are they?” Zhao Xinyi shrugged, her expression filled with doubt.

“Cousin, since when did you become so nosy? She and I really are just friends...” Lin Chuan was clearly feeling uneasy.

“All right. Whatever your relationship is, it isn’t important. By the way, when we returned to Spring City last time, I never had the chance to ask you—during these past five years, An Xier never contacted you even once?”

Not again. It was this question once more.

Lin Chuan had developed an intense aversion to it. Nearly everyone asked him the same thing sooner or later.

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

“No.”

“Then you never thought of contacting her? Or going to look for her?” Zhao Xinyi asked, knitting her brows.

“I wanted to before. Now... I don’t anymore,” Lin Chuan replied.

“Xiaochuan, some things cannot be decided simply by whether you want them or not. Yangyang is still young, and perhaps there are things he doesn’t know how to express. But what about when he grows up? A mother’s presence is very important to a child’s development. Even if you cannot bring her back, you should at least give him an answer, so that he can know the truth about what happened.” His cousin spoke with deep concern.

Lin Chuan’s brow furrowed.

She was right. Ever since Yangyang had become old enough to understand things, the only explanation Lin Chuan had given him was that his mother had gone to a very distant place.

But how far away was it? Why had she gone?

Lin Yiyang did not know. In truth, Lin Chuan did not know either.

His son was growing up day by day. Lin Chuan did not need to ask to see that the boy’s longing for his mother was growing deeper and deeper.

If possible, Lin Chuan wanted to find An Xier and ask her for an answer—for the truth.

After a long silence, Lin Chuan nodded and smiled easily.

“When I get the chance, I’ll go look for her.”