I am a Big Player
Chapter 600 - 594, Disappearing into Thin Air (Third Update)_1

Chapter 600: 594, Disappearing into Thin Air (Third Update)_1

This was Chen Da’s first visit to the legendary Courtyard House in Liu Hai Alley, where he had heard there was a walnut tree so large it could cover half of the main yard, and that there were two persimmon trees and a date tree in the courtyard, along with fragrant toon trees from which you could pick leaves to eat when the season came.

They say it was a hidden paradise; they say the pancakes and rolled pancakes there were very tasty, they say not everyone could enter that courtyard, they say that so far, everyone who has been able to enter has achieved success in life.

Chen Da had heard far too many legends about that courtyard, as if it were a piece of lucky feng shui land, but in fact, everyone understood it was all because that young man lived there.

Over the past 12 years, Chen Da had watched the days and months repeat themselves in an endless, unbroken cycle. In those 12 years, love and hate had connected into a single thread, but after today, everything from the past would vanish into thin air, and what he, Chen Da, needed to do was to strive to move forward and not let any missteps occur in his life again.

When he arrived at the courtyard in Liu Hai Alley 10 minutes early, he didn’t enter through the wide-open gate right away, but instead waited outside, watching his watch.

When the hands of the clock pointed exactly to 6 p.m., Chen Da tidied up his smile and walked in. He didn’t know whether this was necessary, but since the other party had set 6 p.m. as the time, he would observe it well, not a minute early or late.

This was Chen Da’s own life; he was about to start protecting it carefully.

Upon entering the courtyard and seeing no one, Chen Da stood inside and asked absent-mindedly while gazing at the walnut tree that indeed shaded half the courtyard, "Is anyone here?"

He had finally entered this courtyard.

"Over here, over here," Ren He’s voice came from the side courtyard. As Chen Da walked through the archway, he found that this side housed the kitchen. He saw Ren He wearing an apron and standing next to the stove, looking just like a domestic man, nothing special.

Seeing Chen Da, Ren He laughed and said, "I originally called you guys over for pancakes, but Uncle Fang and Mrs. Wang went to the hospital to care for their sick daughter, and my girlfriend isn’t in the mood to cook for me, still playing games, so I have to cook for you guys. Don’t be too picky, okay?"

Chen Da was stunned for several seconds. In his mind, Ren He had always been that omnipotent helmsman of the Internet Empire, authoritative with Xu Xiaowen, calm and composed with Zhang Ming, and chatting merrily about investments. Chen Da could never have imagined that this 17-year-old billionaire wearing an apron would start cooking and tell him not to be too picky.

"I wouldn’t be picky," Chen Da hurriedly shook his head, "How about I help?" He saw that Ren He seemed a bit flustered and anxious when looking for seasonings and volunteered, wanting to lend a hand. Cooking was not a difficult task for Chen Da.

When he was first suppressed, Chen Da, accustomed to spending liberally, still dined out every day, always thinking he would bounce back sooner or later. But that wait turned out to be 12 years.

Later, after running out of money, he started eating instant noodles. When he couldn’t stomach instant noodles anymore, he reluctantly began to buy groceries and cook.

Speaking of which, Chen Da was quite confident in his culinary skills.

"No, no need," Ren He said with an awkward smile, "You go watch TV for a while. You’re a guest; how can we let you cook?" He knew Chen Da had noticed how unfamiliar he was with cooking. But what could he do? The gaming-addicted girl usually loved to cook, yet today, she was hooked on Dota and didn’t want to.

Ren He yelled toward the courtyard, "Yang Xi, stop focusing on Dota; our guests are here!"

"Oh!" Yang Xi reluctantly agreed.

Chen Da was stunned again. Yang Xi? Ren He’s girlfriend named Yang Xi? Was it the same Yang Xi he had often heard mentioned...? Then Ren He’s identity...

He saw footsteps, and there she was—Queen Yang Xi, hailed as a once-in-a-century talent, walking out from the archway in jeans and a simple white shirt, smiling at Chen Da, "Are you Mr. Chen from the Central Academy of Drama? I’ve heard Ren He mention you. Let me pour you some water first, Director Zhang and Yuting and Erbao haven’t arrived yet."

Damn... Chen Da internally exclaimed in shock, hardly believing what he was seeing was real—the legendary international diva appeared so easily before him, offering to pour him some water?

At that moment, Chen Da finally understood why Zhang Ming had told him that once he had come to the courtyard, he would realize how magical this world was...

That means the person cooking for him right now was the Knight, with countless followers worldwide. No wonder Zhang Ming said Ren He didn’t want to be a movie star; he didn’t need to act in movies to be one.

Indeed, Knight didn’t need to act in films to gain fame. To this day, it had been half a year since Knight last posted a video, yet his Weibo following was still the highest in the country...

However, Chen Da couldn’t quite understand why Ren He, having built such a great empire, would still choose to take risks with extreme sports. Wasn’t it said that the wealthy feared death? Yet when it came to Ren He, something didn’t quite add up.

Of course, he wouldn’t ask these questions out loud. In fact, Chen Da didn’t know that Ren He was involved in matters far more outrageous than just dabbling in extreme sports. The observer from the CIA’s retreating combat team still couldn’t forget the moment Ren He leaped from the cable-stayed bridge...

Seeing that Chen Da was a bit stunned, standing there in the courtyard, Ren He laughed and said, "This is my girlfriend. I’ve never mentioned her to you before. Remember to keep it a secret for me."

"Sure, I know," Chen Da snapped back to reality and smiled at Yang Xi, "Don’t bother, I’ll just wait for Director Zhang and the others to arrive."

Chen Da believed he still held the stature that allowed Yang Xi to serve him tea and water, but after Director Zhang and Liu Erbao arrived, they didn’t treat Yang Xi with any formality at all, behaving as if they were in their own home.

Only then did he realize that indeed, there was a different world inside and outside these courtyard walls—once you entered, you were one of them. From the outside, you could never touch the world inside.

Gradually, Chen Da relaxed. He understood that it was very hard to enter this circle, but once inside, it really was a whole new world.

Ren He made six dishes and a soup, which was far more modest than the meals usually prepared by Uncle Fang, but no one minded, and frankly, at least the taste of Ren He’s cooking wasn’t bad...

Chen Da also gained a deeper understanding of Ren He that day. The image of the young man suddenly became much more tangible in his mind, appearing to be just an ordinary person, except for the many laurels the outside world had bestowed upon him.

Chen Da drank a lot that night, and his heart was filled with joy. The dormant 12 years, the daily and nightly torment, all disappeared since the young man entered his life.