The Star Around The Sun

The Star Around the Sun
明日星程
by Jin Gang Quan
136 Chapters + 15 Extras
By chance, Xia Xingcheng, a mediocre actor of average popularity,

received an offer from famous director He Zheng to act in a gay movie
titled ‘Gradual Distance’ with award-winning actor Yang Youming.
In the movie, their love was sweet; outside of it, there was polite
indifference. In the movie, they had a sad ending; outside of it, there were
ambiguous feelings. The contrast often made Xia Xingcheng unable to
return to himself. Because of Yang Youming’s guidance, he stepped into the
ranks of actors, but it was also because of Yang Youming that he couldn’t
distinguish reality from an act.
Xia Xingcheng never expected that the movie would eventually push him
into the abyss of pain and happiness.
*The title “The Star Around the Sun” is the official English translation of
the Chinese title by publisher vialactea.
NU | Changpei | buy the book! | carrd

manhua (cn) | manhua (tapas) | manhua (INKR)
audio drama (season 1) | audio drama (season 2)
Please support the author by purchasing the novel! The first 76 chapters
are free on Changpei.
Fanart! Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming on the set of ‘Gradual

Distance’ | Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan character designs | Yu Haiyang
and Fang Jianyuan’s first encounter | Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan | Xia
Xingcheng waking up to Yang Youming the morning after they got together
| cute chibis! | wedding scene ♥️
NO EPUBs/PDFs. No Reposts. No Retranslations.
☆☆☆
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135.1
Chapter 135.2 (END)
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Extras
Extra I – Yang Youming’s ‘Gradual Distance’ 1
Extra II – Film Emperor 1
Extra III – Song Yanyan’s SunHan ABO Fanfiction 1
Extra III – A Marked Prosecutor Han 1
(NSFW) Extra III – A Marked Prosecutor Han 2 (END)
Ch.1 – The Star Around The Sun
If he’d known from the beginning that the situation would become what it
was today, Xia Xingcheng might not have taken on the role.
Xia Xingcheng was twenty-four years old, and had been in the film industry
for six years since he debuted at the age of eighteen. Even though the wind
hadn’t always blown in his favor over the previous six years, his career had
progressed relatively well, and there had been no shortage of acting
opportunities.
Although he hadn’t made it big, his two consecutive TV dramas had

garnered a lot of popularity and brought about a number of fans.
The next few roles that were given to him were all male leads for idol
dramas, and just when he thought he would proceed in that direction, he
received a call from his agent Huang Jixin asking if he was interested in a
film directed by He Zheng.
At the time of receiving the call, Xia Xingcheng was lying on his girlfriend
Xiao Yu’s bed. He rolled over and sat up; the blanket slid down his body,
revealing a bright, fair chest. His tone was controlled, yet he still sounded
surprised. “What?”
“What is it?” Xiao Yu asked, turning to face him.
Xia Xingcheng silently motioned to Xiao Yu to stop talking.
Xiao Yu propped up her head, curiously listening in on Xia Xingcheng’s

phone call.
When Xia Xingcheng first received the call, he sounded very excited, but as
the conversation progressed, his brows knitted slightly. His hand drew
circles on the blanket subconsciously, and he muttered several ‘Mm’s in
quick succession.
When he hung up, Xia Xingcheng suddenly fell backwards, and the soft bed
shifted slightly. He looked up at the warm yellow light on the ceiling and
gripped his phone tightly.
Xiao Yu approached him and asked, “What’s the matter? Did He Zheng
offer you a role?”
Xia Xingcheng turned to face her. “You heard that?”
Xiao Yu said, “I only heard you mention He Zheng.” After saying that,
Xiao Yu found it difficult to believe. “Did I hear wrong? How did you get to
know him?”
Given Xia Xingcheng’s current status in the entertainment industry, a big

director like He Zheng was naturally out of reach.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer, turning over twice uneasily before finally
lifting the blanket to get out of bed.
Xiao Yu sat up and said, “You’re leaving so late?”
Xia Xingcheng stood by the bed stark naked. He had broad shoulders and a
thin waist, lean muscles on his body, a flat and taut abdomen, and legs that
stood straight and strong. Coupled with his youthful good looks, they were
all his assets in the entertainment industry.
When Xia Xingcheng was getting dressed, Xiao Yu had an abrupt feeling
that they were about to break up.
Xia Xingcheng had no major flaws, but he was indecisive. He’d had five or
six girlfriends since his debut, all of whom were young and beautiful
starlets.
Xiao Yu had been with him for nearly a year. The novelty of their
relationship had worn off, and they’d been communicating less and less. A
while ago, when Xia Xingcheng was filming in another city for quite some
time, he didn’t even think to call her for ten days in a row.
Xia Xingcheng got dressed, then bent down and kissed her face. “I’ll be
leaving now.”
Xiao Yu waved at him. “Bye.”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed his coat and walked out the door without looking
back. He felt his hand tremble with excitement as he slammed the door
shut.
The overhead lights in the corridor were dim. He strode forward until he
reached the elevator door, jabbed the button several times, and waited
restlessly.
He Zheng—who hasn’t heard of He Zheng? This director had won

numerous international awards. Last year, he directed a commercial film
that topped the domestic box office, and its leading actors and actresses also
won awards at the film festival.
He couldn’t even dream—wouldn’t dare to ever imagine that He Zheng

would find and invite him to appear in one of his movies.
When Xia Xingcheng walked into the elevator and saw his face reflected on
the elevator’s interior wall, he finally calmed down a little.
He took out his cellphone and dialled Huang Jixin’s number again. As soon
as the call connected, he asked nervously, “You mentioned that He Zheng
wanted to make a same-sex film. Who is the other actor he’s considering?”
Huang Jixin said, “I don’t know. He Zheng made no mention of it.”
Xia Xingcheng asked again, “Are there any bed scenes?” After asking, he
hesitated and lowered his voice, saying, “It won’t be a nude one, right?”
Huang Jixin laughed and said, “If He Zheng’s film has a bed scene, you
won’t shoot it?”
“No,” Xia Xingcheng said. “I’ll think about it.”
Huang Jixin said, “Go and talk to him yourself. Director He wants to meet
you.”
Xia Xingcheng went to meet He Zheng two days later. He was accompanied
by Huang Jixin into the private room, where He Zheng sat alone.
This was Xia Xingcheng’s first meeting with He Zheng, as well as his first
opportunity to work with such a renowned director. His momentum had
softened unconsciously, and his first reaction was to slightly bend down at
the waist and shake hands politely with He Zheng in greeting.
He Zheng was in his forties, unmarried, thin in stature, and had a goatee
adorning his sharp chin.
They simply chatted with each other for a while. He Zheng mentioned that
when he was at home before, his mother had been following the idol drama
in which Xia Xingcheng starred, and he had also watched several episodes
with her.
Washed by a wave of embarrassment, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously

rubbed at his pants with the palms of his hands.
He Zheng lit a cigarette between his fingers and pointed to Xia Xingcheng.
“It was very good. I’m serious.”
“Thank you, Director He.” Xia Xingcheng mulled over his words. “I still
have a lot of room for improvement.”
He Zheng took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke from the
corner of his mouth, and said, “I’d like to film my friend’s story for my next
movie. I’m still looking for someone to write the screenplay. You can read it
first when it’s finished.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but ask a question that had been bothering him
for the past two days, “Why did you think to find me?”
He Zheng looked at him, “I just think that you’re a little like him.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately understood. However, there were still more

questions floating around in his mind, but it wasn’t convenient to ask them.
At this time, Huang Jixin got up and went out to answer a phone call. It was
a long call, and by the time he hung up, Xia Xingcheng had already come
out of the private room.
Huang Jixin was a little surprised. “You guys are done?”
Xia Xingcheng went over and grabbed Huang Jixin by his shoulder, pushed
him forward with his arms, and said, “I’m taking the role.”
Huang Jixin looked back and saw that the door of the private room was still
closed; He Zheng was still inside. He endured it for a while and walked all
the way to the elevator, and only when the doors were closed did he ask,
“Have you thought this through? How far do you have to act?”
Xia Xingcheng took out his sunglasses from his coat pocket and put them
on, covering his bright eyes and leaving only his perfect jaw exposed. He
declared, “There’s a bed scene without any exposure.”
Huang Jixin frowned, “Even if we don’t take that into account, a film of this
theme still can’t be released in the country. He Zheng is famous and is
highly demanding. This movie will be shot in the first half of the year, I’m
afraid that it won’t be worth the losses you’ll incur.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “But we’re talking about He Zheng here.”
Huang Jixin stretched out his hand and pressed on Xia Xingcheng’s
shoulder. “I’m fully aware of that. If it was anyone else other than him, I
would’ve turned it down on your behalf when I heard about the premise,
but can’t you think it over a little…”
“As well as Yang Youming,” interrupted Xia Xingcheng.
Huang Jixin froze. He made no small effort to grabbing Xia Xingcheng’s

shoulder, “What did you say?”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were blocked by his sunglasses. He nodded at Huang
Jixin.
Huang Jixin said, “Geez! Fuck me!” He lowered his hand and showed Xia
Xingcheng his arm. “You see that?! I have goosebumps! Are you serious?
Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng’s tone revealed a hint of excitement. “It’s Yang Youming.

Don’t you think I should take the role?”
Huang Jixin didn’t say a single word for a while. It wasn’t until the elevator
stopped on the first floor that he slowly exhaled and said, “If you have to do
a bed scene, and it’s with Yang Youming—it’s worth it.”
☆☆☆
TOC
Yang Youming was thirty-seven years old.
Compared to Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming could be said to be the pride

of the entertainment industry, not only because of his handsome
appearance, but also because of his talents and exceptional acting skills.
According to a magazing interview that Xia Xingcheng once read, Yang

Youming was born for the big screen. The Yang Youming who was in front
of the camera, even with a mere raise of his eyebrows, was capable of
looking melancholy, vivid, and convey a myriad of emotions.
Yang Youming was Xia Xingcheng’s idol.
In the year Xia Xingcheng debuted, Yang Youming was crowned with two
film emperor titles from a film directed by He Zheng. At that time, Xia
Xingcheng had the honour of attending the awards ceremony in person.
Sitting in the dimly lit back row, he had heard the presenter announce Yang
Youming’s name, and then watched as Yang Youming gracefully stood up
and went up on stage to receive the award.
Yang Youming had only been thirty-one then, but his stride was steady and
not impatient. Underneath the exquisite black attire was a slender, upright
male figure. He received the trophy, delivered a speech in a low, pleasant
voice, and finally bowed deeply to the auditorium.
The Xia Xingcheng then had never had thoughts of working together with
Yang Youming, but had thought that one day, he could be the next Yang
Youming. Thirty might be too early an age, but at the latest, he could also
stand on that podium and win his own awards by thirty-five.
The bedside alarm clock suddenly rang, pulling Xia Xingcheng back to
reality from the gleaming awards ceremony. He reached out to turn off the
alarm, covered his eyes with the back of his hand, and took a deep breath.
It had been more than a week since his meeting with He Zheng. He had yet
to receive the script for the film, but it had also been a week since he’d had
a decent meal.
This was due to the fact that He Zheng had asked him to lose weight.
Xia Xingcheng was actually in very good shape; he was best seen in front
of the camera, but if he lost more weight, he’d look even leaner.
Nevertheless, it had been the requirement He Zheng put forward. Xia
Xingcheng needed to have a teenage-like sense of slimness. He couldn’t
rely on exercise, and instead had to diet to lose the weight.
With the low calorie intake, Xia Xingcheng laid in bed lazily with no desire
to move. It wasn’t until Huang Jixin opened the door with his breakfast that
Xia Xingcheng rolled over and got out of bed.
Sitting at the dinner table, Xia Xingcheng pushed away the youtiao and
steamed buns brought by Huang Jixin, slowly peeling the shell of a hard
boiled egg instead.
Huang Jixin grabbed the youtiao with both hands and tore them into small
pieces, saying, “He Zheng’s script isn’t out yet.”
To the Xia Xingcheng who was really very hungry, the hard boiled eggs in
front of him became delicious. He took a big bite, swallowed hard, and said,
“Eh? What happened?”
Huang Jixin asked him, “You’re not worried?”
Xia Xingcheng drank a mouthful of milk and finally swallowed the

hardboiled egg yolk in his mouth. “What’s there to be worried about?”
Huang Jixin soaked the youtiao in milk. “What are you going to do if He
Zheng wants to make the same-sex version of ‘Lust, Caution’?”
Xia Xingcheng paused momentarily, his scalp feeling somewhat numb for a
split second. He chucked the remaining half of the egg into the bowl of
milk, then stirred it to pieces with a spoon and said, “They said there won’t
be any exposure.”
Huang Jixin avoided his gaze and turned to his bowl and said, “It’s good
that there’s no explicit bed scene, right?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up, “Yang Youming dared to take on the role. What
should I be afraid of?”
Huang Jixin said, “Yang Youming is a big movie star—moreover, he’s

already married. No matter how the movie is made, it won’t have much of
an impact on his future. You’d better think carefully about yourself or all
your career plans will be disrupted.”
Xia Xingcheng threw his spoon into the bowl. “Do your plans include a
movie of me acting alongside Yang Youming? How many people can even
come across that kind of opportunity!”
Huang Jixin scooped up the soggy youtiao with a spoon, stuffed them in his
mouth and chewed for a long time before swallowing, then said, “Not for
this kind of theme.”
Xia Xingcheng understood his intention. This kind of subject matter

couldn’t be released in the country. If you filmed well, you’d be able to earn
a good reputation, but if it was poorly shot, its influence would drag you
down for the rest of your life.
He was at a loss for words. In the end, he said, “If even Yang Youming took
on the movie, what do I have to lose?”
After Huang Jixin finished eating the youtiao and steamed buns, he touched
his belly contentedly and said, “All right, I hope you seize this opportunity.”
☆☆☆
Ch.3 – The Star Around the Sun
Huang Jixin found a documentary about He Zheng from the internet and
showed it to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng sat in front of the computer and felt sweat breaking out on
his forehead. He Zheng had extraordinarily strict requirements for his
movies and actors. If something didn’t sit right with him, he wouldn’t
hesitate to slowly tear at you piece by piece. However, what bothered Xia
Xingcheng was the fact that He Zheng would only tell you what was wrong,
but not tell you what was right. The actress in the documentary was
repeatedly worn over for more than ten times for a single scene, until her
sweat drowned out her makeup. Xia Xingcheng couldn’t imagine how
much pressure he would feel in that environment.
He took a deep breath and spent half an hour watching the documentary,
then closed the video and opened Weibo.
Weibo was as lively as ever. He didn’t have time to read comments and
private messages and instead looked up He Zheng, only to discover that a
promotional account had revealed that Xia Xingcheng was going to act in
He Zheng’s new movie. The comments section was filled with both his fans
and passersby, all expressing disbelief.
Xia Xingcheng was curious and pulled up the searched content, only to find
that while someone had broken the news about He Zheng’s new movie,
there was no reveal about Yang Youming.
After a bout of hesitation, Xia Xingcheng entered Yang Youming’s name on

the search bar.
Yang Youming’s own Weibo profile was the first thing to pop up, with a
profile picture that was probably taken from his most recent magazine
photoshoot.
Xia Xingcheng’s weibo account was for work purposes only. He barely ever
used it himself, only following some friends and colleagues he’d previously
worked with—he wasn’t even following Yang Youming.
Even though he idolised Yang Youming, Xia Xingcheng didn’t chase after
him. He paid more attention to his works than to Yang Youming himself.
Yang Youming’s latest Weibo post was an ad for a luxury brand that he was
partnered with, dated a week ago, and the previous post was a month
before. He had posted a picture of strangers on the streets of Europe. The
picture used a black-and-white filter, which somehow made people feel a
sense of loneliness.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the photo for a moment. When he wanted to exit
Weibo, he suddenly noticed the hot searches nearby, one of which showed
Yuan Qian hand in hand with a young, fresh-faced male idol, traveling in
Japan.
Yuan Qian was Yang Youming’s wife, and they had been married for three
years.
Yuan Qian was also an actress. She had been called the entertainment
industry’s stunning beauty ever since her debut. When her entire face was in
front of the camera, you wouldn’t be able to pick out a single flaw from any
angle.
It was a pity though, that while Yuan Qian was beautiful, her acting had
always been dull and stiff, and many people said that she was a mannequin
with a good-looking face.
When Yang Youming and Yuan Qian announced their marriage three years
ago, the internet and media mourned with grief, but while the fans burst into
tears, actual passersby praised the two as a perfect match, saying that they
were the immortal couple of the entertainment industry.
At that time, Xia Xingcheng also felt that only a beauty like Yuan Qian was
worthy of Yang Youming. He also told Huang Jixin that when he became as
famous as Yang Youming, he would find a beautiful wife like Yuan Qian
and have two equally beautiful children.
It was a pity, though, that Yang Youming shot fewer movies after he
married Yuan Qian. He had only been in one movie in the past three years,
and last year, there was no news about him at all.
Right then, when he suddenly saw Yuan Qian’s affair, Xia Xingcheng was a
little surprised and clicked to see what the hot search was about.
In the hot searches topic, there were two paparazzi photos of Yuan Qian
walking with a tall young man on the streets of Japan. There was a slight
distance between them, and they didn’t appear close. Moreover, there were
several people around them, and no one could be sure whether or not they
were all walking together.
It was probably just the paparazzi’s speculation. Xia Xingcheng wasn’t all
that interested and closed the page.
After nearly a month, when Xia Xingcheng finally received the script, it
was almost time for him to pack up and get ready to join the cast and crew.
The movie’s producer was a good friend of He Zheng’s, and the

screenwriter finished the script in full accordance with He Zheng’s
requirements. Everything that He Zheng wanted to present and express
would be poured into the movie.
The movie was tentatively named ‘Gradual Distance’, which was precisely
the name of the male lead Xia Xingcheng played—Fang Jianyuan. He
hastily flipped through the script and found that, as far as the story was
concerned, the role of Fang Jianyuan should be regarded as a standard one.
Naturally, it was unlikely that he would ever publicise this in the end, but
nevertheless, he let himself feel genuine excitement.
Xia Xingcheng set the script aside and went to the dressing mirror wearing
only a pair of shorts. He was a lot thinner than he was a month ago, and his
hair had grown a little longer. His eyes were dark and bright, and this image
gradually matched up with Fan Jianyuan’s image in the script.
At the beginning of the movie, when Fang Jianyuan first showed up, he was
only an 18 year old freshman.
☆☆☆
t/n – Gradual Distance: 渐远 (jiàn yuǎn)

A week after receiving the script, Xia Xingcheng officially joined the crew.
On the plane ride there, Xia Xingcheng reread the script over and over
again. He couldn’t hide the tension in his heart. On one hand, he was
nervous about the film’s three intimate scenes, and on the other hand, it was
the first time that he would be working with a big-name director and actor.
On the night of his arrival at the filming site, Xia Xingcheng had dinner
with the entire crew. Yang Youming had yet to arrive, saying that his flight
was scheduled a little later.
He Zheng didn’t talk much, but he was fond of smoking. Never once did he
put down his cigarette during the meal. He also didn’t speak a word to Xia
Xingcheng about the movie either.
That night, Xia Xingcheng had had a drink, and he went back to his hotel
room feeling tipsy.
When the elevator reached the floor he was staying at, he exited alone, his
sneakers hardly making a sound on the corridor’s carpet.
The corridor’s lights weren’t great. A wall lamp hung at a distance, and
layer upon layer of warm lights stained everything and made it hazy.
Then, Xia Xingcheng saw a man standing in the corridor ahead.
At first, he could only make out a silhouette of a tall and slender man, a
suitcase by his legs.
When he came closer, the man’s side profile gradually became clearer in the
dim lighting. His nose was crooked, his eyebrows deep, his eyelashes long
and thick, and they fluttered slightly when he blinked. It was a beautiful
side profile that was able to attract everyone’s attention.
If Xia Xingcheng didn’t know him, just by looking at his face, he would
surely assume that the owner was no more than 30 years old at most—but
he knew better. This man was Yang Youming, the man whom he’d been
watching from afar, and this was the first time he had a chance to approach
him and seriously introduce himself.
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously clenched his hands as he walked towards

Yang Youming.
Yang Youming turned and saw him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Hello, Ming ge. I’m Xia Xingcheng.” He felt as if his
voice was trembling, and when he saw Yang Youming looking at him, he
was momentarily at a loss.
Yang Youming smiled faintly. The smile was very shallow, only the corners
of his eyes seemingly curved. He extended a hand towards Xia Xingcheng,
“Hello.”
Xia Xingcheng quickly grasped his hand. While he felt that Yang
Youming’s palm was dry and warm, his own palm was exuding a thin layer
of sweat. He shook hands with Yang Youming a bit uncomfortably, and
once they let go of each other’s hands, he said, “I admire you very much.
From when I debuted till now, I’ve always admired you. It’s a great honour
to have the opportunity to work with you.”
Yang Youming nodded. “Likewise, I’m honoured too.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t quite tell from Yang Youming’s tone whether he
was being sincere or perfunctory. At that moment, he felt the wine that he’d
drank earlier rush to his head, and his cheeks and eyes were slightly hot. He
wanted to say something to Yang Youming, but when he opened his mouth,
he found that he couldn’t speak.
Yang Youming asked him, “Did you drink?”

Xia Xingcheng nodded confusedly.
Yang Youming said, “Then go to bed early and I’ll see you on set
tomorrow.” With that, he opened the door of the room, nodded to Xia
Xingcheng, and walked in with his suitcase.
Xia Xingcheng walked forward in a daze, and after a while, he heard the
soft sound of the door closing behind him. He stopped and looked back, and
saw that the corridor was empty, leaving him alone.
Back in his room, Xia Xingcheng laid down on the bed.
After a while, Huang Jixin came by to help him unpack his luggage. “I
hired an assistant to take care of you during filming.”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand to cover his face and asked, “A man or a
woman?”
Huang Jixin said, “It’s a man. It’ll be more convenient to get in and out of
your room.”
Xia Xingcheng was silent. After a while, the cellphone he had placed on the
nightstand to charge rang, and he turned his head and stared at the screen
for a long time.
Huang Jixin felt strange. He came over and saw that the caller ID was Xiao
Yu, and playfully asked Xia Xingcheng, “Why aren’t you answering?”
Xia Xingcheng was silent for a moment and said, “Forget it.” He waited
until the ringing stopped, not answering Xiao Yu’s call.
☆☆☆
Two days after Xia Xingcheng joined the crew, filming for the movie
‘Gradual Distance’ officially commenced.
Most of the movie’s scenes were shot in a studio. When Xia Xingcheng saw
the appearance of a three-storey building from a distance, his mind flipped
through many scenes in the script of its own accord.
In the summer of his freshman year of university, a third floor room in Fang
Jianyuan’s building welcomed a tenant, Yu Haiyang, a handsome man in his
thirties.
After a simple opening ceremony, the first scene that would be shot that day
was the first intimate scene between Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang.
At the shooting location, people wandered about, making preparations for

the shoot. He Zheng, with a script in his hand, talked to Yang Youming and
Xia Xingcheng.
He Zheng told Xia Xingcheng, “This is Fang Jinyuan’s first time. His heart
is very reluctant, but his body subconsciously surrenders to it.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded, almost crushing the script in his hand. It was
crumpled with sweat.
He didn’t have many lines in this scene, though it should be said that he
didn’t exactly have that many lines in the entire movie either. However, this
only served to make him even more nervous. He knew that what He Zheng
wanted wasn’t the feelings expressed by long lines, but the emotions
connected by the details of one scene after another, which may be in the
form of a silent expression, or a subtle action.
Xia Xingcheng had seen every single movie that He Zheng made, from the
start of his career up until now. What He Zheng’s films were most adept at
was the delicate expression of camera language, even in commercial films–
not to mention that this film was a literary and artistic piece in the first
place.
That way, if the film were to show good results, the acting level that was
required from the actors was indeed very high.
Among young actors, Xia Xingcheng had always been praised for his good
acting skills. In any case, in relatively rough and straightforward idol
dramas, it was enough for him to use his existing skills to express his
emotions. However, he understood that there was still a long way to go
before he could meet He Zheng’s standards.
This made him instinctively nervous. When he poured over the script last
night, he repeatedly wondered, did He Zheng ask him to act in this movie
just because he resembled Fang Jianyuan’s image? If so, how were they
similar? Was it his face or his character? He wanted to ask He Zheng what
else he needed to do to make himself better suited for the role, but he lacked
the courage to do so.
Uneasy, Xia Xingcheng stole a glance at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming bowed his head and listened to He Zheng while looking at
the script. When He Zheng talked about his parts in the scene, Yang
Youming would nod his head calmly in response.
Today, Yang Youming was dressed like Yu Haiyang in the scene, donning
black suit pants and a white shirt that was tucked in, which in turn displayed
his narrow waist and long legs. His hair was initially combed back, but a
few strands of hair fell down messily. Coupled with an unbuttoned open
collar, it made him appear less serious.
Seeming to have noticed Xia Xingcheng’s line of sight, Yang Youming

looked up from the script and glanced at Xia Xingcheng, a casual smile
playing at the corner of his mouth.
Xia Xingcheng was momentarily stunned, and the blurry image of Yu
Haiyang in Xia Xingcheng’s mind clearly emerged in Yang Youming.
Yang Youming was trying to figure out the role while listening to the
description of the scene. He didn’t need to transition or be carried by the
other actor, and was able to effortlessly immerse himself in a scene and
become his character.
He zheng let them run through the scene first.
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and passed the script to his assistant.
In this scene, Fang Jianyuan had just entered the building, and he met Yu
Haiyang when he went up the stairs. Yu Haiyang grabbed him and pushed
him against the wall, kissed and touched him all over, and finally took him
into his room and pushed him down on the bed.
Xia Xingcheng came up the stairs, and when He Zheng shouted “Hurry
up!” he adjusted his pace, ran up, and saw Yang Youming, who was
standing at the top of the stairs. When he tried to walk past him, Yang
Youming grabbed his arm and pushed him against the wall.
Xia Xingcheng was startled. It wasn’t an act–he was genuinely startled,

because Yang Youming had used a lot of strength, and his entire body was
crushed against him.
Yang Youming asked him in a low voice, “Did you go out to play?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer, as he didn’t need to answer here.
Yang Youming raised his hand and swept away the hair on his forehead,
saying, “Did you go out with your classmates? Look, you’re sweating.”
Xia Xingcheng stiffly raised his hand and tried to push Yang Youming
away.
As a result, Yang Youming leaned in. At that moment, Xia Xingcheng

thought that Yang Youming was going to kiss him, but Yang Youming only
pretended to; their faces were close together, but their lips weren’t touching.
He quickly moved away and pulled on his T-shirt, pretending to kiss Xia
Xingcheng’s neck.
Xia Xingcheng was stiff throughout the fake kiss, until Yang Youming
started to push him into the room.
He Zheng said, “OK.” With that, he put his hand on Yang Youming’s
shoulder. “Properly kiss him later, don’t fake it like that.”
Yang Youming nodded.
From start to finish, Xia Xingcheng had been spurred on by Yang Youming
that even his stiffness ended up playing a necessary part. At that time, his
cheeks and lips were slightly flushed, and there was a layer of sweat on his
forehead. He didn’t know whether it was caused by heat or tension.
He Zheng asked him, “Are you fine with that?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t react immediately. A moment later he realised that

He Zheng was talking about the real kiss that was going to happen. He
hurriedly replied, “No problem.” If he wasn’t psychologically prepared for
this scene, he wouldn’t be able to act.
He Zheng nodded and left to direct the lights.
Yang Youming suddenly asked Xia Xingcheng, “Are you nervous?”
Stunned, Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, not knowing how to

answer.
Yang Youming didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either. He lowered

his head to tidy up the buttons on his sleeves and said blandly, “He Zheng
wants you to be nervous right now. It doesn’t matter.”
With that, Yang Youming left, and Xia Xingcheng went to a lone corner
where Huang Jixin was chatting with a pretty makeup artist.
The makeup artist saw him coming over, and hurriedly came forward to
touch up Xiao Xingcheng’s makeup and whispered, “Xiao Xing ge is
sweating a lot.”
This make-up artist has worked with him before. At that time, everyone in
that crew had called him ‘Xiao Xing ge’, but now when he met with a new
crew, many people also called him ‘Xiao Xing ge’.
Huang Jixin bumped his arm. “Not bad. You didn’t shy away from acting
opposite Yang Youming for the first time. I think He Zheng is fairly
satisfied.”
Xia Xingcheng was at a loss for words. He waited for his makeup to be
fixed, and lifted his head to move his stiff neck.
☆☆☆
The first official shoot finally began.
Standing on the stairs, Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes and took a deep
breath. When he heard the director shout action, he quickly ran upstairs.
Yang Youming looked at him from the top of the stairway.
After Xia Xingcheng saw him, he paused for a moment and made to to walk
past him.
It was very quiet around them. All the staff stayed out the frame without
making a single sound.
Xia Xingcheng was very nervous, which perfectly integrated with the
tension that Fang Jianyuan was supposed to feel at this time.
When he passed Yang Youming, he even deliberately avoided touching his

body.
Then, Yang Youming made a move, grabbing Xia Xingcheng’s arm and
pushing him against the wall of the corridor.
Xia Xingcheng looked at the other man with wide eyes.
Yang Youming said, “Did you go out to play?” His voice was even deeper
than before.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer.
Yang Youming raised his eyes, his fingers pushing back the hair on his
forehead. “Did you go out with your classmates? Look, you’re sweating.”
Yang Youming delivered the exact same lines and actions as before, yet Xia
Xingcheng somehow felt a greater sense of oppression. He tried to convince
himself that this man was not Yang Youming, but Yu Haiyang.
Xia Xingcheng wanted to push him away, but halfway through the motion,
Yang Youming’s lips were already on his.
This was not Xia Xingcheng’s first kiss scene, but it was his first time
kissing a man. It was also his first kiss in front of the camera that wasn’t a
simple light touch of lips, but a deep interlocking of mouths and tongues.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng had only ever kissed women in the past,
all soft—never eager and strong men. Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were wide
open, and his ears, with the exception of a slight noise from the running
machines, could only hear the sound of their kissing, which made him
gradually unable to resist. The kiss was completely commandeered by Yang
Youming. His body was unable to reject it, and his heart became more and
more afraid.
Xia Xingcheng began to slowly shrink back, and at the same time, he
slightly pushed at Yang Youming. He thought that He Zheng would call for
a stop—but he didn’t.
Xia Xingcheng himself wanted to stop.
Right then, Yang Youming took the initiative to step back. He buried his
head in Xia Xingcheng’s neck, panting heavily and gasping for breath.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know whether he was acting or not. If he really was
acting, it was too realistic. But if it wasn’t an act, this situation would
inevitably embarrass Xia Xingcheng.
Then, Yang Youming kissed Xia Xingcheng’s neck.
The hot and wet touch of his lips instantly made Xia Xingcheng’s scalp
numb. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter. He didn’t know if it
could be captured by the cameras, but the on-scene crew must have seen his
flushed face by now.
Yang Youming continued, kissing Xia Xingcheng’s stiff neck—but not so
hard this time. Perhaps he wanted to avoid leaving marks on his fair skin.
Xia Xingcheng raised his head and saw the messy studio wiring overhead.
His gaze was out of focus, and his whole body trembled when he felt Yang
Youming lift the hem of his shirt.
Yang Youming must’ve been aware of it. He gently kissed Xia Xingcheng’s
trembling throat, let him go, and stood up straight. Xia Xingcheng’s eyes
fell on Yang Youming’s face. Yang Youming was looking at him, his gaze
gentle, carrying a touch of tenderness.
Yang Youming touched his face and softly said, “Don’t be scared.”
This wasn’t written in the script. Xia Xingcheng didn’t know how to
respond, but then Yang Youming took him by the hand and walked towards
the room.
At the moment his feet moved, Xia Xingcheng realised that his legs felt
weak.
The instant Xia Xingcheng walked into the doorway, the director called for
a stop.
Yang Youming immediately let go of his hand, and Xia Xingcheng felt a
gust of wind washing over him, cold and faint. He broke out in sweat, and
his back was completely drenched.
He leaned against the door, concealing his collapse while he stared at Yang
Youming.
The tender love in Yang Youming’s eyes had completely disappeared, and
there was no shortness of breath or violent gasps. Everything was quiet. He
turned to He Zheng and watched the footage with him.
Xia Xingcheng stood still and lowered his head to hide the fact that he
wasn’t able to control his emotions. He stuck the back of his hand to his
face and felt that his face was still terribly hot.
Huang Jixin went up to him and asked him, “Is everything okay?”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng headed to the recliner that had been prepared for him by the
crew, sat down, and raised his head to wipe the sweat on his face with the
towel his assistant handed to him.
Huang Jixin sat on the small stool next to him, and when he saw that Xia
Xingcheng really was in bad shape, he lowered his voice and asked.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you perform well just now?”
The first scene was over, and in Huang Jixin’s eyes, Xia Xingcheng
probably acted extraordinarily well.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say. The scene just then had nothing to
do with his own acting. It was all Yang Youming alone.
“I told you to be careful when you accepted this role,” Huang Jixin said. He
thought Xia Xingcheng couldn’t come to terms with having to make out
with a man.
Xia Xingcheng tore the towel off his face, folded it twice, and silently
wiped the sweat on his forehead.
Huang Jixin had been Xia Xingcheng’s agent since his debut, and the two
had always had a good relationship. He was several years older than Xia
Xingcheng. At this time, he couldn’t help but whisper a few words to
console him, “If you don’t want to film this kind of thing, it’s better to not
say it out loud. Regardless of the contract, if you told He Zheng that you
don’t want to film, it would impact your future development big time.”
The towel in Xia Xingcheng’s hand had been crumpled into a ball, but he
still used it to wipe the sweat on the corners of his eyes. He looked ahead
and said, “I know.”
But that remark was full of hot air.
Huang Jixin patted him on the shoulder. “It’s no big deal. It’s just being
kissed and touched by a man. Besides, it’s no ordinary man either. After
this, everyone would think that you took advantage of the great film
emperor.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but glare at him.
Huang Jixin said, “Nevermind, just film well. I’ll support you.”
They had announced that there were only two scenes to be filmed today,
and the second scene followed immediately after the previous one, which
was the intimate scene of two people in bed after entering the room.
Fang Jianyuan’s room wasn’t big, but there was a south-facing window. If
someone sat by the window, they would be able to feel the sunlight all year
round. In front of the window was a desk, beside the desk was a wooden
wardrobe, and there was a single bed in the middle of the room.
When He Zheng directed the scene, he leaned against the desk in front of
the window, while Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming sat on the bed.
Yu Haiyang pulled Fang Jianyuan into the room and overpowered him on
the bed. He kissed him and touched him—and Fang Jianyuan was both
excited and scared. When Yu Haiyang was about to take off his pants, he
cried out, and Yu Haiyang stopped and comforted him in turn.
He Zheng said, “Yu Haiyang is very good at teasing, don’t be so cruel. In

his eyes, you’re both willing, and this is not done out of force. Fang
Jianyuan is young and inexperienced, it’s not that he dislikes Yu Haiyang,
but he’s afraid, afraid of this kind of thing and this relationship.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at the top of the script and saw that Fang Jianyuan
was supposed to start crying. He was a little anxious and unsure whether he
could cry.
He Zheng told him, “You were in the right mood just now, so maintain it.”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and tugged at his hair to cover up his
anxiety.
The lighting outside the window was being adjusted. Warm, yellow light
that was similar to sunlight shone down, raising the interior’s temperature
by a lot.
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng truly felt that he was getting farther and
farther away from the summer afternoon when he was with Yu Haiyang.
Yang Youming, who sat next to him and had been silent until now, suddenly
said, “You have to cry like a boy.”
Before Xia Xingcheng fully understood what he meant, He Zheng followed

up and said, “Right! You have to cry like a boy. You should know from
experience.”
Yang Youming won the most awards when he worked with He Zheng, and
since they had worked together on two movies, the tacit understanding
between them would unknowingly appear.
On the other hand, Xia Xingcheng felt that he was completely out of his
depth. He thought hard about how a boy would cry.
He Zheng let them run through it first.
Xia Xingcheng stood up and saw Yang Youming also get up and stand face
to face with him.
Yang Youming was nearly three centimetres taller than Xia Xingcheng.
When looking at him, he slightly looked down, and looked directly at Xia
Xingcheng’s eyes.
Xia Xingcheng pursed his lips.
Yang Youming reached out and pushed him down on the bed. Without
giving him a chance to react, he pressed down on Xia Xingcheng entirely.
Yang Youming didn’t really press down on him. He was using his hands to
prop himself up on the bed, and his chest barely pressed against Xia
Xingcheng’s body. But the pressure and heat still rendered Xia Xingcheng
immobile.
He Zheng observed the camera angles, and asked them to make some
adjustments. He said, “Okay, that’s all for now, you have to be strong, but
not rough.”
Xia Xingcheng felt a little confused about how to distinguish between

strength and roughness in the performance.
He Zheng continued, “Pull up his clothes, then unbutton and unzip his pants
after a while, and after that, Xia Xingcheng will resist. Appease him first,
then wait for him to cry before you dispel his doubts and persuade him.”
Yang Youming pretended to take Xia Xingcheng’s pants off, and Xia
Xingcheng reached out to push him away.
He Zheng said, “Wrong.”
Xia Xingcheng briefly froze.
Yang Youming said in his ear, “Shouldn’t you hold on to your pants right
now?”
Xia Xingcheng understood, grabbed his pants with one hand, turning
sideways to block Yang Youming’s actions, and pushed him with the other
hand.
Yang Youming paused and recited the lines in the script, “Don’t be scared,
it’s going to be fine.”
Xia Xingcheng recalled his lines and said, “I don’t want it.”
“Silly boy,” said Yang Youming. He wanted to continue.
Xia Xingcheng clutched at his pants and turned over on the bed, covering
his face with his other hand, his shoulders twitching.
Yang Youming stopped and didn’t continue.
He Zheng stood up, looked at Xia Xingcheng and said, “Your mood isn’t
quite right. Adjust it.”
Xia Xingcheng turned over and sat on the bed, suddenly remembering the
documentary about He Zheng that he had watched before. He Zheng would
tell you when you did something wrong, but wouldn’t tell you what was
right.
He became confused and uneasy. Seeing that He Zheng had not come, he
looked at Yang Youming, who was sitting by the bed.
Yang Youming took a sip of water from the cup his assistant handed over,
and noticed Xia Xingcheng’s eyes on him. The corners of his wet and red
mouth rose slightly, and his eyes fell on Xia Xingcheng’s hands that were
clutching his pants tightly. “How about this, I’ll ask He Zheng to clear out
the set, and we’ll go through the whole scene and help you get back into the
mood you just had.”
☆☆☆
The irrelevant personnel left the filming site. He Zheng sat behind the
monitor in silence without speaking a word.
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, hoping that the man could
elaborate.
Yang Youming leaned against the desk, took a book lying on top of it, and
leafed through a few pages. He looked up and asked Xia Xingcheng, “How
old are you?”
“Twenty-four,” Xia Xingcheng answered, sitting on the bed.
Yang Youming said, “How many years have you been acting?”
Xia Xingcheng felt as if he was a pupil answering the teacher’s questions.

He politely said, “Six years. I started acting when I was eighteen.”
Yang Youming flipped through the book in his hands so quickly that he
probably wasn’t reading it at all. His tone was light, it was as if they were
chatting in a coffee shop on a summer afternoon. “Which school did you
graduate from?”
Xia Xingcheng mentioned the name of a film school. It wasn’t the top film
school in China, but it was still somewhat famous.
Yang Youming nodded. “Then you started acting when you were a
freshman.”
Xia Xingcheng thought for a moment and said, “I really like acting.”
Yang Youming’s gaze fell on his face. “Do you?”

“Mm.”
He Zheng sat quietly, not urging them to start, allowing them to converse.
Yang Youming continued asking him, “Did you think it through before you
took on this role?”
Xia Xingcheng did not expect that he would ask this question in front of He
Zheng. After a moment, he replied, “Of course.” He had many reasons for
accepting the film, and one of them was so he would be recognised by
young actors of the same age and status. At the same time, he couldn’t help
reign in his curiosity and asked, “Why did Ming ge decide to act in this
movie?”
Yang Youming was different from him. The man was already famous, and
didn’t need to rely on this kind of movie to bring anything for himself.
After hearing this question, Yang Youming didn’t answer immediately. He

only looked at He Zheng’s direction, then smiled and said, “I owed him a
favour, and I always pay them back.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know whether or not what he said was a joke.
Yang Youming put the book in his hand back to its original position and
said to Xia Xingcheng, “Get ready to begin.”
Xia Xingcheng, who’d already relaxed a bit, suddenly became nervous

again. He rose to his feet and took two deep breaths.
Yang Youming suddenly asked him, “What were you thinking about just
now?”
Xia Xingcheng paused and said, “I was thinking about what Fang Jianyuan
would think about during this?”
Yang Youming asked, “What were you thinking in the last scene?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t answer for a while. He was a mess at that time, and
there was no way to think about anything carefully.
Yang Youming told him, “Don’t dwell on it. Fang Jianyuan probably can’t
think of anything at this time either.”
Just panic, nothing else.
This time, it wasn’t an official shot, but Yang Youming’s expression was
very serious.
Xia Xingcheng was pushed down on the bed by Yang Youming, and he
instinctively reacted by trying to get up. Unfortunately, before he could,
Yang Youming had alread pressed against his entire body.
It was real this time. Yang Youming’s chest was right on his, and the two
thinly dressed men could both feel each other’s body temperature.
Then, Yang Youming held down both his hands and kissed him deeply.
This deep kiss hadn’t been mentioned just now. Xia Xingcheng’s head was
a mess, and he instinctively wanted to hide.
Yang Youming grabbed his hands and twisted them behind him, so he
couldn’t help but hold up his chest and press closer to Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng could barely breathe. He was aware of Yang Youming’s

strength, but the man was not at all rough.
Then, Yang Youming lifted up his T-shirt, burying his head in Xia
Xingcheng’s chest and kissing him there.
Xia Xingcheng raised his head. His chest heaved violently. He was flushed
from his cheeks to his neck, all the way down his chest. He opened his
mouth and noticed that his lips were dry, and uttered a low whimper,
“No…”
His heart felt bereft of anything except an indefinite sense of panic.
Yang Youming reached out and touched the button on his pants. The touch
was so strong that the panic in his heart instantly magnified. Xia Xingcheng
didn’t even think about what he should be doing, only wanting to
effectively stop Yang Youming’s next move. He reached out and grabbed
his pants, pushing Yang Youming’s wrist with one hand, and then hunched
sideways to avoid him.
Yang Youming’s voice was a little hoarse, as if it was soft, yet strong. Still
clutching the button of his pants, he persuaded Xia Xingcheng, “Don’t be
scared, it’s going to be all right.”
It was the voice of an adult man suppressing his desire. Xia Xingcheng
heard it very clearly and tried harder to curl up. His T-shirt still rolled up his
chest, revealing a smooth and flexible waist and back. “I don’t want to,” He
said, and when he spoke, he found that his voice was hoarse and his words
stuttered.
Yang Youming pressed a hand to his waist and stroked it with a bit of force.
An itching feeling arose from the side of his waist in an instant, rendering
Xia Xingcheng numb all over, and his heart seemed to tingle for a while.
“Silly boy.” Yang Youming sounded both like an elder and a lover.
Xia Xingcheng buried his face in the pillow. He didn’t sob or tremble, only
taking a deep breath, emotions brewing in the darkness and suffocation.
Yang Youming kept stroking his waist until he noticed that he hadn’t moved
for a long time. He moved closer to Xia Xingcheng’s ear, rubbed at his nape
with his fingers and asked, “Fang Jianyuan?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t respond.
Yang Youming’s voice became softer, “Xiao Yuan?”
Xia Xingcheng’s shoulders twitched.
Yang Youming then exerted some strength, held his shoulder and turned
him around, and saw that his eyes were red, the corners of his eyes wet.
Xia Xingcheng turned away and refused to look at him.

Yang Youming sat on the edge of the bed, held him up, and let Xia
Xingcheng lean against him, wiping the corner of his eye with a thumb and
said, “What’s there to cry about? Aren’t you being silly?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at the direction of the window.
Yang Youming put his arm around his shoulders, wanting him to get into a
comfortable posture, and said, “I’m not working tomorrow. Do you want to
swim? Shall we go swimming?”
Yang Youming said to himself, “I lost my swimming trunks, so I’m going to

buy a new one in the evening. How about it? We can go shopping together
tonight.”
Xia Xingcheng’s voice was hoarse, “I’m not free.”
Yang Youming laughed.
The scene ended here.
He Zheng clapped twice and shouted, “Good! Like this, let’s strive for one
take!”
Yang Youming stood up from the bedside, patted Xia Xingcheng on the
shoulder and said, “Come on.”
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng immersed himself in the bathtub and allowed the water to
cover his head. Soon, his lungs ran out of air, and the suffocation made his
chest continuously ache. He abruptly stuck his head out of the water and
gasped heavily.
The water flowed down his hair, and he raised a hand to wipe the water
away from his face. Leaning back, he put his head on the edge of the
bathtub and closed his eyes.
When Xia Xingcheng came out of the bathroom, he saw Huang Jixin
smoking on the sofa.
“You haven’t left yet?” He pulled the towel off his head and sat by the bed
in his bathrobe.
Huang Jixin said, “Aren’t you relieved? I’ll be staying with you for two
more days.”
Xia Xingcheng said nothing and fell back on the bed, a sigh escaping his
lips, his white and slender legs stretched out from under the bathrobe.
Huang Jixin stood up with a cigarette in his mouth and walked to the
bedside, looking down at him. “What’s wrong? You look dejected.”
Xia Xingchen, who could hardly ever tell the truth in front of Huang Jixin,
said, “I’m under a lot of pressure.”
“Hey man, it’s the first day of filming, okay?” Huang Jixin said. He didn’t
understand. “You performed really well today, and He Zheng wasn’t too
demanding. As a result, your work finished so quickly.”
XIa Xingcheng raised his hand to cover his face. “It wasn’t because I acted
well.”
Huang Jixin said, “I know it was Yang Youming who acted well, but didn’t
he still need your cooperation?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head and didn’t know how to tell him.
Huang Jixin stretched out his foot and kicked Xia Xingcheng’s shin. “Cheer
up, don’t give up on the first day. This movie will take a long time to film.
You don’t come across this kind of opportunity every day, so just make the
best of it.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I know.”
When Huang Jixin left, Xia Xingcheng laid aimlessly in bed for a while. He
finally remembered something, and turned over to grab his cellphone on the
bedside table, then dialed Xiao Yu’s number.
The phone rang several times but Xiao Yu didn’t answer.
At the end of the automatic dial tone, Xia Xingcheng received a message
from Xiao Yu, saying, ‘It’s no good anymore. Let’s just forget about it.’
Xia Xingcheng stared at the words for a moment. He knew this day would
come, but he didn’t expect that Xiao Yu would be the one to say it first, so
he replied, ‘I see. Wish you all the best.’
Xiao Yu never replied to him again.
Xia Xingcheng blanked out for a while, then opened Weibo.
Instead of looking at his Weibo reposts, he searched for Yang Youming’s

Weibo. He clicked on his home page and found that it had been updated
today.
Yang Youming sent an image of Fang Jianyuan’s room, with the single bed,
a desk, and the incoming sunlight that filtered through the glass windows.
It was a very ordinary picture, but when he saw the bed, Xia Xingcheng
couldn’t help getting flustered, recalling what had happened on that bed
today.
There were a lot of comments from Yang Youming’s fans at the bottom of
the picture. The first hot comment asked him, “Is this for a new movie?”
He Zheng’s movie hadn’t been announced to the general public, but there
had been a lot of leaks on the internet, and some paparazzi even took
pictures of Yang Youming on set.
Yang Youming would certainly not answer this kind of question. His Weibo
consisted entirely of photos, and there wasn’t a single word in sight. It
seemed that he only wanted to post pictures, rather than share about his life
with fans; he’d always been a bit distant online.
But this didn’t affect the fans and the audience’s love for him. Even if he
didn’t maintain a certain level of exposure, his career wouldn’t be hindered.
On the contrary, Xia Xingcheng was someone who had to keep filming and
appear in the public eye from time to time so the audience wouldn’t forget
him and his fans wouldn’t leave him.
He needed to put out good work and gain public recognition to establish his
status in the industry, rather than relying on his good looks.
Xia Xingcheng looked at the picture for a while, and when he came to
senses, he realised that he had accidentally liked Yang Youming’s Weibo
post.
He paused for a moment. It was impossible to take back the like, so he

simply followed Yang Youming’s Weibo. In any case, he was a part of the
younger generation. Even if Yang Youming didn’t respond, there was
nothing to be ashamed of.
He then exited Weibo and laid in bed, flipping through the script to prepare
for the next day of filming.
There would be no more bed scenes tomorrow.

What He Zheng wanted to shoot was Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang’s first
meeting.
In the morning, when Xia Xingcheng got out of hair and makeup, he
opened the door of the lounge and ran into Yang Youming. Yang Youming
had changed his outfit, and was currently dressed in a shirt and suit pants.
He put his hands in his trouser pants and glanced at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly became nervous and called out, “Ming—Ming

ge.”
Yang Youming smiled and walked past him.
Xia Xingcheng felt a little embarrassed. He tugged on his hair and walked
out.
☆☆☆
Fang Jianyuan’s family had a small three-story building. The family lived
on the second floor, and the third floor was vacant for rent, and the first
floor functioned as a store. His dad worked all year round and could only go
home during Chinese New Year. In the summer vacation of his freshman
year at university, only Fang Jianyuan and his mother were home.
At that time, as summer vacation began, the weather was already hot and
stuffy. In the afternoon, his mother went to play mahjong at the mahjong
hall next door while Fang Jianyuan tended to the small grocery store alone.
There was a floor fan in the corner, the head swivelling side-to-side,
creaking with every turn, and yet the wind couldn’t dispel the heat.
That was when Yu Haiyang appeared in front of Fang Jianyuan for the first
time.
Xia Xingcheng sat behind the counter, tidied up the table, spread open the
store’s accounts book and pressed on it.
Yang Youming stood by and let the makeup artist fix his makeup. His
assistant was a woman in her thirties named Li Yun, who had been working
with him for many years. She was currently standing next to him while
joking with him.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t deliberately stare at Yang Youming, but in his

peripheral vision, he noticed that Yang Youming’s posture was very relaxed.
He was probably the only one who felt nervous before the shoot.
Yesterday’s shoot had gone very smoothly, yet it didn’t bring him any relief
he expected it would. On the contrary, it made him feel even more
pressured. He was afraid that he couldn’t match Yang Youming’s acting,
and he was also afraid that He Zheng wouldn’t be satisfied with his
performance
Additionally, when he saw Yang Youming now, he felt an unspeakable

tension.
He Zheng called out to everyone to get ready to officially begin shooting.
Xia Xingcheng was already looking down at the book until He Zheng’s
voice rang out.
“Action!”
The set immediately quieted down, and the sound of the broken prop fan
was all the more clear.
Xia Xingcheng, who was looking down at the book, did not hear the
footsteps, but felt a shadow cast on the book in front of him, blocking the
outside light.
He looked up and saw Yang Youming standing in front of him.
“Do you want to buy anything?” Xia Xingcheng subconsciously swallowed

a mouthful of saliva before asking.
Yang Youming put his hand on the counter. He glanced at the shelf behind
Xia Xingcheng and said, “Get me a pack of cigarettes.”
Xia Xingcheng hurriedly stood up.
At the same time, He Zheng also called cut.
“You’re too stiff,” He Zheng said to Xia Xingcheng. “He’s currently just an
ordinary guest. What are you so nervous about?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. He took several deep breaths and moved his neck
and wrists to show that he was ready to restart the scene.
He relaxed his posture a little.

Yang Youming came in and said, “Get me a pack of cigarettes.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a gentle ‘Mm’, then stood up and turned to the shelf
to reach for the cigarettes.
At this time, Yang Youming walked straight past the counter and looked
into the small grocery store.
Xia Xingchen’s hand had not yet touched the cigarettes when he looked
back, “What kind of cigarettes do you want?”
Yang Youming stopped and asked him, “Do you have room for rent?”
A small advertisement for rent was posted at the door of the grocery store.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Wait a moment.” He went to the door and shouted to
the mahjong parlor next door, “Mom!”
When the shoot halted He Zheng reviewed the monitor once and said, “One
more time, relax.”
It didn’t go so well.
During yesterday’s passionate scene, Xia Xingcheng was completely led by

Yang Youming. When it came to the first scene today, He Zheng still wasn’t
satisfied after repeating it several times.
“Right now, you’re acting, but you’re showing too many traces that what
you’re doing is acting,” He Zheng said.
He Zheng was an uncompromising person, and he was so demanding that

he didn’t mind repeating a scene over and over again, insisting on achieving
a final result that would satisfy him.
In this state, Xia Xingcheng was at a loss and only grew more and more
uncomfortable.
Yang Youming offered: “Let’s take five.”

He Zheng nodded.
Xia Xingcheng went back to his little recliner and sat down, taking a paper
towel and wiping his sweat. After the makeup artist fixed his makeup, he
grabbed a small fan and directed it onto his face while reading the script
spread out over his leg. What he wanted was to be told how to act, such as
the tone of each line and the rhythm of each action, but he was only told to
start all over again.
For him, currently, having too much freedom binded his hands and feet. He
didn’t dare act freely, because it seemed that no matter how he acts, the
director wasn’t satisfied.
However, He Zheng was not the minor directors he worked with in the past,
but a major director he was unable to refute at present.
Xia Xingcheng read the contents of the script that was scheduled for today’s
filming.
Suddenly, someone crouched in front of him and handed him a bottle of ice
water. Xia Xingcheng looked up and found that the man was Yang
Youming. His heart jumped and he wanted to stand up immediately.
Yang Youming reached out and pressed a hand on his knee to stop him from
getting up, and said, “I told Li Yun to buy it. Have a drink.” With that, he
unscrewed the lid of the bottle before passing the water to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t drink it. He said, “Ming Ge, please sit down first.”
Yang Youming still crouched in front of him, looking up at him slightly as

he spoke, “Is it me who’s making you nervous, or is there something else
that’s making you nervous?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned, and he said, “I’m sorry.” Because he was
dragging Yang Youming down.
Yang Youming smiled, and his eyes curved with a faint tenderness that
words couldn’t express, he said, “I’m Yu Haiyang, you’re Fang Jianyuan, if
someone needs to apologize, it’s me to you, not you to me.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him in a daze.
Yang Youming said: “You’re not Xia Xingcheng playing Fang Jianyuan.
You’re Fang Jianyuan, a freshman. How would you react when you meet a
strange man coming to buy something, and how would you react when you
hear him say he wants to rent a room?”
Xia Xingcheng pursed his lips. “Ming ge, if it were you, what would you
do?”
Yang Youming said to him, “If I told you, it would be my take on Fang
Jianyuan, not yours.”
Xia Xingcheng held the cold bottle of mineral water with both hands.
Yang Yuming continued, “What do you pay attention to when you act?
Where the camera is aimed? Will the fan’s noise affect the sound of the
lines? Whether you look good in close-up shots? Is the director satisfied?”
Yang Youming said, “You can just look at me. Those things are none of
your concern. It’s not your responsibility to worry about whether things will
go wrong, it’s his responsibility. There’s only the two of us in this scene, so
just look at me. Fang Jianyuan saw Yu Haiyang for the first time. What
should you think and say? Put yourself in Fang Jianyuan’s shoes and think
again.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at Yang Youming without blinking.
Yang Youming stood up and slightly bent down to pat the top of Xia
Xingcheng’s head. “Fang Jianyuan won’t be so nervous when an unfamiliar
man comes shopping. He won’t be vigilant until that man starts looking
around. It’s only when you hear him asking about a room for rent that you
relax again. Think for yourself.”
☆☆☆
The filming began again.
Xia Xingcheng returned to the grocery store’s narrow counter, surrounded

by slightly messy goods. He looked down at his book, thinking: I am Fang
Jianyuan, eighteen years old, my family set up our own grocery store, and I
often sit here on summer afternoons to mind the counter.
He slowly calmed down.
A shadow blocked the light in front of him. He looked up and Yang

Youming occupied his whole field of vision.
A strange man, Xia Xingcheng thought, but this strange man is extremely
good-looking.
His eyes lingered on Yang Youming’s face for a while.
Yang Youming was also looking at him, and after a while, Xia Xingcheng
turned away first and asked, “Is there anything you want to buy?”
Yang Youming suddenly smiled. He put an arm on the counter, body

leaning slightly, and said, “Bring me a pack of cigarettes.”
This smile wasn’t there previously. Xia Xingcheng suddenly realized that
Yang Youming was acting along with him and reacted based on his own
reaction.
Xia Xingcheng stood up, turned to look for cigarettes on the cigarettes
shelf, and suddenly remembered that the man didn’t specify which ones he
wanted, so he turned around and said, “Which one–” he paused before he
finished speaking, because Yang Youming had already entered the grocery
store and was looking in the direction of the inner room.
“Hello!” Xia Xingcheng called at Yang Youming, now vigilant. “What kind
of cigarettes do you want?” His tone wasn’t very friendly.
Yang Youming leaned against the counter again, bent forward and asked,
“Is there a room for rent?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned for a moment. He looked around and said,
“Just a moment.” Then he went around the counter, accidentally bumping
into Yang Youming as he passed him, nodded and apologized, and walked
all the way to the store’s entrance to shout at his mother next door, “Ma–”
He Zheng didn’t say OK, but he nodded to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was all thanks to
Yang Youming who had made it clear to him.
The rest of the shooting went well.
Fang Jianyuan took Yu Haiyang up to the third floor to see the room. The
room on the third floor was a suite with a separate bathroom on the far side
of the bedroom.
Yu Haiyang looked around the room. Xia Xingcheng waited patiently,

going to the window and looking out of it.
After a while, Yang Youming walked up to him and asked, “How old are
you?”
Fang Jianyuan was a somewhat introverted boy, so Xia Xingcheng didn’t

look at Yang Youming when he spoke: “Eighteen.”
Yang Youming felt around in his pocket for a cigarette and recalled that he
had run out.
Xia Xingcheng looked at his hand and asked, “Are you living alone?”
“I’m living alone,” Yang Youming said.
Xia Xingcheng urged him: “Do you want to rent the room?”
Yang Youming looked at him and smiled. “Let me think about it. I’ll give
you an answer today.”
Today’s shooting ended in the afternoon.
He Zheng was unwilling to arrange a quick filming schedule, especially

when everyone hadn’t fully entered their roles in the early stages of filming.
He hoped to have more time so that each scene would be taken seriously.
After finishing work, Xia Xingcheng’s first reaction after changing his
clothes was to find Yang Youming. In any case, Yang Youming’s words had
helped him a lot. If he had a chance, he wanted to invite Yang Youming out
to dinner with him.
He was in such a hurry that he didn’t have time for his assistant to talk to
him. Yang Youming was just about to enter his car when Xia Xingcheng
chased after him outside.
“Ming ge!” cried Xia Xingcheng.
Yang Youming, who had already had one foot in the car, stepped out and
looked back at him.
Xia Xingcheng approached Yang Youming’s car. Seeing his assistant Li

Yun standing aside, he nodded and greeted her first, and then said to Yang
Youming, “I really want to thank you for today, Ming ge.”
Yang Youming smiled, polite yet distant as always, and said: “I’m just
doing what I ought to do, you don’t have to worry about it.” Then, without
waiting for Xia Xingcheng’s response, he put his hand on his shoulder and
said, “Film well, you’re very good.” With that, he turned and got into the
car.
The stunned Xia Xingcheng stood in place and watched as Yang Youming’s
car drove away.
At this time, the cell phone in Xia Xingcheng’s pocket suddenly rang. It
was Huang Jixin, who called to tell him he’d made an appointment to have
dinner with him in the evening.
Xia Xingcheng’s agency was a big company, in which there were both big
stars and also agents, yet neither he nor Huang Jixin was included in that
list.
Now that Xia Xingcheng had joined the cast and crew there was no need for
Huang Jixing to accompany him anymore. The company had transferred
him to temporarily take care of a newcomer, so Huang Jixin called Xia
Xingcheng out for a drink later on that night.
The two of them sat face to face in the private room of a barbeque
restaurant, the sizzling meat on the grilling pan oozing with oil. With Huang
Jixin also smoking, the whole private room was filled with smoke.
Xia Xingcheng felt a bit euphoric.
Huang Jixin turned over the meat on the grilling pan and said, “I heard you
did good today, and that you got into your role quickly.”
Xia Xingcheng held a glass of cold beer and wiped the condensation on the
glass with his finger. He couldn’t help smiling and said, “I think Yang
Youming is really nice.”
Huang Jixin placed the first piece of grilled beef onto Xia Xingcheng’s
plate with his chopsticks and said, “He’s your idol, are you sure you’re not
just saying this because of your ‘fan filter’?”
“No,” Xia Xingcheng denied. “I’ve been filming for several years, and I
don’t see much of him being so patient.”
Huang Jixin looked at him with a smile, “So, was it fun shooting a bed
scene with Yang Youming?”
“Piss off!” Xia Xingcheng cursed.

Yet Huang Jixin did not stop his evil teasing. While passing pieces of beef
to Xia Xingcheng, he said, ”You haven’t seen the votes of those online
surveys about sex fantasy partners and who people want a one-night stand
with the most in the past two years, have you? Didn’t Yang Youming come
first in both?”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly thought of yesterday’s scene with Yang Youming

and how fierce the kiss was. He disguised his embarrassment and said, “I
don’t usually see that he has that many chicken blood fans.”
Huang Jixin pointed at him with chopsticks, “What do you know? This is
called the nation’s attention, and the day you have it, it doesn’t matter
whether you have chicken blood fans or not.”
Xia Xingcheng listened and silently took a sip of beer.
☆☆☆
t/n – chinese fandoms (esp. in social media) are typically prevalent with two groups of fans, the
‘chicken blood fans’, and the ‘chicken soup fans’. ‘chicken blood fans’, as mentioned in the chapter
above, mostly comprise of younger fans (and few older fans) whose actions and behaviours are
relatively more extreme than the ‘chicken soup fans’, who tend to be more chill and mature, and are
usually made up of older fans.
Xia Xingcheng had drank a lot, and was slightly drunk when he sent Huang
Jixin off.
He went back to the hotel alone and walked out of the elevator. Every step
of the way, the soles of his shoes fell on the soft carpet without making a
sound. His body was a little shaky, not drunk enough to be unable to stand
stably, but a sliver of excitement in his mind due to the alcohol drove him to
walk a little further than usual.
Xia Xingcheng stopped at the door of Yang Youming’s room and looked up
at the room number.
He had planned to invite Yang Youming out to dinner today. During the
shooting, Yang Youming’s gentle appeasement properly dispelled the
anxiety and lack of self-confidence that had existed at the bottom of his
heart, and he even suspected that he wouldn’t feel that kind of anxiety again
for the remainder of the shoot.
It was fortunate that Yang Youming was there.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and knocked on the door, his knuckles
hitting on wood, making a crisp sound.
He knocked twice and stopped, listened quietly to the noise inside, but
heard nothing. He rubbed his knuckles with his fingers and hesitated before
raising his hand to knock a second time.
Xia Xingcheng felt vaguely uneasy. He didn’t know if it would be too

abrupt for him to visit Yang Youming like this.
In fact, Huang Jixin was right. He did have a fan filter in front of Yang
Youming. In the face of Yang Youming, he was a trembling little fan. He
had to take care to speak and do things very carefully for fear of leaving a
bad impression on Yang Youming because sometimes, he wasn’t like his
usual clever self.
Xia Xingcheng wanted to leave, but before he turned around, he heard

footsteps approaching the other side of the door, and then Yang Youming’s
voice rang out, “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Xia Xingcheng felt uncontrollably nervous. “Xia Xingcheng.”
The door opened. Yang Youming stood behind the door in a bathrobe, his
hair still slightly wet. He smiled at Xia Xingcheng. “Can I help you? Please
come in.”
Xia Xingcheng’s mind went blank for a moment. He followed Yang

Youming into his room and took the initiative to reach out and close the
door.
The layout of Yang Youming’s room was similar to that of Xia

Xingcheng’s, but the room was much cleaner than his, all his daily
necessities arranged in an orderly manner.
Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “Have a seat.”
Xia Xingcheng sat down on the sofa. Yang Youming sat with his hands on
the edge of the bed facing him, and asked, “What can I do for you?”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and brushed away at his hair. He found that
his forehead was a little hot. In fact, it wasn’t just his forehead—his whole
face was probably hot. He said, “I just wanted to thank you.”
Yang Youming looked down and smiled, then looked up at him and said,
“You’ve already thanked me.”
Xia Xingcheng felt inexplicably embarrassed for a moment. When he saw

Yang Youming’s bathrobe flap slightly open, revealing a strong chest, he
couldn’t help but look away, at a loss for words.
Yang Youming probably noticed that he was nervous. He stood up from the
bed and asked him, “Would you like some red wine? I just opened a bottle.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him and said, “Okay.”
There were two bottles of red wine on the wine cabinet in Yang Youming’s
room. He picked one of them up, pulling out the cork and pouring the wine
into a glass.
Xia Xingcheng looked at his movements and wondered if they were formed
by his habits when he was acting. The action of pouring wine seemed to
show some elegance.
Yang Youming poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Xia
Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng’s mouth still smelled of beer. He took the glass and took a
sip.
Yang Youming stood by and looked at him, asking, “How does it taste?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up and replied, “It’s good.”
Yang Youming smiled again.
With this glass of wine, the uncomfortable atmosphere finally alleviated a

little. Even if the two people didn’t speak much, when they sat face to face
and drank silently, there seemed to be a kind of carefreeness in the night.
Xia Xingcheng had drunk a lot of beer before he came. His alcohol
tolerance was not bad, but he was embarrassed to say no in front of Yang
Youming. When he drank this glass of red wine, he felt that the wine filled
him up all of a sudden. His originally hot face and forehead seemed to get
even hotter.
With the courage of the wine, Xia Xingcheng’s demeanour became more
and more casual when he sat on the sofa. He leaned back, one arm on the
armrest of the sofa, the other holding the glass on the knee of the raised leg.
He gently shook the glass and saif, “It’s a bit hard for me to adapt to
Director He’s methods.”
Yang Youming sat on the edge of the bay window, looked at him and said,
“Really?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t notice that he was slipping. “Yes, I don’t know what
kind of effect he wants,” he said. “I can only act based on my own ideas. If
I don’t get it within one or two times, I would feel more and more
pressured.” He opened his eyes wide and stared at the dim yellow overhead
lights in Yang Youming’s room.
Yang Youming said nothing. He just held his glass and looked at Xia
Xingcheng silently.
Xia Xingcheng thought Yang Youming would say something to him, but he
didn’t wait for anything, so he looked at him and said, “Ming ge, I think
you’re a little strange sometimes.”
This time Yang Youming appeared to smile and asked him, “How so?”
If it were a different time and place, Xia Xingcheng would never say these
words, but now, he actually had an excuse. For example, if he was drunk, it
could be said that a drunken person could wake up tomorrow morning
without remembering anything. So he looked at Yang Youming and, in a
rare disrespectful tone, said, “Just how different you were when you were
on set today and when you left the set. As soon as you left, you became
cold.”
Yang Youming put the wine glass on the bay window, turned to Xia
Xingcheng and said, “Then you may have confused me with Yu Haiyang.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly froze.
Yang Youming spoke slowly, with a slightly low voice. “When I’m on set, I
am Yu Haiyang, and you are Fang Jianyuan; when I leave the set, I’m Yang
Youming, and you’re Xia Xingcheng in my eyes.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes flickered, seemingly at a loss.
Yang Yuming continued, “You have a formal education background. Do

you know what experientialism and expressionism are?”
Xia Xingcheng’s lips moved. Of course he had learned all these things, but
he had never thought about them since he started filming. What was
experientialism and expressionism when he had never really truly acted?
His prior performances were nothing more than physical movements and
careless expressions.
Yang Youming obviously did not want an answer, and only said, “In fact, I
don’t completely agree with experientialism, people’s lives are limited, and
every role is dynamic, it might hurt the body too much. But in your current
state, you aren’t even qualified to talk about these acting theories. Do you
understand what I’m saying?”
Xia Xingcheng understood, his face turning red all of a sudden.
Yang Youming said, “Therefore, I suggest that when you leave the set, you
continue to maintain Fang Jianyuan’s state of mind. Not imagine or imitate
him, but live as him.”
Xia Xingcheng frowned and looked at Yang Youming. “But you said that it
hurts too much.”
Yang Youming nodded. “I just suggested it because if not, in your current

state, you’d just hit a wall over and over again the next time you have to
act. He Zheng won’t tell you how to act. He only has a set standard in his
mind, and not a template. I also can’t tell you how to act every time. After
all, you are Fang Jianyuan. Do you understand?”
Xia Xingcheng sobered up. He stood up and took two steps uneasily,
looking at Yang Youming, but he suddenly realized the indifference in Yang
Youming’s eyes.
He had confused Yu Haiyang with Yang Youming.

The heat on Xia Xingcheng’s face faded, and he actually felt that the air
conditioner in the room was turned on too low. His body felt cool. He said
to Yang Youming, “I see. Thank you for your advice.”
Yang Youming still smiled, gentle and polite, “You’re very good, be a little
more confident.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “It’s getting late. I won’t disturb your rest. Good
night, Ming ge.” With that, he hurriedly turned and walked towards the
door.
☆☆☆
In the evening, Fang Jianyuan was reading in his room when he suddenly
heard music. He peeped out the window and heard that the music was
coming from the floor above.
In the past, no one lived in the room upstairs, and he didn’t expect that the
music would sound so noisy that he wouldn’t be able to read anymore,
making him irritated and upset.
After a while, Fang Jianyuan closed the book, got up, headed to the door,
and went out, going upstairs to have a look, or at least ask the new man to
turn the music down.
None of the lights in the hallway were on, the door of his parents’ bedroom
next door was closed, and his mother was watching a dozen episodes of
some TV series.
Fang Jianyuan was wearing shorts and a singlet, all the exposed skin
appearing white and healthy. With the springiness and vitality of a teenager,
he headed up the stairs, stopped, then walked again, looking up, proceeding
hesitantly.
On the third floor, there was only the room where Yu Haiyang resided. At
this time, the room wasn’t visible, but there were lights coming out from
under the door. Of course, there was also the slightly noisy sound of music,
and by this time, the song had changed, becoming a lot softer.
Fang Jianyuan’s sandals would make noise every time it made contact with
the floor, so he unconsciously lightened his steps. He didn’t know why he
was being so furtive. He went to the door and gave it a gentle knock.
There was no response.

Fang Jianyuan reached out and pushed the door a little wider, peeking in.
He didn’t see anyone in the room, but he noticed the CD player on the table
by the window.
At that time, this kind of CD player was rare in the small county where he
lived.
Fang Jianyuan crept in, aware that it might be inappropriate, but he walked
all the way to the table and picked up the empty CD box on the table.
“What are you looking at?” Suddenly, there was a voice in the room.
Fang Jianyuan froze, and became instantly frightened when he looked back
and saw Yu Haiyang wearing a nightgown, wiping his hair with a towel and
walking towards him.
Yu Haiyang had just come out of the bathroom. He had been taking a bath
just now, and the sound of music had masked the sound of the water, so
Fang Jianyuan hadn’t noticed.
Fang Jianyuan was at a loss. He didn’t have enough social experience to

deal with this embarrassing situation of intruding into other people’s rooms.
He could only look down at the CD box in his hand and say, “I–“
Yu Haiyang threw the towel that he was wiping his hair with onto the bed,
approached Fang Jianyuan, smiled and said, “Do you like this song?”
Fang Jianyuan felt the damp moisture from Yu Haiyang’s body that had the
faint smell of soap permeating the air. For a moment, he didn’t dare to look
up and could only say, “Mm-hmm.”
Yu Haiyang suddenly reached out
Fang Jianyuan was startled, and at that moment he thought Yu Haiyang was
reaching out to him, yet Yu Haiyang only reached out to the CD player
behind him, pressing the button to play the song from the beginning.
Then Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan leaned side by side on the edge of the
table. The man picked up the cigarette case on the table and asked Fang
Jianyuan, “Do you smoke?”
“No,” replied Fang Jianyuan.
Yu Haiyang smiled, lit a cigarette for himself, casually sandwiching it

between his fingers. He inhaled a puff of smoke, and then slowly exhaled it.
Fang Jianyuan was very uncomfortable, his fingers unconsciously picking

at the hem of his clothes.
Yu Haiyang asked him, “How old are you?”
Fang Jianyuan answered, “Eighteen.”
Yu Haiyang smiled with a sigh, “Eighteen, what a fun age.”
Fang Jianyuan then asked, “What about you?”
Yu Haiyang said: “I’m old. Thirty-two.” He always spoke with a smile and
a gentle voice, which made people feel neither solemn nor uncomfortable.
Fang Jianyuan asked, “Why are you thirty-two years old and not married
yet?” For the eighteen-year-old, thirty-two really isn’t young, and the thirty-
year-olds around him already had children who were already several years
old.
Yu Haiyang just laughed at the question and didn’t answer it.
After shooting, Yang Youming walked away from him, and Xia Xingcheng
could still smell the residual smoke in the air. He stayed and leaned against
the table, rubbing his nose with his fingers after a while.
The assistant brought his cell phone over and said that there was a phone
call for him just now.
When Xia Xingcheng saw the name on the caller ID, he had the feeling of
being pulled back to reality in an instant. The caller was Wei Zehui, a C-list
male star who wasn’t as popular as him, but his family was very rich, so
he’d joined the entertainment industry mess around.
Xia Xingcheng got to know him when they were filming together, and the
two of them got along quite well. He had met his ex-girlfriend Xiao Yu,
whom he recently broke up with, through Wei Zehui.
Xia Xingcheng silently held his phone for a while before handing it back to
his assistant and saying, “I don’t want to be concerned with him for the time
being.”
The filming in the last two days was smoother than how it was at the
beginning. He Zheng told Xia Xingcheng that it was obvious that he had
gradually found the feeling of being Fang Jianyuan, and that even though
some details could be a little more polished, there was no need to be too
anxious over it. However, there was one thing that He Zheng was very
satisfied with, and that was the fact that Xia Xingcheng’s Fang Jianyuan
had a very good attitude towards Yu Haiyang.
Xia Xingcheng had considered it carefully. What was Fang Jianyuan’s

attitude towards Yu Haiyang like? His emotions were probably those of a
simple young man who was timid yet curious, someone who felt a yearning
when facing a handsome and attractive adult man. In a sense, this was a bit
like his own attitude towards Yang Youming.
He himself had been an idol for so many years, yet he felt the same way
towards Yang Youming, timid yet yearning. His timidity makes him keep
his distance from Yang Youming, yet his yearning subconsciously pushes
him to approach him. His contradicting state of mind became especially
more obvious after listening to Yang Youming’s words that night.
Xia Xingcheng shook his head and thought: here, I am Fang Jianyuan, and
he is Yu Haiyang.
☆☆☆
t/n – updates are gonna be once every two days from now on because i’m running out of translated
chapters ;; i’ll bump it back up to once a day when i can translate more! in the mean time, don’t
forget to check out the manhua if you haven’t already ❤
Later on, Xia Xingcheng took the time to return Wei Zehui’s phone call.
After all, he still had to develop in this circle, and interpersonal
relationships were more important than anything else.
These days, Wei Zehui has been filming in the same film and television
studio that he himself was at. He was the second male lead in an idol drama,
and the role wasn’t too substantial. He didn’t have much ambition for
acting. When he first entered show business, he was only fascinated by its
beautiful facade and the money that came with it. He called Xia Xingcheng
because he had heard that they were filming at the same location, thus he
wanted to ask Xia Xingcheng out to play.
When Xia Xingcheng heard this, his initial reaction was to refuse. He was
under too much pressure during filming. This film was all about telling the
story surrounding Fang Jianyuan, and he had to act in almost every scene.
He had to spend a lot of time digesting the script and memorizing his lines
whenever he returned from filming every day, but Wei Zehui insisted on
inviting him to the party, saying that no matter how late he was, he must
come.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t get rid of his invite. When he went back to the
hotel that night, he first familiarized himself with the scenes that were to be
filmed tomorrow, then took a bath and changed his clothes, and asked his
assistant to send him to the party.
Wei Zehui had rented out a private villa.
The moment Xia Xingcheng got off of his assistant’s car, the smell of
perfume and alcohol wafted in with the sultry summer night wind, and the
familiar scene gave him the illusion of being pulled between reality and
fantasy.
Recently, he was always filming at the studio. Before he started filming, he

usually sat for a long time at the desk in Fang Jianyuan’s room to calm his
mind.
After all, he had been in this complex entertainment industry for six years,
and Fang Jianyuan was still a child who had just entered university.
Fang Jianyuan was much quieter than he was.
He stood in place, staring at the brightly lit villa from a far-off perspective,
in a trance, wondering why he was here.
Then Wei Zehui came up to him.
Wei Zehui and Xia Xingcheng were about the same age, and they both had
good looks, but the former wasn’t talented enough to become a big star. He
came over and patted Xia Xingcheng on the shoulder. “What’s the matter?
Why don’t you come in!”
This brought Xia Xingcheng back to his senses. He remembered who he

was and what he was doing here, so he smiled at Wei Zehui and said, “Let’s
go.”
The music inside the villa was slightly noisy, and at this time, a lot of
people have arrived. Some of them were young actors whom Xia
Xingcheng had seen before, yet he could only recall their names. There
were also 18th tier starlets whose names he didn’t even know. It was only
natural that this party was the least lacking in gorgeous women.
This whole atmosphere has always been Wei Zehui’s favorite.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly remembered that he and Xiao Yu had first gotten
acquainted during this type of occasion.
Coincidentally, Wei Zehui asked him, “I heard that you and Xiao Yu broke
up?”
“Mm.” Xia Xingcheng wasn’t particularly interested in answering his
question.
Wei Zehui slung his arm around Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder and said to him
with a grin, “It just so happens that I have someone to introduce you to, and
I guarantee that you’ll definitely like them.”
The two of them stood in the corner of the living room, and from time to
time people would come over to greet them.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at the young men and women who were drinking
and messing about in the spacious living room, and little by little regained
his sense of reality, but still said, “No.”
He thought it wasn’t appropriate, but couldn’t figure out why.
Wei Zehui looked over at him and said, “What’s wrong? Why are you in
such a bad mood?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at him and said, “Do you think I’m in a bad
mood?”
Wei Zehui was somewhat puzzled. “I can’t say, but I think that you’re a bit
out of it. Is the pressure of filming with He Zheng and Yang Youming really
that big?”
This time, Xia Xingcheng didn’t have an answer.
Wei Zehui laughed and felt that he’d figured out the reason, he grabbed Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder and said, “Then shouldn’t you relax? Have you seen
the beautiful women over there? You’re with my crew now, isn’t there the
type that you like?”
The word ‘relax’ touched Xia Xingcheng. For a while now, his heart was
burdened with pressure, and sometimes he felt like he was unable to catch a
breath. When he first heard Yang Youming suggest him to attempt to
completely live as Fang Jianyuan, in order to alleviate the pressure, he
strived to do just that.
Everyday, from the moment he woke up, he’d tell himself that he was Fang
Jianyuan, not the Xia Xingchen who had already existed in the world for
twenty-four years.
In the end, was this the right thing to do?
Wei Zehui handed him a glass of wine.
Xia Xingcheng reached out and took it. Without much thought, he directly
swallowed its entire content. Alcohol had the ability to reduce stress, even
if this time it was not necessarily a good way of doing so.
The girl that Wei Zehui had mentioned had long hair and a completely fresh
and pure appearance. She sat on the sofa and drank alone without a care.
She was indeed Xia Xingcheng’s type.
After long days of filming, this single moment in Xia Xingcheng’s reality
brought about a throbbing in his body. He picked up another glass of wine
and walked towards the girl.
Early the next morning, Xia Xingcheng was awakened by the ringing of the
telephone. He opened his eyes to the familiar sight of his hotel room’s
ceiling. His head still ached with the residual effects of last night’s many
glasses of wine. He raised a hand to knead his forehead, but accidentally hit
the person beside him.
The girl beside him softly grumbled, and Xia Xingcheng instantly sobered
up.
His assistant called again and urged him to get up.
Xia Xingcheng got out of bed while simultaneously insisting the still
sleeping girl to wake up and leave alongside him.
He opened the hotel room door and the girl walked ahead. Xia Xingcheng
barely had time to lock the door behind him when she unexpectedly turned
around and embraced his neck, saying,“Xiao Xing ge, do you remember my
name?”
In fact, Xia Xingcheng didn’t remember at all. He gave her a perfunctory

smile and said, “Of course I do. Your name is baby.”
The girl shouted, “What nonsense!”
At this time, the door of the next room suddenly opened, and it was none
other than Yang Youming who walked out and witnessed this scene.
☆☆☆
The moment Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming, his body reacted faster
than his brain. He immediately pushed the girl in his arms away. Maybe
once he calmed down later, he’d realize that this behaviour was very
improper, but at that time, there was only a short moment of blankness in
his mind.
The girl who was pushed away was stupefied for a second, but before she
could get angry, she noticed Yang Youming. She was surprised and
excitedly shouted, “Yang Youming!”
Yang Youming did not know who she was nor did he have anything to say
to her, but he was not unhappy either. He merely shot a glance at Xia
Xingcheng before he turned around to leave.
Xia Xingcheng’s feet suddenly moved, overcome with the urge to chase
after and capture Yang Youming’s arm, but he restrained himself when he
realized that there was no reason for him to explain himself to Yang
Youming.
He called for someone to send the girl off, and only when he was in his
assistant’s car on the way to the filming location was he finally able to calm
down and think. He felt that his reaction towards Yang Youming just then
was not at all his, but Fang Jianyuan’s.
He was somewhat restless, and in addition to the hangover that had not
completely dissipated, there were other emotions in his heart that were
repeatedly hard to calm down.
This mood of his directly led to that day’s strained filming process.
Xia Xingcheng sat behind the narrow grocery store counter, surrounded by
high shelves that loomed over him. The air was irritably hot and stuffy, and
sweat poured down his cheeks all the way to his pale neck and down his
collar.
He was unable to sit quietly and tend to the counter waiting for business to
arrive at the door with Fang Jianyuan’s typical calm.
A moving van was parked in front of the grocery store, and two young
workers jumped out of the van and neatly moved the store’s goods in
silence.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at them, got up and walked out, and stood at the
door to watch them move things.
Boxes and boxes of beer and other beverages rapidly piled up in front of the
door.
In the next shot, a young worker handed Xia Xingcheng the bill, yet Xia
Xingcheng failed to receive it, the form passing through his hands and
falling to the ground.
At this time, He Zheng did not say cut. Originally, it was possible for Xia
Xingcheng to bend down and pick up the fallen piece of paper to continue
on with the scene, but then he himself called for a stop.
He Zheng looked at him calmly and said nothing else.
Xia Xingchen stood in a corner and flipped through the script once more.
He was in a trance. It was as if he was in two places at once –while his body
was here, his spirit was still back in the hotel from earlier this morning. He
strived to get into Fang Jianyuan’s character, but what happened last night
made him feel like he’d been split in two.
He reread the script for a while and then told He Zheng that he could
continue.
He Zheng said, “Come, go on.”

However, Xia Xingcheng failed to adjust his mood, and he also stumbled
through the following takes.
He Zheng gradually showed his displeasure.
Yang Youming had been wordlessly watching beside him during this entire
process without displaying a single emotion. While acting opposite Xia
Xingcheng, even if the young actor did an NG, Yang Youming never
showed the slightest hint of impatience.
Afterwards, He Zheng permitted everybody to rest first before filming

recommenced later on in the afternoon.
As a result, today’s progress was bound to be delayed.
Xia Xingcheng did not have lunch, and he went up to Fang Jianyuan’s
bedroom to lay down with his eyes closed, wanting to get rid of the hideous
mess of thoughts in his head.
Not long after, he heard the click of a lighter and immediately opened his
eyes to the sight of Yang Youming standing at the head of the bed.
There was no one else around, everybody had gone out for lunch, and it
seemed like they were the only two left on set. There were only the two of
them in the room.
Xia Xingcheng abruptly sat up and said, “Ming ge? Why haven’t you gone
out to eat?”
Yang Youming sat down by the headboard and took a puff of the cigarette
that hung from the corner of his mouth, then lifted it in front of Xia
Xingcheng’s mouth right after, asking, “Want a smoke?”
Xia Xingcheng was momentarily dumbfounded. Although he had smoked a

couple of times before and wasn’t unable to do it, taking a drag of Yang
Youming’s own cigarette would obviously be inappropriate.
Immediately after, Yang Youming took the cigarette back and held it
between his lips, then raised his hand and pressed on Xia Xingcheng’s
nape.
Xia Xingcheng was at a loss. He turned his head and saw Yang Youming’s
side profile, his eyes narrowed and jaw slightly raised. The expression
shown was clearly Yu Haiyang’s.
It was then that Xia Xingcheng realized that Yang Youming was acting
opposite him, yet it wasn’t from any of the scenes that was going to be shot
today, or even an existing scene from the script–it was a scene that would
have existed between Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang.
That hand on Xia Xingcheng’s nape exerted some strength, as if Yang

Youming was teasing a small animal.
In this improvised scene, Xia Xingcheng lowered his eyes and surrendered
his body’s reactions to instinct, yet they weren’t Xia Xingcheng’s own
instincts, but Fang Jianyuan’s.
He bowed his head and slightly hunched up his body.
Yang Youming lowered the cigarette from his mouth and asked, “You like
girls?”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly looked up at him.
Yang Youming’s eyes sharpened.
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng felt that his surroundings had merged
together with the scene from that morning.
Yang Youming’s voice was low and solemn. “You’ve been very naughty.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t differentiate between Yu Haiyang or Yang

Youming, and couldn’t figure out what to say himself. He opened his
mouth, wanting to defend himself, but could only manage, “I–”
Yang Youming said, “I don’t want there to be a next time.”

Xia Xingcheng’s lips were dry. He couldn’t help licking at his lower lip and
said, “There won’t be a next time.”
Yang Youming gently stroked his nape, the movement becoming more
tender, and his voice also became less cold. He rubbed at the short hairs on
the back of Xia Xingcheng’s neck and said, “There’s a good boy.”
With that, Yang Youming stood up and left.
Xia Xingcheng was left alone on the bed, growing increasingly distraught,
and he gradually became unable to distinguish whether his restlessness
belonged to him or Fang Jianyuan.
☆☆☆
Before that afternoon’s filming began, He Zheng explained the scene to Xia
Xingcheng himself.
He said, “I don’t know if you’ve realized it or not, but this scene is very
important.”
Xia Xingcheng wordlessly rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants.
He Zheng asked him, “How long has Fang Jianyuan known Yu Haiyang?”
Xia Xingcheng raised his eyes and answered, “It’s been several days.”
He Zheng said, “Are you aware of the change in his attitude before and
after the scene?”
The script in Xia Xingcheng’s hands was already crumpled. Recalling both
the previous and future scenes, he replied, “He began to care more about Yu
Haiyang, and somewhat avoided him.”
He Zheng rubbed his hands, the pads of his fingers slightly yellowed by
cigarette smoke, leaning lazily against the grocery store counter and
watching Xia Xingcheng who was sitting behind it. “He was moved by him.
But take care to note that it’s only interest. He hasn’t fallen in love yet.”
Xia Xingcheng raised his head and looked at He Zheng, expression serious.
He Zheng said, “We can push this scene to the back and shoot it later, but if
you can’t express this subtle difference in his heart, there’s nothing to be
done. I don’t think you’d be able to get in the mood if we shoot the latter
parts first.”
Xia Xingcheng looked down and said, “I’m sorry.”
“No no no,” He Zheng said. “You don’t have to be sorry, just get into the
role properly. You did well in the last two days, but today you’re out of
shape.”
Xia Xingcheng lifted his hand and braced his jaw in the hollow of his palm,
fingers resting on his lips. There was nothing he could say. He couldn’t let
He Zheng know that the reason he was in the wrong mood was because of
the fact that he had gone out to play last night and even slept with a woman.
He Zheng continued, “People can be moved by many things, be it other

people or whatever else. Cute children, beautiful women, even kittens and
puppies –if your instincts are moved, your line of sight will constantly
chase after them, you’ll want to talk to them, get close to them, touch them;
but Fang Jianyuan is aware of the matter at hand, therefore he tries to reject
his instincts, he’ll avoid him, but at the same time, his line of sight will
unconsciously chase after Yu Haiyang, he keeps his distance from Yu
Haiyang, but he’d still want to get close to him. This can be shown through
many details.”
Xia Xingcheng earnestly listened and nodded. His face had been recently
applied with makeup, and he looked soft and delicate. When his expression
was focused for a length of time, a sense of university student-like purity
will unknowingly appear.
In the beginning, the reason why He Zheng chose Xia Xingcheng for the
role of Fang Jianyuan was because he was drawn by the look on his face,
which made him feel like he’d met his old friend.
Right now, He Zheng was quite patient. After all, he had chosen Xia
Xingcheng himself, and he didn’t feel that he picked the wrong person. He
raised his hand and gave Xia Xingcheng a pat on the shoulder. “Concerning
these details, there’s no harm in thinking it through. How would you fully
show Fang Jianyuan’s feelings in front of the camera?”
He Zheng uttered these words and left.

Xia Xingcheng watched his back as he walked to the corner of the film
studio where Yang Youming was sitting and resting. When He Zheng
reached Yang Youming, he said something to him, and Yang Youming
glanced at Xia Xingcheng’s direction. Not long after, he raised his head and
spoke to He Zheng.
The distance was too far and Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what the two men
talked about, but he saw Yang Youming finally smile. He felt that they were
maybe talking about him.
He Zheng had said that today’s shoot was not out of the ordinary, but in
actuality, it was the scene where Fang Jianyuan’s heart shifted for the first
time.
His mother wasn’t home today.
The worker who delivered the grocery store’s goods carried more than a
dozen cases of drinks and beer and placed it on the floor. Bewildered, Fang
Jianyuan hastily took stock of the wares, signed the order form, and saw the
worker off.
Alone in the grocery store, he carried the newly delivered cases into the
back room where the store’s goods were stored.
The first floor originally only had one window in the room, and a greater
part of it was covered by a pile of stacked goods. As a result, the whole
room looked especially dark.
Fang Jianyuan had not turned on the lights, and there was no air-
conditioning in the room either. He neatly stacked the cases, and a short
while later sweat was dripping down his cheeks and neck, and his clothes
were soaked through with sweat.
When he placed a case of beverages on top, he accidentally bumped into a

nearby shelf, and a bag of sugar fell from it.
Fang Jianyuan bent down to pick it up, then stood on his tiptoes to try to put
the bag of sugar back where it came from.
Yet his reach fell short.
Suddenly, another hand plucked the sugar out of his hands and placed it on
the high shelf.
Fang Jianyuan jumped from fright and turned abruptly, his back knocking
into the shelf, and saw Yu Haiyang who had quietly appeared behind him.
Yu Haiyang smiled down at him. “How many more are left? I’ll help you.”
Fang Jianyuan glanced at the goods on the floor and said nothing.
Yu Haiyang was wearing a neat, smooth shirt, and had a vaguely cool and
refreshing smell of cologne on his wrist. Although Fang Jianyuan did not
answer him, he raised his hands and unbuttoned his cuffs one by one, then
slowly undid the buttons of his shirt from top to bottom.
There was a close-up of Fang Jianyuan’s expression, his eyes following

each slow turn of Yu Haiyang’s hand. He didn’t know what aspect of an
adult man undressing would attract him so much, while it captured his full
attention, he was also confused.
Yu Haiyang shed his shirt and hung it up on the edge of a nearby shelf.
Under the shirt were the graceful lines of a male body, from the arms to the
chest to the lower abdomen that disappeared into his waistband, every inch
of muscle was just right, smooth and good-looking.
Fang Jianyuan’s right hand unconsciously grasped the shelf behind him.
The camera lens portrayed Yu Haiyang’s body in great detail, implying

something that was clearly suggestive. In a sense, this was what was caught
in Fang Jianyuan’s line of sight. At the age of 18, one’s body started to
physically mature, and it awakened a new period of sexual enlightenment
that he had formerly never thought of nor had anticipated before.
Yu Haiyang bent down to carry the cases.

Fang Jianyuan’s vision still pursued him, and when Yu Haiyang
straightened up, he hastily turned his eyes away with a frenetic expression
in his face, stooping down to start moving the cases again without even
remembering to thank Yu Haiyang.
There was another close-up of Fang Jianyuan’s expression. For Xia

Xingcheng, at this age, if he couldn’t truly immerse himself into his role
and the character’s frame of mind, it was almost impossible to convey the
complex mood by solely relying on his acting skills alone.
‘Gradual Distance’ was a movie that depended entirely on a great amount

of close-ups of the face and body’s expressions. There were no inner
monologues, and every emotion had to be expressed through the eyes and
the body’s movements.
The final product was what He Zheng, in his capacity of a director, wanted
to convey to the audience, while Fang Jianyuan’s capacity as an actor
served to express what He Zheng wanted him to express.
He Zheng would only mention whether you should be moved, or enamored,

or sad, yet won’t tell you that your hand should furtively tighten up while
grasping the shelf when waiting for him to look at you, avoiding his gaze
right away, or when your tears should flow.
The innermost feelings are reflected in one’s facial expression and all over
your limbs, and everyone is different. Perhaps, only when Xia Xingcheng
has completely entered the role of Fang Jiangyuan will he be able to alter
his interpretation. When Fang Jianyuan’s soul occupies Xia Xingcheng,
there would be a natural reaction, and he wouldn’t be needing anyone to tell
him how he should act anymore.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng felt quite uncomfortable.
Although he had gotten through the latter parts of the shooting without a
hitch and He Zheng was currently pleased, his mind was heavily pressured
by the many emotions that belonged to Fang Jianyuan.
It was already quite late when that day’s filming ended. After taking a bath,
he wrapped himself up with a quilt and sat on the bed in a daze.
He Zheng had said that his and Fang Jianyuan’s characteristics resemble
each other’s, yet Xia Xingcheng wasn’t sure how they were alike.
Fang Jianyuan was an inwardly quiet person, his emotions wouldn’t flow
out, and he tended to keep everything in his heart.
As Xia Xingcheng got more and more into the role, he inevitably quietened
down—like how he was sitting on the bed right now, thoughts entirely filled
with the image of Yang Youming when he was filming today.
He believed that the same was true for Fang Jianyuan, how images of that
person and that person himself slowly took root in his mind and even his
heart, and how they couldn’t be removed again. He felt awful. Awful for
Fang Jianyuan. Awful for himself.
The hone that Xia Xingcheng had left by his side suddenly rang.
He turned, saw Wei Zehui’s name across the screen, and stared at it blankly
for a good while before his hand appeared from under the blanket to answer
the call.
The air conditioner in the room made him feel cold.

After the call connected, Wei Zehui’s tone was as excited as ever as he
called Xia Xingcheng over to play. It seemed that he intended to spend his
days at the film and TV studio by partying every night.
Xia Xingcheng was not the least bit interested right now. “No thanks.”
Wei Zehui found it strange. “Didn’t you have a good time yesterday?
What’s up? That woman didn’t satisfy you?”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t willing to waste his time on him and said, “I’m not
free these days. I’m really too busy.” He hung up in a hurry not long after
that.
He threw his phone to the side and wrapped himself up in the blanket once
more, looking over the script to prepare for the scenes that were going to be
shot the next day.
Xia Xingcheng had already read through Gradual Distance’s entire script
more than once. However, with the ever changing mood, he would feel
different each time.
When he gradually became Fang Jianyuan, he was able to imagine the

details and tones of Fang Jianyuan’s every line; he could feel Fang
Jianyuan’s happiness, as well as Fang Jianyuan’s sadness and anxiousness.
He couldn’t say whether this state was good for him or not, but at the very
least, it was what was currently required.
When he was finished with the script, Xia Xingcheng called his agent
Huang Jixin and asked him to find him a few books.
Huang Jixin was puzzled. “What books?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Just whatever. Anything university students like to

read. Literature they wouldn’t not like.”
On the other side, Huang Jixin blanked out for a moment. “Qiong Yao?*”
Xia Xingcheng said weakly, “Although it’s been two or three years since I
graduated from university, I don’t think today’s university students would
like reading Qiong Yao’s books, would they?”
Huang Jixing said, “Not necessarily.”
“Don’t argue with me,” Xia Xingcheng interrupted. “Just look up books on
the internet.” He paused to wonder about what someone with Fang
Jianyuan’s disposition might read, and then said, “Like Haruki Murakami or
something.” He said it casually, recalling that one of the props in Fang
Jianyuan’s room was a Haruki Murakami book.
Huang Jixin said. “I see. Are you all right?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m fine.” With that, he hung up directly.
He let out a drawn out sigh, thinking that Fang Jianyuan was a person who
spent so much time all day long wrapped up in his thoughts. If he could be a
little more carefree, even as a gay person he’d be able to happily pick up a
handsome guy outside, and his life would be much better. It was also
unlikely that he’d ever stumble across Yu Haiyang.
Before going to bed, Xia Xingcheng opened Weibo on his phone.
He didn’t have much interest in Weibo, but as a small celebrity that had
recently gained a fanbase, he had no choice but to depend on Weibo to
deepen his relationship with his fans.
As soon as he opened Weibo, Xia Xingcheng sensed a peculiar type of

commotion among his fans. He then discovered that Yang Youming had
followed him.
In a split second, Xia Xingcheng’s heart abruptly pounded. It was

approximately how Fang Jianyuan reacted when he saw Yu Haiyang
undress in front of him. He unconsciously clicked on Yang Youming’s
weibo page to look at his following list, and found that he wasn’t following
many people. At most, there were only a few big directors and actors who
had worked with him in the past, yet not every single actor he’d ever
worked with was followed either.
Xia Xingcheng held his phone and hesitated for a moment, then sent a
message to greet his fans before putting aside the device to get ready for
bed.
He was secretly happy.
Although that night Yang Youming didn’t show a clear difference between
his attitude in and outside the movie, it didn’t affect Yang Youming’s status
as an idol in his heart in the slightest.
Furthermore, aside from the fact that he was wholly unable to tell the
difference between Yu Haiyang and Yang Youming, the line between
himself and Fang Jianyuan also became increasingly blurred.
☆☆☆
t/n – (from wikipedia) Qiong Yao or Chiung Yao (瓊瑤) is the pen name of Chen Che, a Taiwanese
writer and producer who is often regarded as the most popular romance novelist in the Chinese-
speaking world.
Fang Jianyuan’s family’s building had a small rooftop, with numerous

flower beds built along the walls. In her free time, his mother planted all
sorts of plants and flowers.
When Fang Jianyuan is on his summer vacation, the task of tending to these
plants naturally fell onto his shoulders.
Fang Jianyuan pulled a long hose out of the house, stood on the edge of the
flowerbeds, and watered his mother’s beloved plants and flowers.
The early morning sun was very pleasant, while the temperature wasn’t
hot.
Fang Jianyuan was dressed in shorts and a tank top, and his sandals made a
pattering sound as he tread on the cement deck. He walked along the edge
of the flower beds with the water hose in his hand, taking care not to fall,
and casually hummed a song.
Right then, he heard the sound of another person’s footsteps appear on the
rooftop, and immediately turned to look back.
It was Yu Haiyang, who came up to the rooftop with a basin in his hand,
filled with his laundry that had been washed by the washing machine.
Yu Haiyang smiled the instant he saw Fang Jianyuan.
Fang Jianyuan opened his mouth to ask Yu Haiyang why he wasn’t at work
today, but suddenly recalled that it was Saturday and shut his mouth again.
He stayed at home everyday for the entirety of his summer vacation, the
days running into each other.
Yu Haiyang, who was rarely seen in casual wear, was dressed in shorts and
a loose gray T-shirt, with sandals adorning his feet. He went to the middle
of the rooftop, put the basin on the ground, and hung his clothes one by one
with the clothes hangers from the clothesline before stretching the line taut
once again.
Fang Jianyuan turned his head so as not to see the man, and dazedly
watched as the soil in the flower bed became completely drenched,
straining an ear to listen to Yu Haiyang’s movements behind him
After a while, he heard Yu Haiyang’s approaching footsteps. He heard Yu

Haiyang come to a stop behind him, yet there was no further movement.
“You’re drowning all these flowers,” Yu Haiyang said suddenly.
Startled, Fang Jianyuan jumped, abruptly withdrawing the water hose, yet
he failed to notice that the water splashed all over himself.
Yu Haiyang nimbly stepped back and avoided the water, then looked at
Fang Jianyuan and laughed.
Fang Jianyuan’s pants were wet, and his embarrassed appearance cut a
sorry figure, face reddening from Yu Haiyang’s laughter. Suddenly, his
childish nature made an appearance, and he aimed the hose at Yu Haiyang
and sprayed water at the older man.
Yu Haiyang hastily dodged to the side, and the water splashed onto the
clothes that he had just washed. He shouted, “Hey!”
Fang Jianyuan laughed and happily chased Yu Haiyang around with the
hose.
Yu Haiyang stopped evading a short time later, and faced towards Fang
Jianyuan, bearing the spray of water to rob him of his water hose.
Fang Jianyuan hurriedly ran along the edge of the flower bed as he tried to
avoid him.
The floor that had already been watered was so slippery that he only ran
two steps in his sandals before he fell to the side, letting out a cry of alarm.
Yu Haiyang rushed over and put his arms around Fang Jianyuan’s waist,
then lifted him into the air and settled him down until his two feet were
steady on the ground.
Fang Jianyuan’s eyes were full of smiles, he looked up at Yu Haiyang and

found that Yu Haiyang’s expression was that of a gentle smile, and he
immediately became shy once again.
At this time, Yu Haiyang snatched the water hose from his hands.
Fang Jianyuan thought Yu Haiyang wanted to get back at him, so he

promptly drew back and tried to get away.
As a result, Yu Haiyang tightly embraced Fang Jianyuan’s waist and raised

the hose on top of his head to let the water pour down all over them.
Fang Jianyuan buried his face in Yu Haiyang’s chest and heard the man say,
“We’re soaked through anyway. We might as well take a bath!” The water
continued to pour down over their heads, and Fang Jianyuan had no other
choice but to open his eyes and breathe normally while keeping his face
buried.
Yu Haiyang’s body was completely drenched, and his t-shirt and thin shorts
clung to his frame, outlining the fine lines of a male body.
Fang Jianyuan opened his eyes wide and gasped for breath, clutching Yu
Haiyang’s clothes with one hand.
As soon as the scene was completed, a staff member immediately turned off
the water tap.
Xia Xingcheng looked up and suddenly felt Yang Youming’s hand wiping
water off his face.
For a split second, like a child, he closed his eyes and felt a light ache as
Yang Youming’s slightly rough palm slowly moved along his cheeks.
This motion was awfully brief, as if it was a gentleman’s thoughtfulness
that Yang Youming possessed, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
Afterwards, the assistant gave them big dry towels to wrap their bodies in.
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming and found that the man’s attention
was not on himself at all. Rather, he was wrapped in a towel while talking
to his assistant.
They couldn’t change their clothes for the time being, because He Zheng
had yet to say whether they had to reshoot the scene or not, and He Zheng
also had to add a close-up of the scene.
Xia Xingcheng wrapped himself up in a towel and sat down to the side. The
assistant handed him a glass of hot water to drink. He took it, and while
drinking, he attentively watched Yang Youming from the corner of his
eyes.
Yang Youming didn’t look at him again, simply moving behind He Zheng
instead.
He Zheng watched the replay of the scene on the monitor for a long time,
looked at Yang Youming, then pulled him down to watch the screen
together.
Except for the times when He Zheng called for him, Xia Xingcheng
generally didn’t have the nerve to take the initiative. He bent down and
hugged his legs, put his forehead on his knee, and took a deep breath.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng fell ill. While everybody thought that it was because he was
drenched in water during the previous day’s filming, he himself felt that
perhaps it was due to the fact that he had been under too much mental
pressure, which resulted in him catching a small cold. Even though it was
summer, he still couldn’t bear it. First he had a stuffy nose and kept
sneezing and sneezing, and in the very same night, his whole body became
weak and his muscles ached, and then it started to heat up.
The next day’s filming was suspended, and Xia Xingcheng went down to
the hospital with his assistant.
He felt extremely apologetic that his own physical reasons affected the
filming’s progress, and took the initiative to ask the doctor to give him an
IV in the hopes that he would get better a little faster.
Xia Xingcheng was admitted to a separate ward in the hospital, and he lay
drowsily by himself, without energy nor an appetite.
Until now, he had always felt that he was in pretty good shape, and even if
he caught a cold, he’d get better right after taking two pills and sleeping it
off. These kinds of severe physical symptoms had not happened in a long
time.
At noon, He Zheng and two deputy directors came to visit him.
He Zheng told him to rest peacefully and not to think about the matters of
filming.
Xia Xingcheng nodded and said he understood, but still worried in his
heart.
He Zheng and the directors sat down but left soon after that.
Xia Xingcheng was so tired that he turned his back to his assistant who
would always make noises in the room from time to time, and when he
could no longer tolerate it, he drove his assistant out, wrapped himself in
the quilt, and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When he woke up, Xia Xingcheng sensed that someone was in the ward
with him. He slowly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on Yang Youming’s
upright back leaning against the window sill, gazing back at him.
For a moment, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t tell if he was dreaming.
The afternoon sunshine shone through the window, and unlike the stage
lights on set, it was real sunlight, and it portrayed Yang Youming’s
silhouette as something slender and finely gilt-edged.
“Awake?” Yang Youming asked him.
Xia Xingcheng raised his arm and realized that he was covered up tightly
and sweating all over in the air-conditioned ward, so he pulled down the
quilt, intending to sit up.
Yang Youming sensed his movements and said, “Lie down. Don’t get up.”
Xia Xingcheng saw a bouquet of flowers at the head of the bed which ought
to have been brought by Yang Youming. The mix of golden yellow flowers
and pink and white flowers looked warm and full of vitality. He thought
that it must not have been picked out by Yang Youming himself, but Li Yun
who took care of it for him.
“Are you feeling better?” Yang Youming asked him.
“Much better,” Xia Xingcheng replied. It was true. To say the least, he
wasn’t dizzy nor felt faint anymore, and he no longer wanted to go back to
sleep. It was only once he opened his mouth that he felt his dry throat was a
bit difficult to deal with.
He sat up and tried to pour himself some water.

Yang Youming walked to the bedside table, picked up the jug and poured a
cup of hot water, and handed the cup to him.
Xia Xingcheng took it and said, “Thank you.” He lifted the cup and tested
the temperature, then began to drink large mouthfuls of water.
Yang Youming sat down on the chair beside the bed.
Xia Xingcheng drank the water, put the cup back on the bedside table, and
felt some water escape from the corner of his mouth and flow down to his
jaw, so he bowed his head and raised his hand to wipe at it. He felt uneasy
doing anything in front of Yang Youming.
Yang Youming didn’t say a word, and leaned against the back of his seat,
his eyes always on Xia Xingcheng’s face.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m sorry for wasting Ming ge’s time.” Yang
Youming’s time was much more precious than his.
Hearing him say this, Yang Youming smiled lightly. “What’s there to waste?
I don’t have any other projects after this film is over.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at the tip of Yang Youming’s nose. It wasn’t that he
was unwilling to look straight into his eyes, he just subconsciously wanted
to avoid them. He opened his mouth and asked a question that he had
wanted to ask a long time ago: “Why haven’t you been filming much in the
past two years? Is it because you had to take care of your family?”
Instead of answering this question directly, Yang Youming asked, “Do you
like my movies?”
Xia Xingcheng, who had been sitting at the head of the bed, immediately
straightened his back and said strongly, “I really like them, I’ve liked them
since ‘Questioning the Jianghu’.”
‘Questioning the Jianghu’ was a martial arts movie that Yang Youming
starred in more than a decade ago, and he had worked with a very famous
director. He was not the leading actor at the time, nor was he the most
famous actor in the crew, but Xia Xingcheng felt that his role stood out the
most.
How old was Xia Xingcheng at that time? He hadn’t even graduated from
elementary school yet.
Yang Youming looked into his eyes and smiled.
Xia Xingcheng was immediately embarrassed by his own excitement. He

leaned back and explained, “I’ve always been your die-hard fan from the
start. Originally, I wanted to come find you and ask for your autograph, but
I didn’t even have the nerve to open my mouth.”
Yang Youming suddenly stood up. He picked up the marker on the patient’s
information board from the end of the bed and said to Xia Xingcheng,
“Where do you want me to sign?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned, he had only been chattering about casually to
alleviate the mood, and didn’t expect that Yang Youming would take him
seriously. He immediately hurried to look for something that Yang Youming
could write on.
It was a pity that he hadn’t brought anything with him, and there was
nothing on his body but a wrinkled blanket and clothes that were soaked
through with sweat.
Yang Youming sat down by the bed and held out his hand. “Give me your
hand.”
Xia Xingcheng was slightly startled and obediently gave his hand to Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming squeezed the palm of his hand and opened it up, signing his
name on Xia Xingcheng’s palm with the marker.
Perhaps it was because Xia Xingcheng’s body temperature was slightly

higher, but he felt that Yang Youming’s own palm was a little cool on the
back of his hand. As the marker swept across his palm, he felt unbearably
ticklish, so he forcefully withdrew his hand.
Yang Youming signed his name very meticulously. Holding his hand and
bending his fingers closed, he then gently placed it down on the hospital
bed.
Xia Xingchend bowed his head and looked down at his clenched right fist.
Yang Youming stood and returned the pen to the patient’s information board
at the end of the bed and said, “I’ll be going now. Rest well.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up, and for a split second, he felt a particular
reluctance to part, but quickly realized that it was inappropriate, so he
smiled and replied, “Ok, Ming ge, take care. I’ll have Xiao Yang see you
off.”
Xiao Yang was Xia Xingcheng’s assistant.
“No need,” said Yang Youming. “Li Yun is waiting for me outside. Just
have a good rest.”
Xia Xingcheng spread open his hand and looked at the autograph on his
palm, and before Yang Youming walked out of the ward, he couldn’t help
saying, “It’s a pity that there’s nothing I can do to keep it.”
Yang Youming’s steps came to a halt. He turned back to him and said,
“That’s all right, if it goes away, I’ll sign it for you again.”
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng was sick for two days, and on the third day he recovered a
little bit of vigor and continued filming.
That night, the weather was especially hot. Fang Jianyuan took a shower
and turned on the floor fan the moment he came out of the bath. He aimed
the blast of wind at himself and felt a little cooler.
He sat down on the edge bed, his two pale thin legs stretching out of his
shorts. Instead of wearing his slippers, he stepped on them with the heels of
his feet and spread his toes wide to blow-dry them with the wind as quickly
as possible.
It was quiet upstairs.
Fang Jianyuan leaned back, propping his elbows on the bed, and looked up
at the ceiling. He knew that Yu Haiyang was not yet home.
The small building’s soundproofing was not particularly great, and

sometimes in the next room, his mother would turn the TV up so loudly that
he’d be able to hear it clearly.
When Yu Haiyang comes back, Fang Jianyuan would be able to distinctly

hear the tread of his footsteps on each staircase.
Fang Jianyuan took a quick glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table.
It was already way past 10 o’clock.
At this moment, the noise of the fan in the room suddenly became louder.
Fang Jianyuan then turned his attention from the alarm clock to his floor
fan.
The fan produced a wuwu sound, which sounded like the painful whine of
the internal machinery. Although the sound was loud, the fan’s rotation was
slowing down little by little. Fang Jianyuan stared at it in a daze, and as
soon as it was almost at a stop, it abruptly began to speed up again, the fan’s
blades rotating violently. Persisting for a while, it didn’t take long before
the fan slowed down once more.
After a few turns of this back and forth, the fan’s noise suddenly ceased, the
room becoming quiet all at once. The fan’s blades rotated a few times from
the remaining inertia and then feebly came to a stop.
Fang Jianyuan got up from the bed, tucked his feet into his slippers, and
walked up to the electric fan, slapping at its big drooping head.
Fang Jianyuan pulled the fan’s plug from the wall socket and plugged it
back in, but the fan still did not respond.
It seemed that this fan had broken down.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Fang Jianyuan’s forehead.
He turned off the light in the room, opened the window as far as it would
go, and sat quietly on the desk in front of the window.
Although it was nighttime, there was not a single trace of wind blowing in,
and all Fang Jianyuan could feel was the muggy summer heat which was
brimming with moisture that wrapped around his entire body and rushed to
get into every pore, rapidly turning into a stream of sweat.
Apparently, your peace of mind couldn’t be cooled naturally, Fang Jianyuan

thought to himself, besides, Fang Jianyuan’s mind was not calm at all.
Staying in this hot and stuffy room was indeed difficult to bear. He finally
remembered that there was another floor fan in the grocery store downstairs
that was currently unused.
Fang Jianyuan jumped off the table and quickly left the room to head
downstairs.
He hadn’t turned on the lights on the way down. Light shone in through the
glass window at the corner of the stairs, and each stair was vaguely visible.
The grocery store on the first floor was a little darker. Fang Jianyuan
crouched down, groping about for the fan’s plug in the dark.
At this time, the small wooden door on the left side of the grocery store’s
entrance was opened from the outside.
When Yu Haiyang stepped across the threshold and came in, he heard a
noise in the dark that showed a sign of movement and asked, “Who is it?”
Fang Jianyuan felt the plug in his hand at last, pulled it out, and stood up.
Yu Haiyang also fumbled for the light switch on the wall, then lightly
pulled it to turn on the incandescent lamp on top.
Fang Jianyuan’s eyes abruptly registered the sudden brightness, and he

narrowed his eyes uncomfortably.
Yu Haiyang also saw him clearly, and reached out to close the small
wooden door, standing still.
Fang Jianyuan adapted to the light and saw Yu Haiyang looking at him with
a smile on his face. He looked down at himself to find that his sleeping
clothes, a white tank top, had been pulled loose to one side, exposing the
light-colored nipple on his bare chest.
Panicking, he uncomfortably pulled his tank top back in place.
Yu Haiyang took a step forward, looking at him and yet not saying a word.
Fang Jianyuan also made no sound, and he bent down to pick up the fan,
then half carried it and half dragged it to the direction of the stairs.
☆☆☆
Yu Haiyang first reached out and turned off the lights of the grocery store,
then chased him to the front of the stairs, blocking Fang Jianyuan’s path.
“I’ll do it.”
“No need,” Fang Jianyuan persisted inexplicably, walking up the stairs with
the fan in his arms.
Yu Haiyang’s arms stretched out and encircled Fang Jianyuan from behind,
grabbing the fan and preventing him from continuing his way upstairs.
Fang Jianyuan struggled and firmly took hold of the fan, refusing to let go.
During the struggle, the fan knocked into the staircase’s metal handrails and
made a loud noise.
Startled, his movements came to a stop, and Yu Haiyang let him go.
After a while, there was the sound of a door opening upstairs, and Fang
Jianyuan’s mother asked loudly from the second floor, “What are you up
to?”
Fang Jianyuan looked up nervously and replied, “It’s nothing, the fan in my
room broke down so I wanted to get the one downstairs.”
His mother said, “Be a little careful!” Afterwards, there was the sound of a
door closing.
Fang Jianyuan heaved a sigh of relief, then continued to walk upstairs with
the fan in his arms without saying a single word.
Yu Haiyang merely followed behind him.

While walking to the corner of the stairs between the first and second
floors, Fang Jianyuan felt that his posture was extremely tiring. He put the
fan down, wanting to carry it in a different position.
As soon as the fan touched the ground, Yu Haiyang hugged him from
behind.
Fang Jianyuan lost his head out of fear and struggled.
“Shhh—” Yu Haiyang’s voice sounded above his head. He used one hand to
embrace Fang Jianyuan’s waist and lifted him into the air, gently covering
his mouth with the other, and said, “Don’t disturb your mother.”
Then, Yu Haiyang set Fang Jianyuan down on the windowsill. He had

stopped struggling, only panting lightly, and Yu Haiyang pressed his hands
on the windowsill and confined Fang Jianyuan between his arms.
Yu Haiyang bent down and pressed close to him, whispering, “What’s the
matter?”
Fang Jianyuan smelled the smell of alcohol on Yu Haiyang and recoiled, his
body practically sticking to the glass behind him. He turned away from Yu
Haiyang.
Consequently, Yu Haiyang turned his head, insisting on looking him in the

eye. “Why are you mad at me?” He obviously hadn’t done anything.
Fang Jianyuan didn’t answer–there was simply no answer to this question at

all. Yu Haiyang hadn’t done anything wrong. It was he himself who was
unconsciously flustered and avoided him.
“I’m sorry,” Yu Haiyang said close to his ear.
Fang Jianyuan lowered his eyes and spoke in a voice as sticky as the
summer air. “You don’t need to say sorry to me.”
“No.” Yu Haiyang suddenly grabbed Fang Jianyuan’s hand and pressed it

hard on his chest.
Yu Haiyang’s chest was warm and damp with sweat, and at this time, Fang
Jianyuan could clearly sense that Yu Haiyang was drunk.
Tightening his grip, Yu Haiyang then said, “It’s all my fault that my baby is
angry.”
Fang Jianyuan immediately stopped breathing, and even his ears seemed to
be slightly ringing. He looked at Yu Haiyang and was at a complete loss.
Yu Haiyang gazed at him gently. The light outside shone through the
window and illuminated Fang Jianyuan’s forehead and nose that were
entirely covered with perspiration. Yu Haiyang took out a tissue from his
trouser pockets and attentively helped Fang Jianyuan wipe the sweat off his
face. At the same time, he said, “When you go back and take another
shower, don’t be angry with gege.”
Fang Jianyuan awkwardly turned, “Who’s the gege? Shameless.”
Yu Haiyang smiled. “Don’t be angry with uncle.”
There was a faint red that faintly showed through Fang Jianyuan’s pale skin.
Yu Haiyang stuffed the tissue that had been used to wipe Fang Jianyuan’s
sweat back in his trouser pocket, then turned to carry the fan upstairs.
Fang Jianyuan sat on the windowsill for a while, then jumped down and
followed him upstairs.
Yu Haiyang carried the fan all the way into his room and put it down,
squatted on the ground and plugged it into the power socket, then reached
out and turned on the fan.
The fan’s blades began to spin not long after, and standing at the doorway,
Fang Jianyuan felt a cool breeze.
Yu Haiyang dragged the broken fan to the corner and said, “I’ll help you
take a look at it tomorrow to see whether it can be repaired. It’s too late
today. It’ll disturb your mom’s sleep.”
Fang Jianyuan let out a soft ‘Mm’.
Yu Haiyang walked up to him, put his hand on the edge of his cheek, and
rubbed his ear with his finger. “If you’re not happy, tell me. Don’t sulk.”
Fang Jianyuan murmured, “I’m not.”
Yu Haiyang’s finger lingered on his ear, reluctant, and after a while his
hands let go and said, “Good night.”
Fang Jianyuan leaned on one side of the door and watched as Yu Haiyang
left the room through the remaining space.
☆☆☆
Yu Haiyang first reached out and turned off the lights of the grocery store,
then chased him Xia Xingcheng felt that it was becoming harder and harder
to detach himself from his role, and sometimes he even felt that his body
was completely taken over by Fang Jianyuan.
Fang Jianyuan met Yu Haiyang at the age of eighteen. He fell in love with
someone for the first time and found out what it was like to be in love. Even
when Yu Haiyang wasn’t with him, he would think of him anytime,
anywhere, and smile without realising.
Xia Xingcheng gradually realised that he and Fang Jianyuan had fallen into
these feelings together. Sometimes, when he read the script, he would smile
unconsciously whenever he caught sight of Yu Haiyang’s name, and then
he’d raise his head to look for Yang Youming.
Yang Youming didn’t always resemble Yu Haiyang. To say the least, the
way Yang Youming looked at him was never like the way Yu Haiyang
looked at Fang Jianyuan.
Xia Xingcheng felt that he was in a terrible situation.
However, the filming went unexpectedly smoothly. After the scene ended,
He Zheng sat in front of the monitor in a daze.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what was going on. He went over and asked He
Zheng what happened. After a while, He Zheng looked up and said, “You
look just like him.”
He Zheng showed Xia Xingcheng the replay of the scene.

On the screen, Xia Xingcheng saw the smile that he directed at Yang
Youming, and in an instant, goosebumps appeared all over his body. He
didn’t even know that he could act to this extent. The sweetness and love in
his expression was about dense enough to spill over the screen.
It was obviously something that he should be happy about, but Xia

Xingcheng only smiled at He Zheng reluctantly and said, “Was that okay?”
He Zheng stood up and patted Xia Xingcheng on the shoulder. “It’s great,
it’s really great.”
He didn’t know why, but Xia Xingcheng found some comfort in He

Zheng’s tone. It was probably because He Zheng was also aware that the
state he was in wasn’t very suitable. When he ought to promptly detach
from the role, he once again couldn’t pull away.
At this time, Huang Jixin happened to be taking a little newcomer to record

a program nearby, so he took two days to stop by and visit him.
When Huang Jixin arrived on set that day, Xia Xingcheng was preparing to
shoot a scene in which Fang Jianyuan quarrelled with Yu Haiyang–but this
couldn’t be said to be accurate. To be exact, it was a scene about Fang
Jianyuan’s internal conflict.
When Huang Jixin got there, Xia Xingcheng had not yet started filming. He
saw Xia Xingcheng at the side, sitting alone with the script. He rolled up
the script and held it to his chest. His body swaying on the small chair, and
his eyes weren’t focused on anything.
Huang Jixin, who hadn’t seen Xia Xingcheng for a while, felt that he was
like a completely different person.
In this scene, Fang Jianyuan’s mother invited Yu Haiyang to have dinner

with them.
In their house, the dining room and the kitchen were both in the same room,
right behind the first floor’s grocery store and next to the storeroom.
The one who played Fang Jianyuan’s mother was an experienced actress in
her forties, but she was very beautiful and looked no more than thirty years
old.
The three of them sat around a square table, and Fang Jianyuan’s mother
eagerly picked out food for Yu Haiyang.
Yu Haiyang calls her ‘Ling jie’ because there was the word ‘Ling’ in Mama
Fang’s name.
Mama Fang was a woman who had an outspoken and straightforward

disposition, her husband wasn’t at home, and she ran a grocery store alone
while taking care of a son, which was hard but also admirable.
Yu Haiyang was also someone who was good at interacting with people.
After a few words, Mama Fang felt that the subject of the conversation was
quite agreeable and told Fang Jianyuan to go and get a few bottles of beer.
From the beginning, Fang Jianyuan had remained silent. When he got up,
he glanced at Yu Haiyang.
When he returned with the beer, Yu Haiyang reached out to take it and
smiled at Fang Jianyuan. “Thank you, Xiao Yuan.”
Fang Jianyuan felt Yu Haiyang’s fingers on his and immediately withdrew

his hand.
Yu Haiyang opened the beer bottle, poured a glass for Mama Fang and
himself each, and then asked Fang Jinyuan, “Do you drink, Xiao Yuan?”
Fang Jianyuan shook his head.
Mama Fang said, “He’s still a child, what would he drink?”
Yu Haiyang put the bottle on the table and said with a smile, “An eighteen
year old is no child.”
Fang Jianyuan watched the both of them and felt more and more depressed,
because for the first time, he deeply felt that there was a distance between
himself and Yu Haiyang, not only because of gender, but also because of
their large age gap. Yu Haiyang, who was joking together with his mother,
was an actual middle-aged man.
In his heart, he still felt like a child.
This was the reason why he felt so distressed. He didn’t understand why he
and Yu Haiyang were in such an ambiguous relationship. He didn’t like an
adult who would talk and laugh with his mother at the dinner table, and they
were also a man at that. He disliked himself who liked that man even more.
This was the long internal conflict that Xia Xingcheng had written down on
his script as he made notes for this scene. He had also discussed the scene
with He Zheng, and talked with Yang Youming about Fang Jianyuan’s
mental state to get to the bottom of why he felt so uncomfortable.
And yet this was a movie with no voice overs of any psychological
analysis, only showing close-up shots, emotional lines, and physical
expressions.
☆☆☆
After they finished eating dinner, Mama Fang cleared the table and Fang
Jianyuan took the empty beer bottles back to the grocery store for the
delivery man to collect the next day.
Yu Haiyang, a guest, would naturally go back to rest.
Although it was already dark out, as the light switch of the grocery store
was by the door, Fang Jianyuan was too lazy to turn it on, and the only
lightsource came from the kitchen at the back of the store.
Xia Xingcheng, playing Fang Jianyuan, squatted on the ground and put the
beer bottles back into the plastic container one by one. He moved quickly
and with a bit of force to vent all the emotions in his heart.
Completely immersed in Fang Jianyuan’s emotions, Xia Xingcheng didn’t

even need to carefully plan out his every movement, and many of his
reactions were born out of instinct –he was genuinely angry.
At this time, Yang Youming, playing Yu Haiyang, came and leaned against
the door, watching him.
Xia Xingcheng put away the beer bottles, grabbed the edge of the plastic
container and stacked them to one side. When he withdrew his hands, he cut
his finger open on the container’s rough edges.
This was not included in the script–it was completely by accident.
However, Xia Xingcheng did not stop. He was already familiar with He
Zheng’s filming habits, and in He Zheng’s mind, there was no fixed method
for each and every scene. All he required was one kind of feeling. For He
Zheng, as long as it felt right, it was unlikely that he would object even if
you changed all your lines.
Xia Xingcheng stood up and lowered his head to see that the cut was
gradually oozing blood.
Yang Youming came over.
This accident was also an improvised scene that was not in Yang Youming’s
script. It depended entirely on his understanding of the characters.
Instead of looking nervous and urgent, he only approached Xia Xingcheng

and grabbed his hand gently, lowering his head to glance at the wound, then
raised his head and looked Xia Xingcheng directly in the eye. “So, what are
you angry about?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately pulled his hand from Yang Youming’s grip and
said, “Don’t worry about it!” He bumped into the stack of containers filled
with empty beer bottles behind him and made a noise that wasn’t small.
The both of them stopped moving, and Yang Youming subconsciously

looked out.
After a while, he lowered his voice and said to Xia Xingcheng, “Are there
any band-aids in the store?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer. Yang Youming went up to the counter

himself and pulled down a band-aid from the long strip that was hanging on
the wall.
This was originally a prop that hung in an inconspicuous corner, and if you
didn’t take a closer look, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it. Even the
camera almost didn’t capture it.
It was obvious that Yang Youming hadn’t only seen it, but also remembered
it.
Returning, he tore open the band-aid, grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand and
carefully applied it onto the cut.
This time, Xia Xingcheng didn’t push him away.
Yang Youming helped him cover the cut, but didn’t let go of his hand
afterwards. He bent down slightly, and when his eyes were level with Xia
Xingcheng’s, asked, “Why are you not happy? Tell me.”
Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming’s eyes that were full of tenderness.
He turned away, not wanting to get engrossed in them.
Yang Youming grabbed his hand, softly rubbing his palm and fingertips,
and Xia Xingcheng felt the warmth and slight coarseness of his touch in the
hollow of his palm.
In the stuffy filming studio and the non-air-conditioned grocery store, Yang
Youming and Yu Haiyang’s whole beings were entirely merged together in
front of Xia Xingcheng.
His heartbeat was growing farther and farther away, sweat soaked his back,
and he wanted to let go, but at the same time, he was reluctant to break free.
He then couldn’t bear to see Yang Youming, who was looking deeply into
his eyes, and felt that even his breathing had become obstructed.
Yang Youming suddenly smiled, the corners of his eyes curving down, the
corners of his mouth rising.
Xia Xingcheng had no idea that in the eyes of others and the camera
monitor, what showed was the image of his flushed cheeks and hesitant
expression.
Subsequently, Yang Youming slowly leaned forwards, wanting to kiss his

lips.
This part was written in the script. Yu Haiyang wanted to kiss Fang
Jianyuan, but Fang Jianyuan was nervous and afraid. Yu Haiyang got
pushed back hard, and his back bumped into the door. At first he was a little
angry, but afterwards he only laughed and coaxed Fang Jianyuan.
But right then, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t recall the contents of the script. He
was terrified as well as furious, yet he couldn’t figure out why this anger
appeared.
When Yang Youming’s lips were almost on his lips, at the soft touch, Xia
Xingcheng didn’t push him away, but instead surprised everyone by
suddenly raising his hand and giving Yang Youming a heavy slap on the
face.
“PA!” With a crisp echo, it resounded particularly loudly in the quiet film
set.
The noise was like a sudden wake-up call for Xia Xingcheng, who was
stunned when he returned from the narrow grocery store to the lofty filming
studio, immediately feeling muddled.
Yang Youming’s face was hit until it tilted to one side. He turned his head
and looked back at Xia Xingcheng, unable to conceal the anger on his face.
He let go of Xia Xingcheng, turning around and taking large strides towards
the back door to leave.
Xia Xingcheng slowly squatted down and buried his face in his hands.
This was the end of the scene, and He Zheng shouted, “Cut!”
The studio lights lit up at the scene, and the bustling staff moved about back
and forth, none of them speaking, because everyone knew that in the scene
that had passed just a moment ago, there were no circumstances in which
there was a slap on the face. Even if there was, it shouldn’t have been done
with this complete lack of skills. After all, naturally, this was Yang
Youming.
Huang Jixin was perhaps the only person who didn’t know the contents of
the screenplay, and he only sensed the abnormal atmosphere. When he saw
Xia Xingcheng finish shooting, the man was still crouching down and
hadn’t gotten up, so he rushed to help him up before his assistant Xiao Tang
could.
When he gripped Xia Xingcheng’s shoulders in both hands to ask him what
was wrong, he heard Xia Xingcheng whisper, “I’m done for.”
Huang Jixin heard his muffled tone that was at its lowest point, and
instantly became worried, asking, “What’s going on?”
Xia Xingcheng was helped up, and when he raised his head and discovered
that it was Huang Jixin, he planted his face into Huang Jixin’s shoulder and
said, “Jixin, I’m a dead man.”
Sensing something, Huang Jixin shot a glance towards Yang Youming and
saw that Li Yun, Yang Youming’s assistant, was currently applying a wet
paper towel to his face.
As Huang Jixin faced them, Yang Youming also looked over, then
immediately turned his eyes away.
☆☆☆
t/n – who else is having fun witnessing xia xingcheng spiral down the path of no return? in
tomorrow’s chapter we’ll finally be leaving the film set 👁👁
and thank you to Anon for the kofi!! i’ll try to do a double update for you sometime this week ❤
He Zheng furrowed his brows, one arm wrapped around his chest and the
other propping up his jaw, going over the replay of the scene from a
moment ago and appearing entirely vexed.
Yang Youming approached him and asked, “Do you want a do-over?”
He Zhengyi looked up, and when he saw the wet towel that was still on
Yang Youming’s face, he burst out laughing.
Xia Xingcheng sat to one side in low spirits, feeling even more embarrassed
when he heard He Zheng’s laughter. He braced his arms on his knees,
letting out a quiet sigh with his head hung down.
Huang Jixin crouched down beside him, patted him on the shoulder, and
said, “Go and apologize.”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath, got up, and walked over to where Yang
Youming and He Zheng stood.
Yet things didn’t go as planned, Yang Youming had probably noticed that
he was coming over and unexpectedly left He Zheng’s side first, returning
to where Li Yun was and taking off the wet towel before passing it to her. It
was obvious that his cheek was somewhat swollen right then.
Yang Youming’s act of avoidance was very natural. The people around him
couldn’t figure out whether it was deliberate or not, and it was only Xia
Xingcheng whose heart sank straight down.
He Zheng saw that Xia Xingcheng had come over and was standing still in
a daze, thus said to him, “It’s fine, the reaction was pretty good.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m sorry, I–” his mind was a mess, and for a
moment, he couldn’t come up with any words. He could only ask, “Do we
need to retake the scene?”
He Zheng said, “Even if we reshoot the scene today, there’s nothing we can
do about Yang Youming’s face. Let me rethink this and we’ll talk about it
later if necessary. “
With no other option, Xia Xingcheng could only nod.
Today’s filming ended ahead of time.
Huang Jixin originally wanted to invite Xia Xingcheng out to eat, but Xia
Xingcheng had no appetite and went back to the hotel room alone without
getting dinner. He locked himself in his room and lay on the bed with his
arms and legs outstretched.
At several minutes past seven that evening, Huang Jixin made a phone call
to Xia Xingcheng, and with an urgent tone, said, “Change your clothes and
come out.”
Xia Xingcheng pressed his cellphone to his ear, turned over to lie on his
stomach, and asked listlessly, “What is it?”
Huang Jixin lowered his voice, yet couldn’t conceal the excitement in his
tone. “Chief Cai invited Yang Youming to dinner tonight. I’m giving you
the chance to apologize to the movie emperor, so pack up your misery and
come out!”
Xia Xingcheng immediately raised his head, “Chief Cai? Why is Chief Cai
here?”
Huang Jixin’s voice grew even lower. “Chief Cai is here to accompany that
newcomer record a male idol program! Are you stupid? Stop this nonsense,
I told the driver to pick you up. Come quick! “
Xia Xingcheng hung up the phone and promptly rolled out of bed, going
over to the closet to look for clothes to wear that evening.
Chief Cai was the boss of the entertainment company that Xia Xingcheng
was under. Her name was Cai Meiting, and she was already 40 years old
this year. She was an unmarried woman, and was originally an agent. She
had trained two big stars one after another and had an extremely high
reputation in the circle.
Xia Xingcheng rushed to the dining place by car. Seeing Huang Jixin
waiting for him outside, he hurriedly strode forward and asked, “Have they
arrived yet?”
Huang Jixin took him inside and said, “They’re all here. We’re just waiting
for you.”
A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. “Why didn’t you say so
earlier?”
Huang Jixin was also in a hurry. “Chief Cai decided at the last moment. I
didn’t think this would happen either!”
Xia Xingcheng wore a casual suit. The lines of his black suit trousers
emphasized his long and slender legs, and the suit’s lapels opened up to a
white shirt with dark patterns. This would not make him appear excessively
dignified while still making him look polite and decent.
When the waiter pushed open the door of the private room, Xia Xingcheng
took a deep breath. He walked through the partition and soon heard Cai
Meiting’s voice.
There were four people in the private room, Cai Meiting, Yang Youming,
Yang Youming’s assistant Li Yun, and also the newcomer Ye Ziyang, who
Cai Meiting and Huang Jixin were accompanying to record a male idol
program.
At the sight of Xia Xingcheng coming in, Ye Ziyang stood up first and
greeted him politely, “Xiao Xing ge.”
Xia Xingcheng gave him a small nod and nervously walked in Cai
Meiting’s direction.
“Chief Cai,” he exclaimed.
Cai Meiting was not extremely beautiful, but she was a capable and
experienced individual with a slim stature, not at all like a woman of her
age.
She lit a cigarette and shot a glimpse at Xia Xingcheng. “I always thought
you were a smart kid before, how did you become such a fool today?”
Xia Xingcheng was truly confused, not from seeing Cai Meiting, but
because of Yang Youming’s presence.
Cai Meiting held her cigarette and propped an elbow on the table and said,
“What should one do when they arrive late? Do you still need me to teach
you, Xiao Xia?”
Xia Xingcheng reacted immediately, taking the drinking glass and the bottle
of baijiu from the round table and slowly poured himself a glass, saying, “I
was late. I should be fined three cups first.”
Yang Youming was sitting right next to Cai Meiting in his usual polite and
gentle manner. His cheek was no longer red, but if he looked closely, he
could still make out a little bit of swelling.
Xia Xingcheng drank three cups of baijiu in one breath.
Huang Jixin sat down opposite him, his face faintly shrivelling, and sighed
quietly in his heart.
As soon as he put down his glass, Cai Meiting said, “I also heard that you
didn’t behave yourself. When you were filming, you made changes to the
scene randomly and slapped Youming’s face.”
Xia Xingcheng rarely drank baijiu, and the alcohol affected him quickly.
His entire face was flushed red through and through, and even the shell of
his ears were a pale pink. He gasped faintly and said, “I didn’t mean to,
really.” He didn’t know whether he was explaining to Cai Meiting or Yang
Youming.
However, besides that unintentional sentence, he didn’t know what else to
say. “I was too immersed in the character, and my body subconsciously
reacted? I couldn’t tell you apart from Yu Haiyang, and I couldn’t tell
myself apart from Fang Jianyuan.” None of these words were appropriate.
His behavior at that time was unreasonable, and if it was reported on the
internet, or perhaps even the news, people would be determined to
embellish the smallest things, and he’s afraid he’d be completely sunk by
the public opinion.
Cai Meiting sighed, feeling worn out. She couldn’t understand where Xia
Xingcheng’s intelligence had gone this time. She could only remind him,
“You made a mistake, and you’re still not apologising?”
Having heard what she said, Xia Xingcheng picked up the cup and filled it
with baijiu once more. Holding the cup in both hands, he bent down at the
waist by Yang Youming’s side and softly said, “Ming ge, I was wrong. I’m
sorry.” He felt that he had lowered himself completely to the point of
almost kneeling down to propose a toast to Yang Youming.
Yang Youming looked up at him, reached out a hand and grabbed his wrist,
and flatly said, “That’s not necessary.”
Cai Meiting faced Xia Xingcheng and said, “Ming ge won’t drink this cup
with you. Do as you see fit.”
Xia Xingcheng broke free from Yang Youming’s hold, raised his glass, and
drained it in one gulp, then poured himself another glass and bent down
once more, “Ming ge, I’m sorry.”
He was very uncomfortable when he said these words. He looked at the

bridge of Yang Youming’s nose, then his eyes and lips. It was undoubtedly
him, and yet it wasn’t him.
He missed Yu Haiyang very much.
This time, before Yang Youming could respond, he took the initiative and
downed the entire cup of baijiu.
☆☆☆
t/n – i found a beautiful fansong of tsats on maoerfm! go give it a listen ❤ i also started translating an
e-sports novel recently. the first chapter should be up tomorrow.
Xia Xingcheng poured the third glass of wine.
Under the effect of alcohol, his face was an abnormal red. Looking at the
not-so-small clear drinking glass in his hand, he bent down and leaned close
to Yang Youming in a differential manner and sincerely apologized again,
“I’m sorry, Ming ge.”
Yang Youming seized his wrist once more.
Wanting to extract his hand from Yang Youming’s grasp, he found that the
man’s hold on his arm was so powerful that there was no way to escape
from it.
Yang Youming looked solemn, as if he was truly upset.
A lot of unspeakable grievances came bubbling up in his heart in an instant,

and the sorrow spread from his chest to his nasal cavity. His eyes grew full
of unshed tears in a split second, and it would only take a single blink for
them to fall.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t want his current state to be seen by anyone, so he was
trying to put up with it. But even as the others may not see it, Yang
Youming, who was so close to him, must have seen.
Yang Youming suddenly stood up, pulled the glass out of Xia Xingcheng’s
hand with his other hand, and drained the whole glass in one go before
placing it back on the table.
After that, he raised his hand and patted Xia Xingcheng on the shoulder,
then put his palm on his back and gently pushed him forward. “Come with
me, let’s talk.”
Xia Xingcheng bowed his head and kept silent as Yang Youming guided
him out of the room.
Huang Jixin watched Xia Xingcheng follow Yang Youming out of the
private room and nervously stood up, wanting to chase after him. As a
result, Cai Meiting raised her hand to stop him.
Cai Meiting shook her head.
Huang Jixin had no other option but to sit down restlessly.
Li Yun, who had been keeping quiet on the sidelines the whole time,
suddenly smiled and said, “Youming has never liked to make things
difficult for others, don’t worry.”
Huang Jixin reluctantly smiled and nodded to her. “Of course I’m not
worried about Ming ge. I’m just afraid that Xingcheng won’t be sensible.”
Cai Meiting said, “Let him go by himself.”
When they exited the private room, Yang Youming asked the waiter
standing outside the door if there was a quiet place they could talk in.
Xia Xingcheng followed behind Yang Youming in silence, his head hung
down.
The waiter immediately took them to the next room, which was a quiet little
teahouse that had no one in it.
After opening the door and entering the room, the waiter moved to turn on
the light. Yang Youming said, “No need, I’ll do it.”
Having heard what Yang Youming said, the waiter bowed and retreated
quietly, leaving only Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng in the room, and
thoughtfully closed the door for them.
Xia Xingcheng sat down on the edge of the teahouse’s wide mahogany tea
table. When he looked up, he could no longer hold back his tears. He felt
extremely stupid. His only comfort was the fact that there was no light in
the room and Yang Youming could not see his face clearly.
However, as time went by, he gradually got used to the darkness in the
teahouse, and with the faint light coming through the window, he could
slowly make out Yang Youming’s face.
Yang Youming stood leaning against the back of a wooden chair, and not a
single emotion was shown on his face as he looked at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and carelessly wiped at his tears.
It was getting more and more obvious that the alcohol was getting to his
brain, and his flushed face was covered with tear stains as he stared at Yang
Youming with a smile, feeling both excited and sad.
Yang Youming said, “There’s nothing to cry about.”
Smiling, Xia Xingcheng said, “Yes, I’m so sorry, Ming ge.”
Yang Youming’s voice was low and calm. “I said what’s unnecessary is
really not necessary. I wouldn’t get angry about it.”
“You were angry,” Xia Xingcheng said.
Before Yang Youming could speak, he stubbornly insisted again, “You

really were angry.” At that time, at least, he could feel that Yang Youming
truly was angry.
Yang Youming stared at him and unexpectedly smiled.
Xia Xingcheng’s lifted his feet until they were both on top of the tea table
and bent his legs until his thighs pressed tightly against his chest and
abdomen, hugging his legs and burying his head in his knees.
This was not something that he usually does, it was a little childish, and the
unmanly behaviour was unlike him. He was more like the Fang Jianyuan
who was speaking to Yu Haiyang as he said, “I didn’t do it on purpose. My
head was in a mess. How could you kiss me at that time?”
Yang Youming straightened up a little and frowned at him.
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “Sometimes I feel like you’re so far away from
me.”
Yang Youming approached him slowly, one hand in his trouser pocket as
the other held Xia Xingcheng’s head. “Xingcheng, sober up.”
Xia Xingcheng turned his head and pressed his face against the palm of
Yang Youming’s hand. His tearful eyes twinkled brightly as he gazed at
Yang Youming.
Yang Youming sighed, “You really need to sober up.”
Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes, seeming completely exhausted.
Helpless, Yang Youming said, “You’re drunk.”
With his eyes shut, Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m not. If you’re still angry, I can
keep drinking.” He would drink until Yang Youming’s temper cooled down.
Yang Yuming softly said, “You don’t need to mention this anymore, and
you don’t need to apologize to me in front of other people.”
This kind of apology would instead embarrass the both of them.
Xia Xingcheng did not speak.
Lowering his head, Yang Youming looked down at him, “Stop crying,
okay? Go back without crying.”
Xia Xingcheng opened his eyes and raised his head.
Yang Youming took tissues from the tea table and handed it to him.
In a daze, Xia Xingcheng didn’t reach out to take it from him, as if he didn’t
understand what Yang Youming meant.
With his head down, Yang Youming could only fold the tissue in his hand
and wipe the tear stains on Xia Xingcheng’s face.
Xia Xingcheng lifted his face, like a clever child, and looked at him with an
earnest gaze.
Finally, he threw the tissue paper into the trash can and said, “We should go
back.”
They returned to the private room next door and sat down.
It was unknown whether it was because he had suddenly loosened up, but
Xia Xingcheng fell asleep at the side of the dining table soon after he came
back.
Yang Youming said to Cai Meiting, “Ting jie, let someone take him back
first.”
Cai Meiting nodded and told Huang Jixin to send Xia Xingcheng back to
the hotel.
Huang Jixin patted Xia Xingcheng’s face but failed to wake him up, so he
could only grab his arm and place it around his shoulder, lifting him up and
helping him walk outside.
☆☆☆
t/n – are xia xingcheng’s feelings for yang youming one-sided? read on to find out lol in other news
the first chapter of the e-sports novel i’m translating is now up! ❤
Xia Xingcheng slept very deeply, and it felt like he didn’t even have time to
dream when he was woken up by Huang Jixin the next morning.
He opened his eyes and once he got used to the lights in the room, he asked
Huang Jixin, “Why are you here?”
Huang Jixin said, “I got the keycard from Xiao Tang. I was scared that
maybe you’d died.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a breath that carried the smell of alcohol. Sitting up,
he found that he was still in his dress shirt and suit trousers, only shedding
off his suit jacket before lying down to sleep the previous night.
Huang Jixin asked him, “What did Yang Youming say to you last night?”
Xia Xingcheng buried his face in his hands, appearing very pained. “I don’t
remember.” After a while, he spoke once more, “I only remember giving
him a toast.”
Leaning against the wall, Huang Jixing took out a cigarette. “I don’t know
what he said, but I saw that your previous matter was settled.”
Lifting up the quilt and getting out of bed, Xia Xingcheng did not respond.
He took off his wrinkled shirt and trousers and threw them on the floor as
he walked towards the bathroom.
He turned on the shower head and stepped into the bathtub, and before the
water heated up completely, he got under the stream of water, raising a hand
to forcefully wipe at his face, then held his other hand against the wall as he
panted slightly.
In fact, he still remembered what Yang Youming had said to him last night,
and he remembered every word very clearly, including his harsh “Sober
up.”
Hot water poured into his nose and ears, and he coughed painfully, leaning
over the edge of the bathtub. He heard Huang Jixin outside asking him what
was wrong, but he didn’t have the strength to answer.
A hangover is very unpleasant, and this time it was especially painful.
Afterwards, that one scene was reshot once according to He Zheng’s

requirements, but which scene would He Zheng select in the end –at
present, Xia Xingcheng didn’t know.
Fang Jianyuan had quarreled with Yu Haiyang and was even unwilling to
talk to him whenever they bumped into each other.
At this time, Fang Jianyuan’s middle school classmates had organized a

gathering and urged him to hang out with them. That morning, he went out
and left the family’s grocery store to Mama Fang to tend to.
When Fang Jianyuan came back from his outing that afternoon, he ran into
Yu Haiyang on the stairs and was half coaxed and half forced into the man’s
bed. This scene was the very first scene they shot when they had first joined
the crew.
After that moment, the tension in Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang’s

relationship had actually eased instead. More and more things began to take
root and sprout out in Fang Jianyuan’s heart that would shortly mature with
a flourish.
During this period, something happened that made Fang Jianyuan wholly
accept Yu Haiyang from the bottom of his heart.
When Yu Haiyang returned that day, Fang Jianyuan had already eaten
dinner and was reading in his own room.
He sat in front of his desk with the window opened wide, and behind him
stood the floor fan that Yu Haiyang had fixed up for him, blasting winds
towards him.
Fang Jianyuan had one foot on the chair, then changed his posture after a
while once it got uncomfortable so that both his feet were now on the chair.
Downstairs, there was the soft sound of a door closing.
Fang Jianyuan immediately straightened his back, unconsciously trying to

capture the sound of movements that came from the floor below.
However, he did not hear Yu Haiyang’s footsteps coming up until someone

outside very gently knocked on his door twice.
Fang Jianyuan jumped down from the chair, and when he moved to wear
his slippers, he immediately softened his movements, trying to make the
smallest amount of sound possible as he went to open the door.
He knew that Yu Haiyang wouldn’t want to alert his mother, so he also tried
to be as quiet as he could. As expected, when he opened the door, he saw
Yu Haiyang standing in the doorway.
Yu Haiyang carried a plastic bag in one hand and held it up for him,
pressing an index finger against his lips, signaling for Fang Jianyuan to
keep silent.
Fang Jianyuan let him in, reached out and closed the door, then took the
proffered bag from Yu Haiyang’s hand. Opening it, he found that it was a
bag of barbecued food, and among them were Fang Yanyuan’s favourite,
pork ribs and chicken wings.
While Fang Jianyuan was sitting at his desk eating the barbecued food, Yu
Haiyang sat by his bed, smoking languidly.
Fang Jianyuan secretly watched Yu Haiyang and asked him, “Have you
been drinking?”
Yu Haiyang smiled and said, “I drank a little. It’s not much.”

Fang Jianyuan sat cross-legged on the chair, lowering his head to eat, and
after a while, said, “Don’t smoke on my bed, take care to not burn my
sheets.” Truth was, he didn’t really mind–all he wanted was to talk to Yu
Haiyang.
Hearing this, Yu Haiyang said, “Sorry.” then proceeded to immediately put

out his cigarette, placing the cigarette butt on the bedside table and
beckoning to Fang Jianyuan. “Xiao Yuan, come here.”
Fang Jianyuan put down the bamboo stick in his hand, licked his lips, and
said, “What are you doing?” He stood up and walked over to Yu Haiyang’s
side.
As he neared the bed, Yu Haiyang grabbed his hand, then pulled him
sideways and sat him down on top of his legs. Both his arms were tightly
clasped around Fang Jianyuan’s waist, and he pressed his head to Fang
Jianyuan’s chest.
Yu Haiyang left in the morning and had spent a busy day outside, and his
clothes and hair carried the smell of sweat and cigarette smoke.
That night, Fang Jianyuan had turned on the fan after taking a bath, so his
whole body was fresh and cool and smelled of the fragrant shower gel.
And yet when Yu Haiyang clung to him this way, he did not feel disgusted
at all, and after a while, he reached out and hugged Yu Haiyang’s head that
was stuck to his chest.
Yu Haiyang gently pinched Fang Jianyuan’s waist.
Somewhat startled, Fang Jianyuan was stumped for words, and he felt the
hand push aside the hem of his sleeveless top and reach in, travelling across
his skin.
The camera that was at a distance from his loose tank top could still capture
the extent of Yu Haiyang’s hand movements as it went up Fang Jianyuan’s
lower back, the fingers caressing the bumps of his ribcage. A portion of the
tank top’s hem was lifted, and under the warm yellow lighting, his fair skin
was stained with a soft colouring.
Then, the hand shifted to Fang Jianyuan’s back.
Goosebumps rose on Fang Jianyuan’s body from head to toe, and his toes
stretched taut. He wasn’t even aware that his back was this sensitive, and
when Yu Haiyang lightly stroked him with his palm, a burst of itchiness
suddenly ran up his spine, and his whole body felt ticklish.
He wanted to struggle, but Yu Haiyang’s arms were firmly wrapped around

his waist. Right then, the man raised his head and kissed Fang Jianyuan’s
lower jaw, and then his neck.
“No,” Fang Jianyuan whispered, trying to push Yu Haiyang away.
Yu Haiyang therefore stopped, lowering his voice to console him. “Fine, I’ll
just hug you.”
Fang Jianyuan stopped struggling, his face reddening as he panted.
Yu Haiyang sat with Fang Jianyuan in his arms for a while, touching his
nape and kissing his forehead. He let Fang Jianyuan go and stood up. “I’m
going up. Make sure you rest early.”
Fang Jianyuan followed after him and stood up.
Yu Haiyang smiled at him and walked over to the door.
That night, Fang Jianyuan lay in bed for a long time without falling asleep.
It was as if he could still feel Yu Haiyang’s touch on his back, which had
continued to bring about a delicate itch.
An unknown length of time later, Fang Jianyuan faintly heard Mama Fang
yelling for him.
At first he thought it was an illusion. He sat up on the bed and listened

carefully for a while. Finding that his mother was really calling out to him
next door, he promptly climbed out of bed.
☆☆☆
Mama Fang suffered from acute appendicitis. As a matter of fact, she had
been in pain for quite some time, but she didn’t think that it was too serious
and didn’t tell Fang Jianyuan nor go to the hospital. When she was asleep
that night, she could no longer bear the pain, and called out for her son in
the next room.
Fang Jianyuan hurried over and knelt at her bedside, and saw that his
mother’s hair was completely soaked with sweat. Knowing that she was in
severe pain, he promptly said, “I’ll take you to the hospital!”
The small local hospital was not that far away. It was only a little more than
a ten minutes walk, but there weren’t any taxis around and he feared that it
was also unlikely for there to be any pedicabs at this time.
Fang Jianyuan helped his mother sit up, turned and crouched by the bed,
and said, “Climb up mom, I’ll carry you to the hospital.”
At this time, Yu Haiyang knocked on the open door and said, “I’ll do it.”
In the script, that night, Yu Haiyang ran to the hospital with Mama Fang on
his back, helped Fang Jianyuan register an emergency phone number, and
then sent Mama Fang from the examination room to the operating room.
While waiting outside the operating room, Fang Jianyuan took the initiative
to hold Yu Haiyang’s hand. He wanted to convey his unspeakable gratitude
and simultaneously pour out his dependence on Yu Haiyang.
This part of the movie would not be filmed for the time being. He Zheng
had found an old hospital in a remote town and planned to shoot on-site.
When the time comes, there would be some other location scenes that
would also be filmed in that small town.
This hospital scene was closely followed by the movie’s second intimate
scene between Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang, and this scene would take
place in one of the hospital’s toilets.
The toilet set was built in a shed, and the dirty old wooden door panels were
all made by hand by the prop division.
Up til now, Xia Xingcheng was still bearing an immense mental pressure
when filming an intimate scene with Yang Youming, but the nature of the
existing pressure has transformed.
When they were talking over the scene, He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng,
“What kind of mentality do you think Fang Jianyuan has now?”
Xia Xingcheng stared at the script in his hand. In fact, he had already gone
over the short lines countless times, but he didn’t want to raise his head and
look anybody in the eye as he said, “He probably has a kind of sacrificial
mentality.”
When he finished speaking, Yang Youming, who was also looking at the
script, couldn’t help looking up at him.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t aware of this at that time.
He Zheng asked him, “Why is it sacrificial? Don’t tell me you think Fang
Jianyuan isn’t actually willing and is only doing it out of gratitude? “
“No, no,” hearing He Zheng’s words, Xia Xingcheng immediately raised

his head, and found that the two men were staring at him. He was a little
uneasy, but he continued, “just like a believer offering a sacrifice to the
gods, although his heart is full of panic and fear, his faith and love would
keep him going, as long as that was what the other person wanted.”
Yang Youming suddenly asked him a question, “As an eighteen or nineteen-

year-old boy facing the person he likes, shouldn’t Fang Jianyuan have the
same desire?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a quick glance at him and quickly lowered his eyes
again, saying, “I’m only stating my own understanding of Fang Jianyuan.
He hasn’t even finished school, and he’s an introvert, but the other person is
an adult, and a man nevertheless. The pressure he must be feeling must be
really big. Moreover, this affair wasn’t supposed to happen in the first
place, it’s more than a boy and a girl of the same age stealing the forbidden
fruit. That’s why I think…”
He didn’t finish his words, still wanting to hear He Zheng’s opinion. After
all, He Zheng was the director, and the movie ought to be a product of the
director and the actors’ unanimous views that would be reflected in the final
result.
He Zheng did not offer a word. He simply listened to Xia Xingcheng,

becoming silent, then asked Yang Youming, “How do you see it?”
Yang Youming said, “I have no opinion. I respect both your ideas. After all,
it’s not my role.”
He nodded and rolled up the script in his hand. “Then let’s do it according
to your interpretation first, then I’ll see the results and consider whether to
reshoot the scene or not.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a ‘Mm’.
He Zheng then put his hand on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder and said, “I’ll still
be clearing the set. Only me and the cameraman will be here. I’ll request
both your assistants to leave first. You don’t have to worry about anything. I
want you to throw everything you have into this scene for me.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Okay.”
Soon after, He Zheng said to Yang Youming, “Since you’re a pro, you don’t
need me to remind you.”
Yang Youming briefly nodded to him.

Xia Xingcheng sat in his chair, waiting for the final lighting adjustments to
be done before they film the first take.
He grabbed a glass of water, took a big mouthful, yet his throat still felt dry.
Assistant Xiao Tang’s thoughts were not on him, and was gossiping with
the new costume department sister at that time.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help taking a quick look at Yang Youming.
The two of them were not far apart, but ever since what happened the other
night, Xia Xingcheng had deliberately begun to maintain a distance from
Yang Youming. He didn’t want Yang Youming to think that he was too deep
into his role and that his feelings in the movie were tangled up with the
other party’s reality–this would definitely disturb Yang Youming.
Everyday, when they met as part of the cast and crew, there was nothing
between the two other than polite and unfamiliar greetings to each other,
and any other communication all pertained to the filming process.
Originally, they didn’t have a close relationship in private at all, and now
the distance seemed even more pronounced. Xia Xingcheng knew that
many of the crew thought that it was because he had slapped Yang
Youming’s face the other day, causing an awkward situation for the two of
them, but in Xia Xingcheng’s heart, it was obvious that the true offender
wasn’t that slap on the face, but rather what he had said to Yang Youming
when he was drunk the other day.
The lights were adjusted and ready, and the assistant director cleared out the
set with a megaphone.
When Xia Xingcheng sucked in a deep breath and stood up, he noticed
Yang Youming had stopped right beside him and suddenly became
somewhat nervous as he faced the man.
Yang Youming smiled and gently spoke to him in a low voice, “I’m going
to give this scene my all. I hope we can cooperate well.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t fully understand what Yang Youming meant, but he
still nodded. “Got it.”
Perhaps his eyes clearly showed that he was at a loss. Smiling, Yang
Youming raised his hand and stroked Xia Xingcheng’s head, then turned
and walked towards the set.
☆☆☆
It went without saying that the hospital’s dark and dilapidated toilets, with
its narrow cubicles and a janitor who cleaned with water sans disinfectant,
was not a very decent place, much less a place where people would get lost
in wild and fanciful thoughts. But what Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan
needed at this time was not any particular environment, yet simply a space
that would allow the two of them to be alone together without having to
worry about other people barging in out of nowhere.
Before filming officially began, Xia Xingcheng leaned against the wooden
door while Yang Youming stood in front of him. The camera was on his
left, very close to the two of them.
Such a close-up shot was able to make one feel the pressure of the cramped
surroundings, as if there really was a real wall on the left side of the cubicle.
Xia Xingcheng looked directly into Yang Youming’s eyes, trying hard to get
into his character’s mood.
Slightly lowering his head, Yang Youming looked down at him and raised
his hand to gently stroke Xia Xingcheng’s face and ear. The distance
between them was so close that they could feel each other’s breaths.
Xia Xingcheng was a little nervous, and this nervousness made it a bit
difficult for him to completely get into character. He was scared that he
would genuinely immerse himself in this passionate scene, not wanting the
camera to capture his emotions for everyone to see.
The pad of Yang Youming’s slightly rough finger softly rubbed at Xia
Xingcheng’s ear. It was obvious that he had already become Yu Haiyang,
and not only had his actions turned into Yu Haiyang’s, but soon enough, Xia
Xingcheng saw the increasingly burning desire in his eyes.
In that split second, Xia Xingcheng evidently understood what Yang

Youming meant when he said that he would fully throw himself into
filming, making his previous worries seem completely ridiculous. After a
moment of being looked at directly by Yang Youming’s eyes that shone
with longing, Xia Xingcheng began to feel that his breathing had become
quite unstable. This arousal was a normal response for Fang Jianyuan, who
had just fallen in love, when facing Yu Haiyang.
In a flash, He Zheng called for the scene to begin, and Yang Youming
immediately kissed Xia Xingcheng’s lips, somewhat ferocious, possessive,
and as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
What He Zheng wanted most in this scene was five words: the difficulty of
holding back.
Must movies about love contain erotic scenes? The answer was naturally
‘no, not always’—a beautiful romance, even if two people didn’t ever hold
hands from start to finish, could still make the audience perceive a strong
sense of yearning.
But in this movie, He Zheng believed that these three intimate scenes were
necessary. When their feelings gradually grow stronger, adults’ possessive
desire for each other was not only about wanting to possess the other’s
heart, but also their body, just as men need to eat when they are starving.
Falling in love with him and wanting to make love to him are all
involuntary reactions.
So in this scene, their passionate actions were a manifestation of their

feelings—not only an expression of their desire—and the image that the
audience perceived was not how passionate the scene was, but how strong
their feelings were; so strong that it must be expressed through physical
friction, the coming together of their bodies.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think of anything else at this time, and his physical
reaction closely followed the stimulation that Yang Youming gave him.
Here, he was just Fang Jianyuan, and under his intensely intimate,
outrageous kiss, he could only bear it all by reaching out and wrapping his
hands around Yang Youming’s neck.
Yang Youming stuck his fingers through Xia Xingcheng’s short hair and
wrapped his palm around the back of his head, cushioning Xia Xingcheng’s
head as he pressed him against the hard wooden door.
Xia Xingcheng endured these fierce kisses that were impossible to escape.
As Yang Youming left his lips to kiss his jaw and neck, Xia Xingcheng
unconsciously raised his head, as if he was delivering his neck straight to
Yang Youming’s mouth.
He gasped so heavily that his eyes were unable to focus.
Yang Youming knew how to make a scene more beautiful in front of the
camera, and his kisses and caresses weren’t at all crude. Slowing down their
tempo slightly, he kissed the soft skin between Xia Xingcheng’s chin and
neck, then gently sucked on his Adam’s apple. The hand behind Xia
Xingcheng’s head was also softly stroking his scalp.
Xia Xingcheng’s knees went soft.
Yang Youming held up his body by inserting his leg between Xia
Xingcheng’s legs.
Inevitably, Xia Xingcheng had a physiological reaction. Their bodies were

pressed so close together that there was practically no gap between their
lower bodies. Similarly, he sensed that Yang Youming had the same
reaction.
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng’s mind briefly went blank.
Suddenly, he felt Yang Youming reach out and touch his lower body.
Xia Xingcheng immediately regained his senses, abruptly wanting to avoid

what was coming. This was both his and Fang Jianyuan’s real physiological
reaction. Afraid, he looked at Yang Youming with panic on his face.
Instead of forcing him, Yang Youming pressed his head down on his
shoulder, then bowed his head and placed a lingering kiss on Xia
Xingcheng’s ear. His voice was low and hoarse, practically soft, coaxing
this young man with an airy tone: “Be good, don’t be afraid. I love you and
want you to feel good.”
These lines were all in the script, but the actions and voice as well as the
gentle emotions all belonged to Yang Youming, and Xia Xingcheng and
Fang Jianyuan were both convinced together.
But when Yang Youming reached out once more, Xia Xingcheng was so
tense that he caught Yang Youming’s hand again, his own hands and lips
trembling slightly.
Yang Youming looked at him for a moment, his love and desire visible in
his small smile. After, he pressed Xia Xingcheng’s face to his neck, refusing
to let him see anything, and extended his hand again.
This time, his hand reached out with the softest touch. They had already
communicated this beforehand, and the camera would not capture the area.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t see anything and could only smell the scent of
Yang Youming’s body. His whole body trembled unconsciously, his hands
clutching Yang Youming’s sleeve, knuckles turning white.
☆☆☆
After the first take, He Zheng didn’t say whether or not he would reshoot
the scene.
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head, sitting in a corner and bending over at the
waist with a large towel draped over his shoulders. In fact, the temperature
in the studio was high and he was sweating all over, so he didn’t actually
need it, but he needed something to wrap himself in so he could bear the
surroundings’ emptiness.
He looked at Yang Youming out of the corner of his eye and saw that the
man was also sitting calmly, not speaking a word, a serene expression on
his face without the tiniest bit of emotion showing through.
If you left the body’s reaction alone, it would slowly calm down, leaving
only a certain vacancy in your heart. Yet no matter how long he sat there
and waited, he feared that there was nothing he could do to return to his
former self.
He Zheng was adjusting the lighting and camera positions for a few more
shots.
The staff who had left the set came back, and the makeup artists began
touching up Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming’s makeup. The staff
members who were in charge of the props carried a board over to close off
the fourth side of the cubicle, and a camera was raised on top, shooting
down at the inside of the cubicle.
When Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming were sealed off alone in such a
closed space, that sense of realness became even more intense.
It was obvious that Xia Xingcheng had not yet come out of the previous
scene’s emotions. Before the shot officially began, his eyes were already
fixed on Yang Youming’s lips, faintly looking forward to the sensation of
being kissed once more.
Yang Youming seemingly appeased his mood by raising a hand to his neck,
then asked He Zheng in a loud voice, “Do you need the entire scene?”
He Zheng said, “No, I just need some filler shots. The way Xingcheng
raised his head a moment ago was really good, just do the same while
looking straight at the camera.”
Xia Xingcheng gave a small nod. After a while, realizing that He Zheng
could only see him from the monitor, Xia Xingcheng said, “Okay.” When
he opened his mouth, he realized that his throat had become unbearably
hoarse.
Yang Youming looked into his eyes and suddenly said, “Wait a moment.”
He pushed open the cubicle door and went out, then returned with a bottle
of water, unscrewing the bottle cap and handing it to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng drank a big mouthful and gave the bottle back to Yang
Youming, whispering, “Thank you.”
Filming officially commenced, and once Yang Youming kissed his neck, he
tilted his head up and directed his line of sight straight at the camera
overhead. His cheeks were hot, his lips slightly opened, exhaling a hot
breath of air.
For a long period of time after that, Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare to look at the
image of himself on camera, so much so that he didn’t even watch the
movie. It wasn’t until much later on in the future, when he and Yang
Youming sat next to each other and watched the movie together, did he
know that when he looked up at the camera above him, his eyes were
brimming with a love and desire that had been impossible for him to carry
out in his capacity as an actor at that time.
–
On the day Mama Fang recovered and was discharged from the hospital, Yu
Haiyang said that he would cook a meal for Fang Jianyuan and his mother.
In fact, there was a lot of food that Mama Fang still had to avoid eating, and
she was only allowed to eat light food. Moreover, sitting in the kitchen after
a while made her feel a bit unwell, so she went upstairs first and told Fang
Jianyuan to call her down when it was time to eat.
Yu Haiyang said, “You don’t need to trouble yourself to come down again,
I’ll have Xiao Yuan send it up to you later so you can eat in your room.”
Mama Fang hurriedly said, “Do I have the nerve? It’s been hard on you, I’ll
be sure to come down to eat together later.”
Yu Haiyang smiled. “I’ve inconvenienced the both of you so many times

and even mooched off several meals. It wouldn’t make sense for you to still
be so polite with me, jie.”
Smiling, Mama Fang thus said, “Okay, I won’t be polite with you. Xiao Yu,
make sure you don’t make too much. I’m worried that you and Xiao Yuan
won’t be able to finish it all.”
Yu Haiyang said, “Xiao Yuan has a growing body and can finish
everything.”
Fang Jianyuan couldn’t help stealing a glance at him, then seeing his
mother standing up and walking outside, he hurriedly chased after her.
After helping his mother up the stairs, Fang Jianyuan’s footsteps were light
and quick as he ran down to the first floor and returned to the kitchen.
Yu Haiyang poured chopped white radish into a steaming pot for a soup
specially made for Mama Fang, then gently stirred the vegetables in the pot
with a ladle.
Fang Jianyuan walked over to him and hugged his waist from behind, his
head resting on Yu Haiyang’s back.
Turning the stove’s heat a little higher, Yu Haiyang wiped his hands on his
apron and turned around, lifting Fang Jianyuan up and sitting him down on
the dining table in the middle of the room, saying, “Dinner will be ready in
a minute.”
With that, Yu Haiyang turned back to face the stove.
Fang Jianyuan couldn’t resist hooking the man’s leg with his foot, and when
Yu Haiyang turned his head, he raised his head and pretended to look at the
ceiling, only to find that the ceiling near the stove had been blackened by
soot.
Smiling, Yu Haiyang spread out his arms and embraced Fang Jianyuan,
gave him a tender kiss on the lips, then propped up his hands on both sides
of his body, eyeing Fang Jianyuan as he said, “If you won’t let me cook,
what will your mom eat later?”
Fang Jianyuan said, “My mom can’t cook at all these days. What should I
do?”
When Yu Haiyang smiled, the corners of his eyes slightly bent down. He
said, “I’ll cook for you everyday, all right? Everyday, when I get back from
work, I’ll run back and cook for you first thing. Just tell me what you want
to eat the night before.”
Holding the fingers of his left hand in his right hand, Fang Jianyun lowered
his head and said, “You have so many social outings.”
Hearing the words, Yu Haiyang feigned a sigh, distressed. “That’s right,”

then further said, “but nothing is as important as my baby. What if he gets
hungry?”
Fang Jianyuan couldn’t help but laugh.
Yu Haiyang kissed the corner of his mouth, “All right. Uncle* will go and
cook for you.”
*叔叔 shushu: paternal uncle

Fang Jianyuan watched his busy back at the stove and said, “Who’s the
uncle? You’re only fourteen years older than me.”
Yu Haiyang watched the soup in the pot boil and turned down the gas,
pouring vegetable oil into a frying pan. At the same time, he said, “I call
your mom ‘jie’, but how come you don’t call me uncle? Oh, you can also
call me small uncle*.”
*舅舅 jiujiu: maternal uncle
Fang Jianyuan let out a laugh. “In your dreams! Stop making fun of me!”
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you to Febgirl for the kofi!! and we have a double update today as thanks to Anon and
Febgirl for their support, so go ahead and click on the next page ❤
The last scene filmed that day was Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang having
dinner together.
Fang Jianyuan brought in two bottles of beer from the grocery store for Yu
Haiyang. Yu Haiyang, who had just taken off his apron, was leaning against
the edge of the dining table. He took the beer bottles from Fang Jianyuan’s
hands and opened the cap with his teeth.
He handed an open beer bottle to Fang Jianyuan and said, “Want a drink?”
Fang Jianyuan shot a quick look at the beer bottle, nodded and said, “I’ll
drink.”
Yu Haiyang had specifically gone to the market to purchase the ingredients

for stir-fried prawns and steamed fish that he specially made for Fang
Jianyuan.
During the meal, Yu Haiyang peeled the shrimp as he talked with Fang
Jianyuan, placing them into Fang Jianyuan’s bowl when he was done, then
licking the leftover seasoning on his fingers. He then picked up the beer
bottle and drank a mouthful of cold beer.
Fang Jianyuan used his chopsticks to pick up the shrimp meat and said to
Yu Haiyang, “Don’t mind me, just eat.”
Smiling, Yu Haiyang put down the bottle of beer and said, “I don’t want to
eat anymore.” Peeling the next piece of shrimp, he sent it straight to Fang
Jianyuan bowl.
Fang Jianyuan simply raised his hand to cover up his bowl. Unexpectedly,
Yu Haiyang sent the shrimp directly to his mouth. The shrimp touched his
lips and was shaken from side to side.
Yu Haiyang only smiled, waiting for him to open his mouth.
Fang Jianyuan could only open his mouth and eat the shrimp.
The scene ended here as Xia Xingcheng slowly chewed on the shrimp that
had just been put into his mouth. However, as they waited for the director to
wrap up the scene, Yang Youming suddenly laughed, and in a teasing tone,
said, “Help me lick it?”
Xia Xingcheng was immediately stunned. As he stared at Yang Youming’s

coated fingers reaching out to his lips, he subconsciously licked it with his
tongue obediently.
As a result, he Zheng shouted: “Cut!” He said, “Don’t do this! Don’t joke

like this.”
Yang Youming was still smiling as he withdrew his fingers, slowly wiping
them with wet wipes handed by his assistant.
Xia Xingcheng’s heart was beating so hard in his chest that he bowed his
head and struggled to swallow all the shrimp down his throat.
Rising from his seat, Yang Youming patted him on the shoulder and said,
“It’s just a joke, don’t worry about it.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up and smiled at Yang Youming. When Yang

Youming left, he remained on the stool, then took a paper napkin from the
table and carefully wiped his mouth.
A few seconds later, Xia Xingcheng suddenly heard an unusual commotion.

Looking up, he saw a group of staff members pushing a cart towards him, a
cake sitting on top, and then the rest of the staff on set gathered round,
clapping and singing Happy Birthday.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly remembered that today was his 24th birthday. He
hurriedly got up from the stool, and when the birthday cake was finally in
front of him, everyone shouted for him to make a wish and blow out the
candles.
At that moment, Xia Xingcheng’s head was a little empty, and many of his
movements were subconscious reactions. He clasped his hands together and
closed his eyes, but he couldn’t think of anything to wish for. The only
thing that was repeatedly going through his mind was the way Yang
Youming had looked and sounded when he had asked him to lick his finger
just now. After, he opened his eyes and absent-mindedly blew out the
candles, realizing that he hadn’t made any wishes at all in the end.
But birthdays are celebrated every year, and the number of wishes that he
could achieve so far could be counted on his fingers. Xia Xingcheng didn’t
feel much regret.
After blowing out the candles, several young female staff members pushed
Yang Youming over and asked him to present a gift to the birthday boy.
The corner of Yang Youming’s mouth hooked up in a smile. He was

carrying a huge cloth doll in his hand that looked exactly like Xia
Xingcheng, very much like a handmade product. He gave the giant doll to
Xia Xingcheng, hugged him for a bit, and said, “Happy Birthday.”
Smiling, Xia Xingcheng said, “Thank you.” And then quickly withdrew
from Yang Youming’s embrace. He looked down at the doll and asked the
staff in awe, “Did you guys make this for me?”
The staff shook their heads and told him that it had been sent by his fanclub.
Originally, they had asked if they could come to the Film City’s shooting
location to show support for Xia Xingcheng’s birthday. Huang Jixin had
thought it over for a bit but felt that this would delay the filming progress.
He Zheng and Yang Youming’s time was too valuable, and a small actor
like Xia Xingcheng could not afford to hold up their time, so he had directly
refused the fanclub without first consulting the production team.
Later on, the members of the fanclub came with gifts and gave Xia
Xingcheng’s birthday present to the staff members to pass along.
After Xia Xingcheng took hold of his doll, the staff informed Yang
Youming that the members of Xia Xingcheng’s fanclub had also given him
a gift.
“There’s one for me too?” Yang Youming was obviously very surprised.
He Zheng was not happy at this time. He stepped on the stool with one foot.
“How come didn’t I get one?”
A girl shouted, “My family’s on-screen lovers!”
When he heard this sentence, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but turn to look
at Yang Youming, but he only saw Yang Youming maintaining his smile,
not reacting to the girl’s words.
A staff member came over and presented Yang Youming with his own giant
doll. Yang Youming slightly tilted his head and looked at the doll as if he
was sizing someone up, then took the doll from the staff member’s hands in
a way that was similar to a hug. This immediately provoked several young
girls at the scene to scream. Yang Youming was a little puzzled, raising his
head and looking up at them, “What’s going on?”
The girls then said, “How handsome!”
Yang Youming’s doll was wearing a black suit, and looked very elegant. He
held the doll high up and asked the girls, “Do you think it’s handsome?”
One girl with a particularly loud voice exclaimed, “You’re handsome!”
Yang Youming smiled at their words. He said, “Am I handsome or is your

Xiao Xing ge handsome?”
This time, all the female staff members at the scene spoke in unison, “Both
are handsome!”
Yang Youming looked to Xia Xingcheng and said, “Let’s see what today’s
birthday boy has to say.” With that, he stepped back and stood behind Xia
Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng smiled and said, “It’s my treat tonight. Everyone should
come. When work is over, let’s all go for a late-night snack!”
☆☆☆
Speaking of late-night snacks, Xia Xingcheng arranged for all the cast and
crew to go to a famous local hotpot restaurant and specially arranged a
private room with a cozy environment. Yang Youming and He Zheng were
invited to sit in the private room as they were a significant actor and the
creator of the film respectively.
Today, the protagonist was Xia Xingcheng, and the entire crew once again
celebrated his birthday together. At the beginning, he went up to every table
to remind everyone to freely eat as they please, and as he made his way
back to the private room, he was stopped by the hotpot restaurant’s other
guests, who asked for photos and autographs. He agreed to each and every
one of the guests heartily.
When he was done, he rushed back to the private room, and he opened the
door to the sight of Yang Youming sitting next to He Zheng. He Zheng was
leaning close to Yang Youming’s side, smoking while they talked, and Yang
Youming’s whole face was shrouded in He Zheng’s cigarette smoke.
An empty seat next to Yang Youming had been set aside for Xia Xingcheng.
Someone caught sight of Xia Xingcheng entering the room and raised his
hand, loudly calling out to him to come and sit down.
Consequently, Yang Youming raised his head and glanced at him with a
small smile.
When Xia Xingcheng went over to sit down, He Zheng was still speaking to
Yang Youming in a low voice, and Yang Youming maintained his original
posture, slightly leaning over to listen to him seriously.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t interrupt their conversation.

As a matter of fact, this was not the production team’s first meal together. In
the beginning, Xia Xingcheng had felt that there was nothing he could say
whenever they talked about He Zheng. Later on, when everyone had
already got acquainted with each other, Xia Xingcheng still didn’t dare to
easily express his opinions about He Zheng and Yang Youming.
Someone helped Xia Xingcheng fill up the beer in front of him, then toasted
him to wish him a happy birthday. Xia Xingcheng hurriedly picked up a
glass to entertain that person. After that, he didn’t get the chance to eat
anything, always occupied with drinking and chatting with others, never
stopping once.
With great difficulty, he finally had time to return to his seat, and just then,
a waiter happened to come in, placing a bowl of warm millet congee in
front of him.
At a loss, he looked up and asked the waiter, “Why is there only one bowl?”
As today’s host, he had to make sure that every guest had their own bowl.
At this time, Yang Youming straightened his back, putting his arm on the
edge of the table, and said, “I ordered it for you.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at him, then hurriedly reverted his line of
sight, staring at the millet congee in front of him.
The waiter then left with the tray.
Yang Youming said, “I noticed that you haven’t eaten anything and only
kept drinking. Have some congee first.”
Xia Xingcheng obediently picked up the bowl of congee. It was still a little
hot in his hands, but he didn’t put it back down. With his other hand, he
picked up a spoon and stirred the congee. Turning to Yang Youming, he
said, “Thank you, Ming ge.”
Yang Youming said, “Eat first, then order dishes.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded and silently immersed himself in eating the congee.
At this time, He Zheng was being badgered by the drunk assistant director.
Yang Youming was finally free, and he calmly sat without speaking.
Xia Xingcheng had lowered his head and didn’t know whether or not Yang
Youming was looking at him. Right then, he couldn’t summon the courage
to look at Yang Youming.
In reality, his personality was not as quiet and introverted as Fang Jianyuan.
He wasn’t afraid of social interaction, and even liked to get in touch with all
sorts of different people in the past. By the time his past dramas wrapped up
filming, he would always make friends with numerous people, even the
entertainment circle’s older generation. He was able to respectfully and
amicably get along with these people.
Only now, Yang Youming alone made him feel entirely different from
before. When he was together with Yang Youming, he would always get
caught up in Fang Jianyuan’s state of mind when facing Yu Haiyang. And
in the movie, they were head over heels in love with each other. Therefore,
he had no choice but to expend a large effort to step back from his role.
This made him even more nervous, and he didn’t know how to deal with
Yang Youming’s attitude.
Everyone finished their meals. It was already late into the night when Xia
Xingcheng came out of the hotpot restaurant. He stood by the doorway and
watched as everyone left in their respective cars.
A while later, three girls who were in the middle of discussing their taxi ride
remained, so Xia Xingcheng invited them to take his nanny car.
The three girls happily agreed.
They walked to the nanny car parked a few meters ahead of the hot pot
restaurant. After Xia Xingcheng’s assistant Xiao Tang opened the car door,
Xia Xingcheng politely let the girls to get in the car first.
As he waited for his turn, a parked car behind them flashed its headlights at
the group.
Turning his head to look back, Xia Xingcheng heard Xiao Tang say, “Seems
like it’s Ming ge’s car.”
The car’s headlights were blinding, and Xia Xingcheng couldn’t clearly
make out the license plate for a moment, but as soon as he registered Xiao
Tang’s words, he immediately scurried towards the rear car.
The effects of alcohol and the hot summer night turned his face scarlet. He
watched as Yang Youming opened the car’s backseat door and said to him,
“Take my car.”
The light of a street lamp beamed down at them, half covered by the roof of
the car. Yang Youming’s face was half in the light, and the other half was
shrouded in darkness. The corners of his mouth weren’t curved up, yet the
visible half of his face showed an eye that radiated gentleness.
Xia Xingcheng said, “OK,” and then bowed his head to enter the car.
Xiao Tang was stupefied for a moment, and seeing the car door close and
start to move, he hurriedly got in the car and told the driver, “Xiao Xing ge
is going back in Ming ge’s car. Let’s go by ourselves.”
In Yang Youming’s car, Li Yun sat in the front passenger seat.
Xia Xingcheng first greeted Li Yun and sat down beside Yang Youming, his
heart beating anxiously.
Yang Youming leaned forward, holding out a hand in Li Yun’s direction.
Li Yun then took something out of her bag, passing it to his outstretched
hand.
When Yang Youming sat back down and leaned back, Xia Xingcheng could
clearly see that there was a luxury brand’s jewelry box in his hand.
Yang Youming rotated the jewelry box twice in his hand, then presented it
to Xia Xingcheng and said, “I found out that it’s your birthday today at the
last moment. This is your birthday gift.”
Li Yun was not present at the dinner tonight, so Xia Xingcheng assumed
Yang Youming must’ve asked her to buy a present.
Xia Xingcheng was somewhat excited, and yet not so excited. He took the
gift, touched the flannel on the top side of the box, and said to Yang
Youming, “Thank you, Ming ge.”
Smiling, Yang Youming said, “This is the second time tonight that I’m
hearing these words.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately smiled as well. Looking down at the jewelry

box, he thought that Yang Youming had asked Li Yun to buy the gift at the
last moment, and only did it out of politeness. Maybe he didn’t even know
what was inside.
Yang Youming said, “Open it and see if you like it.”
Xia Xingcheng carefully untied the bow on the box. Opening the jewelry
box, he saw that inside, there was a men’s necklace. It was pendantless and
only consisted of a metal chain that was slightly thicker than the average
women’s necklace. Even by solely looking at the brand, you’d know that it
certainly didn’t cost a small amount.
“I really like it,” Xia Xingcheng said. “Thank you.” His words were
sincere, no matter what Yang Youming gives him, he’d like them all very
much.
Yang Youming’s voice was soft and low, “Happy birthday, Xingcheng.”
☆☆☆
t/n – it’s been a rough couple of days and i haven’t been that happy with my translation quality lately
;__;
In the hotel room, a freshly bathed Xia Xingcheng was clothed in a

bathrobe and standing in front of the bathroom mirror, and around his neck
was the necklace that Yang Youming had given him.
The bathroom’s lighting was a little dim, and the fog that resulted from his
bath had not yet completely dissipated. Unable to see clearly, Xia
Xingcheng exited the bathroom and turned on the bright overhead lights.
He stood in front of the dressing mirror to take a closer look at the necklace.
The necklace must be platinum, its chain links made up of round adjoining
bars. It was not at all smooth to the touch–there was a pattern engraved into
the round links.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help getting nearer to look closely at the pattern on
the necklace. When he finally saw it clearly, he instantly held his breath. It
turned out that each round link had a star* engraved on it.
This necklace full of stars was not a birthday gift that Yang Youming had Li
Yun casually choose.
*the ‘xing’ in xia xingcheng’s name means star
His blood boiled in an instant. Added with the alcohol in his body,
everything rushed to his head. Wearing a bathrobe and slippers, he opened
his room door and went to the next room, raising his hand to knock on the
door.
The door was opened faster than he thought it would. Yang Youming, who
hadn’t even changed his clothes since he came back, stood at the door in
trousers and a T-shirt, slightly surprised, “Xingcheng, what’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng opened his mouth, staring at the man. His boiling blood
instantly cooled, only leaving a blush across his face. He pursed his lips and
said, “That doll, the one my fans gave you –can I take a picture? I want to
thank my fans on Weibo.”
Yang Youming smiled at his words. “So that’s it. Come in first.”
Xia Xingcheng entered the room and abruptly remembered that he didn’t
bring his room card and phone, and had even left the door open. He
hurriedly returned to his room, fetched his things, and then came back to
Yang Youming’s room, yet there was no time to change out of his bathrobe.
Yang Youming’s room looked no different from the last time Xia
Xingcheng came, still as tidy as before. But Xia Xingcheng didn’t see the
doll anywhere in the room.
Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming go to the window and take out his
phone to make a call. Yang Youming motioned him with his eyes to have a
seat. When his call connected, he said, “Sorry to trouble you like this so
late. Could you bring the doll I received today to my room?”
Xia Xingcheng realized that Yang Youming hadn’t brought the doll back to
his room at all. Seeing Yang Youming hang up the phone, he was slightly
flustered and immediately said, “No need, I didn’t know that you didn’t
bring it back. It’s okay if we don’t take a picture.”
Yang Youming put his phone on the bay window in passing as he walked
over and sat down by the bed, opposite of Xia Xingcheng. “It’s fine, they’ll
bring it over soon.”
Xia Xingcheng stood up, “I really don’t need it.”
“I also want you to thank your fans for me,” Yang Youming said.
When Xia Xingcheng heard this, he slowly sat down again. He was only
wearing briefs under his bathrobe, and when he sat down, it opened up to
show his chest and most of his legs were exposed. He feigned to casually
pull at the hem of the bathrobe.
When he looked up, he found Yang Youming staring at the necklace around
his neck.
Yang Youming said, “Did you see the necklace yourself?”
Xia Xingcheng squeezed his hands and relaxed. He smiled as he told Yang
Youming, “I did. It looks really nice, I couldn’t bear to take it off.”
Yang Youming was still staring at the necklace. “There are stars on it. I only
heard about your birthday today, and I don’t know why but I immediately
remembered this necklace, so I asked Li Yun to hurry and buy it. She also
went through a lot of trouble.”
Xia Xingcheng’s hands subconsciously reached for the necklace, touching

the engraved starry pattern. He wanted to say something but didn’t know
what to say, so he could only humbly lower his head in silence.
At this time, somebody knocked on the door.
Yang Youming got up and opened the door, said a few simple words to the
people outside, and then brought in the doll that was nearly as tall as
himself. He set the doll down on the bed and arranged it to lean on the
headboard in a sitting posture. He said, “Go ahead.”
Xia Xingcheng took his phone and stood up to take a picture of the doll.
Putting his hands in his trouser pockets, Yang Youming leaned against the
wall, looking to Xia Xingcheng as he took photos. Even when wearing
loose cotton pants and a T-shirt, his tall and slender figure couldn’t be
hidden. When he focused his eyes on someone, his long fine eyelashes
would quiver slightly, and half covered, one could see a warmth in his eyes,
only a portion of his usual indifference remaining.
Xia Xingcheng took two photos from different angles. Gripping his phone,
he walked over and stood in front of Yang Youming, saying, “Then in that
case, I’ll be going back, Ming ge.” He was a little shorter than Yang
Youming, and the man’s lips were right in front of his eyes, in full view.
Looking down slightly, what he saw was Yang Youming’s fine jaw and
neck, as well as his beautiful slightly protruding Adam’s apple.
There must be only one person in the world who’s born so perfect, Xia
Xingcheng thought.
Yang Youming answered him with a lone “Mm.”
Tightly clenching his hone, Xia Xingcheng walked to the door.
Yang Youming followed closely behind him, walking him all the way to the
door. He said, “Good night.”
Xia Xingcheng beamed, “Good night, Ming ge.” With that, he turned and
walked back to his room, then heard the sound of a door closing behind
him.
Back in his room, Xia Xingcheng sat by the bed, not wanting to do
anything. He didn’t want to take pictures nor send out a Weibo post, so he
touched the necklace adorning his neck, staring blankly for a long time.
It wasn’t until he got tired and his train of thoughts had become irregular
that he stood up and placed his doll on the bed, arranging it almost exactly
the same way Yang Youming had, then took a picture with his phone.
Then, he lay down on the bed and began to write out a Weibo post on his
phone, editing and re-editing it for a long time. In the end, he wrote: “At 24,
I’m fortunate to have you and each and every one of you guys by my side.
This is probably the happiest thing. I hope that in another 24 years, all of
you will still be with me. P.S.: Ming ge asked me to thank you all for your
gifts. Below are the pictures of the two dolls.”
The Weibo message was posted. Xia Xingcheng didn’t have time to read the
replies, and soon after he wearily closed his eyes and went to sleep.
He wasn’t aware that because of this one post, Weibo blew up.
☆☆☆
In the middle of the night, Xia Xingcheng was woken by the sound of a
phone call from Huang Jixin. Glancing at the time, it was just after two
o’clock in the morning, and he immediately got angry. The first sentence he
uttered was: “Are you insane?”
Huang Jixin replied, “I was just about to ask you the same thing. Have you
gone mad?!”
Xia Xincheng raised his head, rubbing his messy hair. His entire head hurt
like it had been tossed and turned all over. He said, “What is it?”
Huang Jixin pelted him with questions, “What did you post on Weibo?
What ‘you’ and ‘you guys’ by your side?[1] Who do you think you are?!”
Xia Xingchen’s brain was a lump of mush. “What are you talking about?”
Huang Jixin said, “After you posted on Weibo, your name went on the hot
search together with Yang Youming’s. People are thinking that the company
bought the hot search for you and that you’re using the peoples’ movie
emperor for hype!”
Xia Xingcheng’s brain finally grasped a thread, “What hype?”
The anger in Huang Jixin’s voice didn’t recede, “‘What hype?’ Are you
literate or not? It sounds like you’re going public about a relationship. You
tell me, who are you going public with, Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng reached out and turned on the lamp, the warm yellow light
washing over his face in an instant. He involuntarily narrowed his eyes. His
whole face wrinkled up as he asked Huang Jixin, “What’s happened to me?
Huang Jixin was so angry that he was almost out of breath. “Are you
drunk?”
Xia Xingcheng buried his face in a pillow, and after a while, said, “Maybe a
little.”
When he hung up the phone, he opened Weibo and saw that the Weibo post
he’d sent before going to bed had unexpectedly been reposted nearly
100,000 times. He was a little overwhelmed, and when he clicked on the
comments, it turned out that it was not just fan nonsense. Many people were
asking about who that “you” is.
Someone asked him, “Is Xingcheng gege in love?” Others also asked, “That
‘you’ isn’t Yang Youming, is it?” Furthermore, there were even more
strange questions. One of them said, “Yang Youming is married. Is this
hyping[2] a CP with a married man?” In turn, his fans defended him: “He’s
filming a movie with Ming ge!”
Everything else was unclear to Xia Xingcheng, but he felt that the word
“married” was especially unsightly. For a long time, it was as if he himself
had all but forgotten that Yang Youming was already married. He didn’t
expect that under such circumstances, he would be caught off guard by the
people reminding him of this matter.
He kneaded his forehead, bending his legs and hunching his back on the
bed. The thin quilt slipped down to reveal his naked upper body. He held
his head up with one elbow on his knee and his other hand accidentally
slipped across the screen.
It opened the topmost private message, which was from an unfamiliar

netizen who cursed at him: “You’re shameless! Can you even compensate
Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng threw the phone away and covered his face with both hands
to calm himself for a while. And yet he couldn’t help picking his phone
back up to reopen the message: “Hello, can you not hype a CP? Youming
gege is married, so you being like this makes me think that you’re really
low… “
After staring at that private message for a while, Xia Xingcheng logged out
of Weibo. Opening Wechat, he sent a voice message to Huang Jixin:
“Calling Old Huang, calling Old Huang.” His voice was weak and feeble,
extremely beaten down.
Huang Jixin replied with an angry emoji.
Xia Xingcheng lay down, pointed at his mobile phone and said, “I just
worded it wrongly. I didn’t mean it like that.”
Huang Jixin replied to him: “You’d better not mean it like that.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Huang Jixin said, “If you and Yang Youming act in this kind of film, it’s
possible that it would influence public opinion that will be hard to avoid in
the future. Other people will also make guesses about the two of you. These
things, they’re strong enough to bring you fame in the beginning, but I’m
afraid that it’ll be no good if it turns around and bites you. In any case, I
feel wary.”
Xia Xingcheng listened while staring blankly, “What things?”
Huang Jixin sighed, “Forget it. I know you debuted as an actor at a young
age, and you also haven’t read any books. Don’t post on Weibo. You can
take a picture and send it to me later. I’ll ask someone to post on Weibo for
you tomorrow morning to explain.”
Xia Xingcheng was not in the mood to quarrel with him right then, so
merely asked, “What picture?”
It took a while for Huang Jixin to reply to his voice message, “Take a selfie,
a selfie with your doll.”
Xia Xingcheng turned over and got up from the bed, turned on the room’s
overhead lights, arranged the doll on the bed, changed his clothes, fixed up
his hair, and tossed about for half an hour to take a satisfactory picture,
which was then sent to Huang Jixin’s Wechat.
Afterwards, he fell on the bed and lamented about his near death.
Before filming the next day, the makeup artist put makeup on Xia
Xingcheng and said, “Xing ge, you’re not in good shape today.”
Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes and let her apply makeup. He said, “I had a
great time during my birthday and drank too much.”
The makeup artist smiled and said nothing.
After his makeup was done and the makeup artist left, Xia Xingcheng
opened Weibo on his phone and saw that his account had sent out another
Weibo post in the early morning, attached with the last moment selfie he’d
taken late last night. It read: “Who is ‘you’? You are the one who’s been the
closest to yourself for the last 24 years.”
He didn’t click to read the comments below, and even disabled his private
messages.
As a matter of fact, Xia Xingcheng was not that scared of getting cursed out
by others, but he was afraid that those people would constantly mention
Yang Youming to scold him. This made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Assistant Xiao Tang ran over to tell him that the assistant director was
already looking for him.
Xia Xingcheng stood up, handed his phone to Xiao Tang, and took a deep
breath. There weren’t many scenes in the shed’s built set. Among them
though, were two very important scenes. One was Fang Jianyuan and Yu
Haiyang’s last intimate scene, and the other was the climax of the entire
movie, the turning point of this love story.
☆☆☆
[1] forgot to add notes about xxc’s weibo post in the last chapter. he used 你 (you, singular) and 你们
(plural you, addressing more than one person) so people are thinking that there’s a special meaning
behind it. i differentiated the two by translating plural you to ‘you guys’
[2] 炒 (lit. fry) slang for hyping/promoting propaganda of sth, in this case xxc&yym’s CP
It was the movie’s third intimate scene.
In the evening, the electric water heater on the second floor of Fang
Jianyuan’s house broke down. Mama Fang told Fang Jianyuan to boil hot
water and take a bath in lieu of being lazy and bathing with cold water.
Fang Jianyuan took a basin with towels and soap and ran up to the third
floor to borrow Yu Haiyang’s bathroom. At that time, Yu Haiyang had not
yet returned from work.
When explaining the scene, He Zheng told Xia Xingcheng, “Take off your
clothes from the moment you enter the room. Take everything off until only
your underwear is left, then grab the basin and run into the bathroom.”
Compared to Xia Xingcheng’s previous films, the scale of nudity in this

scene could be considered to be extremely large.
Seizing the script, he seriously asked He Zheng, “Should I close the door?”
“Just move to close it in passing,” He Zheng said. “It doesn’t need to be

completely shut.”
In the initial take, Xia Xingcheng came through the door with a basin,
placed it at his feet, and began to undress.
He was only wearing a small tank top, loose cotton shorts, and light gray
underwear. He grabbed the hem of his top, lifted it over his head, and threw
it near the bed. Then, he bent down to take off his shorts, leaving them on
the floor and picking up the basin before entering the bathroom with
slippers on his feet.
Prior to filming, he had worked hard to lose weight, and during the filming
period, the studio’s high temperature made him constantly sweat all over. If
you looked from the side, Xia Xingcheng’s figure was practically as thin as
a sheet.
During filming, there were many on-scene staff members watching, and this
included numerous young ladies. He was not at all uncomfortable, yet when
the thought that Yang Youming was watching came to mind, he was
somewhat bashful and blushed with shame.
This undressing scene was shot three or four times from different angles
before it was concluded.
“I want to take a full-naked shot of your side. I won’t shoot it from the
front, and since your back will be covered by Youming, the camera can’t
capture it either. Are you willing?” was what He Zheng asked Xia
Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t think much about it and said, “Yes.” Up until this
scene was filmed, he fully believed that He Zheng was a responsible
director who was completely dedicated to his works. As long as it wasn’t
too embarrassing, whatever He Zheng required, he and Yang Youming
would generally spare no effort to act in accordance with his directions.
The director requested for the set to be cleared in advance.
Wearing a bath towel around his waist, Xia Xingcheng stripped off his
underwear and stood in front of the camera.
Yang Youming did not need to undress just yet. He was in Yu Haiyang’s
usual attire, a white shirt and suit trousers. The cuffs of his shirt were rolled
up, the collar opened wide, and his whole person looked capable and
confident.
He Zheng told Yang Youming, “Don’t take off your clothes, just go in and
embrace him from behind. Pay attention to the angle then.”
Xia Xingcheng asked He Zheng: “Do I need to struggle?” Originally, the
film’s narrative was a leaping one, and at this time, Fang Jianyuan would
definitely not reject the intimate contact with Yu Haiyang as he did before.
He Zheng pondered over it. In turn, he asked Xia Xingcheng, “What do you
think?”
Xia Xingcheng slightly hesitated: “He should. After all, it’s always been in
his nature.”
He Zheng patted him on the shoulder, “If you think so, then just do it.”
The character Fang Jianyuan has completely been brought to life under Xia
Xingcheng’s interpretation.
At the angle the camera shot from, in front of the camera, Yang Youming
embraced Xia Xingcheng from behind, one hand around his waist and the
other on his chest, the two bodies pressing together.
Only a towel remained wrapped around Xia Xingcheng’s waist, and his
body felt slightly cold. Yang Youming’s body carried the summer heat, and
Xia Xingcheng could feel it through the thin layer of cloth—it seemed as if
his whole body was burning hot.
He Zheng was watching the monitor. “Don’t keep going to this side, yes,
and Xingcheng, move back and press closer. Okay, that’s the one. Let’s
shoot it once through.”
Behind Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming released his hold, and after, they
commenced the take.
Turning his back to the camera, Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes to relax his
nerves, then reached out and tore off the towel on his waist and threw it
aside.
As soon as the shower was turned on, hot water rushed out of the shower
head. In an instant, the bathroom’s tiles and mirrors were covered with a
layer of fog. Xia Xingcheng stood under the stream of water, lowering his
head and closing his eyes involuntarily. He couldn’t hear anything but the
sound of water.
Under the shower, he began to scrub his body.
Unlike Fang Jianyuan, who concentrated on taking a bath, Xia Xingcheng

knew that next, Yang Youming would come in and embrace him, kissing
him from behind. It was difficult for him to keep calm, and he could only
wait nervously.
However, either the sound of the water was too loud or Yang Youming’s
footsteps were so soft that Xia Xingcheng couldn’t hear anything before he
was wholly hugged from behind, a wet kiss falling on his shoulder.
He let out a cry of surprise.
Yang Youming’s voice echoed around him, but he could barely make out
the sound through the water. He said, “It’s me, don’t shout, your mother
will hear you.”
Xia Xingcheng was embraced. His body was already wet and slippery, and
he could feel that Yang Youming’s hands could not hold him as tightly as
they could during the runthrough, the palm pressed to his skin slipping
down.
His heart throbbed violently. Suppressing his voice, he said, “Let go of me.”
His tone wasn’t firm. It sounded more like a lover acting coquettishly.
“Okay,” Yang Youming coaxed him with a low voice, but didn’t let go of
Xia Xingcheng. The hands that were around his waist only went and
pressed down on his lower abdomen, glueing Xia Xingcheng’s body to his
completely.
Xia Xingcheng could feel that Yang Youming’s clothes were drenched
through. He was still struggling, and his body was a little disoriented under
the stream of water. He may have been unable to avoid the camera
completely, but right now, he couldn’t pay attention to it.
Yang Youming captured Xia Xingcheng’s wrist, pulled the younger man to
face him, then pressed him on the bathroom tiles and descended on his
mouth.
Xia Xingcheng was kissed into obedience. He raised his arms and clung to
Yang Youming’s neck.
The scene ended here.
After He Zheng called a stop, the first thing Yang Youming did was to reach
out and turn off the water. The second thing was to grab the bath towel that
Xia Xingcheng had thrown to the side, wrapping it around Xia Xingcheng’s
waist with his own hands.
During this entire process, Yang Youming completely covered Xia

Xingcheng’s front. Even though the cameras have already stopped rolling,
he still completely blocked out other people’s eyes.
Xia Xingcheng’s hair kept dripping water, and as soon as he opened his
mouth to speak, he choked on the water and coughed.
Yang Youming once again took another dry towel and placed it on Xia
Xingcheng’s head, wiping the water off his face and ears. He patted Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder and moved to the side to let him rest.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng changed his underwear, his body wrapped up in a bathrobe.

The makeup artist blow-dried his hair. It only needed to be half-dry before
they could continue shooting the next scene.
Yang Youming also changed out of his drenched clothes and into a
bathrobe, and his hair and makeup were also fixed up. What followed was
their real sex scene.
Before the shot, He Zheng sat on a stool by the bed and told Yang Youming
and Xia Xingcheng, “Just pay attention to filming.”
Sitting by the headboard, Xia Xingcheng was watching He Zheng intently,

but at this time, he couldn’t help turning his head to look at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming sat at a distance from Xia Xingcheng, near the end of the
bed, his arms folded on his chest. His long legs stretched out from under the
bathrobe, folded casually. He repeated He Zheng’s words, “Pay attention to
filming?”
He Zheng lit a cigarette, took a long drag, then exhaled smoke contentedly.
“You’ve acted in so many movies, how would you make this kind of bed
scene look good? Maybe you can teach me.”
The cigarette smoke was blown into Xia Xingcheng’s face. He slightly
lowered his head and avoided it seamlessly.
Yang Youming asked, “You only want a shot that looks good?”
“No.” This time, He Zheng denied quickly. Shaking his head, he said,
“What I want is immersion. Last time it was very good. Both of you were
great.” After saying this, He Zheng bit his cigarette and seriously pondered
upon something for a while. He said to Yang Youming, “You can be a little
rough.”
Yang Youming didn’t say a word and merely stared at him.
He Zheng smiled. “The roughness is just to look good, I don’t want you to
be genuinely rough. At present, it’s different from before, and it’s just
what’s natural for these two. I want both of you to show the hotbloodedness
between men in front of the camera.”
Xia Xingcheng listened to the two men talking, not expressing a single
opinion from start to finish.
He Zheng asked him, “Is there anything you want to say, Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head hurriedly. “There’s nothing.”
“Don’t worry, just go with the flow,” He Zheng said. “Right now, you’ve
already captured the character’s feelings extremely well, and sometimes
your acting is better than I thought it’d be. Do you understand what I
mean?”
Xia Xingcheng let out a reluctant smile. “I know.”
He Zheng stood up and said, “Later, just act according to your own wishes.
If I think something’s not right, we’ll retake it.” With that, he turned to
leave, but before he took a step forward, he turned again and looked at Xia
Xingcheng, saying, “Do you know, Xingcheng? What the director needs to
do is control and capture the whole scene, and how the camera’s lens
capture the characters’ stories is based on the director’s consideration. But
regarding the roles, I personally think they still belong to the actors. That’s
why I don’t like teaching an actor how they should act. I just tell them what
I want. As for how to act, it’s still up to the actors themselves.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him and nodded earnestly. “I understand. I’ve

learned a lot of things from filming this movie.”
“There’s no need for you to learn from me unless you’re also interested in
the behind the scenes stuff, but Yang Youming can really teach you a lot,”
He Zheng said. “He’s the most outstanding actor I know. Don’t be a
celebrity, moreover a traffic star. Be an actor.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded solemnly. “Thank you, Director He.”
When He Zheng made final adjustments to the scene and all parties were
ready in their places and the unrelated personnel had left the set, he told the
both of them, “No need to rush, when you think you’re ready, just let me
know.”
Xia Xingcheng took off his bathrobe and sat on the bed in his underwear.
He raised his head and moved his slightly stiff neck, trying to relax his
strained nerves.
Standing by the bed, Yang Youming also took off his bathrobe, then threw it
aside in passing.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare look at him. Yet even so, out of the corner of his
eyes, he could clearly see Yang Youming’s beautiful male body and the
outline of his manhood through his underwear.
Yang Youming sat down at his bedside, and Xia Xingcheng subconsciously
withdrew his legs. At this time, he had already become Fang Jianyuan.
Yang Youming naturally also saw this, so he reached out and pulled the on
the bed to cover Xia Xingcheng’s legs.
Afterwards, Yang Youming didn’t speak, only holding Xia Xingcheng’s

hand.
According to the script and He Zheng’s requirements, this scene closely

followed the previous scene in the bathroom. The mood has already been
set off to a certain point, and on the bed, they could directly enter the
scene’s climax. However, it was cut apart when filming, so He Zheng gave
them time to find and immerse themselves in the mood.
Yang Youming held Xia Xingcheng with one hand as he raised his other
hand to Xia Xingcheng’s head to gently stroke the hair behind his ear, then
his nape, then lightly going down to caress his back.
Warm palms against naked skin—Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but swallow
a mouthful of saliva. He could feel a soft itch, not just from Yang
Youming’s touch, but more from the effects on his heart.
Yang Youming raised his legs and got on the bed. Xia Xingcheng separated
his legs, letting Yang Youming kneel in front of him and press him down.
The always covered Yang Youming’s ass, yet it revealed his beautiful
waistline. He pressed Xia Xingcheng down and kissed his lips.
He Zheng wordlessly motioned to begin filming.
This was the first time Xia Xingcheng experienced the feeling of getting
pressed down by a man with his legs apart, but he couldn’t resist immersing
himself in Yang Youming’s kiss, and he felt the kiss getting gradually
deeper and stronger.
His breaths started to get rougher, and he couldn’t help tilting his head
upwards.
Yang Youming took the opportunity to bite his adam’s apple, pinching his
waist with one hand and caressing his face and jaw with the other.
Then, Xia Xingcheng felt Yang Youming bearing down on him. His eyes
instantly widened and his face turned a deep red. Although he’d been
mentally prepared for a while, this kind of action was nevertheless too
much for his heart to bear.
Yang Youming buried his head next to Xia Xingcheng’s neck, breathing
heavily, and the downwards motion of his body grew even greater.
This was of course merely an act, and they weren’t having real sex, but in a
sense, these actions could also be considered sexual.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t restrain his body’s reaction at all, and it was
evident that Yang Youming also had a hard time controlling his own.
As soon as filming stopped, Yang Youming immediately got off of him.

Sitting at the bedside with his back to the camera, he picked up the
bathrobes on the ground and handed Xia Xingcheng his bathrobe.
The blanket was still covering Xia Xingcheng. When he received the
bathrobe, he said, “Thank you.”
Yang Youming turned and left the set.
☆☆☆
🙂
t/n – hiii i’m back! hopefully for good it was recently announced that there’s gonna be an official
audio drama for the star around the sun ❤ go check out the promotional video here!
The summertime heat had not yet passed, and the sunlight that hit the
asphalt road still reflected a bright white, but the most unforgettable
summer vacation of Fang Jianyuan’s life was coming to an end.
In the afternoon, he sat alone in the grocery store, minding the counter. His
mother had just gotten better but was already off playing mahjong next
door. Even if no one played with her, she would insist on sitting there all
afternoon.
Fang Jianyuan took a pen and casually scribbled random doodles on an old
newspaper. This was when a woman came and announced that this beautiful
summer vacation was over in advance.
The woman had shoulder-length hair and appeared to be twenty-seven or

twenty-eight years old. She was not particularly beautiful, but she was tall
and thin and wore a stylish white dress and had lipstick on.
She stood in front of the grocery store counter and asked Fang Jianyuan,
“Little brother, does Yu Haiyang live here?”
Fang Jianyuan, who had been lying lazily on the counter, gradually
straightened up. He stared at her and asked, “What are you here for?”
The woman was carrying a small red bag and a big one in her hand. She
said, “I’m looking for him. Does he live here?”
Fang Jianyuan was still holding a pen in his hand, unaware of his trembling
lashes. “Who are you?”
The woman smiled and said, “I’m his wife.”

Fang Jianyuan’s ears rang. Thinking that he hadn’t heard her words clearly,
he asked again seriously, “Who are you?”
The woman probably thought he was a little slow. She raised her hand and
clutched the small bag slung over her shoulder and said, “I’m Yu Haiyang’s
wife. This is the address he gave earlier. He said he rented a room. He lives
here, right?”
Famg Jianyuan’s image was reflected on the glass display counter beside
him. His cheeks and lips paled in an instant. He didn’t know what had
stealthily wiped out all the sweat on his body, but he suddenly felt a little
cold and unconsciously shivered.
He heard his own voice saying, “Oh, he lives here. On the third floor.” But
it didn’t feel like he was the one speaking.
The woman entered the grocery store with her bags. “Then I’ll go up to his
room.”
All of a sudden, Fang Jianyuan rose to his feet and came out from behind
the counter, blocking the woman. “He’s not here right now. And how do I
know that you’re really his wife?” He stubbornly refused to admit it, nor
did he want to let the woman in, even though he sounded like he was about
to cry.
The woman gave him an odd look.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. Yu Haiyang gasped

roughly, drenched in sweat, as if he had run a long way. He came into the
grocery store and grabbed the woman’s wrist. “Why are you here?”
The woman said, “Didn’t I tell you I was coming.”
Panting, Yu Haiyang looked at Fang Jianyuan. He opened his mouth, but

failed to speak, then swallowed another mouthful of saliva and said, “Xiao
Yuan, this is my wife, Xu Jia. You can call her Jia jie.”
Turning to his wife Xu Jia, he said, “The landlord’s son, Xiao Yuan.”
Xu Jia smiled and waved at Fang Jianyuan
Fang Jianyuan didn’t respond. He looked straight at Yu Haiyang, the

corners of his eyes gradually turning red, and his eyes slowly grew from
lifeless to vicious.
Yu Haiyang took the big bag from Xu Jia’s hand, put his arms around her
waist and urged her to walk inside. “Go to my room first.”
Xu Jia followed him through the grocery store and walked over to the stairs.
When they got to the second floor, Yu Haiyang stopped and handed the bag
back to Xu Jia. “My room is on the third floor. The door isn’t locked so go
up first, I forgot something downstairs.”
Xu Jia received the bag and said, “Hurry up.”
Yu Haiyang turned and went back down, speeding up and running after
turning a corner. He returned to the grocery store and saw that Fang
Jianyuan was still standing in the same place, so he went over and hugged
him.
On a summer afternoon, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.
Fang Jianyuan was held in Yu Haiyang’s arms. He was motionless at first,

but after a while, he began to struggle violently.
Yu Haiyang tried to press his head on his shoulder, lowering his voice and
saying, “Baby, don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you later.”
Fang Jianyuan pushed him, his throat letting out a hoarse roar. He wasn’t
strong enough to push Yu Haiyang away, so he dropped down so Yu
Haiyang wouldn’t be able to hold him.
Yu Haiyang could only grab his arm, trying to pull him back up.
Unexpectedly, Fang Jianyuan suddenly opened his mouth and bit Yu

Haiyang’s palm.
Yu Haiyang let out a pained groan, but he didn’t push Fang Jianyuan away,
still holding him with his other hand as he let Fan Jianyuan bite him.
It wasn’t until blood flowed from Fang Jianyuan’s lips that he slowly
released his mouth.
Yu Haiyang couldn’t hold Fang Jianyuan with one hand, letting him slide to
the ground. He looked down at his bloody bitten palm.
Tears mixed with snot and blood from the corner of his mouth ran down.
Fang Jianyuan’s whole face was a total mess.
Yu Haiyang opened his mouth in pain and gasped for breath. He rummaged
for a new roll of gauze from the counter, then opened it and wrapped it
around his arms carelessly. After, he crouched down, stretching his arms
under Fang Jianyuan’s underarms, and lifted him from the ground, helping
him sit on the chair.
There was still unused gauze on the counter. Yu Haiyang used his remaining
hand to wipe at the blood and tears on Fang Jianyuan’s face and said, “I
have to go to the hospital. You take care of yourself. Don’t let your mother
—them—notice.”
With that, he went to the head of the stairs and facing the upper floor, he
shouted, “There’s something going on in the factory. I have to go there right
away.” Without waiting for Xu Jia to respond, he hurried out of the grocery
store, his hands covered with gauze, already soaked through with blood.
Fang Jianyuan remained on the chair without saying a word.
☆☆☆
Even though filming was over and the lights were dimmed, Xia Xingcheng
still sat there unmoving. He closed his eyes and raised his head. Although
his tears had long since ceased falling, he was still deeply immersed in the
emotion, and it was hard to extricate himself from it.
The “wound” on Yang Youming’s hand was washed off, and Li Yun gave
him a clean and soft towel for him to wipe off the water on his hand.
Lowering his head, he dried his hands carefully, then handed the towel back
to Li Yun and said, “Do you have any wet wipes?”
Li Yun stared blankly, but then dug out two wet wipes from the big bag next
to him and handed them over.
In fact, there was already someone by Xia Xingcheng’s side. Xiao Tang was
waiting for him with a wet wipe on hand, but Xia Xingcheng didn’t
respond. Xiao Tang also didn’t dare to help wipe his face.
When Yang Youming made his way toward Xia Xingcheng with the wet
wipes, He Zheng grabbed his arm, shaking his head at him.
Yang Youming silently waved He Zheng’s hand off, still wanting to go. As
a result, he Zheng dragged him back once again, this time exerting a lot of
effort. He said, “Don’t go. If you go, he’ll have a harder time breaking away
from his character.”
At this time, Shen Yan, the actress who played Xu Jia in the movie, came
over and greeted Yang Youming with a smile.
Yang Youming crumpled the wet wipes in his hand and no longer persisted
to go over to Xia Xingcheng’s side.
Xia Xingcheng opened his eyes at last. He took the wipes offered by Xiao
Tang and stood up to wipe his face in front of the prop mirror. He wiped his
face very carefully, erasing all the blood and tears on his face.
The next day, in the wee hours of the morning, Xia Xingcheng woke up
before it was even 4 am and couldn’t go back to sleep. He turned on a floor
lamp near the bed, lifted the quilt, and sat up, sliding his feet into slippers
and leaving the bedside.
He slightly raised the temperature of the air conditioner. Dressed only in a

pair of briefs, he sat down by the bay window, then reached out to the
closed curtains to open a narrow seam and looked out.
The hotel was very close to the film and TV studio where the movie was
being shot. In actuality, the vicinity was not at all lively. Gazing out into the
distance, you wouldn’t be able to see that many tall buildings nor bright
lights.
When Xia Xingcheng drew back slightly and pulled away from the window,
he caught sight of his own reflection. His wan and frail body no longer
resembled himself.
Xia Xingcheng lit a cigarette, sandwiching it between his fingers, slowly

taking a drag of smoke. He wasn’t much of a smoker. If he could choose,
he’d rather have a glass of wine. But he had to get out of bed and start
filming in about an hour, and he can’t let himself be drunk in front of the
camera, so he could only rely on smoking to dull his nerves.
This wasn’t the first day he suffered from insomnia. He’d already been
continuously suffering from it for several days in a row, beginning right
after he’d finish shooting the sex scene with Yang Youming.
That night, he had a dream. In the dream, he had sex with Yang Youming on
set, and there was no one else around. He was stripped naked and pushed
down; they kissed and touched each other, yet his heart was incredibly
irritable. He heard the sound of footsteps and voices coming from outside,
and as he told Yang Youming that someone was approaching, the footsteps
grew closer and closer.
Xia Xingcheng was so frightened that he woke up. As he lay in bed, he
realised that it had been a dream, and he breathed a sigh of relief. However,
he could no longer sleep.
He didn’t have that dream again in the next few days, that is, he would
wake up in the middle of the night, eyes opened wide and completely sober
that he couldn’t fall back asleep. Until today—when he had the same dream
again, but this time they were really caught, and the person who caught
them was Yang Youming’s wife. In Xia Xingcheng’s dream, Yang
Youming’s wife’s face was blurred, as if it was Shen Yan acting as Xu Jia
yet also Yuan Qian, and he couldn’t quite tell whether he was sleeping with
Yang Youming or Yu Haiyang.
Whether it was a dream and reality, or the movie and reality, he was
completely muddled.
In the following days, Xia Xingcheng’s mood kept rising and falling, and
filming was extremely difficult to endure.
Yu Haiyang was bitten by Fang Jianyuan. When Yu Haiyang came back

from the hospital that day, his hands were wrapped in thick gauze and he
didn’t have an opportunity to talk to Fang Jianyuan until early the next
morning. Before Fang Jianyuan got up, Yu Haiyang snuck into his room.
Xia Xingcheng was only dressed in briefs and a tank top. Wrapped in a thin
blanket, he lay on the bed, eyes shut, but he knew that Yang Youming
would be coming in.
Very lightly, Yang Youming entered the room. Crouching at his bedside, he
softly called, “Xiao Yuan.” Since he was about to go to work, he wore a
light gray shirt and linen trousers.
Xia Xingcheng slowly opened his eyes, appearing as if he had just woken
up. When he caught sight of the man next to his bed, his heart beat with a
bit of fear. Then his eyes cleared up, brimming with anger. He lifted the
blanket and jumped out of bed, and regardless of clothes or even slippers,
he pushed Yang Youming out in silence.
The entire filming set was silent. Shen Yan also sat behind He Zheng,
watching them film. She was 30 years old this year and had been filming
for almost ten years. Her acting skills were good and her popularity wasn’t
low, yet it had always been so-so, neither lukewarm nor particularly hot. In
the past two years, she had played the second female lead in many TV
dramas.
Yang Youming hugged Xia Xingcheng. He didn’t want to leave, but he also
couldn’t make too much noise. He whispered in his ear, “I’ll say two words
to you, just two words, Xiao Yuan.”
Xia Xingcheng struggled without saying a word. He genuinely exerted a lot

of strength, so much so that he even tore off a button on Yang Youming’s
collar.
And Yang Youming’s hand wrapped in gauze was also increasingly oozing
red, which was of course due to the effect of the bloodbag prop.
As they were mutually struggling, Xia Xingcheng accidentally kicked his

toe on a bedpost and immediately felt a burst of unbearable pain. He
couldn’t help but let out a low cry, his strength leaving him as he crouched
on the ground, reaching out to grab his toe.
This accident was not scripted, but Xia Xingcheng continued to act. Yang
Youming quickly cooperated with him, bending down to pick him up and
sitting him down on the edge of the bed.
Xia Xingcheng stopped resisting.
Yang Youming squatted down halfway, holding Xia Xingcheng’s foot. He

examined his toe carefully and said, “There’s no bleeding.”
Xia Xingcheng retracted his foot, the soles of his feet treading on the edge
of the bed, and clasped his arms around his bent legs.
Yang Youming, still crouching by the bed, looked up and said, “Can you
listen to me now?”
Xia Xingcheng did not meet his eyes, and with a hoarse voice, he
emotionlessly said, “What do you want to say?”
☆☆☆
Yang Youming was very skilled in expressing his lines, his voice was soft
and clear, the emotions meticulous and intonations natural.
Facing Xia Xingcheng, he said, “My parents urged me to marry ever since I
was 25. Until two years ago, my mother was seriously ill. When she was
lying on a hospital bed in a critical condition for the second time, she told
me that if she didn’t see me get married, she wouldn’t die in peace.”
Xia Xingcheng said serenely, “So you went and got married?”
“Her health later took a turn for the better and before she was discharged
from the hospital, she introduced me to Xu Jia and arranged a blind date.
We got married less than three months after we met.” Yang Youming was
crouching by the bed, looking up at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng did not meet his eyes from the beginning to the end, saying
impatiently, “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”
Yang Youming wanted to hold Xia Xingcheng’s hand to his leg but Xia
Xingcheng avoided his touch, so he continued, “Do you know why I got
married in less than three months? I don’t like her, and she doesn’t like me,
we’re both just looking for someone to marry. That’s it. Maybe you can’t
see, but Xu Jia is actually a year older than me, and she couldn’t stand the
pressure from her family. At that age, she needed to find a man to marry
and whether she wanted to or not doesn’t matter.”
Xia Xingcheng finally looked into his eyes and said, “Why do you say that
she doesn’t love you?”
Yang Youming said, “You can feel whether a person loves you or not.”
Xia Xingcheng added, “Have you ever slept with her?”
Yang Youming slowly stood up. He leaned against the wall and bowed his
head, not answering.
Xia Xingcheng spat out his words in quick succession, his resentment
evident, “You don’t love her, and she doesn’t love you. Then do you want to
get divorced?”
Yang Youming was silent for a moment. He said, “Xiao Yuan, there are
many things in life that you can’t go about as you please. When you reach
my age, you’ll understand.”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed the alarm clock on the bedside table and repeatedly
smashed it down on Yang Youming’s body, right on the man’s lower
abdomen. Then it fell to the ground and rolled twice.
Eyebrow wrinkled slightly, Yang Youming subconsciously raised his hand

to the place where his lower abdomen was hit.
Stunned, Xia Xingcheng failed to say his lines. He became absent-minded.

Not knowing whether to speak to Yang Youming or He Zheng, he said,
“I’m sorry.” Then he got out of bed and went over to Yang Youming and
asked, “Ming ge, are you okay?”
He was aware of how many times he had struck down just now. Although it
was only a special prop, Xia Xingcheng was still afraid of hitting Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming shook his head and said, “It’s fine.”
He Zheng stood up from his small stool and looked their way, asking, “Are
you injured?”
Yang Youming said to him, “It’s nothing, you can continue.”
He Zheng glanced at Xia Xingcheng and said to Yang Youming, “Let’s

break and see if you’re injured.”
When He Zheng ended the shot and sat down, Shen Yan approached him
and said, “Xia Xingcheng acted really well. Among actors his age, this is
the first time I’ve seen one so immersed in their role.”
He Zheng watched the playback on the monitor, and hearing Shen Yan, he
only grabbed his hair and sighed.
Shen Yan added, “Also, there’s a tacit understanding between him and Yang
Youming.”
At this, He Zheng said, “Xiao Xia is good, and Youming can bring him into
his role. It’s very good.”
Xia Xingcheng’s gaze was still on Yang Youming, the concern on his face
palpable.
Yang Youming smiled and told him, “It’s really all right. The alarm clock is
light as a feather, it won’t hurt anyone.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a ‘Mm’ and said, “I’m sorry.”
The smile on Yang Youming’s face gradually became a little complicated.

“You don’t look too good these days,” he said.
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously raised his hand and touched his face. “I
haven’t been sleeping very well recently.”
“Insomnia?” Yang Youming asked him.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t confirm nor deny. He took the cup handed by Xiao
Tang. It contained coffee, but he didn’t hurry to drink it. He merely sat
down at his bedside and looked up at Yang Youming, asking, “Ming ge, will
you be affected by the roles you’re acting out?”
Unexpectedly, Yang Youming said, “Of course I will.”
Xia Xingcheng silently touched the bottom of the cup with his fingers.
Yang Youming said to him, “However, I will readjust myself after filming.
You can’t always think about it. The more you think about it, the easier it is
to trap yourself in it.” With that, he added, “It leads to insomnia too.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and slowly took a sip of coffee.
Yang Youming stared at Xia Xingcheng silently. After about half a minute,
he looked up and suddenly exclaimed loudly to the people around him,
“How’s this, I’ll treat you all to afternoon tea–coffee, tea, and cake, you’re
all free to order whatever and I’ll take care of the expenses.”
He Zheng whistled first, and it was followed by the rest of the staff
members’ cheers.
Xia Xingcheng still didn’t look up. He sipped on his coffee until the cup
was empty, then stood up and told He Zheng, “Director He, I can start at
any time.”
Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang parted on bad terms.
No matter how Yu Haiyang explained his mindset and expressed his

feelings for Fang Jianyuan, it all seemed unforgivable to Fang Jianyuan.
At the end of the scene, Xia Xingcheng glared at Yang Youming with red
eyes and yelled, “Get lost! You’re a liar! Get out of my house! I never want
to see you again!”
Yang Youming nodded repeatedly. His eyes were full of helplessness and
exhaustion. As he walked outside, he said, “I love you, Xiao Yuan.”
In the afternoon, when the on-site manager’s assistant approached Xia

Xingcheng with his phone and asked Xia Xingcheng what he wanted for
afternoon tea, he told the assistant that he didn’t need anything. In the end,
when the food was delivered, the assistant still came over and brought him
chocolate cake.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Didn’t I say I didn’t need any?”

The assistant clearly didn’t understand what was wrong. When she turned to
look for someone to ask, Yang Youming took the cake from her and said to
Xia Xingcheng, “I asked them to buy it for you.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately moved to stand up.
Pressing down on his shoulder to keep him seated, Yang Youming sat next
to him. He opened the box containing the cake, took out the small plastic
spoon inside and handed it to Xia Xingcheng. “Eating something sweet can
make people relax. And since you have insomnia, it’s better if you don’t
drink coffee. “
Xia Xingcheng reached out for the spoon, but the cake was still in Yang
Youming’s hands.
Yang Youming said, “You’re too thin.”
Laughing, Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s needed for the character ma.” He
couldn’t bear to meet Yang Youming’s eyes, so he bowed his head and took
a spoonful of cake. Hesitating, he handed the spoon containing the bit of
cake to Yang Youming and first asked him, “Do you want to eat it?”
Yang Youming opened his mouth to eat the cake, careful not to touch the
spoon. After he swallowed it down, he said, “It tastes good, you should eat
a little more.”
☆☆☆
t/n – (just me rambling! don’t read lol) i really liked this chapter. the way
the author utilized POV switches(?) for this period of filming really
showcases the blurred lines theme of the novel. she differentiates how she
refers to the characters; sometimes it’s simply fang jianyuan and yu haiyang
on their own –in their own story– and sometimes it’s xia xingcheng and
yang youming playing their characters. here you can clearly tell that yu
haiyang’s situation somehow mirrors yang youming’s irl (with the whole
having a wife thing) and while xia xingcheng was acting out fang jianyuan
as he asked him those questions -you don’t love her, she doesn’t love you,
are you getting divorced etc.– in a way it’s also the real him asking the real
yang youming :’)
anyway there’s more sweetness in the coming chapters so get ready for
that~
Xia Xingcheng began to fear the night due to unceasing insomnia.
Before he lay in bed, he began to wonder what he’d do if he couldn’t go

back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. He worried
whether this prolonged lack of sleep would increasingly worsen the state of
his mind.
Xia Xingcheng knew that this was actually a kind of psychological self-
suggestion, but he still couldn’t get rid of this anxiety.
After taking a bath, Xia Xingcheng crouched down by the bed in his
bathrobe and played soothing music on his laptop. He didn’t know how
effective it would be, but he at least wanted to give it a try.
No sooner had the music played than Xia Xingcheng heard someone
knocking on his door. He went over to open the door and saw Xiao Tang
standing outside.
Carrying items in both hands, Xiao Tang followed him into the room and
said, “Xing ge, I brought you a cup of hot milk.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at him. “Where did you get hot milk?”
Xiao Tang put his things on the TV cabinet and handed the thermos cup to
Xia Xingcheng, “I asked the hotel to heat it up for me.”
Xia Xingcheng reached out and took the cup. He looked down at it for a
moment, then looked back up at Xiao Tang, “Why give me hot milk?”
Xiao Tang smiled. “They say it helps you fall asleep.”

Xia Xingcheng has hired Xiao Tang for such a long time, so he naturally
knew that Xiao Tang wasn’t this quick-witted. He hasn’t told Xiao Tang
about his insomnia at all, and since Xiao Tang wasn’t even able to spot that,
how would he know to prepare hot milk for him. The only one who knew
that he had insomnia was Yang Youming.
“Did Ming ge ask you to bring me hot milk?” Xia Xingcheng slowly
unscrewed the lid of the thermos cup, and a stream of hot air flew up to his
face.
Xiao Tang laughed somewhat shamelessly. “Ming ge asked me to send it

and he also told me not to say a thing.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at the faintly rippling surface of the milk in the
thermos cup, lost in thought. Then he took a small sip and found that the
temperature was just right. While drinking milk, he walked over to the TV
cabinet to look at the other things that Xiao Tang had brought.
He found that Xiao Tang had also brought a diffuser and a small bottle of
lavender essential oil.
“Ming ge asked you to bring all this?” Xia Xingcheng turned and asked
Xiao Tang.
Xiao Tang nodded, “Yun jie called me directly and told me to go to her and
send it over to you.” Xiao Tang hesitated before he continued, “Xing ge,
don’t tell Ming ge that I told you.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I know. Go and rest up first.”
Xiao Tang left, and Xia Xingcheng was once again the only one in the
room.
A little less than half of the milk remained in the thermos cup. He went to
the bay window and sat down, sipping at the milk, somewhat reluctant to
finish it all. The milk had a touch of sweetness which could only be tasted
on the tip of the tongue. Despite himself, Xia Xingcheng felt that the
sweetness went all the way down his throat to the depths of his body.
After drinking the milk, Xia Xingcheng moved closer to the light to read
the diffuser’s instruction manual, then went to the bathroom to fill it with
water. Placing it on his nightstand, he poured a few drops of the lavender
essential oil then plugged it in and pressed the switch.
The diffuser made a barely detectable noise, and after a while it sprayed out
lavender-scented mist.
Sitting on the floor by his nightstand, Xia Xingcheng watched the diffuser
in a daze. His life had always been relatively rough, and he had never
owned these exquisite gadgets at home. Even if he did, he probably
wouldn’t even use them.
But at this time, he didn’t want to do anything. Once in a while, he would

stretch out his hand over the mist and feel the mist soak the hollow of his
palm. He withdrew his hand and approached the source of the mist nose-
first, wanting to seek out the lavender scent.
Yu Haiyang was moving out. He wasn’t just moving out but also being
transferred back to his original workplace at the end of summer. His job
here was only supposed to be a short transfer.
Before Yu Haiyang left, Mama Fang cooked a meal for the married couple.
Considering that Mama Fang was still recuperating, Yu Haiyang firmly
refused at first, but Mama Fang had already gone out early in the morning
to buy a lot of food, so Yu Haiyang and Xu Jia helped Mama Fang cook
dinner in the kitchen that afternoon.
Fang Jianyuan sat in the grocery store and read a book at random. He had to
find something to do in order to temporarily stop himself from indulging in
flights of fancy.
Until it was time to eat, Fang Jianyuan never moved.
Yu Haiyang came out of the kitchen and called him, “Xiao Yuan, time to
eat.”
Fang Jianyuan put down his pen and went around the counter to close the
shop.
Yu Haiyang went over to help him. As he reached out to pull the wooden
door closed, his hands met with Fang Jianyuan’s. Fang Jianyuan
immediately withdrew his hand and kept his distance from Yu Haiyang.
No words left Fang Jianyuan’s mouth, and his expression was cold and
detached.
Back in the kitchen, the four people sat down for dinner around the square
table.
Mama Fang faintly sighed, “Ey, Xiao Yu, you haven’t even lived here long
but you’re about to leave.”
Yu Haiyang said, “It’s a job transfer, there’s nothing I can do either. But
Chongfeng isn’t far from here, so I can come back to see you both often.”
Having heard this, Mama Fang only smiled wordlessly. To her, this was
merely polite pleasantries. Even friends and relatives who lived far away
didn’t necessarily come to visit them once a year, let alone a tenant who’d
only stayed here for a short time.
With chopsticks in his hand, Fang Jianyuan appeared to be constantly eating

things, but he only picked at a few dishes and sent it into his mouth
expressionlessly.
Yu Haiyang’s right hand was wrapped in thick gauze, and if he unraveled

the bandages, you’d be able to make out the bitemark, so he didn’t dare
open it until it was completely healed. He held his chopsticks in his left
hand and clumsily clipped a piece of fish for Fang Jianyuan.
Fang Jianyuan did not look at him and left the piece of fish in his bowl,
unwilling to touch it.
Mama Fang said, “Xiao Yuan will start school soon anyway, and he’ll go
back to Chongfeng.”
“I’ll leave my home phone number with Xiao Yuan later and he can give
me a call if something happens at school,” Yu Haiyang said.
As Xu Jia wasn’t familiar with the Fang family’s mother and son, she
refrained from speaking too much and only ate quietly.
Mama Fang, fearing that she was giving off a cold shoulder, said to Yu
Haiyang, “Xiao Yu, pick out food for your wife. You both don’t have to be
so polite with me.”
Yu Haiyang sent a slice of pork with bamboo shoots to Xu Jia’s bowl.
Xu Jia said, “I don’t eat bamboo shoots.” She picked the bamboo shoots out
of her bowl and put them into Yu Haiyang’s. After that, she no longer paid
attention to Yu Haiyang. While eating the dishes, she casually chatted with
Mama Fang about the situation at home.
It was very inconvenient for Yu Haiyang to use his left hand, but it was as if
Xu Jia didn’t notice at all.
Only Fang Jianyuan occasionally glanced at Yu Haiyang’s clumsy posture

of holding his chopsticks. He then lowered his line of sight indifferently and
ate his meal.
Mama Fang wanted to ask Fang Jianyuan to get beer at first, but she was
dissuaded from doing so by Yu Haiyang. Her body hasn’t completely
recovered from the surgery, and since Yu Haiyang’s hand was wounded,
there was only Xu Jia and Fang Jianyuan left, and the beer could not be
drunk.
“Ey–” sighed Mama Fang. “You’re about to leave soon and I can’t even
drink with you.”
Smiling, Yu Haiyang said, “There will be other opportunities in the future.”
After dinner, Xu Jia helped Mama Fang clear the table and wash the dishes.
Fang Jianyuan was stopped by Yu Haiyang on the staircase leading to the

second floor.
The lights in the stairwell weren’t on, and as the distant lights shone
through the window, Yu Haiyang said to Fang Jianyuan, “Xiao Yuan, I have
to go.”
Fang Jianyuan suddenly recalled the night when Yu Haiyang helped him
move the fan from the first floor all the way upstairs. It was right here when
he said to him, “It’s all my fault that my baby is angry.”
Tears filled his eyes in an instant.
☆☆☆
t/n – i’d love it if you guys could comment once in a while so it won’t feel like i’m translating into
😀
the void ;__; lol anyways just a heads up, i might not update tomorrow because something came up
and i probably won’t have time to tl but we’ll see
Fang Jianyuan was no longer angry. Only pain remained. It was like a knife
was stabbing right into his heart at every moment, everywhere he goes. The
wound has already scabbed over time and time again with great difficulty
until it finally stopped bleeding, yet Yu Haiyang’s every word and every
action was like a blade that cut open the wound once more.
Fang Jianyuan didn’t cry, but it was clear that the rims of his eyes were
brimming with unshed tears. The man in front of him grew blurred with it,
leaving only a silhouette that gradually became unfamiliar. He said to Yu
Haiyang, “I wish you happiness.”
Then Fang Jianyuan turned and continued to run upstairs.
From the camera angle of Yu Haiyang’s perspective, in the wake of Fang

Jianyuan gradually moving away, Xia Xingcheng’s scenes in the studio
were finally completed.
When the director called for a stop, he stopped at the top of the stairs and
gripped the handrails, unmoving for a long time.
Yang Youming stood in place and looked up at him, but did not come up.
Walking out from behind the monitor, He Zheng came down the stairs and
approached Xia Xingcheng, giving him a heavy pat on the shoulder. “Not
bad.”
It was only then that Yang Youming turned and left.
The tears in Xia Xingcheng’s eyes could no longer be held back as they
finally fell. Raising his hands to wipe his tears away, he looked at He Zheng
with a smile.
Although He Zheng was not as tall as Xia Xingcheng, he hugged Xia
Xingcheng’s head with his thin arms, letting him lean on his shoulder and
patting the top of his head. He said, “Good child.”
The nearby crew made hurried preparations for the transition.
The next part of the movie would involve external location filming, and
since Yang Youming’s scenes were given priority, other scenes wouldn’t be
filmed until all his scenes have been completely shot.
Most of the location filming was to be done in a remote county town up

north, as well as the village next to it.
They couldn’t find suitable accommodations in both the town nor

neighbouring village, and as a result, the cast and crew would be staying at
the city centre which was a two-hour drive from the village. This required
them to get up early to rush to the filming site every day.
As the tail end of summer was still upon them, the first scene they shot in
the small town was of Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang swimming in a pool.
The small town’s indoor swimming pool was built more than a decade ago,
but since it hasn’t been put to use for many years, in order to film, the
production team spent money to clean out the whole pool and fill it with
fresh water.
Xia Xingcheng wore a loose long-sleeved t-shirt and trousers over his
swimming trunks. It’s been a long time since he last went swimming.
Standing by the pool, he stretched his arms and feet to warm-up.
Although the pool had been cleaned, there were still many dark stains on
the walls and floor that couldn’t be scrubbed off. The colour of the window
frames and ceiling had also yellowed with age, looking very shabby.
The swimming pool had seeked out a lot of local families to bring their
children to act as extras. Unlike the professional extras in the film and tv
city, they were constantly curious about Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming,
standing in a circle to watch them before filming began.
At this time, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t afford to deal with the eyes of the
people around him. From the very beginning, he had been adjusting his
emotions. This portion of the location filming was the part where the
feelings between Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang entered a sweet period of
time, yet internally, he was still immersed in a dense sadness that was hard
to pull away from.
He crouched down by the pool, looked at his reflection on the water’s

surface and smiled at himself.
When he had not yet recovered his smile, he heard the excited cheers of
girls around him, so he looked up and turned back. He caught sight of Yang
Youming coming from the direction of the dressing room, wearing only a
pair of swimming trunks.
Yang Youming’s shoulders were wide, his waist narrow. His chest and
abdomen had beautiful muscles, and his V-line narrowed down and
disappeared into his black swimming trunks. Underneath, his legs were
long, straight, and looked firm and powerful.
Xia Xingcheng hadn’t not seen Yang Youming’s body, yet it wasn’t in a
brightly lit public place such as here. His face immediately reddened.
Turning around, he buried his head on the side of his leg.
Yang Youming walked to the side of the pool, did a simple stretch, then
jumped into the pool in a very professional-looking move.
The innocent children in the pool clapped their hands at his beautiful entry
into the water.
Yang Youming dived into the water but did not swim forward. Submerging
himself, he turned around and suddenly his head emerged from under the
water’s surface, appearing right in front of Xia Xingcheng, splashing Xia
Xingcheng’s feet in the process.
As he tread water, he wiped his face with his hand, and then shook his wet
hair to fling off water like a wet animal.
Water droplets fell on his face, and Xia Xingcheng subconsciously tilted his
head back and closed his eyes.
Yang Youming put his arm on the edge of the swimming pool, looked up at
Xia Xingcheng and smiled, “Can you swim?”
Xia Xingcheng gazed at his gentle eyes, straight nose, and moist lips, and
laughed and exclaimed, “Of course.”
Yang Youming said, “Come on, race with me, one lap back and forth.”
Xia Xingcheng replied, “Come on.” He stood up, and under Yang
Youming’s gaze, slowly took off his clothes.
When he undressed, his mind was thrown into a slight confusion. He was
afraid that Yang Youming would stare, yet also hoped for Yang Youming to
watch. He recalled the other day’s sex scene and Yang Youming’s impulsive
physical reaction and surmised that Yang Youming might be interested in
his body.
However, as these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xia Xingcheng was
not sure what he was thinking nor what he wanted at all. Casting aside his
clothes, only a pair of swimming trunks remained on his body. Then, he
saw Yang Youming holding out a hand for him.
He was stunned at first, then gave up the idea of entering the water with a
chic move. Bending down to hold Yang Youming’s hand, he looked like a
child as he slowly slid into the water.
His body sank down under, and Yang Youming quickly held his waist. His
face rubbed against Yang Youming’s chest, and then he kicked up to float
on the surface of the water.
Yang Youming let go of his hand, retreated to the neighbouring swimming

lane and looked at him, “Shall we start?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded.

They found an extra on the deck to act as the referee, and once they heard a
yell to start, Xia Xingcheng instantly swam forward.
He was a pretty skilled swimmer and used to take part in school sports
meets on behalf of the faculty when he was still in university.
Therefore, he immediately rushed out at the start of the race, wanting to

distance himself from Yang Youming’s tail.
But Yang Youming soon caught up, and in a moment, he had already
reached Xia Xingcheng’s legs. Xia Xingcheng, this youngster, grew
competitive and he gritted his teeth as he sped up.
Yang Youming failed to overtake him and was always half a body behind
him.
Xia Xingcheng had exhausted all his strength after going all-out, swimming
faster than he ever had in the school sports meets. Although he couldn’t
increase his distance from Yang Youming, he finally returned to the starting
point first.
His upper body lay on the edge of the pool as he gasped for breath. He
turned his head to look at Yang Youming in the next swimming lane over.
Yang Youming appeared to be more relaxed than him, only panting faintly.
Xia Xingcheng extended his hand to Yang Youming, his palm facing him.
Chuckling, Yang Youming gave him a high-five and said,

“Congratulations.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled while gasping for breath, sincerely happy to beat
Yang Youming.
It wasn’t until the day that he saw two citywide swimming trophies at Yang
Youming’s house which Yang Youming won in high school that he knew
that Yang Youming had deliberately lost to him at this time.
But at this time, he was truly in a good mood.

☆☆☆
t/n – THE TENSION…
things grew a bit hectic and i didn’t have as much time to tl as i thought i would so sorry for the late
😀
update! i kinda rushed this chapter because it’s 1 am where i am and im reaaally sleepy but i also
really wanted to post this so here we are
The subsequent filming went without a hitch.
He Zheng didn’t have that many demands. Except for a few lines and close-
up shots, he let the two of them play in the water by themselves.
There was basically no need for a script at all. No matter when and where,
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes would always fall on Yang Youming. When Yang
Youming spokr, he would gaze at Yang Youming earnestly and listen to him
with a smile on his face, but when Yang Youming’s eyes were on him, he
couldn’t help but slightly bow his head, subconsciously fidgeting.
He Zheng sat on a small stool behind the monitor with one hand on his jaw
and open fingers covering half his lips. His expression was somewhat
complicated as he wondered whether he ought to praise Xia Xingcheng for
adjusting his mood so well.
When the scene wrapped up, He Zheng raised both hands and gave them a
thumbs-up.
At the end of the day’s filming, the cast and crew returned to the hotel for
the night.
Xia Xingcheng took an early shower and returned to his bedside to turn on
the diffuser, letting the faint smell of lavender fill his entire room.
Actors were like this. They spend most of the year filming and spend more
days in a hotel room than at home. Once they’re familiar with one place,
they have to pack up and move to the next hotel room and familiarise
themselves with their environment all over again.
Xia Xingcheng sat at the head of the bed reading the next day’s script. His
phone was charging on the bedside table when the screen suddenly lit up to
show that he had received a message.
Before reading the contents of the message, he first caught a glimpse of

Yang Youming’s name. He immediately set the script aside and reached out
to pick up the phone.
Yang Youming had sent him a message, asking him, “Would you like to
have a midnight snack?“
Staring down at his phone, Xia Xingcheng was slightly stunned. They had
been filming together for such a long time, but this was the first time Yang
Youming privately invited him out. He had no time to think about the
particulars of his invitation and promptly replied with a “yes” for fear that
Yang Youming would suddenly change his mind. When he got up in a hurry
to change his clothes, he returned to his phone and typed a few words: “I’ll
be right out.”
Setting down his phone again, Xia Xingcheng walked over to the wardrobe,
his eyes sweeping over the row of clothes at lightning speed. At last, he
picked out a thin loose long-sleeved shirt and jeans and got changed. He
suddenly recalled something, then opened the safe next to the wardrobe and
took out the necklace Yang Youming gave him.
He turned the necklace over in his hand, but finally placed it back in its box,
stuffing it back into the safe.
He went back to his opened suitcase next to the bed, found a pair of
earrings and put them on. At last, he put on a hat and changed into sneakers,
then came out of the room with his phone and keycard.
When he walked out the door, Xia Xingcheng bumped into Yang Youming
who happened to be coming out of the next room, his door closing gently.
Yang Youming was also dressed casually, a similar baseball cap on his
head. It only needed to be pressed down slightly before the brim of the hat
would shroud most of his face in its shadow.
Xia Xingcheng was inexplicably excited. He walked side by side with Yang
Youming through the hallway, his sneakers barely making a sound on the
soft carpet. “Is it just the two of us?” he asked softly.
Yang Youming asked, “Do you want to invite others?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a quick glance at him and thought that it was probably
a genuine question, so he said, “No, just us.”
Yang Youming nodded. He first reached out and pressed on the elevator’s
button, then said to Xia Xingcheng, “Li Yun doesn’t eat midnight snacks.
She’s afraid of gaining weight.”
It was already more than eleven o’clock at night. They didn’t meet any
other guests along the way down from the elevator to the hotel lobby, and
only the hotel’s concierge looked up as they passed the front desk.
Yang Youming pushed open the hotel’s glass door and let Xia Xingcheng
through first before he followed him out.
The instant they exited the hotel, Xia Xingcheng unexpectedly felt a slight
chill. He said, “It’s a little colder here.”
Yang Youming let out a soft “Mm” from behind him.
Xia Xingcheng turned around and asked him, “Do you want to call a taxi?”
He didn’t know if Yang Youming had asked the driver to prepare the car.
Yet Yang Youming said, “There’s no need, it’s only about a ten minute walk
away.” With that, he reached into the pockets of his sports jacket and
walked down the steps of the hotel entrance.
Xia Xingcheng hurriedly followed him, maintaining a small distance from

the man. “What do you want to eat?”
Walking slowly, Yang Youming looked ahead and said, “I stayed in this
hotel two years ago. At that time, a friend took me to a midnight snack stall
that specialized in roasted pig’s feet. I still remember the flavour until now.”
“Roasted pig’s feet?” Xia Xingcheng couldn’t even summon up the image
of Yang Youming eating such a commoner food. In his eyes, Yang Youming
was unfailingly elegant at all times.
Yang Youming smiled. “That’s right, I remember the taste and the soft,
tender, sticky texture of pig feet. At that time, I thought that I definitely had
to eat it again if there’s ever a chance to.”
After walking along the wide street in front of the hotel, they turned to a
smaller lane which was lined with residential buildings on both sides. By
this time, most of them had already turned off the lights and went to sleep,
leaving only several street lights that were spaced apart. Their surroundings
were especially quiet, and Xia Xingcheng stared at their shadows for a short
while, watching the continuous back and forth of their bodies.
Yang Youming was right beside him. As they were walking, their hands
would bump into each other’s from time to time. Sometimes, a gust of wind
blew by and he would be able to smell the faint fragrance of Yang
Youming’s shower gel. He wanted to get a little closer to him, but he also
couldn’t.
When they almost reached the end of the lane, a dog suddenly sprang out
from the narrow alleyway between two residential buildings and barked at
Xia Xingcheng, who was closer to it.
It was originally quiet around them, and the dog’s sudden shrill barks
harshly startled Xia Xingcheng. He subconsciously dodged to the side, then
Yang Youming reached out and held on to his shoulder, pushing Xia
Xingcheng to his other side.
Yang Youming said, “Don’t be afraid.”
The dog barked at the entrance of the alley yet didn’t rush over.
They sped up and walked away. Under the street lights, Xia Xingcheng
caught sight of the mild smile on Yang Youming’s face. Seeming to notice
Xia Xingcheng’s line of sight, he turned to look back at Xia Xingcheng and
said, “Are you scared of dogs?”
In an instant, Xia Xingcheng flushed red and replied, “Not scared. It just
startled me because it suddenly came out of nowhere.”
The smile on Yang Youming’s face did not fade. He nodded and said,
“Really?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t want Yang Youming to really think that he was afraid
of a dog and wanted to explain himself, but Yang Youming’s footsteps
suddenly came to a halt and he whispered in Xia Xingcheng’s ear, “We’re
here.”
When he said this, Yang Youming’s lips were practically pressed to Xia
Xingcheng’s ear.
Looking up, Xia Xingcheng saw a wide street that appeared out of the end
of the small lane. The sides of the road were very wide. Someone had set up
a roadside stall, and there were at least seven or eight tables around the
stall, most of them were already full with customers.
No wonder Yang Youming had spoken to him in a low voice.
–Because even if you couldn’t see their faces, just by looking at their tall
builds, their combined presence in this place was still very eye-catching.
☆☆☆
Only one table in the corner of the roadside stall was still empty, probably
because it was a bit far from the streetlights. Since the lighting wasn’t too
good, no one had come to sit down.
But this was perfect for Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming.
The table and chairs were both very low. Xia Xingcheng felt that Yang
Youming’s long legs looked very wronged when he sat down. Of course, he
himself wasn’t too comfortable either, but Yang Youming looked quite
indifferent to it. He used a tissue to casually wipe the table in front of Xia
Xingcheng and asked, “What else do you want to eat?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately took two tissues himself to wipe the table,
saying, “Let me do that.”
Yang Youming didn’t stop.
Xia Xingcheng then asked, “Is there anything else besides roasted pig’s
feet?”
Yang Youming said, “I remember there was also fried egg noodles.”
Xia Xingcheng looked a little troubled.
Yang Youming’s voice was soft as he said, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “I do want to eat, but I’m worried that I won’t be
able to maintain my figure.” Even though he was young and didn’t gain
weight easily, he had to control his appetite at all times, especially when
filming.
Yang Youming said, “Then we’ll order one bowl and share it between us.”
With that said, he threw the tissue that he had used to wipe the table into the
trash can, then looked up at Xia Xingcheng like he was asking for his
opinion.
Yang Youming’s eyes were mostly blocked by the brim of his baseball cap,
but his gaze still seemed to carry warmth, causing Xia Xingcheng to
unconsciously lower his eyes. He said, “Okay.”
Yang Youming stood up, his long legs crossing over the low stool. He
walked over to the stall owner who was busy by the gas stove to order food.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes followed Yang Youming. Then, he noticed that the
young girls at the next table over were also staring at Yang Youming’s back.
The table seemingly contained a pair of young couples, the boys were still
chattering between themselves while the girls appeared to be distracted by
the view of Yang Youming’s figure.
Looking further away, the people sitting on the roadside having midnight
snacks were mostly young people. Some were couples, some were friends,
and there were also people carrying bags as if they had just finished
working overtime.
A gust of wind blew over, and the large trees by the roadside shook, their
leaves and branches making a rustling sound. Some of the leaves had
already turned yellow prematurely. As soon as the wind blew, they slowly
fell from the tree until they drifted down to the table in front of Xia
Xingcheng.
When Xia Xingcheng reached out to pick up the leaves, he suddenly felt a
sense of exhaustion in the face of life. In fact, he shouldn’t have felt this
way. He was so young, and in the glamorous entertainment industry, his life
made countless people’s eyes green with envy. Even if filming wore him
out, his fatigue was nothing compared to the roadside vendors who were
still working hard late into the night.
But he still felt tired. He felt an uncertainty about his own life and pursuits.
For the first time, he didn’t know what he really wanted in the end.
Yang Youming came back. He lowered the brim of his hat under the gaze of
the many people around him, silently returning to sit down next to Xia
Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng’s seat was facing the corner, his back turned to most of the
customers. He looked up at the side of Yang Youming’s face and said in a
very soft voice, “You’re too conspicuous.”
Natural born superstars, regardless if they were on or off screen, could

always easily capture many people’s attention.
Although there were quite a few people nearby, he didn’t know if it was due
to the fact that it was late at night, but everyone was unconsciously
lowering their voices when they spoke, forcing Xia Xingcheng to speak
more softly to Yang Youming.
As a result, Yang Youming leaned closer towards him, “What?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at his fine ears and beautiful jawline and repeated,
“You’re too conspicuous.”
Yang Youming laughed as he said, “It’s okay, I won’t be recognized.”
After a short wait, the owner brought their order of two portions of roasted
pig’s feet, both of which were placed on the same plate.
They were roasted until they were a tender, shiny red, sprinkled with a layer
of cumin and chili on top, and covered with green onions. If you poked it
with chopsticks, the pigskin faintly rippled and soaked up the juices.
Yang Youming clipped a small piece of skin from the bone of the pig’s foot
with his chopsticks and placed it on the edge of the plate, then looked at Xia
Xingcheng, “Try it?”
Xia Xingcheng picked it up with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth
to take a bite. The seasoning was completely absorbed into the middle of
the supple pigskin, soft and tender without being greasy. It was indeed
worthy of the taste that Yang Youming had remembered for over two years.
He nodded with an “Mm”, thinking to himself that he would also bring
someone with him in the future– his thoughts came to an abrupt end here.
He didn’t even know who to bring to try it.
Yang Youming was watching him the entire time, the corner of his lips
raised in a smile.
Xia Xingcheng pretended not to care and didn’t look at Yang Youming,
instead licking at the oil stain at the corner of his mouth with his tongue.
Only then did Yang Youming avert his eyes, using his chopsticks to
continue separating the roasted pig’s feet, appearing unaffected. He said,
“Back then， I was thinking that I definitely have to come back and eat these
again in the future if I had the chance.”
Right then, the owner brought over the bowl of fried egg noodles they had
also ordered.
Yang Youming called out to the owner and asked him for an extra empty
bowl, then divided almost half of the noodles and transferred it from the
large bowl to the empty bowl, leaving the fried egg in the original bowl. He
pushed it towards Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the noodles in the bowl for a moment. He had
thought that they would eat the noodles together in a more intimate manner.
Thinking of this, he felt that he was quite laughable, so he buried his head
and ate the noodles with big mouthfuls.
After finishing the meal, Yang Youming looked for the owner to settle the
bill and Xia Xingcheng noticed that a girl was secretly filming them with
her phone. He had no idea when it started.
Slightly uneasy, he grabbed Yang Youming’s sleeve before leaving and said,
“Ming ge, someone’s taking pictures.”
Yang Youming didn’t turn his head to look and only said, “It’s okay, we’re
just friends out for a midnight snack, if they want to film us then just film.”
With that said, he patted Xia Xingcheng’s back and walked back to the
hotel with him.
☆☆☆
Before dawn the next morning, the cast and crew left the hotel and headed
to town to proceed with a new day of filming.
As Xia Xingcheng slept in the car, the phone in his pocket would vibrate
from time to time, but he didn’t have the energy to care.
When they were about to reach their destination, Xia Xingcheng woke up a
little and took his phone out to see that Huang Jixin had sent him several
WeChat messages, the first one being: “did you go out for a midnight snack
with the movie emperor last night?” The second one was: “I saw the photos
on Weibo.” The third one was: “not bad, establish good relations with Yang
Youming and He Zheng, and see if you can grab some resources later.” The
fourth was: “maintaining a private relationship is good, but don’t be too
close in public. I’m afraid you’ll get attacked by the movie emperor’s fans.
moreover, the movie’s subject matter is sensitive.”
Xia Xingcheng merely replied with two words: got it.
Gripping his phone, he hesitated for a moment before finally opening

Weibo.
Ever since his birthday, Xia Xingcheng had rarely been on Weibo. Although
he wasn’t completely incapable of enduring it, when he had to deal with too
many attacks and abuse, it was hard to ensure that it wouldn’t negatively
impact his mood, which would in turn affect filming.
That day, when he opened Weibo, he was actually a little curious. Not about
what the netizens were saying, but rather what the photos that circulated on
the internet looked like.
Sure enough, as soon as he opened Weibo, Xia Xingcheng saw numerous
news prompts. He didn’t examine them very carefully, casually looking up
his and Yang Youming’s names instead, and found that many entertainment
marketing accounts had reposted the photos of the two of them that were
taken last night.
At that time, it was dark, and the girl who secretly took the pictures hadn’t
dared to turn on the flash so the photos came out a little blurry. But he could
still clearly make out his and Yang Youming’s faces, especially in the
picture of the two of them when they were sitting down to eat. Only his
back and the side of Yang Youming’s face were shown.
One of them showed him talking near Yang Youming’s ear, and another
showed him eating something as Yang Youming smiled at him.
In one of the hot comments under the Weibo post, a netizen said, “Yang
Youming’s eyes as he’s looking at Xia Xingcheng is really gentle.”
There were many more comments underneath this comment, one of them
said, “Ming ge is gentle with everyone. Ming ge’s longtime fans all know
that.” Someone else said, “They’re filming right? Didn’t they say it was a
gay movie?” One of Xia Xingcheng’s fans replied, “Ming ge is a very kind
senior and takes good care of Xingxing, thank you Ming ge!”
Xia Xincheng swept a glance at the comments before his attention returned
to the photo. At that time, perhaps he had been too nervous to look closely
at Yang Youming’s expression, but just then, he discovered that the man’s
eyes were really gentle, like he was gazing at the person he’d been looking
for all along, eyes deeply doting.
Because of this sudden thought, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but blush. He
leaned on the back of the chair, body sliding down until his bottom
practically met thin air, while also using both hands to grab his phone and
hold it up to cover his face. Afterwards, he saved the pictures.
That afternoon, when Xia Xingcheng was sitting on his chair waiting to
shoot, he once again secretly pulled up the photo he had saved in his phone,
staring at the Yang Youming in the photo for a long time. When he looked
up, he discovered that Yang Youming was in the middle of playing with a
little girl who was passing by.
The little girl had originally been brought by her grandmother to watch
them film. Because she was so adorable, many young female staff went to
play with her for a while.
Yang Youming was currently squatting on the ground with a bar of

chocolate in his hand, smiling as he handed it to the little girl and saying,
“If you shout for me, I’ll give you the chocolate.”
The little girl looked at the chocolate bar, then up at Yang Youming. Right
after, somehow shy, the little girl’s face reddened as she turned back to find
her grandmother, refusing to take the chocolate.
Laughing, Yang Youming stood up and directly placed the chocolate in the
little girl’s hand. He walked back, sat down next to Xia Xingcheng, and
took a sip of water from his cup, saying, “The little girl is so cute.”
Xia Xingcheng locked the phone in his hand and abruptly said, “When does
Ming ge plan to have a child?” He gripped the phone so tightly that the
edge of the phone hurt the soft meat of his palm.
Yang Youming’s smile faded a little. Still facing the front, he answered,
“There are no plans.”
Xia Xingcheng knew he shouldn’t have asked. His intuition told him that
Yang Youming didn’t like this question very much, but there was an
impulse that prompted him to continue pursuing this question further. So
much so that he somewhat masochistically wanted to hear Yang Youming
mention Yuan Qian, so he said, “No plans for now? If you and Yuan Qian
jie have a daughter, she’ll definitely be very pretty.”
Yang Youming didn’t immediately answer this question, turning to look at

him instead.
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and stared at his fingers, not meeting Yang
Youming’s eyes.
Yang Youming answered him in a slightly indifferent tone, “Not just for
now. We won’t have kids.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but look up at him, realizing that Yang
Youming hadn’t used this kind of tone when speaking to him for a long
time. He naturally didn’t dare to pursue this topic, but when he heard that
Yang Youming wouldn’t be having a child with Yuan Qian, he felt relieved
in spite of everything. Xia Xingcheng laughed at himself, thinking that he
had probably gone crazy.
Yang Youming stood up and walked away from him.
Glancing at his retreating back, Xia Xingcheng handed his phone to Xiao
Tang to put away and also stood up to start filming.
The scene they would be shooting was of Fang Jianyuan riding his bike to
return books to his classmate’s house. After leaving his classmate’s house,
he rode his bike to the factory where Yu Haiyang worked to seek the man
out. Then they headed home together, Yu Haiyang in front and Fang
Jianyuan riding pillion.
In the summer afternoon, they took a detour through a remote alleyway.

There were no other pedestrians besides them.
When the shooting officially started, there was no longer a trace of

unpleasantness on Yang Youming’s face. As he brought Xia Xingcheng
along on the bike, his face was all gentle smiles. The bike swayed left and
right, as if he wanted to slowly take his time heading back so the two of
them could spend more time together.
Xia Xingcheng found that he couldn’t adjust his emotions that easily.
According to He Zheng’s filming requirements, he should have laughed and
extended his head from behind Yang Youming to talk to the man, but after
laughing for a while, he fell silent and stretched out his arms to firmly hold
on to Yang Youming’s waist.
He Zheng didn’t shout for them to stop. They were all familiar with his
ways, unless the actor couldn’t act on his own or he was extremely
dissatisfied with the actor’s performance, He Zheng usually wouldn’t
interrupt the actor’s improvisation.
Xia Xingcheng’s face was pressed to Yang Youming’s back. Under the
fierce glare of the sun, Yang Youming’s shirt was soaked through with
sweat. Xia Xingcheng could clearly smell it, but he didn’t reject it at all—
he liked the smell of Yang Youming’s body.
When Yang Youming sensed that he had gone silent, he put his feet on the
ground and didn’t continue to ride forward, turning to look at Xia
Xingcheng instead.
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and his arms around Yang Youming grew
tighter until Yang Youming reached out to touch his head. Thus, he slightly
loosened his hold, his head raising along with the hand that Yang Youming
was touching him with.
Yang Youming looked down at him. They stared at each other in silence.
Then, Yang Youming slowly bent down and brought Xia Xingcheng’s lips
close to his.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t think of anything as he immediately took the

initiative to kiss Yang Youming’s lips. Their movements weren’t fierce yet
filled with tenderness as they kissed the other party deeply.
–Until He Zheng yelled for a stop. The two of them parted.
Yang Youming handed the bike to the crew and walked calmly to He
Zheng’s side. Xia Xingcheng subconsciously wiped his lips with the back
of his hand and also looked to He Zheng serenely.
He Zheng didn’t mention a word. His face was expressionless as he said,

“Start over. Follow the script.”
☆☆☆
Although He Zheng didn’t say anything about the kiss that went off script,
Xia Xingcheng felt that the director wasn’t too happy about it. As a matter
of fact, this wasn’t He Zheng’s usual style. No matter how an actor chooses
to perform, as long as it still makes sense, he would always encourage and
approve of them.
That night, He Zheng went to look for Yang Youming.
At that time, Xia Xingcheng had just gotten out of the shower. As he wiped
the water off his face with the towel in his hand, he heard the sound of He
Zheng’s voice coming from the corridor outside. The person he was talking
to was none other than Yang Youming.
He stopped in his tracks, standing near the door to listen carefully, but He
Zhen soon followed Yang Youming into his room and after the door closed,
Xia Xingcheng could no longer hear a thing.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Returning to sit on the bed, he put the towel over his head and raised his
hands to press them against his face. He knew that there were a lot of
complicated emotions in his heart, and he basically couldn’t think straight at
all. At the same time, a definite answer was on the verge of coming out into
the open, but he didn’t dare to admit to the fact.
Shooting this movie had truly been difficult to bear until now.
But the worst was yet to come.
Because Yang Youming’s schedule took precedence over everything, after

they wrapped up the location shoot in the small town, the crew rushed to the
neighboring county to film the movie’s ending.
The demands on Xia Xingcheng’s ability to adjust his emotions were

extremely high. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with that unexpected kiss,
nor did he have the time to savor the faintest hint of romance between him
and Yang Youming in those days. He had to return to Fang Jianyuan’s
wounded state as quickly as possible and continue with filming.
There was no doubt that Yang Youming had given him more help than He
Zheng had during the filming process.
In the past, Xia Xingcheng used to always say that Yang Youming was his
idol. He had watched many of Yang Youming’s movies, admired and
revered him, but only when he was actually filming opposite him did he
know what a great actor Yang Youming truly was.
No matter the circumstances, Yang Youming was able to quickly get into
character in an extremely professional manner, and he hardly ever laughed.
He respected the actor he was playing opposite of and was able to bring the
other person into their character.
This made Xia Xingcheng mix up what was fictitious and what was reality
countless times during the filming process. One of the hardest scenes to
bear was one where he was crying in Yang Youming’s arms. Even when the
director shouted “cut”, he still couldn’t stop his tears. He couldn’t come
out.
At that time, Yang Youming didn’t relinquish his embrace from start to
finish. He had no strength left from crying, so he simply sat on the floor,
leaning into Yang Youming’s arms. The man used one arm to draw Xia
Xingcheng’s back towards himself, and his other hand continuously stroked
Xia Xingcheng’s hair.
They stayed like that until Xia Xingcheng could no longer cry anymore. He
raised his head to look at Yang Youming with his red and swollen eyes, and
Yang Youming smiled and said, “It’s all right.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly felt at ease. At that moment, he felt that Yang
Youming was Yang Youming, and he also wasn’t Fang Jiangyuan, so he
was able to let go of those sad emotions.
However, not long after that, Yang Youming’s scenes were completed.
On the day of his parts’ completion, Yang Youming invited the whole crew
to dinner in the hotel’s buffet restaurant. Yet since his schedule was also
very tight, he had to take a bus to the airport directly after dinner, not even
able to stay one more night.
Before dinner, Xia Xingcheng went back to his room to shower and change
his clothes. He seriously blow-dried his hair, found the necklace Yang
Youming gave him and put it on, and took out a pair of star-shaped earrings,
which happened to match the necklace Yang Youming gave him.
He was already late, yet he was still in the bathroom in front of the large
mirror to put on the earrings. For a while the ear pins refused to go into the
ear holes. An indescribable anxiety overtook him, and he suddenly gripped
the earrings, throwing them at the mirror one after another.
The metal earring bounced off the mirror and fell into the corner of the
bathroom floor.
Xia Xingcheng braced his hands on the sink and breathed heavily, trying to
calm his nerves as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, thinking that his
face looked very wan and sallow. It wasn’t actually a recent state. In
accordance to Fang Jiangyuan’s mood, he was already thinner than he
originally was, and his entire face had a depressed look that even makeup
couldn’t cover up.
But that wasn’t the cause of his anxiety. The only reason why he was
anxious was because Yang Youming was leaving.
Xia Xingcheng squatted down, picked up the earring that had fallen on the
floor, and wiped it with a wet towel. He took a deep breath and poked it
through his pierced ear again, and this time, the stud finally managed to go
through smoothly.
By the time Xia Xingcheng appeared at the restaurant, the production crew
had already arrived.
Yang Youming seemed to have been there for a while. He didn’t sit down to
eat, but was instead drinking with the crew, a wine glass in his hand. In this
kind of occasion, he would naturally be the centre of attention. He also
responded gently and gracefully to everyone who took the initiative to toast
him, no matter what position the person held within the crew.
He Zheng sat at a table near the middle, chatting with the assistant
cinematographer while smoking.
Just as Xia Xingcheng was walking towards Yang Youming, He Zheng

raised his hand and shouted, “Xingcheng, sit over here.”
Xia Xingcheng stopped in his tracks and looked over at him, then shot a
quick glance at Yang Youming, finally walking over to sit at the empty seat
next to He Zheng.
He Zheng put a hand on his shoulder and asked him, “How are things?”
Recently, whenever He Zheng saw him, he always asked how he was doing.
The director was probably aware that his emotions were deeply affected by
the movie’s characters, so he couldn’t help but show his concern about him
with a few words from time to time.
Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s been great.”
He Zheng didn’t say anything, staring at him with a cigarette in his mouth.
Xia Xingcheng looked towards him, “What’s wrong?”
He Zheng snorted, “By the look on your face, it doesn’t seem like you’re
doing great.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at a transparent glass placed in front of him, slightly

startled.
He Zheng said, “It’s just that you’re young. Wait until after you’ve shot
more movies, you’ll gradually be less affected. Look at your Ming ge. He’s
an old fox who’s invulnerable to all kinds of poison, he’ll act in the
afternoon and throw it aside once night comes.”
In the wake of his words, Xia Xingcheng looked over at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming was currently smiling and talking to someone. If you looked
carefully, his smile was just a smile, it wasn’t at all complicated nor
pretend. If he had to describe it, it was probably a serene smile.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly wanted to find a wine glass on the table, but
quickly realized that this was a buffet restaurant and the glasses on the table
were all the ones that other people had drank from, so he stood up to go get
a drink, saying, “I should go toast Ming ge.”
He Zheng leaned back against the back of the chair, cocked a leg and look
at him, and said, “Yeah, you should go. Go.”
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng took a glass of red wine and walked over to Yang
Youming’s side.
The person who toasted Yang Youming had just walked away. Yang
Youming was holding a glass that was still half full of white wine, the
transparent liquid swaying faintly.
Noticing that Xia Xingcheng was coming over, his body that was originally
leaning on the back of the chair slightly straightened up. He looked towards
Xia Xingcheng.
At this time, two more people suddenly came over with wine glasses to
toast Yang Youming.
Yang Youming smiled and clinked glasses with them, only bringing the
glass to his lips to take a small sip.
Xia Xingcheng then stopped in his tracks. Hearing the young girls sitting at
the table near him calling him ‘Xiao Xing ge’, he turned around. The girls
greeted him and he sat down at their table for the time being.
He was an easy-going person. Unlike Yang Youming who was polite and
distant, he was able to easily and casually chat with the crew, especially the
female crew members who all liked him regardless of age.
After being called over, those girls filled him several glasses of red wine in
succession. He was so anxious that he gulped them all down extremely
quickly.
He kept drinking until Yang Youming came over. Reaching out to hold the
backrest of the chair Xia Xingcheng was sitting on, he said to the young
girls at the table, “I’ll drink to everyone first.”
The girls promptly got up and clinked glasses with Yang Youming.
When Yang Youming finished his glass of wine, he pressed a hand on Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder and said, “Xingcheng, come.”
Xia Xingcheng stood up and followed after the man, not forgetting to pick
up his own glass of red wine. He caught up to Yang Youming, and the two
of them walked to the table for four by the window and sat down.
Because everyone crowded around the middle of the restaurant, the row of
seats by the window were all empty.
The two of them sat face to face. Xia Xingcheng had already drunk to the
point that his cheeks were flushed, and he looked at Yang Youming with
unblinking eyes.
Yang Youming asked him, “Is there anything you want to say to me?” He
sat upright, both hands on the tabletop, his right hand holding the foot of his
glass, and the fingers of his left hand were relaxed and slightly curved. His
fingers were long and slender, but the joints pronounced, and light purple
veins were clearly visible on the backs of his hands.
They were the hands of a grown man, slightly rough, warm and strong—
Xia Xingcheng had been held and even stroked by them countless times.
But for the first time ever, he caught sight of a ring on the ring finger of the
man’s left hand.
The platinum ring was low-key in style but elaborate in design, and you
could tell that the price was not cheap.
Xia Xingcheng’s line of sight shifted from Yang Youming’s face to his
hand. He looked at it for a long time, then opened his mouth and asked, “Is
that a wedding ring?
Yang Youming subconsciously turned the ring a little with his thumb and
answered, “Yes.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’ve never seen you wear it before.”
Yang Youming said to him, “It’s not convenient to take it on and off when
filming.”
Now his scenes were finished, so he put on the wedding ring once more,
solemnly warning Xia Xingcheng: He was already married.
Xia Xingcheng squeezed the wine glass tightly. He slowed his breathing to
calm himself and nodded, saying in a soft voice, “So that’s why.”
He sorrowfully thought that the biggest obstacle that lay between him and
Yang Youming was not age, gender, or the fact that they were in the
entertainment industry with countless eyes watching their every move, but
Yang Youming’s status as a married man.
Xia Xingcheng grew up in a happy and blissful household. Growing up, he

was doted on by his parents, would fight for anything he wanted, and he
was never afraid to pursue the girl he liked.
But Yang Youming was different, because it no longer concerned just the
two of them. He won’t pursue him, won’t confess, they can’t even be in an
ambiguous relationship—his moral values won’t allow it.
So when the film was over, they were done. There was no choice but to
make a clean break.
But at this very moment, there was only one thing he was incomparably
sure of, and that was that he liked Yang Youming. Maybe he was too
immersed in his role, or maybe his feelings for Yu Haiyang were transferred
onto Yang Youming, but he just knew that he liked him, wanted to hug him,
kiss him—wanted to sleep with him.
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath, then another deep breath, the emotions
pressing on his chest were too heavy for him to manage.
“Xingcheng,” Yang Youming spoke slowly, “do you know why I like
acting?
Xia Xingcheng looked at him.
Yang Youming gazed out the window. “Most people in the world can only
live one life, but with acting, we can experience many different lives.
Although they’re all temporary, we can become that person during that
time, experience the stories they go through, and understand all their
emotions.” At these words, Yang Youming turned back to face him again,
“But that’s not our real lives. After every film is done, it’s time to say
goodbye to that person. No matter how strong the feelings are, as time goes
by, it’ll pass and become a mere memory. In the end, we’ll still return to
ourselves and go back to our original lives.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly said, “What should I do if I can’t go back? Ming

ge, can you tell me?”
Yang Youming was silent for a moment and said, “You can’t go back from
your role as Fang Jiangyuan?
Xia Xingcheng nodded. He knew his eyes must be very red.
Yang Youming said, “But Xiao Yuan has left that relationship.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him with wide eyes. In the end, a single tear
finally fell.
“There’s nothing you can’t go back from.”
☆☆☆
The dinner was actually not over before Yang Youming left. He didn’t even
make another trip back to his room—someone had already helped him pack
his luggage and checked out of the hotel. The car that would take him to the
airport was waiting for him at the hotel entrance.
Xia Xingcheng, He Zheng and the others sent Yang Youming to the front
door of the hotel.
Yang Youming hugged He Zheng before getting into the car, and he also
hugged Xia Xingcheng–with the same intensity and briefness, quickly
letting go of him. He then got into the car and waved at the people who
were sending him off.
After the car door closed, the driver slowly started the car.
Staring at the car driving away from the hotel entrance, Xia Xingcheng
stood in a daze for a long time until he patted him on the back. “Go back
and rest.”
He nodded, turning around while an intense sense of abandonment arose in

his heart. Yang Youming had already left, while he was still firmly trapped
in place.
Filming picked up again from when Fang Jiangyuan returned to university

after summer vacation ended. It took place in a vocational high school in
the county.
Xia Xingcheng welcomed a new co-star, a young newcomer named Hong

Qihui, who plays the role of Qiu Zhen, a fourth year senior in Fang
Jianyuan’s school.
Qiu Zhen got close to Fang Jian Yuan after meeting him in a lecture, and
later fell in love with him.
In fact, Hong Qihui didn’t have that many scenes. Qiu Zhen and Fang
Jianyuan’s story were just a few leaping cuts, but Hong Qihui’s
performance often failed to satisfy He Zheng.
There was one scene where Qiu Zhen hugs Fang Jianyuan from behind and
tries to kiss him, but Fang Jianyuan strongly refuses.
When hugging Xia Xingcheng, Hong Qihui always looked somewhat

uncomfortable.
He Zheng stared expressionlessly at the monitor and only kept repeating

two words, “Start over.”
Hong Qihui wasn’t used to He Zheng’s way of directing scenes like this,
and after taking nearly ten shots in a row without passing, he became less
and less confident. His limbs were stiff, not knowing how to act.
Xia Xingcheng had no choice but to help him out again and again.
Later, He Zheng told them to take a break and adjust themselves.
Hong Qihui’s back was full of sweat, and he felt quite apologetic. He said,
“I’m really not used to Director He’s style.”
Xia Xingcheng was letting the make-up artist touch up his make-up. Tilting
his head up and closing his eyes, he said, “I wasn’t used to it at first too, but
it’ll get better over time.”
Hong Qihui grabbed his hair and heaved a sigh.
Xia Xingcheng opened his mouth but quickly closed it once more. He
wanted to say something but found that he couldn’t. He wasn’t Yang
Youming and there was nothing he could do to guide Hong Qihui into
character. Even his own performance was an involuntary expression of
emotion from the heart—if he had to say something, he could probably only
say “try to get into character yourself”. These words weren’t of any help to
Hong Qihui.
He realized that the distance between him and Yang Youming was actually
very, very far. Even though they co-starred in the same movie and He
Zheng often expressed his appreciation for his performance, as an actor, he
still wouldn’t be on the same level as Yang Youming.
Although the shooting later on was a bit bumpy, it eventually met He

Zheng’s requirements. However, ever since Hong Qihui joined the cast, Xia
Xingcheng clearly felt that the shooting progress had slowed down.
Fang Jiangyuan returned to school and life gradually returned calm. He got
to know Qiu Zhen, yet although Qiu Zhen was very enthusiastic in his
pursuit, he was not moved. If it wasn’t Yu Haiyang, he wasn’t at all sure if
he really liked men.
Until one night, Fang Jianyuan ran into Qiu Zhen when he was attending a
student union party. That night, he had drunk too much, and Qiu Zhen kept
following him on his way back to the university.
Fang Jian Yuan was very unhappy, telling Qiu Zhen to stop following him
several times in an impatient tone.
Later, Fang Jianyuan walked into a phone booth and dialed Yu Haiyang’s
home number for the first time.
For this phone call scene, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming’s parts were
filmed separately. Yang Youming’s part was filmed before he left the crew,
and Yang Youming had acted with a prop phone that wasn’t even
connected.
But for Xia Xingcheng’s current scene, He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng to
really call Yang Youming. The director had already contacted Yang
Youming in advance to ask him to help Xia Xingcheng out.
The phone was an IC card phone that was rarely found nowadays. Xia
Xingcheng dialed Yang Youming’s cell phone number directly. Because
Fang Jiangyuan was drunk and impulsive, he dialed the number quickly
without giving himself time to hesitate.
But it was only after the sound of the receiver passed through that he felt his
hands slightly trembling. He couldn’t help but press his head against the
glass of the phone booth.
“Hello——” Yang Youming’s voice rang out from the telephone.
Xia Xingcheng called out to him in a calm tone, “Yu Haiyang.”
When Yang Youming was filming this scene, Xia Xingcheng was watching
him from the sidelines. He could still recall Yang Youming’s expression and
tone when he was standing by the window answering the phone.
At this moment, Yang Youming wasn’t slacking off in the slightest. He

almost perfectly recreated the state he was in on the day of filming,
answering with a nervous and audibly excited voice, “Xiao Yuan?”
Xia Xingcheng—perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it was

Fang Jiangyuan at this moment—said, “Do you want to get a divorce?”
Yang Youming, acting out Yu Haiyang, was silent on the other side of the
call.
The alcohol ate away at Fang Jiangyuan’s thoughts and nerves. His voice
was hoarse as he said, “You don’t even love her. She doesn’t love you
either. Get divorced. If you get divorced, I’ll forgive you.”
Yu Haiyang answered him with a low voice, “I can’t, my mother won’t be

able to stand it.”
Fang Jiangyuan cried silently, he sucked in a breath and asked, “Then what
about me?”
Yu Haiyang said, “I love you, Xiao Yuan.”
Fang Jiangyuan said, “You get lost, I don’t want your love!” Then he hung
up the phone heavily.
He didn’t know when it started raining outside the phone booth, but Qiu
Zhen, who was waiting for him outside, had disappeared. Fang Jianyuan
cried so hard that he didn’t even notice how long it was before Qiu Zhen
appeared again outside with an umbrella, waiting for him silently.
The scene ended there.
The person who continued to stay and cry in the phone booth was no longer
Fang Jianyuan, but Xia Xingcheng, as if the pile of emotions that had been
accumulating for a long time has finally found a crack to burst through. He
used his arm to cover his face, not even making a sound as he cried bitterly.
Hong Qihui stood outside at a complete loss. He didn’t dare to help him.
This time, there would be no Yang Youming to hug him and tell him “it’s
okay”, and there won’t be one in the future.
This was the first and only contact between Yang Youming and Xia
Xingcheng after the former left the crew.
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you so much for the kofis, ml! ;___; ❤
Fang Jianyuan got together with Qiu Zhen, for no other reason that he
desperately needed one last straw to grasp to pull him out of the abyss of
hopeless feelings, and Qiu Zhen had volunteered to be that one straw.
But it wasn’t long before they split up. Qiu Zhen was the one who broke up
with Fang Jianyuan. He thought Fang Jianyuan’s character was too dull. No
matter how good-looking a person was, after some time, that was all he
was.
Qiu Zhen broke up with him just before the winter holidays. Fang Jianyuan
accepted it calmly, not feeling too sad or angry. At that time, he was in his
dorm room packing his things and getting ready to go back home. The only
thought in his head was if Qiu Zhen didn’t leave soon, he was bound to
miss his train.
When Fang Jianyuan returned to the university after winter break, Qiu Zhen
came to his dorm room once more. This time, Qiu Zhen was pale as he
brought him terrible news.
Yu Haiyang went back to the city to work in the factory. There was a
dormitory building for the factory employees, and Yu Haiyang would
always go back to the dormitory every afternoon to take a nap.
At noon that day, he got up from his nap, put on a jacket, and walked out of
the dorm room together with his colleagues, chatting as they descended the
stairs. Right as they turned a corner, Yu Haiyang saw a familiar figure
standing in place.
The person who came looking for him was Fang Jianyuan, dressed in a
thick down jacket and a scarf around his neck that covered his pointed chin,
revealing only a pair of beautiful yet somewhat dull eyes under his bangs.
It was the time when many people got up from their naps to go back to
work, and people kept passing Fang Jianyuan as they made their way down
the stairs. They all did a double-take because of his unfamiliar face.
Fang Jianyuan raised his head and saw Yu Haiyang. His eyes blinked lightly
twice and he didn’t say a thing.
Yu Haiyang told the co-worker beside him, “Help me take a leave, I have
something going on.”
That co-worker shot Fang Jianyuan a strange look, then nodded and went
downstairs alone.
Yu Haiyang slowed down his pace and walked to Fang Jianyuan’s side,
asking, “Xiao Yuan, what are you doing here?”
People continued to go through them. He looked at Fang Jinyuan and,

unable to deal with the onlookers’ attention, he reached out and grabbed
Fang Jianyuan’s arm.
Fang Jianyuan whispered, “Can you stay with me for a while?”
Yu Haiyang pulled him towards the upper stairs. “Come with me.”
Yu Haiyang took Fang Jianyuan back to his dorm room. The room had four
beds, but there was no one inside when they went in.
As soon as the door closed, Yu Haiyang hugged Fang Jianyuan tightly.
Fang Jianyuan didn’t struggle. He buried his face in Yu Haiyang’s shoulder

and put his hands in the pockets of his down jacket, allowing Yu Haiyang to
hold him.
After a long while, he said, “I might have AIDS.”
Yu Haiyang stiffened. Slowly letting go of Fang Jianyuan, he raised his

hand to pull down the scarf that covered up his face, looked at his pale lips,
and asked, “What did you say?”
Fang Jianyuan spoke quite calmly, looking at Yu Haiyang as he said, “I had

a boyfriend. We’ve already broken up, but two days ago he came looking
for me and said he had AIDS.”
In a flash, the blood drained completely from Yu Haiyang’s face. He

grabbed Fang Jianyuan’s hands and asked, “When did this happen?”
Fang Jianyuan didn’t understand clearly. “When did what happen?”
Yu Haiyang’s throat was as dry and painful as if it was blocked up with

blood. He said, “When did he catch it? When did you and him—”
“He said he doesn’t know—I’ve only done it with him twice, the last time
was on November tenth.” Fang Jianyuan was calm, as if he was telling
someone else’s story.
Yu Haiyang gripped his hand tightly. “He didn’t wear a condom?”
Fang Jianyuan was hurt by his grip. Frowning, he stepped back to pull his
hand out.
Yu Haiyang’s grip immediately grew gentler, saying, “Sorry, Xiao Yuan.”
Only then did Fang Jianyuan say, “Not that last time.”
It was now already the end of February.
Yu Haiyang asked him softly, “Did you go for a checkup?”
Fang Jianyuan stared at Yu Haiyang. He was silent for a while and said, “I
don’t dare to, can you go with me?”
Yu Haiyang’s voice was very soft and gentle, as if he was afraid of scaring
Fang Jianyuan. He bent over and tried to level himself with Fang Jianyuan,
holding Fang Jianyuan’s ice-cold hands in his warm palm and said, “We can
go for a checkup now, we’ll go this afternoon, okay?”
Fang Jianyuan lowered his head, looked at the hand that Yu Haiyang held
tightly in his and said, “Aren’t you afraid that I’m already infected?”
Yu Haiyang suddenly pulled Fang Jianyuan into an embrace with great

force, wrapping his arm around his underarms and holding him tight, saying
in his ear, “Not at all. You’ll definitely be fine, don’t be afraid.”
Fang Jianyuan stared vacantly behind Yu Haiyang. After a while, he raised

a hand to grab the hem of Yu Haiyang’s shirt.
That afternoon, Yu Haiyang took Fang Jianyuan to the CDC to draw blood
for testing.
The results could not be obtained on the same day. When they exited the
CDC, Yu Haiyang smiled and deliberately relaxed his tone, asking Fang
Jianyuan, “What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll take you to eat.”
Fang Jianyuan stopped in his tracks and looked up at Yu Haiyang: “Don’t

you have to go back home?”
Yu Haiyang said, “I won’t go home tonight.”
Fang Jianyuan still covered half of his face with his scarf. He said, “I’m
sorry.”
Yu Haiyang was stunned. “Why are you sorry?”
Fang Jianyuan said, “I shouldn’t have come to look for you, but I don’t
know who else to go to.”
Yu Haiyang took a deep breath. He tightened his grip on Fang Jianyuan’s

arm, laced their fingers together and pulled him forward, “There’s nothing
you shouldn’t do, as long as you need me.”
They got on a bus near the CDC, not discussing where they were going, just
watching as the bus completely emptied up. After, they walked to the last
row and sat down.
Although the Spring Festival had already passed, winter hadn’t completely
left. The sky darkened up earlier, with the trees lining up on both sides of
the street had bare branches. There were traces of festivities that remained
all over the city–the red lanterns at the entrance of a shopping mall had not
yet been taken down, but they were no longer as lively as they were during
the festival. On the contrary, it set off a kind of bleak loneliness.
Fang Jianyuan sat by the window with Yu Haiyang beside him, always
holding one of his hands.
He stared out the window until it got darker and darker, and the view
outside was gradually blurred by the reflection on the glass. He shifted on
the chair, tilting his head and slowly leaned on Yu Haiyang’s shoulder,
saying, “What do I do if I really have AIDS?”
Yu Haiyang answered him in a quiet tone, “I’ll stay with you, okay?”
Fang Jianyuan suddenly laughed. It was a mocking kind of laugh. He said,

“You’re lying to me again.”
Yu Haiyang grabbed his hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “It’s going
to be okay, Xiao Yuan.”
☆☆☆
t/n – one more update today! thank you again to ml for your kofis ❤ the next chapter (that i’ll
translate and post tomorrow hopefully) will mark the end of fang jianyuan and yu haiyang’s story 😦
Yu Haiyang didn’t go home, and Fang Jiangyuan didn’t go back to school–

they got a room in a small hotel.
When the receptionist heard that they wanted a room with a double bed, he
looked at them with a strange and even slightly disgusted look.
The room was cold and damp, and the bathroom didn’t look very clean.
Fang Jiangyuan sat down on the edge of the bed. Crouching down in front
of him, Yu Haiyang looked up at him and said, “I’ll go buy you some food.
Eat a little, okay?”
During dinner, Fang Jiangyuan ate very little. He had no appetite. Right
then, he only lowered his head slightly and said to Yu Haiyang, “I don’t
want to eat.”
Yu Haiyang held his hand, stood up to turn on the TV in the room, and said,
“I saw a small congee shop next door just now. Wait for me a little, I’ll go
buy porridge for you.”
With that said, he didn’t ask Fang Jiangyuan again and took the room key
and left.
After almost half an hour, Yu Haiyang came back, carrying the packed hot
congee, also bringing back clean towels and toothbrushes.
He put the things on the TV cabinet and dragged the chair to sit in front of
Fang Jianyuan. He unpacked the bowl of hot congee with one hand and
scooped up a spoonful of the vegetable congee with the other, bringing it to
Fang Jianyuan’s mouth, “Eat up.”
Fang Jiangyuan placed his hands in the pockets of his down jacket and sat
on the edge of the bed with his legs together. He stared at the small spoon
for a while, then opened his mouth to let Yu Haiyang feed the congee into
his mouth.
Yu Haiyang couldn’t help but smile. He continued to feed Fang Jianyuan

congee spoonful by spoonful.
Fang Jianyuan maintained a calm demeanor, yet as he ate the congee, tears
began to fall silently. This was the first time he had shed tears after meeting
Yu Haiyang today. The tears fell in the spoon, in the bowl, and on Yu
Haiyang’s fingers. Fang Jianyuan’s expression never changed from start to
finish. He numbly ate the congee until Yu Haiyang stopped and put the
bowl to the side.
“Xiao Yuan,” Yu Haiyang’s voice seemed as if he was on the verge of tears

as well. He stood by the bed, bending down to kiss Fang Jianyuan’s tears.
But Fang Jiangyuan watched him in abrupt horror, immediately retreating.

He lifted a hand to wipe his tears haphazardly and said to Yu Haiyang,
“There will be a virus.”
Yu Haiyang reached out to grab his shoulder, appearing a little emotional,

and said, “There won’t.”
Fang Jiangyuan wanted to break away from his hand.
Yu Haiyang said fiercely, “Then is it fine if I accompany you?” After saying

that, he actually wanted to kiss Fang Jianyuan’s lips.
Fang Jianyuan struggled violently–like it was a fight on the brink of life and
death. He pushed Yu Haiyang away, unable to take off his shoes before
getting on the bed, and he frantically crawled to the corner of the bed,
watching Yu Haiyang guardedly. “Don’t, I don’t want you to accompany
me.
Yu Haiyang stood there looking at him, his eyes red. After a while, he
smiled and said, “Fine, I won’t mess around. Let me hug you, okay? We
won’t do anything else.” After that, he came around the edge of the bed
towards Fang Jiangyuan.
Fang Jianyuan reached out and propped himself up, trying to get off the
bed. He said, “I’m going to wash my face.”
He tried to bypass Yu Haiyang to go to the bathroom, but the man captured

his wrist and held him as he passed by.
Pressing the back of his neck, Yu Haiyang kissed the top of his head and
said, “Be good, we don’t need to be scared. It’ll be fine.”
Fang Jiangyuan couldn’t stand it any longer this time and cried in Yu
Haiyang’s arms, his whole body trembling, making stifled and painful
sounds.
At night, the lights in the room were turned off, and the two people slept on
the bed, covered by the same blanket.
When Yu Haiyang fell asleep, he held Fang Jianyuan’s hand tightly, as if

afraid that he would leave in secret–but Fang Jianyuan couldn’t sleep at all.
He opened his eyes and raised his head, closing his lips tightly in the
darkness, carefully kissing the soft skin behind Yu Haiyang’s ear.
Yu Haiyang didn’t rouse. Fang Jiangyuan whispered, “Forget about it, let’s
end this once and for all.”
The next day, Yu Haiyang accompanied Fang Jianyuan to the CDC to

collect his test results.
Fang Jianyuan signed his name to obtain the report, but didn’t dare to reach
out to receive it.
After, Yu Haiyang held out his hand and took it for him. He took a look at
the report and shot a glance at Fang Jianyuan. Fang Jianyuan lowered his
head, his eyes hopelessly empty.
Yu Haiyang then lifted an arm to hold Fang Jianyuan and let him rest his
head on his body. He picked up the report with his other hand and took a
deep breath before reading the results.
Fang Jianyuan’s body gradually started to shake. He closed his eyes, not
even daring to listen to the sound of rustling paper in Yu Haiyang’s hand.
After a while, he felt Yu Haiyang rocking him violently, then a hand pressed
on the back of his neck to force him to look up. What met him was the sight
of Yu Haiyang crying, but his tearful face was also accompanied by a smile.
“It’s okay, Xiao Yuan,” Yu Haiyang’s voice was hoarse, “it’s negative,
you’re not infected.”
Fang Jiangyuan was struck blank for a while before he understood Yu

Haiyang’s words. He grabbed Yu Haiyang’s arm, “Really?”
Yu Haiyang spread the report out in front of him, “Look.”
Fang Jiangyuan looked down to see that the results indeed showed that he
didn’t possess any HIV antibodies. He stared at the report for a while, and
then raised his head to look at Yu Haiyang.
They weren’t the only ones to receive the report at the window of the CDC,
but Yu Haiyang couldn’t contain his emotions–holding Fang Jianyuan’s
face and kissing him several times.
Fang Jianyuan’s face was red–he didn’t know whether it was because of the
cold or the flurry of emotions. He kept looking at Yu Haiyang, his mind
loosening up all of a sudden, but he couldn’t help but want to cry.
Yu Haiyang held his hand as they came out from the CDC. As they stood on
the sidewalk, he said, “You haven’t eaten much since yesterday, let’s go to
eat first now, okay? What do you want to eat?”
Across the street, there was an old lady pushing a three-wheeled cart selling
baked sweet potatoes, and the fragrant heat wafted all the way over in the
cold wind.
Fang Jiangyuan stared across the street in a daze.

Yu Haiyang asked, “Do you want to eat that?”
Fang Jianyuan nodded.
Yu Haiyang let go of his tight grip on Fang Jianyuan’s hand and said, “Wait
for me for a while, I’ll go buy it for you.” With that, he ignored the traffic
and ran across the street with large strides.
When Yu Haiyang bought baked sweet potatoes and returned to where they
previously stood, he found that Fang Jianyuan was no longer there.
Fang Jianyuan sat on the bus that was gradually moving away, watching Yu
Haiyang’s figure through the glass window until he could no longer see
him. He carefully straightened up the scarf that hung around his neck,
winding it twice and tightened it, then quietly looked onward.
The movie ended here.
☆☆☆
On the night the filming of Gradual Distance wrapped up, He Zheng and
Xia Xingcheng drank a lot of wine at the celebratory feast. After, Xia
Xingcheng accompanied He Zheng to smoke on the balcony. The restaurant
had a large balcony, and they were the only two outside.
Xia Xingcheng asked He Zheng, “Director He, you once said that this
movie was based on your friend’s story.”
He Zheng leaned against the railing, one hand holding a cigarette and the
other stretched out over the guardrail. He gazed at the distance and let out a
mere soft ‘hm’.
“Then—” Xia Xingcheng didn’t seem to know if it was appropriate to ask

this question, “did they really not get together in the end? I mean—the real
Fang Jiangyuan and Yu Haiyang.”
He Zheng brought the cigarette to his lips, held it in his mouth and took a
deep drag, then sluggishly straightened up his arm on the balcony’s
guardrail before unhurriedly saying, “All artistic creations are always a
processed version of reality.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “May I ask which part?”
This time, He Zheng looked over at him and patted his shoulder, “It’s been
so long ago, don’t ask.”
He Zheng’s answer made Xia Xingcheng feel unexpectedly sad. He turned

to look ahead.
He Zheng continued, “It’s really hard. It’s not just limited to that era, it’s
still hard to this day—it’s normal for anyone to not be able to go on.”
Xia Xingcheng put his hands into his jacket pockets and said, “I
understand.”
As filming had concluded and Xia Xingcheng’s job was done, he took the
next morning’s flight back. When he got off the plane at the airport, he saw
many fans who had come to pick him up, many of them chasing him with
cameras and taking pictures all the way through.
His popularity had continuously risen from the time he was cast in He
Zheng’s movie until now. Yet this was actually a bit strange—He Zheng’s
movie hadn’t had any publicity so far. It was either gossip media or fans
digging up the news themselves.
Previously, every time his popularity had gone up, it was after a work had
been released. It was only now that he had attracted new fans while still in
the filming stage. Xia Xingcheng didn’t quite understand why, but he could
only attribute it to the fact that Yang Youming and He Zheng received a
high degree of attention.
He didn’t have any makeup on today and used a mask to cover up most of
his face, yet it didn’t sufficiently cover up his seemingly exhausted and
lifeless eyes. He waved to his fans along the way until he finally got into
the nanny car that picked him up.
After he got in, Huang Jixin helped him haul his suitcases and piled them
all into the car then got in himself, sitting next to Xia Xingcheng and telling
the driver to start driving.
Xia Xingcheng leaned back on his seat and lifted his hand to take off his
mask.
Huang Jixin stared at him then said, “Look at your miserable appearance.”
Xia Xingcheng was baffled, “What?”
Huang Jixin said, “Everybody’s going to say that you’ve lost weight again.”
Xia Xingcheng sighed, “The weather was hot, I had no appetite, and we’re
all worn out from filming.”
Huang Jixin didn’t say anything and only stared at him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “What are you staring at me for?”
Huang Jixin said, “Do you want to take a short break?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him in surprise, “Since when are you so nice to
me, taking the initiative to let me rest? How long?”
Huang Jixin tapped on his thigh and said, “Half a month. I’ll give you some
time to go on a trip.”
Xia Xingcheng leaned closely against the back of the seat, tilting his head
to look out of the window. After a while he said, “No thanks, I’d rather
work.”
Huang Jixin tsked, “How about this, you go back and have a good two days
worth of sleep, and then I’ll go find you to talk about work.”
Huang Jixin left after sending Xia Xingcheng home.
Xia Xingcheng piled his luggage up in the living room. He couldn’t be

bothered to unpack, so he went straight to the bathroom to take a shower
before going back to his room dressed in a pair of briefs, then lay down to
sleep.
At first, he lay for a long time without falling asleep. His body was
obviously exhausted, yet his brain was abnormally worked up.
A few days ago, he was busy with filming and didn’t have time to think
things over, but now that it’s calmed down, the only thing in his head was
the last few scenes of the movie they had shot before Yang Youming left the
crew.
He remembered being on the bus and watching Yang Youming looking for
him on the side of the road, yet shortly after, his eyes and nose began to
sting. He tried his best to block that train of thought and reached out for his
phone that was currently charging on the nightstand.
The phone was on silent. He saw a missed call and several wechat
messages, all from friends who knew that he was back inviting him out for
a meal. Among them was one from his mom, asking if he wanted to take
some time to go back to his hometown.
Xia Xingcheng replied to his mom’s wechat, saying that he would see what
his next work plans were first. All the other invitations were put aside for
the time being.
His fingers swiped repeatedly on the phone’s home icon, and after several
times he finally opened weibo. There were many reposts, comments, and
various private messages, but he didn’t have time to go through them
carefully, only giving them a cursory glance. Then he opened his following
list and found Yang Youming.
Ever since Yang Youming finished filming and left, there hadn’t been any
news about him.
Xia Xingcheng looked through his weibo and found that it hadn’t been
updated either. The latest post was still the one the man had posted shortly
after he joined the crew.
Although he rationally knew that he shouldn’t continue, Xia Xingcheng

couldn’t control his body’s reaction. He searched Yang Youming’s name—
only to find that there was still no new news of him whatsoever. It was as if
this person had disappeared into thin air.
He didn’t even know if Yang Youming was still in China right now.
Xia Xingcheng put down his phone, laying unmoving for a while before he
turned over to grab his phone again. This time, he searched for another
name on weibo: Yuan Qian. Yuan Qian had never made a personal account.
There was only a studio account, and there was rarely any news after her
marriage.
But his search turned up a picture that a netizen had taken of her outside a
restaurant a week ago. Yuan Qian wasn’t by herself, she had several friends
with her—but there was no sign of Yang Youming in the picture.
Xia Xingcheng stared at that photo for a while, then exited Weibo.
In fact, he already had Yang Youming’s wechat as well as his phone

number, but Yang Youming was someone who never shows off his life on
social media, so if Xia Xingcheng didn’t take the initiative to contact him
first, he wouldn’t have any contact with the man at all.
Xia Xingcheng threw his phone to the side and pulled up the blanket to
smother his face.
☆☆☆
Huang Jixin kept his word and really brought a few scripts to Xia
Xingcheng two days later, even bringing him takeaway.
Casually throwing the scripts on the coffee table, he sat on the sofa and
leaned back, saying, “Eat more and gain a little fat, then go to the gym
again to exercise. Don’t be too thin, it’ll limit your works.”
Xia Xingcheng opened the takeaway bag Huang Jixin had put on the dining
table. He took a look at the contents and felt that he had no appetite, so he
got up again and walked to the front of the sofa, picking up a few scripts
from the table.
Huang Jixin looked up at him and said, “There are still quite a few scripts
seeking you out, but I’ve sought Chief Cai’s opinion and she doesn’t think
they’re suitable.”
“Chief Cai?” Xia Xingcheng was slightly surprised, “She read through the
scripts?
“She didn’t actually read them,” said Huang Jixin, “she just got the general
idea, and we all thought that since you’ve acted in He Zheng’s movie,
there’s no reason to go back to these youth idol dramas.”
Xia Xingcheng quickly flipped through a few scripts, all of which were
romance dramas, both period pieces and modern dramas. He placed the
scripts on the coffee table, sat down on the other sofa, and asked Huang
Jixin, “Do you guys think I should focus on the film industry now? But
would I get good resources? Good roles in good movies can be discovered
but not sought, not to mention that I’m not a priority for the company.”
Huang Jixin said, “Since Chief Cai said it, it means she wants to slide
resources towards you. She said He Zheng told her that you have potential,
and see if you can meet a good director and script in the future. You’ve
accumulated quite a bit of popularity this time, so why shouldn’t you let the
company focus on cultivating you?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer, rubbing his completely messy hair, “So what
the hell am I supposed to choose now?”
Huang Jixin leaned closer in his direction and said, “Go on a variety show
to strengthen your popularity.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at him.
Huang Jixin continued, “There’s a new variety show co-produced by a big

TV station and a streaming platform, the kind of slow reality show that’s
common nowadays. The first season wants to invite You Shu to make a
name for itself, and Chief Cai wants you to go with Shu jie as a fixed cast.”
You Shu was the company’s leading lady, a top-tier actress. She was 32
years old and unmarried, had great acting skills, was highly popular, and
had also won many awards. She had hardly ever been on variety shows
outside of interviews, so the producers were more interested in using her
appearance as a gimmick.
Huang Jixin persuaded him, “And what’s more, this variety shoot will only
take half a month and will be aired once a week. There are ten episodes
altogether, which is enough for you to maintain your exposure. It won’t be
too late for you to slowly pick a script by then.”
Hearing Huang Jixin say this, Xia Xingcheng hesitated before finally
nodding.
Xia Xingcheng only later found out that this variety show was called
‘Leisurely Vacation’. It turns out that Huang Jixin had still managed to get
him a half month vacation with pay.
The program had artists run a guesthouse in a beautiful scenic area with a
total of four fixed cast members and two to three guests who would visit as
lodgers in each episode.
In addition to You Shu and Xia Xingcheng, the regular cast also included
Chen Hailan, a famous male host from the TV station that produced the
show, as well as Qin Xueyue, a young actress who had just debuted as the
female lead in a small hit idol drama.
Qin Xueyue was not yet twenty years old this year, and there was a clear
age and status gap between her and Xia Xingcheng and the other two guests
in the quartet. The program team gave them a script to create the image of a
CP to hype up the topic, and they were assigned to do a lot of work
together.
The other party was young and a girl to boot, so Xia Xingcheng would
naturally take care of her in everything. After capturing some scenes and
post-production effects were added, they did look like a sweet couple at
times.
However, among the three guests, apart from the fact that Xia Xingcheng
had known You Shu since they were in the company, it was actually Chen
Hailan who he felt the closest to.
Chen Hailan was already thirty-eight years old this year, and he was also
unmarried. His looks weren’t at all outstanding, but he had a gentle
personality and handled affairs thoughtfully, which was a perfect match in
neutralizing You Shu’s straightforward and unyielding nature. It wasn’t an
exaggeration to say that Chen Hailan was the nation’s host. He was funny,
humorous, eloquent, and had a high degree of support among the audience,
but also because of his tolerant personality, he was happy to take care of
people on the show, and he was also popular within the entertainment
industry.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t acquainted with him prior to this, but when he
interacted with him during the brief fifteen days of filming, he always felt
that Chen Hailan would take care of him in all aspects, hence his favourable
impression towards the man.
Although the guesthouse wasn’t big, it was surrounded by mountains and
lakes, the sky blue and the waters vast. He felt his mind broaden when
living there. When it came to work, Xia Xingcheng accompanied the guests
to climb the mountain and visit the lake every day, and in the evening, a
group of people would drink and have a barbeque in the guesthouse’s small
courtyard, and his mood gradually improved.
One night, when filming had concluded, Chen Hailan sat on a lounge chair
at the lakeside, and while strumming a guitar, said, “I’m about to get
married.”
He had always protected his lover very well, so everyone was astounded
when this sentence came out, and then they promptly congratulated him.
You Shu took the bottle of beer in his hand and smiled as she said, “When’s
the wedding? Be sure to invite us.”
Chen Haiyan also smiled and said, “Of course.”
By the time filming ended almost a month later, on the day after the TV
station aired the first episode, Chen Hailan announced the news of his
marriage on Weibo. At the same time, Xia Xingcheng also received a
wedding invitation from Chen Hailan, inviting him to his wedding on an
island in two weeks’ time.
When Huang Jixin found out that Xia Xingcheng had received a wedding
invitation from Chen Hailan, he said, “Not bad!”
“What’s not bad?” said Xia Xingcheng.
Huang Jixin picked up the invitation card and opened it up to take a look,
“It’s great that you can receive this invitation, I heard that Chief Cai will be
there too. Let’s see if she can bring you along to meet more people.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Chief Cai is also going?”
“Are you kidding me?” Huang Jixin exclaimed. “Chen Hailan’s wedding is
said to be a huge event. Half of the entertainment industry will be attending
the ceremony, how could Chief Cai not go?”
When Xia Xingcheng heard half of the entertainment industry being

mentioned, he couldn’t keep down the thought of a certain person.
Huang Jixin put the invitation back in front of Xia Xingcheng, “Your luck is
also good, you’ve just recorded a variety show with Chen Hailan. If it was
two years later, he probably wouldn’t even be able to retrieve your name
from his address book.”
When it came to something like this, Huang Jixin was a little excited
himself. “It’s best to ask the stylist to style you for the wedding day. There’s
bound to be a lot of reporters. Dress up a little better and see if you can grab
a few shots.”
☆☆☆
On the day of Chen Hailan’s wedding, under Cai Meiting’s arrangements,

Xia Xingcheng borrowed You Shu’s stylist.
Unlike Xia Xingcheng’s usual stylist’s style, today’s stylist gave him dark
chestnut hair with small curls and a pair of flat silver thin-rimmed glasses,
as well as a loose-fitting T-shirt in an understated lotus pink.
When Cai Meiting saw Xia Xingcheng, she said, “Not bad. It’s kind of
interesting to see you in glasses for the first time.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at himself in the mirror.
Beside her, You Shu said, “Xiao Xia is pretty good. He’s very versatile. He
can challenge different types of roles in the future.”
Cai Meiting joked with You Shu, “Let him try out for the role of refined
scum* next time.”
*smooth appearance, black heart
It was already winter, but the island where Chen Hailan held his wedding
was located in the tropics, so the sun still shone brightly and the weather
was hot.
Chen Hailan had reserved a five-star hotel on the island to accommodate

the wedding guests, and the wedding itself was held on the private beach in
front of the hotel. In addition to a high-rise building, there were also seven
or eight single-family villas surrounding an irregularly shaped swimming
pool. There was also a buffet dinner at the poolside in the evening.
It was only when Xia Xingcheng followed Cai Meting and You Shu to the
wedding venue that he really felt Chen Hailan’s connections and status in
the entertainment industry. He dare not say whether half of the
entertainment industry was here, but there were at least a hundred people in
the circle whom he could name. It was even more star-studded than the
major year-end fashion gala a few days ago.
After handing over the gift money to the family members and writing down
their names, Xia Xingcheng and the others each pinned a pink corsage on
their chests.
Cai Meiting first brought Xia Xingcheng and introduced him to a few
people, then happened to meet a friend she hadn’t seen in a long time. As
they were chatting warmly, Xia Xingcheng walked off alone.
“Xingcheng!” someone greeted him loudly.
Xia Xingcheng turned his head towards the voice calling out to him to see
Qin Xueyue running towards him in a light blue dress. When she finally
reached him, he gave her a hug.
Qin Xueyue was all smiles, “Why were you so late? I almost didn’t
recognize you in those glasses.”
Xia Xingcheng explained, “I was following my boss around.”
While he and Qin Xueyue did get close in the late stages of the variety
show taping, this closeness was actually half genuine and half fake. Qin
Xueyue originally loved acting like a spoiled girl, and Xia Xingcheng
himself didn’t mind continuing to perform this kind of intimacy in front of
others.
He let go after hugging Qin Xueyue, and then she pulled Xia Xingcheng
towards the beach to introduce him to a few friends.
The beach had already been set up for the wedding ceremony later. The
stage and guest seating were filled with flowers and balloons. The overall
colour palette was simple yet elegant, an immaculate white and pale pink.
Neatly arranged chairs were labeled with names of the guests, which meant
that one couldn’t just sit wherever they please.
Several of Qin Xueyue’s friends were young actresses, some of whom Xia
Xingcheng knew, and some whose names he had never heard of. He even
met Wei Zehui at the beach.
When he saw Xia Xingcheng and Qin Xueyue together, Wei Zehui winked
at him. After, Wei Zehui called Xia Xingcheng to accompany him for a
smoke. When the two of them were alone, he asked Xia Xingcheng,
“You’re playing for real, huh?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Don’t talk nonsense, there’s nothing going on

between us.”
“Not your type?” Wei Zehui said.
Xia Xingcheng shook his head.
It was nearing the time for the wedding ceremony, and guests were arriving
at the beach one after another, sitting in black chairs under the guidance of
the concierge.
Xia Xingcheng kept his gaze at the hotel’s entrance to the beach.
Wei Zehui asked, “You’re looking for someone?”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly came back to his senses and replied, “No.” Then
added, “Let’s go and sit down too.”
His assigned seat was in the fourth row near the left aisle, slightly to the
side but still up front.
Cai Meiting and You Shu were both in the front row, and next to Cai
Meiting was the director of the TV station Chen Hailan was affiliated to.
The two of them were currently talking in whispers.
While the guests were taking their seats, Chen Hailan appeared near the
ceremony stage in his new wedding attire. Xia Xingcheng had met him
once when he first arrived, but Chen Hailan was too busy to say more than
a few words, so he had only said hello.
Behind Chen Hailan were the four best men of today’s wedding, all of
whom Xia Xingcheng could name, including the popular traffic star and a
junior from a top-tier TV drama.
At this time, Chen Hailan was constantly looking at his phone. Suddenly,
his phone seemed to ring, and Xia Xingcheng saw him take a call and leave
in a hurry. A few of his best men also followed him out.
Sitting beside Xia Xingcheng was Qin Xueyue. She raised her head, her
nape showing a beautiful line, and said, “Who just got here?”
After a while, Xia Xingcheng saw Chen Hailan walking in with a familiar
figure. His breath caught–it was the Yang Youming he didn’t even dare to
dream about.
Yang Youming wore a simple white shirt that was tucked into his black suit
trousers, which made his waist look slender and his legs long, extremely
resembling Yu Haiyang.
His appearance caused many people to turn their heads, and as Chen Hailan
accompanied him from the left aisle to his assigned seat in the front row,
people were constantly standing up to greet him.
Yang Youming responded politely but did not stop and stay for more.
As they got closer and closer to his seat, Xia Xingcheng became
uncontrollably nervous. Out of courtesy, he should also stand up to greet
Yang Youming, but his heart was heavy as if something was weighing down
on him. When Yang Youming approached, he didn’t even dare to look at
him–he didn’t even want to raise his head.
Beside him, Qin Xueyue bumped him with her elbow, “Yang Youming is so
handsome!”
He didn’t respond either.

As a result, what no one expected was that Yang Youming actually stopped
when he reached Xia Xingcheng’s side.
He crouched down and picked up a corsage near Xia Xingcheng’s foot,

which had fallen from where it was pinned to his chest at some unknown
time.
Xia Xingcheng became dazed by this sight.
Yang Youming placed the corsage in Xia Xingcheng’s hand, then smiled
and patted him on the shoulder, seeming close yet distant at the same time.
Then Yang Youming continued to walk to the front with Chen Hailan. Xia
Xingcheng heard Yang Youming tell Chen Hailan, “Xingcheng, I’ve just
filmed He Zheng’s movie with him,” and couldn’t hear what was said after
that.
Xia Xingcheng looked down at the corsage in his hand, suddenly realizing
that he hadn’t even said thank you.
But no one around him noticed him. Qin Xueyue watched Yang Youming
sit down in the first row near the middle and whispered, “How come I don’t
see Yuan Qian?”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng raise his head, looking over in Yang
Youming’s direction. He had indeed come alone, and Chen Hailan had also
only reserved one seat for him. It seemed that Yuan Qian would not be
coming.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng was absent-minded throughout the entire wedding. It was

hard for him not to pay attention to Yang Youming, who was sitting in the
front row, even if he could only see his back.
Chen Hailan’s newly wedded wife was called Xue Zijia. Xia Xingcheng
didn’t know how old she was, but she looked very classy and elegant. She
was said to be a university professor, not a public figure.
The entire wedding ceremony was romantic and warm. It was obvious that
Chen Hailan loved Xue Zijia very much, and the fact that she married Chen
Hailan also made Xue Zijia feel very happy.
When Chen Hailan and Xue Zijia exchanged rings and kissed each other
after, Xia Xingcheng saw that Chen Hailan seemed to shed tears, and an
abrupt sense of envy appeared in his heart–he didn’t know whether he
would have a chance to cry for joy on his own wedding day.
When they were finally wed and the bride was about to throw the bouquet
in her hand, many people left their seats, especially the unmarried young
ladies, who rushed over one after another to try to catch the bride’s bouquet.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t move from his seat. As the people in the front row
left their seats, he was able to get a clearer view of Yang Youming’s back.
At this time, Yang Youming was currently talking quietly with the director
of a TV station.
The bride’s back was turned to everyone as she tossed her bouquet high into
the air, but a sea breeze suddenly blew over. The gust of wind from the sea
carried a salty scent, and as they were completely unsheltered, it was
particularly strong. The bouquet was blown high and far and finally fell in
Qin Xueyue’s hands, who had been standing on the outer circle and did not
squeeze her way forward.
It was apparent that Qin Xueyue didn’t expect she would actually be able to
catch the bouquet–she was stunned for a moment. Then, laughing heartily,
she held it up and showed it off to everyone.
While everyone’s attention was on the bride and her bridesmaids, Xia
Xingcheng saw Yang Youming stand up and leave the beach with Chen
Hailan’s family.
The traditional Chinese wedding reception would be held at noon. In the

afternoon, there were all sorts of drinks and refreshments served by the pool
and the main villa that acted as the bride and groom’s chambers, and dinner
was to be a western-style buffet.
During this period, Xia Xingcheng did not see Yang Youming, or if he did,
he didn’t have a chance to talk to him either. In any case, he didn’t even
know what he ought to say to Yang Youming either.
After lunch, some of the guests who had work arrangements left first, but
there were more people who weren’t in a hurry to leave. All the guests who
attended the wedding each had their own hotel rooms, so everyone could
hang out until tomorrow.
It was a good opportunity to meet a lot of people and make some friends
who you were unfamiliar with in the past.
Wei Zehui was the kind of person who had a very vast social circle. In the
afternoon, when a group of young people were taking photos and chatting
by the swimming pool, he introduced Xia Xingcheng to Ren Jingyuan, who
had acted as Chen Hailan’s best man earlier today. Ren Jingyuan had
debuted as an idol singer through a talent show. He began to film idol
dramas soon after, and was now a popular traffic star.*
*celebs with a huge following on social media
By nighttime, all the news media who had come for interviews had been
asked to leave.
At the poolside, lights were lit and music was played. Drinks were changed
into a variety of alcohol, and many people changed into swimsuits and
played more wantonly than they had in the brightness of day.
Dressed in only a pair of swimming trunks, Ren Jingyuan did not mind in
the least to show-off his great figure. He jumped in from the edge of the
pool and swam to the opposite side with outstretched arms.
The edge of the pool was immediately surrounded by young ladies.
Wei Zehui had already taken a fancy to a third-line actress, who was very
pretty yet not very popular. She was wearing a long dress over her
swimsuit. With a wine glass in her hands, she appeared to not be too happy
with Wei Zehui’s presence, yet she still hadn’t left his side.
Xia Xingcheng was wearing the same outfit that he had worn during the
day, and his glasses had been on the bridge of his nose for a long time that it
was now somewhat uncomfortable. From time to time, he would take them
off to rub the bridge of his nose then put them back on.
After a while, Qin Xueyue and three or four girls came over and sat down
beside Xia Xingcheng. Qin Xueyue asked him why he didn’t go
swimming.
Without much thought, Xia Xingcheng said, “I can’t swim.”
Qin Xueyue immediately said, “I’ll teach you.” With that, she moved to pull
Xia Xingcheng up.
Just then, Wei Zehui came with that actress in tow and persuaded everyone
to play a drinking game. His proposal was immediately approved by many
girls, and soon Ren Jingyuan also came over, attracting more than ten to
twenty young people at once to play together by the pool.
Wei Zehui was the best at these. His head was not filled with many things–
beautiful women and alcohol already took up more than half.
Xia Xingcheng had often hung out with Wei Zehui and his crew in the past,
but today he was not in high spirits. These games required concentration,
and he constantly made mistakes, so he had to drink several glasses of wine
in succession.
Later on, he could no longer endure this ruse, and took the initiative to beg
for mercy with a glass of wine in his hand, “I can’t drink anymore, can I
stop drinking?”
With a cigarette in his mouth and a towel draped over his shoulder, Ren
Jingyuan pointed at Xia Xingcheng and said, “You can stop drinking, but if
you don’t drink, you have to go in the water.”
The rules of the entertainment industry were both complicated and simple at
the same time–the ones who can speak are those that are popular.
As soon as Ren Jianyuan’s words were spoken, everyone began to jeer, and
two young men held Xia Xingcheng up and threw him into the water. Xia
Xingcheng immediately sank to the bottom, the pool’s cold water closed in
on him from all directions, muddling up his entire being.
He fought his way back up to the surface. Gasping, he took off the glasses
that hung from the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t get angry, couldn’t just
walk away, so he smiled as he climbed back up and said, “I’m going to
change.”
Someone took a dry towel that was on a shelf and draped it over him.
Qin Xueyue grabbed his hand, “Don’t go!”
Xia Xingcheng could only wrap the towel tightly around himself. He
couldn’t afford to not play.
☆☆☆
The game continued.
The two girls sitting next to Qin Xueyue were gossiping somewhat
carelessly, and Xia Xingcheng heard one of them ask, “Has Yang Youming
left?”
The other said, “Why are you asking about Yang Youming?”
The girl said, “Can’t I ask about my idol?”
Their voices weren’t small, and everyone else could hear them.
Ren Jingyuan suddenly stated, “He hasn’t left, he’s over there with Lan ge.
They’ve known each other for more than ten years and have a really good
relationship.”
Just then, a young boy said to the girl, “What do you want with Yang
Youming? Are you even half as pretty as Yuan Qian?”
The girl couldn’t accept this, “Yuan Qian isn’t here, it’s fine to think about
it, right? At least I’m almost ten years younger than Yuan Qian, Yang
Youming might also want to change his preferences.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl beside her elbowed her anxiously,
hinting at her to look up.
Xia Xingcheng thus looked towards that room as well, and saw that on the
second floor of a villa by the pool, Yang Youming and Chen Hailan were
standing on the balcony, looking downwards. Yang Youming could
definitely hear their words just now.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but Wei Zehui promptly called out to
everyone to continue playing the game in order to hide their
embarrassment.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know if he had choked on some cold water and
couldn’t help coughing.
The game went on, and Xia Xingcheng and Qin Xueyue lost together.
Ren Jingyuan didn’t want to make them drink, so he insisted on a different

penalty.
Wei Zehui opened his mouth and said, “You might as well kiss.” After he
said this, he threw a meaningful glance at Xia Xingcheng in a gloating
manner.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry for a moment,
and he hurriedly said, “I’m fine with it, but Xueyue is a girl. If she says no
or she can’t, I’ll just get in the water.”
Qin Xueyue had also drank a lot of alcohol. Raising a hand to cover her
lips, she shook her head and said, “Xingcheng is my brother, I can’t.”
Ren Jingyuan said, “If you’re willing to play then you’re willing to lose.”
Afterwards, he said to Qin Xueyue, “You can’t just go in the water this
time, you have to swim a lap. Do you think you can give up your brother?”
Xia Xingcheng took off his glasses, threw the bath towel aside, and stood
up at the edge of the pool.
Someone beside him applauded and cheered.
Xia Xingcheng told Ren Jingyuan, “It’s okay to swim a few laps. My aim is
to not make things difficult for girls.”
Hearing this, Wei Zehui whistled and cheered for him.
At this time, Chen Hailan’s voice rang out from the second floor of the
villa. He leaned on the guardrails as he yelled to the people below,
“Jingyuan, take care of the kids for me! Don’t bully them!”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help looking up and saw Yang Youming at Chen
Hailan’s side, looking right back at him.
Ren Jingyuan shouted back, “Lan ge, you don’t understand young people’s
games! You’d better go and accompany sister-in-law!”
There was instant laughter all around.
Xia Xingcheng withdrew his gaze. His stomach churned. It was probably
the alcohol playing tricks on him. When he was about to dive into the water,
Qin Xueyue suddenly reached out and grabbed him, saying, “Forget it, I
still can’t bear to trouble Xingcheng.”
Up until then, three episodes of their variety show had aired. To promote
the program, Xia Xingcheng and Qin Xueyue became a hot topic on Weibo
after each episode, and there were now these so-called ‘Xingyue’ CP fans.
*Xingyue also means the moon & the stars
Everyone more or less knew something about this, so they were particularly
invested in heckling the two of them. Hearing Qin Xueyue say this,
someone took the lead in shouting: “Kiss! Kiss!” And the rest followed
after, clapping their hands and yelling, “Kiss! Kiss!”
Qin Xueyue laughed and acted as if she was sacrificing her all for justice.
Facing Xia Xingcheng, she raised her head and closed her eyes. In her
opinion, it was probably really just a game.
Xia Xingcheng stared at Qin Xueyue. There was no way to refuse. He was
silent for a moment, then slightly bent down and slowly neared Qin
Xueyue’s lips, intending to leave after a light touch.
Their surroundings suddenly quieted down.
But before their lips could touch, his stomach suddenly churned, and he
instantly pushed Qin Xueyue away, saying “I’m sorry”, then covered his
mouth and ran to the nearest villa to his left.
The door of the villa was wide open, and the rooms inside were lit. He
found a bathroom on the ground floor, knelt in front of the toilet, and
vomited violently.
He vomited so much that he probably threw up all the undigested food he

had eaten all day today, and tears and snot flowed along with the
stimulation of stomach acid.
He threw up until he practically emptied his stomach. Gasping for air, he

reached out and flushed the toilet, but when he tried to stand up, he found
that his legs were so sore that he couldn’t even muster the strength to get
up. And he had even thought that he could swim at least two more laps just
a moment ago.
At this time, someone held his waist and arms and helped him up from
behind. He hadn’t even heard the footsteps of anyone coming in, so when
he turned to take a look, he found that the person who helped him up was
unexpectedly Yang Youming.
Yang Youming didn’t say a word, not even minding that Xia Xingcheng’s
wet clothes were wetting his own. He helped Xia Xingcheng to the sink and
reached out to turn on the hot water for him.
Xia Xingcheng was battered and exhausted, with tears all over his face that
he hadn’t had a chance to wipe away. He was in a daze as he called out,
“Ming ge.”
Yang Youming filled a cup with hot water and gave it to Xia Xingcheng to
rinse his mouth.
Leaning on the edge of the sink, Xia Xingcheng rinsed his mouth and
washed his face with hot water.
Yang Youming let go of him, turning on the shower in the bathroom’s

spacious bathtub, and said, “This is my room, take a shower and change
your clothes.” With that, Yang Youming left the bathroom, but soon
returned with a bathrobe for Xia Xingcheng.
When Yang Youming went out again, he reached out and closed the
bathroom door.
Xia Xingcheng took off his wet shoes and socks, treading barefoot on the
ceramic tiles of the bathroom. He took off all his clothes and stepped into
the bathtub, finally standing under the spray of warm water.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng took a simple shower. The heat and moisture evaporated the
alcohol in his body, and his stomach hollowed up again, the pain growing
increasingly difficult to bear.
He practically almost had to climb out of the bathtub. Taking down the
bathrobe that hung on a clothes hook, as he was about to put it on, he
suddenly remembered that he didn’t even have a change of underwear.
Walking over to the pile of clothes on the floor that he had taken off earlier,
he picked up his underwear, only to find that they were completely
drenched. The feeling of wet underwear on his body before was so
unpleasant that he could still recall it up til now, thus he simply gave up and
wrapped the towel tighter around himself as he walked out of the bathroom.
A moment ago, he had rushed in too hastily, and it was only now that Xia
Xingcheng discovered that the villa’s interior was actually not that spacious.
The first floor contained a living room, and the second floor had an open
plan bedroom with what seemed to be a lone queen-sized bed.
At this time, Yang Youming was sitting on the sofa in the first floor living
room, his face expressionless. The door that was wide open when he’d
charged in just a moment ago was now closed.
He didn’t know whether it was because he had swam in cold water, but
compared to when his head spun from intoxication, his current state was
even more severe—Xia Xingcheng felt like he was about to collapse.
He walked to the back of the sofa opposite Yang Youming and softly called
out, “Ming ge.”
As soon as his voice fell, roars of raucous laughter resounded from the
poolside outside the room. Xia Xingcheng heard Qin Xueyue shout his
name immediately after, her tone sounding extremely pissed.
He raised his head to take a look outside, and subconsciously took a step in
that direction.
Consequently, Yang Youming immediately said, “Don’t go.” His voice was
soft and hushed, yet his bearing wasn’t gentle, so much so that it was as if it
was an order.
Yang Youming was still sitting on the soft sofa, his eyes calm and
unwavering, and as Xia Xingcheng looked at him, he met Xia Xingcheng’s
eyes head on.
Their eyes locked until Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but turn away first,
saying, “My clothes are back in my hotel room, I don’t even have a change
of underwear.”
Yang Youming said, “Don’t go now.”
Xia Xingcheng slightly hesitated before walking around the sofa, then sat
down facing Yang Youming. He didn’t want to appear self-conscious, but
he wasn’t wearing any underwear under his bathrobe, so he could only pull
his legs together.
He was not at all aware that, at present, his face had an unnatural flush that
ran all the way down to his neck, which was a pale pink.
Yang Youming watched him in silence.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the wooden coffee table in front of him and said,
“I’ll go back later, when they’re all gone.”
After he uttered these words, Yang Youming was slow to respond. He felt
somewhat helpless. When he raised his head to look at Yang Youming, he
heard the man say, “Sleep here tonight, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng was dumbfounded.
Yang Youming picked up the phone on the table and glanced at the time.
“It’s already past midnight.”
The ruckus outside didn’t mean to end at all.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think. It was like his head was momentarily empty,
yet also like there were too many things in disarray—he was only aware of
the fact that Yang Youming was making him stay here. He didn’t ponder
over whether Yang Youming would let him sleep on the bed or on the sofa,
nor did he think about whether Yang Youming would change rooms if Xia
Xingcheng slept in his villa.
He just couldn’t—and didn’t—want to refuse Yang Youming. He nodded in

a daze and said, “Okay.”
Yang Youming stood up from the sofa. His shirt tails were already
untucked, and they were slightly wrinkled, yet it exhibited a different kind
of sexiness.
With one hand in his pants pocket, he gazed at Xia Xingcheng who was
sitting on the sofa and said, “Go upstairs and rest.”
Xia Xingcheng stood up and followed Yang Youming’s instructions,

heading towards the second floor. He had barely set foot on the stairs when
he heard a knock on the door. He didn’t know who it was, and he couldn’t
see it from this angle either.
Yang Youming apparently went to go and open the door, but soon the door
closed once more.
Xia Xingcheng had reached the second floor, only to discover that there was
a large balcony connected to the bedroom that directly faced the sea.
The glass door between the bedroom and the balcony was open, and one
could feel the sea breeze that carried water and salt, blowing from afar–like
a caress. One could also clearly hear the sound of the sea waves, its
unceasing rise and fall.
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously approached the balcony.
Right as he stepped onto the balcony, he heard Yang Youming call out to
him from behind, “Xingcheng, come here.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately turned back and saw Yang Youming holding a
bowl in his hands, standing at the top of the stairs.
He then walked back.
The bowl in Yang Youming’s hands was still piping hot, and there was a
small spoon in the bowl. When Xia Xingcheng walked over, he handed the
bowl to Xia Xingcheng and said, “I had the hotel send a bowl of pumpkin
millet congee, eat it while it’s hot.”
Xia Xingcheng took it and looked down at the bowl for a moment before
looking up and saying, “Thank you.”
Yang Youming didn’t say anything, turning around and going straight down
the stairs once more.
☆☆☆
t/n – not proofread bc it’s 12 am and i’m sleepy as hell so im sorry if there are any errors (please
point them out if u spot any!)
Xia Xingcheng sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly ate the congee
Yang Youming had brought him. The pumpkins tasted sweet, the millet
congee delicate and light. He ate one bite at a time, feeling the warm
congee slide down his throat and gradually filling his empty stomach.
But so what if his stomach was filled–the emptiness that he had hidden at
the bottom of his heart became clearer and clearer once its false appearance
was torn away, and it couldn’t be filled no matter what.
Xia Xingcheng put the empty bowl on the bedside table and walked
towards the balcony.
It was pitch black outside. The light could only illuminate a very limited
range. The endless sea was clearly just a short distance away, but in the
darkness, nothing could be seen.
The only thing he could hear was the sound of the wind and the waves, and
then the vast and distant scenery appeared before his mind. This kind of
boundless void made one’s heart open up, as if in the face of this grand and
magnificent nature, the human race was too insignificant to be worth
mentioning.
For a split second, this made Xia Xingcheng want to become one with the
darkness. The thin bathrobe he was wearing was torn apart by the sea
breeze. It was as if it had become a burden, and he almost wanted to
impulsively break all the shackles chaining him down and jump off the
balcony, just to let himself do as he pleased for once.
But he couldn’t. Even if it was pitch black, he still didn’t know if there were
other eyes lurking by, watching him indifferently. Once he tore through his
bonds and jumped off despite everything, he would never be able to come
back.
In the end, he had no other choice but to walk on the right path, not even
daring to deviate one step. The price was too high–he couldn’t afford it.
Xia Xingcheng stood there until the cold seeped into his bones, then
retreated from the balcony, reaching out to close the glass door and turning
off the lights on the second floor.
He didn’t know what Yang Youming was doing. He didn’t know if Yang
Youming would come up to sleep either, but he still only occupied half the
bed and blanket, leaving the other half empty.
After lying down in the quiet, Xia Xingcheng found that he could still hear
the sound of waves through the glass door, as well as the occasional
laughter that came from the pool outside the villa, but the sound of waves
seemed to be even closer–even clearer. The lights were still on downstairs,
but he couldn’t hear any movement. He didn’t think he had heard Yang
Youming go out, but he couldn’t be certain that the man was still inside
either.
After some time, which Xia Xingcheng reckoned to be more than ten
minutes, the lights on the first floor suddenly went out, and the entire room
was plunged into darkness.
Xia Xingcheng lay on the bed and tried to keep his eyes open, carefully
listening to the movement on the first floor, and not long after, he heard
footsteps going up the stairs.
There was only this one bed on the second floor.
Knowing this fact clearly, Xia Xingcheng’s heart was beating violently. He
practically held his breath as he listened to the footsteps in the dark, trying
to figure out Yang Youming’s route.
Yang Youming came up the stairs, walked to the bedside, then stopped.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and by the light of
a street lamp coming in through a window, the figure of Yang Youming
standing by the bedside appeared before his eyes.
He didn’t dare move, afraid that if he did, Yang Youming would leave.
In the end, Yang Youming didn’t leave, but lifted the vacant half of the
blanket and lay down on the bed.
Xia Xingcheng felt that side of the bed faintly sink, then smelled the scent
of water mixed with the scent of shower gel–Yang Youming had just taken
a bath.
The bed was wide and so was the blanket. They were clearly lying side by
side, covered in the same blanket, yet they didn’t touch each other.
After lying down, Yang Youming didn’t speak nor move.
Xia Xingcheng waited quietly for a while before restlessly turning over.
The sash of his bathrobe had already scuffed loose, and with the bathrobe
open, it was not that different from being naked.
But even as he turned over, he was still careful not to touch Yang Youming.
Right then, Yang Youming opened his mouth and softly said, “Not asleep
yet?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “Mm, can’t sleep.”
Yang Youming also turned over to face him, saying, “Hurry and sleep,
you’re tired.”
Xia Xingcheng objected meaninglessly, “I’m not tired.”
Yang Youming was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Still
want to go out?”
Xia Xingcheng was a little stunned and said, “I’m not going. I want to stay
here.” After saying so, he realized that he shouldn’t have said the second
sentence.
Yang Youming was silent once again.
Xia Xingcheng bent his legs impatiently and said, “What do I do if I don’t
have any clothes to wear in the morning?”
Yang Youming said, “I gave your clothes to the hotel staff to be dry-
cleaned. They’ll be delivered in the morning.”
Xia Xingcheng listened calmly, and after a while asked, “Did you send my
underwear too?”
Yang Youming said, “I asked them to bring new ones after being dry-
cleaned too.”
Xia Xingcheng let out an ‘Mm’ and said softly, “Thank you, Ming ge.”
Silence fell between them once again.
Xia Xingcheng was unwilling to fall asleep just like that, but he didn’t
know what else he had to say to Yang Youming, and he didn’t want to start
a random conversation that would make himself seem deliberate.
In the end, Yang Youming asked him first, “Is it better?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t react at first, busy staring at Yang Youming’s

silhouette in the dark, “What?”
Yang Youming said, “Is your stomach feeling better?
It was only then that Xia Xingcheng realized that he had subconsciously
raised his hand to press down on his belly, and said, “Much better.”
Yang Youming did not continue to speak.
Xia Xingcheng bit his lip and asked, “Ming ge, why did you come alone?”
Yang Youming didn’t answer his question directly, instead asking a
rhetorical question a moment later, “Who should I come with?”
Xia Xingcheng held his breath slightly, then said with no small amount of
effort, “Your wife.”
Yang Youming didn’t say anything.
Xia Xingcheng waited at first, yet as a result, after waiting for a long time,
he realized that Yang Youming wasn’t going to give him an answer to this
question. But he was unwilling to give up–raising his head, he leaned a little
closer to Yang Youming and said, “Why didn’t you two come together?”
They were close enough that they could even feel each other’s breaths.
Yang Youming was nothing but calm and steady as he said, “If she doesn’t
want to come, then she won’t come.”
With demons and gods at work, Xia Xingcheng asked his next question,
“Ming ge, are you guys still good?” This was a question that had long since
been kept at the bottom of Xia Xingcheng’s heart. He told himself not to
think about it, but the more time passed, the more this question not only did
not go away, but continuously expanded, to the point where he couldn’t see
Yang Youming’s face clearly. Right at this moment, he was unable to
control the words from falling out of his mouth.
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you for the kofi Celestia!! ❤
I wanted to post this chapter last night, but there was something wrong with my wifi so I couldn’t
even access my drive ;__; here’s a double update instead!
Xia Xingcheng tried to look at Yang Youming in the darkness, wanting to

see his expression clearly, but he couldn’t see anything.
Yang Youming was silent for a moment before suddenly reaching out
towards Xia Xingcheng, his hand landing next to a clavicle, capturing the
hem of the open bathrobe atop his chest and pulling it down, the soft
material wedged between his fingers.
Stupefied, Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare move.
Yang Youming’s fingers slid down until they neared his stomach before
stopping, pulling the bathrobe towards the middle, then gripping the other
side and pulling it over as well, gathering the two sides together.
The revealed expanse of Xia Xingcheng’s fair chest and stomach that
extended down under the blanket were now completely covered up by the
bathrobe.
Yang Youming said, “Sleep.”
Xia Xingcheng was unwilling. His chest rose and fell fiercely. He raised his
hand but lowered it again, wanting to get to the heart of the matter and
obtain an answer, and he called out, “Ming ge–“
“It’s late,” Yang Youming interrupted him, using a tone that could not be
disobeyed.
Xia Xingcheng immediately shut his mouth. Seeing Yang Youming roll
over and turn his back to him, he could only exhale deeply and lie flat and
close his eyes as well.
His mind was in a complicated mood, those agitated feelings and lingering
questions kept his heartbeat from calming down, so much so that even as he
lay there quietly, he was able to hear his own heartbeat. Moreover, it was
obvious that his body was extremely exhausted, yet his brain remained
awake. He repeatedly thought about Yang Youming’s affairs, and later even
reluctantly took off his bathrobe and threw it aside, so he was entirely naked
as he slept with Yang Youming under the same blanket.
But Yang Youming no longer gave any responses. Xia Xingcheng didn’t
even know if he had fallen asleep.
With his indignance and unwillingness to sleep, in the end, Xia Xingcheng
still gradually lost consciousness, slowly falling into a deep sleep.
By the time Xia Xingcheng woke up, it was already the next morning.
When he opened his eyes, he painfully pressed his forehead to endure the
headache that came with a hangover, then found that he was wrapped in a
blanket, sleeping in the middle of the big bed. His head sunk between two
pillows, while Yang Youming who had been beside him was nowhere to be
found.
Xia Xingcheng sat up in bed and buried his face in his hands. He had drunk
too much last night, but not too drunk to not remember what he said and did
very clearly. It was just that there were some things he might be able to say
and do under the dual cover of alcohol and darkness, but once he was
soberly exposed to the daylight, he dared nothing.
He sat quietly for a while. The bowl of millet congee he’d eaten before
going to bed the night before had transformed into early morning urine, but
when he lifted the blanket halfway up, he realized that he wasn’t wearing
any underwear. Not only that, but he also had somewhat of an awkward
getting-up-in-the-morning situation, so he promptly stayed under the cover
of the blanket, turning sideways to look for the bathrobe he had left by the
bed.
And yet the bathrobe wasn’t there either.

Xia Xingcheng was nearly unable to contain himself. He shot a glance
around the room. Finding no traces of Yang Youming in his line of sight, he
lifted the blanket and got out of bed naked, wanting to go directly to the
downstairs bathroom.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the stairs, he met Yang Youming

coming up from the floor below.
Yang Youming raised his eyes, and when he saw Xia Xingcheng, he
immediately stopped in his tracks.
Xia Xingcheng even turned around and ran back to the bed in an instant,
using the blanket to cover himself up completely.
Yang Youming came up a while later to the sight of him wrapped in a

blanket, revealing only a face so red that it seemed to be dripping blood.
Yang Youming had Xia Xingcheng’s clean clothes from the hotel in his
hands. He didn’t say anything, placing the clothes on the side of the bed and
turned to leave again.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t care less at this point and hurriedly put on his
clothes and ran towards the bathroom.
When he came back out, he saw Yang Youming standing in front of the
large floor-to-ceiling window in the first floor living room, gazing out at the
swimming pool.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t do anything to forget the embarrassing scene just a

moment ago, and he blushed once again as he walked up to Yang
Youming’s side, shouting in a small voice, “Ming ge.”
He wore the same lotus pink t-shirt as he had yesterday, but his hair was a
mess and his glasses were missing. In fact, not only were his glasses
missing, his room card and mobile phone were also not around. He had set
them aside by the pool last night and hadn’t taken them again, but perhaps
someone who was also there last night took them away.
Yang Youming shot a glance at him and asked, “Did you sleep well?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I did.”
Yang Youming nodded, “Let’s go have breakfast.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Together?”
When he heard this, Yang Youming asked, “Don’t want to eat?”
Xia Xingcheng promptly said, “I want to, let’s go together.”
Coming out of the villa Yang Youming stayed at, Xia Xingcheng specially
took a look at the side of the pool. When he didn’t spot his things, he
thought about whether he should go to Wei Zehui or Qin Xueyue later to
ask. But no matter who he goes to, he still has to go apologize to Qin
Xueyue. Although last night’s incident was an accident, he had made Qin
Xueyue lose face.
Someone was running along the edge of the pool. It was a bit far away from
where they stood, but he could clearly see that it was a young actor.
That person was looking over at them as he ran.
Xia Xingcheng silently followed Yang Youming to the breakfast buffet, and
when he entered the room, he caught sight of Chen Hailan sitting with You
Shu and Cai Meting, already in the middle of having breakfast.
☆☆☆
Though Xia Xingcheng was actually hungry, with Yang Youming by his
side, he couldn’t put his mind on the matter of eating, so he only grabbed a
serving of stir-fried noodles and a glass of milk before following Yang
Youming over to the dining seats.
Yang Youming went straight to Chen Hailan’s table. Xia Xingcheng had no
choice but to follow him, but as he got closer, he realized that besides Chen
Hailan and the two women, there was another man sitting at the table.
The man’s name was Ding Wenxun, a well-known actor who was also in his
thirties. But unlike Yang Youming, whose acting skills had been
unanimously recognized by all walks of life, his works weren’t as famous,
and were neither warm nor hot.*
*set expression, meaning just plain and moderate
He hadn’t shown his face in show business for several years already, and
was said to have gone abroad to study directing for a few years.
Xia Xingcheng hadn’t seen him at Chen Hailan’s wedding yesterday,

neither did he know if the man had rushed over late last night or early this
morning.
When Xia Xingcheng drew near, before Yang Youming could open his
mouth, Cai Meiting introduced Xia Xingcheng, “Xingcheng, this is Wenxun
ge. He just got back from the United States.”
Xia Xingcheng placed the plate on the table and bowed slightly, then
extended a hand towards Ding Wenxun, “Hello Wenxun ge, I’ve been
looking forward to meeting you. I’m Xia Xingcheng, just call me
Xingcheng.”
Cai Meiting lightly wiped her mouth with a napkin, her lipstick still intact,
saying, “Xingcheng is an artist from our company, a young actor.”
Ding Wenxun stood up and shook Xia Xingcheng’s hand, “I’ve heard, nice
to meet you.”
Yang Youming, who was obviously familiar with him, asked, “When did
you get here?”
Ding Wenxun replied, “I took an early flight and got here just after three.
Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to Old Chen’s wedding.”
Xia Xingcheng sat down beside Yang Youming, feeling that he couldn’t
stick himself into this kind of situation, and wordlessly used his chopsticks
to eat the stir-fried noodles.
Yang Youming asked Chen Hailan oddly, “Where’s your wife? Why did
you leave the bride so early?”
Laughing, Chen Hailan said, “I woke up early and saw Wenxun saying that
he had arrived so I got up to have breakfast with him. My wife was still
sleeping, so I didn’t disturb her.”
Ding Wenxun and the rest had apparently almost finished eating, not
touching much of what was left of the plate, just sitting down and chatting.
He said, “His wife is still young, of course she can’t get enough sleep,
unlike Old Chen at his big age who doesn’t need to sleep in. Only a lonely
man like me can keep him company.”
Hearing this, Chen Hailan didn’t get angry, and laughed as he said, “I’ll
take that as a reference to yourself.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help looking up. In the restaurant, other than
himself, he didn’t see any other person in their twenties. Sitting here, he
really did look out of place.
If it weren’t for Yang Youming, he would’ve probably held back from

urinating and not gone to the bathroom, then go right back to bed, Xia
Xingcheng thought as he took a sip of milk.
When he put the glass down, Yang Youming shot a glance at him, then drew
a tissue from the table to give it to him.
Xia Xingcheng was stunned, and when he reached out to take it, he saw
You Shu, who was sitting across him, pointing to his lips. He glimpsed at
his reflection on the glass and found that his lips were stained with white
milk stains. He promptly wiped them off with the tissue.
Chen Hailan then suddenly asked Xia Xingcheng: “Did Xingcheng sleep
well last night?”
Xia Xingcheng echoed, “I did.”
Chen Hailan nodded, “I fear Jingyuan and the others can’t behave with their
jokes.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled at Chen Hailan and said, “How can that be? It’s just
everyone playing around with each other.”
Cai Meiting asked Xia Xingcheng, “How did you meet Ming ge so early in
the morning?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare to answer casually this time, and he looked
towards Yang Youming.
The breakfast Yang Youming had taken was a strange combination of

youtiao and coffee. His posture was indifferent as he took a sip of coffee
and said, “Xingcheng was drunk last night and I picked him up. I saw that
he couldn’t even stand up, so I let him sleep at my place.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t expect him to say it directly and didn’t know how to
react for a moment.
Cai Meiting glared at him, “Inconveniencing Ming ge again!”
Xia Xingcheng could only smile, saying, “I’m sorry, Ming ge, I really had
too much to drink.”
Ding Wenxun showed a curious look at the words, “How are you guys so
familiar with each other?” He and Yang Youming had a good relationship,
but he hadn’t heard much about Xia Xingcheng before. When he heard
these words, he thought they were just pleasantries.
Yang Youming said, “We worked together for He Zheng’s movie.”
He had only said that when Chen Hailan continued, “You weren’t in China
during that time. Just before Xingcheng recorded the show with me and You
Shu, he had just finished filming He Zheng’s movie.”
Yang Youming raised a hand and placed it on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder,

“He Zheng handpicked the male lead.”
Ding Wenxun’s eyes on Xia Xingcheng were seemingly different from

before, asking with interest, “So Xingcheng is the male lead. Yang
Youming, are you the second lead?”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “Sort of.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t understand why the conversation had turned to him.
He was a little uneasy and could only stop his chopsticks and smile.
Yang Youming used his knife and fork to cut the youtiao, his movements
graceful as if he was cutting steak. He ate a small portion of the youtiao and
took a sip of coffee without hurrying, then asked Ding Wenxun, “Have you
chosen the actors for your movie yet?”
Ding Wenxun shook his head, “Still contacting them.” He was currently in
the middle of preparing his first ever film as a director, and he had talked to
both Yang Youming and Chen Hailan before. He said, “Why don’t you
recommend me some young actors with decent acting skills?”
Yang Youming put down his coffee cup and suddenly smiled.
You Shu had been staring at Yang Youming when she heard him bring up
this topic, and at this time, she couldn’t help but turn to Cai Meiting, just as
Cai Meiting also turned to look at her. Their gazes were somewhat
profound.
Before Yang Youming could speak, Chen Hailan had already understood
Yang Youming’s intentions and grinned, saying, “There’s such a good actor
right in front of you, and you still need a recommendation from Youming?
Xia Xingchen was stunned, yet his heart couldn’t stop beating wildly.
☆☆☆
What caused Xia Xingcheng’s heart to throb so fervently was not the
possible chance to act in a movie, but the fact that it was Yang Youming
who fought for that opportunity for him.
He tried to stifle the urge to turn his head to look at Yang Youming, fearing
that his eyes would betray his emotions in such a public place.
Yang Youming still appeared calm. He seemed to have eaten enough, so he

put his cutlery aside and slightly leaned back on his chair, facing Ding
Wenxun.
Ding Wenxun expressed considerable interest in Xia Xingcheng, but didn’t

decide anything on the spot, only leaving his contact information for Xia
Xingcheng to later audition for a role in the movie.
When they finished having breakfast, Yang Youming said to Chen Hailan,
“I’m leaving first, let’s meet up again when we get back.”
Chen Hailan got up, wanting to see him off.
Yang Youming said, “No need, just keep Wenxun company.”
Chen Hailan didn’t insist.
At this time, Cai Meiting said to Xia Xingcheng, “Xingcheng, you’ve

caused so much trouble for your Ming ge, why don’t you go see him off.”
Xia Xingcheng had already stood up, and he said to Yang Youming, “I’ll
walk you out.”
Yang Youming did not refuse and once again bid farewell to the people at
the table, then left the dining hall.
Xia Xingcheng followed him out, yet when they hadn’t gotten far from the
dining hall, he saw Yang Youming stop in his tracks and turn back to look at
him, saying, “You don’t need to see me out.”
“Ming ge,” Xia Xingcheng could only stop as well. He had a lot of things
he wanted to say to Yang Youming, but wasn’t something that could be said
clearly in just a few words.
Yang Youming’s hands were in his pockets. His back was straight, turned to
the morning light, and he was silent for a while as he gazed at Xia
Xingcheng. He said, “Act well.” With that, he turned and continued to walk
ahead.
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously chased after him for a few steps, stopped to
stare at his tall and straight back, then chased after yet again.
Yang Youming returned to the villa. He had very little luggage and his lone
travel bag was already packed and ready, placed on the sofa on the first
floor. This time, he hadn’t brought his assistant over, and there would only
be a driver to take him to the airport later.
Xia Xingcheng stood by the door, watching him.
Yang Youming came out with his bag, and as he passed Xia Xingcheng, he
no longer looked at him.
But Xia Xingcheng spontaneously reached out and grabbed Yang

Youming’s hand. He grasped Yang Youming’s palm in his.
Yang Youming could only stop. Looking at Xia Xingcheng’s face, he turned
his palm to hold Xia Xingcheng’s hand, gripping it faintly harder before
quickly releasing it, saying, “Do what you’re told.”
Xia Xingcheng could only let go of him, watching as Yang Youming

gradually walked away from him.
He watched until he could no longer see Yang Youming’s figure. Xia
Xingcheng pressed his head against the door frame, burying his head in the
hand that Yang Youming had held.
He slowly clenched his hand into a fist. The touch from earlier still lingered
on his hand. It was slightly hot and faintly prickly–he heaved a sigh and
covered his face with his hands.
Later on, Xia Xingcheng went to find Wei Zehui and asked for his phone.
Wei Zehui was still awake. The room was dimly lit, and Xia Xingcheng
vaguely heard the movement of others.
Wei Zehui didn’t have his phone, so Wei Zehui told him to find Qin
Xueyue.
Qin Xueyue was already up, but she was still angry with him.
After coaxing her for a while, Qin Xueyue returned Xia Xingcheng’s phone,
glasses and room card to him in a bag and asked, “Where did you spend the
night last night?
Xia Xingcheng had no intention of answering this question and planned to

muddle through.
Qin Xueyue said, “Didn’t you enter one of the villas by the pool? I went to
look for you after, but it turned out to be Yang Youming’s room and he said
he didn’t see you. I was too embarrassed to persist.”
Xia Xingcheng internally thought that he was probably still in the shower at
that time, so he said, “I had too much to drink. I can’t really remember
anything.”
Qin Xueyue didn’t know whether to believe him or not, but she had already
gotten an answer anyway.
When going to the airport from the hotel, Xia Xingcheng went with Cai
Meiting and You Shu’s car. He sat in the front passenger seat while You Shu
and Cai Meiting sat in the back.
You Shu patted the back of Xia Xingcheng’s seat and smiled, saying, “Not
bad, Xiao Xia.”
Xia Xingcheng feigned ignorance, “Mm?”
“I didn’t even hear that Ding Wenxun was preparing for a movie,” said Cai
Meiting.
You Shu said, “They have their own circle. Ding Wenxun, Chen Hailan, and
Yang Youming’s friendship can’t be compared to ordinary people. It is also
said that, compared to his acting, Ding Wenxun is more talented in
directing.”
Cai Meiting looked pensive. She asked You Shu, “Do you know what kind
of film Ding Wenxun is planning to make?”
You Shu said, “I’m not sure, but you know Ding Wenxun’s family
background. If he wants to make a movie, there’ll be many people who
support it. It’ll definitely be a good opportunity for Xiao Xia to be in it.”
The topic returned to Xia Xingcheng.
Cai Meiting looked at Xia Xingcheng’s side profile from the back row and
said with a smile, “I’m honestly relieved that the company has an artist like
you. This is the first time I’ve encountered Yang Youming personally
helping you pull resources.”
You Shu propped her face on a hand, “I was under the impression that Yang
You Ming is the kind of person who’s polite on the surface but cold inside, I
really didn’t expect him to be willing to guide Xiao Xia after only working
with him once. It’s pretty great.”
Cai MeIting said, “Xingcheng can behave.” She didn’t mention a thing
about the time Xia Xingcheng slapped Yang Youming’s face and her
personally inviting him to dinner to apologize.
Xia Xingcheng’s cheeks burned as the two women chatted. He couldn’t

help opening the window, letting the wind hit his face as he tried to calm
down.
☆☆☆
Huang Jixin used his key to open the door of Xia Xingcheng’s house. When
he walked in, he saw Xia Xingcheng lying on his side on the living room
floor. He jumped in shock, approaching Xia Xingcheng in a flurry, yet at
the same time, he saw Xia Xingcheng drop the arm that was originally
covering his eyes and look over at him. He let out a sigh of relief and said,
“It’s the middle of winter, what on earth is wrong with you?”
Xia Xingcheng rolled over and switched from lying on his left side to lying
on his right side. He said, “Jixin, I feel like dying.”
Huang Jixin walked up to him and kicked him with a foot, cursing, “Get
lost!”
Yesterday, Xia Xingcheng had gone to Ding Wenxun’s screen test. He

hadn’t seen the script yet and had only heard that Ding Wenxun was going
to film a comedy, yet the audition had him act in a scene where a young
university student suddenly found out that his girlfriend was dead.
At that time, Xia Xingcheng was actually a bit confused. He only asked
Ding Wenxun a single question: “Do I love her?”
Ding Wenxun thought about it for a moment and answered him, “You quite
like her, but saying that it’s love is a little too strong.”
Since it was an improvised scene and no one was playing against him, Xia
Xingcheng planned the setting himself. He saw a group of people at the
university campus standing in a circle and watching a female student jump
to her death, walked over to find that that person was his girlfriend, and
instantly rushed over in shock, but was then stopped by the security guard.
With red eyes, he yelled, “That’s my girlfriend, can’t you let me through?”
Yet the security guard wouldn’t let him pass no matter what. He grabbed the
security guard, questioning whether they’ve called an ambulance, then
pulled out his phone to call the emergency number himself.
After this performance was over, Ding Wenxun didn’t make any on scene
statements, but Xia Xingcheng felt that he had performed badly.
He wasn’t a skilled actor who could enter a role whenever he liked in the
first place. His real gateway to acting was during his time filming ‘Gradual
Distance’, where he constantly flipped through the script and fantasized
about the scenarios of the plot, slowly integrating himself into the role of
Fang Jianyuan.
As a result, when the improvised performance was over, he felt a little

unsure of himself. Moreover, the expression on Ding Wenxun’s face
showed that he wasn’t quite satisfied either.
Since returning home from yesterday’s audition, Xia Xingcheng has been in
a gloomy mood, stuck in a pit of self-loathing.
Currently, Huang Jixin saw the drained bottle of red wine Xia Xingcheng
had left on the coffee table.
Xia Xingcheng lay on the floor and refused to get up.
Huang Jixin sat down on the sofa and watched him, saying, “That bad?”
Xia Xingcheng pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his beating heart, and
said, “That bad.”
“It’s just a movie,” Huang Jixin lit a cigarette and leaned back on the sofa,
making himself comfortable. He analyzed Xia Xingcheng’s situation, “It’s
Ding Wenxun’s first time making a movie, god knows if it’ll be a dud or
not. He’s been acting for so many years, but we haven’t really seen him
make any breakthroughs.”
Xia Xingcheng inexplicably stated, “I believe in him.”
Huang Jixin didn’t understand, “What? Who do you believe in?”

What Xia Xingcheng actually wanted to say was that he believed in Yang
Youming. Yang Youming had fought to give him the opportunity to take
part in this audition, and since Yang Youming recommended him to go, it
meant that Yang Youming was optimistic about Ding Wenxun’s ability as a
director.
So it would be a shame if he couldn’t grasp that chance Yang Youming had

fought for. He could even imagine how disappointed Yang Youming would
be in him then.
“This won’t do,” Xia Xingcheng rolled over and got up. He reached out for
his phone that he had placed on the coffee table and unlocked it to look for
Ding Wenxun’s number. “I’ll give Director Ding a call and ask him to give
me another chance.”
Huang Jixin promptly stood up to stop him, directly snatching his phone,
“You only auditioned yesterday, but you’re already asking for the results
today? Why are you going this far?”
Xia Xingcheng sat cross-legged on the floor.
Huang Jixin squatted down and looked at him strangely, “You’ve been
really weird these past few days. What happened when you went to attend
Chen Hailan’s wedding?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Nothing.”
Huang Jixin said, “I heard from Chief Cai, it was Yang Youming who
introduced you to Ding Wenxun’s movie?”
Xia Xingcheng hung his head, forgoing an answer.
Huang Jixin had felt that something was fishy from the beginning. He said,
“I really didn’t expect Yang Youming to be such a nice person. When you
offended him that time, I was always a bit worried for you, but now it
seems that I was overthinking.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t respond to this particular subject. He quietly sat on
the floor for a while, then said as he stood up, “I’m going to seize this
opportunity no matter what. You go find someone to help me find out
exactly what Director Ding is planning to do now so we can think of a way
to deal with it.”
Seeing that he couldn’t be persuaded, Huang Jixin had no choice but to ask
around for news from Ding Wenxun’s directing team.
As a result, after two days, Huang Jixin not only brought back news for Xia
Xingcheng, but also the movie’s script.
Ding Wenxun’s directorial debut, tentatively titled ‘Accidental Murder’ is

an absurd drama[1] about a family: A middle-aged rich man marries a
beautiful young wife after the death of his first wife, and has a pair of
children in his family. The son was in university and the daughter was about
to graduate from high school. The rich man’s company had operational
problems and needed a working capital, so he mortgaged his family’s
mansion, but it still wasn’t enough. When he comes home one day, his
young wife is indifferent to him, only caring about squandering his money,
so he grows tempted to kill his wife in order to obtain a huge amount of
insurance money. Meanwhile, the rich man’s wife hooks up with a
handsome young lover, and she increasingly turns her back on her current
husband. With her lover, she plots to kill the rich man to acquire his
inheritance and flee together afterwards.
The couple who shared the same bed yet different dreams planned a series
of accidents to get the other to die in an accident. Coupled with the
frivolous playboy son and the high schooler daughter who was secretly in
love with her stepmother’s handsome lover, the entire story was absurd as
well as outrageous.
Huang Jixin brought back only the outline of the whole story, along with all
the scenes and lines of the role of the rich man’s son, Qian Chengjin. He
said that Ding Wenxun had asked Xia Xingcheng to read the script first then
re-audition next week, so he tried the scene in which Qian Chengjin
discovered his girlfriend’s unexpected death.
☆☆☆
Footnotes:
[1] absurd drama/theatre of the absurd
Xia Xingcheng stayed up all night reading the entire script, taking
meticulous notes about everything he could think of concerning Qian
Chengjin’s character. He didn’t even work this hard for his university
entrance exams way back when.
Unlike his previous improvised screen test, this time he had a complete
understanding of his role and Qian Chengjin’s character–his attitude
towards his father, stepmother, and sister, as well as his relationship with his
girlfriend and the circumstances leading up to her death.
Before his second audition, Xia Xingcheng reconstructed the story and the
character of Qian Chengjin in his head, immersing himself in it until he
stood before Ding Wenxun on the day of his re-audition.
In Xia Xingcheng’s imagination, the environment at that time should be

dark and quiet. He suddenly saw a person lying on the living room floor, yet
didn’t dare to confirm who it was immediately. Then he slowly walked over
while watching his surroundings guardedly.
Once he got closer and was sure that the person on the floor was his
girlfriend, he promptly kneeled down and held her in his arms, shaking her
body and calling her name in a low voice.
Slowly, Xia Xingcheng reached out with trembling hands to check her
breathing, and the moment he was certain that she had stopped breathing,
his complexion paled. Fine cold sweat oozed from his forehead.
“Call– call the police,” he said to himself. Compared to panic and sadness,
he was surprisingly overcome with a sense of dread. He fished out his
phone from his pocket, yet his grip was far from steady, and it fell to the
ground and slid across the smooth floor. He instantly threw himself to pick
up the phone, but a pair of leather shoes suddenly appeared before his eyes,
and he slowly looked up in fear.
It was at this moment that Ding Wenxun called for a stop.
The cold sweat on Xia Xingcheng’s forehead hadn’t completely

disappeared as he took a few deep breaths and got up from the floor.
Ding Wenxun’s expression was completely different from the end of his last
audition. He seemed very interested in Xia Xingcheng’s performance.
“Why do you think that Qian Chengjin felt fear when he was about to get
up?”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with
his sleeve. “I just kept imagining the circumstances at that time. He went
back to his house to steal something, so he was originally already nervous,
and up until that point, he had noticed that someone was in the house. It was
also dark around him, and he didn’t have deep feelings for his girlfriend
either…”
Ding Wenxun listened and took notes on his notebook all the while. Later,
he put his pen down and stood up from his chair, extending a hand towards
Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng promply went forward to shake Ding Wenxun’s hand.
Ding Wenxun said, “I sincerely invite you to be a part of our movie.”
Xia Xingcheng felt his entire body relax at once, and he nodded and said,
“I’m honored.”
After it was over, Xia Xingcheng ducked inside the bathroom for a smoke.
He had been under a lot of pressure for this audition, and now he could
finally relax. However, his mind was still hounded by the earlier scene.
He wasn’t aware of it at all in the past, but ever since he filmed ‘Gradual
Distance’ and kept repeatedly telling himself to immerse himself in the
character and his scenes, he gradually discovered that he was a person
whose emotions are easily affected. Or to put it in another way, he was
prone to accepting psychological suggestions and then getting caught up in
them, unable to extricate himself from those emotions without difficulty.
Yet in order to film a good play, he had no other choice but to continuously
give himself these psychological suggestions.
Like now–after the audition was over, he still couldn’t completely break
away from the horror of what he’d just been feeling. Even as he tried to
calm down, the psychological suggestions he’d been repeating to himself
over the past few days only made his head imagine the pitch-black darkness
of his surroundings and the dead body of his girlfriend in the middle of the
living room.
He stayed in the bathroom stall, holding the door shut to isolate himself
from the outside world, not wanting anyone to notice his current state. The
phone in his left pocket rang several times. It was Huang Jixin sending him
WeChat messages asking whether he could leave, yet he never replied, only
propping his forehead against his palm and closing his eyes to calm his
thoughts.
After a while, Xia Xingcheng heard two people come in from outside. They
seemed to be urinating and chatting at the same time. One of them said,
“Why is there a second audition? I thought Ding Wenxun wasn’t happy
with that surname Xia.”
The other said, “I heard Xia Xingcheng was in He Zheng’s movie before.”
“So what?”
“He performed really well today, I saw that Director Ding is very satisfied.”
“I heard that it was someone from Cai Meiting’s company who pulled these
resources for him?”
At this time, one of the people speaking suppressed his voice, “I actually
heard that it wasn’t because of Cai Meiting, but because of Yang Youming.”
“Yang Youming?” the man who had spoken earlier sounded completely
stunned.
“Not only that, but didn’t Director Ding find his first audition
unsatisfactory? It’s said that Yang Youming fought to give him another
chance, and the script was even given to him, and that’s why this audition
passed so smoothly.”
As the two people finished gossiping, they also happened to finish washing
their hands, and they opened the door and left one after the other.
Xia Xingcheng sat on the toilet seat. The instant he heard this conversation,
he was abruptly pulled out of his character. Raising his hand, he took
another deep drag of his cigarette, then fished out his phone to call Huang
Jixin. “I have something I want to talk to Ding Wenxun about, I’ll call you
later.”
With that, he exited the stall, stood in front of the sink, and carefully
washed his hands. He dabbed some water to comb over his hair, then
headed out.
Xia Xingcheng invited Ding Wenxun to dinner. He had already mentally

prepared for the possibility that Ding Wenxun might refuse and he would
then propose another time, yet he never expected that Ding Wenxun would
simply agree to it. Not only that, but he also told Xia Xingcheng that he also
had something he wanted to discuss.
As a result, Xia Xingcheng called Huang Jixin and asked him to make a
reservation at a restaurant, and he and Ding Wenxun left for dinner together.
☆☆☆
t/n – i can’t believe we’re already at chapter 60! thank you all so much for reading and for all the
comments & kofis ❤ i’ve really loved this novel so far and i hope you’ll continue to enjoy it too!
remember to support the author by buying the VIP chapters if you can. it’s really really cheap, a total
of 72 VIP chapters only costs over one (1) us dollar. i found a really easy gongzicp tutorial on twitter
a few days ago (for iphone/ipad users only, sadly) that you can follow. if you have any questions
about buying the novel on gongzicp, just comment down below~
Huang Jixin was a man who handled things properly, and the restaurant he
had booked for them was secluded and relatively concealed, allowing Xia
Xingcheng and Ding Wenxun to talk while they ate in the private dining
room. He sent them over first, then told Xia Xingcheng to call him after the
meal before leaving.
Xia Xingcheng and Ding Wenxun took off their coats and handed them to
the waiter to hang on the clothes hanger. The pre-ordered dishes were
already arranged on the table, and the waiter left the private room and
closed the door for them.
Ding Wenxun sat down. Pushing up the sleeves of his sweater, he heard Xia
Xingcheng ask him, “Director Ding, did you give me the chance to act in
this movie because of Yang Youming?”
Xia Xincheng asked this question in a solemn tone.
Ding Wenxun chuckled, “Why? So little confidence in yourself?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t smile. He was in a complex mood–on one hand, he

didn’t expect Yang Youming to fight for his second chance to audition. He
felt like someone had grabbed his heart and twisted it. It wasn’t painful, yet
the swelling ache was difficult to bear, and those pent-up emotions that
couldn’t find an outlet from the start was now bearing down on his chest
even more. On the other hand, if he finally passed the second audition due
to his relationship with Yang Youming, it would make him feel even more
ashamed than if he had failed. When all is said and done, he didn’t know
what kind of useless image he presented in Yang Youming’s heart.
Ding Wenxun stared at him for a moment and said, “I’m someone who
speaks bluntly, so you don’t need to be too concerned.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart sank when he heard the beginning of his words–it
showed that what Ding Wenxun would say to him next might be unpleasant
to hear. He could only pretend not to care and shake his head.
Ding Wenxun said, “I was actually quite dissatisfied with you at your first
audition, and then I called Youming to ask him how he and He Zheng took
a liking to you. After listening to this, he told me that it takes time for you
to get into character, and suggested that I give you the script and give you
another chance to try it out.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but ask, “He… is that all he said?”
Ding Wenxun nodded, “I wasn’t convinced at first, mainly because I wasn’t

convinced about you–after I returned from Hailan’s wedding, I looked for
one of your previous TV series works to watch.”
Xia Xingcheng inexplicably felt a little embarrassed.
Ding Wenxun continued, “But I believe in Youming. This is the first time
since I met him that he recommended a young actor, and I could hear the
confidence in his voice. As it turns out, his judgement still stands true.”
Xia Xingcheng clasped his hands on the table as he quietly listened to Ding
Wenxun speak.
Facing Xia Xingcheng, Ding Wenxun leaned back on his chair and said,
“There’s one thing you can be assured of, Yang Youming did not invest in
my movie. It’s fine if he introduces actors to audition, but deciding the
outcome won’t be so easy. Why don’t you ask him to invest in me, I can
consider letting him put another actor in.”
Xia Xingcheng had no choice but to laugh, saying, “Director Ding can
really joke.” He picked up a spoon to ladle soup into Ding Wenxun’s bowl,
“Eat something, it’s going to get cold.” Soon after, he asked, “Director Ding
said he had something he wanted to tell me, what could it be?”
Ding Wenxun replied, “Just some talk about the movie and character,
there’s no rush, we can talk while we eat.”
The air inside the room was warm. Xia Xingcheng felt that Ding Wenxun
wasn’t a difficult person to get along with, and he gradually relaxed after
having opened up the conversation before. As they ate and talked, Xia
Xingcheng accompanied Ding Wenxun to drink some baijiu.
At the end of the meal, Ding Wenxun, under the influence of alcohol,
opened his mouth to lament, “Youming is really good to you.”
Ding Wenxun tilted his head, his collar loosening on either side. “This
person–he’s really not easy to be friends with. After so many years of being
friends, there’s still many things that he may not talk to you about.”
Xia Xingcheng pondered over it and realized that he couldn’t evaluate Yang
Youming very objectively, so he could only vaguely say, “I think he’s very
gentle.”
“Gentle?” Ding Wenxun seemed as if this was the first time he heard this
description. He tapped his fingers on the table, “The people we’ve met in
the past–their general comments about him is that he’s distant. There are
also those who find him cold. Yet those who say he’s gentle, for so many
years it seems that besides you, there’s only—” He stopped abruptly here,
probably due to his itchy nose. He raised his hand to cover his mouth and
couldn’t help sneezing.
Xia Xingcheng took a tissue from the table and handed it to him, desperate
for him to continue.
However, after Ding Wentian wiped his mouth with the tissue and said
‘thank you’, he seemed to have forgotten what he had just said, not
intending to go on.
Xia Xingcheng had no choice but to follow up with a question, “Director

Ding, who else did you say there was besides me?”
Ding Wenxun looked at him a little strangely and said, “Who? His wife of
course, Yuan Qian also used to say he was gentle.”
Hearing this name, Xia Xingcheng abruptly stopped breathing, and it was as
if all the blood in his body had drained away in an instant. All at once, a
coldness spread out from his chest to his fingertips, and he withdrew his
hands from the table, afraid that Ding Wenxun would see his trembling
fingers. He clenched his jaw and asked, “Is their current relationship very
good too?”
Ding Wenxun answered, “I don’t know, it shouldn’t be that bad. It’s just
been a long time since I’ve seen them out to dinner together.”
What Ding Wenxun said after, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t quite remember
clearly.
When Xia Xingcheng got back that night, he took a shower and sat cross-
legged on his bed in his pajamas. His phone was placed in front of him, and
he stared at it for a long time but didn’t dare to reach out and touch it.
Even out of politeness, he still needed to call or send a text message to Yang
Youming about the results of the audition and express his gratitude. In fact,
this was far from enough. Yang Youming had helped him so much that it
wouldn’t be too much to invite him for a meal.
But he can’t and couldn’t dare. Yang Youming was his bottomless abyss. If
he even took a step forward, he’s afraid that he wouldn’t be able to come
back.
He didn’t know why Yang Youming was so good to him, but he knew he
shouldn’t continue on like this, and it was truly better for him to end things
cleanly.
Xia Xingcheng deleted all of Yang Youming’s contact information. He

threw the phone to the side and fell on the bed with his head in his hands.
So what if he was gentle? It wasn’t like Yang Youming’s gentleness
belonged to him alone–no, he ought to say that it shouldn’t have belonged
to him in the first place. He was too greedy.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, they were slightly red.
Just a little red and nothing more.
The movie’s leading roles still hadn’t been finalized yet, and the pre-
production would take some time, so Xia Xingcheng would have a gap of at
least two to three months.
The variety show he had previously participated in had a very good

response, and there was a certain amount of talk online, which also attracted
many new fans for Xia Xingcheng. The company had the idea of striking
while the iron was hot, hoping to keep him on some variety shows to fill the
gap.
It happened to be the end of the year, and various fashion events and award
ceremonies were held one after another. Xia Xingcheng received an
invitation from a TV station to sing on stage as a performing guest at the
biggest domestic TV drama award ceremony, and he would sing a love song
with Qin Xueyue.
When he received the invitation, Xia Xingcheng complained to Huang

Jixin, “Why should I perform for the program? Shouldn’t they at least give
me an award?
Huang Jixin answered him lazily, “Probably afraid that you’ll be scolded on
the internet if you’re given an award.”
Xia Xingcheng was even more upset.
Huang Jixin said, “It’s just to piggyback on the variety show’s popularity.
Moreover it’s their TV station’s own variety show.”
Xia Xingcheng lay on the sofa and tilted his head back, “I don’t really want
to go.” Because yesterday when he was browsing the web, he saw a scalper
leak the news that Yang Youming had been invited as the guest of honor at
this award ceremony. He was afraid of meeting Yang Youming.
Huang Jixin remained silent.

Xia Xingcheng looked up at him and saw him sitting on the sofa, clutching
his phone with a dumbfounded expression. Thus he stretched his long legs
and kicked him, “What’s wrong?”
Huang Jixin turned around to look at Xia Xingcheng and said incredulously,
“Yang Youming and Yuan Qian got divorced.”
☆☆☆
t/n – …goodnight
As soon as Xia Xingcheng heard Huang Jixin’s words, his face instantly
changed colour. He didn’t even have the means to hide it. He merely sat up
and leaned over to grab his phone from the coffee table. The phone knocked
against the edge of the table before he tightly clutched at it and unlocked
the screen, subconsciously opening Weibo.
Huang Jixin stared at him, his expression a little odd.
In fact, before Xia Xingcheng had even opened Weibo, the various apps on
his phone had already issued notifications, and the headlines were all about
Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s divorce.
After opening Weibo, he further saw that the first item on the hot search list
was Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s divorce, and all the top searches on the
list were also related to this topic.
He opened the first item on the hot search, and in the hot topic, he saw a
showbiz marketing account posting that according to a leak from an insider,
Yang Youming and Yuan Qian were already divorced. This insider also
divulged that it has nearly been a year since the couple lived apart, and it
was half a year ago that they officially divorced. None of this had been
announced to the public.
Half a year ago–that meant Yang Youming had already divorced Yuan Qian
before joining the ‘Gradual Distance’ film set.
Xia Xingcheng stared fixedly at his phone. Due to his brain’s lack of
oxygen, his cheeks subconsciously flushed red. He read the weibo post
word per word til the end, then saw that there were four pictures attached
below. There were two different photos of Yuan Qian, the first was the one
taken when Yuan Qian was walking around the streets of Japan with a
rookie male idol, and the second was a picture of Yuan Qian having a meal
with her friends. The other two photos that followed was the one taken by
Yang Youming during the shooting of ‘Gradual Distance’, and the
passersby shot of the time he and Xia Xingcheng went out for a late-night
snack together.
These photos put together like this displayed some inexplicable

suggestions. The most popular comment below was Xia Xingcheng’s fan
bashing the marketing account, demanding Xia Xingcheng’s photo to be
deleted.
It was probably due to these photos that Xia Xingcheng’s name also
appeared on the hot search list.
Xia Xingcheng refreshed the hot search page again and caught sight of a
post from a news media account confirming that Yang Youming and Yuan
Qian have indeed been divorced for half a year.
It seemed that there was no longer any reason to doubt these news.
In a daze, Xia Xingcheng read in a soft voice, “He got divorced before
entering the crew.”
Huang Jixin kept his gaze on him, frowning slightly.
Xia Xingcheng abruptly exited Weibo and opened his contacts, scrolling
down through a dozen names before he suddenly remembered that he had
deleted Yang Youming’s contact information. All at once, he froze up again
and said, “But he didn’t tell me.”
“Xia Xingcheng?” Huang Jixin called out his name in a deep voice,
“What’s the matter with you?”
For a long time, Xia Xingcheng thought that the biggest obstacle between
him and Yang Youming was Yang Youming’s marriage. Neither of them
had the right to destroy it; yet now, facts told him that this marriage had
already ceased to exist. Yang Youming and Yuan Qian had been divorced
from the beginning, so why did Yang Youming still reject him?
Was there a false element to the news, some unmentionable inside story
between Yang Youming and Yuan Qian, or did Yang Youming never
consider being with him even though he was already divorced? Xia
Xingcheng began to feel a pounding pain in his forehead–it was hard to
think straight.
At this time, Huang Jixin snatched the phone out of his hands and roared,
“What are you doing?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up, unfazed by Huang Jixin’s behavior. He simply

stood up from the sofa and said to Huang Jixin, “I want to attend the award
ceremony.”
Huang Jixin looked a little gloomy. By this time, he was already able to
smell something in the air. He said, “Don’t tell me you’re going to find
Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng snatched his phone back and said to Huang Jixin, “Don’t
worry about it, I’ll handle my own affairs.”
A few days later, the matter of Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s divorce
continued to prevail, all kinds of related discussions and speculations bred
like flies on the internet.
Some fans howled in grief, pushing the hot topic ‘The God and Goddess
Can’t Grow Old Together in the End’; Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s fans
attacked each other, but ordinary netizens were more interested in what
caused them to divorce.
In the midst of all the speculation, Yang Youming himself, as well as Yuan
Qian’s studio, issued a Weibo post at the same time, admitting that the two
had divorced half a year ago, and had not made it public for personal
reasons, apologizing to their friends and fans who cared about them.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t inquire about any news from the entertainment circle.
He wanted to ask Yang Youming in person.
This matter also drew Huang Jixin’s great displeasure. He even took the
time to specifically talk to Xia Xingcheng once, but Xia Xingcheng was not
willing to say anything to him, only saying that he would handle his own
affairs.
Huang Jixin looked at him in silence for a long time, then said, “You’d
better clear your head.”
Xia Xingcheng replied, “I’m very clear-headed.”
☆☆☆
t/n – get your man xia xingcheng, get your man ☆
Xia Xingcheng took a plane to the city where the TV station was located
the night before the award ceremony. This time, it was Huang Jixin who
came with him. The TV station staff picked them up at the airport and took
them to the hotel they had booked.
The artists invited to the award ceremony would be staying at this hotel,
and most of them would be arriving on the same day. It was only because
Xia Xingcheng had to perform that they had called him up a day earlier.
The next morning, Xia Xingcheng and Qin Xueyue went to record the
songs together, and in the afternoon, they had a dress rehearsal at the TV
station’s largest studio.
It had been a while since they had seen each other. Qin Xueyue had already
forgotten Xia Xingcheng’s previous offense, taking his arm affectionately
as soon as she saw him.
The award ceremony’s organizers had arranged for the two of them to sing
a sweet, lively and catchy love song. During the rehearsal, the director
wanted them to have some intimate interactions, so at the end, they tilted
their heads towards each other, respectively raising their arms to form a
heart. The act seemed somewhat silly to Xia Xingcheng, but the director
was particularly fond of the result.
As usual, the award ceremony was hosted by Chen Hailan.
Chen Hailan gave Xia Xingcheng a warm hug when the latter ran into him
in the dressing room backstage. Immediately after, the director called for
him to come out. Before the award ceremony officially started, Xia
Xingchen also met Ren Jingyuan.
The games they played by the pool at Chen Hailan’s wedding weren’t
pleasant memories for Xia Xingcheng, but Ren Jingyuan had a good
impression of him, probably because he thought he was very easy-going, so
he invited him and Qin Xueyue to have a late-night dinner together after the
ceremony. Xia Xingcheng didn’t refuse nor readily agreed, only saying that
he would decide later.
After Xia Xingcheng was made up, the staff members arranged for him to
go sit down first. Their program was in the middle of the award ceremony,
so he had to wait for about half an hour after the ceremony started before
going backstage to change costumes.
At this time, more than half of the people in the studio were seated. The
seats around Xia Xingcheng were all filled with both familiar and
unfamiliar celebrities. Before he had time to sit down, he had to
continuously greet those he knew.
After exchanging pleasantries with those around him, Xia Xingcheng had
just sat down when he caught sight of Yang Youming.
Yang Youming entered the studio and walked to the front row seats,
accompanied by the TV station’s chief. Among all the artists tonight, in
terms of status, it might not be convenient to compare him with one or two
senior actors, but he was definitely the most famous in terms of fame.
Moreover, this was his first public appearance since the news of his divorce
with Yuan Qian broke out.
Xia Xingcheng noticed that many people were looking at the man,
especially some of the audience seated in the back rows, who had blatantly
taken out their phones to secretly film him. The originally noisy studio
slightly quietened down for a split second, yet what followed was even
more chaotic whispered discussions.
But Yang Youming still maintained a relaxed posture like nothing had
happened as he walked to the front row seats with the station chief. His
slender fingers unbuttoned his suit before sitting down with the station
chief.
Every camera in the room was aimed towards Yang Youming, regardless of
whether it belonged to the media invitees or the ones owned by the TV
station. There was a large screen on the side of the stage in front of him that
would broadcast what the indoor cameras were filming, and at this time, it
showed a close up of Yang Youming’s gentle and calm face.
Xia Xingcheng’s seat behind Yang Youming’s, a little off to the side. He
wasn’t sure if Yang Youming had seen him. This scene suddenly reminded
him of the time at Chen Hailan’s wedding, when Yang Youming had arrived
late in front of everyone’s eyes and picked up Xia Xingcheng’s fallen
boutonniere as he passed by.
Not long after that, the award ceremony officially began.
Xia Xingcheng stared at Yang Youming’s side profile from behind for a
while before turning his head. Closing his eyes, he began to recall the
positions and choreographed actions of his performance later on.
After about half an hour, the staff came to ask Xia Xingcheng to go
backstage to wait his turn performing. He stood up and followed the staff
backstage from the first row of seats. Stopping at the entrance, he turned to
look towards Yang Youming and saw that the man in question was
concentrating his gaze on the stage and not at him, so he turned back and
continued to walk forward.
When the performance started, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t afford to care about
Yang Youming. Although he had recorded the song in advance, he was not
a professional singer. This kind of situation inevitably made him feel
nervous.
The stage lights shone brightly on his eyes, and he focused on finding every
position that he had previously rehearsed, earnestly interacting with Qin
Xueyue. As for the people in the audience below–he couldn’t seem to see
anything clearly under the lights.
For the final ending pose, he was all smiles as he formed a heart shape with
Qin Xueyue. The audience below erupted with warm applause. Qin Xueyue
was so excited that she turned her head and kissed Xia Xingcheng on the
cheek. At that moment, the applause intensified, and Xia Xingcheng could
also hear people’s cheers and someone whistling.
He led Qin Xueyue’s hand to smile and bow in greeting, and then the two
stepped off the stage together. As they were about to leave the stage, Qin
Xueyue leaned close to his ear and said something, but Xia Xingcheng
didn’t hear it clearly, only catching the last word “right?”. He pretended to
have heard, and smiled as he replied, “Yeah.”
After they went backstage, Xia Xingcheng changed out of his performance
clothes and had a makeup artist touch up his makeup that had slightly faded
due to perspiration before going back to the studio to sit down.
Yang Youming presented the best drama of the year award, which was the
grand finale of the entire awards ceremony. Shortly after that, the ceremony
ended, and he left with the staff before the press had a chance to surround
him.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t get a chance to speak to him, not even exchanging a
glance, but it didn’t matter–Xia Xingcheng already knew the number of his
hotel room.
Qin Xueyue’s seat was very close to Xia Xingcheng’s, and she stopped him
just as he was about to leave, saying that Ren Jingyuan was already waiting
for them.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and pressed his forehead, saying, “I’m not
feeling well, I want to go back to the hotel to rest.”
“What’s wrong?” Qin Xueyue looked a little worried.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I haven’t rested well since yesterday, I’ve been too
tense, and I’m afraid I’ll throw up if I drink later.”
Just then, Huang Jixin walked over, and when he heard Xia Xingcheng say
that he wasn’t feeling well, he said, “Is everything alright? Hurry back to
the hotel and rest.”
Qin Xueyue no longer stalled him, instructing Xia Xingcheng to go back
and get a good night’s sleep and go to the hospital if he still felt unwell.
Xia Xingcheng thanked her and left with Huang Jixin.
Huang Jixin genuinely thought that he wasn’t feeling well, and after
returning to the hotel, he even accompanied Xia Xingcheng into his room
and asked, “Do you need me to go buy some medicine for you?”
Xia Xingcheng sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled off his bowtie, and
unfastened the buttons on his suit jacket and collar. He said, “It’s fine, go
rest up.”
Huang Jixin leaned against the wall and looked at him, “You’re really
fine?”
Xia Xingcheng took off his shoes and socks together and sat cross-legged
on the bed, tilting his head up to look at Huang Jixin, “Would you like to
help me bathe?”
Huang Jixin straightened and waved his hand towards the door, “Call me if
you feel sick.”
Xia Xingcheng merely sat quietly. Hearing Huang Jixin’s footsteps leaving
and the sound of the door slamming shut, he remained motionless and
waited for nearly ten minutes before standing up, slipping his bare feet
directly into his shoes. He raised a hand and ruffled his hair as he walked
out.
It was quiet in the hallway, and no one was there.
Xia Xingcheng took the elevator up two floors. Exiting the elevator, his
leather shoes tread soft carpet as he walks along the corridor, finally
stopping in front of Yang Youming’s room. He raised his hand and knocked
on the door.
☆☆☆
t/n – it’s coming!!
After knocking on the door, Xia Xingcheng stood outside and waited, yet
there were no signs of activity coming from the room. After waiting for
almost half a minute, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door once
more.
This time, he heard the sound of footsteps gradually approaching, and then
the door was opened.
The instant Yang Youming registered Xia Xingcheng in his eyes, his
expression remained unchanged, yet his pupils contracted sharply. He had
already shed his suit jacket, and he only donned a white shirt with the collar
wide open and the cuffs pushed up a fraction. His lower body was wrapped
in suit trousers, but he had hotel slippers on his feet.
He kept his hand on the door handle without releasing it. Standing in the
doorway, he called out Xia Xingcheng’s name: “Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng stood upright with his hands hanging by his legs as he said,
“Ming ge, I have something I want to say to you.”
Yang Youming looked at him, unmoving, “What is it?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance into the room, “May I speak inside?”
Yang Youming appeared to hesitate for a moment before pulling the door
wide open and standing to the side.
After Xia Xingcheng walked in, he shut the door and followed him in.
The room was a suite, with a living room and a walk-in closet outside, and a
bedroom and bathroom inside. One side of the bedroom wall was entirely
fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city’s nightscape
from above.
Xia Xingcheng directly entered the bedroom and walked up to the window.
From the window’s reflection, he could see that Yang Youming had stopped
by the desk next to the TV cabinet, leaning against it with his arms folded
over his chest.
He turned around to face Yang Youming and said, “You’re divorced.” Not a
question, but a statement.
Yang Youming’s gaze faintly sunk, dropping to the clean carpet as he said,
“Yes.”
Xia Xingcheng asked him, “Did you get divorced before you joined the
crew?”
Yang Youming nodded, “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
This time Yang Youming didn’t answer right away. He was silent for a
while, then said, “Except for our families, we didn’t say anything to anyone
out of some personal considerations.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him, “Am I not worthy of your words?”
Yang Youming raised his eyes towards him.
Only a dark yellow wall lamp was on in the room. The light was soft and
faint. One side of the large floor-to-ceiling window had a small section that
could be opened, but it was currently tightly closed because of the air
conditioner, so the entire room seemed like it was isolated from the outside
world. The air was also warm and condensed, and it carried a very light
fragrance—probably the cologne Yang Youming had used tonight.
Since Yang Youming didn’t answer, Xia Xingcheng took a step closer to
him and demanded an answer, “Was it worth it?”
Yang Youming finally spoke, his voice low and mellow, “It’s not a question
of worthy or unworthy—it was unnecessary.”
Xia Xingcheng was hurt by his words. He approached Yang Youming step
by step until he was right in front of the man. He slightly tilted his head
until their eyes met, and bluntly said, “You’re hurting me.”
Yang Youming lowered his arms, both hands gripping the edge of the desk
under his body.
Xia Xingcheng nodded, as if he was consoling himself, “It’s unnecessary.

That’s fine,” he then added, “May I ask why you split up?”
Yang Youming answered him immediately this time, “Personality clashes.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t understand. Staring at the man, he asked, “Didn’t you
get to know each other before you got married?”
They were actually a little too close. Xia Xingcheng could feel Yang
Youming’s body heat through his shirt. He looked at Yang Youming’s eyes,
the bridge of his nose, his lips and his Adam’s apple—they were all so
beautiful, firmly attracting Xia Xingcheng’s line of sight, and he was
unwilling to look away.
Yang Youming opened his mouth and said: “It’s because love is different
from marriage. Marriage has responsibilities in addition to love. Yuan Qian
didn’t realize it before, but she gradually came to understand it later.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Was it you or her who wanted to get divorced?”
Yang Youming’s eyelashes fluttered, “It was her. I tried to save it. I pushed
away lot of films trying to be there for her, but she didn’t think it was the
life she wanted.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart ached, adding to the pain in his chest. He said, “So
do you still love her? Why don’t you keep trying?”
“I let it go when we decided to separate,” said Yang Youming.

Xia Xingcheng felt that his question wasn’t answered, and couldn’t help but
pursue it further, “Letting go doesn’t mean not loving, right?”
Suddenly, Yang Youming raised his hand and gently brushed away a strand
of hair that had fallen across Xia Xingcheng’s forehead. The hairstylist had
used a lot of hairspray when styling Xia Xingcheng’s hair earlier, and at this
time, the strands were hard, just like his heart that had to force Yang
Youming to the end tonight.
After brushing away that strand of hair, Yang Youming’s hand fell on Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder. “Xingcheng, you’ll understand this when you get to
my age. Love isn’t so uncontrollable that you have to sacrifice your life for
it. Letting go means forgetting. Don’t look, don’t think, don’t cling to it, the
feelings will gradually fade away. That’s why Romeo and Juliet’s story can
only happen at the age of fourteen—they can still afford to be reckless.”
Xia Xingcheng knew what he was hinting at, but he didn’t want to get
caught in Yang Youming’s momentum. He insisted on finishing the
question he was about to ask: “Then has your heart ever moved for me,
even a little?”
Yang Youming’s eyes that looked directly into his were like a bottomless
deep pool, serene and tranquil. He appeared calm, without a single flaw in
the least, but after a long bout of silence, he finally closed his eyes. When
he fought to open them again, the surface of that deep pool slowly rippled,
and he said, “It has.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes instantly reddened. He nodded, internally saying,

that’s right, he didn’t guess wrong—Yang Youming liked him. He no longer
asked Yang Youming why, and only said, somewhat impatiently, “All right.
I’ll give you two choices, either let me stay tonight, or you can kick me out
right now and I’ll never come back to bother you again.”
Yang Youming held his breath. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
His lips were unconsciously pursed, and when he reopened his eyes, his
emotional turmoil just then was nowhere to be found. He reached out and
gripped Xia Xingcheng’s wrist.
Xia Xingcheng felt like a prisoner waiting for his sentence. Seeing Yang
Youming’s hold on his hand, he couldn’t help but be faintly startled.
Immediately after, Yang Youming grabbed him and headed out.
He was sentenced to death.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t breathe well, his footsteps staggering along as

Yang Youming pulled him outside. When they were about to reach the door,
Xia Xingcheng grabbed Yang Youming with his other hand and stopped. He
felt that there was no way he could go out. Once he was out of this door, he
would no longer have a reason to come to him. He was still unwilling.
His voice was a little unstable as he said, “Can I have a third option?”
Yang Youming looked at him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “You sleep with me—just once—and cut off my
thoughts. I won’t have any regrets.” He knew that he looked like a mess in
Yang Youming’s eyes right now.
Yang Youming opened his mouth to answer him, yet before he could get the
words out, Xia Xingcheng hardened his heart and said, “If you won’t, I’ll
get out right away and look for a random man to sleep with. It’s just for fun
anyway.”
In the next second, Yang Youming’s expression abruptly became severe,

and the hand that gripped Xia Xingcheng’s wrist tightened violently.
☆☆☆
Yang Youming watched Xia Xingcheng for a long time and said, “No.”
Xia Xingcheng truly gave up. The courage he had summoned all night
dissipated before Yang Youming’s last ‘no’. He shook off Yang Youming’s
hand, then crossed him and headed out.
But Yang Youming grabbed his arm again and pulled him back, saying,
“Aren’t you and Qin Xueyue very close? You obviously prefer girls, there’s
no need to go through such a pointless attempt.”
Xia Xingcheng wanted to refute him, but he felt beaten down, and he tried
to shake off his hand again. He merely said, “What do you care?”
Yang Youming was his idol, the man he loved and admired, and he had
never used such a tone on Yang Youming.
“Xingcheng,” Yang Youming’s grip on his hand tightened even more, “Do
you actually understand your feelings for me? It’s not real, it’s the illusion
projected by Fang Jianyuan in your heart. Those feelings were never meant
for us in the first place, they belong to Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang. The
only reason why you need to find comfort in me is because they couldn’t
make it to the end!”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes turned red as he yelled at Yang Youming, “No! Who
are you to define my feelings? I know I’m not Fang Jianyuan, and you’re
also not Yu Haiyang. My feelings aren’t a substitute for Fang Jianyuan’s
feelings!” As he finished yelling, he felt even more weary. He didn’t want
to stay here any longer, and his voice went cold as he said, “Whatever, if
you think it’s only comfort and won’t give it to me, I’ll just look for
somebody else to comfort me.”
With these words, he cruelly used his other hand to wrestle with Yang
Youming’s grip, but he didn’t expect that in the next second, Yang Youming
suddenly pulled him closer and kissed his lips.
Xia Xingcheng was stunned.
It wasn’t a gentle, comforting kiss, but a hot and intense one that showed all
the possessive aggression of a man.
Yang Youming picked him up as he left his lips, pressed against his ear and
said, “Come.” With that, he carried Xia Xingcheng to the inner room and
threw him on the bed in a somewhat rough manner. After, he kneeled down
by the side of the bed and reached out to unfasten his shirt buttons one by
one as he fixed his gaze on Xia Xingcheng.
Under the shirt was Yang Youming’s sturdy body, with beautiful abs under
his broad chest, and the slender V of his hips were clearly visible, extending
all the way down below the belt of his suit trousers.
Xia Xingcheng had never seen such a Yang Youming before. He was
inexplicably afraid, subconsciously using his elbows to prop himself up on
the bed.
As a result, Yang Youming grabbed his ankles and helped him remove his
shoes.
Xia Xingcheng’s chest rose and fell so intensely that his breathing seemed
strained.
Yang Youming leaned forward and braced his hands on either side of Xia
Xingcheng’s body. Looking down at him from above, in a deep voice, he
said, “Take off your clothes.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t move. He saw himself in Yang Youming’s eyes–he

looked frightened, and the expression was difficult to conceal.
Yang Youming said, “What are you afraid of? Isn’t anything fine as long as
you can sleep with me?” With that, he straightened up. His fingers nimbly
unbuckled his belt, then slowly pulled the leather belt from the waist of his
pants.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but blush. He didn’t understand why Yang
Youming removing his belt can seem so erotic. Taking a deep breath, he sat
up from the bed and began to undress.
The curtains in the room weren’t drawn, and although he knew that there
weren’t any tall buildings in the vicinity that could possibly have a clear
view of this side of the room, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but look
outside, feeling like he was being watched.
Yang Youming noticed his line of sight and said, “You dared to come here
to find me, and you still care about being seen?”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly turned fierce. He looked up at Yang Youming with

hatred, stripped off all his clothes, and stepped on the bed again with both
feet. He took off his underwear along with his pants and threw them to the
floor, sitting stark naked on the bed as he aimed a provocative gaze at Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming looked at him silently for a long time, holding his hand and
crouching down beside the bed. His eyes and tone softened, tilting his head
up and saying to Xia Xingcheng, “Xingcheng, have you really thought this
through? I’m the one who has to bear the responsibility in this relationship,
and I don’t want to hurt you.”
Xia Xingcheng looked down at him and said, “I’m an adult.”
Yang Youming didn’t say anything else and only held Xia Xingcheng’s
hand tightly. After a while, he hung his head and pressed that hand to his
face.
All at once, Xia Xingcheng felt his heart go soft, everything inside turned to
complete shambles.
Yang Youming pressed his face against Xia Xingcheng’s hand and stayed
like that for a long time, unmoving, before he slowly stood up. With one leg
still kneeling by the bed, he bent down and kissed Xia Xingcheng’s lips.
This kiss was tender and thorough.
As they kissed, Yang Youming pulled Xia Xingcheng’s hand, pressing it to

the button on his waistband.
Xia Xingcheng understood his gesture. With fleeting breaths and slightly
trembling fingers, he unfastened that button and pulled down the zipper
little by little.
He was by no means an inexperienced person. On the contrary, he’s had

many girlfriends. He knew how to fuck a girl in bed, but in front of Yang
Youming, there was nothing he could do–he could only react by instinct.
He knew that the relationship between him and Yang Youming was not
equal. He didn’t know how deep Yang Youming’s feelings were for him–
but what he could be sure of was that he cared more about this relationship
than Yang Youming did.
And because he cared, he was meticulously cautious and willing to

compromise.
Yang Youming took off the last layer of restraint on his body and covered
Xia Xingcheng whole.
☆☆☆
The room seemed as if it was overheated. Xia Xingcheng felt like his entire
body was soaked with sweat, his body deeply embedded in the middle of
the soft bed.
Yang Youming planted his hands on either side of his body, his forehead
pressed hard against Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder. Small kisses fell over Xia
Xingcheng’s collarbone, leaving nothing untouched.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hands to embrace him. He could feel the muscles
of the man’s shoulder and back straining from the exertion, and at this very
moment, he looked strong and powerful.
There was no doubt that this was Yang Youming’s first time with a man, yet
he was still adept and skillful. Unlike Xia Xingcheng’s past experiences, he
could feel that his momentum was completely at the mercy of the other
man’s hands—he was powerless from head to toe.
The large hotel bed shook even more violently. Yang Youming’s body
tensed, his lips slowly wandering over to the pliable skin on the side of Xia
Xingcheng’s neck as he tried to suppress his breaths, but he finally couldn’t
help a low groan. His arms lost their strength then, and his entire body was
completely pressed against Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng’s psychological shock was even stronger than his physical
one, and he held Yang Youming tightly, wishing that the man would never
leave him.
There was one thing that Yang Youming hadn’t actually gotten wrong but
Xia Xingcheng would never admit to him, and that was that Fang Jiangyuan
and Yu Haiyang’s unsatisfactory ending made him even more attached to
Yang Youming. He was clear on the fact that he wasn’t Fang Jianyuan, but
he had suffered through severe emotional wounds in that illusory love. He
also knew very well that Yang Youming wasn’t Yu Haiyang, and because he
wasn’t, he wanted to hold on to Yang Youming even more so to find solace
from his emotional scars.
So was he the only one who got hurt in that illusory love affair? Xia
Xingcheng turned his head to look into Yang Youming’s eyes.
Yang Youming was lying on his body, his head against the pillow by Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder. Right then, he tilted his head towards him, those
beautiful eyes were deep and bottomless.
It was completely different from when they were acting. When they were
shooting intimate scenes, no matter how Yu Haiyang lost himself in the
scene, Yang Youming could immediately withdraw the moment it ended.
But at this time, Yang Youming’s unwillingness to part with him was
exhibited across his entire face, his breaths still scorching hot.
Yang Youming just gazed at him like this. After a while, he gently touched
Xia Xingcheng’s dark red lips with his thumb.
Xia Xingcheng opened his mouth to suck his fingers, and the tip of his
tongue touched his moist fingertips.
Soon after, they embraced and kissed each other once more.
The tireless intimacy didn’t end until late in the night. Xia Xingcheng
curled up in Yang Youming’s arms and fell asleep.
But his sleep wasn’t peaceful at all, and he woke up when he felt the person
beside him moving.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were closed. Traces of the love affair still remained
on his body. He didn’t dare to move, fearing that Yang Youming would tell
him to leave if he found out he was awake, because he had agreed with
Yang Youming that there would only be this one night.
But Yang Youming merely seemed to sit up, and there was no other
movement.
Xia Xingcheng panicked.
Then, he felt Yang Youming’s breath slowly approaching him. The man left
a soft kiss on his cheek, then lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
The sound of Yang Youming’s footsteps went straight to the bathroom. Xia
Xingcheng opened his eyes to see the bathroom lights on and the door shut.
After a while, there was the sound of running water.
The curtains in the room had been drawn. The thick blackout curtains
practically blocked out all the outside light. The room remained dark, and
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t tell whether it was bright out or not.
He also sat up, raising a hand to his face, not quite sure whether the kiss just
now was a figment of his imagination.
After a while, Xia Xingcheng pushed away the covers and got up from the
bed, bare feet on the carpet, and saw that the clothes he and Yang Youming
had thrown aside last night were still scattered all over the floor. He tiptoed
over the clothes and followed Yang Youming to the bathroom.
The bathroom door was unlocked, and the separate shower had a wide
jacuzzi tub. At this time, Yang Youming was standing in the tub, his back to
the door as he showered.
Perhaps the sound of the shower drowned out the sound of Xia Xingcheng
opening the door. Yang Youming never turned around until Xia Xingcheng
stepped into the bathtub and hugged him from behind.
Yang Youming’s hand that was gripping the shower head paused, his other
hand pressed on the back of the hand Xia Xingcheng had around his waist,
then intertwined their fingers.
The bathroom’s lighting was hazy, and steam pervaded the air, yet Xia
Xingcheng could still see the marks on the contours of Yang Youming’s
firm back that he had caused with his own hands. He stuck out his tongue to
lick at those red marks, and asked, “When should I leave?”
When he felt Yang Youming steal a kiss on his face, he decided to ask this
question.
Yang Youming lowered his head. The hot water from the shower washed
over their interlocked hands, and after a moment, he said, “You can leave
whenever you want.”
Xia Xingcheng was so stunned that he thought he had misheard. He raised

his head and said, “Then I’m not leaving.”
Yang Youming grabbed his hand and pushed it away. Turning to face him,
he raised the showerhead in his hand to let the jets of water gently wash
over Xia Xingcheng’s body and then his hair. He used his other hand to
wipe the water off Xia Xingcheng’s face and said, “All right.”
They used the hotel’s shower gel and shampoo to wash each other’s bodies.
Halfway through, Xia Xingcheng was riled up again. He pushed Yang
Youming to sit on the edge of the bathtub, against the wall. Ignoring the
way his knees hit the cold hard tiles, he held Yang Youming’s shoulders and
sat on him with his legs apart.
His thoughts were actually quite simple. He couldn’t tell how far Yang
Youming’s feelings for him went, but the body’s reaction was something
that couldn’t be concealed–how about making Yang Youming stay in his
bed, so much so that he couldn’t bear to leave?
☆☆☆
Later, Xia Xingcheng curled up in Yang Youming’s arms again and slept. It
was a deeper sleep than before. When he woke up, he found that Yang
Youming had already gotten up.
Yang Youming was wearing an ash-blue crew neck sweater and light brown
trousers, sitting at the foot of the bed with one leg folded across his knee. A
white ankle was exposed under the hem of his trousers, and his back was
slightly bowed–head lowered as he typed on his phone.
The blackout curtains in the room opened a sliver, and a beam of warm
yellow sunlight happened to shine on where Yang Youming sat, enveloping
him completely. In the sunlight, his hair and sweater looked fluffy, and it
was like he was crowned with a halo. His entire being exuded a warm and
gentle air.
Xia Xingcheng was dazed as he stared at the perfect lines of his side profile,
and couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Just then, Yang Youming turned to look at him, put his phone aside, and
asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Xia Xingcheng was still completely naked. He stretched his arms out from
under the covers and said, “I can’t believe I actually slept with Yang
Youming.”
Hearing this, Yang Youming unexpectedly also laughed, saying, “Were you
satisfied?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t expect him to ask this question, and suddenly felt a
little embarrassed, but he feigned a cheeky manner and nodded. He moved
his body that was still concealed by the blanket, and was still able to recall
the pleasure of losing control earlier.
Yang Youming continued to watch him as he asked, “Are you hungry? Do

you want to go out to eat?”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly remembered something else. He turned to look for

his phone on the nightstand, but couldn’t find it. He asked Yang Youming,
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost twelve,” Yang Youming said.
Xia Xingcheng sat up all of a sudden, surprised that it was already noon. He
had no other plans today and originally purchased a return ticket to go back
this afternoon, yet he ended up sleeping in Yang Youming’s room till now.
Huang Jixin had probably gone crazy trying to find him.
He tore open the covers and got out of bed, yet his legs went soft as soon as
he stepped on the carpet. It’s been a while since he indulged in lust like
this.
The clothes that had been thrown on the floor have been collected by Yang
Youming, and they were now neatly folded on the chair next to him. Yang
Youming groped for his phone, but couldn’t find it in his pockets.
Yang Youming watched him move about and said, “I didn’t see your
phone.”
Thinking back, Xia Xingcheng recalled that he probably didn’t even bring
his phone over last night–Huang Jixin had probably truly gone mad this
time around.
Yang Youming looked at his somewhat panicked expression and said, “Just
now, Li Yun called to tell me that your agent is looking for you. He went to
Li Yun’s place and wanted to ask if I had seen you.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming.

Yang Youming continued, “I told her to tell your agent that you’re here with
me.”
Just as he finished speaking, both of them simultaneously heard a knock on

the door.
Yang Youming stood up from the side of the bed and said to Xia
Xingcheng, “Put your clothes on.” then proceeded to head outside.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t have a change of clean clothes, so he could only put
on what he had worn for yesterday’s award ceremony.
As he was getting dressed, he heard Yang Youming walk outside to open

the door, and then the sound of Huang Jixin’s voice resonated through a
wall, like a buzzing that couldn’t be heard clearly.
After putting on his shirt and trousers, he walked out, and once Huang Jixin
caught sight of him behind Yang Youming, he glowered fiercely.
Yang Youming said, “Come in and talk.”
No one wanted to be seen by anyone outside.
Huang Jixin walked in and closed the door. It was evident that he was
furious, yet he suppressed it with great effort as he said to Xia Xingcheng,
“There’s still time for us to get to the airport.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer him, but looked at Yang Youming and asked
in a worried tone, “Ming ge, when will you leave?”
Yang Youming told him, “I’ve booked a ticket for the day after tomorrow.”
After saying that, he saw that Xia Xingcheng was still looking at him and
added, “I’ll be staying here for the next two days.”
Xia Xingcheng then said to Huang Jixin, “Help me change my ticket to the
day after tomorrow.”
Huang Jixin’s face fell on the spot, and he no longer hid his frustration as he
said, “Come back to the room with me, I have something to say to you.”
Yet Xia Xingcheng said, “I don’t.”
“Xia Xingcheng!” If it weren’t for the fact that they were in front of Yang
Youming, Huang Jixin feared that he would’ve already raised his fist.
Xia Xingcheng’s attitude was unprecedentedly firm, “I’m not leaving.”

There was a bit of inexplicable stubbornness in his heart. When he told
Yang Youming that he wasn’t leaving, Yang Youming replied that he could,
so he was afraid that once he leaves, Yang Youming wouldn’t give him the
chance to come back.
Huang Jixin restrained his angry look.
At this time, Yang Youming said, “I’ll go out and ask Li Yun to buy some
food. If you have something to talk about, stay here and talk.” With that, he
went back to the inner room to get his coat, and when he returned, he patted
Xia Xingcheng on the shoulder as he passed.
Huang Jixin knew that Yang Youming was giving them space and nodded to
Yang Youming in gratitude.
Without a word, Yang Youming opened the door and went out.
As soon as Yang Youming left, Huang Jixin immediately shouted at Xia

Xingcheng, “You get the hell back and pack your things and go home right
now!”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t offended by his attitude, yet acted as if Huang Jixin’s
words had gone in one ear and out the other. “I’m not leaving.”
Huang Jixin stepped forward to drag him back, yet when he grabbed Xia
Xingcheng’s wrist, his movements suddenly faltered.
The collar of Xia Xingcheng’s shirt was wide open, and on his neck, two
red hickeys were distinctly visible.
Although Huang Jixin had already guessed what happened when Xia
Xingcheng spent the night in Yang Youming’s room, seeing those traces of
intimacy with his own eyes still made his heart tremble. He released his
grip on Xia Xingcheng’s hand and weakly said, “What on earth are you
doing?”
Hearing that his tone had eased up, Xia Xingcheng’s attitude eased up as
well. He said, “I don’t have any schedules. You go back to the company
first and call me if you need anything.”
Huang Jixin heaved a deep sigh, “What are you staying for? Having an
affair with Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t exactly fond of that wording, “He’s already

divorced, what affair are we having?”
Huang Jixin said, “But he’s a man. Forget the fact that he’s a man, even if
he was a woman, with his current age and status, you’ll be under a lot of
pressure if you’re together with him. My little brother, do you really
understand the situation?”
Xia Xingcheng was silent for a moment and said, “I’ve thought it through.”
“What the hell have you thought through?” Huang Jixin hated that he
couldn’t slap him awake, “It’s not going to work out with him anyway, so
why take such a big risk and risk losing your entire career for one moment
of carelessness!”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Who said that it wouldn’t work out with him?”
Huang Jixin asked him, “How long did your previous girlfriend last?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer. After a moment, he said, “He’s different–he’s

not like anybody else.”
☆☆☆
Huang Jixin knew Xia Xingcheng all too well. Over the last few years, he
had never prevented Xia Xingcheng from dating, only because he knew that
Xia Xingcheng was indecisive. Every time his feelings came fiercely, it
would go away just as swiftly.
But this time was different, and what he was most worried about was that
once Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming’s affair was exposed, both of their
careers would be completely ruined.
He was in an irritable mood and wanted to smoke, but remembered that this
was Yang Youming’s room. In the end, he could only stare at Xia
Xingcheng and said harshly, “I can’t control you, go back and explain the
situation to Chief Cai yourself.” The implication was that he won’t help Xia
Xingcheng hide this matter from the company.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t afraid. He said, “It doesn’t matter, I don’t care.”
Huang Jixin felt that Xia Xingcheng’s head was probably truly broken.
Feeling that he had nowhere to vent all his pent-up grievance, he turned to
leave the room.
Xia Xingcheng, however, grabbed him and said, “Change the flight ticket
for me.”
Huang Jixin released his hand from Xia Xingcheng’s grip and suppressed
his anger, saying, “I not only have to change your ticket for you, but also
handle the hotel room for you and deliver your luggage over to you. Does
this work for you, young master?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Yes.”

Huang Jixin pointed to his head and poked his fingers at his temple, “Listen
to me, this matter absolutely can’t be known by the media. When you and
Yang Youming go outside, promise me to behave yourselves. Don’t even
think about holding hands!”
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming were both men. Originally, it wouldn’t
matter if they were photographed spending the night in the same room.
They could still explain that they were just friends hanging out and drinking
together. However, what was somewhat troublesome was the fact that the
two men have starred in a same-sex movie. Naturally, there is so-called CP
fan speculation on the internet, and they were quite a lively group, so if they
showed the slightest bit of intimacy outside, it would inevitably be
embellished.
So Huang Jixin had no other choice but to warn Xia Xingcheng. His
relationship with Yang Youming must not leak out to the public. When he
returns, he’ll have a chat with Cai Meiting to see whether she has any
solutions. It would be best if Cai Meiting could personally step in and talk
to Yang Youming herself. Xia Xingcheng was young and ignorant, but there
was no reason for Yang Youming to be so hot-headed at his age. Why
should this relationship start, let alone develop?
Not long after Huang Jixin left, Yang Youming returned.
Xia Xingcheng was sitting on the living room sofa waiting for him. As soon
as he saw him come in, he directly flipped over the back of the sofa and
threw himself into Yang Youming’s arms.
Yang Youming had to wrap an arm around his waist. When the eager kiss
ended, he patted Xia Xincheng on the head and said, “Let’s eat.”
They ate lunch and dinner in this room. In the afternoon, Li Yun came
around to bring Xia Xingcheng’s suitcase over, saying that Huang Jixin
didn’t want to be seen running and going from Yang Youming’s room too
often.
Xia Xingcheng felt that the way Li Yun looked at him was quite cold,
wondering if it was just a figment of his imagination.
Once Li Yun left, Xia Xingcheng asked Yang Youming, “Did you tell Yun
jie about us?”
Yang Youming sat on a chair by the window. He had been reading with his
head down, but when he heard Xia Xingcheng speak, he raised his head and
said, “Even if I don’t say anything, she’ll know.”
Xia Xingcheng walked over to the small table next to Yang Youming and
sat down with both legs stretched out, he tilted his head and gazed at Yang
Youming, “She doesn’t like me?”
Yang Youming placed the spread book on his lap and looked up at him,
“She hasn’t shown me that she doesn’t like you.”
Xia Xingcheng looked into Yang Youming’s eyes. When the man’s eyes
were focused on him, it was as if he occupied his entire world, giving one
the illusion of being deeply loved. At that moment, he seemed to be
bewitched, asking Yang Youming, “Then–do you like me?”
Yang Youming was silent for a moment before he answered him, “I like
you.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart swelled with a strong sense of satisfaction. Keeping

his eyes on Yang Youming, he slowly bent down and kissed his lips, and
then his ass slid along the edge of the table and finally settled down on
Yang Youming’s lap.
Yang Youming had put his book away before that point, holding Xia
Xingcheng’s waist with one hand and placing it on the round table with the
other.
Xia Xingcheng took his face in his hands and kissed him, stroking the sides
of his face with his fingers. The kiss left Yang Youming’s lips and landed
on his sharp jaw, where there was a hint of stubble, not obvious, but it felt
rough under his tongue.
Yang Youming let him have his way, even tilting his head up a little.
Xia Xincheng went to kiss his neck again. The skin of his neck was taut.
Purple veins could be seen through the skin, and his Adam’s apple was
sharp and prominent, enticing Xia Xingcheng to lick and suck on it.
It was as if Xia Xingcheng had nowhere to vent, and it wasn’t just his
Adam’s apple–he tried his best to leave traces all over Yang Youming’s
neck. He was fully aware that he shouldn’t, but he also wanted the whole
world to know that Yang Youming was his. They hugged and kissed each
other. They had sex. When he saw Yang Youming naked, he also sensed the
strength in his body as he held Xia Xingcheng tightly in his arms.
His heart beat fast and his breathing was rushed, to the point where both his
legs straddled Yang Youming’s lap, his hand wrapped tightly around his
neck. He did nothing else, merely clinging to Yang Youming’s body, not
leaving the smallest gap between them.
Yang Youming hugged him, holding his waist with one hand and patting his
back gently with the other, like he was comforting a crying child.
Xia Xingcheng’s chest rose and fell violently, thinking to himself that
Huang Jixin was right–he was probably truly ruined. He had never felt this
kind of emotion in more than twenty years of living. He was completely
and utterly done for.
In the evening, when Xia Xingcheng came out of the bathroom in pajamas
after a shower, he found Yang Youming reclining on the bed, watching TV.
Yang Youming looked up at him, patted his side, and said, “Come here.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly walked over, taking off his slippers and sitting
down next to Yang Youming. He stared at the TV, and asked, “What are you
watching?”
Yang Youming replied, “An old movie.”
After watching the movie for a while, Xia Xingcheng felt little interest
turned to look at Yang Youming again, framed by the light of the desk lamp.
Yang Youming said, “I’m going to visit a friend tomorrow, do you want to
come with me?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned, “You want to go out?”
Yang Youming nodded, “If you don’t want to go, you can wait for me at the
hotel.”
Xia Xingcheng looked a little hesitant. He stared at the TV and didn’t

answer.
Yang Youming held his hand, “I meant that I’ll wait until you want to leave.
I won’t drive you away, and I also won’t leave you.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately returned his grip and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Xia Xingcheng then bent his waist and moved in front of Yang Youming
and sat down cross-legged, smiling as he said, “Don’t watch the movie.”
Yang Youming looked at him with a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Then what
should I be watching?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Watch me.”
Yang Youming leaned back against the headboard, head raised, and said in
an indolent, laughing tone, “What are you making me watch?”
Xia Xingcheng thought for a while, then suddenly kneeled up and leaned
over to reach for his phone on the nightstand. When it was in his hands at
last, he quickly scrolled through the phone and played a song with an erotic
beat. He threw the phone away and directly stood up on the bed, saying,
“I’ll give you a striptease. It’s my first time dancing, you’ve earned a lot of
profit.”
With that, he swayed his body to the rhythm, laughing as he slowly

unbuttoned his pajamas. It was a pity that the song was almost over. He still
hadn’t yet unfastened half the buttons, but from time to time, he rubbed at
Yang Youming’s legs with the arches of his feet.
Naturally, Yang Youming captured his ankle and pulled him over, and Xia
Xingcheng almost fell head first onto the bed before he was ruthlessly
pressed down once more.
☆☆☆
The next morning, Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng had breakfast at the
hotel before setting off by car.
Li Yun didn’t accompany them, simply sending them off as they got into the
car at the hotel entrance.
When they left the hotel room, Xia Xingcheng wore a cap and mask, and
Yang Youming also had sunglasses on, but they were still recognized.
Before getting into the car, Xia Xingcheng saw someone taking pictures of
them with their phone. Huang Jixin’s repeated warnings came to mind, and
he was a little flustered for no reason.
He glanced in that direction. When he heard Yang Youming urging him

from behind, he lowered his head and got into the car.
Yang Youming followed him in, and the driver closed the door.
The interior of the vehicle was spacious, and the heater was on full blast.
Xia Xingcheng took off his cap and mask and looked at Yang Youming who
was sitting next to him, saying, “I saw someone taking pictures.”
Yang Youming took off his sunglasses, slipping them into the pocket of his
down jacket, and said, “Still not used to it?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but say, “It’s different when it’s with you.”
Yang Youming didn’t say anything, shooting a look at the driver’s direction,
so Xia Xingcheng didn’t mention it anymore.
They shed their down jackets. Yang Youming had changed into a turtleneck
sweater today, because when he got up earlier this morning, his neck was
covered with mottled marks. His back and shoulders also had tiny cuts that
Xia Xingcheng had scratched and bitten out.
When Yang Youming looked in the mirror, Xia Xingcheng came into the
bathroom to hang a towel. Yang Youming pressed his fingers to the bite
marks on his shoulder and glimpsed at him in the mirror.
Xia Xingcheng walked out somewhat sheepishly. Yet after going out, he felt
a little unwilling, stretching his head back and saying to Yang Youming,
“This is called marking the prey.”
After he said this, he wanted to go, but Yang Youming grabbed his wrist
and pulled him back into the bathroom. Yang Youming hoisted him up and
sat him down on the bathroom countertop, pulling open his collar to reveal
his fair neck and acting like he was about to bite down hard.
Xia Xingcheng really thought that Yang Youming was going to bite. His
eyes were shut, ready to endure the pain, but in the end, all that fell on his
skin was a single light kiss.
As Yang Youming’s lips left his skin, he stared at the place he had kissed
and whispered, “It’s been marked well.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at him. Yang Youming’s expression was

gentle, as if all his attention was focused on him. Abruptly, his heart started
to beat violently. It was as if Yang Youming had really branded his body
with this one mark, and his entire body burned up in an instant.
Up until now, whenever Xia Xingcheng subconsciously touched the skin

above his collarbone through his clothes, those memories would abruptly
flood his mind.
At this time, Yang Youming leaned against the back of the chair and shut
his eyes to rest.
Xia Xingcheng was still in good spirits. He reached out to pull down Yang
Youming’s collar to see the marks on his neck.
With his eyes still closed, Yang Youming grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand,
holding him palm and pressing it to his leg, saying, “Rest for a while, be
good.”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at the driver in the front seat, then closed his eyes
and leaned against the back of the chair, hooking his finger with Yang
Youming’s pinky.
The car drove out of the city center for more than an hour and into the
mountain road on the outskirts of the city. The mountain was not tall, but
snow could be seen on the mountaintop. The mountain road was very
deserted. Except for the dense woods on both sides, all that was left was a
walled off yard. It was basically a private courtyard.
Xia Xingcheng looked out the window and saw a black car parked on the
side of the road. Their car began to slow down and soon stopped near the
car.
As soon as the car stopped, Yang Youming got up without waiting for the
driver. He had already put on his jacket, opening the door to get out of the
car. He stood by the door and held out a hand towards Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng took his hand and got out of the car. As soon as he stepped
out, the two let go of each other’s hands, because two people had gotten off
the car in front of them–one was Chen Hailan, and the other was Qin
Xueyue.
Qin Xueyue wore a long skirt under her white down jacket that parted from
her knees down to her sneakers, exposing her calf. Her face was filled with
astonishment the moment she saw Xia Xingcheng, and she ran over to him.
“Xingcheng, what are you doing here?”
As she arrived in front of him, Xia Xingcheng gave her a very light hug and
patted her back, then soon removed his arms, saying, “I came with Ming
ge.” He didn’t even know who Yang Youming was taking him to see.
Chen Hailan also came over and raised his hand to wave at Xia Xingcheng,
“Xingcheng is here too?” Then he said to Qin Xueyue, “Xiao Xue, Ming ge
doesn’t need an introduction from me, right?”
Qin Xueyue looked up at Yang Youming and greeted him with a rare and
somewhat shy smile, “Hello, Ming ge.”
Yang Youming nodded mildly.
Chen Hailan approached them and said, “Jingyuan called me early this
morning and asked me to bring Xiao Xue with me. I didn’t expect that
Xingcheng would come as well, and it just so happens that you youngsters
can hang out together later.”
Yang Youming said, “I brought him to come and see.”
Chen Hailan knew that they were familiar with each other and didn’t think
it was all too strange, but Qin Xueyue kept looking at Yang Youming with
prying eyes.
Right then, Yang Youming asked Chen Hailan again, “Your wife didn’t
come with you?”
Chen Hailan said, “She had something to do at work and couldn’t get
away.” Soon after, he turned around to look at the mountain road ahead and
said, “There are still ten more minutes until we get there.”
When Qin Xueyue heard this, she suddenly grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand
and pulled him forwards, saying, “Let’s go, go and take our car.”
Xia Xingcheng rejected her without a second thought, “No thank you, I’ll
just take this one.”
Yang Youming shot a glance at Xia Xingcheng’s hand that was held tightly
by Qin Xueyue.
Qin Xueyue wanted to insist. Chen Hailan came over to smooth things over,
patting Qin Xueyue’s shoulder, and said, “We’ll be arriving soon,
Xingcheng will keep his Ming ge company in their car. When we get there,
you guys can go hiking, okay?”
Only after hearing Chen Hailan say so did Qin Xueyue let go.
Xia Xingcheng returned to Yang Youming’s side and said, “Ming ge, let’s
get in the car.”
☆☆☆
After getting into the car, Xia Xingcheng curiously asked Yang Youming,
“Who exactly are we visiting?”
Yang Youming hadn’t taken off his down jacket, but the front was unzipped.
He said, “Do you know Ren Yuchang?”
Xia Xingcheng let out an “Ah”, slightly surprised, but quickly added, “Of
course I know Ren Yuchang.” He stared at Yang Youming, “In your heart,
am I that ignorant and incompetent that I’m in showbiz just to fool
around?”
Ren Yuchang was a well-known older generation filmmaker in China. He

directed and produced a number of movies that had garnered international
praise. But they were all old movies, and it wasn’t at all surprising for
young people to have never heard of them.
Yang Youming chuckled lightly as he said, “We’re paying Teacher Ren a

visit.”
Xia Xingcheng understood. Immediately after, he asked, “That Ren

Jingyuan?”
Yang Youming said, “Ren Jingyuan is Teacher Ren’s grandson.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly realized–Ren Jianyuan’s career had been smooth

sailing since his debut. He was constantly invited to various variety shows
and films. Everyone knew that he had a powerful family background, but
this was the first time Xia Xingcheng heard anyone mention that Ren
Jingyuan was Ren Yuchang’s grandson.
He tilted his head against the back of the seat, his fingers playing with the
woolen hat he wore his way out. No wonder Chen Hailan took such good
care of Ren Jingyuan. He was a little envious. Later, he thought, why
should he envy him? He has Yang Youming. It was the rest of the world
who should be envious of him.
After driving for more than ten minutes, the car entered an uphill path that
was blocked off by a gate, with low walls extending out on both sides of the
road. The car drove through the gate and into a courtyard. It was obvious
that the owner had paid special attention to the design. Lotus ponds and
pavilions were readily available, and although it was winter, it didn’t appear
bleak–there were several plum trees in bloom on the side of the road, its
branches covered with bits of pale yellow.
At the end of the path was a two-story villa, and in front of the villa stood a
tall and handsome young man. Xia Xingcheng looked through the window
to find that it was Ren Jingyuan.
Ren Jingyuan was dressed in a simple sweatshirt, and he laughed as he

waved at their car.
As the car stopped, Xia Xingcheng had just gotten off the car when he
heard Chen Hailan say to Ren Jingyuan, “Aren’t you cold? Hurry up and
get in the house.”
Ren Jingyuan didn’t seem to feel cold at all. He looked very energetic as he
walked up to Yang Youming to greet him.
Yang Youming nodded and greeted him, “Is Teacher Ren well?”
Ren Jingyuan said, “He’s in good spirits. He was still out waiting on his
flowers and plants this morning.” He laughed again and gave a nod to Xia
Xingcheng, “You actually showed up, I thought I wouldn’t be able to ask
you out to play.”
Xia Xingcheng was actually not familiar with Ren Jingyuan, but in this
circle, you had to make acquaintances on your own. Sometimes,
connections are more important than strength, so he smiled and said, “I was
really sick a couple of days ago. Aren’t I showing up on my own now?”
At a distance away, Qin Xueyue, who had just got off the car, trotted inside
the house while shouting that it was cold.
Chen Hailan also greeted them, “Don’t stand outside and talk. Let’s talk
inside.”
Ren Jingyuan hurriedly called out to Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng to
follow him inside.
The room had floor heating, and Xia Xingcheng felt like he was wrapped
up in a bundle of heat as soon as he stepped inside. He took off his down
jacket, and Yang Youming took it in passing and handed it together with his
own to the Rens’ housekeeper to hang up.
Xia Xingcheng met Ren Yuchang for the first time, a hale and hearty old
gentleman who was already in his early seventies. He was tall and thin, and
there was a gentle smile on his face.
When Ren Jingyuan introduced Qin Xueyue to Ren Yuchang, he said that
she was the friend he had invited, and Ren Yuchang laughed and asked,
“Girlfriend?
Ren Jingyuan and Qin Xueyue promptly denied this at the same time. After
that, Ren Jingyuan introduced Xia Xingcheng in passing, also mentioning
that he was his friend. Yet he hadn’t yet figured out the situation and
thought that Xia Xingcheng had come with Qin Xueyue and Chen Hailan.
Ren Yuchang shook hands with Xia Xingcheng. He had a small tremor that
was common in the elderly, and his palm was dry, a layer of skin directly
wrapping his bones.
After that, Ren Yuchang invited everyone to sit down, and boiled water on
the tea tray in front of him with his own hands to make tea for the guests.
Xia Xingcheng listened as Yang Youming and Chen Hailan talked to Ren
Yuchang. They all called him Teacher Ren, evidently very familiar with
him. Everyone had just entered the house, and the conversation was nothing
more than exchanging pleasantries, asking about the old man’s health and
chatting about the beautiful and secluded environment on the mountain.
Xia Xingcheng appraised the living room, looking at the landscape

paintings hanging on the wall. There was a bamboo display shelf with
ceramics that were unrecognizable to Xia Xingcheng. Behind the wooden
chairs he and Yang Youming were sitting on was a floor-to-ceiling window
that overlooked a small garden. There were two big dogs in the garden. A
husky pressed its face against the glass to peer inside, its nose squashed
flat.
While they talked, the sound of footsteps treading on the wooden stairs
came down from the second floor. Xia Xingcheng turned to look and saw a
long-haired girl coming from the direction of the stairs. The girl dressed in
a pure white loose sweater and skinny jeans. Her long hair fell above her
waist, and her small face was palm-sized, her features extremely good
looking.
Without warning, Xia Xingcheng thought of Yuan Qian the moment he saw
her. It wasn’t that they looked alike, but her looks were stunning at first
glance, which reminded one of Yuan Qian.
The girl slowed down her pace as she neared them.
Xia Xingcheng turned around and saw Yang Youming looking at her. In
fact, everyone in the room was looking at her, but Xia Xingcheng could
only pay attention to Yang Youming.
Ren Jingyuan stood up right then and said, “This is my younger cousin,
Ling Jiayue.”
Ren Yuchang also said to Yang Youming and Chen Hailan, “Tingting’s
daughter.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know who Tingting was, guessing that she was Ren
Yuchang’s daughter.
Chen Hailan said, “We’ve met before, Jiayue. I even said that she looks like
Ting jie at the time, too pretty.”
Ren Yuchang beckoned his granddaughter to greet the guests. The

honorifics in the room were a little disorderly. She called Xia Xingcheng
‘gege’ and Qin Xueyue ‘jiejie’, and addresed Chen Hailan and Yang
Youming ‘ge’. To Yang Youming in particular, Xia Xingcheng heard her
softly call out “Ming ge,” her pale cheeks immediately flushing a little. She
lowered her head, hiding behind her long hair, and sat down on the empty
chair opposite Yang Youming.
The topic of conversation turned to Ling Jiayue.
Xia Xingcheng then noticed that Yang Youming had been looking at Ling
Jiayue. He sat up a little straighter and, as if unintentionally, pressed his
slipper-clad foot against Yang Youming’s.
Their chairs were very close to each other’s, and when Xia Xingcheng stuck
his foot against the man’s, his left knee also touched Yang Youming’s right
knee.
Yang Youming’s face remained unchanged. He only leaned back, his arms
bent naturally on the armrest of the chair, and it happened to touch Xia
Xingcheng’s arm, gently rubbing against it.
Ling Jiayue, who sat on the other side, never raised her head, smiling shyly.
No one noticed their little movements.
☆☆☆
The room was warm and fragrant with the overflowing smell of tea. In the
wake of Ren Yuchang’s slow drawl, Xia Xingcheng was actually a little
sleepy.
Ren Yuchang was talking about films. The old man was rich in culture, and
after several decades of making movies, some things were deeply rooted in
his flesh and blood. It may have sounded interesting if he listened
attentively, but Xia Xingcheng couldn’t keep his mind from wandering off,
and resisted the urge to yawn multiple times.
Outside, the husky in the garden was unwilling to be left out. It whined as it
scratched at the glass with its paws.
“Do you want to go play with the dog?” Ren Jingyuan asked Qin Xueyue.
Qin Xueyue immediately stood up, “Okay.”
Ren Yuchang paused and looked at them with a smile, “You youngsters go
out and have fun, let Hailan and Youming have tea with me.”
Therefore, Ling Jiayue also stood up, leaving only Xia Xingcheng still
sitting.
Yang Youming turned his head to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng looked back at him, wanting to ask, “Do you need me to
accompany you”. And yet he couldn’t.
It was Yang Youming who spoke up first. “Go outside and take a walk. It’s
your first time here, look around the garden Teacher Ren personally
decorated.”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng nod. He got up to put on his jacket and
followed the others into the garden.
They went around to the small inner garden where the dogs were kept.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, Xia Xingcheng could see Yang
Youming’s back.
There were two big dogs in the garden. Beside the husky, there was also a
samoyed. They were very affectionate, with fluffy and soft fur, and they
mindlessly wagged their tails at the sight of people.
Qin Xueyue walked beside Xia Xingcheng, elbowing him and asking, “Did
Yang Youming really divorce Yuan Qian?”
Through an airtight wall of glass, neither the people inside nor outside of
the house could hear each other’s voices.
Xia Xingcheng saw Ling Jiayue, who was walking in front, suddenly stop
and look back at them. “I don’t know any more than you do,” Xia
Xingcheng said, somewhat uncomfortably.
Just then, Ren Jingyuan took a ball and tossed it up for the dog to jump and
catch.
The husky nipped the ball in Ren Jingyuan’s hand, but failed to snatch it,
and it stood up on its hind legs, baring its teeth at Ren Jingyuan.
Qin Xueyue said, “How could you not know when he even took you on this
personal trip. You guys are so familiar with each other, it’s impossible for
him not to tell you.”
Hearing Qin Xueyue’s words, Ren Jingyuan looked at Xia Xingcheng in

surprise, “You came with Ming ge? I thought you came with Lan ge.”
Xia Xingcheng responded vaguely.
Ling Jiayue was wholly silent as she walked to the side of the dog house
and brought out the Samoyed that was hiding inside.
Xia Xingcheng, however, had a hard time not paying attention to her. It was
probably her similar temperament to Yuan Qian that made Xia Xingcheng
feel threatened from the beginning.
Ren Jingyuan said to Qin Xueyue, “How does this concern you?”
Qin Xueyue was unconvinced and said, “I’m just asking, why can’t I ask?”
With that, she also went over to stroke the big, furry Samoyed.
While grabbing the ball from the husky, Ren Jingyuan said, “Their divorce
is over and done with. As for why, I did hear some rumors.”
The others simultaneously turned to look at him.
Enjoying the feeling of being the centre of attention, Ren Jingyuan

deliberately preened a little before saying, “They said that Yuan Qian–this
person, even when she was married, she was restless. She raised a little wolf
dog outside and had to divorce Yang Youming.”
Before Xia Xingcheng could open his mouth, Qin Xueyue said, “How long
have they been married? If I married Yang Youming, I would never be able
to cheat on him. How can a little wolf dog compare to Yang Youming?”
Ren Jingyuan threw the ball with all his might. It hit the wall and bounced
back to the ground, and the husky scrambled over to grab it. He laughed
and said, “A twenty-year-old man and a thirty-something going on forty
year old man will always be different. You two are too young to understand.
Ain’t that right, Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t expect Ren Jingyuan to suddenly ask him, so he

followed up with a laugh and said, “I don’t understand either. I haven’t tried
it out yet.”
Ren Jingyuan burst out laughing, finding Xia Xingcheng’s answer

interesting. He had meant to say that, as men, the two of them should
understand. When he mulled over the meaning of Xia Xingcheng’s words
for a moment, he couldn’t help but laugh, “That’s also right.”
The topic stopped there.
Xia Xingcheng picked up a ball, yet didn’t throw it for the dogs, playing
around with it for his own amusement. The conversation just now had
derailed into a whole different subject.
This garden was too small. They couldn’t even throw a ball for the dogs to
pick up. Ren Jingyuan told them to go to the front courtyard.
Qin Xueyue had Samoyed’s leash in her hand and came over to pull Xia
Xingcheng’s hand, “Let’s go, let’s go throw the ball.”
Xia Xingcheng turned around and saw Yang Youming looking out the
window, so he gently pushed away Qin Xueyue’s hand and said, “You guys
go first, I have to tie my shoelaces. ” After he spoke, he squatted down.
Ren Jingyuan had already thrown the ball while walking away. When the
Samoyed in Qin Xueyue’s hands caught sight of the ball, it immediately
chased after it, and Qin Xueyue was momentarily pulled along. She could
only follow the dog, saying, “Hurry up!”
Xia Xingcheng unfastened his shoelaces and retied them again. When he
stood up, he found that Yang Youming had gotten up from his seat and was
walking to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking right at him.
He gazed towards the room and saw Chen Hailan leaning over to Ren
Yuchang’s side to look over a book of some sort. Neither of them paid
attention to what was going on here, so Xia Xingcheng walked over to the
window.
The house’s elevation was a little higher than the garden’s, so Xia
Xingcheng had to tilt his head up to see Yang Youming’s face.
Yang Youming was looking down at him. He suddenly let out a faint laugh,
then leaned close to the window pane and exhaled on the glass. A layer of
condensation appeared in an instant.
Then, Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming pull out a hand from his pocket.
He raised his index finger to the glass and drew a star with his fingertip.
After drawing it, he leaned forward and sealed the star with a kiss.
Xia Xingcheng gawked at him. Immediately after, Yang Youming laughed

and raised his hand to wipe away the drawing along with the condensation,
then turned back towards his chair.
☆☆☆
From then until lunchtime, Xia Xingcheng seemed a little absent-minded.
Yang Youming had planned to take Xia Xingcheng back to the hotel with
him after lunch. However, this mountain villa rarely had guests–Ren
Yuchang was so thrilled that he had them stay for dinner. He mentioned that
a friend was going to bring him a local chicken in the afternoon, and that he
would personally cook for them in the evening, using local wild mushrooms
to make chicken stew.
After Ren Yuchang heard that Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s flight
was at noon the very next day, he asked them to stay overnight and go
directly to the airport the next morning, which would be closer than going
from the hotel. As for their luggage, they could ask Huang Jixin and Li Yun,
who were waiting at the hotel, to bring them to the airport directly.
Having heard that, Yang Youming truly couldn’t refuse.
He glanced at Xia Xingcheng, who sat with him in the middle of the room.
Naturally, Xia Xingcheng wanted to go back to the hotel. After all, they
would be temporarily separated tomorrow. There were only the two of them
in the hotel room, so they could do whatever they wanted. Since there were
so many people here, there was no way he could share a room with Yang
Youming at night. However, he also felt that Teacher Ren’s enthusiasm was
not easy to turn down. Having to leave would seem like he was being
capricious, so he could only say, “Then let’s go straight to the airport
tomorrow.”
Ren Yuchang immediately stood up, looking very happy, and he asked the
driver to take him to buy wild mushrooms.
Ren Jingyuan was also quite happy to hear that they were staying and said,
“We’ll go hiking in the afternoon, and in the evening we can have some
beer.”
In the afternoon, Ren Jingyuan led them along the path towards the top of
the mountain.
This was not a scenic area, and it was unlikely for there to be any tourists.
They didn’t run into anybody else as they made their way all the way up the
path. Although there was nothing really worth seeing, with the dense
vegetation of the countryside’s mountains, the mood would always be
different from the city.
Ren Jingyuan walked in front. Pointing to wild fungi on the side of the
road, he said to Qin Xueyue, “These can be eaten. I’ll take them back later
for the chicken stew.”
Qin Xueyue didn’t quite believe him, “Are you serious?”
Yang Youming and the others walked behind them. When passing the wild
fungi, Yang Youming said, “It’s a lie, don’t pick it.”
Qin Xueyue immediately turned to Ren Jingyuan, “You really know how to
show off.”
Xia Xingcheng walked at the back of the group. Up until now, he was still
recalling the kiss that Yang Youming had left on the window pane. That
little bit of sweetness made his mind wander, and his footsteps became as
light as a feather.
At this time, Ling Jiayue, who had been following Yang Youming and Chen
Hailan, didn’t seem so eye-catching.
Ling Jiayue was very quiet and well-behaved. For the most part, it was
Chen Hailan who talked to her. No matter what Chen Hailan asked, she
would answer politely.
Yang Youming didn’t speak as much, but Xia Xingcheng could sense from
Ling Jiayue’s attitude that she cared more about Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng’s intuition told him that Ling Jiayue was either a fan of
Yang Youming, or she liked Yang You Ming.
Later on, the mountain path became narrower, and there were places where
only one person could pass through.
Yang Youming slowed down and walked behind Ling Jiayue. Xia
Xingcheng was the only one behind him. Treading on the slightly slippery
stone path, Yang Youming put his hands behind his back, palms spread
towards Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng hurriedly caught up and placed his right hand on Yang
Youming’s palm.
Yang Youming didn’t look at him, only closing his palms and holding Xia
Xingcheng’s hand in both hands, his dry fingertips rubbing his soft palm.
The people in front of them were still talking as they hiked. Only the two of
them fell behind, holding each other’s hands where no one could see.
“Youming!” Not knowing what for, Chen Hailan abruptly called out to
Yang Youming, “Do you remember when we last went hiking?”
Startled, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously moved to pull his hand back.
Yet Yang Youming didn’t let go, his grip tightening all at once as he
answered steadily, “It’s been five or six years now.”
No one looked back at them.
Chen Hailan only lamented, “Time flies.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart beat a little faster. Yang Youming deliberately

hooked his hands with gentle fingertips, making Xia Xingcheng’s heart
itch.
In the backyard of Ren Yuchang’s villa, a large round table was set up in a
sunroom with a glass roof. There was the chicken stew cooked by Ren
Yuchang himself and many other dishes.
The room faced a mountain stream, but it was sufficiently warm inside, and
Xia Xingcheng only wore a sweater. After two bowls of chicken stew, he
was even slightly sweating.
Ren Jingyuan brought in a box of beer. Although it was winter, in such a

warm environment, some beer in one’s stomach would still make the body
feel comfortable.
In the middle of the meal, Xia Xingcheng saw Qin Xueyue and Ling Jiayue
add Yang Youming’s WeChat. Suddenly, he remembered that he had deleted
Yang Youming’s WeChat–not only his WeChat contact, even his phone
number had been deleted completely. Gripping his beer bottle, he couldn’t
help but pause and shoot a glance at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming was putting his phone back in his pocket. Seeing Xia
Xingcheng watching him, Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what came to his
mind, but he took his phone back out and pressed on the screen several
times before placing it on the table and pushing it over to Xia Xingcheng.
He said, “Xingcheng, can we add each other on WeChat?”
Xia Xingcheng guessed that he was probably blushing. Seeing the WeChat
QR code on Yang Youming’s phone screen, he reached out and took the
phone, fishing for his own phone to add him as a friend.
Chen Hailan propped his face on his hand and said with a small chuckle,
“You guys have just shot a movie, but you haven’t even added each other
on WeChat when it’s been this long?”
Yang Youming nodded, “We rarely used WeChat that time.”
No matter what he said, no one would question him closely.
But Xia Xingcheng secretly put his phone on silent and used Yang
Youming’s phone to dial his number, hanging up as soon as the call
connected.
Yang Youming didn’t say anything once Xia Xingcheng returned his phone.
He looked at Xia Xingcheng, dropping his gaze as he took his phone. A
smile flashed across his eyes, and then he calmly put the phone back into
his pocket.
Xia Xingcheng touched the smooth screen of the phone and couldn’t help
but also lower his head and smile. When he looked up again, he suddenly
noticed that Ling Jiayue was watching him.
By the time he looked over, Ling Jiayue immediately turned her eyes away.
☆☆☆
t/n – they’re so cute, my heart is so soft ;__;
The usually quiet villa had so many guests all of a sudden–the

accommodation will inevitably be a bit tight.
Qin Xueyue was a girl, so she naturally had her own room.
There was another guest room that had a large suite with a large double bed
in its inner room, and the sofa in the outer room could be flattened out to
make a single bed.
Ren Yuchang originally wanted Ren Jingyuan to give up his room to Chen
Hailan and put up another small bed for Ren Jingyuan. Therefore, Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng could sleep in the suite.
Yet Chen Hailan put his hand on Yang Youming’s shoulder and said,
“There’s no need for Jingyuan to move, I’ll just sleep in the big bed with
Youming. It’s not like we’ve never slept in the same bed before.”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned when he heard this and looked towards Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming smiled and said, “Sure, so Jingyuan won’t have to move.”
Even though his heart knew that Yang Youming was just being polite, Xia
Xingcheng was still faintly disappointed. He had thought that he would’ve
been able to still stay in a room alone with Yang Youming on their last
night.
Chen Hailan was rarely this stubborn, but he had drunk a little wine, and no
matter what Ren Yuchang said, he insisted on sharing a room with Yang
Youming, saying that he wanted to chat with him at night. Therefore, the
host no longer persisted.
Afterwards, Yang Youming and Chen Hailan went upstairs to their room
first. Xia Xingcheng stayed behind to accompany Ren Jingyuan, Qin
Xueyue, and the others. They drank two more bottles of beer before they
went back to their respective rooms to rest.
The outer room’s door was unlocked. Xia Xingcheng opened the door and
went in to see that his small bed had already been made, the blanket
seeming soft and warm. The rooms were separated by a sliding glass door,
and he walked through the open door and saw that the furnishings inside
were that of an ordinary room, with a queen-sized bed in the middle that
was perfectly enough for two men to sleep in.
Further inside was a balcony, and the same sliding glass door separated it
from the room, yet this door was closed. Yang Youming and Chen Hailan
weren’t in the room–they were standing around and chatting on the balcony
in their down jackets.
Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a moment before he put on his jacket, opened
the door, and walked out.
The moment he opened the door, the biting cold air assaulted his face.
Hearing Chen Hailan’s last two words “Yuan Jian…”, Xia Xingcheng
stopped in his tracks.
He turned back to close the sliding door, cutting off the warmth from the
room. He wrapped his down jacket around himself, then heard Chen Hailan
call out to him, “Xingcheng, come quickly.”
Chen Hailan was such a person. He was kind to everyone, and interacting
with him made people feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts.
Yang Youming didn’t say anything. He simply leaned on the balcony railing
as he calmly watched Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng walked towards them, looked between Chen Hailan and
Yang Youming, and said, “It’s so cold out here, why don’t you come in?”
Chen Hailan said, “I feel stuffy after staying inside for a long time, so I
came out for some fresh air.” He then asked Xia Xingcheng, “Have you
eaten yet?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded, “Mm.”
“Zip up your jacket,” Yang Youming spoke somewhat abruptly, and when
Chen Hailan and Xia Xingcheng looked over at the same time, he flatly
added, “It’s too cold, be careful of catching a cold.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and zipped up his down jacket as he said,
“Thank you, Ming ge.”
It was already completely dark out. Only an uneven silhouette of the

mountains could be seen in the distance. There was no wind tonight, and the
surrounding area was quiet. Nothing could be heard except for the
occasional noise coming from the direction of the first floor kitchen.
Xia Xingcheng’s face and hands quickly grew ice-cold.
Chen Hailan said softly, “I remember when we filmed ‘Leisurely Vacation’.

We also stayed in a calm and peaceful place everyday. That was when I first
met Xingcheng. At that time, I thought this kid was a little depressed.”
“Depressed?” Xia Xingcheng was stunned, not expecting Chen Hailan to

describe him this way.
Chen Hailan said, “That’s right. At that time, you said that your movie had
just wrapped up. I often saw you sitting quietly by yourself, and you didn’t
talk either. I didn’t know what you were thinking, so I took the initiative to
go and talk to you.”
Xia Xingcheng watched him as he spoke, then noticed that Yang Youming
was also staring at Chen Hailan.
Chen Hailan continued, “It’s different this time, you’re a lot more lively.”
Yang Youming said in a quiet voice, “He’d just finished filming then.”
Chen Hailan looked at him, not quite understanding.
Yang Youming shot a glance at Xia Xingcheng, then continued, “He was
still in character and hadn’t gotten out yet.”
Chen Hailan immediately nodded as if he understood. He said, “So that’s

how it is. I’m quite curious about that movie of yours after you guys said
that, did it end badly?”
It had been a long time since anyone mentioned ‘Gradual Distance’ to Xia
Xingcheng, and he was abruptly dragged back to the movie’s ending by
Chen Hailan. His heart immediately sank, and the painful emotions of
helpless despair rose up again, so he kept his head down and didn’t speak.
Yang Youming said, “I’ll invite you to watch it sometime, you’ll know
when you see it.”
Chen Hailan laughed and said, “It’s a deal, we’ll go see it together then.”
He then said, “I’m going to take a shower first. It’s too cold outside, so you
guys should go in as well.”
Yang Youming said, “Go ahead, we’ll stay for a while.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t speak. He looked over his shoulder and saw Chen
Hailan open the door and enter the room, then closed the door again.
Separated by a glass door, the sounds from the room grew muted. He could
only see Chen Hailan pick up a clean nightgown from the bed and walk
towards the bathroom in the outer room.
The moment Chen Hailan stepped into the bathroom and closed the door,
Xia Xingcheng took a step forward and hugged Yang Youming, who had
already been waiting with open arms.
Yang Youming hugged Xia Xingcheng tightly and kissed his forehead,
saying, “Why are you unhappy?”
Xia Xingcheng’s voice was muffled, “It’s our last night today.”
Yang Youming chuckled, his chest shaking faintly, “It’s not like we can’t
meet when we get back.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t speak. He still had some feelings he didn’t want to
reveal. He had always felt that Fang Jiangyuan was already doomed to be
unable to stay with Yu Haiyang–but he was different. At least, at this very
moment, he could firmly hold Yang Youming in his arms.
Yang Youming caressed Xia Xingcheng’s frosty flushed face.
Xia Xingcheng leaned up and kissed Yang Youming’s lips hard.
In the cold, only the other person’s breath and body were burning hot. Xia
Xingcheng tried his utmost to take his claim. He felt Yang Youming’s kisses
deepening, getting more and more intense, one of his hands embraced his
waist, and the other firmly pressed against his nape, leaving him no room to
retreat.
There was nothing more Xia Xingcheng wished to do than tear the clothes
off Yang Youming’s body right then and there, but they didn’t have the time
or space, so they could only use kisses to relieve the intense possessive lust.
An unknown time later, Xia Xingcheng heard a very light clicking sound. If
the surroundings hadn’t been too quiet, and he hadn’t been so tense, he
probably wouldn’t have been able to catch such a small sound, but he knew
that Chen Hailan had just come out after he finished showering.
His eyes widened. If Chen Hailan came out, it would only take him a single
glance to figure out what they were doing on the balcony.
And yet Yang Youming didn’t let go of him, hugging him and taking two
steps back to hide in the corner of the balcony instead.
Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming raising his eyes at the glass door as he
kissed him. With his back to the door, he couldn’t see anything from this
angle, and could only rely on Yang Youming completely. His heart was
pounding so hard that his breathing grew rough.
Yang Youming rubbed his earlobe with his fingers.
Xia Xingcheng’s fingers gripped at Yang Youming’s sleeve.
Suddenly, Yang Youming let go of him and whispered, “He’s here.”
Xia Xingcheng’s entire body grew weak at once. He turned around to lean
on the balcony railings, his heart still beating incessantly from excitement
and nerves. Lowering his head, he buried his face in his arms and gasped
heavily.
Immediately after, he heard the sliding door behind him opening up. Chen
Hailan stood in the doorway and said to them, “Hurry and come in or you’ll
catch a cold later.”
He felt Yang Youming press his hand on his shoulder then. In a calm tone,
the man slowly said, “Go inside, Xingcheng.”
☆☆☆
🙂
t/n – thank you to anon for the kofis!! ❤ i’ll try to post another chapter later today (or maybe 2
tomorrow)
When he went back inside, Xia Xingcheng’s head was still a complete
mess, like his soul hadn’t fully returned to his body. He didn’t know what
kind of appearance he gave off, but he heard Yang Youming telling him to
take a shower first, so he picked up a bathrobe from the bed and walked to
the bathroom.
The hot and humid steam in the bathroom hadn’t totally dissipated yet. Xia
Xingcheng raised his hand to lock the door and felt his entire body calm
down a little. Walking to the bathroom counter, he wiped at the fogged up
mirror and saw that not only were his cheeks flushed, his lips were also
bright red and slightly swollen.
He didn’t know if Chen Hailan had figured anything out, but people like
Chen Hailan were experienced. What can’’t be seen through at a glance,
even if he could see it, he wouldn’t let you know.
Xia Xingcheng was in a bit of a trance as he turned towards the bathtub and
turned on the shower.
He didn’t bring a change of clothes. He only took a simple shower and put
on a bathrobe before coming out of the bathroom. As he walked out, he saw
Yang Youming and Chen Hailan chatting in the inner room. Chen Hailan sat
on the edge of the bed while Yang Youming sat on a chair near the TV
cabinet.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t go back in, but called out to them and said he was
done with the shower, then approached the outer room’s small bed and sat
down. He groped for his phone he had thrown on the bed just a moment
ago, picking it up to casually look through WeChat.
Soon after, Yang Youming passed the outer room and also went to the
bathroom to shower.
Xia Xingcheng turned his head to glance at the bathroom, changing his
position to lie on his stomach and play with his phone on the bed, his head
facing the closed bathroom door.
The sound of running water resounded.
Xia Xingcheng gently rubbed his lips with his hand and looked up at the
bathroom door again. Then, his eyes fell on his phone screen and he tapped
on Weibo.
He had been indulging himself in Yang Youming’s passion these past two
days, and he hadn’t had a chance to go on Weibo. After opening it, he
sensed that there was an inexplicable restlessness within his fanbase. He
knew that it had something to do with Yang Youming. The topic of him and
Yang Youming jointly attending the award ceremony two days ago hasn’t
yet lost its heat, and today, somebody had posted the photos that were taken
when they left the hotel together earlier this morning.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t go through the comments in detail. He knew there

would be people who were jumping for joy, and others who were
deliberately commenting ambiguously, while more were probably following
the joking masses.
It wasn’t necessary for them to respond to any of this content. As long as

they weren’t photographed intimately, these rumours would slowly fade
away.
He exited Weibo and set his phone aside, burying his face in the soft
blanket, thinking how nice it would be if the two of them were still in the
hotel.
At this time, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Xia Xingcheng raised his head all of a sudden. Chen Hailan also heard the
sound and asked in a loud voice, “Who is it?”
“I’ll get the door!” Xia Xingcheng said to Chen Hailan. He propped himself
up, stuffed his feet into his slippers, and hurried over to open the door.
Outside the door stood Ling Jiayue.
She wore fluffy animal-patterned pajamas. Her long black hair hung down
to set off a small white face. Standing at the door with a kettle in her hand,
when she saw that the person who opened the door was Xia Xingcheng, she
softly said, “There’s no kettle in the room, so I brought you all some hot
water.”
Xia Xingcheng reached for it and said, “Thank you.”
Ling Jiayue handed him the kettle and remained at the door without leaving.
She stuck her hands into her pajama pockets and twisted uncomfortably,
asking, “Would you like some milk? I’m warming some up right now.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled at her and said, “No need, thank you.”
But Ling Jiayue shot a look inside, “What about Ming ge and Lan ge? Do
they want any?”
At this time, Chen Hailan walked out of the inner room, and when he saw
Ling Jiayue standing at the door, he smiled and said, “Jiayue is still
awake?”
Xia Xingcheng showed Chen Hailan the kettle in his hands, “Jiayue brought
us hot water.”
Chen Hailan immediately thanked her, then walked to the door and stood
there talking with Ling Jiayue. He didn’t invite Ling Jiayue inside either,
after all, this room was full of men, so it wasn’t appropriate for a young girl
to stay here at night.
Ling Jiayue and Chen Hailan chatted for a while.
There was a small liquor cabinet in the outer room. Xia Xingcheng went to
place the kettle on the liquor cabinet first, then when he returned to the
door, he heard the sound of a lock clicking and the bathroom door opening
up.
Yang Youming walked out.
He had changed out of his turtleneck sweater and only wore a bathrobe. His
clean neck and a small range of skin on his chest were exposed, and they
were filled with mottled marks, especially the red scratches and bite marks
that were clearly visible.
Xia Xingcheng instantly blushed. Every mark on the man had been
personally and deliberately left by him, saying that those marks meant that
Yang Youming belonged to him wholly.
He didn’t expect that the marks left by their intimate affair would be clearly
exposed to the eyes of so many people at this instant.
Both Chen Hailan and Ling Jiayue saw it.
Chen Hailan reacted quickly, as if he hadn’t seen anything at all, and said to
Yang You Ming, “Have you finished showering? Jiayue just brought us hot
water.”
Yet Ling Jia Yue was in a daze as she stared at those hickeys, her line of
sight never leaving them, until Yang Youming said to her, “Thank you. It’s
really late, go get some rest.”
Only then did Ling Jiayue abruptly come back to her senses. She clenched
her hands in front of her and slightly bowed, her hair covering half her face,
expression indiscernible, and then she turned around and left.
When Ling Jiayue was gone, Chen Hailan closed the door and walked to
the liquor cabinet, taking three clean glasses and pouring water into them.
He said, “The air is dry, drink more water.”
The three of them sat on the sofa in the outer room, holding a glass in their
hands as if they were sitting drinking together.
Chen Hailan said, “Jiayue is a good child.”

Xia Xingcheng crossed his legs, one feet stepping on a slipper. He didn’t
say anything and only looked at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming simply responded with an ‘Mm’.
Chen Hailan said to him, “Today, when Jiayue wasn’t around, her grandpa
told me that she’s a fan of yours, and she’s liked you from when she was
small. She’s even the kind who collects all your posters.”
Yang Youming listened, slightly chuckling, and said, “The first time
Xingcheng met me, he also said that I’m his idol.”
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously straightened up. He said, “Isn’t this

normal?”
Chen Hailan laughed at the words, “That’s right, you’re the male god of this
generation.”
“The male god of this generation?” Yang Youming softly repeated these
words, then looked towards Xia Xingcheng and asked him with a smile, “Is
that right, Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng pursed his lips and let out a laugh soon after, “I don’t know,
in any case, you’re my male god.”
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you tinsunny for the kofi ❤ hope you enjoy this chapter!
They sat and talked for a while. After finishing a glass of water, Chen
Hailan returned to the inner room to prepare for bed.
Yang Youming stood up and placed the glasses back on the liquor cabinet,
then turned to Xia Xingcheng and said, “Going to bed?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded as he returned to his small bed. Taking off his shoes
and sitting down, he watched Yang Youming walk to the door and reach out
to turn off the lights in the outer room.
There was a moment of darkness before him until Xia Xingcheng adjusted
to it. With the light shining from the inner room, he saw the outline of Yang
Youming’s slender profile.
“Good night,” Yang Youming’s voice was soft and deep.
Xia Xingcheng also said, “Goodnight.”
Afterwards, Yang Youming stepped into the inner room, leaving the sliding
door between the two rooms opened after he went in. Xia Xingcheng lay
down on the bed. He could hear Yang Youming and Chen Hailan talking in
low voices. When he listened carefully, he could clearly hear that they
weren’t talking about anything too significant, so he turned over and
slightly pulled up his blanket, covering half his face and only revealing a
single eye.
Xia Xingcheng felt that Chen Hailan could probably tell—yet Chen Hailan
would definitely not show it in front of him. He just didn’t know whether
Chen Hailan would ask Yang Youming. After all, the two of them were
long-time friends.
But then, so what if he could tell? It seemed like Yang Youming didn’t even
think that it was necessary to hide this from Chen Hailan. He didn’t mind
exposing the marks on his body at all—doesn’t this attitude mean that he
wasn’t afraid of Chen Hailan knowing? He just didn’t expect that Ling
Jiayue would be there at the time. Ling Jiayue’s attitude made Xia
Xingcheng somewhat uncomfortable—just a little bit though, because when
all is said and done, compared to Yang Youming’s calmness, what Ling
Jiayue thought didn’t matter at all to Xia Xingcheng.
At this time, the inner room’s lights were also turned off, and no more
sounds of talking could be heard. Xia Xingcheng assumed that they must all
be asleep.
But Xia Xingcheng himself didn’t feel the least bit sleepy at this time.
Lying down on the bed, he fished out his phone from under his pillow and
tapped on WeChat to look for Yang Youming.
He tapped on Yang Youming’s profile picture and found that it was an

endless blue sea. There two of them had never had a WeChat convo, so he
sent the first message over, “Ming ge.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know if Yang Youming would reply, perhaps Yang
Youming was already asleep.
Yet unexpectedly, Yang Youming quickly answered with one word, “Mm.”
Xia Xingcheng was slightly excited. He turned over under the covers and
lay on his stomach so he could type faster with both hands, “Is Lan ge
asleep?”
Yang Youming answered, “He might be.”
For an instant, Xia Xingcheng wanted to get up, but gave up on the idea
after a moment’s hesitation. He quickly typed a line: “Will you come back
to Beijing with me?” Xia Xingcheng’s hometown was not Beijing, but he
had an apartment in the city, and his company was also in Beijing. Apart
from occasional trips to his hometown to visit his parents and big brother,
he would live in that apartment whenever he didn’t have work.
But this was not necessarily the case with Yang Youming. So long as he
didn’t have any work, Yang Youming would stay in seclusion. The media
practically never got ahold of him—maybe he didn’t even stay in the
country at all.
Xia Xingcheng also didn’t know what other work arrangements Yang
Youming has after the award ceremony, only that he wouldn’t be returning
to Beijing for the time being.
After Xia Xingcheng asked about this, Yang Youming didn’t answer for
quite some time. Just as Xia Xingcheng was beginning to feel nervous and
uneasy, Yang Youming sent him an address and a series of numbers.
Yang Youming told him, “This is my Beijing address and passcode. I have a
few things to sort out and will be back two days late.”
Xia Xingcheng buried his face in the pillow and raised his head a moment
later, replying, “Okay.”
Early the next morning, Xia Xingcheng was roused from his dreams. As
soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yang Youming sitting on the edge of the
bed, watching him. Only then did he realize where he was, and he
subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to call out ‘Ming ge’, but Yang
Youming put his finger to his lips and motioned for him to stay silent. Then,
he leaned close to his ear and kissed him gently, saying, “‘Morning.”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t fully awake yet. He watched as Yang Youming got
up from his bedside, and then the bathroom door opened and Chen Hailan
came out, greeting him with a laugh, “Xingcheng is awake?”
Xia Xingcheng climbed out of the bed. Yang Youming took the clothes that
he had taken off and left on the sofa last night and put them next to his bed.
As Xia Xingcheng put his clothes on, he raised his head and noticed that
Yang Youming had already changed his clothes, and the collar of his
sweater covered the marks on his neck. Because Yang Youming was
looking down at him, his jaw pressed down on the edge of the high collar,
and there was a kind of peculiar gentleness on his face. It was as if his
entire being had become abstinent as soon as the traces of sex was hidden
under his clothes.
When in bed, he was obviously so unrestrained and sexy.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know why he was thinking about this so early in the
morning. Lowering his head, he slipped his legs into his pants, then stood
up to pull them up.
At that time, Chen Hailan went to the door and opened it. He said, “I’m
going down first, you guys come have breakfast quickly.” With that, he
walked out and closed the door.
Only Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng remained in the room.
In an instant, Xia Xingcheng’s mind grew lively. Right then, Yang Youming
walked up to him and reached out towards the place between his legs.
Xia Xingcheng’s heartbeat violently accelerated.
Yang Youming lowered his head, his slender fingers helping Xia Xingcheng
button his pants, then slowly gave him the zipper to pull up and said, “The
car will pick us up soon, go wash up, then we’ll go down for breakfast.”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at him and headed for the bathroom, not quite
willing to go.
By the time they went downstairs, Chen Hailan was already sitting and
having breakfast with Ren Yuchang. Both Ren Jingyuan and Qin Xueyue
hadn’t gotten up, so the old teacher said that the youngsters should just
sleep a little longer.
As soon as Xia Xingcheng sat down, he found that Ling Jiayue had also
come down. Her face didn’t look too good, and he wondered if she hadn’t
slept well last night.
The housekeeper poured a bowl of porridge for Xia Xingcheng. Xia

Xingcheng took it and said, “Thank you.”
Yang Youming took an egg from the large bowl on the dining table and
handed it to him.
Xia Xingcheng had never particularly liked white boiled eggs much, but
since Yang Youming was the one who gave it to him, he received it with
delight.
Ling Jiayue didn’t eat anything and constantly stared at Xia Xingcheng.
Later, Ren Yuchang stood up to pour milk for her and said, “Eat something,
girl.” She only lowered her head and cupped the glass, drinking the milk sip
by sip.
After breakfast, Yang Youming received a call. The car was already waiting
for them outside, so he stood up with Xia Xingcheng and said to Ren
Yuchang, “Teacher, Xingcheng and I will leave first. We’ll come back and
visit you again next time.”
Ren Yuchang nodded and, together with Chen Hailan and Ling Jiayue, he
sent the two of them all the way to the entrance of the villa.
☆☆☆
After Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming got in the car, Chen Hailan stood
next to the car door and said, “I’ll take Xueyue down the mountain when
she gets up.”
Chen Hailan looked at Xia Xingcheng once more and called out,
“Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng looked towards him, waiting for his next words.
With a smile on his face, Chen Hailan hesitated for a moment before saying,
“I’m looking forward to your new work.”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “Thank you, Lan ge.”
Afterwards, Chen Hailan hugged Yang Youming again and said, “Let’s get
together again when we return.”
Ren Yuchang stood outside the car and waved to them with a smile, “Be
careful on the road.”
Ling Jiayue was next to him, seeming somewhat gloomy. At this time, she
came to her senses and said, “Ming ge, take care. Xing ge, take care.”
Then, Chen Hailan helped them close the car door and shouted through the
window, “Hurry up, don’t miss your flight.”
The car set off, slowly driving out of the courtyard and down the mountain,
back the way it came.
Xia Xingcheng turned around to look in the distance, then looked to Yang
Youming, “Ming ge—Lan ge, he…”
Yang Youming placed his hand on the back of Xia Xingcheng’s hand and
gave it a light pat, looking ahead, and said, “It’s nothing, don’t worry about
it.”
Since Yang Youming had said not to worry, Xia Xingcheng nodded and no
longer thought about Chen Hailan.
However, as the car drove down the mountain path, Xia Xingcheng felt that
it was going too fast. It would take at most an hour to reach the airport, and
soon, he and Yang Youming would separate.
He was very reluctant to part with him. The man was obviously right next
to him, and that strong longing was driving him crazy. He wanted nothing
more than to hug Yang Youming, kiss him, touch him—but the driver was
still in the car, so he couldn’t do anything.
Only where the driver couldn’t see, he clasped Yang Youming’s hand
tightly.
Yang Youming was gently rubbing the crook of Xia Xingcheng’s hand with
his fingertips, then he lowered his head and traced the fine lines of his
palm.
Xia Xingcheng said, “When I was small, my mom took me to a palm

reading, and the master said I would have a rocky love life.”
Yang Youming asked, “How rocky?
“Isn’t it still rocky?” Xia Xingcheng leaned close to his ear and said in a
voice only the two of them could hear, “I worked so hard to chase you!”
Yang Youming laughed, then immediately reined in his smile and said
solemnly, “Maybe before you were 24, it was a little rocky, but after this,
it’ll be smooth.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, eyes radiant, “You promise?”

Yang Youming spread his palms even more, gazing intently for a moment
and said, “You can do whatever you want, love whoever you want, and live
the life that you want to live, I promise.”
Xia Xingcheng crooked his fingers and held Yang Youming’s hand tightly.
Yet in the end, after a while, he still had difficulty keeping his emotions
under control. He shot a glance at the driver in the front row who was
focused on the road, then quietly bent down and pressed close to Yang
Youming’s hand, kissing his fingertips, then pillowed his head on Yang
Youming’s leg.
Yang Youming stroked Xia Xingcheng’s hair with his other hand.
It’s a pity that this furtive tenderness didn’t last long before the car left the
mountain road and stopped at a remote roadside before entering the
highway.
At this time, a black nanny car was already parked at the side of the road.
As soon as they neared the car, the door was pulled open. Huang Jixin wore
a pair of sunglasses, and the lower part of his face that wasn’t covered by
the glasses appeared very unhappy.
Behind him, Li Yun got out of the car, carrying a suitcase in her hand.
The driver opened the door and got out of the car and went to help Li Yun
with the suitcase.
Xia Xingcheng raced against time and kissed Yang Youming’s lips heavily,
making every second count. Just as they parted, Huang Jixin pulled open
the car door menacingly. He didn’t even bother being polite with Yang
Youming, and he didn’t remove his sunglasses as he shouted at Xia
Xingcheng, “Change cars.”
They couldn’t let two people go to the airport in the same car, worried that
they would be seen by the media or even fans.
Xia Xingcheng shot a look at Huang Jixin.

Yang Youming, however, didn’t seem worried. He helped Xia Xingcheng
put his scarf on and hooked a mask around his ears, saying, “I’ll message
you when I get back.”
Xia Xingcheng crossed Yang Youming to get off the car, yet right as he
stepped on the car door pedal, he abruptly turned back and tore off his
mask, tackling Yang Youming and fervently kissing him.
Huang Jixin was completely shocked. He reached for Xia Xingcheng’s arm,
pulling him back and separating them.
Panting, Xia Xingcheng put his mask back on, and said to Yang Youming,
“I’m going.”
With that, he turned around and jumped out of the car, and quickly got on
the car in front without looking back.
Huang Jixin was still a little shocked. Along with an unsuppressed fury, he
took off his sunglasses and nodded at Yang Youming, “Ming ge.”
Yang Youming still acted very naturally, “Hello.”
Huang Jixin said, “I called Chief Cai and told her about the situation over
here. When it’s convenient for you, she’d like to invite you to a meal.”
Yang Youming nodded, “I’ll be back in two days, Chief Cai can arrange
it.”
Huang Jixin replied, “Then I won’t bother you, we’ll leave first.”
At this time, the driver had already helped Li Yun move all of Yang
Youming’s luggage to their car.
As soon as Huang Jixin got into the car and sat next to Xia Xingcheng, he
said to the driver, “Drive.”
Although they were in a remote location, there was always a car passing by
from time to time. Huang Jixin was extremely anxious, but he couldn’t vent
his anger on Yang Youming and could only glare at Xia Xingcheng.
But Xia Xingcheng didn’t pay attention to him at all. From the time he got
into the car until now, he hadn’t even taken off his mask, and he sat quietly,
expression blank. After a while, his eyes curved and smiled uncontrollable,
but immediately after, he lowered his eyes, looking a little lost.
“That’s enough!” Huang Jixin was practically at the end of his patience.
Xia Xingcheng was about to ask what was enough, but he didn’t want to
enrage Huang Jixin even more, so he sat in silence and kept his mouth shut.
Huang Jixin lit a cigarette, and soon the whole car was filled with smoke.
He opened the window a crack and said, “Chief Cai wants to see when you
get back to the company.”
Xia Xingcheng already knew what it was for, so he nodded and replied,
“Okay.”
Huang Jixin smoked sullenly, and no longer spoke to Xia Xingcheng.
There were no fans at the airport to see them off and no fans to meet them
when they returned. It was a last minute change of schedule, so they didn’t
inform the back-up. They only ran into two or three young girls at the
airport asking for autographs, and Xia Xingcheng was very friendly as he
signed for them.
Yang Youming’s flight was a little later, and they didn’t meet at the airport.
☆☆☆
t/n – this is the last free chapter on gongzicp, and from now on the chapters will be longer!! i’ll try to
update at least once every 2 days ❤
‘Accidental Muder’ was scheduled to start production after the Spring

Festival—only a month from now.
Xia Xingcheng’s schedule until the Spring Festival was jam-packed with
work: he had to shoot commercials and promotional photos for two
endorsements and attend a video website’s year-end awards ceremony to
receive an award for an idol drama he starred in in the first half of the year.
There wasn’t much time for him to appear in variety shows, so Huang Jixin
arranged him to guest on a popular variety that he only needed to participate
in one episode of.
The first thing he did once he returned, however, was to report to the
company and meet Cai Meiting.
The company had a starlit corridor lined with large photos of the company’s
contracted artists. Perhaps so as not to offend anyone, the photos were
arranged in a random order, with You Shu’s in the front and Xia
Xingcheng’s in the middle, and artists of greater or smaller fame in
between.
He stopped in front of his own picture that was almost half his height and
stared up at it.
The photo was taken when he was just starting out, when he wasn’t even
twenty years old. At that time, the photographer and stylist were some of
the best in the country, and the Xia Xingcheng in the photo wore a very
stylish school uniform: a short-sleeved white shirt, dark blue trousers, and a
pair of sneakers on his feet. He squatted on the ground with a school bag by
his feet, smiling brightly at the camera.
Looking at this photo again now, Xia Xingcheng was surprised at the
innocence and youthfulness in his eyes, just like the school idol in the next
class, exuding a natural and sunny air.
He somewhat regretted that Yang Youming had never seen him back then.
While he was staring at his photo, a door at the end of the corridor suddenly
opened, and Cai Meiting appeared and said to him: “Why haven’t you come
yet, what’s taking so long?”
“Chief Cai!” Xia Xingcheng greeted her and followed Cai Meiting into her
office.
Cai Meiting let Xia Xingcheng sit on the sofa in her outer office, and the
secretary brought him a cup of tea.
Even though he knew what Cai Meiting was going to say, Xia Xingcheng
was inevitably a little apprehensive. He stared at the transparent glass
teacup, watching a tea leaf bobbing up and down on the surface.
Cai Meiting sat diagonally across from him, stared at him for a moment,
and said, “Nothing you want to say to me?”
Xia Xingcheng could only look towards her and after a little hesitation,
said, “You never cared about me dating before.”
Cai Meiting let out an ‘Mm’ and crossed her legs. “Those little girlfriends
of yours came quickly and left just as quickly, how long do you plan to go
about this one?” After asking this question, she took out a cigarette from the
cigarette case on the table and held it between her fingers without rushing to
light it.
Xia Xingcheng said: “It’s not something that can be planned–and besides,
I’ve never planned for anything before either.” Liking someone, falling in
love, fading feelings, breaking up–these things developed naturally, not a
result of any plans.
Cai Meiting said: “All right, but I don’t think you can hold on to this one
for long.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart was resentful. He didn’t like Cai Meiting’s

evaluation of his feelings for Yang Youming, but he wasn’t stupid enough to
refute it, so he let Cai Meiting’s thought be–it was naturally better to not
fight her on it. He reached out and picked up the lighter on the table and
helped Cai Meiting light her cigarette with a pleasant smile.
Cai Meiting took a drag of her cigarette as she stared at him, and with the
cigarette still between her lips, she said, “I’m not going to ask why you
even changed your sexual orientation on a whim. I just want to ask you
what your career plans are.”
Xia Xingcheng squeezed the lighter and turned it around and around in his
hand, remaining silent for a while in the face of this question. After careful
consideration, he answered Cai Meiting, “Chief Cai, I want to be an actor.”
Xia Xingcheng had never seriously considered this matter since his debut.
Although he acted, others regarded him as an idol rather than an actor. In
the past, he also felt that, no matter if he was acting, singing, or even just
going on variety shows, it would be enough as long as he was popular and
made money. The first time he had notions about his career was due to He
Zheng’s words. He Zheng had told him to be an actor, not a traffic star nor
an idol. It was then that Xia Xingcheng realized that the original meaning of
these terms were different.
When Cai Meiting heard the solemn tone of his reply, she stared at him for
a while before saying, “You want to act well?”
Cai Meiting reached out and motioned for Xia Xingcheng to pass her the
ashtray. She flicked the ashes and asked, “You only want to act in movies?”
Xia Xingcheng replied, “No, anything’s fine as long as it’s good.”

Cai Meiting thought for a moment, then said, “If you intend to do so, the
company can set a new direction for you. But you have to understand one
thing–good film and television resources can’t be won by the company’s
efforts alone, ultimately, an actor relies on their own strength.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I understand.”
Cai Meiting said, “So until then, it’s essential to maintain your exposure to
secure your popularity, or else you won’t have any work or popularity–
who’s going to seek out your acting then? Don’t have high standards but
little ability, you understand?”
Cai Meiting looked at him and couldn’t help but sigh.
Xia Xingcheng looked up at her, “Chief Cai, don’t sigh, you can tell me
anything you want.”
Cai Meiting said, “I know you seem a little out of tune, but you’re actually
quite obedient. You’ve been in this company for many years, and I also like
you a lot, so I’ll just give it to you straight. Your affair with Yang Youming–
even if it’s only a spur-of-the-moment relationship, you have to be vigilant
at all times. Don’t be exposed, don’t leave photos or videos, it’s best to not
reveal anything, even to your close circle. Otherwise, once it comes out, the
blow to you will be much bigger than it’ll be to Yang Youming, do you
understand?”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly felt a little uncomfortable when he heard these

words.
Cai Meiting continued, “His strength and status are all there, and he’s
already gained a foothold in this industry, but you yourself can’t even bring
out works on your own. When the time comes, that big scandal will weigh
on you and press you down until you won’t even be able to roll over, and
your acting career will be over.”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and nodded, his emotions complicated.
Cai Meiting didn’t say anything else. She wordlessly finished the cigarette
in her hand, leaving only the cigarette butt pressed into the ashtray before
she said to Xia Xingcheng, “Go back and think it over, is it worth it?”
Three words quickly popped up in Xia Xingcheng’s head, “It’s worth it.”
But he wouldn’t say it to Cai Meiting and merely stood up, “I’ll be leaving
then, Chief Cai.”
Cai Meiting also got up and personally sent him out of her office, saying,
“Any plans for the new year?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m going home to visit my parents and big brother.”
Cai Meiting nodded, “It’s the time of the year to go back home.” With that,
she patted Xia Xingcheng’s arm, “Jiayou.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled and said, “Thank you, Chief Cai.”
Cai Meiting went back to her office, and Xia Xingcheng left through the
corridor he previously walked through, stopping to take another look at his
photo as he passed by before turning around and continuing on his way.
Yang Youming returned two days later than he originally planned.
This undoubtedly brought Xia Xingcheng two more days of torturous

yearning, but on the day he received a message that Yang Youming was
coming back, his enraptured excitement was all too tangible.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t have work that day, so he decided to go to Yang

Youming’s house to wait for him. Yang Youming expected to arrive home at
around six in the afternoon, so he could wait until Yang Youming returned
and the two of them could have dinner together.
The address Yang Youming gave him was of a large luxury apartment in an
extremely upscale community.
Yang Youming had informed Xia Xingcheng’s license plate number to

security beforehand in order to let him directly pass and enter the
underground garage. From the underground garage, he took the elevator
straight to the first floor which housed a single household.
When he entered the passcode, Xia Xingcheng was a little nervous. He

thought that he could turn off the lights and hide somewhere, wait for Yang
Youming to come back, then give him a nice surprise.
He couldn’t help laughing at the thought.
After inputting the passcode, he pressed the confirm key and there was a
‘click’ before the door unlocked. He raised a hand to push open the door,
and at that moment, he found that the lights were on inside.
Xia Xingcheng was stunned. His first thought was that Yang Youming had
returned, and was immediately surprised and delighted. Pushing the door
open completely, he went in and called out: “Ming ge?”
There was no entrance hall, and the door of the room directly opened out to
the brightly lit living room. Right then, someone who was sitting on the
living room sofa with their back to the door stood up.
Xia Xingcheng realized that it wasn’t Yang Youming, but a woman, and he
stood in place in a daze.
The woman turned back to look at him, revealing a delicate face that was all
too flawless–even though she was over thirty, her skin was still smooth and
tight, so white that it was almost transparent.
This face was actually very familiar to Xia Xingcheng. There was a time
when he would secretly search for news about her and see that beautiful
face in all kinds of sneak shots or street photos. He also remembers a press
release mentioning that she was called a little fairy by many fans when she
first debuted because she was too beautiful to grow up eating the food of
common mortals, or perhaps she was really a lost angel who had fallen
from heaven.
This woman was Yuan Qian.

As Xia Xingcheng stared at Yuan Qian with a wandering mind, Yuan Qian
was also staring at Xia Xingcheng. She was a little astonished at first, but
then she smiled, and her beauty suddenly became more vivid, not at all like
the legendary wooden beauty in front of the camera. She said, “Are you Xia
Xingcheng?”
Yuan Qian used to be Xia Xingcheng’s ideal type. In those days when he
was still simply worshipping Yang Youming, he believed that Yuan Qian
qualified to be Yang Youming’s wife, that it was only right that the person
beside the male god was a goddess. But now, the male god became his
lover, and the goddess shouldn’t continue to exist. His heart was in a
spectacular mess, and his face slightly lost its colour, and it took a while to
suppress it before he also showed a smile, “Hello, I’m Xia Xingcheng.”
He didn’t know how to address Yuan Qian. It was reasonable to call her
‘jie’, but he couldn’t get the words out.
Yuan Qian said, “I’m Yuan Qian.”
The atmosphere in the room froze over for a split second. Xia Xingcheng
stood by the door, unmoving, and Yuan Qian was silent for a moment
before bending down to pick up the small handbag she had placed on the
sofa. She said, “I thought Youming was coming back. I wanted to wait for
him to talk about something, but I didn’t expect that he had an appointment,
so I’ll get in touch with him another day.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t ask Yuan Qian how she knew that Yang Youming
was coming back, nor did he ask her what she was looking for Yang
Youming for–he felt that he wasn’t in a position to, and likewise, Yuan Qian
didn’t ask him anything, probably figuring that she wasn’t in a position to
either.
Yuan Qian took her bag and walked towards the entrance, nodding at Xia
Xingcheng as a goodbye as she passed him.
Xia Xingcheng merely said, “Take care” and watched Yuan Qian’s back as
she walked into the elevator.
☆☆☆
When Yuan Qian left, Xia Xingcheng went back inside the house in a
disoriented state and reached out to pull the door closed. The sound of the
door banging shut made him shiver, and his muddled line of thought
instantly cleared as he thought: why would Yuan Qian show up here?
The lights in the living room hadn’t been turned off, and although the
ceiling light was in the centre of the room, it wasn’t particularly bright. Xia
Xingcheng surveyed the large apartment and suddenly thought to himself,
could this be where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian lived together before?
He looked at the shoe rack; there were no women’s slippers on it, so he

hastily changed his shoes and headed inside. The apartment was huge.
Moreover, it was his first time here, so he had no clue as he opened each
room and stood in the doorway to take a look inside. None of the rooms
were locked, and altogether, there were three bedrooms, a study, a home
theatre, a cloakroom, as well as two bathrooms and a very spacious but
seemingly deserted kitchen.
The entire apartment was decorated in a very uniform style, that of

masculine coolness dominated with black, white and greys. Each room was
so neat and tidy that there were hardly any signs of life.
Only Yang Youming’s clothes and shoes were in the cloakroom, and the
bathroom only had one person’s toiletries. The kitchen was barren and no
condiments could be found.
It seemed like this wasn’t the place where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian
used to live.
Xia Xingcheng heaved a sigh of relief. Turning off the lights and closing
the doors of each room one after another, he returned to the living room and
sat down on the soft sofa.
The couch smelled like new leather and appeared brand new. It still had the
smell of Yuan Qian’s perfume on it. He sat there for a while, then took off
his shoes, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with one hand propping up his
face, in a daze.
By now, the excitement he had felt on the way here had completely faded,
and all that remained was a deep sense of unease and anxiety.
If this wasn’t the house where Yang Youming and Yuan Qian lived when
they were married, then why would Yuan Qian know the passcode and wait
for Yang Youming here? Had they kept in touch all this time? But Yang
Youming already knew that he was coming, there was no way he would still
ask Yuan Qian to wait for him here. Then that meant Yuan Qian had come
over on her own accord–she knew the passcode of Yang Youming’s
apartment, and she knew when Yang Youming would be returning. They
still maintained some kind of deep connection, so what was she doing here?
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t restrain his speculative thoughts. This feeling made
him very uncomfortable, and then the most frightening possibility came to
mind, that is–Yuan Qian had come to find Yang Youming to reconcile.
Before, Yang Youming had pushed away so much work and put in so much
effort to save his marriage, so now that Yuan Qian had taken the initiative to
come back, would Yang Youming immediately abandon him and choose to
return to Yuan Qian’s side?
This terrible guess made Xia Xingcheng’s entire body go cold. He raised his
arms and buried his face in his hands.
It felt like he had been waiting for a long time when Xia Xingcheng heard
the sound of the door opening. He maintained his curled up position on the
sofa and turned back to see Yang Youming appear in the doorway.
Yang Youming wore a black overcoat with a white sweater underneath, the
pointed collar of his shirt showing through, and he was pushing a large
suitcase.
The instant he saw Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming smiled and let go of his
suitcase, standing at the door and awaiting Xia Xingcheng with open arms.
Xia Xingcheng abruptly came to his senses. He hastily put his feet down
and put on slippers, then stood up and walked to the door. Right then, Xia
Xingcheng suddenly decided not to tell Yang Youming that he had met
Yuan Qian here. He was afraid–afraid that Yang Youming would be
swayed.
As Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming tightly, Yang Youming’s arms

also wrapped around his back, and he lowered his head to kiss Xia
Xingcheng’s forehead over and over.
Xia Xingcheng’s face remained buried in Yang Youming’s shoulder until

Yang Youming reached out and held his jaw, tilting his head up and asking,
“What’s wrong?”
“What?” Xia Xingcheng pretended not to know.
Yang Youming looked into his eyes, “Unhappy?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately laughed, mobilizing all the acting skill he

possessed, “No way, I’m too happy.”
Yang Youming watched him for a moment, not saying anything, only
patting his back before letting go and pushing his big suitcase in and closing
the door.
Xia Xingcheng stood beside him and stared, asking, “You’re alone?”
“Mm.” Yang Youming said, “I had the driver send Li Yun back, I came
back alone.” He left his suitcase at the door, changed into a pair of slippers,
and walked towards the middle of the living room. He stopped next to the
sofa and stood in silence for a moment before turning back to Xia
Xingcheng, “Do you know what the problem with your acting is?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned, not understanding why Yang Youming
suddenly mentioned this issue. He stared at Yang Youming, at a loss.
Yang Youming took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then unbuttoned
his cuffs, unhurried, and pulled up the sleeves of his sweater and shirt
altogether while saying, “If you can’t get into character and only rely on
your skills to act, your performance would just be superficial and
unconvincing.”
Xia Xingcheng’s brows furrowed.
Yang Youming stood there watching him quietly for a while, then smiled
and said, “What do you want to eat tonight, let’s go to dinner together,
okay?”
The place where the two of them had dinner was in the next neighbourhood,
an upscale restaurant Yang Youming often goes to. In the private room, Xia
Xingcheng seemed to be in a better mood, and he was all smiles as he
talked to Yang Youming. Yang Youming didn’t say much, mostly gazing at
Xia Xingcheng with gentle eyes as he listened to him.
After they got back home, they took a shower, then embraced each other
and went to bed.
The master bedroom was right next to the study and the cloakroom. It had
an en suite bathroom, and the bed was big and very soft, with plenty of
warmth
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think of anything else in bed–he was completely

engrossed in the other man’s body. They tore away the blanket, and the
places where their skin touched were drenched in sweat. Gasping and
panting, their breaths scorching hot.
Yang Youming held Xia Xingcheng tight, and pressed kisses on his ear
again and again.
Xia Xingcheng opened his eyes and stared at the simple lines of the
overhead light, his whole body trembling, still immersed in the afterglow.
Every single pore in his body relaxed and expanded, exuding hot sweat.
Yang Youming lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand while
the other pressed against Xia Xingcheng’s chest, slowly stroking down
along the sweaty skin. It’s been quite a while since filming wrapped up; Xia
Xingcheng had regained a little fat, but he was still on the thin side. When
lying flat, his belly slightly sunk. Yang Youming’s hand rested on his lower
abdomen, glued to the smooth, supple skin, one finger circling his navel.
“Was Yuan Qian here today?” Without warning, Yang Youming’s slightly
hoarse voice, a result of their earlier love affair, flooded Xia Xingcheng’s
ear.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes immediately widened, his head buzzing. All at once,
he sat up on the bed and looked at Yang Youming sideways, “How did you
know?” His tone was almost vicious.
Yang Youming maintained his original bearing, but his hand withdrew from
Xia Xingcheng’s belly. He said, “I smelled her perfume on the living room
sofa.”
Xia Xingcheng blanked out. He did smell Yuan Qian’s perfume on the sofa
at first, but he no longer noticed it after a while.
Yang Youming also sat up, facing Xia Xingcheng. “Did she tell you what
she was doing here?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head, “I don’t know, she just left when I came.”
Yang Youming lowered his head and held Xia Xingcheng’s hand, “Why
didn’t you tell me?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t say anything, he merely looked at the hand that Yang
Youming held in his.
Yang Youming sighed somewhat helplessly, “If you don’t tell me what’s on
your mind, how am I supposed to explain it to you?”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “What do you want to explain?”

Yang Youming said, “What do you want to ask?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “What did she come to see you for? Wasn’t she the one
who wanted to get divorced?”
Yang Youming replied, “I want to know too, so didn’t I ask you just now?”
Xia Xingcheng frowned and said again, “How did she know you were
coming back today?”
Yang Youming squeezed his wrist, “I’ll call Li Yun later and ask who else
knows I’m coming back today, I’ll help you find out who told her, okay?”
Hearing Yang Youming say this, Xia Xingcheng was no longer angry, yet
he was still worried, and there were many questions that he still wanted to
ask. “Why does she still have the passcode to your house?”
Yang Youming said, “My passcode has never been changed, and the few
people who know it have always known it.”
Xia Xingcheng said in a non-negotiable tone, “Change it.”
Yang Youming burst out laughing and nodded, then said in a sincere tone,
“Okay, change it. You can change it to whatever you want.”
Xia Xingcheng finally couldn’t help but laugh himself. He kneeled on both
knees, then spread his legs and straddled Yang Youming. Yang Youming
leaned back and sprawled against the headboard.
“Did you live in this apartment when you were married to Yuan Qian?” Xia
Xingcheng asked as he wound his arms around Yang Youming’s neck.
Yang Youming smiled slightly and replied, “No, I bought this apartment
after we separated.”
Xia Xingcheng was still a little concerned, “Yuan Qian didn’t come and
stay here, did she?”
Yang Youming said, “She’s been here twice, but she’s never stayed here.”
Xia Xingcheng blinked, his fingers caressing the soft skin behind Yang
Youming’s ear, the gesture seemingly subconscious. There was a question
he wanted to ask the most but had never dared to voice; he wanted to ask
Yang Youming–if Yuan Qian wanted to get back together with him, would
Yang Youming take her back? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but
he didn’t open his mouth, fearing that even if Yang Youming answered with
silence, there was no way that his heart would be able to accept it.
So Xia Xingcheng ended up with a different question, looking a little

forlorn. “You’re divorced but you still remember the smell of her perfume.”
Yang Youming said, “Of course, I still remember the brand too. If I’m not
mistaken, it’s Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. The smell doesn’t go away for
a long time, it’s really memorable.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Do you like it?”
Yang Youming thought about it and answered him seriously, “If you mean
the perfume, I can’t say whether I like it or hate it, but I think it’s too
fragrant and I get dizzy after smelling it for too long.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and laughed.
Sitting up straight, Yang Youming kissed his lips, and Xia Xingcheng
cupped his face with both hands and kissed him back. The atmosphere
gradually grew heated once again, but compared to the urgency a moment
ago, now, the two of them had more patience to touch and enjoy each
other’s bodies as much as they liked.
Xia Xingcheng was tossed on the big bed in Yang Youming’s bedroom until
midnight before he fell into a deep asleep. When he woke up the next
morning, he found that Yang Youming had already gotten up, and it seemed
like he’d been up for a while. Xia Xingcheng reached over with one hand,
feeling the sheets and blanket on the man’s side to find that they were
completely cool to the touch.
He then got up from the bed, got dressed, then went to the living room, only
to see Yang Youming doing push-ups in loose gym pants, his upper body
bare.
When Yang Youming bent his arms and lowered his body, his beautiful
back muscles rippled, looking very powerful. From his back all the way
down to his slender waist, his spine formed a valley that extended below his
waistband, disappearing between the rounds of his ass.
Xia Xingcheng crossed the room, the soles of his slippers gently tread on
the floor as he made his way over step by step, then crouched down at Yang
Youming’s side. He stretched out his hand and pressed Yang Youming’s
lower back, his fingers tracing along his spine and into the waistband of his
trousers, where he groped a round lobe–and squeezed.
Yang Youming supported his body with one hand, the other hand reaching
behind his back and grasping Xia Xingcheng’s wrist. Then, he quickly
rolled over and sat on the floor, pulling Xia Xingcheng to his lap and until
he lay on his stomach. With a sharp move, he tore off Xia Xincheng’s
pants.
Xia Xingcheng promptly clutched at his waistband with both hands, yelling,
“I was wrong! I was wrong!”
With his pants already halfway down, Yang Youming finally stopped and
only spanked his ass heavily before letting him go and moved to stand up.
Xia Xingcheng was unwilling to part with him, so he sat up and wrapped
his legs around Yang Youming’s waist, hugging him, and said, “Don’t go,
I’ll hug you for a while.”
Yang Youming simply held him and stood up with Xia Xingcheng in his
arms. Afraid that he’ll slip down, Xia Xincheng immediately tightened his
legs. His palms touched the sweat on Yang Youming’s back, and he asked,
“Will I be too heavy for you to hold?”
“You won’t,” Yang Youming said as he set Xia Xingcheng down on the
coffee table, “Why else would I workout?”
Xia Xingcheng saw that he was about to leave and hastily hooked the man’s
leg with his foot once more, “Where are you going?”
Yang Youming glanced down at his feet and said, “I’m going to take a
shower, I’ll make you breakfast after.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Hold on, I need to change your passcode first.”
Yang Youming looked at him and smiled, saying, “Go ahead.”
☆☆☆
Yang Youming personally taught Xia Xingcheng how to change the door’s
passcode.
Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a moment before entering a string of numbers

that seemed like a date. Yet with a single glance, Yang Youming knew what
day he set the password as–it was the exact date Xia Xingcheng confessed
his feelings for him at the hotel not long ago.
After changing the passcode, Yang Youming went to the bedroom’s en suite
bathroom to take a shower. Xia Xingcheng wouldn’t let him close the door
as he showered and sat on the toilet seat cover as he insisted on chatting
with Yang Youming while brushing his teeth, his words slurring. He asked,
“Do you have any work arrangements after this?”
Yang Youming stood in the bathtub, the hot water running down his head.
He raised his hand to wipe the water off his face and brushed his wet hair
back, saying, “There are a few scripts I’m still eyeing, but nothing will be
finalized any time soon. I won’t have any work until the new year.”
Xia Xingcheng got up, spit out the foam in the bathroom sink, then picked
up his toothbrush and continued brushing, saying, “You’re not going
anywhere, are you?”
Yang Youming merely rinsed the sweat off his body with the hot water and
quickly turned it off, leaning over to grab a towel from the towel rack and
wiping his hair and body, then answered Xia Xingcheng, “Not for now.”
Xia Xingcheng stood in front of the sink and looked up at Yang Youming
through the mirror. He stopped brushing his teeth and didn’t continue
talking.
Yang Youming dried off and put on his pants before facing Xia Xingcheng.
He asked him gently, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng seemed somewhat rushed as he rinsed his mouth, washed

his toothbrush clean, and put it back into the cup. He turned to face Yang
Youming and asked, “You live in such a big house by yourself, aren’t you
afraid of being lonely?”
Yang Youming let out a soft laugh. He lowered his gaze and held one of Xia
Xingcheng’s hands, saying, “Of course I’m afraid. Would you like to come
live with me?”
Without even thinking twice, Xia Xingcheng replied, “Okay.”
Yang Youming laughed again, lifting Xia Xingcheng’s hand to his lips to
press a light kiss there, and said, “Thank you. Then, what do you want to
eat for breakfast? I can make it for you.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “You can cook?”
“Mm,” Yang Youming hung his towel on the rack, put on a casual long-
sleeved shirt, and headed outside, “I like cooking.”
Xia Xingcheng realized that he didn’t actually know all of Yang Youming.
The fridge that was completely empty yesterday was now filled with fresh
vegetables and raw meat.
When Yang Youming took some eggs out, Xia Xingcheng asked him
curiously, “Did you go shopping this morning?”
“The supermarket delivers goods at dawn,” said Yang Youming. “It’s

inconvenient for me to go out to buy groceries, so I usually have them
delivered.”
This community was located in one of the best neighbourhoods in the city
centre. Life was truly made easy.
After taking out the eggs, Yang Youming shot a glance at the fridge and
said to Xia Xingcheng, “Are tomato egg noodles all right?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately replied, “Sure.”
Yang Youming then took out tomatoes and dry noodles and walked over to
the kitchen.
Some simple seasonings had been added, but the kitchen utensils had
already been there for a while, neatly arranged.
Xia Xingcheng had nothing to do, so he followed Yang Youming into the
kitchen and leaned against a cupboard, watching Yang Youming’s skillful
and fluent movements as he prepared breakfast.
Yang Youming was obviously used to doing this.
Xia Xingcheng still had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Yang Youming,
but many of those questions were related to Yuan Qian, including both Yang
Youming’s past and what Yuan Qian sought out Yang Youming for
yesterday. Yet he was very reluctant to ask—he didn’t want Yang Youming
to think of Yuan Qian again.
The tomatoes were peeled and cut into small pieces.
Yang Youming boiled water for the noodles while frying eggs in a non-stick
pan.
Xia Xingcheng sat on the kitchen counter and asked Yang Youming, “Are
you going to cook for me everyday?”
Yang Youming probably thought that Xia Xingcheng was blocking the way.
Washing his hands and wiping them dry, he walked over to Xia Xingcheng
and directly picked him up and sat him down in the corner. His fingers
caressed the corner of Xia Xingcheng’s mouth. “Just tell me what you want
to eat.”
Xia Xingcheng pressed his lips to the man’s ear and said, “I want to eat
you.”
Yang Youming laughed and gently stroked his neck, “Will it be enough?”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his voice and said, “Use your—” stopping mid-
sentence and looking down at Yang Youming’s lower body, he continued
after a pause, “—feed me till I’m full.”
Xia Xingcheng felt a wave of embarrassment the moment he uttered those

words, hugging Yang Youming and burying his face in the man’s neck, his
ears slightly reddening.
He then heard Yang Youming laugh, the low and sweetsound resounding
clearly in his ears.
Xia Xingcheng was immediately dissatisfied. He lifted his head to look at

Yang Youming. “What are you laughing at? Shouldn’t you be grabbing at
my clothes and ripping them apart and say ‘I’ll satisfy you’ right now?”
The smile on Yang Youming’s face had not yet dulled as he said, “If it were
me, I wouldn’t be acting like that.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “How would you act?”
Yang Youming’s gaze pierced him. There was obviously no expression on

his face, but a hint of lust exuded from his eyes. His hand paused at Xia
Xingcheng’s neck, but the simple caresses suddenly grew heavy, as if he
was repressing something. Just then, he slowly leaned in and the tip of his
tongue lightly licked at Xia Xingcheng’s Adam’s apple.
Xia Xingcheng sensed the moist warmth of that light touch, it turned
slightly cool as the tip of the man’s tongue moved on.
Yang Youming kept licking gently all the way to his earlobe, sucking it into
his mouth, then said, “The water’s boiled,” and left his side to approach the
stove and turn off the fire as Xia Xingcheng fell into a daze.
Xia Xincheng froze for a moment longer, then raised his hands to his face.
In the afternoon, Xia Xingcheng drove back by himself to pick up his

things.
He didn’t actually have much to pack. Yang Youming had already provided
him with brand new daily necessities over at his place, so all he needed to
do was pack a few clothes and move in.
The first thing he did when he got home was to call Huang Jixin and tell
him that he was moving in with Yang Youming.
The moment Huang Jixin heard this, he immediately said, “Wait for me at
home! Don’t leave until I get there!”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t take this to heart as he hung up. He grabbed a

suitcase, spread it out in the cloakroom, and picked out clothes to pack up.
Huang Jixin didn’t know where he was, but he arrived at Xia Xingcheng’s
house in less than ten minutes. He came in in a wave of fury, and the door
closed with a heavy sound.
Xia Xingcheng sat cross-legged on the floor tidying up his clothes. The
door slamming shut gave him a scare and he raised his head to peep outside.
Not long after that, Huang Jixin followed the lights to the door of the
cloakroom. He was still slightly out of breath, leaning against the door and
looking at Xia Xingcheng as he said with a straight face, “Have you gone
mad?”
Xia Xingcheng tilted his face up to look at him, “Chief Cai doesn’t even
care about this, so you don’t have to mind me.”
Huang Jixin looked solemn, almost a little fierce, “Chief Cai doesn’t care
about you because there are nearly a hundred artists in the company. You
still haven’t even made it big yet, so forget about this! I care about you
because I brought you up with my own hands, if you’re ruined, my years of
hard work will be ruined as well!”
Xia Xingcheng’s back was hunched as he sat weakly on the floor. “It’s not
that exaggerated, nothing like that will happen.”
Huang Jixin’s breathing sounded rough, like he was exhausted. Or angry.
He said, “Do you know why Yang Youming and Yuan Qian got divorced?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned. His tone wasn’t entirely confident as he said,
“Wasn’t it because Yuan Qian cheated, so she insisted on a divorce?”
Huang Jixin said, “I asked someone to ask Yuan Qian’s friends about it.
Strictly speaking, it’s not that Yuan Qian cheated. The reason they claimed
was actually true—it was simply personality differences. Yuan Qian loves
to play, she has too many friends outside, she socializes too much, she likes
to drink and party, but Yang Youming is quiet and calm—he stays at home
most of the time and doesn’t go out much.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at Huang Jixin wordlessly.
Huang Jixin continued, “After a long time, Yuan Qian herself felt that she
didn’t suit him and suggested a divorce.” At this point, he paused for a
moment before adding, “Maybe in her mind, Yuan Qian had let go. Maybe
not. There are many things that can’t be spoken so clearly to others. No
matter what, she didn’t suit him anyway.”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “So what? It’s her own loss if she wants a
divorce.”
“”So what”?” Huang Jixin laughed, seemingly angry, “It was Yuan Qian
who pursued Yang Youming in the first place! You think there’s a difference
between you and Yuan Qian? By the time your passion passes, you’ll feel
just like Yuan Qian—that their relationship isn’t right for her, that Yang
Youming isn’t right for her, and it’s also not right for you! You’re just too
deep in the act, wasting your time for a relationship that shouldn’t have
happened while laying down landmines for your career at the same time.
You’re just about done!”
Xia Xingcheng’s face sank. He rarely gets truly mad at anything; everytime
Huang Jixin gets angry and yells at him, he wouldn’t argue back. The two
had never really fought before.
This was the first time Huang Jixin saw Xia Xingcheng truly angry.
Huang Jixin didn’t continue. His heart was just bitter, and he wanted
nothing more than to beat Xia Xingcheng sober. But in spite of his
misgivings about Xia Xingcheng, there was no way he could ever do that as
the latter relied on his face to make a living.
Xia Xingcheng got up from the floor, silently flipped the suitcase cover,
zipped it up, then propped it upright. He said to Huang Jixin, “I’m leaving.”
Huang Jixin watched him drag the suitcase past him, and his tone softened,
“Xingcheng, think it through.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer. He kept walking to the door, and as he

opened it, he said to Huang Jixin, “I’ll send you the address on WeChat.
Call me if anything happens, if there’s nothing—don’t contact me.”
Huang Jixin sighed. He put his hands in his pants pockets and helplessly
watched Xia Xingcheng’s back.
Xia Xingcheng took the elevator to the underground parking lot, put the
suitcase in the trunk of the car, and opened the door to get into the driver’s
seat. He didn’t immediately start the car, calmly sitting all alone instead,
and yet he couldn’t calm down.
He knew that Huang Jixin really cared about him and also knew that Huang
Jixin hadn’t lied about Yuan Qian and Yang Youming. In fact, he wasn’t
entirely angry at Huang Jixin—but rather this unexplained depression that
he didn’t know how to get rid of.
Too deep in the act.
Once again, these five words appeared in Xia Xingcheng’s mind. If he was
really too deep in the act, then in that case, his life wouldn’t be this one lone
act—there would always be a day when he would step out of this role.
When that day truly came, and Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan’s feelings no
longer continued to affect him, would he be able to calm down and examine
this relationship?
He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, tapped on the search
function, and typed in Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s names. The signal in
the underground parking lot was poor, and the search results hadn’t yet
loaded when a car across from him suddenly flashed its lights.
Xia Xincheng subconsciously raised his head to look, and his phone
bumped into the steering wheel and fell under the car seat. He bent down to
pick it up but couldn’t feel it with his hands after a while, so he gave up out
of impatience and started the car, driving out of the parking lot.
After dinner, Yang Youming went to wash the dishes, and Xia Xingcheng
hung up all his clothes in Yang Youming’s cloakroom.
He arranged his clothes on hangers, then inserted them between Yang

Youming’s clothes.
When Yang Youming came over, Xia Xingcheng feigned indifference, yet
he was adamant about mixing his clothes together with Yang Youming’s.
“Won’t you be too lazy to look for your clothes when you want to get
dressed?” Yang Youming asked him.
Xia Xingcheng replied, “I won’t, I like finding stuff.”
Yang Youming walked over and swept his fingers over the row of hanging
clothes, took several of them down, then said to Xia Xingcheng, “Take
down your clothes.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at him in bewilderment, but still did as he was told
and took down the clothes he had just hung up, watching Yang Youming
swap the hangers with ones that all happened to be the same color.
When Yang Youming helped him hang his clothes back up, he said, “Feel
free to hang whatever you want from now on, you don’t have to worry
about not being able to find your clothes.”
Xia Xingcheng stood beside him. Gazing at the man’s side profile and
gentle eyes, his heart was still as out of control as before. It was obvious
how much he really liked Yang Youming. As long as this man was in his
sights, it seemed like all his doubts and anxieties could be completely
tossed aside.
He raised his hands and jumped into Yang Youming’s arms.
☆☆☆
The day Xia Xingcheng had a commercial shoot for an endorsement, Huang
Jixin came and picked him up with his car.
Huang Jixin didn’t go upstairs and parked his car in the underground
garage.
When Xia Xingcheng opened the door of the back seat and got into the car,
there was still some discomfort in his heart and he coldly ignored Huang
Jixin, not saying a single word.
Huang Jixin looked at him from the rearview mirror and suddenly spoke up,
“I’m sorry.”
Hearing him apologize so solemnly though, Xia Xingcheng was at a

complete loss. He turned to look out the window and quietly muttered, “It’s
fine.” If he thought about it carefully, Huang Jixin didn’t do anything wrong
either.
Huang Jixin turned the steering wheel and steered the car out of the garage
as he said, “Not angry anymore, are you?”
Wearing a particularly puffy, short down jacket with his hands in his
pockets, Xia Xingcheng resembled a round duck toy displayed at a store.
He said, “What’s there to be angry about.”
Huang Jixin laughed, “That’s good then, look at me working hard for you
every day, I have a few more grey hairs.”
Hearing this, Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at Huang Jixin’s hair. He could
see that there were indeed several grey hairs interspersed in the area near
the back of his head. He knew that Huang Jixin had gone through a lot of
hardships throughout the years since he debuted, and it also took more than
a year of work until things took a turn for the better that Cai Meiting finally
paid a little attention to him. Prior to that, Huang Jixin was constantly on
the move and strived to get him anything he could get his hands on. The
relationship between them has long surpassed a simple ‘workplace
colleagues’.
So he softened up and said, “You’ve worked hard.”
Huang Jixin saw that Xia Xingcheng couldn’t be coerced, so he changed his
tactics and tried to pacify him, “Look how hard your ge has worked, won’t
you listen to a few words of advice?”
Xia Xingcheng knew what he wanted to say. He wasn’t too willing yet still
said, “Go on.”
Huang Jixin said, “If you insist on living with Yang Youming, then I can’t
make you budge, but you have to remember not to go in and out with him.
If you go out or I come to pick you up and you get photographed, we can
say that you bought a new house, no one can check your property anyway,
but if you get photographed coming and going with him, it won’t be so easy
to explain.”
“Xia Xingcheng.” Huang Jixin glanced at him from the rearview mirror, his
voice sinking, “It’s not about whether or not you know, it’s whether this
sunk in.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him, and this time he was silent for a moment
before saying, “It has, I promise you.”
Huang Jixin added, “And as I said before, it can’t be revealed. I don’t just
mean to the media and the public, but your family and friends and Yang
Youming’s family and friends too.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly recalled Chen Hailan, but nevertheless he said,

“Okay.”
Although Huang Jixin heard this promise, he still felt uneasy and let out a
heavy sigh. “If you really feel that your own career isn’t important to you,
then there’s nothing I can do. As your agent though, I still have to remind
you—if something bad really happens in the future, at least I don’t owe you
anything.”
From the back seat, Xia Xingcheng stared at his lonely side-profile and the
few strands of grey hair and was suddenly overcome with a little bit of
guilt, so he said, “I promise! I swear to you! Is that good enough?”
It was only then that Huang Jixin said, “All right, I believe you.”
The commercial shooting location was in a studio on the outskirts of the

city. The contract was signed minutely then and there. That day’s filming
was a very heavy task, and it was expected to take a whole day.
After Huang Jixin sent Xia Xingcheng off, he said he had other things to
attend to and needed to leave for a while. He told Xia Xingcheng to call
him if anything happened and that he would come back to pick him up in
the afternoon.
In fact, after dropping Xia Xingcheng off, Huang Jixin still needed to go
back and pick up Yang Youming. Today, he deliberately took advantage of
the fact that Xia Xingcheng had a shoot—he passed on a message and
helped Cai Meiting invite Yang Youming to lunch.
This was the first time Huang Jixin was alone with Yang Youming. From
the instant Yang Youming got into the back seat of the car, he immediately
felt a sense of oppression.
Yang Youming was actually very polite to Huang Jixin; his speaking voice
always carried a gentle courtesy, but when the two of them were alone in
the car, Huang Jixin felt as if he had been alienated by Yang Youming; the
man would barely chat with him at all.
As for that sense of oppression, Huang Jixin thought it might be the

impression Yang Youming left on him right from the beginning. Up until
now, he still clearly remembers the time Xia Xingcheng slapped Yang
Youming’s face and Cai Meiting personally showing up to invite Yang
Youming to dinner the very same night. Yang Youming was just like this—
gentle and polite, yet cold and tough underneath.
Huang Jixin suddenly wondered why Yang Youming would like Xia
Xingcheng. He had filmed with so many outstanding and beautiful actors
and actresses before, and he even got married to a rare beauty like Yuan
Qian. In comparison, Xia Xingcheng wasn’t really anything out of the
ordinary.
There were traffic jams along the way. Huang Jixin rushed to get there at
the agreed time and parked the car in front of the restaurant. As he got out
of the car to help Yang Youming open his door, a thought suddenly
appeared in his mind. He opened his mouth and asked, “Ming ge, will you
not be able to make a movie now?”
Yang Youming looked over at him and didn’t answer the question, opening
the door himself and getting out of the car.
Huang Jixin tossed the keys to the server at the entrance of the restaurant to
park the car and accompanied Yang Youming inside. He still wanted to say
something, but in the end nothing came out; he had already caught sight of
Cai Meiting coming out of the private room to greet the other man in
person, so he could only give up.
When Cai Meiting and Yang Youming sat down in the private room, Huang
Jixin also stayed.
He helped take Yang Youming’s jacket before the waiter and heard Yang
Youming thank him.
Two cups of fine herbal tea had been placed on the table, but neither Cai
Meiting nor Yang Youming moved their chopsticks and chatted about their
families instead.
Huang Jixin sat to the side and naturally couldn’t interrupt.

Later, he heard Cai Meiting ask, “I heard that Xingcheng moved in with
you, it must have caused you a lot of trouble, right?”
Yang Youming only replied, “Luckily he’s very obedient.”
Cai Meiting nodded, “He’s a good boy, just a little arrogant and willful. His
parents had him quite late, and he also has an older brother. Their age
difference is pretty big. He’s been spoiled since he was a child.”
Yang Youming asked, “Is his brother much older than him?”
Cai Meiting chuckled, “He didn’t mention it to you?”
Yang Youming said, “I only know that he has a brother.”
Cai Meiting laughed and said, “He said he was ten years older. His parents
didn’t want him until they were well into their thirties.”
Yang Youming gave a slight nod.
Cai Meiting continued, “He’s actually more innocent than he seems,

entering this industry can be considered an accident.”
Yang Youming suddenly let out a soft laugh, “I know.”
Huang Jixin looked at the other man’s eyes and felt as if they were both
lackluster and yet seemingly gentle at the same time.
“So that’s how people are,” Cai Meiting couldn’t help lighting herself a
cigarette so that she could face Yang Youming in a more relaxed manner,
“Life is too easy, just make a scene and you’ll get sweets, so long as you
want it, you have to go fight for it, regardless of the consequences.”
Yang Youming watched her and calmly listened to her speak.
Cai Meiting held the cigarette between her fingers near her mouth. The
corners of her mouth rose. She said, “You see, you just fed him sweets.”
There were many things that Huang Jixin wanted to say to Yang Youming
but couldn’t, and now that they were coming out of Cai Meiting’s mouth, it
felt like he had just heaved a sigh of relief.
Yet right then, the phone on Huang Jixin’s body rang ill-timedly. He
practically wanted to hang up straight away but he took it out and found
that it was a call from Xia Xingcheng.
Seeing that Cai Meiting and Yang Youming were both staring at him, he
could only say, “Xingcheng called, I’ll ask him what happened.” He got up
and walked out of the private room as he answered the call.
Xia Xingcheng’s side and the other party’s side had a small disagreement
over the contract, and he asked Huang Jixin to go over there now.
“Now?” Huang Jixin glanced at the closed door of the private room.
Xia Xingcheng heard the hesitation in his tone and questioned him, “What
are you doing?”
Huang Jixin had no way out and could only say, “It’s nothing, I’ll be right
over.”
With that, he hung up and returned to the private room, walking over to Cai
Meiting’s side and saying, “Chief Cai, there’s a small situation at
Xingcheng’s, I’m going over there now.”
Cai Meiting replied, “Go ahead, I’ll arrange for someone else to come here
later.”
Huang Jixin nodded and greeted Yang Youming again, “Ming ge, I’m
leaving first.”
Yang Youming said, “Alright.”
Huang Jixin put his phone back in his pants and walked to the clothes hook
on the wall to retrieve his jacket.
He heard Cai Meiting say, “Xingcheng isn’t sensible. You and I both know
this, but you should know better than anyone else what will happen if this
continues. Why do you have to spoil him? Let him cry enough and not have
any sweets, he’ll know to give up.”
Huang Jixin could have walked out after getting his clothes, but he
deliberately slowed down his pace and put his jacket on in the private room
before slowly making his way to the door.
Yang Youming didn’t speak until Huang Jixin opened the door and went
out. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly heard his deep voice
say, “Because it hurts me to see him cry.”
The door closed softly, completely blocking out the sounds inside and
outside. Huang Jixin stood in place for a long time because of Yang
Youming’s last words. Taking a deep breath, he raised his foot and made his
way forwards.
☆☆☆
Huang Jixin drove to the studio and dealt with the contract, then stayed
there waiting for Xia Xingcheng to finish shooting the commercial.
On the way back, Xia Xingcheng found that Huang Jixin was very quiet,
and he asked him somewhat strangely, “Why aren’t you talking anymore?”
Huang Jixin glanced at him from the rearview mirror and said, “There’s
nothing I want to say.”
Xia Xingcheng surmised that Huang Jixin was still not too happy, so he also
quieted down and lowered his head to play with his phone.
In the evening, Yang Youming sat on the sofa in the living room reading a
script. He held one in his hand while three more scripts were scattered on
the coffee table in front of him.
Leaning against the sofa, he was entirely relaxed, and his long legs were
stretched out on the coffee table, one hand holding the script up high and
his head raised slightly as he gazed down upon it.
Xia Xingcheng was also reading a script, but he was lying down, his head
pillowed on Yang Youming’s lap as he held up the ‘Murder Accident’
movie script with both hands, eyes slowly sweeping over his marked lines
row by row.
He’s read through the script more than once and Qian Chengjin’s parts have
all been outlined with multi-coloured markers. Every time he read the
script, he would picture the scene in his mind then immerse himself in the
character, imagining the kind of expressions and intonations Qian Chengjin
would show in any kind of scenario.
When he got an idea, he got up and knelt on the sofa and made Yang
Youming move from the right-most side of the three-seater sofa to the
middle. Then he lay across Yang Youming’s lap, set his script down on the
sofa, and directly wrote down notes..
Yang Youming was very cooperative with him. After switching his seat, his
hand that was previously on Xia Xincheng’s head also moved, this time to
Xia Xingcheng’s ass, yet his line of sight had not left the script one bit.
Xia Xingcheng buried his head in his notes. The script was padded by the
soft sofa cushion underneath and his words were written crookedly. After
he finished writing, he read through it once and found that he could still
make out the words, so he flung his pen aside. Only then did he feel Yang
Youming’s warm palm on his ass.
“Ming ge,” Xia Xingcheng called out to him.
Yang Youming rested against the sofa and let out a languid “Mm.”
Xia Xingcheng grinded against his lap and called out once more, “Ming
ge.”
Only then did Yang Youming lower his gaze to glance at him.
Xia Xingcheng smiled and said, “Isn’t my ass very perky?”
Yang Youming laughed at his words, kneading it with his hand and said,
“It’s pretty nice.”
Xia Xingcheng refused to accept this, “Just nice?
Yang Youming then squeezed twice more and said sincerely, “This is truly
the perkiest ass I’ve ever seen.”
Still not satisfied with the answer, Xia Xingcheng whined, “I don’t know
how many asses you’ve seen!” At the same time, he reached out to grab
Yang Youming’s scripts on the coffee table and opened them up to take a
look.
The films that sought after Yang Youming were commercial films with big
investments, niche art films, as well as comedy films that strongly
showcased a director’s personality.
Xia Xingcheng asked Yang Youming, “Which one do you like?
Yang Youming put down the script in his hand and pondered over it for a
moment before saying, “Actually, apart from the script and director, I also
care about the repetitiveness of the roles.”
Xia Xingcheng sat up and looked at him.
Yang Youming said, “I don’t want to portray the same characters on screen
over and over again. I want them to be somewhat distinctive from past
roles.”
Xia Xingcheng crossed his legs. “Is that why you did ‘Gradual Distance’?”
Yang Youming raised his hand to stroke his face. “Yu Haiyang is indeed the
type of character I haven’t had much exposure to in the past.”
Hearing Yang Youming bring up Yu Haiyang, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help

but freeze.
Yang Youming touched his head and said, “You should also try different
types of roles and work with different styles of directors.”
When Xia Xingcheng came back to his senses, he said, “I read the script for
‘Murder Accident’ and thought the story was pretty interesting.”
“Ding Wenxun is a very capable director,” said Yang Youming, “He’s a

very good storyteller. I’ve seen his short films before, his plots are very well
paced so I felt that this was a good opportunity.”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed his hand and asked him, “What should I do if it’s
too hard for me to pull away from the role?”
Yang Youming was silent. He stared at Xia Xingcheng for a moment and
said, “Time will always let you pull away. In fact, every actor who treats a
role seriously will inevitably enter the play. You have to adjust your
emotions, distinguish fiction from reality, and get back on track with your
life.”
Not long after they started filming ‘Gradual Distance’, they had a
conversation about acting where Yang Youming told Xia Xingcheng to live
as Fang Jianyuan once he left the set–yet now, Yang Youming was telling
him to learn to adjust his emotions and distinguish between fiction and
reality.
Time passes, and people don’t stay the same.
Xia Xingcheng could recall Yang Youming’s indifferent tone and

expression at that time, but now, even though Yang Youming’s expression
was even, his eyes had a softness to them.
He asked Yang Youming, “What if I can’t do it?”
Yang Youming answered, “Then you’re not suited to be an actor,” he

paused for a moment then added, “Maybe you can also act in idol dramas
until you’re forty.”
If every actor has to devote his heart and soul and throw himself into a
character’s identity in every single play, experience their joys and sorrows,
bear their sadness and sufferings, love many and hate just as many people,
then there is bound to be a day when this path will collapse.
The strong ability to empathize is a double-edged sword that can help an

actor feel the character’s emotions but also torment the actor who is
incapable of withdrawing himself from it.
Inexplicably, Xia Xingcheng felt somewhat panicked.
At this time, Yang Youming’s phone on the coffee table suddenly rang.
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously turned his head to look and caught sight of a
WeChat notification. The person who sent a message was Yuan Qian, but he
didn’t see the contents clearly.
Yang Youming reached for his phone and unlocked the screen without
deliberately concealing it.
Xia Xingcheng resisted leaning closer to take a look with great difficulty.
Yang Youming opened WeChat and sent a quick reply, then said to Xia
Xingcheng as he put his phone down, “Yuan Qian wants to meet me.”
Xia Xingcheng asked him, “Are you going?”
Yang Youming nodded, “Since she has something to do, I should go talk to
her in person.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head and didn’t say anything.
Yang Youming looked at him and asked, “Do you want to come with me?
Xia Xingcheng was stunned. He looked up and asked, “Can I?”
Yang Youming smiled at him and said, “Of course you can.”
Xia Xingcheng almost blurted out, “I want to go!” But something else
quickly came to mind and he tentatively asked Yang Youming, “Does
Yuan–Miss Yuan know about our relationship?”
Yang Youming said, “She doesn’t. I only have Li Yun around me, and Li
Yun won’t tell her.”
Xia Xingcheng remembered her promise to Huang Jixin and hesitated for a
while before finally saying, “I better not go.”
If he accompanied Yang Youming to meet Yuan Qian, Yuan Qian would

definitely figure out about the two of them.
Yang Youming was slightly quiet before he agreed, “Okay.”
“I believe you,” Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming, kissed his face, and
then coaxed him after saying, “She’s the one who doesn’t want you, you’re
mine.”
Yang Youming smiled and patted his face.
Xia Xingcheng said so but his heart was uneasy all the while, his decision
to not go with Yang Youming to see Yuan Qian wavering.
In the end, two days later, Huang Jixin notified him that he had to go out of
town for a variety show recording. It was only a short time, just two days
and one night, and when he rushed back from the trip, Yang Youming had
already gone to meet Yuan Qian.
Xia Xingcheng wanted to ask Yang Youming what Yuan Qian had said to
him, but Yang Youming didn’t want to mention it at all, and only told him,
“I won’t meet with her alone from now on.”
Xia Xingcheng had just gotten home at that time. He was wiping his face
with a wet towel in the bathroom and his cheeks were still red as he saw
Yang Youming bring out of the kitchen and help him pull out the chairs at
the table. He said, “Let’s eat.”
He walked over and sat down. Seeing that Yang Youming was unwilling to
mention Yuan Qian, no matter how curious he was, he didn’t dare to ask
any questions.
☆☆☆
The Lunar New Year was fast approaching. Xia Xingcheng received a call
from his mom asking when he would be coming home. After working for
so many years, he wasn’t able to make it back every year for the Spring
Festival but as long as he had time, he would still go back to his hometown
to spend the New Year with his parents and big brother.
This year was somewhat special. He not only wanted to go back home, but
he also wanted to spend New Year’s with Yang Youming.
After the phone call with his mother, Xia Xingcheng found Yang Youming
who was in the middle of watching a movie in his home theatre. He sat
down beside him and asked, “Ming ge, what are your plans for the Lunar
New Year?”
A foreign movie was playing on the projector screen. Yang Youming took
the remote and pressed pause before facing Xia Xingcheng and saying, “I
don’t have anything planned.”
Both of Yang Youming’s parents had already passed away. His father fell ill
and passed when he was in elementary school, and his mother also died of
illness the year he started working. He still had an old house in his
hometown and relatives there who he would visit now and then, but he
doesn’t go back every year.
In the past two years, Yang Youming still had Yuan Qian by his side. If Xia
Xingcheng left, then he’d be all alone this year.
The room was not too large, the four walls were soundproofed, and it was
always particularly quiet. None of the lights were on at this moment, and
the only source of light was the screen, illuminating Yang Youming’s face.
Yang Youming said, “Are you going home?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “Mm.”
Yang Youming bent one leg over the wide sofa, his body slumped against
the back of the chair, and said, “It’s only right to go back and spend time
with your loved ones during the New Year.”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and clutched at his hair, leaving it in a mess.
His head then thumped on Yang Youming’s chest, knocking his forehead so
hard that it ached, and his face pressed against the man’s chest as he looked
at him from below. “You…” He got this one word out but the rest was
vaguely stuck in his throat and ended up sounding like whimpering
gibberish.
Yang Youming raised his hand and gently caressed the hair on the back of
Xia Xingcheng’s head. He gazed down at him and said, “If you have
something to say, say it clearly.”
Xia Xingcheng plucked up his courage and said, “Will you come home with
me for the Lunar New Year?”
Yang Youming’s hand suddenly came to a halt, and he stared at Xia

Xingcheng for a moment before asking, “What am I going home with you
as?”
Originally, Xia Xingcheng was ready for a rejection, but when hearing that
Yang Youming didn’t readily turn him down, he immediately got up off
Yang Youming’s chest and sat up straight, facing the man and quickly
saying, “A friend! I brought my university classmates home during summer
vacation before. You don’t need to worry, my parents are very welcoming.”
Yang Youming asked, “Is now an appropriate time? It’s not summer
vacation, it’s the New Year.”
Without batting an eyelid, Xia Xincheng replied, “How is it not

appropriate? If my mom knew that Yang Youming is coming home with me
for the New Year, she might go crazy!”
Yang Youming laughed at that, “What? Your mom likes me a lot, huh?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Of course! By then my mom would probably be

dying to take a picture with you to frame and hang in the living room.”
Chuckling, Yang Youming said, “Then it’d be my honour.”
Xia Xingcheng had listened to him for a long time yet still hadn’t heard a
positive answer, so he carefully asked once again, “Are you going?”
Yang Youming answered, “I’ll think about it.”
Xia Xingcheng constantly wondered where Yang Youming’s thoughts

would lead.
That day, he slept until the middle of the night when he suddenly turned
over and abruptly remembered this matter, and his head cleared up in an
instant. He then leaned closer to look at Yang Youming in the dark.
Yang Youming’s eyes were closed and he was breathing quietly. Xia
Xingcheng didn’t know if he was asleep. He approached his ear and
whispered, “Ming ge.”
Then, he saw Yang Youming open his eyes.
Yang Youming was lying flat on his back, motionless, his eyes opened as he
stared at Xia Xingcheng. His brows slightly furrowed as he asked, “What
time is it?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I don’t know.”
Yang Youming then turned over and reached for his phone.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at the bright phone as Yang Youming pressed on it

and found that it wasn’t even six a.m. yet.
Yang Youming didn’t seem to be quite awake. A deep and slightly husky
voice came out of his throat. “Can’t sleep?”
Xia Xingcheng had been awake, and hearing Yang Youming speak like this
was like being seduced, and he said “Don’t sleep, shall we do it?”
Yang Youming’s face was hazy with sleep. Halfway through a yawn, he
heard Xia Xingcheng say this and suddenly burst out laughing.
Xia Xingcheng lifted the quilt and got under it, and soon buried his head
between the man’s legs.
Yang Youming couldn’t help but raise his head and close his eyes. He
hadn’t yet completely gotten rid of his drowsiness, but he felt so good that
his breathing became more erratic and his prominent Adam’s apple rolled
up and down.
Later, he held Xia Xingcheng in his arms. He lay on his side as he entered
him from behind and asked in his ear, “You want me to come home with
you so much?”
Xia Xingcheng closed his eyes and moaned softly, and said in an unstable
voice, “I want—want to be with you on the last day of the year, and with
you… on the first day of the new year.”
Yang Youming raised his hand to turn Xia Xincheng’s face and kiss his lips
heavily, then said in a rough voice, “I’ll go home with you.”
After, Xia Xingcheng slept until it was almost noon before he got up and
called Huang Jixin, asking him to book two flight tickets for him as Yang
Youming wanted to go home with him for the New Year.
Huang Jixin didn’t object and booked the tickets for the two of them with
great efficiency.
Yet once Xia Xingcheng received the flight information, he realized that
Huang Jixin had booked tickets for both of them for the same day and time,
but on different flights.
This was Huang Jixin expressing his silent protest.

Xia Xingcheng called home again to say that he was bringing a friend home
for the New Year.
Mama Xia’s first thought was that he was bringing his girlfriend back.
Xia Xingcheng said over the phone, “Not a girlfriend, but a very important
friend. You should tell the family to prepare to receive a guest.”
When Mama Xia heard it wasn’t a girlfriend, her tone immediately dropped
half a pitch, “What kind of friend is so amazing? And prepare to receive a
guest?”
Xia Xingcheng stressed, “Just—really amazing! You’ll know when you see
him.”
When they departed, they each went to the airport without an assistant and
took the plane separately.
Xia Xingcheng’s plane arrived first. He wore a mask and hat to cover
himself completely, pushing his suitcase out of the arrival gate alone. He
would meet people who stared at him from time to time along the way, but
no one came up to him.
When he came out of the arrival gate, Xia Xingcheng saw a familiar tall
figure standing in a distant corner. He was afraid of attracting people’s
attention and suppressed his excitement until he reached that person, then
he shouted in a low voice, “Ge!”
The tall man looked him over and raised his hand to hug him, patting his
back with vigor.
Xia Xingcheng’s big brother was ten years older than him, and his name
was Xia Ye. His name was obtained in a very simple way; their father’s
surname was Xia, and their mother’s surname was Ye. When they had their
second son, they couldn’t afford to be so lazy and come up with a similar
name, therefore, Xia Xingcheng was born.
Xia Ye wore a black sweater under a wrinkled down jacket, and his hair was
cut so short that he appeared a little rough, like he didn’t really care about
how he was dressed. But his face was seven to eight points similar to Xia
Xingcheng’s. His features were a little more robust than Xia Xingcheng’s,
and his whole person was upright and handsome.
It had been a year since the two brothers last saw each other. Xia Ye
carefully took in the sight of his younger brother, then asked him, “Where’s
your friend?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “He hasn’t arrived yet, he should be half an hour
late.”
Xia Ye looked towards the arrival gate, but Xia Xingcheng pulled him away
and said, “He’ll go through the VIP gate later, we’ll drive the car to the VIP
parking lot and he’ll get in right as he comes out.”
“What kind of person did you invite home ah?” Xia Ye frowned, “A big
star? More popular than you?” He’s never paid attention to the
entertainment industry. Every star could only be classified into two
categories in his eyes: those who were more popular than his brother, and
those who were less popular than his brother.
Xia Xingcheng pulled at him as he headed outside and said, “He’s much
much more popular than me. You should be polite to him, no rudeness
allowed.”
Xia Ye was a little unhappy.
He couldn’t study, so his family sent him to join the army before he even
finished high school, and he’s been doing business ever since his discharge.
Xia Xingcheng would sometimes ask him to not be too crude, and Xia Ye
has never been too happy about this. However, his younger brother was his
precious younger brother, and his anger was nothing but a silent seething
that would vanish into thin air in the span of two minutes.
Exiting the arrival hall and reaching the parking lot, Xia Ye put Xia
Xingcheng’s suitcase into the trunk of his BMW then told him not to hurry
and that he wanted to smoke first.
Xia Xingcheng urged him, “Hurry up, Ming ge has arrived.”
Xia Ye deliberately slowed down. He said, “What big star is so great, it’s
not like he’ll die waiting.”
Xia Xingcheng glared at him.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng urged Xia Ye to get a move on. In the end, Xia Ye hastily
finished his cigarette before pulling open the car door and getting on, then
drove towards the airport’s VIP parking area.
He was still grumbling as he drove.
Xia Xingcheng asked him, “How are mom and dad?”
Xia Ye said, “They’re great.”
Xia Xingcheng asked again, “What about sis-in-law? Is she on vacation?”
Xia Ye said, “What vacation! She only gets off on the last day of the year. I
already told her to quit her job and go home with the kids to take care of
mom and dad, but she didn’t even listen.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a laugh. “It’s fine if you say this in front of me. Don’t
let sis-in-law hear it though, I’m afraid she’ll hit you.”
“Is it her hitting me or me hitting her?” Xia Ye sneered unconvincingly.
The VIP parking area was small, and when they were still at the entrance,
Xia Xingcheng saw someone standing by the terminal exit in the distance.
He promptly said, “He’s out! Hurry up!”
Xia Ye roared at him, “So what if he’s out? Can’t he wait a little?”
Xia Xingcheng also yelled back, “He’s cold! What if he catches a cold?”
Xia Ye glanced to the side and saw a man wearing a coat that went down to
his knees. He was very tall and seemingly in good shape. The man stood
outside the terminal’s main gate with a relaxed posture.
As he got closer, Xia Ye saw that he was wearing a pair of sunglasses on his
face which covered almost half of his face, and his exposed jawline was
fine and smooth. As their car approached him, the man took off his
sunglasses, and underneath them were a pair of beautiful eyes and
extremely outstanding looks. Moreover, he looked very familiar to Xia Ye.
As soon as he stopped the car, Xia Xingcheng eagerly pushed the car door
open and got off, and he heard Xia Xingcheng shout, “Ming ge!”
All of a sudden, a name burst forth in Xia Ye’s mind: Yang Youming! He
had opened the car door to follow his brother out, but with only one foot on
the ground, his body froze. He was a little dumbfounded–because someone
like him who didn’t pay attention to the entertainment industry at all also
knew that Yang Youming was a genuine superstar.
Yang Youming was followed by an airport staff.
Xia Xingcheng practically wanted to throw himself at the man but merely
stopped in front of Yang Youming with sparkling eyes. “Are you cold?”
Yang Youming smiled, “It’s not cold.”
It was only then that Xia Ye came over.
Xia Xingcheng introduced him to Yang Youming, “This is my brother, his

name is Xia Ye, and he’s here to pick us up.” Then he said to Xia Ye, “This
is Yang Youming, my Ming ge.”
Yang Youming extended a hand towards Xia Ye, “Hello.”
Xia Ye promptly extended his hand to shake his hand, momentarily not
knowing what to say, then merely saying, “I’m Xia Xingcheng’s brother.”
Hearing Xia Ye say that, Yang Youming added, “I’m Xingcheng’s friend.”
Xia Ye was still a little stunned. He thought that Xia Xingcheng’s friend
would also be a young man in his twenties. In the face of Yang Youming,
the attitude that he had originally drawn up was rendered inappropriate. He
couldn’t think of anything else to say and could only go with, “Get in the
car first. It’ll take more than half an hour to get home. Our family’s waiting
to have dinner together.”
The accompanying staff helped put Yang Youming’s luggage in the car then
respectfully opened the door for them.
Xia Ye returned to the driver’s seat and sat down, watching Yang Youming
enter the backseat of the car and Xia Xingcheng who immediately followed
suit. He couldn’t help but turn his head to shoot a glare at Xia Xingcheng,
not feeling all that happy about it.
Xia Xingcheng, however, didn’t even notice him and only reached out to
take the jacket Yang Youming took off and said, “Have you been waiting
long?”
Yang Youming said, “Not long, I just got here a moment ago.”
The car door was gently closed and Yang Youming nodded through the
window to thank the staff.
Xia Ye started the car and made a U-turn to drive out of the airport.
The city Xia Xingcheng grew up in was a second-tier city located in the
north. It had just snowed two days ago, and as they drove away from the
airport, one could still see that the roofs on both sides of the road were
covered with a thin layer of white snow.
The air was biting cold, but the inside of the car was warm due to the
heater. It wasn’t long before the glass windows fogged up.
Xia Ye reached out and pressed the defogger, then took a look at the
rearview mirror, just in time to see Yang Youming. As he drove, he opened
his mouth and asked, “How old is Mr. Yang?”
Yang Youming replied, “I’ll turn thirty-eight after the new year.”
Xia Ye said, “I’m turning thirty-five.” He was usually exposed to the

elements and never really paid attention to taking care of himself. If one
only looks at the face, he appeared two or three years older than Yang
Youming. All of a sudden, he couldn’t help but shoot another glance at the
rearview mirror.
If he hadn’t heard of Yang Youming’s name more than a decade ago, Xia Ye
probably would’ve thought that the man had just turned thirty.
Yang Youming said, “If you don’t mind, you can just call me Ming ge like
Xingcheng.”
Xia Ye promptly said, “What do I mind ah! I’m just afraid that a big star
like you would dislike our–“
“Ge!” Xia Xingcheng harshly snapped at him from behind, interrupting him
before he could finish his sentence.
Xia Ye stopped speaking.
The car smoothly traversed the highway. There didn’t seem to be many
cars, probably as it was going to be the new year soon. A vast, flat
wilderness lined both sides of the road, tinted with lines of bleak yellows
amidst winter snow white. The landscape upfront assaulted their senses
through the car windows and as they flew past.
It wasn’t convenient for Xia Xingcheng to talk to Yang Youming in such a

narrow space. Every single word that came to mind was too intimate, so he
sat there quietly, sometimes looking out the window, sometimes turning to
stare at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming also sat without speaking. Once he noticed Xia Xingcheng’s
eyes on him, he would turn his head to shoot a quick glance at Xia
Xingcheng as well without much expression, just a quiver of his eyelashes,
his gaze growing gentle.
Xia Xingcheng abruptly recalled the conversation between Yang Youming
and Xia Ye just now. It turned out that after the New Year, Yang Youming
would be thirty-eight, and in two more years, Yang Youming would be
forty.
He suddenly felt a little despondent, thinking that he got to know Yang

Youming too late. Perhaps, if they could’ve met a little earlier–how great
would it be if he had met Yang Youming at eighteen, the year he debuted.
He wouldn’t have let Yang Youming squander away several years of his life
to be with Yuan Qian.
After the car drove on the highway for more than half an hour, the scenery
on both sides of the road slowly became more lively. The newly developing
suburbs were lined with tall buildings, and pedestrians in thick clothes
could be seen on both sides of the street.
The road gradually became congested and Xia Ye had no choice but to slow
down the car. He complained, “I’d say it’ll take more than an hour to get
home.” He stepped on the brakes to wait for a red light at an intersection
and opened his mouth to ask Yang Youming, “How did Ming ge get to
know Xingcheng?”
Yang Youming replied, “We acted in a movie together.”
Xia Ye asked, “What kind of movie? Why didn’t Xingcheng tell us?”
Yang Youming glanced at Xia Xingcheng and didn’t answer.
Xia Xingcheng quickly said, “Why didn’t I tell you? It’s you who doesn’t
remember.” In fact, he really didn’t say anything to Xia Ye at all. He only
mentioned a few words to his mom when he was on the phone with her,
telling her that he was filming a movie with Yang Youming, but he didn’t
say anything about the movie’s subject matter.
At that time, Mama Xia called out in surprise, “Aiya! Yang Youming!
Aiya!”
Xia Ye was dumbfounded. He didn’t know whether he had really forgotten
and asked, “So when is it going to be released? I’ll go see it at the
cinemas.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s still a while away, I’ll tell you then.”
It was very likely that ‘Gradual Distance’ wouldn’t be shown in the country
at all, but the movie could still be watched through the internet or other
means. When the time comes, Xia Ye would definitely try to look it up and
watch it, but right now Xia Xingcheng wasn’t all too willing to explain
much of it to Xia Ye.
By the time they arrived, it was getting dark.
Xia Ye steered the car into an upscale villa community in the downtown
area. The car slowly glided through the neighbourhood in silence, then
gradually reduced its speed and finally stopped in front of a villa.
Xia Xingcheng had bought this villa in the second year of his career,
together with his brother. At that time, Xie Ye had been in business for
several years already, and it had just taken a turn for the better.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t come home all that often nowadays, and the only
people living in this villa were his parents as well as Xia Ye, his wife, and
his twin sons.
As soon as the car came to a stop, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming
opened the door and got off from both sides. The door at the top of several
small steps ahead of them opened, and Papa Xia stood at the doorway,
peering out, then asked, “Are you back?”
Xia Ye got out of the car and went to the back to open the trunk and help
them with their luggage while answering, “We’re back!”
There was only a not-so-bright street lamp outside, and Papa Xia could only
make out the vague silhouette of three slender figures. Without clearly
seeing who was who, Papa Xia turned back towards the inside of the house
and shouted, “Xingcheng’s back!”
Shortly after, Mama Xia rushed to the door while wiping her hands on her
apron to see for herself. The first person she saw was Xia Xingcheng, and
she immediately shouted in excitement, “Xingcheng!” Afterwards, she
noticed that there was another man next to Xia Xingcheng.
At that time, Yang Youming was taking the luggage that Xia Ye had taken
out of the trunk. He first handed over Xia Xingcheng’s suitcase to him, then
received his own suitcase. He said to Xia Ye, “Thank you.”
Xia Ye closed the trunk then clapped his hands together and said, “So
polite.”
Only then did Yang Youming take his suitcase and follow Xia Xingcheng
towards the door.
Once they reached the door, Mama Xia could plainly see his face. Her eyes
and mouth instantly widened and she raised both hands to cover her mouth,
wanting to shriek, yet not a single sound came out.
Yang Youming bowed slightly and said with a gentle laugh, “Hello uncle
and aunty.”
Papa Xia, who really didn’t recognize Yang Youming, looked at Mama Xia
worriedly. It was too late to respond to Yang Youming by then, so he
grabbed his wife’s shoulders and turned her around instead. “What’s
wrong? Hey! What’s going on?”
Xia Xingcheng obviously realized what was going on to his mom and
walked over to hug her, laughing as he said, “Mom, don’t block the door, let
Ming ge come in first.”
With a smile on his face, Yang Youming walked into the house with his
suitcase.
From the dining room, a short-haired woman of about thirty years old came
out. She was first stunned for a moment upon seeing Yang Youming, and
then actually screamed out, “Ah—! Is this Yang Youming?!”
Mama Xia, who was behind Yang Youming, nodded vigorously at her
daughter-in-law, so excited that her eyes were watering a little.
Xia Ye walked at the very back, and after entering the house, he closed the
door and said with a cold face, “You’ve all gone crazy.”
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng’s sister in law was called Fang Ying. She was thin and petite
and wasn’t very pretty, but she had a particularly heroic spirit.
As for Xia Xingcheng’s parents; Papa Xia was nearly in his sixties yet still
had a tall and lofty figure, and Mama Xia had a gentle and graceful
appearance that wasn’t hidden by her age.
Xia Xingcheng also had a pair of lovely twin nephews. Their nicknames
were Ding Ding and Dong Dong, and they were only five years old this
year, just the right age for naughtiness.
Yang Youming opened his suitcase in the living room and gave out the gifts
that he had bought for Xia Xingcheng’s family.
Afterwards, Papa Xia invited him to sit at the dining room, and the whole
family had dinner together.
The entire house was brightly lit, and the enticing aroma of food wafted
throughout the warm room. Ding Ding rode a small car around the house
while Dong Dong’s curiosity was roused the moment he saw Yang
Youming. He squeezed his way through the grown ups’ legs and pulled at
Yang Youming’s pants, tilting his head up to ask, “Are you a superstar?”
Fang Ying crouched down to pick her son up, then turned to foist him onto
Xia Ye. “Take your son away, don’t make trouble.”
At that time, Xia Ye who had just begun to take off his coat had no choice
but to stop and hold Dong Dong in his arms, stifling the fire in his heart.
The atmosphere was lively for a good while before the whole family finally
sat down. Yang Youming sat next to Papa Xia while Xia Xingcheng sat on
his other side. Fang Ying helped Mama Xia in the kitchen to place the hot
dishes on the dining table while Xia Ye went to the liquor cabinet to take
out a bottle of baijiu. Placing the bottle on the table, he said, “We’ll be
drinking this today, it won’t be a problem for Ming ge, right?”
Yang Youming laughed and answered, “No problem.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Xingcheng felt someone squeezing in

between him and Yang Youming, so he turned his head to take a look and
saw that it was Dong Dong. Dong Dong tried his hardest to force his way
through, pulling at Yang Youming’s clothes and staring at him with curious
eyes. “Are you a superstar?”
Not at all an expert in dealing with children, Xia Xingcheng bent down and
said to Dong Dong, “Why don’t you go play by yourself?”
Fang Ying, who had just put down a bowl of soup, turned around and
carried Dong Dong away once again.
When everybody was finally seated, Xia Ye filled everyone’s wine glasses
and the whole family raised their glasses to welcome the guest.
Fang Ying settled her two sons to her left and right, then with her phone in
her hand, she asked Yang Youming, “Can I take a picture and post it to my
Moments?”
Yang Youming didn’t have the chance to answer as Xia Xingcheng

promptly blocked her. “Don’t ever.”
Fang Ying appeared somewhat regretful.
Yang Youming said, “It’s not too appropriate right now, but it’s fine if you
wait until after the new year to post it.”
Yang Youming would have already left by then, and a minor picture on
somebody’s Moments wouldn’t matter all that much.
Fang Ying immediately nodded happily.

Mama Xia said, “Can I post one too?”
Xia Ye tsked. “Mom, why are you joining the fun at your age?”
Mama Xia hadn’t answered when Xia Xingcheng spoke up first, “What’s
wrong with her age? How can you say this? No matter how old my mom is
she’ll always be a beautiful young lady.”
Mama Xia laughed as she said, “You’re spewing nonsense.” But she looked
happy nevertheless.
Xia Xingcheng looked at Fang Ying and said in an odd tone, “My mom
aside, sis-in-law, I don’t recall you being the type to chase stars?”
Fang Ying was peeling shrimp. She had just fed one to Ding Ding, and this
piece was supposed to be for Dong Dong, but upon hearing Xia
Xingcheng’s words, she answered, “I don’t chase stars, I chase handsome
guys!” With that, she then fed the shrimp to Ding Ding again.
Dong Dong’s wide open mouth closed silently as he stared at his mom.
Ding Ding, who had barely swallowed his food, had to start chewing again,
and he let out a seemingly distressed sigh.
Fang Ying donned a smug little smile on her face.
Xia Ye snorted as he pointed a finger at Fang Ying. “Why are you so

shallow?”
Without stopping to think, Fang Ying said, “If I weren’t shallow, why
would I marry you?”
Back then, she and Xia Ye dated when she was attending graduate school,
while Xia Ye himself hadn’t even finished high school. Fang Ying’s parents
were both teachers and strongly opposed Fang Ying and Xia Ye’s
relationship. However, Fang Ying persisted, and after graduating, she first
took the civil service exam, then got married, got pregnant, and then gave
birth all in one go. At the time, she had only considered Xia Ye because of
his handsome looks.
In an instant, Xia Ye was shut down and rendered speechless.
Hearing this, Yang Youming laughed and picked up his wine glass to toast
Papa and Mama Xia, then toasted the pair of husband and wife Xia Ye and
Fang Ying. Although he didn’t say much, he was polite and well-spoken.
No matter what Papa Xia said to him, he would always respond well; Papa
Xia was so delighted that he unconsciously drank a few more glasses of
baijiu.
As he drank, Papa Xia started telling the sole guest in their house about his
younger days, when Xia Ye and Xia Xingcheng were still kids.
He said that Mama Xia was already over thirty years old when she gave
birth to Xia Xingcheng. Moreover, the fetus was in the wrong position and
born prematurely to boot, so the whole family was exceedingly nervous. He
was born with great difficulty, so he was immensely treasured since he was
small.
Right then, Mama Xia said, “You don’t know this, but when I was pregnant
with Xingcheng, I dreamt that a dragon landed on the roof of our house and
many people came to see him. Later on, I found out that I was pregnant so I
figured that it was definitely a lucky omen and I must give birth to the
baby.”
When he heard this, Xia Xingcheng almost lost his head in shame and said,
“Mom! Stop talking!”
Yet Yang Youming smiled and said, “No, I’d love to hear about it.”
Hearing Yang Youming’s interest, Mama Xia simply stood up and

illustrated how smart and adorable Xia Xingcheng was when he was a child
and how he had an innate talent for acting, so much so that both her cheeks
reddened through and through.
Xia Xingcheng could hardly bring himself to listen to all of this anymore
and buried his face in his hands.
When his mother went to put a bowl away in the kitchen, Dong Dong found
an opportunity to climb onto his grandpa’s lap and pull at Yang Youming’s
hand, both inquisitive and serious as he asked, “Are you a superstar?”
Yang Youming chuckled gently and said to him, “I’m not.”
Stunned, Dong Dong said, “Oh.”
Yang Youming helped him straighten out his messy collar and said, “I’m an
actor.”
Dong Dong nodded without really understanding. He pondered for a

moment, then peered around to ask Xia Xingcheng, “Second uncle, are you
a superstar?”
Fang Ying had just come out of the kitchen when she heard this, and she
said to Dong Dong, “Are you an audio repeater?”
Before Dong Dong could react, Dingding, who sat on the edge of the table,
laughed loudly and imitated his mom’s tone as he yelled at Dongdong, “Are
you an audio repeater?” As a result, this was shouted all night long, and
they made so much noise that Fang Ying’s head hurt.
After the lively meal, Fang Ying helped Mama Xia tidy up the table and
wash the dishes, letting Xia Ye accompany Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming upstairs.
Before going upstairs, Mama Xia pulled Xia Ye over and whispered
something in his ears. Xia Ye nodded and immediately walked over to pick
up the two people’s suitcases.
Yang Youming waved him down and reached to take his own suitcase, “I’ll
do it.”
Everyone had drank a lot tonight, and before the bottle of baijiu that Xia Ye
had brought out was even finished, Papa Xia had already insisted on
opening another one. Neither Xia Xingcheng nor Yang Youming drank
baijiu all that often, but they still drank a lot with Papa Xia.
After Yang Youming took his suitcase, his footsteps as he trudged up the
stairs were somewhat unstable.
Xia Ye had the best alcohol tolerance, and he took the large suitcase in his
hands upstairs with lightning speed and soon disappeared around the corner
of the stairs.
Xia Xingcheng followed behind Yang Youming. Seeing Yang Youming’s

unsteady pace, he reached out to catch the man’s wrist and said, “Ming ge,
you’re drunk.”
Yang Youming froze in place. He turned around and leaned close to Xia
Xingcheng’s ear, pressing his index finger to his lips and whispering, “Shh
—I’m not.”
Xia Xingcheng’s cheeks and eyes were red, and his vision went hazy as he
stared at the man.
From the second floor, Xia Ye shouted, “Why haven’t you both come up
yet?”
Yang Youming lowered his voice and said to Xia Xingcheng, “Don’t say a
word.” Then, he turned and continued to lug his suitcase up the stairs.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes followed Yang Youming’s back the whole way, and
as they turned a corner, he saw Xia Ye smoking on the second floor. At the
sight of the two of them, he continued walking ahead.
The villa only had two floors, and the third floor was a rooftop.
Xia Xingcheng’s parents stayed on the first floor. There were four rooms
altogether on the second floor; one for Xia Ye and his wife, one for his two
sons, one for Xia Xingcheng, and one for visiting guests.
Xia Ye walked in front and opened the door of Xia Xingcheng’s room. “I’ll
collect the bed in a while, Ming ge can stay in the guest room next door.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t understand. He grabbed Xia Ye’s arm and asked,
“What?”
Xia Ye promptly shook his hand off and moved the cigarette away, fearing
that it would burn him. “Isn’t second uncle and his family coming over to
celebrate the new year tomorrow? Mom and dad originally wanted to put up
a small bed in your room and empty out the guest room for second uncle.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “So what about now?”
Xia Ye was a little impatient. “Now—mom told me to take the small bed
and invite our guest to stay in the guest room.”
Xia Xingcheng tilted his head and asked, “What will you do tomorrow?”
Xia Ye said, “We’ll leave it to tomorrow.”
Xia Xingcheng firmly refused. “No, I’ll sleep on the small bed and my
Ming ge will sleep on my bed.”
Xia Ye frowned as he stared at his brother wordlessly.
Yang Youming leaned against the door. His appearance was calm, but his
eyes weren’t at all sober. He raised his head slightly and closed his eyes for
a little while.
Xia Xingcheng pushed Xia Ye away and walked into his room. The lights
weren’t on yet, but the light from the street lamp outside the window was
enough for him to barely make out the outlines of his surroundings. He
hadn’t been back for a long time, and he felt a sense of both strangeness yet
also familiarity. He caught sight of a small bed set up next to the big bed, so
he threw himself at the big bed completely and said, “My bed.”
Xia Ye saw that he was drunk and had no energy to nag him, so he raised
his leg and kicked the suitcase over to a corner and said, “Whatever you
want.”
He exited the room with the cigarette in his mouth and saw that Yang
Youming was still standing in the doorway. He was a little apologetic as he
asked, “Is it alright if you stay here?”
Yang Youming opened his eyes and his gaze fell on his face, showing a
very faint smile. “It’s fine.”
Xia Ye nodded then turned towards his own room.
☆☆☆
Xia Xingcheng lay on his stomach, his face buried in the blanket. He could
smell the alcohol between his breaths. His thoughts seemed to have slowed
down, and he lay there motionless, not wanting to get up.
He was drunk—not so drunk that he lost consciousness, but it was as if his

brain had a peculiar excitement, an excitement that vigorously wanted to
dominate his body and heighten his emotions.
He heard the sound of the door closing and footsteps coming all the way to
the bedside. The bed then sagged, and there was a slight movement.
Yang Youming was actually a lot drunker than Xia Xingcheng. He said he
wasn’t drunk, but Xia Xingcheng felt that he was—he was drunk out of his
mind.
Xia Xingcheng lifted his face from the blanket and turned to look at Yang
Youming.
The room was still unlit, and the lights outside the window illuminated the
outline of Yang Youming’s figure. He sat on one side of the big bed, his
hands propping himself up as his head was tilted up alongside his body, his
eyes tightly shut. Seemingly noticing Xia Xingcheng’s eyes on him, he
abruptly opened his eyes and turned to face Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng began to feel a pressing pain on his stomach, so he turned

over to lay on his side.
Yang Youming sat up slowly and extended a hand towards Xia Xingcheng.
“Come here.”
It was a tone that bore a command.

Xia Xingcheng didn’t move. He gazed at Yang Youming for a while, then
merely extended a leg towards the big bed.
The two beds weren’t joined close together; there was a one person wide
gap between them. Xia Xingcheng put his foot on the big bed, but he wasn’t
able to touch Yang Youming.
Yang Youming stretched out his hand, wanting to grab Xia Xingcheng’s
foot, but Xia Xingcheng retracted it in an instant.
A drunk Xia Xingcheng was like a naughty child; he stayed out of Yang
Youming’s reach and laughed as he reclined on the bed, his body shaking.
Then, he stretched his foot over again, teasing Yang Youming to capture
him.
Yang Youming propped himself up on his elbows and bent down towards
Xia Xingcheng. He reached out to seize Xia Xingcheng’s foot, but Xia
Xingcheng dodged him once again.
The third time, Xia Xingcheng took the initiative to put his foot in front of
Yang Youming, wanting Yang Youming to capture him.
Yang Youming grabbed his foot in a firm grip. His warm fingers suddenly
tightened fiercely, and all of a sudden, he pulled Xia Xingcheng towards the
big bed.
Xia Xingcheng was not prepared in the least, and the lower part of his body
almost fell from the bed. The small bed beneath him creaked as it shifted
towards the big bed. He was frightened, his heart thumping violently—he
had narrowly cried out in alarm just now.
Yang Youming still hadn’t let go, grabbing his foot and dragging Xia
Xingcheng towards him and spurring the small bed Xia Xingcheng was on
to rub against the ground as it moved. The friction made a screeching sound
until the edges of the two beds met.
Then, Yang Youming grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s clothes with his other hand
and pulled Xia Xingcheng onto his bed.
Xia Xingcheng felt a little panicked. Fearing that the noise would attract his
family’s attention, he subconsciously struggled to get up.
Yet Yang Youming pulled him onto his lap and made him sit facing him
with his legs apart. He held Xia Xingcheng in his arms and massaged his
waist and hips through his clothes, then muttered in his ear, “Don’t move,
baby.”
His voice was low and sticky, and it grinded against Xia Xingcheng’s ears,
somewhat hazy and unclear. He wasn’t completely sure what the man had
just called him.
Xia Xingcheng’s face was already feverish from the alcohol and, for a split
second, he thought that his whole body was burning up. He said, “You’ll
wake up my parents.”
Yang Youming froze, then stared at him with moist eyes and said, word for
word: “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”
All at once, Xia Xingcheng’s mind exploded. His vision blurred up in an

instant, and the image before his very eyes overlapped with the memories in
the depths of his mind. He was almost at a loss, and he raised his hand to
stroke Yang Youming’s eyes and brows, trying to clear up the man’s
thoughts. He said, “Ming ge, you’re drunk.”
“No,” Yang Youming quickly denied, “I’m not drunk.” He kissed Xia
Xingcheng’s lips, his sharp chin, his neck, impatiently tugging at the collar
of Xia Xingcheng’s sweater.
Xia Xingcheng cooperated with his movements and grabbed the hem of his
sweater, pulling it up and off. The wool rubbed against his soft cheeks and
the sweater pushed back the hair on his forehead. Yang Youming snatched
his sweater and cast it aside, then took off the round-necked tee
underneath.
Darkness. Warmth. Erratic gasps. Drunken adult men. The difference lay in
the dry air; that humid, sweat-soaked summer night was no more, and Xia
Xingcheng was not the young and inexperienced youth who didn’t know
how to kiss.
Yang Youming pressed Xia Xingcheng’s slender body into the bed, his
movements rough as he kissed his neck and ears. He murmured something
into Xia Xingcheng’s ear that he didn’t catch quite clearly at first, but when
he tried to recall what it was afterwards, he felt that the two words were
Xiao Yuan.
For a moment, Xia Xingcheng felt that he was sober, but his thoughts were
already at a standstill. His head was empty, and nothing came to mind.
Grabbing Yang Youming’s hair, he forced him to lift his head and asked him
doubtfully, “What did you call me?”
It was like there was a layer of mist over Yang Youming’s eyes, and he
couldn’t see his emotions. Staring at Xia Xingcheng for a moment, he said,
“Xingcheng.”
Yang Youming buried himself into Xia Xingcheng’s body.
When Xia Xingcheng felt the bed rocking beneath them, he panicked and
ruthlessly grabbed Yang Youming’s arm, saying, “Gentler, gentler!”
Yang Youming stopped, then said in his ear, “Hush—we won’t wake your
mother.”
Afterwards, he suppressed his movements but always maintained an all-out

ferociousness. He later bit down onto Xia Xingcheng’s collarbone, the place
that he had tenderly marked up, even biting it until he bled.
Xia Xingcheng had a dream once he fell asleep.
In the dream, he and Yang Youming were in an old house. They were
walking up the stairs, and Yang Youming was right in front of him. He
could touch him with a single reach.
Xia Xingcheng called out to him, “Ming ge.”

Yang Youming came to a halt and turned back, but his facial features were
vague. “Who’s Ming ge? I’m Yu Haiyang.”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly awoken from fright, and only then did he realise
that he was naked under the covers and his whole body was drenched with
sweat. The space next to him was already vacant.
It was already early morning, and the entire room was illuminated by the
sunlight streaming in through the window.
Xia Xingcheng’s pulse was still racing. He caught sight of Yang Youming
standing in front of the window, looking out into the distance.
Yang Youming was already dressed. Today, he wore a black sweater paired
with black trousers, and the same colors on his upper and lower body made
his figure look exceptionally tall and long.
From Xia Xingcheng’s perspective, only the side of the man’s face could be
seen. His eyelashes were lowered, and he looked a little lonely.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t understand why he was showing such an expression.
Then, Yang Youming noticed that Xia Xingcheng was awake. He turned
around to face him then walked towards the bed, saying, “Xingcheng,
you’re awake.”
Xia Xingcheng sat up in bed and felt an ache in his lower body. The quilt
slid down his shoulder, and he felt a sting of pain as it rubbed against his
collarbone.
He looked down and saw tooth marks. There were even dried up
bloodstains.
Yang Youming sat on the edge of the bed and kneaded his temples, saying,
“Sorry, I haven’t drunk that much in a long time.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Do you still remember what you did last night?”
Yang Youming stared at him. “I don’t quite remember, but I remember that
I seemed to hurt you. Does it hurt?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “It doesn’t.”
Yang Youming held his hand. “Why don’t you take a shower?”
Nodding, Xia Xingcheng lifted the blanket and got out of bed, directly
walking to the en suite bathroom with nothing on his body.
Out of the four bedrooms on the second floor, his room was actually the
best one. It was the only one that had its own bathroom, and the other
rooms had to share the separate bathroom on the second floor.
He had previously mentioned the matter of switching rooms with his big
brother and sister-in-law, but they both said that it didn’t matter and insisted
on leaving the room to Xia Xingcheng.
The moment Xia Xingcheng turned on the hot water and stood underneath
it, he thought back to last night, when Yang Youming called him Xiao
Yuan. He wasn’t angry nor sad—he was just dazed and a little at a loss, not
understanding what had happened.
After he got out of the shower, Yang Youming had already tidied up the
bed, the two blankets folded separately and placed back on their proper
places.
The tissues that had been carelessly thrown to the floor were flushed down
the toilet, but on the bed, there were still some ambiguous stains that had
dried up.
Seeing that Xia Xingcheng was staring at them, Yang Youming said, “Use a
wet towel to wipe it off tonight, it’s no good to get it wet right now.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “They won’t just casually enter my room.”
Yang Youming walked to the door and gazed at the big bed in a daze. “We
shouldn’t have done that.”
They came down the stairs one after another. It was quiet on the first floor,
the living room had been neatly tidied up and there was no one in sight, but
there were two plates of small dishes on the dining table.
Hearing the sound of running water and people talking in the kitchen, Xia
Xingcheng took a couple of steps in that direction. He was about to call out
to the people there when he heard his sister-in-law say to his brother, “Why
are you treating your family’s guest like this?”
Xia Ye spoke in a lazy manner, “I think it’s weird that Xingcheng brought
him back.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t utter a word and stopped outside the kitchen. Yang
Youming was standing behind him, and the two glanced at each other.
Fang Ying said, “What’s weird?”
Xia Ye said, “He said he was bringing a friend over, so I thought it was
going to be a young guy around his age. Don’t you know that Yang
Youming is older than us? He’s over ten years older than Xingcheng, so
how could he go home with someone for the new year?”
Fang Ying seemed to be washing the dishes, and there was a constant sharp
sound of plates colliding against each other. She said, “What’s wrong with
being ten years older? Can’t they be friends?”
Xia Ye said, “Don’t they say that the entertainment industry is messy? I was
just thinking, wouldn’t he be Xingcheng’s sugar daddy or something—”
“For god’s sake!” Fang Ying interrupted him. “That’s your little brother,
what rubbish are you babbling about?”
Xia Ye sighed. “I just think that the way Xingcheng treats him is a bit
weird, I can’t explain it.”
Fang Ying was silent for a while, then said, “Do you know the movie they
acted in?”
“What?” Xia Ye appeared somewhat confused.

Fang Ying said, “You don’t know, huh? Nevermind then, just forget it.”
Xia Ye pestered her, “Don’t say things by halves.”
At that moment, Yang Youming suddenly left Xia Xingcheng and headed
towards the living room.
Xia Xingcheng glanced back, just as he heard Fang Ying say, “Beat it, stop
bothering me!”
He took two steps back, took a deep breath, then yelled, “Ge? Sis-in-law?
Are you there?”
☆☆☆
t/n – trouble in paradise?
It appeared as if Xia Xingcheng had just come down the stairs, as if he

hadn’t heard anything. When he called out to his big brother and sister-in-
law outside the kitchen, Xia Ye and Fang Ying immediately walked out.
Xia Ye asked, “You’re up?”
On the side, Fang Ying was wiping her hands on her apron as she asked,
“Did you sleep well? Is Ming ge not awake yet?”
Xia Xingcheng smiled. “He’s awake. We both slept well.”
Fang Ying promptly said, “Then let’s have breakfast, you guys sit down
first. The porridge and steamed buns are heating up in the pot, I’ll bring
them out for you right away.”
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming sat down at the dining table side by side,
and Fang Ying soon brought out the warm porridge and steamed buns from
the kitchen then served each of them a bowl of porridge.
As Yang Youming received his bowl, he said, “Thank you.” He paused for a
bit, then added, “Sorry for the trouble.”
“What are you talking about!” Standing by the dining table, Fang Ying
laughed and said, “You don’t know how happy I am to have you here, it
won’t even be a problem if you stay for another year.”
Yang Youming couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Xia Ye glanced up at Fang Ying wordlessly.

Xia Xingcheng passed Yang Youming a meatbun with his chopsticks. As
Yang Youming reached out to take it, he said, “My mom made these
herself.”
Yang Youming said, “Then they must be delicious.”
Fang Ying returned to the kitchen to tidy up a little while Xia Ye sat down
to have breakfast with them.
Xia Ye said, “Mom and dad went out to the market to buy some vegetables
this morning.”
Nibbling on a bun, Xia Xingcheng asked, “Can you still buy vegetables on
New Year’s Eve?”
Fang Ying answered, “The market is really busy this morning, all they sell
are New Year’s goods and they won’t pack up until noon. When Ding Ding
and Dong Dong get up later, your brother and I are planning to take them
out shopping. Do you guys want to come with us?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming’s head was bowed as he ate his porridge. Hearing their
words, he raised his head and grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, then said,
“I’d like to go, but it’s really inconvenient.”
Normally, the more crowded the location, the more he didn’t dare to go.
Once recognised, it’ll bring about a circle of onlookers and cause a lot of
trouble.
Xia Xingcheng had it slightly better, but it’d been a long time since he went
out and strolled around as he pleased.
Fang Ying sighed. “So famous people have famous people problems.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed. “It’s okay, you guys should be back by noon
anyway. What time will second uncle’s family get here?”
Xia Ye said, “Second uncle’s family are also going shopping, they’ll
probably be here at lunch.”
Right then, Yang Youming asked, “Are you going to prepare lunch? I can
help out.”
Fang Ying quickly said, “It’s already prepared, we’ll have a simple meal for
lunch, make dumplings together in the afternoon, and prepare dinner in the
evening. You guys just rest, there’s no need to worry about it.”
Xia Xingcheng said to Yang Youming, “Don’t worry, my mom and sis-in-
law are very capable.”
Not long after that, they heard Ding Ding yell out from the second floor,
and Fang Ying elbowed Xia Ye. “You go.”
Xia Ye’s forehead creased, but he still stood up obediently and made his
way to the staircase.
When they finished breakfast, Xia Ye came down the stairs with Ding Ding
and Dong Dong who were already dressed.
On the staircase, Ding Ding began to throw a fit at his dad, who said a
couple of words to him in return. He then started crying, feeling wronged.
Dong Dong rushed down from the second floor and into the dining room.
Seeing Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng sitting there, he instantly slowed
down and dawdled his way over to Yang Youming’s side, looking up at him
as he called out, “Uncle Yang.”
Yang Youming smiled at him. “Good morning.”
Dong Dong clasped his hands behind his back and asked Yang Youming,
“Guess who I am! Am I Ding Ding or Dong Dong?”
Ding Ding and Dong Dong didn’t actually look completely alike, and it was
still fairly easy to tell them apart if you looked carefully. However, the two
of them wore the exact same padded jacket today, and they looked one
hundred percent similar at a glance.
Xia Xingcheng deliberately teased him, “Aren’t you Ding Ding?”
A crying Ding Ding walked over from the stairs. Hearing what Xia
Xingcheng had said, he immediately piped up, “Ding Ding is me! He’s
Dong Dong!”
Dong Dong said, “I’m Dong Dong.” He climbed up and sat down on the
chair beside Yang Youming and tilted his head to look up at the man. “A
winter melon’s dong!”
Right then, Fang Ying came out bringing the two brothers’ breakfast, just in
time to hear Dong Dong’s words. She said, “You’re not a winter melon’s
dong, who told you that you’re a winter melon’s dong?”
Ding Ding sat next to Dong Dong and, following Ding Ding’s example,
said, “I’m Ding Ding, a ding melon’s melon—no, a ding melon’s ding.”[1]
“There’s no such thing as a ding melon!” Fang Ying stuffed a steamed bun
into their hands. “Hurry up and eat, less talking nonsense.”
When the two brothers finished eating, Fang Ying gave each of them a
small hat then took them out with Xia Ye.
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming sent them to the door.
One of Dong Dong’s hands was in Xia Ye’s, and as he made his way down
the steps, he turned to wave at Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng.
Seeing this, Yang Youming laughed and waved back. He said, “Bye-bye.”
Dong Dong’s foot tread on empty air, and he almost fell to the ground until
Xia Ye grabbed him with one hand and lifted his whole body up before he
could topple over. He roared, “Watch where you’re going!” Dong Dong
tugged at his clothes and obediently faced the front.
Once they were further away, Xia Xingcheng closed the door and turned
back to Yang Youming.
Yang Youming was still watching the retreating figures of Xia Ye’s family.
Xia Xingcheng was silent for a moment, then said, “Ding Ding and Dong
Dong are pretty cute, aren’t they?”
Having heard this, Yang Youming let out a chuckle and said, “They’re quite
cute.”
They went back to the living room and sat down. It was especially quiet
once they were the only two left in the house.
There was a pot of hot tea on the coffee table that Fang Ying had brewed for
them before she left. Yang Youming reached out to pick up the glass teapot
and slowly poured some tea into the spotless cup in front of him. Then, he
pushed the teacup to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the teacup and asked, “Do you feel unwell?”
Yang Youming raised his head and said in an odd tone, “What?” He didn’t
understand what Xia Xingcheng meant.
Xia Xingcheng said, “You drank a lot last night.”
Yang Youming uttered a soft ‘Oh’, “I had a small headache this morning,
but I’m fine now.” He was still dressed in the same sweater he wore last
night. Purposely lowering his head to sniff at it, he said, “It doesn’t seem to
smell like alcohol anymore.”
Xia Xingcheng leaned close to his chest and took a sniff at his sweater, then
looked up and said, “It really doesn’t.”
Yang Youming smiled, then touched the top of Xia Xingcheng’s head.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Second Uncle’s family will come over at noon. He
only has one daughter who’s still not married yet, so there’s only three
people in their family.” He then looked at Yang Youming for a moment and
asked, “Do you mind?”
Laughing, Yang Youming asked, “Is his daughter a fan of mine too?”
“No,” Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but laugh along, then said, “His
daughter is Teng Song’s diehard fan.”
Teng Song could be considered the hottest traffic star at present, and he
wasn’t even twenty years old.
Yang Youming nodded with a smile.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly said, “Is it hard for you, staying in my house?”
Yang Youming said, “It’s not, your family is really nice and friendly.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I apologise for what my brother said about you
earlier. Please don’t be offended.”
“I’m not offended,” Yang Youming said. “You don’t need to apologise
either. I understand that your brother cares about you.”
Xia Xingcheng then said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have forced you to come
home with me.”
Yang Youming’s voice softened as he told him, “You didn’t force me, I said
it myself, your family’s nice and it’s comfortable staying here.”
Before noon, Xia Xingcheng’s parents and his second uncle’s family
returned together, followed by Xia Ye, Fang Ying, and the twins.
Both Xia Xingcheng’s second uncle and second aunt didn’t recognise with
Yang Youming. They had no particular concept of movie stars and simply
treated him as a friend Xia Xingcheng had brought home. His older cousin
Xia Xiaorui, however, was still extremely excited to meet Yang Youming
even though she liked other celebrities. She asked Yang Youming for an
autograph and also took a picture with him with her phone.
Xia Xingcheng instructed Xia Xiaorui not to leak the fact that Yang
Youming was spending the New Year at their house.
Although Xia Xiaorui was very reluctant, she still guaranteed that she
would absolutely not reveal anything and that she’d only post the photos
with Yang Youming later on in the future without telling anyone where she
met him.
By the afternoon, the men in the family sat around the living room drinking
tea and chatting while Ding Ding and Dong Dong ran around the house
playing pretend as a king and his bodyguard.
Xia Xingcheng’s second aunt and sister-in-law helped his mom wrap
dumplings and prepare dinner in the kitchen. Only Xia Xiaorui sat in the
living room, surfing the internet on her phone, not taking her eyes off her
phone all afternoon.
Xia Ye said to Xia Xiaorui, “You’re not going to the kitchen to help out?”
Xia Xiaorui didn’t even bother looking at him and merely replied, “Why
aren’t you going?”
Xia Ye said, “You’re a girl, how are you going to get married if you don’t
learn how to cook?”
Xia Xiaorui turned and rolled her eyes. “I’m not married, and I don’t need
you to raise me either, what’s it to you?”
Second Uncle Xia, who was sitting to her side, said to his daughter,
“Xiaorui, watch how you’re talking to your Ye ge. Where are your
manners?”
Xia Xiaorui mumbled, “I don’t know where his manners are either.”
With a cup in his hands, Xia Xingcheng’s mood hadn’t been particularly
high. He would turn to glance at Yang Youming from time to time, only to
see the man earnestly listening to the two elders talk, but as long as no one
addressed him, he would seem a little out of sorts, staring at the TV
program absent-mindedly.
In the evening, the family sat down to have New Year’s Eve dinner and eat
dumplings. The entire first floor was brightly lit, and the lively sounds
resounded from the TV in the living room.
Fang Ying had just moved the dumplings from its pot to a plate and placed
them on the dining table when Ding Ding stood on his chair and, with half
his body lying on the dining table, he reached out to take one.
“It’s hot!” Fang Ying quickly shouted. “Xia Ye, hurry up and get him
down!”
Xia Ye reached out to lift Ding Ding off the table, then said a few words to
chide him and forbid him from climbing up the table again.
Second Uncle Xia grabbed a bottle of wine and poured wine for everyone.
Yang Youming, however, took away the empty wine glass in front of him
and said to them, “I drank too much yesterday, I really can’t drink today.”
Xia Ye was just about to say something when Xia Xingcheng stood up and
said, “If Ming ge doesn’t want to drink then just let him be, don’t force
him.”
It was probably because his attitude showed too much nervousness, but
Second Uncle Xia was startled for a moment.
Papa Xia got up to smooth things over. “Xiao Yang did drink a lot with me
last night. It’s the New Year today, everybody can do as they please.”
Second Uncle Xia thereupon laughed and said, “No drinks then, eat more
food instead.”
Although Yang Youming didn’t drink, he talked and laughed with Xia
Xingcheng’s family throughout the meal and even took the initiative to pour
wine for them. When this lively New Year’s Eve dinner was over and
everyone got up to go watch the Spring Festival gala in the living room,
Yang Youming said that he had some things to deal with and went upstairs
to his room first.
He didn’t show the slightest bit of displeasure or impatience, and no one

thought that he left first on purpose. Only Xia Xingcheng saw Yang
Youming go upstairs, and he watched the gala with his family for a few
minutes before he pretended to receive a call and also headed to the second
floor.
When he entered his room, Xia Xingcheng saw that there was only a small
light on in the room, and Yang Youming was sitting on the bed, leaning on
the headboard and looking at his phone.
He closed the door and walked up to Yang Youming, asking, “Aren’t you
going to watch the gala?”
Yang Youming raised his head and smiled at him. “No, you go watch with
mom and dad.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t leave and simply asked him, “You’re going to bed
this early?”
Yang Youming lifted his phone and waved it in front of him. “I’ll play with
my phone for a while.”
Xia Xingcheng watched him in silence for a while, then abruptly said,
“How about we get out of here?”
Yang Youming was a little surprised. “Right now?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Yeah, right now. There’s no one outside, I’ll take you
around the place I grew up in.
Yang Youming looked at him.
Xia Xingcheng reached out and pulled him up from the bed. “Let’s go.”
Yang Youming had just taken two steps when he said, “They’ll all think it’s
strange if you go out now.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “We won’t go through the front door.”
“Mm?”
Xia Xingcheng let go of his hand and walked over to the window to open it.
The cold air quickly streamed in, and he poked his head out and looked
around, then said, “Let’s sneak out.”
Yang Youming shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous,” Xia Xingcheng took Yang Youming’s coat and draped
it over his shoulders then took his own and put it on.
Yang Youming’s brows faintly creased, looking very disapproving, but he

still slid his arms into his coat sleeves as he watched Xia Xingcheng put on
his coat, then bent down to help him zip up his coat, slowly pulling it up.
“You really want to go out?” Yang Youming looked down at him.
Nodding, Xia Xingcheng grabbed a mask and helped Yang Youming put it
on his face, looking a little unusually excited. “I’ve climbed down once
before, it’s not dangerous. I’ll go down and catch you later.”
Yang Youming went to the window to peer outside. The light coming from
the first floor window was hidden by an eave. If you stepped on it then
carefully jump off from there, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. He
turned around and slightly lowered his mask before saying, “I’ll go down
and catch you.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately tried to stop him, but Yang Youming had
already climbed out the window, his hands grasping the window sill as he
stepped on the eave of the first floor window.
“Be careful,” Xia Xingcheng’s heart clenched tightly.
Yang Youming said, “It should be fine if you don’t get taken for a thief.”
Xia Xingcheng leaned across the window and reached out to grab Yang
Youming’s arm. Yang Youming patted the back of his hand reassuringly.
“It’s okay.” With that, he shifted to the corner of the window little by little
and gripped the protruding metal window ledge, then slowly crouched
down until he could grab the edge of the eave. Bracing his body with his
hands, his feet dropped down until both arms were straight, then let go and
jumped to the ground.
Yang Youming straightened up and looked up at the second floor window,

lightly dusting off his hands. The place he landed was directly facing the
first floor dining room window, the lights in the room were off, but there
were lights and noise coming from the living room.
Xia Xingcheng sucked in a deep breath, then climbed over the window and
reached out to close it before following Yang Youming’s example and
moving to the corner, gripping the window ledge and slowly crouching
down.
Yang Youming looked up at him, seeming a little nervous, but he didn’t

make a sound.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t use his hands to prop up his body to slowly lower
himself down, but turned around with difficulty and jumped down instead.
Yang Youming hurriedly stretched out his hands to catch him.
After Xia Xingcheng jumped, he felt that it was a little high, and the impact
on his body as he reached the ground was not small. Yang Youming hugged
his waist to stop his falling motion, which led to an aching waist, but he still
stood on the ground smoothly without spraining an ankle.
The next second, Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming and moved close
to eagerly kiss his lips.
Yang Youming was hugging him, and he had just found his footing when
Xia Xingcheng pounced on him. He couldn’t help falling back a couple of
steps before he steadied himself to bear his fierce kiss.
☆
The author has something to say
I said that there won’t be abuse. There are no stand-ins, don’t worry.
☆☆☆
[1] the dong in dongdong’s nickname is 咚, but he’s saying that it’s the dong in donggua (冬瓜) aka
winter melon, and that’s why dingding followed up with his dinggua/ding melon… Ah, kids.
t/n – no dog abuse! but background-ish angst is up ahead folks.

The temperature at night was below zero degrees. The wind would pick up
once in a while, and an even more piercing chill would penetrate through
their down jackets and invade the depths of their bodies.
Yang Youming was wearing a mask. Xia Xingcheng fished out his own
mask from his pocket but didn’t rush to put it on, merely letting it hang
from his ears and pulling it down under his jaw instead.
The entrance to the community required an access card to enter and exit.
The door of the security post was tightly shut, and in the narrow room, the
security guard was warming his hands at a fire while watching the evening
gala.
Xia Xingcheng knocked on the glass window. As the guard pulled open the
window and saw him, a look of astonishment crossed his face.
“Sorry for the trouble, please open the gate,” Xia Xingcheng said to him
with a smile.
The guard obviously recognized Xia Xingcheng. He said, “Going out so

late?” His eyes left Xia Xingcheng and landed on Yang Youming behind
him, somewhat doubtful, but he still opened the gate for them.
Xia Xincheng said, “Thank you.” Then, he went out with Yang Youming.
They walked out of the community and onto a wide street, and the side of
the street was entirely lined with the walls of the community.
After only a few steps, Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “Put on your
mask.” It was too cold out, and Xia Xingcheng’s face had already reddened
from the chilly wind.
Once Xia Xingcheng pulled up his mask to cover up half his face, Yang
Youming reached out to help him take the cap in the pocket of his down
jacket and put it on his head, until half of Xia Xingcheng’s face became
shrouded in a shadow and the sound of his voice became indistinct.
They could only hear what the other was saying by walking closely
together.
Yang Youming asked, “Where are we going?”
Xia Xingcheng stretched out his hand and pointed to where a Carrefour
signboard could be seen from afar. He said, “I lived over there when I was a
kid, it’ll probably take half an hour to walk there. ” With that, he turned
around and peered at the road; the whole street had never been so deserted,
not to mention the pedestrians, there wasn’t even a single car. He added,
“We definitely can’t get a taxi. Let’s walk there, okay?”
Yang Youming replied, “Okay.”
Xia Xingcheng continued onward, his hands in his pocket to draw warmth
from his own body heat. He said, “My family used to live in that area. The
old building still hasn’t been demolished, it was one of those old-fashioned
units that had two households to a floor.”
Yang Youming let out a soft “Mm”, showing that he was listening.
Xia Xingcheng said, “My family lived there for more than twenty years. It
was only until my brother and I made enough money to buy our current
house a few years ago that the whole family moved there together.”
“It’s already amazing that you can buy such a big house in your early
twenties,” Yang Youming said.
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at him and smiled, but his expression was
concealed by his mask and hat.
Because it was so cold, they subconsciously sped up.

Trying to breathe through the mask, Xia Xincheng spoke a little
breathlessly, “Wherever I went when I was a kid, everybody said that I was
lovely, but later on in middle school, the girls said I was handsome. Even
though I didn’t do too well in school, all my teachers and classmates liked
me, and I was the student council president for two years.”
Yang Youming’s eyes showed a somewhat gentle smile.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I once received one love letter a day for a week, and
all of them were from different girls.”
Yang Youming’s voice carried a hint of laughter. “Is that so?”
Xia Xingcheng continued telling him. “I was in the school’s basketball

team, and every time there was a game, the entire school would be filled
with girls who would come to watch, and most of them came to see me.”
“Mm,” Yang Youming said, “And so?”
Xia Xingcheng came to a stop in front of him and faced him. “So, since I
like you so very much, don’t you think that this isn’t easy to come by?”
Yang Youming looked at him and nodded, saying, “It’s my honour.”
They walked until they arrived at the intersection below the Carrefour
signboard. This place was a flourishing commerce square, and although all
the surrounding malls and shops were closed, the colorful lights still
insistently illuminated the quiet and desolate street.
Xia Xingcheng led Yang Youming into a relatively narrow street, where the
buildings were short and sparse. The dark came down upon them as even
the streetlights became less bright.
There was a kindergarten on the side of the road, and the sign above it was
made up of multi-coloured animal patterns.
Xia Xingcheng stopped, tucked his hand into his sleeve, then touched the
metal gate through it, saying, “I went to this kindergarten when I was a kid,
the gate’s been changed.”
Yang Youming looked towards the metal gate.
Xia Xingcheng pulled him onwards. “My grandma was still with us back
then, and she often came to pick me up.”
They walked on for a few more minutes, not running into a single person
along the way.
There was a small alley on one side of the road that stretched deeply across.
Xia Xingcheng stood at the entrance of the alley and said, “Up ahead is my
family’s former house.” He then peeped inside and found the old building in
the darkness. He pointed out the building for Yang Youming, then found the
window of his old room under the scattered lights.
A chilly wind was constantly blowing from the alleyway. They stood there
for a while until they could no longer bear the cold, taking refuge next to
the alley where there happened to be no shops, only a cement wall that was
slightly caved in.
They hid in the shadow of the wall.
Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming, buried his head in his shoulder and
said in a muffled voice, “I’ll go home with you next year.”
Yang Youming didn’t answer, he merely lifted his hand and held Xia
Xingcheng, gently stroking his hair.
A while passed before Xia Xingcheng raised his head and said to Yang
Youming, “I’m going to tell my mom and dad.”
More than half of Yang Youming’s face was covered by the mask. His eyes
were also hidden in the darkness, and Xia Xingcheng wasn’t able to make
out his expression at all. Voice low, Yang Youming said, “Don’t.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Why? We’ll need to tell them someday anyway.”
One of Yang Youming’s hands was pressed against his back, while the other
softly caressed his hair. “Don’t tell them. Do as you’re told.”
Xia Xingcheng looked perplexed and upset. “They like you so much, they’ll
be able to accept it.”
“They won’t,” Yang Youming said. “They like me because they don’t know
about our relationship, but they’ll hate me if they find out.”
Xia Xingcheng said hot-headedly, “They won’t.” He left Yang Youming’s

embrace and grabbed Yang Youming’s arm to head back home. “We’ll go
back right now and tell them.”
Yang Youming turned his hand over and captured Xia Xingcheng’s hand.
“Xingcheng, sober up a bit. Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for me
to see them these past two days? No matter how hard we try or how good
we are, I know that it’s all futile. So long as we tell them the truth about our
relationship, as much as we’d like it now, we’ll resent it as much in the
future! Why bother?”
Xia Xingcheng was a little at a loss. “Then what should we do?”
Yang Youming grasped his hand firmly. “There’s nothing we can do. In the
end, we’d only end up like Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan.”
Hearing Yang Youming say these two names, Xia Xingcheng’s eyes
reddened all at once. He tried his utmost to suppress the urge to cry and said
to Yang Youming, “You’re not Yu Haiyang, you’ve already divorced Yuan
Qian.”
Yang Youming said, “To your family, what’s the difference between me and
Yu Haiyang?” His voice went cold at the end of this sentence, like a kind of
helpless despair.
Xia Xingcheng slightly raised his head, his Adam’s apple rippling with
choked sobs, his voice somewhat fierce. “Yang Youming, you’ve always
said that I haven’t come out of the play, but really, the one who hasn’t come
out is actually you, isn’t it?”
Yang Youming didn’t reply.

Xia Xingcheng stifled his incessant trembling. “The person who drunkenly
called me ‘Xiao Yuan’ in bed was you.”
Yang Youming’s voice was faintly hoarse as he said, “I’m sorry,

Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “So you actually still remember.”
Yang Youming’s body was concealed by the darkness, and he didn’t speak.
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Do you want to break up with me? You think that
you’re Yu Haiyang, that you’ve wronged my family, and that you and I
have no future?”
Yang Youming was mute for a while before answering him, “I won’t break
up with you, I want you to be happy.”
Xia Xingcheng breathed in a big gulp of cold air. He pulled down his mask
again for lack of oxygen and let it hang under his jaw, his chest rising and
falling painfully. He said, “Since we’re not breaking up, let’s go back. It’s
almost twelve.”
Yang Youming slowly stepped out of the dark, then said, “Let’s go.” His
tone was sober and undisturbed.
Xia Xingcheng turned around and walked back in the direction they came
from.
They were clearly walking shoulder to shoulder when they had departed,
yet when they went back, one was in front while the other behind, each of
them mute.
The cold wind hit his face, and Xia Xingcheng could only pull his mask
back up.
As they passed the bus stop on the side of the road, a scene suddenly
appeared in his head. It was the very last scene of ‘Gradual Distance’ where
Fang Jianyuan sat on the bus, leaving, and Yu Haiyang, who had bought
baked sweet potatoes, came back to look for him yet couldn’t find anyone.
When they were filming, Xia Xingcheng had stayed nearby to watch, and
he watched as Yang Yuoming jogged over from across the street, originally
with a smile on his face, and yet when he discovered that he was nowhere
to be found, he started to look all over the place, the smile on his face
gradually fading. He grew flustered, and with the baked sweet potatoes still
in his hands, he walked along the street with rushed steps until he stopped at
last, looking dismayed and defeated.
It was a kind of deep despair; the person he loved was obviously within
reach, and yet he couldn’t reach out to him.
At that time, Xia Xingcheng had buried his face in his hands and wept.
He hadn’t dared to look at Yang Youming’s expression, and he also felt the
powerlessness of life.
People lived a lifetime with a great many emotions surrounding them, and
only wanting to take love into consideration was just not enough. The more
things one considered, the more difficult it would be to persevere. What was
even more painful than the blow to one’s career was the pain and suffering
one might cause to one’s loved ones.
Such a long time had passed, yet Xia Xingcheng felt that pain again.
As he walked back, Yang Youming followed behind him, and the two of
them didn’t speak another word.
What he had said on the way here was true; he’d been surrounded by so
many people who loved him since he was a child, his career was smooth
sailing, his family was blessed, and he thought he was set to live happily for
the rest of his life. Yet he didn’t expect to get stuck in the swamp of his
feelings, and he couldn’t climb out no matter how hard he tried.
The image before Xia Xingcheng’s eyes was masked with a layer of mist,
but in the end, his tears didn’t fall, and then they gradually dried up in the
cold wind.
☆☆☆
t/n – sorry this chapter took a while, i had uni stuff to attend to :^) and thank you to Tinsunny for the
kofi!! ❤
They returned to the community on foot. At the gate, Xia Xingcheng went
and knocked on the glass window of the security post.
The security guard on duty pulled open the window and said to Xia
Xingcheng, “You’re back?” He then pressed the button of the automatic
gates.
The TV inside the security post was broadcasting the evening gala’s
midnight celebration. After Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming walked
passed, a second before the security guard shut the glass window, the start
of the countdown resounded from the TV: “Ten!”
After the window closed, Xia Xingcheng stuck both hands into his jacket
pockets and continued to count down as he walked forward. “Nine, eight,
seven…”
He counted all the way to ‘one’, and it was twelve o’clock at last. Although
fireworks and firecrackers had been banned in the city, there seemed to be a
restlessness in the air that proclaimed the transition from the old to the new.
Xia Xingcheng stopped in his tracks, then looked back at Yang Youming
and said, “Happy New Year!”
Yang Youming also came to a stop, softly uttering, “We were together on
the very last second of last year and the first second of this year.”
He still remembered what Xia Xingcheng had said to him.
Xia Xingcheng originally wanted to hug him, but his hands were in his
pockets and he struggled for a long time yet didn’t take them out in the end.
He felt depressed and at a loss, like he was unable to find his way.
When they reached the front of the villa, the lights in the first floor living
room had already been switched off. It seemed that everyone had gone to
bed as soon as the clock struck twelve.
Xia Xingcheng fished out his key from his pocket, yet just as he was about
to insert the key into the keyhole, the door was opened from inside.
Holding a cigarette in his mouth, Xia Ye’s expression was cold as he stood
in the doorway staring them down. He took the cigarette from his mouth
and asked, “Where have you been?”
Xia Xingcheng responded listlessly, “We didn’t want to watch the evening
gala so we went out for a walk.”
“This late? There’s no one outside. Where did you go?” Xia Ye’s eyes were
full of distrust.
Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s precisely because no one’s outside that we can
walk around, otherwise Ming ge would get recognized.” Xia Xingcheng
then added, “Can you let us in first? It’s too cold out here.”
Xia Ye finally stepped away from the door.
After they came in, Yang Youming said to Xia Ye, “I’ve never been here
before and I wanted to go out and take a look around, so I asked Xingcheng
to accompany me. We walked a little far and we couldn’t get a taxi, so we
could only go back on foot, that’s why it took so long. I’m sorry for making
you worry.”
His tone was sincere. Xia Ye was too embarrassed to lose his temper at him
so he only said, “Xingcheng should’ve called and asked me to pick you
guys up.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I didn’t want to keep you from watching the evening
gala.”
Xia Ye couldn’t help saying, “You didn’t want to watch the Spring Festival
gala, but where’s the fun in being out in the cold.”
Yang Youming let out a chuckle. “You can watch the evening gala
anywhere, but I’m afraid that I might not have the opportunity to visit this
city in the future. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
Xia Xingcheng looked towards him at the news, and Xia Ye was also a little
surprised. “Is it so urgent?”
Yang Youming said, “I have work arrangements.”
Xia Ye immediately looked to Xia Xingcheng. “You’re not leaving, are

you?”
Before Xia Xingcheng could answer, Yang Youming spoke on his behalf,
“Xingcheng isn’t leaving. Family reunions are hard to come by all year
round, so Xingcheng will definitely stay a few more days.”
“I’m not leaving,” Xia Xingcheng mumbled.
Xia Ye said, “Then get some rest, what time is your flight tomorrow? I’ll
take Ming ge to the airport.”
Yang Youming said, “That won’t be necessary, I’ll just take a taxi there.
You guys have a good New Year at home.”
Xia Ye spouted a few perfunctory words, saying that it would’t trouble him
to drive, but his tone wasn’t all that resolute.
They went up to the second floor. Xia Ye returned to his own room while
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng entered theirs one after the other. Xia
Xingcheng closed the door behind him.
Yang Youming took off his coat and sat down on the edge of the bed,
looking at Xia Xingcheng and saying, “Xingcheng, I’m going back
tomorrow.”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “Okay.”
Yang Youming continued, “I’ll sleep on the small bed tonight. Get some
rest.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t hesitate, still answering, “Okay.”
There was only a small desk lamp on, and it barely illuminated the room.
Once Yang Youming went to take a shower, Xia Xingcheng sat down on the
edge of the bed and reached out to touch the dried-up stains on the bed. He
felt like he was dreaming, only, he didn’t know whether the dream was last
night’s sweetness, or today’s cruelty.
Afterwards, Xia Xingcheng sat cross-legged on the bed and used a wet
towel to vigorously wipe at the sheets. He didn’t know if he had rubbed it
clean; a large section of the bed sheet had been soaked through yet he was
still mechanically rubbing at it over and over again,
The soaked area on the sheets grew larger and larger until Yang Youming
sat down and captured his hand, saying, “If you keep going, you won’t have
anywhere to sleep tonight.”
Xia Xingcheng shook off his grip and turned around, saying, “I have to rub
it clean so my parents won’t find out.”
“They won’t find out,“ Yang Youming told him.
Neither of them spoke after that, right up until they lay down on their beds.
Xia Xingcheng pulled up his blanket to cover half his face, then said, “Have
you bought a plane ticket yet?”
Yang Youming lay there quietly and answered him, “I asked Li Yun to book
a for me after dinner.”
Xia Xingcheng rolled over to face him. “You already planned to leave
before you went out with me?”
“Yes,” Yang Youming’s tone was gentle as he said, “We’ve passed the last
day of the year–I can’t stay at your house until the fifteenth day of the first
month, can I?”
“Whatever you want.” Xia Xingcheng no longer spoke. He just felt deeply
exhausted–he couldn’t tell whether it was just life that brought him
tiredness or the constant pursuit of Yang Youming that tired him out.
He didn’t understand why his love had to be so painful.
In the dark, he quietly kept his eyes open late into the night, almost thinking
that insomnia would hound him all night. But later he ended up falling into
a deep sleep and slept until the following morning.
When Xia Xingcheng woke up, he found that it was already bright out. He
was the only one in the room, and on the small bed that Yang Youming had
slept in last night was his blanket, folded up neat and tidy. Yang Youming’s
suitcase that had been placed in a corner was also missing.
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng was overcome with a feeling of

abandonment, his heart going cold. He got out of bed and went to the
bathroom in his pajamas, the collar dropping down to reveal half a
collarbone. When he looked in the mirror while brushing his teeth, he saw
the teeth marks on his collarbone once again, still distinctly visible even
after a day had passed. He sighed and pulled his clothes up a little–out of
sight, out of mind.
After Xia Xingcheng changed his clothes and went down the stairs, he
found that Yang Youming hadn’t left at all. His suitcase was propped up by
the door of the living room, and the man himself was sitting in the dining
room, eating breakfast while chatting with Xia Xingcheng’s parents as well
as his aunt and uncle.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what he had said, but the four elders were all
amuse–Mama Xia in particular, and she stood up to put another bun in Yang
Youming’s bowl.
Yang Youming hurriedly said, “I really can’t eat more, I’ve had more than
enough.”
Mama Xia said, “Which young man can’t eat more?”

Yang Youming chuckled at her words. He truly couldn’t resist Mama Xia’s
constant enthusiasm and let her put the bun into his bowl.
At that moment, Second Uncle Xia saw Xia Xingcheng walking over and
promptly said, “Xingcheng’s awake, come and have breakfast.”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at Yang Youming who happened to be looking

at him as well, so he walked over to Yang Youming and sat down beside
him.
Yang Youming then gave him the bun in his bowl, “Eat up.”
After they finished breakfast, Xia Ye and Fang Ying took their kids
downstairs.
Xia Xingcheng asked Xia Ye for his car keys, wanting to drive Yang
Youming to the airport himself.
Xia Ye somewhat hesitated when he passed him the keys. “Will you be
fine? It’s better if I go later.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You haven’t had breakfast yet. Also, mom and dad
want to go to the temple to burn incense later, you should take Dingding
and Dongdong to accompany them.”
Xia Ye said, “I’m worried that you don’t know the way.”
Xia Xingcheng had already brought the keys over. He picked up Yang
Youming’s suitcase and said, “I can turn on the navigation.” With that, he
headed outside first.
Yang Youming put on his sunglasses and mask before going outside, he
followed behind Xia Xingcheng, and Xia Xingcheng’s family all went to
the door to see him off.
Xia Ye’s BMW was parked in the open space in front of the villa’s gates,
and as Xia Xingcheng walked over to open the trunk, he saw someone next
door peeking out of their second floor window and watching them.
That person was without a doubt looking at him, but he felt a little uneasy
nevertheless, raising his head to say to Yang Youming, “Wait for a bit, I’ll
move the car closer.”
The car moved closer so Yang Youming could directly get into the front
passenger seat. There was no way that person would be able to see him
from this angle and his figure would be too indistinct once he sat in the car,
so it wouldn’t be that easy to figure out who he was.
Yang Youming stood at the doorway.
Mama Xia said, “Being a superstar is so inconvenient, our Xingcheng has it

a little better.”
Xia Ye couldn’t help saying, “Our Xingcheng is pretty good too.”
Yang Youming turned to Mama Xia and said, “Xingcheng is really good,
he’ll be even better than me in the future.”
Mama Xia immediately laughed and said, “How can that be? He’s still not
as good compared to you.”
Xia Xingcheng put the suitcase in the trunk then got into the car and backed
it up a bit before he drove it over to the door again.
Seeing that the distance was about right, Yang Youming lifted the hood of
his down-jacket then opened the passenger door and got in. After closing
the door, he lowered the car window to say goodbye to Xia Xingcheng’s
family one more time.
Xia Xingcheng remained silent, not saying a word as he reversed the car
and turned the steering wheel to drive away
The road to the airport was the same road they had come from, but Xia
Xingcheng was unfamiliar with the road conditions and drove slower than
Xia Ye had.
Perhaps due to his silence the whole journey to the airport, when Yang
Youming got out of the car, he said, “Have a happy New Year with your
family.”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath. He sat in the driver’s seat and didn’t get
out. He looked at Yang Youming and said, “Both you and my family are
very important to me.”
Yang Youming said, “Come back after the New Year, I’ll be waiting for you
at home.”
This was the last thing Yang Youming said to him before he left, but when
Xia Xingcheng returned to Beijing after the New Year and before he joined
the film crew, he went back to his own Beijing apartment instead of
choosing to go back to Yang Youming’s.
Xia Xingcheng was a little scared.
☆☆☆
t/n – i’m a little scared too
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t tell what, exactly, he was afraid of–it was just as if
there was a dense fear that was constantly squeezing him and making him
gasp for breath.
Sometimes, he’d even think about how he should just give up and forget
about it. As long as he gave up, he’d truly be able to let out a sigh of relief
and never have to worry about these things anymore.
That’s why they say that people were always greedy. At first he thought it’d
be fine as long as Yang Youming liked him even a little bit, but later on, he
began to feel that Yang Youming loved him, and in the end he hoped that
Yang Youming would always love him, never wavering, never giving up.
Even when the sky fell, they would carry everything together.
But the greedier you were, the more painful it would become–because you
weren’t content, happiness didn’t come easy.
He stayed at home for a few days without contacting Yang Youming, and
Yang Youming didn’t contact him either.
When they parted, Yang Youming had obviously said that he would wait for
him at home, but he hadn’t returned and Yang Youming hadn’t asked him a
single ‘why’.
As long as he chose to let go of this relationship, Yang Youming would

certainly never reach out to grasp it. He felt that Yang Youming might not
even be sure whether he truly loved him or if he was merely too deep in the
act.
Xia Xingcheng was both panic-stricken and exhausted. He still had a lot of
things in Yang Youming’s place, yet he couldn’t make himself go there to
get them. He didn’t want to talk about breaking up, nor did he want to see
the man.
Several days later, before Xia Xingcheng entered the filming crew, Huang
Jixin came to his home to pick him up.
As soon as he crossed the doorway, Huang Jixin saw Xia Xingcheng lying
on the living room sofa and let out a laugh. “You broke up so soon? Now
this is more like your style.”
Xia Xingcheng was reading the script in his hand, and he responded coldly,
“Nobody broke up. He’ll look for me himself if he wants to break up.”
“Did you guys fight?” asked Huang Jixin. He changed his shoes and walked
towards the side of the sofa.
Huang Jixin suddenly recalled what Yang Youming had said to Cai Meiting
during their previous meeting. He went up to the other sofa and sat down
before saying, “Turn over a new leaf, if you really like him then just be with
him.”
Xia Xingcheng’s face showed a look of astonishment, and he stared at him

with wide eyes. “Have you gone mad? That’s not what you said before, did
Yang Youming put a spell on you?”
Huang Jixin said, “I don’t want you guys to be together, but if your feelings
are genuine, what can I do about it?”
Xia Xingcheng turned over and lay on his side. “I just don’t know if his
feelings for me are real.”
Huang Jixin didn’t hear him clearly, because once Xia Xingcheng lay on his
side, his neckline slid down to reveal his left collarbone, and above his
collarbone was a tattoo that was still very fresh, the surrounding skin
slightly red and swollen. This caused Huang Jixin to stand up all of a
sudden, angrily berating, “Xia Xingcheng!”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
Walking up to him, Huang Jixin reached out and pulled down the edge of
his collar to get a clearer view of his tattoo. Xia Xingcheng had tattooed the
sun, moon and stars on his collarbone, and they were all overlapping each
other. Huang Jixin almost immediately grasped that it referred to a certain
‘Ming’ and Xia Xingcheng’s ‘Xing’.
*The ‘ming’ (明) in Yang Youming can be broken down into 日 and 月
which means the sun & moon, Xia Xingcheng’s ‘xing’ (星) means star as
previously stated. Et voila.
“There’s something wrong with you, isn’t there? Do you want to show off
to the whole world?” Huang Jixin bellowed.
Xia Xingcheng pushed away his hand. “What ‘show off to the whole
world’, this is just an ordinary sun, moon and stars design. Whose thoughts
would go there?”
Huang Jixin said, “I could tell at a glance!”
“That’s because you already know. Those who don’t know won’t know,
there’s nothing to worry about,” Xia Xingcheng said indifferently.
Huang Jixin remained upset. “What about when you’re filming?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Concealer can cover it up, it’s not even that big
anyway–it’s practically invisible.”
It would be covered as long as his collar was a little bit higher.
Huang Jixin stared at him for a while before asking, “Do you really like him
that much?”
Xia Xingcheng was silent for a moment. “If he wants to break up with me,
then I also want to keep a memento for myself.”
His next movie ‘Accidental Murder’ was about to officially begin filming.
Xia Xingcheng set aside his emotional distress for the time being and gave
it his all to throw himself into filming his new movie.
The movie’s male lead was Xia Xingcheng’s character Qian Chengjin’s
father, a wealthy middle-aged businessman named Qian Buqiong. He was
played by Bao Kai, a middle-aged comedian in his forties who had starred
in a good deal of popular comedy movies, and his strength and reputation
were not weak.
The role of Qian Chengjin’s little sister Qian Qian was played by a young
actress who had previously been a child star. She was not yet twenty but
had outstanding acting skills, and her name was Jin Xiaoxu.
However, the actress who would play Qian Chengjin’s stepmother Jia Lizhi
was yet to be determined, and it wasn’t until the day Xia Xingcheng joined
the crew that Huang Jixin told him that they had finally decided on Yuan
Qian.
“Who did you say it was?” At this time, they were already in the nanny car,
on their way to the filming site. Xia Xingcheng stared at Huang Jixin in
disbelief. “Say that one more time?”
Huang Jixin said, “Yuan Qian, Yang Youming’s old lover.”
Xia Xingcheng grit his teeth and corrected him, “That’s his ex-wife.”
Huang Jixin carelessly complied, “Whatever, it’s Yuan Qian anyway.”
“Yuan Qian is famous for her lack of acting skills—” Xia Xingcheng was
interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
Huang Jixin pressed his index finger to his lips, then lowered his voice.
“Keep your voice down, it’s not good to spread this around.”
Although Xia Xingcheng tried his best to suppress his voice, he still
couldn’t hide his surprise, grabbing Huang Jixin’s hand and asking, “Why is
Director Ding willing to use Yuan Qian?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Huang Jixin ignored his fuss. “It’s the power of capital!
Do you think that Ding Wenxun alone really has the final say on
everything? What’s more, Yuan Qian’s appearance and temperament are in
line with the character, and there’s just been big news about her divorce
from Yang Youming. The attention on her is also high, so it’s not odd to
have her come and act. The fact that it hadn’t been determined until now
definitely means that there’s someone behind it.”
Xia Xingcheng frowned in silence.
Huang Jixin elbowed him. “It doesn’t actually have much to do with you.
Just film well.”
Xia Xingcheng knew that it didn’t have anything to do with him, and Yuan
Qian shouldn’t know about him and Yang Youming either, but as soon as he
saw Yuan Qian, it was hard to avoid thinking about Yang Youming, and
once he thought of Yang Youming, it messed up his heart.
Although he had a lot of opinions about Yuan Qian, when Xia Xingcheng
met Yuan Qian on set, there was a split second where he thought that Yuan
Qian could be forgiven in spite of her bad acting skills.
After all, God is fair; where in the world would you find someone who both
looked beautiful and had top-notch acting skills to boot? Yuan Qian was so
pretty that even if the audience watched the movie, they’d mostly go to see
her face. Her acting would probably be enough as long as it wasn’t too bad.
But it wasn’t like a perfect person didn’t exist either–like Yang Youming for
example; he was handsome, had a great body, good at acting, had a pleasant
voice, and what else? Oh, even that part of him was big, Xia Xingcheng
thought irrelevantly, his eyes never straying from Yuan Qian’s body.
Later on, Ding Wenxun took Yuan Qian and introduced Xia Xingcheng to
her.
With a smile on her face, Yuan Qian looked at Xia Xingcheng and said,
“We’ve met before.”
Xia Xingcheng recalled that time at Yang Youming’s house where the two
of them had had a hurried and awkward meeting. He nodded at Yuan Qian
and politely greeted her, “Qian jie.”
Yuan Qian was still smiling. “Hello.”
Ding Wenxun asked Xia Xingcheng, “You said you had something to say to
me just now, what was it?”
A moment ago, Xia Xingcheng wanted to talk to Ding Wenxun about his
tattoo, but Ding Wenxun was too preoccupied and he didn’t have any time
to get a word out. At this time, Yuan Qian was right next to him, and
although Xia Xingcheng felt a little inconvenienced, he still pulled his
collar down and said to Ding Wenxun, “I got a tattoo recently, I was
wondering if Director Ding thinks it’ll affect the character? I’ll have the
make-up artist cover it up if it’s not appropriate.”
Ding Wenxun and Yuan Qian both looked at the tattoo above his collarbone.
The swelling around the tattoo had already gone down, and the overlapping
black sun moon and stars gave off a mysterious and alluring impression.
Yuan Qian stared at the tattoo for a good while before looking at Xia
Xingcheng’s face.
Ding Wenxun took a glance at it and said, “It’s fine, it doesn’t contradict
your role. A tattoo can even show his character.”
Xia Xingcheng was slightly relieved. “That’s great.”
On the first day, Ding Wenxun held a filming ceremony with the movie’s
production team and its many actors and also accepted two media
interviews.
The media were very eager to interview Yuan Qian, but unfortunately their
wishes couldn’t be fulfilled as Yuan Qian left early after the filming
ceremony concluded. She was just as unwilling to be interviewed as Yang
Youming was, and the two of them never mentioned the divorce in the
media for a second time.
That evening, however, Ding Wenxun invited the movie’s production team
and a few of the main actors to dinner in a private capacity, and Yuan Qian
showed up.
The Japanese cuisine they had that evening was in a big private room of a
Japanese restaurant, and their table was made up of several long tables
joined together.
Yuan Qian sat between Ding Wenxun and Bao Kai, while Xia Xingcheng
sat across from her.
Huang Jixin also went with Xia Xingcheng that evening, and he sat next to
Xia Xingcheng while drinking and talking with an assistant director he
knew well.
Xia Xingcheng quietly observed Yuan Qian and found that Yuan Qian was
really a woman with a lively personality. She both smoked and drank, and
seemed to be very close with Ding Wenxun and Bao Kai. They were talking
and laughing from start to finish, and despite her drinking with men, it
wasn’t the least bit ambiguous.
The way Xia Xingcheng saw it, she and Yang Youming were like people
from two different worlds–they weren’t suitable at all.
Yuan Qian’s eyes were big, the colour of her pupils were a bit light, and her
skin was so white and translucent that sometimes she looked like a mixed-
race woman at a glimpse. She was always smiling; when she smiled too
fiercely now and then, there would be faint laugh lines at the corners of her
eyes, but once she curbed her smile, those marks would disappear
completely.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know whether Yuan Qian had noticed his gaze, but
she held her wine glass and incidentally turned to look at him, her eyes
glowing as she raised her glass and said, “I’ll drink a toast to you.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly raised his own glass. “It should be me toasting
you.”
After finishing the glass of wine, Yuan Qian listened to Bao Kai as he spoke
in her ear once more.
As Xia Xingcheng lowered his glass, he saw Huang Jixin shifting closer,
saying in a very soft voice, “Actually, some parts of Yuan Qian’s
personality are quite similar to yours.”
Xia Xingcheng was struck dumb as he heard these words, and a sense of
unease suddenly rose in his heart.
Huang Jixin immediately followed up with another sentence, “Don’t think

too much, I said some parts of your personality. As a person, both of you
aren’t alike at all.”
“No kidding,” Xia Xingcheng held back his discomfort and whispered,
“She’s a woman, I’m a man.”
Huang Jixin patted his shoulder.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the dishes on the table for a long time and was
abruptly overcome with a strong urge to ask Yuan Qian why she had
divorced Yang Youming.
This question had always been circling his mind from the beginning, and
even though it became less pressing at times, it never faded away. But how
was he supposed to bring it up? Since Yuan Qian didn’t know about his
relationship with Yang Youming, he was in absolutely no position to open
his mouth.
Xia Xingcheng was in a somewhat anxious mood. He got up and went to

the washroom.
The bathroom was inside the private room, and there was a short, small
corridor in front of it with a sink and a mirror.
When Xia Xingcheng came out of the bathroom, Yuan Qian happened to be
standing in front of the sink, washing her hands. He had no choice but to
wait behind her.
He watched as Yuan Qian calmly washed her hands, and then she tore a
paper towel and wiped her hands. Raising her head, she looked at Xia
Xingcheng through the mirror and suddenly asked, “Are you and Yang
Youming together?”
In the mirror, Xia Xingcheng distinctly saw his own expression become
surprised and defensive.
☆☆☆
The corridor outside the washroom was short. If they stood there talking,
were anyone to look their way, they would definitely be seen.
Xia Xingcheng stared at Yuan Qian and didn’t answer her question.
Instead, Yuan Qian laughed and said, “I heard he went home with you for
the New Year.”
Xia Xingcheng endured his erratic emotions and asked Yuan Qian, “Is it
convenient to talk somewhere else?”
Yuan Qian nodded. “Sure.”
They left the private room, and nobody noticed as they made their way out
of the Japanese restaurant one after another, during which Yuan Qian made
a phone call to find someone to fetch her car keys. Afterwards, she and Xia
Xingcheng got into her nanny car.
Xia Xingcheng sent Huang Jixin a message, saying that he was currently
out to have a chat with Yuan Qian.
The nanny car had tinted windows, and those outside didn’t have a clear
view of the inside. They were the only two in the car.
Yuan Qian said, “I just thought it was odd, last time. Why would Yang
Youming casually tell someone his home passcode and let someone come
over when he’s not home.”
Xia Xingcheng was sitting next to her, one seat separating him from Yuan
Qian. There was one issue he cared about. “Qian jie, how did you know
Ming ge went home with me for the New Year?”
Yuan Qian propped her head with a hand on the back of the chair. “Don’t be
so nervous. After all, Yang Youming and I used to be a couple, it isn’t
strange that someone around him is close with me.” With that, she seemed
somewhat stunned and softly said, “I just didn’t expect it.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what exactly she was referring to.
Yuan Qian took a closer look at Xia Xingcheng in the faint light of the car.
“Why would it be a man?”
This sentence made Xia Xingcheng slightly uncomfortable. He tried his

best to maintain a polite tone as he said, “Maybe he likes me too much that
even gender doesn’t matter.”
Hearing this, Yuan Qian smiled.
Seeing her smile, Xia Xingcheng again felt that she wasn’t that annoying–
after all, she smiled so beautifully.
Xia Xingcheng asked Yuan Qian, “Can you tell me one thing?”
Yuan Qian said, “What is it?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Why did you want to divorce Yang Youming?”
Yuan Qian was silent for a moment before she said, “There are a lot of
things that can’t be explained in a few simple words, but if I really have to
say why, it’s probably because that marriage didn’t feel real to me.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help asking, “What does that mean?”
Yuan Qian thought solemnly for a while. “It just wasn’t the life I expected.
Even though I liked him a lot before our marriage, our days together had
always felt…” Here, she paused for a long time before continuing, “I don’t
know, maybe I was just splitting hairs.”
Xia Xingcheng felt she looked a little lonely and spoke up for her, “Was it
dull and boring?”
Yuan Qian looked over at him. After a moment, she said, “Maybe.” She
smiled and asked Xia Xingcheng, “You think he’s boring?”
“No,” Xia Xingcheng denied without a second thought. “I’m not you.”
Yuan Qian asked, “Your hostility towards me is caused by the fact that Yang
Youming and I were once married?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m not hostile towards you, I just think that you
should be sorry. You’re the one who wanted to leave him.”
Yuan Qian nodded with a smile and leaned over to Xia Xingcheng’s ear,
whispering, “That’s right, that’s why I often linger on the edge of regret.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t get angry. He calmly said to Yuan Qian, “Do you
think he’d be willing to take you back just because you regret it?”
Yuan Qian didn’t say anything.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what else to say and moved to get out of the
car.
Yuan Qian abruptly said, “I’m a person who’ll pursue anything I like. If I
don’t like it, I’ll turn around and will absolutely never look back. At that
time, I thought our relationship was over and there was no need to continue
on without excitement or joy. But when I really left, I started doubting
whether or not I made the right choice.”
Xia Xingcheng opened the car door and got down. He stood out there and
said to Yuan Qian, “Don’t doubt it. You made the right choice.”
With a faint smile on her face, Yuan Qian said, “This thing between us
won’t affect filming, right?”
“Of course it won’t, “ Xia Xingcheng said. “There’s nothing going on

between us, just between you and him, and him and me.”
Yuan Qian nodded approvingly.

Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and turned to leave.
The next morning, Xia Xingcheng was woken up by a call from the front
desk. He got up and got ready to go to make up for today’s shooting.
The scene they shot today was the opening scene of the movie and the first
act of the screenplay. It took place in the wealthy middle-aged businessman
Qian Buqiong’s home. His entire home was rigged up inside a film studio.
Ding Wenxun and He Zheng’s directing styles were very different. Ding
Wenxun was a director who knew what we wanted for each shot; he’d talk
to the actors about each and every action and expression in front of the
camera, right down to the tone of their voice.
This might sound a little easier, but it actually wasn’t–because if your

performance wasn’t in line with Ding Wenxun’s wishes, he would request
for a reshoot.
The movie’s first shot was a spliced long take in the Qian family’s mansion.
Qian Buqiong opened his eyes in the early morning, got out of bed in his
pajamas, went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, made
his way outside–passing behind his wife Jia Lizhi who was applying
lipstick at her dressing table in the process–before finally stepping out into
the corridor. At this time, the camera turned to the corridor’s wallpaper and
continued onward as if Qian Buqiong was moving forward, before finally
turning to Qian Buqiong once more as he descended the stairs. The shot
followed his back as he turned a corner and reached the first floor, then cut
ahead from his side as if they were entering the dining room from his
perspective. In the dining room, his two children Qian Chengjin and Qian
Qian were having breakfast. Qian Qian obediently called out “dad” while
Qian Chengjin merely raised his head and shot a glance at him before he
continued playing with his phone as he scooped oatmeal into his bowl. The
shot turned and landed back on Qian Buqiong, filming him sitting down at
the dining table, then swivelled on towards the entrance of the dining room.
Wearing a short skirt and with gaudy makeup on her face, Jia Lizhi walked
into the shot, and the camera followed her until she sat down at the dining
table. The shot ended there, and a cut of close-ups started.
Although it wasn’t a complete long take, the cut of the shot that followed
along the wallpaper would give the audience the illusion that the entire shot
was done in one fell swoop.
Moreover, from the moment Qian Buqiong started going down the stairs,
the entire shot was a complete long take.
In this shot, Xia Xingcheng didn’t have that many parts, but as one of the
elements in the scene, he must not make any mistakes.
Qian Chengjin was a university student, but his character was completely
unlike university student Fang Jianyuan. His family was well-off, his
mother had passed away early, and his father was too busy making money
to have the time to discipline him. He had a rebellious nature, was a
licentious playboy, and barely had any contact with his father and little
sister–altogether, he was the embodiment of a rich family’s young master.
Xia Xingcheng had analyzed this role for a long time; how Qian Chengjin
usually laughed, how indifferently he looked at people. He had also
designed some subconscious little actions for this character which would
appear inadvertently whenever he was nervous. Compared to his dazed
helplessness when he first acted in a movie, he could now adjust his
emotions and composure better.
Before filming, Xia Xingcheng talked to Ding Wenxun about Qian

Chengjin’s emotional state when facing different people. He believed that
Qian Chengjin ought to be slightly disdainful of his father Qian Buqiong,
treat Jia Lizhi with a relatively insipid attitude, and not care at all about his
sister Qian Qian–at least in the first part of the movie. Ding Wenxun
approved of his thinking.
Therefore, once Qian Buqiong came down the stairs and entered the dining
room, he looked up with indifference, then quickly lowered his head and
looked at his phone once more. His sitting posture was always improper, he
either had one foot on the chair or leaned against the dining table.
After Jia Lizhi sat down, the family began to chat as they ate breakfast.
Qian Chengjin wore a pair of ripped jeans and a baseball jacket over a dark,
low-necked T-shirt that just about revealed the tattoo above his collarbone.
This was a part of the plot that Ding Wenxun had added after he saw Xia
Xingcheng’s tattoo.
Noticing Qian Chengjin’s tattoo, Qian Buqiong slammed his chopsticks

down and pointed at him, saying, “What’s with that tattoo of yours?”
Qian Chengjin looked up at him. “What’s with what?”
Qian Buqiong said, “What kind of university student are you!”
Qian Chengjin sneered coldly, pushed away his bowl of food that was still
half full, then stood up and said, “I’m full.” He headed out soon after.
Compared to ‘Gradual Distance’, ‘Accidental Murder’ was much easier

movie for Xia Xingcheng to shoot. First of all, his scenes weren’t very
weighty, the main parts of the movie fell to Bao Kai and Yuan Qian, and
secondly, there wasn’t much psychological drama. After all, Ding Wenxun’s
movie was categorized as a comedy, and the entire movie was brightly
coloured. It was only the final portion of the movie that the shots would
darken.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t have to suffer so much psychological pressure in the

least–in this movie, he didn’t need to love within an inch of his life once
more.
Qian Buqiong’s company was caught up in a debt crisis. He left home early
in the morning to go to the bank to negotiate a loan, but it didn’t go well at
all. That evening, when he returned home completely worn out, his
beautiful young wife and son were still not back. Only his daughter was
inside, practicing the piano, but this high schooler daughter of his was not
the least bit fond of talking to him.
Seeing that it was already late at night and Jia Lizhi hadn’t come home yet,
Qian Buqiong fished out his phone and gave her a call. After he heard the
sounds of mahjong coming from her side, she told him not to wait up for
her and that he should sleep first.
Qian Buqiong hung up, threw his phone on the bed, then opened the safety
deposit box in his wardrobe and rummaged through several insurance
policies. Afterwards, he stared at insurance policies, deep in thought.
This was where the story began.
Because it was a comedy film, in addition to the storyline, what Ding

Wenxun considered the most was how to make the audience laugh when
watching the movie. He regularly conferred with the screenwriter as well as
Bao Kai, who had ample experience in comedy, on how to make the plot
and scenes even more amusing.
One of the scenes had Xia Xingcheng wearing women’s clothing.
In this scene, Qian Chengjin’s stepmother’s beau had mistaken the him in
women’s clothing as his lover, and thus he learnt that his stepmother was
having a bit on the side.
Before that though, the actor Zhu Tianjie, who played Jia Lizhi’s lover Gao
Hai, joined the crew.
☆☆☆
The last time Xia Xingcheng saw Zhu Tianjie was at Chen Hailan’s
wedding. At that time, he had been one of Chen Hailan’s best men.
Zhu Tianjie’s status was actually a little awkward. He was already a top-tier
figure in the TV drama circle, having acted in quite a few high-rating and
highly talked about TV dramas, but there hadn’t been much development in
the film industry.
This time, he was making a special appearance and playing the role of Gao
Hai. Fortunately, although Gao Hai’s scenes were not too heavy, he was
also an important character that drove the movie’s entire plot.
Zhu Tianjie was thirty-two this year, and his handsomeness was of the
completely upright type. If one were to describe him, he would probably be
a perfect fit for a role like Chen Jialuo[1].
In this movie, he played Gao Hai, Qian Qian’s piano teacher. He was
always clad in a soft loose sweater and wore a pair of glasses, appearing
both gentle and refined.
Zhu Tianjie also seemed like a mild-mannered person himself, he put on no

airs and was a very easy-going person. On the first day he joined the crew,
he invited the entire cast and crew to afternoon tea. All the girls in the crew
liked him very much, and Xia Xingcheng even saw Yuan Qian grinning
incessantly as he chatted with her.
Xia Xingcheng also thought that Zhu Tianjie was a good person.
In the scene where he acted opposite of Zhu Tianjie, Qian Chengjin was
pressured by the debt collectors to pay back the money he had owed them,
yet because he truly couldn’t pay them back, those people forced him to
walk back home in a dress and a pair of high heels. The scene began right
as he got home.
Xia Xingcheng changed into a specially prepared costume–a sling dress that
was bright red in color and even adorned with dark gold glitter.
When he put on the dress and stood in front of the dressing mirror, all the
staff who were watching him laughed.
Although Xia Xingcheng was thin, his shoulders were still male-wide.
Moreover, his hair was short, and he never suited dresses from the
beginning. He looked at himself in the mirror and burst out laughing, then
asked the young girl from the costume department who was arranging his
clothes beside him, “Am I ugly?”
It just so happened that Zhu Tianjie was in the middle of getting his makeup
done, and he looked at him through the mirror and commented, “Not ugly.”
The young girl helped him pin the waist of his dress down and pursed her
lips, smiling as she said, “It would look pretty with a wig, but you’d look
too much like a ladyboy.”
Those people in the script were only aiming to humiliate him, however, so
there wouldn’t be a wig.
The person next to him brought over the specially prepared large size high
heels and also gave him Xia Xingcheng an unopened pair of stockings.
Xia Xingcheng was wearing these things for the first time. Eyeing the
stockings packaging as he flipped it this way and that, he asked worriedly,
“Will they fit?”
“They’ll fit, they’re very stretchy,” the staff told him as she helped him
open the packaging.
At this time, Xia Xingcheng was only wearing briefs underneath the dress.
He sensed a chilly, breezy feeling on the lower half of his body that he’d
never experienced before. He sat down on a chair, originally wanting to
wear them by raising his legs, but abruptly thought that he was completely
exposed underneath the dress, so he bent down again to slip the stocking
over his feet.
The sling dress’s neckline was slightly loose, and he himself didn’t realize
that when he bent down, the person in front of him could see all the way
through the open neckline. The red straps hung just above his prominent
collarbones, and there was something oddly sensual about the way it
stretched across his tattoo.
He pulled the stockings up his long bare legs, right to the edge of his skirt,
then stopped to say, “Don’t look,” to the girls around him. Then, while they
turned their heads, he raised his ass off the chair a little and pulled the
stockings up and over his briefs.
When he sat down again, Xia Xingcheng noticed that Zhu Tianjie who was
seated next to him had been watching him all along. He smiled at him and
lowered his head, slipping his feet into the high heels.
The high heels were very tall. He didn’t feel it when he first put them on,
but once Xia Xingcheng took a couple of steps, he discovered that it was
way harder than he’d imagined. If he wasn’t careful, he’d probably sprain
his ankle.
He tried walking around the dressing room and accidentally twisted his
ankle, falling sideways. Zhu Tianjie immediately stood up to support him
until he was steady on his feet and said, “Be careful.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”
Luckily, when this scene was shot for real, Xia Xingcheng didn’t need to
walk in the heels for a long period of time.
Qian Chengjin returned home dressed in women’s clothing. After hobbling

through the door, he took off the shoes and flung them aside before
continuing onward in his stockings.
His mouth had been maliciously painted with bright red lipstick that
exceeded his lip line, making him look wretched as well as comical.
Qian Buqiong had been away on a business trip these past few days. Since
his father wasn’t home, Qian Qian had also gone to stay at a friend’s house.
Qian Chengjin, too, should’ve gone back to his university dormitory, so it
could be said that the only ones in the house were his stepmother Jia Lizhi
and their housekeeper with bad hearing who stayed on the first floor.
However, when Qian Chenjin got back home, he heard the sound of a piano
coming from the second floor. Feeling perplexed, he went up the stairs and
towards his sister’s piano room on the second floor.
None of the lights were on the whole way there. Qian Chengjin tread on the
floor barefoot, his footsteps barely making a sound, yet he hadn’t reached
the piano room when the sound of the piano suddenly ceased. He walked on
and, in the moonlight, he found that the door was ajar, but when he looked
through the crack of the open door, he couldn’t see anything. The curtains
in the room should’ve been drawn, as it was pitch-black inside.
Qian Chengjin pushed the door a little. The moonlight shone through the
crack, shining on his wrist, when a hand suddenly extended from the
darkness and captured his wrist, pulling him inside the room. Before he
could react, somebody embraced him and called out “Zhizhi”, then kissed
his lips.
That’s right. Xia Xingcheng had a kiss scene with Zhu Tianjie.
It was merely lips pressing against lips. In the darkness, Qian Chenjin’s
eyes widened. Afterwards, Gao Hai lifted a hand and upon feeling his short
hair, he abruptly pushed him away. Gao Hai tried to run, but Qian Chengjin
responded by grabbing Gao Hai. “Who are you?”
The two of them wrestled in the dark and rolled on the ground. Qian
Chengjin tried to hold Gao Hai down and Gao Hai’s glasses were knocked
to the floor. Right in the midst of their struggle, somebody turned on the
corridor light.
At that point, Qian Chengjin was still on top of Gao Hai. Together, the two
of them turned towards the door to see Jia Lizhi standing there.
Jia Lizhi screamed with a look of horror on her face.
Qian Chengjin strangled Gao Hai’s neck with one hand and pointed a finger
at Jia Lizhi, saying viciously, “You’re having an affair!”
Throughout filming this scene, as Xia Xingcheng struggled and rolled

around with Zhu Tianjie on the floor, there were several times where his
skirt rode up his legs and the director would call for a stop, asking them to
pay attention and adjust their movements to keep the skirt from slipping up.
Xia Xingcheng felt somewhat embarrassed, and after the director called for
a stop, he stood up and pulled the skirt down.
Sitting on the floor, Zhu Tianjie laughed and looked up at him, saying, “I’ll
help you with my legs later, that way it won’t ride up so easily.”
Thus, on the next take, Zhu Tianjie’s leg was pressed particularly tightly
against Xia Xingcheng’s, almost as if they were stuck between Xia
Xingcheng’s legs, and the skirt really didn’t slide up anymore either.
Xia Xingcheng slightly minded, but he felt that he was overthinking it. In
the past, he wouldn’t have been so concerned about a man’s touch, but ever
since he acted as Fang Jianyuan and got together with Yang Youming, he
was indeed much more sensitive towards overly intimate contact. What’s
more, the constant thought of not letting his skirt ride up also distracted him
somewhat, making it difficult for him to fully immerse himself in his
character. As a result, this scene was reshot many times before it passed.
Xia Xingcheng felt that his dress was close to being torn apart.
Afterwards, the shot of him pressing Zhu Tianjie underneath him served as
the foreground while the main shot was of Yuan Qian’s reaction the
moment she pushed open the door.
Ding Wenxun was interminably dissatisfied with Yuan Qian’s reaction and
repeated the shot many times.
Xia Xingcheng had to try his best to brace himself so as not to press his
entire body against Zhu Tianjie and refrain from being completely adhered
to each other. When it was over, sweat covered the entire expanse of his
back.
Once he’d turned away from Zhu Tianjie and sat on the floor, he felt Zhu
Tianjie’s hand on his back, his palm right on his skin. Zhu Tianjie said,
“You’re this sweaty?”
Xia Xingcheng smiled at him.
Although filming this scene wore Xia Xingcheng out, in the end, there was
one close-up shot made Ding Wenxun particularly pleased; after his initial
surprise and anger as he pointed at Jia Lizhi and accused her of cheating, he
slowly revealed a smile, his eyes like a predator that had suddenly found
prey. He was fuming with rage as he repeated between gritted teeth,
“You’re actually having an affair behind my father’s back!”
After that, Xia Xingcheng’s Qian Chengjin began to blackmail Jia Lizhi
into giving him money, else he would tell Qian Buqiong about Jia Lizhi’s
illicit affair with Qian Qian’s piano teacher.
At the time, Xia Xingcheng had added that smile on his own. Although
Ding Wenxun had made him reshoot a version without the smile, after
repeatedly comparing the two shots, Ding Wenxun said to Xia Xingcheng,
“The shot with the smile is more impactful. You did great.”
Xia Xingcheng was still wearing the red dress, his make-up along with the
overdrawn lipstick had already faded with sweat, and as he wiped his face,
the red lipstick abruptly looked all the more severe.
Zhu Tianjie, who was also watching the replay of the scene next to Ding
Wenxun, said, “Xia Xingcheng is really quite good.”
Ding Wenxun nodded. “Someone recommended by Lao-Yang definitely has
no issues.”
“Lao-Yang?” Zhu Tianjie repeated in a somewhat strange tone.
Yet Ding Wenxun didn’t notice and had already turned his head to do
something else.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t continue to stay there any longer and headed towards
the dressing room to change his clothes.
Lying in bed after a shower that night, Xia Xingcheng felt a sense of
exhaustion, like his brain had long stopped functioning, yet he still picked
up his phone and opened Weibo.
‘Accidental Murder’ was estimated to take about two months to film. Until
now, it had already been twenty days. Huang Jixin had long since left,
recruiting an assistant to remain at his side. This time it was a girl, and her
nickname was Huahua. When Huang Jixin had left, he had repeatedly
stressed that Huahua was a naive young lady. Later on, Xia Xingcheng
discovered that this naive flower was really naive to the point of being a
little silly, but he put up with her employment overtime.
Ever since Xia Xingcheng joined the crew, he would send out a Weibo post
every few days to console his fans. Some were selfies, and some were
trivial everyday matters.
Today, he had taken a picture of himself in that red dress. He hadn’t shot his
upper body–only the red skirt, stockings, and high heels below. Lying on his
bed then, he posted the picture along with the caption: “Crossdresser!” and
added a frightened emoji.
This Weibo post garnered a large amount of comments and reposts not long
after it was posted.
The fans who followed him all knew that he was currently shooting a new
movie, so they bombarded him with questions asking whether it was a look
for the movie. Xia Xingcheng laughed and refreshed the comments. Shortly
🤭
after, he saw Zhu Tianjie reposting his Weibo post with the caption “There’s
also a kiss scene” and a emoji.[2]
Zhu Tianjie had a lot more followers than Xia Xingcheng, and it quickly
caused a large-scale fierce reaction, their names popped up side by side on
the hot search.
Xia Xingcheng felt a little bad, and hesitated on whether he should respond,
yet it turned out that even the official ‘Accidental Murder’ Weibo account
had reposted their posts. He was thus relieved, treating it as promotion for
the movie.
He didn’t want to reply to Zhu Tianjie, merely following him instead, and
just as he was about to exit Weibo, he suddenly found that Yang Youming
had actually liked his post.
Instantly, Xia Xingcheng felt somewhat indignant.
The author has something to say:

Ming ge: My hand slipped…
☆☆☆
[1] Chen Jialuo is the protagonist of popular wuxia novelist Jin Yong’s work ‘The Book and The
Sword’. He’s handsome, elegant, well-versed, humble, polite, strong in martial arts, and a lot more.
Google is your friend!
[2] I hope that emoji shows up on your phones… If it doesn’t, it’s the laughing with a hand over your
mouth emoji Q___Q It actually mentions the emoji’s name/term/description in the original text but
uhhh bear with me just this once.
t/n – thank you to Tinsunny and Anon for the kofis!! i really appreciate it ❤
Xia Xingcheng didn’t understand what Yang Youming meant by giving his
post a like. He obviously hadn’t heard from the man in so many days, and
now he had inexplicably liked his post. Xia Xingcheng had to stifle down
the urge to ask him what it meant.
Seeing the entirety of Weibo erupting with liveliness, Xia Xingcheng held
in a bellyful of air and closed Weibo, collapsing into sleep. Why do I have
to rush to find you when you’re the one ignoring me?
As a result, he had just fallen asleep when he was suddenly woken by his
ringing phone.
When Xia Xingcheng saw that the caller was Huang Jixin, he immediately
flew into a rage and yelled at him, “Why are you calling this late?”
Over the phone, Huang Jixin was clearly stunned, then said, “Isn’t it only
past ten?”
Xia Xingcheng howled, “Past ten isn’t late, huh? I work so hard filming
everyday–I can’t go to bed at ten o’clock?”
Huang Jixin didn’t understand why he was being yelled at and said
confusedly, “How would I fucking know that you slept so early today?”
Xia Xingcheng sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm down. “What is
it?”
Huang Jixin said, “Are you close with Zhu Tianjie?”
“We’re filming together, what’s there to be close with.” Guessing that he

was most likely calling because of the hot search on Weibo, Xia Xingcheng
sat up on the bed and rubbed at his hair, saying, “Don’t you know my social
circle well?”
Huang Jixin said, “Ah. Nevermind, just keep a distance from him and get
along peacefully.”
“What do you mean?” Xia Xingcheng’s hand stopped as he asked him,

staring lifelessly at the blanket.
Huang Jixin spoke somewhat unclearly, “I don’t mean anything, just

reminding you.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Is there something wrong with this Zhu Tianjie
guy?”
Huang Jixin said, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s more popular than
you so don’t get too close to him lest people say you’re piggybacking off
his fame.”
Xia Xingcheng felt that he was hiding something. “Did someone tell you
that there’s something wrong with Zhu Tianjie? What on earth is going on?
Are you saying things by halves to deliberately keep me awake?”
Huang Jixin was silent for a moment. All of a sudden, he impatiently said,
“How do I know? Yang Youming called me in the middle of the night and
told me to pass this on to you. Are you capable of asking him yourself?”
Xia Xingcheng froze, then softly said, “I definitely won’t ask him.”
Huang Jixin’s tone was as impatient as before. “Please tell him that he
should call you directly if there’s something on his mind, don’t go looking
for me to pass things on! You two are several decades old, what giant
conflict can’t you sit and talk about? Do you think you’re highschoolers
dating?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately hung up.
Once he lay down again, Xia Xingcheng realized he was better off without
asking. After knowing that Yang Youming had asked someone to tell him,
he couldn’t sleep even more.
With a somewhat irritated sigh, Xia Xingcheng forced himself not to think
about Yang Youming and tried to shift his attention to the scenes that were
going to be filmed the next day. Later on, he gradually felt sleepy again,
closed his eyes, and dozed off.
In the end, he still didn’t know what exactly was wrong with Zhu Tianjie,
but he did know that Yang Youming wasn’t a person who liked talking
about someone behind their backs. If Yang Youming had said so, then there
really must be something not right with this Zhu Tianjie guy.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t have many scenes with Zhu Tianjie, and they
originally didn’t have much contact; yet for several days in a row after that,
Zhu Tianjie would invite everyone to dinner if they concluded filming early,
and if they finished late, he would invite everyone out for a midnight snack.
As it so happens, Yuan Qian and Bao Kai both had fun-loving personalities,
and everyone ate and drank together everyday, taking turns to treat each
other–their relationship was quite harmonious.
Xia Xingcheng actually loved joining in on the fun. Though he remembered

Yang Youming’s warning and rarely interacted with Zhu Tianjie in private,
when it came to these group activities, there was no way he could make
someone lose face, so he went along as much as he could. Even if Xia
Xingcheng occasionally didn’t notify anyone and slept in the hotel,
someone would call him down.
Furthermore, the longer he interacted with Yuan Qian, the more he couldn’t
bring himself to dislike her. He found that although Yuan Qian’s acting
skills wasn’t anything to write home about, she was very dedicated; if the
director was dissatisfied and asked her to reshoot a scene, Yuan Qian would
cooperate no matter how many takes it took and never shouted that she was
tired. If it wasn’t for her relationship with Yang Youming, he felt that he
and Yuan Qian would’ve become friends.
That evening, everyone had barbecue, and Yuan Qian drank a lot. She sat
between Bao Kai and Zhu Tianjie at first but got up and took a trip to the
bathroom later on, and when she returned, she directly sat next to Xia
Xingcheng.
She raised her hand and grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder.
Xia Xingcheng sniffed a strong smell of alcohol mixed in with the scent of
Yuan Qian’s perfume, and he suddenly recalled that Yang Youming had said
Yuan Qian’s perfume left a deep impression and he still hadn’t forgotten its
smell to this day.
Yuan Qian pinched Xia Xingcheng’s face, making him turn to look at her,
and said, “Let me take a good look at you. How pretty are you?”
Fearing that she would spout nonsense, Xia Xingcheng cooperated in

turning his head, whispering, “Qian jie, you’re drunk.”
Yuan Qian’s large eyes were watery and bright as she carefully stared at Xia
Xingcheng’s face. She said, “It’s not that pretty.”
Xia Xingcheng said in a low voice, “Of course, I’m not as pretty as you.”
Yuan Qian let out a laugh. She was genuinely a tiny bit drunk, but she
seemed to maintain a thread of rationality. Leaning close to Xia
Xingcheng’s ear, in only a voice that the two of them could hear, she said,
“He’s not the one I want.”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and told himself not to bother with her.
In the end, after Yuan Qian finished speaking, her head dropped on Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder, and she whispered, “But I regret it.”
Xia Xingcheng thought about it, but still didn’t say a thing.
Yuan Qian’s eyes were fixed to the grill in front of her, her head tilted on
Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder as she hummed a song in a low voice all the
while.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t have the heart to push her away. When he looked up
a moment later, he saw Zhu Tianjie staring at the two of them; the instant he
met Xia Xingcheng’s gaze, Zhu Tianjie smiled at him.
Afterwards, Yuan Qian fell asleep on the table.;
Zhu Tianjie got up and walked to Xia Xingcheng’s side and sat down next
to him, offering him a cigarette.
Xia Xingcheng thanked him but refused, saying, “I don’t really like
smoking.”
Zhu Tianjie asked, “Are you close with Yuan Qian?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head. “She’s drunk, she’s probably not clear on
who I am.”
Zhu Tianjie laughed and clapped his shoulder, saying, “I shot a drama with
Yuan Qian once, she’s exactly like this. She makes trouble for others and
doesn’t know to act proper, if you feel that you can’t handle her, you can
ask me for help.”
Xia Xingcheng was slightly stunned for a second before saying, “Thank
you. I think she’s just drunk though, it should be fine.”
Zhu Tianjie was still faintly smiling, his expression mild as he held the
cigarette Xia Xingcheng had refused just a few moments ago in his mouth,
then pointed the lighter a seat away from Xia Xingcheng’s left, saying,
“May I trouble you?”
Xia Xingcheng got up and took the lighter, and just as he was about to hand
it to Zhu Tianjie, the cigarette in the latter’s mouth had already shifted close
to his hand. He had no choice but to help light it for him.
The distance between them was too close–Zhu Tianjie’s forehead was
practically touching Xia Xingcheng’s face. After the cigarette in his mouth
was lit, he took a long drag, and before leaving Xia Xingcheng’s side, he
blew all the smoke in his mouth on Xia Xingcheng’s face.
Xia Xingcheng evaded it very subtly, lowering his gaze to conceal the
annoyance in his heart.
Zhu Tianjie then restored the distance between them, smoking as he chatted
with him.
Xia Xingcheng patiently talked to him until Ding Wenxun said he was
going back. Then, he and Zhu Tianjie supported Yuan Qian up, one on her
right and the other on her left, and headed out.
When they came out of the restaurant, Zhu Tianjie stood on the sidewalk
and said, “I’ll send Yuan Qian back to the hotel ba.”
Yet Xia Xingcheng didn’t quite trust Zhu Tianjie, and seeing that Yuan Qian
was drunk out of her mind, he felt a little worried so he said, “It’s better if I
send her, Jie ge can go rest up early.”
Zhu Tianjie looked at him and faintly smiled, saying, “You also need to rest
early.”
In all fairness, Zhu Tianjie was good-looking. Above all, his personality
was especially upright and his smile easily struck a favorable impression.
Up until now, Xia Xingcheng didn’t think that he had much dislike for him,
he was just a bit guarded against the man. Thus, he also smiled and said, “I
didn’t drink much, it’s fine.”
Having heard this, Zhu Tianjie took away the hand that was propping up
Yuan Qian and gently patted Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder at the same time.
“Call me if there’s anything.”
He asked the driver to send Yuan Qian to the hotel, then contacted her
assistant and brought Yuan Qian back to her room together, after which he
left.
It was already quite late when Xia Xingcheng returned to his own room. He
first took a bath, dried off the water on his body, then lazily climbed into
bed. Just as he was about to reach for his phone, it suddenly rang.
The incoming call displayed an unfamiliar number.

Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a second before picking up–immediately
hearing Zhu Tianjie’s voice from the other side. “Have you gone back yet?”
Stunned, he replied, “I’m back.”
Zhu Tianjie laughed and said, “That’s good then, rest early.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You rest early too.”
Zhu Tianjie softly said, “Mm, wait for me tomorrow morning, I’ll treat you
to breakfast.”
Xia Xingcheng finally sensed that something was amiss by then. He felt a
layer of goosebumps breaking out on his body and subconsciously grabbed
the back of his right hand with his left hand. Before he could even think of
something to say, he once again heard Zhu Tianjie say, “Good night.”
Hence, he could only say, “Good night.”
Zhu Tianjie hung up first.
Xia Xingcheng took the phone away from his ear and saw that the call
display had faded away and reverted to his homescreen. The more he
thought about it, the more messed up he felt.
He couldn’t put what it felt like into words, but he’d always felt that it was
like Zhu Tianjie was pursuing him; specially calling him to say good night,
inviting him to breakfast–these were all common ploys men used to woo
women.
If he was a woman, even if he didn’t like Zhu Tianjie, he would also be a

little vain. But he’s a man. For the first time since his debut all those years
ago, he was enjoying this kind of treatment, and it made him a little
dumbstruck for a moment.
Though he’d gone to bed with Yang Youming–and quite pleasurably at

that–he had never wanted to be with another man. When he’d said that he
wanted to look for another man to sleep with that one time, it was nothing
more than a lie to threaten Yang Youming. If it wasn’t Yang Youming, in his
eyes, no other man would ever be more attractive than a girl.
His brows puckered, his eyes shifting left and right in suspicion. After
putting his phone down, he abruptly came to the sudden realization that
when Yang Youming had warned him through Huang Jixin about keeping a
distance from Zhu Tianjie, it was probably not because Zhu Tianjie’s moral
character had problems, but because he knew that Zhu Tianjie was gay, and
he was afraid that there might be a little something between Zhu Tianjie and
him, right?
Xia Xingcheng had a sudden feeling of enlightenment, he grabbed his

phone again and was overcome with an intense urge to message Yang
Youming on WeChat and say “It’s none of your business”, and yet in the
end–he gave up.
☆☆☆
t/n – ming ge ur a grown man dating someone 13 years ur junior plz man up
When Yuan Qian sobered up the next morning, she appeared like nothing
had happened and only smiled as she greeted Xia Xingcheng.
But Zhu Tianjie was rather troublesome.
Xia Xingcheng was originally someone who loved making friends. If Zhu
Tianjie simply wanted to be friends with him, then it was fine for the two of
them to be close. Yet Zhu Tianjie’s goal was obviously not so simple. Xia
Xingcheng felt very uncomfortable when interacting with him; as long as he
could find an excuse, he would avoid being alone with the man as much as
possible.
However, Zhu Tianjie never clearly expressed his attitude either, only his
words and attitude were ambiguous. Even if Xia Xingcheng rejected him,
he didn’t know how he should reject him.
After this went on for several days, when they were all sitting around on the
set during a break one day, Zhu Tianjie approached Xia Xingcheng’s side
and pointed at the tattoo above his collarbone, asking, “What does this
tattoo mean?”
Xia Xingcheng stepped back a little and said, “It’s the sun, moon, and stars.
I just thought that it embodied my name.”
Zhu Tianjie smiled as he said, “It’s pretty.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Thank you.”
Zhu Tianjie bent at the waist and stared at him from a slightly lower angle,
slowly saying, “When I saw you in that sling dress the other day, this tattoo
happened to show under the strap. I thought it was really sexy.”
Xia Xingcheng tensed up slightly.
Zhu Tianjie didn’t seem to notice. He said, “You’ll wear that dress again
later on, right?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “There’s still the location shooting.”
Zhu Tianjie nodded. “Although the styling wasn’t that good, you looked
pretty good in that dress and your legs were white and straight. What’s
more, when we were shooting, I also felt that.”
Xia Xingcheng looked towards him. “What?”
Zhu Tianjie let out a laugh. “We both understand that.”
Xia Xingcheng genuinely didn’t. He said to Zhu Tianjie, “I really don’t get
it, Jie ge.”
Just as Zhu Tianjie was about to say something, the assistant director came
over and told him to get ready to film, so he got up and shot a smile at Xia
Xingcheng before walking away.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what he had done during the filming of that
scene to make Zhu Tianjie say such a thing to him—all he could recall was
that he had rolled around on the floor in a dress and took the utmost caution
to avoid pressing too closely against Zhu Tianjie.
That night, he didn’t reply to the WeChat message Zhu Tianjie sent him. He
thought it would be better to make his attitude towards Zhu Tianjie clear.
But at the same time, he also knew that it was bound to offend Zhu Tianjie.
When mingling with the entertainment industry, the more friends you have,
the better, and it wasn’t good to offend anyone.
But when it came to feelings, an unclear relationship was even more

troublesome.
He gave Zhu Tianjie the cold shoulder for two days. They happened to not
have any scenes together and also didn’t see each other.
However, no one expected that something would happen on the third day.
Xia Xingcheng and Yuan Qian had just joined the group who were eating
out for dinner that night. When the two of them left the restaurant after they
finished eating, they took a moment to have a private conversation in Yuan
Qian’s nanny car.
This incident originally happened more than a month ago, yet unexpectedly,
they were photographed by the paparazzi. What’s more, it was paired with a
sensationalized caption on Weibo: “Unable to withstand the emptiness
following her divorce, all kinds of male idols continuously surrounded Yuan
Qian. Recently, she was photographed exiting a restaurant with Xia
Xingcheng. The two people got into a completely sealed up car one after
another and, in a world exclusive to the two of them, they spent twenty
minutes inside before Xia Xingcheng got out alone.”
Xia Xingcheng’s mind was muddled the instant he scrolled through the
news on Weibo. His phone rang immediately after, and it was a call from
Huang Jixin.
He could only answer the phone, immediately hearing Huang Jixin say,
“Don’t respond. Don’t say anything yet. The studio will issue a statement.”
Xia Xingcheng uttered an “Mm”, his voice a little hoarse. “I didn’t even
know we were photographed secretly at that time.” Fortunately, Huang
Jixin had been there that day, and he knew what went on between him and
Yuan Qian.
Huang Jixin sounded fine, neither angry nor particularly nervous. “The
paparazzi was following Yuan Qian. You know how she’s always involved
in scandals. It’s also my fault, I should’ve reminded you. Even if it wasn’t
anything improper, you should maintain a little distance from Yuan Qian in
public. These paparazzi and marketing accounts always love posting gossip
about her online, and none of them are ever nice to hear.”
Xia Xingcheng raised a hand and grabbed at his hair somewhat anxiously.
Huang Jixin said, “Don’t take the comments on the internet to heart. If you
can’t stand it, then don’t read them. I contacted Yuan Qian’s agent and both
studios will issue a statement together and then find some marketing
accounts to say that it’s for movie promos. The heat will definitely not go
down, we’ll just make sure those netizens aren’t led astray by one side.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You’ve worked hard.”
Huang Jixin was unused to hearing Xia Xingcheng thank him in such a
serious manner and said a few more words to comfort him. “It’s nothing,
when the next big news breaks, no one will remember yours.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m fine.”
After he hung up, he still opened Weibo to look at the popular posts under
the hot search, and the first comment he saw on Weibo was: “Less than
twenty minutes? Xia Xingcheng is no good.”
Xia Xingcheng knew perfectly well how internet comments were, yet it still
influenced his mood.
The comments underneath were of his fans’ vehement denials, cursing the
paparazzi, spewing insults at Yuan Qian and saying she had loose morals.
Still, a great deal of the netizens were bystanders with no horse in the race
who were only eating melons, their tongues endlessly wagging at the
entertainment industry’s newest scandal.
Xia Xingcheng saw his and Yuan Qian’s names side by side on the top of
the hot search list, a bright red “Trending” next to it. Shortly afterwards,
Yang Youming followed them onto the hot search, mainly due to his
relationship with Yuan Qian.
Even now, there were still a lot of Yang Youming fans attacking Yuan Qian,
believing that she was unworthy of Yang Youming.
Yuan Qian herself didn’t go on Weibo; she didn’t need to take a stand either.
Xia Xingcheng also exited Weibo after a while, lying all depressed on the
large hotel bed.
Later on, both Xia Xingcheng and Yuan Qian’s studios issued statements
one after another, saying that the two of them were only having a chat as
ordinary friends, and that they would hold rumour-mongers accountable
through legal channels.
And yet the topic’s popularity on the internet did not die down at all; the
lively bystanders were still discussing spiritedly. Those who were
determined not to believe it didn’t believe it, and those who believed it,
believed it.
During filming the next day, Xia Xingcheng sensed that the atmosphere in
the entire set wasn’t quite right. The staff members wouldn’t talk about it in
his presence, yet perhaps they were all discussing this matter in private.
Conversely, Yuan Qian appeared indifferent, only speaking a mere sentence

when she saw Xia Xingcheng: “They were following me to take sneak
shots, I’m sorry you got involved.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say either, so he only said, “It’s all
right.”
After all, the photos didn’t capture them in any intimate positions, and the
topic’s popularity would slowly fall overtime.
Xia Xingcheng tried to contain his emotions as much as possible, not

wanting others to see it.
While waiting to film, Xia Xingcheng went to the toilet.
As soon as he pushed open the toilet door, he found that Zhu Tianjie was
urinating inside. He was the only person in the toilet, and several cubicle
doors were wide open.
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng wanted to avoid him, but Zhu Tianjie had
already caught sight of him, and he had no choice but to keep pushing the
door open and walk in.
The toilet wasn’t all that big. There was only an exhaust fan rotating
laboriously above, emitting a whirring noise.
Xia Xingcheng called out, “Jie ge.”
Zhu Tianjie, however, merely swept a glance over him and didn’t respond.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t take his attitude to heart, watching Zhu Tianjie finish
urinating, pull his pants up, and go over to the sink to wash his hands before
he walked over to the urinal.
But Zhu Tianjie didn’t leave after washing his hands. He leaned against the
sink and fished out a cigarette from his pocket. Just as he was about to stuff
it into his mouth, he stopped again and said to Xia Xingcheng who was
walking towards him, “Want a smoke?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Thank you, I don’t smoke.” After, he stuck out his
hands under the automatic faucet.
Zhu Tianjie thus lit his own cigarette and said to Xia Xingcheng, “Why are
you still pretending with me, Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately turned to him. “Pretending what?”
Zhu Tianjie sneered. He was still in his movie get-up, looking refined and
upright with glasses on. He said, “How does it feel to sleep with Yuan
Qian?”
Xia Xingcheng’s brows narrowed, yet before he could say that there was
nothing going on between him and Yuan Qian, he heard Zhu Tianjie say, “I
know you definitely didn’t like it. Sleeping with a man feels better, right?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him mutely.
Zhu Tianjie took the cigarette in his hand, his expression somewhat pitying.
“In fact, I really quite liked you, I thought you were genuinely good, but it
all turned out to be an act.”
Xia Xingcheng inhaled deeply, trying to control his emotions. He said, “Jie
ge, you’ve misunderstood.”
Zhu Tianjie laughed with a shake of his head. “I wasn’t wrong about you
liking men?”
Xia Xingcheng denied it without a second thought. “I don’t like men.”
Zhu Tianjie leaned against the sink, one knee slightly bent. “I can see these
things accurately, it’s fine if you don’t admit it. I just think that since you
can keep Yuan Qian company in bed, then I can also say this straight–why
don’t you come to me ah. What Yuan Qian can help you with, perhaps I can
too.”
From what had happened yesterday until now, Xia Xingcheng had been
trying to keep his emotions from exploding, and right then, he was still
trying to preserve his last bit of poise. “Jie ge, I think we should respect
each other a little.”
“Respect.” Zhu Tianjie was somehow enraged–perhaps because he’d been

given the cold-shoulder by Xia Xingcheng for several days. His fury was
vented out all at once. “So you have to act like this in front of me, huh?
Where did your respect go when you were having car sex with Yuan Qian?
I gave you face, didn’t I?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him, his face going cold. “Who I sleep with is my
own business. There’s no need for you to give me face, I have no use for it
anyway!”
He watched as Zhu Tianjie’s expression darkened.
When he came out of the cramped and stuffy toilet, there was a split second
where Xia Xingcheng regretted it. He felt that he shouldn’t have offended
Zhu Tianjie, but at that moment, all he wanted was to counter Zhu Tianjie
with the nastiest words.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand to rub his face but abruptly remembered that
he had makeup on and they were about to start filming.
The only thing that he could be glad about was the fact that Zhu Tianjie’s
scenes would be finished in the next two days and he’d be leaving the crew
soon. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have the chance to meet again in the future.

Ming ge will appear soon, I promise.
☆☆☆
t/n – i miss yang youming :c
An important scene was to be shot today—it was the climax of the entire
film.
At first, the whole family was supposed to be out on a trip, and that day,
there should’ve been no one in the house but the housekeeper with
increasingly bad hearing. Qian Chengjin and his girlfriend sneaked back
home to steal money, and yet as a result, his girlfriend was mistakenly
killed by Qian Buqiong who had also slipped away and returned to the
house to kill Jia Lizhi.
Qian Buqiong pacified the frightened Qian Chengjin and even hid his
girlfriend’s corpse. At the same time, Gao Hai had driven back with Jia
Lizhi. Qian Buqiong and Qian Chengjin decided to kill the two of them
together and hide Gao Hai’s body in his car, disguising him as the killer of
the two women, after which they would flee the scene.
The part they would be shooting that day was the scene in the villa’s
garden, which featured Xia Xingcheng’s Qian Chengjin wrestling Zhu
Tianjie’s Gao Hai.
The filming took place at night.
After Xia Xingcheng and Zhu Tianjie’s conversation in the toilet that noon,
the two of them have not been alone together.
Xia Xingcheng was somewhat ill at ease. In addition to the incident with
Zhu Tianjie, it was also because of those unpleasant rumours between him
and Yuan Qian.
Zhu Tianjie, however, acted undisturbed, even joking around with the staff
after he returned to the set. He even spoke to Xia Xingcheng in a normal
tone, displaying that good-natured public appearance of his.
The scene between Qian Chengjin and Gao Hai was that of a life-or-death
struggle. Both them and the director had choreographed the actions and
course of the fight. Qian Chengjin strangled Gao Hai from behind and
threw a few punches, but Gao Hai fought back and the two of them fell to
the ground. Qian Chengjin gained the upper hand and dragged Gao Hai to
the fountain, intending to drown him.
Faced with his imminent death, Gao Hai managed to reverse their positions,
throwing Qian Chengjin in the water, then reached out to push his head
down and prevent him from resurfacing.
The first half of the scene was shot without a hitch, right up until it came to
the part where Gao Hai threw Qian Chengjin in the water, which had to be
retaken several times.
At that time, it was only March. Though it was already spring, the nights
had the same slight chill as the previous months. What’s more, the water in
the fountain was cold to the touch.
That scene eventually passed with great difficulty. The next one was of
Qian Chengjin’s struggle to resurface and Gao Hai pushing him down.
Xia Xingcheng’s entire body was soaking wet as he kneeled forward on the
edge of the fountain. As he tried to climb out, Zhu Tianjie’s fingers grabbed
his hair and gripped his skull, then pushed his head underwater.
Except— that hand exerted a lot of strength. Xia Xingcheng had already
used up most of his energy when filming the fight scene, and at this time, he
felt that his whole body had gone weak without even needing to act. In the
water, he couldn’t see nor hear anything, and it quickly became difficult to
breathe.
Then, Zhu Tianjie let go.

Xia Xingcheng lifted his head. Zhu Tianjie supported him with a hand. “Is
everything okay?”
He shook his head and dodged Zhu Tianjie’s hand, leaning on the edge of
the fountain.
Ding Wenxun said it was no good and wanted a retake.
Xia Xingcheng felt the unceasing flow of water streaming down his hair
and gasped for breath. His assistant Hua Hua brought a towel and wrapped
it around him, letting him sit and rest by the fountain.
Ding Wenxun explained the scene to Zhu Tianjie, correcting his movements
and expressions.
On the second take, Zhu Tianjie pushed Xia Xingcheng underwater once
again. This time though, he was released quite quickly, and when he raised
his head, he found that it was due to Ding Wenxun calling for a stop.
Zhu Tianjie stood beside the fountain, massaging his right wrist with his left
hand. To Xia Xingcheng, he said, “Sorry, my bad.”
Xia Xingcheng was so severely cold that he felt like he’d lost all his
strength.
Ding Wenxun asked Xia Xingcheng whether he needed to take a short

break. Xia Xingcheng said that it wasn’t necessary—he wanted it to be over
quickly.
Afterwards, this scene went on for six to seven takes without passing. Xia
Xingcheng indistinctly felt that this was probably Zhu Tianjie’s attempt at
screwing him over and suggested a short break to Ding Wenxun.
Hua Hua wrapped him in a towel and found a portable electric stove for
him to warm himself at.
The fluorescent light of the electric stove shone red on Xia Xingcheng’s
face, yet he was still shivering.
At the other end, Zhu Tianjie was listening to Ding Wenxun explaining the
scene, appearing sincerely apologetic.
Xia Xingcheng stared at him. After, Zhu Tianjie walked over to him and
crouched down in front of him, whispering, “Are you okay?”
Right then, they were the only two people around; everyone else was some
distance away and couldn’t hear them.
Xia Xingcheng looked at him and didn’t answer.
Zhu Tianjie faintly smiled at Xia Xingcheng, “Suffering a bit of hardship

when you’re young will hone you. After you fall in the pit, you’ll gain some
wit*. It’s just learning from experience.”
*or; once bitten, twice shy
Xia Xingcheng knew that he was deliberately messing with him.
At this time, Ding Wenxun called for someone to ask Xia Xingcheng if he
could start shooting again.
Xia Xingcheng shifted his eyes from Zhu Tianjie’s gaze and nodded at the
man.
He stood up and said, “Jie ge, let’s continue.”
It was already past four in the morning when they concluded filming that
day. Before Xia Xingcheng even reached the hotel, as he sat in the car, his
temperature started rising. His cheeks burned red, and his lips were deathly
pale.
The driver directly drove him to the hospital for emergency treatment, and
Hua Hua accompanied him all the way to the ward for an infusion.
Xia Xingcheng felt terrible. He was dizzy and his vision was blurred, yet he
couldn’t sleep until the fever medicine worked. After, he tossed a little in
his sleep once the sky brightened.
He slept very deeply, during which he had numerous dreams of extravagant
delusions. It was as if his body was floating, and he wasn’t able to
distinguish whether he was awake or dreaming.
He even dreamt that Yang Youming had come to see him, that he was
sitting in his ward, holding his hand, and saying that he missed him.
Later on, he woke up.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t open his eyes. He realized that he had been dreaming,
and now those troubles rushed forth in his mind and erased his sleepiness,
so he slowly opened his eyes.
He didn’t know what time it was. In any case, it was bright out, and the
lights weren’t on in his private ward. Only the window curtains were half
drawn.
A person sat on the chair at his bedside, bent over at the waist and leaning
forward, elbows propped up on the edge of the bed, hands interlocked as
they watched him attentively.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes stung, his sight was fuzzy. He blinked a few times
and tears ran down the corner of his eyes before he finally saw the person at
his bedside. In that instant, he thought that he still hadn’t woken up from his
dream.
Yang Youming reached out and touched his sweat-drenched forehead,

pushing up his hair and wiping away the tears at the corner of his eyes.
Xia Xingcheng found the touch slightly painful, and after a while, he said,
“I’m not crying, my eyes just hurt.” As he spoke, he realized that his voice
was hoarse.
Yang Youming nodded and said, “I know.”
Xia Xingcheng turned his head and glanced around the room, then asked
Yang Youming, “What time is it?”
Yang Youming said, “It’s past three p.m., you slept for a long time.”
Xia Xingcheng realized that he was no longer hooked up to an IV. He didn’t
know how long he’d slept on the bed, but his body was sore and weak, as
well as soaked through with sweat.
Yang Youming took two tissues from the bedside table to wipe the sweat on
his face. He was wearing a thin knitted cardigan, and the collar fell just
below his neck, where Yang Youming wiped at as well.
Again, Xia Xingcheng asked, “Where’s my assistant?”
Yang Youming said, “You mean the girl? I told her to go back and rest.”
“She just left when you told her to?” Xia Xingcheng thought Hua Hua was
actually a little unreliable.
Yang Youming threw away the tissue that was wet with Xia Xingcheng’s
sweat and got up to pour a cup of hot water from the kettle on the bedside
table. “Drink some water, okay?”
He helped Xia Xingcheng sit up.
Yang Youming tested the water temperature with his lips, then fed him the
water in the cup.
Xia Xingcheng was unbearably thirsty, and he lightly panted after drinking
more than half the cup. He licked his lips, his face still had a little unnatural
flush to it, and because of the fever, the skin on his face appeared like it had
dried up. Only his eyes were full of tears, like there was irritation from a
foreign object, thus they were moist as he stared at Yang Youming and
asked, “Why are you here?”
Yang Youming put the cup down and sat down at his bedside once more, his
lashes lowered. He slowly said, “I saw the news about you and Yuan Qian,
so I immediately bought a plane ticket.”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “Did you come to break up with me?” He turned
away from Yang Youming as he spoke, not daring to look at him, and his
expression was exceptionally lonely.
Yang Youming reached out and took his hand. “I never thought of breaking
up with you.”
Xia Xingcheng felt that his grip was just as strong as the one in his dream a
moment ago. He said, “So you’re waiting for me to break up with you?”
“Xingcheng,” Yang Youming sounded a little helpless. “I’m really not.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You gave me the silent treatment.”
Yang Youming quietly said, “I wanted you to be able to think clearly.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “There’s no need for that. Some obstacles are just
there, no matter what, they’ll need a great effort to overcome. There’s only
one thing I know—I want to be with the person I love.”
Yang Youming lowered his gaze, his lashes quivering.
Xia Xingcheng suspected that his fever was returning; his breaths were
gradually growing heated, and he felt his forehead with his hand and said,
“Then, have you figured it out? Is the one you love Xia Xingcheng, or are
you just too deep in the act and only see Xia Xingcheng as a substitute for
Fang Jianyuan?”
Yang Youming said, “You’re not anyone’s substitute. Don’t say that,
Xingcheng.” He raised his hand and felt Xia Xingcheng’s forehead.
Seemingly sensing that it was a little hot, he picked up the thermometer that
the nurse had placed on the bedside table a while ago and said, “Let’s retake
your temperature.”
Xia Xingcheng tilted his head, letting Yang Youming pull down his collar
while raising one arm.
However, after he pulled down his collar, Yang Youming never made
another move.
Xia Xingcheng gave him an odd look, then saw that the man’s gaze was
fixed at his shoulder, dazed. He thus looked down, and it was only then that
he realized that Yang Youming wasn’t looking at his shoulder, but at the
tattoo on his collarbone.
Yang Youming was somewhat stunned, his gaze more than a little shaken.
Xia Xingcheng bluntly pulled down his collar a little more, exposing his
tattoo completely. He grabbed Yang Youming’s hand and placed it on his
scorching hot skin, then gestured: “This is the sun, and this is the moon.
Together, the sun and moon make up ‘Ming’. This is me, the star. Even if
you don’t want me, my love will always be here.”
Yang Youming stared intently at the tattoo. His lips opened slightly, then
closed once more, as if he was choking down a sob. At last, he said, “I
never not want you.” With that, his breathing grew abruptly heavier, yet he
was gentle as he approached Xia Xingcheng’s tattoo, gently licking and
kissing it with his tongue.
☆☆☆
t/n – aaaand ming ge’s back! sorry this chapter took so long, i was busy with grad stuff all week. i’ve
somehow acquired a degree tho
Yang Youming gently licked and kissed Xia Xingcheng’s tattoo. He kneeled
on the bed with one leg as he gripped Xia Xingcheng’s shoulders, when
suddenly, his movements grew rough and urgent.
His lips slid over Xia Xingcheng’s neck and fell at the corner of Xia
Xingcheng’s mouth, before he ducked his head and ruthlessly bit his lips.
Xia Xingcheng could only tilt his head up to bear his kisses. His body was
somewhat feverish, and his lips were also hot, like a ball of fire had
gathered there, while Yang Youming’s lips and tongue brought a slight chill.
He raised his hands and embraced Yang Youming’s neck, wanting to hold
him so badly despite his weak state.
Yang Youming’s hands slipped down his back and under his sweat-soaked
cardigan, rubbing at his waist and back.
Xia Xingcheng felt his body growing hotter in an instant. His waist had
gone soft, his breathing was erratic, and his thighs were faintly trembling.
Then, he felt Yang Youming’s lips leaving his mouth and pressing at his ear,
muttering, “I’ve missed you so much.”
After that, Yang Youming kissed his earlobe, then his cheek.
Breathing hard, Xia Xingcheng blinked to relieve his stinging eyes, and as
he hugged Yang Youming, he whispered, “I love you.”
He’s had many girlfriends, yet he couldn’t recall whether or not he’s ever
said the word love. In fact, when talking to his friends, he’d also say ‘love
you’ in a joking way, but this was the only time that he deeply felt the
weight of the word, and he was heavy with all the love he possessed. He
feared that, in the future, there was no way he could say “I love you” to
anyone so casually again.
Yang Youming’s emotions were clearly stirred. Apart from that last time he
got drunk, Xia Xingcheng had rarely ever seen him this impassioned. His
hands touched Xia Xingcheng all over, and his fervent kisses were
unceasing. Just as Xia Xingcheng was about to think that Yang Youming
was about to do him right there in the hospital ward, those intense kisses
and touches came to a halt, and Yang Youming kneeled at his bedside. He
hugged Xia Xingcheng tightly until their bodies were pressed up against
each other, his palm cupping the back of Xia Xingcheng’s head. He said,
“I’m sorry, did I let you down?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t breathe properly yet. He firmly grasped Yang

Youming’s sleeve and said, “In my heart, you’re perfect—you always have
been.”
Yang Youming buried his head in his shoulder, not speaking a single word.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I thought about it for a long time. In fact—Yang

Youming can’t be separated from Yu Haiyang, like how Fang Jianyuan is
also a part of Xia Xingcheng, right?”
Yang Youming was silent for a while, then answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You’ve acted in so many films, so it’s unlikely that
you’ll have trouble understanding that if someone else were to play Yu
Haiyang, I might not necessarily get stuck in the play. Because—the Yu
Haiyang in my heart is you, there’s no way to completely separate the two.
So regardless of whether I’ve come out of the play or not, deep down, the
one I like will only be you. Fang Jianyuan and I are also like this in your
heart, right?”
Yang Youming lifted his head and stared at him, softly nodding. “Right.”
Xia Xingcheng continued, “Ultimately, you still have misgivings about our
identities, and you’re unwilling to accept me, yes? Is it because Yuan Qian
let you down that you’re afraid you’ll be disappointed again this time?”
Yang Youming’s voice was muffled. “Maybe.”
Xia Xingcheng had to slightly open his mouth to breath, and he appeared
wan and pitiful, yet he still persisted on and continued, “Then why are you
here?”
Yang Youming looked at him for a long time before quietly saying,
“Because my instincts overcame my willpower. I want to see you—I hated
being apart from you. For a split second, I felt that nothing else mattered,
and before I knew it I’d already bought a plane ticket.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were red, and he smiled faintly. “So will your
willpower be able overcome your instincts now?”
Yang Youming slightly lowered his gaze, then stroked Xia Xingcheng’s
tattoo with a finger. “Don’t mention this willpower thing—the fact that I
can restrain my instincts right now is already good enough.”
In spite of his fever, Xia Xingcheng still couldn’t help flushing.
Yang Youming’s finger stroked the tattoo over and over, like he was truly
trying his hardest to restrain himself. He asked, “I heard that you were
wronged last night?”
Xia Xingcheng was startled. He hesitated for a bit but didn’t tell Yang
Youming a thing and only said, “I filmed in cold water for too long, I can’t
really say if I was wronged or not.”
Yang Youming pushed aside Xia Xingcheng’s fringe. Remembering the

thermometer he had thrown aside earlier, he said, “Let’s take your
temperature first. Your assistant should be here to pick you up soon.”
Xia Xingcheng obediently let Yang Youming tuck the thermometer under
his armpit.
Yang Youming then poured him a glass of water.
While his temperature was taken, Xia Xingcheng asked, “You’re not going
to leave, are you?”
Yang Youming said, “I’m staying put for now, until you’re completely
better.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Then I won’t get better.”
Yang Youming laughed when he heard this, and he sat down at his bedside
and looked at him. “I don’t have anything to attend to, but it’s not
convenient for you to keep staying here.”
Xia Xingcheng understood, and said, “I know.”
Yang Youming leaned on the back of the chair, his thoughts indecipherable
as he looked at Xia Xingcheng. After a while, he asked, “Why do you have
a kiss scene with Zhu Tianjie?”
Stunned, Xia Xingcheng said, “It was only for comedic purposes, that’s
all.”
Yang Youming said, “I asked Huang Jixin to tell you to stay away from Zhu
Tianjie, didn’t he relay it to you?”
Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder stiffened over the thermometer. He remembered

that warning Yang Youming had conveyed through Huang Jixin, but at that
time, he thought that Yang Youming was only wary of the fact that Zhu
Tianjie was gay. Now, it seemed like there was more to it than that.
Yang Youming said, “Forget it, it’s fine if you pay attention to not get too
close to him in the future. It’s not easy to get along with that person.”
“It’s not just that,” Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help uttering.
Yang Youming looked at him, “What? What did he do to you?”
Before Xia Xingcheng could answer, the nurse suddenly opened the door
and came in. She was immediately followed by Xia Xingcheng’s assistant,
Hua Hua, who had returned after a short rest to pick up Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng still had a light fever, but it was nothing serious. The doctor
had prescribed medicine for him , so he didn’t have to stay in the hospital
and could go back to rest at the hotel.
Hua Hua was unclear on Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming’s relationship.
She secretly made a phone call to Huang Jixin, and Huang Jixin told her to
listen to Yang Youming’s arrangements, to do as she was told, and to not
ask too many questions.
When they got back to the hotel, Yang Youming directly stayed in Xia
Xingcheng’s room. Hua Hua went out to buy dinner for them, then
delivered it to their room.
Xia Xingcheng had no appetite for dinner. He only had a bit of congee
before he no longer wanted to eat. His body was entirely weak and his brain
wasn’t all too keen on forming thoughts. After dinner, he rested in Yang
Youming’s embrace, not wanting to do anything.
He had been sweating all over and didn’t even bother to change his clothes;
it stuck to his skin, yet he didn’t want to move, lying on the sofa like a
small child with his hands tightly clinging to Yang Youming’s waist, not
letting him go anywhere.
Afterwards, Yang Youming told him to take a hot shower and change his
clothes.
Xia Xingcheng looked up and said, “Let’s shower together.”
Yang Youming let out a laugh, then said, “No thanks.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Then I’m not going.”
Yang Youming stroked his hair. “Are you a kid?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Aren’t I a kid compared to you?”
Yang Youming looked at him and laughed.
Xia Xingcheng languidly egged him on again, “Go shower together?”
This time, Yang Youming nodded. “Okay then, I’ll go with you.”
He only said that he’ll go with him—not that he’ll shower with him.
When Xia Xingcheng took off his clothes and got into the bathtub. Yang
Youming only made him sit down on the edge of the bathtub and grabbed
the showerhead to help him rinse off.
Xia Xingcheng, who had originally felt too tired to stand, sat down with his
hands on his knees, eyes closed as he let the water rush down his head.
The air conditioner in the room was set at a high temperature, he didn’t feel
cold even when naked.
After his hair was thoroughly wet, Yang Youming shut off the water and
wiped off the water on his face first before he took some shampoo and
gently lathered it evenly on Xia Xingcheng’s hair.
Xia Xingcheng asked Yang Youming, “Can I lean on you?”
Yang Youming said, “You can.”
Xia Xingcheng added, “I’ll get your clothes wet.”
Yang Youming replied, “It’s alright, I’ll go change later.”
Xia Xingcheng thus leaned back against Yang Youming’s body. He sensed
Yang Youming’s fingers massaging his scalp, and the dizziness from his
illness seemed to ease for a while. He closed his eyes and said, “Has anyone
else in the world ever enjoyed this kind of treatment?”
Yang Youming said, “No, only you have.”
Xia Xingcheng revealed a perfectly contented smile.
Whenever the foam on the top of his head slid down to his face, Yang
Youming would wipe it off with a towel. Once his hair was cleanly washed,
Yang Youming helped him wash off the sweat on his body with shower gel.
After rinsing off the foam with water, Yang Youming shut off the water and
wrapped Xia Xingcheng up in a bath towel.
Xia Xingcheng got out of the bathtub and just as he slipped his feet in some
slippers, Yang Youming was already turning on the hairdryer, pulling Xia
Xingcheng to him to dry his hair.
The hot air from the hairdryer caressed his scalp as Yang Youming’s fingers
moved through his hair. Xia Xingcheng felt drowsy soon after—he’d never
felt more comfortable in his lifetime than at this very moment.
Short hair was quick to dry, and by the time Yang Youmin turned off the
hairdryer and hung it next to the mirror, Xia Xingcheng had turned to hug
him, but Yang Youming captured his hands and said, “Go out first, I’ll take
a quick shower.”
“I’ll help you out.” Xia Xingcheng said.
Yang Youming laughed and spanked him, pushing him out of the room.
Xia Xingcheng fetched a bathrobe from the wardrobe and draped it over his
body, then took another one for Yang Youming and placed it in the
bathroom before coming back and sitting down on the edge of his bed.
Shortly after, he heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom.
Xia Xingcheng fell back on the hotel’s queen-sized bed, his whole body
sinking into the mattress. He stared at the ceiling light, the misshapen cut-
glass emitting tiny spots of light. He felt like he was floating in midair, like
everything looked unreal to his eyes.
This time yesterday, he’d been in distress over his and Yuan Qian’s scandal
and uneasy about offending Zhu Tianjie. Yet now, Yang Youming had
suddenly appeared by his side saying he missed him, even helping him
shower with his own hands.
It was as if his previous anguish was rendered worthless in an instant. He

even barely remembered Zhu Tianjie. His head was filled with nothing but
Yang Youming.
He turned over and lay on his side, legs curled up, face pillowed on his
hand.
The sound of water echoed from the bathroom. He knew that it was Yang
Youming taking a shower, so he quietly listened to the sound, opening his
mouth to let out a huge yawn.
Just when Xia Xingcheng was about to fall asleep, the sound of water was
interspersed with the sound of knocking. He slowly opened his eyes and
carefully listened for a while, discovering that someone was indeed
knocking on his door.
He propped himself up in bed, put on his slippers, and wrapped his bathrobe
a little tighter around himself as he stood up. He walked towards the door
just as the water running in the bathroom stopped. Once he reached the
door, he unlocked it and only opened the door a crack. Seeing that it was
Zhu Tianjie standing outside, he opened it a little more.
Zhu Tianjie wore a black trench coat, with slacks and leather shoes on his
lower body. His arms were crossed over his chest as he sized Xia
Xingcheng up, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Xia Xingcheng was merely clad in a single bathrobe. His skin was suffused
with a hint of red, his eyes were a little swollen, and his hair was messy
from rubbing against the bed.
Zhu Tianjie reached out to touch him. “Do you still have a fever?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately took a step back.
☆☆☆
t/n – LOOK AT OUR BABY THROWING OUT THE L WORD!!! i’m so

glad that they finally straightened things out and i love how xia xingcheng
embraced the fact that fang jianyuan and yu haiyang are inseparable parts of
them T___T
Zhu Tianjie withdrew his hand and said to Xia Xingcheng, “Won’t you
invite me in?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “If you have something to say, say it here.”
Yet Zhu Tianjie pressed on and took a step forward, raising an arm to block
the door. He looked at Xia Xingcheng and said, “I heard you were sick, so I
came to see you.”
Xia Xingcheng’s tone was indifferent. “Isn’t it all thanks to you that I got
sick?”
Zhu Tianjie let out a laugh, glancing around the corridor, then slightly
entered Xia Xingcheng’s room, saying, “I just wanted you to understand.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “What is it that I needed to understand?”
Zhu Tianjie said, “That you shouldn’t refuse people you can’t afford to
refuse. If this is how you mingle in this industry, you’ll just suffer losses in
the future.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes carried a hint of disgust. “I’ve been in this industry
for six to seven years. This is the first time I’ve come across someone like
you.”
The expression on Zhu Tianjie’s face transformed. He seemed to be trying

hard to restrain his emotions, lightening his voice as he said, “Xingcheng, I
didn’t expect that you’d be this sick either. If it weren’t for the fact that I
like you, I wouldn’t have gotten mad at your affair with Yuan Qian. Let me
in, it’s not good for us to be seen talking out here.”
Just as Xia Xingcheng was about to reject him right then and there, the
bathroom door suddenly opened and Yang Youming’s voice rang out from
inside. “Xingcheng, let him in.”
Zhu Tianjie was clearly startled. He couldn’t make out who’s voice it was,
but his eyebrows were tightly knitted as he directed a ferocious look Xia
Xingcheng’s way.
Before Zhu Tianjie could open his mouth to utter a single question, Yang
Youming came out of the bathroom. He was wearing a bathrobe, and a pair
of slippers adorned his feet, his hair still wet. He calmly stared at Zhu
Tianjie and said, “You can come in if you have something to say, Tianjie.”
Zhu Tianjie’s face displayed an abrupt look of astonishment and his whole
body stiffened, as if he had suddenly been struck by something. He stared at
Yang Youming in disbelief then turned to look at Xia Xingcheng, his eyes
gradually transforming from doubt and unease to panic. Then, he
subconsciously straightened up and made to stick his hands in his pockets,
yet in that instant, he couldn’t locate them, so he let them hang at his sides,
looking rather awkward. He displayed a reluctant smile. “Ming ge? What
are you doing here?”
Yang Youming’s eyes were a little cold. “I’m staying here tonight.”
Zhu Tianjie gave a hollow laugh. “So that’s how it is, then I won’t disturb
you two.” With that, he turned around to leave.
Yet Yang Youming called out to him, “Tianjie, don’t you have something to
say to Xingcheng? Come back in and say it.” After that, he turned and
walked further into the room.
Zhu Tianjie subconsciously turned sideways as if he wanted to leave right

away, but in the end, he thought it was improper and gritted his teeth before
following Yang Youming inside.
Xia Xingcheng noticed a fine layer of sweat on Zhu Tianjie’s forehead.

When Zhu Tianjie passed him, he immediately closed the door. Fortunately,
no one outside had passed them in that long period of time.
After closing the door, Xia Xingcheng also went back inside the room and
saw Yang Youming sitting on the sofa while Zhu Tianjie stood in front of
him. That reluctant smile was still on his face as he said to Yang Youming,
“It’s actually quite late, I shouldn’t be bothering you.”
Yang Youming’s voice was low and mild as he said, “Sit down and speak. If
you have anything to say to Xingcheng, I can listen in too.”
Zhu Tianjie hands clenched into fists, his thumbs pressing onto his palms.
He hesitated for a while before sitting down, then said, “I heard that
Xingcheng was sick, so I came to see him.”
Xia Xingcheng slowly walked to his bed and sat down, bent over listlessly,
yet he straightened out his legs and slipped his feet out of his slippers and
stepped on them with the soles of his feet. He was very relaxed at this time,
hardly needing to think about anything—only watching Yang Youming and
Zhu Tianjie.
He realized that Zhu Tianjie was genuinely nervous—though he was sitting

on the sofa, his hands were constantly rubbing at his knees.
Yang Youming, on the other hand, was leaning on the sofa, expression
unreadable, eyes serene. Yet on the contrary, it gave one an intense feeling
of oppression.
The only thing in Xia Xingcheng’s mind was the fact that Yang Youming’s
bathrobe was slightly opened at the chest. He wanted to pull it up for him.
Yang Youming said to Zhu Tianjie, “You said you wanted to teach
Xingcheng. What have you taught him?”
Zhu Tianjie’s hands came to a halt as he said, “I was just playing a joke on
Xingcheng.”
Yang Youming asked, “What joke? He had to be hospitalized because of a

fever—isn’t your joke going too far?”
All this while, Zhu Tianjie’s complexion was a little pale. He was originally
wearing many layers, and the heating in their room was turned on. Beads of
sweat continuously oozed from his nose, slowly gathering into one large
pearl. He wiped off the sweat at his nose, and quietly said, “Ming ge, I’m
sorry. I honestly didn’t know about your relationship with Xia Xingcheng, I
thought—” He didn’t finish the last half of his sentence.
Feeling that his throat was a bit itchy, Xia Xingcheng lightly coughed twice.
Yang Youming turned to face him and asked, “Are you cold?” His voice
became gentle once more.
Xia Xingcheng shook his head and said, “My throat is a little dry.”
Yang Youming got up, walked to the small bar table, and poured a cup of
warm water. After, he walked over to the bed and handed it to Xia
Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng took it and gulped it down.
Zhu Tianjie stood up and walked up to Xia Xingcheng, then said,

“Yesterday, I really didn’t do it on purpose, Xingcheng. I had things on my
mind, so I kept making mistakes. What I said earlier was nonsense, don’t
take it seriously.”
Once Xia Xingcheng finished drinking, he passed the glass back to Yang
Youming and glanced at Zhu Tianjie.
Zhu Tianjie looked quite sincere, but Xia Xingcheng didn’t believe a word
he said. Since he simply didn’t want Zhu Tianjie here wasting their time, he
tugged at Yang Youming’s sleeve and said, “Ming ge, please let Mr. Zhu
leave. Nothing happened yesterday, I don’t want to argue either.“
Hearing what Xia Xingcheng said, Zhu Tianjie immediately followed his
cue and said, “Then you guys rest well, I’ll be leaving first.”
Before Zhu Tianjie left, Yang Youming said, “If you can’t even be a good
person, how are you going to act well?”
Zhu Tianjie’s blanched face unexpectedly reddened. He smiled awkwardly,
then opened the door and headed out.
Xia Xingcheng closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief. Once he went
back inside, he saw Yang Youming sitting on the edge of the bed, his brows
faintly wrinkled. He climbed on from the end of the bed, crawling to Yang
Youming on all fours, then turned over and lay down on his leg, looking up
at Yang Youming from below.
Yang Youming stroked his forehead. “Why didn’t you tell me when I asked
you this afternoon?”
“What should I have said?” Xia Xingcheng rubbed against his palm, feeling
comfortable. “That Zhu Tianjie bullied me and I want you to help me take
revenge?”
Yang Youming said, “At least let me know what’s really going on.”
“Forget it,” Xia Xingcheng blinked lightly. “When he pressed me into the
cold water, I kept telling myself to endure and act well. There’ll always be a
day where I can step on Zhu Tianjie and properly humiliate him.”
Yang Youming laughed at his words and bowed his head to look at him, “So
vengeful?”
Xia Xingcheng exclaimed, “Look, he apologized to me tonight for your

sake, but in his heart he still looks down on me. He might not think that
there’s a difference whether I’m with you or with Yuan Qian. This doesn’t
comfort me at all.”
Yang Youming nodded. “I didn’t expect that he would hit on you. In the
end, there’s something wrong with Zhu Tianjie’s character.”
Xia Xingcheng thought for a moment, then asked Yang Youming. “He
won’t retaliate against us and expose us to the media, will he?”
“He wouldn’t dare.” Yang Youming was mute for a while before saying,
“Xingcheng, if we’re together, it’ll be difficult to completely hide it from
the people in our circle. It’s hard to escape from rumours and gossip, but the
best way to protect ourselves is to not be photographed.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “I know.”
Yang Youming said, “This kind of romance will definitely feel suffocating
after a long time.”
Xia Xingcheng earnestly replied, “It’s okay to feel suffocated, as long as we

can always be together, it’s better than anything else.”
Yang Youming looked somewhat frustrated. “That just means we can’t do

anything freely.”
Xia Xingcheng rolled over and sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed as he
faced Yang Youming. His bathrobe had already loosened, collapsing to
expose most of his shoulder. Changing the subject, he said, “How come Zhu
Tianjie thinks I’m gay? I’ve always been wondering about this.”
Yang Youming’s gaze fell on his tattoo once more, as if he couldn’t get tired
of looking at it. He then slowly asked, “What did you do with him?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Just normal filming. There was a time where we often
ate to eat together, but I’ve never initiated a conversation with him or
anything.”
“Don’t you have a kiss scene with him?” Yang Youming said in a flat tone.
Xia Xingcheng was struck dumb. “Why do you keep coming back to this, I
told you it was a parody.”
Unexpectedly, Yang Youming continued to speak in a low and calm tone,

“Still, you wore a dress in front of him. I’ve never seen you in a dress
before.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him and couldn’t contain a burst of laughter.

“Why are you so petty?”
Yang Youming reached out to capture his foot, his fingers gently caressing
the sole. “Where’s your dress? Wear it and give me a look.”
Xia Xingcheng felt tickled by his touch and tried to retract his foot,
laughing as he said, “At the stylist’s place. You go steal it back and I’ll wear
it for you to see.”
Yang Youming didn’t let go of his grip on Xia Xingcheng’s foot and
stubbornly said, “You go steal it.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed so hard he had no energy left, then lay down on the
bed, the hem of his bathrobe slipping open on both sides.
Yang Youming froze and said, “You weren’t wearing underwear all this
time?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up, his feet pressing on Yang Youming’s thigh, and
he slightly blushed as he looked at him. “Yeah, Zhu Tianjie couldn’t see
anyway. Whether he likes me or purely wants to sleep with me, it’s all just a
daydream, it’s never going to happen.”
Yang Youming looked at him, expression gentle. A while later, he let go of

his foot and said, “You’re still not well yet, let’s turn in early today.”
That night, Xia Xingcheng took the last of his medicine and slept in Yang
Youming’s arms. He didn’t know whether it was the effects of the cold
medicine, but he slept particularly soundly and barely even dreamed the
entire night, sleeping until dawn the morning after.
The curtains in the room were drawn. It was dim, and only from a small
crack could he see that it was already dawn outside.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t spot his phone, nor did he know the time. Since he
fell ill due to filming, he could continue resting today, and he didn’t need to
rush back to resume shooting.
He quietly turned his head to look at Yang Youming and found that he was
still asleep. His eyes were tightly shut, and when he slept, he looked
especially serene.
Thus, Xia Xingcheng leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss on Yang
Youming’s lips. Unexpectedly, Yang Youming opened his eyes the next
moment.
“You sleep too lightly.” Xia Xingcheng said, almost pasted to the man’s
face.
Yang Youming raised his hand and hugged him close, then shut his eyes and
rubbed against his forehead. Afterwards, he said, “I’m old.”
Xia Xingcheng said meaningfully, “Then how come I haven’t seen a decline
in your abilities?”
Yang Youming laughed out loud with his eyes closed, then said in a lazy
tone, “So do you want me to decline or not?”
Xia Xingcheng’s hand was already at his chest. It slowly slid down. “I
won’t turn my back on you even if you do.”
Yang Youming opened his eyes to gaze at him, took a serious look at him
for a moment, then asked, “Feeling better?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “I’m not dizzy anymore, and my limbs aren’t
sore either.” He neared Yang Youming’s ear, then whispered a sentence,
“We can do it.”
Yang Youming chuckled and said, “Okay.”
Only when they were very close did Xia Xingcheng discover that Yang
Youming had fine lines on the corner of his eyes whenever he laughed. He
couldn’t help but kiss the place below his eyes, giving it all his attention.
Then, he uttered a line that made his skin crawl, “I love you so much, even
your every wrinkle.”
Yang Youming gradually restrained his laughter. He hugged Xia Xingcheng

tightly, then said, “I love you too, Xingcheng.”
They spent the morning fooling around on the hotel bed. Xia Xingcheng,
who had just gotten better, was entirely sore all over again afterwards. He
weakly lay on the bed, on his stomach, as Yang Youming firmly imprisoned
him from behind.
His body was completely soaked with sweat—he didn’t even have the
strength to crawl out of bed and take a shower.
At noon, Xia Xingcheng heard someone knocking on the door. He couldn’t

let Yang Youming go open the door, so he had no choice but to get up,
weakly taking the bathrobe that had been discarded at the foot of the bed
and wrapping it around himself. Even the bathrobe belt was tied around him
by Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng headed outside, thinking it was Hua Hua who had come to
deliver food. Yet once he opened the door, Xia Xingcheng found that the
person who stood outside the door wasn’t Hua Hua, but Yuan Qian.
Yuan Qian had a flower bouquet in her hands. She smiled at first, but after
looking at Xia Xingcheng for a moment, her smile faded. She asked, “Is
there someone inside?”
The curtains in the room were still tightly shut, it was dark and stuffy
inside.
Xia Xingcheng hesitated.
Yuan Qian immediately understood. She handed the flowers to Xia

Xingcheng, then said, “I came to visit you, but it seems like you’re better
already. I’ll be leaving first, then.” She turned around and walked down the
corridor without looking back.
Xia Xingcheng went back in. The instant he closed the door, he saw himself
in the dressing mirror with the light of the corridor. His hair was disheveled,
his cheeks flushed red, and his lips were faintly swollen. However, what
was more obvious was the hickey that overlapped the tattoo above his
collarbone. He was the spitting image of obscenity.
☆☆☆
t/n – ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
When Xia Xingcheng came back in with a bundle of flowers in his arms,
Yang Youming was already dressed, and he was sitting on the bed, on a
phone call.
Seeing Xia Xingcheng come in, Yang Youming smiled at him and
continued talking to the person on the other end. At last, he said, “I know,
there’s no problem” before hanging up.
Xia Xingcheng placed the flower bouquet on top of the TV cabinet.
Yang Youming put his phone down, then raised his head and asked, “Who
gave you flowers?”
Xia Xingcheng deliberately observed the man’s expression and said, “Yuan
Qian.”
There wasn’t a change in Yang Youming’s expression at all. He merely

stared at the bouquet for a while, then suddenly asked Xia Xingcheng, “Are
you close with Yuan Qian?”
Xia Xingcheng was stunned by this question.
Yang Youming then asked, “What exactly were you doing in her car for
over ten minutes?”
Xia Xingcheng slowly walked up to Yang Youming’s side and sat down.
“We just talked, I asked her about you…”
Yang Youming said, “For things concerning me—you can directly ask me
in the future.”
For a split second, Xia Xingcheng wanted to ask Yang Youming whether he
had loved Yuan Qian, but gave up just as the words encroached the tip of
his tongue. Whether Yang Youming had loved Yuan Qian or not, it was a
thing of the past and belonged to their memories. All he wanted was Yang
Youming’s tomorrows.
Thus, Xia Xingcheng changed his question at the last moment. “Who were
you calling?”
Yang Youming answered, “My agent.”
Xia Xingcheng’s mind stalled, and it took him a while to react. With some
surprise, he said, “Is your agent still Du Jin?”
Yang Youming laughed. “It’s still Du Jin, why?”
Stunned, Xia Xingcheng said, “I thought you were no longer with Juxin.”
Juxin was a big entertainment company, and it was at Juxin that Yang
Youming became popular. Back then, it was Du Jin who brought him out.
Du Jin was ferociously well-known, and up until now, he was still one of
the biggest agents in the industry. Later on, as Yang Youming’s position in
the film industry solidified, his name rarely appeared next to Du Jin’s or
even Juxin.
Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “I’ve been in Juxin all this time. I
guess you haven’t been paying attention to me.”
To Xia Xingcheng, it sounded like Yang Youming was complaining, and he

couldn’t help but laugh as he bumped against his body. “It’s been a long
time since I’ve seen Du Jin follow you around, I thought Du Jin was
managing someone else.”
Yang Youming hugged his waist and said, “Du Jin really is managing
someone else. It’s Teng Song, the one your cousin really likes.”
Xia Xingcheng was struck with a sudden realization. “No wonder. Du Jin is
really powerful, Teng Song’s hands are full with all the good resources that
other people can’t even ask for.”
Yang Youming turned his head and rubbed the tip of his nose against Xia
Xingcheng’s cheek. “How about it, do you want to come to Juxin? I can ask
Du Jin to take you on.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him in astonishment. “Is that really possible?”
Yang Youming chuckled and nodded. “I practically helped build Juxin up.
You ought to know Juxin’s boss, Lu Nianxin. We have a good relationship,
so it won’t be a problem if you want to sign with us. I just don’t know if Cai
Meiting’s side will let you go or not.”
Xia Xingcheng listened to his earnest words and promptly said, “No I can’t.
even though the gap between Huang Jixin and Du Jin isn’t small, in any
case, we’ve been working together for so many years. I’m not turning my
back on him.”
Yang Youming raised a hand and stroked his hair, saying, “Huang Jixin is
pretty good. At least he genuinely cares about you. I suggest that you have a
regular assistant at your side though, don’t just hire one temporarily
everytime you go out to film.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I have no use for a life assistant when I go back
home, it’d feel pretty wasteful.”
Yang Youming seemed to be considering this, his fingers clutching at the

soft hairs at Xia Xingcheng’s nape and fiddling with it for a while. “See
whether this Hua Hua is reliable or not, if she’s alright, then I’ll give Huang
Jixin a call—ask him to talk to Hua Hua and let the company arrange a
dormitory.”
Xia Xingcheng was somewhat baffled. “You think Hua Hua’s okay?”
Yang Youming looked at him. “You think there’s something not okay with
her?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Don’t you think she’s a bit slow?”

Yang Youming laughed. “I think she’s too naive. But with assistants,
naivety is a good thing. As long as her hands and feet are diligent, you can
slowly teach her the things that she currently doesn’t understand. It’s not
good if they’re too smart.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded and hugged him. “I got it.”
That afternoon, Zhu Tianjie asked his assistant to send Xia Xingcheng a
large, beautifully wrapped fruit basket filled with dark red cherries
surrounded by dozens of bright red strawberries.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t accept it.
Zhu Tianjie’s assistant looked embarrassed.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I really don’t need it. Please help me return it to Mr.
Zhu.”
“Xiao Xing ge…”
Xia Xingcheng asked him, “Are Mr. Zhu’s parts finished?”
“Mm,” the assistant nodded. “He’s flying out this afternoon.”
Xia Xingcheng let out an ‘Oh’, then, “He must be anxious to leave.” With
that, he said to the assistant, “Why don’t you go back?” and closed the
door.
He came back in and, when he found that Yang Youming had opened up his
suitcase and had started to pack his things, he immediately said, “You’re
leaving?”
Yang Youming nodded. “You’re returning to the crew tomorrow. I can’t

keep staying at the hotel waiting for you, so I’m going to use this time to go
home.”
“Home?” Xia Xingcheng was a little puzzled.

Yang Youming said, “My hometown isn’t far from this film and television
base. Given that I didn’t go back for the Lunar New Year, I’ll take a trip
there now since I have the time.”
When he heard this, Xia Xingcheng immediately said, “I want to go with

you!”
Yang Youming chuckled and said, “Are you free?”
Of course Xia Xingcheng wasn’t free. He had no other choice but to say,
“Wait for me, I’ll go back with you when my parts are done.”
Yang Youming casually tossed the shirt in his hands at the bed, then said,
“I’ll come pick you up when you’ve finished shooting.”
Xia Xingcheng took a step forward and captured Yang Youming’s hand,
glued his face to the man’s face, pressed his mouth to his ear, and
whispered, “The scene with the dress… there’s actually still more.”
All of a sudden, Yang Youming gripped his waist. “When?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “The location shooting.”
Yang Youming’s hand slid down his waist and pinched his ass, pushing Xia
Xingcheng towards his body. “Has the schedule been set yet?”
Xia Xingcheng’s body fit snugly against Yang Youming’s, and he laughed
and looked up, saying, “Not yet, I guess we’ll have to wait until later.”
Yang Youming pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. “So I’ll come back and pick
you up then. You keep your mind on filming, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng swayed his body, not saying yes or no, only faintly smiling
at him. He wanted Yang Youming to stay.
Yang Youming kissed his mouth once more. “Okay?”
Xia Xingcheng still didn’t answer.

This time, Yang Youming kissed him with tongue.
When their lips parted, Xia Xingcheng laughed and said, “Still not okay.
Come up with something more convincing.”
Yang Youming picked him up and threw him onto the bed. “Then I can only
convince you in bed.”
When Xia Xingcheng returned to the crew the next day, Yang Youming
secretly left the hotel that morning.
Xia Xingcheng met Yuan Qian on the film set.
Yuan Qian and Bao Kai had a relatively important scene that day; the two
of them quarrelled and then blew up at each other.
Yet Yuan Qian was obviously out of sorts, and her emotions weren’t in the
right place even after several takes.
In this scene, Xia Xingcheng was mostly in the background, standing aside
and silently watching their fight.
Afterwards, Ding Wenxun told them to take a break first.
Yuan Qian sat next to Xia Xingcheng, her face and posture revealing a
somewhat fed up and weary air.
After she sat down, she first looked ahead with her hands on her knees for a
while, then asked Xia Xingcheng, “Has he left?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at her, then lightly answered, “Mm.”
Yuan Qian smiled soundlessly. Only the corners of her mouth were raised,
and the smile appeared entirely fake. “I thought—” She abruptly opened her
mouth, but stopped halfway, seeming somewhat absent-minded.
Xia Xingcheng leaned forward, propping his arms on his knees. “What?”
Yuan Qian said, “I just suddenly thought—when you said he isn’t dull,
maybe it’s true.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at her.
When Xia Xingcheng had asked her last time, she wasn’t willing to say
these words, yet now Yuan Qian said, “I think he was very good to me, but
this ‘good’ didn’t have any heat. In our relationship, he was too cool-
headed. Even if he said that he didn’t want a divorce, I still don’t think that
my leaving him can truly hurt him.”
Xia Xingcheng clasped his fingers and listened in silence.
Yuan Qian was in a daze. “But when I saw you yesterday afternoon, I
realized that it wasn’t the same.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say for a moment; he could understand
Yuan Qian’s every word. Yang Youming’s seemingly gentle tolerance
actually unsettles you, and in the end, you don’t know how much he values
your relationship. In love—in addition to tolerance—perhaps a kind of
tension was also needed.
When you’re out drinking and partying late into the night, a lover who
worries and urges you to come home is more likely to make you feel that he
cares about you than a lover who doesn’t mind when you return.
Love does not require limitless tolerance. Love should be selfish in nature
—a desire to firmly grab hold of them and never let go.
Yuan Qian lowered her head, and she didn’t speak for a long time.
Xia Xingcheng even thought that she was crying.
After a while, Yuan Qian raised her head, her face still as fair and flawless
as always. She said, “So it was right for me to divorce him. My only
mistake was that I was over-confident in myself, and that I shouldn’t want
to turn back.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at her and discovered that the corners of her eyes
were faintly red. After a little hesitation, he lifted his hand and lightly
hugged her shoulder.
Yuan Qian turned and rested her forehead on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder,
burying her head there, and said, “I’ll stay here for a bit.”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “Actually, you did hurt him when you divorced
him, but he’ll never tell you.”
Yuan Qian stiffened.
Xia Xingcheng patted her back placatingly. “After all, he treated your
marriage wholeheartedly.”
After that, Yuan Qian’s shooting suddenly went smoothly, and this time her
emotions broke out so fully that the director almost forgot to shout ‘cut’.
When he returned to the hotel that night, Xia Xingcheng lay on his bed after
a shower and video-called Yang Youming.
He found Yang Youming in a rather large room that looked a little old and
had wooden pillars.
“Is this your home?” Xia Xingcheng was a little amazed.
Yang Youming picked up his phone and turned in a circle to give him a
look, saying, “This is the house I lived in with my parents when I was
small. It’s quite nice, isn’t it?”
When Xia Xingcheng saw that the floor and windows in the room were all
made of wood, he couldn’t help but lament, “It’s genuinely old. Looks like
your family was pretty well-off back then, right?”
Yang Youming laughed. “When I was small, there were six families living
in this building. Only this room belonged to my family, and the kitchen and
bathrooms were shared. Later on, I bought the entire building then
reinforced and renovated it.”
Xia Xingcheng’s face was brimming with eagerness. “I can’t wait to see it.”
Yang Youming said, “You’ll see it soon.”
After they ended the video call, Xia Xingcheng stayed in bed and went
online. He opened Weibo and saw a hot search concerning Zhu Tianjie’s
new drama. Once he tapped on it, he found that a highly invested IP drama
that had previously appointed Zhu Tianjie as the male lead had
unexpectedly replaced him at the very last moment.
This aroused intense dissatisfaction from Zhu Tianjie’s fans, and they began
to hurl abuse at the investors and the drama’s official Weibo. Yet Zhu
Tianjie himself was completely mute, never issuing his own Weibo post
from start to finish.
Xia Xingcheng vaguely felt that this matter had something to do with him,
but he didn’t want to ask Yang Youming. Soon after, he exited Weibo, not
planning to continue paying attention to Zhu Tianjie and upsetting himself
in the process.
After they wrapped up the scenes in the film studio, what followed was the
location shooting.
Xia Xingcheng’s didn’t have that many location scenes. He only needed to
film for more or less ten days, and the scene where he wore a dress was to
be shot in the last two days.
On the afternoon of the official shooting day, Yang Youming

conscientiously came for a visit.
He and Ding Wenxun have been close friends for many years, and he was
also the one who recommended Xia Xingcheng to the crew, so there was
nothing wrong with stopping by in passing while he was back home.
The only thing that would’ve caused controversy was the fact that Yuan
Qian was the movie’s female lead, but it just so happened that on the day
Yang Youming came to visit, Yuan Qian didn’t have any location shots, so
they avoided the awkwardness of meeting each other.
This scene was of Qian Chengjin, who was playing pool with his friends in
a game hall, getting besieged by a debt collector who makes him change
into a red sling dress and a pair of high heels in front of his two friends and
girlfriend, after which he gets driven out and made to walk down the street.
For this purpose, Ding Wenxun had rented a game hall with a pool parlour,
which was closed on the day of the shoot. The guests inside were all extras.
Xia Xingcheng borrowed the staff lounge to change and get his makeup
done. At this time, he was still wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, and the red
dress was dangling from a hanger.
When he came out of the lounge, he found that there was a lot of noise
outside. The various staff members who were originally making
preparations all gathered around when they realized that it was Yang
Youming who had come.
Ding Wenxun was accompanying Yang Youming, introducing him to the

main cast and crew, as well as the young actress who played Qian
Chengjin’s girlfriend.
Yang Youming maintained his customary gentle smile, shaking their hands
one by one.
When Xia Xingcheng approached them, Ding Wenxun promptly said,

“Xingcheng, come say hello!”
When Yang Youming saw Xia Xingcheng, though his smile was
unchanging, his eyes brightened. He extended a hand towards Xia
Xingcheng. “Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately held his hand, but what he didn’t expect was
the sudden force in the grip that pulled him over. Xia Xingcheng’s pulse
accelerated. He thought Yang Youming was going to hug him, but Yang
Youming simply lifted his other arm and wound it around his shoulder,
patting it once before letting go of his hand.
When Yang Youming let go of his hand, his fingers softly tickled Xia
Xingcheng’s palm. After, he even reminisced about their past in a solemn
manner.
Except for the muddle-headed Hua Hua, no one here knew of their
relationship.
Due to Yang Youming’s sudden appearance, the filming’s pace was slowed
down a bit. Ding Wenxun was not in a hurry; instead, he was
enthusiastically introducing the entire film to Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng was standing next to him.
Afterwards, Ding Wenxun grabbed Yang Youming’s hand and said, “How
about I give you a cameo role?”
Yang Youming glanced at Xia Xingcheng and asked Ding Wenxun, “What
role?”
Ding Wenxun said, “A debt collector.”
Before Yang Youming could even open his mouth to speak, Xia Xingcheng
couldn’t help saying, “That’s not like Ming ge at all.”
Ding Wenxun laughed. “What I want is a contrasting effect. Moreover, has

Yang Youming ever played something this unlike him?”
“A debt collector?” Yang Youming looked quite interested. “So I’m going
to be bullying Xingcheng?”
Ding Wenxun hurriedly beckoned the screenwriter to come over and revise
the script to add a last minute character, giving the two debt collection
company thugs a boss who would threaten Qian Chengjin to pay back the
money and force him to wear a dress.
Having done this, Ding Wenxun pushed the screenwriter over to Yang
Youming and said, “Come come come, talk to our screenwriter about how
you want to bully him. We’ll do all we can to satisfy you.”
Xia Xingcheng was suddenly a little afraid.
☆☆☆
t/n – 👁️👄👁️
The script was revised at the last second; Youming discussed his character’s
concept with the screenwriter and director, including his clothing and
hairstyle. The costume department then went to adjust clothes to fit Yang
Youming. In the end, they decided to call his character ‘Ming ge’. His style
and appearance didn’t need to be overly outrageous, but it needed an air of
rustic handsomeness.
They were held up for quite a while, but Ding Wenxun felt that the wait was
very much worth it and even considered editing footage of Yang Youming
into the movie’s trailer.
The screenwriter typed up the last minute changes for the new script on his
laptop, used a portable printer to print out a few sheets of paper, then passed
them out to the actors.
Xia Xingcheng received the new script and squatted in a corner to read it
over. The changes in the plotline couldn’t be considered huge, yet he still
felt nervous—looking back, the last time he acted opposite of Yang
Youming was almost half a year ago, but so many things had happened
after, and it created the illusion that a long time had passed since then.
At this time, the clothes that Yang Youming was set to wear finally arrived.
Xia Xingcheng took the script and followed him to the staff lounge, where
the staff were so busy encircling Yang Youming that no one noticed him for
a while.
The costume department had prepared a white casual suit for Yang
Youming, with a gold-patterned black shirt underneath, and a gold chain to
hang around his neck.
Yang Youming took the clothes and went to change.
Xia Xingcheng found that everybody in the lounge, especially the girls, had
a hidden sense of excitement. Even the young stylist who Xia Xingcheng
was usually on good terms with didn’t notice him. They were all
impatiently waiting for Yang Youming’s reappearance after putting on the
clothes.
The moment Yang Youming came out from the changing room dressed in
his costume, a number of people present let out oddly despairing sighs.
Xia Xingcheng heard one of the young girls say, “This won’t do, he’s still
handsome.”
Yang Youming was tall and broad-shouldered. He looked good in anything,

and even though the original plan was to have him dress in outmoded
clothes, he could still wear it and look like a model walking down the
runway.
The jiejie in charge of the costume department straightened out Yang

Youming’s clothes, lamenting, “Ming ge, how can you look so handsome in
this get-up. You can only rely on yourself to bring out your character.”
Yang Youming only laughed when he heard this.
Sitting beside him on the sofa, Xia Xingcheng slightly smiled as he looked
at him.
After Yang Youming sat down, the makeup artist did his makeup and styled
his hair.
When everything was done, Yang Youming hung a gold necklace around
his neck, and his look was finally complete.
Because of his small part and few lines, Yang Youming memorized his lines
as he got his makeup and hair done. After his styling was completed, he
walked through the scene with the other actors.
At the start of the scene, the people from the debt collection agency had not
yet made their appearance. The people playing pool in the game hall, in
addition to Xia Xingcheng’s Qian Chengjin, were Qian Chengjin’s two
close friends as well as Qian Chengjin’s girlfriend Sha Sha.
When all the preparatory work was done, the clapperboard signaled to
begin filming. Xia Xingcheng held a cue stick at his side. With a cigarette
between his lips, he bent down at the pool table, his posture domineering.
He set up the cue, aimed the white ball, then took a shot with confidence
and ease.
In reality, the white ball didn’t hit the coloured balls that he had targeted at
all, but he still threw the cue aside exaggeratedly and embraced the actress
playing Sha Sha, faking a kiss.
After this shot was taken, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously glanced at Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming stood to the side, looking at Xia Xingcheng as he looked at

him, then suddenly laughed.
Right in the midst of Qian Chengjin’s prideful gloating, the debt collectors
appeared.
Two men with thick and solid builds in black suits from the debt collection
agency, who went unnamed in the movie and were called Thug A and Thug
B, suddenly entered. They were entirely expressionless as they made their
way into the game hall, then directly pulled open a banner on a bamboo
pole. Written across it was: “QIAN CHENGJIN, RETURN THE MONEY
YOU OWE!”
Xia Xingcheng raised his head and looked at the banner. His face
transformed in a flash, and the actress playing his girlfriend hid behind
him.
Then, Yang Youming appeared, his hands inside the pocket of his suit pants,
the hem of his suit jacket stuck out behind him, completely exposing the
black shirt that was tucked into his pants.
He strode forward nonchalantly, the gold chain around his neck swaying
side to side. The corners of his eyes were faintly upturned, his jaw slightly
raised, and he gave off the air of someone who couldn’t be trifled with.
The camera encircled him once through, shooting his lower body, panning
up to his waist—all the way to the perfect line of his side profile.
When he reached the pool table, Thug A moved a chair over for him, and he
took a seat, crossed a leg over his knee, and lit a cigar. He didn’t lift his
head much, merely raising his eyes to Xia Xingcheng, and asked, “You’re
Qian Chengjin?”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes shifted guardedly. He asked, “Who are you people?”
“Who are we?” Yang Youming bit down on the cigar, his sneer carrying a
slight lisp. He raised a hand and gestured for him to look at the banner that
was held over his head, then said, “Can’t you read? Return the money!”
This character Qian Chengjin, who grew up in a superior family and was
also good-looking to boot, had always been conceited and hellbent on
keeping up appearances.
So the moment Xia Xingcheng heard those words, his face changed colour.
He pushed his girlfriend behind him and walked towards Yang Youming.
Looking down at Yang Youming haughtily, he rolled up his sleeves and, in a
rather arrogant tone, said, “Return what money? Do you know who my old
man is? Why would I owe someone money?”
Qian Chengjin spent money like water. His friends knew that his family was
well-off, so they liked following him around, and he was the one who
usually paid for all their expenditures.
Yang Youming loosened his grip on his cigar and fished something out from
the inner pocket of his suit. He looked Xia Xingcheng dead in the eye
during the entire process, so it took him quite a few tries before he pulled
out a slip of paper. He unfolded the note and read: “Qian Chengjin, January
2019, to Jie Yu—”
“Ming ge, it’s Xia Yu,” before he finished speaking, Thug B interrupted him
and whispered in his ear.
Yang Youming rolled his eyes and shot a chilling glance his way before
continuing, “—The small loan company lent you 10,000 yuan, and the
agreed repayment of your loan principal plus interest of 16,000 yuan is
already two months overdue!”
“Bullshit!” Xia Xingcheg reacted violently, reaching out to snatch the note
from Yang Youming’s hands.
Yang Youming raised his hand, and the two thugs beside him walked over
and grabbed Xia Xingcheng, one on his left and the other on his right.
Many of the game hall’s visitors looked their way. Qian Chengjin’s two
friends wanted to come over, but Yang Youming stood up and said to them,
“Paying back the money you owe is heaven’s law and earth’s principle.
What are you? His co-debtors?”
The two men glanced at each other and stood in place.
Yang Youming held the note in his hand and slapped it on Xia Xingcheng’s
face. “What’s the use of scrambling for this? Does it mean that you won’t
have to return the money if it’s in your hands?”
Xia Xingcheng glared at him and reluctantly said, “I don’t owe any money!
Don’t talk nonsense, if you keep pestering me, I’ll call the police.”
The corners of Yang Youming’s mouth curled up. Snorting, he fished out a
folded piece of paper from his pocket. When he unfolded it and showed it to
Xia Xingcheng, it was the exact loan contract that Xia Xingcheng had
signed and fingerprinted.
Xia Xingcheng struggled to snatch it.
Yang Youming said, “This is a copy, don’t be stupid. Hurry up and pay back
the money. You pay, we leave.”
Xia Xingcheng’s chest rose and fell intensely, his breathing rough and
heavy. He stared at Yang Youming for a moment before averting his gaze.
Holding back shame, he said, “I have no money on me right now. I’ll go
home and get it for you.”
Yang Youming lowered his head and leisurely refolded the piece of paper,
stuffed it into his pocket, then mouthed, “No money huh? You don’t have
money but you’re playing pool?” He grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s sweatshirt.
When he didn’t find any pockets, he grabbed the hem and shook it, then let
go and reached down, his fingers extending into the pocket of his jeans and
groping about.
It was close to the root of Xia Xingcheng’s thigh, and it was so hot there
that Yang Youming’s hand seemed a little cold when he reached in. The two
men were very close. Xia Xingcheng tried to get into his character to
distract himself, yet he still blushed red as Yang Youming groped him in
public.
After feeling up his pockets, Yang Youming waved a hand and ordered the
two thugs to turn him over, then said, “Get him to lift his ass a little higher.”
Thus, one of the thugs pressed down on Xia Xingcheng’s back, making him
raise his backside.
This time, Yang Youming took out a phone from his right back pocket,
hooked open his left back pocket with a finger, then let go after taking a
look inside.
“There should be money in his phone,” Yang Youming said. He lowered his
head, and after twice failing to unlock the phone, he suddenly grabbed Xia
Xingcheng’s right hand that had been turned over, forcing him to press his
thumb on the phone’s fingerprint scanner to unlock it.
Xia Xingcheng tried to retract his hand, but he wasn’t strong enough.
Yang Youming only found 500 yuan in his WeChat wallet. He transferred
everything to his own account, threw his phone onto the pool table, and
looked at Xia Xingcheng as he cursed him out.
Xia Xingcheng only dared to glare at him. He quietly said, “There’s only
that much, I really don’t have any money.”
Yang Youming frowned at his two henchmen. His cigar reached its end, and
he dropped it on the floor, not particularly patient as he stamped down to
extinguish it. He said, “In that case, give him the gift box.”
Xia Xingcheng was at a total loss.
From the bag he carried on his back, Thug A took out a red dress, a pair of
red high heels, and balled up stockings, all of which were placed on the
pool table, then impassively said to Xia Xingcheng, “Put them on.”
When Xia Xingcheng saw those goods, he was immediately enraged.

Cursing loudly, he lunged at Yang Youming, bellowing, “I’ll end you!”
The two thugs at Yang Youming’s side did not make the slightest
movement. Yang Youming grabbed his incoming fist by the wrist and
twisted it. When his body turned to the side, Yang Youming raised his leg
and kicked Xia Xingcheng’s knee, then kept Xia Xingcheng kneeling on the
ground under his knee, cursing in his ear: “You’ll end fuck all. You’re able
to borrow money but not return it, this is repayment! Either you put on the
dress for laozi yourself, or ask your girlfriend to put it on in your place,
your choice!”
Qian Chengjin’s girlfriend had long since been wailing in fear.
Yang Youming released him, and Xia Xingcheng knelt on the floor, his eyes
soulless as he gasped for air. The hands that propped his body up slowly
clenched into fists, then he got up and grabbed the dress, turning to head to
the bathroom.
Yet unexpectedly, Yang Youming picked up a pool cue and stopped him in
his tracks, pointing the tip of the cue at his chest and saying, “What have
you got to hide? Change right here.”
Xia Xingcheng glowered viciously, fists tightening then loosening. He

grabbed the hem of his sweatshirt and pulled it upwards; underneath, he
wasn’t wearing anything else. He took it off and flung it aside, revealing his
fair, lean body. The tattoo on his collarbone was especially conspicuous.
Yang Youming held the pool cue on his shoulder, seeming completely
relaxed as he watched Xia Xingcheng strip. In actuality, his gaze fell on that
tattoo.
With his sweatshirt off, Xia Xingcheng brought the sling dress over and
slowly straightened it out in his hands. Then, he took a deep breath and
pulled it over his head.
The dress fell well and draped over his body at once. His shoulders were
exposed, and the delicate straps fell right over his tattoo.
Yang Youming watched him with great interest, the pool cue swinging over
his shoulder.
After putting on the dress, Xia Xingcheng turned to face an unoccupied

wall, raked up the hem of his dress, and unbuttoned his jeans. Afterwards,
he took them off and dropped them at his feet.
With the pool cue, Yang Youming pointed at the high heels and stockings
on the pool table, clicking his tongue.
Thus, Xia Xingcheng shed his shoes and socks, kicked his jeans to the side,
and went over to pick up the stockings, feet bare. Hiding behind the pool
table, he sat on the floor and slowly put them on, then placed the high heels
on the ground and slipped his feet in them one after the other.
The heels were very high, and he was suddenly a little taller than Yang
Youming. Because he had to stand on his tiptoes, his feet were stretched
taut; his legs were beautifully shaped by the stockings, and they looked both
long and straight.
Xia Xingcheng was completely humiliated, but he tried his hardest to

repress it, not daring to explode.
Yang Youming appraised him from head to toe for what seemed like half a
day, but still felt like there was something missing. He turned to the
weeping girl and stuck out his hand. “Got lipstick? Give it to me.”
The girl shot a glance at Xia Xingcheng, then lowered her head and opened
her handbag. She took out a lipstick and handed it to Yang Youming,
trembling all over.
Yang Youming tossed the cue stick aside, walked up to Xia Xingcheng, and
cupped his jaw to lower his head a little. He bit at the lid of the lipstick,
then drew along Xia Xingcheng’s lower lip from the edge to the centre.
Xia Xingcheng’s warm breath fanned across Yang Youming’s fingers.
With the lipstick lid between his teeth and a nasty smile on his face, as it
happened, Yang Youming was neither hurried nor slow as he applied layer
upon layer of lipstick onto Xia Xingcheng’s lips, even exceeding his lip
line, red and gaudy.
In the end, he let go of his hand and took two steps back, spat out the
lipstick lid in passing, then gave Xia Xingcheng a once over. “Very good.
Real pretty. Take him out for a walk.”
☆☆☆
t/n – I COME BEARING F A N A R T of Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming in their movie getup ❤
It was already quite late when filming in the game hall concluded that day.
According to their original schedule, Ding Wenxun intended to proceed
filming Xia Xingcheng getting forced to walk on the streets in a dress with
crowds of people standing around and watching. But as the surrounding
stores were already closed and there were no pedestrians on the street,
filming was postponed until tomorrow.
When Xia Xingcheng came out after changing his clothes and removing his
lipstick, Ding Wenxun called him over to have a late-night dinner with
Yang Youming.
This time, it was just the three of them. Ding Wenxun, who rarely saw Yang
Youming, wanted to have a chat with him, so he only invited Xia
Xingcheng alone because he knew that he and Yang Youming were familiar
with each other.
They found a nearby restaurant that was opened till late, requested a private
room, then sat down and ordered several drinks and dishes.
‘Accidental Murder’ was Ding Wenxun’s directorial debut film. He had put
in a lot of effort, and his expectations were very high. He had long since
been under great psychological pressure, so once he met an old friend, he’d
inevitably drink a few more drinks and talk a few more words.
Xia Xingcheng listened to him chat with Yang Youming, sitting quietly
beside him while picking at the boiled edamame beans on the table and
peeling them one by one. After a day of filming, he was both exhausted and
famished.
Yang Youming was a great listener. From time to time, Xia Xingcheng
would cast a covert glance at his face. While Yang Youming always listened
very earnestly, he could also give the most appropriate response, which
made you feel that he attached great importance to what you say to him.
Xia Xingcheng ate ten or so beans, then put his hands on the table and lay
his head on top of it, faced to the side. At first, he only wanted to lie down
and rest, but soon he couldn’t help closing his eyes.
He didn’t actually fall asleep. His brain was still exceptionally excited; was
the kind of excitement that let him withstand his exhaustion, and he felt like
he was floating.
Yang Youming’s voice was low and deep. The expression on Yang
Youming’s face as he grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s face to smear on the lipstick
came to mind—it was a Yang Youming he’d never seen before. It was
unlike Yu Haiyang, nor like Yang Youming. This novelty made Xia
Xingcheng feel torn during filming. On one hand, he was immersed in his
role and felt humiliated, yet at the same time, it brought about a sense of
excitement and the illusion that Yang Youming was flirting with him, which
made him tremble uncontrollably. He didn’t even know if he had tried to
suppress that trembling in front of the camera.
In that small booth, Xia Xingcheng was indulging in flights of fancy when
he heard Yang Youming say to Ding Wenxun, “Xingcheng’s asleep.”
Ding Wenxun said, “He’s exhausted, how about we let him go back and rest
first?”
Xia Xingcheng wanted to lift his head and say that he wasn’t asleep, but
then he heard a chair moving, and Yang Youming’s voice sounded from
beside him, “Xingcheng, do you want to go back and sleep?”
He looked up at Yang Youming and said, “I’m not sleepy, I just want to rest
here for a bit.”
Yang Youming chuckled. “Then rest.”

Xia Xingcheng laid back on the table without closing his eyes, watching as
Yang Youming got up to take off his coat and drape it across his shoulders.
He then felt Yang Youming stroking his hair.
Surrounded by warmth and a familiar smell, Xia Xingcheng felt sleepy all
at once. He shut his eyes—his mind shortly grew hazy, and he fell asleep.
He didn’t know how long he slept, but it might not have been long before
Yang Youming roused him and said that they were going back.
Xia Xingcheng stood up in a daze. As he was about to return the coat to

Yang Youming, Yang Youming held down his hand. “Keep it on.”
They took a car back to the hotel. Ding Wenxun had already arranged
someone to book a room for Yang Youming. It was on Ding Wenxun’s
floor, which was different from Xia Xingcheng’s.
When the elevator arrived at Xia Xingcheng’s floor, he stepped through the
open doors then turned to look back at Yang Youming confusedly, not
understanding why he hadn’t come out with him.
Yang Youming laughed and said, “Go back and turn in early.”
It was only when the elevator doors were slowly closing that Xia
Xingcheng regained his senses. He sent Yang Youming a message as he
walked back to his room, asking him when he would be coming down.
Yang Youming didn’t reply right away. Xia Xingcheng returned to his room
and lay on the bed with his phone in his hand, then fell asleep before Yang
Youming replied to his WeChat. He was woken by a phone call the next
day, and when Xia Xingcheng glanced at his phone, he found that Yang
Youming had told him to get a good night’s sleep, and that he would come
over tomorrow night.
Xia Xingcheng left for the shoot very early. He didn’t have the heart to
wake Yang Youming up, and it wasn’t until almost noon that he furtively
hid in the nanny car to give Yang Youming a call, asking him whether he
was coming today.
“Lao-Ding said that Yuan Qian’s there today, so I’m not going,” Yang
Youming said.
Today’s filming schedule was packed. Whenever Xia Xingcheng had no

scenes, he would sleep in the nanny car and wait for someone to call for
him.
Xia Xingcheng was a little disappointed. He said, “I’ll definitely be back

late today.”
Yang Youmind said, “You’re too exhausted, you should get some proper
sleep. I’ll take you home with me after you finish filming in a few days,
okay?”
Xia Xingcheng could only say, “Okay.”
This time, Yang Youming was visiting the set openly. Many pairs of eyes
were watching, so if he was found coming and going from Xia Xingcheng’s
room, there would indeed be a problem.
Once he hung up, Xia Xingcheng went back to sleep.
That night, Xia Xingcheng changed into his dress and high heels once more
to continue filming the latter part of the scene.
He was brought out of the game hall by the two thugs, who shoved the
banner into his hands and told him to walk down the street.
Qian Chengjin, who had lived to a little more than twenty, had never before
been so wronged, and he held up the banner in humiliation with his head
hung down.
The two thugs followed him on a motorbike, telling him to spread the
banner open a little more and that the name written across it had to be
visible.
Qian Chengjin’s messy form walked along the street like this, his feet clad
in high heels stumbling from time to time, with the passersby around him
stopping and staring.
The further he walked, the heavier his grief, and he was close to tears.
One of the thugs pressed him on. “Run, run!”
It was only when they saw a police patrol car on the side of the road that the
two thugs turned around and ran away.
This shot was truly very hard on Xia Xingcheng. Each stumble was a real
twist of his ankle instead of an act, and when they wrapped up afterwards,
his ankle was slightly swollen. A staff member wanted to spray his ankle
with cold spray, but his foot was still clad in a layer of stockings. Xia
Xingcheng was too embarrassed to take off his stockings right there on the
street, so he asked the staff for the spray, intending to spray it on himself
when he went to the car to change.
His nanny car was parked at the side of the road, and neither the driver nor
Hua Hua was there. It was pitch-black inside, and through the glass, the
interior was completely unseeable from the outside. You could only see
your reflection on the window pane, and there was also a partition between
the front and back seats that was usually raised, and only the front seats
could be seen through the car window.
Xia Xingcheng opened the car door, but when he raised his foot, he
accidentally stepped on the dress. He wobbled a little before steadying
himself, heaving a sigh of relief as he got in the car, then pulled the door
closed behind him.
Right then, someone in the car suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling Xia
Xingcheng onto their lap.
Xia Xingcheng was so alarmed that he nearly cried out. Then, his lips were
covered, and a familiar breath on his ear said, “It’s me, don’t shout.”
He sighed with relief and raised his hands, touching Yang Youming’s face
in the dark, and whispered, “Ming ge? When did you get here?”
Yang Youming said, “I’ve been here for a while. I watched you shoot from
here.”
Xia Xingcheng slowly got used to the car’s darkness, and he could see Yang
Youming’s face, illuminated by the light coming through the windows.
Yang Youming could also see the cold spray he was holding, and asked,
“Did you hurt your foot?”
“It’s just a mild sprain.” Xia Xingcheng lifted his foot to show him, only to
realize that he was still wearing stockings and high heels. He immediately
put his foot down again, embarrassed.
Yet Yang Youming reached down and put his hand on Xia Xingcheng’s
knee. It slowly slid down his leg; his touch through the stockings gave them
both a sense of wondrous novelty—until at last, Yang Youming took hold of
his ankle and lifted it up onto the car seat, saying, “I’ll spray it on for you.”
Xia Xingcheng pressed his mouth to Yang Youming’s ear and murmured
something there.
His voice was too unclear for Yang Youming’s ears, so he asked, “What did
you say?”
Feeling both shy and a little excited, Xia Xingcheng repeated, “You’ll have
to take the stockings off first.” He said eagerly, “Why don’t you tear them
off?”
Yang Youming let out a low laugh at his words, then deliberately lowered
his tone and said, “Aren’t these stockings I gave you going to be torn up
regardless?”
Xia Xingcheng hugged his neck and said, “He doesn’t look like much of a
gentleman, but apparently Ming ge can even admit to his wrongdoings.”
Yang Youming pinched his jaw and shook it side to side. “Just because
Ming ge is less educated, it doesn’t mean that Ming ge’s a vulgar person.”
With that, he reached under Xia Xingcheng’s dress and spanked his ass,
saying viciously, “Ass up.”
Xia Xingcheng obediently raised his ass a little, and Yang Youming grabbed
the waist of the stockings under the dress and pulled it down over his ass to
hang on his thighs, then freed his injured ankle.
Throughout this process, Xia Xingcheng was always cooperative. He had a

wonderful sense of gender crisis, and as he hugged Yang Youming, he said,
“Ming ge, you’re pretty skilled at taking off stockings.”
Yang Youming, who was examining his swollen ankle in the faint light,
turned to him at these words and said, “I’m afraid I’m not as skilled as you
are, am I?”
Xia Xingcheng immediately blushed and buried his face on the man’s
shoulder, grumbling softly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Yang Youming picked up the bottle of cold spray, shook it, and sprayed Xia
Xingcheng’s ankle a few times. All of a sudden, an ice-cold feeling slightly
alleviated the scorching pain.
Xia Xingcheng shifted and sat face to face straddling Yang Youming’s lap,
both legs bent on the seat and clamping down on Yang Youming’s waist.
Hugging Yang Youming’s neck, he said, “Ming ge, am I pretty?”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “Do you want to look in the mirror to see
how pretty you look right now?”
Xia Xingcheng knew that his lips were still adorned with overdrawn
lipstick. The sling dress with his short hair was also a weird combination,
but he still said, “Didn’t you put the lipstick on me?”
Yang Youming leaned back slightly, looked at him, and said, “That’s right,
it’s my first time putting lipstick on someone. Did you like it?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I liked it. Shall I share a little with you?” With that,
he leaned in and kissed Yang Youming’s lips. It was a disorderly kiss—he
bit and nipped at Yang Youming’s lips, aiming to smear the lipstick onto
Yang Youming’s mouth.
Yang Youming’s hand that was originally placed on Xia Xingcheng’s leg
was grabbed by Xia Xingcheng to shove under his dress, but as he was
sitting down, the dress was pressed under his leg–Xia Xingcheng tugged
impatiently, then grabbed the entire dress and lifted it up, his lips leaving
Yang Youming’s to bite down on the dress.
He was completely bare.
Yang Youming pressed at Xia Xingcheng’s ass to bring him towards him,
his breathing rough as he pressed kisses to Xia Xingcheng’s ear. “Not here,
Xingcheng.”
The car was parked on the side of the road; the rocking would be a dead
giveaway.
Xia Xingcheng also knew that it was out of the question. He bit at his dress,
gasped, and ambiguously said, “Just touch me.” Once Yang Youming
covered that particular part of him with a hand, he couldn’t help letting out
a low cry, and the dress slipped out from his mouth. Pressed against Yang
Youming’s face, he said, “Wait until I bring this dress back…”
Smiling, Yang Youming answered, “All right.”
☆☆☆
t/n – sorry for disappearing 😦
Later on, Xia Xingcheng took the dress back to the hotel and had fun with it
for an entire night. Much later on, he couldn’t bear to throw it out, so he
washed it clean and folded it before putting it in his suitcase. It was
eventually hung in between the rows of monotonous men’s clothing in Yang
Youming’s closet, looking particularly out of place.
When Xia Xingcheng finished shooting his parts for ‘Accidental Murder’,
he packed up his things and left the crew ahead of time.
It was early in the morning on the day of his departure; the sky was yet to
fully brighten when he got into a low-key SUV parked outside the hotel
with his suitcase in hand.
Yang Youming was the driver, and they were the only two people in the car.
Once Xia Xingcheng had sat down on the passenger seat and fastened his
seat belt, Yang Youming started the car and drove forward.
While driving, Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “If you’re sleepy,
take a nap. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
Before, he had driven directly from his house to the set on his own.
Clad in a hat and mask, Xia Xingcheng tilted his head back and slightly
glanced at the other man. “I’m not sleepy. I’m a little excited.”
Yang Youming let out a laugh, his gaze fixed to the front.
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Your house is so big—are you the only one living
there?”
Yang Youming said, “There’s an auntie* surnamed Tian. You can call her
Auntie Tian. She used to live there, but when I bought the house, she didn’t
want to move, so I let her stay. She cleans the house every day, and she can
also cook for us.”
*not necessarily blood-related
Xia Xingcheng then asked, “Won’t she find you bringing someone back
weird?”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “No, she never asks about my affairs.”
As Yang Youming drove onto the highway, the landscape on both sides of
the road became monotonous. Having been sleep-deprived for a long time,
Xia Xingcheng adjusted his seat and fell asleep.
But after what seemed like a short slumber, Xia Xingcheng was roused by a
call from Huang Jixin.
Huang Jixin pelted him with an endless stream of shouts, asking him when
he’d be returning.
Xia Xingcheng patiently endured until he finished yelling and said, “I just
left the crew, can’t you let me rest for half a month?”
Huang Jixin said, “Do you know how many fans you lost after you
vanished for two months? And you still want to take half a month off?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t hold back a yawn.
Huang Jixin angrily hung up on him.
Xia Xingcheng stared at the darkened screen and said in bewilderment,

“Why is he getting more and more grumpy?”
Yang Youming laughed and didn’t say anything.
A while later, Huang Jixin called again, evidently striving to control his
emotions as he asked him, “Is Yang Youming there?”
Xia Xingcheng replied, “He’s driving.”
Huang Jixin asked him, “So you two got back together, huh?”
The sound coming out of the receiver felt too loud for Xia Xingcheng. He
wasn’t sure whether Yang Youming could hear it, so he merely said, “We
didn’t fight.”
Huang Jixin said, “Half a month is too long, I’ll give you a week. We’ll be
arranging work on our side, so get your ass back here quick.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “All right.”
He hung up and threw his phone to his lap, raising his arm to shield his eyes
and sighing.
Yang Youming said to him, “Huang Jixin’s right. You’re still young, you
have to work a little harder these years.”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “I’m not worried about hard work, I just hate
having to leave you.”
Yang Youming drove quietly for a while, then said, “I’ll go back with you.”
Xia Xingcheng, however, was taken aback and said, “Of course you’re
going back with me, were you planning on not going back with me?”
Yang Youming chuckled and said, “No, I’ll always be by your side.”
He drove for more than an hour at high speed and into the neighboring city,
driving the car through the streets with a familiar ease.
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Do you come back often?”
Yang Youming said, “I come back to visit on my own when I have time on
my hands—not too often, but I recognize the roads I travel through.” He
smiled as he spoke, glancing at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng watched as the car drove into a narrow alley in the city
centre, where the number of cars and people gradually became fewer. Yang
Youming continued along the path, passing through the alley and into a one-
lane road with lush trees on both sides. Behind the large trees were low-rise
buildings; very few were shops, but there was the occasional quiet and
secluded bar or coffee shop.
With his hands on the wheel, Yang Youming said, “There are a few
Republican era buildings here, but most of them are private residences.”
Xia Xingcheng listened to him speak as the car gradually slowed down,
before finally stopping in front of an iron gate to one side of the road. Yang
Youming pressed on a remote control, and the gates slowly swung open
until there was enough room for the car to make its way through.
Through the gates was a three-story building with a blue tile roof, dark red
brick walls, and wooden doors and windows.
Yang Youming parked the car in front of the building, and the iron gates
slowly closed behind them.
“We’re here. This is my home,” said Yang Youming to Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng was still peering at the house through the car window.
Yang Youming thus got out of the car first, walked to the back of the car,
and opened the trunk to take out Xia Xingcheng’s suitcase. He didn’t have
much luggage himself, only lugging a backpack.
It was almost May, and in some southern cities, the pedestrians in town had
already begun to wear short sleeves so long as it was sunny out.
Xia Xingcheng opened the car door and hopped down, just as the door on
the first floor of the building opened. A woman who’s entire head of hair
had grayed stood at the doorway, smiling as she said, “Youming’s back!”
Yang Youming carried the suitcase up the steps, then turned back and
beckoned to Xia Xingcheng. “Xingcheng, come here.”
Xia Xingcheng hurriedly walked over to him.
Yang Youming introduced him to her. “Auntie Tian, this is the friend I told
you I’d be bringing here, Xia Xingcheng.” He then said to Xia Xingcheng,
“Xingcheng, this is Auntie Tian.”
Xia Xingcheng cleverly called out, “Hello, Auntie Tian.”
Auntie Tian nodded repeatedly. “Come in come in, why did you come back
first thing in the morning?” They had set off early, and it wasn’t even nine
o’clock yet.
Yang Youming brought the suitcase and went in with Xia Xingcheng,
saying, “We left early and haven’t had time to eat breakfast yet, is there
something we can eat?”
Auntie Tian promptly said, “Of course there is. I’ll go and prepare
something for you right away.” After saying that, she walked through a
doorway on the left side of the house.
As soon as Xia Xingcheng entered the house, he couldn’t help but catalogue
everything in the room. Through the large front door was an entrance hall,
with a staircase leading to the upper floors directly facing the door. There
was a door on each side of the entrance hall, wooden and painted with red
lacquer. The stairs and handrails were also made of wood and painted in the
same red, while the walls were a warm, creamy white. If you looked
upwards, you’d discover that the roof beams were carved with fancy
patterns.
Yang Youming closed the door, set the suitcase down on the wooden floor,
and grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s waist, whispering in his ear, “The kitchen and
dining room is on the left, and Auntie Tian’s room is on the right.”
“Which floor do you live on?” Xia Xingcheng turned and asked him.
Yang Youming answered, “I live on the third floor now. I’ll take you up and
show you after breakfast.”
Since it was a last minute breakfast, Auntie Tian heated milk and boiled
eggs for them, also steaming two frozen buns.
Xia Xingcheng followed Yang Youming to the dining room for breakfast
and found that the wooden floor creaked a bit as he walked on it. When he
went up the stairs after breakfast, the creaking was even more obvious, and
it was as if the entire staircase was shaking.
Yang Youming walked in front with his suitcase. He stopped on the second
floor, set his suitcase down, opened the door on the right, and stood in the
doorway as he said to Xia Xingcheng, “This is the apartment my family
used to live in.”
When Xia Xingcheng got to the door, all of a sudden he didn’t dare to
proceed and merely peered in. The room had the same white walls and dark
red wooden windows, but the furniture and decorations seemed even more
old-fashioned than the ones in the first floor. The bed and wardrobe were
both wooden, the surface paint peeling. There was a musty smell in the air
—the room seemed to have been unoccupied for a long time.
Yang Youming said, “Go in and take a look.”
Yang Youming pulled at Xia Xingcheng’s hand, and they entered the room.
He saw a black-and-white photo of a family of three hanging on the wall;
the little boy in the middle ought to be Yang Youming, and his parents who
stood behind him still looked very young, his father tall and handsome, and
his mother a gentle beauty.
He raised his head and stared at the photo.
Yang Youming said, “This is the last time we posed for a photo together.
My father passed away not long afterwards.”
Next to the black-and-white photo was a colored photo of Yang Youming,

who was already grown up but still very young at the time, and his mother,
who was significantly older.
Xia Xingcheng reached out and pointed to the photo and asked, “How old
were you in this?”
Yang Youming said, “This was taken with my mother when I was in my
third year of university, her health was already not very good at the time.”
Xia Xingcheng carefully examined the photo for a moment, then turned to
Yang Youming.
Yang Youming smiled and asked, “Have I aged terribly?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I think you’re much more handsome now.”
Yang Youming kissed his cheek and chuckled, “Thank you for the
consolation.”
Xia Xingcheng circled the room and discovered that there was a small,
partitioned-off area. It was closed off by a curtain, and when he went over
to pull it open, he found a single bed inside, and the wall to the left of the
bed was covered with award certificates. He was astonished as he walked in
and saw that all those award certificates had Yang Youming’s name on
them. From primary school all the way to high school, there were all sorts
of merit student awards, excellent student leader awards, and even awards
from sports.
He looked back at Yang Youming, who was standing at the door of the
small room watching him, and said in disbelief, “How are you so
outstanding? Is there anything you’re not good at?”
With his arms folded on his chest and one leg bent and propped up against
the wall, Yang Youming appeared to think very seriously before saying,
“Dating. I’ve never dated anyone in middle school.”
Xia Xingcheng felt even more disinclined to believe him. “There’s no way
that there aren’t any girls who like you.”
Yang Youming recalled, “There were some. But none I liked, and I didn’t
talk to any either. They definitely couldn’t compare to you.”
Xia Xingcheng turned his face and pretended that they had never talked
about this topic.
When he came out of Yang Youming’s small room, he found several

trophies in a glass cabinet. He thus leaned closer to take a look and
discovered that among them were two first-place trophies of the city’s
swimming championship. His mouth fell open, and he pointed at the
trophies as he turned to Yang Youming.
Beside him, Yang Youming leaned in to take a look, and in a deadly earnest
tone asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “When you lost to me in swimming back then, did you
do it on purpose?”
Yang Youming looked at the trophies and hesitantly asked, “Which time?”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed his arm, “When we were filming ‘Gradual

Distance’ at the swimming pool!”
Yang Youming appeared to be gazing focusedly at the contents of the glass

cabinet, his fine, long eyelashes lightly blinking twice. His lips parted
slightly, “Oh. No, I’m just old. My physical strength is bad.”
Xia Xingcheng refused to believe him, clinging to his hand. “You’re really
Schrödinger’s physical strength. If it needs to be bad then it’s bad, when it
ought to be the opposite, it’s not bad at all.”
There was surprise in Yang Youming’s eyes as he looked over at him. “You
even know Schrödinger?”
Xia Xingcheng flushed at his words. “I’m a regular college graduate, okay?
How could I be so uncultured.” Only, he didn’t learn about Schrödinger
from university; it had been a line in an old TV series. At that time, he had
looked up the meaning and learned it by heart afterwards.
Yang Youming laughed as he raised a hand to embrace Xia Xingcheng’s

shoulder, softly patting him twice to placate him.
When they walked away from the cabinet, Xia Xingcheng asked Yang
Youming, “You didn’t live in this room?”
Yang Youming walked up to the window and leaned back against the
windowsill. He said, “After I went to university, my mother lived here by
herself for a long time. Later on, she also left. I wanted to keep this room,
so I bought the whole building and renovated it. This was the only room I
couldn’t bear to do anything to, so I left it alone. It’s like my personal
memento.”
As Xia Xingcheng listened to him, he looked up at the two photos on the

wall. They were like two stages in Yang Youming’s life—his beloved
family left him one by one until he was the only one left.
Xia Xingcheng then walked to his side.
Yang Youming didn’t utter another word, simply looking at the side of Xia
Xingcheng’s face in silence.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes abruptly stung for some reason. He lifted his finger,
pointed to the empty wall next to the photo of Yang Youming and his
mother, and said, “Let’s have our picture taken and hang it here.” It would
be the third stage of Yang Youming’s life, all the way until old-age.
Yang Youming did not answer him immediately.
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at Yang Youming in high spirits, wanting to

obtain his approval.
Yang Youming took a deep breath and nodded with a light smile. “All
right.”
☆☆☆
t/n – 100 chapters!!!!!! ❤ i made a carrd for this novel a couple of days ago as an early celebration~
The second floor had a guest room on the left, but since there were rarely
any guests these days, it went unused most of the time, its door shut.
Yang Youming’s bedroom was on the third floor. It was also on the left side.
In order to not alter the original room he’d lived in with his parents, the
only newly built room on the left was a bathroom, while the right side had a
study.
The room on the third floor was what Xia Xingcheng saw when he
videocalled Yang Youming the other day. There was a soft bed in the
middle of the room, with windows on opposite walls; one side of which was
screened off by the fence while the other window faced the street, yet it was
also completely closed off by the row of lush trees.
While it resulted in the room having poor lighting, it also gave Xia
Xingcheng a sense of security. Even with open curtains, he wouldn’t have
to worry about being seen.
Yang Youming set the suitcase down against the wall.
Xia Xingcheng changed into a pair of slippers, yet the wooden floor still
creaked as he tread on it. He thus flopped onto the bed, sank into the soft
bedding, then rolled over and sat up on one side and shook it.
Hearing the harsh creak of the wooden floor, he looked up at Yang Youming
and said, “It’s loud.”
Yang Youming laughed, “You can’t hear it from the first floor, relax.”
Xia Xingcheng then laughed and laid back down, stretching his arms
comfortably.
Yang Youming walked over to him and said, “Sleep for a bit if you’re tired,
I’ll call you down when it’s time for lunch.”
Xia Xingcheng yawned, kicked off the slippers on his feet, and rolled to the
middle of the bed. “Don’t call me down for lunch, I’m not hungry. I’ll eat
when I wake up.”
Yang Youming said, “Okay.”
Soon after, Xia Xingcheng heard the sound of Yang Youming drawing the
curtains and walking over to close the door. The room was thereafter
completely quiet. Yang Youming had apparently gone out.
He fell asleep in a daze.
His sleep was well and truly restful without the pressure of filming,
surrounded in warmth and comfort and a blanket that smelled of Yang
Youming. Xia Xingcheng was sleeping senselessly at first, but once he
turned over and started dreaming, it was filled with chaotic scenes.
When he woke up, Xia Xingcheng’s head was heavy with the haze of sleep.
He glanced at his phone and found that it was already way past three in the
afternoon.
He was the only one in the quiet and dusky room. Crawling out of bed, he
clutched at his disheveled hair and put on his slippers before making his
way outside.
Opening the door, Xia Xingcheng found that the door of the study right
across the room was open, the sounds of movement lightly audible. He
walked over and was met with the sight of Yang Youming crouching on the
ground with his back to the door, tidying up the contents of a cardboard
box. He then walked over and pounced on Yang Youming’s back, his arms
encircling the man’s neck.
Yang Youming didn’t turn back despite the fact that he’d definitely heard
Xia Xingcheng’s footsteps earlier, yet he reached back and held Xia
Xingcheng’s waist, asking, “You’re up?”
Xia Xingcheng was a little dizzy from oversleeping, and he languidly let the
full weight of his body press on Yang Youming’s back, burying his face into
the bare skin of his nape and absentmindedly rubbing against it.
Yang Youming patted his ass and asked, “Have you washed your face?”
Xia Xingcheng giggled and said, “Not yet. I heard that the oil your face
secretes is the best form of skin care, so I’m sharing some with you.”
Yang Youming spanked him.
Xia Xingcheng remained on Yang Youming’s back, hugging him silly.
A while later, Yang Youming said, “Get up, my legs are numb.”
Yet Xia Xingcheng replied, “Not going to, if your legs are numb then just
sit down. I’ll die if I don’t hug you.”
Yang Youming said, “What are you saying.” Yet he still stretched out his
legs and sat on the floor as per Xia Xingcheng’s words.
Xia Xingcheng then knelt down behind him, peering at the cardboard box
on the floor over his shoulder. He asked, “What are you tidying up?”
Yang Youming answered, “I’m sorting out my father’s books.”
The cardboard box was full of neat piles of old books.
Yang Youming took them out and sorted them together by category. He
said, “Actually, I should’ve tidied these up a long time ago.”
With a cloying voice, Xia Xingcheng asked, “Then why are you only doing
it now?”
Yang Youming set the few books in his hands down and lightly smoothed
down their folded corners before saying, “I never had time at first, but when
I did have time later on, I always couldn’t bear touching them.”
Xia Xingcheng quietly leaned forward, thinking of Yang Youming’s
lonesome appearance as he sorted through his father’s belongings. It felt
painful, much worse off than the cause of his own loneliness.
“Let’s go find a photo studio and take pictures,” Xia Xingcheng said in
Yang Youming’s ear.
Yang Youming slightly turned his face to the side. “Why a photo studio?”
Xia Xingcheng knelt and straightened up and away from Yang Youming’s
back, turning to sit in front of him. He said, “It has the kind of atmosphere
of taking wedding or family photos ah. There’s a backdrop behind us and a
photographer going ‘here, a little closer’. It’s like we’re sitting side by side
for a wedding photo.”
Yang Youming seriously pondered over it, looking as if he was considering

Xia Xingcheng’s proposal. He said, “It’s inconvenient to go to a photo
studio, I’ll invite a professional photographer friend of mine here to take
our photo.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly said, “That’s fine too.” He then asked, “Can your
friend be trusted?”
Yang Youming said, “We can trust him. But he’s a busy guy, so I’m not sure
if he’s available. You ought to have heard of his name, Jiang Zihe.”
The name felt familiar to Xia Xingcheng. He tilted his head and tried to
recall it, then said, “Is his english name Steven?”
Yang Youming nodded. “That’s him.”
Jiang Zihe was a famous fashion photographer who had shot many covers
for top-tier domestic fashion magazines. Xia Xingcheng had previously
worked with him on a shoot for an inside page and was left with a quite
deep impression of the man. Just then, he almost blurted out, “The man is a
little—”
He’d originally meant to say flirty, but as he was Yang Youming’s friend, he
swallowed the words down halfway through.
“What?” asked Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng shook his head and said, “A little difficult to deal with.”
Yang Youming laughed; he’d probably guessed what Xia Xingcheng meant
to say. He then stopped talking about Jiang Zihe and instead asked, “Are
you hungry?”
It was only then did Xia Xingcheng realise that he hadn’t had lunch, his
tummy rumbling with hunger. He said, “I am, I want to eat noodles.”
Yang Youming reached out for his hand and got up, pulling him outside.
“I’ll ask Auntie Tian to cook a bowl of noodles for you.”
Xia Xingcheng yawned, dragging his feet as he followed behind Yang

Youming. He said, “I wanna eat your cooking.”
Yang Youming then said, “Okay, I’ll go cook for you.”
Xia Xingcheng let out a sudden laugh and said, “I wanna eat yours.”
He wasn’t sure if Yang Youming understood what he meant. Instead of

answering, he smiled and led him downstairs by the hand.
That very night, Xia Xingcheng realised that Yang Youming did, in fact,
understand him.
Xia Xingcheng was extremely fond of this old building. He thought that
everything about it was great—except for the loud flooring, which sounded
particularly loud in the dead of the night.
He was afraid the people passing by on the street would hear.
These thoughts tormented him until it made his already spent self insist on
putting on clothes and going outside, asking Yang Youming to rock the bed
to test whether it was audible from the street below this late at night.
Yang Youming held him back. “You can’t hear anything, just sleep, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “No. It distracts me every time we do it. It ruins the
mood.”
Yang Youming had no choice but to let him go. “Then you go and listen
from the first floor, you definitely won’t hear a thing from there, let alone
from the street.”
Xia Xingcheng felt that this made sense, so he put on his slippers and went
down to the first floor. He heard nothing from Auntie Tian’s room, so she
must’ve gone to bed early. He thus sent Yang Youming a WeChat message
to tell him that he’d reached the first floor.
When he heard no sign of movement a while later, he sent another message

asking, “Did you shake the bed?”
Yang Youming replied, “I did.”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng run back up the creaky wooden stairs to the
third floor.
Yang Youming leaned against the headboard, naked from head to toe, the
thin blanket covering his lower body, and he held out his hand at Xia
Xingcheng’s return.
Xia Xingcheng left his slippers at the foot of the bed, knelt on the bed, and
quickly crawled into Yang Youming’s arms, hugging him and saying, “I
couldn’t hear a thing.”
Yang Youming stroked his cold arm and covered him with the blanket. “Are
you happy now?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded and pressed a kiss on his lips.
It wasn’t until they went to bed after, as he stared at Yang Youming’s face
for a good while, that a question abruptly came to mind, “Ming ge, did you
trick me? Did you really shake the bed?”
Yang Youming shut his eyes and drew Xia Xingcheng towards his body. “I
really did shake it, I swear. Can we go to sleep now, baby?”
Xia Xingcheng hugged his waist and said, “Okay.”
To Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s surprise, the next afternoon, Jiang
Zihe appeared outside Yang Youming’s old house with his camera.
When Yang Youming called Jiang Zihe last night, he didn’t invite Jiang
Zihe over with the expectation that he’d be available in the near future. He
merely asked him when he’d be free and mentioned that he wanted to invite
him to take pictures in his old home.
Jiang Zihe was very busy at the time. He asked Yang Youming where he
was and where his old house was, and hung up in a hurry after Yang
Youming answered.
No one thought that he’d come the following afternoon.
At that time, Yang Youming was in the study with Xia Xingcheng,
arranging the books his father had left. When they heard Auntie Tian say
that there was a guest surnamed Jiang, they were both startled for a moment
before Yang Youming went downstairs.
Jiang Zihe was an out-and-open gay man, which wasn’t really all that
strange in this industry. He had just finished up a job at the film and TV
studio last night, and after receiving Yang Youming’s call, he simply
acquired a car from the film and TV studio and directly headed over
without wasting a single minute more.
It was a sunny day today. The early summer sun was already a menace as it
shone upon the city.
Jiang Zihe wore a loose sleeveless knit-shirt and ripped cropped pants. He
carried a camera bag on one shoulder and pushed a suitcase with his other
hand. His bleached blonde hair was black at the roots, and he had light
makeup on that wasn’t detectable unless one looked carefully.
He stood in front of the door, and once he saw Yang Youming coming down
the stairs, he immediately showed a sincere brilliant smile, letting go of his
suitcase and stepping forward to greet him with two words that had been
shouted a thousand times over already: “Ming ge!”
Wearing a casual long-sleeved linen shirt and cotton pants at home, Yang
Youming looked neat and warm, and while he seemed surprised, he smiled
and said, “Why so sudden?”
Jiang Zihe grabbed his wrist. “Are you kidding me! Yang Youming invited
me to his family home. It’s such an honour, how could I not come right
away?”
Yang Youming chuckled. “It’s me who’s troubled you, I’m honoured to

have you here.”
Jiang Zihe patted his camera bag. “What do you want to take photos of? I
promise to take beautiful ones for you. Do you want photos of the house for
a memento? Is Ming ge planning to publish an autobiography?”
Yang Youming said, “Don’t joke around, I want you to help me take a photo
of me with someone.”
“A group photo?” Jiang Zihe mulled over this and found it a little strange. It
was then that he heard the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. When
he looked up, the person going down the stairs also peered around to look at
him. As soon he saw the man’s appearance, Jiang Zihe’s mouth fell open in
astonishment, his words changing its tune as he said, “Xia Xingcheng?”
☆☆☆
t/n – sorry if anything sounds weird! this chapter gave me a headache lol
and thank you to Jackile and anon for your kofis ❤
Jiang Zihe had once made a move on Xia Xingcheng in a previous

photoshoot. This came as no surprise to anyone, Jiang Zihe hit on many
people; young, handsome male models, newly debuted rookie idols—if he
took a fancy to them, he’d hint at it, and if the other person rejected him,
he’d let it go. At the time, Xia Xingcheng was still a staunch heterosexual.
He didn’t respond to Jiang Zihe, and they thus put the matter behind them,
not treating it as something serious.
But Jiang Zihe had never hit on Yang Youming. It wasn’t because he didn’t
want to, but because he didn’t dare to. If he were to rank the male celebs in
the industry he longed to sleep with, Yang Youming would definitely top
the list. But so what? For so long, everybody knew that Yang Youming had
Yuan Qian at his side. Even now, without Yuan Qian, he’d still never
believe that he’d ever have a chance to sleep with Yang Youming.
Delusions would always be delusions.
So after hearing Yang Youming mention a photoshoot, the instant he saw

Xia Xingcheng, Jiang Zihe was overcome by an odd premonition—to the
point where he called out Xia Xingcheng’s name in shock. But he quickly
dismissed the thought. How could it be possible? This was Yang Youming!
Xia Xingcheng was wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt the colour of bean paste.
It was soft and oversized, and his sleeves were rolled up to reveal fair arms.
The collar was a little low, revealing half a collarbone—the tattoo there was
plainly visible.
Jiang Zihe glanced at his tattoo and merely noted the complicated design.
For a while, he couldn’t clearly make out what it was.
As Xia Xingcheng reached the first floor, he cast a brief look at the hand
Jiang Zihe had around Yang Youming’s wrist before smiling and extending
a hand towards him. “Long time no see, Steven.”
Jiang Zihe could only let go of his grip on Yang Youming’s arm. He shook
Xia Xingcheng’s hand and said, “We’re not at work, just call me Zihe. Long
time no see, Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “It’s really been a while.”
The two let go of each other’s hands.
Jiang Zihe looked to Yang Youming and asked hesitantly, “Ming ge, who
are you taking photos with?” He still held a glimmer of hope, thinking that
he must be mistaken.
As a result, Yang Youming candidly reached out for Xia Xingcheng’s hand.
“With Xingcheng.”
A chaotic rumble rang throughout Jiang Zihe’s head. He stood stock-still

for a while; it was as if the gears in his brain were rusted over and jammed,
unable to turn. He didn’t return to his senses for a long while.
Upon seeing this, Yang Youming said, “What are you standing there for, go
sit down and we’ll talk over some tea. We don’t get guests here all that
often.” With that, he turned to Xia Xingcheng and said, “Xingcheng, go
upstairs with Zihe. I’ll bring the tea up.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded, then reached out to help Jiang Zihe with his
camera.
Jiang Zihe subconsciously avoided his hand, flinching. “I’ll do it myself.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed, but didn’t insist. He turned to go up the stairs.

“Let’s go to the second floor.”
Directly above the entrance hall on the first floor, between the two doors on
the second floor, was a small drawing room that faced the staircase. It only
had two sofas, a two-seater and an armchair, and a coffee table between
them.
Jiang Zihe followed Xia Xingcheng upstairs, his head in a mess. He had no
mind to take in the old house, staring at Xia Xingcheng’s back, engrossed,
noticing how nice and perky his ass looked. He then remembered that it
wasn’t the first time he’d noticed this. When he had shot his photos that
year, he had asked Xia Xingcheng to lie on his stomach on a table and
thought that he truly had a nice ass, and even pretended to correct his
posture to cop a feel.
In the midst of his flights of fancy, Jiang Zihe finally reached the second
floor. Xia Xingcheng invited him to sit down, adopting the tone of someone
entertaining guests in his own home.
Taking advantage of the fact that Yang Youming hadn’t come up yet, Jiang
Zihe grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s arm and asked, “What’s your relationship
with Yang Youming?”
This question stunned Xia Xingcheng for a moment. He then said, “Isn’t it
obvious?”
Jiang Zihe snapped, “There’s no way!”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t all too willing to offend Jiang Zihe, but right then he
found the other man’s anger a little funny. The two of them were close. He
winked at Jiang Zihe, the corners of his lips quirked as he whispered, “Ask
him, he invited you here to take our wedding photo.”
Jiang Zihe felt like the sky was spinning.
Right then, the sound of Yang Youming’s footsteps resounded from the
stairs. Jiang Zihe let go of Xia Xingcheng and conveniently sat down on the
two-seater sofa, not forgetting his camera, and he carefully placed it by his
side.
Yang Youming brought tea for Jiang Zihe.

Jiang Zihe promptly stood up and took it from his hands. “Thank you, Ming
ge.”
Yang Youming laughed as he sat down on the armchair, then said, “It’s me
who’s inconvenienced you. It’s a small matter, but I troubled such a busy
person to come so far.”
Xia Xingcheng sat on the armrest of Yang Youming’s armchair.
Jiang Zihe said, “It’s no trouble, no trouble at all. I’m just stopping by, and
the trip here didn’t take long, either.” Jiang Zihe then glanced at Xia
Xingcheng before turning back to Yang Youming. “Ming ge, are you guys
—”
Yang Youming held Xia Xingcheng’s hand. “Let me officially introduce

you to my little boyfriend.”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t all too pleased. He shifted closer to Yang Youming’s
ear and whispered, “You have to say lover—a lifelong one.”
Yang Youming smiled as he glanced at him, then said to Jiang Zihe, “My
lover, who I’ll be married to for a lifetime.”
Jiang Zihe felt his gut twisting, it didn’t hurt, but the ache was a pain in the
ass. He made no attempt to conceal his misery from showing through, and
said, “Ming ge, how could you do this?”
Yang Youming looked at him uncomprehendingly.
Jiang Zihe felt like he was sucking on a lemon. “It’s whatever if you marry
Yuan Qian and like women, but how can you like men?”
Yang Youming laughed, “Why can’t I?”
Aggrieved, Jiang Zihe complained, “If you like women, I can tell myself
that straight men can’t be forced and blame it on gender; if you like men but
don’t like me, then how am I supposed to console myself?” His tone was
wretched, but he was actually more envious than he was miserable, just like
a fan who abruptly found out that their idol was in a relationship; they were
perfectly aware that they never had a chance in the first place, but they were
nevertheless still unhappy.
Right then, Xia Xingcheng said, “You can be at ease. Yang Youming won’t
like any other man—he only likes Xia Xingcheng alone.”
Jiang Zihe rolled his eyes. “That’s even worse.”
Yang Youming could only say, ”Is it that big of a deal? I’ve never realized
that you liked me. Don’t joke now.”
The sullen Jiang Zihe remained silent.
Yang Youming had no other choice but to say, “Stay here tonight, Zihe.
There’s a guest room on the second floor. I’ll cook for the two of you
tonight and we can all have a drink.”
Jiang Zihe immediately turned to him. “Are you doing the cooking
yourself?”
Yang Youming laughed and asked, “Who knows? Will you let me do the
honours?”
Jiang Zihe exclaimed, “Wow! It’d be my pleasure!”
Having decided on staying, the brokenhearted Jiang Zihe maintained his

professionalism and surveyed the house, finally suggesting they take the
photos in front of the staircase on the first floor. Because the lighting was
no longer great right then, though, and it would be another clear, sunny day
tomorrow, they’d take the photos the next day instead when there’d be
plenty of light. Jiang Zihe could also contact a photo studio through one of
his friends and develop the photos before leaving.
“I promise that I’ll do everything myself, no one else will get their hands on
them.” He said to Yang Youming.
Yang Youming leaned on the staircase’s railings and said, “I don’t really
mind myself. But if our relationship were exposed, it’d definitely have a big
impact on Xingcheng. I want him to be able to continue growing in this
industry.”
Jiang Zihe sighed. “The more you talk, the more envious I get.”
Yang Youming clearly didn’t take his words seriously, smiling as he patted
Jiang Zihe’s shoulder.
It was getting late. Yang Youming started on dinner in the first floor kitchen
and asked Auntie Tian to go back to her room and rest.
Xia Xingcheng accompanied Jiang Zihe in the dining room, which was
separated from the kitchen by a lone door. He took the thermal kettle on the
table to add hot water to Jiang Zihe’s cup, and Jiang Zihe merely stared at
him without a single word of thanks.
Jiang Zihe observed Xia Xingcheng’s white and slender wrists, the pretty
line of his collarbone, and with how close he was sitting right then, he could
now carefully observe the tattoo on his collarbone.
Xia Xingcheng poured himself a cup of water, cupped it in his hands, and
took a small sip, then raised a hand to slightly pull his collar down.
Lowering his voice, he said to Jiang Zihe, “Have a good look.”
It was only then did Jiang Zihe notice the overlapping sun, moon, and stars
design. Struck, he glanced at the direction of the kitchen, then leaned closer
to Xia Xingcheng and said, “How did you seduce Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng laughed and said, “We love each other. You don’t even
know the half of it.”
Slightly angered, Jiang Zihe carefully examined Xia Xingcheng from head
to toe. “I don’t see anything special about you, you have an average figure.”
Xia Xingcheng actually had a great figure. He had particularly good

proportions; his legs weren’t just long, but also straight, and compared to
when he filmed ‘Gradual Distance’, they now had a bit more meat to them.
His entire body was toned with a thin layer of muscle and looked especially
good in front of the camera. To the Jiang Zihe who’d seen a great many
beautiful male bodies, however, Xia Xingcheng could indeed be considered
average.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t take offence and simply smiled at his words. He
knew that Jiang Zihe was just being sour, but who cares? He was dying to
tell the whole world that he and Yang Youming were together, yet he
couldn’t say a thing because of their identities. But now—since Jiang Zihe
had delivered himself to Xia Xingcheng’s doorstep, he said, “Whether I
have a good body or not isn’t important, what matters is that Ming ge likes
it.”
Jiang Zihe was thoroughly fed up.
Xia Xingcheng laughed and glanced towards the kitchen.
Whispering, Jiang Zihe asked, “Have you and Yang Youming slept
together?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help laughing. “What are you talking about.”
Jiang Zihe unhappily squeezed the handle of his cup. A good while later, he
still couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Ming ge, he—is he fierce in bed?”
This time, Xia Xingcheng said, “Why would I tell you?” He picked up the
cup and drank, his face furtively reddening.
Jiang Zihe saw right through him and internally cursed ‘Little Slut’. Seeing
Xia Xingcheng swaying on his stool with more than half his butt hanging
out, he couldn’t help but reach over and pinch it.
At this sudden attack, he spluttered, his stool swaying a little before its four
legs steadied once more. He stared at Jiang Zihe in astonishment. “What the
hell are you doing?”
Jiang Zihe said, “I wanted to see how that ass of yours seduced Yang
Youming.”
The moment his words fell, Yang Youming’s voice suddenly resounded
from the kitchen, shouting, “Xingcheng, come here.”
Both Xia Xingcheng and Jiang Zihe jumped in fright. Xia Xingcheng shot a
vicious glare at Jiang Zihe and hopped down from his stool, scampering off
to the kitchen. He stopped just behind Yang Youming, then peered over the
man’s shoulder and saw sliced vegetables. He called out, “Ming ge.”
Yang Youming was cutting the beef, so he didn’t turn his head and only
asked, “What are you up to?”
Xia Xingcheng heard the slight hint of sullenness in his tone, so he

promptly replied, “Jiang Zihe harassed me. He’s jealous of me.”
The kitchen knife in Yang Youming’s hand fell quickly and steadily. “I can’t
do anything about him,” he said as he sliced the meat. “I can only look after
you.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed and hugged Yang Youming from behind. “Then I’m
not leaving. Is it okay if I help you out here?”
Jiang Zihe stayed in the dining room for a while. Seeing no signs of Xia
Xingcheng returning, he couldn’t help himself from getting up and quietly
walking up to the doorway of the kitchen. When he peered in, he saw Xia
Xingcheng facing the door as he leaned against the edge of the stove next to
the sink. Yang Youming picked up some vegetables with the chopsticks in
his right hand, his left hand cupped below it, and fed it to Xia Xingcheng.
Yang Youming watched Xia Xingcheng chew and asked, “How is it? Does
it need more salt?”
Xia Xingcheng tasted the food earnestly, and answered, “No, I think it’s
fine.”
A drop of leftover seasoning smeared the corner of his mouth; Yang

Youming wiped at it with his thumb and directly sucked on it, then nodded.
When Xia Xingcheng looked up, he happened to catch sight of Jiang Zihe
looking their way. He then reached out and grabbed for Yang Youming,
who was about to turn away, clinging to his neck and kissing his lips.
Yang Youming kissed him back half-heartedly at first as he made to pull

away.
As a result, Xia Xingcheng tightened his arms around Yang Youming’s

neck, not letting him go, and wrapped a leg around the man.
Yang Youming tried and failed to pull away from him, so he simply put the
chopsticks in his right hand to the side and put one hand around Xia
Xingcheng, kissing him hotly as he pressed their bodies together. At the
same time, he slotted a leg between Xia Xingcheng’s and kneaded his waist
until he trembled.
Xia Xingcheng’s breaths were erratic and he was soft at the knees, and only
then did Yang Youming release him, saying, “Be good, if you keep
pestering me, we won’t have anything to eat.”
Xia Xingcheng let go of him too, and winked at Jiang Zihe through the
doorway.
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you to britener for the kofis ❤
At dinner that night, Jiang Zihe drank a little too much. Once Yang
Youming could no longer bear to watch, he snatched the bottle of wine right
out of his hand and asked Xia Xingcheng to help him up to the second floor
guest room.
Although it had been renovated and redecorated, the room still had the
smell of wood that was typical of old wooden buildings.
Jiang Zihe laid on his side. His brain was soaked in alcohol; he was dizzy
yet not sleepy. The fact that he had the unexpected chance to spend a night
in this building was like a dream—just like the fact that Yang Youming had
a young, gay lover.
Why did it have to be Xia Xingcheng? Why couldn’t it be him? Jiang Zihe’s
burning face pressed on the chilly bed sheets; the bitterness of his jealousy
overwhelmed the alcohol, and he turned to look up.
He then heard a light rattling, which caused him to go dumb for a moment
before he flipped over to face the ceiling and focus on the sound—only to
realize that the rattling was coming from the room directly above his. It had
the regular rhythm of a rocking bed, the creaking sounds made by its legs as
it dragged against the wooden floor.
Yang Youming came out of the bathroom to the sight of Xia Xingcheng
lying on the bed, deliberately rocking his body dramatically, making the bed
creak from the friction.
He casually threw his towel back to the edge of the bathroom sink, then
made his way over to the bed and said, “Stop making noise.”
The only thing Xia Xingcheng had on his body was underwear. He stopped,
then turned to Yang Youming, grinning as he said, “Just teasing him.”
Yang Youming sat down on the edge of the bed. He reached out and put his
hand on Xia Xingcheng’s thigh. Feeling the slightly cold skin, he pulled the
blanket over him.
Just then, Xia Xingcheng’s phone on the bedside table suddenly rang—it
was Huang Jixin calling.
Xia Xingcheng was lying on his stomach. Too lazy to hold up the phone, he
directly answered and put it on loudspeaker.
Huang Jixin asked, “What are you up to?”
“I’m getting ready for bed, do I need to tell you what I’m doing with Ming
ge?” Xia Xingcheng said.
Huang Jixin let out a heartfelt sound of disgust, “Tsk!”
Hearing this, Yang Youming couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Pay attention to your words, Ming ge can hear everything,” Xia Xingcheng
warned.
Huang Jixin snorted. “There’s a script for a male lead in an ancient fantasy
drama of a big IP adaptation. You interested?”
Xia Xingcheng propped himself up on his elbows, his face on his hands
with his upper body raised. He stretched his legs out of the blanket, bent
them, and teased Yang Youming with his toes, all the while he continued,
“What’s it called?”
Huang Jixin said, “The novel is titled ‘Legend of Immortal Feng Yulong’,
but the name of the drama is subject to change.”
“Is it a webdrama?” Xia Xingcheng asked.

On the other side, Huang Jixin surmised, “I’m not sure, it’s hard to say
whether the subject matter can be aired on TV.”
Xia Xingcheng kicked his leg at the approximate direction of Yang

Youming’s face, when out of nowhere, his ankle was grabbed. The arch of
his foot was suddenly scratched, and Xia Xingcheng couldn’t stop a low
shout from escaping his mouth. He pulled his foot back and turned over on
the bed.
Huang Jixin was silent throughout.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at Yang Youming, reached over to grab his phone,
then continued asking, “What about the director, screenwriter, and
production team?”
Huang Jixin’s tone was laced with a slight impatience. “It’s not fixed yet.
I’m only giving you a heads up. Think it over first.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Uh-huh.”
Jixin added, “Ask Ming ge what he thinks.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, and said, “Okay.”
Right before Huang Jixin hung up, he paused briefly, like he was holding
back, but in the end he couldn’t help himself from saying, “Pass this on to
Ming ge for me—make sure he takes care of his health.” He uttered it all in
one breath, not even giving Xia Xingcheng a chance to respond as he
hastily hung up.
With the phone in his hand, Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming
blankly. After a while, he said, “I didn’t say anything.”
Youming remained silent for a bit, then said, “He does have a point.” With
that, he lifted the blanket and laid down. “Let’s sleep a little earlier tonight.”
Xia Xingcheng shifted closer to him, looked at his eyes, and said, “Are you
mad?”
Yang Youming said, “What’s there to be mad about. We have a guest today,
it wouldn’t be appropriate to make so much noise so late.”
Xia Xingcheng grudgingly turned his head and rubbed his face against Yang
Youming’s chest. After a bout of rubbing, he lightly licked at it with the tip
of his tongue, tracing circles around and around.
Yang Youming subconsciously tilted his head, letting out a sharp, low gasp
from his throat. He pulled at Xia Xingcheng’s arm until he sat on his body.
Xia Xingcheng snuggled close to his ear and said, “It’s okay, Ming ge, I’ll
soak some goji berries tomorrow to nourish your health.”
……
The next morning, Jiang Zihe forwent his makeup after getting out of bed,
had breakfast, then fiddled with his tripod in the entrance hall, his entire
being listless.
Yang Youming wore a snow white dress shirt, his cuffs and collar neatly
buttoned, and a pair of jeans on his lower body.
When he walked up to Jiang Zihe, Jiang Zihe was squatting on the floor. He
looked up at Yang Youming, stole a glimpse at his crotch that was covered
by the hem of his shirt, then lowered his head once more. “I’ll test the
lighting angles in a bit.”
Yang Youming smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Xia Xingcheng got up late. He was also wearing a white dress shirt, yet it
was half tucked in, and the buttons were fastened incorrectly. His shirt was
lopsided, and the collar was skewed open.
His footsteps were brisk as he descended the stairs. He ran into the kitchen
and asked Auntie Tian for a steamed bun, stuffed it into his mouth, then
swallowed it as he took the warm milk from Auntie Tian’s hands and drank
it in large gulps.
When he finished his breakfast, Yang Youming called him over and helped
him re-button his shirt. The two then sat on the two-seater sofa in front of
the stairs with their arms around each other.
Jiang Zihe viewed them through the camera lens.
Both of them were actors; they had small, three-dimensional faces, and they
looked good on camera. At this moment, they leaned towards the other with
their heads tilted together—it was the standard pose for wedding photos.
Jiang Zihe took a few shots of them like this, then had them change their
pose. They grabbed the stool Xia Xingcheng had sat on the other day, and
Xia Xingcheng stood behind Yang Youming with his hands around the
other man’s shoulders.
When pressing the shutter, Jiang Zihe felt a bit strange. Nowadays most
people rarely took wedding photos indoors in such a serious manner. Xia
Xingcheng’s expression was too solemn, as if he were carrying out a serious
ceremony.
Afterwards, Yang Youming turned to look at Xia Xingcheng. Xia

Xingcheng also faced him, and the two men gazed at each other for a long
time. When Jiang Zihe noticed Xia Xingcheng’s gradually reddening eyes,
his hand on the shutter unintentionally trembled.
Through the lens, Jiang Zihe watched Yang Youming take Xia Xingcheng’s
head into his hands, slightly pull him down, and kiss his eye. He
immediately captured this scene; his heart throbbed violently, and his eyes
never left the camera as he looked at them dazedly.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Youming asked Xia Xingcheng, his voice low
and gentle.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Just happy.”
Yang Youming then smiled at him.

Jiang Zihe momentarily stood in place and abruptly found that he was no
longer envious of Xia Xingcheng. Somewhat at a loss, he thought,
compared to finding a man like Yang Youming, perhaps it was more
difficult to find somebody so loving that you’d want to shed tears when you
look at him. From then on, he yearned for such a relationship.
After the photoshoot that morning, Jiang Zihe didn’t even eat before he left
to contact a studio and develop their photos. When he returned that
afternoon, he brought back three photos in wooden frames. One was of the
two leaning towards each other as they sat side by side, and in accordance
with Yang Youming’s request, this photo was printed in a large size, to be
hung up on the wall. The other two photos were small-sized, to place by
their bed; one was of the two of them looking at each other, and the other
was of Yang Youming kissing Xia Xingcheng’s eye.
Hearing Yang Youming say that he was planning on hanging the photo,
Jiang Zihe wondered where he would be hanging them, so Yang Youming
invited him to go up to the room on the right of the second floor.
This room had always been closed before, and Jiang Zihe had never
inquired about what was inside either. Now, he followed behind Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng as they entered the room, and when he looked
around, he was too surprised at the sight of the two old photos to even react.
Yang Youming climbed up a ladder to hang up the third picture. Holding the
photo frame, he first asked Xia Xingcheng to show him the appropriate
position for the photo, then marked the place for the nail. He then passed
the photo to Xia Xingcheng, took out the nail he held between his teeth, and
hammered it into the wall.
All the while, Xia Xingcheng said, “Be careful with your hands, let me do it
instead.”
Yang Youming said, “It’s fine.”
Jiang Zihe retreated to the back, and he stared at the three photos for a long
time. Once Yang Youming came down, he said, “Ming ge, I’m off.”
Yang Youming was clapping the dust off his hands. When he heard this, he
turned to Jiang Zihe. “Stay and play for a few more days, you’re rarely free
anyway.”
“I still have some work to do, so I can’t hang around. Have a good vacation,
you two,” Jiang Zihe said.
Behind Yang Youming, Xia Xingcheng waved goodbye.
Facing him, Yang Youming said, “I really appreciate it, Zihe.”
Jiang Zihe shook his head. “I don’t know what else to say. I wish you both
happiness.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help saying, “Thank you.”
Jiang Zihe waved at him.
After Jiang Zihe left that day, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming were once
again the only ones in the house, along with Auntie Tian, who sat in a
recliner watching TV in her room every day.
Every day, Xia Xingcheng accompanied Yang Youming to organize his old
books; he also watered the plants, and even took out a pen and ink set to
practice calligraphy. He passed his days happily until he inadvertently
reached the expiration date Huang Jixin had set for his break.
As they were packing up their things on the day before their return to
Beijing, Gradual Distance’s trailer suddenly blew up on the internet.
The trailer was, of course, released officially. It was naturally not intended
for a domestic screening, but for He Zheng to submit to a European film
festival—this trailer was the one for the film festival.
The short trailer contained a few scenes; the first time Fang Jianyuan met
Yu Haiyang in his family’s grocery store as the older man bought cigarettes,
Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang messing around with water in Fang
Jianyuan’s rooftop garden, the two men riding a bicycle along a quiet street.
The shots leapt quickly, always accompanied by the scorching summer
sunshine and a cacophony of cicadas, along with close-ups of their clingy
and anxiety-ridden eyes, their sweaty shirts, and the restless love of two
men.
Xia Xingcheng used Yang Youming’s laptop to go on the internet. Almost

as soon as he opened Weibo, he was flooded with all sorts of messages, and
he watched as his follower count soared rapidly. The most reposted trailer
was reposted more than twenty thousand times, and people kept @-ing him
nonstop. He clicked to read the comments, and the most popular comment
was: “I’m going crazy! They completely brought my imagination of a male-
male romance to life!” There were countless more comments below
expressing agreement.
The sudden attention made Xia Xingcheng a little timid. He didn’t have the
heart to open the trailer, and silently quit Weibo.
Yang Youming stood behind him with a cup of hot water. Seeing the odd
expression on his face, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xia Xingcheng turned back and told him, “Gradual Distance’s trailer is
out.”
Yang Youming didn’t react much, and merely asked, “You’re not going to
watch it?”
Xia Xingcheng bent over on the desktop, his forehead bumped the laptop’s
touchpad, and his voice was muffled as he said, “I’m too embarrassed to,
let’s not watch it.”
☆☆☆
t/n – their movie ;___;
For the entirety of that day, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t ever muster up the
nerve to open the video. He was too embarrassed to even take a closer look
at the promotional poster; Yu Haiyang cupping Fang Jianyuan’s face with
tears streaming down his cheeks, the two looking at each other with gazes
full of sorrow.
For others, it was nothing more than a movie, but for Xia Xingcheng, each
and every scene were true feelings of love between him and Yang
Youming.
Their brief yet sweet vacation officially came to a close, and Xia Xingcheng
and Yang Youming parted, flying back one day after the other.
The fans weren’t notified of Xia Xingcheng’s itinerary, yet he was still
recognized by several young girls at the airport, which brought about a
small commotion.
If his popularity since filming Gradual Distance had been on the rise, then
once the trailer was released, his popularity completely erupted.
Most of these young girls hadn’t even seen the movie, but from those
fleeting scenes as well as Yang Youming and He Zheng’s names, they had
huge expectations and started paying close attention to the young actor Xia
Xingcheng.
For the moment, the momentum of Xia Xingcheng’s development was

quick and violent, exactly like a new traffic star.*
Huang Jixin was summoned by Cai Meiting several times for this reason.
He was urged to focus on adjusting Xia Xingcheng’s work to include
endorsements and magazine photoshoots, and all his variety shows had to
be carefully selected.
As for Xia Xingcheng himself, this sudden and widespread attention made
him simultaneously excited and anxious.
The higher the attention you gain, the higher the expectations people have
for you, and the better you have to perform in order to not let people down.
Xia Xingcheng was even worried that by the time the audience finished
watching Gradual Distance, his value as an artist wouldn’t be as high.
When he talked to Yang Youming about these worries, Yang Youming said,
“If you have the mind to worry about the sky falling, you’re better off
honing your acting.”
Xia Xingcheng captured Yang Youming’s sleeve. “Ming ge, what do you
think about my acting?”
Yang Youming said, “If I only consider your performance in Gradual

Distance, then there’s absolutely no problem with it. But I haven’t seen
your other works, so I can’t really comment on them.”
Xia Xingcheng was immediately displeased. “I used to act in so many idol

dramas—haven’t you seen a single one? I’ve watched all your movies!”
Yang Youming was silent for a moment, then said, “Can’t you let me get
away with this?”
These past two days, Xia Xingcheng had been busy dealing with his
backlog of work. Most of it was product commercials, but there was also a
magazine photoshoot, followed by a variety show that didn’t take long to
record.
He still hadn’t made his mind about the IP ancient fantasy drama that
Huang Jixin had previously brought up, but when Xia Xingcheng seeked
out Yang Youming’s opinion, Yang Youming didn’t quite recommend him
to film this type of drama.
“Even if it’s a drama, you have to make sure that you don’t revert to an idol
actor status. I don’t think you need to keep taking up those monotonous and
unchallenging roles.”
Xia Xingcheng hugged his waist. “That’s easy for you to say. It’d be great if
small actors like us even got casted.”
Most of the time, it wasn’t about whether he wanted to or not, but whether
there was even a choice.
Yang Youming kissed his forehead. “Let’s just wait and see, okay?”
A month later, He Zheng returned from the European Film Festival with the
best picture award under his belt. Gradual Distance’s second trailer also
made its appearance online.
This trailer contained a lot of affectionate scenes of the two characters; a

slow motion shot of Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang in the swimming pool,
swinging their arms underwater; a shot of Fang Jianyuan jerking his head
out of the water that abruptly switched to Yu Haiyang’s wife Xu Jia’s face
as she asked “Does Yu Haiyang live here?” followed by their intense and
painful struggle; and a shot of Fang Jianyuan in a telephone booth shouting
“Get lost!” and slamming the phone back down.
The trailer circulated much more rapidly than the first one, leading to a
large number of reposts and many people bawling about wanting to watch
the movie in theatres.
Wherever Xia Xingcheng appeared, he attracted numerous fans who

showed up to show their support. When he attended a commercial
campaign, more than half the streets would be blocked off by fans.
In contrast, Yang Youming was much more carefree. It wasn’t that he didn’t
attract new fans, but he couldn’t care less about it. He spent most of all his
days at home as before; working out, reading books, cooking for Xia
Xingcheng—there was no trace of him in the media.
After dinner one day, as Xia Xingcheng was lying on the sofa and scrolling
through Weibo, he heard Yang Youming’s phone on the living room coffee
table ring. He turned to look, and was surprised to find that the caller was
He Zheng.
He hastily rolled over and got up from the sofa, and brought the phone to
the kitchen. “He Zheng’s calling,” he told Yang Youming, who was
scrubbing the grease stains on the stove with a cleaning rag.
Yang Youming’s hands were still wet, so he said, “Put me through.”
Xia Xingcheng’s finger swiped across the screen to answer the call. He then
put it up to Yang Youming’s ear. Yang Youming tilted his ear closer to the
receiver as his hands continued to busy themselves. “Hello? You’re back?”
He Zheng had brought their movie to compete in the film festival. Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng, the two lead actors, had not gone, and the
news that they were aware of had been heard from the internet.
He Zheng said something on the other side.
Yang Youming listened quietly from start to finish, humming softly once in
a while.
After a while, Xia Xingcheng’s hand got tired from holding up the phone,
so Yang Youming put the cleaning rag aside, wiped his hands on his apron,
took the phone from Xia Xingcheng’s hands, and continued listening.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t leave the kitchen. He tried to get closer to Yang
Youming’s phone to listen in on what He Zheng was saying, but
unfortunately he couldn’t hear all that clearly.
Yang Youming’s mind was on two different things. As he listened to He

Zheng speak, he gazed at Xia Xingcheng and lowered his head to rub his
dry lips against his forehead.
A while later, Yang Youming said, “All right, you decide on the time. I’m
fine whenever.”
After that, he hung up.
Xia Xingcheng looked at him. Just as he was about to ask what He Zheng
had said, he heard his own phone that had been abandoned on the sofa
ringing. He scurried out, and once he grabbed his phone, he shouted at the
direction of the kitchen, “It’s from He Zheng!”
Yang Youming slowly walked out of the kitchen. He untied his apron and
draped it across the back of a chair.
Xia Xingcheng was suddenly somewhat nervous. When he answered the

call, He Zheng’s voice rang out, “How is Xingcheng doing?”
Ever since He Zheng sought him out to act in Gradual Distance, Xia
Xingcheng had always been extremely grateful to him. He felt like a
schoolchild that had abruptly ran into their teacher, and he unconsciously
straightened up. “I’m fine. Congrats, Director He!” He said, referring to the
movie award, his tone differential.
He Zheng chuckled. “This award is partly yours too, we should both be

proud.”
Previously, He Zheng had invited Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming to

attend the red carpet, but Xia Xingcheng couldn’t make it because of work,
and Yang Youming didn’t want to go; after all, they weren’t shortlisted for
the actor award.
Xia Xingcheng felt quite honoured, and he couldn’t help but smile along.
“I just got back. I haven’t had time to contact you, but now that things have
wound down, I want to invite you to dinner some time in the next two days.
Would that be any trouble?” He Zheng said.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at Yang Youming, then said to He Zheng, “It won’t,
I don’t have any schedules in the evening this week.”
He Zheng hummed, then said, “Great, I’ll ask Youming what day is
convenient for him, and I’ll let you know when and where.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly said, “No problem, Director He.”
With that, Xia Xingcheng exhaled deeply and hung up the phone. With the
phone still cupped in his hand, he turned to Yang Youming and asked, “He
Zheng invited you to dinner just now, right?”
Yang Youming nodded, walked to the sofa, and sat down on the armrest.
Xia Xingcheng felt apprehensive. With one knee on the sofa, he grabbed
hold of Yang Youming’s arm and said, “He doesn’t know about us yet.”
Yang Youming looked at him, and after a while, he wondered, “Why do I

think that you’re a little scared of him?”
Xia Xingcheng was struck by the question. “I am a little scared of him.”
Yang Youming said, “You used to be a little scared of me too.”
These words weren’t a question, but a statement, Xia Xingcheng realized.

He couldn’t help but frown, and he thought for a while before saying,
“Being a little scared of you is normal. You’re a movie star, and I’m just a
small actor.”
Yang Youming laughed. “You were so well-behaved back then.” Before Xia
Xingcheng could respond, he continued, “But how things are now is good
too. It’s me who’s spoiled you.”
When he heard this, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but blush. He hugged
Yang Youming and felt Yang Youming’s arms encircling his waist. Pressing
close to Yang Youming’s ear, he said, “I’ll get hard if I hear you say these
things.”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “Oh? Then it really won’t do if I don’t
grab hold of this opportunity.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed with him, then cupped Yang Youming’s face to kiss
him.
Out of the two small-framed photos that Jiang Zihe had taken for them, one
was left in Yang Youming’s old house, while the other had been brought
back with them. The photo of Yang Youming kissing Xia Xingcheng’s eye
now stood on their bedside cabinet.
Before they slept, Xia Xingcheng sat on one side of the bed, and reached
out for the photograph to take a look as he asked Yang Youming, “Do you
think we should go to He Zheng’s together or separately?”
Just as his voice faded, both their phones that had been placed on the
bedside table rang separately. Xia Xingcheng put the photo back and
reached out for his phone, then saw that He Zheng had sent a time and
address over WeChat, followed by an ‘OK?’.
He turned to have a look at Yang Youming’s phone screen and found that it
had the exact same message. “He sent out a mass text?”
Yang Youming was resting on the headboard. He didn’t reply right away,
but asked Xia Xingcheng, “You ‘OK’?”
Xia Xingcheng opened the schedule Huang Jixin had sent him and looked it
over, then said, “I have an interview that afternoon, but the evening should
be ‘OK’.”
Yang Youming immediately replied to He Zheng with a single ‘OK’.
Xia Xingcheng then replied with the same two letters. After that, he looked
at Yang Youming, “I have work in the afternoon, so I guess we’ll have to go
separately?”
Yang Youming casually flung his phone next to his pillow, then stretched
his neck that had gone stiff from leaning against the headboard for a while.
He said, “You just don’t want to go with me, do you?”
“No!” Xia Xingcheng’s response was more extreme than Yang Youming
had imagined. He turned to face Yang Youming, lying sideways. “You still
don’t know what I think of you? How can you say this about me?”
Yang Youming reached out to hug him. “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
Xia Xingcheng rested his head on Yang Youming’s chest furiously .
Yang Youming stroked his hair as he hugged him. “I was wrong. Don’t be
angry. I’ll come pick you up when you’re done with work, and we’ll go
meet He Zheng together.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him, and slightly hesitated before nodding.

“Okay.”
On the afternoon of their appointment with He Zheng, after Xia Xingcheng

got off work, Huang Jixin drove him to a secluded underground parking lot
nearby, where Xia Xingcheng would get off and get in Yang Youming’s
parked car that awaited him there.
When he opened the car door to accompany Xia Xingcheng out, Huang
Jixin grumbled, “It’s like we’ve set up a rendezvous for a secret society.”
Xia Xingcheng turned around and glared at him. “Isn’t this what you
wanted?”
Huang Jixin said, “For you! Not me!”
Xia Xingcheng had no shortage of masks, sunglasses, and hats. His entire
face was covered up tight. He opened the door of the passenger seat of Yang
Youming’s car and got in, and before closing the door, he said to Huang
Jixin with gritted teeth, “You’ve. Worked. Hard.”
The car door closed with a bang.
They were smack dab in the middle of the rush hour, and the traffic moved
forward at a snail’s pace. Xia Xingcheng hadn’t said one word all this
while; his head was pasted on the car window as he mutely stared at the car
in front of them.
Yang Youming had only put on a hat. When he stopped at a red light, he
asked, “Nervous?”
It was only then did Xia Xingcheng notice that his lips were a bit dry. He
suddenly recalled the words He Zheng had said to him on the day Gradual
Distance wrapped up, that this road was truly difficult, and it was normal
for people to not continue down the road.
Yang Youming said, “Regretting it?”
Xia Xingcheng’s head whipped around to face him. “Am I crazy? How can
I regret it?”
Yang Youming reached out and patted the back of Xia Xingcheng’s hand.
“I’m just kidding, don’t get mad.” When the light turned green, he hurriedly
switched gears and drove forward.
Xia Xingcheng looked at him. “Do you not believe me?”
Yang Youming said, “I really was joking.”
Xia Xingcheng eyed him skeptically. “Really?”
Yang Youming chuckled. “Of course.” Afterwards, his tone softened as he

added, “If I didn’t believe you, how would I dare make such a joke—you
don’t know how important you are to me.”
“Director He—” Xia Xingcheng asked hesitantly, “Didn’t he advise you to

not take things with me seriously during filming?”
Yang Youming said, “How did you know?”
Xia Xingcheng slowly said, “I heard him in your room one night—that day
you kissed me.”
Yang Youming let out an ‘Mm’, “He came to advise me. He thought there
was something up with me.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him. “If he does it again, will you leave me?”
Their car arrived at another long queue at an intersection. Yang Youming
pressed the P button and, holding Xia Xingcheng’s hand, he looked him in
the eyes and solemnly said, “In this lifetime, I’ve only said ‘I love you’ to
two people. The people I love are very precious to me, and I won’t let them
go no matter who tells me to.”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at the flashing red light countdown before looking
back at Yang Youming. “Is the other person Yuan Qian?”
Yang Youming was silent for a few seconds. As the red light countdown got
to zero, the traffic light turned green, and he answered, “It’s my mother.”
☆☆☆
t/n – ngl i bawled when i tled that last bit T___T
have a lovely holiday everyone! thank you to sea for the kofis ❤
*idk if i’ve mentioned this before, traffic star or 流量小生 (there’s no english term for it afaik) are
celebs with a large degree of attention on the internet. so traffic here refers to online traffic.
When they arrived at the private room of the restaurant He Zheng had
booked, the waiter ahead of them opened the door. Xia Xingcheng, who
was standing behind Yang Youming, peered over Yang Youming’s shoulder
and saw a room suffused with cigarette smoke, resembling an evil spirit’s
lair. Inside, He Zheng sat alone, smoking.
Yang Youming entered first. He Zheng looked up and thought that he’d
come alone, so he didn’t get up and merely raised a hand in greeting.
“You’re here?”
“I’m here,” Yang Youming answered. Only once he entered the private
room did Xia Xingcheng’s face appear behind him.
“Director He,” Xia Xingcheng called out differentially.
He Zheng was startled. “Xingcheng’s here too?” This time, he stood up and
greeted Xia Xingcheng, “Come sit down.”
The private room was small; there was a single round table in the middle
that could seat six people, but there were only four sets of bowls and
chopsticks arranged on it.
He Zheng gestured at them to take their seats and said that another friend of
his was coming, but they were currently stuck in traffic and probably
wouldn’t arrive for another half hour.
The waiter refilled their tea and quietly withdrew.
When the cigarette in He Zheng’s hand reached its end, he snuffed it out on
the ashtray and asked, “Did you run into each other at the door?”
Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at Yang Youming.
With a smile on his face, there was nothing out of the ordinary with the tone
of Yang Youming’s voice as he said, “We came here together.”
These words were, in fact, not a big deal, but when Yang Youming finished
speaking, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously avoided looking at He Zheng’s
face, toying with the wooden chopsticks on the dining table instead.
The smoke in the private room didn’t disperse for a long time. He Zheng
crossed a leg over his knee and stared at Xia Xingcheng for a good while
before looking back at Yang Youming.
They needed to come clean, anyway. If there was anyone they shouldn’t be
hiding from, it was He Zheng.
Thus, Yang Youming said, “This meal should be our treat.”
He Zheng’s complexion transformed in a flash. He picked up the cigarette

case and lighter on the table with his right hand and slammed it back down,
a curse flying out of his mouth, “Well I’ll be fucked!”
At first, when Xia Xingcheng heard what Yang Youming had said, he
couldn’t help but turn to look at him, the corners of his mouth faintly raised
—but when he abruptly heard He Zheng swear, his head snapped around to
look at him nervously.
He Zheng was seemingly angry. His chest heaved with every breath, and his
face had darkened. He wasn’t looking at Xia Xingcheng, his glare fixed at
Yang Youming instead. After a while, it seemed as if he’d amended his
emotions, and he wiped his hand down his face. “You didn’t listen to a
single word I said to you, did you?”
“I did. But what was I supposed to do?” said Yang Youming unhurriedly.
He sounded like he was in deep with no way out.
Xia Xingcheng felt as tense as if he was meeting the head of someone’s

household. He said to He Zheng, “Director He, it’s me who hung onto Ming
ge and insisted on being with him.”
He Zheng leaned back, his head tilted heavensward. His fingers flipped
open the cigarette case and fished one out. He let out a long sigh, revealing
a profound helplessness. “So you both didn’t learn a thing from Fang
Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang’s story?”
Yang Youming said, “I’m not Yu Haiyang, after all. Xingcheng isn’t Fang
Jianyuan either.”
He Zheng didn’t say a word. He only looked melancholy as he began to

smoke, like he was caught in a memory, his gaze drifting off to a distant
point.
Xia Xingcheng reached out for Yang Youming’s hand, and Yang Youming
turned his hand over to hold onto it, his fingers stroking the crook of Xia
Xingcheng’s thumb. He said to He Zheng,“I know you have unpleasant
memories, and I also know that you disapprove of us being together. But
you ought to understand what the words ‘can’t help it’ means.”
He Zheng glanced at Yang Youming and shook his head. “I don’t know, I
just feel like I owe you both an apology.”
Before Yang Youming could speak, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but rush
to say, “You don’t need to apologize to us. If it weren’t for you, I probably
wouldn’t have been able to be by Ming ge’s side in this lifetime. I’m truly
grateful to you, Director He.”
He Zheng barked out a laugh, finding this absurd. He said, “Xingcheng,

didn’t you ask me what the real Fang Jianyuan’s ending was like? You
know—”
“He Zheng,” both Yang Youming’s expression and tone sank as he said,
“Xia Xingcheng isn’t Fang Jianyuan. Whatever Fang Jianyuan’s ending is is
no longer important to him. Since you didn’t want to tell him then, don’t
use Fang Jianyuan to sway his faith in his feelings now.”
He Zheng looked at Yang Youming in faint astonishment as he asked, “Are
you serious?”
Yang Youming’s tone had a slight chill. “I’m serious.”
He Zheng sandwiched his cigarette between his fingers and flicked the
ashes into the ashtray. “I’ve never seen you showcase this kind of attitude
towards your relationships.”
Xia Xingcheng felt Yang Youming’s hand tighten around his, thumb slowly
rubbing over the crook of his thumb. He looked at Yang Youming and
found that his expression was calm, yet resolute, and heard Yang Youming
say, “I’m very serious about this relationship. Xingcheng respects you, and
you’re also a good friend of mine, but I won’t allow you to dissuade him—
not even as a friend.”
He Zheng stared at Yang Youming for a while before lowering his gaze and
shaking his head, sighing lightly.
Although Xia Xingcheng felt a bit sorry towards He Zheng, he was abruptly
overcome with joy, and thus grasped Yang Youming’s hand tightly.
Yang Youming turned to look at him.
Xia Xingcheng smiled at Yang Youming and said, “I’ve repeated this many
times. I’m not Fang Jianyuan, and you’re not Yu Haiyang. Nothing will
ever be able to sway me.”
Yang Youming kissed the hand he was holding.
Just as He Zheng was about to speak, someone outside knocked on the door
of their private room. A waiter subsequently opened the door, escorting
their last guest.
The guest was a young man who seemed not-yet thirty. He wore glasses and
was a little fat, and he was dressed in a wrinkled T-shirt and carried a
messenger bag. Xia Xingcheng had never met him before.
When He Zheng saw him come in, he stood up to greet him and introduced
him to Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng, “This is Bei Yi, a famous
suspense novel author.”
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng stood up and shook hands with the
author named Bei Yi.
Bei Yi was sweating all over. “Sorry for the traffic jam, I’ve made everyone
wait,” he said. When he shook Yang Youming’s hand, he looked a little
emotional and said, “Mr. Yang, I’m a fan of yours. I’ve liked you for many
years.”
Yang Youming smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Bei Yi shook his hand for a little too long; only letting go after what seemed
like half a day before going over to the empty chair to sit down.
Yang Youming’s palm was full of Bei Yi’s sweat, yet he didn’t reveal the
slightest displeasure, not even wiping it off.
Even with the arrival of a new guest, after He Zheng introduced them, he
began smoking again, appearing like he wasn’t particularly planning on
saying anything.
Bei Yi looked at the unspeaking He Zheng and took the initiative to speak,
“Director He, have you told Mr. Yang about my book?”
He Zheng then said, “I never got around to it until now,” he forcefully

roused his own spirit, then said to Yang Youming, “I recently read Bei Yi’s
novel titled ‘The Right Trap’. I found it quite interesting, so I sought Bei Yi
out and had a long talk with him about a possible movie adaptation.”
Yang Youming listened to He Zheng quietly.
He Zheng continued, “Bei Yi likes you a lot, and when he heard that I
wanted to film his novel, he suggested whether it was possible for you to
play the male lead. I told him that he’d need to ask what you think. It’s not
up to me.”
Yang Youming turned to Bei Yi and politely said, “Apologies, I haven’t
read Mr. Bei’s works yet. If I may, I might have to read the novel first
before giving you an answer.”
Bei Yi said, “No rush, no rush. I just hope that Mr. Yang could take a look.
It’s fine if you don’t take up the role, I only wanted to have the opportunity
to give you the book.” With that, he took out two brand new copies of his
book and handed one of them to Yang Youming with both hands.
Yang Youming promptly stood and received it with both hands as well, and
said, “Could Mr. Bei please sign the book for me?”
Bei Yi was flattered. “Of course, please wait a moment.” He handed the
second book to Xia Xingcheng with the same polite smile, then hastily
fished out a pen and signed his autograph on Yang Youming’s copy.
Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a second before he flipped open the cover and
asked for Bei Yi’s autograph as well.
As Bei Yi signed, he said to Xia Xingcheng, “I’ve seen your drama ‘Secret
Sweetheart’.”
‘Secret Sweetheart’ was an idol drama that Xia Xingcheng filmed the year
after his debut, in which he played the second male lead. The drama was
quite popular at the time, but the filming process was truly messy. Xia
Xingcheng was still very young and experienced in those years; the female
lead’s acting was over the top, the male lead had stiff facial expressions,
and altogether, it was a disaster.
Bei Yi went on, “I really like Xuan Wenyao, so I follow all her dramas.”
Xuan Wenyao was the female lead of ‘Secret Sweetheart’.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Mr. Bei really has a wide range of interests.”
Internally, he added, ‘his aesthetic fluctuates way too greatly’, but of
course, he didn’t say this out loud.
Bei Yi was totally unaware, grinning as he signed his autograph. He then
took out a notebook for Yang Youming to sign, and sat down contentedly
afterwards.
He Zheng smoked one cigarette after another.
Xia Xingcheng looked at him a little fearfully. “Director He, how about you
stop?”
In the end, He Zheng put down his cigarette for the time being and said,
“The reason why I invited you all to a meal today—besides to celebrate
‘Gradual Distance’s award with everyone—was because I wanted to talk to
you both about Bei Yi’s novel. There are two important male characters in
it, one of them which Bei Yi hopes that Yang Youming can take on, and the
other—I first thought that Xingcheng would be suitable, but now I think I
should reconsider.”
Bei Yi sat next to him silently. It was evident that he only liked Yang
Youming. As for whether Xia Xingcheng could play a role in his work, he
couldn’t care less.
Xia Xingcheng also stayed mute. He didn’t know what he was supposed to
say. After all, he hadn’t even read the book yet.
Yang Youming said, “Your works are yours to decide, but I hope you judge
only by whether he suits the role or not, and not by any other messy
personal feelings.”
On their way back after the meal, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming didn’t
talk much.
Although He Zheng’s attitude wouldn’t affect their relationship, a friend’s

disapproval and the lack of a blessing would always affect one’s emotions.
When they arrived at the door, Xia Xingcheng entered the password, then
opened the door and let Yang Youming in first. He followed behind Yang
Youming, closed the door, and turned around and hugged Yang Youming
from behind. He’d wanted to do this for a while now.
Yang Youming placed the two books they’d brought back on top of the shoe
cabinet in the entrance hall, stroked Xia Xingcheng’s hand, and said,
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m in a bit of a bad mood.”
Yang Youming caught Xia Xingcheng’s hands to free himself, then turned
around and picked Xia Xingcheng up, pressing him against the door. His
hands propped up Xia Xingcheng’s thighs, and he tilted his head to kiss
him. Afterwards, he asked, “Do you feel a little better?”
Xia Xingcheng hugged his neck and said, “Could be a little rougher.”
Yang Youming chuckled and carried him to the bedroom. Afraid of falling,
Xia Xingcheng wrapped his legs around Yang Youming’s waist tightly.
When they got to the bedroom, Yang Youming threw Xia Xingcheng onto
the bed.
He really threw him. Xia Xingcheng bounced on the bed for a moment and,
confused and disoriented, right as he was about to prop himself up, Yang
Youming had already taken off the leather belt around his waist and
captured his hands, poised to tie them up.
Xia Xingcheng was startled. The lights in the room hadn’t been switched
on, and the only lighting came from the outside lights. He was somewhat
alarmed as he called out, “Ming ge?”
Yang Youming paused. “Aren’t you the one who wants it a little rough?”
When Xia Xingcheng heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, “I
thought you were angry. It’s okay, come on.” He tried to tilt his head up,
holding his hands above him in cooperation.
Yet Yang Youming didn’t continue, His leather belt remained coiled around
Xia Xingcheng’s wrist, not yet tightened. He let go of his hands and buried
his face in Xia Xingcheng’s chest.
“Ming ge?” Xia Xingcheng lowered his head to look at him, but could only
see the top of his head.
The warmth of Yang Youming’s breaths permeated through the thin

material of Xia Xingcheng’s clothes onto his chest. “I won’t act in He
Zheng’s movie,” he said.
Xia Xingcheng was puzzled. “Why not?”
Yang Youming didn’t answer. He merely raised his head and started kissing
up Xia Xingcheng’s chest, dropping tender kisses on his neck and earlobes
before he finally gasped and whispered in his ear, “I love you. You have to
believe me, Xingcheng.”
☆☆☆
t/n – he zheng ;;;
merry christmas to everyone celebrating!

Xia Xingcheng finished Bei Yi’s novel ‘The Right Trap’ with Yang
Youming, and once he turned to the last page, he said, “You’d better take
it.”
Sat on the sofa, Yang Youming reached out and rubbed Xia Xingcheng’s
hair.
“The story’s pretty good,” said Xia Xingcheng. “With He Zheng directing
on top of it, I’m sure it’ll be an amazing movie. Don’t rush to decline it,
okay?”
Yang Youming replied, “I’ll think it over.”
He Zheng’s side, however, seemed to be in no rush either. After their

meeting the other day, he had yet to get in touch with the both of them
again.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t like Yang Youming; he couldn’t not shoot dramas or
go on tours or film commercials for long periods of time. He had to
constantly accept roles that came his way to keep himself in good shape.
He accepted Yang Youming’s advice to push away the big IP mysterious

fantasy drama, and instead took up a modern office drama with a capable
director and a female lead with decent acting skills. Said drama would take
about four months to shoot, and as the male lead with important scenes, it
meant that he wouldn’t be seeing Yang Youming for a full four months.
Although he knew that this kind of situation was unavoidable when he

chose this profession, Xia Xingcheng still felt wholly uneasy at having to
part with Yang Youming for so long. Before he left, he took the initiative to
invite He Zheng out to meet him. Up until now, he still remembered that
when He Zheng had gone to look for Yang Youming at last year’s filming,
Yang Youming had made up his mind and quickly left him.
This time, Xia Xingcheng met with He Zheng on his own. He didn’t beat
around the bush, either, and got straight to the point, saying, “Director He,
I’m going to shoot a TV drama soon. I know that saying this is
inappropriate, but I still want to ask this of you—don’t meet with Ming ge
behind my back.”
He Zheng sat across from him, rarely forgoing a smoke, merely staring at
him. “Why?”
Xia Xingcheng humbly lowered his head. “I know you’re concerned about
me, and you sincerely want what’s best for us, but this matter is not your
responsibility. It’s not Ming ge’s responsibility either. It’s me who
stubbornly pursued him, and the fact that he could give me an answer is the
greatest blessing of my life. You mustn’t advise him to leave me again.” At
the end, he raised his head and looked at He Zheng with an earnest stare.
He Zheng asked, “Why ‘again’?”
Xia Xingcheng was mute for a moment before saying, “That night at the
hotel, I know that you went to see Ming ge.”
He Zheng sighed.
Xia Xingcheng was mentally prepared. He was well aware that He Zheng
would definitely try to persuade him, but he also knew that anything He
Zheng said would be useless.
Yet, He Zheng said, “I had a lot of things I wanted to say to you at first. But
two days ago, Yang Youming asked me to meet him.”
All at once, Xia Xingcheng was struck dumb.
He Zheng fiddled with the lighter in his hand. “He told me more or less the
same things you did, with a much stronger tone than yours—he forbade me
to see you in private.”
Xia Xingcheng felt as if someone had suddenly squeezed his heart.
The small private room of the restaurant was very narrow, but its lighting
made the room seem spacious and bright. It illuminated the minute details
of He Zheng’s expression, and there was an unspeakable weathered and
worn[1] look in his eyes. “I’ve never seen this kind of Yang Youming
before.”
Xia Xingcheng felt both happy and sad.
He Zheng said, “You know what, Xingcheng? The fact that you got stuck
didn’t come as a surprise to me at all. Right from the beginning, when I saw
your state during filming, I thought that you’d get stuck. But getting too
deep in the act isn’t a terrible thing—so long as you leave those
circumstances and leave that person behind, it’ll always weaken with time.
Yang Youming actually understands this better than I do. So, I don’t
understand why he’d get stuck—why would he indulge himself even when
he was perfectly aware that he’s in deep?”
Xia Xingcheng picked up a glass of water and took a light sip to moisten his
dry lips. He looked straight at He Zheng. “Did you ask him why?”
He Zheng nodded slowly. “I did.”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly tensed up at the impending answer.
He Zheng said, “He was like this then, too, sitting across from me; he shook
his head at first and said he didn’t know either, and if he knew, it wasn’t that
he couldn’t hold back. After that, he paused and suddenly laughed, then
said that—it was probably because he was inescapably doomed[2].”
Xia Xingcheng heard the thump-thump of his heart as it throbbed violently.

He understood what Yang Youming meant by ‘inescapably doomed’—there
were also times when he’d feel that Yang Youming was his own inescapable
doom. Thus, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
He Zheng saw him laugh, and after a while, said, “It was the exact same
laugh as yours.”
Xia Xingcheng was embarrassed by these words.
In the end, He Zheng lit a cigarette, and his eyes narrowed slightly in the
smoke as he said, “Lao-Yang is Lao-Yang, after all, not Yu Haiyang. We’ll
pretend that we never met. I don’t want to fall out with Yang Youming.” At
this, He Zheng sandwiched his cigarette between his fingers and scratched
his head. “Speaking of which, I’ve never seen Yang Youming fall out with
anyone before. If there was someone he didn’t like, he’d always just refuse
to acknowledge them.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled.
At last, He Zheng said, “Tell Yang Youming not to worry about movie
matters. You too. Let’s just wait and see.” His words were vague, and he
didn’t plainly state whether or not he’d use Xia Xingcheng.
However, to Xia Xingcheng, nothing touched him more deeply than Yang
Youming’s ‘inescapably doomed’. Only after he thanked and apologized to
He Zheng did he leave the restaurant.
When Xia Xingcheng returned home, the lights in the cloakroom were on.
He changed into slippers at the door, quietly made his way over, and saw
Yang Youming sitting on the floor with his back to the door, a large opened
suitcase by his side. He was taking clothes out and folding them one by one,
carefully tidying them up before putting them back in.
The opened suitcase was the one Xia Xingcheng had casually left lying
around. He had taken down the clothes that he would be bringing to the
shoot and chucked them in his suitcase, yet he hadn’t had the time to sort
them out yet.
At this time, he walked over to Yang Youming and quietly sat down at his
side, his hands hugging his knees, his head resting on Yang Youming’s
shoulder.
Yang Youming’s hands didn’t stop moving. He said, “Your clothes are all
over the place, won’t they be all wrinkled when you take them out?
Moreover, you won’t be able to pack that many things with them like this.”
Xia Xingcheng gazed at his side profile; he was very close, and he could
almost count the man’s long and fine lashes. He said, “I know.”
Yang Youming said, “You know, but you’re lazy.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed soundlessly. “Why are you acting like my mom?”
Yang Youming tilted his face. He could probably only see the tip of his
nose. He said, “Think I’m annoying?”
Xia Xingcheng rubbed his forehead on the other man’s jaw. “When I was
small, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to live without my mom. Now, I
think—how am I supposed to keep on living without you?”
Yang Youming said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Xia Xingcheng slightly raised his head and angled his face, finding Yang
Youming’s lips for a kiss.
He was very reluctant—even though the separation was temporary, he was

still utterly unwilling to part with him. The other man was obviously still
right next to him, but he was almost overwhelmed by an intense longing.
Xia Xingcheng stayed in the new crew for four months, from summer to
autumn, during which he had another birthday. On his birthday, he invited
the cast and crew to a meal, and from start to finish, his neck was adorned
with the birthday present Yang Youming had given him the previous year—
the star necklace.
Yang Youming did not come to visit the crew. They would video call every
night, and Xia Xingcheng unceasingly felt like he was head over heels in
love; he was crazy about Yang Youming till he went dizzy with it, drowned
in a dopamine-induced happiness.
While he was filming, ‘Gradual Distance’ was screened in other countries,

and the reactions were intense.
Although it couldn’t be watched in domestic theatres, netizens and fans who

eagerly awaited the movie could always find the movie through other
channels.
Whenever Xia Xingcheng went on Weibo, his fans’ enthusiasm would

always hit him in the face. They shouted his and Yang Youming’s names
and discussed the two of them like they were in a spectacular love affair.
Various screenshots and clips from ‘Gradual Distance’ circulated online,

and the number of times Xia Xingcheng saw the word ‘Mingxing’[2] grew
increasingly frequent. Later on, he learned that it was his and Yang
Youming’s CP name. Someone also posted a photo of Yang Youming
visiting the set of ‘Accidental Murder’ and leaked the fact that Yang
Youming played opposite of Xia Xingcheng.
The fans demonstrated an almost crazy zeal, and many people firmly
believed that Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng were really together. Xia
Xingcheng had no idea where their intuition came from, but it was so sharp
that it caused him to have a guilty conscience.
Huang Jixin made time to come see him in the crew, and when they went
out for a meal, Huang Jixin lamented, “I’m not sure if this is good or not.”
“What’s not good?” asked Xia Xingcheng.
“There’s no doubt that the more popular one is, the better,” Huang Jixin
said, “It’s just that you’ll always be linked to Yang Youming, and I don’t
know if that’ll impact you badly.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “What’s gonna happen?”
Huang Jixin shook his head, at a loss. “I don’t know. It’s pretty bad based
on traditional mindsets. What’s more, Yang Youming’s fans will also scold
you.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at Huang Jixin and burst out laughing without
warning.
Huang Jixin was baffled. “Have you gone mad?”

Xia Xingcheng sighed. His eyes still contained a smile, but his tone was sly
as he said, “Go ahead and scold me! Who told me to snatch their gege? Let
them have this, a little bashing is nothing.”
Huang Jixin hurled his chopsticks. “Laozi refuses to listen to this!”
In any case, no matter how lively it was outside, for four months, Xia
Xingcheng threw himself into filming earnestly, doing exactly what He
Zheng had told him to do before—being a proper actor.
When shooting wrapped up, his assistant Hua Hua accompanied Xia
Xingcheng back to Beijing.
The young Miss Hua Hua was a little slow, but she was honest and
protective, and she kept her lips sealed tight. As long as Xia Xingcheng
went out of his way to explain any matters to her in detail, she would
always handle them well, so Xia Xingcheng followed Yang Youming’s
previous instructions and kept Hua Hua by his side.
When Xia Xingcheng got back to Beijing, at the airport, he discovered that
his four month-long disappearance to film had not depleted his fans’
enthusiasm in the slightest. On the contrary, it made them more fanatical.
That day, a great number of fans had gathered to see him at the airport.
When Xia Xingcheng left, he was barely able to move a single step. After
that, the airport dispatched their security to escort him out.
The enthusiastic girls followed him all the way to the car.
The one who came to pick him up at the airport was Huang Jixin. He didn’t
call for a driver and personally drove the completely sealed off nanny car
himself, and he had gotten out to help Hua Hua load the luggage.
Crowded in by those girls, Xia Xingcheng almost blacked out, and he had
no strength to open the car door.
When he opened the car door a crack, he saw Yang Youming sitting in the
back seat, beckoning at him. His heart immediately constricted, and he
turned around to use his body to block off the narrow opening, then said to
his fans, “Get back, everyone! Pay attention to safety!”
A girl pressed against the car door, and Huang Jixin promptly pulled her
away and shouted, “Don’t squeeze! Don’t squeeze! Be careful of falling!”
Xia Xingcheng took advantage of this moment to slip into the car, then
closed the door for the time being.
Without even giving himself the time to heave a sigh of relief, he turned
around and threw himself at Yang Youming’s embrace. “I’ve missed you so
much!”
Yang Youming hugged him, and said, “I’ve missed you too.”
Hua Hua got on the front passenger seat, and Huang Jixin drove the car
through the airport road.
Xia Xingcheng stared at Yang Youming for a while, then cupped his face
and kissed his lips. He eagerly claimed them, unleashing four months worth
of intense longing.
The two of them sat on the row furthest back, and they were hidden away
from the driver’s seat by another row of seats between them. Even so, the
sound of their rustling clothes as they fiercely kissed and touched each
other wafted clearly to the front.
Huang Jixin’s brows crumpled as he held back the urge to curse, and yet
next to him, Hua Hua turned around curiously to find out what exactly was
going on.
“HEY!” Huang Jixin called out to Hua Hua. “What are you doing?” If it
weren’t for the fact that he was currently driving, he would’ve made to pull
at her.
Hua Hua blanked out. “I…” Afterwards, she suddenly whirled back around,
her eyes wide like she was about to lose her head out of fear, and she
directed a loaded look at Huang Jixin.
Huang Jixin was about to go crazy. “Yang Youming stayed in his room for
so many days—are you telling me that you haven’t figured out a thing?”
In a daze, Hua Hua replied, “I didn’t think that far.”
Huang Jixin wanted no more than to pry her head open to see if it was filled
with tofu dregs, and said, “No one can say a word, you hear? If there’s a…
fifth person who finds out about this, you’re fired. And I’ll make it
impossible for you to have a career in this line of work!”
Hua Hua sullenly cried, “I won’t say anything, but if it weren’t me saying
it, and somebody else found out, would I also get fired?”
Hearing the sound of Xia Xingcheng’s increasingly quickening breaths,

Huang Jixin finally lost it and yelled, “I’ll send you both home right away!
Please, please restrain yourselves!”
Their kisses halted. Xia Xingcheng gazed at Yang Youming with wet eyes,
who smiled at him and pushed away the hair that had fallen onto Xia
Xingcheng’s forehead.
They eyed each other, and after a while, Xia Xingcheng shouted at Huang
Jixin, “Go to a hotel near the airport!”
Huang Jixin seethed, “Out of the question! Hold back for my sake! Get the
fuck back home!”
☆☆☆
[1] 沧桑感 or, a sense of having been through good times and bad
[2] 在劫难逃 (idiom) if you’re doomed, you’re doomed // there’s no escape from misfortune
[3] their ship name, also the chinese word for star/celeb
t/n – thank you so much to Tinsunny and Anon for the kofis ❤
At the end of the year, Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng were both
nominated for the Best Male Lead Award at the biggest Chinese film
awards. At the same time, ‘Gradual Distance’ was also nominated for Best
Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography.
It was the very same award ceremony as the one where Xia Xingcheng had
sat on the back row watching Yang Youming receive his Best Male Lead
Award. At that time, he thought thirty was too early an age, and he’d be
thirty-five at the latest before he took back his own trophy.
Yet unexpectedly, the opportunity came sooner than he’d ever imagined.
When he heard the news, Xia Xingcheng was in Cai Meiting’s office. It was
a day that was hard to come by—several of the company’s artists were
present, including the company’s top actress You Shu and the popular idol
who had been strongly promoted these past couple of years, Ye Ziyang.
There were a few others there as well, and they were all sitting and chatting
in Cai Meiting’s office.
Cai Meiting received a phone call, and she stared at Xia Xingcheng as she
listened to the other side. When she finally hung up, she looked up at Xia
Xingcheng, a smile adorning her face as she said, “Not bad, kid.”
Xia Xingcheng was flipping his phone in his hands, bored to death; having
heard what Cai Meiting said, he looked up and said blankly, “What?”
Cai Meiting said, “I just got news that you’ve been nominated for Best
Male Lead at this year’s Golden Awards.”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly sat up straight. He momentarily blanked out before

he gripped his phone, wanting to dial Yang Youming’s number. Before he
could though, he realized that it wasn’t suitable to do that right here and
now, so he got up, intending to leave Cai Meiting’s office.
“Where are you going?” Cai Meiting called out to him.
Xia Xingcheng hadn’t fully regained his senses. There were too many
people here, and he couldn’t just say that he was going to call Yang
Youming, so he could only say, “I’m going to call someone.”
Cai Meiting laughed as she looked at him. “Come back and sit down! Who
are you calling? I haven’t even finished talking yet and you already want to
run off, what are you running away for?”
Xia Xingcheng had already opened his contacts. Yang Youming’s name was
at the very top—all he needed to do was press dial, but right then he had no
choice but to tightly grip his phone and sit back down. At any rate, his head
slowly cleared up, and bit by bit, joy seeped out from the bottom of his
heart.
Smiling from ear to ear, You Shu said, “Congratulations!”
Xia Xingcheng smiled and replied, “Thank you, Shu jie.”
Even more happiness unceasingly gushed out, making the corners of his
mouth curl up. When he glanced at Ye Ziyang, however, he tried to restrain
his smile to seem slightly more calm and collected, not wanting to appear
green and inexperienced.
Ye Ziyang congratulated him with a smile, but his smile wasn’t as genuine
as You Shu’s. The two of them had never had any conflict; Ye Ziyang was
two or three years younger than Xia Xingcheng and their paths were
entirely different, but they were both highly touted by the company. Cai
Meiting preferred Ye Ziyang more and pushed more resources his way, but
as it happened, Ye Ziyang’s popularity was less than that of Xia
Xingcheng’s.
Some bitterness was unavoidable.

Xia Xingcheng didn’t take it to heart, he only wanted to keep himself from
laughing. He wondered how Yang Youming would react at this moment—
he would probably just smile. With this in mind, Xia Xingcheng suddenly
thought of something. He turned to Cai Meiting and asked tentatively,
“Chief Cai, am I the only one nominated?”
Cai Meiting chuckled at him like she’d seen right through him. Eventually,
she said, “Yang Youming was also nominated, so be prepared. I’m worried
you’ll end up getting snubbed.”
Xia Xingcheng froze, then revealed a heartfelt smile, saying, “I’m not
worried.”
He truly wasn’t worried. If he was merely accompanying Yang Youming

this time, then he’d be perfectly happy to do so.
That day, he didn’t end up leaving. Cai Meiting invited everyone out for a
meal that evening. At said meal, Xia Xingcheng drank a little too much, as
Cai Meiting said that happy occasions called for it, and Xia Xingcheng
wasn’t allowed to refuse any wine passed his way.
The boss has spoken—even if Xia Xingcheng staked his entire life, he had
to drink until everyone was happy.
Much later, Xia Xingcheng really couldn’t hold up, and he lay on the table,
half addled and half asleep until the end of the meal. Huang Jixin held his
waist from behind to help him up, hoisted him on his back, and carried him
to the parking lot.
The others left with Cai Meiting.
Xia Xingcheng and Huang Jixin were the only ones making their way to the
underground parking lot. Having not completely passed out yet, Xia
Xingcheng hugged Huang Jixin’s shoulders and cried out vaguely, “Lao-
Huang.”
Huang Jixin replied, “Ai.”

Xia Xingcheng lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, “If I win the
Film Emperor title, the first person I’ll thank is you.” After that, he softened
his voice even more, and said, “Keep this a secret, don’t let others hear.”
Huang Jixin’s tone was sour as he said, “You’d better not, go thank your
Ming ge first.”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head. “No, he’s last.”
As Huang Jixin reached the car, he settled Xia Xingcheng on the front
passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt for him while asking, “Why?”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head, finger jabbing at the left side of his chest.
“He’s in the innermost part of my heart. I pull, I pull, and I pull everyone
else out—he’s in the deepest part, and can only be pulled out last.“ All the
while he spoke, he had an absent-minded gaze, his words unclear. “No, he
can’t be pulled out. He’s grown there.”
Huang Jixin felt a layer of goosebumps erupt throughout his entire body,
and he shook himself a few times until they subsided, then said, “All right,
I’m at the outermost part anyway, you can just pull me out and throw me
away.”
Xia Xingcheng giggled and said, “That won’t do, I can still pick you back
up.” Afterwards, he raised a hand towards Huang Jixin. “Good brothers, for
life.”
Huang Jixin stared at the hand for a while, then raised his hand and high-
fived him. “Whatever you say.”
He drove the completely wasted Xia Xingcheng back and handed him over
to Yang Youming’s arms. Fearing that Yang Youming would misunderstand,
he intentionally explained today’s situation, “Chief Cai was watching,
Xingcheng couldn’t not drink.”
Standing at the door and half carrying Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming said,
“I know, sorry for the trouble.”
Only then did Huang Jixin bid Yang Youming goodbye and leave.
Yang Youming reached out to close the door. Xia Xingcheng raised his head
and looked straight at him—he suddenly smiled and said, “Ming ge, why
did you come?”
Yang Youming lowered his head and, accompanied by a short laugh, said,
“It’s not that I came—you came back.”
The door was closed, and he supported Xia Xingcheng inside. Xia
Xingcheng’s steps were unstable, and his whole body was practically
propped up by Yang Youming. As he staggered forward, he asked, “Where
are we going?”
Yang Youming said, “We’re going to shower and go to bed, that all right?”
“No.” Xia Xingcheng refused to go, hugging Yang Youming’s shoulders

and dragging him to a stop. “I don’t wanna shower.”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “Then do you want to go to bed right
away?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think at all. Besides excitement, there was only
chaos. With his arms around Yang Youming, he said, “I wanna run naked.”
After saying that, he actually retracted his hands and began to undress.
The room was well-heated. Yang Youming was unmoving, standing there
and watching him undress.
Xia Xingcheng first took off the clothes on his upper body. When he lifted a
leg to take off his pants, he stumbled, and he hopped several times before he
leaned back against the wall and pulled his pants down with much
difficulty. He stripped until he was nude, then made to walk outside
barefoot.
Yang Youming embraced him from behind, his palms clutching his warm
and smooth tummy. He couldn’t help himself from giving it a pinch, and the
pinched Xia Xingcheng softly groaned. “Do you really want to run naked?”
he asked.
Xia Xingcheng froze. Yang Youming’s chest was plastered on his back, and
he laughed and said, “I tricked you. As if I would.”
Yang Youming said, “Since you’re not going to run naked, how about a
shower?” Without waiting for Xia Xingcheng’s answer, he picked Xia
Xingcheng up and walked towards the bathroom.
The bathroom was illuminated by a small dim light. Hot water gushed out
from the shower head; the water droplets flew in every direction, and steam
rose and quickly fogged up the bathroom mirror.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes also grew hazy within the steam. As he stood under
the hot water, he felt the smattering of the warm and heavy jet of water on
his shoulders and back. The droplets then formed a stream, flowing down
his chest and lower back.
He searched for Yang Youming’s hand within the steam, then grasped it
firmly and pulled him under the shower. Yang Youming was still in his
home clothes, completely unguarded as he was pulled over. Intoxicated
people weren’t at full control of their strength, so when he pulled Yang
Youming over, he fell back—luckily, Yang Youming reached out and
hugged him.
Yang Youming’s clothes were drenched in an instant. The thin material

clung to his body, outlining the beautiful contours of his muscles.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t want to shower. He stuck his face on Yang Youming’s
shoulder as he hugged him, the two of them standing under the hot water
together. He said, “I’m gonna tell you a secret.”
Yang Youming reached out for the shower gel and pumped some into his
palm. His hands stuck to Xia Xingcheng’s skin, rubbing circles and rubbing
out foam. He asked, “What secret?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him. His gaze was misty, yet it glistened under
the bathroom lights nevertheless. He said, “We’re going to win an award
together!~”
Yang Youming laughed and rubbed his ears with his lathered fingers. “We
can’t win the award together.”
Face reddening, Xia Xingcheng shuddered faintly. “We can.”
Yang Youming fetched the shower head and rinsed the side of Xia
Xingcheng’s face as well as his neck with hot water. Xia Xingcheng closed
his eyes like a docile puppy, letting Yang Youming rinse all the foam off his
body.
After showering, Yang Youming wrapped Xia Xingcheng in a big, dry

towel. Xia Xingcheng was on the verge of sleep, and he was picked up and
carried by Yang Youming to the bed. Once he lied down, Xia Xingcheng
tried to open his eyes, looking at Yang Youming as he said, “Can we?”
Yang Youming removed the towel and pulled the blanket up to cover him.
He was going to turn around and leave, at first, but then he crouched down
by the bed and asked quietly, “Can we what?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Win the award together?”
Yang Youming rubbed his lips against Xia Xingcheng’s forehead, his low
voice especially soft. “Of course we can, whether you win or I win—we
won it together.”
Once Xia Xingcheng got the answer he wanted, he smiled and closed his
eyes to sleep.
The two of them went to the award ceremony separately, leaving Beijing at
different times, on different flights, with their respective assistants, and
were received by the organizer’s staff upon arrival. They were checked into
the same hotel, but on different floors.
Xia Xingcheng arrived a day early, while Yang Youming hurried to get
there on the day of. Styling and dressing up took a long time, and they
didn’t even have time to make a call.
When they saw each other again, it was at the award ceremony.
As far as Xia Xingcheng was concerned, this event was simply a gathering
of stars, all of whom were seniors and big names in the film industry.
Despite his nomination, there were still many people who weren’t familiar
with him, so he quietly sat down after he entered the venue and only greeted
the people around him.
Last time, he’d come as an audience member, and had sat in the back row of
the auditorium, watching the thirty-one year old Yang Youming win the
Film Emperor title. This time, his seat was in the front row—still a distance
away from Yang Youming, yet that distance had narrowed significantly.
Later on, he spotted the tuxedo-clad Yang Youming making his entrance. A
well-known, major Chinese film director was at his side, the two chatting
the whole way—it was evident that they were well-acquainted. Not long
after their entry, Xia Xingcheng spotted a tall man in a black suit behind
them; he caught up to the two men with quick steps and joined their
conversation.
Although the man was handsome, he wasn’t an actor. Xia Xingcheng only
felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but at the moment, he couldn’t recall
who he was.
Xia Xingcheng wanted to ask the person next to him, but the Mainland’s
little beauty who sat near him was conversing with the young Taiwanese
actor next to her; he didn’t have the heart to butt in, so he left it at that.
The hall of the award ceremony gradually filled up with people.
Xia Xingcheng was both somewhat uneasy and too embarrassed to look
around, merely staring dazedly at the stage ahead. By chance, he turned his
head and saw Yang Youming looking back at him.
The two shared a glance, a flash of a smile.
Later on, the lights in the hall gradually dimmed, and the award ceremony
officially began with a short video on the big screen. The clamorous
murmurs that had continually lingered in the air slowly subsided, and Xia
Xingcheng subconsciously sat upright, his back straightening.
The award ceremony progressed without a hitch, with ‘Gradual Distance’

snagging two awards one after another—Best Cinematography and Best
Director. He Zheng went up on stage to receive the Best Director award.
In his thank you speech, Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s names were
mentioned, and the live screen displayed close up shots of the two.
Smiling, Xia Xingcheng watched himself on the screen, all the while
feeling that his smile was too unnatural. He was too nervous—if only Yang
Youming sat next to him, he thought, at least that way he’d be able to relax
a little.
After the Best Director Award was conferred, it was time for the Best Male
Lead category. The award presenter was the previous year’s winner as well
as a very famous actress.
The live screen was repeatedly switching between the nominees’ faces. Xia
Xingcheng’s breathing was chaotic. He felt that the on-site lighting that
shone down was too hot, and his lips were dry. He wanted to lick his lips,
but seeing his face appear on the big screen, it would seem somewhat silly,
so he could only endure it.
Yang Youming’s face was also shown, his smile plain and proper.
The smile on Xia Xingcheng’s face was almost frozen stiff, and the sweat
on his back soaked his white dress shirt.
The two award presenters’ small talk seemed to last a century to him. After
they finally opened the envelope in their hands, they leaned close to the
microphone and called out the name of the winner.
It wasn’t Xia Xingcheng nor Yang Youming, but a veteran, nearly-sixty-
year-old actor with graying hair, who received the award for his leading role
in a family movie.
The scene was instantly filled with thunderous applause. Xia Xingcheng’s
nerves that had been stretched to the limit at this moment abruptly relaxed,
replaced by a brief blank space. Maintaining a stiff smile, he applauded
along with everybody else.
The veteran actor sat in the middle of Xia Xingcheng’s row. When he made
his way to the stage to receive the award, all the people in said row stood up
to make way for him as they congratulated him.
Xia Xingcheng had also gotten up, and when the veteran actor passed him,
he specially patted his shoulder in encouragement, saying, “Jiayou.”
“Thank you. Congratulations, sir!” Xia Xingcheng said sincerely.
Once the veteran actor went onstage and everyone sat back down, Xia
Xingcheng stole a glance at Yang Youming’s direction, only to discover that
Yang Youming had been looking at him all along. At this time, he smiled
faintly and shook his head.
As Best Male Lead was the most important award, not long after that, the
award ceremony concluded.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know how to describe his current mood. In the past,
even if he didn’t win, he’d think that even being able to get nominated was
affirmation enough—yet on the day that he really received the nomination,
he’d begun to feel that he was capable of obtaining the trophy.
He felt a sense of loss. Compared to not getting nominated, it was more

frustrating to fall short.
After the award ceremony ended, he also received an invite to the

celebration dinner. An interview table had been set up, and the media were
in the midst of interviewing a young actress who’d won Best Newcomer at
this year’s Golden Awards.
Later on, Yang Youming also came. He did not sit down in his seat, but
walked to Xia Xingcheng’s table instead to personally greet him. He stood
behind Xia Xingcheng the entire time with one hand on Xia Xingcheng’s
shoulder.
When he left, he patted Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder twice.
Xia Xingcheng turned to watch him leave. His heart suddenly moved, and
he got up to follow him out. They walked out of the dazzling and lively
dining hall one after another. Behind the wall was a long corridor with no
soul in sight, and private rooms with closed doors lined both walls.
Yang Youming nonchalantly turned the door handle of one of those private
rooms, easily opening the door. They entered the room one after another,
then closed the door and locked it from the inside.
The lights in the private room hadn’t been turned on. With the faint light
coming in through the window, you could make out a small round table and
a single sofa.
Xia Xingcheng felt aggrieved and hugged Yang Youming as soon as he

stepped into the room.
Yang Youming raised his hands and hugged him back, leaning against the
wall with one of his long legs slightly bent and the soles of his shoes
pressed against the corner of the wall. He caressed Xia Xingcheng’s hair
and back, his touch neither light nor heavy, soothing Xia Xingcheng’s
mood. “It’s all right,” he said in his ear.
From the hall outside came a burst of raucous laughter.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t wholly sad, just glum. He said, “It’d be fine if it
were you.”
Yang Youming lowered his head and lifted Xia Xingcheng’s face a little
with a hand on his jaw. “You have to get used to it. Awards aren’t an
absolute standard, and acting skills can’t be scored and quantified. Those
who win awards aren’t necessarily better. You have to adjust your outlook,
okay?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I know, I just can’t accept it.”
Yang Youming smiled faintly. “If you can’t accept it then come back next
time, as long as you stay unaccepting, you’ll be able to hold that trophy in
your hands sooner or later.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him.
Yang Youming said, “The fact that you’re not willing to accept it is a good
thing, the thing I’m most afraid of is you not caring.”
Xia Xingcheng’s mood lightened up a shade. He hugged Yang Youming’s

waist and kissed his lips, saying. “Actually, I lied to you. I still want to win
that award on my own, it’s no good if you do.” With that, he attentively
gazed at Yang Youming’s face.
Yang Youming was not the least bit upset, and he chuckled and said,
“Really?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “The more awards you win, the bigger the gap
between us gets. I’m behind you—chasing after you—what if I can’t catch
up?”
Yang Youming gently rubbed the back of his neck, as if Xia Xingcheng
were a small animal. “Do you know what caused the gap between us?”
Xia Xingcheng thought for a moment, then said, “Strength?”
Yang Youming said, “It’s time. At your age, I hadn’t even been nominated
for Best Male Lead yet. You’re not any worse than me—you’re even more
outstanding than I am. If our ages were more than ten years apart but there’s
no difference between our careers, then haven’t I spent these ten years in
vain?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him in a daze.

Yang Youming lifted his hand, his index fingers placed horizontally in front
of Xia Xingcheng’s eyes, one above and the other below. “The top one is
me, and you’re the one below. When I continue to climb up and reach a
peak, I’ll inevitable slow down or even stop, but you’re still rising rapidly
—”
Xia Xingcheng caught his hand, not letting him continue gesticulating, and
said, “You won’t.”
Yang Youming asked, “I won’t what?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You won’t slow down and you won’t stop—you’ll
always be at the top for me to look up to, even if I manage to stand by your
side, you’ll still be the god in my heart.”
When Yang Youming heard him say these words, he suddenly embraced
Xia Xingcheng tightly and ducked his head to kiss his lips.
The kiss came briskly and fiercely—Xia Xingcheng could sense the
scorching hot emotions within it, lingering and possessive as it swallowed
him whole. He gasped for breath and—perfectly aware that it was
inappropriate—he reached out to pull Yang Youming’s neat and tidy bowtie
off.
Yang Youming’s Adam’s apple shuddered under his touch, and the carotid
artery next to it throbbed, strong and steady. He felt Yang Youming’s hand
pull the hem of his dress shirt out of the waist of his suit pants, and his
warm palm pressed against Xia Xingcheng’s waist, his fierce touch
brimming with possessive desire.
Right as the gun was about to misfire, the door of the room, which they had
locked as soon as they entered, was opened from the outside with a soft
click.
Xia Xingcheng’s heartbeat stopped dead. Immediately after, Yang Youming

pressed Xia Xingcheng’s face on his shoulder, covering him completely. He
then heard Yang Youming’s cold and detached voice ring out, “Who? Get
lost!”
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you to Anon for the kofis ❤ sorry i took so long to update
one in the entire novel i think
😦 this chapter is the longest
Yang Youming’s voice wasn’t loud, rather ice-cold and full of deterrence. In
Xia Xingcheng’s impression of him, it wasn’t that Yang Youming wasn’t
tough—this was just his first time displaying such a blunt and unconcealed
anger.
He was safe and secure in Yang Youming’s arms, and his embrace was so
tight that he couldn’t move even if he wanted to. He sensed that Yang
Youming was genuinely tense.
He was nervous himself, but he had no other choice but to place his
wholehearted faith in Yang Youming.
Yet the person who opened the door didn’t turn and leave at Yang
Youming’s cold and firm rebuke. Instead, they stood at the door and said,
“You dare to leave the door unlocked when you’re fooling around?”
The voice belonged to an unfamiliar man.
At the sound of his voice, however, Xia Xingcheng clearly detected a slight
loosening in Yang Youming’s hold. At the same time, his tone relaxed as he
said, “The door was locked, how did you get in?”
Xia Xingcheng identified this tone of voice as the one Yang Youming used
on somebody he knew well. He couldn’t help but struggle in his arms,
wanting to take a look at who exactly the man was. At this hint of a struggle
this time, Yang Youming removed his hand, letting him look up and see the
man at the door.
The man was standing at the doorway, his back against the corridor lights,
but from the tall build and the slim-fit black suit, Xia Xingcheng recognized
him at a glance—it was the man who had spoken to Yang Youming back at
the award hall.
At this time, his head was lowered as he fiddled with the door lock,
seemingly somewhat shocked. He said, “Locked?”
Xia Xingcheng saw him press the inner lock with a finger, then turned the
outer lock again. The lock core that had already been locked appeared to
suddenly flip back to its original position simultaneously. The man spread
his arms. “The lock’s broken. That’s not my concern.”
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng watched him fiddle with the door lock.
They’d been too stirred up when they came in, and had casually locked it
without double-checking—they never expected that the door couldn’t be
locked in the first place.
In light of this, Xia Xingcheng was covered in cold sweat from head to toe
once more.
“Do you have to talk from the doorway?” Yang Youming said to the man.
“Anyone could pass by any time.”
The man adopted a helpless tone, “Aren’t I afraid that your passion hasn’t
been extinguished and you’ll keep going at it?” Despite these words, he
still walked in and closed the door behind him.
Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “This is Lu Nianxin, you ought to

have met him, right?”
Hearing Lu Nianxin’s name, Xia Xingcheng immediately reacted. The man

in front of him was the boss of Yang Youming’s agency, Juxin
Entertainment. No wonder he felt that the man seemed familiar—he had
once seen Lu Nianxin at a charity dinner, but they hadn’t crossed each
other’s paths. Strictly speaking, this was the first time they spoke face to
face.
He wasn’t sure how old Lu Nianxin actually was, but he looked to be in his
thirties. However, Xia Xingcheng guessed that his real age ought to be a
little older, after all, it had been almost twenty years since he single-
handedly founded Juxin.
As Xia Xingcheng sized Lu Nianxin up, Lu Xianxin did the same. He then
extended a hand towards Xia Xingcheng, “Nice to meet you.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly followed suit and shook his hand. Recalling that
Yang Youming hadn’t introduced him, he then said, “Hello Mr. Lu, I’m Xia
Xingcheng.”
Lu Nianxin laughed and said, “I know. My ears are getting worn down from
hearing your name.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to Yang Youming.
Lu Nianxin said, “Not him, it’s Du Jin. He’s been complaining to me about
you guys for a long long time.”
At Du Jin’s name, Xia Xingcheng suddenly became a little nervous. Yang

Youming was surrounded with so many veterans who had worked with him
for more than ten years—Li Yun, Du Jin, Lu Nianxin. He knew that Li Yun
didn’t like him, but he didn’t expect that Du Jin, whom he had never met
before, also opposed them.
Lu Nianxin probably perceived Xia Xingcheng’s nervousness as he said,

“Don’t mind, Du Jin can’t control Youming. He only dares to complain in
front of me, he doesn’t dare say shit in front of Youming.” With that, he
lifted hand to pat Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder.
Yet Yang Youming raised his hand and batted it away.
Xia Xingcheng froze for a moment. He first looked at Yang Youming, then
turned back to Lu Nianxin, only to see Lu Nianxin inspecting his own hand.
Laughing, he said, “Are my hands dirty somehow?”
Yang Youming said, “Your hand isn’t dirty, your mind is.”
Xia Xingcheng felt that Yang Youming’s words were too crude, and he was
worried that Lu Nianxin would get angry.
Yet Lu Nianxin surprisingly remained grinning. “Your words aren’t making
me happy.” Though he said that, he didn’t look the slightest bit displeased.
Turning to Xia Xingcheng, he said, “Go comfort this little friend so he
won’t be so nervous.”
Yang Youming reached over and grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand, then said
to Lu Nianxin, “No need.”
Lu Nianxin laughed as he looked down at their hands. He sighed, then said,

“If there’s no need then forget it, it’s me who interrupted you two, sorry
about that. But if you’re planning on continuing, you’d better change
rooms. Make sure there’s no problem with the lock.”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at the door lock with lingering trauma.
“What’s your business here? Don’t you know how to knock first?” Yang
Youming asked Lu Nianxin.
Lu Nianxin was already at the doorway, and he reached out to touch the
lock. “Wasn’t I waiting for you to introduce your new wife? How was I
supposed to know that the door would open just like that?”
Hearing the word ‘wife’, even in the dark, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously
blushed.
People passed by in the corridor outside; it appeared to be two girls,

giggling as they gossiped in low whispers.
Yang Youming, seeming to have calmed down from his moment of impulse,
said to Xia Xingcheng, “Let’s get out of here.”
Right then, Lu Nianxin suddenly lifted a hand and turned on the lights. Xia
Xingcheng’s eyes that had previously adjusted to the dark now stung from
the abrupt bright lights, and he instinctively shut his eyes.
Lu Nianxin gave the two a once over, and said, “Fix up your clothes.”
It was only then that Xia Xingcheng noticed how disorderly his and Yang
Youming’s clothes appeared. He immediately lowered his head and
straightened out his clothes. Yang Youming was seemingly much more
relaxed, his slender fingers curling as he fastened the buttons on his collar
one by one and re-tied his bowtie. Afterwards, he also helped Xia
Xingcheng straighten out his collar.
Lu Nianxin then reached out to open the door.
When the door of the private room opened, the two actresses standing at
one end of the corridor were whispering to each other. They seemed to be
the two people who had passed just a moment ago. Upon hearing the sound
of the door opening, they peered over for a look.
As Lu Nianxin exited the room, he grabbed the shoulder of Xia Xingcheng

who followed behind him. Without giving Yang Youming time to react, he
took Xia Xingcheng into his arms and walked out.
The two actresses had a hint of astonishment in their eyes. As soon as they
spotted Yang Youming coming out of the room, they promptly opened their
mouth to greet him. “Ming ge.”
Yang Youming nodded. He was walking at the very back, and he closed the
door after turning off the lights.
The three of them seemed as if they were looking for a room to chat in. The
two actresses no longer found them strange, so they withdrew their gazes.
With his arm still around Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder, Lu Nianxin’s strides
were large as he walked and talked. “It’s almost the Lunar New Year, let’s
all go out for a meal.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to seek out Yang Youming.
Lu Nianxin said, “What are you looking at him for? Can’t I even invite you
out to a meal?”
Xia Xingcheng smiled. “Of course you can, but I have to ask Ming ge if
he’s free, so we can go together.”
Lu Nianxin thus laughed. “Sure, your Ming ge has the final say anyway. I’ll
make an appointment with him later and invite Du Jin too. We should get
together before the New Year.”
They eventually arrived at the hall as they talked. Many people caught sight
of Lu Nianxin talking to Xia Xingcheng with an arm around his shoulders,
and they all looked towards them.
In this industry, a rich and resourceful big boss like Lu Nianxin is the one
everyone wants curry favor with.
When Lu Nianxin finally let go of Xia Xingcheng, he turned and saw the
expressionless Yang Youming. He then went and slung an arm over the
man’s shoulders, pulling him to a corner for a few words.
Everybody knew what the relationship between Lu Nianxin and Yang

Youming was, so there were less probing gazes directed at the two.
Seeing that they appeared to have a lot to talk about, Xia Xingcheng
returned to his seat.
The media interviews were still ongoing, and the one who was currently
being interviewed was the veteran actor who won this year’s Film Emperor
title.
Xia Xingcheng leaned back on his chair and looked around. The
frustrations in his heart from a moment ago had entirely been appeased by
Yang Youming. Staring at the centre of the spotlight, he thought to himself,
it was only a matter of time before he stood there himself.
Afterwards, there was always someone at Yang Youming’s side, and there
was nothing he could do to go over to Xia Xingcheng.
But come the end of the late-night dinner, they went back to the hotel at
around the same time.
Xia Xingcheng had drunk a little wine, and his whole body was faintly
feverish.
It was already the wee hours of the morning, yet the hotel lobby was
bustling with people. Yang Youming was standing in the middle of the
lobby talking with a distinguished actress in her forties, with three or four
young actors around him listening in on their conversation.
Jogging into the hotel lobby, Xia Xingcheng saw a glimpse of Yang
Youming’s handsome face through the crowd.
Yang Youming turned his head and caught a quick look at Xia Xingcheng.
He then said to the actress, “It’s late, we’d all better rest up.”
The actress nodded and, gathering the shawl around her, she turned to head
to the elevator.
The other young actors also accompanied them into the elevator.
Yang Youming was one step slower, waiting for Xia Xingcheng to come
over—he walked into the elevator with him last.
The elevator was packed to the brim, and no one spoke any longer. They
merely watched in silence as the floor indicator lights it flashed from floor
to floor.
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming stood at the very front. The elevator
door in front of them had a mirror surface, and it clearly reflected
everyone’s faces.
Xia Xingcheng had run a fair distance, and due to the wine he drank, his
lips were dry. Right as he licked his lips, his line of sight fell on Yang
Youming’s face in the mirror and found that the man’s eyes were trained on
him.
The floor they stayed on was above the tenth floor. The elevator slowly
climbed upwards.
After Xia Xingcheng noticed Yang Youming’s eyes, his mouth felt even
drier, so he licked his lips again.
In the quiet elevator, Yang Youming suddenly lifted a hand and patted Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder—his strength not small.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t keep his heartbeat from accelerating. He looked at

Yang Youming nervously.
The other people in the elevator also looked over towards them.
Yang Youming calmly withdrew his hands, and said, “Your clothes were
dirty.”
Xia Xingcheng was baffled, not knowing where it was dirty. He couldn’t
ask, and had no other choice but to play along and politely say, “Thank you,
Ming ge.”
As they arrived on Xia Xingcheng’s floor, two young actors exited the
elevator along with him.
Yang Youming remained in the elevator, watching Xia Xingcheng the

whole time, until the elevator doors closed.
When Xia Xingcheng turned towards his room, he subconsciously peered

down at his shoulder. He didn’t find any stains, but when he moved a little
closer, he smelled a mild hint of men’s cologne. It wasn’t Yang Youming’s
scent, so it was probably Lu Nianxin’s.
He tread on the soft carpet and continued walking, unable to resist a small
smile.
Back in his room, Xia Xingcheng took off his clothes, hung them, then went
to the bathroom to shower. He came out in a bathrobe after his shower, then
lay on his bed and grabbed his phone to send Yang Youming a message,
“Are you asleep?”
Yang Youming didn’t reply.

Xia Xingcheng laid there in silence, hands propping up his phone in front of
his face. He stared at it for a while yet there was no reply and, blinking
tiredly, he unknowingly fell asleep.
The lights in the room hadn’t been turned off. He was lying on his back,
chin against the bed, and he maintained this uncomfortable sleeping posture
for an unknown period of time when the phone that had fallen out of his
hands suddenly rang.
Xia Xingcheng was awakened with a start. He reached out for his phone
and, seeing that Yang Youming was calling, he swiftly accepted the call and
pressed his phone to his ear. With a voice still slurred from sleep, he said,
“Ming ge?”
Yang Youming’s deep voice rang out in the spacious and empty room.
“Open the door.”
Xia Xingcheng froze for a moment, and by the time he reacted, he’d already
jumped off the bed, the belt of his bathrobe falling loose. The lapels were
wide open, and he didn’t even bother with his slippers as he rushed to open
the door.
Yang Youming was standing outside the door with his phone in his hand,
and walked in the moment he saw the door opening. He had already
showered and changed his clothes; he wore a loose long-sleeved shirt paired
with linen pants, and his hair was down and soft. In the dim lighting, he
looked like a twenty-something youth.
Xia Xingcheng yawned as he closed the door. “I thought you were asleep.”
Yang Youming made his way over to the king-sized bed and turned to look
at him. “You’re not even dressed. What if it wasn’t me outside?”
Under Xia Xingcheng’s open bathrobe was a lone pair of white cotton
underwear, and other than that, one had an unobstructed view of the wide
expanse of his beautiful body. He tugged at the robe and said, “Who else
would it be if not you?”
Yang Youming bent down and unhurriedly sat down on the bed.
Xia Xingcheng immediately leaned over and took a seat on his lap with his
legs apart, wrapped his arms around Yang Youming’s shoulders, and asked,
“Why did you come over so late?” He thought that Yang Youming wouldn’t
be coming.
Yang Youming held his waist and said, “Couldn’t sleep.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed, looking at him as he asked, “Why did you pat my
shoulder back in the elevator?”
Yang Youming’s expression stayed the same as he said, “It was dirty.”
“Where was it dirty?” Xia Xingcheng asked unrelentingly.
Yang Youming softly said, “If I say it’s dirty, it’s dirty.” After that, he
leaned back and collapsed on the bed.
Xia Xingcheng’s back was pressed, and he fell down along with him. Lying
on Yang Youming’s body, he saw the other man close his eyes.
Yang Youming said he couldn’t sleep, but he looked exhausted nonetheless.
Lying on top of Yang Youming, Xia Xingcheng quietly watched his face
and asked, “You don’t like Lu Nianxin touching me, do you?”
Yang Youming kept his eyes shut, and only after a while did he answer, “Lu
Nianxin—there’s nothing wrong with the man, other than the fact that he
can’t control his lower body. He’s fine with both men and women.”
Xia Xingcheng propped his face on his hands, slightly distanced himself
from Yang Youming, and trained his gaze on Yang Youming’s fine features.
Laughing, he said, “He’s a horndog?”[1]
When Yang Youming heard this description, the corners of his mouth curled
up. “That’s right. The only kind of people he’s interested in are the ones he
wants to sleep with.”
Xia Xingcheng thought for a moment, and wondered, “You guys are pretty
close, does he want to sleep with you?”
Yang Youming lifted a hand and left a heavy slap on Xia Xingcheng’s butt.
“Does he want to die?” His eyes remained closed the whole time, and his
tone didn’t fluctuate much.
Xia Xingcheng laughed. “I didn’t think so too. He knows about our

relationship, there’s no way he’d have any thoughts about me.”
Yang Youming didn’t respond. After a while, he let out a long hum.
Xia Xingcheng thought he’d fallen asleep, so he quietly laid down, face
sideways on the bed sheets as he stared at the visible half of Yang
Youming’s face.
Yang Youming’s breathing was soft and unhurried, his body motionless.
Xia Xingcheng shifted to his ear and whispered, “Didn’t you have trouble
sleeping?”
Yang Youming suddenly hugged him and turned over. Lying on his side and
holding him tightly, his face on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder and his lips
pressing against the tattoo on his collarbone, he said, “That’s why I came to
hug you to sleep.”
☆☆☆
[1] lmao the original term was ‘human teddy’/’human toy poodle’ which is apparently slang for
someone who can and wants to go at it any time anywhere… like the dog
t/n – thank you to Anon for the kofi!

Lu Nianxin’s dinner was scheduled a week later. The days were getting
closer and closer to the Lunar New Year.
Tonight’s dinner consisted of Yang Youming’s friends and partners who

have worked with him for many years–Xia Xingcheng had no reason to be
the least bit nervous. Yang Youming’s parents had already passed, and these
friends and partners of his were perhaps closer to him than his still-living
relatives. This made Xia Xingcheng feel like he was going to meet Yang
Youming’s parents.
That morning, Xia Xingcheng was in the walk-in wardrobe looking for
clothes to wear in the evening.
Yang Youming was leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back,
watching him. Seeing Xia Xingcheng dissatisfied after trying on several
sets of clothes, he opened his mouth and said, “Are you dressing up to go to
a blind date tonight?”
Upon hearing this, Xia Xingcheng, who was in the process of holding up a
sweater to his body in front of the mirror, turned to look at Yang Youming.
“I want to look good so I won’t embarrass you.”
Yang Youming laughed and held out a hand. “Come here.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately walked to his side and grasped his hand.
Yang Youming said, “You look good in anything.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but hug and bite him.
Yang Youming softly said, “You look best in nothing.”

When they went out that afternoon, there was a light snowfall. They had no
idea whether it was due to the snow, but the traffic along the way was
particularly bad.
Xia Xingcheng sat in the front passenger seat and pressed his face to the
ice-cold car window to look at the fluttering snowflakes, and said, “We’ve
lived together for so long, but I’ve never actually met Du Jin yet.”
As he drove, Yang Youming said, “You know I haven’t had work for over a
year.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at him.
Yang Youming chuckled. “He’ll give me a call if anything comes up, it’s no
longer his job to run errands for me now.”
Instead, Xia Xingcheng recalled another matter. “Ming ge, you should shoot
more movies.”
The car lined up at an intersection to wait out a red light.
Yang Youming stepped on the brake and glanced at him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “You not filming is a loss for the entire film industry.”
Yang Youming couldn’t help but smile. “Only you think so, right?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Of course not, it’s just that you can only hear my
words. If you look at your fans, aren’t they all dying for you to come out?
Even showing your face is enough.”
The red light at the intersection turned green, and the car in front of them
slowly began to move. Yang Youming also faced the front and followed the
car up ahead across the intersection.
Xia Xingcheng then continued, “I just want the both of us to shoot more
movies. When we’re old, we’ll stay at home and take out all the dramas and
movies we’ve acted in and watch them one by one.”
Yang Youming said, “You still haven’t watched Gradual Distance until
now, have you?”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at him and whispered, “Let’s talk about that some
other time.”
Yang Youming laughed. “Weren’t you in several idol dramas? If you want
to watch something, we can take our time and watch them then.”
Xia Xingcheng knew that Yang Youming said this to tease him, but went
on, “You said it yourself, we’ll see if you watch them then.” With that, he
couldn’t help but laugh along.
The place that Lu Nianxin had decided on for their meal was in a fairly
remote clubhouse in the mountains; Yang Youming drove for nearly two
hours to get there.
The snow on the mountain fell heavier than it did in the city. The moment
Xia Xingcheng opened the car door, the cold air assaulted his senses, and he
unconsciously tightened his down jacket around himself. When he looked
up, he saw Li Yun standing under the eaves up ahead. Initially wanting to
jog over, he couldn’t help but stop in place.
Yang Youming closed the car door and came around from the driver’s side,
grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand, and led him over.
Li Yun was expressionless, merely smiling and nodding at Yang Youming.

“You two are finally here.”
Yang Youming said, “The traffic was awful.”
Xia Xingcheng was a little nervous. He called out, “Yun jie.”
Li Yun also smiled his way and said, “Come in quickly.” With that, she
turned around and walked in front to lead the way.
As the Lunar New Year was fast approaching, red lanterns were hung all
along the entrance to the corridors. As Xia Xingcheng passed them, the
bright red was reflected on his face. By the time Li Yun brought them into
the private room, Xia Xingcheng found that the room was livelier than he’d
thought. In addition to Lu Nianxin, there were several other people present.
Among them was a tall and thin, bespectacled man. Although they had
never crossed paths before, Xia Xingcheng has seen pictures–this man was
Du Jin.
The moment Lu Nianxin saw Xia Xingcheng walk in, he smiled and came
over to welcome them. He raised his arm to embrace Xia Xingcheng’s
shoulder, but was slapped away by Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng stopped in his tracks, then retreated behind Yang Youming.
Lu Nianxin looked down at his hand, then said to Yang Youming, “Must
you?”
Yang Youming merely said, “Stay away from him.”
Lu Nianxin let out a laugh yet no longer persisted. He turned to Du Jin and
said, “Lao-Yang brought his little boyfriend, aren’t you going to say hello?”
Xia Xingcheng was wholly resentful at this ‘little boyfriend’ address. He’d
always thought that it sounded too casual, so he couldn’t help but say, “The
other day it was ‘new wife’, yet today it’s ‘little boyfriend’.”
Lu Nianxin turned to look at him in surprise.
Yang Youming wrapped his arm around Xia Xingcheng’s waist and pushed
him forward. He said with a laugh, “Meet my wife.”
Xia Xingcheng abruptly reddened.
Right then, Du Jin uttered, “What wife, did you guys obtain a marriage
certificate?”
Yang Youming turned to Xia Xingcheng and said, “It doesn’t matter, if I
can’t get one I’ll make one myself.” With that, he kissed the side of Xia
Xingcheng’s temple.
Xia Xingcheng’s face was still red.
After that, Yang Youming introduced him to the other people in the room,
including a middle-aged man, who was Li Yun’s husband, and a beautiful
young woman who was Du Jin’s wife.
Although Lu Nianxin had a bunch of lovers, he wouldn’t bring any of them

to occasions like this. As a matter of fact, those lovers of his couldn’t really
be considered lovers–they merely slept together with no feelings involved.
They all sat down at the round table.
Lu Nianxin leaned back, his chair tilting back with two legs off the floor.
He looked Xia Xingcheng up and down, then said with a grin, “Itching to
be your Ming ge’s wife, huh?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “In any case, it’s not ‘little boyfriend’.”
Du Jin’s expression was solemn as his slender eyes observed Xia

Xingcheng behind the lens of his glasses. He looked at him for a while, then
said to Yang Youming, “What are your plans?”
Yang Youming’s tone was rather mild as he asked, “What plans do you
mean?”
Du Jin said, “You’ve had a really long break, isn’t it about time you come
out and work?”
“Hold on,” Lu Nianxin raised a hand and interrupted them. “What are you
doing? We’re all gathered here to celebrate the New Year tonight, what’s all
this shoptalk. You can talk to Lao-Yang about work some other time. Go at
it slowly, can’t you see that so many of us are waiting for a drink? Right,
Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer him.
Yang Youming glanced at Du Jin and said, “Let’s take a rain check.”
Lu Nianxin snapped his fingers and said to Li Yun, ”Go tell them to rush
our dishes, we all want to eat.”
Soon after, the waiters served up their hot dishes one after another,
spreading them over the entire table. There was a glass of baijiu in front of
each person, and after the alcohol was poured, Lu Nianxin was the first to
stand up with a glass, saying, “Gathering like this today is a rare
opportunity for us all, we should drink to this first.”
The others took their glasses and stood up for a toast.
Without eating even one mouthful of food first, Xia Xingcheng knocked
back his glass, and it burnt down his throat all the way to his stomach. As
he was about to sit down with his empty wine glass, Lu Nianxin had already
picked up the liquor bottle from the table and poured himself another glass
of baijiu, saying, “The second glass–I’d like to toast Xingcheng to welcome
him here today.”
Du Jin gave him a blank look.
Xia Xingcheng had no choice but to fill another glass for himself. He stood
up and clinked glasses with Lu Nianxin, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Nianxin held the wine glass in his right hand, while his left hand reached
out and captured Xia Xingcheng’s wrist, saying, “Why are you calling me
Mr. Lu? Call me Xin ge.” He said the last two words especially lightly with
an eyebrow raised.
Xia Xingcheng smiled at him, retracted his hand with great difficulty, and
drained his second glass of baijiu.
Lu Nianxin also drained his glass in one go, then boldly picked up the bottle
to pour himself a third glass. His gaze turned to the table, he said to Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng, “The third glass–I have to dedicate to the
both of you. Congratulations on your happily ever after.”
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand to pour the wine, but Yang Youming
grabbed his wrist and looked at Lu Nianxin as he said, “All right, we
appreciate your kindness, please sit down.”
Lu Nianxin still meant to pester him, yet Yang Youming flashed a smile his
way with his hand still around Xia Xingcheng’s. Lu Nianxin could only say,
“Forget it. None of us dare to provoke you.” After that, he sat down in his
seat.
Yang Youming picked up his chopsticks, placed some hot dishes into Xia
Xingcheng’s bowl, and said softly, “Eat something first, no need to pay
attention to him.”
Seeing that Yang Youming had moved his chopsticks first, everyone else
also began to eat.
The meal was actually quite lively, mainly due to the fact that Lu Nianxin
didn’t remain idle; if he wasn’t looking for someone to talk to, he called on
somebody else to drink. Yet even though he was Juxin’s big boss, everyone
was obviously more afraid of Yang Youming, and no one really feared him.
Later on, an intoxicated Lu Nianxin tipped back on his chair while

smoking, his collar wide open and face red. He said to Xia Xingcheng,
“Want to jump ship and come to Juxin to follow your Ming ge?”
Xia Xingcheng froze at his words.
Lu Nianxin said, “I’m pretty close with your Chief Cai, I can go talk to
her.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately said, “No need, I think my current company is

very good.”
Lu Nianxin sandwiched his cigarette between his lips and turned to Yang
Youming.
Yang Youming had also drank some wine. His cheeks were rosy, and the
hair on his forehead had been pushed back–it was in slight disarray. He
said, “It’s enough if he’s happy at work.” As he spoke, he threw a hand on
the back of Xia Xingcheng’s seat, and his index finger softly scratched at
Xia Xingcheng’s nape.
Xia Xingcheng felt ticklish and couldn’t stop his neck from shrinking back.
At this time, Du Jin’s wife was at Li Yun and her husband’s side, talking to
them about their children’s studies.
Du Jin said to Yang Youming, “I met He Zheng last week. He talked to me

about his new movie.”
Lu Nianxin didn’t break off their work discussion this time, merely shaking
out two cigarettes from his cigarette case and throwing one to Du Jin and
the other to Yang Youming, who shook his head to indicate that he didn’t
want one. With the remaining cigarette in his hand, Lu Nianxin gestured to
Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng also shook his head.
Du Jin said, “You’ve worked with He Zheng many times, and it’s always
been a pleasant cooperation. Why don’t you reconsider.”
Yang Youming’s finger on Xia Xingcheng’s neck paused in its act, and he
looked at Du Jin and asked, “Did you know that He Zheng originally
wanted to invite me and Xingcheng to act in his new movie together?”
Du Jin gave an obvious start. “Originally? Then what about now?”
Yang Youming said, “I don’t know what’s in his mind now either. You can
ask him the next time you meet him.”
Du Jin asked him again, “What do you mean?”
Yang Youming answered, “I’m still thinking it over. I want to see what He
Zheng has in mind.”
Lu Nianxin interjected, “Are you guys playing a guessing game? What’s in

who’s mind?”
Du Jin glanced at Xia Xingcheng and said, “No. No matter what He Zheng
has in mind right now, I don’t approve of you two acting in the same movie
again.”
☆☆☆
After Du Jin finished speaking, nobody answered him for a moment. The
only voices in the room belonged to Li Yun and Du Jin’s wife’s as they
chatted, and they looked up and glanced their way at the same time, then
turned back and continued talking with lowered voices.
Yang Youming nodded, then said to Du Jin, “I understand your concerns.”
Xia Xingcheng also understood. If it were Huang Jixin and Cai Meiting
who were here today instead, they would probably be against it too. He also
harboured a faint thought in his heart—if he continued working with Yang
Youming, would it take a heavy toll? These days, there were so many fans
on the internet who frantically pursued them. If they were to work together
once more, he feared that the fans would grow even more frenzied. Many
nasty remarks would also show up one after another.
And yet, he genuinely wanted to make another movie with Yang Youming.
Yang Youming accepted so few acting roles nowadays, and the chance to
work with Yang Youming was something that was extremely rare to come
by. A good director’s screenplay, a suitable role—if you miss it, there was
no telling whether such an opportunity would arise again.
Sullen, Xia Xingcheng stayed mute.
“I actually don’t think it matters.” At this time, Lu Nianxin suddenly spoke

up. He crossed his legs and habitually tipped his chair back. “What should
you be afraid of? Do you have a guilty conscience?”
Du Jin directed a stern glare at Lu Nianxin. “Isn’t that the case?”
Lu Nianxin reached out to pat Du Jin’s shoulder. “You don’t get it. When
you have a guilty conscience, the thing you can’t stand the most is having
something to hide.”
Du Jin pushed his hand away. “Does not working together means they’re
hiding something?”
Lu Nianxin didn’t relent, “If there’s nothing to hide, why do they need to
avoid working together?”
“All right,” Yang Youming said, “There’s nothing to argue about.”
Both Du Jin and Lu Nianxin shut up.
Yang Youming turned to glance at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng was in a daze, but when he noticed Yang Youming’s line of
sight, he subconsciously turned to him to listen to him speak.
Yang Youming then smiled, and said, “I think you’re all focusing on the
wrong things. Neither working together nor hiding our matters ought to be
our main considerations—we only need to focus on the work itself.
Whether a script is good, whether the creators are worth working with, are
the roles challenging, these are the things we should be focusing on.”
Xia Xingchen suddenly remembered that before Yang Youming had read
the original work, he said he wouldn’t act in He Zheng’s movie. His tone at
the time was obstinate and almost—childish.
Yet sitting here now, as Yang Youming said that they ought to focus on their
work alone, his attitude was like the one he’d always presented in the public
eye, calm and collected as the waveless deep seas.
This likely meant that Yang Youming would only show those petty moods
in front of Xia Xingcheng; he’d get angry, he’d get jealous, he’d even act
like a spoiled child, and it was Xia Xingcheng alone who saw all of him,
saw the real Yang Youming. Everyone else who knew Yang Youming had
never truly known him.
In that instant, Xia Xingcheng was overcome with an intense joy at this
very thought.
Yang Youming said, “It’s pointless to argue now. Just resolve it when we
meet He Zheng after the New Year.”
Du Jin solemnly said, “In any case, I disapprove.”
Lu Nianxin patted his chest, then said to Xia Xingcheng, “Xingcheng, don’t
be afraid. Ge will support you.”
Yang Youming looked at Lu Nianxin coldly when he heard his words.
It was very late when the meal ended, and both Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming were drunk and unable to drive. Lu Nianxin helped book a room
for them to stay the night so they could leave the next morning.
Xia Xingcheng was a little worried. He shifted closer to Yang Youming and
asked in his ear, “Is it okay for us to stay in one room so frankly?”
Before Yang Youming could answer, Lu Nianxin, who was walking in front
of them, turned back upon hearing him and said, “It’s not a problem, I’ve
arranged everything. You have nothing to worry about here.”
“Youming,” Du Jin called Yang Youming as they left the private room.
“Can we talk alone for a moment?”
Yang Youming looked at Xia Xingcheng.
Just as Xia Xingcheng was about to say that it’s okay and that he’ll go to
the room first, Lu Nianxin approached them with a grin, saying, “I’ll send
Xingcheng back to his room.”
Xia Xingcheng promptly said, “No thank you. I’ll be fine on my own.”
Yang Youming said to Xia Xingcheng, “Let him send you over. I’ll be back
soon, wait up for me.”
They walked along the corridor and separated at an intersection, with Lu

Nianxin accompanying Xia Xingcheng to the room he’d ordered for him
and Yang Youming. His immense familiarity with the clubhouse was
obvious, as he didn’t need others to show him the way. A large garden
greeted them upon exiting the building, and there was a long, winding
corridor in the middle that connected the two small buildings. They headed
for the building across the garden.
The garden corridor was unobstructed, and a sudden mix of cold wind and
snowflakes assaulted his face, making the drunk-on-alcohol Xingcheng feel
somewhat dizzy in an instant. His face was still feverish, and as the gusts of
wind grew yet colder, he could only wrap his down-jacket tightly around
himself.
Lu Nianxin’s figure from behind looked very lofty under the lights of the
corridor. He walked to the end of the corridor, and right as he was about to
ascend the flight of steps and enter the small building on the other side, he
suddenly stopped and turned to hold Xia Xingcheng. “Careful, there are
steps here.”
Xia Xingcheng jumped back two steps like a frightened rabbit. He sniffled
and said, “Xin ge.”
Lu Nianxin suddenly laughed in great delight, dragging out his answer,

“Gee—you called me really nicely, let me have another listen.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him. “You’re Ming ge’s good friend.” To be frank,
it was odd—in the first twenty-four years of Xia Xingcheng’s life, though
he was a pretty boy, no man had ever harassed him. Yet ever since he acted
in Gradual Distance with Yang Youming, men with strange thoughts about
him began to show up around him.
At Xia Xingcheng’s words, Lu Nianxin laughed heartily, then said, “I won’t

do anything to you. It’s just because Yang Youming took a fancy to you, so
my heart’s itching to have a closer look at what kind of person you really
are.”
The air was so cold that Xia Xingcheng had to sniff and expend great effort
to keep his runny nose in check. He sounded nasal as he said, “I’m nothing
special. If I really have to say it, then it’s just that I love Ming ge very
much.”
Lu Nianxin was stunned by his words; he saw Xia Xingcheng’s smile

slightly soften. Standing on the steps, he reached out to push the door open
to block off the wind, then said to Xia Xingcheng, “Get in first, it’s too cold
outside.”
Xia Xingcheng walked over to hold the door on his own, but Lu Nianxin
wouldn’t let go, standing to the side and insisting that Xia Xingcheng go in
first. With no better option, he passed Lu Nianxin and walked in.
A long corridor welcomed them upon entry. It didn’t look that different
from your ordinary hotel floor, and both sides of the corridor were lined
with shut doors.
Right as Xia Xingcheng entered, in the dim yellow light, he spotted a

slender back up ahead. Having apparently heard a sound, the man turned
back to take a look, and the moment they faced each other, Xia Xingcheng
froze.
That person was someone Xia Xingcheng recognized. They were the
entertainment industry’s current most popular traffic star—Teng Song.
At that moment, Lu Nianxin also came in; he didn’t notice Teng Song, and
was merely baffled at the fact Xia Xingcheng had abruptly stopped walking.
He then wrapped a hand around his shoulder. “What’s up?” It was only after
he’d finished asking that he turned his head and saw Teng Song up ahead.
Teng Song eyed Lu Nianxin’s hand around Xia Xingcheng, then walked
towards them. “Boss.”
Lu Nianxin didn’t let go of Xia Xingcheng and only asked, “Why are you
here?”
Teng Song walked over and didn’t stop until he was right in front of them.
“I have something to say to you.”
Xia Xingcheng, who’d been a little dazed, now reacted in an instant. He
took a step to the side, avoiding Lu Nianxin’s hand, and said, “You guys
talk, I’ll go back to my room first.”
Lu Nianxin looked at him, nodded, and said, “The room’s on the second
floor, number 204.” After that, he suddenly captured Xia Xingcheng’s wrist
and pressed close to his ear, saying, “Go back and wait for Lao Yang.” His
voice was very low, the last two words in particular were especially
indistinct.
Xia Xingcheng saw Teng Song’s complexion transform in an instant. He

knew that Lu Nianxin was deliberately putting on a show for Teng Song,
yet as it happened, there was nothing for him to clarify, so he could only
leave them to their business and turn around and leave.
He hadn’t gone far when he heard Lu Nianxin say coldly, “Why don’t you
leave.”
Teng Song’s voice was soft. He said, “I’m not leaving. Let’s talk
somewhere else.”
What followed wasn’t heard by Xia Xingcheng.
Going up to the second floor, Xia Xingcheng opened the door of Room 204
to the sight of a spacious suite inside. The room was clean and warm, and a
faint wooden fragrance permeated throughout the room.
When Yang Youming came back, almost half an hour later, Xia Xingcheng
had already bathed and was currently sitting on the bed, playing with his
phone. Yang Youming walked over to the side of the bed—his body still
smelling of alcohol—and kissed Xia Xingcheng’s face before going to the
bathroom to take a shower.
Xia Xingcheng continued to look through his phone, patiently waited until
Yang Youming came back, then tilted his head up and said, “Do you know
who I saw just now?”
Fresh from his shower, Yang Youming returned to the bed wearing only a
pair of briefs. He lifted the blanket on the bed and asked, “Who?”
Xia Xingcheng sounded a little excited, “Teng Song.”
Yang Youming looked over at him.
Xia Xingcheng drew near Yang Youming’s ear and whispered, “I think
there’s something fishy going on between Teng Song and Lu Nianxin, is
there anything you know about them?”
Yang Youming laughed. “What’s fishy?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Is he engaged in unspoken rules with Lu Nianxin?”
Yang Youming shook his head. “I really don’t know.”
Xia Xingcheng had thought that he’d be able to find out something from
Yang Youming, yet in the end Yang Youming didn’t know anything either.
He was rather disappointed. “Isn’t Teng Song also managed by Du Jin?”
Yang Youming stroked his head. “I hardly ever interact with Teng Song
though. We’re really not close. As for Lu Nianxin, the male and female
stars he’s engaged in unspoken rules with can’t be counted on both our
fingers added up. There’s no way I’d know all of them.”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Does he not take responsibility after he sleeps with
them?”
Yang Youming thought for a moment. “It depends on what’s considered

‘taking responsibility’. He told me he was just playing around, but before
he ‘plays’ he’d tell them clearly. He gives what he ought to give, and
doesn’t give what he shouldn’t. It’s all mutual consent.”
Xia Xingcheng reached out to hug Yang Youming’s waist, resting his face
on the other man’s shoulder. “Teng Song seems like he’s taking it seriously,
I think.”
Yang Youming laid down, holding Xia Xingcheng in his arms, eyes on the
ceiling as he said, “You’ve only met him once, but you know he’s serious?”
Xia Xingcheng lightly said, “I can sense it. I think he’s quite pitiful.”
“Pitiful?” Yang Youming seemed unable to comprehend this description.
“It reminds me of the former me,” Xia Xingcheng said.
Yang Youming suddenly propped up an arm to sit up halfway, pulling away

from him slightly as he looked at Xia Xingcheng. “Are you comparing me
to Lu Nianxin?”
Xia Xingcheng also raised his head and said, “No way, I just feel pity for
Teng Song.”
Yang Youming looked at him for a moment. Without warning, he leaned in

and bit down on the tattoo on Xia Xingcheng’s collarbone—he bit down
hard.
The bitten Xia Xingcheng let out a shout.
Yang Youming released him, then solemnly said, “Don’t compare me with
Lu Nianxin.”
Xia Xingcheng saw the red bite mark on his skin and rubbed it with his
hand, saying aggrievedly, “I didn’t, you’re the best in the world, Lu Nianxin
isn’t even qualified to be compared to you!”
At this time, in another room, Lu Nianxin sneezed twice. He rubbed at his

nose, and indifferently said to Teng Song, “If you’re not leaving, then stay
here on your own. I’m switching rooms.”
☆☆☆
t/n – only 26 chapters left til the end of the main story ahaha :”)
They left the mountain the next morning without saying goodbye to Lu
Nianxin beforehand. Yang Youming called him, and the other man said,
“Let’s get together again next time we’re all free.”
On the way back, Xia Xingcheng received a call from Huang Jixin, who
asked him where he was the moment the call connected.
Head resting on the car window, Xia Xingcheng languidly uttered, “On the
way home, what’s up?”
Huang Jixin asked, “Did you know that your brother’s here?”
Xia Xingcheng froze at his words. “Say that again?”
Huang Jixin sounded quite calm—it was rare that he wasn’t yelling at him.
“Your brother called me at dawn today and said you weren’t home, then
asked me where you were.”
Xia Xingcheng gripped his phone and looked over at Yang Youming. Yang
Youming motioned with his eyes, asking him what was wrong.
He whispered, “My brother came by.” He then asked Huang Jixin, “What
did you tell him?”
Huang Jixin said, “What was I supposed to tell him? I just told him that you
recorded a program last night and didn’t go home, and I need to confirm
with you first when exactly you were planning on going back.”
Xia Xingcheng suppressed the panic and anxiety in his heart, and said, “All
right, I’ll contact him.”
Huang Jixin hummed, then asked, “Does he know about your relationship?
Why didn’t he call you before running off to your place straight away?
What is this, an inspection?”
For a moment, Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say, so he only said,
“I’ll contact him first.”
At first, Xia Xingcheng wanted to call Xia Ye the moment he hung up, but
right when he scrolled to Xia Ye’s phone number, his finger hovered over
the call button for a long time. In the end, he set his phone aside and said to
Yang Youming, “Ming ge, send me back to my house first. My brother’s
here, there’s something I want to say to him face to face.”
Yang Youming had heard him on the phone, and he’d probably guessed
what they had talked about. He asked, “What do you want to say to him?”
Xia Xingcheng weighed the phone in his hand, tossing it up and catching it
again and again. A few days ago, he had called home to say that he
wouldn’t be going back home, as he had work during the Lunar New Year.
When his mother answered the phone at the time, she told him that it was
fine, work is important. At that time, Xia Xingcheng had wanted to spend
the Lunar New Year abroad with Yang Youming, and after the New Year,
he’d find the time to go back home on his own.
Yet he never expected that Xia Ye would suddenly turn up. Moreover, he’d
gone directly to his house without giving Xia Xingcheng any prior notice.
His apartment hasn’t been occupied for quite a long time, and Xia
Xingcheng’s things had all been moved out bit by bit. In the beginning,
there’d been someone who would come and clean up periodically, but later
on, he sealed the doors and windows tightly, covered the sofa and bed with
a dust cover, and the regular cleaning was also stopped.
Xia Ye had the key to his house. He didn’t know when exactly Xia Ye had
come, but as long as he opened the door and entered the house, he’d
definitely know that Xia Xingcheng hadn’t lived there for a while.
If he really had to scrounge up an explanation, it wasn’t that it was

impossible, but Xia Xingcheng thought—somewhat aggrievedly—why
couldn’t he even tell his own family that he was dating?
He glanced at Yang Youming, and suddenly recalled the time they had gone
home Last New Year’s, when Yang Youming had been against him telling
his family about their relationship. He immediately grew even more
anxious.
Yang Youming didn’t wait for his answer, and softly said, “Don’t be scared,
I’ll accompany you to see him.”
Stunned, Xia Xingcheng turned to him, “Ming ge?”
Yang Youming was still driving, keeping his eyes to the front. His voice
was low as he slowly said, “It ought to be said. And they’re already here
too. Do you want me to send you there to face him alone then make myself
scarce?”
Xia Xingcheng was on tenterhooks. “But you didn’t want me to tell them
last time.”
Yang Youming said, “You said that you wanted a lifetime—are you able to
keep this in the dark for a lifetime?”
The restless Xia Xingcheng cheered up for a split second because of his
words, but he quickly got caught up again in his worries. “We’d still better
not, my big brother has a violent temper, I’m scared that he’ll target you.”
Yang Youming comforted him, “Fear must be confronted. He’s your

brother, after all. He loves you too.”
Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a long time before nodding.
Xia Xingcheng hadn’t returned to his apartment for almost six months. He
and Yang Youming exited the elevator one after another; he reached into his
pocket to take out his key, and couldn’t help but look back at Yang
Youming as he opened the door.
Yang Youming placed a hand on his shoulder and told him to open it.
Xia Xingcheng opened the door with the key, and was met with two people
standing in the living room. One was Xia Ye, and the other was his sister-
in-law, Fang Ying.
There were also two small children playing chasey and causing a racket.
Ding Ding was right in the middle of pulling at Dong Dong’s hair.
Visibly irascible, Xia Ye yelled at Dong Dong, who’d crashed into his leg,
“What are you running around for?!”
Fang Ying was immediately displeased, and she reached out to shove at
him. “What are you angry at the kid for?”
Dong Dong drew back, slightly afraid, and as he turned his head, he saw
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming at the door. He promptly recognized
them and let out a soft ‘Oh!’, but couldn’t remember what he ought to call
them.
It was Xia Xingcheng who called out to him first, “Dong Dong.” He then
shouted, “Da-ge, sis-in-law.”
Xia Ye and Fang Ying turned to him at the same time, and they naturally
also spotted Yang Youming, who’d come in with Xia Xingcheng.
In that instant, Xia Ye’s face visibly darkened, as if he’d been slapped in the
face. He looked indignant as he concealed his embarrassment.
Fang Ying nervously pulled at Xia Ye’s sleeve.
Xia Ye pushed her hand away and said, “Take the kids inside.”
Fang Ying said to him, “Talk to Xingcheng nicely.”
Xia Ye didn’t look at her, merely shouting, “Go!”
Fang Ying called out to Ding Ding and Dong Dong to follow her into the
bedroom. As she closed the door, she shook her head at Xia Xingcheng
with a frown, then gestured at Xia Ye once more.
Xia Xingcheng nodded to her.
Xia Ye was standing with his legs apart and his hands in his pockets, and
when the door closed, he took a deep breath and asked Xia Xingcheng,
“How long has it been since you’ve been back here?”
His hands behind his back, Xia Xingcheng fumbled for the hem of Yang
Youming’s clothes and tugged him close. He then said, “Almost half a
year.” He felt Yang Youming grasp his hand.
Xia Ye’s hands clenched into fists in his pockets, and his expression grew
more and more unsightly. “Then where have you been staying all this
time?”
Before Xia Xingcheng could say anything, Yang Youming gently clapped
his shoulder, pulling Xia Xingcheng to stand behind him. He said to Xia Ye,
“He lives at my place.”
Xia Ye was like an enraged beast as he suddenly advanced on Yang

Youming with his balled up fists held high.
Frightened, Xia Xingcheng exerted all his strength to pull Yang Youming
and bar Xia Ye from him, but Yang Youming was his hand, not letting go,
and he neither avoided nor raised a hand to block him, taking Xia Ye’s
punch directly.
Xia Ye’s full-strength punch landed on Yang Youming’s face, and in an

instant, he staggered to the side, the corner of his mouth smeared with
blood.
Xia Xingcheng pulled Yang Youming away in a fit of rage, then rushed in
front of him and shoved Xia Ye back before a second punch could come
flying.
Xia Ye stumbled a few steps back at Xia Xingcheng’s shove, braced himself
on the sofa, and looked at Yang Youming indignantly, cursing, “Fuck you,
you shameless trash! You’re so much older and divorced yet you still go
coercing my little brother! If I don’t beat you to death today, my surname
isn’t Xia!”
Right then, having heard the ruckus going on outside, Fang Ying came out
of the room, held Xia Ye’s arm, and dragged him back. She staggered along
and almost fell, flustered and exasperated as she yelled, “Are you insane? If
you have something to say then say it properly, why are you using your
fists?”
Xia Ye made to push Fang Ying away. “It was them who made Xingcheng
act in that disgusting movie. He screwed my little brother over, can’t I beat
him up? If I kill him, then it’s because he deserved it!”
“He didn’t!” Xia Xingcheng was holding Yang Youming. He checked the
injury on his face, distressed to near tears. “I was the one who chased after
him, why are you hitting him?”
Yang Youming’s cheek instantly swelled up. He wiped at the corner of his
mouth with the back of his hand. Some blood flowed out immediately after.
Xia Xingcheng immediately said, “Let’s go to the hospital.”
Yang Youming held his shoulder. “I’m fine, don’t worry.” His speech was a
little unclear, yet his tone remained steady, sounding ineffably reassuring.
Meanwhile, Fang Ying was still struggling with Xia Ye. Also angered, she
shouted “Can you stop acting like a savage? Is violence the only thing in
your head?!”
Fang Ying hadn’t had the time to close the bedroom door when she rushed
out earlier, so Ding Ding and Dong Dong were peeping out. When Fang
Ying spotted them, she yelled, “Don’t watch! Go back and close the door!”
Ding Ding didn’t move. Even when Dong Dong tugged at him, he still
didn’t move, so Dong Dong gritted his teeth and dragged him back inside
with all his strength, then closed the door obediently.
Xia Xingcheng’s hand was stained with Yang Youming’s blood. Panicked to
the extreme, he fished out his phone to call Huang Jixin.
Yang Youming reached over and grasped the hand Xia Xingcheng was
holding the phone with, hugged him, and patted his back, saying, “Don’t be
scared, I’ll talk to him.” He then let go of his hand and walked over to Xia
Ye.
Fang Ying was holding onto Xia Ye’s arm tightly, preventing him from
doing anything impulsive.
Xia Ye could only throw a resentful death glare at Yang Youming.
Yang Youming walked up to him and said, “If you feel unsatisfied, feel free
to hit me again.”
Xia Ye glared at him ferociously, balling up his right hand once more.
Xia Xingcheng immediately blocked Yang Youming off and said to Xia Ye,
“You wanna try hitting him again?”
Xia Ye’s eyes fell on Xia Xingcheng. “I’m your older brother! Are you
crazy?”
Xia Xingcheng glowered at Xia Ye. “Not even my older brother is allowed
to hit him! He’s the man I love—as long as I’m here, no one’s allowed to
touch him!”
Xia Ye raised his clenched fist at Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng bellowed, “Hit me then!”
Yang Youming embraced Xia Xingcheng from behind and pulled him aside.
“It’s all right, don’t get too excited.”
Xia Xingcheng was still looking at Xia Ye with a hateful glare.
Xia Ye was both agitated and angry. He raised his leg, then kicked the
coffee table in the middle of the living room, and the glass tabletop fell and
shattered to pieces.
Following the loud crash, Fang Ying pulled Xia Ye back, watching the
broken glass scatter in every direction. The room suddenly quietened.
Yang Youming’s hand was on Xia Xingcheng’s nape from beginning to end,
squeezing not too lightly nor too firmly, as if he was placating a frightened
kitty. He then asked Xia Ye, “Are you all right?”
Needless to say, Xia Ye didn’t answer.
Fang Ying hauled Xia Ye around the broken glass, maneuvering him to sit
on the edge of the sofa. “Sit down and don’t get up, I’ll sweep the glass.”
Xia Ye looked away without responding.
Fang Ying asked Xia Xingcheng, “Where’s the broom?”
Xia Xingcheng’s chest rose and fell. With Yang Youming kneading his
nape, he gradually calmed down, and said, “Corner of the balcony.”
Fang Ying turned around and made her way to the balcony.
“Can we talk?” Yang Youming said to Xia Ye.
Xia Ye sneered. “What else is there to talk about?”
Yang Youming said, “About Xingcheng.”
☆☆☆
t/n – Thank you to Bolshv, izzie, and Anon for the kofis!
fun fact: this (dramatic) chapter was released on valentine’s day two years ago LOL
Fang Ying fetched the broom from the balcony and swept the broken glass
on the floor.
An unhappy Xia Ye was smoking on the sofa in silence. Yang Youming sat
diagonally opposite him, his injured face getting more and more swollen.
The sight of Yang Youming’s injury filled Xia Xingcheng with

apprehension. He turned back to look at Xia Ye with sadness and anger,
only to find that the hand he was holding the cigarette with was faintly
shaking. The barrage of words that had rushed forth died in Xia
Xingcheng’s mouth.
The smell of cigarette smoke permeated throughout the living room. The air
was tense and oppressive.
Suddenly, Xia Ye spoke, “My little brother is ten years younger than me.
Although we weren’t well-off when he was small, he grew up cherished by
the entire family. He came out to act at a young age—your entertainment
industry is complicated, we don’t ask for him to make it big, we only hope
that he’ll have a smooth and happy life.”
“I also hope that he’ll have a smooth and happy life.” Yang Youming said,
frowning as he spoke—it was probably because he’d pulled at his wound.
Xia Ye sneered, then lowered his head to smoke again.
Once Fang Ying had swept up all the broken glass, Xia Xingcheng said,
“Sis-in-law, leave it be. I’ll call for someone to clean up.”
“It’s fine,” Fang Ying stood upright with the broom. “You know your
brother is all brawn and no brains.”
Xia Ye eyed her like he was furious, and yet he didn’t react much.
Fang Ying striked his leg with the broom. “Xingcheng is twenty-five! He’s
not a kid anymore. If you have something to say, then speak properly. All
you know how to do is lose your temper, will getting angry solve
anything?”
Xia Ye turned away in annoyance.
Fang Ying set the broom aside, sat down next to Xia Ye, and asked Xia
Xingcheng, “Is your schedule packed recently?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “I don’t have any work until the New Year.”
Xia Ye immediately roared, “Then you’re not going home for the New
Year?!”
Fang Ying jumped, startled. She raised her hand and hit him. “Keep your
voice down!”
Xia Ye was stifled once again.
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m planning to go back after the New Year.”
Xia Ye’s cigarette reached its end; he snubbed the cigarette butt and cast it
aside, then folded his hands in front of his chest, his breathing heavy.
Yang Youming grabbed Xia Xingcheng’s hand and said, “It’s my fault.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately turned to look at him. “You’re not at fault.”
Yang Youming patted the back of his hand. “I’m perfectly aware that
anything I say is useless, and anything I do is harmful. If there’s anything
you’re discontented with, you can come for me, but I want to say this one
thing—I’m willing to give Xingcheng everything, anything, as long as he’s
happy.”
Fang Ying was slightly stunned at these words, as if touched. She said, “I
watched your movie.”
Xia Ye gave a cold snort.
Fang Ying paid him no mind and continued, “I cried at the ending. It was a
really good movie, really.”
“Thank you,” Yang Youming said.
Fang Ying’s mood was a little chaotic. She ruffled her hair and hesitated on
how she ought to say it, before finally asking, “Was it—when you were
filming…”
Her question was vague.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng understood anyway.
Yang Youming answered her: “Yes.” Although they hadn’t gotten together
at the time, it was indeed then that their hearts moved.
Fang Ying silently thought, then it was a case of catching feelings from the
act. She secretly sighed. On one hand, she didn’t think that they did
anything wrong, but on the other hand, she felt that Xia Xingcheng really
shouldn’t have chosen this path.
Right as she was about to persuade him, Xia Xingcheng spoke up first,
“Sis-in-law, back when your family opposed you being together with my
brother, what went through your mind?”
Fang Ying froze at his question.
Xia Xingcheng went on, “Did you regret it?”
Of course she didn’t. Her family was happy and well-off, her two children
were smart and lovely, and although her husband had an irritable temper, he
was still very good to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dated him in the
first place.
When Fang Ying still didn’t answer, Xia Xingcheng pressed on, “If my
brother was still poor and didn’t earn much after all his hard work, would
you regret it?”
Fang Ying laughed bitterly, then said, “Forget it, I’m not qualified to speak.
I won’t try to convince you.”
Yet Xia Ye said, “I don’t approve.”
Xia Xingcheng glanced at him, a hint of anger bubbling up along with the
urge to fight Xia Ye, but at the sight of Xia Ye’s downtrodden look, he
suddenly didn’t have the heart to.
Everyone here loved him. Each of them loved him in different ways, from
different viewpoints. His happiness was their ultimate goal. He resented the
fact that Xia Ye had hurt Yang Youming, yet he also couldn’t stand the
thought of hurting Xia Ye. He was the only link between them, and it was
only if he was calm enough to take charge that they’ll believe that the
choices he made were well thought out.
Thus, Xia Xingcheng stood up and walked up to Xia Ye, saying, “Ge, look
at me.”
Xia Ye dismissed him.
Xia reached out and cupped Xia Ye’s face, forcing him to look up at him. “I
was wrong,” he said, and with that, he got down on his knees in front of Xia
Ye.
Xia Ye and Fang Ying jumped up at the same time to help Xia Xingcheng
up, with Xia Ye all the more furious. “Who told you to kneel?! Who are you
kneeling for?!”
Yang Youming had subconsciously moved, yet he sat back down again, his
gaze resting on Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng refused to get up. He said, “I grew up following you like a
little duckling. You gave me everything I wanted. You even wanted to pluck
all the stars in the sky for me. When I left for university, I rarely returned
home. Mom and dad are old, and you and Sis-in-law have been taking care
of them. I do too little for the family, but you said it didn’t matter, our
family has you anyway.” At this point, Xia Xingcheng was also somewhat
moved, and he choked with emotion. “Why can’t I kneel to you?”
Xia Ye looked at him in a daze.
Xia Xingcheng continued, “Today, I knelt to you. The next time I go home,
I’ll kneel to mom and dad. Since you think I’m in the wrong, then I can
only apologize to all of you. I may have to stay on this wrong path to the
end.”
Yang Youming gazed at Xia Xingcheng wordlessly.
Xia Ye closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t know. Don’t talk to me. I
won’t approve.” With that, he stepped around Xia Xingcheng and turned
towards the bedroom.
Fang Ying promptly helped Xia Xingcheng up.
“Sis-in-law,” Xia Xingcheng called.
Fang Ying said, “Don’t rush, I’ll talk to him again.” She glanced at Yang
Youming before saying to Xia Xingcheng, “To tell you the truth, when I
was young, I also thought that love was more important than anything else.
But when I got older and had kids, I felt that my parents’ objections back
then were understandable. I don’t want you to regret it one day, so give it
another thought, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I won’t regret it.”
Fang Ying raised a hand and touched his head. Xia Xingcheng was a good
deal taller than Fang Ying, but in Fang Ying’s eyes, he was still like a little
boy. Fang Ying smiled and said, “I definitely hope you won’t. Sis-in-law
isn’t a conservative person. Age, gender, whether or not you want kids—in
my opinion, they aren’t too big a deal. But what path you take is your own
choice, no matter the outcome, you’ll have to bear the consequences
yourself.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at her and said, “I understand.”

Laughing, Fang Ying patted his shoulder. “You don’t need to care too much
about your brother’s attitude. His approval or disapproval isn’t that
important. What you should actually think about is how to tell mom and
dad later.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his gaze. Compared to Xia Ye, he was indeed more
scared of facing his parents. But so what if you had fears—you’d always
have to face them. Wasn’t it a lifetime that they wanted? He turned his head
to look at Yang Youming, nodded at Fang Ying, then asked, “Why didn’t
you guys come with mom and dad?”
Fang Ying said, “Mom and dad are spending the New Year with Second
Uncle’s family in the South. They said they’ll be staying for a month. Your
brother was worried about you and insisted on going to Beijing to see you
instead, so I took a leave in advance, and we arrived yesterday with Ding
Ding and Dong Dong.”
Xia Xingcheng hurriedly said, “Then where are you staying?”
“A hotel,” answered Fang Ying.
Xia Xingcheng said, “A hotel? Stay here instead!”
Fang Ying glanced at the direction of the bedroom, and whispered, “You
won’t be staying here today?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “I’m going back home with Ming ge.”
Fang Ying sighed. “Got it. You guys go back first then, I’ll go ask your
brother.”
Xia Xingcheng looked towards the bedroom and saw Dong Dong trying to
poke his head out and peep at them through the gap of the slightly open
door.
Fang Ying crooked her finger at Dong Dong. “Come here Dong Dong”
Dong Dong immediately pulled the door open and ran out with his short
little legs. He ran behind Fang Ying and hugged her legs, shyly looking at
Xia Xingcheng, then at Yang Youming.
Fang Ying lowered her head and asked him, “Remember Second Uncle and
Uncle Yang?”
Dong Dong nodded. “Remember.”
Fang Ying nudged him in front of her. “Why don’t you greet them?”
Dong Dong looked at Xia Xingcheng and called out, “Second Uncle.” Yet
he didn’t turn to Yang Youming and kept his gaze on Xia Xingcheng as he
shouted, “Uncle Yang.”
Yang Youming smiled, then said to Dong Dong, “Uncle Yang is over here.”
Dondong snuck a look at him. His eyes then moved away again before
glancing back at him. He said, “Uncle Yang got hit?”
Fang Ying reached out and tugged at his hair. “It’s all because of your
daddy’s bad temper. Go blow on Uncle Yang’s wound.”
Dong Dong looked up at Fang Ying, then turned back to Yang Youming, his
expression growing solemn. He walked over tensely, crawled up and knelt
on the sofa, then shifted closer to Yang Youming’s face and gently blew on
it. “No hurty.”
Dong Dong turned around and sat down on the sofa, pasted to Yang
Youming’s side, smiling bashfully.
Come the time Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming left, Xia Ye still hadn’t
come out and spoke a single sentence to them.
Xia Xingcheng drove them back. He wanted to bring Yang Youming to the
hospital first.
With a pair of glasses on his face, Yang Youming said, “Don’t go to the
hospital for this kind of thing, it’ll cause a scene if we’re seen.”
When they got home, Xia Xingcheng applied some disinfectant on Yang
Youming’s face. The swelling looked more obvious than it had that
morning.
That night, Xia Xingcheng came out of the shower to the sight of Yang
Youming sitting on the floor with his back against the bed.
He lightened his footsteps as he walked over to Yang Youming’s side,

crawled over on his knees, and sat down on the floor, snugly fitted to his
side.
Yang Youming kept mum. Along with the injury on his face, he seemed a
bit low.
Xia Xingcheng rested his head on the man’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Yang Youming quietly said, “Honestly, your brother was right, I am

shameless[1].”
Xia Xingcheng raised his head at once. “What are you talking about!”
Yang Youming said, “You’re still young. You come across how many
people, how many things, you know—”
“Stop it,” Xia Xingcheng covered his mouth, face gloomy. “If you keep
talking, I’ll be mad.”
When Xia Xingcheng’s hand bumped into his wound, Yang Youming
frowned in pain, and he reached out to pull away Xia Xingcheng’s wrist.
“I’m the most powerless when I’m facing your family’s anger. I watched
you kneel down to your brother, but I wasn’t able to do anything. I’m sorry,
Xingcheng.” After Yang Youming uttered these words, he wrapped his arms
around Xia Xingcheng’s waist, and with all his strength, he firmly pressed
Xia Xingcheng into his embrace.
Xia Xingcheng hugged him back. “I wasn’t wronged. My brother can be

coaxed, but not forced, so once I kneel, he’ll soften up. It’s much much
better than fighting it out with your fists. They’re my family—I’ll handle it.
You only need to be with me all the way and not leave my side.”
Yang Youming didn’t speak, hugging him tighter and tighter.
After a while, Xia Xingcheng moved back slightly, looked at his face, and
said, “You’re not shameless. How can you have no shame with that good-
looking face of yours?[2] There’s no one who’d be willing to part with it.”
Yang Youming smiled faintly.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hand and pressed at his chest. “I’m done for. Even
with you looking like this, I still think you’re handsome. I’m hopeless.”
With that, he leaned in to kiss Yang Youming’s lips.
Yang Youming opened his mouth to greet him, but after a brief kiss, he
withdrew.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t comply, chasing after him for another kiss.
Yang Youming cupped Xia Xingcheng’s face, and said, “Xingcheng—

Xingcheng!”
Xia Xingcheng’s lips and eyes were red and moist, as he looked at him
questioningly.
Yang Youming said, “My face is going to hurt.”
“Kissing hurts?”
Yang Youming nodded. “Talking hurts a little.”
Xia Xingcheng hugged him, his head buried in his shoulder. “This is all Xia
Ye’s fault. Just see how I’ll sort him out later. He actually dared to hit your
face! Doesn’t he know how much your face is worth?”
Smiling, Yang Youming said, “How much is it worth?”
“It’s the treasure of humankind, all right?!”

☆☆☆
[1] the term 不要脸 which i’ve translated as ‘shameless’ is a very serious insult in chinese that you
can read about here
[2] this had a pun-joke-not-exactly-wordplay thing i had no idea how to convey in english with 不要
脸 (lit. no concern abt saving one’s face) and xia xingcheng proceeding to mention yang youming’s
face. I had to tweak the translation here too so it would still make sense, sorry about that :’)
t/n – thank you to Tinsunny for the kofi!

Later on, Xia Xingcheng called Fang Ying again.
Fang Ying told him that in addition to coming over to visit him, they had
also wanted to take advantage of the holidays to travel with Ding Ding and
Dong Dong, so they wouldn’t be going back for the time being. Moreover,
she had also persuaded Xia Ye to stay at Xia Xingcheng’s house for a few
days in lieu of returning to the hotel.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Sis-in-law, it’s two days to New Year’s Eve. How
about you and my brother bring Ding Ding and Dong Dong over to
celebrate the Lunar New Year here with us?”
Fang Ying was taken aback for a moment. She then softened her voice and
asked, “At Yang Youming’s house?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Mm, that’s what Ming ge has in mind too.”
Fang Ying slightly hesitated before saying, “I’ll go ask your brother first
and get back to you after.”
Originally, Xia Xingcheng had made a deal with Yang Youming to spend
the Lunar New Year abroad, but because of Xia Ye’s unexpected visit that
also resulted in Yang Youming’s face getting injured, they ultimately
decided on not going out for the time being. Xia Xingcheng would wait for
his parents to return home after the New Year before going back himself.
Consequently, Yang Youming had then asked Xia Xingcheng whether he

wanted to celebrate the New Year with his big brother’s family.
When Fang Ying called Xia Xingcheng that night, she seemed somewhat
peeved. “Your brother’s not coming. I’ll bring Ding Ding and Dong Dong
over. He can spend the New Year alone for all I care.”
Xia Xingcheng surmised that Fang Ying and Xia Ye must’ve fought again.
There was nothing he could do about his big brother’s bad temper either, so
he only said, “Then I’ll pick you guys up in the afternoon. Wait for my
call.”
On New Year’s Eve, when Xia Xingcheng drove over to pick up Fang Ying
and the kids, Xia Ye really refused to come out, so only Fang Ying, Ding
Ding, and Dong Dong got into the car.
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Is my brother mad?”
Fang Ying said, “Don’t mind him. While he’s off being angry, we’ll be
celebrating the New Year.”
Ding Ding jumped about in the car, seemingly overjoyed. “We’re going to
celebrate the New Year~”
While holding him down, Fang Ying said, “There’s still instant noodles at
home. Since he won’t come, then he can take care of tonight’s dinner by
himself. So spoiled, that man!”
Xia Xingcheng feebly glanced out at the tall buildings in the

neighbourhood, then made a U-turn and drove away.
When they arrived home, as Xia Xingcheng entered the door’s passcode,
Fang Ying, Ding Ding, and Dong Dong all appeared somewhat excited.
Fang Ying whispered to Xia Xingcheng, “This is my first time visiting such
a big star’s house.”
Xia Xingcheng turned his head and smiled at Fang Ying. “The place is
pretty simple, there’s not much decor.”
The moment the door opened with a click, Ding Ding tried to scamper
around Xia Xingcheng’s legs to enter the house. Fang Ying promptly
grabbed the small hood of Ding Ding’s down jacket. “No running! Be good
and follow mommy!”
Dong Dong was much more reserved. Clutching at the hem of Fang Ying’s
coat, he looked up at the interior of the house and peered around.
Xia Xingcheng invited them in.
Yang Youming came out from the kitchen and greeted the guests when he
heard the noise. He was wearing loose, casual home clothes, slippers under
his feet, and an apron wrapped around his body. He showed a gentle smile
when he spotted Fang Ying and the others.
Fang Ying glanced over and noted that the injury on his face really did look
somewhat frightful. In fact, it was no longer that swollen anymore, but the
colouring was beginning to purple. The corner of his mouth was a little
crooked from it, and one of his eyes was clearly a little narrower than the
other. Seeing such a good-looking face hurt like this, Fang Ying felt
genuinely apologetic, and she apologized to Yang Youming on behalf of
Xia Ye.
Yang Youming shook his head. “No matter, come and have a seat.”
Fang Ying led Ding Ding and Dong Dong into the living room. Dong Dong
behaved well, yet Ding Ding kept wanting to run around. She had no other
choice but to hold onto him with one hand and sat him down on the sofa
first.
Yang Youming chatted with Fang Ying for a few minutes, then went back to
the kitchen to fetch the washed fruits. In addition to the plump, bright red
cherries and strawberries, there was also a plate of pineapples.
“Wow!” Ding Ding exclaimed. Dong Dong immediately followed suit.
Fang Ying took them to the bathroom to wash their hands before allowing
them to eat the fruit.
“Xingcheng will stay here and keep you all company. I’m going to prepare
dinner,” Yang Youming said to Fang Ying.
Fang Ying hurriedly said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

When Yang Youming left for the kitchen, Fang Ying whispered to Xia
Xingcheng, “Does Yang Youming do all the cooking at home?”
Xia Xingcheng was sitting across Fang Ying. He picked up a strawberry. “I

don’t know how to.”
Fang Ying shot a glance towards the kitchen, and said, “It feels like we’ve
given you guys a lot of trouble.”
Smiling, Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s no trouble. I think Ming ge’s pretty
happy. He’s never had so many guests over for the New Year. He was afraid
that the supermarket would close early today, so he went and bought the
fruits and vegetables yesterday–he even discussed what dishes he should
make today with me last night.”
Fang Ying laughed as she listened. She lowered her voice, then leaned over
to Xia Xingcheng and asked, “Is Yang Youming very good to you?”
The strawberry Xia Xingcheng had nabbed earlier was still in his hand. He
plucked its leaves off, unable to keep down a smile. “Of course.”
Ding Ding and Dong Dong ate fruits for a while. Soon after, they started
horsing around. Fang Ying wanted to stop them, but Xia Xingcheng said it
was fine, there was nothing important in the room, so let them play. Thus,
Fang Ying let them be.
Dong Dong ran into the kitchen. Upon seeing Yang Youming cutting
vegetables, he stood on his tiptoes to peek at the chopping board.
Yang Youming took a slice of braised beef and asked Dong Dong, “Want to
have a taste?”
Dong Dong nodded shyly.
Yang Youming bent down and brought the beef to Dong Dong’s mouth.
Dong Dong opened his little mouth and bit into the beef, then swallowed all
of it into his mouth.
Yang Youming watched him chew the beef energetically and asked, “Is it
tasty?”
Dong Dong bobbed his head bashfully.
Yang Youming wanted to pat his head, but remembered that his hands were
still oily, so he smiled at him instead and said, “Go and play with your
brother, you can have dinner in a bit.”
Dong Dong scurried away. When he got to the kitchen doorway, he hugged
the door frame and craned his neck to stare at Yang Youming for a while
before turning around and running off.
Right before dinner, Xia Ye called Fang Ying and said that he was willing
to come over for dinner.
As a result, Xia Xingcheng put on his coat and quickly drove off again to
pick up Xia Ye.
Xia Ye stood at the entrance of the neighborhood with a cigarette between

his lips and his arms in his pockets, waiting for him with a blank face.
Xia Xingcheng stopped the car in front of him, lowered the car window, and
unlocked the door, then said, “Get in!”
Xia Ye’s brows narrowed. He took a long drag of his cigarette, then threw
the cigarette butt on the ground before opening the door and getting into
Xia Xingcheng’s car.
The moment he sat down, Xia Xingcheng said to him, “Don’t litter. Go pick
it up.”
Xia Ye glared at him fiercely for two seconds before he stepped out of the
vehicle on two long legs to pick up the cigarette butt on the curb. He jogged
a small distance to throw it into the rubbish bin before he got into the car
again.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t drive right away. He sat there on the driver’s seat and
watched Xia Ye put his seatbelt on, and said, “It’s the New Year tonight.
Everyone’s going to enjoy a meal, so if you’re only looking for trouble,
then don’t bother going.”
Xia Ye sneered. “What trouble am I looking for?”
A bout of anger overcame Xia Xingcheng. “You punched Ming ge’s face!
What did you think that was?!”
Xia Ye said, “Who told him to touch my little brother!”
Xia Xingcheng glared at him ferociously.
Xia Ye averted his gaze. After a while, he said, “What kind of man cares so
much about their face?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “His face and yours can’t even be mentioned in the
same breath.”
Xia Ye started rolling up his sleeves. “Think I won’t beat you up?”
Xia Xingchen didn’t speak a word and only stared at him discontentedly.
Having been stared at by Xia Xingcheng for a while, Xia Ye couldn’t stand
it, and he silently pushed his sleeves back down, saying, “Why does it seem
like I’m at fault?”
Xia Xingcheng was still staring at him mutely.
Xia Ye shook his head exasperatedly. “I won’t make trouble. Everyone can
sit down and enjoy the food today, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng brought Xia Ye back home. This time, before he could enter
the passcode, Yang Youming had already gone over and opened the door
after having heard the noise.
The instant Xia Ye registered Yang Youming’s face, he froze, then turned
his head without a word.
Yang Youming smiled politely. “Please come in and have a seat.”

Seeing that their dad was here, Ding Ding and Dong Dong were delighted.
Fang Ying pulled Xia Ye aside and said a few words to him, voice muted.
Xia Ye didn’t say anything and trained his gaze at Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming instead.
At this time, the dining table was already filled with dishes. Yang Youming
invited everyone to sit down and eat. Xia Xingcheng reached out to help
him untie the apron at his lower back, and when he slipped the apron over
Yang Youming’s head, he reached out and gently touched his face.
Yang Youming didn’t avoid it. He held Xia Xingcheng’s hand, and said, “It
doesn’t really hurt anymore. Don’t worry.”
Xia Ye eyed them coldly, then recalled that he’d promised Xia Xingcheng
that he wouldn’t make trouble, so he had no other choice but to bear with it
and sit down to eat without uttering a single word.
That night, despite the presence of an unhappy Xia Ye, Fang Ying kept up a
conversation with Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng throughout the New
Year’s Eve dinner. Added with Ding Ding and Dong Dong’s incessant
ruckus, it was still a very lively meal.
Xia Xingcheng also accompanied Fang Ying to drink a round of alcohol.
After dinner, Xia Xingcheng called his parents who were spending the New
Year down south, and the whole family took turns to say their greetings.
Even Ding Ding and Dong Dong apprehended the phone to greet their
grandparents–yet no one brought up Yang Youming.
Afterwards, Yang Youming took out the projector in the multimedia room,
and they watched the Spring Festival gala together in the living room. At
around ten o’clock, Ding Ding and Dong Dong got sleepy, so everyone
retired to their rooms to rest.
Fang Ying tucked Ding Ding and Dong Dong into bed, then said to Xia Ye,
who was sitting on the bed and sending out New Year’s texts, “I think your
brother won’t break up with Yang Youming that easily.”
Xia Ye raised his head, brows knitted as he said, “It’s just a spur of the
moment hot-headedness. He’s only how old? Wait for a few more years to
pass. Will he still be with Yang Youming the older he gets?”
Fang Ying said, “You don’t see how well Yang Youming treats him.”
“How well?” Xia Ye was not convinced. “Who in our family isn’t good to
him? He’ll find a wife in the future who can treat him just as well.”
Fang Ying was somewhat upset at his words. Just as she was about to
speak, he heard a muted conversation coming from outside the door. Xia Ye
immediately got up from the bed and made his way over to the door and
opened it slightly, then snuck a look outside.
“Why on earth are you eavesdropping on your little brother?” Fang Ying
slapped him from behind.
Xia Ye grabbed Fang Ying’s hand. “Shush, let me listen.”
Outside, the living room lights remained switched off. Xia Xingcheng had
had a lot to drink earlier that night, and he was fumbling around to fetch for
a cup of water from the kitchen. The instant he turned on the kitchen lights,
he was somewhat blinded by it. After narrowing his eyes, he started looking
for his cup.
Soon after, Yang Youming came out of the bedroom and followed him into
the kitchen. With Xia Xingcheng’s usual cup in his hands, Yang Youming
poured him a cup of warm water.
“Let’s drink this back in our room.” Holding the cup, Yang Youming exited
the kitchen and turned the lights off in passing.
Xia Xingcheng was slightly worked up from the alcohol. He darted forward
and pounced on Yang Youming’s back, arms encircling Yang Youming’s
shoulders.
The cup in Yang Youming’s hand shook, and a little water spilled out. He
reached behind himself to steady Xia Xingcheng with a hand on Xia
Xingcheng’s butt.
Xia Xingcheng dropped a kiss on Yang Youming’s neck, then said, “Happy
New Year!”
Yang Youming stood in place, asking, “Do you still want to drink water?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “Yes please.”
Yang Youming said, “Then get down first.”
The two of them were standing in the living room, right behind the sofa.
The light shining through the wide open door of their room was barely
enough for one to make out their silhouettes.
Xia Ye watched them through the narrow opening of the doorway. At this
time, Fang Ying no longer hit him, quietly leaning in to have a look herself.
Xia Xingcheng stood against the back of the sofa, while Yang Youming
stood in front of him. He raised the cup of water in his hand to Xia
Xingcheng’s mouth like he was going to feed it to him.
Yet as the rim of the cup neared Xia Xingcheng’s lips, Yang Youming
retracted his hand. Xia Xingcheng saw the smile adorning Yang Youming’s
face–it was evident that he was teasing him.
He said, “I wanna drink water.”
Yang Youming raised the cup up high, and said, “Then open your mouth.”
Xia Xingcheng deliberately parted his lips wide and made an “Ah” sound.
Yang Youming tilted the cup in the air, adjusting his wrist so a thin stream
of water poured out of the cup and into Xia Xingcheng’s mouth.
Xia Xingcheng’s throat rolled as he tried to swallow the water down, but
after swallowing two mouthfuls, he choked as the water entered his
windpipe. He then turned away and began coughing like mad.
Yang Youming immediately took the cup away.
At Xia Xingcheng’s coughs, Xia Ye cussed and rolled up his sleeves as he

prepared to come out.
Fang Ying quickly stopped him. “What are you doing?”
Xia Ye suppressed his voice and bit out, “What does he think he’s doing,
teasing my little brother like that?!”
Fang Ying said, “Those lovebirds are just having fun. You don’t understand
a damn thing!”
Immediately after, they saw Yang Youming sucking away the water that had
drooled down the side of Xia Xingcheng’s lips. Xia Xingcheng hugged his
waist, chased his lips, then said, “How are you so shameless?”
Yang Youming softly asked, “Shameless how?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “You stole my water, give it back.” He pressed his
mouth to Yang Youming’s.
Yang Youming was still holding the cup of water in one hand. His free arm
encircled Xia Xingcheng’s waist, and after a bit of mutual grinding in the
dark, he said to Xia Xingcheng, “Go back to our room first.”
Xia Xingcheng wrapped his arms around him and said, “I wanna drink
water.”
Yang Youming picked the cup again, and this time, he was gentle and
cautious as he fed it to Xia Xingcheng’s mouth.
Xia Xingcheng tilted his head up slightly, his lips pressed against the rim of
the cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed with each gulp as he finished the
remaining water in the cup.
Yang Youming set the empty cup down on a nearby cabinet, then returned
to Xia Xingcheng’s side, wiping away the leftover traces of water on Xia
Xingcheng’s lips with his finger. He said, “You drank so much water, I’m
worried you’ll want to go to the toilet as soon as you fall asleep.”
Xia Xingcheng blinked at him, saying, “I won’t get up then. I’ll just wet the
bed.”
Yang Youming laughed. “Have you ever heard of a twenty-five year old
wetting the bed?”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed Yang Youming’s hand. “Then what should I do?”
Yang Youming whispered in his ear, “I’ll carry you to pee.”
Xia Xingcheng fought for breath as he hugged Yang Youming. After a

while, he said, “I wanna go pee now.”
Yang Youming bent down and picked Xia Xingcheng up in a princess carry,
said, “Let’s go.” Then walked towards his room.
Xia Ye closed the door silently.
He and Fang Ying stared at each other for a while. Suddenly, Fang Ying
started hitting him.
Baffled by the sudden beating, Xia Ye raised his hand to block her blows as
he backed away. He didn’t dare speak loudly lest he woke up his sons with
the noise, “What are you hitting me for?”
Fang Ying landed a few good hits before stopping, then said, “Apart from
that good-looking face of yours, you’re simply a good for nothing guy!”
Xia Ye was still bewildered. Fang Ying turned around and headed towards
the bed.
☆☆☆
t/n – fang ying is jealous of yym&xxc’s relationship LOL me too tho :’)
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, when Fang Ying woke up, Xia Ye
and the twins were still sleeping soundly. She put on her clothes, left the
bedroom, and saw Yang Youming alone, wearing a sleeveless black top,
sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room with his head tilted up as
he downed a glass of water.
His hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. He looked like he’d just
finished working out.
Fang Ying glanced at his biceps and graciously went over to greet him.
Yang Youming stood up, smiling as he said, “Up so early?”
Fang Ying said, “I’m used to it, I get up early at home too. Having nothing
to do actually makes it hard for me to go back to sleep. You get up this early
too?”
Yang Youming nodded. “I wake up at dawn. I usually exercise every

morning, then wait for Xingcheng to get enough sleep, and make breakfast
for him when he gets up.”
Fang Ying smiled faintly. “Xingcheng’s days are too blessed.”
There was sweat dripping down Yang Youming’s cheeks. He pushed aside
his sweat soaked hair, and said to Fang Ying, “Get a little more rest, I’ll
prepare breakfast after I shower.”
When Xia Ye woke up, he found that Fang Ying was no longer in the room.
He extended his arms and stretched, staring at the ceiling for a while with
an empty gaze before he rolled over and got up, grabbing the clothes he’d
tossed to the bedside cabinet and putting them on.
He stepped out of the room with his bird’s nest hair. Hearing voices from
the living room, he then made his way over, and as he drew near, he saw
Fang Ying and Yang Youming sitting down on the dining table, having
breakfast.
Xia Ye walked over and pulled out a chair. Just as he sat down, Fang Ying
said, “Go wash your face and brush your teeth first. Comb your hair as
well.” Xia Ye shot her a glance, then got up and went to the bathroom.
Fang Ying smiled sheepishly at Yang Youming. “He’s usually like that at
home, he doesn’t like cleaning up.”
Yang Youming was leaning back on his chair. With a smile, he said, “It’s all
right, just make yourself at home.”
Breakfast was all Yang Youming’s doing. Xia Xingcheng liked eating wheat
flour based foods in the morning, and usually, when it was just the two of
them at home, Yang Youming often cooked noodles topped with an egg for
Xia Xingcheng. Considering the many guests at present, Yang Youming
also made congee, steamed some stuffed buns, and warmed up some milk.
Fang Ying had a bowl of congee in front of her. It was topped with
shredded chicken and spring onions, and it tasted faintly salty. She ate a
mouthful and licked her lips. There was something she wanted to say, yet
she hesitated for a while before she ended up asking anyway, in a soft
voice, “Ming ge, you’re thirteen years older than Xingcheng, right?”
One of Yang Youming’s wrists rested atop the table, next to a glass of milk.
When he heard Yang Youming’s question, he merely nodded lightly. “Yes.”
Fang Ying took a deep breath and said, “If we don’t put ourselves in
Xingcheng’s shoes, and put ourselves in your shoes instead—do you think
that in another ten, twenty years, you can guarantee that Xingcheng would
still be by your side?”
Yang Youming didn’t reply, but his demeanor was calm, and he wasn’t
angered by Fang Ying’s question either.
Fang Ying stirred the congee in her bowl. “I’m sorry.”
Only then did Yang Youming say, “It’s fine. I know what you mean. No one
can guarantee what will happen in the future, but I believe in Xingcheng,
and I also believe in myself. I won’t let him leave me.”
When Xia Ye came out of the bathroom after washing up, he happened to
hear Yang Youming’s words; he had just woken up not too long ago, and he
wasn’t all that awake yet. He didn’t throw a fit, though, but was a bit
absent-minded.
He sat down at the dining table, reached out for a steamed bun, and said to
Yang Youming. “He’s my little brother, I know him better than you do. He’s
indecisive, don’t mention ten or twenty years, maybe he’ll have a change of
heart next year. You’ve been divorced before, right? Where did that never-
changing love go?”
Fang Ying kicked him from under the table and snapped, “No never-
changing love? So are you going to change next year too?”
Xia Ye bit into the steamed bun and chewed on it twice before he
swallowed. “Are we the same? How old are our kids already? There are so
many normal families without children who get divorced, let alone two
men.”
His voice was a little loud. Right as he finished speaking, he heard the
sound of footsteps approaching them.
It was the sound of Xia Xingcheng’s slipper-clad feet.
Fang Ying glared daggers at Xia Ye, knowing that Xia Xingcheng had
definitely heard what Xia Ye had just said.
Xia Xingcheng had just gotten up too. He hadn’t changed out of his
pajamas, and his eyes were still hazy from sleep. He didn’t look at Xia Ye
as he approached, walking straight up to Yang Youming and bending down
to sit on his lap instead. Hugging Yang Youming’s neck, he said, “I want
noodles.”
Xia Ye’s brows furrowed deeply as he shoved down the urge to pull Xia
Xingcheng up.
Yang Youming’s hand encircled his waist, and he said, “Okay, there’s still
some meat leftover from last night, I’ll cut it up for you and add it to your
bowl.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled and agreed.
Yang Youming helped him to his feet, then went to the kitchen.
Xia Xingcheng turned and sat down on the seat Yang Youming had just
vacated. In a flash, his expression transformed, and he jabbed a finger at
Xia Ye, lowering his voice and saying, “I warned you.”
Xia Ye slammed his chopsticks down.
Xia Xingcheng leaned forward, his arms braced against the table. He
quietly said, “You’re absolutely mistaken. It’s not him that can’t live
without me, it’s me who can’t be without him. If you keep saying these
things to Ming ge, I’ll get a vasectomy after the New Year. I don’t want
kids.”
Xia Ye immediately stiffened, staring at Xia Xingcheng in disbelief.
Fang Ying promptly urged, “Calm down, it’s the first day of the New Year.
Must you all talk like this?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m serious. We already have Ding Ding and Dong
Dong anyway, and it’s impossible for me to have kids with Ming ge. I don’t
want him to not have confidence in me.”
Xia Ye’s breathing was labored. He asked Xia Xingcheng, “Can’t we talk
this over?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I already kneeled, what do you think?”
Fang Ying pressed Xia Ye’s hand down, fearing that he’d lose his temper,
and tried her best to persuade him to drop it.
Xia Ye ultimately didn’t blow up. He said, “I’m doing this for your own
good.”
Xia Xingcheng retorted, “Only I know what’s best for me.” With that, he
pulled down the collar of his pajamas and showed them his tattoo. “It’s
engraved in the flesh, I can’t let him go.”
At this time, Yang Youming called Xia Xingcheng from the kitchen. Xia
Xingcheng immediately whirled around and crisply responded, “Ming ge,
I’m coming.” After that, he got up and left for the kitchen.
Xia Ye covered his face. He dejectedly said, “Wife, what do we do?”
Fang Ying held Xia Ye’s shoulder, continually placating his mood. “You’re
his big brother, not his dad. Besides, he’s already this old, dad can’t control
him either. Everything that can be said has already been said, just let it go.”
Xia Ye said, “I don’t want him to get hurt.”
Fang Ying sighed. “There’s nothing we can do. Don’t go pressing him now.
Maybe things will fade in a year or two, and you can try to convince him
then. I’m scared that he’ll really go and do something that can’t be
undone.”
Xia Ye moved his hands away from his face and looked at Fang Ying.
Fang Ying laughed and asked, “Want another steamed bun?”
Xia Ye’s family went back on the second day of the New Year. Yang
Youming wanted to have them stay for a few more days, but Fang Ying said
they still needed to pay a visit to the relatives from her side of the family.
They took advantage of the lack of crowds during the New Year and
brought Ding Ding and Dong Dong around Beijing’s tourist attractions, and
now it was time to go back.
The day they left, Xia Xingcheng drove them to the airport.
Xia Ye had completely cooled down. He was wholly calm, and on the
contrary, it was Xia Xingcheng who didn’t feel much at ease. When he
parked the car at the airport terminal, Fang Ying got off with Ding Ding and
Dong Dong first. While Xia Ye was still in the car, Xia Xingcheng said,
“I’ll go home when mom and dad come back.”
Xia Ye asked, “Are you bringing Yang Youming with you?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Ming ge’s not coming.”
Xia Ye only hummed. After a while, he added, “Don’t tell mom and dad.”
Xia Xingcheng softly said, “Ming ge thinks the same. He told me to put it
off till later.” After all, Xia Xingcheng was still young. This hurdle would
not be easy to pass whenever you chose to pass it, it’d be better to delay it a
little more, because at the end of the day, the times were constantly
changing and developing—people’s views would gradually shift with the
passage of time, and what’s important is never who you’re with, but
whether you’re happy.
Xia Ye made to open the car door.
Xia Xingcheng uttered, “I’m sorry.”
Xia Ye paused and turned back to face him. “Didn’t you think that you were
doing the right thing?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m not sorry for myself. I feel apologetic to you for
making you worry.”
Xia Ye was somewhat frightened.
Xia Xingcheng sounded very aggrieved. “Da-ge, come hug me.”
Xia Ye stared at him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “It wasn’t easy for Ming ge and I to come this far. I
don’t want to fight with my family over my relationship anymore. I hope
my family will always have my back.”
Xia Ye’s voice was cold and firm as he said, “What do I still need to have
your back for?” With that, he turned around and stepped out of the car.
Xia Xingcheng hung his head in disappointment.
With one leg already outside, Xia Ye suddenly turned back once more and
spread his arms towards Xia Xingcheng, grunting, “Come on then, come
get this hug.”
Xia Xingcheng looked up in astonishment.
Xia Ye leaned in and hooked Xia Xingcheng into his arms, clapping Xia
Xingcheng’s back with all his strength. “If Yang Youming dares to bully
you, just tell me about it, and next time, you’d better believe that I’ll knock
his teeth out.”
Xia Xingcheng hugged Xia Ye tightly, and said, “He won’t, he loves me.”
He then added, “I love you all too.”
Seeing the traffic police making his way over to hurry them up, Xia Ye
pushed Xia Xingcheng away and impatiently said, “Go now, go now!” He
stood outside the car and slammed the car door shut with one hand.
Xia Xingcheng looked at them for a while, shifted gears, and prepared to
start the car.
Xia Ye suddenly rapped on the car window.
Xia Xingcheng opened the window, and heard Xia Ye say, “Remember to
come home.”
“Okay.” Xia Xingcheng raised a hand to rub at his reddening eyes,

conjuring up another smile as he nodded at him.
On the way back, Xia Xingcheng was still somewhat emotional. He opened
the car window slightly to clear up his mind with the cold breeze. He’d
always been grateful to have a big brother like Xia Ye, who took care of
him from when he was small up until now, who spoiled him, who—even
when he was so obviously furious—would, ultimately, still be willing to
stay by his side.
Compared to Fang Jianyuan, he was already too fortunate.
He knew that there would inevitably come a day where he would have to
face his parents, but he still had a brother and sister-in-law like Fang Ying
and Xia Ye at home who were able to understand him and become a buffer
between him and his parents, and when that moment comes, the pressure on
him would be so, so much lighter.
Xia Xingcheng thought aloud, “You’re truly too blessed.” After that, he
blinked, and his vision that had been blurred by tears cleared up once more.
Unwittingly, by the time Xia Xingcheng returned after spending a week

back h Xia Xingcheng went home and stayed for a week after the New
Year, and by the time he returned, the script for He Zheng’s new movie
‘The Trap’ had come out. After a long break, Yang Youming ultimately
decided to work with He Zheng and took on his new movie.
In comparison, the decision to accept He Zheng’s invitation to appear in the

movie was an extremely hard choice for Xia Xingcheng to make.
‘The Trap’ was a film without a romantic plot line between the two male
leads, and instead, the story contained a very important female character.
He Zheng wanted Xia Xingcheng to act out the role of a young prosecutor,
which was very challenging for Xia Xingcheng.
It was common practice for many directors to work with the same actors
more than once. They didn’t care about repeated collaboration in different
works, and rumours or slanders were unlikely to crop up—but in the end,
this wasn’t the case for Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming. The impact of
‘Gradual Distance’ had not yet dampened, and their obsessive fans
remained as fanatic as ever. All sorts of rumours were being spread on the
internet.
Yang Youming was someone who could refuse to acknowledge all those
lies and rumours and only focus on acting, but Xia Xingcheng couldn’t
afford to just yet. He was still a ways away from Yang Youming’s level—he
couldn’t yet completely break away from his idol star niche and define
himself as an actor.
As for this, Huang Jixin and Cai Meiting had discussed it many, many times
over.
In the end, Yang Youming spoke up. He asked Xia Xingcheng, “Do you
have confidence that the audience’s focus would be on the movie, and not
the characters and relationships that we’ve played in the past?”
Xia Xingcheng slapped the table. “I’ll bet on my future—I will act!”
☆☆☆
The leads of ‘The Trap’ were announced on the internet one after another.
He Zheng, Yang Youming, and Xia Xingcheng working together again
aroused a vast response, and the online public sphere was abuzz with
opinions.
Xia Xingcheng forced himself to ignore them. Whether they were good or
bad, they were of no help to his filming. As time drew near, what he needed
was keep his calm and get into character.
The only thing he was concerned about was not what the netizens had to
say about him and Yang Youming working together again, but the
appearance of a name unfamiliar to many in the cast list.
It was the most important female role in ‘The Trap’. The actress’s name was
Ling Jiayue.
Ling Jiayue was Ren Yuchang’s granddaughter and Ren Jingyuan’s cousin.
Her grandfather and cousin were quite famous, but she herself hasn’t
officially debuted. This was probably her first appearance in film and TV.
Up until now, Xia Xingcheng still vividly remembered their first meeting
with Ling Jiayue at Ren Yuchang’s home back then, how Ling Jiayue paid
unusually close attention to Yang Youming.
Yang Youming didn’t treat it seriously.
A month before the start of shooting, He Zheng requested that Yang

Youming and Xia Xingcheng separate for a period of time. He wanted to
create a little sense of distance between them. Furthermore, He Zheng also
told Xia Xingcheng to get in touch with real prosecutors and familiarize
himself with their working conditions over this period so he could get into
character ahead of time.
Before they parted, Xia Xingcheng pestered Yang Youming in bed for two
days.
Afterwards, he fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up to a dimly lit room.
For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether it was dawn or dusk.
Upon hearing signs of movement from the other side of the mattress, Xia
Xingcheng turned his head and saw Yang Youming about to get out of bed.
He rolled over and hugged his waist from behind, voice hoarse as he said,
“Don’t go.”
Yang Youming had no choice but to lay back down. He gently stroked the
back of Xia Xingcheng’s hand and asked, “Not hungry?”
Xia Xingcheng leaned against him, taking in the sensation of his chest
pressed snug against Yang Youming’s warm back before he buried his face
in Yang Youming’s neck, inhaling deeply. “No, order take-out in a bit.
You’re not allowed to leave.”
After that, he shut his eyes again, the hand in Yang Youming’s hold groping
the older man’s buff lower abdomen.
Yang Youming no longer insisted on getting up and quietly accompanied

Xia Xingcheng in bed.
Xia Xingcheng hated that they had to part. No matter how brief their
separation, he was still very much unwilling. Everyone thought that he was
young and unsure, that he’d perhaps grow weary of this relationship after a
couple of years, but only he knew that he was much more worried than
Yang Youming was. He worried that Yang Youming, who was nearing forty,
would suddenly want to have kids and choose to abandon him. Even seeing
that Dong Dong liked getting close to Yang Youming made him feel
restless, afraid that if Yang Youming grew fond of Dong Dong, he’d start
getting ideas of wanting children.
He hoped they would be the only one for each other forever.
But despite all his reluctance, it was still necessary for them to separate
briefly for work.
As a result, when Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming again, it was when
‘The Trap’ officially started filming.
Xia Xingcheng played the role of a young public prosecutor named Han
Bohan, who graduated from the University of Political Science and Law
with a master’s degree. His father was the chief of the city’s public security
bureau, while his mother was a retired judge. After graduating, he entered
the procuratorate, and was already elected prosecutor at twenty-nine.
The character was older than Xia Xingcheng actually was and had a solemn
and upright temperament to boot—the discrepancy from Xia Xingcheng’s
own personality was not slight.
But He Zheng was completely satisfied with Xia Xingcheng’s final look.
He donned a black prosecutor uniform; a white shirt buttoned to the top, a
red tie around his neck, and shiny black leather shoes adorning his feet. His
hair was slicked back, revealing a clean, full forehead, and he stood with a
straight back, solemn expression containing a trace of obstinance.
This Xia Xingcheng was no longer the lean youth who acted in ‘Gradual
Distance’. His slicked back hair made him seem more mature, with a
youthful upright temperament.
While smoking, He Zheng said to Xia Xingcheng, “To be honest, I prefer

your appearance to Yang Youming’s.”
Xia Xingcheng, who had just completed a scene and returned to himself,
squatted next to He Zheng, showing dissatisfaction at his words. “Ming ge
is so good-looking though.”
“He’s too good-looking. There are few men in real life who’re as good-
looking as he is, it creates a disconnect for the audience. Your type of face
is enough for acting. He still needs to rely on his acting skills to capture the
audience’s heart and not let their attention shift elsewhere.”
Xia Xingcheng cupped his face. “I don’t know if you’re complimenting me

or insulting me.”
He Zheng barked out a laugh. “Nice. I prefer you like this.”
Xia Xingcheng thought back to the character’s image in the original novel,
and asked He Zheng, “Director He, do you think Ming ge suits Sun Yao’s
character?”
He Zheng answered, “Regardless of factors like appearance and age, there’s

no role that he doesn’t fit. So long as he wants to act, as for external
appearance, I think it won’t be a problem with a little polishing up.”
At that time, Xia Xingcheng still hadn’t yet had a glimpse of Yang
Youming. Only when he saw Yang Youming on the first day of filming did
he realise what He Zheng meant by ‘a little polishing up’.
Yang Youming looked darker and thinner, and his cheeks were hollow. Only
his eyes remained as bright as before.
They met directly on the set. Surrounded by the ebb and flow of the staff,
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes widened the moment he registered Yang Youming.
He was somewhat struck.
Yang Youming was wearing the costume he’d be filming in in a while. As

he conversed with the props staff, he heard someone call Xia Xingcheng’s
name, and raised his head and looked his way, revealing his usual gentle
smile.
Xia Xingcheng really wanted to talk to him, but there were too many things
he wanted to say. With so many people coming and going around them, not
a single sentence could make its way out.
Moreover, He Zheng didn’t leave them time to sit and chat, they had to
maintain their state and start shooting immediately.
The temperature inside the film studio was high due to the lighting. Xia
Xingcheng’s Han Bohan sat on a wooden chair, clad in a tightly buttoned up
prosecutor’s uniform.
In front of him was a wooden table of the detention centre’s interrogation

room; rough, old, and mottled. Iron bars were installed on the other side of
the table, completely separating the inside and outside. Han Bohan sat
outside, while the wooden chair inside had yet to be occupied.
The wall to Han Bohan’s left was fitted with white wallpaper that had
begun to yellow, speckled with fingerprints and streaks of pen ink. His
assistant Xiao Wei sat on his right, his leg shaking as he played a mobile
game.
The sound of footsteps dragging iron chains came from behind a door
inside the interrogation room.
Han Bohan slightly raised his jaw, looking towards the iron door. Xiao Wei
promptly quit his game and lowered his head to tidy up the documents on
the table.
The iron door unlocked with a click, and a police officer peered in and
asked, “The name?”
“Sun Yao!” Xiao Wei answered loudly.
The police officer withdrew, and said, “You, get in!”
Subsequently, they saw a tall man in a prison uniform entering the room.
His hands were cuffed and his feet were fettered, his movements slow. He
sat down on the wooden chair in the middle of the interrogation room and
let the police officer handcuff him to the chair.
Afterwards, the officer retreated and closed the iron door, locking it with
another ‘click’.
Han Bohan sized up the man in front of him and found that although his
build was tall, he was thin. His skin wasn’t very dark, but it was extremely
dull. His cheeks were gaunt, while the eyes directed at Han Bohan were
lifeless. Once in a while, he would shut his eyes, seeming utterly beaten.
Han Bohan sat up straight with his back against the chair. With his arms
folded, gaze lowered, and a steady voice, he quoted as procedure, “We are
prosecutorial personnel from the Chongfeng People’s Procuratorate. We are
now conducting an interrogation towards you in accordance with the law.
You ought to answer our inquiries truthfully. You may refuse to answer
questions unrelated to the case. Was that clear?”
The man hummed softly, his voice muffled and husky.
Xiao Wei was taking down notes. Right then, he suddenly raised his voice
and shouted, “We’re asking you, was that clear?”
The man faced Han Bohan at the words. Raising his voice, intonation level,
he answered, “Yes.”
Han Bohan didn’t rush to speak. He extended a hand to look through the
case files on the table.
The cuffs around the man’s hands suddenly clattered, he shouted,

“Prosecutor.”
Han Bohan looked at him.
The man’s breathing was labored. He asked, “May I ask how my daughter
is doing right now, please?”
Xiao Wei roared, “Are we doing the asking or are you?!”
The man wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He stared straight at Han Bohan.
“I only want to know how my daughter is doing. I’m begging you, please
tell me.”
Han Bohan asked him, “Have you hired a lawyer?”
The man shook his head slowly.

Han Bohan said, “Answer our questions truthfully first, and we’ll talk about
your daughter later.”
The man licked his dry lips, then nodded.
Han Bohan unhurriedly spoke, “Name?”
“Sun Yao,” said the man.
“Date of birth?”
“May 15th, 1977.”
“Occupation?”
“I don’t work anymore.” Sun Yao was calm. Perhaps calm wasn’t the word
for it—apathetic, was more appropriate. “I used to be an electrician.”
“Electrician?” Han Bohan subconsciously repeated.
Sun Yao closed his lips and let out an ‘Mm’, his Adam’s apple shuddering.
“Please state your offence once more,” said Han Bohan.
Sun Yao’s chest heaved violently. He said, “The afternoon of the

seventeenth, I got off work on time as usual, and went home to make dinner
for my daughter…”
The first day of filming went smoother than Xia Xingcheng expected.
He Zheng was worried whether they would be able to readily get into
character, but once the cameras started rolling, Xia Xingcheng discovered
that Yang Youming was no longer Yang Youming. He could be Yu Haiyang,
he could be Sun Yao, he could become anyone he wanted to be, anyone but
Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng felt that He Zheng’s worries were unnecessary.

The moment the scene wrapped up, Yang Youming remained seated on the
interrogation chair, concentrating Sun Yao’s gaze on Xia Xingcheng.
Sun Yao was a very complex character. He underwent the misfortunes of

life right out of the gate, and was locked up in the detention centre awaiting
trial. At a passing glance, one would feel that his eyes had been worn down
by life and had lost all vigor, but as time slowly passed, once you take a
closer look, those eyes weren’t wholly apathetic, rather hiding minute traces
of sharpness, like crushed stones mixed in with sand. One firm squeeze, and
you’d cut your hand.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng looked eye to eye, both unmoving, like
they were immersed in their roles and hadn’t come out.
Right then, a staff member came by to fetch the prop handcuffs around
Yang Youming’s hands. Yang Youming looked down at them, and when he
looked up again, his eyes had changed. In a split second, the jagged stones
became the peaceful and forgiving sea. He smiled at Xia Xingcheng, then
mouthed something soundlessly.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t react until later. Yang Youming had said, “You look
so good.”
It wasn’t quite the same as wearing a suit and tie. The Xia Xingcheng in a
uniform gave an impression of awe-inspiring righteousness, inviolable.
Xia Xingcheng then smiled, too, lowering his head to laugh surreptitiously,
incapable of enduring the tickle to his heart.
☆☆☆
t/n – new movie!! i’m not familiar with law jargon so apologies if anything sounds weird~
👁️👁️
also, i’m gonna try to update this as quick as i can, i have my sights set on a new novel and i wanna
start working on that by april hehe. p.s. comments fuel me
He Zheng commended Xia Xingcheng’s acting, saying that from ‘Gradual

Distance’ until now, he had improved in leaps and bounds.
Xia Xingcheng used to think that he was a natural-born actor. Back then, he
was still acting in idol dramas, and his acting skills would garner praise
even as he filmed without a care. It wasn’t until after he started making
movies with genuinely competent people did he realize that he never had
any innate acting talent at all. His acting was clumsy and over the top, and it
only seemed great because it was set off against those with lousier acting.
All his acting skills were brought out much later, after being steadily honed
step by step.
From the very first time he met Yang Youming, it was Yang Youming who
showed him how to get into character, and it was also Yang Youming who
showed him how to withdraw from it.
Later on, without Yang Youming around, he continued to work out each
performance persistently, not letting his acting be merely superficial, but in-
depth and immersive.
In the future, he may no longer experience a time when he completely lives

out his character, but he could still devote his heart and soul to his every
role, constantly improving, constantly maturing.
He was very lucky to have encountered the right opportunity—the right

person.
That night, Xia Xingcheng went down in his pajamas and knocked on Yang
Youming’s door.
When the door opened from the inside, Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming
wearing the same set of long-sleeved pajamas, his sleeve slightly rolled up,
a hand on the door lock.
Seeing that it was him, Yang Youming stepped aside to let him in, then
closed the door again.
Xia Xingcheng waited for the door to close before fitting his body along
Yang Youming’s and pushing him against the wall.
Yang Youming smiled faintly as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t say a word. He leaned in and inhaled the fragrance of
the shower gel on Yang Youming’s body. He ought to have just taken a
bath, as the tips of his hair were somewhat damp.
Apart from losing weight and being tanned, Yang Youming’s hair had also
been trimmed short. It was probably due to his character’s temperament, but
he seemed a tad more masculine than he was before.
Xia Xingcheng was inexplicably aroused. He grabbed Yang Youming’s

hand and pulled him further into the room, then pushed him onto the bed.
Yang Youming tilted backwards and propped himself up on his elbows.

Amused, he said, “Enthusiastic, aren’t you?”
Xia Xingcheng stayed mute, directly spreading his legs and straddling Yang
Youming’s lap. He held down Yang Youming’s hands on either side of him
and bowed his head to examine him minutely.
As he looked closely, he noticed that Yang Youming’s weight loss wasn’t at

all of the emaciated kind, but rather the leanness of men who often do
manual labour. The tight muscles under the skin of his neck and shoulders
showed through—entirely in line with the role of Sun Yao.
Sun Yao was an electrician who worked in a large property management

company. Although he was already over forty, his body was still strong and
agile from doing physical labour for years on end. He could even strangle a
young man one-handed.
Xia Xingcheng bent down, his gaze roving over Yang Youming’s body. The
slack neckline of his pajamas fell open, exposing a small expanse of his fair
chest.
Yang Youming didn’t move a muscle as he stared back.
Xia Xingcheng gazed at him intently for a while, then released his hold on
Yang Youming’s wrists and sat up. He took out a small jar from the pocket
of his pajama pants, then unscrewed the lid with his fingers.
When Yang Youming sniffed the faint fragrance, he asked, “What’s that?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer. He set the lid aside and scooped out a small
chunk of facial cream-like substance with his fingers. He lowered his head,
and smeared it on Yang Youming’s face with meticulous care.
Yang Youming wrinkled his eyebrows and asked, “What exactly is this?”
Xia Xingcheng had a look of concentration across his face, his fingers
traced over the tip of Yang Youming’s brow to the outer corner of his eye,
smearing it on delicately. He replied, “Facial mask.”
Yang Youming merely looked at him quietly.
Xia Xingcheng scooped out some more cream from the jar and carefully
coated every corner of Yang Youming’s face, saying, “It’s a whitening
mask, Hua Hua said it’s pretty effective.”
Yang Youming asked, “Is it Hua Hua’s?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head. “It’s mine. Hua Hua said she couldn’t afford
it.” After that, he brought the jar to his nose and sniffed at it. “Smells nice.”
“Xingcheng,” Yang Youming’s eyes contained a hint of a smile as he gazed

at him. “I tanned for the role.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I know! This isn’t a magic potion, it shouldn’t work
that quickly anyway. When you finish shooting, you’ll lighten up again.”
The corner of Yang Youming’s mouth rose, but he didn’t speak.
Xia Xingcheng applied the translucent white facial mask all over Yang
Youming’s face, yet he was still unsatisfied and wanted to continue
smearing some on his neck.
Yang Youming raised an obstructing hand. “That’s enough.”
Xia Xingcheng then stopped, and screwed the lid back on. He leaned over
and grabbed a tissue on the bedside cabinet to wipe his hands, then said,
“You have to leave it on your face for fifteen minutes.”
Xia Xingcheng looked down at him and laced his fingers in his hair, gently
caressing his warm scalp. After a while, he could no longer restrain himself
and lowered his head to kiss Yang Youming’s lips.
They had separated for a month. Their passion was like gushing lava, an
engulfing heat that swept away everything in its path. At first, Xia
Xingcheng was worried that he would rub against the facial mask, but then
he threw caution to the wind and sensed something sticky and bitter on his
lips. It was too late to spit it out and too late to swallow—most of it was
sent to Yang Youming’s mouth.
Yang Youming’s fingers kneaded his raised bottom, clutched at the

waistband of his pajama pants, and together with the fabric underneath, he
yanked it all down and flipped them over, pressing Xia Xingcheng
underneath him.
Xia Xingcheng’s collar had long since been spread open. Yang Youming
took care not to leave a mark on Xia Xingcheng’s neck, his slender and
powerful hands pinching those parts that were usually concealed under his
clothes and would go unseen by others instead. Xia Xingcheng was rubbed
so thoroughly that he felt truly possessed.
Yang Youming lifted the blanket over their heads, enshrouding them both.
The blanket blocked off the brightness of the lights entirely, creating a
sealed off space all to themselves.
Their breaths intertwined, increasingly damp by the minute.
Xia Xingcheng opened up his body, trying his utmost to meet the other
man.
The rustling noises in the quiet room gradually transformed into the sound
of the bed rocking, accompanied by violent and strangled gasps.
It took a long, long time before these motions stopped. Yang Youming was
bent over Xia Xingcheng’s body, his tight grasp leaving marks on Xia
Xingcheng’s arms. And yet he still couldn’t bear to let go, dropping kisses
after kisses on Xia Xingcheng’s sweaty forehead.
Xia Xingcheng’s legs had long been lowered, gone sore and weak. He
reached out to touch Yang Youming’s face, and said, “My facial mask.”
Half the facial mask had been rubbed onto Xia Xingcheng’s face. The other
half was on the blanket.
Yang Youming’s voice was deep and tinged with indolence. “I’ll buy it for
you.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed. “Then you have to use it everyday. You have to
lighten up again after shooting.”
Yang Youming rubbed Xia Xingcheng’s face with the tip of his nose.
“Whatever you say.”
Xia Xingcheng was a man too. He suspected that Yang Youming would
definitely agree to whatever request he makes at this time.
In the south, it was neither cold nor hot during spring; a thin blanket was
enough for the two of them. They were too lazy to get up after their affair.
Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming’s waist as he told him about his
experiences at the procuratorate some time ago.
Yang Youming’s slightly rough palm stroked a supple shoulder, and with
what seemed to be a feigned indifference, he said, “You look good in a
uniform.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him smilingly. “How good?”
Yang Youming, “So good that it makes a man want to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, they were interrupted by a knock on the
door. The knocking didn’t sound urgent, and it stopped after a few knocks.
Yang Youming glanced towards the door.
Xia Xingcheng lifted the blanket, intending to put his clothes on first, but
Yang Youming held his hand down and said, “No need to get up, I’ll go
check.”
With that, he reached for the clothes that had been thrown to the end of the
bed and put them on unhurriedly. After that, he slipped on his slippers and
made his way out.
Xia Xingcheng could only listen to the sound of the door opening and the
conversation that followed. He was curious, and wanted to get up and take a
look, but he was scared that someone would witness the fact that he was in
Yang Youming’s room.
A moment later, Yang Youming closed the door and returned with a small
box in his hands. He set it down on the TV cabinet in passing.
“Who was it?” Xia Xingcheng asked.
Yang Youming sat down on the edge of the bed. “Ling Jiayue. She brought
me tea leaves on behalf of her grandpa.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t speak and only looked at him.
Yang Youming raised a hand and pressed on Xia Xingcheng’s nape.

Xia Xingcheng was mute for a while before saying, “It’s nothing.”
Afterwards, he found his facial mask jar within the disheveled bed sheets
and straddled Yang Youming’s body, insisting on reapplying the mask.
Prosecutor Han Bohan, who looked good in his prosecutor uniform, had
changed into casual attire; long jeans, a short trench coat, still as handsome
and sharp as ever. He went to the community hospital to visit Sun Yao’s
daughter, Sun Xunyan.
Pushing open the door of the single ward with one hand, he spotted a lone
figure lying down on the hospital bed in the centre of the room. It was the
afternoon, and at this time, the afternoon sunshine streamed through the
room’s west facing window, spilling over the hospital bed and dying the
white blanket in orange yellow.
On the bed lay a seventeen year old girl. Although her eyes were shut, you
could tell that she had a lovely, pretty face. Her eyelashes were long, casting
a shadow over her pale lower eyelids.
Han Bohan slowly entered the room and walked up to the end of bed. He
bent down to look at the patient nameplate. On the name column was
written: Sun Xunyan. The age column said: 17 years old, while the
diagnosis column was blank.
The girl’s breathing was slow and shallow, but the rise and fall of the curve
of her chest underneath the blanket was visible to the naked eye. She
appeared as if she was asleep, but her slumber had gone on for too long—
nearing two years, approximately.
Han Bohan shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at Sun Xunyan’s
face. For a moment, he thought, were this his own daughter, he would’ve
killed that bastard, just like Sun Yao. But this notion was too dangerous—
especially inappropriate to appear in Han Bohan’s mind now. As a result, he
stopped that train of thought before he continued descending upon it.
Right then, the door of the ward was opened from the outside. Han Bohan
turned to look, and saw that the person who entered was a doctor.
The short female doctor asked him, “Are you a relative of hers?”
Han Bohan said, “I’m not.”
“Oh.” The doctor seemed disappointed. She walked over to the bed and
stared for a while, then said, “I wonder if it’s possible for her dad to get
released.”
Han Bohan asked, “Isn’t there a carer looking after her? There should be
donations from relief agencies.”
The doctor said, “There’s no reason for a carer to look after her so
attentively. You can see that she’s in a pretty good condition, and it’s all
because her father’s always done so well in taking care of her. If her father
can’t be released in the future—I feel sorry for this poor girl.”
Han Bohan’s gaze fell on Sun Xunyan’s face once more. He looked at her in
silence for a long time.
As soon as the scene ended, the girl lying on the bed immediately sat up
and talked to Xia Xingcheng with a grin. Xia Xingcheng smiled back as the
two of them shared a few words, then turned to look at Yang Youming, who
was waiting for the next scene to be shot.
Yang Youming had a script in his hands. Standing in front of him, with the
same script in her hands, was Ling Jiayue. The two of them were pairing up
for a scene.
Xia Xingcheng looked at them for a while before making his way to He
Zheng’s side to watch the playback on the monitor with him.
He Zheng held a rolled up paper tube. He pointed to the monitor for Xia
Xingcheng and said, “Watch this close-up.” He originally wanted to hear
Xia Xingcheng’s opinion, yet when he received no response, he turned to
look at him and found that Xingcheng’s attention wasn’t on the monitor at
all—his head was turned to Yang Youming. As a result, He Zheng raised
the paper tube in his hand and swatted Xia Xingcheng’s head.
“Ow!” Xia Xingcheng shouted from the hit. It didn’t hurt, but it startled
him.
He Zheng said, “Focus for me!”
Xia Xingcheng touched the place he was hit. ”I did focus, when I was
shooting.”
He Zheng lowered his voice, “You think I don’t know where you spend the
night!?”
Xia Xingcheng only said, “We won’t affect filming.”
He Zheng fished out a cigarette case from his jacket pocket, took out a
cigarette, and held it with his mouth. He didn’t rush to light it. He also
looked at Yang Youming’s direction for a moment before saying, “Don’t
worry, Yang Youming won’t cheat on you.”
Xia Xingcheng was somewhat surprised that He Zheng would mention this.
He softly said, “I’m not worried though.”
He Zheng sat on a stool and stretched out a hand to pull up a pant leg. He
seemed somewhat rueful. He sighed, then said, “Yang Youming doesn’t fall
in love easily. Deciding to be with someone comes even less easy to him.
You have nothing to worry about in this life.”
Xia Xingcheng sat down on the stool next to him, and asked, “You’re not
against us?”
Dazed, He Zheng said, “What I’m against was never you two in the first
place.” He cut himself off there. “Forget it, let’s not talk about this.”
Xia Xingcheng felt that He Zheng was afraid that he’d recall his own
matters, but since He Zheng wasn’t willing to speak, he never asked.
“Director He, why is Ling Jiayue here?” This question had been haunting
Xia Xingcheng’s mind this whole time, and this time, he couldn’t help but
ask, “Is it because of her grandfather?”
He Zheng sneered. He took out a lighter and lit his cigarette, staring at Xia
Xingcheng as he said, “Why did you think I sought you out to play Fang
Jianyuan back then?” After that, he continued, “Because this young miss
has very good acting skills.”
☆☆☆
t/n – thank you for all the comments! ( ˘ ³˘)♥
content warning: mentions of attempted sexual assault and violence, both in-movie
Ling Jiayue played a girl named Shu Mian[1], a senior high school student
around Sun Yao’s daughter Sun Xunyan’s age.
Ling Jiayue went without makeup for most of the movie. Her long hair was
tied in a high ponytail, and she wore a blue P.E. uniform. In front of the
camera, her fresh and pure appearance resembled an otherworldly fairy.
‘Otherworldly’, in the past, this was a word that people often used to
describe Yuan Qian. Ling Jiayue and Yuan Qian’s facial features were not
the least bit alike, yet they shared the same sophistication and elegance.
However, when Xia Xingcheng saw Ling Jiayue in front of the camera, he
realized that she was completely different from Yuan Qian.
Yuan Qian had a carefree and lively nature, yet she was dull and wooden in
front of the camera. Ling Jiayue had an inherent bashful and well-behaved
ness to her, yet in front of the camera, she was quick-witted and natural, the
true embodiment of a person with innate acting talent.
The first time Han Bohan met Shu Mian in the movie was when he left Sun
Xunyan’s ward. As he passed through the flower garden outside the
community hospital, he saw a young girl sitting on a bench, staring off into
space.
At that time, Han Bohan merely glanced at her and found her to be a rare
beauty, after which he continued his way over to the curbside parking lot
without looking back.
This scene was scheduled for the location shoots in the latter stage of
filming. The movie had a lot of location shoots. The plot progression had
been cut up into pieces by the shooting schedule and the mood was
constantly fluctuating, which required the cast to make their own self-
adjustments.
Xia Xingcheng’s script had, in turn, been dampened by his own sweat and
dried by the wind. The paper was uneven, and the notes he’d left with a pen
were smudged by his sweat, producing small black blots.
He was wearing his uniform, seated behind his work desk. A boom mic was
suspended over his head, and there were two filming cameras directed at his
front and side profile. Along with the bright lights aimed at his body, it
didn’t take long for the heat to render his entire face sweaty.
In addition to the director and the crew, Yang Youming, who didn’t have
parts in this scene, was also present on set. Yang Youming was sitting next
to He Zheng, the two of them conversing in low voices.
From Xia Xingcheng’s angle of view, Yang Youming’s entire face was
wholly visible. No matter how long he looked, he wouldn’t tire of it.
He Zheng raised his head and caught sight of Xia Xingcheng’s eyes. He
deepened his voice and shouted, “Get yourself ready!”
Xia Xingcheng withdrew his gaze, letting it fall onto the stack of files on
the desk in front of him.
This scene was one without any dialogue. A lone Han Bohan sat on his
work desk, pensive. Every emotion was reflected on his minute
expressions.
Xia Xingcheng emptied his head, temporarily ousting Yang Youming from
his thoughts, and began to think back on the entire case.
It took place almost two months ago, on the night of the seventeenth. Sun
Yao washed his comatose daughter’s face and brushed her teeth as usual,
turned off the lights in her small room, then entered the slightly larger
bedroom adjoining it.
He hadn’t fallen asleep immediately, watching TV for a while instead.

When he turned off the TV, it was almost half past ten. The whole room
quieted and fell into a murky darkness.
Sun Yao’s apartment was a rented residence in a very old neighbourhood.

He lived on the second floor, and the apartment was only around fifty
square meters large, with two bedrooms and a living room. The apartment’s
interior was rather old, the lacquer on the wood had long worn off, exposing
its original appearance.
The very old neighbourhood was formerly an old factory family compound.
The factory had closed down nearly twenty years ago, but the compound
was slow to be demolished. The original residents had long since moved
out, and the tenants that now lived there were mostly those with economic
constraints. There was no management nor security in the area, and the
large iron gate at the entrance was opened wide all year long; the uncle who
once saw over it had left when nobody paid the management fees.
Sun Yao fell asleep shortly after he turned off the TV. He had to get up early
everyday to turn his daughter over, feed her through a gastric tube, and then
take care of her excrement. Afterwards, he went to work. The company was
very close to his rented apartment. Because of his unique circumstances, the
company allowed him to go home several times throughout the day to turn
over and clean his daughter and prepare her lunch. However, he was
required to be on call around the clock and go back to the company to deal
with emergencies all day, every day of the week–he never had a single
second to himself.
That night, not long after he fell asleep, Sun Yao was awakened by
detectable sounds of movement coming from the other room. His brows
furrowed, and in the dark, he got out of bed silently, bare feet treading on
the ice-cold floor as he made his way outside. He was met with the sight of
a closed bedroom door.
In this house, the bedroom doors were never closed.

Sun Yao went back to fetch a wooden stick for self-protection, then walked
up to the door of his daughter’s bedroom. He reached out and twisted the
door lock. It didn’t budge. He took a deep breath and kicked down the
door.
The old, dilapidated door was simply unable to withstand the strength of his
foot. It opened with a resounding bang and slammed against the wall before
it sprung back.
Sun Yao caught sight of a man by the bed, bent over to take off his
daughter’s nightgown.
Blazing fury overwhelmed Sun Yao in an instant, making him lose his
mind. And as if he could no longer see a thing, he raised the wooden stick
up and struck the man.
The man by the bed heard the movement and dodged nimbly. Sun Yao’s
stick struck the air. At the same time, Sun Yao saw an outline of the man’s
face in the haze–it was that of a young man.
After Sun Yao’s strike met air, he noticed that his daughter’s nightgown had
been completely lifted, revealing her still delicate body. His mind went
blank, and he subconsciously reached out to pull down his daughter’s dress.
Yet without warning, the young man seized this opportunity to snatch the
wooden stick in Sun Yao’s hand and lifted it up above his head, beating Sun
Yao’s body in quick succession.
Sun Yao was beaten back a couple of steps. He clenched his teeth as he
withstood the beating. He rushed over to grab the stick, and as the two
scrambled for possession, Sun Yao strangled the man’s neck until he gasped
for breath and his grip on the wooden stick loosened. At that moment, Sun
Yao snatched the wooden stick, threw it aside, then let go of the man.
The man seemed to have passed out, his body falling softly by the bed. Sun
Yao turned to look at his daughter, yet unexpectedly, in that instant, that
man picked up the wooden stick again; this time, his actual goal was to
strike the comatose Sun Xunyan’s head.
Sun Yao raised his left arm to block the stick and with his right hand, he
strangled the man’s neck once more. This time, he was afraid that the man
would still have the strength to get back up, so he strangled the man for a
bit longer. By the time he released his grip, the man fell to the ground, no
longer breathing.
Afterwards, Sun Yao called the police himself.
This was the chronology of the entirety of the case. However, every detail
had come out of Sun Yao’s mouth. Apart from the suspect and victim, the
only other person who was present at the scene of the crime was a girl
who’d been comatose for more than a year–there were no other witnesses.
The man that Sun Yao had strangled to death was named Cao Yuxiang. He
had just turned nineteen. According to Sun Yao’s confession, Cao Yuxiang
ought to have directly entered Sun Xunyan’s room by climbing through the
window, on account of the entrance door–an anti-theft door that was tightly
locked up the entire night–had no signs of lock-picking. The existing
investigation confirmed that Cao Yuxiang’s shoe prints were on the
stairwell adjacent to Sun Xunyan’s window, and that he ought to have
climbed over from there.
Cao Yuxian had entered Sun Yao’s home in the dead of the night with the
intention to rape Sun Yao’s comatose daughter right on her bed. After being
discovered by Sun Yao, the two came to blows, and Sun Yao accidentally
strangled Cao Yuxiang to death.
Sun Yao’s actions sounded in line with legitimate defense, but in issuing the
arrest warrant, the cause for arrest engendered internal disagreements at the
procuratorate–the cause being: he had strangled a man to death. Over the
course of being strangled, Cao Yuxiang would’ve inevitably lost
consciousness due to a lack of oxygen, and he was already no longer
capable of resisting and continuing his crime, yet Sun Yao still didn’t stop,
so there were suspicions of excessive self-defence and even intentional
homicide.
Han Bohan’s contemplation of the case were all reflected in the close-ups of
Xia Xingcheng’s face. His expression was solemn, brows slightly creased, a
hand resting on the edge of the table browsing through files. He was in the
midst of looking through the victim, Cao Yuxiang’s, autopsy report.
In the attached autopsy photos, the young man lay on a metal dissection
table, his flesh cut open and turned over, showing the dark red internal
organs underneath.
Not long after, the actor playing Han Bohan’s assistant, Xiao Wei, came
over and handed him a cup of coffee.
In a split second, Xia Xingcheng’s trance was broken off. He said thank you
and took the proffered coffee.
The two of them began to discuss the details of the case.
Xia Xingcheng stood up, walked to the window with his coffee, and took a
light sip. He heard Xiao Wei’s actor impassionately rattle off his opinions;
he staunchly believed that Sun Yao’s actions were legitimate defense, and
that they shouldn’t go to trial.
“That Cao Yuxiang is human scum! Isn’t it still unclear whether what
happened to Sun Xunyan back then was an accident or not? And yet that
surname Cao won’t even let off a brain-dead patient!”
Xia Xingcheng listened quietly. He walked to his work desk with his coffee
and sat on the edge of the desk. His fitted uniform trousers were stretched
taut, outlining the contours of his thigh and ass. In a steady manner, he
spoke, “Whether Sun Xunyan fell off the building due to Cao Yuxiang or
not bears no relation to whether Sun Yao’s actions were legitimate defense.
These can only act as considering factors when the court determines his
sentence.”
His expression was very calm; his current temperament and his original self
were as different as black and white.
He Zheng leaned over to Yang Youming’s ear and whispered, “Xingcheng’s

current state is excellent.”
Yang Youming didn’t speak, his eyes remained trained at Xia Xingcheng.
This character, Han Bohan, was a young handsome prosecutor who grew up
in a good family and had outstanding achievements. He was both smart and
possessed a strong sense of justice, full of conviction towards the law, and
was calm as well as self-confident at all times.
It was as if Xia Xingcheng had become one with Han Bohan. He had cast
off his naivete and began to walk down the acting path with an increasingly
steady gait.
This kind of Xia Xingcheng was utterly charming.
Xia Xingcheng naturally couldn’t hear He Zheng’s assessment of him–he

was still immersed in his role. He picked up his coffee cup, lowered his
gaze, and took an unhurried sip, and when he raised his eyes again, he said,
“I’m going to check the crime scene.”
The scene ended there.
Hua Hua ran over to take Xia Xingcheng’s coffee cup, and passed him a
portable mini fan.
Taking the fan, Xia Xingcheng directed the wind at his face as he made his
way over to He Zheng. His expression was still serious. The remnants of his
character immersion hadn’t fully dispersed.
He walked right up to Yang Youming, who was sitting down, and rubbed
his leg against Yang Youming’s.
Yang Youming looked up at him and was met with the sight of his hair
tossed up by the wind, in an instant, his deadly earnest aura from a moment
ago ceased to exist.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t speak. In truth, he had already forgotten what he

wanted to say just then. Yang Youming was always able to quickly pull him
from an illusory persona back to reality. Perhaps, he thought, from the
moment he entered Yang Youming’s play, he was no longer capable of
walking out of it. From here on out, other plays were merely plays, only
Yang Youming was his reality.
He Zheng coughed, breaking off their locked eyes.
Xia Xingcheng glanced at He Zheng, and changed back to the all-familiar

Xia Xingcheng. He said, “How was the angle just now?”
He Zheng cast a glance at the leg Xia Xingcheng was stealthily rubbing
against Yang Youming, acted like he hadn’t seen a thing, and merely said,
“Change the angle to this side and do one more take. Let’s see then.”
“Okay,” said Xia Xingcheng.
☆☆☆
[1] 莬 = subject to change when s2 of the audio drama comes out because there are three different
pronunciations of the character, which, fyi doesn’t show up in any of the dictionaries i use :’)
t/n – if any of the law stuff sounds weird please do point it out~ it was a pain in the ass to translate
but pretty fun lol
In the evening, when Yang Youming came out of the bathroom freshly
showered, Xia Xingcheng was lying on his side, reading his script.
His script was spread out on the bed. Propping up his head with one hand,
he flipped through the script with the other.
When Yang Youming came and lay down beside him, he only raised an eye
to look at him, scrutinizing him with a calm gaze.
“Prosecutor,” Yang Youming lay down on the bed with his hands pillowed
under his head. He adopted Sun Yao’s tone and lowered his voice, saying,
“I truly didn’t do it on purpose.”
Xia Xingcheng sat up at once, cross-legged on the bed, his arms folded over
his chest. Mimicking an interrogation, he questioned, “You still want to
argue even now?”
Yang Youming’s expression didn’t change, but his timbre was low and
deep, even a little hoarse. He reached out and put his hand on Xia
Xingcheng’s leg and lightly rubbed it through his thin pajama pants. “You
look too good in a uniform, I can’t keep myself from looking.”
Xia Xingcheng bent at the waist, leaning in to look Yang Youming in the
eye. “You’re content with just looking?”
Yang Youming hardly flinched from the stare down. With a level tone, he
said, “You’re right, I also want to tear your uniform off. I’ll rip off both
your jacket and shirt at once and leave them to hang on your elbows, then
pull off your belt, take your pants off, and force you down on that work
desk and…”
Xia Xingcheng went scarlet. He moved to lie on his stomach and buried his
face in Yang Youming’s chest, shaking his head and rubbing at it
haphazardly.
Yang Youming stroked his hair. “What’s wrong, prosecutor?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Stop talking.”
Yang Youming laughed.
Refusing to lift his face from where it stuck to Yang Youming’s chest, Xia
Xingcheng asked, “You watched me act in a whole day’s worth of scenes
and that’s the only thing that crossed your mind?”
Yang Youming’s fingers gently caressed him. “There’s something else,

wanna hear?”
Hugging his waist, Xia Xingcheng nodded.
Yang Youming moved closer to his ear, and softly said, “I want to hide you
away. You wouldn’t be able to leave, and no one would be able to see you.
Keep you locked up in a big room, make it so that you can only depend on
me, so that you’ll never leave me.”
This time, Xia Xingcheng looked up at him. Seeing Yang Youming’s

expression, he momentarily couldn’t tell whether Yang Youming was
serious or only joking.
Then, he saw Yang Youming smile, as gentle a smile as before. He then

kissed Xia Xingcheng’s forehead, and said, “But I’d also hate to do that.
You’re so amazing—I want the entire world to see your brilliant shine.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him with a burning gaze, then pounced into Yang
Youming’s embrace rather ferociously and kissed him.
Yang Youming found his sudden bout of passion odd. Drawing his waist in,
he asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng kissed him lengthily. Panting in his arms, he said, “You said
you want to lock me up in a big room and not allow me to leave.” He
paused there. His voice then softened, and his cheeks were flushed, yet he
looked Yang Youming right in the eye. His eyelashes faintly trembled, and
with both shame and earnestness, he said, “I’m willing.”
Han Bohan went to visit the crime scene. As it happens, there was no longer
anything to see—every item involved in the case had already been seized,
and there were no distinct signs of a fight left on the scene, nor were there
any bloodstains.
The trip left him a most deep impression of the impoverished lives of the
father and daughter pair. The buildings in the community were extremely
shabby. The exterior walls were a dull cigarette ash, and viewed from the
bottom, the wooden window lattices were falling apart. From having been
exposed to the elements, one could no longer quite tell the colour of its
original paint job. Furthermore, apart from the first floor, none of the other
floors had guardrails installed. It seemed that those who lived here hadn’t
the slightest care for these matters. If a thief truly wanted to steal, all that
hard work breaking in would only turn up nothing of value to steal.
Moreover, there were no CCTVs in the neighbourhood. The nearest CCTV

was at an intersection further ahead. From the footage the police had
collected, at approximately 10:30 that night, the victim, Cao Yuxiang, had
crossed the intersection alone.
The hour couldn’t be considered ‘late’. There were a good deal of

restaurants at a neighbouring street that opened till very late, so people
came and went; there was always someone passing through. Cao Yuxiang
had walked past the intersection very quickly, and there were no sightings
of any suspicious individuals with him.
From the wide open window in the corridor, the signs of a climb were no
longer all that visible. However, when Han Bohan peered out of the window
to take a look, he saw that it was relatively easy to climb into a room on the
second floor—which was precisely Sun Xunyan’s room.
Sun Xunyan’s room was small. There was only a single bed inside. Even
the wardrobe was a simple cloth wardrobe. The blanket and bed sheets on
the bed were in complete disarray—it should’ve been from when Sun
Xunyan was hurriedly brought away. Nobody had stepped in to tidy up.
The young policeman who accompanied Han Bohan to the crime scene was
the case manager; his name was Zheng Xujiang. He was sitting on the
wooden living room seats, smoking. Seeing Han Bohan coming out of Sun
Xunyan’s room, he said, “It seems that this house was rented after Sun
Yao’s daughter had that accident.”
Han Bohan nodded. He entered the next bedroom and saw that it was a little
bigger. It had a wooden wardrobe and a television set, but apart from that, it
was similarly simple and crude.
The room was tidy, except for the blanket on the bed, which ought to have
remained the same since the night Sun Yao got up when he heard signs of
movement next door. The blanket and bed sheets were a set, pale pink plaid
on a light blue base.
Zheng Xujiang said, “The rest are his personal belongings.”
Han Bohan saw a small photo frame on the bedside table, and thus went
over to pick it up and take a look. The photograph framed within was of
Sun Yao and his daughter Sun Xunyan, who looked like she was only
fourteen or fifteen at the time. She was standing behind Sun Yao—who was
squatting on the ground—and was bent over his shoulders with a specially
bright smile on her face. Sun Yao’s face also contained a trace of a smile.
Han Bohan and Zheng Xujiang exited Sun Yao’s rented apartment together.
As they descended the stairs, Han Bohan said to Zheng Xujiang, “Has the
materials pertaining to Sun Xunyan’s falling incident that I asked you for
been supplemented?”
The staircase was narrow. On their way down, Zheng Xujiang had no
option but to slightly tilt his body sideways. He said, “Only part of it. Sun
Xunyan’s fall back then was determined to be an accident. A case wasn’t
filed, so there’s only a case registration form and a few transcripts.”
Han Bohan said, “So why was it determined as an accident back then?”
Zheng Xujiang said, “There was more than one student who confirmed that
Sun Xunyan and Cao Yuxian were dating. Sun Xunyan’s homeroom teacher
said they saw them leave school together after evening self-study. When
Sun Xunyan fell from the building, her clothes were intact, and there were
no traces of sexual assault. Moreover, Cao Yuxiang had called the
ambulance at that time.”
The moment he finished speaking, the two of them came out of the
staircase.
The afternoon sun was slightly scorching. Han Bohan halted in his tracks,
tilted his head and looked towards the building, and asked Zheng Xujiang,
“Sun Xunyan fell from the third floor?”
Zheng Xujiang replied, “Yes.”
Han Bohan looked at Zheng Xujiang. “How likely is it for a fifteen-sixteen

year old highschool girl with excellent grades to jump from the third floor
because of relationship problems?”
Zheng Xujiang shrugged his shoulders. “If she jumped, then it’s a hundred
percent probable. Who can say?”
Han Bohan then thought of another question. “Has Sun Yao met Cao
Yuxiang before?”
Zheng Xujiang was silent for a moment. “He ought to have met him.”
Han Bohan asked, “How many times?”
Zheng Xujiang shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.
Han Bohan said, “Sun Yao told me that he’s only met Cao Yuxiang once.
After Sun Xunyan fell, he tried to seek Cao Yuxiang out, but he couldn’t
find him—because Cao Yuxiang was well protected by his family. He
transferred to another school and even moved houses despite the upcoming
university entrance exams. Sun Yao only saw Cao Yuxiang’s side profile
from a distance at the hospital. At the time, he wasn’t even aware of what
had happened. And when he found out, he could no longer find Cao
Yuxiang.”
Han Bohan recalled their dialogue at the detention centre.
Back then, Sun Yao had said, “I didn’t recognize who he was. It was too
dark at the time. I couldn’t see his face clearly—I wasn’t sure what Cao
Yuxiang really looked like in the first place.”
Zheng Xujiang exhaled at length. It sounded like a sigh. He didn’t speak,

only sticking a hand in his pocket and shaking his head.
Han Bohan said, “If Cao Yuxiang and Sun Xunyan were boyfriend and
girlfriend, and Sun Xunyan jumped because Cao Yuxiang proposed a break
up, and Cao Yuxiang also took the initiative to call an ambulance for her,
then after so long, why would Cao Yuxiang climb into Sun Xunyan’s room
through a window with the intention of raping Sun Xunyan, who’s already
in a vegetative state?”
Zheng Xujiang shook his head as before. “Cao Yuxiang is dead. Sun
Xunyan is still in a coma. In the end, who can clearly tell what happened?”
Han Bohan said to him, “Please reinvestigate the circumstances back then.”
Zheng Xujian looked over at him. “Prosecutor Han, to be honest, it’s been
so long since that incident occurred. The students have already graduated
from senior high school and moved on to a higher education. There are still
some who remember clearly what had happened back then, but don’t
mention an unclear investigation, even with a thorough investigation, it
won’t change the fact that Sun Yao strangled Cao Yuxiang to death. I
personally think that there’s little significance.”
Cao Yuxiang was certainly strangled by Sun Yao to death. There was no
need for a further reinvestigation. As for what really happened back then, if
there were no additional new evidence, then Han Bohan could only accept
Sun Yao’s confession. In that case, they now returned to their original
question—in the end, were Sun Yao’s actions legitimate defence?
That night, Han Bohan went home and had a meal with his parents.
His parents’ house was a two-storey villa. He was an only son, and since
buying his own place and moving out, the only ones at home were normally
his mother and father, and a housekeeper who took care of the cooking and
cleaning.
He was already twenty-nine years old this year. Every time he returned
home, the question most often raised by Mama Han was whether he was
dating or not, and when he would bring his girlfriend home.
Han Bohan twitched inwardly. On the surface, though, he maintained a

calm facade towards his mother, told her he hadn’t met the right one, and if
he did, he’d bring her back home to meet them at once.
Mama Han wore a pair of glasses. She had a gentle, intellectual appearance
that was also slightly stern. She looked Han Bohan up and down from
behind the lenses, and said, “You say this every time, and every time, you
still come back alone.”
At this time, Papa Han became impatient. “With the way he is, it’s not like
he won’t be able to find someone, so what’s the rush? It’s his career that
should be worked on.”
Papa Han’s name was Han Zhang. He was the chief of the Chongfeng
Public Security Bureau. He had a tall, large stature, and he’d put on the
weight of middle-aged men. Perhaps it was because he was used to it, but
he always appeared solemn and calm at home, and his speech had a slow
cadence.
Han Zhang asked Han Bohan, “I heard that you’re handling a recent
intentional homicide case. The victim was a nineteen year old university
student?”
Han Bohan glanced at him, and only gave an indifferent ‘Mm’ before he
lowered his head to continue eating.
Han Zhang continued with his customary slow speech to quickly say, “The
university student who was murdered—was his surname Cao?”
Han Bohan felt that the rice in his mouth was somewhat dry. He forced
himself to swallow, then asked Han Zhang, “What?”
Han Zhang said, “His father is Cao Yuan.”
Han Bohan put his bowl down. “I’m not familiar with him.”
Han Zhang also put his chopsticks down, and said, “He’s a famous
entrepreneur in this city, and a representative of the municipal people’s
congress.”
Han Bohan’s complexion gradually sank. He gazed at Han Zheng. “So?”
Han Zhang lit himself a cigarette, took a neither rushed nor slow drag, then
sandwiched the cigarette between his fingers, and pointed at Han Bohan,
saying “You think handling a case is simply handling a case? If you don’t
place yourself a little higher and have a stronger concept of the big picture,
you’ll be a small-time prosecutor forever.”
Han Bohan said, “I think being a small-time prosecutor is great.”
“‘Great’,” Han Zhang laughed. “You think it’s fine, because you’re not
capable. When you climb higher one day and look back, it’s then that you’ll
know what’s good and what’s not.”
Han Bohan felt that he could no longer continue on with the conversation.
He reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth, then balled up the napkin and
placed it on the table. He got up, and said, “That day may never come.”
With that, he turned to make his way out.
“Han Bohan!” Mama Han stood up, chiding him loudly, “What do you
think you’re doing? Is that how you talk with your father?”
Han Bohan’s footsteps halted for a second before he continued walking out.
Once he walked out of the shot, He Zheng called “cut”.

Xia Xingcheng stopped in his tracks, took a deep breath, and smiled as he
walked over to two veteran actors who played his parents.
The two actors were a very famous married couple in the entertainment
industry. Because they got acquainted during filming when they were
young, they rarely came out to film in the last decade. Their guest
appearance as two characters this time was purely due to their relationship
with He Zheng.
He Zheng also left his monitor to come over and speak to them, telling them
that they’d be changing the angle and taking close-up shots in a while.
The two veteran actors were very kind. The old gentleman smiled as he
said, “After we finish shooting, ask Youming to come out and have a meal
with us, I haven’t seen him in years.”
He Zheng promptly said, “No problem, tonight’s on me. We’ll have a few
drinks.”
☆☆☆
Thank you to Bolshv for the kofi!
t/n – very kinky :_)

At dinner that night, He Zheng had not only invited Xia Xingcheng along,
but also Ling Jiayue.
From the start of filming until now, Xia Xingcheng and Ling Jiayue had
barely shared a scene. The two of them had basically never interacted in
private. Today was a rare chance for them to have a meal at the same table.
Ling Jiayue was very quiet throughout the meal. When someone spoke to
her, she only responded with a bashful smile. Once in a while, her eyes
would meet with Xia Xingcheng’s, but upon the slightest contact, they
immediately averted their line of sight.
Xia Xingcheng had no idea whether he was being too sensitive, but he
really did somewhat mind about Ling Jiayue.
The veteran actor couple were good-natured and lively. The old gentleman,
most of all, was a particularly good drinker. Yang Youming quietly told Xia
Xingcheng that, when he filmed with this old man in his early twenties, he
would accompany him to drink every single day. In the blink of an eye,
almost twenty years had passed, and yet the one thing the old man remained
fond of was drinking.
Yang Youming and He Zheng drank with the old gentleman while
reminiscing about the past. In circumstances like these, there was nothing
Xia Xingcheng could add to the conversation, so he sat there and listened to
them as usual, pulled out every stop he could to help Yang Youming block a
little alcohol, and asked the waiter for a bowl of warm congee or noodles to
warm Yang Youming’s stomach.
By the time the meal ended, Yang Youming was more than a little drunk.
He unconsciously tilted sideways and leaned against Xia Xingcheng.
Nobody had brought along their assistants, so He Zheng called for Xia
Xingcheng to help him settle the bill.
After propping Yang Youming up on the back of his own chair, Xia
Xingcheng left the private room to pay the bill at the counter.
He spent quite a while waiting for the bill, and by the time he returned, he
saw that the door of the private room was ajar. When he reached out and
opened it, he found that He Zheng and the old couple were no longer inside,
and the only ones in the room were Yang Youming and Ling Jiayue.
Yang Youming sat on his chair, his head slightly drooping. In front of him,
looking up at him from where she was crouched on the floor, was Ling
Jiayue.
Ling Jiayue didn’t notice Xia Xingcheng. She seemed to have just said
something to Yang Youming, and her hand was extended to help Yang
Youming up.
Xia Xingcheng piped up right then. “Let me,” he said as he walked over.
Ling Jiayue looked like she’d received a fright; she immediately retracted
her hand and stood up, retreating to the side.
Xia Xingcheng walked up to Yang Youming and bent down to help him up.
Yang Youming raised his eyes, saw Xia Xingcheng, and flung an arm
around his shoulders and got up.
Xia Xingcheng sensed that Yang Youming was truly out of it, like his entire
body had no strength left. He’d drank more than he had at Xia Xingcheng’s
house during last year’s Chinese New Year.
He spared no strength to prop Yang Youming up and bring him outside. All
of a sudden, Yang Youming turned his head and pressed a firm kiss to his
neck, calling out, “Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng subconsciously turned his head to shoot a glance at Ling
Jiayue, and was startled the instant he saw the expression in Ling Jiayue’s
eyes. Ling Jiayue was staring at him. Not much emotion was shown on her
fair, pretty face—only her eyes held an indescribable loathing as she looked
straight at Xia Xingcheng.
At that time, Xia Xingcheng had merely cast a sweeping glance. Once he’d
hauled Yang Youming outside the door of the private room and looked
back, Ling Jiayue had already lowered her head, her gaze no longer on
them.
The car that was picking them up was already waiting outside the
restaurant. Li Yun and Hua Hua had both come in Yang Youming’s nanny
car, and the two of them ran over to help Xia Xingcheng with Yang
Youming.
Li Yun quietly complained, “Why did you drink so much?”
He Zheng and the two elders had already gotten into another car. He Zheng
opened the car window and called Xia Xingcheng over, and told him a few
words, asking him to take Ling Jiayue back to the hotel with them.
When Xia Xingcheng came back, Li Yun and Hua Hua had already gotten
Yang Youming into the car. He turned to face Ling Jiayue and said, “Get in,
we’re going back together.”
Ling Jiayue nodded.
The drive to the hotel from the restaurant took more than half an hour. Xia
Xingcheng sat next to Yang Youming. Yang Youming’s eyes were closed.
His head rested on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder, seemingly asleep.
Ling Jiayue sat in front of them, while Li Yun and Hua Hua sat together.
Hua Hua lowered her voice and whispered to Li Yun, “Looks like Ming ge
can’t hold his liquor. He’s terribly drunk.”
Li Yun said, “It was fine when he was young. He’s old now.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly heard Yang Youming say next to his ear, his voice
low and muffled, “I’m still awake.”
Hua Hua jumped in fright, and promptly said, “Ming ge, I wasn’t
badmouthing you.”
Yang Youming let out a laugh, yet his eyes remained shut as he leaned
against Xia Xingcheng. “Li Yun’s right, my alcohol tolerance does get
worse each year.” He seemed a bit unwell, and he rubbed against Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder, wanting to find a comfortable position.
Xia Xingcheng touched his forehead and felt that his forehead and cheeks
were scorching hot.
Yang Youming softly said, “I’m fine, the alcohol just got to my head a little.
It’s just a bit of discomfort.”
Xia Xingcheng noticed that Ling Jiayue had turned her head to look out of
the car window. After a while, perhaps from feeling stuffy, she opened her
window slightly.
“Please close it,” Xia Xingcheng said to her at once. “Drunk people
shouldn’t be exposed to the wind.”
Ling Jiayue looked over at him. Her expression remained the same, and she
quickly closed the window, saying, “Sorry.”
Yang Youming opened his eyes, and said to Ling Jiayue, “It’s all right.”
Ling Jiayue gazed at him for a while before lowering her gaze.
Xia Xingcheng stared at Ling Jiayue, and from start to finish, he was
somewhat unsure whether he had merely imagined Ling Jiayue’s previous
unfriendly gaze because the private room had been too dim.
Previously, the scene where the uniform-clad Xia Xingcheng thought over
and discussed the case details in his office were shot on the same day.
This scene was set after Zheng Xujiang gave Han Bohan the supplemented
materials on Sun Xunyan’s falling incident. Along with the information
about the incident, Han Bohan had also requested the police to gather the
testimonies of the friend Cao Yuxiang had contact with before his death.
The friend in question was his middle school friend. It was the summer
holidays, and Cao Yuxiang had come back from university for a vacation. A
day before his accident, he had met up with this friend.
Han Bohan had Xiao Wei look at the materials of Sun Xunyan’s falling
accident first. When Xiao Wei took it from his hands, he said, “Sun Xunyan
definitely didn’t jump off herself, it’s not as simple as that. I can’t
understand how someone like Cao Yuxiang is worth committing suicide
over.”
Han Bohan merely said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
He was sitting on his chair, looking over the transcript of Cao Yuxiang’s
classmate’s testimony. His expression remained serene from beginning to
end—up until he turned to the third page. His gaze fell and paused on a
certain section; he grabbed a pen on the table and, with the pen cap still on,
he underlined a sentence. After that, he continued reading the rest of the
document.
Sitting behind a desk not far from him, Xiao Wei abruptly jumped up and
made his way over to Han Bohan’s desk with the transcript, then said. “Han
ge, I think there’s a slight problem with this.”
Han Bohan raised his head to look at him.
Xiao Wei said, “The two students who confirmed that Cao Yuxiang and Sun
Xunyan were dating were both Cao Yuxiang’s classmates. When they were
asked how they knew of Cao Yuxiang and Sun Xunyan’s relationship, they
said that Cao Yuxiang had told them himself. Cao Yuxiang said that he was
pursuing Sun Xunyan, and after he said that he’d succeeded—from when he
said so to when Sun Xunyan fell, there’s only a week in between.”
Han Bohan didn’t say anything, taking the transcript from Xiao Wei’s hands
to read through it.
Xiao Wei half squatted in front of the desk, his eyes level with Han Bohan’s
line of sight. He added, “Sun Xunyan’s homeroom teacher’s only said that
they once saw Cao Yuxiang and Sun Xunyan leaving the school after
evening self study. But leaving school together doesn’t always mean that
two people are dating. When Sun Xunyan fell, Cao Yuxiang was the only
one at the crime scene, of course Cao Yuxiang could make whatever claims
he wanted to make.”
“Alone at the scene. Say whatever he wanted to say,” Han Bohan repeated
Xiao Wei’s words seemingly unthinkingly.
Xiao Wei said, “A female student who hasn’t even been dating for a week
would kill herself just because her boyfriend mentioned breaking up?”
Han Bohan looked at him. “Then what do you think?”
Xiao Wei stroked his chin and considered it for a while. “I have a guess.
Would you say it’s possible that Sun Xunyan rejected Cao Yuxiang’s
attempts at wooing her, and after school ended, he locked Sun Xunyan up in
a classroom to rape her, upon which Sun Xunyan jumped and fell and
turned into a vegetable. Because Cao Yuxiang was still harboring evil
intentions in his heart, he climbed into Sun Xunyan’s bedroom at night to
rape her, but was strangled to death by Sun Yao?”
Han Bohan took the transcript of Cao Yuxiang’s classmate’s testimony and
gave it to Xiao Wei to read, then pointed at the part he had underlined just a
moment ago. “Cao Yuxiang’s classmate said that they met up a day before
Cao Yuxiang’s accident. Cao Yuxiang mentioned that he saw a female
student he liked when he was in high school, and that he wanted to go find
her.”
Xiao Wei leaned in to read the line carefully. Afterwards, he looked at Han
Bohan, “Sun Xunyan?”
Han Bohan neither shook his head nor gave a nod. He only said, “It adds up
—why Cao Yuxiang would break into Sun Yao’s house to rape Sun
Xunyan.”
Overcome with righteous indignation, Xiao Wei cursed, “Bastard!”
Han Bohan put the transcript back down.
Xiao Wei said, “Sun Xunyan’s incident should be investigated. After all,
what happened then is definitely not so simple.”
Han Bohan shook his head. “Cao Yuxiang is dead. It’s impossible to file
another case, and there’s no way to investigate.”
Xiao Wei sighed. “Unless Sun Xunyan wakes up one day.”
Han Bohan was silent.
This case was in Han Bohan’s hands. After reporting to the section chief
and the prosecutor general, and after talking it over with the administrative
department, he ultimately decided to determine Sun Yao’s actions as
legitimate defense, that it did not constitute a crime, and did not need to go
to trial.
The prosecutor general asked whether there was room for further evidence.
Han Bohan said that any possible addition had all been accounted for. All
the evidence at present corroborated Sun Yao’s confession, and he had
chosen to believe Sun Yao’s confession and viewed that Sun Yao’s actions
were in line with legitimate defence. Furthermore, Sun Yao had a comatose
daughter who currently had no one to take care of her, and as this case
didn’t go to trial, it would be better to make haste and let Sun Yao out as
early as possible so he could tend to his daughter.
The case went to the prosecution committee.
A prosecution committee member asked Han Bohan, “Sun Yao strangled

the victim with his arm. The victim had already lost consciousness midway,
yet he still didn’t let go. Why shouldn’t it be excessive self-defence?”
Han Bohan answered, “I believe that in that environment, Sun Yao had no
way to calmly judge whether Cao Yuxiang had already lost his
consciousness or not. When he released him the first time, Cao Yuxiang
picked up the wooden stick and attempted to attack the father and daughter
again. He strangled Cao Yuxiang the second time out of reasonable self-
defense, and hadn’t dared to let go—this is understable. His intention was
not to kill Cao Yuxiang, but to prevent him from continuing to attack
himself and his daughter.”
Another committee member asked him, “Cao Yuxiang climbed in through a

window intending to rape a comatose person on her bed—isn’t this
behaviour a little strange?”
Han Bohan showed them an excerpt of the witness testimony from the
investigation report. “The day before the incident, Cao Yuxiang told his
former classmate that he had seen a female student he liked in his high
school days, and that he wanted to seek her out. Cao Yuxiang’s actions
seem unreasonable, but there’s an indication that can be tracked.”
By the end, the prosecution committee agreed with Han Bohan’s thoughts
on the handling of Sun Yao’s suspected intentional homicide case.
Sun Yao would be acquitted.
The follow-up work concerning Sun Yao’s release had nothing to do with
Han Bohan. He still had other cases to deal with, and Sun Yao was no
longer of his concern.
That day, he drove to the detention centre as usual. The road in front of the
city’s detention centre was always tightly packed with vehicles.
Han Bohan was planning to turn left at the intersection. A ways away from
it, he stepped on the breaks and stopped behind a long line of cars waiting
for the red light.
His car windows directly faced the iron gate of the detention centre for
released detainees. The gate was closed, but there were many people
stationed outside—those who’d come to meet their family members or
friends who’d been released.
Han Bohan propped his head up on one hand and gazed out, and saw a girl
in a white dress squatting at the foot of the detention centre’s outer walls
near the iron gates, staring off into the distance.
Within the crowd waiting to meet the released detainees, the girl was truly
too eye-catching. The moment Han Bohan saw her face, he immediately
recalled that he’d seen her before.
He stared at the girl for a long time. She remained squatting motionlessly
from start to finish, her expression unchanging. It was only once the light
turned green and Xiao Wei who sat beside him urged him to drive that Han
Bohan shifted gears and drove away.
☆☆☆
Thank you to anon, VitaB, and Tinsunny for the kofis!
t/n – i hope this chapter is coherent :’) if not please complain jksdhfsh
Another day of filming: an in-studio scene of Han Bohan in Sun Yao’s

rented apartment.
Unlike when Han Bohan had come to visit the crime scene last time, this
time was after Sun Yao had been released. The reason why Han Bohan
came by Sun Yao’s place again after the case was concluded was on account
of a chance encounter in the streets.
It was the weekend. Han Bohan was driving in town, alone. The sun shone
brightly one moment, but the skies abruptly darkened when he made a turn
down the next street.
Han Bohan saw bean-sized raindrops falling onto the windscreen of his car,
making a pattering sound. The car’s automatic windscreen wipers began to
move from side to side, wiping away the drops of water on the glass that
subsequently flowed down along the edges of the glass.
This rain came out of nowhere. The pedestrians on the streets hastily rushed
to both sides of the street to take shelter, expressions anxious as they stared
heavensward, wondering when the rain would stop.
It was then that Han Bohan saw Sun Yao.
Sun Yao was wearing a navy blue long-sleeved shirt paired with a pair of
black jeans. At first, he was also among the crowd that took shelter from the
rain at the side of the road. But then, without rhyme or reason, he suddenly
ran out from the cover of the awnings and ran through the street despite the
heavy rain. The downpour drenched his whole body in an instant.
Han Bohan’s car was going the same direction. As he neared Sun Yao, he
slowed down and pulled over, lowered his car window, and sounded the
horn, calling out, “Sun Yao!”
Sun Yao stopped in his tracks and looked over. Due to the rain water pelting
his face, he slightly squinted; his expression was somewhat cold and
detached. It was only after making out Han Bohan’s face did his expression
soften a little, and he gave a nod and said, “Prosecutor.”
After the window was lowered, the rain unceasingly fell into the car, even
assailing Han Bohan’s face. He had no choice but to raise his voice, “Where
are you going? Get in.”
Sun Yao didn’t act immediately. He said, “I’m all wet.”
Han Bohan said, “If you don’t get in, my car will also get wet. Hurry up.”
Sun Yao got to moving then. He passed the plastic bag in his right hand to
his left, opened the door of the passenger seat, got in, and immediately
closed the door again.
Han Bohan asked, “Where are you headed?”
Sun Yao said, “Home.” The rain water continuously streamed down his
head; a puddle of water soon accumulated on the leather seat and foot mat
beneath him.
Han Bohan merely glimpsed at it, then resumed driving without a word. He
didn’t ask Sun Yao where he lived. Sun Yao’s wet face was wooden—he
didn’t speak up again.
Han Bohan then sent Sun Yao home and followed him upstairs.
The content that was filmed was the scene after they entered the apartment.
The actress who played Sun Xunyan, Song Yanyan, was a young girl in her
freshman year at film school. She wasn’t yet eighteen, and she had a
youthful and lovely appearance.
She had a very lively personality, and she particularly liked Xia Xingcheng.
She said that became a diehard fan of Xia Xingcheng after watching
‘Gradual Distance’. At the same time, she also liked Yang Youming, and
she once let slip that she was Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s CP fan.
Xia Xingcheng feigned ignorance. “What fan?”
Song Yanyan immediately covered her mouth and tried her best to change
the subject.
The stylist was still arranging Yang Youming’s hair to one side, so Xia
Xingcheng and Song Yanyan sat down and chatted.
Song Yanyan said, “Ge, I’m so tired.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at her. “All you do is lie down in bed. You don’t
have any lines, and you don’t have to move at all, what’s exhausting about
that?”
Song Yanyan whispered, “Ge. Yang Youming carries me everywhere, but

I’m not supposed to react even the slightest bit. Has it never occurred to you
how exhausting this is!”
Xia Xingcheng frowned. He seriously considered it for a moment before

finally nodding, deep in thought. “That’s true.”
Song Yanyan sighed as she looked Yang Youming’s way. “Who knows
when I’ll have a chance to do a sex scene with Yang Youming?”
Xia Xingcheng looked at her in astonishment. It took a good while before

he could string together a sentence. “Aren’t you my fan?”
Son Yanyan laughed as she elbowed him. “Not like that. I’m your mom fan.
But Yang Youming is so sexy, which normal actress wouldn’t want to act in
emotional scenes with him?”
For the first time in his life, Xia Xingcheng felt that he was slowly getting
older, unable to keep up with little miss Song Yanyan’s thought processes.
He said, “You don’t look like a normal actress to me.”
After Yang Youming’s hair and costume were ready, the set went through
final adjustments and they officially began shooting.
The door opened. Sun Yao and Han Bohan entered the room one after
another.
Sun Yao was drenched from head to toe, still steadily dripping water. He
placed the plastic bag in his hands on the shoe cabinet at the entrance and
said to Han Bohan, “Prosecutor, please make yourself comfortable.” He
made his way inside while unbuttoning his shirt.
Han Bohan followed Sun Yao into the apartment. He closed the anti-theft
door and subconsciously surveyed the entire room, thinking that it was the
exact same as the last time he came by.
Sun Yao undid his buttons one by one, took off his navy blue shirt,
nonchalantly wiped his arms and chest with the wet shirt, then threw the
shirt over the back of a wooden chair.
He wore a black singlet under his shirt. The damp singlet clung to his body;
his firm pecs and flat abs were visibly defined, the valley along his lower
back was a feast for the eyes, and further down were tight jeans.
Instead of turning to his room to change his clothes, he walked in the

direction of the balcony.
Han Bohan wore loose, dark gray knitwear, and his shoulders were wet. He
followed behind Sun Yao and watched him walk all the way to the balcony,
only to discover that there was someone sitting there.
He took two steps closer and saw a person’s back before abruptly realising
that it was Sun Xunyan.
Sun Xunyan was sitting on a wheelchair, facing outwards. There was a

small pillow stuffed behind her neck to support her head.
Sun Yao walked over, and instead of pushing the wheelchair, he wrapped
one hand around Sun Xunyan’s neck and another under her bent knees, then
picked her up and carried her. The small pillow dropped to the floor.
“Excuse me,” Sun Yao said to Han Bohan, carrying Sun Xunyan inside.
Han Bohan stepped aside.
Sun Yao carried Sun Xunyan into her small room, and settled her down on
the bed.
Han Bohan quietly made his way over to the balcony, picked up the fallen
pillow, and patted it before placing it back on the wheelchair.
Sun Yao came out of the bedroom, and stood at the doorway that led to the
balcony. “Thank you, prosecutor.”
“My name is Han Bohan,” he said. “She didn’t get wet, did she?”
Sun Yao shook his head. “The sun was still out when I went out this
afternoon. I thought I’d be able to get home early.”
Han Bohan looked at his face and found that he was gazing at the sky. The
corners of his mouth were taut. There was no way to tell whether he was
complaining to God or blaming himself.
He was still clad in his drenched singlet and jeans.
Han Bohan said, “Why don’t you change your clothes first.”
Sun Yao fingers clutched his singlet and pulled it away from his body.
“Have a seat. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Han Bohan walked to the living room sofa and sat down. From this angle,
he could see into both bedrooms at the same time.
The bedroom doors hadn’t been shut. Sun Xunyan was lying on the bed, her
eyes shut, and in the other bedroom, Sun Yao stood by his bed, changing his
clothes.
He peeled the singlet off his body, then lowered his head to unbuckle the
belt around his waist. As he took off his wet jeans along with his briefs,
Han Bohan averted his gaze and looked in the direction of the other
bedroom—Sun Xunyan seemed very peaceful.
Sun Yao came out after changing into some dry clothes. Together with the
shirt he’d thrown over the back of a chair just a moment ago, he took the
garments he had changed out of to the small balcony behind the kitchen.
After that, he returned to the living room, one hand dragging a chair as he
walked up to Han Bohan. Straddling the chair, he faced Han Bohan and
said, “Thank you.”
Han Bohan tone was level as he replied, “Don’t mention it.”
The room fell silent. Outside, the rain fell endlessly with no signs of
stopping. The lighting in the room was dim, and even though the distance
between them was small, their faces seemed as if they were shrouded in
shadows.
Sun Yao had no intention of turning on the lights. In this gloom, his gaze
was trained directly at Han Bohan’s face, sharper than the one in the
detention centre. He sized Han Bohan up inch by inch, eyes tinged with
scrutiny.
Right then, He Zheng suddenly yelled “cut”, pulling the two men in the
movie back to reality.
He Zheng didn’t sound particularly patient as he said, “Restrain your eyes a

little.”
Yang Youming sat on his chair, motionless. It was obvious that he didn’t
agree with He Zheng’s complaints, calmly questioning, “You said you
wanted a scrutinizing look. Didn’t I pass?”
He Zheng lowered his head and took a drag of his cigarette. When he lifted
his head, he said, “Not you, Xia Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng was puzzled. “Aren’t you taking a close-up shot of Ming
ge?”
He Zheng didn’t reply. He was staring at the monitor watching the

playback. After a while, he crooked a finger at Hua Hua and called her over,
then muttered a couple of words by her ear. With a pat on her shoulder, he
told her to convey it to Xia Xingcheng.
Hua Hua jogged to Xia Xingcheng’s side, lowered her voice, and said,
“Director He said that you were making bedroom eyes at Sun Yao.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t say a word. Though he didn’t want to admit it, just
now, his heart itched at the sight of Yang Youming’s slightly ruffian air and
fierce gaze.
After Hua Hua finished speaking, she remained at Xia Xingcheng’s side
with a look of hesitance across her face.
Xia Xingcheng asked her, “Anything else?”
Hua Hua awkwardly said, “Director He told you to stop being coquettish.”
Just as she trailed off, Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming smile. His face
instantly reddened as he turned to look at He Zheng.
Yet He Zheng’s head was always lowered as he smoked. He didn’t meet his
eyes at all.
Yang Youming beckoned to Hua Hua and gestured for her to come over. He
shifted closer to her ear and whispered, “Go and tell He Zheng that it’s what
I wanted. The more coquettish Xingcheng is, the better I act out my
emotions.”
His voice wasn’t loud—it was just enough for Xia Xingcheng to hear. Xia
Xingcheng could really no longer stand it, and he lifted his leg to kick Yang
Youming.
Hua Hua’s face was wholly lifeless. She asked Yang Youming, “Is that
appropriate, Ming ge?”
Yang Youming said, “Just go.”
Hua Hua jogged to He Zheng’s side and whispered a few words to him. He
Zheng sneered, and glanced at them with disdain. He then seized the
megaphone from the assistant director’s hands and yelled, “Get ready for a
retake!”
Yang Youming smiled at Xia Xingcheng. “Prosecutor, shall we begin?”

With that, his smile gradually faded as he resumed Sun Yao’s facial
expression from a moment ago.
Sun Yao looked at Han Bohan.
After a period of silence, Han Bohan opened his mouth to ask, “Was your
daughter all right when you picked her up at the hospital?”
Sun Yao’s face sank a little. “She had bedsores and some edema.”
Han Bohan asked, “Is she better now?”
“She is,” Sun Yao replied.
Han Bohan raised his head to look out the window. The heavy rain was as
incessant as before. He felt that he had nothing more to say and slightly
wanted to leave.
At that moment, Sun Yao asked, “You went to see Xiao Yan at the
hospital?”
Startled, Han Bohan said, “Ah. I visited the hospital after I met you at the
detention center.”
Sun Yao was sitting with his legs apart. With his hands on his knees, he
said, “Thank you.”
Han Bohan let out a faint laugh. “You’ve thanked me a lot today.”
Sun Yao said, “Just doing what I ought to.”

☆☆☆
t/n – chapter 120! song yanyan is such a cutie
A brief silence descended upon the two—until Sun Yao asked Han Bohan,
“Where do you work now?”
With his eyes on him, voice quiet, Sun Yao said, “I’m currently
unemployed.”
Han Bohan froze for an instant. “What happened with your previous
company?”
Sun Yao smiled, his eyes somewhat frigid. “I was dismissed right after the
accident. Which company would employ a murderer?”
“Don’t say that,” Han Bohan said. “From a legal standpoint, you’re no
murderer.”
Sun Yao’s smile remained on his face throughout, yet the smile contained
no warmth from the start.
Han Bohan sat quietly for a while. “Then what are your plans? If I
remember correctly, this place is rented, right?”
Sun Yao lifted his head and cast a glimpse around the narrow, dimly lit
room, and finally answered, “That’s right.”
The scene ended there. He Zheng summoned Xia Xingcheng to watch the
playback, and said, “The first half was great, but your gaze wasn’t quite
right towards the end.”
Xia Xingcheng watched himself in the shot; after hearing Yang Youming
say that he’d been dismissed, his eyes really did soften somewhat.
He Zheng said, “That’s Sun Yao, not Yang Youming.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at the screen momentarily before saying, “I know

that’s Sun Yao. I was looking at him through Han Bohan’s eyes. I thought
he was pitiful.”
He Zheng didn’t speak. He scratched at his head with his cigarette-holding

hand. Xia Xingcheng worried that the ash would fall onto his hair.
A while later, He Zheng said, “You don’t experience the things Han Bohan
does. Don’t substitute Han Bohan’s thoughts with yours.”
Xia Xingcheng fell into reflection.
He Zheng clapped his shoulder. “Think it over. Let’s take it from the top.”
Xia Xingcheng returned and sat down on the sofa across from Yang
Youming. Yang Youming was drinking water, and Li Yun was standing
beside him, waiting to put away the cup.
Yang Youming watched him as he drank. Afterwards, he handed the cup to

Li Yun and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng spoke slowly, deep in thought as he theorised, “Han Bohan

has encountered a vast number of cases. He’s gained first-hand knowledge
of all sorts of crimes. Would his mindset become relatively cold and rigid?”
Yang Youming thought for a bit. “I doubt it.”
Xia Xingcheng looked at him. “Director He disagreed with my

interpretation.”
Yang Youming propped up a hand on the back of the chair and held up his
head. After a while, he said, “I think he’d conceal it. He won’t show other
people that he’s softhearted and reveal what he’s truly feeling inside.”
The dialogue was later retaken two more times. He Zheng made no mention
of which one he thought was best, and merely said that he’ll consider which
to use during editing.
Xia Xingcheng’s scenes ended there, and what followed was Ling Jiayue
and Yang Youming’s shared scene in the same set.
In the script, this scene took place after Han Bohan left Sun Yao’s place
after his conversation with Sun Yao ended.
Upon leaving, Han Bohan mentioned that he knew someone who ran a large
real estate company, and that he could try to put Sun Yao in touch with
some work.
Sun Yao walked him to the door. Han Bohan turned around and went
downstairs, and Sun Yao shut the door behind him.
It didn’t take long to get to the first floor from the second floor. Once his
feet reached the first floor landing, Han Bohan caught sight of a girl
wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts going up the stairs.
Her hair was worn down, and her denim shorts were so short that it showed
off her fair, slender, completely attention-grabbing legs. Han Bohan glanced
at her and instantly recognized her as the girl he’d seen twice before, once
at the community hospital, and once at the gates of the detention centre.
The girl didn’t see him. Her long hair draped down and concealed half her
face; she brushed past him and continued making her way upstairs.
A strange feeling suddenly arose in Han Bohan’s heart. He walked to the

first floor, turned a small corner, and continued down, and when he was
about to leave the unit, he abruptly stilled. He raised his head, and quietly
listened for the girl’s footsteps.
The girl’s footsteps weren’t rushed. She went from the first floor to the
second floor, and without stopping, continued up towards the third floor.
Han Bohan retracted his gaze and stepped out of the unit building.
It was no longer raining outside. For a split second, the black clouds
dispersed, and harsh sunlight shone through the clouds.
Han Bohan subconsciously squinted. He stopped, and his footsteps were
practically inaudible as he went back inside. He heard the sound of
footsteps going down the stairs, and it sounded just like the girl’s footsteps
had just a moment ago.
The footsteps went down from the third floor to the second floor. There was
a pause, and then there was knocking. Shortly after, the door opened.
Neither person inside and outside uttered a sound. The footsteps entered the
apartment, and the door slammed shut.
Han Bohan stood unmoving for a while, then headed out once more.
What occurred after the girl entered the apartment was unbeknownst to the
Han Bohan in the movie. Yet Xia Xingcheng was still hanging around the
film set, watching them shoot this scene.
It was the same exact room as the previous set. Xia Xingcheng watched
Yang Youming blendering food in the kitchen—it was Sun Yao preparing
dinner for his daughter.
When he was filming, as he was engrossed in his role, Xia Xingcheng

would think that the man he was facing was Sun Yao, not Yang Youming.
Yet once he distanced himself and withdrew from Han Bohan’s character—
only then did he think that Yang Youming was Yang Youming.
Only his demeanour and mannerisms had changed, turned crude and
brutish. He was pressing on the lid of the blender with one hand, listening
to the loud rumble it brought about and staring at food being churned into
paste with a wooden face.
Ling Jiayue passed behind him.
The kitchen space was narrow. When Ling Jiayue passed by, her body
almost grazed Yang Youming’s. There wasn’t the slightest change in their
expressions.
Xia Xingcheng fixed his eyes on Ling Jiayue. He saw no emotion on her
face, and yet her eyes contained an indefinable sense of clarity. If he had to
put it to words, she probably resembled a still naive child; she had a spaced
out look in her eyes, and yet it was obvious that her brain was anything but.
This made Shu Mian’s character seem a little strange.
In this scene, apart from the comatose Sun Xunyan, there were undoubtedly
only two people in the room—Sun Yao and Shu Mian. However, there was
no dialogue between them. Each of them were silently doing their own
things.
Later on, Sun Yao entered his daughter’s room, where Shu Mian had been
squatting by the bed doing origami.
She folded a paper airplane, then held it in her hand and flew it flat along
the horizontal Sun Xunyan, only a few centimetres away from her body.
Sun Yao spoke up at long last. “Don’t disturb her.”
Shu Mian turned to face him. The paper plane left Sun Xunyan’s body, and
made its way before Sun Yao. Her line of sight followed the paper plane in
her hand from beginning to end. She raised the plane and landed it by Sun
Yao’s neck, the tip facing downwards, and just as she had traced a path
along Sun Xunyan’s body before, she flew it down Sun Yao’s neck, all the
way to his chest.
Seeing this, Xia Xingcheng immediately realized that Ling Jiayue hadn’t
followed the script. He had scanned through Yang Youming’s script a
moment ago—originally, Shu Mian was supposed to fly the paper airplane
directly to Sun Yao’s hands.
However, He Zheng didn’t say cut, and from the expression on his face, he
seemed to be very pleased with Ling Jiayue’s bit of improv.
When the paper plane in Ling Jiayue’s hand approached Yang Youming’s
lower belly, Yang Youming captured her hand.
They didn’t stop and instead kept going, finishing off the rest of the scene.
Yang Youming snatched the paper plane away from her hand and said,
“Xiao Yan needs to eat.” He then walked past her.
He Zheng called for a stop.
Xia Xingcheng felt an indescribable sense of discomfort.
Yang Youming walked to Xia Xingcheng’s side and patted his head. It
didn’t show the slightest ambiguity, and yet it oozed intimacy.
He Zheng’s arms were folded on his head, his body tilted backwards. He
looked up at Yang Youming and whispered, “Ling Jiayue’s not bad.”
To his surprise, Xia Xingcheng saw Yang Youming nodding.
Although Ling Jiayue went off script, it was clear that her performance and
reaction to Sun Yao better fitted the original novel’s portrayal of Shu Mian’s
character.
Xia Xingcheng immediately grumbled at He Zheng, “I want to change up

my parts too.”
He Zheng crossed his legs and jeered. “What are your plans? C’mere, I’m
all ears.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I can also film a scene where Han Bohan seduces Sun
Yao.”
He Zheng shot him a disdainful glance. “Are you nuts or am I nuts?”
Yang Youming said, “Jiayue has a knack for acting, but I disagree with her
performance. It’s going to distract the audience.”
He Zheng hesitated.
Xia Xingcheng took a look at Ling Jiayue’s direction.
When Ling Jiayue finished shooting, she would always sit on a small chair
at a corner by herself. Although she and Song Yanyan were around the
same age, they didn’t appear to share a single common topic. Normally, if
He Zheng didn’t take the initiative to greet her, she would just silently read
her script, alone.
Yang Youming’s hand clasped Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder. All of a sudden,
he bent at the waist and whispered in Xia Xingcheng’s ear, “Your scene—
when we go back tonight, give me a private showing.”
That night, when Yang Youming stepped out of the bathroom after
showering, he saw Xia Xingcheng sitting in front of the dressing table
mirror. His arms were crossed on top of his chest, and his long legs were
stretched out in front of him. The moment their eyes met, he called out to
him in a low voice, “Sun Yao.”
Yang Youming had first been wiping his hair with a towel. Upon seeing
this, he held the towel in his hand, and asked in a not particularly polite
tone, “What do you want from me, Prosecutor Han?”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were keenly trained at him. “What is your

relationship with that girl?”
Yang Youming walked up to him, and from a short distance away, he softly
uttered, “How does that concern you?”
“That girl is around your daughter’s age, is she not? Now that I think of it,
when I saw her at the gates of the detention centre last time, it was around
the exact date of your release. Did she come to pick you up?” Xia
Xingcheng asked in a cold voice.
Yang Youming shut his eyes and barked out a laugh, saying, “Why are you
so intent on her? If these eyes of yours only see her, what’s the use of
keeping them?”
Having heard this, Xia Xingcheng was somewhat dazed. He then saw Yang
Youming raise his hands and use the towel in his clutches to cover his eyes.
Xia Xingcheng plunged into a moment of darkness, and he could only sense
the damp towel that contained the scent of Yang Youming’s shampoo being
tied behind his head. He couldn’t help but tilt his head up, and soon
afterwards, a firm kiss was pressed to his lips.
The kiss was rough at first before it gradually grew tender. They kissed for
a long time, and as Yang Youming left his lips, he seemed reluctant to part
with them. He asked, “Who do you see now?”
Xia Xingcheng’s adam’s apple trembled a little as he answered in the

darkness, “You.”
“Who am I?” asked Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Sun Yao.”
Yang Youming’s voice abruptly took a chilly turn. “Say that one more
time.”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and reached out for Yang Youming, who
captured his warm hand and squeezed it in his palm. Only then did he feel a
little sense of security. “Ming ge.”
Suddenly, Yang Youming picked him up, then gently set him down on the
bed.
As Xia Xingcheng fell onto the bed, the back of his head pressed against the
knot on the towel. He subconsciously reached out to pull it off and easily
pulled the knot loose, but as he poised to remove the towel, his hand was
held down by Yang Youming.
“Don’t take it off.”
Xia Xingcheng obediently held still, his eyes still covered by the damp
towel. He then felt his clothes being pulled off by Yang Youming, and
warm, wet kisses softly falling on his chest that subsequently made its way
further down. He couldn’t help but tilt his head up, his mouth slightly
falling open as he took large, gaping breaths.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Ann for the kofi!
t/n – Just a heads up, updates might be slowing down a little (just a little! maybe 1 chapter every 2
🙂
days?) over the next couple of weeks because I have to study for an exam ❤ Thank you for reading!
And don’t forget to support the author
The temperature in the room was unusually high. Xia Xingcheng’s body
was soaked through with sweat, yet he lazed on the bed with no intention of
moving. The towel he’d been tightly clutching at a moment ago had been
crumpled into a ball.
Yang Youming was lying on his side behind him, his palm flush against Xia
Xingcheng’s sweat-soaked skin, caressing it endlessly.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly said, “Don’t you think Ling Jiayue’s attitude
towards you is not quite right?”
Yang Youming didn’t speak, continuing to stroke Xia Xingcheng’s waist—

until Xia Xingcheng turned his head to look at him, upon which he flatly
said, “I did sense it.”
Xia Xingcheng stared at him, and found that he didn’t avoid his gaze at all.
He thus asked, “You don’t plan on doing anything?”
Yang Youming appeared to be giving it some thought. “There’ve been many

women who’ve expressed or hinted their interest in me before. If they
directly come out and say it, I tactfully decline. If they only hint at it, I
generally pretend like I have no idea. They’d get it after some time.”
Ling Jiayue hadn’t straightforwardly expressed her interest. In fact, he

couldn’t even say that she had hinted at it at all. She was probably just a
little oblivious of propriety.
Xia Xingcheng turned over and lay on Yang Youming’s shoulder. “I think
she dislikes me though.”
Taking the opportunity to lie flat, Yang Youming reached out to pinch Xia
Xingcheng’s lower jaw and shook it from side to side. “We’re working
together just this once. If you don’t like it, then I won’t work with her in the
future. You don’t have to care about whether she dislikes you or not, you
only need to know that I love you.”
Xia Xingcheng quietly listened to his words and felt a perfectly content
kind of happiness overcome him. “Go tell her you love me so she won’t use
those eyes when looking at me.”
Yang Youming asked, “Those eyes?”
Xia Xingcheng recounted Ling Jiayue’s gaze. “Those mean, hateful eyes.”
Yang Youming was mute for a moment. “Did she look at you like that?”
Xia Xingcheng actually didn’t want to mention it—he’d always felt like he
was seeking Yang Youming to tattle. In fact, he was usually friendly and got
along well with women, especially little girls like her. He’d always been
caring and considerate, and he never thought that there’d be a day where
someone would look upon him with such a gaze.
“Forget it.” Xia Xingcheng felt silly for asking. “Why should I bother about
a child. It makes me seem as childish as she is.”
Yang Youming laughed at his words. He kissed Xia Xingcheng’s forehead.

“When you’re with me, you’ll always be a child. Be as childish as you
want.” After that, he added, “If there’s a chance, I’ll let her know.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t want Yang Youming to
see, so he tilted his head to the side and pressed his face to Yang Youming’s
shoulder.
Yang Youming raked his fingers through Xia Xingcheng’s disheveled hair.
“So that’s why you stared at me so firmly, and yet you were chatting so
happily with Song Yanyan the whole day. Shouldn’t you be giving me an
explanation?”
Momentarily speechless, Xia Xingcheng raised his head to stare at him.
“Song Yanyan? Seriously? Do you know what Song Yanyan said to me?
She said that she wanted to do a sex scene with you!”
Yang Youming seemed genuinely unprepared for that answer, his fingers
stilling. “I thought I heard someone say that she was your fan?”
Xia Xingcheng complained, “All my fans want to shoot a bed scene with
you, not with me. Care to explain that to me?”
Yang Youming reached out to hug him tightly. “All right, all right. I’ll give
you an explanation, okay?”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “So?”
Yang Youming whispered, “In the future, I’ll only shoot sex scenes with
you. You can shoot it however you want to shoot it.”
Halfway through filming, Xia Xingcheng gradually shared more and more
scenes with Ling Jiayue.
The reason that led up to this was: after Han Bohan became aware of Sun
Xunyan’s existence, he visited Sun Xunyan’s school, and from the class
records that he’d acquired from her homeroom teacher, he found that Shu
Mian was listed among them.
Han Bohan had gone in the afternoon, and when he came out of the school,
it coincided with the end of the school day. From afar, he spotted Shu Mian
squatting down next to his car with her hands over her stomach. When he
approached her, he raised her head and weakly said that she had a
stomachache.
Han Bohan helped her into his car, then bought her a cup of longan and
jujube tea.
Shu Mian sat in the front passenger seat, drinking the tepid longan and
jujube tea clasped between her hands.
Han Bohan stood outside the car as he watched her. He asked, “Are you
Sun Xunyan’s classmate? Best friend?”
Shu Mian stared at the cup in her hands, and softly said, “Yes, Yanyan is ill.
I accompany her everyday.”
Han Bohan bent at the waist and kept his gaze at her eye level. ”In that
case, what’s your relationship with Sun Yao? You know who I am, no?”
Shu Mian looked at him and nodded. “You’re a prosecutor. Sun Yao is
Yanyan’s dad.” After that, she abruptly faced the car door and leaned out,
nearing Han Bohan.
Han Bohan subconsciously stepped back to keep his distance from her.
Shu Mian said, “Yanyan wasn’t Cao Yuxiang’s girlfriend. She didn’t like
Cao Yuxiang one bit. She wouldn’t kill herself over Cao Yuxiang.”
Han Bohan stared at her and asked, “Do you know how Sun Xunyan fell?”
Shu Mian’s watery eyes resembled shiny black gems. She said, “I only
know that Sun Xunyan wouldn’t kill herself.”
Meanwhile, Sun Yao had started working at the company Han Bohan had
introduced him to. The president of the company was Han Bohan’s little
uncle*, and because Han Bohan had informed them in advance, Sun Yao
was given special treatment—he was allowed to take out time to make
several trips home per day.
*his mum’s little brother
That day, Han Bohan was visiting the company to meet his little uncle.
When he left, he went to the underground parking lot and caught sight of
several men surrounding Sun Yao, beating him up. Han Bohan yelled,
“What are you all doing!”, and immediately ran over.
Upon seeing someone approaching, those men turned and fled. Among
them was a man with what seemed to be a lame leg who he limped as he
ran.
Han Bohan went over and helped Sun Yao up. His immediate response was
to take out his phone to call the police, yet Sun Yao captured his hand with
such a strong grip that he almost suspected that his phone screen was going
to crack. After, he heard Sun Yao say, “Don’t call the police, I need to go
back and take care of Xiao Yan.”
“You’re hurt.” Han Bohan said as he looked at him.
Sun Yao shook his head. “It’s nothing serious. I have to go back now.”
The scene they were currently filming was the scene after Han Bohan sent
Sun Yao back home.
After Sun Yao took on this new job, in order to be close enough to the
company, he rented a new apartment. The environment of this particular set
was worse off than the previous one; it was an extension on the side of an
old building in a residential complex that only had two rooms and one
bathroom. The outer room had a single bed, and functioned as Sun Yao’s
room as well as the kitchen. They no longer had a need for a living room.
Prior to filming, Yang Youming’s face was adorned with SFX makeup to
make him look injured; the corners of his eyes and mouth were red and
swollen, his neck had an abrasion, and there were bloodstains on his
clothes.
He was wearing a company uniform, an ash-gray set consisting of an

unfashionable jacket and loose trousers. On the average person, it would in
no way look appealing, but Yang Youming’s figure was able to make it
work.
As soon as Sun Yao got home, he headed straight for the small bedroom.
Han Bohan stood at the doorway, watching him pick up his reclining
daughter. This motion bumped against a wound somewhere on his body,
and his entire face was tense, exposing a pained expression, yet his hands
were as gentle and steady as ever. He readjusted his daughter’s position,
then stroked a hand over her back, feeling for sweat.
Feeling that he couldn’t continue watching, Han Bohan silently retreated to
the outer room.
The room wasn’t cramped, per se, but there were too many things in it, so it
looked somewhat messy. There was a single bed against the wall and an
unfolded blanket on top of it, a small square table not far from the bed with
two chairs arranged next to it. A small gas stove was directly in front of the
square table, and a gas pipe led from the stove to the gas tank on the floor.
A while later, Sun Yao came out of the bedroom and said to Han Bohan,
“Would you like some water?”
Han Bohan was standing at the centre of the room, yet he actually only
stood there because there was nowhere else to stand with all the things
scattered on the ground. He asked Sun Yao, “Why not call the police?”
Sun Yao picked up the insulated electric kettle on the table and reached out
to fetch a clean drinking glass from the cabinet above the stove, then poured
water into the cup. The back of his hand appeared slightly dirty, and due to
his thinness, the veins there were particularly prominent as his slender
fingers tightly gripped the kettle.
As he poured the water, Sun Yao said, “I got some hits in too. I’m worried
that the police would declare that I got into a brawl. It’ll be troublesome if
they arrest me.”
Han Bohan stared at him as he brought the cup of water before him and
handed it to him. He then raised his hand and took the cup, and at the same
time, he said, “What were you doing in the underground parking lot?
Sun Yao walked over to the bathroom, leaving Han Bohan with a view of
his back. He answered, “I was repairing the circuit in the basement.”
“Who were those people that attacked you?” Han Bohan asked.
The sound of water resounded from the bathroom. At the same time, Sun
Yao slightly raised his voice as he said, “I don’t know.” He wrung a wet
towel in a basin and wiped his face, forehead creasing with pain as it
knocked against the injuries on his face. Afterwards, he tossed the towel
back into the basin and took off his jacket, then reused the towel to wipe his
body.
When Sun Yao came out, his upper body was bare. It was littered with a
good number of bruises. He said, “The only people I’ve offended are that
family.”
Han Bohan didn’t ask him which family—he knew who Sun Yao was
referring to.
Sun Yao walked to the side of his bed and plucked a jacket that had been
abandoned near the pillow. He put it on directly, not knowing whether the
jacket was clean or not.
Han Bohan looked at the man and was suddenly struck with a raw sense of
powerlessness for him. He asked, “How long will this last? Until when do
you think you can hold out?”
Sun Yao immediately turned towards him with a vicious look in his eyes
like a man who’d been offended. He glared at Han Bohan, and only after a
while did he say, “Until Xiao Yan recovers.”
Han Bohan initially wanted to ask him if such a day would come, but in the
end, he couldn’t bear to utter the question aloud. Sun Yao, this man, was
already drenched with blood, there was no need for him to rub salt into his
wounds. He’d always thought—if he was in his shoes, there was no way
he’d be able to persevere like Sun Yao. It was too hard, too hopeless.
At that moment, the phone in Han Bohan’s jacket pocket suddenly rang. He
fished his phone out, and after putting the call through, his mother’s anxious
voice rang out as she told him, “Your father’s been reported[1]. Just now,
people from the supervisory committee went straight to the city bureau to
take him away.”
The final shot was a close-up of Han Bohan’s expression upon receiving the
phone call.
He Zheng retook this shot many times and was still unsatisfied. He asked
Xia Xingcheng, “What do you think you ought to be like at that moment?”
Xia Xingcheng pondered over it earnestly, yet this was something he’d
never experienced before, so in the end, it was hard for him to truly figure
out what kind of reaction a person like Han Bohan would show in that
situation.
From there until they wrapped up a day of filming, He Zheng never

mentioned whether or not he was satisfied with Xia Xingcheng’s scene.
Moreover, from that moment on, He Zheng grew very critical of Xia
Xingcheng’s performance, and ofttimes, many scenes had to be retaken
several times.
For that matter, Xia Xingcheng felt a lot of pressure. On top of that, in the
scenes that were recently shot, Han Bohan was also under a constant state
of anxiety, which made him feel that the atmosphere on set was stifling.
By chance, one day, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming simultaneously

received an invitation from their old friend Chen Hailan, inviting them to
attend his son’s one-month birthday banquet. [2]
Chen Hailan’s invitation was also passed on to He Zheng. It looked to be

about the same scale as his wedding.
Thus, He Zheng announced that the entire cast and crew of ‘The Trap’
would halt production for a day.
☆☆☆
[1] raws said ‘real-name report’ which is basically the opposite of an anonymous report
[2] lit. called a ‘full moon feast’
t/n – Thank you to Anon for the kofi! and happy valentines day ❤
For every ten people in the entertainment industry, Chen Hailan knew at
least nine of them, and among the nine, there were at least seven people
who he befriended.
When Chen Hailan held his wedding ceremony at an island back then, due
to work, other arrangements, or the inconvenient travel, many people were
unable to make the trip to the venue. This time though, his child’s one-
month birthday banquet was held in Beijing, and the scale of this event was
not inferior to that of his wedding.
Xia Xingcheng’s invitation letter was addressed to him alone, so logically,

there was no reason for him to go with Yang Youming. But since they were
currently in the same crew, and with He Zheng as their cover on top of that,
they were simply open and aboveboard industry colleagues.
When He Zheng met Chen Hailan at the welcome area of the hotel the one-
month birthday banquet was held in, he said, “Our whole cast and crew
showed up to congratulate you.”
Chen Hailan burst into raucous laughter at his words, then said to He
Zheng, “Out of your entire crew, you’re the hardest one to invite.”
Afterwards, Chen Hailan moved on to greet Yang Youming and Xia

Xingcheng. He hugged Yang Youming, and once he let go, he faced Xia
Xingcheng. With a faintly meaningful tone, he asked, “Doing all right?”
Yang Youming laughed, and said, “Are you asking about me or us?”
Chen Hailan thus laughed. “Then I’ll just ask about the both of you.”
Yang Youming said, “We’re doing great.”

God knows what Chen Hailan had on his mind, he suddenly let out a long
sigh and hugged Yang Youming again. After releasing his grip, he turned to
hug Xia Xingcheng, lifting a hand to pat his shoulder. He said, “As long as
you’re happy.”
Xia Xingcheng understood the implication in Chen Hailan’s words. He

whispered, “Thank you, Lan ge.”
Chen Hailan asked his wife to bring their one month old child over for them
to see.
Xia Xingcheng watched Yang Youming attentively and saw that he merely
teased the child without seeming too interested. He internally heaved a sigh
of relief.
Due to what might be Yang Youming and He Zheng’s appearance, the entire
reception hall seemed to grow livelier, and at this time, the arriving guests
who had originally intended to enter the banquet hall after presenting their
gifts* were all in no hurry to go. They instead came over to greet Yang
Youming and He Zheng one after another.
*monetary gifts
There were also many young actors and actresses who were waiting for
Chen Hailan to help them make introductions.
It was at this moment that Xia Xingcheng abruptly felt that his status in the
industry differed from before. Practically everyone knew who he was. Even
the young stars he wasn’t acquainted with would come up to greet him on
their own accord.
Seeing more and more people congregating, Chen Hailan set out to invite
Yang Youming and the others in to sit down first, yet before he could get a
word out, he spotted numerous heads suddenly turning to the direction of
the reception hall’s entrance. To his surprising discovery, Yuan Qian had
appeared.
Xia Xingcheng also spotted Yuan Qian.

At present, Yuan Qian wore a light yellow bodycon dress. Her long hair was
coiled atop her head, and her face was adorned with delicate light makeup.
She was as gorgeous and dazzling as always.
She first presented her gift to Chen Hailan’s family, then turned around and
swept her gaze over Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng sensed a peculiar stillness around him. This stillness masked
the stirring crowd who were standing on the sidelines waiting for a show.
This was Yang Youming and Yuan Qian’s first public appearance at the
same time and place since their divorce.
Yuan Qian’s appearance was quite calm as she walked over to where they
stood.
The others subconsciously gave way to her. Xia Xingcheng saw that even
He Zheng stepped aside to free up the space in front of Yang Youming.
Only Xia Xingcheng remained standing at Yang Youming’s side.
Yuan Qian stopped in front of Yang Youming, slightly raising her jaw to
look at him.
Worried that the atmosphere would become stagnant, Chen Hailan intended
to come out to smooth things over, yet Yuan Qian’s gaze ultimately shifted
to Xia Xingcheng, and she was smiling as she opened her arms towards
him. “Xingcheng.”
In response, Xia Xingcheng immediately stepped forward to lightly

embrace Yuan Qian, calling out, “Qian jie, it’s been a while.”
Yuan Qian hugged Xia Xingcheng and pressed a kiss to his face, then
smiled as she let go. “It really has been a while. I was worried that you
didn’t miss me.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled. “I’ve been busy with filming. Even if I wanted to, I
really have no time to see you.”
Once their small talk ended, Yuan Qian turned to Yang Youming, smiling
faintly as she asked, “How have you been?”
Yang Youming nodded. “Great. You?”
Yuan Qian answered, “Great, of course.”
At this time, Chen Hailan finally found an opportunity to intervene, saying,

“Don’t stand around and talk here, come in and sit down first.”
The banquet hall had two floors, and by then, almost half the guest had
been seated. Chen Hailan ushered Yang Youming’s group to sit at the
frontmost table near the podium. Yuan Qian didn’t sit at their table—Chen
Hailan was afraid that the atmosphere would be awkward.
Xia Xingcheng’s seat was next to Yang Youming’s. When they entered the
hall just then, he heard someone gossipping in low voices behind him about
his past scandal with Yuan Qian. So much time had passed since then; he
didn’t expect that there were still people who remembered.
He Zheng didn’t come in. He was hiding outside for a smoke.
Shortly after Xia Xingcheng and the others sat down, Lu Nianxin arrived
with a pretty young lady in tow. Xia Xingcheng had never seen the girl
before. Later on, he heard people say that she wasn’t an actress, but just a
small internet celebrity.
Once Lu Nianxin’s butt occupied the empty seat next to Xia Xingcheng, he
no longer heeded the small internet celebrity beside him and devoted all his
concentration on teasing Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng believed that Lu Nianxin probably had a few

misconceptions about him. It was as if he’d taken Xia Xingcheng as a child,
saying that Yang Youming was bad, and won’t he consider him? At certain
times, Xia Xingcheng felt that he was facing a neighbourhood uncle who
was saying: “Look! Your daddy doesn’t love you one bit, won’t you go
home with uncle? Uncle will buy you a cake.”
Yang Youming kept mum from where he sat beside him. Most of Lu
Nianxin’s words had been said to Xia Xingcheng’s ear, so Yang Youming
couldn’t hear. It was only when he saw Lu Nianxin’s start acting up that he
directed an admonishing gaze his way, face frozen over.
Xia Xingcheng simply thought that Lu Nianxin was ridiculous. He took

advantage of a lull in Lu Nianxin’s nattering and moved closer to Lu
Nianxin’s ear, then said, “Not considering. I don’t think you’re capable.”
Lu Nianxin instantly slapped the table with a pa!, giving the small internet
celebrity next to him—who’d been engrossed with her phone and had
earphones in—a fright. She raised her head and looked at him.
“Who says I’m not capable?” Lu Nianxin asked Xia Xingcheng in a low,
harsh tone.
Xia Xingcheng was only thoughtlessly running his mouth at first, but right
then, a person suddenly crossed his mind. “Teng Song,” he said to Lu
Nianxin.
He then watched Lu Nianxin’s complexion transform as he withdrew from

his side wordlessly. After a while, Lu Nianxin lowered his voice and said,
“What a load of fart![2]”
Just then, He Zheng came in after smoking outside. Hearing Lu Nianxin’s

words, he asked, “Who farted?”
Lu Nianxin had no intention of answering this question at all.
He Zheng sat down next to Yang Youming.
“Who else do you think there is besides him?” Yang Youming said to him.
He Zhen looked at Lu Nianxin, and said, “He probably would do such a

thing.”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but laugh.

The seats in the banquet hall were gradually filled by guests. The guests
who came later were seated on the second floor.
Xia Xingcheng swept his gaze over them and saw many familiar faces. Ren
Jingyuan was sitting at a table to their side, and Ling Jiayue sat beside him.
Her seat was also near Yuan Qian’s.
Ling Jiayue hadn’t come with their group. Xia Xingcheng only found out
that she was also here today after seeing her show up with Ren Jingyuan.
A number of guests on the second floor leaned against the railing to take
pictures with their phones, their cameras pointed in Yuan Qian and Ling
Jiayue’s direction.
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help himself from looking at them. He realized

that, even though their looks were in no way similar, their temperaments
were certainly alike. Yet in the end, Yuan Qian was older, while Ling Jiayue
was a beauty in the prime of her youth. If he really had to compare the two,
the current Yuan Qian was unfortunately no longer a match for Ling
Jiayue.
This notion abruptly made Xia Xingcheng sentimental. In a few more years,
he would be thirty. A belle like Yuan Qian would also get old and lose to
younger beauties. He hoped that, when that moment comes, he’d still have
something to offer besides his good looks.
He stared at Yuan Qian, lost in thought.
All of a sudden, Yang Youming shifted near his ear and softly said, “You’ve
been staring at Yuan Qian for nearly five minutes.”
Startled, Xia Xingcheng whirled around.
Yang Youming was also looking at Yuan Qian right then. He looked a little
unsure as he asked, “You were looking at Yuan Qian, weren’t you?”
Xia Xingcheng promptly said, “I wasn’t.”
Yang Youming said, “Oh, then you were looking at Ling Jiayue.”
Xia Xingcheng froze and gently elbowed him. “I’d rather look at Yuan Qian
then.”
Yang Youming’s expression was calm and his tone was unruffled. He
simply looked at Yuan Qian, then said to Xia Xingcheng, “What are you
looking at her for? Are you happy that she kissed you?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t stifle a soft laugh. “In any case, I know you’re
unhappy.”
Yang Youming retracted his gaze and turned to face him. “You’re aware
that I’m unhappy yet you still dare to stare at her?”
Xia Xingcheng looked back at Yang Youming, his tone was somewhat
aggrieved yet earnest. “But when I looked at her, all I could think about was
you.”
Yang Youming didn’t speak.
Right then, Lu Nianxin kicked Xia Xingcheng’s leg under the table and
whispered, “You’re in public, restrain yourself a bit.”
He Zheng had a cigarette in his hands. It was inconvenient to smoke in the

hall, so he merely held it under his nose and sniffed at it to quell his
craving. At this time, he clicked his tongue impatiently.
Lu Nianxin pointed to He Zheng, and said, “It was you who sought them
out to film that thing, fucking mess.”
He Zheng cast a glance at him wordlessly. Yang Youming piped up and said
to Lu Nianxin, “You’re in public, go wash your mouth out.”
Lu Nianxin wanted to say something else, yet his gaze shifted to

somewhere behind them, and he paused for a moment before saying, “Your
old friend is here.”
Having heard this, Xia Xingcheng turned to look and saw Chen Hailan
accompanying Ding Wenxun inside. It looked like he was going to bring
Ding Wenxun over to sit at their table.
Behind Ding Wenxun, Xia Xingcheng also spotted an acquaintance. It was
someone he hadn’t seen since the filming of ‘Accidental Murder’ wrapped
up—Zhu Tianjie. Xia Xingcheng then recalled that he was also one of Chen
Hailan’s best men at his wedding back then. Their relationship ought to be
pretty good, so he’d definitely attend this event.
At first, Zhu Tianjie was seemingly going in the same direction as Ding
Wenxun. When he caught sight of the table that sat Yang Youming and Xia
Xingcheng from a distance, he veered midway and faced the table with an
unoccupied seat beside him.
When Ding Wenxun arrived at the round table, Xia Xingcheng stood up and
greeted him. “Hello, Director Ding.”
“Long time no see, Xingcheng.” Ding Wenxun smiled faintly, then turned
his head to look for Zhu Tianjie. When he found that Zhu Tianjie had gone
to the next table, he waved him over and said, “Tianjie, come and sit over
here.”
With a smile in his face, Zhu Tianjie cupped his hands and said, “I’ll just sit
here, Director Ding.”
Ding Wenxun didn’t insist and sat down.
Xia Xingcheng saw Zhu Tianjie sitting beside Yuan Qian. He gave her a
polite smile and started chatting with her.
Zhu Tianjie’s career growth in the entertainment industry this year was
rocky. His previously fixed male lead role in a big IP was replaced at the
last minute, and his new TV drama aired with dismal ratings. His entire
body seemed like it was swollen, and he appeared as if he’d aged a little out
of the blue.
Upon Ding Wenxun’s arrival, he shared a few words with Yang Youming
and the others before saying to He Zheng, “Your new movie has the same
cast, are you looking to establish an iron triangle[1]?”
While He Zheng and Ding Wenxun were both directors, the two men had
entirely different temperaments. Xia Xingcheng had always thought that He
Zheng had a somewhat dispirited countenance, while Ding Wenxun was an
artistic and reserved person.
Hearing Ding Wenxun’s question, He Zheng said, “What iron triangle? At

most, we’re a plastic triangle that you can snap with one hand.”
After he finished speaking, Xia Xingcheng heard Yang Youming let out a
chuckle.
He Zheng wedged the cigarette between his lips, then realized that it hadn’t
been lit, so he took it out again and said, “I just enjoy working with the
good actors I’ve previously worked together with.”
Xia Xingcheng had been tormented wretchedly by He Zheng during this

period of filming. Sometimes, he even suspected that He Zheng was being
hard on him on purpose. At this time, he couldn’t help but inquire,
“Director He, am I that good actor you speak of?”
He Zheng looked at him. “You’re not.”
Xia Xingcheng originally wanted to make a joke, but when he heard what
He Zheng said, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling a slight sense of loss.
Yet He Zheng continued, “You’re someone I personally handpicked and

polished, though you’re still short of matured. We’ll keep polishing you.”
He paused for a moment, and shook the cigarette between his fingers back
and forth. “I think you can be regarded as my student.”
☆☆☆
[1] a metaphor for a strong and steady lineup (consisting of 3 people)
[2] please do me a favour and pretend this makes sense hehe. the original word is ‘fart’, which can
also be slang for ‘bullshit/load of shit (hence, load of fart)’
Thank you to Anon for the kofi!

The word ‘student’ touched Xia Xingcheng. He had never expected to hear
such a comment coming out of He Zheng’s mouth—it was far heavier than
the weight of the words ‘good actor’. Dumbfounded, he gave He Zheng a
wide-eyed stare.
Yang Youming elbowed him lightly. “Not going to call him Teacher?”
Xia Xingcheng gaped, and was suddenly struck with a bout of

embarrassment—he noted how the gazes of the table’s occupants were all
trained at him. Even He Zheng had a smile on his face as he watched him.
Eventually, he softly called out, “Teacher.”
Lu Nianxin piped up, “This sneaky way of acknowledging a teacher won’t

do, will it? According to the old customs, you have to serve your teacher tea
and kowtow to him.”
Xia Xingcheng glared at Lu Nianxin then turned to face He Zheng,

expecting He Zheng to say that it was unnecessary.
And yet he merely saw He Zheng angling his upper body as he leaned back
on the chair, an indolent smile crossing his face. “I think I can afford to
receive this cup of tea. You yourself know how much you’ve improved
from your first movie, shouldn’t you be thanking me and Lao-Yang?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but raise his gaze to look at Yang Youming.
As a result, Yang Youming straightened up in his seat and held out a hand,
gesturing for Ding Wenxun to pass him a clean teacup. He then personally
poured tea into the cup, then pushed it towards Xia Xingcheng, and said, “I
don’t need it. It’s Teacher He who’s due for a cup. Go on.”
When Xia Xingcheng reached for the teacup, he saw that the people at the
table were all staring at him with smiling eyes. Even the small internet
celebrity who Lu Nianxin had brought along had also taken her earphones
off, watching him serve tea gleefully.
He couldn’t figure out whether these people were playing him.
Xia Xingcheng rose with the cup of tea in his hands. Lu Nianxin suddenly
clapped and shouted, “Okay!”
The people sitting at the nearby tables all looked over.
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and made himself appear a little more
relaxed as he walked up to He Zheng. He first bowed, then said, “Teacher,
please have some tea.”
He Zheng didn’t immediately reach out to take it.
Xia Xingcheng clenched his teeth, seriously intending to kneel down.
This time, He Zheng hastily held a hand out to stop him. He took the cup of
tea and stood up, saying to Xia Xingcheng with a faint smile, “There’s no
need to kneel. I’ll drink this cup I’m owed.” He Zheng raised the cup of tea
and drained it in one gulp.
At the side, Lu Nianxin jeered and whistled.
At this moment, almost all the guests were present. When Chen Hailan
came in from the welcome hall, he happened to hear Lu Nianxin whistling.
He walked over to them and asked, “What’s all this fuss about?”
Lu Nianxin said, “He Zheng here has taken in a student.”
Because Chen Hailan had come by, all the guests in the banquet hall were
looking their way; Lu Nianxin’s sentence ought to have been heard by
many people.
Xia Xingcheng’s face eventually went taut as he flushed red.

At what might be the sight of Xia Xingcheng’s slight predicament, Yang
Youming beckoned at him. “Come back and sit.”
Xia Xingcheng swiftly walked back to his seat and sat down, heaving a
faint sight of relief.
Yang Youming patted the back of his hand, keeping his hand on top of it.
He looked at He Zheng, and said, “If there’re any good roles in the future,
shouldn’t the first person you have in mind for them be your student?”
He Zheng laughed and said to Yang Youming. “Don’t worry. There’ll be

many suitable roles waiting for him in the future. But on the condition that
you keep both feet on the ground—make the best of your current role first.”
Standing behind Xia Xingcheng, Chen Hailan squeezed his shoulder and
said, “It won’t be a problem for our Xingcheng, right?”
Xia Xingcheng was beyond humiliated at this point, and he had no choice
but to nod. “Mm.”
Throughout the entire meal that day, Xia Xingcheng felt that he’d become
the subject of numerous discussions. Of course, he couldn’t hear anything
that was being said, but he could always feel their probing gazes. Two or
three people even approached him, sneaking glances at him while
whispering between themselves, and the topic of their mumbling was
naturally the very recent affair.
Chen Hailan invited them to have tea in the hotel’s tearoom upstairs.
When Xia Xingcheng was about to leave, Ren Jingyuan approached him,
clapping his shoulder as he said, “Not bad, eh. You’ve snuck into He
Zheng’s circle.” His tone carried no hint of ridicule, but he sounded
somewhat forlorn—perhaps on account of the fact that he had no idea how
Xia Xingcheng, who’d initially been a C-list celebrity, had skyrocketed into
the mainstream film industry.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say either. He forced a smile, then
quickened his footsteps to catch up with Yang Youming and the others.
The tearoom upstairs had many private rooms in all sorts of sizes. After
Chen Hailan made arrangements for the other guests, he accompanied Yang
Youming, He Zheng, and Ding Wenxun in the quietest private room to sit
down for tea.
An evening banquet had also been arranged. If the guests wished to stay for
dinner, they could have tea or play mahjong at the hotel. Lu Nianxin
brought along his small internet celebrity to play mahjong.
Since Yang Youming and the others were leaving in the afternoon, Chen
Hailan specially left the afternoon free to chat with his old friends.
Chen Hailan told Xia Xingcheng to play with the other youngsters. Xia
Xingcheng didn’t want to go, so he sat on the tea room sofa and listened to
them talk. Perhaps, due to the room being too warm, it wasn’t long before
he grew weary, and he simply fell on the sofa to take a nap.
“Why don’t you get a room and sleep there?” Chen Hailan said to him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “It’s fine, I’ll just lie down for a bit.”
He closed his eyes and heard their voices growing lighter. A while later,
someone gently draped something over his body. He knew that it was Yang
Youming’s coat—warm and soft. He couldn’t help but shrink his neck and
bury half his face into it. His mind was drowsy, and soon after, he really fell
asleep.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know how long he slept, but when he woke up, the
entire tearoom was quiet. He opened his eyes and found that Yang Youming
was the only one left.
Yang Youming was sitting at his feet, a small, smooth and glossy teacup
held in his slender fingers. He brought it to his lips and slightly tilted it to
drink the tea in the cup.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t say a word and instead propped himself up and
flipped around to rest his head on Yang Youming’s lap.
Yang Youming lowered his head, smiling as he gazed down at him. “You’re
awake?” As he said this, he reached out and once again covered Xia
Xingcheng with his coat.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Where did everyone go?”
Yang Youming said, “Ding Wenxun had to leave, so Chen Hailan sent him
out. He Zheng went to find a place to smoke.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes weren’t completely opened yet. He blinked twice.

“Are they coming back?”
God knows what went through Yang Youming’s mind; he laughed out loud,
and said, “They should be coming back. We don’t have enough time.”
Thinking that he was probably not all that awake yet, Xia Xingcheng
yawned and asked, “Don’t have enough time for what?”
Yang Youming carded his fingers through Xia Xingcheng’s hair. “In any
case, there’s not enough time for me. I don’t know about you—”
“Me too!” Xia Xingcheng abruptly reacted to what Yang Youming had
meant, his whole being invigorated. “I last real long, okay? Ming ge,
you’ve changed for the worse, you weren’t originally like this.”
Smiling, Yang Youming asked him, “What was I like originally?”
Xia Xingcheng reached out to hook a button on the lapel of Yang

Youming’s shirt. “Originally, you were a serious male god, but it turns out
that that facade was a sham.”
The corners of Yang Youming’s eyes were curled, his gaze tender. “That
‘male god’ side is for other people. In front of you, I’m just an ordinary
man who thinks things that an ordinary man would think.”
Xia Xingcheng’s hands stilled. He quietly looked at him for a while, then
said, “Why don’t we test out whether there’s enough time?” After, he
couldn’t help but burst out laughing, his body constantly shaking as he lay
on the sofa.
Yang Youming waited for his laughter to peter out, and asked, “Want some
tea?”
Yang Youming slightly leaned forward, picked up the teapot on the table,
and poured some tea into his own cup. He patted Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder,
signalling him to get up, but Xia Xingcheng didn’t want to and insisted on
drinking it lying down.
“I’m worried you’ll choke,” said Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Do it slowly.”
Head lowered, Yang Youming carefully tipped the teacup into his mouth
little by little, but some of the tea still drooled down the corners of his
mouth. Once he’d fed him all the tea in the cup, Yang Youming fetched a
tissue from the table and helped him wipe his mouth.
Right then, Xia Xingcheng heard the sound of footsteps approaching the
sliding door of the tea room. He instinctively moved to sit up, but Yang
Youming said, “Don’t worry, it’s Chen Hailan.”
Soon after, the sliding door was opened by someone, and sure enough,
Chen Hailan appeared at the door.
Xia Xingcheng had already sat up by then, Yang Youming’s coat that had
been covering his body slid down.
Chen Hailan displayed a natural smile. He raised his hand and pulled the
door as he asked, “Xingcheng’s awake?”
Xia Xingcheng straightened up on the sofa, embarrassed. He gave the coat

back to Yang Youming.
“Has Ding Wenxun left?” Yang Youming asked Chen Hailan.
Chen Hailan walked over and sat across from them. He nodded, and said,
“He has. He’s been busy these days.” He took off the lid of the teapot to
take a look at its contents as he said this, then picked up the kettle and
added hot water into the teapot. “Is your flight tonight?”
Yang Youming said, “It’s at seven.”
Chen Hailan poured some more tea into his cup, then fetched a clean cup,
placed it in front of Xia Xingcheng, and poured him some tea unhurriedly.
He said, “I can’t keep you all for dinner even if I wanted to.”
Yang Youming said, “We’ll get to it some other time.”
Xia Xingcheng was actually a little parched, but the teacup was too small
and the mouthful of tea that he’d drunk a while ago hadn’t been enough to
quench his thirst. Right then, he picked up the cup again and finished the
contents in one go.
Chen Hailan stared at him from start to finish. Upon seeing that he’d
finished his cup, he poured him another.
Xia Xingcheng thanked Chen Hailan and picked up his cup to have another
drink. This time, he didn’t rush as much, and he downed it sip by sip.
Chen Hailan looked at Xingcheng and smiled faintly. “Xingcheng’s a good

kid.”
The cup was still clasped in Xia Xingcheng’s hands. He looked up at Chen
Hailan, somewhat baffled, seemingly not catching the meaning behind his
words.
Yet Chen Hailan looked towards Yang Youming and said, “Lao-Ding and
He Zheng were here just now, so I couldn’t say anything. Honestly, when I
see you now, I think you look much better than you did around the time of
your divorce.”
Yang Youming lifted a hand and wrapped it around Xia Xingcheng’s

shoulder. “Lao-Ding doesn’t know. He Zheng does.”
Chen Hailan nodded when he heard this. “Of course, you definitely can’t
hide it from He Zheng. After all, he was the one who sought the both of you
for his movie in the first place.” With that, he picked up his own teacup and
took a sip, then continued, “I didn’t want to mention Yuan Qian or your
divorce in front of you before. But now it doesn’t seem like it matters.”
Yang Youming said, “It’s all in the past, there’s really no need to bring it up
again. It was Yuan Qian’s decision. She’s happier now.”
“She’s definitely not as happy as you are,” Chen Hailan said with a grin.
Yang Youming smiled too. He pinched Xia Xingcheng’s ear and said,
“Didn’t you say that Xingcheng was a good kid.”
Chen Hailan looked at Xia Xingcheng and said somewhat ruefully,

“Xingcheng suits you better than Yuan Qian.”
Xia Xingcheng downed the cup of tea once more, then set the teacup down
on the table and faced Yang Youming.
Yang Youming rubbed his hair, and said, “Good boy.”
They didn’t stay for too long after that. When He Zheng returned after a
smoke, he rushed them to the airport. The damages the crew had suffered
from halting production for a day today was already large enough, and they
couldn’t afford to delay tomorrow’s filming.
Their airport-bound party had an additional member—Ling Jiayue.
From the moment she got in the car, Ling Jiayue sat quietly in the back row.
She was unwilling to utter a single superfluous word, and she stared at the
car window, looking like she was weighed down by something.
He Zheng wanted to smoke inside the car.
Xia Xingcheng swiftly prevented him from doing so. “Teacher, you should
smoke less. Also, there’s a girl in the car, where’s your sense of public
decency?”
He Zheng rolled his eyes at him. “You weren’t willing to call me Teacher
this afternoon when you were told to. Did you think that you’d lose face in
front of outsiders?”
Xia Xingcheng was mortified by He Zheng’s words, and he whispered, “Of

course not, there were just too many people—I was nervous…”
He Zheng seized his cigarette with his fingers. “You’re all talk and no
action.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t speak.
Yang Youming only smiled as he patted the back of Xia Xingcheng’s hand.
He said, “Don’t worry about it. Do anything that makes you happy.”
He Zheng sneered, as if he disapproved of Yang Youming’s views.
Later on, while waiting for their flight at the airport, Xia Xingcheng
whispered to Yang Youming, “I always get this feeling that Director He
dislikes me.”
“What makes you think so?” Yang Youming said.
Xia Xingcheng considered the question. “I’m not as good of an actor as

Ling Jiayue. I think he’s pretty disappointed in me.”
Yang Youming was sitting on the soft sofa, holding a book that was opened
up to a random page on his knee. “Have you forgotten why he asked you to
play Fang Jianyuan?”
Xia Xingcheng was caught off guard. He recounted what He Zheng had
said to him when he first sought him out for the role. “He said he wanted to
tell his friend’s story, and thinks that I’m similar to his friend.”
Yang Youming softly said, “You’re like his friend, so how could he hate
you?” With that, he picked up the book on his knee and turned the page.
“He’s always liked you.”
☆☆☆
Whether or not He Zheng was truly fond of him—Xia Xingcheng couldn’t

sense it. When filming resumed after their return, He Zheng reverted to his
prior state of nitpicking Xia Xingcheng’s acting, slowly polishing up scene
after scene. It made Xia Xingcheng feel restricted everytime he acted, and
his mind grew increasingly agitated.
However, this agitation was very much in line with Han Bohan’s current
state of mind. His father, Han Zhang, had been detained by the supervisory
committee, and nobody knew when he’d be released. His mother went
around looking for connections, wanting to bail his father out first.
Whenever Han Bohan went back to visit his mother, he’d listen to his
mother’s indignant complaints about how Han Zhang’s old friends had all
turned their backs on him, and how none of them would back him up once
things went south. She also grumbled about how Han Bohan wasn’t capable
enough to find someone from within the system who could lend them a
hand.
Han Bohan never knew what he was supposed to say. As it happens, he’d
already done everything he could do, including inquiring news from his
past colleagues at the anti-corruption office, but the outcome had been the
least bit promising. By now, the issue of whether Han Zhang could keep his
post was a mere trifle—he’d likely end up getting prosecuted and
incarcerated. When that time comes, even Han Bohan’s job may be on the
line.
His mother was right. He didn’t have the ability to fish out his father.
What Xia Xingcheng needed to portray was a Han Bohan who was in such
a bad state that his pride was practically worn down. On top of that, at this
time, Han Bohan also got close with Shu Mian.
Han Bohan, in fact, ought to suspect Shu Mian. When he ran into her at Sun
Yao’s building, it was obvious that Shu Mian hadn’t wanted him to find out
that she was heading to Sun Yao’s apartment by deliberately going to the
third floor. But after Han Bohan went to her school to investigate her
identity, Shu Mian began to actively approach him. That was the first time,
and after that, there was a second and a third time.
Now, however, Han Bohan no longer had any desire to pursue the matter.
He liked the feeling of being around Shu Mian; to say the least, he was at
ease when he was with her, like the troubles in his life were out of reach.
That day’s scene was shot in Han Bohan’s apartment, where he lived alone.
Shu Mian had given him a call, wanting to have dinner with him, so Han
Bohan bought takeout, and the two of them sat at the coffee table in his
living room and ate together.
Han Bohan used a plastic spoon to mix the vegetable and rice in his takeout
box evenly, then scooped some up into his mouth. He had refined table
manners, and his actions weren’t hasty nor slow.
Shu Mian was sitting diagonally across from him. She, like him, was also
sitting on the floor, keeping close to the low coffee table as she ate while
doing the homework in her exercise booklet.
Han Bohan stared at Shu Mian’s exercise booklet somewhat dazedly. He

thought that—he seemed to like Shu Mian, but he hadn’t forgotten the fact
that Shu Mian was still a high school student.
Seemingly detecting that Han Bohan had stopped eating out of the blue,
Shu Mian raised her head and glanced at him, smiling as she set down her
pen. She passed the spoon in her left hand to her right, scooped up a
spoonful of sweet corn from her own takeout box and brought it to Han
Bohan’s mouth.
Han Bohan cast his eyes down and stared at that spoonful of corn, then
opened his mouth and let Shu Mian feed him.
Shu Mian took back her spoon, then continued to eat.

Another burst of agitation suddenly welled up in Han Bohan’s heart,
tangling up with everything else he’d faced recently. As he looked at his
takeout box, he suddenly lost his appetite, and he got up to throw it out in
the kitchen.
Shu Mian tilted her head and looked at him strangely.
Han Bohan quietly said, “Take your time, I’m full.”
After Shu Mian finished eating, she stayed in Han Bohan’s living room,
doing her homework until late. Han Bohan sat close by on the sofa behind
her. He said, “Still not done yet? I’ll drive you back.”
Shu Mian’s eyelashes were thick and curled up. She bit at the pen cap as
she looked over at Han Bohan, not saying yes or no. A moment later, she
reached out to capture Han Bohan’s hand.
The instant his hand was grabbed by Ling Jiayue, Xia Xingcheng slightly
fell out of character. Ling Jiayue’s hand was chilly, and for a split second,
the icy cold removed him from his role and returned him to the film studio.
All of a sudden, he heard very low whispers. They went undetected by the
audio equipment, but his train of thought was abruptly interrupted and he
forgot his following lines.
He raised his head and glanced at the whispering staff standing off-camera
and found that they were also looking his way.
He Zheng got pissed. He turned around and shouted, “What’s all this
noise?!”
Instead of shutting up the studio, He Zheng’s bellow instantly stirred up a

greater bout of murmurs, as if the loudness had ignited the atmosphere.
Xia Xingcheng was somewhat confused. Ling Jiayue immediately retracted

the hand that was holding his.
The assistant director walked over to He Zheng and whispered a few words
in his ear. Xia Xingcheng only saw the way He Zheng’s brows
instantaneously creased. The assistant director handed him his phone, and
he rapidly tapped on the screen a few times.
A moment later, He Zheng beckoned to Xia Xingcheng. “Xingcheng, come

here.”
Inwardly, Xia Xingcheng had a terrible feeling. He made his way over to
He Zheng’s side. Seeing He Zheng directly handing the phone to him, he
raised a hand and took it, and when he lowered his head, his eyes caught on
a magnified photo. The photo seemed as if it were a sneakshot, and it was
somewhat blurry, yet you could still make out that the person in it was him.
He was lying on a person’s lap with a smile on his face as he talked to
them.
It was the day he and Yang Youming attended Chen Hailan’s son’s one-
month birthday banquet. The picture was taken when the two of them were
alone in the tearoom, and whoever took the picture ought to have taken it
from the other side of the sliding door. Maybe they had opened the door a
crack and taken the picture. At the time, he and Yang Youming hadn’t
noticed.
Xia Xingcheng’s expression was grave; on the contrary, he wasn’t feeling

all that nervous. He tapped on the screen, and once the photo was
minimized, he saw the Weibo interface. A showbiz marketing account had
posted four photos. All of them were of him lying down on Yang
Youming’s lap, but they only showed his face alone along with half of Yang
Youming’s leg and his body below the neck. At the time, his coat had been
taken off and blanketed over Xia Xingcheng. The coat was obstructed by
the front of the tea table, and one could only see his beige shirt. Apart from
the people in the tearoom that day, others may not recognize that the person
was Yang Youming, but everyone could determine that it was a man.
Two of the four photos were of Yang Youming feeding him tea.
The marketing account that had posted the photos was called Gossip
Tabloid, and the photos were captioned with: “Recently, someone sent us a
few pictures. When we clicked on them to take a look… HOLY CRAP!
Isn’t this the recent hot star, Xia Xingcheng? Xia Xingcheng lay on a man’s
lap, looking so intimate that he even let the man feed him water! Speaking
of, Xia Xingcheng became very popular from shooting a gay movie, could
it be that he’d really been bent?”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t look at comments. He returned the phone to He

Zheng.
Right then, Hua Hua rushed over with his phone, handing it to him as she
said, “Jixin ge is calling.”
Xia Xingcheng took it from her, hearing Huang Jixin say, “Don’t respond.”
On the phone, in place of shouting and screaming, Huang Jixin’s voice was
very calm. Xia Xingcheng said, “I know.”
Huang Jixin was probably very busy. After those two words, he told Xia
Xingcheng to wait for his call before hanging up.
When Hua Hua took the phone back from Xia Xingcheng, she looked
anxious. She softly called out, “Xing ge?”
Xia Xingcheng realized that he was much calmer than Hua Hua. He smiled
and said, “It’s all right. It’s only a misunderstanding.” The latter half said to
the other staff on the set.
Hua Hua came to her senses. She nodded, and said, “Those marketing
accounts are making stuff up.”
He Zheng said to Xia Xingcheng, “We’ll drop things for today, why don’t
you go take care of this.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “Thank you, Teacher.”
He knew that many people had their eyes on him, yet his face gave nothing
away, and he was actually much calmer than he thought he was. Unless the
person who sent the photos to the marketing account had other photos that
were more exposing, this affair would only stir up the internet for a while
before it eventually dies off in the end.
And at a certain point, Xia Xingcheng felt that being exposed wasn’t too
dreadful. His career might be affected to a certain extent, and he’d lose
many opportunities, but he’d be able to openly hold hands with Yang
Youming in public. There was nothing bad about that.
When Xia Xingcheng went to change before leaving, he saw that Ling
Jiayue had stood in place the whole time, her head lowered as she looked at
her phone. Apparently noticing Xia Xingcheng’s eyes on her, she raised her
head and shot a glance his way before lowering her head again
indifferently.
Hua Hua scrolled through Weibo throughout the entire drive back to the
hotel. Xia Xingcheng could hear the beeps of her frequent page refreshes,
and he knew that she must be following this matter closely.
Xia Xingcheng went without another look. He wasn’t that interested in the
internet’s opinions, whether they believed it or not, whether they supported
him or called him a pervert, all this negativity from random strangers were
of minimal concern to him. The only ones who needed to be comforted may
be the little girls who genuinely liked him, but he couldn’t rush a response
either.
Halfway there, he received a WeChat notification. It was a message from

Yang Youming that contained only three words: It’ll be fine.
The period at the end of Yang Youming’s short “It’ll be fine” was like an
intangible reassurance to Xia Xingcheng. It was truly nothing serious.
He picked up his phone and typed up a reply: I know. After he finished

typing, he deleted the whole thing and changed it to: I love you.
For the first time ever, Yang Youming replied to him with a meme GIF: coy
cat makes a heart shape.
A term suddenly jumped to the forefront of Xia Xingcheng’s mind: memes

for boomers. Amused by his own thoughts, he laughed quietly.
It gave Hua Hua a startle. She leaned over to take a look at Xia Xingcheng’s
face, patting her chest as she said, “You’re laughing… I thought you were
crying.”
A smile remained on Xia Xingcheng’s face. “What would I be crying

about?”
Hua Hua thus smiled too. She handed her phone to Xia Xingcheng to show
him something, and said, “It’s okay, Xiao Xing ge. I saw a lot of people
saying that the photos were stills. It’s already been reposted several
thousand times, they’re refuting the rumours for you.”
Xia Xingcheng gave it a cursory look and saw that it was another showbiz
marketing account with a large following. In a tone of someone with insider
info, their Weibo post stated: It’s all dispelled, there’s really nothing worth
being excited about.
Hua Hua was overjoyed. “I saw comments asking if they were stills. This
person replied ‘Otherwise?’. I think people fell for it.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Got it. I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Hua Hua supposed that she herself didn’t know whether they were stills. In
any case, she believed that someone around Xia Xingcheng had spoken up
for him. But Xia Xingcheng knew deep down that there was certainly
someone who had immediately responded to steer public opinion early on.
He just didn’t know whether it was done by his agency, or a person found
by Yang Youming.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Bolshv for the kofis!
Xia Xingcheng returned to the hotel. When he opened the door and entered
his room, he saw Yang Youming standing by the window, on an ongoing
phone call. The curtains were half drawn, and the room was somewhat
dim.
He walked to Yang Youming’s side. Yang Youming turned and looked at

him; the phone was still pressed to his ear, yet he was already leaning in,
planting a kiss on his forehead.
Xia Xingcheng heard Yang Youming say, “Go take care of it. I think it’s
best to downplay this issue. Those pictures aren’t a big deal, it’s not like
they’re bed photos.”
He didn’t know who was on the other end of the line. All of a sudden, they
raised their voice somewhat emotionally, so much so that Xia Xingcheng
could hear the sound of their voice leaking out of the receiver, but he
couldn’t exactly catch their words.
Yang Youming subconsciously distanced the phone from his ear, and once
the caller finished speaking, he calmly said, “I was joking. You’re too tense,
Du Jin.”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng find out that the caller was Du Jin. On the
other end, Du Jin added a few more things, speech swift and brisk as he
prattled off a string of words.
Yang Youming’s eyelashes hung down, his gaze falling on the printed
curtains. Afterwards, he replied, “Got it.”
After that, Du Jin hung up first.

Yang Youming moved the phone away from his ear and looked down at the
darkening screen before stuffing it into the hem of his jacket pocket and
letting it slide down on its own. He then turned to face Xia Xingcheng, and
said, “Why are you back?”
Xia Xingcheng reached out and hugged him. “He Zheng gave me the day
off.”
Yang Youming wrapped a hand around Xia Xingcheng’s back and stroked
his hair with the other. He said, “Scared?”
“What’s there to be scared of,” said Xia Xingcheng in a rather indifferent

tone. “Why don’t we just come out directly!” With that, he tilted his head
and looked up at Yang Youming, expression faintly expectant.
Yang Youming chuckled. “Seriously?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Seriously. There’s no need to hide, as long as we’re

happy, it doesn’t matter what they say.”
Yang Youming couldn’t resist tightening his embrace. Their bodies were
pressed together from head to toe. “It’s not that simple. We’d be happy, but
have you considered how others would take it?”
Xia Xingcheng looked confused. “Who?”
Yang Youming said, “Your mom and dad, for one.”
The moment he heard those two words, Xia Xingcheng’s spirits fell
somewhat.
Yang Youming added, “And Huang Jixin?”
Xia Xingcheng clicked his tongue. “Huang Jixin would probably kick my
door down and stab me to death in the middle of the night.”
Yang Youming laughed as he caressed Xia Xingcheng’s hair. He then let go

of him, walked over to his bed, and sat down. “Chen Hailan called me—he
was furious. He’s going to the hotel to check the surveillance and see who
secretly took photos of us.”
That day, all the tearooms on that floor were filled with Chen Hailan’s
guests. The person who had taken the photos was mostly likely one of the
guests who had attended the one-month birthday banquet. Chen Hailan felt
that it was his fault, so he insisted on getting to the bottom of it.
Xia Xingcheng’s mood was a little complicated.
Yang Youming continued, “Huang Jixin and Du Jin called me. Du Jin said
he can check the source of the photos with the marketing account. Huang
Jixin’s reaction was more interesting—his first response was to tell me to
comfort you, and tell you not to worry.
Xia Xingcheng was a little taken aback when he heard this. “Why didn’t he
say that to me when he called me.”
Yang Youming chuckled. “Probably because he’s too embarrassed to show

that he cares about you. See, he’s worried about your career. You shouldn’t
get mad at him.”
Xia Xingcheng thought of the pressure Huang Jixin must be under right
now, and his chest suddenly ached. He said, “I know. I won’t.”
That night, Xia Xingcheng felt like checking Weibo. He found that, sure
enough, the public’s thoughts tended towards the aforementioned stills. Xia
Xingcheng’s studio was slow to issue a statement because they still hadn’t
determined the source of the photos. They didn’t know whether there would
be a follow-up, so they didn’t dare rush to clarify, fearing that they’d only
be digging a hole for his future self.
The theory that they were film stills sparked a round of speculation among a
great number of fans and netizens, with some solemnly believing that they
were unaired footage from ‘Gradual Distance’. They even compared those
photos with photos of Yang Youming to prove that the faceless man in the
photo was actually him.
Others mentioned how Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng were currently
shooting another movie together, so maybe it was a scene from this movie?
This assumption roused the excitement of the many fans of ‘Gradual
Distance’, and they began hoping that in the new movie, Yu Haiyang and
Fang Jianyuan would be given another chance by fate. Truth be told, Xia
Xingcheng hadn’t anticipated it to head in that direction.
Though of course, there were more Weibo users who simply ate melons*
and only wanted to know the truth. These melon-eating masses were the
easiest to distract, however, and once there were new melons, the old
melons would no longer be sweet.
*eat melons = consume gossip/rumours/etc.
Xia Xingcheng, this large, juicy watermelon, only needed to endure this
patiently and not produce any new melons on his vine, and he’d eventually
ripen into an old melon.
He briefly scrolled through Weibo, deliberately avoiding the negative

comments, and when he exited Weibo at the end, his heart was an oasis of
calm.
When Yang Youming finished showering, the phone that he’d left on the
bedside table rang. He approached it and glanced at the screen, then picked
it up and answered the call.
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him.
Yang Youming smiled when he heard the voice on the other end. He said,
“Yeah, it was me.”
Xia Xingcheng showed a puzzled look.
Seeing this, Yang Youming mouthed “Ding Wenxun”, then directly moved
the phone away from his ear and put it on loudspeaker.
Ding Wenxun’s voice immediately resounded from the phone. “Don’t play
with me, was it really you?”
Yang Youming said, “Xingcheng’s right next to me. Want to say hello?”
With that, he held the phone in front of Xia Xingcheng and moved it closer
to him.
Xia Xingcheng was wholly unprepared. Startled, he waved him off

vigorously.
Smiling, Yang Youming moved the phone a little closer and said, “Go on.”
Xia Xingcheng had no other option—he could only brace himself and call
out, “Director Ding.”
Ding Wenxun was silent for a moment. After a while, he said, “That
explains it then. I wondered what was going on.”
Yang Youming asked him, “What on earth are you talking about?”
Ding Wenxun said, “I don’t know. It’s beyond me. We’ll talk again later.”
With that, he hung up directly.
Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, somewhat apprehensive as he

asked, “Is he upset?”
“He didn’t sound upset.” Yang Youming placed his phone on the bedside
table. “Don’t worry. He can’t even manage himself, he doesn’t have time to
concern himself with other people’s business.”
Xia Xingcheng sat cross-legged on the bed.
Yang Youming bent his leg, kneeled on the bed, bowed down, and shifted
closer to Xia Xingcheng’s lips, capturing his lower lip and sucking on it
gently.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes flew open. He stared at his beautiful brows and eyes
that were just within reach, and opened his mouth to withstand the kiss.
They kissed for a while. Xia Xingcheng silently closed his eyes, yet that
was it—as if all he wanted was a tender and affectionate kiss.
When their lips parted, Yang Youming kissed the tip of his nose and the
skin between his eyebrows, his lips moist and warm. At last, he said, “It’s
not a big deal.”
He’d already made it through his hardest days. To him, anything that came
after was truly nothing.
The next day, Xia Xingcheng returned to the set to continue shooting.
He sensed everybody looking at him with probing eyes—they were curious,

yet nobody dared to question him.
He Zheng simply asked him if he was alright. After receiving a positive

answer, with a cigarette wedged between his lips, he said, “Then let’s
continue.”
Yang Youming had left the hotel with Xia Xingcheng at dawn, but he didn’t
have any scenes until later on in the day. He finished styling a little later, so
he directly sat down by He Zheng’s side and watched Xia Xingcheng
shoot.
Xia Xingcheng and Ling Jiayue reshot the previous day’s scene, starting off
from when Shu Mian reached out and pulled Han Bohan’s hand.
Ling Jiayue’s hand was colder than it was yesterday. The instant she held
his hand, Xia Xingcheng’s whole body broke out in goosebumps. He forced
himself to not break character and immerse himself in his role, looking at
the young lady in front of him—the young lady who made his heart flutter.
Han Bohan liked Shu Mian a lot, but Shu Mian still hasn’t graduated from
high school—she wasn’t even eighteen yet. He was more than ten years
older than her, which was a terrible age gap.
Xia Xingcheng caught Ling Jiayue’s wrist and pushed away her hand
slowly.
Yang Youming’s attention fell on the close-up shot of their hands. He saw
how Xia Xingcheng’s grip was so tight that the blue veins on the back of his
hand protruded as his grip turned Ling Jiayue’s wrist red.
Unwilling to be pushed away, Shu Mian reached for his hand again, yet Han
Bohan rejected her once more.
This time, Shu Mian turned around and hugged Han Bohan’s leg.
Xia Xingcheng’s reflexes were practically identical to Han Bohan’s. He got

up at once and retreated in a hurry, taking a deep breath before saying, “You
need to go home!” His tone was slightly vicious, like the expression he had
on his face as he looked at Ling Jiayue.
Yang Youming’s phone, which had been turned on silent, vibrated in his
jacket pocket. The muffled buzz still made He Zheng throw him a
discontented glance. He picked up his phone and headed out.
The scene passed smoothly in one take.
Hearing that He Zheng hadn’t requested a retake, Xia Xingcheng breathed a

lot easier. These days, he was the actor who had the most NGs and retake
requests. Yang Youming and Ling Jiayue often only needed one take for a
scene to pass. They hardly ever NG-ed, especially when the two of them
shared a scene.
The next scene was a shared scene between Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming which required both a change in set and costume, so the staff got
busy. When Yang Youming came back in, his face was expressionless.
When Xia Xingcheng moved to greet him before changing his clothes, he
found that Yang Youming’s eyes were cold. It was a kind of anger that
didn’t involve his entire face—only those pair of profound and
magnanimous eyes were unexpectedly frozen over.
Xia Xingcheng felt slightly uneasy, but he had to change his costume first.
When Xia Xingcheng came out after he finished changing, He Zheng was
explaining the scene to Yang Youming. He promptly picked up his script
and made his way over.
Prior to this scene, the plot had Han Bohan visiting his uncle’s company to
obtain some help for Han Zhang. Yet instead, his uncle advised him against
doing anything.
The fact his uncle was able to establish such a big company relied a great
deal on Han Zhang’s position and connections. Up until now, on one hand,
Han Bohan’s uncle sincerely wanted to help Han Zheng out—it was hard to
do business if Han Zhang fell, after all—yet at the same time, he was
worried that Han Zhang’s affairs would implicate him. And if that time
comes and he himself followed Han Zhang in, nobody would be able to fish
anybody out.
When he drove out, Han Bohan came across Sun Yao by the road outside
the company and offered to drive him home. On the way back, Han Bohan
stopped his car by a roadside florist and bought a bouquet of flowers.
Sun Yao stared at him as he got into the car with the bouquet in his hands.
Han Bohan gazed down at the flowers, and said, “For Xiao Yan. I hope she
recovers soon.”
Sun Yao’s hand on his knee trembled faintly.
The scene they shot was a studio scene that occurred after Han Bohan sent
Sun Yao home.
When Xia Xingcheng approached He Zheng, he heard He Zheng say to

Yang Youming, “You’d better focus on your daughter. Don’t reveal any
thoughts about Han Bohan’s actions, you don’t need to be moved.”
Xia Xingcheng snuck a look at Yang Youming and only felt that he looked
solemn—there was no other emotion displayed on his face apart from this.
He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng, “Why do you think Han Bohan would go
to Sun Yao’s place time and time again?”
Xia Xingcheng inwardly thought: to progress the plot. But there was no
way these words could be uttered aloud. Instead, he carefully thought over
Han Bohan’s current state of mind, and said, “He needs a crutch.”
“Sun Yao is his crutch?” He Zheng’s head remained bowed. He only lifted
his eyes at him.
Xia Xingcheng said, “Han Bohan has never suffered this kind of hardship in
his life. Only when he saw how staunchly Sun Yao kept on living despite
having such a hard life did he feel a little consoled. It tells him that he’ll get
through it.”
He Zheng didn’t say anything.
Yang Youming raised his eyes and looked at Xia Xingcheng. The corners of
his mouth were faintly upturned as he said, “Very good. I’m with you on
this.” It was as if the fury in his eyes that Xia Xingcheng saw before had
never existed.
☆☆☆
Right up until they began shooting, Yang Youming didn’t mention matters
beyond filming to Xia Xingcheng. At first, Xia Xingcheng found it odd, but
later on, he wholeheartedly threw himself into his role and forgot about the
whole affair.
The set’s lighting was somewhat dim since there was another building next
to Sun Yao’s small apartment, and the light was blocked by the surrounding
tall properties. A ray of sunshine could only stream in through the window
every afternoon.
So when Han Bohan followed Sun Yao into his small apartment, he saw
Sun Xunyan lying on the single bed outside that Sun Yao normally slept in.
At this moment, a beam of light fell on a corner of the bed, while the other
places had already darkened.
Sun Yao picked his daughter up and carried her to her room. It was even
darker inside, and the sole window faced a wall. The scattering sunlight
could only pass through the crevice between the wall and window. It wasn’t
so pitch-black that you wouldn’t be able to see your hand in front of you,
yet without the light on, a person’s face would be enshrouded by shadows.
Living in such an environment was bound to be unpleasant.
Sun Xunyan’s position was changed so that she lay on her side.
With the flowers he’d bought for Sun Xunyan in his hand, Han Bohan
followed behind Sun Yao as he entered the small room, placed the flowers
on the window sill, then turned around and asked Sun Yao, “Can I put this
here?”
Sun Yao didn’t raise his head, nonchalantly answering, “Go ahead.” He
reached under Sun Xunyan’s pajamas and felt her back.
Although he’d quickly retracted his hand, when Han Bohan saw this, his
brows wrinkled a little involuntarily.
Sun Yao walked out of the bedroom, then returned with a wet towel a
moment later to wipe Sun Xunyan’s sweaty back.
Han Bohan averted his eyes at the sight of Sun Xunyao’s pajamas as it
stretched tight and outlined outlining the girl’s figure within a second. He
turned around and left the small bedroom.
Soon after, Sun Yao came out with the towel, went to the bathroom to wash
it, then said to Han Bohan, “Please have a seat, Prosecutor Han.” He would
never directly address Han Bohan by his name—it was probably because
calling him by his surname and given name would seem overly stiff, while
only calling his given name would seem too intimate.
Han Bohan still called him Sun Yao nevertheless, from their first meeting at
the detention centre up until now.
When Sun Yao came out of the bathroom, Han Bohan still hadn’t managed
to find somewhere appropriate to sit; the few chairs in the room were all
piled up with various bits and bobs. As a result, Sun Yao pulled away the
blanket on the bed and gestured for Han Bohan to sit on it.
Han Bohan shot a glance at the wrinkled bed sheets, and said, “It’s all right,
I’ll just stand, I won’t stay long.”
Sun Yao tugged at the bedsheets and looked up at him. “They were changed
yesterday. It’s not dirty.”
Facing these words of his, Han Bohan had no idea how to refuse. He
inwardly thought that—he had no idea how much sweat and bodily fluids
had soaked into the bed sheets. He was somewhat resistant to sitting on
other people’s beds, yet Sun Yao had directly exposed his thoughts, and he
could only feign an uncaring look as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
Sun Yao took a few steps back and stood leaning against the dining table.
The room fell silent. Han Bohan watched as the sunlight that came in
through the window shifted further and further away, almost disappearing
from the room. It was as if it was also taking the dry warmth along with it,
leaving the room with a damp, musty odor that was likely mixed in with
other smells—perhaps the smell of Sun Yao’s sweat left on the sheets
overnight.
This line of thought unsettled him. He sat upright with his hands on his lap,
disinclined to touch the bed sheets under him. He asked Sun Yao, “Have
you taken Xiao Yan to the hospital for a check-up recently? Is she getting
any better?”
Sun Yao said, “We went for a check-up there this Monday. Her condition is
the same as usual.”
Han Bohan asked, “Was it troublesome? If you need any help, feel free to
contact me.”
Sun Yao replied, “We took a taxi. Some drivers refuse, some don’t, but we
always get there in the end.”
Han Bohan nodded. After a while, he asked, “Is there anything I can do to
help you guys?”
Sun Yao looked his way. “You’ve already done plenty for us when you
helped me find work.”
Han Bohan lowered his eyes. He felt that if he could at least help Sun Yao,
he wouldn’t be totally useless.
Sun Yao stood in place for a moment before picking up an electric kettle on
the table, intending to go fill it up with water from the bathroom. He said to
Han Bohan, “Have some water, I’ll boil it now.”
Han Bohan immediately said, “Don’t trouble yourself. It’s hot out today. If
you boil water now, you won’t be able to drink it for a while.”
Sun Yao stopped in his tracks, then put the electric kettle back down on the
table. He stood in the middle of the room for a moment, deep in thought,
then said, “There’s a bottle of mineral water in the fridge.” He then walked
over and opened the old fridge next to the dining table.
The fridge was very close to the bed. Han Bohan subconsciously looked up
and caught sight of its contents, filled to the brim. It contained raw meat
and vegetables for the most part, and there were also a few containers
inside. From behind the refrigerator door, Sun Yao took out a bottle of
mineral water, and at the same time, Han Bohan saw the cardboard
packaging of a cake that sat on the second shelf of the fridge.
Sun Yao quickly closed the fridge and brought the bottle of water over to
Han Bohan.
An imprint of the cake box seemed to remain in Han Bohan’s retinas. The
cake box was from a famous patisserie in the city. Plenty of young adults
would line up to buy their cakes everyday; the queue was long, and the
cakes were expensive. The reason why he recognized the packaging was
because last night, he had accompanied Shu Mian to queue for over ten
minutes to buy her a mango crepe cake.
The mineral water was still in Sun Yao’s hands. Han Bohan didn’t take it.
Puzzled, he shook the bottle before Han Bohan’s eyes.
Han Bohan came back to his senses and thanked Sun Yao as he took the
bottle of water. It stayed in his hands, unopened, undrunk. He pursed his
lips instead, and asked, “That classmate of Xiao Yan’s, does she visit you
guys often?”
When he spoke, he kept his gaze trained at Sun Yao’s expression. Sun Yao’s
face gave nothing away, and he only asked, “Which classmate?”
Han Bohan said, “A pretty, long-haired girl.”
Sun Yao stood by the bed, looking down at him, a shadow cast over his
eyes. His tone was calm and steady as he said, “You mean Shu Mian? You
know her?”
Han Bohan answered, “I’ve met her twice.”
Sun Yao suddenly crouched down, looking up at him from a slightly shorter
stance. “She’s Xiao Yan’s best friend, the inseparable kind. She often comes
to see Xiao Yan.”
Han Bohan and Sun Yao stared at each other. “I saw a cake in the fridge,
was that from her?”
Sun Yao said, “It should be. I didn’t notice when she put that there. It must
be for Xiao Yan.”
The corner of Han Bohan’s mouth twitched. He wanted to call out Sun
Yao’s lie—Sun Xunyan was in no condition to be eating cakes, so that cake
could only be for Sun Yao himself. And yet he refrained from speaking. His
mind was somewhat muddled, as many thoughts momentarily interweaved,
tangled together. He stood up, and said, “I should be on my way. I won’t
disturb you.”
When filming ended, Xia Xingcheng was still a little caught up in his
character’s state of mind.
He and Yang Youming left the set in the same nanny car. They sat on the
very last row, and from the moment they got on, Xia Xingcheng looked
slightly restless as he hugged Yang Youming and rubbed against him
endlessly.
There was a partition between the back seat and the front, and they were the
only two in the enclosed space. Yang Youming’s arms encircled Xia
Xingcheng’s waist, looking down at him. “What’s wrong?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m a little uncomfortable.” In fact, it wasn’t him who
was uncomfortable, but Han Bohan.
Yang Youming raised his hand and stroked his forehead, his sideburns, his
lips; his fingers dry and warm, like he was placating a restless pet. He
whispered, “Then what should we do?”
Xia Xingcheng gazed at him. “I need you.”
Like the time Xia Xingcheng had borne Fang Jianyuan’s heartbreak, he
desperately needed Yang Youming to sooth his wounds. At present, he bore
Han Bohan’s pain, and he urgently yearned for Yang Youming’s comfort.
Not being able to separate himself from his role for a short time was
normal, especially when his character went through such strong, turbulent
emotions. If he wished to keep his character’s emotions from affecting his
life, Xia Xingcheng needed to use his own genuine emotions to keep it at
bay.
The nanny car was spacious. Yang Youming told Xia Xingchen to take off
his shoes and sit sideways on his lap. His legs were bent as his bare feet
tread on the leather seat.
One of his hands stroked Xia Xingcheng’s back incessantly, while his other
hand slipped down his lower leg, taking hold of his bare foot and kneading
it gently with his thumb and forefinger.
Xia Xingcheng raised his hands and hugged Yang Youming’s neck, leaning
in to kiss his lips. It was a mere touch of lips at first, light gentle pecks, but
then his teeth were pried open and their tongues tangled hotly
Yang Youming’s appeasing hand on Xia Xingcheng’s back stilled, yet the
grip on his foot seemed to tighten instinctively. He pulled Xia Xingcheng’s
foot towards his inner thigh, so that they bent and pressed together.
This posture was a little painful for Xia Xingcheng, but he became all the
more excited. In the beginning, his thoughts still revolved around that cake
box in the fridge, around the cold expression on Sun Yao’s face as he
looked up at him, but afterwards, those thoughts left his head entirely, all of
him was immersed in this kiss.
Once the kiss ended, Xia Xingchen’s eyes were slightly reddened. He
buried his face in Yang Youming’s shoulder.
Yang Youming’s voice was very gentle as he asked him, “Better?”

Xia Xingcheng nodded. He was in a much calmer mood.
Yang Youming raised his hand and stroked his hair.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly raised his head, looked at his hand, and asked,
“Didn’t this hand touch my foot just now?”
Yang Youming lowered his hand and looked at it, then said, “Yeah, does
your own foot gross you out?”
Xia Xingcheng captured his hand and pushed it away. “It hasn’t been
washed for a whole day. Get your hand away from me.”
Yang Youming feigned to cover his mouth, Xia Xicheng immediately

turned his head and buried his face in his shoulder again, yelling, “Get it
away get it away!”
The two men fooled around for a bout. Xia Xingcheng leaned into his arms,
when something abruptly came to mind. He asked, “Before we started
shooting—were you mad at something?”
Yang Youming’s tone was as calm as ever. He asked, “Why did you think I
was mad?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Intuition.”
Yang Youming didn’t say anything.
After a moment, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t help but look up at him, and
discovered that his eyes had darkened. He thus straightened up and asked,
“What happened?” A guess popped up in his mind. “Did you find out who
took those photos of us?”
Yang Youming said unhurriedly, “Ling Jiayue took them. It was also her
who sent them to the marketing account.”
Xia Xingcheng was instantly struck dumb. His head emptied itself for a
split second before he recalled the look of hatred in Ling Jiayue’s eyes as
she looked at him. He also remembered that, before they left the set, he
hadn’t spotted Ling Jiayue at all. She ought to have headed back to the hotel
first.
He didn’t ask why. He knew why—he just didn’t expect that a young girl
could actually do such a thing. Xia Xingcheng slowly frowned. Instead of
being overcome by an intense fury or hatred, he merely felt a vague
discomfort in his heart.
Yang Youming said, “I’m mad.” His tone was serene, and his face looked
indifferent, but his words carried a heavy weight.
Xia Xingcheng lowered his leg from the car seat, stepped on his shoes, and
reached for his phone. He wanted to call Huang Jixin and inform him of the
current situation.
Right as his hand came into contact with his phone, Yang Youming’s phone
rang first. He glanced at the screen, then said, “It’s Chen Hailan.”
Xia Xingcheng thus held the phone and listened in on the call. After Yang
Youming picked up, he merely let out an ‘Mm’ and continued to listen to
Chen Hailan speak, but Xia Xingcheng saw that the look in Yang
Youming’s eyes hadn’t let up.
A moment later, Yang Youming hung up and said, “Chen Hailan is at the
airport. He’s coming over tonight. Ren Jingyuan is with him. They asked to
meet them for dinner.” Seeing that Xia Xingcheng was watching him so
intensely, he lifted a hand and scratched at his nose.
Xia Xingcheng wanted to say something at first, yet he ended up frowning

ferociously after his nose was scratched. He grabbed Yang Youming’s hand,
and said, “Don’t touch my face again until you wash your hands!”
☆☆☆
Thank you to Paola for the kofi! ❤
t/n – the cat’s out of the bag! i’m pretty sure you all saw this coming LMAO
They settled on having dinner at a restaurant in the hotel the cast and crew
were staying at.
Chen Hailan and Ren Jingyuan had decided to fly in at the last minute. The
trip took a while, and by the time Yang Youming received their call, it was
almost 9 p.m.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng took the elevator down to the third floor
restaurant together. Right before they entered the private room, Yang
Youming got a call from Du Jin. He answered the phone while patting Xia
Xingcheng’s shoulder, beckoning him to go inside first.
The waiter in front of them pushed the door open, and Xia Xingcheng was
met with the sight of the classy private room. Just as the door opened, Ren
Jingyuan, who was the closest to the door, stood up, eager to welcome the
newcomers, yet upon seeing Xia Xingcheng on his own, his feet stilled for a
beat before he followed it up with a friendly smile as he approached him.
“Xingcheng, you’re here.”
Ren Jingyuan and Xia Xingcheng’s relationship was so-so. They were
hardly close, but they weren’t at odds either.
What Ren Jingyuan’s purpose for coming to tonight’s meal was exactly—
Xia Xingcheng already had a faint inkling in his heart. Seeing Ren Jingyuan
smiling as he greeted him now, he could only nod and smile.
The private room contained a small round table, and in addition to Reng
Jingyuan, there were two other people. One was Chen Hailan, and the other
was Ling Jiayue.
Ling Jiayue was wholly quiet. She was wearing an oversized coat, and her
long hair was worn down, draping over her back. She shot a glance at Xia
Xingcheng before looking away.
Chen Hailan greeted Xia Xingcheng with a customary smile. Once Xia
Xingcheng reached the table, he held Xia Xingcheng’s arm and asked, “You
all right?”
Xia Xingcheng saw the genuine trace of worry in his eyes. He nodded and
softly said, “I’m fine.”
Ren Jingyuan sounded somewhat nervous as he asked, “Where’s Ming ge?”
Xia Xingcheng answered, “He went to take a call. He’ll be here in a

minute.”
Afterwards, the private room temporarily fell silent. Who knew what the
mute Ren Jingyuan was thinking about.
Chen Hailan glanced at Reng Jingyuan and frowned slightly. Shortly after,
he turned to ask Xia Xingcheng, “How did shooting go these last couple of
days?”
“It went really well.” When Xia Xingcheng spoke, he couldn’t help but take
a look at Ling Jiayue. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”
Ling Jiayue never once looked his way.
Ren Jingyuan was also looking at Ling Jiayue. He was in the middle of
filming; when the photos of Xia Xingcheng broke out on the internet the
other day, he’d spent the whole night witnessing the commotion. Although
some netizens said that they were stills, Ren Jingyuan thought otherwise.
From the look of his clothes and his surroundings, his intuition told him that
they were sneakshots that were taken on the day of Chen Hailan’s banquet.
As for who the other man in the photo was, at the time, Ren Jingyuan had
no idea at the time. But regardless of who it was, this matter wasn’t that big
a deal in their circle. In the entertainment industry, gay men and women
dating and hooking up in private were a dime a dozen. Everyone was well
aware of the fact, and no one in the circle would reveal a thing.
There was no way the paparazzi would be among the guests of Chen
Hailan’s banquet. It wasn’t the paparazzi’s style, either. Ren Jingyuan had
thought that Xia Xingcheng had probably offended someone, and that
someone was messing with him.
Yet that afternoon, he’d gotten a call from Chen Hailan—telling him that
his little cousin had stirred up trouble.
At the time, Ren Jingyuan was taking a nap in his nanny car with the air
conditioner one. He was still a bit drowsy, so he asked Chen Hailan what he
was on about.
Chen Hailan’s tone didn’t sound all too good. It obviously contained a hint
of anger as he told him that the person behind Xia Xingcheng’s photos on
the internet was Ling Jiayue, that she was the one who’d secretly taken
those photos and sent them to a marketing account.
Ren Jingyuan had been a little confused. He subconsciously asked, “Why?

Is there something wrong with her head? What does she have against Xia
Xingcheng?” Back then, he still hadn’t realized how serious the problem
was—after all, it was only Xia Xingcheng, not someone they couldn’t
afford to offend.
Chen Hailan said, “Then go ask her yourself.” When he heard Ren
Jingyuan’s lack of reaction, he added, “You still have no idea who Jiayue
offended, do you?”
Ren Jingyuan sounded bewildered. “What do you mean? It isn’t Xia

Xingcheng?”
Chen Hailan sighed, seemingly exasperated. “You don’t know who Xia
Xingcheng was with?”
Only then did Ren Jingyuan’s heart abruptly constrict. He had a terrible
premonition, and he immediately cursed under his breath and asked, “Who
was it?”
Chen Hailan said, “It’s Yang Youming.”
Having said this, Chen Hailan hung up immediately. He was utterly

resentful of Ling Jiayue’s actions, and he had only made this call for the old
man Ren Yuchang and Ren Jingyuan’s sake.
After the phone call, Ren Jingyuan was completely stumped. He made
frequent mistakes when he filmed that afternoon, and afterwards, he
directly asked the production team for leave. He made another phone call
and pleaded with Chen Hailan for a long time, asking him to step in for him
and invite Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng to dinner. He immediately
flew over to personally escort Ling Jiayue to apologize, wanting to put an
end to this matter.
He didn’t inform Ren Yuchang about this affair for the time being and only
called his parents. The two elders urged him to help his younger cousin
avoid causing a scene.
Ren Jingyuan had been suppressing his anger. The instant he saw Ling
Jiayue today, he almost slapped her face in a rage. He thought—she’d
brought herself so much trouble, and yet she stubbornly maintained an
indifferent appearance. It aggravated him all the more.
At first, he’d planned on waiting for Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s
arrival before telling Ling Jiayue to apologize to them. Yet he didn’t expect
that Xia Xingcheng would show up alone first. Therefore, Ren Jingyuan
wanted to wait a little longer, after all, if Yang Youming didn’t witness the
apology with his own eyes, then it was practically meaningless.
Right then, Yang Youming finally hung up and entered the private room.
Ren Jingyuan immediately rose and greeted him respectfully. “Ming ge.”
From the moment Yang Youming opened the door, his gaze swept over the
faces of the people in the private room. He appeared calm, merely nodding
at Ren Jingyuan slightly before he walked straight over to Xia Xingcheng’s
side and sat down without another word.
As he sat down, he lifted a hand and stroked Xia Xingcheng’s head, asking,
“Hungry?”
They had already eaten something when they returned, but they didn’t eat
much.
Upon hearing this, Ren Jingyuan promptly said, “I’ll get the waiter.”
The waiter swiftly served their dishes, during which no one else spoke.
Only Yang Youming and Chen Hailan exchanged a few brief pleasantries.
Xia Xingcheng noticed Ling Jiayue growing restless. Her head was
lowered, and both her hands were under the table. A moment later, she
lifted a hand and nervously nibbled on a finger. She then looked up and,
seeing Xia Xingcheng’s eyes on her, she put her hand back down and
mutely turned away.
When the waiter left after serving their dishes, the door of the private room
clicked shut, and the room grew quiet. Nobody moved their chopsticks.
Chen Hailan and Ren Jingyuan hadn’t had dinner, so they ought to be
hungry, yet nobody had the appetite to eat anything.
Even Chen Hailan was reluctant to pipe up and smooth things over, which
Xia Xingcheng thought was a rare occasion.
In the end, Ren Jingyuan was the first to open his mouth. He faced Yang
Youming, and said with a pleading tone, “Ming ge, I apologize.”
Yang Youming slowly raised his eyes towards him, yet he didn’t respond.
Ren Jingyuan turned to Ling Jiayue and hinted at her with his eyes.
Ling Jiayue stood up, faced Yang Youming, and bowed. Her long hair hung
down and concealed her cheeks, and she quietly said, “I apologize.”
Yang Youming didn’t spare a single glance her way.

Chen Hailan couldn’t resist uttering, “Perhaps the one who should be
accepting your apology is Xingcheng.”
When she heard this, Ling Jiayue turned to face Xia Xingcheng, and
similarly bowed. She said, “I’m sorry, Xing ge.” After that, she remained
facing Yang Youming, and in a short while, her eyes were brimming with
unshed tears.
As Xia Xingcheng watched her, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pity. He
merely felt vexed, thinking: If anyone should be crying, it’s me. What on
earth are you crying for?
While he wanted to spout several unpleasant questions at Ling Jiayue, his

character and upbringing would never let him say them out loud. In the end,
he asked a question that he perfectly knew the answer to: “Why did you do
it?”
Ling Jiayue wiped the corner of her eyes with her fingers. She straightened
her back and turned to look at Xia Xingcheng. “Can you break up with
Ming ge?”
The instant her words fell, Ren Jingyuan immediately looked at her like
he’d seen a ghost. Even Yang Youming looked over at her.
In a flash, Xia Xingcheng let out an indignant laugh, and said, “Why would
I break up with him?”
Ling Juayue’s eyes were still red. She earnestly said, “I think, if you really
want what’s best for Ming ge, you should break up with him. The both of
you can’t go on like this.”
Ren Jingyuan could no longer stand this, he stood up and caught Ling
Jiayue’s arm. “Is there something wrong with your head?” Though he’d
said it as a question, he’d practically inwardly confirmed that his cousin had
mental problems.
Ren Jingyuan had grabbed hold of her, yet Ling Jiayue still continued
badgering Xia Xingcheng, “Have you ever thought about what’ll happen if
your relationship gets exposed one day? Yang Youming is supposed to be
perfect, the one by his side should be a woman like Yuan Qian—how can it
be a man?”
Ren Jingyuan clasped Ling Jiayue’s wrist with one hand, and covered her
mouth with the other. He anxiously said to Yang Youming, “Ming ge, she
might be a little sick. Please don’t get angry.”
Yang Youming stared at Ling Jiayue for a long time, watching her struggle
in Ren Jingyuan’s arms. “Who are you to say these things?” he asked, voice
low and deep.
Ling Jiayue shook her head and struggled fiercely. All of a sudden, she bit
down on Ren Jingyuan’s palm.
Ren Jingyuan raised his hand and almost slapped her, but stopped at the
very last second. His breathing was ragged as he glared daggers at Ling
Jiayue.
Ling Jiayue had shrunken her neck and tilted her head away, her eyes
tightly shut to withstand an oncoming slap. She didn’t anticipate that Ren
Jingyuan would stop in the end. She cowered back at Ren Jingyuan’s gaze,
then turned to Yang Youming and said, “It’s because I’ve liked you since I
was a child. I sincerely hope that you’ll have a smooth and happy life and
career. I’ll be happy as long as I can see that you’re doing fine.”
Yang Youming said to her, “I’m doing great as I am right now.”
Ling Jiayue shook her head firmly. “Your relationship is bound to be

exposed one day, and when that day comes, the public will attack you, other
fans will leave you, and by then you’ll no longer be happy.”
As Chen Hailan listened to her words, his brows knitted tightly. He opened
his mouth, yet he’d been rendered speechless, and in the end, he looked
towards Yang Youming and shook his head wordlessly.
Xia Xingcheng was struck by an absurd sense of dissociation. He felt as if

he had suddenly become an outsider watching the show.
Ling Jiayue jerked her hand away from Ren Jingyuan’s grip, jabbed a finger
at Xia Xingcheng, and said to Yang Youming, “He’s not worthy of you.”
Ren Jingyuan said indignantly, “If he isn’t, then are you?!”
Ling Jiayue immediately refuted his words, “Of course not, I’m not worthy
either!”
Xia Xingcheng noticed Yang Youming knocking on his own forehead. He’d
probably never expected that this situation would turn into something so
headache-inducing. He couldn’t resist asking Ling Jiayue, “Then who’s
worthy? Yuan Qian?”
Ling Jiayue was silent for a moment. “I thought she was good enough at
first, but she’s not worthy of you anymore now.”
Yang Youming leaned back on his chair. He slightly tilted his head, and
asked Ling Jiayue, “Then would it be best if I spend the rest of my days
alone?”
Ling Jiayue pursed her lips, and said, “There’ll be a woman who suits you
well. It’s not like you were gay in the first place—didn’t you like Yuan Qian
at first? If you two hadn’t taken part in that movie, if Xia Xingcheng hadn’t
pestered you, you wouldn’t have turned out like this!”
Ren Jingyuan had already cooled down. His tone was calm as he said, “I’ll
call her parents and tell them to take her to a doctor.”
Ling Jiayue shouted, “I’m not sick! I wholeheartedly want what’s best for
him! It’s only my feelings for him that don’t expect anything in return!”
☆☆☆
Thank you to Bolshv for the kofi! ❤
t/n – did anyone ask for drama?
Yang Youming calmly heard her out, his expression unchanging. His voice
was relatively gentle as he asked, “Who told you I was perfect?”
Ling Jiayue stubbornly said, “You were perfect to begin with.”
Yang Youming burst out laughing. It carried a hint of ridicule. “We’ve

known each other for quite a while, but I’ve realized that you don’t know
me at all. Since we’ve come across a rare opportunity, I’ll tell you
everything you want to know about me. How’s that?”
Ling Jiayue looked at him in a daze. She then glanced at Xia Xingcheng,
and asked, “You don’t actually like him, do you?”
“Who?” Yang Youming had a relaxed and casual bearing. “Xingcheng? I

like him. No, I love him.”
In a flash, Ling Jiayue’s face flushed crimson. She said, “It’s because of that
movie! You’re too deep in the act!”
Yang Youming unhurriedly said, “I’ve been acting for almost twenty years.
I’ve worked with countless actresses. I’ve acted out so many romantic
storylines. And yet this is the first time I’ve fallen so deeply for someone.”
Ling Jiayue looked at him with incredulous eyes.
Yang Youming continued, “I’m gay. I like men. It’s not just ‘like’—we live
together, and we sleep on the same bed. You’re almost eighteen, do you
know how men make love to other men?”
Ling Jiayue’s eyes were completely red as she stared at him.

Chen Hailan could no longer keep his mouth shut, calling out, “Youming.”
He felt that some of his words were a little out of line.
But Yang Youming evidently thought otherwise. He didn’t look at Chen

Hailan, but continued staring at Ling Jiayue. “Well? You wanted to know
everything about me. I’ll tell you everything, right here, right now.”
Yet Ling Jiayue couldn’t voice out her next question.
Yang Youming appeared to ponder over something for a while. He glanced

at Xia Xingcheng before continuing, “Didn’t you say that Xingcheng
seduced me? He likes me, he likes seducing me, and I also like it when he
seduces me. Being with him makes me happy. Do you look down on gay
people, or do you look down on him? In that case, I don’t meet a single one
of your expectations. I’m a gay man, and I love him.”
Xia Xingcheng’s hands were resting on the table. His right hand
subconsciously squeezed the thumb of his left hand.
Ling Jiayue sniffed, on the verge of tears. She asked Yang Youming, “So
those of us who like you don’t matter to you at all?”
Yang Youming answered her, “I’m thankful to those who like my works,
but we shouldn’t be the one who matters most to each other, and we
shouldn’t be hurting those by our side who truly matter to us for the sake of
the other.”
Ling Jiayue shook her head fiercely.
Yang Youming sat upright, his tone growing strict. “Do you really know
what it is you like about me? Is it me you like, or the me you’ve imagined
me as? See, you don’t know me at all, so what makes you claim that you
like me?”
Ling Jiayue’s tears fell. “I like you, I’ve liked you since a long time ago.”
Yang Youming’s tone turned frosty. “But I don’t like you. You shouldn’t be
hurting the person I love in the name of loving me. I can’t stand that, I’d
rather you hurt me directly. You shouldn’t be putting words in the mouths of
everyone else who likes me, either. What they like are my works, my roles,
they won’t dictate what I should be doing with my personal life!”
Ren Jingyuan had never heard Yang Youming speak to anyone in such a
cold and harsh tone. Growing nervous, he pulled at Ling Jiayue’s hand, and
said to Yang Youming, “Ming ge, I’m really sorry, she just doesn’t
understand. She—”
Ren Jingyuan’s words stopped midway in the wake of Yang Youming

glancing at him expressionlessly. His heart thumped, and he swallowed
down all the things he’d wanted to say.
Yang Youming went on, “I sincerely mean everything I’ve said today. If
you’re dissatisfied with me as a person, you can go online and disclose my
relationship with Xingcheng to the public. I couldn’t care less.”
Ling Jiayue wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, saying, “I won’t.”
Yang Youming took out his phone and quickly tapped on the screen a few
times. Then, he placed the phone on the table and slid it towards Ling
Jiayue. It was opened on Yang Youming’s own Weibo page. He said, “You
can post it with my Weibo account. Tell every one of my fans that the man
with Xia Xingcheng in those photos is me. Every fan may do as they wish,
they’re free to stay or leave. Whether the directors and investors want to
work with me again is also up to them. I can bear all the consequences.”
Ling Jiayue stared at his phone until the screen gradually dimmed, not
moving a single muscle from start to finish.
Yang Youming said, “It’s all right. Your brother said that you’re still young.
I won’t blame you, and I won’t make things difficult for you in the future.
My only wish is that you stay as far away from my life as possible. I don’t
need someone like you to like me.”
Ling Jiayue’s eyes widened, her expression turned panic-stricken. She truly
appeared somewhat pitiful.
Xia Xingcheng sensed Yang Youming’s genuine anger. He couldn’t resist
reaching over and gently pressing on Yang Youming’s thigh under the table.
As a result, Yang Youming took hold of his hand and firmly grasped it in
his palm. He then said to Ling Jiayue, “Have you figured it out? Is there
anything else you plan on doing? My parents have long passed, Xia
Xingcheng is the most important person in my life. I can’t stand someone
bullying him right in front of me, you can’t touch a hair on his head. Today,
I’m giving you a chance to immediately expose our relationship to the
public. But after today, if you pull this again, I definitely won’t let you off.”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head, his gaze trained at the tabletop.
Ling Jiayue kept crying. She left the phone untouched, and stubbornly
refused to apologize.
Suddenly, Ren Jingyuan’s phone rang. He found that it was his aunt–Ling
Jiayue’s mother–calling. He immediately answered the phone, and after
listening to a few words, he gestured for Ling Jiayue to take it.
Ling Jiayue stared at Ren Jingyuan’s phone, refusing to answer it.
Ren Jingyuan could only apologize to Yang Youming before excusing

himself to answer the phone. Then, he tugged at Ling Jiayue’s hand and
dragged her outside.
The private room met with a sudden silence.
Chen Hailan looked at Yang Youming’s direction. He originally wanted to

say something, but found that Yang Youming’s expression was still dark.
Yang Youming was looking across the table, yet his line of sight seemed to
fall on nothing. A hand tightly grasped Xia Xingcheng’s, and his thumb
repeatedly rubbed the back of his hand. From where Chen Hailan sat, he
could just barely see their small movements under the table, and after a
moment’s hesitation, he got up, told them he was going to the bathroom,
then left the room.
At that moment, only Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng were left in the
room. Xia Xingcheng, who had been keeping his head down all this time,
suddenly sniffed. Yang Youming immediately looked at him and said softly,
“Xingcheng?”
Xia Xingcheng lifted his head, and Yang Youming saw the falling tears.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Youming seemed to grow flustered. “Feeling

wronged?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head. He didn’t feel any grievances—in fact, after
listening to Ling Jiayue’s words today, he didn’t even feel a bit of chill from
that boundless malice in his heart. He merely felt that Ling Jiayue’s wishful
thinking was quite ridiculous.
He was truly moved because of what Yang Youming had said afterwards. “I
love you”—Yang Youming had spoken these three words towards him more
than once, but the way he declared his love so unabashedly in front of this
many people made Xia Xingcheng emotional. When he saw Yang Youming
pushing his phone towards Ling Jiayue, there was even a split second where
he’d hoped that she would immediately use Yang Youming’s account to
send out a Weibo post and announce their relationship to the whole world.
At present, the aforementioned phone was lying on the table, cast aside.
Xia Xingcheng rose abruptly. He leaned over and grabbed the phone, then
lowered his head and looked at Yang Youming. He said, “I’ll post on
Weibo.”
Yang Youming looked at his hand. He was silent for a moment before he
slowly shook his head. “Give me the phone.”
Upon seeing Yang Youming extending his hand, he took a deep breath, and
returned the phone to Yang Youming with utter reluctance and regret.
After Yang Youming put his phone back, he still extended his hand towards
Xia Xingcheng.
Dazed, Xia Xingcheng took his hand, and he was pulled till he sat down on
Yang Youming’s lap.
Yang Youming hugged him tightly, burying his face in his embrace. After a
while, he whispered, “I’m so angry.”
Xia Xingcheng looked down at the top of Yang Youming’s head; he

couldn’t help but press a kiss there. He said, “I know.”
Yang Youming’s face was pressed to his chest, and his voice came out all
muffled, not sounding like his voice at all. He said, “If she’d done it to me
instead, I wouldn’t be this angry.
Yang Youming raised his head and looked at Xia Xingcheng. “Don’t worry.
I’m here.”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were still flushed, yet he couldn’t help but smile. “I
wasn’t worried to begin with.” It wasn’t because he had Yang Youming
with him, but because he was maturing day after day. He felt that he was no
longer so easily hurt. He stared at Yang Youming solemnly for a moment,
and said, “My mom and dad are still here, and you’re also the most
important person in my life.”
Yang Youming’s long and slender finger pointed to where his heart was
located. “More important than your parents?”
Xia Xingcheng laughed. He pretended to consider the question for a

moment. “Are you gonna ask who I’d save first if you and my parents fell
into the water at the same time?”
Yang Youming laughed with him. He said, “The answer’s easy. It’s
definitely me helping you save your parents. Don’t forget about all my
swimming trophies at home.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed heartily in his arms and kissed him on the lips.
A while later, in the corridor outside, Ren Jingyuan concluded the call with
Ling Jiayue’s mother. After hanging up, he glared daggers at Ling Jiayue.
“Has your head cleared up a bit? If you go in there and continue stirring shit
up, then you’d better stay outside!”
With red eyes, Ling Jiayue said, “I’m not crazy.”
Ren Jingyuan grabbed at her clothes and tugged, making her entire body
sway. Stifling his rage, he said, “You’re not crazy?! Go have a good look at
yourself in the mirror! I don’t care what you do on your own, just don’t
drag me into it, okay?!”
Ling Jiayue said, “Does he hate me?”
Ren Jingyuan sneered. “Even I hate you!”
Ling Jiayue’s body trembled faintly.
On Ren Jingyuan’s phone call with her mother just then, she’d said that she
would visit the set tomorrow to talk to Ling Jiayue,and then personally
apologize to Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng.
Ling Jiayue whispered, “I really like him.”
In that instant, Ren Jingyuan looked at Ling Jiayue and felt fed up. He was
also a popular idol himself. He’d come across all sorts of fans, and oft
times, to maintain his image, he’d have to restrain himself when
encountering the words and deeds of overly fanatic fans. He thought that, if
he and Yang Youming were to swap places, he’d definitely find Ling Jiayue
disgusting. This disgust almost manifested in his mouth, and it was difficult
to keep it down. He said, “Don’t regard Yang Youming with those twisted
thoughts. Yang Youming and I are different, he’s not an idol, he’s a
nationally renowned actor. You’re genuinely nothing to him. It’s painfully
clear that he’s going to protect Xia Xingcheng to the end, it doesn’t seem
like a joke to me. Don’t go provoking Xia Xingcheng again. If you do, you
won’t even have to wait for Yang Youming to lift a finger, I’ll sort you out
myself first!”
Ling Jiayue pursed her lips.
Fed up with the sight of her, Ren Jingyuan turned back to the private room.
Just as the door opened a crack, he saw Xia Xingcheng sitting on Yang
Youming’s lap. The two of them were kissing. He immediately felt
awkward and softly tugged the door shut.
Behind him, Ling Jiayue suddenly realised what was going on. She pushed
him away and pulled the door open, right in time to see Xia Xingcheng’s
tilted head and closed eyes, his cheeks flushed as Yang Youming kissed
along his neck and tense body. His lips were crimson and moist, and it was
obvious that he was aroused. Yang Youming was squeezing his waist with
one hand, while his other hand was buried under his clothes, caressing the
skin of Xia Xingcheng’s waist and back.
Ren Jingyuan dragged Ling Jiayue back and reached out to close the door.
Ling Jiayue crouched on the floor with her face buried in her hands, her
shoulders heaving with pain.
☆☆☆
t/n – yym loves xxc so much :_)
In reality, when Ren Jingyuan pushed the door open, Xia Xingcheng had
only been sitting on Yang Youming’s lap, his head ducked as they kissed
lightly. The moment he heard Ren Jingyuan opening the door, he had
wanted to get up, yet he hadn’t anticipated that Yang Youming would
suddenly seize his waist, taking their kiss one step further and kissing him
heatedly.
Once Xia Xingcheng had broken free and sat back down next to him, with
flushed cheeks, he said, “You did that on purpose.”
At this time, Yang Youming appeared to be in a good mood. He reached for

a slice of ham and placed it on Xia Xingcheng’s bowl with his chopsticks.
“Didn’t you want me to?”
Xia Xingcheng was bewildered. “When did I say that?”
Yang Youming said, “You wanted me to tell her clearly so that she wouldn’t
look at you like that anymore. Are you happy now that I’ve made it very
clear to her and she even saw it with her own eyes?”
Xia Xingcheng lowered his head to pick up a slice of ham with his
chopsticks, then brought it to his mouth. “I suppose so.” He sounded a little
pleased with himself, his eyes curling into a smile.
The next morning, Ling Jiayue’s mother, Ren Keting, flew in.
She directly found Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng and expressed her
deepest apologies.
When Xia Xingcheng saw this elegant and beautiful woman in her forties
bowing down to him in apology, all Xia Xingcheng felt was embarrassment,
so he quickly extended a hand to stop her.
Ren Keting said, “We weren’t strict enough with her upbringing, and we
overly indulged her. I asked Jingyuan to help us take care of this matter, and
minimize the damage on the internet. If Mr. Xia’s reputation and work is
affected in any way, we’re willing to compensate you.”
“Ting jie,” Yang Youming said to her, “It’s all right, there’s no need.”
Ren Keting looked towards Yang Youming and sighed. “I have no idea why
Jiayue would become this stubborn.”
Yang Youming told Xia Xingcheng to make Ren Keting a cup of tea, upon
which he immediately got up and heated up some water with the electric
kettle.
“I said a lot of things to Jiayue yesterday,” Yang Youming said gently.

“They weren’t very pleasant to hear, and my tone might’ve been a bit
severe.”
Ren Keting nodded. She said, “Thank you, Youming, for taking the time to
talk to her about this. I talked to her just now—she’s still heartbroken. I
think what you said to her affected her a lot.”
Xia Xingcheng returned with a cup of tea and set it down in front of Ren
Keting. Seeing her deeply furrowed brows, he wanted to console her, yet he
didn’t know what to say.
Ren Keting addressed Xia Xingcheng again. “Xingcheng, I’m sorry.”
She had a gentle temperament, and she was very beautiful. Xia Xingheng
was a bit overwhelmed, and he immediately said, “It’s fine, I promise.”
Yang Youming reached out and patted Xia Xingcheng’s arm, then said to
Ren Keting, “Ting jie, there’s still plenty of conversations you need to have
with her, I’ve already done all I can.”
Ren Keting nodded. “I talked it over with her dad last night. When she
finishes shooting this movie, we plan on halting her acting career for the
time being and take her back to educate her more.”
Yang Youming listened quietly. He didn’t say another word.
Ren Keting didn’t stay in Yang Youming’s room for long; she still needed to
see He Zheng.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng saw her off at the door. Xia Xingcheng
didn’t step out, and through the open door, he spotted Ren Jingyuan waiting
outside their room.
Ren Jingyuan had been leaning against the wall at first. At that moment, he
straightened up and slightly bowed in greeting. “Hello, Ming ge.” He then
nodded at Xia Xingcheng. “Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded back.
Ren Keting exited the room, turned to say goodbye to Yang Youming and
Xia Xingcheng, then left, walking down the corridor with Ren Jingyuan.
Upon hearing the door quietly closing behind her, Ren Keting let out a sigh
and said to Ren Jingyuan, “Yang Youming gave us a lot of face this time.”
Ren Jingyuan softly said, “Ming ge’s words yesterday were really hard to
take. I’ve never heard him use that tone when speaking before.” Deep
down, Ren Jingyuan was also a little upset. He believed that Yang
Youming’s attitude had only been a little milder for the sake of Ren
Yuchang’s face.
Ren Keting stopped in her tracks, lowering her voice and saying, “If he
hadn’t considered Ling Jiayue’s age and his friendship with dad, he may not
necessarily want to talk to you at all. You and Jiayue need to grasp what’s
right and wrong. Don’t run rampant by relying on your grandpa’s
connections in the industry, and don’t take it for granted either and think
that you can afford to provoke anyone. I raised Jiayue poorly, and this was a
lesson. I hope this lesson left a deep enough impression on her. You can’t
act brazenly anymore, too. Or else the one receiving a lesson next time
might be you!”
Ren Jingyuan walked a few steps ahead in silence before he suddenly stilled
and turned back to Ren Keting, letting out an “Ah”, as if he’d just recalled
something.
Ren Keting looked at him. “What’s wrong?”
Ren Jingyuan shook his head. “It’s nothing.” But he had suddenly
remembered a rumour about how Zhu Tianjie’s career hadn’t been going
too well lately, and how he was having problems with his agency.
Somebody claimed that it was because he had offended Xia Xingcheng at a
prior movie shoot. He hadn’t believed it at the time, and he hadn’t taken it
seriously when he’d first heard it, but now that he thought about it, that
rumour was probably true. By comparison, Yang Youming had given their
Ren family a lot of face. Ren Jingyuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear.
They reached the elevator, pressed the button, and waited.
Ren Keting softly said, “Yang Youming has shares in Juxin. Lu Nianxin is
technically the boss, but it might be more appropriate to say that they’re
partners. Their personal relationship might be better than you think.”
Ren Jingyuan looked at his indistinct reflection on the elevator door. He

nodded, and said, “I understand.”
Ren Keting headed towards He Zheng’s room to ask for a few days off for
Ling Jiayue, and that she wanted to take her away for the time being.
He Zheng lost his temper the moment Ren Keting walked into his room,
almost upturning the tea table with a kick. He bit at his cigarette and cursed,
“And what the hell would we shoot? The crew might as well disband on the
spot!”
The assistant director couldn’t calm him down at all. In the end, he invited
Yang Youming over.
Xia Xingcheng came along with Yang Youming. The two men entered the
room one after the other. Xia Xingcheng craned his neck from behind Yang
Youming, and the first thing he registered was the mess.
Yang Youming bent down and shifted the tea table back to its original
position with one hand. “What are you so mad about?” he said to He
Zheng.
He Zheng was sitting on the sofa, his temper seemingly subsided. Once he
calmed down, he began to smoke, and he glanced at Yang Youming. “What
do we do now? Ling Jiayue’s mother insisted on taking her away.”
Yang Youming said, “Didn’t she only ask for a few days off? She’ll still
come back and finish shooting.”
He Zheng blew out a smoke ring along with a heavy sigh. “It’ll mess up our
pacing.”
“Shoot the scenes we can shoot first,” Yang Youming said. “It’s only a few
days, it’ll work after a few adjustments.”
He Zheng didn’t speak. He was leaning back, head resting on the back of
the sofa as he looked at Xia Xingcheng.
Weirded out, Xia Xingcheng said, “What are you looking at?”
He Zheng shook his wrist at the ashtray, and asked Xia Xingcheng,
“Feeling better?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m all good.”
He Zheng sounded faintly frustrated. “I have no words. That little girl

clearly seemed well-behaved, it’s hard to imagine that she could actually do
all this. I don’t know if you can still continue acting with her like nothing’s
happened.”
Xia Xingcheng sounded quite calm. “I can separate work and personal
feelings.”
He Zheng nodded, and said, “It’s been hard on you.”
Xia Xingcheng laughed at his words, and said, “I’m fine. Will you all stop
treating me like a child? When I came out to work, I didn’t expect to be
treated as someone’s relative, and I never thought that everything would go
my way in the first place. I’m already very lucky that I got to meet you all.”
There were other things that Xia Xingcheng left out—if you want others to
respect you, blindly currying favour with people is useless. Only when your
abilities are good enough for you to be able to stand tall will that respect
come to you naturally.
He wasn’t mad at Ling Jiayue for saying that he wasn’t worthy of Yang
Youming. In the entire world, apart from Yang Youming, he wouldn’t get
offended by anyone else saying such a thing. He would always stand tall,
and then he’d let those people know that he’s the one most qualified to
stand by Yang Youming’s side in the world.
Filming resumed.
Han Bohan was sorting through the laptop in his office when he found a
video file on his desktop. At the time, the CD that stored the videos relating
to Sun Yao’s case had encountered a small error, so the case officer gave
him a USB drive with the CCTV footage to copy from. The footage in
question had been stored on his laptop desktop this whole time.
He could’ve deleted the video at first, yet when he right-clicked to delete it,
unbeknownst to him, the video mysteriously played instead.
Cao Yuxiang appeared at 22:29—at the fifteenth second—and left the frame
after three seconds, heading towards the direction of the neighbourhood Sun
Yao and Sun Xunyan lived in.
Han Bohan dragged the video’s progress bar back to 22:20. He didn’t speed
it up, and he continued watching the footage.
Under the surveillance camera, numerous people came and went, yet he
couldn’t spot any suspicious individuals—right up until 22:26:35, about
four minutes before Cao Yuxiang’s appearance—a long-haired girl in a
dress popped up in the video, passing through from the top of the frame.
Her appearance was equally brief, and her face only showed up in the shot
at the very last second—a blurry side profile.
From the investigation to the indictment review stage of the case, nobody
had taken notice of this passing girl, because there hadn’t seemed to be
anything unusual about her. Moreover, it was difficult to determine who she
was based on a flitting, blurry side profile.
But this time, Han Bohan recognised her; he could practically recognise her
from her walk alone. This passing girl was Shu Mian.
Shu Mian was similarly headed towards Sun Yao’s neighbourhood. It was
above 10 p.m., and setting aside why she’d gone to Sun Yao’s place for now
—Cao Yuxiang had appeared in the frame around four minutes later. Even
if he hadn’t been following her, by the time he arrived, it was likely that she
hadn’t left yet.
Han Bohan felt a chill run down his back.
After that, he continued watching the CCTV footage until after Sun Yao
called the police and a police car drove through in the wee hours of the
morning, yet there were no further sightings of Shu Mian’s figure.
Of course, this wasn’t the only road that Shu Mian could’ve taken once
she’d left the neighbourhood, and even if she’d crossed this intersection, if
she had stuck to the corners of the street, the surveillance wouldn’t have
caught her leaving.
After almost two hours of replaying the video from start to finish, it was
already time for Han Bohan to get off work. He was the only one in the
office, and the sky outside was already beginning to darken. The lights
hadn’t been turned on, and his surroundings were dim; the only light source
being his display screen, and it illuminated Han Bohan’s face.
The scene concluded with a close-up shot:

Han Bohan was looking at the display, the light casting flickering shadows
across his face. His eyes contained a vague trace of visible dread, his lips
were slightly pale; and in the end, he slowly closed his eyes, tilting his head
up in exhaustion.
☆☆☆
t/n – chapter 130! just a little more to go~
Ling Jiayue returned to the crew sooner than they’d expected, with her
mother by her side. Moreover, she intended to stay and accompany her for
the rest of the shoot
He Zheng was a little worried, since Ling Jiayue seemed to be in lower

spirits than she was some time ago. When she took a break halfway through
filming, she went to sit back down at Ren Keting’s side compliantly, sullen
and taciturn.
But once she began filming, Ling Jiayue was in a completely different state,
like the person in the movie and the person outside of it were two entirely
different people.
He Zheng even felt that Ren Keting’s decision to halt Ling Jiayue’s acting
career temporarily and make her go back to school was an unfortunate one.
On the day Ling Jiayue returned, she went to find Xia Xingcheng and
apologized in earnest.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t care whether she was sincere or not. He nodded and
accepted her apology.
Public sentiment on the internet about this particular incident had long since
died out. Xia Xingcheng’s studio had issued a statement. The wording was
somewhat ambiguous; they merely denied that Xia Xingcheng was in any
shady relationships with a man, yet they didn’t state where the photos were
from.
The marketing accounts on the internet no longer mentioned the incident.

New gossip surrounding the entertainment industry quickly popped up, and
everyone’s attention shifted in succession. Like this, this matter was left to
die.
Xia Xingcheng inwardly felt a little regretful. He knew that he shouldn’t be

saying this—but there were times where he would fantasize—if there really
came a day where he had enough confidence, would he be able to go
public? There was no way to tell.
The weather grew hotter with each passing day.
Sometimes, Xia Xingcheng had the illusion that he’d been thrown back to
that period of time two years ago: the stifling heat of the studio, the hubbub
of bustling staff, the handsome and composed man he secretly fancies.
Han Bohan was taciturn and introverted by nature, so when Xia Xingcheng
was on set, he became increasingly quiet and nonchalant.
Here, Yang Youming would generally refrain from talking to him. They
maintained their distance, not letting their intimate relationship disrupt their
characters’ emotions.
Song Yanyan would sometimes huddle beside Xia Xingcheng, whispering,

“Xing ge, when you’re not filming, your temperament resembles Han
Bohan’s more and more.”
Xia Xingcheng was flipping through his script. Without looking up, he
replied, “It’s just filming.”
Song Yanyan asked, “Is it character bleed?”
Song Yanyan continued, “When you and Ming ge shot Gradual Distance,
were you like this too?”
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes flickered towards her before his gaze shifted towards
Yang Youming. Yang Youming had his eyes closed at first, as if asleep, but
somehow, he suddenly felt Xia Xingcheng’s gaze on him, and he opened his
eyes to look over, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.
Song Yanyan suddenly held her breath. She lowered her voice, and said to
Xia Xingcheng, “Is Yang Youming smiling at you?”
Xia Xingcheng lifted his script and looked at it as he gave her a deadpan
response, “Is he? You’re seeing things.”
Song Yanyan stood up. She was wearing a long nightgown for an upcoming
scene, and her hair was worn down. She turned away and said to Xia
Xingcheng, “Humph! Yang Youming’s gonna be carrying me in a bit
anyway!” With that, she happily fled towards the single bed on the set.
Xia Xingcheng turned to the previous page of the script.
Han Bohan drove to the entrance of Shu Mian’s school and waited for her
to finish evening self-study. He lit himself a cigarette. He’d actually never
been much of a smoker before, but when he ran around taking care of Han
Zhang’s affairs, he had cigarettes with him at all times, and he’d light one
anytime he felt jittery.
When evening self-study ended, Shu Mian was the first person to appear at
the school gates. She was wearing her school uniform—the oversized jacket
of her P.E. uniform seemed like it engulfed her slender body—and today,
her hair wasn’t tied up, cascading down to her lower back.
She opened Han Bohan’s car door by herself, and after she got on, she tilted
her head sideways and looked at Han Bohan with a smile.
Han Bohan bit at his cigarette and smiled back.
Smiling, Shu Mian stared at him for a moment, unspeaking throughout.

Suddenly, she extended a hand towards Han Bohan.
Han Bohan subconsciously moved away.
Shu Mian caught the cigarette between Han Bohan’s lips and took it out for
him. She looked around, seemingly wondering where she should put it out.
“Don’t smoke,” she said. When she spoke, her brows were slightly
furrowed.
Han Bohan was silent for a beat before he held out a hand towards Shu
Mian, saying, “I’m not smoking. Give it back, I’ll throw it away. Don’t get
burnt.”
Shu Mian looked at him again, then passed the half-burnt cigarette back to
Han Bohan.
That night, Han Bohan brought Shu Mian to the previous patisserie to
purchase a cake. This time around, she chose a different flavour of fruit.
Shu Mian seemed to really like the cake. She was reluctant to eat it, placing
the cake box on her lap with the utmost caution.
Han Bohan said, “It’s getting late. Let me take you back.”
Shu Mian looked up, her gaze flitting from the cake box to Han Bohan’s
face. After a while, she once again averted her gaze, whispering, “Can I not
go home?”
Han Bohan’s breathing paused for a second. He said, “Where do you want
to go?”
Shu Mian’s voice was as soft as before, yet she seemed a little uneasy as
she said, “I want to be with you.”
Han Bohan swiftly started his car, eyes trained forward as he turned the
steering wheel. “No, you should go back.”
Shu Mian was silent. The fingers of her right hand continuously picking at
the cake box, unaware, setting off rhythmic rustling in the quiet, enclosed
space of the car.
When Han Bohan stopped at a red light, he couldn’t help but turn to look at
her hand. Her white knuckles tensed and relaxed in turn, and the paper box
was close to tearing from her fingers.
Shu Mian suddenly stilled. She said to Han Bohan, “I wanna get off. Can
you let me off at the intersection?”
Han Bohan asked, “You’re not going home?”
Shu Mian said, “I don’t want you to take me home, I’ll go home by
myself.”
Han Bohan shook his head. “I’ll worry.”
All of a sudden, Shu Mian shifted closer, moving in to kiss his lips, yet right
then, Han Bohan stepped on the gas pedal and the car sped across the
intersection. As he evaded Shu Mian, the steering wheel under his hands
veered a little, and they narrowly bumped into the across the lane.
Han Bohan pulled over soon after, his heart still throbbing hard.
Shu Mian opened the door, got out of the car, then closed the door and fled.
Alone in his car, Han Bohan registered the clamouring sounds of his violent
heartbeat. Cold sweat broke out on his entire forehead. He quietly sat there
for a while, and only when he saw Shu Mian’s figure vanishing around a
corner did he restart the car to chase after her.
He drove slowly. Around the corner was a relatively narrow street lined
with perimeter walls and a row of neat and tidy trees. A taxi drove from the
opposite lane, sailing past his car.
Han Bohan faced forward, but there was no sign of Shu Mian on either side
of the road. Even if she ran, she couldn’t have possibly gone that far, nor
disappear into thin air.
He then recalled the taxi from earlier and immediately made a U-turn on the
empty street, driving away in haste.
At the intersection ahead, the taxi happened to be waiting on a red light.

Han Bohan kept his car a distance away, tailing the taxi.
It didn’t take him long to realize that the taxi was headed in the direction of
Sun Yao and his daughter’s rental apartment.
When Han Bohan noticed the taxi slowing down, he parked his car on the
side of the road in advance. It was right outside Sun Yao’s neighbourhood;
there was no way he could enter, and he had to make do with parking on the
curb.
From a distance away, Han Bohan saw Shu Mian getting off the taxi with
the cake box in her hands. She walked into the neighbourhood at a relaxed
pace.
Han Bohan sat up straight, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He
unfastened his seatbelt with one hand, then opened the door and got out of
the car.
His black leather shoes made a scuffling noise as it met the ground, and
when he entered the neighbourhood, the closer he was to the small building
at the back of the residential properties, the lighter his footsteps were until
even he couldn’t hear a thing.
There were no street lights around the small building. The only light source
came through its windows, and it lit up a small area around the building. Its
door was also tightly shut.
Han Bohan approached the doorway, trying to listen in through the anti-
theft door, but it was quiet inside and he couldn’t make out a thing.
Thus, he quietly walked back to the window.
The window was similarly secured shut, and at present, its curtains were
drawn. It was a two panel curtain, pale yellow in colour with a light green
floral print. They weren’t black-out curtains, so the light from inside shone
through the fabric. But they weren’t drawn completely closed—there was a
narrow seam between the two drapes.
Han Bohan noiselessly approached the seam and looked in, and at first
glance, he saw a head of black hair. His heart almost stopped beating when
he found that someone was sitting on Sun Yao’s bed with their back to the
window and their head resting against it. And yet, even through this narrow
seam, Han Bohan could see that the person had long, straight hair.
If this was Shu Mian, then where was Sun Yao?
Han Bohan continued looking through the seam in the curtains. Like this,
he had no choice but to get closer to be able to see an even wider expanse of
the room. In that way, he was closer to Shu Mian, and he even thought that
Shu Mian might turn around and spot him at any time.
But Shu Mian didn’t do so, she leaned against the window the whole time.
Han Bohan, however, hadn’t caught a single glimpse of Sun Yao from the
window. He didn’t know if Sun Yao had gone to the bathroom, or if he was
inside the small bedroom.
“Prosecutor Han.” Without warning, Han Bohan heard a low voice behind
him, like a sudden strike to his cranium, instantly rendering his mind blank.
He turned around as calmly as he could and was met with the sight of Sun
Yao standing behind him, watching him.
Sun Yao wore a navy blue, short-sleeved shirt that had faded in the wash,
paired with somewhat rugged shorts. With his hands in his pockets and a
pair of sandals on his feet, he looked at Han Bohan with a wooden stare and
asked, “You’ve come to see me so late?”
Han Bohan’s lips were a little pale. He felt cold sweat faintly appearing on
his forehead, yet when he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was as calm
as ever. “Yes. No one answered when I knocked on the door earlier, so I
thought you weren’t home.”
Sun Yao unhurriedly approached Han Bohan.
Han Bohan felt a sense of oppression. When he met Sun Yao for the very
first time at the detention centre, he had merely seen Sun Yao as a father
who loved his daughter dearly. Yet apart from that first encounter, every
time he met Sun Yao afterwards, Han Bohan always perceived this
oppressive feeling.
Sun Yao was slightly taller than Han Bohan. As he got closer, he had to
slightly lower his head to meet Han Bohan’s eyes. “You knocked?”
When Han Bohan stood up straight, he would seem particularly upright and
proper, just like his character—firm and unyielding. He stared Sun Yao
down unflinchingly, and said, “I did.”
Sun Yao examined him closely, and a moment later, he said, “Oh. I guess I
didn’t hear. Please come in.” With that, Sun Yao turned around and headed
for the door.
Yet Han Bohan didn’t move. He knew that Shu Mian was inside; he didn’t
understand why Sun Yao would invite him in, and he also had no idea how
he was supposed to confront the two of them at the same time after entering
the room. He somewhat hesitated.
When Sun Yao arrived at the doorway, he found that Han Bohan hadn’t
followed after him, so he stopped and looked back at him. “Prosecutor
Han?”
Han Bohan stood stock-still.
Sun Yao suddenly smiled, and said, “Come in and have some cake.”
The word ‘cake’ abruptly woke Han Bohan up. He shot a glance at Sun
Yao, then walked towards the door.
Sun Yao stood at the doorway, motionless. As Han Bohan went inside, their
bodies were practically pressed close. Right then, Sun Yao softly coughed
twice, and his breath hit the side of Han Bohan’s face, making him turn his
face instinctively.
The moment he walked through the door, Han Bohan halted in his tracks.
He looked at Sun Yao’s single bed by the window and found that the person
sitting on the bed wasn’t Shu Mian at all, but Sun Xunyan.
Sun Xunyan’s eyes were closed, and because she was unconscious, she sat
there with blankets piled on her left and right to prop her up.
So where did Shu Mian go? Han Bohan subconsciously looked around the
not-so-large room.
At that moment, there was a muted sound behind him—it was Sun Yao
closing the door.
Han Bohan turned his head.
Sun Yao said, “It’s late. What is Prosecutor Han really here for?”
☆☆☆
Han Bohan felt a particular unease. He subconsciously wanted to look at the

time, yet no clocks hung on the walls of Sun Yao’s house.
Sun Yao was still standing at the doorway, not having moved a centimetre,
the dim lighting of the room obscuring his expression.
Han Bohan opened his mouth, and he heard his own serene voice saying, “I
have a classmate who just got back from the US. He’s a neurosurgeon. I
asked him if he could examine Xiao Yan when he’s available.”
Sun Yao looked at him without a word.
Han Bohan wasn’t entirely lying. He did have a classmate who worked at a
hospital abroad who’d just returned to the country, and he really was a
neurosurgeon. When they had met previously, he’d wanted to tell Sun Yao
about having his classmate examine Sun Xunyan, but he hadn’t had the
chance to bring it up yet.
At this time, Sun Yao’s eyes slowly shifted towards the narrow bed.
Han Bohan asked, “Why is Xiao Yan sitting outside this late?”
Sun Yao’s tone subtly changed. “She’s been lying down the entire day, so I
took her to sit out here. It gave me an excuse to change her bedsheets
anyway.”
Han Bohan looked towards the small bedroom and saw that there really
were new sheets that were half made on the bed. He hesitated slightly
before saying, “Since you’re preoccupied, I won’t be a bother.”
Sun Yao asked, “You’re leaving?”

Feeling an unnameable abnormality in his heart, Xia Xingcheng nodded.
“I’m going home.”
Sun Yao said, “Then I’ll walk you out.”
Han Bohan shot a quick glimpse around the room once more; there was no
Shu Mian, nor a cake box. Sun Yao had already opened the door, and he
stood at the doorway waiting for him, like he wanted nothing more than for
Han Bohan to leave right that second.
As he walked towards the door and arrived at Sun Yao’s side, Sun Yao
raised a hand and pressed it to his lower back, slightly forceful, and Han
Bohan walked out with the force of Sun Yao’s hand.
The scene ended here. He Zheng shouted, “Cut!”
Still plastered to Xia Xingcheng’s back, Yang Youming lifted his hand and
embraced Xia Xingcheng’s shoulders, lightly patted him, then swiftly let
go.
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath and wiped at the sweat on his forehead.
He wasn’t just sweating because of the stuffy studio, but also because of the
pressure from this scene.
Hua Hua padded over with a bottle of coke and handed it to Xia Xingcheng,
along with a clean towel for Xia Xingcheng to wipe his still-damp cheeks
with.
Xia Xingcheng unscrewed the bottle cap, yet just as he downed a mouthful
of coke, he noticed Yang Youming looking his way. He wordlessly screwed
the cap back on, then passed the coke back to Hua Hua, saying, “Give me
warm water instead.”
Hua Hua took the bottle back, baffled. She asked, “Didn’t you say that it
was too hot and you wanted to drink coke yesterday?”
Xia Xingcheng whispered, “The elderly say that drinking too much soda
will cause osteoporosis.”
Hua Hua didn’t understand. “Which elder?” After she asked this, she
instantly reacted, asking, “Is it Ming ge?”
Xia Xingcheng glared at her. “How is Ming ge old? There’s no way that
Ming ge’s old.”
Hua Hua was even more at a loss. “Then who are you talking about?”
Xia Xingcheng kneaded the space between his eyebrows. “Why do you care
so much about who I’m referring to, I was just blurting stuff out, why are
you questioning this so seriously? Also, you’re not allowed to call Ming ge
old!”
Hua Hua pouted unhappily.
That night, Xua Xingcheng had a strange dream.
He dreamt that he and Yang Youming were in a small room. The

surroundings were very familiar. He was lying in bed, getting ready to
sleep, and Yang Youming was sitting on a chair at his side.
When he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the familiarity of the room,
and yet he couldn’t remember where he was. His thoughts were in disarray,
and his body was addled by drowsiness. He tried to keep himself awake, yet
he quickly sunk into a slumber. In the midst of a deep sleep, he suddenly
recalled that this was the small rental apartment Sun Yao and his daughter
lived in.
With that in mind, in a split second, Xia Xingcheng woke with a start, only
to find that he was still inside that room, yet he discovered that he wasn’t
Xia Xingcheng at all, but Han Bohan. Sun Yao was sitting at a murky
corner watching him, his appearance obscure.
Afterwards, Xia Xingcheng was once again awakened; this time, he was
truly awake. He opened his eyes and realised that he was in a hotel room,
and lying next to him was a sound asleep Yang Youming, breaths deep.
Xia Xingcheng lay still for a couple of minutes until his nerves and
apprehension gradually scattered. He realised, to his genuine joy, that he
was Xia Xingcheng, not Han Bohan.
The window curtains were drawn tight, keeping out almost all the outside
light. Except for the green emergency light by the door, it was pitch-black
inside the room.
Xia Xingcheng could hear Yang Youming’s breathing, yet he couldn’t see
his face clearly. His heart was somewhat restless as he shifted a little closer
to him, and after a while, he shifted closer again until he touched Yang
Youming’s warm body.
Yang Youming was a light sleeper. In an instant, his slow, deep breathing
vanished.
Figuring that he was probably awake, Xia Xingcheng turned so that his
body faced Yang Youming’s, then threw a hand across his waist.
Two seconds later, Yang Youming reached out and held Xia Xingcheng. His
voice was muffled—not entirely conscious—as he said, “What’s wrong?
Can’t sleep?”
Xia Xingcheng was already wide awake by then. He rubbed his face against
Yang Youming’s neck, somewhat scared, and said, “I had a nightmare.”
Yang Youming didn’t respond right away. Xia Xingcheng almost suspected
that he’d fallen asleep again, until Yang Youming kissed his forehead in the
dark. He asked, “What did you dream about?”
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t in a hurry to tell Yang Youming about his dream, he
only asked, “My nightmare scared me awake, and then the noise woke you
up, if I tell you about it, would you find me annoying?”
Yang Youming laughed softly. His voice was slurred as he said, “I won’t.
But you better hurry, or else I might fall asleep before I hear the whole
thing.”
As if truly worried that he’ll fall asleep, Xia Xingcheng propped himself up
and climbed on top of Yang Youming’s body, pressing his whole body
against him and hugging him tightly with his head resting next to Yang
Youming’s.
Yang Youming had no choice but to lay flat, letting out a muffled grunt as
Xia Xingcheng pressed him down. In a low voice, he said, “Young man,
how much do you weigh?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’ve lost a bit of weight from shooting these days, it
should be around 62 kilos.”
*or 136ish pounds
Yang Youming was hugging his waist. He gently pat his back as if he was
appeasing a child, and said, “Mm, not heavy at all.”
Xia Xingcheng’s voice was gravelly as he said, “Ming ge, you can’t leave
me.”
Yang Youming’s hand stilled from where it’d been patting his back. He
turned his face sideways, like he wanted to look at him, but nothing was
visible in the dark. He then reached out to turn on the lamp on the bedside
table and slightly sat up on his elbows. He asked, “What’s wrong? What did
you dream about?”
Xia Xingcheng shut his eyes at the sudden burst of light. He nestled his face
into Yang Youming’s neck, and told him, “I dreamt that I was Han Bohan.”
Yang Youming’s palm gently stroked his back. “Were you affected by the
role?”
Xia Xingcheng was silent for a while before he said, “I was wondering if I
shouldn’t have taken on this movie.”
Yang Youming softly said, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to shoot a few
more movies with me? So we can sit down and watch them together in the
future?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Then we should also make a movie where we fall in
love and have our happy ending.”
Yang Youming laughed, his chest vibrating slightly. “First of all, I don’t
think we’d ever run into that kind of plot again. And even if we do, you
wouldn’t take it, would you?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Yes.”
Yang Youming planted a kiss on his face.
Xia Xingcheng sounded somewhat dejected. “When I made movies before,

I wouldn’t be so obviously affected by my characters. Even if my girlfriend
died, I wouldn’t feel that miserable.”
Yang Youming couldn’t resist letting out a quiet laugh. “Filming is filming,
you can draw a clear line between acting and reality.”
Xia Xingcheng pondered over this for a long time. “Maybe I can’t do that
when it comes to you. If it’s you, I can’t tell the difference.”
Yang Youming’s voice was a low rumble as he asked, “Then what do we

do? Sun Yao doesn’t love Han Bohan, and He Zheng won’t change the plot
for you.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I don’t want to change the plot—I just want you to
touch me and hug me more so that I can break away from Han Bohan’s
emotions quicker.”
Yang Youming hugged him, coaxing him. “It’s almost over. When filming
ends, how about we have a vacation?”
Xia Xingcheng asked, “Where are we going?”
“We’ll go to a country where no one knows us,” Yang Youming said to him,
“an island or mountain is fine too. We’ll find a hotel to stay at so you can
quickly forget about Han Bohan and continue being Xia Xingcheng
happily.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded mutey. His face was still closely pressed against
Yang Youming’s neck, and his every inhale was filled with Yang Youming’s
scent. He abruptly couldn’t help opening his mouth, wanting to bite him.
Yet just as his teeth latched onto Yang Youming’s skin, Yang Youming
immediately said, “Don’t bite. If you leave a mark, it’ll affect filming.”
Xia Xingcheng withdrew his teeth and switched to gentle licking. He said,
“I want to bite you and eat you up, so that I’d never have to worry about
you leaving me ever again.”
Yang Youming kissed his forehead. “You can bite me when filming’s over,
okay?”
Something crossed Xia Xingcheng’s mind–he giggled, and asked, “Bite

where?”
With a throaty voice, Yang Youming said, “You can bite anywhere you
want.”
Xia Xingcheng started feeling sleepy again. He yawned, shut his eyes, and
said, “Can I just sleep like this?”
Yang Youming was probably tired too. He turned off the light, then slightly
lay flat, saying, “Lie on your side, I’ll spoon you.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “No, I wanna hug you.”
Yang Youming then said, “Then I’ll hug you from the front.”
Xia Xingcheng dawdled and slid off Yang Youming’s body, lay on his side,
and faced him. They hugged each other. He was already very sleepy, yet he
wanted to hear Yang Youming talk to him, so he closed his eyes and,
thoughts addled, prattled, “Would you ever sleep holding someone else like
this?”
Yang Youming should also be sleepy. His speech slowed, asking, “Who?”
Xia Xingcheng couldn’t think of anyone else. He said, “Yuan Qian?”

Yang Youming didn’t answer.
Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming tightly, opening his eyes in the
darkness.
Yang Youming said, “We’re already divorced. Don’t bring her up, I hardly
ever think of her.”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng shut his eyes. He was muddled, half asleep
and half awake. He said, “Let’s get married.”
This time, Yang Youming readily answered him, “All right. When we wrap
up, I’ll go buy a ring.”
Xia Xingcheng was perfectly content with his words, and his thoughts
seemed to stagnate. Eventually, he mustered up, “I’ll bear a child for you.”
This time, Yang Youming opened his eyes in the darkness. He couldn’t
make out Xia Xingcheng’s face, but upon hearing how his breathing had
gone slow and even, he smiled faintly and kissed his forehead once more.
From the next day onwards, Yang Youming would feed Xia Xingcheng a
candy before every scene they shared.
He didn’t even hide it. In front of the entire crew, before they began
filming, he would first peel the candy, then bring it to Xia Xingcheng’s
mouth. Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare look at him the whole time, fearing that
too many glances would give away his feelings. Every time, he’d take the
candy into his mouth, then walk away silently and sit down at the side.
One time, Song Yanyan said to Yang Youming, “Ming ge, I wanna have
candy too.”
Yang Youming laughed and said, “There’s only one. I’ll get one for you
next time.”
Having heard this, Song Yanyan said, “No need!~ By feeding Xing ge
candy, you’re basically feeding me candy too!” With that, she happily
bounded off.
“What’s she on about?” Yang Youming asked Li Yun.
Li Yun shook her head expressionlessly. “I have no idea either.”
☆☆☆
t/n – song yanyan is using shipper terminology/slang, where eating candy means that ur witnessing ur
favourite ship showing pda lmao
That night, Sun Yao sent Han Bohan all the way to where his car was
parked and watched him get into his car with no intention of leaving.
When Han Bohan backed his car up, from the rearview mirror, he saw Sun
Yao frozen on the side of the road, watching as his car slowly drove away
until it disappeared around a corner.
At present, Han Bohan was both reluctant to believe that Shu Mian was a
suspect and certain that there was definitely something up with her.
He wanted to get to the bottom of it. Using his professional identity, Han
Bohan privately found Shu Mian and Sun Xunyan’s classmates, and from a
female student who had a decent relationship with Sun Xunyan, he
discovered that Shu Mian and Sun Xunyan were inseparably close. Shu
Mian would go to Sun Xunyan’s house almost every week and hang out
with her on the weekends. At school, the two were practically joined at the
hip, yet in actuality, Sun Xunyan wasn’t all that fond of Shu Mian—she
once complained that Shu Mian was too clingy and made her feel
smothered.
Han Bohan asked why Sun Xunyan never turned Shu Mian away, and the
girl said that Sun Xunyan had a frail nature; she was terrible at saying no to
others. Han Bohan also asked her if she knew about Sun Xunyan and Cao
Yuxiang, but the girl said that she didn’t, that Sun Xunyan hadn’t told her
anything, but she frankly said that Sun Xunyan wouldn’t like Cao Yuxiang,
let alone jump off a building because of him.
“Xiao Yan and her dad are really close. If she dies, then her dad’ll be alone,
why would she abandon him?” was the girl’s original words.
All of Cao Yuxiang’s high school classmates had all graduated and gone to
university—finding them was an even harder feat. Han Bohan always felt
that, if Cao Yuxiang and Sun Xunyan hadn’t dated, then there would
generally be someone who was close with Cao Yuxiang who knew what
went on back then, but Han Bohan couldn’t find a single person who
genuinely knew the ins and outs.
He contacted Cao Yuxian’s friend, the one who’d given a witness statement
back then, and tried to find Cao Yuxiang’s other friends who he’d met with
when he returned from university. In the end, there was one person who,
upon seeing Shu Mian’s photo on Han Bohan’s phone, said that he’d seen
her before.
At the time, that person had been with Cao Yuxiang. He was driving his car
past the entrance of the high school Cao Yuxiang used to attend, when Cao
Yuxiang told him to slow down. He had pointed at a girl on the sidewalk
and asked, “Isn’t she pretty?” That girl was Shu Mian. Because she was too
beautiful, one look was enough to leave a deep, lasting impression.
Other than that, Han Bohan couldn’t find further evidence. It was possible
that Cao Yuxiang would have something in his possession, but it was
practically impossible to approach the Cao family. At that time, as the case
was already concluded, the police officer who’d been in charge of it no
longer had the least bit of interest in anything related to the investigation, so
he rejected Han Bohan with a few brief words.
Since there was no way to investigate Cao Yuxiang’s home, then he could
only start with Shu Mian.
Han Bohan always felt that he might’ve made a mistake. If he’d truly been
mistaken, then whatever the case, he had to set things right, even if he ends
up losing his job.
In the meantime, Han Bohan brought Sun Yao and Sun Xunyan to the
hospital to have her examined by his classmate.
This scene was filmed at a real hospital, but they shot it in the middle of the
night, when there were no longer any outpatients.
These days, Han Bohan looked haggard, so when the makeup artist did Xia
Xingcheng’s makeup, she specially emphasized the shadows under his eyes,
and his lips were also pale. As filming entered summer, no day went by
without excessive amounts of sweating. His appetite wasn’t the best either,
so Xia Xingcheng grew thinner with each passing day. His whole being
conformed with Han Bohan’s.
Before filming, he walked back and forth in the hospital corridor, a trace of
sweetness leftover in his mouth from the candy Yang Youming had fed him
a moment ago. At this time, the candy had already completely melted in his
mouth, and when the last of the sweetness finally faded, Xia Xingcheng
immersed himself in his character’s state of mind.
Han Bohan and Sun Yao stood in the corridor, waiting for Sun Xunyan’s
examination.
Sun Yao’s hands were crossed on his chest, looking tense and visibly
restless.
Han Bohan was in civilian clothing—a hooded tee and jeans that made him
seem young. He sat on a bench in the corridor, his legs stretched out,
leaning back against the wall. “Are Shu Mian and Xiao Yan close?”
Sun Yao calmly turned to face him. “They are.”
Han Bohan then asked, “Does Xiao Yan like her?”
This time, Sun Yao didn’t speak.
Han Bohan tilted his head slightly so it rested on the wall. “There’s no way
that Xiao Yan liked Cao Yuxiang, right?”
Sun Yao’s tone was frosty and tinted with hatred. “Of course, it’s
impossible.”
“Then how do you think Xiao Yan actually fell back then?” Han Bohan
asked in a quiet voice.
Sun Yao’s eyes pierced through Han Bohan’s. “Xiao Yan was forced by him
to jump. She didn’t want to be touched by him.”
Han Bohan appeared as if he was lost in thought. “Then after so long, Cao
Yuxiang saw Xiao Yan once again, still hadn’t given up, and he climbed
through your window to lay his hands on her again.”
This was Han Bohan’s initial conjecture. He believed that this whole
incident ought to have panned out like this. Afterwards, Sun Yao killed Cao
Yuxiang out of self-defense. So what part did Shu Mian play?
Han Bohan asked Sun Yao, “You’ve always believed that Cao Yuxiang
harmed Xiao Yan for so long, yet you’ve never thought of getting
revenge?”
Sun Yao coldly asked, “What could I do? I told the police from the get-go. I
wanted to find Cao Yuxiang but there was nothing I could do. Xiao Yan was
alone at the hospital. She couldn’t be without me for a second—what was I
supposed to do? Prosecutor, teach me, how do I take revenge?”
Han Bohan looked at Sun Yao, and said, “I’m sorry.”
Sun Yao didn’t continue speaking. He turned away and looked towards the
tightly closed doors of the examination room. After a long while, he didn’t
hear another word come out of Han Bohan’s mouth. When he turned his
head, he found that Han Bohan was asleep.
The skin under Han Bohan’s eyes had traces of black and blue. His face was
gaunt, his lips pale. The hand that hung over his lap showed prominent
wrist bones. He was truly beaten.
Sun Yao noiselessly walked up to Han Bohan. Lowering his head, he gazed
at Han Bohan for a long time, his face containing a hint of frostiness.
Eventually, he merely turned and sat down next to Han Bohan. He bent
down and buried his face in his palms.
At this time, He Zheng called for a stop.

Yang Youming straightened up, yet he found that, next to him, Xia
Xingcheng hadn’t opened his eyes at all. Instead, his head lolled to the side
and fell onto Yang Youming’s shoulder.
Hua Hua ran over, asking in astonishment, “Is he really asleep?”
Yang Youming turned his head to look at him and nodded. “He’s been too
exhausted from filming these days.”
Recently, the filming schedule had been tighter than it was before. Xia
Xingcheng and Yang Youming both lacked sleep, but Yang Youming had it
slightly better, while Xia Xingcheng was often sleepy.
When a crew member bumped the equipment they were carrying against the
wall, it let out a loud noise, and Xia Xingcheng woke up with a jolt. He
lifted his head and couldn’t remember where he was for a moment. He
turned around to look at Yang Youming, initially blanking out for a second
before he realized that he wasn’t in the play. He heaved a sigh of relief and
said, “It turns out I fell asleep.”
Yang Youming said to him, “Go sleep in the car.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. He turned to find He Zheng and shouted, “Was that
okay?”
He Zheng didn’t lift his head, only giving them a thumbs-up.
When Xia Xingcheng rose to leave, he saw Song Yanyan in a nightgown

squatting in a corner, typing away on her phone. He walked over to ask her
what she was writing.
Song Yanyan promptly hid her phone away. She looked at him and said,
“Not showing you.”
Xia Xingcheng turned away and walked towards the elevator. When he
looked back, he saw Song Yanyan with her head down again, both hands
typing rapidly, making a weird grin as she wrote something.
Sleepy, he yawned and waited for the elevator to come down.

When Xia Xingcheng returned to his nanny car, he grabbed Yang
Youming’s coat in passing, draped it over his head, and fell into a deep
sleep. He didn’t have that long to sleep as they would be starting a new day
of filming at dawn.
When he woke up, he heard Yang Youming speaking next to him. He lay
there, motionless, wanting to hear what Yang Youming was saying, but
Yang Youming only said ‘Mm’ and ‘Okay’ before hanging up.
Xia Xingcheng lifted the coat covering his head away and asked, “Who
were you calling?”
Yang Youming was sitting by his leg. He leaned over and rubbed Xia
Xingcheng’s head, and said, “Sleep a little longer.”
After they changed the filming location, Xia Xingcheng saw Ling Jiayue
with Ren Keting at her side. Upon spotting Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming, Ling Jiayue averted her gaze, yet Ren Keting calmly walked over
to greet them. She said she had gotten in touch with a school overseas for
Ling Jiayue, and that she would send her abroad when shooting wrapped up
next month. She wouldn’t be participating in the following promotional
activities, including the film awards.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t know what to say, so he only greeted her before
leaving in a hurry.
The next scene they filmed was a location scene where Han Bohan and Shu
Mian went on a date. On Saturday morning, Shu Mian had make-up classes,
so Han Bohan drove to her school to pick her up at the entrance at noon.
As it was currently summer vacation, the students coming and going

through the school gates were all extras the school had invited. Xia
Xingcheng was highly popular among this group of high schoolers, and his
every appearance would cause an uproar. The school teachers were the one
tasked to keep control of things.
Xia Xingcheng was wearing a short-sleeved linen T-shirt and black pants.
He opened the car door and, when he extended a leg and stepped on the
ground, it seemed long and straight, somewhat titillating and sexy.
Han Bohan had gone to find Shu Mian on his own accord. Since the night
Shu Mian had taken that cake to Sun Yao’s place, Han Bohan had never
gone to see her, and they hadn’t been in touch.
That day, Han Bohan intentionally waited for her to finish her class. He saw
Shu Mian with two girls in their school uniforms walking out of the school,
and immediately pushed the door and got out.
Shu Mian spotted him, stopped in her tracks, then made her way over to
Han Bohan. “I thought you were angry.”
Han Bohan said, “Wasn’t that you?”
Shu Mian glanced at his car. Upon seeing that no one was inside, she said,
“Were you waiting for me?”
Han Bohan hummed. “Let’s have lunch.”
Shu Mian suddenly took a step forward and hugged him, standing on her
tiptoes to press a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Han Bohan was slightly
startled. Before he could react, Shu Mian had already moved away from his
lips, turning back and smiling at her two female classmates while waving at
them. She said, “My boyfriend came to pick me up.”
Han Bohan felt a little averse hearing the word ‘boyfriend’. He never
considered himself Shu Mian’s boyfriend from the beginning; he had no
idea how to deal with a highschooler for a girlfriend. Now, it was even
more unacceptable, considering how this high school girl might be involved
in an intentional homicide case.
Without changing his expression, he drove away with Shu Mian and asked
her, “Do you need to call your family?”
Shu Mian seemed to be in a good mood—she was humming a song. “No, I

don’t usually eat at home.”
Han Bohan glanced at her. “Who else is home?”

Shu Mian looked back at him, the corners of her mouths slightly raised the
whole time. “My grandma.”
“Just your grandma?” Han Bohan asked.
Shu Mian let out a soft ‘Mm’. “Just grandma.”
Han Bohan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He felt his palms
slightly dampened by sweat. Licking his dry lips, he said, “We’ll get
something to eat then pay a visit to your grandma, okay?”
Shu Mian looked at him, and her smile suddenly grew more noticeable. She
said, “Okay, grandma would definitely love it.”
Han Bohan took Shu Mian to buy a few cooked dishes and fruit then drove
her home. It was his first time visiting Shu Mian’s house. The surroundings
were better than he’d imagined, and it was a pretty decent neighbourhood.
They took the elevator upstairs and got out on the third floor. Shu Mian
walked ahead of him and unlocked a door to the left of the elevator.
It was a three bedroom apartment with a living room. Shu Mian’s parents
were overseas, and she lived with her grandma. Her grandma was very old;
she had poor eyesight and she seemed a little out of it.
Han Bohan poured the cooked dishes he’d bought into bowls and ate with
them. In reality, he didn’t eat a grain of rice nor drink any water, he merely
ate the dishes and fruit he’d bought.
After eating, Shu Mian helped her grandma wash the dishes and told Han
Bohan to wait for her in her bedroom.
Shu Mian’s bedroom was an ordinary girl’s bedroom—there was nothing

special about it. The walls were white, her bedsheets had a yellow cartoon
duck pattern, and she had floral curtains. There was a desk in her room with
a neat and orderly row of university entrance exam exercise books on top.
Han Bohan heard the sound of water from the kitchen. He opened a drawer
and saw that the contents inside were also neatly arranged. There was
nothing unusual at a glance. He also perused the bookcase next to the desk;
there was no time to examine it carefully, but as he scanned through the
rows of textbooks and exercise books, there was something sandwiched in
one of the books.
He took the book out and opened it to see a photograph. It was a group
photo of Shu Mian, Sun Yao, and Sun Xunyan. It seemed to have been
taken at a park or somewhere else; Sun Yao had a hand wrapped around
Sun Xunyan’s shoulders, while Shu Mian was standing next to Sun Xunyan
with her hands behind her back. There was actually nothing special about it,
but Han Bohan had this incessant, unpleasant feeling in his heart.
He placed the photo between the pages of the book, then placed the book
back on the shelf. He felt that he probably wouldn’t be able to find anything
here—Shu Mian would never leave anything related to Cao Yuxiang lying
around.
Perhaps, this case might really be taken to the grave. Even if Han Bohan
handed the evidence he currently had on hand to the police, he feared that it
would be of no use—it wasn’t enough for the police to reopen the case.
At that moment, the door was locked with a ‘click’.
Han Bohan immediately whirled around, only to see Shu Mian standing in
front of the closed door, facing him. He opened his mouth but nothing came
out.
All of a sudden, Shu Mian raised a hand to the zipper of her school uniform,
then pulled down the zipper little by little. Underneath, she was only
wearing a skintight, short-sleeved T-shirt. After she took off her uniform,
she grabbed at the hem of her T-shirt and took it off completely.
No beautiful thoughts crossed Han Bohan’s mind whatsoever. A layer of

sweat broke out on his forehead, and as Shu Mian undressed, he asked,
“What are you doing?”
Shu Mian bent down to take off her pants. Her movements stilled for a bit,
and she looked at Han Bohan, sounding puzzled as she said, “Don’t you
want to have sex?”
Han Bohan sounded somewhat stern. “How old are you?”
Shu Mian blinked. “I’ve turned eighteen.” As she said so, she slowly
approached Han Bohan.
Han Bohan shook his head. “Put your clothes on, I won’t do anything with
you.”
As soon as he said that, he heard a knock on the door.
Shu Mian and Han Bohan turned to the locked door at the same time. Shu
Mian shouted, “What is it, grandma?”
Yet Sun Yao’s deep voice pierced through the door. “Open the door! It’s
me!”
Han Bohan saw that Shu Mian was clearly a little stunned. He didn’t know
why, but he felt relieved at the sound of Sun Yao’s voice. He was reluctant
to continue staying in a room with a shirtless Shu Mian, so he thoughtlessly
walked over to open the door.
Just as Han Bohan unlocked the door, he suddenly received a heavy blow to
the back of his head, and his vision swam. But right then, the door had
already opened, and Sun Yao’s tall figure appeared before him, although his
face had gone blurry.
Sun Yao lifted a hand to support Han Bohan and roared at Shu Mian, “Are
you crazy?!”
Han Bohan hadn’t wholly passed out. He was only dizzy for several
moments, cold sweat continued to flow down his forehead. He registered
Shu Mian’s calm voice ringing out behind him: “He already knows that we
intentionally lured Cao Yuxiang over and killed him. If you don’t kill him,
he’ll put you in jail, and after that, there’ll be no one to take care of Xiao
Yan anymore.”
Right then, Han Bohan felt the hand Sun Yao was holding him with
suddenly tightening. He realised that Shu Mian had truly intended to kill
him since the beginning, and he also realised that this time— he might not
be able to escape.
☆☆☆
thank you to Vkngbd for the kofi! ❤
t/n – ty sofia for the editing help! i tled this super long chapter in a day and would probably cry if i
had to edit on top of that
also! small easter egg that i completely forgot to mention 20 chapters ago: han bohan and sun yao’s
names are a nudge(?) at jingangquan’s old (now locked) novel that was posted on jjwxc titled ‘保持
沉默’ (eng. remain silent). the MC and ML in that novel has the same han and sun family name, and
one of them is a prosecutor too! the plots are completely different tho~
Han Bohan knew that he was being carried by Sun Yao. His vision was
hazy, and he vaguely felt blood oozing out of the place where he’d been
bludgeoned. Compared to the pain on his head though, he was more
concerned about the situation at hand. This caused his breathing to speed
up, and he subconsciously tried to grab Sun Yao’s arm, yet he didn’t have
the strength to.
Sun Yao carried Han Bohan to Shu Mian’s bed, propping his neck up to
check the wound on his head. “Get something to stop the bleeding,” he said
to Shu Mian.
Shu Mian took a step forward. “You still want to save him?” Her tone was
filled with naive incredulity.
Sun Yao touched the wound on Han Bohan’s head. Upon finding that it
wasn’t bleeding heavily, he clamped Han Bohan’s jaw, calling his name,
“Han Bohan?”
Han Bohan couldn’t answer. He was very dizzy, and his whole face was
drenched in cold sweat.
Shu Mian said, “He’ll arrest you and get you locked up.”
Sun Yao sounded calm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t
break the law.”
Shu Mian walked to the bed and lowered her head to look at Han Bohan,
saying, “He’s already found evidence.”
Sun Yao suddenly jerked his hand towards Shu Mian, wanting to grab her
lapels, but the only pieces of clothing left on Shu Mian were her
undergarments. Sun Yao retracted his hand and said, “Go put some clothes
on.”
Shu Mian slightly retreated. She stooped to pick up the clothes on the floor,
and said in a soft voice, “You shouldn’t have come. So long as he touches
me, I’ll report him for rape. I haven’t turned eighteen yet.”
Han Bohan was in pain. He opened his mouth, yet all that came out was a
gasp.
Sun Yao was also panting. He looked at Han Bohan, seeming like he’d
landed in a predicament.
Shu Mian said, “Give up, okay? He’s been investigating us since the
beginning. Do you think that he’ll believe you now?”
Sun Yao’s tone was chilly. “You shouldn’t have approached him.”
Shu Mian put her clothes back on, her school uniform carefully zipped up.
“He was the one who came to my school to investigate me first. He keeps
showing up around you too.” She walked over to Sun Yao’s side, grabbed
his arm, and shook it. “Kill him. There’s no going back!”
Upon hearing the trace of eager excitement in her voice, Han Bohan
immediately felt a chill run through his entire body.
Sun Yao’s breathing slowly settled down. “If we kill him, we won’t be able
to run.”
Shu Mian leaned into his ear and whispered, “We’re the only ones here. I’ll
just say that he was going to rape me and you rushed over to save me.”
Sun Yao looked at her. “The police won’t believe it. There aren’t that many
coincidences in the world. This will be linked to Cao Yuxiang’s incident.”
Shu Mian said, “Let him really rape me.”
Sun Yao could hardly conceal the anger in his tone. “He’s dying, he can’t
rape you!”
Shu Mian let go of Sun Yao’s hand. “Why are you mad?”
Sun Yao didn’t answer. He was forced into a corner, and now, there was no
escaping it whether Han Bohan ended up dead or alive. He looked at Han
Bohan, at his pained, unfocused gaze, and reached for his neck. If Han
Bohan died, then maybe he could still buy some time to take his daughter
and flee.
Seeing his hands around Han Bohan’s neck, she said in his ear, “There’s no
surveillance in the corridor and the elevator. The CCTV at the stairway exit
doesn’t work anymore. Earlier, I got him to park his car near the stairs,
exactly where the blindspot is. We can put him inside his car. You can wear
his clothes and take the elevator down to the parking lot. Try not to let your
face show. After that, you can drive his car and send him off.”
Sun Yao’s hand was already touching Han Bohan’s tender throat. His voice
was steady as he asked, “Where can I take him?”
Shu Mian said, “There’s no surveillance in the countryside. Drive the man
and his car into a river, and every trace you leave will be washed away by
the water.”
Sun Yao didn’t speak. He didn’t believe that he could truly evade police
investigation, but he might still have time to take Sun Xunyan away.
Han Bohan felt Sun Yao’s hands begin to tighten. He took a big gulp of air,
and with the last of his energy, he pressed on the back of Sun Yao’s hand,
voice barely above a whisper as he called out, “Sun Yao…”
His fingers were limp and ice-cold, yet Sun Yao’s hands visibly trembled.
Han Bohan’s eyes went black—he lost all his remaining consciousness.
For a split second, Han Bohan thought that he was going to die, but he
regained his consciousness in the end. When he opened his eyes, he found
that his vision was still hazy, and the only thing he could be sure of was that
he was currently lying in an unfamiliar place. He tried to get up, only to
find that the slightest movement made his head spin.
Someone appeared at his side, blocking off the light. A strong palm gently
propped his head up before feeding hot water to his lips.
Han Bohan didn’t swallow the water. His voice was hoarse as he called out,
“Sun Yao.”
Sun Yao’s tone was level. He calmly said, “Drink some water. You’re not
bleeding anymore.”
Han Bohan said, “But I can barely see a thing.”
Sun Yao didn’t say another word. He patiently fed the water to Han Bohan’s
mouth bit by bit—until Han Bohan choked, turning his face to let out
several violent coughs.
Each cough aggravated the pain on his head. The corners of his eyes slowly
grew wet with tears. It wasn’t from pain nor grief, but physiological tears.
Sun Yao watched him, and after a moment, he said, “When I take Xiao Yan
away, I’ll call for an ambulance to get you.”
Gasping, Han Bohan said, “Turn yourself in. You can’t bring Xiao Yan
anywhere.”
Sun Yao was indifferent, as if he was discussing someone else’s affairs.

“Then what would Xiao Yan do? If I go to jail, what would happen to Xiao
Yan?”
Han Bohan asked him, “Where is she?”
Sun Yao said, “In this room.”
Han Bohan inhaled heavily. “My classmate said there’s a chance of her
waking up. She needs better living conditions and medical treatment. Don’t
harm her.”
Sun Yao fell silent again. Not hearing an answer, Han Bohan grew
somewhat anxious. He groped about for Sun Yao’s hand, but Sun Yao
swiftly drew his hand back.
After a while, Sun Yao covered his face, his voice muffled and hoarse.
“Xiao Yan can’t live without me.”
Han Bohan said, “Why did you have to kill Cao Yuxiang? You know that
it’ll always come to this.”
Sun Yao didn’t answer.
Han Bohan could feel Sun Yao’s eyes on his face the whole time. Things
had come to this point; if Sun Yao didn’t want to go to jail, his only way out
was just as Shu Mian had mentioned before—he had to kill Han Bohan. He
knew that Sun Yao hadn’t lifted a finger yet, that he’d been struggling with
his own conscience the whole time.
Sun Yao was like a trapped beast who’d met a dead end. All around him
were deadly traps; there was no path he could take.
Han Bohan wanted to ask him where Shu Mian was, to ask him whether he
knew that the one Cao Yuxiang liked was Shu Mian, whether he knew how
Sun Xunyan actually fell off that building that night, but suddenly, he also
sensed Sun Yao’s desperation—more desperate than he’d been in the past.
At that moment, what flitted across Han Bohan’s mind was: if Sun Yao
really went to prison, what would become of Sun Xunyan?
“Or you can kill me,” Han Bohan said, “but even if you kill me, the ending
will stay the same.” Sun Yao’s fingers on his face spread open. His
breathing was heavy as he said, “What’s going to happen to Xiao Yan?”
Han Bohan slowly said, “You can apply for legal aid. I’ll find social
institutions to assist her. If you turn yourself in, the court will lighten your
sentence, your jail time will be a dozen years at most. Xiao Yan is still
young—maybe by then she would’ve awoken. You can be there when she
gets married and have kids…” Han Bohan had no idea whether the things
that came out of his mouth were useful or not, but he’d already tried his
best. He didn’t reproach Sun Yao for intentionally killing Cao Yuxiang, he
merely tried to touch upon Sun Yao’s humanity. He realised that, the longer
he was conscious, the hazier his vision grew. He suspected that soon, he
wouldn’t be able to see anything at all.
They both fell silent. After a while, he heard Sun Yao getting up. He was
probably leaving to take care of Sun Xunyan.
When Sun Yao returned, Han Bohan asked, “Where are we?”
Sun Yao said, “My hometown. It’s around sixty kilometres away from the
city.”
Han Bohan shut his eyes. Opening his eyes for a long time made him dizzy.
He felt Sun Yao sitting down next to him, heard the flick of a lighter, then
smelled a cigarette. Sun Yao was smoking.
“Did you know that Cao Yuxiang liked Shu Mian?” Han Bohan asked.
Sun Yao’s gaze was vacant. He said, “I did.”
Han Bohan asked, “Then why was Xiao Yan with him? Why did Xiao Yan
fall?”
Sun Yao quietly said, “Xiao Yan went to help Shu Mian reject Cao Yuxiang.
Except for him, no one else knows what happened that night.”
“What about Shu Mian?” Han Bohan asked.
Sun Yao said, “She wasn’t there.”
Han Bohan asked, “Why didn’t you tell the police?”
Sun Yao’s tone was apathetic. “I did. The police didn’t believe me. They
thought I was putting the blame on the Cao family and wanted money.”
Han Bohan said, “So you conspired with Shu Mian to lead Cao Yuxiang to
your house, then killed him?”
Han Bohan continued, “I believed you, and this is how you treat me? My
dad is still locked up with no news, even if I don’t die, I probably won’t be
able to keep my job.”
Sun Yao was silent for a long time until he said, “I’m sorry.”
Afterwards, Han Bohan fell asleep. He should really not be sleeping in

these circumstances, but he was light-headed and in great pain from head to
toe.
When he woke up again, Han Bohan found that his surroundings were
pitch-black. He thought that it was the middle of the night at first, but then
he realised that it was too dark, and began to feel alarmed. He shouted,
“Sun Yao!”
Han Bohan raised a hand, brushing aside his dizziness and grasping at air.
Then, his wrist was suddenly caught, and Sun Yao’s voice rang out, “You
can’t see?”
The room was quiet for a beat.
Sun Yao suddenly grabbed Han Bohan’s arm and helped him up. “I’m
taking you to the hospital.”
Han Bohan’s car was parked in the yard. The surroundings were dark and
quiet.
When Sun Yao helped Han Bohan into his car, Han Bohan asked, “Where is
Xiao Yan?”
“I took her to my cousin’s place for the time being.” Sun Yao opened the
car door and helped Han Bohan into the back seat. Though it had only been
a few short steps away, it made Han Bohan dizzy, his entire face soaked
with cold sweat.
Sun Yao sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. He said, “The nearest
county hospital is more than twenty kilometres away.”
Han Bohan didn’t speak as he slumped on the seat, constantly gasping for
air.
The car drove along the narrow road of the countryside. The roads were
relatively smooth, but there was only one lane.
Han Bohan closed his eyes. All the colour was drained from his face. “I
hear water.”
The car had just turned a corner. Sun Yao glanced out the window and said,
“There’s a river on our right.” It was the main river of his hometown. The
vast surface of the water was still, and the river was more than ten metres
deep.
Han Bohan pressed his forehead onto the leather seat.
All of a sudden, Sun Yao jerked the emergency brakes.
Han Bohan couldn’t control his body from tumbling off the seats onto the
foot mat.
Without uttering a single word, Sun Yao opened the door and got out of the
car. In front of the car was Shu Mian. She was standing in the middle of the
road, clad in a dress. Her long hair was scattered loose, and one of her shoes
was busted.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Sun Yao hollered at Shu Mian.
Shu Mian grabbed his arm. “You’re leaving with Yanyan, aren’t you?”
Sun Yao didn’t answer. He asked, “How did you get here so late?”
Shu Mian said, “I took a taxi. The driver got lost and refused to keep going,
so I got off and continued on foot.”
Sun Yao shouted coldly, “Do you know how dangerous it is for a girl to be
out here like this?”
Shu Mian merely looked at Sun Yao without responding. “Don’t sneak
away with Yanyan—aren’t we a family? Don’t abandon me.”
Sun Yao’s chest heaved violently. He breathed deeply, trying to get his
emotions under control. Grabbing Shu Mian’s wrist, he dragged her to the
front passenger seat and pushed her in. Afterwards, he opened the door of
the back seat, picked Han Bohan up, and set him down on the seat.
Shu Mian clutched at the back of her seat and looked at Han Bohan. She
asked Sun Yao, “Where are you going?”
Sun Yao returned to the driver’s seat and started the car. “The hospital.”
Shu Mian said, “Don’t go, you’ll get caught.”
Sun Yao ignored her.
Shu Mian shifted closer to Sun Yao and spoke softly, “We still have a
chance. Aren’t we the only ones here? Just fabricate an accident and kill
him the way we killed Cao Yuxiang. There’s no surveillance around here,
they can’t possibly convict us.”
Sun Yao stayed silent.
Shu Mian said miserably, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have approached him.
Don’t be angry with me, don’t ignore me.”
Sun Yao opened his mouth at long last, “I’m taking him to the hospital first.
After that, I’m taking you to the public security bureau.”
Shu Mian shuddered. She asked, “What will happen to Yanyan?”
Sun Yao calmly said, “You don’t need to worry about it.”
Shu Mian burst into tears. She said, “It’s all my fault.”
Sun Yao opened the window slightly and inhaled a mouthful of the cool
night air. He said, “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. You’re not even eighteen
yet. You’re still a kid. I’m an adult—I’m the one who should shoulder the
consequences.”
Shu Mian wept bitterly. “Can we not go to the PSB? Why don’t I beg
Prosecutor Han to let us go?”
Han Bohan was barely conscious.
“Shu Mian,” Sun Yao’s voice sank. “You can’t be that naive.”
Shu Mian’s cries came to a halt. Her face was still tear-stained, and in the
darkness of the car, she looked at Sun Yao for a long time before saying,
“But I really don’t want you to go to jail.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shu Mian leaned over and scrambled for
Sun Yao’s steering wheel, and right while Sun Yao was caught off guard,
she abruptly jerked the steering wheel to the right. Sun Yao had been
rushing Han Bohan to the hospital; he had initially been speeding. In a split
second, he lost all control of the car and it veered to the right, hurtling
towards the low river bank and into the river.
The moment the car plunged into the river, Sun Yao immediately reacted by
moving to open the car door. When the water poured into the car, he kicked
the door open while simultaneously turning back to grab Shu Mian’s wrist.
He pulled her out of the car, and they swam away.
Sun Yao pushed Shu Mian towards the shore, and once she grabbed hold of
the reeds on the river bank, he turned around and swam back towards the
sinking car.
Right then, Shu Mian captured Sun Yao’s arm and yelled, “Don’t! It was an
accident! Let’s call the police!”
Sun Yao didn’t say a thing. He pushed her away and swam to the car that
was almost completely submerged. Water had already filled the entire car.
He opened the trunk and reached for Han Bohan.
Han Bohan had regained a sliver of consciousness. He had begun to

struggle, and Sun Yao could only hold him from behind, wounding his arms
under his armpits and kicking off towards the surface.
Shu Mian stood on the river bank, her entire body drenched, watching
them.
Sun Yao towed Han Bohan to shore, setting him down gently in the midst of
the reeds. He called, “Han Bohan?”
Han Bohan choked in pain.
Shu Mian had something to say, but before she could open her mouth, she
suddenly heard police sirens. Bewildered, she turned her head, then turned
back to Sun Yao. “Why?”
Sun Yao kneeled on the muddy banks. The water continued to drip down
his cheeks. Gasping for breath, he looked up at Shu Mian. “I called the
police before I left. I hope I can see Xiao Yan get married with my own
eyes one day.” With that, he lowered his head and slowly wiped away the
water on his face.
☆☆☆
thank you to Bolshv and Krissia for the kofis! ❤
t/n – ty again to sofia for the editing help~ last chapter (2 parts) left!
Ch.135.1 – The Star Around
The Sun
The scene where the car sank into the river was the final scene that Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng filmed, and Sun Yao saving Han Bohan in the
water was their last ever shot.
After this shot, all their scenes would be completed.
The filming location was by a river in the countryside. Although it was

already summer, the water at midnight chilled them to the bone.
The surface of the water was lit, but below, it was a sea of darkness. They
first had to dive before Yang Youming would then tow Xia Xingcheng up.
The currents weren’t strong, but the potential dangers couldn’t help but
worry the crew the entire time.
Fortunately, Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng were both good swimmers.
The part of the river they had chosen for the filming site wasn’t deep. Yang
Youming and Xia Xingcheng could tread on the riverbed to make their way
over to the filming spot. A car roof prop was placed in the river beside
them, giving the impression that it had almost sunk.
The first shot was a long shot.
Under the lights, Xia Xingcheng shot a glance at Yang Youming. When He
Zheng shouted for them to get ready, he took a deep breath and dived.
Yang Youming was right behind him. His arm encircled his chest, and their
bodies were plastered against each other’s.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t forget the fact that he was Han Bohan, that he was
semiconscious from a blow to the head. He instinctively rested his head on
Yang Youming’s shoulder, relying on Yang Youming’s strength to pull him
above the water.
Yet unexpectedly, Yang Youming turned Xia Xingcheng’s face and pressed
a kiss to his lips. Xia Xingcheng couldn’t hold his breath; tiny bubbles
escaped from his mouth. He opened his mouth, yet he was firmly blocked
off by Yang Youming’s lips.
Lights shone down on the river, and there were more than a dozen crew
members present. They kissed in secret, concealed by the water and nothing
else. Xia Xingcheng was on tenterhooks, and only when he felt that he was
floating upwards did Yang Youming let go of him.
By the time they resurfaced, Xia Xingcheng was gasping for air, not at all
like a man who had lost his consciousness.
He Zheng stood at the shore, and through the megaphone in his hands, he
shouted, “What’s going on? You dived for too long. Hurry it up a little next
time. Hold your breath for me, Xia Xingcheng.”
Xia Xingcheng didn’t say a word. He just looked strangely at Yang

Youming—this man would hardly ever mess with him while filming.
Yang Youming stood in the water, his body drenched from head to toe, his
thin T-shirt plastered to his body. He muttered in Xia Xingcheng’s ear, “I
have a present for you.”
Xia Xingcheng had no clue as to why he was suddenly a bundle of nerves.

He didn’t have time to ask Yang Youming what the present was, however,
as they were asked to dive underwater once more.
Yang Youming’s arms wound around him, and as they encircled Xia
Xingcheng’s chest, his fingers touched his jaw.
Xia Xingcheng didn’t dare to open his eyes underwater. Even if he did
though, he wouldn’t really be able to see anything either. He first thought
that Yang Youming was going to kiss him again, but this time, a solid object
was suddenly pressed against his lips.
Since he was entirely submerged in the ice-cold water, Xia Xingcheng had
no way to tell what it was. He only felt a solid and smooth tiny object. At
first, Yang Youming pressed it to his lips. Afterwards, it slid down his jaw
to his neck, passing the tattoo on his collarbone, then across his chest,
separated by a flimsy wet shirt, making his heart race fiercely. From his left
shoulder, it then slid down his arm.
Yang Youming took Xia Xingcheng’s left hand, lifted it up in the water, and
with his other hand, he sought out the tip of Xia Xingcheng’s ring finger
and slipped that small object that had travelled along Xia Xingcheng’s body
on until it was snug against his knuckle.
Xia Xingcheng’s heart was in complete shambles. When he sensed Yang

Youming wrapping his arms around him and kicking upwards, he recalled
that he was supposed to be acting just a second before they resurfaced and
closed his eyes, resting his head on Yang Youming’s shoulder.
His ring-adorned hand dangled at his side, hidden below the water’s
surface, firmly clenched into a fist.
The assistant director whispered to He Zheng, “They took too long

underwater again, but we can trim the beginning of the shot.”
He Zheng’s face betrayed nothing. He only watched the playback monitor

for a while before letting out a chuckle. He picked up the megaphone and
yelled, “Good. Adjust the cameras for close-ups, we’ll wrap up after this
scene!”
Several months of filming was finally over.
Xia Xingcheng stood at the shore. As he turned his head and stared at the
river, what filled his mind wasn’t the poignant emotions from the last few
months of filming, but instead the thought of Yang Youming’s steadily
gentle touch as he slipped a ring on him, along with the violent thumping of
his heart.
Hua Hua brought him a large towel and draped it across his shoulders.
Xia Xingcheng suddenly spun around and ran towards the nanny car parked
on the side of the road.
The car was Yang Youming’s, and at present, there was only Yang Youming
inside changing his clothes. Xia Xingcheng opened the car door, nimbly
leapt in, closed the door behind him, and threw himself into Yang
Youming’s arms.
Yang Youming had already taken off his wet clothes and dried his body
with a towel. With Xia Xingcheng throwing his sopping wet body into his
arms, there was nothing he could do but open up his arms and embrace Xia
Xingcheng, his body tilting backwards on the seat.
Xia Xingcheng hugged him tightly, bracketing his waist with his legs. His
voice was cloying yet hoarse as he said, “Isn’t there something you’d like to
say to me?”
Yang Youming whispered against his ear, “Do you want to get married?”
Xia Xingcheng cried. He was rendered speechless for a long time and could
only bring himself to nod fiercely. Yang Youming gently patted his back the
whole time, calming him down.
When Xia Xingcheng calmed down a little at last, he raised his head from
Yang Youming’s shoulder, gazed at him for a moment, then lowered his
gaze to the ring around his finger. This was the first time he caught a clear
glimpse at it. It was a simple and stylish platinum men’s ring, inlaid with
elaborate fine diamonds, pretty but not excessive.
Yang Youming unbuttoned Xia Xingcheng’s wet shirt and said, “This is an
engagement ring. There’s another pair. I’ll put it on for you at our
wedding.”
Xia Xingcheng obediently let Yang Youming help undress him. Eyes
shining, he asked, “Why now?”
Yang Youming stripped the wet shirt off his body, unbuttoned his pants, and
patted his ass, gesturing for him to lift it up so he could take off his pants as
well. All the while, he said, “I wanted to put the ring on you before we
finish filming. I know you’ve worked hard on this movie. I hope that when
you look back on the scenes that we shot together, the last thing you
remember isn’t your character’s pain, but the ring I put on you with my own
hands.”
Xia Xingcheng froze. By the time every piece of wet clothing on his body
was finally off, he couldn’t stop his tears from falling. He hugged Yang
Youming and refused to let go.
From Fang Jianyuan to Han Bohan—their lives were engraved in his

memory scene by scene. Those they had loved, the pain they had suffered,
all of it was eased away by Yang Youming’s hands at that instant. Going
forward, the most profound memory that would remain in his mind would
forever be the ring that Yang Youming put on for him with his own hands.
Yang Youming covered his head with the towel and rubbed his wet hair. As
he did so, he said, “Why are you still crying?”
Xia Xingcheng had lived for over twenty years not knowing that he could
shed so much tears. He knew that he must’ve seemed silly for crying, but
he couldn’t stop. “I love you so much.”
“I know,” Yang Youming replied, “I love you too.”
After he exhausted himself from crying, Xia Xingcheng sat on Yang

Youming’s lap. His head rested on Yang Youming’s shoulder, eyes red and
swollen, feeling as if all his strength had escaped his body.
Outside, Hua Hua lightly knocked on the car window and said that she had
brought Xia Xingcheng a change of clothes.
Yang Youming lowered his head and asked Xia Xingcheng, “Want to get
your clothes?”
Xia Xingcheng answered hoarsely, “No.”

Yang Youming chuckled. “Okay.”
Xia Xingcheng fumbled about, sought out Yang Youming’s hand, and
intertwined their fingers. The ring was wedged between their fingers, the
fine diamonds twinkling, reflecting the radiant fireworks blooming within
Xia Xingcheng’s heart at this very moment.
The movie ended with Han Bohan recovering his eyesight after medical
treatment, and Sun Yao and Shu Mian assuming the legal responsibility
they deserve for the crimes they had committed.
Han Bohan attended Han Zhang’s hearing, and he personally witnessed the
man being sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption and bribery, while
he himself voluntarily resigned from his post as a prosecutor, staying in the
procuratorate as an ordinary assistant prosecutor.
Sun Xunyan received legal aid and was admitted to a sanatorium. Han
Bohan visited her and talked about her dad’s current situation. Sun
Xunyan’s eyes were closed as she lay in bed, and after Han Bohan finished
talking, her thin, pale fingers twitched faintly. The movie thus ended.
This ending was slightly inconsistent with the ending of the original novel,
but Xia Xingcheng preferred this one. He believed that humans are
inherently good—no matter how cold and tough someone is on the outside,
they would always have a soft spot, deep down, so long as you could reach
it.
After ‘The Trap’ wrapped up, Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng took some
time off. Since they lived together for the entire duration of filming, there
was naturally a lack of that fresh feeling of reuniting after a long separation.
Nevertheless, Xia Xingcheng wanted to stick to Yang Youming at all times,
never getting enough of him.
However, what Xia Xingcheng was looking forward to the most at present
was holding his and Yang Youming’s wedding.
Although it couldn’t be recognized by the law, Xia Xingcheng wanted a

ceremony. After this ceremony—whether it was Xia Xingcheng or Yang
Youming—they would be well and truly married, hand in hand, till death
does them apart.
But before that, Xia Xingcheng had to face the most difficult hurdle of all—
he wanted to invite his parents to their wedding.
While Yang Youming prepared lunch in the kitchen, Xia Xingcheng paced
back and forth restlessly. A while later, he walked over to Yang Youming
and hugged his waist, and said, “I’m so nervous.”
“You don’t need to be nervous,” Yang Youming stopped cutting the

vegetables. “Parents—they always want the best for you, they want you to
be happy. They’ll soften up with time.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I already know that they won’t do anything to me.
I’m just worried they’ll give you a hard time.”
Yang Youming said, “I deserve it. Who wouldn’t be angry if the silly son
they brought up ran off with me.”
Xia Xingcheng bit his shoulder from behind, not refuting the ‘silly son’
label. He said “My parents aren’t like my brother. They definitely won’t do
anything to you.”
Yang Youming chuckled. “It’s all right, I can take it. After all, I could take
your brother’s beating too.”
Hearing these words from his mouth made Xia Xingcheng feel distressed.
He hugged him for a long time, refusing to let go. Their lunch was also
delayed.
This was the second time Yang Youming went home with Xia Xingcheng.
What happened the last time around left a shadow in Xia Xingcheng’s
mind, and that lingering fear was still following him today.
Before they set off, he repeatedly said to Yang Youming, “You can’t leave
early and abandon me.”
Yang Youming was packing their bags in the cloakroom, squatting on the
floor and packing a change of clothes for the both of them. He packed them
into the same suitcase while placating Xia Xingcheng’s anxiety, “I won’t
leave.”
Xia Xingcheng walked to his side and sat down, legs crossed. “Promise
me.”
Yang Youming stopped packing, pressing a hand to his chest. “I promise. I

swear I’ll never leave you.”
Xia Xingcheng reflected for a moment before saying, “If they’re too much
though, you’d better leave. But you have to take me with you.”
Yang Youming smiled at his words, held his hand, and said, “Of course I’m
taking you with me. We’re still getting married—in the future, wherever I
go, I’ll always take you with me.”
The last time Yang Youming came home with Xia Xingcheng, it was winter,
yet this time, it was a blistering hot summer.
Just like last time, Xia Ye came to pick them up, but there was something
slightly different about him—Xia Ye’s attitude was a lot more
accommodating than before.
Xia Xingcheng had called him about the wedding beforehand. On the other
end, Xia Ye had frozen up for a long time before he eventually said, “I
honestly never expected this.”
Many things were beyond his expectation. The way he saw, it was
practically impossible for them to wind up together, let alone decide on
getting married. He was no longer angry. His pointless fury had long since
dissipated the moment he’d laid a hit on Yang Youming, and later on, Fang
Ying had told him: If Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng really could last to
the end, then it was a blessing. Xia Ye hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he
gradually began to accept it.
On the way home, Xia Xingcheng slept on Yang Youming’s shoulder.

Xia Ye peeked at them from the rearview mirror and saw Yang Youming
propping up Xia Xingcheng’s head so he could sleep a little better.
When Yang Youming looked up, he accidentally met Xia Ye’s eyes in the
rearview mirror. He smiled, and softly said, “He’s nervous. He didn’t sleep
well last night.”
Xia Ye said, “I gave my parents a heads-up.”
Yang Youming slightly nodded. After a moment, he said, “Thank you.”
Xia Ye said, “I don’t want Xingcheng to be too upset.”
Yang Youming glanced down at Xia Xingcheng. A beat later, he said, “We
can’t avoid going through this process. But everything will be fine in the
end.”
The certainty in his voice held a wondrous power to ease the heart.
Xia Ye sighed in silence. With a rare bit of calmness, he said, “I hope so.”
“Ming ge,” Xia Xingcheng, who had woken up at some point, called out
softly. His head hadn’t moved an inch from where it rested on Yang
Youming’s shoulder.
Yang Youming responded, “Mm?”
Xia Ye couldn’t help spying at them through the rearview mirror and saw
Xia Xingcheng holding his left hand up, admiring the ring on his hand, his
full attention on the ring, looking happy.
The sunlight shone through the car window, and the fine diamonds on the
ring dazzled with light.
At that moment, the tough guy Xia Ye was inexplicably moved. He didn’t
even know why, but he felt that it was quite a nice feeling.
Immediately after, Xia Xingcheng took hold of Yang Youming’s hand, his
fingertips rubbing the calluses on his palm. Suddenly, with a soft voice that
seemed to contain a hint of flirtation, he called out, “Husband?” The
moment the word left his mouth, Xia Xingcheng buried his head in Yang
Youming’s arms in shame, wondering if he wasn’t fully awake yet. While
mortified, he laughed.
Yang Youming hugged him, leaning in and whispering in his ear, “What did
you call me?”
Xia Xingcheng shook his head.
Yang Youming lips were practically glued to Xia Xingcheng’s ear. He

firmly gripped Xia Xingcheng’s wrist with one hand, unyielding yet
coaxing him gently, “Say it again.”
Xia Xingcheng kept mum. He refused to lift his head and show his face
until the end.
Xia Ye was driving. His forehead throbbed. He decided to revoke whatever

emotions he’d felt just then.
When he found himself hearing Xia Xingcheng say the word ‘husband’, the
first thing that crossed his mind was to haul Xia Xingcheng out of the car
and give him a beating. This little brother of his was damn hopeless!
☆☆☆
t/n – edited by sofia ❤ they’re getting married!!
Ch.135.2 (END) – The Star Around
The Sun
The car stopped in front of the Xia family villa. When Xia Xingcheng got
out of the car and saw that only his sister-in-law was standing at the
doorway to greet them, he became even more uneasy.
Xia Ye helped Yang Youming unload their luggage.
Smiling, Fang Ying embraced Xia Xingcheng, then whispered, “I told Mom
and Dad that you’d be coming home with Yang Youming. Mom didn’t say
anything, but Dad’s reaction seemed a bit off.”
Xia Xingcheng forced out a smile. He nodded and said that he understood
before slipping past Fang Ying and directly entering the house.
Mama Xia stood at the kitchen doorway in an apron. “Xingcheng’s home?”

she asked as she wiped her hand on her apron.
Papa Xia was seated on the sofa. On the coffee table in front of him was a
piping hot thermos mug. As he raised his head and looked at Xia
Xingcheng, he had a solemn expression on his face. “What brought you
back today? What exactly do you want to tell us?”
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath. He’d already made up his mind. “Dad,
Mom, I’m getting married,” he announced.
Mama Xia walked over in a hurry, still wiping her hands without thinking.
“Why are you bringing up marriage so suddenly?”
Papa Xia was still unfazed. He said, “Who are you marrying? You haven’t
even brought that young lady over to meet us, yet you intend to marry her
right away?”
Yang Youming, who had already stepped into the living room by then,
piped up, “Uncle, Auntie, Xingcheng is getting married to me.”
Papa Xia’s face fell, as if he’d been humiliated. His chest rose and fell
violently with every breath he took.
Mama Xia, on the other hand, appeared perplexed, looking at Papa Xia
without uttering a single word.
Papa Xia rose to his feet. He didn’t even spare a glance at Yang Youming
before bellowing angrily at Xia Xingcheng, “What kind of marriage is
this?! You’re marrying a man?!”
Fang Ying and Xia Ye stood by the door. The husband and wife pair shared
a glance. They had already anticipated this situation, but they had no idea
how they should go about it.
Yang Youming approached Xia Xingcheng from behind and held his arm.
He asked in earnest, “Uncle, don’t be mad at Xingcheng. Can you please
listen to what we have to say?”
Papa Xia looked his way, and there was no trace of politeness in his voice
as he said, “Mr. Yang, my scolding my son is none of your business.”
Xia Xingcheng turned to look at Yang Youming. The man seemed like he
had something to say, but he bit back his words. Yang Youming then patted
Xia Xingcheng’s arm, signaling for him to listen.
After all, it was important for the old man to be able to vent some of that
anger first. Otherwise that anger would only smolder even more.
Papa Xia pointed at Xia Xingcheng and said, “I shouldn’t have allowed you
to film and become a celebrity! That rotten cesspool of an industry, what a
total mess! You’ve turned yourself into a sissy!”
When he heard his dad’s words, Xia Xingcheng didn’t feel the least bit
angry. In fact, his heart would feel minutely better if his parents’ reaction
was merely outrage—far better than if they had shed heartbroken tears. He
bowed his head at the tongue-lashing, and in the end, in a whisper, all he
said was, “I’m not a sissy.”
Papa Xia roared, “Why are you marrying a man if you aren’t a sissy?!
Didn’t you have girlfriends before? You grew up normal, why did you turn
out like this?”
After saying that, the old man covered his chest and began wheezing,
scaring the entire family into action. They flocked towards him and settled
him down on the sofa, patting his chest and handing him a glass of water.
Mama Xia was anxious. “Calm down, think of your health.”
Papa Xia downed several mouthfuls of warm water and eventually calmed
down a little. He turned away, refusing to look at Xia Xingcheng who was
half-kneeling in front of him.
They had Xia Xingcheng quite late in life. He grew up spoiled, and as an
adult, he hadn’t given them the slightest grievance. While Xia Ye had often
been beaten, if it were Xia Xingcheng in front of him, Papa Xia hesitated to
lift even a finger.
In his eyes, Xia Xingcheng was still a child. He was furious—furious that
Xia Xingcheng had been led astray by someone in the entertainment
industry, but he couldn’t curse at Yang Youming in any way. He had no
choice but to chastise his own son. The old man grew up in a conservative
family; these ideas didn’t exist in his mind, and he had never bothered to
understand them—all he knew was that men didn’t belong with men, that
they couldn’t get married, and that they couldn’t have children.
Papa Xia gradually regained his composure after being surrounded by his
family, who temporarily calmed him, but he was struck by a gloomy mood.
“Can you think it over and not rush to get married?” he asked.
Still half-kneeling in front of his dad, Xia Xingcheng looked up and gripped
the man’s hand, saying, “I’ve never been happier. Dad. I’m scared that if I
leave Ming ge, I’ll never be happy again for the rest of my life. We’ve
already set a date for the wedding and booked the venue. We’ll hold the
wedding regardless of whether you and Mom attend. But I hope you will. I
adore you and Mom so much, and I want you all to know how happy I
am.”
Despite that, the Xia family ended up parting on bad terms that day.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng weren’t in a hurry to leave. That night,
they stayed at a hotel.
Xia Xingcheng was obviously depressed. He barely spoke a word. After

showering, he changed into his pajamas and lay on his stomach on the bed,
chatting on WeChat with Fang Ying.
Fang Ying told him that his mother wasn’t actually that mad, and she didn’t
think that his mother wouldn’t be able to understand.
Xia Xingcheng was a little surprised.
Fang Ying said that Mama Xia had nothing to do these days, so she would
surf the web on her tablet. She’d most likely seen it all on the internet.
Xia Xingcheng typed: Mom won’t come to my wedding if dad doesn’t

approve.
Fang Ying replied with a sighing meme.
Right then, a freshly showered Yang Youming stepped out of the bathroom.
He wasn’t wearing his sleeping attire, but was still dressed neatly. He
walked to the bed, kneeled on the bed with one knee, and leaned over to
stroke Xia Xingcheng’s hair. He said, “I’m stepping out for a bit.”
Xia Xingcheng swiftly flipped over, lying on his back and facing Yang
Youming. “Where are you going?”
Yang Youming said, “I’m going out to take care of something. Wait here
and get some rest.”
Xia Xingcheng captured his arm. He had no idea what else Yang Youming
might be up to here unless it had something to do with his family.
Somewhat nervous, he asked, “You’re not going to abduct my parents, are
you?”
Yang Youming chuckled and sat on the bed properly. “No way, your brother
would probably beat me up.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “Then what are you doing?”
Yang Youming took his hand, holding it in his palm. “I’m going to see your
dad and have a nice little chat.”
Xia Xingcheng recalled his dad’s outburst from earlier that day. “I don’t
think he’ll want to talk to you,” he said, not sounding particularly
confident.
Yang Youming said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. Your
dad isn’t an unreasonable man, he just wants the best for you. Everything
can be worked out.”
Xia Xingcheng frowned slightly. He gazed at him for a while, but he didn’t
feel at ease the whole time. “I’m going with you.”
Yang Youming squeezed his hand. “Stay here. I’ll go talk to him alone.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’ll worry.”
Yang Youming thought for a moment before hoisting Xia Xingcheng onto
his lap. “How about this,” he suggested, “call me husband again.”
Xia Xingcheng’s face flushed in an instant. He had no idea what had come
over him earlier today to cause that word to mysteriously escape his lips.
His toes were practically curling from shame. There was no way that he’d
be willing to call Yang Youming ‘husband’ again now.
He hooked his fingers into the narrow seam between two buttons on Yang
Youming’s shirt, averting his gaze as he asked, “What does that have to do
with this?”
Yang Youming looked down at him. “If you call me husband, your husband
will take care of everything for you. I’ll definitely get your parents to relent
and come to our wedding. What do you say?”
Xia Xingcheng looked up at him. After a moment, he reached over and

wound his arms around Yang Youming’s neck, then leaned in to kiss his
lips.
They grinded against each other on the bed until Yang Youming’s clothes
came apart. Breathless, Xia Xingcheng looked up and said, “We’re still
getting married with or without them. In any case, we have our whole lives
ahead of us—we can convince them slowly. I don’t want you to go to the
ends of the earth for me either. As long as you’re happy, I’d do anything for
you.”
After he said that, he realised that Yang Youming was gazing at him
directly. He felt embarrassed, so he raised his hand to cover Yang
Youming’s eyes, then whispered in his ear, “Husband, I love you.”
He then saw the corner of Yang Youming’s mouth curl up, and leaned in
again to give him a bite.
Afterwards, Yang Youming straightened his clothes and left.
He sent Fang Ying a WeChat message, telling her that Yang Youming was
heading over there now.
Around more than half an hour later, Fang Ying replied to him: “Yang
Youming’s here. He’s talking to dad in the living room right now.”
Xia Xingcheng immediately asked: “What are they talking about?”
Fang Ying replied: “I don’t know. Your brother didn’t join them. We can’t
hear their voices.”
Xia Xingcheng: “Dad isn’t cursing him out, right?”
Fang Ying: “No, you know that dad is always polite to guests. They’re
being quite civil.”
Xia Xingcheng sat up on the bed. “Should I go there and check up on
them?”
Fang Ying: “I think you’d better not. Let them talk.”
Fang Ying didn’t send him another message after that.
Without any signs of Yang Youming returning, Xia Xingcheng tossed and
turned in bed restlessly the whole night, failing to fall asleep on several
counts.
Much later, in the wee hours of the morning, he heard the door open with a
click, and he jolted from the bed, turning on the bedside light and shouting,
“Ming ge!”
Yang Youming entered the room. He stood by the bed, leaning over to kiss
Xia Xingcheng’s forehead. “It’s all right, just sleep.”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed his arm. “Did my dad approve?”
Yang Youming unbuttoned his shirt. “I’ve told your dad everything I
wanted to say. I also invited him to our wedding—but only time will tell if
he decides to come or not.” He took off his shirt and tossed it aside, picking
up the pajamas by the bed, planning to take another shower. Before he left
the room, he added, “I’m sure they’ll come.”
The wedding date was set for the following month. They naturally held it
on an island overseas. Because it was a small wedding, the preparations
were less complicated than they’d expected. Yang Youming also had
money, so it was also particularly well-organized.
The wedding only had a dozen guests, all of whom were close relatives and
good friends of the two. Besides his own family, Xia Xingcheng had also
invited Hua Hua, Huang Jixin, and his boss Cai Meiting. Yang Youming, on
the other hand, hadn’t invited any of his relatives. All his guests were his
closest friends in the industry, including Chen Hailan and his wife, Ding
Wenxun, Lu Nianxin, and He Zheng, along with those he’d worked with for
years like Du Jin and Li Yun and their families.
On the day of the wedding, both Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming wore
white suits.
Their wedding ceremony was straightforward, with no best man or

bridesmaids and only a wedding officiant. They would exchange rings and
recite their vows under the blue sky, with the sea as a witness.
Xia Xingcheng’s parents had shown up, in the end.
Yang Youming ended up never telling Xia Xingcheng what he and his dad
had talked about that night. The old man wore a reluctant face, there wasn’t
even a shadow of a smile, but as they tied the knot, he sat by the wedding
platform and watched his son with red eyes.
Mama Xia was crying, her head bowed as she wiped at her tears, thinking
that no one had seen her, when in fact Xia Xingcheng had caught her with a
glance.
This was Ding Ding and Dong Dong’s first trip to the seaside. They had
been so excited that they ran around the whole time. Later on, Ding Ding
had pushed Dong Dong into the sea, and he was caught by Fang Ying and
got handed over to Xia Ye for a good spanking.
Dong Dong’s new clothes were completely soaked. He stared at his mom,
overwhelmed. Fang Ying had to take him back to the hotel room and
change his clothes. Originally, Dong Dong and Ding Ding wore matching
little suits, so when Dong Dong came out wearing a different set of clothes
that wasn’t nearly as cool as Ding Ding’s, his mood immediately plunged.
Meanwhile Ding Ding, who had been spanked, wept on his chair, upset. He
couldn’t pay attention to Dong Dong at all.
What astounded Xia Xingcheng more was how Huang Jixin was sitting
below the platform with red eyes. He sighed, then turned away to hide his
emotions.
Ding Wenxun sat next to Chen Hailan and his wife. He was still a little
bewildered, and he quietly asked them when exactly Yang Youming and
Xia Xingcheng got together.
Lu Nianxin shook his head regretfully, expressing his clear disapproval at

Yang Youming’s insensible decision to voluntarily enter another marriage
after having just broken off his previous one. The way he saw it, there were
so many fish in the sea, so why should you insist on being tied to a certain
person until death?
He Zheng couldn’t smoke, so he seemed a little fidgety. He wrung his

fingers from time to time, and the way he sat was improper from start to
finish. He crossed his legs, as if he wanted nothing more than for the
wedding to be over, but he also seemed absent-minded. While his gaze fell
on Xia Xingcheng, he had a faraway look in his eyes, thoughts drifting
elsewhere.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t escorted to and given away by his father to Yang
Youming. Instead, they had walked down the flower-lined aisle hand in
hand, all the way to the small platform where the wedding rites would be
held.
From that moment on, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming stood face to
face. The blue sky and azure sea had merely become a fleeting backdrop,
his eyes reflecting but only Yang Youming’s figure.
The two faced each other, the rim of their eyes faintly flushed.
Then, they solemnly exchanged rings, embraced, and kissed.
This was a marriage that was not bound by the law—but what binds a
marriage is never the law; it is bound by the hearts of the two people tying
the knot. Compared to a wedding certificate, what they needed more was
simply a ceremony. From then on, they were no longer just lovers—they
had become a family.
Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng shared a long, drawn-out kiss, and
eventually, he took Xia Xingcheng into his arms and lifted him up high. As
he gazed up into Xia Xingcheng’s eyes, he said, “I love you——”
Xia Xingcheng gazed back at him. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but a
smile never left his face. He continued Yang Youming’s words, saying,
“——with all my life.”
☆☆☆
montage merch official art ❤
The main text ends here. Thank you to the readers who’s accompanied me throughout serialisation,
and thank you to everyone for liking this novel! bows~
t/n – thank you to Anon for the kofis! and thank you to sofia for the editing
help! and thank you all for reading and commenting and loving this novel
;__; this chapter marks the end of the main story, but there’s still a bunch of
extras left~ don’t forget to support the author on changpei!!
Extra 1.1 – The Star Around
The Sun
Yang Youming’s “Gradual Distance”
On the night he joined the “Gradual Distance” filming crew, Yang Youming
met Xia Xingcheng for the first time in a hotel corridor.
He’d heard of Xia Xingcheng’s name before. He’d seen pictures of him, but
never his works. He had no recollection of what the person looked like in
real life, so in the dimly lit corridor, he gave this young man a surreptitious
once-over.
His pretty face had a youthful feel to it; he looked younger than his actual
age. In a different set of clothes, he could probably play the role of a high
school student. Neither his looks nor temperament were that exceptional in
the industry, but they should have met He Zheng’s requirements.
It was Xia Xingcheng who struck up a conversation with him first, face
flushed and voice faintly shaky. The air was laced with the smell of alcohol
—he’d probably had one too many drinks.
Yang Youming could sense Xia Xingcheng’s nervousness. Xia Xingcheng

said that he’d always liked him, and as they shook hands, Yang Youming
came into contact with a sweat-soaked palm. Yang Youming had run into
many, many of these types in the industry—young actors who expressed
their admiration towards him, told him they were his fans—and among
them, Xia Xingcheng wasn’t particularly special, so he only smiled and said
a few words of pleasantries, polite yet distant, before entering his hotel
suite. After all, he had just been on the road for several hours, and the
exhaustion had gotten to him.
At that time, Yang Youming had just gotten divorced. If he didn’t count the
six months they lived apart, he was married to Yuan Qian for two years, and
those two years had drained him to the bone. He would even sometimes
think that accepting Yuan Qian’s pursuits in the first place and marrying her
was a mistake—a mistake he was not willing to make a second time.
They were already on the film set the next time Yang Youming saw Xia
Xingcheng, and the first scene they had to shoot was an intimate one.
He understood He Zheng’s intentions. The movie revolved entirely around

Fang Jianyuan and Yu Haiyang’s relationship; the two of them had many
more intimate scenes to come. Forget about two men—even if it were a
man and a woman, it was inevitable that they’d feel awkward and have
trouble getting into character at the start of filming. In this intimate scene,
Xia Xingcheng was entirely passive, and all he had to do was bring Xia
Xingcheng into the scene. Shooting such a scene needed no effort on his
part, because he wouldn’t be needing much of a response from the other
party. As for kissing and touching a man, the way he saw it, acting was just
acting, there was no room for embarrassment.
As for Xia Xingcheng, his inexperience was as plain as day.
Yang Youming sensed his nervousness right from the start, but that
nervousness was in line with what Fang Jianyuan felt in the scene and he
only needed to react instinctively.
They shot the kiss scene. It was the first time Yang Youming shot a french
kiss with a man, and it felt quite wonderful. Since Xia Xingcheng was tall,
he only had to bow his head slightly to kiss him. Xia Xingcheng had almost
no response—he was even moving a little stiffly—but his lips were
unexpectedly soft, and they tasted faintly of peppermint. He’d probably
chewed some gum before filming. His mouth still had a trace of sweetness.
It wasn’t the least bit discomfitting nor disgusting. Xia Xingcheng was a
clean and refreshing young man, his eyes soft and docile. Perhaps he really
was too tense.
He kissed Xia Xingcheng’s neck—kissing lightly, for fear of leaving marks.
His Adam’s apple protruded, and when Yang Youming licked it, he felt Xia
Xingcheng’s body shudder.
When Yang Youming backed away from Xia Xingcheng, he couldn’t help
but think: How sensitive.
The bed scene that followed required Xia Xingcheng’s cooperation.
Yang Youming had heard He Zheng mention in private that this was Xia
Xingcheng’s first movie, so Yang Youming was prepared for it. He patiently
guided him, helping him get into character.
The scale of this kiss scene was even higher than the previous one. Yang
Youming lifted the hem of Xia Xingcheng’s shirt, and when he kissed his
chest, he subconsciously thought: so this is how kissing a boy’s body feels
like. It wasn’t that soft, but his skin was sensitive and supple, his chest and
belly flat and taut. He didn’t mean to, but he’d accidentally touch the small
nubs on Xia Xingcheng’s chest, and felt him tense up even more.
Yang Youming was a little distracted, so he simply relied on his top-tier

acting skills to make his actions seem seamless, when in fact, he wasn’t
absorbed in his role nor the performance at all. He was merely taking in this
novel intimate scene, even noting the way Xia Xingcheng’s fair skin
flushed red all over. That red expanse was all the more apparent with his
skin being so pale; it spread from his neck all the way down to his chest,
like he was shy—like he was aroused.
On the first day of filming, Xia Xingcheng had already left a rough
impression on Yang Youming’s mind. His acting was indeed raw—though
he’d had professional training and had already been acting for six years,
those six years were probably spent making little to no progress, and despite
the fact that he had two feet in the industry, he had yet to brake through the
door of the acting world.
However, Xia Xingcheng was easy to guide. Yang Youming found that he
could empathise very strongly. With just a little nudge, he could immerse
himself in his character and feel his character’s joys and sorrows vividly.
This performance, in a sense, was a reflection of his true feelings.
He Zheng’s directing had its shortcomings, and Yang Youming knew them
like the back of his hand. A newcomer like Xia Xingcheng would stumble
along at first; his mind would be rife with stress, and the subsequent
psychological suggestions would even affect the entire filming process.
When all was said and done, Yang Youming was the lead actor, and he
didn’t want the filming progress to be repeatedly held up by Xia
Xingcheng’s performance either, so he would take the initiative to give him
pointers, helping Xia Xingcheng find his filming rhythm.
He just didn’t expect that that night, Xia Xingcheng would spontaneously
seek him out in his hotel room.
Xia Xingcheng was seemingly drunk, and the enthusiasm and familiarity he
exuded slightly made Yang Youming uneasy. For a brief moment, he
mistook Xia Xingcheng for a lovely pet dog. He touched Xia Xingcheng’s
head as he passed through, and Xia Xingcheng followed him in, trying his
best to convey his favourable impression of him.
With his personality, Yang Youming was unaccustomed to dealing with

people like Xia Xingcheng, thus he bluntly told Xia Xingcheng that he
wanted to draw a clear line between work and personal feelings. Seeing the
trace of disappointment in Xia Xingcheng’s expression, he privately sighed
before explaining his views on acting.
He was aware that with Xia Xingcheng’s current acting abilities, it would
be very difficult for him to obtain He Zheng’s approval, but Xia Xingcheng
had a natural gift for acting—he could immerse himself in his character
with his strong empathic ability. He thought, if Xia Xingcheng felt a ton of
pressure while filming, then why not just try to immerse himself even
more? He wouldn’t have to foster his moods on set, and if he really tried
embodying all of Fang Jianyuan, it would drastically reduce the back and
forth between his role and his own emotions.
He thus suggested for him to live as Fang Jianyuan.

That night, Xia Xingcheng left in an apparent dazed state. Inwardly, Yang
Youming felt a little apologetic. He thought that perhaps he could’ve been a
little more tactful, and considering the fact that Fang Jianyuan had a
sorrowful ending, would Xia Xingcheng’s mental state be negatively
impacted in the latter half of filming? In the end, was it right for him to
suggest such a thing?
But portraying their roles well was the most basic requirement for an actor
—if Xia Xingcheng couldn’t even get into character, couldn’t at least try,
what qualifications did he have to be one?
Immersing yourself too deeply in the act would cause you certain pain, but
if he wanted to become an actor, this was an unavoidable path; there was no
other option.
Filming gradually progressed smoothly.
Yang Youming would often observe Xia Xingcheng from afar and find that
he was gradually slipping into character. Fang Jianyuan–this role–was
originally just a series of words on the pages of a script, but now, Xia
Xingcheng was slowly bringing him to life.
It was at this time when Yang Youming saw Xia Xingcheng intimately
embracing a girl in front of his room, right as he opened his door early one
morning.
This was actually quite normal among film crews. Yang Youming had also
seen actors from his previous movies bring people back to the hotel for the
night, with some even cohabiting long-term. But this was the first time
Yang Youming felt somewhat surprised—he had always assumed that Xia
Xingcheng was a sensible young man.
He didn’t say anything because there was nothing wrong with a consensual
one-night stand. He was even less interested in a stranger’s business, so he
turned around and walked away.
As a result, that day’s filming got off to an inauspicious start for Xia
Xingcheng.
He Zheng had no idea what was going on. As the NGs kept piling up, he
grew more and more irritated.
Perhaps only Yang Youming fully understood the state of Xia Xingcheng’s
mind. Moreover, he had a faint feeling that Xia Xingcheng’s current mood
was caused not only by his decision to set aside his role to go to bed with a
girl, but also because he had bumped into Yang Youming this morning.
Yang Youming had the impression that Xia Xingcheng cared about him in
the same way that Fang Jianyuan cared about Yu Haiyang.
When everyone left for lunch, Xia Xingcheng stayed behind. Originally,
Yang Youming had already stepped out of the studio, but then he patted Li
Yun’s shoulder and headed back alone.
He saw Xia Xingcheng lying on Fang Jianyuan’s narrow bed with his eyes
closed.
Yang Youming fixed his gaze on him. He hesitated for a moment before he
noiselessly made his way over, fishing out the cigarette and lighter he had
on him and lighting the cigarette with a snap of the lighter.
He wasn’t actually much of a smoker. At that moment, he simply wanted

Xia Xingcheng to confuse him with Yu Haiyang.
Sure enough, Xia Xingcheng’s eyes flew open the moment he heard the
lighter, and he sat up immediately.
Yang Youming sat on the bed, took a drag of his cigarette, then offered it to
Xia Xingcheng.
Xia Xingcheng was clearly somewhat thrown off; he didn’t take Yang
Youming’s proffered cigarette.
Yang Youming thus retracted the cigarette and wedged it back between his
lips, then raised a hand and squeezed Xia Xingcheng’s nape. There were
thin strands of hair on his neck, like the soft, fine hairs of an animal. With
his head bowed, he looked like a small animal slightly shrinking up in fear.
Now this was the Xia Xingcheng that Yang Youming was familiar with—
sweet and obedient. He recalled the bed scene they had shot, Xia
Xingcheng’s inexperienced reactions, and had trouble imagining what Xia
Xingcheng would be like in bed with a woman—it all seemed surreal to
him.
Adopting Yu Haiyang’s tone and demeanor, Yang Youming asked, “You

like girls?”
He watched as Xia Xingcheng jerked his head back and stared at him with
both astonishment and dread.
At that moment, Yang Youming was struck by a sudden ire that shouldn’t
have belonged to him. He knew that he was in character, yet he was also
faintly relishing in the feeling. He said, “You’ve been very naughty.” Xia
Xingcheng had really misbehaved.
It was like Xia Xingcheng’s whole being was in a stupor. He said, “I—”
Not giving Xia Xingcheng a chance to explain himself, Yang Youming said,
“I don’t want there to be a next time.”
He then saw Xia Xingcheng grow tame and obedient, licking at his lips
with the soft tip of his tongue, before saying, “There won’t be a next time.”
Yang Youming was very pleased with Xia Xingcheng’s response. His caress
on Xia Xingcheng’s nape then softened, like he was placating a scared little
animal. For a split second, he even thought that he should comfort Xia
Xingcheng in his arms, yet in the end, he merely stroked the fine hairs at
Xia Xingcheng’s nape, and said, “There’s a good boy.”
Shortly after that, he got up and left.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Tinsunny and Britener for the kofis!
t/n – here’s the first part of a series of extras about yang youming’s point of view during the filming
of ‘gradual distance’, which i’ve been dying to get to the second i found out they existed!! i’m not
sure how fast i’ll update, so please be patient~ if anyone wants to reread xia xingcheng’s pov, this
chapter corresponds with chapter 4-15 of the main story!
The Sun
After the conversation he had with Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming could
sense that Xia Xingcheng was in a better state.
On the set that afternoon, Xia Xingcheng was undeniably Fang Jianyuan’s
sweet and shy self again. Sweat soaked his hair and clothes as he sorted out
the items in the dim first-floor storeroom. He stood on his tiptoes to place a
bag of sugar on the topmost shelf, the hem of his shirt riding up with the
stretch, revealing the slender waist underneath. The sweat on his supple,
fair skin glistened in the light, highlighting distinct back dimples above his
slightly loose waistband.
Yang Youming walked over, took the bag of sugar from his hands, and
placed it on the shelf from behind him. This close, he could smell Xia
Xingcheng’s hair, the scent of sweat mixed with shampoo.
Yang Youming delivered his lines and actions as needed. Xia Xingcheng’s
eyes never moved away from him the entire time, but when Yang Youming
looked his way, he immediately averted his gaze. Beads of sweat rolled
down the sides of his temple all the way to his jaw, dripping onto his
clothes and vanishing as it soaked into the fabric.
In regards to acting, the better the actor you were playing against, the easier
it would be to be taken into the scene.
Xia Xingcheng’s performance was too raw, too natural, and there was a
split second where his budding first love seemed to solidify into something
palpable before Yang Youming’s eyes. In the dimly lit space of the crowded
storeroom, Yang Youming somewhat understood why Yu Haiyang would
fall for Fang Jianyuan.
Having worked together up to this point, Xia Xingcheng had become

someone familiar to Yang Youming.
But his familiarity was not the kind where they would chat and eat and
drink together. It was the kind where he was more or less familiar with Xia
Xingcheng as a person, with his personality and idiosyncrasies.
He knew that Xia Xingcheng was a cheerful and lively person, that he got
along well with many people on and off the set. Like the middle-aged
actress who played Fang Jianyuan’s mother, for one. Sometimes, Xia
Xingcheng would jokingly call her “mom” when they wrapped up filming
for the day. However, once he no longer had to interact with anyone, Xia
Xingcheng would fall silent, his face tinged with loneliness.
Yang Youming knew that he was influenced by Fang Jianyuan’s emotions.
On top of that, Xia Xingcheng maintained a certain distance from him—this

was most likely due to the fact that he had initially rejected Xia Xingcheng,
so Xia Xingcheng was always polite and respectful whenever they ran into
each other.
As such, on the day they shot the rooftop scene, Yang Youming struck up a
conversation with Xia Xingcheng before filming, slightly closing that gap
between them so that Xia Xingcheng’s mood would ease up a little during
the shot.
Sure enough, Xia Xingcheng acted out the scene very well. He appeared to
be in a good mood, and his smile looked particularly brilliant in the
sunshine.
Yang Youming picked up the hose and sprayed it above their heads. The
blistering summer heat was instantly driven away by the water. He
subconsciously held his breath as he looked up, taking in the sensation of
the jet of water washing over his body while Xia Xingcheng, who was
wrapped in his arms, bent over and lowered his head, burying his face into
Yang Youming’s embrace, gasping heavily as he clung to Yang Youming’s
shirt.
When the hose was turned off, Yang Youming lowered his head, only to
meet the sight of Xia Xingcheng looking up at him. His entire face was
drenched and, perhaps because he had trouble breathing, his mouth was
slightly open. His lips and nose were red, seeming a little woeful.
Not much went through Yang Youming’s mind as he raised a hand and
wiped the water from Xia Xingcheng’s face. He then watched as Xia
Xingcheng’s expression transformed—first stunned, then he closed his eyes
the next second, eyelashes fluttering as he tipped his face up even higher.
He quickly withdrew his hand and accepted the towel Li Yun had brought
over, wrapping it around his body, yet the soft feel of Xingcheng’s lips as
he’d brushed against them remained on his palm.
From that moment on, Yang Youming could feel Xia Xingcheng’s eyes
lingering on him. He deliberately avoided Xia Xingcheng’s gaze, as if
nothing had happened.
No one expected that Xia Xingcheng would fall ill after being drenched in
cold water on a summer day.
Li Yun asked Yang Youming whether he planned on visiting Xia Xingcheng

at the hospital. At Yang Youming’s slight hesitation, Li Yun said, “I’ll get
someone to send some flowers over.”
Yang Youming remained silent for a long time before he looked up and
said, “Get someone to buy them, I’ll go there myself.”
Xia Xingcheng happened to be sleeping when he entered the hospital ward.

He thus padded over quietly, slowly walking to the head of the bed and
placing the flowers on the bedside cabinet.
Yang Youming stood there—so close to where Xia Xingcheng slept—with

his head bowed, and found that Xia Xingcheng was cocooned in the
blanket. His sleeping face was flushed crimson, and he was sweating
despite the air conditioning.
Yang Youming didn’t rouse him. He turned and left the bedside, walking to
the window. The brilliant afternoon sunlight shone through the
windowpanes, casting a golden rectangle onto the floor.
He glanced out the window before turning around and leaning against it,
eyes trained on Xia Xingcheng on the bed.
He didn’t actually know what he was looking at. His mind was quiet as he
observed Xia Xingcheng with no thought nor purpose. He then saw Xia
Xingcheng stir, his eyes slowly opening.
Xia Xingcheng stayed still even after he fully awoke from his slumber, only
staring at Yang Youming in disbelief.
Yang Youming had to break their silence, speaking at last, “You’re up?”
Only then did Xia Xingcheng seem to have regained his senses. He propped
himself up into a sitting position. Then, he mentioned how he was a big fan
of Yang Youming and asked for his autograph, his eyes evading Yang
Youming’s gaze the whole time.
Yang Youming naturally noticed. He thought that, like this, Xia Xingcheng
was quite amusing. He then sat down on the edge of the bed and signed his
name on Xia Xingcheng’s palm with the ward’s marker.
Though Xia Xingcheng’s hands were pale, his fingers were slender, the
joints prominent. His palm was sweat-soaked, and it seemed especially soft
—perhaps due to the lack of menial labour—and he could barely feel a
single callus. Above his palm was a thin wrist that jutted out from a loose
sleeve; the blue-green veins on his wrist extended upwards, disappearing
into his sleeve.
Yang Youming folded Xia Xingcheng’s fingers back, capped the marker,
placed it on the bed, then got up to leave.
Filming was actually a feat of psychological self-suggestion. Before every
shoot, you had to convince yourself you were happy or sad. Otherwise, if
you yourself didn’t believe it, how would you be able to convince the
audience across the screen?
But the most terrifying act is convincing yourself that you love him. You
tell yourself over and over, make yourself believe, and as time passes, you’d
no longer be able to separate what was real and what was just an act.
When Yang Youming had first received the script, he’d wondered why Yu
Haiyang would prefer men and not women. But now he felt that it all made
sense. After all, the young man Yu Haiyang had fallen for was such a
beauty.
It became easier and easier for Yang Youming to get into character.
A large part of the scenes they shot were set in the summer. It was
sweltering inside the film studio, and their bodies were always clammy with
sweat. He and Xia Xingcheng had intimate physical contact in many scenes.
The two men, clad in thin shirts, were skin to skin, and all they touched was
sweat. Yet, as he bowed his head and smelled the sweat on Xia Xingcheng’s
body, he didn’t find it repulsive. On the contrary, when he was filming, the
only thing his eyes registered was the expanse of glistening skin under all
that sweat. It urged a man’s instincts to touch, to take a bite.
Yet as filming progressed without a hitch, Xia Xingcheng’s anxiety was

palpable.
Yang Youming could sense that Xia Xingcheng was in too deep. When they
filmed, some of Xia Xingcheng’s minute gestures would drag on, and when
the director called for a stop, he would keep embracing Yang Youming, or
had his foot wound around him, reluctant to let go.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes constantly chased after him, yet he was also too timid
to meet Yang Youming’s eyes.
This state of total immersion wasn’t something Yang Youming feared.

When filming is over, when he leaves this setting, once he’s no longer by
this person’s side, it would all slowly dissolve into nothing.
But it was apparent that Xia Xingcheng couldn’t adapt to it, and that he had
trouble controlling his emotions. In one of the more emotional scenes, he
got too caught up in his own feelings and slapped Yang Youming’s face.
This wasn’t written in the script. The slap came down so hard that Yang
Youming’s ears instantly started ringing. He jerked his head back, anger
surging in his chest, and without concealing even a bit of rage, he
persevered to finish this scene.
The staff on set were quiet for the most part. Yang Youming knew that they
were stealing glances curiously, but he kept his emotions in check, knowing
his position, and acted like nothing had happened. Lowering his head, he
took the wet wipes Li Yun handed and pressed it to his face.
His slapped cheek stung with pain. He suddenly found this slightly
ridiculous—it felt absurd.
When he saw Xia Xingcheng heading his way, helpless panic visible across
his entire face, Yang Youming promptly turned to avoid him. He didn’t
want to satisfy the onlookers’ voyeuristic desires; he could let Xia
Xingcheng’s slapping his face go, yet while he couldn’t completely contain
his emotions, he didn’t reveal a shred of ire on his face.
After he left the set and returned to the hotel that day, Yang Youming lay in
bed with a damp towel covering his face. The scene of Xia Xingcheng
slapping him replaying in his mind over and over, and he couldn’t help but
laugh incredulously, lifting a hand to cover his forehead.
His phone, abandoned by his pillow, suddenly rang. He reached for it and
saw an incoming call, the caller ID displaying the name of an acquaintance.
However grudging, Yang Youming still forged ahead and went out that
night with half of his face swollen. He had to accept an awkward apology
on top of that.
That night, he met a modestly-dressed Xia Xingcheng.

The black casual suit highlighted his tall and lithe figure, his slender waist,
and long, straight legs.
Upon arriving, Xia Xingcheng first downed three cups of baijiu, then
walked to Yang Youming’s side and gave him a toast.
Yang Youming took Xia Xingcheng’s hand and said, “That’s not necessary.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to accept it, but he truly felt that it was
unneeded. He understood why Xia Xingcheng had slapped him, and despite
his anger, he had no intention to take it up with Xia Xingcheng.
However, both Cai Meiting and Xia Xingcheng had clearly misinterpreted
his intentions.
Xia Xingcheng downed another two cups of baijiu as he apologised. When

he got to his third cup, Yang Youming grabbed his hand and stopped him, a
trace of displeasure on his face.
Yang Youming was genuinely upset. He hated the way they set him up,
pressuring him to accept Xia Xingcheng’s apology and if not, Xia
Xingcheng would have to keep drinking.
He was about to tell Xia Xingcheng to sit back down when he noticed Xia
Xingcheng’s eyes welling up with tears, ready to fall at any moment. Yang
Youming immediately got to his feet, snatched the cup from Xia
Xingcheng’s hands, and pushed him out of the room. He didn’t want Xia
Xingcheng to cry here. It would only make the situation between them more
awkward.
They entered the adjoining room. He leaned against the back of a wooden
chair, while Xia Xingcheng sat on the tea table, crying. He never thought
that Xia Xingcheng would be this sad. Those tears gushed out of his eyes
incessantly; he was unable to hold them back. Drop by drop, they plunged
into his heart—scalding, searing.
He told Xia Xingcheng that he wasn’t mad, but Xia Xingcheng refused to
believe him.
Xia Xingcheng was drunk. Under the influence of alcohol, he couldn’t tell
the difference between the act and reality. Yang Youming walked up to him,
raised a hand, and touched his head, saying, “Xingcheng, sober up.”
A movie was just that: a movie. When filming ended, you’d always have to
return to reality. Immersing yourself in it forever without coming out wasn’t
an option. What’s more, at the end of the film, the two of them couldn’t be
together. If he couldn’t tell the difference, the pain would only get worse.
The more Yang Youming understood, the more he reminded himself that he
needed to clear his mind. After all, it wasn’t just Xia Xingcheng who was
immersed in his character. Now, as he watched Xia Xingcheng cry, a sliver
of pain welled up from the bottom of his heart and occupied his chest. He
knew that it was regret.
He was different from Xia Xingcheng. Xia Xingcheng was muddled, he’d
fallen headlong. Yang Youming, on the other hand, was completely sober as
he slowly sank.
He took out a tissue, cupped Xia Xingcheng’s jaw with one hand, and
wiped away the tear stains on his face with his other hand. The tear streaks
had long since dried, and the tissue couldn’t completely remove them, but
he wiped at them patiently, attentively, slowly.
There was nothing special about this face, Yang Youming thought, but Xia
Xingcheng’s eyes were pure—the kind that looked at him with smoldering
love and yearning. With the waft of alcohol assaulting his senses, every
breath he took disoriented him.
He had shot many scenes before, many of which were emotional. He threw
his heart and soul into filming, and once it ended, he would quickly
disengage. That twinge of longing would be tossed to the wind, and his
racing heartbeat always belonged to his character, never reflecting his true
feelings.
Only this time, Yang Youming felt his heart throb.

He rubbed Xia Xingcheng’s face, a little rough. Though his face was rubbed
red, Xia Xingcheng fixed him with the same unknowingly affectionate
gaze. Yang Youming lowered his head, crumpled the tissue, and tossed it in
the rubbish bin before saying calmly, “We should go back.”
☆☆☆
Thank you to Aika and northwestflower for the kofis!
t/n – as always thank u to sofia for the editing help xoxo

The Sun
Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan’s intimate scene in the hospital bathroom.
Yang Youming expressed his disapproval to He Zheng before filming; he

thought it was too dirty.
He Zheng replied indifferently, “You two are both men. Who cares if it’s
dirty or not when you’re doing it? Don’t many people mess around in
public toilets?” After saying that, he asked Yang Youming, “Do you always
check whether it’s clean or not first?”
Yang Youming glanced at him and serenely said, “I do.”
He Zheng grinned at that and said, “Then you were probably with the
wrong person.”
The wrong person?
These three words caused Yang Youming’s mind to wander, his thoughts
drifting to Yuan Qian. When Yuan Qian was still pursuing him, he’d told
Yuan Qian that they didn’t suit each other. At the time, Yuan Qian had said,
how would they know if they hadn’t tried? She had always been a confident
woman, and had once told Yang Youming that as long as she believed they
were a good match, then they were a good match. In the end, Yang
Youming found that he’d been right all along—he shouldn’t have believed
her.
He Zheng called him and Xia Xingcheng to go over the scene together.
Since the time he slapped him, Xia Xingcheng had avoided him at all costs.
The swelling on Yang Youming’s face had long since subsided, but Xia
Xingcheng kept their personal contact to a minimum.
He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng what he thought of Fang Jianyuan’s state of

mind at present.
Unexpectedly, Xia Xingcheng brought up the word ‘sacrifice’.
Yang Youming, whose eyes were glued to the script inattentively, glanced
up at Xia Xingcheng’s words. He knew that he wasn’t showing any emotion
on his face, but for some reason, the word ‘sacrifice’ sparked a fire within
him, lighting up his impulses.
So before filming started, Yang Youming smiled at Xia Xingcheng, who

was going to ‘sacrifice’ himself to him, and said, “I’m going to give this
scene my all.”
The toilet cubicle was dark, cramped, and filthy. In this confined space,
stirrings of the unthinkable broke free and surged forth, and Yang Youming
discovered that he and Yu Haiyang had become one as he gazed at the
smoldering lust in Xia Xingcheng’s eyes.
Xia Xingcheng responded at once, just like he said he would. It was

obvious that he was already overwhelmed, yet he still sacrificed himself
without reservation.
Yang Youming watched Xia Xingcheng tilt his head, exposing his fair,
delicate neck. It was a fatal point of the human body, and the protruding
Adam’s apple beneath was undoubtedly just a male identifying trait, yet at
this very moment, it unexpectedly aroused Yang Youming’s desire, enticing
him to toy with it.
Their physical reactions were obvious, but the cameras that were still
pointed at them were a constant reminder that they were putting on a play.
So after Yang Youming displayed the passion that he was supposed to show
in front of the cameras, he calmly pulled back. His expression gradually
smoothened out until no trace of emotion remained.
Yang Youming found that his self-control was gradually slipping.
The day he and Xia Xingcheng filmed the dinner scene, he peeled the
sauteed shrimp, fed it to Xia Xingcheng’s mouth, and watched Xia
Xingcheng’s soft lips fall open. Xia Xingcheng cautiously took it into his
mouth, chewing slowly.
Yang Youming glanced at the leftover sauce on his finger that was right by
Xia Xingcheng’s lips, and blurted out, “Lick it for me?”
This wasn’t in the script; Yang Youming had let the words slip out of his
mouth without even realising. Perhaps it was something he believed Yu
Haiyang would say, or maybe he just wanted to tease Xia Xingcheng.
He Zheng expressed his dislike at the act. He thought it was too frivolous,
that it didn’t fit the mood of the film.
But right then, Yang Youming’s eyes caught the way Xia Xingcheng’s
tongue darted out to lick his finger. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by
He Zheng’s shout, and it was only then that Xia Xingcheng appeared to
return to his senses.
Yang Youming took the wet wipes Li Yun handed to him and cleaned his
hands. He thought back to Xia Xingcheng’s reaction and couldn’t help but
smile faintly.
That particular day turned out to be Xia Xingcheng’s birthday. Yang

Youming only found out about it when he saw the cake that the staff
members carried out. Without thinking further, he asked Li Yun to help him
prepare a birthday present for Xia Xingcheng.
Yang Youming had previously worked with a luxury brand. At the time,
he’d donned a man’s necklace that was engraved with a pattern of stars,
which he’d always thought was perfect for Xia Xingcheng.
But since they were currently at the filming base, and the nearest city with
the brand store was almost a four-hour drive away, there wouldn’t be
enough time to fetch it even if Li Yun set out immediately. In the end, they
could only contact the store and ask them to send a necklace over.
That evening, right before they returned to the hotel after dinner, Yang
Youming personally gifted it to Xia Xingcheng.
He was certain Xia Xingcheng would love the gift.
Sure enough, that night, Xia Xingcheng came knocking on his door with the
necklace around his neck. When Yang Youming opened the door, he
registered Xia Xingcheng’s flushed face and the zeal in his eyes, and
deliberately asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xia Xingcheng’s excitement dimmed a bit, but the blush on his cheeks
didn’t recede. Xia Xingcheng explained, somewhat awkwardly, that he
wanted to take a picture of the doll.
Yang Youming didn’t keep the doll in his suite, so he called Li Yun and
asked her to send the doll over.
Xia Xingcheng was dressed in nothing but a nightgown, the vast expanse of
his chest and legs exposed. They sat down face to face and chatted about
the necklace. Yang Youming only mentioned that it was Li Yun who’d gone
and bought it, not mentioning the fact that he himself had also spent quite
an effort to get the necklace specially delivered by the brand.
Later on, the dolls were sent over, and Xia Xingcheng left after snapping a
few photos.
Yang Youming escorted him all the way to the door. He bid him goodnight,
and Xia Xingcheng said it back with a grin. After he turned away and left,
Yang Youming shut the door.
He paused at the door for a few moments before turning around and
heading back inside.
When they shot the third intimate scene, He Zheng asked Xia Xingcheng to
be completely naked in front of the camera.
Although it wasn’t full-frontal nudity, Yang Youming was still irritated. He
didn’t want Xia Xingcheng to appear fully naked in the film, not even a side
shot.
Xia Xingcheng, on the other hand, agreed to He Zheng’s request.
In the bathroom, Xia Xingcheng stripped down and stood beneath the jet of
water. The bathroom was fogged up, and with water gushing down his
body, he was completely shrouded in steam, giving Yang Youming a hazy
view of his back.
Xia Xingcheng was very skinny. Yang Youming knew he’d purposely lost
weight prior to filming, but he currently looked too thin. His shoulder
blades jutted out, his lower back sunken in, his arms and legs too slender,
only the flesh on his ass seemed to have retained its plumpness.
Yang Youming made his way over to Xia Xingcheng and embraced him
from behind. He felt a jolt from Xia Xingcheng. It wasn’t an act; he was
genuinely startled. Their bodies were flush against each other. Yang
Youming kissed his shoulder, his palm brushing against Xia Xingcheng’s
silky skin, and as he moved to wrap his hands around Xia Xingcheng’s
waist, he almost couldn’t grab hold of it—it was too slippery.
His hand slid down Xia Xingcheng’s lower belly. It was so flat, and his hip
bones were sharp. He didn’t want to imagine what was further down, so he
kept his hand there and drew Xia Xingcheng back, bringing their bodies
closer together. He could feel Xia Xingcheng’s plump ass squeeze up
against his body. The stream of water washed down his face incessantly and
he could hardly breathe.
Xia Xingcheng, who was wrapped in Yang Youming’s embrace, was

gasping for air. Even the violent rise and fall of his chest could clearly be
felt.
He jerked Xia Xingcheng around and blocked the camera with his own
body before pressing Xia Xingcheng against the wall and kissing him. After
He Zheng yelled cut, Yang Youming snatched a towel and wrapped it
around Xia Xingcheng’s waist.
He didn’t want to let anyone else see.
This was how they were: they started off as two strangers and progressed to
this point over time. Kissing, touching, embracing, eyes full of affection as
they gaze at the other, constantly telling themselves: I love him.
It grew increasingly difficult for Yang Youming to maintain his indifference

and stay away. He could no longer disengage from his role and examine this
man’s body through the eyes of his character as they shot this intimate
scene. Xia Xingcheng’s body drew him in. He was aroused.
In this way, filming intimate scenes had instead become a form of torture
for him.
When filming, he would never make unnecessary moves towards his co-star
beyond what was required in the scene. All the intimate scenes he had shot
before were with actresses. Whether they were touching or embracing, he
would always try his best to avoid the other’s sensitive parts so that no one
would feel offended.
He wished he was able to treat Xia Xingcheng the same way, but the last
intimate scene on the bed proved to be too much of a challenge.
He Zheng was perfectly aware that the movie couldn’t be screened in the
country. He didn’t want to control the scale either, so he shot the movie
exactly as he wished. He’d told Yang Youming that, in filming a romance
between two men, desire was a necessary, inseparable part.
The scene had the two of them in bed, pressed up against each other with
two thin layers of fabric separating their bodies.
Was it awkward? It was awkward, because there were a lot of things that
couldn’t be concealed. Although the blanket blocked off the cameras, the
two men were too aware of each other.
Xia Xingcheng’s eyes were dilated, red blooming across his entire face,
while Yang Youming kept his expressions under control. But the only thing
he could control was that—his expressions. At that very moment, he tensed
his muscles and forced himself to restrain the thoughts of entering Xia
Xingcheng’s body.
The course of the affair became an endless torture—there was nothing he

wished for more than He Zheng’s timely shout for them to stop. As soon as
He Zheng yelled ‘cut!’, he tore away from Xia Xingcheng’s body, wrapped
himself up in a bathrobe, and fled.
This was too ridiculous, he thought to himself. It was time for him to
extricate himself from this role and these circumstances. The sooner, the
better.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Anon for the kofis!
t/n – edited by sof mwah

The Sun
With the appearance of Yu Haiyang’s wife, the filming atmosphere

gradually turned somber.
Xia Xingcheng was often affected by the movie’s ongoing plot. He’d stay
immersed in his role even after the scene was over, all alone, unable to
disengage for a long, long time.
Yang Youming wanted to go comfort him, but He Zheng prevented him

from doing so, saying that if Yang Youming went, Xia Xingcheng would
have an even more difficult time getting out of his character.
He knew He Zheng wasn’t wrong.
In many cases, an actor was most deeply trapped when their character’s
emotional entanglement was at its peak. As that entanglement fades, an
actor would eventually return to themselves.
In one of the most emotionally-draining scenes, Xia Xingcheng couldn’t

stop crying in his arms. Yang Youming didn’t have the heart to push him
away, so all he could do was hold Xia Xingcheng and let him cry. Scalding
tears fell onto the back of his hand, quickly evaporating and leaving no
trace. Nonetheless, that burning sensation never truly disappeared.
Yang Youming sometimes felt that he was already on his way to sobering
up, yet sometimes he also felt that he wasn’t awake at all. But no matter
what kind of feelings he now harboured for Xia Xingcheng, he was well
aware that there would come a day where those feelings would cease to
exist. Xia Xingcheng, too, would come out of the act.
He couldn’t help but care about Xia Xingcheng, but they kept an
appropriate distance from each other. He knew that Xia Xingcheng had
poured his heart and soul into this movie, and was slightly apprehensive
towards Xia Xingcheng shifting more and more of his feelings towards
him.
Emotions compelled him to approach, but reason kept him at bay.
When they shot the scene at the swimming pool, he deliberately lost the
race in order to improve Xia Xingcheng’s mood. When they arrived at the
finish line, he leaned against the pool’s edge and watched a delighted Xia
Xingcheng. Lowering his head, his lips curled up on their own accord.
That evening, most likely as a result of the heavy physical exertion earlier
in the day, Yang Youming suddenly remembered that there was a roadside
stall selling late-night snacks that sold some really delicious roasted pork
trotters near the hotel, and was immediately struck with a desire to eat them.
He took out his phone and hesitated for a long time before sending an
invitation to Xia Xingcheng. He was aware that Xia Xingcheng’s mental
state had contributed to bouts of insomnia, so rather than letting him stay
cooped up in his room with who knows what thoughts racing through his
mind, he thought he’d take him for a walk to help him relax a little.
The roasted pork trotters tasted exactly as he remembered.
Xia Xingcheng was both excited and nervous at the same time. Whenever
he fixed his gaze on Yang Youming, it exuded feelings of worship and
admiration.
Yang Youming, in fact, understood himself best. Apart from filming, there
was nothing particularly fun about his life. He was a homebody, and
socialising was always a chore for him. His friends—always the same
handful of people—would get together for drinks every now and then, but
he preferred to stay at home and listen to music or watch movies the rest of
the time.
Yuan Qian had said that she couldn’t feel any excitement coming from him,
so she had left.
At present, it seemed that it was useless for Xia Xingcheng to gaze at him
so longingly. He knew that he wasn’t the man Xia Xingcheng had
envisioned in his heart.
The night air was refreshing, and there were quite a few people near the
food stand. But everyone spoke in low whispers, as if they were afraid of
disturbing the silence of the night. The stools beneath them were too short
for them both and they weren’t very comfortable to sit on, but Yang
Youming relished this brief moment in his life nevertheless.
He watched Xia Xingcheng, who was devouring his noodles, and thought to
himself that it would be nice if this could go on forever. But he quickly
came to his senses and realise that it was impossible. Harbouring such
expectations was pointless.
Yang Youming had always thought he was sufficiently sober, but he never
anticipated just how easily he could succumb to temptation.
One afternoon, in a secluded alley, Yu Haiyang biked home with Fang

Jianyuan.
In the beginning, he’d been immersed in his role, acting according to the
script, eager to finish the scene. But things went south when Xia Xingcheng
refused to let go of his embrace.
Xia Xingcheng shouldn’t be in this mood, because this scene took place in
the first half of the film, when Yu Haiyang and Fang Jianyuan’s feelings
were developing. It was a time when Fang Jianyuan was at his happiest.
But Xia Xingcheng had substituted his own emotions into Fang Jianyuan.
His arms were wrapped around Yang Youming’s waist, and his face was
buried in Yang Youming’s back, unwilling to let go.
Yang Youming had no choice but to stop. He turned to look at Xia
Xingcheng and reached out to touch his head.
Following the gesture, Xia Xingcheng lifted his face, his expression tinged
with genuine adoration.
For a split second, Yang Youming couldn’t tell whether he was in or out of
his character. The subconscious act may have been Yu Haiyang’s, or
perhaps it was his—he slowly bent down and kissed Xia Xingcheng’s lips.
Xia Xingcheng kissed him back in an instant, dazed, reluctant to part with
his lips.
The kiss went on until He Zheng called for a stop. The instant their lips
parted, Yang Youming realised that his head was exceptionally clear. He
could hear the insects chirping around him and distinguish each staff
member’s expression. He understood the meaning behind the look He
Zheng was giving him.
The only thing he didn’t do was look at Xia Xingcheng. He was afraid he
wouldn’t be able to calm down any further.
That night, He Zheng sought him out.
He Zheng smoked until Yang Youming’s entire suite was completely filled
with smoke. Yang Youming, unable to bear it, opened the window.
The two men sat across from each other.
He Zheng said, “I know you’re in deep.”
“Yes,” replied Yang Youming.
“You’ve shot so many films,” He Zheng remarked. “You don’t need me to

tell you how to do things. You know how to adjust yourself.”
Yang Youming repeated, “Yes.”

He Zheng didn’t continue. He stared at him, and after a moment, asked,
“What’s on your mind?”
Yang Youming said, “Nothing. My scenes are almost done.”
Before leaving, He Zheng patted his shoulder. “Thank goodness you’re

sober.”
Yang Youming was too sober. He was sober enough to know that the first
time his heart raced outside his role was when Xia Xingcheng cried in front
of him, and that that intimate scene in the small cubicle of the hospital
bathroom roused his desire for Xia Xingcheng’s body. In truth, it didn’t
matter when it started, because the emotions evoked by the film would
ultimately fade away one day.
Before he parted ways with the cast and crew, he invited them all to a meal
as a sort of farewell party, as was his habit when making movies.
That evening though, he had another farewell. It was between him and Xia
Xingcheng.
The matter of his divorce had not been made public. No one in the cast and
crew knew, and Xia Xingcheng had no idea either. That evening, he put on
a ring. It wasn’t his actual wedding ring, but one that looked a lot like it.
Since this parting was a long time coming, it was better to make a clean
break—cutting off Xia Xingcheng’s feelings and his own way out.
They took a seat by the restaurant’s window. He placed his hands on the
table, letting Xia Xingcheng see the shiny ring around his finger.
As expected, Xia Xingcheng asked him if it was his wedding ring.
He said that it was.
In that moment, Xia Xingcheng probably thought his feelings of heartbreak

and loss were perfectly hidden. In reality, they were all laid bare for Yang
Youming to see.
Yang Youming looked at him calmly, thinking to himself that his desire was
actually unnecessary, as were his feelings, and that kiss was so unnecessary
that He Zheng couldn’t stand the sight of it. Every emotion stemmed from
the film, feelings eliciting ideas. It seemed like a difficult feat, but in this
industry, it was best to cut it off.
Just as Yuan Qian had ultimately made a clean break with him.
Xia Xingcheng said that he couldn’t go back.
Yang Youming calmly told him that there was nothing he couldn’t go back
from.
That evening, after the meal, Yang Youming left the hotel with a wedding
ring that no longer existed adorning his finger.
He sat in the car, subconsciously turning the ring on his finger, convinced
that this was the most outlandish display of losing control in his entire
filming career. He was perplexed. Perhaps it was due to the breakup of his
marriage; he was unaccustomed to being alone, so he craved emotional
comfort. Or maybe he was born preferring men and had never realised it.
That thought brought a smile to Yang Youming’s face. Eventually, the smile
became tinged with pain. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and told
himself that, since it was over, then it was thoroughly over. The hows and
the whys were no longer important.
After all, his life neither revolved around love nor desire. He would be
better off withdrawing as soon as he could and never initiate the impossible,
rather than plunging headlong into a torment of endless possessiveness,
seeking but ultimately failing to obtain it.
That was what Yang Youming had believed, at the time.
He believed that he could really do it.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Mora for the kofis!
😦
t/n – edited by sofia ❤ sadly, this chapter marks the last of the yang youming pov extras ;_; i’m still
dying to know his thoughts when xxc confessed
The Sun
“Film Emperor”
Dai Xiaoxuan placed a recorder on the table, picked up her coffee, and
sipped it while silently observing Xia Xingcheng, who sat in front of her.
Xia Xingcheng had just finished a photoshoot for their magazine. His
assistant was removing his makeup with makeup wipes. The short female
assistant was someone Dai Xiaoxuan recognised—she seemed to have been
by Xia Xingcheng’s side for several years now.
Dai Xiaoxuan had once been crazy about Xia Xingcheng. Around four or
five years ago, when “Gradual Distance” had just been screened overseas,
she and many other girls her age scoured the internet to download and
watch the movie. It was a movie she had watched over and over, nearly ten
times in total, and if she closed her eyes, there were many scenes and
dialogues that she could still recall even now.
But as time went by, Dai Xiaoxuan grew up and had to prioritise her own
work and life. Her initial fervour and fanaticism gradually faded into a more
subdued fondness and silent attention.
Six years had passed in the blink of an eye since Xia Xingcheng shot
‘Gradual Distance’, and Dai Xiaoxuan had the rare opportunity to see Xia
Xingcheng up close. She discovered that he had changed somewhat, but he
still gave off the same vibe.
The most noticeable difference was most likely his calm demeanor. There
was no telling how many interviews Xia Xingcheng had sat for after so
many years of making movies as an A-list actor. He gave the impression of
someone who had settled down, with a steadiness that befitted his status.
But there were many aspects of him that had remained unchanged. When he
spoke to his assistant, for example, his face was adorned with the same
sunny smile, his eyes clear and bright, as if his disposition had not changed
since his twenties. His face appeared especially youthful.
A word flashed across Dai Xiaoxuan’s mind: smooth.
She thought of Xia Xingcheng’s debut at such a young age, his rise to fame
in his youth, and his pursuit of the Film Emperor title when he was barely
thirty. His acting career could not have been smoother. With no setbacks
hindering his path, it was only natural that his heart didn’t accumulate a
great many burdens. As a result, his face remained youthful, and his eyes
remained clear and bright.
As her thoughts reached this point, Xia Xingcheng suddenly turned to face
her, smiling and saying, “It’s Xiao Xuan, right? Should we begin?”
Dai Xiaoxuan straightened her back right away. She glanced down at her
notebook, then raised her head and confidently began today’s interview.
It was only at the very end of the interview did Dai Xiaoxuan tell Xia
Xingcheng, “Xiao Xing ge, I actually used to be a fan of yours, a really big
fan. I even went to greet you at the airport.”
Xia Xingcheng had spoken quite a bit. Right then, he was drinking his
coffee with his head bowed. When he heard her words, he looked up at her,
his eyes brightening. “Really?” he stroked his chest with a smile. “I’m
honoured.”
As he stroked his chest, Dai Xiaoxuan noticed the edge of his tattoo
peeking out from under his collar, and her thoughts returned to the contents
of the interview just now. One of the questions concerned the meaning of
the tattoo. When asked, Xia Xingcheng had answered that it was a symbol
for his feelings and the things he’d experienced.
He’d never explained what exactly the tattoo signified to the rest of the
world, but back then, Dai Xiaoxuan and other Xia Xingcheng fans had
harboured an outrageous speculation. Back when ‘Gradual Distance’ was at
the peak of its popularity, a fan deduced that the sun and moon in the tattoo
represented one person, while the stars represented another. It was clear
who the stars represented, and the sun and moon made up the character for
‘ming’—who it referred to couldn’t be more obvious.
But in the end, speculation was only speculation. Xia Xingcheng had never
opened up about it, and no one could say for sure whether this speculation
was correct.
As she recalled this now, Dai Xiaoxuan felt that those days of chasing after
Xia Xingcheng were a very joyful time. She had numerous friends on the
internet, many of whom were convinced that Xia Xingcheng and Yang
Youming’s on-screen relationship had become a real one—or at least it had,
back then. Moreover, following ‘Gradual Distance’, Xia Xingcheng and
Yang Youming collaborated again in quick succession, sending fans into a
frenzy. They practically urged the two men to get married. Unfortunately,
they never acted in the same film again after ‘The Trap.’ They were almost
never seen in the same frame.
During this period of time, Dai Xiaoxuan graduated, worked, and dated.
She jumped ship from working in a newspaper company to a fashion
magazine, and finally had the opportunity to be this close to Xia Xingcheng
for the first time ever.
Therefore, she asked him a long-awaited question, “I can only ask on my

behalf: is there still a chance to see you and Yang Youming act in the same
movie again?”
Xia Xingcheng’s smile remained on his face, still as sincere. He seemingly

had no intention of avoiding the question, saying, “If there’s a good script
and a good opportunity to work together? Of course.”
Dai Xiaoxuan smiled back at him. She softly said, “You’re so nice.”
Xia Xingcheng suddenly asked her, “Do you like Yang Youming too?”
Dai Xiaoxuan wasn’t expecting this question. “Of course I do,” she said
after a stunned pause. “I fell in love with both of you when I first saw
‘Gradual Distance’.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded and said, “Then I’ll say hello to him for you when I
can.”
Dai Xiaoxuan was somewhat taken aback. “You two have been in touch?”
After the question rolled off her tongue, she felt stupid. Xia Xingcheng and
Yang Youming didn’t appear to have any conflicts—they’d even worked
together on a number of films—so what was so strange about staying in
touch?
Xia Xingcheng chuckled and said, “Yeah, we keep in touch on a regular

basis.”
After getting off work that day, Dai Xiaoxuan bought a boxed meal on the
way home. The meal was then heated up in the microwave, and she had
dinner while using the computer to browse the internet.
She saw a piece of celebrity gossip about Yang Youming posted on the
internet, so she bit at her chopsticks and clicked on the news to have a look,
only to discover that it was a paparazzi photo taken on the streets. Yang
Youming had a child with him. They were buying drinks on the side of the
road, and he turned around and handed it to the boy after paying for it.
These photos seemed to have been taken a couple of days ago. As it was
currently summer, Yang Youming wore a white T-shirt paired with casual
jeans. He was looking down at the boy with a gentle smile.
Because the photos had been taken secretly, they were shot from a distance
and came out a little blurry. However, Dai Xiaoxuan thought that Yang
Youming hadn’t changed at all from his ‘Gradual Distance’ days. He was
still the handsome and gentle Yu Haiyang.
AAAAH—if it hadn’t been for the chopstick between Dai Xiaoxuan’s teeth,
she would’ve let out a shriek right then and there. At the thought of the
movie’s ending, her heart was immediately filled with pain. She couldn’t
help grumble to herself: So what if he’s gentle and charming?! That man is
a scumbag!
That tabloid report had written up a bunch of nonsense, claiming that Yang
Youming had taken the little boy out and doted on him with a gentle
manner, speculating that this little boy was most likely Yang Youming’s
illegitimate child. Yang Youming had been divorced from Yuan Qian for so
long—there was no way the man hadn’t started a new relationship.
Dai Xiaoxuan estimated the boy’s age to be around ten years old. If he was
Yang Youming’s illegitimate child, he was most likely conceived before
Yang Youming and Yuan Qian got married. This simply didn’t make sense.
She closed the webpage to find a TV drama to watch while she ate. She
aimlessly browsed titles on a streaming service before remembering her
interview with Xia Xingcheng earlier today, and finally opened the hard
drive she had always kept the ‘Gradual Distance’ movie in.
This was her eleventh time watching the movie. She hadn’t watched it at all
in the last few years. For some reason, she felt particularly nostalgic today.
When she saw the familiar title sequence, she hurriedly shoved food into
her mouth.
It was very late when Xia Xingcheng got home from work.
They were still living in Yang Youming’s place, and had never had any
plans to move.
All the lights had been turned off. These last two days, Xia Xingcheng’s
nephew Dong Dong had been staying with them. The kid was definitely
sleeping right then, so Xia Xingcheng moved extra quietly. As he entered
their bedroom, he couldn’t bring himself to turn on the lights and wake
Yang Youming. He opened his wardrobe and used his phone to search for a
clean pair of briefs before going to the bathroom to shower.
After showering, he emerged from the bathroom in briefs and steam
billowing around him. He’d only just turned off the bathroom lights, and
because his eyes weren’t used to the darkness yet, he couldn’t see anything
and had to rely on memory to stumble towards the bed.
As soon as he got to the bed, he was suddenly lifted up by his waist and
pressed down on the bed. Xia Xingcheng almost screamed out in fright, but
a warm and familiar palm covered his mouth, and Yang Youming’s voice
echoed in his ear. “Don’t be scared, it’s me.”
Xia Xingcheng’s heart was pounding. He began to gasp as he felt Yang

Youming’s palm move away from his mouth. “You’re going to scare me to
death,” he said.
Yang Youming’s deep voice carried a trace of weariness as he said,

“Never.”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed his hand and let Yang Youming feel his chest. “Feel
how fast my heart is beating?”
Yang Youming’s palm came to a halt over the left side of his chest for a
moment. “I was afraid you’d stub your toe,” he explained. “Shouldn’t I just
lift you instead?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I’m not that clumsy.”
Yang Youming’s hand slowly wandered over his chest.
A moment later, Xia Xingcheng’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw
Yang Youming lying on his side. One hand propped his head up, while the
other was plastered to Xia Xingcheng’s chest. He was watching Xia
Xingcheng with his head bowed.
The two men looked at each other. They could only barely make out the
other’s facial features.
“How come you’re still awake? Waiting up for me?” Xia Xingcheng asked.
Yang Youming said, “I woke up the moment you came home.”

Xia Xingcheng looked up and ruffled Yang Youming’s hair. “Light sleeper.”
“Mm,” Yang Youming hummed. “I can’t sleep unless you’re next to me.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled as he looked at him. After a beat, he said, “Why do

you keep groping my chest? Not sleepy?”
Yang Youming’s hand did not stop moving. “Wasn’t it you who put my
hand here?” he said, touching him. In the dim light, he moved his hand
upwards, pinpointing the tattoo on Xia Xingcheng’s collarbone. “How come
you’re taking advantage of me?”
“I’m taking advantage of you? Do you know what ‘taking advantage’

means?” Xia Xingcheng snapped. His hand travelled down Yang Youming’s
body. “Now this is taking advantage!”
Yang Youming rolled over and pressed Xia Xingcheng down, kissing him
on the lips.
Xia Xingcheng wrapped his arms around Yang Youming’s shoulders,

stroking the taut muscles on the man’s back and letting out groans of
pleasure.
“Keep your voice down,” Yang Youming muttered as he kissed his earlobe.
Xia Xingcheng wasn’t too happy. He tightly hugged Yang Youming and
said, “I’ll call Xia Ye tomorrow and get him to take Dong Dong back.”
Yang Youming’s words were interspersed with small gasps. “Dong Dong
specially came to visit you for summer vacation. Let him play for a little
longer. Why are you driving him away?”
Xia Xingcheng, who was no longer in the mood to speak, turned his head,
sought Yang Youming’s lips, and kissed him passionately.
☆☆☆
Thank you to MIR for the kofis!
The Sun
“Film Emperor”
It was already bright out when Xia Xingcheng woke up. He stretched his
limbs in the nest of the bedding, enjoying the sensation, and saw a small
gap between the curtains. The bright early morning sunlight streamed in,
giving the impression that it would be another scorching hot summer day,
but the temperature in the room remained cool and comfortable.
Yang Youming had already gotten out of bed. The sheets were cool to the
touch when Xia Xingcheng reached over to feel them. He’d probably been
up for some time.
Xia Xingcheng’s recent work schedule had been so hectic that it made him
less energetic than usual. He sat up on the bed, hands over his face for a
spell, before he tore away the covers and got out of bed.
He was completely naked. These days, as long as Xia Xingcheng was at

home, he usually slept naked. He enjoyed hugging Yang Youming in his
sleep and feeling the other man’s body pressed close to his own.
When Xia Xingcheng stepped out of the room after getting dressed, he saw
Yang Youming and Dong Dong eating breakfast across from each other at
the dining table.
The moment Dong Dong saw him, he raised his head and exclaimed,
“Morning, Uncle!”
Xia Xingcheng had been extremely busy recently, so he hadn’t had the time
to play with Dong Dong. It was Yang Youming who took care of him the
entire time. Today, he had the rare opportunity to take a close look at Dong
Dong and discovered that he had really grown up a lot. He resembled both
Xia Ye and Fang Ying, but there was also a shadow of Xia Xingcheng in his
appearance. The beautiful boy had truly inherited the Xia family’s excellent
genes.
Dong Dong was as well-behaved as he had always been. He was a little shy,
and didn’t like to talk very much. After he greeted Xia Xingcheng, he
lowered his head and continued eating his steamed bun.
Yang Youming had made the steamed buns himself for breakfast, which
was a special treat for Dong Dong. When it was just the two of them at
home, breakfast was usually noodles, with the occasional coffee and bread
for variety.
Yang Youming rose to greet Xia Xingcheng. “Have you washed up? Come
have breakfast.” He then went to the kitchen to get a bowl and chopsticks
for Xia Xingcheng.
“Hold on,” Xia Xingcheng said, “I need to work out first.”
Yang Youming stopped in his tracks. He leaned against the back of the chair
and looked at him. “You want to work out at this hour? By the time you’re
done, it’ll be lunchtime.”
Xia Xingcheng was slightly distressed. “But working out after eating is
troublesome.”
Yang Youming walked over to him and grabbed his wrist as he reached his
side, pulling him to the dining table and seating him. “Then don’t work out
today, you can start tomorrow.” With that, he went to the kitchen to grab a
bowl and some milk.
Seeing Dong Dong still nibbling on his bun, his mouth shiny with oil, Xia
Xingcheng leaned over and asked, “Is it yummy?”
Dong Dong stopped nibbling, closed his mouth, chewed slowly, then
nodded with wide eyes.
Xia Xingcheng then reached out for a steamed bun, took a bite, and
savoured the taste in his mouth unhurriedly.
Yang Youming placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of him, poured him a
glass of milk, and asked, “How does it taste?”
Xia Xingcheng nodded, “Delicious, just a little worse than my mom’s.”
Yang Youming chuckled at his words.
Xia Xingcheng was unable to keep his mouth shut while he ate. “When
we’re old and out of acting jobs, we’ll open a restaurant. You cook in the
kitchen, while I man the cash register out front.”
Yang Youming had already finished his breakfast. He leaned back, an elbow
on the back of the chair propping his head up as he looked at Xia
Xingcheng. “Not only do I have to cook for you when I’m old,” he began,
“I also have to work part time for your restaurant?”
Xia Xingcheng returned his gaze with a smile.
Yang Youming added, “Then who’s going to serve the dishes?”
Dong Dong immediately raised his hand, and shyly exclaimed, “Can I do
it?”
Xia Xingcheng burst out laughing and slapped the table, then pointed to
Dong Dong and said, “Of course! That’s your job now!”
While the steamed buns that Yang Youming made weren’t small, Xia
Xingcheng swallowed three down in one breath. He felt so full after
breakfast that, when he went to the living room and plopped down on the
sofa, lying face down, he wasn’t willing to move a single muscle.
After washing the dishes, Yang Youming walked over and slapped Xia
Xingcheng’s ass, saying, “Don’t lie down, you just ate.”
Xia Xingcheng flipped over and sat up, whispering, “Don’t spank me, what
if Dong Dong sees?”
Yang Youming laughed. “You’re still worried about Dong Dong seeing?”
“Of course.” Xia Xingcheng glanced around the living room. When he
didn’t spot Dong Dong, he asked, “Where is he?”
“In the study,” said Yang Youming. “He does his homework in the morning.
You can take him out to play in the evening.”
“Take him where?” asked Xia Xingcheng.
“Where do you want to go?” Yang Youming inquired. He thought for a

moment, before saying, “It’s not convenient to go anywhere nearby. If you
don’t have any work for the next few days, we can take Dong Dong on a
trip.”
Xia Xingcheng gave it some thought and decided it was fine. “I’ll call Lao-
Huang later and ask him to book flight tickets and accommodation. How
about a few days stay in a nice hotel on the mountains?”
Xia Xingcheng turned his head and shot a look at the tightly shut door of
the study, then reached over and tugged Yang Youming onto the sofa. He
hugged his waist and leaned over to kiss him.
Yet Yang Youming leaned back and avoided him instead.
Dumbstruck, Xia Xingcheng asked, “Why did you do that?”
Yang Youming looked at him and said, “You still taste like steamed buns.”
Xia Xingcheng’s brows furrowed. “Your own steamed buns gross you
out?”
Yang Youming angled his body backwards. “It’s not like I want to kiss my
steamed buns.”
Xia Xingcheng said, “I don’t care. You’re not allowed to avoid me.”
Afterwards, he caged Yang Youming between his knees and manhandled
him onto the sofa, hell-bent on kissing him.
Yang Youming avoided him a few times to tease him, and when he finally
stopped dodging, he let Xia Xingcheng press two light kisses on his mouth.
Xia Xingcheng hugged Yang Youming, resting his face on the man’s
shoulder. “If only I didn’t have to work. It’d be great if I could spend every
day with you.”
Yang Youming stroked his hair and pressed a kiss on his forehead. “We still
have all the time in the world.”
Before Dai Xiaoxuan got off work that afternoon, she received a call from
her boyfriend.
“Why so sudden?” Dai Xiaoxuan asked.
Her boyfriend said, “What’s so sudden? Don’t you still have two hours until
your shift ends? That’s enough time to get ready.”
Like hell it was.
Dai Xiaoxuan had woken up late this morning. She had left in a rush, and
she hadn’t done her hair and makeup. At present, even with two hours
before work ended, she simply had no time to tidy up herself.
So when her boyfriend drove over to pick her up and saw her unkempt
appearance, he fell silent for a beat before saying, “You’re seriously going
out like this?”
Dai Xiaoxuan stayed mute.
Her boyfriend’s name was Qin Chi. He was the son of someone who could
only just be considered a nouveau riche. He had just turned thirty this year,
so strictly speaking, he was the same age as Xia Xingcheng. Qin Chi owned
an apartment in the city, drove a fancy car, and had a penchant for spending
money in droves. He’d apparently started a business with a few friends, but
Qin Chi had never told her anything about how things were going.
Dai Xiaoxuan could be considered somewhat of a beauty if she tidied up.

When she didn’t, though, she didn’t look that impressive, resembling an
ordinary university student.
Qin Chi complained about her endlessly on the way to dinner, grumbling
about how she hadn’t put on any makeup nor worn a nice dress, and how
taking her out just made him lose face.
Dai Xiaoxuan kept her mouth shut grudgingly. She didn’t find out until later
that Qin Chi was taking her to a high-end western restaurant, where a single
head could spend nearly two thousand yuan. This was her first time eating
at such an expensive joint. While she couldn’t care less about Qin Chi’s
anger, she felt that she should’ve cleaned up a little before coming to such a
place.
The restaurant had no private rooms, and the interior wasn’t too large either.
It probably only hosted seven or eight tables, all of which had to be
reserved beforehand.
Tonight, apart from the two of them, an old friend of Qin Chi’s also ate with
them. Supposedly, he had just returned from abroad, and he brought his
girlfriend along to meet up with Qin Chi. Qin Chi had taken the initiative to
treat them to dinner and chose such an expensive restaurant.
Dai Xiaoxuan felt that Qin Chi was just doing something beyond his ability.
It was truly unnecessary.
As they ate, Qin Chi and his buddy talked up a storm. Sitting opposite her
was his buddy’s girlfriend. In terms of looks, she wasn’t as pretty as Dai
Xiaoxuan, but she was very well dressed. The tight black dress she was
wearing accentuated her figure perfectly.
The western food didn’t suit Dai Xiaoxuan’s tastes. She ate absent-
mindedly, with no intention to listen to Qin Chi’s boasting. Bored, she lifted
her head and looked around the restaurant instead, catching sight of an
empty table by the window.
Right then, a waiter led a little boy over and sat him down at one of the
tables in the dining hall.
The little boy looked to be about ten years old. He had a very lovely, good
looking face, but he appeared a little fidgety. He wouldn’t stop looking
around after he sat down, and his fingers kept picking at the napkin on the
tabletop.
Dai Xiaoxuan suddenly felt that he was a little familiar. She grabbed her
fork in a daze. Not even a minute later, she once again saw the waiter
leading a tall, slender figure towards a table by the window.
This time, the person wasn’t just a familiar face. It was a face she was very
familiar with.
Dai Xiaoxuan straightened up in her seat. She watched Xia Xingcheng walk
over to the dining table, stroke the little boy’s head, and sit down in the seat
next to him. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d see Xia
Xingcheng here. She was slightly thrilled.
She then peered around the room and found that no one else seemed to have
noticed Xia Xingcheng. The people in the dining hall were all quietly
having their dinner and speaking in low voices. Those who came to eat here
were probably people who didn’t think seeing a celebrity was anything
worth being surprised about.
Next to Dai Xiaoxuan, Qin Chi was pompously bragging about his
business, but Dai Xiaoxuan’s mind had long since fled the conversation.
She couldn’t recall where she had seen that little boy before.
It was apparent that the boy was very close with Xia Xingcheng. The two of
them leaned into each other and flipped through the menu. Xia Xingcheng
was pointing at the menu, seemingly asking the boy whether he wanted to
eat a particular dish, but the boy kept shaking his head.
After almost two minutes, they had flipped through the entire menu. Xia
Xingcheng fished out his phone and took a look at the screen, and the boy
patiently went through the menu from cover to cover once more.
It was at that moment that Dai Xiaoxuan spotted someone who almost made
her stand up in shock, but she managed to hold back, of course, and ended
up only clinking the fork on her plate with a not-so-subtle clang.
Qin Chi’s head whirled around to shoot her a dissatisfied look.
Dai Xiaoxuan, however, couldn’t care less. She forced herself not to let her
excited shaking show, her teeth clenched tight. She tried to keep her eyes
open wide as she watched Yang Youming, together with a white man in a
chef’s uniform, walking to the table by the window.
Yang Youming didn’t sit down right away. He was still talking to the chef,
and Xia Xingcheng followed suit by standing up, smiling then shaking
hands with the chef. After the chef left them alone, Yang Youming sat down
in the seat across Xia Xingcheng.
Dai Xiaoxuan bit her lips hard. She didn’t know whether she wanted to cry
or laugh.
Yang Youming lowered his head and said something to the boy at Xia
Xingcheng’s side.
The little boy tilted his head up and looked at Yang Youming with a bashful
smile.
Dai Xiaoxuan finally recalled where she had seen the boy—he was, without
a doubt, the little boy who had been photographed on the streets with Yang
Youming the other day.
She stared at them in a daze and suddenly realised that, instead of being
Yang Youming’s illegitimate son, this boy resembled Xia Xingcheng
instead.
It turned out that Xia Xingcheng really had been in contact with Yang
Youming all this time. On top of that, their relationship was even better than
Dai Xiaoxuan had previously believed.
This time, without the blurry pixels of a photograph separating them, Dai
Xiaoxuan could examine Yang Youming’s face more carefully. She found
that, although so many years had passed, Yang Youming hadn’t changed a
bit.
Yang Youming’s last appearance on the big screen had been the film he
acted with Xia Xingcheng in, ‘The Trap’, directed by He Zheng, upon
which he’d won another Best Actor award. After that, until the year before
last, he worked on a massive commercial war film, which had post-
production complications and wasn’t released even until now.
Dai Xiaoxuan herself was more of a Xia Xingcheng fan, but she had once
asked a Yang Youming fan if it was tiring to like a star who so rarely
appeared in the media or in public. That fan had answered: We’re used to it.
We place this person deep down in our hearts. We won’t always think about
him, but once he appears or we get to see him again, we’d find that he’s
always been at the forefront of our hearts.
At the time, Dai Xiaoxuan hadn’t been in the workforce for long. Everyday,
she would work herself to death and no longer had the energy to chase stars.
She realised that it was a pretty good approach—being a fan of someone
doesn’t require you to constantly chase them everytime and everywhere. It
was enough to just have them in your heart, check out their works, and pay
attention to their lives once in a while. Hence, these past few years, Dai
Xiaoxuan had always kept some room in her heart for Xia Xingcheng.
Dai Xiaoxuan watched Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming and was
suddenly overcome with many memories of the past. Her nose soured.
There was only a bottle of wine and some appetizers on Xia Xingcheng’s
table. The two men weren’t in a hurry to eat, and were conversing instead.
Dai Xiaoxuan could only see Xia Xingcheng’s back from where she sat, but
she could see the way Yang Youming gazed at Xia Xingcheng, attentive,
eyes tender. She had no idea what Xia Xingcheng was saying, but Yang
Youming broke into a gentle smile.
Xia Xingcheng picked up his glass of red wine and swayed it around, then
handed it to the boy next to him and brought it to the boy’s lips. The little
boy took a sip, then shook his head.
When Xia Xingcheng brought the glass to his mouth a second time, the
little boy dodged to the side, and Yang Youming reached out to stop Xia
Xingcheng.
“Xiaoxuan, XIAOXUAN!” Dai Xiaoxuan, whose gaze had been transfixed

elsewhere, was suddenly called to her boyfriend’s attention. It was only
then that she realised that Qin Chi had been calling out to her for a while.
Qin Chi glanced in the direction she’d been staring at just then. She had no
idea whether he recognised Yang Youming and who he was together with,
but in any case, he grumbled about her in a very disgruntled manner. Qin
Chi didn’t chase stars, and he couldn’t care less about others chasing stars.
In fact, he couldn’t care less about many things and only ever felt that his
own taste and preferences were the most remarkable.
Dai Xiaoxuan smiled at Qin Chi’s friends and barely managed to collect her
thoughts as she pretended to listen intently.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Andie for the kofis!
The Sun
“Film Emperor”
Xia Xingcheng complained how the Western cuisine didn’t taste that good,
and that they would have been better off going out for hotpot that night.
Nonetheless, he still left feeling full. He dejectedly lifted a hand to rub his
stomach, annoyed that it would take several days of working out to
completely burn off the calories from this meal.
Dong Dong was full too. He leaned against the wall and rubbed his tummy,
sighing along with Xia Xingcheng.
Yang Youming was still conversing with his chef pal. They talked for a
while before shaking hands and saying their goodbyes.
When Xia Xingcheng noticed the white chef waving to him, he lifted his
hand and waved goodbye.
When they entered the elevator, Xia Xingcheng asked Yang Youming,
“What did you introduce me to your friend as?”
“My wife, of course,” Yang Youming said.
Xia Xingcheng laughed and nudged him with his body.
Yang Youming swayed from the impact, then laughed too. He asked Xia
Xingcheng, “Doesn’t that make you happy?”
Xia Xingcheng looked down and glanced at Dong Dong, who was still
absentmindedly rubbing his tummy. He smiled and moved closer to Yang
Youming’s ear, saying, “It does.”
Yang Youming took his hand in his and laced their fingers together. He
brought their hands in front of them and said, “You’re wearing your ring
today.” He held the wedding ring on Xia Xingcheng’s finger between his
fingers and turned it.
Xia Xingcheng was practically leaning against him as he examined the ring.
“Yeah, I always wear it when I don’t have to face the media.” It wasn’t that
he didn’t want to wear it in front of the press. In reality, it was simply too
bothersome to look for an excuse to explain its existence.
These days, there weren’t many people who classified him as an idol.
Despite this, he had a slew of die-hard fans who followed him constantly
and obsessed over him still. Even so, none of them were aware that he’d
actually been married for several years, and that the person he’d married
was Yang Youming.
Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming had both drank that night. They weren’t
drunk, but their emotions were running a little high. “Sometimes I feel bad
about keeping my fans in the dark,” Xia Xingcheng said, looking at his
wedding ring.
Yang Youming glanced at him before wrapping his palm around Xia
Xingcheng’s hand. “You can’t help it.”
Xia Xingcheng rested his head on Yang Youming’s shoulder. “If I announce
that I’m married but don’t mention who I’m married to, would that be
okay?”
Yang Youming turned his head and gently kissed Xia Xingcheng’s
forehead. “There’s no need to.”
Xia Xingcheng heaved a sigh.
Their car was already waiting for them on the side of the road when they
exited the restaurant. The restaurant was situated on a hillside, with a dozen
buildings scattered around the area. There were hotels, coffee shops, and
bars open late at night. A high-end villa area was also nearby.
Although this side of the mountain could be considered to be a commercial

block, the surrounding area was deserted, with almost no pedestrians in
sight after dark.
Xia Xingcheng took Dong Dong’s hand and led him to the car, but just as
he opened the door and moved to help Dong Dong up, Dong Dong came to
a halt and looked up at Xia Xingcheng.
“What’s wrong?” Xia Xingcheng probed.
Due to the dim streetlight closest to them, it was impossible to see Dong
Dong’s expression because it was quite dark. Xia Xingcheng knelt down
and saw Dong Dong’s furrowed brows.
Behind them, Yang Youming also bent down and asked, “What’s the
matter?”
Dong Dong whispered, “My tummy hurts.”
Xia Xingcheng quickly grew concerned. He reached out to touch Dong

Dong’s stomach. “Is it a stomach ache or do you want to poop?”
“I want to poop,” Dong Dong said.
Xia Xingcheng was slightly relieved.
Yang Youming stroked Dong Dong’s head and said, “I’ll take him. It’ll take
a while to go down the mountain, he won’t be able to hold it in.”
Xia Xingcheng nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll wait for you guys here.”
Yang Youming led Dong Dong by the hand and headed back to the
restaurant.
Alone, Xia Xingcheng wasn’t in a hurry to get in the car. He shoved his
hands into his pockets and walked a few paces forward.
The temperature on the mountain was not as high as in the city. At night,
after sunset, the mountain seemed to darken. Wearing a short-sleeved tee
that seemed slightly thin, though he felt somewhat cold, Xia Xingcheng felt
that his face was a little feverish. His thoughts flitted about in his head;
there was always something running through his mind. When he clenched
his left hand, he could sense the presence of the ring, and as a result, he was
struck with the temptation of announcing his and Yang Youming’s
relationship to the world.
In truth, over the years, Xia Xingcheng had always harboured these
thoughts from time to time. But he also knew that it was both inappropriate
and impossible, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt lost.
Right then, Xia Xingcheng noticed a sedan emerge from the parking lot, but
before it went far, it stopped under the streetlight across the street.
The car remained in place for about five minutes before the front passenger
door opened and a girl dressed in a shirt and jeans got out. She said to the
person inside. “You can go. We’re over.”
It was only then did Xia Xingcheng realise that the car had stopped there
because the people inside were arguing.
The driver said something that Xia Xingcheng didn’t hear.
The girl slammed the car door shut, then watched as the car immediately
accelerated, increasing speed until it disappeared from view around the
mountain. The girl stood on the roadside for a moment. She turned her head
and spotted Xia Xingcheng, and called out in shock, “Xing ge?”
Xia Xingcheng tried hard to remember her name. “Xiao Xuan?”
Dai Xiaoxuan and her boyfriend had fought.
In fact, Qin Chi had been extremely dissatisfied with her behavior
throughout dinner. He gave her the stink eye the entire night, and his
annoyance lasted until they saw Qin Chi’s friend off. They got into a fight
as soon as they got to the car.
Qin Chi had said, “Aren’t you a reporter at that fashion magazine? Don’t
you interview superstars everyday? How come you won’t say anything in
front of my friend?”
Dai Xiaoxuan found his anger towards her baffling. She could only say,
“You guys were talking about your affairs, what do you expect me to say?”
Qin Chi pulled over at the side of the road. “Why couldn’t you say
something? Just talk about your life! If not to him, then talk to his wife! I
took you out to dinner, and yet you didn’t change your clothes, didn’t put on
makeup, do you know how humiliated I was today?!”
Dai Xiaoxuan hadn’t deliberately not worn makeup in the first place, but
she had never dressed up with the intention of giving her boyfriend face.
She got slightly mad. “You lost face because I didn’t put on makeup? Then
I won’t bother with makeup in the future. I’ll live however I want to live.
Are you going to break up with me?”
Qin Chi frowned. “Can you not be so emotional? If you’re right then you’re
right, if you’re wrong then you’re wrong! Don’t always threaten to break up
with me!”
Dai Xiaoxuan took a deep breath. “I’m not threatening you. I’m serious.
I’m afraid I’d humiliate you again in the future. Why don’t you take this
opportunity to go out and find a girlfriend who’ll help you maintain your
image before it’s too late.”
With that, Dai Xiaoxuan opened the car door and said to Qin Chi. “You can
go. We’re over.”
Qin Chi jabbed a finger at her. “You better reflect on where the problem
lies! Don’t threaten me with this! If you want to break up, then fine. Do you
honestly believe that I won’t be able to find someone better?”
Dai Xiaoxuan was no longer able to listen to him. She slammed the door
shut, yet she didn’t expect that Qin Chi would actually step on the gas pedal
and drive away, abandoning her on a deserted hillside, all alone.
In that split second, Dai Xiaoxuan’s only thought was how ridiculous her
relationship was. She then turned around, and as she fished out her phone to
see if she could call a taxi, she noticed Xia Xingcheng standing up ahead.
Luckily—and to her surprise—Xia Xingcheng still remembered her.
Dai Xiaoxuan’s mood was a bit complicated. The pleasant surprise of

bumping into Xia Xingcheng was overshadowed by her depressing fight
and subsequent breakup with her boyfriend. She stared at Xia Xingcheng
and couldn’t think of anything to say for a brief moment.
She could hear Qin Chi slam on the emergency brakes in the distance.
Xia Xingcheng stared at her for a while, before asking her, “Need a ride
down the mountain?”
Dai Xiaoxuan’s heart suddenly soared. She realised that Qin Chi had never
been all that important to her in the first place. She eyed the black van
behind Xia Xingcheng dazedly, and cautiously asked, “Would that be all
right?”
Xia Xingcheng smiled. “Of course. If taking a taxi is inconvenient, I can

send you home.”
Dai Xiaoxuan suddenly felt that her lips were a little dry. She licked her
lower lip, then walked over to Xia Xingcheng.
“It’s a bit cold out here,” Xia Xingcheng said. “You can get in first.”
Dai Xiaoxuan climbed into the black van, only to discover that it was empty
except for the driver. She didn’t notice anyone else. After a moment’s
hesitation, she asked a question to which she already knew the answer:
“Xing ge, are you waiting for someone?”
Xia Xingcheng stood by the car door, his head turned to look back. “Here
they are,” he said.
Dai Xiaoxuan turned her head as well, but she couldn’t see anything. She
stifled her racing heart and debated whether she should get out of the car.
Soon after, she heard Xia Xingcheng’s voice on the other side of the car
door say, “I ran into a friend. Can we send her home on the way?”
Another deep voice rang out, “A friend?”
Dai Xiaoxuan’s heartbeat was almost unnaturally fast. The voice she heard
was unmistakably Yang Youming’s. She then spotted the man’s tall figure
approaching the car door. When he peered inside to take a look, she
immediately rose from her seat, bowing at the waist with her head lowered
and greeting Yang Youming, “Ming ge!”
Though Yang Youming clearly didn’t know Dai Xiaoxuan, he still gave her
a polite nod. “Hello.”
Dai Xiaoxuan sat back down with a racing pulse. She found that she was
more nervous and excited when she saw Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming
together than when she had seen Xia Xingcheng on his own.
Yang Youming turned around and picked up the boy and lifted him into the
car.
Dai Xiaoxuan sat at the very back. She saw the little boy looking into the
car, then sitting in a separate window seat in the front row. Yang Youming
leaned over to help him fasten his seatbelt before getting into the car and
sitting on the two-person seat in the same row. Xia Xingcheng was the last
to get on. He sat down next to Yang Youming after closing the door.
“This is Xiao Xuan,” Xia Xingcheng said to Yang Youming. “I had a

magazine photoshoot a while ago, didn’t I? It was Xiao Xuan who
interviewed me.”
Dai Xiaoxuan surmised that Xia Xingcheng only remembered that she was
called Xiao Xuan and had no idea her surname was Dai. As a result, she
took the initiative to introduce herself “Hello, Ming ge. I’m Dai Xiaoxuan,
a reporter from XX Magazine.”
Yang Youming turned to her and said, “Nice to meet you.”

The car set off at a moderate speed.
It was silent inside the car for a few moments.
In a daze, Dai Xiaoxuan stared at Yang Youming and Xia Xingcheng’s

backs. The two men didn’t appear to be particularly close, but she always
had the impression that there was something too natural between them. She
suddenly remembered those years of frantically chasing them on the
internet, the wild imaginations, the many hopes. In the end, when she had
calmed down, most people, like her, would think—how could it be? All of
it was just wishful thinking. Ultimately, Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming
were nothing more than close friends, and it was possible that they weren’t
even friends, but simply had a regular working relationship.
Right now, though, Dai Xiaoxuan could at least tell herself that they were
really friends.
Xia Xingcheng was fiddling with his phone with his head lowered. The
phone screen illuminated his face, outlining the bridge of his nose. He said,
“Where do you live, Xiao Xuan?”
Dai Xiaoxuan gave him an address.
“Are you familiar with that area?” Xia Xingcheng asked the driver.
“I know the general direction,” said the driver.
“Okay,” Xia Xingcheng replied. “Just turn on the navigation when we’re
near.”
Dai Xiaoxuan thanked him again.
Xia Xingcheng smiled and said, “No problem. How could we let a girl go
down the mountain on her own? It’s too dangerous.”
Yang Youming didn’t ask Dai Xiaoxuan what had happened to her. Instead,
he suddenly spoke, “Don’t play with your phone.”
Dai Xiaoxuan saw Xia Xingcheng look up at Yang Youming after hearing
these words.
“It’s too dark,” Yang Youming added.
Then, she saw Xia Xingcheng swiftly lock his phone and stuff it back into
his pocket. After that, he said to Yang Youming, “Okay then.”
Dai Xiaoxuan stared at them with wide eyes.
☆☆☆
The Sun
“Film Emperor”
After Xia Xingcheng put away his phone, the car fell silent for a moment.
He turned to Yang Youming and said, “Xiao Xuan said that she’s a long-
time fan of mine.” He sounded a little pleased with himself.
Dai Xiaoxuan heard Yang Youming let out a soft laugh before replying,
“Really?”
“I like Ming ge too,” Dai Xiaoxuan promptly responded, “I like ‘Gradual

Distance’, and I also really like both of you.”
Yang Youming inclined his head to the side and nodded, saying, “Thank
you.”
Dai Xiaoxuan mustered a little bit of courage to say, “Seeing you two so
close now makes me really happy.” As soon as the words left her mouth,
she noticed Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming glancing at each other.
Then, Xia Xingcheng turned to Dai Xiaoxuan and said, “Don’t worry,
we’ve always been close.”
Dai Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but laugh. Immediately after, she felt
embarrassed at her overly open delight. As she rubbed her face with her
hands, a phrase came to mind: From here on out, my life is complete.
Silence fell in the car once more. Dai Xiaoxuan felt guilty about showing
her excitement. She took several deep breaths and sat quietly in her seat as
she stared at the backs of the two men.
Neither Xia Xingcheng nor Yang Youming spoke much either. She wasn’t
sure if it was because they found it troublesome to talk with her there.
Hence, the two men remained silent for the majority of the time.
Dai Xiaoxuan’s imagination couldn’t stop running wild.
The car travelled down the mountain at a moderate speed. When they
turned around a bend in the road, they were suddenly met with blinding
headlights; a large truck, driving as fast as lightning, brushed against their
car, and the driver hit the emergency brakes.
Dai Xiaoxuan nearly collided with the seat in front of her. She heard Yang
Youming exclaim, “Careful!” in that deep voice of his, then caught sight of
Yang Youming placing a steadying hand on Xia Xingcheng’s shoulder.
The hand he used was his left hand. Dai Xiaoxuan could distinctly make out
a ring he wore on his ring finger.
Yang Youming quickly withdrew his hand, turning to ask Dong Dong, “Are
you okay?”
Dong Dong, who was securely strapped to his seat by the seat belt, nodded
and said, “I’m okay.”
The driver apologised and explained that the car in front of them had
appeared out of nowhere. He only hit the brakes because he was afraid they
were going to crash.
Yang Youming said, “It’s fine. We’re not in a hurry. You can slow down a
little.”
Xia Xingcheng patted his chest. He turned to ask Dai Xiaoxuan, “Xiao
Xuan, you didn’t hit anything, right?”
Dai Xiaoxuan’s thoughts were still drawn to the ring adorning Yang
Youming’s left hand. “I’m fine,” she said as her attention snapped back to
the present.
Afterwards, the car drove at a much smoother pace. Dai Xiaoxuan didn’t
get a chance to take a closer look at the style of the ring on Yang Youming’s
finger. By the time the car stopped in front of her residential area, it was
already quite late. Xia Xingcheng accompanied her out. “Go back and get
some rest,” he said as he stood in front of the car. “Try not to overthink
things.”
Throughout the entire drive home, Xia Xingcheng never asked her about
her earlier fight; this was the first time he brought it up. Dai Xiaoxuan had
long since calmed down. “It’s all right,” she said. “I’ve gotten over it. Our
breakup is long-overdue, I think.”
Xia Xingcheng smiled at her and patted her shoulder comfortingly.
Dai Xiaoxuan looked at Xia Xingcheng’s hand. The same platinum gold
men’s ring was on the same left ring finger. She had no way to ascertain if
they were of the same style, but her heart began to race faster and faster—
she had no control over it at all.
A thought flashed across Dai Xiaoxuan’s mind at that precise moment. She
was overwhelmed by her need to know the answer. She stared at Xia
Xingcheng and inquired, “Xing ge, are you—” married? The final word
was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t voice it out.
In fact, what difference did it make if they were? Or weren’t? Whether they
were together, whether they got married, whether they had their own
families—whatever the reality turned out to be, this was a person she had
genuinely liked and invested an awful lot of time and energy on. It was as if
she had fallen in love along with them. At this point, it didn’t matter what
the end result was, as long as they were both happy.
Xia Xingcheng was still looking at her, awaiting her question.
Dai Xiaoxuan shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said, but in that instant,
she couldn’t stop her tears from streaming down her face. There was a
saying she remembered but didn’t know where from, that what you miss
isn’t only the person you once loved, but also your youth. In life, there were
no do-overs. Those years were probably the most passionate years of your
life. From then on, it was unlikely that you’d ever be able to encounter that
same degree of passion.
Xia Xingcheng suffered a fright at the sight of Dai Xiaoxuan crying. He

thought she was crying over her breakup. He had no idea how to console
her, so he ended up only saying, “He left you alone on the mountain. A guy
like that isn’t worth crying over.”
Dai Xiaoxuan nodded. “I know it’s not worth it.” It’s not like she wanted to
cry over Qin Chi.
Xia Xingcheng hesitated for a beat before lifting his hand and weakly
embracing her shoulders, patting her on the back.
Yet Dai Xiaoxuan hugged Xia Xingcheng tightly, letting him go just as
quick. “I love you,” she said, then retreated and headed to the entrance of
her residence as she waved at Xia Xingcheng. Although her eyes were filled
with tears, she was actually smiling.
Xia Xingcheng waved back, keeping his eyes on Dai Xiaoxuan, and only
got back to the car once she entered her residence.
“What’s the matter?” Yang Youming asked.
Xia Xingcheng sat back down next to Yang Youming and said, “She had a
fight with her boyfriend earlier. She’s probably heartbroken.”
The driver sent them home.
Xia Xingcheng looked at Dong Dong and discovered that he was already
asleep, head drooping. He then lowered his voice and said, “Her boyfriend
is useless. He left a girl all alone on the mountain and drove off by
himself.”
Yang Youming didn’t speak, only stroking Xia Xingcheng’s hair gently.
After muttering to himself for a while, he looked up at Yang Youming.

“Why are you ignoring me?”
Yang Youming nodded. “I think he’s useless too.”
A laugh escaped Xia Xingcheng’s lips.
When they got home, Xia Xingcheng jostled a bleary eyed Dong Dong to
the bathroom for a shower. Dong Dong was old enough that he didn’t need
anyone to watch over him anymore, so after showering, he’d go back to his
room on his own to go to bed.
The suitcases they’d be taking on their holiday the next day were already
packed and stacked against the living room wall quietly.
After taking a bath and changing into his pajamas, Xia Xingcheng returned
to find Yang Youming missing from their bedroom. Hearing movement
from the kitchen, he opened the door and walked out. He padded over,
trying not to startle Yang Youming, and stepped in to see Yang Youming
standing by the sink with a cup of water in his hands, his back to the door.
When he almost reached Yang Youming’s back, he heard Yang Youming’s

deep voice speak, “What are you doing?”
Xia Xingcheng grabbed the hem of his shirt and rested his cheek on Yang
Youming’s shoulder, saying, “My brother heard that we’re taking Dong
Dong on a trip and wants to send Ding Ding over too.”
Yang Youming chuckled at that. “All right.”
Xia Xingcheng grumbled, “Must be nice to be at home and not have to care
for his own children.”
Yang Youming said, “It’s only once in a while. Ding Ding and Dong Dong
don’t come over very often.”
Xia Xingcheng was quiet for a moment. He suddenly extended a hand in

front of Yang Youming and cupped his jaw, asking, “Do you want kids?”
Yang Youming answered, “I don’t.”

Xia Xingcheng stepped in front of him so that they faced each other. He
took Yang Youming’s face into his hands. “Look at me and give me a
serious answer.”
Yang Youming sounded somewhat helpless. “I am answering you seriously.

I don’t want one.”
Xia Xingcheng let go and leaned in to kiss Yang Youming’s lips. “You can’t
have one,” he said. “Having me is enough.”
Yang Youming laughed and nodded, saying, “Okay.”
They set out the next day and spent nearly a week in the mountains. When
they returned, they sent Dong Dong and Ding Ding back and then went
home alone.
Xia Xingcheng had less than a week of holiday remaining before he had to
start making preparations to join the film crew.
He and Yang Youming spent the whole week at home, barely venturing out.
He had to stay at Yang Youming’s side to feel at ease. Even if they were
doing their own thing, he insisted on being in the same room as Yang
Youming.
One night, Xia Xingcheng wanted to watch a movie with Yang Youming.
He rummaged through the tall stack of DVD cases for half a day before he
finally found ‘Gradual Distance’.
They had always kept this movie’s DVD in their possession, but they’d both
never seen the movie before.
Xia Xingcheng rarely ever went back to watch his own movies. He found it
embarrassing. His acting skills had improved with age, but whenever he
watched his past films, he felt that there were many things he hadn’t done
very well. He’d then consider how he could have done better if he had
played those characters now.
But fussing about the particulars was pointless, because these works had
long since taken shape, and the viewers had already seen it. Xia Xingcheng
only felt even more humiliated watching them because there was nothing he
could do about it.
He didn’t know if it was because he’d recently met Dai Xiaoxuan, who had
kept mentioning Gradual Distance and how much she liked it, but he found
himself suddenly compelled to watch the movie from the beginning to the
end just this once.
He was crouching on the floor when he heard the sound of Yang Youming’s
footsteps entering the room. He turned to him and said, “Ming ge, why
don’t we watch this?”
Yang Youming approached him, slippers on his feet, and bent down to take
the DVD case from his hands. He calmly said, “Why not.”
The two of them settled down on the sofa.
A sudden shyness bloomed across Xia Xingcheng’s heart. He took off his
shoes and climbed onto the sofa with bare feet, curling up in Yang
Youming’s embrace.
As he watched the opening credits, he leaned into Yang Youming’s ear and
whispered, “You’re not allowed to laugh at me.”
Yang Youming hugged him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Why would
I laugh at you?”
Xia Xingcheng said, “My acting was terrible.”
Yang Youming lowered his head. “You’re already a Film Emperor but
you’re still so insecure about your acting?”
“The person I was back then is different from who I am now,” Xia
Xingcheng said softly.
“I think it’s great,” Yang Youming said. “I saw everything with my own two
eyes. You did a great job.”
The movie began. The screen held Xia Xingcheng’s attention. He didn’t
utter another word.
Six years had flown by in the blink of an eye. Xia Xingcheng stared at his
younger self on the screen, dazed. His acting was completely unpolished,
but it was incredibly earnest. Whether he was smiling or frowning sadly, all
his reactions genuinely reflected his emotions at the time.
Yang Youming didn’t laugh. Xia Xingcheng himself didn’t find it funny. He
seemed to have sunk into his memories. He didn’t dare to call them
beautiful, but they were the most important memories of his life.
Out of all the scenes in the entire movie, what made him uncomfortable
were the intimate scenes peppered throughout.
Xia Xingcheng flushed as he watched, because he knew that those reactions

were his own. He watched the blush take over his entire face, in the shot,
the hazy look in his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
He couldn’t help but turn to look at Yang Youming. Yang Youming noticed
his gaze and lifted a hand to catch his jaw and kiss his lips. It wasn’t a mere,
light, blink-and-you-miss-it peck, but an intense heated tangle of tongues.
Xia Xingcheng felt Yang Youming’s faintly stirred up emotions. He was
kissed so intensely that even breathing grew difficult.
When Yang Youming released him, he saw the man’s faintly red eyes.
“Ming ge?” he called out dumbly.
Yang Youming wound his arms around Xia Xingcheng tightly, resting his
jaw on Xia Xingcheng’s head, not speaking a word.
The movie continued.
Xia Xingcheng remembered that Yang Youming once said that, for him,
filming was like experiencing many different lives. To the current Xia
Xingcheng, watching Fang Jianyuan’s love in the movie was like he was
living as Fang Jianyuan all over again.
Many of those feelings that he thought he’d long forgotten came flooding
back. He remembered how Fang Jianyuan gradually fell in love with Yu
Haiyang and how Yu Haiyang had broken his heart. The pain that Fang
Jianyuan had endured had, in truth, also seeped into his own heart.
He watched Fang Jianyuan cry, and he couldn’t help but cry as well—
couldn’t control his tears from escaping.
Then, he felt Yang Youming’s slightly coarse fingers gently and patiently
wipe his eyes, wiping away a smidgeon of tears. “Don’t cry,” Yang
Youming said. “I’m here.”
That’s right. Yang Youming was here. The pain he had suffered was
ultimately eroded by Yang Youming’s presence little by little, eventually
leaving no trace.
“You have me,” Yang Youming said. “You’re not Xiao Yuan.”
He would act in many more movies in the coming days. He would spend
the rest of his life with Yang Youming, too. He was Fang Jianyuan, yet he
wasn’t Fang Jianyuan. He was lucky. He was happy.
☆☆☆
t/n – time to say goodbye! this is the last mingxing extra :’)
The Sun
“Song Yanyan’s SunHan ABO Fanfiction”
When Han Bohan woke up, he discovered that his hands and feet were
bound. Someone had also blindfolded his eyes, so when he opened them, he
couldn’t see a thing. Silence and darkness reigned his surroundings; it was
unusually quiet. He couldn’t tell where he was, either. There was no sound
of chatter, and no sound of car engines. After a long time, he only heard a
dog barking in the distance.
He raised his head. Moving was difficult, so it took a lot of struggle. He

calmly probed, “Is anyone there?”
No one answered him.
Han Bohan’s nose detected a scent in the air, possibly a lemony scent with a
hint of lotus leaf. He gave a start, and an unexpected shiver racked his
body; he realised that it was the scent of Alpha pheromones.
The scent was subtle, at first. As minutes passed, it became increasingly

dense, enveloping Han Bohan’s surroundings and causing fine beads of
sweat to form on his brow. His shuddering became more intense.
Because the pheromone scent was so strong, the Alpha had to be nearby. He
endured the throbbing in his body, and called out, “Who is it? Is that you,
Sun Yao?”
Sun Yao was a new suspect he had just indicted. The alpha’s young
daughter had been pushed down the stairs after a failed rape attempt and
was now in a vegetative state, so in retaliation, he killed the person who had
attempted to kill his daughter. At present, his case had just entered the
prosecution stage, but the detention centre relayed news that Sun Yao had
escaped while he was receiving medical treatment at the hospital.
Han Bohan cooperated with the police. They had already chased Sun Yao
throughout the city while also waiting to ambush him near the hospital
where his daughter was being treated. They believed that no matter what
Sun Yao’s plans were, he would never abandon his daughter.
As for Han Bohan, if Sun Yao were unable to make an appearance in the
near future, he would have to ask the police to drop the case within the time
limit for examination and prosecution. Han Bohan would be able to
continue prosecuting only if Sun Yao was apprehended again.
Han Bohan had worked overtime that day, and it was nearly 8 p.m. when he
left the prosecutor’s office. He hadn’t had dinner yet, so he planned to buy a
bento at a roadside convenience store. It just so happened that on-street
parking was prohibited, so he had no choice but to park his car in a remote
alley with no surveillance a short distance away from the store. He went to
the convenience store on foot and walked back to where he parked his car
after buying the bento, and just as he entered the alley, someone hit him on
the head, and he blacked out.
When Han Bohan came to, the situation had evolved to its current state.
The fact that his hands and feet were bound did not frighten him in the
least. What terrified him the most were the alarmingly strong Alpha
pheromones, which were so potent that he had trouble breathing.
Han Bohan breathed through his mouth involuntarily. After that, he heard
some movement nearby—the sound of slowly approaching footsteps that
came to a halt right in front of him. Then a deep, masculine voice rang out,
“Omega?”
That’s right. He was an Omega.

With long-lasting, side-effect-free suppressants and blockers widely
available in modern society, even Omegas wouldn’t face so many
inconveniences in their work and daily life. One could even become a
capable prosecutor like Han Bohan, who confronted a wide range of Alpha
and Beta criminal suspects. The suppressants inhibit one’s heat and
pheromone secretion, whereas blockers block the effects of an Alpha’s
pheromone on the body. Although suppressant and blocker injections
weren’t compulsory, an unmarried Alpha and Omega would generally opt
to inject themselves for ease of work. On the other hand, suppressant
injections were mandatory for a specific group of people, namely prisoners
in detention centres and jails—particularly Alphas—in order to prevent
them from using their powerful pheromones as a weapon to exert control
over judicial authorities, staff members, and other prisoners. They would be
injected with a suppressant at the time of arrest, but they were generally
short-acting, lasting only the duration of a trial, from the court ruling to the
transfer from detention centre to prison. They would then once again be
injected with a long-term suppressant based on the length of their prison
sentence.
Because Han Bohan was both single and a working man, he always chose
to inject himself with long-term suppressants and blockers. However, as
luck would have it, the effectiveness of both drugs on his body had begun to
wane that month. He had originally planned to go to the hospital to get
another injection as soon as possible, but before he could do so, he was
kidnapped by an Alpha.
The pheromones were such a suffocating presence that Han Bohan couldn’t
tell whether the voice belonged to Sun Yao or not. He struggled to quell his
shudders, and said, “I don’t care who you are. You better let me go and turn
yourself in before you commit a criminal offense.”
A warm and coarse palm touched Han Bohan’s forehead, wiping away a
layer of sweat. This gesture, however, caused Han Bohan’s body to tense
up, and soon after, that person suddenly leaned into his neck and inhaled
deeply. Then, voice tinged with certainty, he said, “Omega.”
In a flash, the two distinct pheromones mingled in the air. Accompanied by

the sultry heat and the humid summer air, it was a cloying entanglement.
Han Bohan was struggling to keep his legs closed. He didn’t dare to breathe
through his mouth anymore, teeth firmly clenching down on his lower lip.
Sweat continued to seep out of his pores. His breathing picked up, and his
body temperature was climbing rapidly. He could feel his resistance
crumbling around him.
After the Alpha withdrew from Han Bohan’s neck, however, he reacted no
further. All Han Bohan knew was that he hadn’t left his side. Perhaps he
was staring at him, or perhaps he was emitting a steady stream of
pheromones to stimulate him.
Han Bohan was unable to avoid his body’s instinctive reaction. He could
only bite his lips tightly, not wanting to let even the slightest sound escape.
At this time, a hand pressed against his bent knee, pushing his legs apart.
He tried his best to resist, but his body had gone weak. Then, he heard the
Alpha say, “You’re wet down there.”
These words were like a series of harsh slaps to Han Bohan’s face, both
painful and resoundingly loud. Though he was an Omega, his parents were
influential members of society. He grew up in a well-off, respectable family,
and he’d never had a partner since presenting at the age of eighteen. With
long-term blockers and suppressant injections, he wouldn’t go into heat for
no reason, and he’d never lost control from the stimulation of Alpha
pheromones before. This was the first time in his life that he’d done so.
While his body couldn’t stop succumbing to his hormones, his mind kept
stubbornly resisting. Han Bohan was on the verge of biting his lips bloody,
resentment rising within him as a result of the Alpha’s brusqueness.
However, due to those words, he also managed to identify the Alpha. He

spat out a cold, harsh name through his teeth: “Sun Yao.”
The alpha didn’t deny it, seeming to silently acquiesce to the name. After a
pause, he stated matter-of-factly, “You’re in heat, prosecutor.”
It was unavoidable that one would go into heat once the long-term
suppressant’s effectiveness wore off. Hormones would surge forth after a
long period of artificial suppression of bodily functions, and even hospitals
would require Omegas to let their bodies go through this heat before
receiving the next suppressant injection.
Had it not been for Sun Yao’s pheromones stimulating him, Han Bohan’s
heat wouldn’t have arrived so quickly. He would’ve had another week to
prepare himself in advance, or use the weekend to go to the hospital and
induce his heat, then inject long-term suppressants for his next cycle.
He never imagined he’d end up in his current state.
Sun Yao’s voice rang out once more, “I didn’t know you were an Omega.”
Omegas were already low in number, and among judicial authorities, who
confronted criminals for long periods of time, the number of Omegas were
even fewer. Many people assumed that Han Bohan was a Beta because he
had a tall figure and a handsome appearance, unlike most Omegas, who
gave off a delicate impression.
Not wanting to let out any strange noises, Han Bohan refused to loosen his
lips.
The only voice he heard was Sun Yao’s. “But I can’t let you go right now.”
Han Bohan wanted to ask him what it was he wanted, but his brain was no
longer able to make heads or tails of the situation. He dreaded that he
wouldn’t be able to stop himself from begging Sun Yao to fuck him. Until
then, his only concern was to maintain his dignity. He said, “Can’t you—
buy me a suppressant?”
Sun Yao sounded as collected as ever. “There aren’t any pharmacies nearby,
and it’s too late.”
Han Bohan could no longer close his mouth after opening it to speak, and
he began to whimper incessantly, his body writhing with urgency. He had
no idea what he was lying on, but whatever was beneath his body felt soft.
His jumbled thoughts made it impossible for him to distinguish between
right and wrong, and his mind was consumed by the strong desire in his
body.
This was the scene that Sun Yao saw before his eyes.
He’d seen Han Bohan twice before. Both instances were at the detention
centre, where they were separated by solid metal grilles. Han Bohan sat up
straight and proper, a steady calmness in his eyes. Only when he heard Sun
Yao mention his daughter did a trace of emotion flit passed them—perhaps
pity, perhaps sympathy.
At the time, they had each been injected with suppressants to control
pheromone secretion. He assumed that Han Bohan was a Beta, whereas Han
Bohan had Sun Yao’s information on hand and knew that he was an Alpha.
In fact, regardless of their genders, there was no denying that the

relationship between them was unmistakably that of a prosecutor and a
suspect.
Sun Yao was well aware that evading prison would be difficult this time. He
had tried everything within his means to escape the detention centre just to
go back and flee with his daughter. He didn’t dare imagine how miserable it
would be for his daughter to spend the rest of her life on a hospital bed
while he was imprisoned, because the mere thought of it was enough to
almost drive him insane.
However, once he’d escaped, he realised that he had no way to take his
daughter away. The hospital was teeming with undercover police who
would apprehend him the moment he so much as approached his daughter.
He knew he couldn’t act rashly, but he couldn’t figure out his next move
either. It was at this point that he noticed Han Bohan.
Before he even clearly planned out how he could make use of this
prosecutor, Sun Yao made a move on Han Bohan.
Han Bohan’s long-term suppressant lost its effectiveness around the same
time Sun Yao’s short-term suppressant did. He’d intended to use his
pheromones to force this Beta to submit, yet he hadn’t anticipated that Han
Bohan wasn’t a Beta at all, but an Omega, and that his pheromones would
directly bring about Han Bohan’s heat.
Now, up close, Sun Yao carefully studied the expanse of Han Bohan’s face
that the blindfold had left exposed. Whether it was his nose, lips, or jaw,
everything about him was elegant and delicate—indeed the beautiful
features only an Omega would possess.
Han Bohan’s hands and feet were bound. He had no choice but to grind
against the bed miserably. The collar of his shirt was completely sweat-
soaked, and sweat poured out of his pores along with pure, sweet
pheromones that carried the smell of summertime snow pear smoothies; the
fruity fragrance was dashed with a hint of coldness.
An Alpha and Omega’s pheromones always mutually affected one another.

Once Han Bohan went into heat, how could he, as an Alpha, resist it
completely without wavering?
Sun Yao caressed Han Bohan’s cheek, then his earlobe, before trailing his
hand down his face and pressing the pad of his finger on Han Bohan’s nape.
Because it contained his scent glands, the area was particularly tender and
sensitive. Sun Yao watched as Han Bohan’s entire body trembled violently,
his crotch drenched through with overflowing slick.
Han Bohan muttered something, voice soft.
Sun Yao then lowered his head, bringing his ear to Han Bohan’s lips, and
asked, “What was that?”
Already completely deprived of all reason and dignity, Han Bohan fumbled
for Sun Yao’s arm with his bound hands, capturing it in a vice-like grip and
pressing it to his lower body. He said, “Please, help me.”
☆☆☆
t/n – jingangquan mentioned that she was inspired to write this ABO extra after she read kabiqiu’s
ABO novel sunset boulevard in one sitting
The Sun
Sun Yao didn’t respond to Han Bohan’s plea. He only pressed his nose to
the scent glands at Han Bohan’s nape and took a deep breath. Their
pheromones were both a poison and its antidote to each other. On one hand,
they craved it. On the other hand, they weren’t able to stop resisting.
Han Bohan’s hair was completely drenched in pheromone-scented sweat. If

he couldn’t obtain relief from an Alpha, his heat would persist for two or
three days—an agonizing pain.
Sun Yao realised that he was about to lose his mind from the assault of Han
Bohan’s pheromones. But he was an Alpha, and it was because Alphas
possessed much stronger self-control that they were able to be in the
dominant role in a relationship. As a result, he maintained his last thread of
clarity and moved his lips away from where they almost touched Han
Bohan’s nape, saying, “No, endure it.”
Tears had seeped through the blindfold covering Han Bohan’s eyes,
darkening the black fabric. He inched his head forward, seeking out Sun
Yao’s lips.
An Omega’s heat was a terrifying thing. He’d learnt in physical education

classes at school since he was a kid that an Omega’s body would go through
many heats after presenting. For the most part, however, he was in a stable
and independent setting, and he relied on safe medication to alleviate the
pain. This was the first time he went into heat near an unfamiliar Alpha; the
other man’s never-ending stream of pheromones flooded his nasal cavity—
even the pores on his body—and sunk in deep, binding his neuroreceptors,
which then transmitted the information to his brain that sent out a command
that caused his body to go into heat.
If even his brain was already at the mercy of Alpha pheromones, how could
he keep resisting? All that remained was an endless thirst.
Sun Yao didn’t want to bring his body relief, much less mark him. His best
course of action was to actually get as far away from Han Bohan as
possible.
Every now and then, there was an instant where Han Bohan would regain
his lucidity and try to tell Sun Yao to leave, but before he could utter the
words, they were drowned out by an even stronger desire in his body that
made him grab Sun Yao’s hand and refuse to let go.
And, in truth, it wasn’t possible for Sun Yao to leave this place either.
He untied the blindfold that had been covering Han Bohan’s eyes. The
second he pushed it away, he was met with the sight of Han Bohan’s
beautiful, flushed and teary eyes. His eyes were slack and unsteady, unable
to focus at all.
Han Bohan couldn’t clearly make out his surroundings. Everything had
gone fuzzy, but he could see Sun Yao—the only thing his body desired at
the moment. He raised his head, demanding a kiss, but his body was weak
and his hands were bound, making it difficult to sit up fully.
Sun Yao backed away, avoiding the kiss. In a not-so-steady yet still calm
tone, he said, “Don’t be like this, Prosecutor. You’ll only regret it.”
Because of an Alpha’s unique physiological condition, they made up the

majority of society’s elite; Han Bohan’s father, for example, was an Alpha.
This, however, was not absolute. After Sun Yao’s innocent daughter had
fallen victim to the young man who’d attempted to rape her, the young
man’s powerful and influential parents deliberately suppressed him. He lost
what had been a decent job and became mired in financial difficulties.
Sun Yao knew that if it weren’t for Han Bohan’s heat causing him to lose
his mind, an Omega like Han Bohan wouldn’t even look his way. Just like
their first encounter at the detention centre: Han Bohan, in a neat and
spotless prosecutor uniform, hadn’t looked up until Sun Yao sat down with
his hands cuffed. His gaze was cold and indifferent as he studied him, as if
he was looking at a criminal and a person at the lowest rung of society.
Sun Yao had no ill will toward Han Bohan. He had no intention of killing
him either. He’d reached this age after experiencing the countless warm and
cold vicissitudes of the world; his views were neither extreme, nor did he
think highly of himself, and he wasn’t an overly emotional person. He
simply watched this man coolly, observed the man, reassessed him.
If he were to console Han Bohan with his body or temporarily mark him,
Han Bohan would almost certainly sink into a painful self-remorse once his
heat was over.
Sun Yao didn’t want to get involved in that kind of relationship with Han
Bohan. He still had more pressing matters to attend to, and he needed Han
Bohan’s assistance.
So after he evaded Han Bohan’s kiss, Sun Yao rose and walked away from
the bed.
At the sight of Sun Yao leaving, Han Bohan couldn’t stop his tears from
falling. He opened his mouth and begged, “Don’t go.” He tried to catch the
hem of Sun Yao’s shirt, but he didn’t have enough energy.
Sun Yao didn’t spare him a glance, leaving him alone in the room.
Han Bohan was crying and gasping, twisting his legs to ease the painful
sensation in his body—but nothing worked. He both feared and desired the
Alpha’s pheromones; he wanted to be marked. His body was wholly
prepared for it, but nothing happened. The Alpha refused to touch him.
Sun Yao reappeared some time later, bringing cold water. He sat down on
the edge of the bed and propped Han Bohan up.
All Han Bohan’s strength had escaped his body. His wrists were worn red
where they had been bound, and the skin was broken in some places.
Sun Yao thus untied the rope around his wrist, then watched as Han
Bohan’s hands hung down without an ounce of strength left to resist. If not
for his occasional restless stirring and heavy gasps, Sun Yao would have
thought that he’d passed out.
Han Bohan’s eyes were closed, at first. Only once he felt an ice-cold towel
stuck pressed to his forehead did he slowly open his eyes.
Sun Yao was wiping his body with the wet towel. First his forehead, then
his cheeks and neck.
The first wave of Han Bohan’s heat had passed. While desire lingered in his
body, his mind was gradually clearing. He leaned on Sun Yao’s shoulder,
but when he tried to look up, he could only see Sun Yao’s jaw. Han Bohan’s
anxious, restless body had been momentarily soothed by the cool, wet
towel, which had made him feel at ease. “Sun Yao,” he called out weakly.
Sun Yao didn’t pause. He unbuttoned Han Bohan’s sweat-soaked shirt and
stripped him, then wiped the wet towel over his smooth chest, stomach, and
back.
Han Bohan was slightly out of breath. “Go turn yourself in,” he said,
forcing himself to disregard the state of his body.
Sun Yao answered him calmly, “I didn’t kill Cao Yuxiang.”
Han Bohan shook his head. “Your defense isn’t credible.”
“You can choose to believe whatever you want,” Sun Yao said
indifferently.
“Don’t be stupid,” Han Bohan buried his face in Sun Yao’s shoulder,
greedily inhaling the pheromones on his body. “How long can you hide like
this?” he asked, oblivious to the fact that his tone was softening. “You can’t
run away.”
Sun Yao noticed his actions and glanced down at him, but he didn’t say
anything, instead reaching over to unbutton and unzip Han Bohan’s jeans.
Han Bohan moved to stop Sun Yao, but he lacked the strength to do so, and
his outstretched hand barely came close to touching Sun Yao’s arm. Sun
Yao, on the other hand, had already pulled his jeans off.
His underwear appeared to be drenched with slick—it was undeniably slick,

and not at all sweat.
Han Bohan had never been in such a humiliating situation before. His
originally flushed cheeks gradually paled, and his eyes were wooden as he
watched Sun Yao take his underwear off then wiped his body clean with a
wet towel.
It wasn’t that he didn’t resist; inwardly, he was well aware that his second
wave of heat was on its way, and that once it arrived, he’d be in an even
more pathetic state than he was now. He’d cry and wail, wrap himself
around Sun Yao, and beg him to fuck him—this was an Omega’s instinct.
Sun Yao did everything expressionlessly. At the end, he threw the towel
into the wash basin full of water and covered Han Bohan with a blanket.
After leaving to pour the water out, he returned to the bedroom to the sight
of Han Bohan beginning to sink within the throes of another delirious heat.
Moreover, it was more intense than his previous heat.
He stood in the doorway and watched him for a moment, then turned away
and walked out
This house was an old building in the countryside. There was only one
bedroom and a storage room next to it. The water tap was located outside,
in the yard. The storage room had a strong musty odor, so Sun Yao avoided
entering it and went outside instead. He sat, leaning against the wooden
door, lighting a cigarette and gazing out into the pitch-black night sky.
It’s not only Omegas who had instincts—Alpha instincts tormented him too.
They urged him to ruthlessly violate Han Bohan, violently bite down on the
scent glands on his nape, sharp teeth penetrating skin, and to empty his
pheromones into Han Bohan’s body, marking him as his prey.
But he couldn’t do it. He still had more important things to do.
Sun Yao smoked with a vacant mind. He thought that, if Han Bohan were a
Beta, things would be so much simpler. But he was an Omega, and during
his heat, the two of them were trapped here, unable to go anywhere else.
The fact that he’d taken Han Bohan away from the densely populated city
was his only stroke of luck. Otherwise, the scent of an Omega in heat would
likely attract other Alphas, making it difficult for them to even hide. In the
countryside, where buildings were sparse, he was given the opportunity to
catch his breath.
Sun Yao, who was sitting outside, could hear the sounds Han Bohan made
inside the house.
He closed his eyes and propped his head against the door. His wife had been
a Beta, and because of her weak disposition, her pregnancy hadn’t been
easy, and she passed away not long after giving birth to their daughter. After
that, he lived alone with his daughter.
In reality, Sun Yao had barely ever seen an Omega in heat. After all, the
allure of an Omega in heat was fatal to Alphas. In order to protect
themselves, Omegas wouldn’t put themselves in any dangerous situations
that could possibly cause them to go into heat. Witnessing an Omega in
such a state was a first for Sun Yao.
Biting his cigarette, Sun Yao seemed to hear Han Bohan yelling his name.
He thus opened his eyes, but he didn’t move and only sat there calmly. He
knew what Han Bohan wanted, but even if he called his name, what Han
Bohan wanted wasn’t him at all, but just a random Alpha who could help
him get through this difficult situation.
The days had been hot as of late. Even though the temperature dropped
slightly at night, it was still not quite cold.
Sun Yao could smell Han Bohan’s pheromones. Even through the wooden
door, it assaulted his senses. It was a pleasant, enticing smell, but it also
made him uneasy, and his cigarette could no longer quell his body’s
agitation. He stood up, walked up to the wash basin in the yard, and turned
on the water. A stream of cool water poured out and splashed his foot.
He carelessly discarded his cigarette butt, then stuck his head under the
stream of water.
A stream of cool water cascaded down his head. He couldn’t open his eyes,
and even breathing was difficult. For a brief moment, he could no longer
detect Han Bohan’s pure, sweet scent.
After a while, Sun Yao could no longer hear any movement coming from
the room. He raised a hand and wiped the water from his face and hair, then
headed towards the bedroom.
Han Bohan had finally fallen into a temporary calm after two waves of heat.
He was lying on the bed, asleep, his face and body drenched in sweat.
Sun Yao pulled up the covers a little more, then sat down on the floor,
leaning against the bed.
There was only one bed in the room. With no intention of lying down, he
only sat by the bed and stared at Han Bohan for a while before resting his
head on the bedside and falling asleep, too.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Tinsunny for the kofis!
t/n – thank you to sofia for the editing help and sab for going all out when researching ABO terms for
me lmao
The Sun
Han Bohan’s dreams tormented him so much that he woke up in pain before
dawn, with no memory of what he’d dreamt about.
The agony that resulted from being unable to find relief resurfaced. In the
beginning, he could still bear it, and with his remaining lucidity, he noticed
Sun Yao resting against the edge of the bed, seemingly asleep. After that,
the pain intensified—before he realized what he was doing, he was sitting
up, blanket slipping down to his feet, and naked, he bent down and leaned
in to kiss Sun Yao.
Sun Yao wasn’t sure if it was Han Bohan’s kiss or the stimulation from his
pheromones that roused him; the moment he opened his eyes, he felt
something inside his body begin to stir, and he subconsciously kissed Han
Bohan’s lips.
Han Bohan fit his body along Sun Yao’s.
Sun Yao quickly regained his senses and moved back in reflex. As a result,
Han Bohan tumbled out of the bed with him. Sun Yao had no choice but to
hold his waist, and extend his long legs to sit on the floor and keep his
balance so as not to topple over.
Han Bohan’s skin was smooth and supple. The sweat had already dried out,
but a residual clammy sensation lingered. He straddled Sun Yao’s legs, arms
tightly wound around Sun Yao’s neck and shoulders as he moved in for
another kiss.
Sun Yao’s resistance was on the verge of collapsing, his desire to push Han
Bohan away dwindling. His palm, flush against Han Bohan’s buttocks,
slowly slid upwards, caressing the hollow between his spine and shoulder
blades, all the way to the scent glands on his nape.
An Omega’s glands were extremely sensitive. They would never allow

anyone to touch their glands so casually, but the current Han Bohan was
unusually docile and obedient. He let Sun Yao gently massage his glands,
and when he lightly squeezed it, Han Bohan’s body instantly went limp and
powerless. Sun Yao then drew him away from his body by the back of his
neck.
At the sight of Han Bohan’s still moist eyes and lips, Sun Yao tried to
contain his desires, and asked, “Do you want me to mark you?”
Han Bohan gaped, but no sound came out.
Sun Yao thus leaned in a little closer and asked, “Do you?”
This time, Han Bohan gave him an answer: “I want it.”
Sun Yao sneered. “I’ll come back later and ask you again,” he said. After
that, he picked Han Bohan up and settled him back down on the bed before
re-tying his wrists and ankles with rope.
Han Bohan seemed to have regained some of his strength after getting some
sleep—Sun Yao couldn’t let him mess around.
Sun Yao then exited the room, leaving Han Bohan to deal with his third
wave of heat on his own.
When Sun Yao returned, Han Bohan had already calmed down. He lay in
bed with his eyes opened, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes, still in the
position Sun Yao had bound him in earlier.
Sun Yao walked over to the bed and sat down, but Han Bohan ignored him.
Sun Yao thus simply asked, “Should I untie the rope for you?”
With a hoarse voice, Han Bohan serenely said, “No. Just leave it be.”
Dawn had broken.
Han Bohan had gone through his third wave of heat, but it was far from
over. It would take one to two days for it to completely pass. Only the
intervals between each wave would become longer, and he’d be able to
keep his lucidity for longer periods of time.
Sun Yao took out some soft tissues and stuffed them between his wrist and
the rope.
Han Bohan looked down at Sun Yao’s moving hands and asked, “Can you
help me buy some suppressants?”
“The nearest county pharmacy is nearly a forty minute drive away,” Sun
Yao replied after some time. “A round trip would take more than an hour. I
can’t leave you here alone.” Of course, he couldn’t exactly bring Han
Bohan with him either. At present, Sun Yao was still a fugitive, and
bringing an Omega who was in the midst of his heat would draw too much
attention.
Han Bohan was well aware of Sun Yao’s concerns.
“Not to mention,” Sun Yao continued, “are you sure that using suppressants
in the middle of your heat won’t harm your body?”
Han Bohan was unsure. No doctor would recommend using a suppressant

to stop a person’s heat right in the middle of it—the effects on the body
would be too severe. The best way to deal with a heat was by marking.
Sun Yao shifted closer to Han Bohan and lifted a hand to brush his sweat-
soaked hair aside. “Would you like me to mark you, Prosecutor?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Han Bohan’s gaze froze over.
Sun Yao laughed upon seeing his flushed cheeks. “Is there anything that I
wouldn’t dare to do at this point? I’ll give you two options, either you help
me take Yanyan away, or I’ll mark you, right here, right now.”
“Are you aware that forced-marking is a multiple felony?” Han Bohan said
coldly.
“More serious than murder?” Sun Yao asked.
“What’s the difference between that and murder?” Han Bohan asked in lieu
of a reply.
Once an Omega was marked by an Alpha, they would succumb to the

Alpha in both the psychological and physical senses, never being able to
leave the Alpha that marked them for the rest of their life. Naturally, they
would also reject other Alphas.
Married Omegas who had lost their Alphas were the world’s most
unfortunate people. Despite the fact that a mark-removal surgery had been
developed as a result of continuous advances in modern science, the effects
of the surgery varied from person to person. Han Bohan once met an
Omega who, after being abandoned by his Alpha, decided to undergo mark
removal surgery. The consequences of that Omega’s surgery were severe,
and he said that he would never accept anyone else for the rest of his life,
whether Alpha, or even Beta. He was unable to accept a new partner not
only physically, but also psychologically.
In order to protect Omegas, the government added the crime of forced

marking to the criminal code fifty years ago. If an Alpha went against the
wishes of an Omega and forcibly marked them, they would be imprisoned.
The sentence varied according to the degree, with the death penalty being
the harshest. It was regarded as a more serious offence than rape.
Furthermore, due to the special conditions of an Omega’s physiology, if an

Omega agreed to be marked while in heat but later retracted their decision
and pressed charges against the Alpha after their heat, it would also be
regarded as a crime of forced marking, but the specific sentence would be
determined based on the circumstances of the situation.
Han Bohan had dealt with similar cases in the past, and he’d seen many
Omegas in miserable situations. He didn’t expect that one day, he himself
would face this threat.
Sun Yao didn’t react much after hearing Han Bohan’s rhetorical question.
He simply maintained a steady gaze on Han Bohan, and said, “It doesn’t
matter. When I get caught and go to jail, you’ll suffer alongside me and
Yanyan for the rest of your life regardless.”
The corners of Han Bohan’s eyes faintly reddened; he looked at Sun Yao for
a long time before asking, “Sun Yao, is this the kind of person you truly
are?”
Sun Yao remained silent. He sat on the edge of the bed for what seemed like
an eternity before reaching out to grab Han Bohan’s bound hands. “I’m
sorry,” he apologised. “I’m at my wits’ end. I didn’t mean what I said, I
don’t want to hurt you.”
Han Bohan felt Sun Yao’s callused fingertips rubbing the back of his hand
and couldn’t suppress a faint shudder.
In the early morning, Sun Yao made steamed eggs for Han Bohan, tore open
a packet of biscuits, and brought him a carton of milk. He didn’t untie Han
Bohan’s restraints, still worried that Han Bohan would find a way to escape.
He brought in the breakfast and set it on a chair next to the bed, sat on the
bed, then held Han Bohan so that he was propped up against his body
before feeding him the steamed eggs with a spoon.
“It’s unseasoned.” Sun Yao held the spoon to Han Bohan’s lips. “Just put up
with it, okay?”
Han Bohan stared at the spoon for a moment before opening his mouth.
Sun Yao was very good at looking after people. He’d patiently wipe the
corners of Han Bohan’s mouth with his finger after each mouthful. He also
broke the biscuits into small pieces and fed them to Han Bohan’s mouth
and, seemingly concerned that the biscuit would be too dry, he fed him milk
after each bite.
Sun Yao’s pheromones were all Han Bohan could smell. He didn’t say
anything, but he liked the smell. He was struck by a sense of emptiness
after Sun Yao left his side after feeding him breakfast and couldn’t help but
turn his head towards Sun Yao.
After Sun Yao went out to discard the bowl and milk carton, he didn’t come
back in.
Han Bohan lay in bed and waited for a long time. Still weak, he struggled to
sit up. Next to the bed, there was a window that directly faced the yard, and
he saw Sun Yao sitting on a small stool in the yard, eating the biscuits he
hadn’t finished yet. A dog appeared out of nowhere. It approached Sun Yao,
tail wagging. The man then crumbled the biscuit for the dog to eat and
petted the puppy’s head gently.
Later on, Sun Yao returned to the bedroom and sat down.
Han Bohan asked him a few questions. He answered some, and refused to
answer the rest. For instance, he wouldn’t tell Han Bohan where they were,
and he wouldn’t say what he was planning to do next—but he told Han
Bohan about Cao Yuxiang throwing his daughter down the stairs.
“You’re saying that it wasn’t you who killed Cao Yuxiang?” Han Bohan
asked him.
Sun Yao didn’t sit on the edge of the bed; instead, he took a seat against the
wall opposite the bed, bracing his head against it as he smoked. “As I’ve
told you many times before, he accidentally killed himself while we were
fighting.”
“Your confession isn’t credible,” Han Bohan stated.
Sun Yao sneered and exhaled the smoke slowly through his mouth.
Han Bohan didn’t like it when he smoked. It masked the smell of his
pheromones—which he liked.
After a while, Sun Yao said, “That’s fine. It’s not the first time you people
didn’t believe me. There was also the time Xiao Yan fell.”
A bout of sadness washed over Han Bohan at his words.

They both fell silent.
A beat later, Han Bohan softly called out, “Sun Yao?”
Sun Yao raised his head. “Hm?”
Han Bohan turned to face him. “Can you untie me? I need to go to the
toilet.”
Hearing this, Sun Yao stood up and slowly walked over to the bed, looking
down at him. “A number one or a number two?”
Han Bohan turned away and took a deep breath before saying, “Number
one.”
Sun Yao turned around and exited the building. He then brought in a dirty
basin and placed it next to the bed. “Just make do with this for now.”
Han Bohan didn’t even look him in the eyes as he coldly said, “No.”
“All old houses in the countryside are like this,” Sun Yao explained. “The
outdoor toilet is filthy as well. You won’t be comfortable using it.”
Humiliated, Han Bohan said, “I’d rather piss in the wild.” He could do it in
the bushes or behind a tree. There was no way he would urinate in a basin
in front of Sun Yao.
Sun Yao took off his shoes and stepped onto the bed, picked Han Bohan up
and, because he didn’t want to untie his restraints, helped Han Bohan up
into a kneeling position on the edge of the bed, while he himself spread his
legs and knelt on either side of Han Bohan’s legs, holding him from
behind.
Han Bohan began to struggle, bearing his customary arrogance. “Let go of

me!”
Sun Yao tightened his hold around his body to keep him from moving, then,
somewhat losing control of the other man, he opened his mouth and gently
bit down on Han Bohan’s nape; his teeth lingered on his scent glands,
separated by a layer of skin.
Han Bohan’s body went soft at once, like a kitten being picked up by the
back of its neck.
Alphas have always controlled Omegas in the same way that animals
controlled each other.
Seeing Han Bohan stop struggling, he moved his mouth away and spoke in
his ear, “What does it matter? It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Han Bohan had reached his limit; he could no longer control his body. Sun
Yao was a solid mass behind him, holding him up. Then, the sound of fluid
splashing against the shabby porcelain basin resounded, the sound
particularly sharp and clear.
Perhaps he’d been holding it in for too long. Han Bohan took a long time to
finish.
Sun Yao didn’t realise that Han Bohan was crying until after he let go of
him.
Han Bohan was still kneeling on the edge of the bed with his head hung
down, as if he were a prisoner awaiting execution. Hot tears dripped down
onto his fair thighs.
Sun Yao went outside to empty the basin, and when he returned, Han Bohan
hadn’t moved. He approached the bed and reached out to stroke Han
Bohan’s head; after a few moments, he embraced Han Bohan and lay down
on the bed.
Han Bohan didn’t fight back, instead burying his face in Sun Yao’s arms.
Whenever Sun Yao caressed the glands on his nape with his rough palm, his
strained mood would gradually relax.
Sun Yao hugged Han Bohan for a long time, until Han Bohan’s breathing
became more stabilised. This time, before Han Bohan completely lost his
mind, Sun Yao asked him again: “Would you like me to give you a
temporary mark?”
Han Bohan looked up. His soft lips brushed against Sun Yao’s jaw as he
quietly said, “Temporary… mark?”
☆☆☆
The Sun
Temporary marks were different from permanent ones. Temporary marks

could be removed, and over time, there would be no trace of its existence
on an Omega’s body.
However, most Omegas would not choose this course of action, preferring
to alleviate their heat symptoms medically instead. Some believed that these
Omegas were too hypocritical. It was like being against premarital sex—
what’s wrong with having premarital sex that used protective measures that
wouldn’t leave a lasting effect on the body?
Alphas wouldn’t understand, let alone Betas. Yet as an Omega, Han Bohan
did understand.
He remembered his teacher telling him—when he was still in school—that

presenting and marking were the two most important turning points in an
Omega’s life. An Omega’s body would undergo not only a physiological
but also a psychological change as a result of these two life-altering events.
The act of presenting and marking was irreversible.
Han Bohan was terrified of these irreversible changes. Whether Prosecutor

Han was confronted with vicious criminals or a heated debate in court, there
wouldn’t be any change to his calm and collected countenance. Being
marked, however, just wasn’t the same for an Omega, no matter how
temporary the effects were.
Forced temporary marking was not criminalised, but it did violate the
public security administration’s regulations. Han Bohan had once
encountered the victim of an intentional assault. They were an Omega
who’d been assaulted as well as forcibly marked. He remembered the
victim telling him, “Although the mark is temporary—once his pheromones
invade your body, you’d lose all strength to resist him.”
Han Bohan couldn’t understand. “Your whole body goes weak?”
The victim said, “It’s a psychological submission, and—” he hadn’t finished

the sentence. Despite the fact that his temporary mark no longer affected
him during their conversation, the Omega’s face was still filled with fear.
Eventually, he said, “It’s extremely terrifying, because you didn’t initially
love him.”
Han Bohan let out a full-body shudder, and his sweat-drenched body began
to cool, temporarily dispelling the heat of his feverish body; he only felt
sticky and achy.
Sun Yao didn’t press Han Bohan to respond immediately after posing his
question, instead patiently waiting for an answer.
Han Bohan raised his head to look at Sun Yao.
It was as if he’d never paid such close attention to Sun Yao before. The
lighting in the detention centre was awful, and Han Bohan had always sat
on the other side of the metal grilles; no matter what the person on the
inside looked like, under those lights, and in that environment, they would
only appear hideous. That wooden interrogation chair had accumulated who
knows how much grime, and the suspects who’d been interrogated had
smeared a lot of red ink. The people who sat on that chair, without
exception, all wore numb and haggard expressions that lacked luster.
But right then, as he examined Sun Yao more closely, he realised how
attractive he actually was. Though he was a little tanned and thin, he had a
handsome face and a nice face shape. What stood out the most were his
eyes—they were a deep, dark black, and despite his many trials and
tribulations, those eyes of his remained clear.
Han Bohan consciousness began to blur once more. He wanted to touch Sun
Yao’s face, but when he tried to raise his hand, he realised that they were
still bound, and thus started struggling.
Sun Yao captured his hand and cupped his jaw at the same time, forcing
Han Bohan to meet his eyes. “Han Bohan, look at me. Do you want a
temporary mark or not?”
A burst of emotion surged forth within him; Han Bohan could feel his body
start to get wet again. He knew that he was on the verge of another wave of
heat—if he failed to decide now, his willpower would once again be
engulfed by lust. He kept his legs tightly closed, grabbed Sun Yao’s hand,
and eventually gave a nod. “I do.”
Sun Yao stared at him. “Are you still sober? Do you want a lifetime mark?”
Han Bohan shook his head, his voice starting to shake. “Not a lifetime
mark, a temporary one. Do it.”
Sun Yao confirmed that he hadn’t spoken these words with a heat-addled
mind, helped Han Bohan sit up a little with a hand on his waist, then laid
Han Bohan face down in his arms. He then lowered his head and gently
caressed Han Bohan’s nape.
Han Bohan’s neck was just as clean and pretty as the rest of him. His glands
did not protrude, but if one pressed down on the area, they could feel the
difference between the tissue and his regular flesh.
Tormented by his heat, Han Bohan gradually lost his mind. He angled his
head, seeking out Sun Yao’s lips for a kiss. This time, Sun Yao didn’t reject
him outright and even lowered his head to kiss his lips. With the tangling of
their lips and tongues, their pheromones fused together, and the disoriented
Omega greedily inhaled the Alpha’s scent.
Before this, Sun Yao had never had any kind of intimate relationship with
an Omega. He and his deceased wife had met when they were very young,
and he had never believed that humans should be dictated by pheromones
rather than their own genuine hearts. He and his wife loved each other; and
their passions had never required the help of pheromones.
But at this very moment, he finally, genuinely realised how difficult it was
for humans to resist their animal instincts. Omega pheromones were the
most delicious thing he’d ever tasted; it made him want to abandon
everything and lose himself in them. At first, his intention had been to
appease Han Bohan’s emotions with this one kiss, but as they deepened the
kiss, his own emotions surged as well.
Sun Yao forced himself to break away from Han Bohan’s wet, hot, soft lips.
Hearing Han Bohan’s dissatisfied whimper caused him to shift his lips to
kiss the corner of his mouth, gradually moving south to his jaw, and finally
arriving at his nape.
Han Bohan’s nape appeared to have softened, and it was particularly

fragrant.
Sun Yao sucked on the skin there before gently cradling it between his
teeth. Han Bohan was trembling all over, and he could feel it. He pressed
Han Bohan’s head to his shoulder with one hand while stroking his back
with the other, slowly and incessantly releasing his pheromones, appeasing
Han Bohan until he was completely relaxed in his embrace.
Sun Yao raised his head slightly. He could hear his own heavy breathing.
He took a deep breath, then bit through the skin of Han Bohan’s nape with
his canines, piercing right into his glands.
Han Bohan suddenly tensed up. He jerked slightly, yet he didn’t struggle,
like an animal in its death throes.
Alpha pheromones were injected into the glands on Han Bohan’s nape
through Sun Yao’s teeth, which then circulated throughout his entire body.
Han Bohan let out a muffled grunt as his taut body went limp. He had never
felt anything like this; the pheromones that poured into his body brought
intense waves of pleasure. He tightened his legs and parted them weakly,
and eventually, his lower body became a complete mess.
Sun Yao’s teeth had left his skin, and in its place was his tongue, gently
lapping up the bite mark on Han Bohan’s nape.
Han Bohan was still panting, but his mind was gradually clearing, a sign
that his heat was coming to an end. It was, however, different from his
previous heats. Han Bohan noticed something unusual about himself.
Sun Yao’s lips left his nape. He murmured, “What’s wrong?”
Han Bohan didn’t respond. After calming down, his other senses became
particularly acute, and he could hear the sound of his own violent heartbeat.
He buried his face into Sun Yao’s shoulder, unwilling to lift up his head.
Sun Yao’s pheromones flowed through his veins—every organ, every

tissue, and even his every cell was filled with Sun Yao’s scent. He wanted
Sun Yao to hold him forever and never let go. He never wanted to part with
the warmth of Sun Yao’s body.
But Sun Yao grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away. He lowered his
head and looked into Han Bohan’s eyes. “Did it work?” Sun Yao wasn’t
sure how effective the temporary mark was either.
Han Bohan turned to face Sun Yao. His gleaming lips and eyes had turned
crimson, and his face was devoid of any expression—only his chest rose
and fell intensely. “I’m fine,” he said to Sun Yao after a long time, his voice
hoarse.
Sun Yao got off the bed and headed outside.
Han Bohan sat up straight in bed, his gaze following Sun Yao’s back, then
pausing at the doorway until Sun Yao returned with a towel and basin.
Sun Yao dragged a stool over to the bed, sat down, set the basin on the
floor, and dipped the towel into the clear water.
He fixed his gaze on Han Bohan. He didn’t rush and only said, “I’ll untie
those ropes for you.” He then reached out to loosen the restraints on Han
Bohan’s wrists.
As Han Bohan looked down at Sun Yao’s slender fingers that were nimbly
untying the knots, he was suddenly struck by a sense of suppression from
powerful pheromones, rendering him almost immobile. He lifted his eyes
and looked at Sun Yao and saw no trace of emotion on his face, but he knew
that it was Sun Yao’s pheromones, not meant to soothe him like when he’d
marked Han Bohan earlier, but with the intent of completely controlling
Han Bohan.
In modern society, pheromone suppression, like violent suppression, was

regarded as a barbaric act. Except for the times he had experienced it as a
child when he angered his Alpha, he had never tested out what it was like to
be suppressed by an Alpha’s pheromones as an adult. He found it difficult
to bear, not only physically, but also mentally. He wasn’t sure if the pain
was the result of being threatened by an Alpha or because the Alpha in
question had given him a temporary mark.
He opened his mouth and found it a little hard to speak, but he forged on
stubbornly, “You don’t have to control me with your pheromones—I won’t
run.” After that, he added on with a whisper, “Don’t treat me like this.”
Sun Yao froze, and the Alpha pheromones in the air vanished the next
second, leaving only a subtle scent.
Han Bohan’s freed hands were splayed across the bedsheets. They were wet
to the touch from a combination of sweat and sticky bodily fluids.
Sun Yao apologised, saying, “I’m sorry.” He then untied the ropes on Han
Bohan’s feet, bent down, picked up a wet towel, wrung it out, and wiped
down Han Bohan’s body for him.
Han Bohan could feel how gentle he was. It was as if he was dealing with a
small child. Remembering the fact that Sun Yao had a daughter who’d been
in a vegetative state for so long, he wondered if Sun Yao treated his
daughter with the same gentleness.
Sun Yao first wiped Han Bohan’s face, then his neck, chest, and lifted Han
Bohan’s hands to wipe his arms and the side of his chest. Afterwards, he
pressed close to Han Bohan’s front and wound his arms around Han Bohan
to wipe his back.
This close, Han Bohan could smell the sweat on Sun Yao’s body. He closed
his eyes and secretly inhaled, seeking for the scent of his pheromones that
was mixed in with the smell of sweat.
After wiping down his body, Sun Yao held Han Bohan’s thigh with one
hand and pulled his legs apart, then covered them with the wet towel.
As a matter of fact, Han Bohan could have refused him, could have pushed
Sun Yao’s hand away and said, “I’ll do it myself”, but he stayed put and
simply watched Sun Yao’s hands, somewhat entranced. Sun Yao’s fingers
were beautifully shaped, slender and well-proportioned, and his knuckles
were not too bulky, just a little rough. His skin was tanned, whereas the skin
of Han Bohan’s thighs were the palest and most tender part on his entire
body, creating a stark contrast with Sun Yao’s hand.
Moments later, Sun Yao moved his hand away from Han Bohan’s legs and
took the towel and basin outside.
Han Bohan couldn’t figure out why a sense of sadness arose in his heart.
Sun Yao returned with Han Bohan’s clothes, including the underwear he’d
taken off of him the night before. Sun Yao had simply rinsed them with
water and hung them out to dry in the yard.
Han Bohan got dressed in silence.
Sun Yao sat on the edge of the bed, facing him.
When Han Bohan finished dressing, he turned to Sun Yao and asked, “What
do you really want?”
“I want to see my daughter,” Sun Yao answered.
“And after that?” Han Bohan said.

Han Bohan took a deep breath before saying, “Turn yourself in, okay?”
This time, Sun Yao was the one asking Han Bohan: “And after that?”
Han Bohan stared at him for a moment, then said, “You said you weren’t
the one who killed Cao Yuxiang.”
Sun Yao nodded. “No, I wasn’t.
“I’ll look for evidence,” Han Bohan said. “If it proves that you didn’t kill
him, you’ll be released. You can go to the hospital and openly take your
daughter away, and you won’t have to hide for the rest of your life with no
money or a secure life, no way to treat your daughter, and stuck with the
title of a murderer forever.”
Sun Yao lowered his gaze. A moment later, he raised his hands, clasped
them in front of his lips, and closed his eyes with a pained expression,
bowing his head helplessly.
For a brief moment, as Han Bohan stared at the top of Sun Yao’s head, he
wanted to reach out and touch his hair—and yet he didn’t move an inch.
☆☆☆
The Sun
“Take me to my daughter. After I see her, I’ll do what you say and turn
myself in.”
This was what Sun Yao promised Han Bohan, who agreed to his request.
There were bound to be police lying in wait in the vicinity of the hospital;
Sun Yao didn’t dare rush over in broad daylight, so they waited until
nighttime before Han Bohan drove Sun Yao back to the city. When the car
arrived at the hospital, it was already very late.
Han Bohan parked the car in the hospital’s parking lot. Sun Yao wore a
baseball cap with the brim of his cap pulled down to cover half of his face.
The two men would split up in the parking lot, with Han Bohan taking the
elevator to directly head over to Sun Yao’s daughter Sun Xunyan’s hospital
room and Sun Yao taking the stairs. He’d think of a way to procure a white
doctor’s coat along the way, and had also specially prepared a pair of
glasses.
They both assumed that someone would be keeping an eye on Sun

Xunyan’s room, so Han Bohan would go there first. If he saw the police, he
would devise a plan to lure them away and create an opportunity for Sun
Yao to enter the hospital room and see his daughter.
Before getting out of the car, Han Bohan suddenly grabbed Sun Yao’s left
hand.
Sun Yao, who had just put on his hat, turned to face Han Bohan.
Han Bohan pursed his lips, and said, “Don’t deceive me.”
Sun Yao covered the back of Han Bohan’s hand with his right hand and told
him, “I won’t deceive you.”
Only then did Han Bohan get out of the car. For some inexplicable reason,
his heart was filled with panic. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right
thing from that moment until he stepped into the elevator. He’d never been
like this before—he was a legal practitioner who couldn’t afford an
ambiguous judgement for any crime. Right is right. Wrong is wrong.
There’s no such thing as a so-called in-between. Even if there were, he had
to decide which side to stand on.
But this time, while he clearly knew that he shouldn’t be assisting Sun Yao
—he was softhearted. Perhaps softhearted wasn’t the right word for it, and
it was more accurate to say that he couldn’t resist. He wanted to be near Sun
Yao, wanted to be good to Sun Yao—wanted Sun Yao to hug him and kiss
him once more.
That victim’s words once again crossed Han Bohan’s mind: “It’s extremely
terrifying, because you didn’t initially love him.”
Han Bohan closed his eyes, raised his head slightly, and took a deep breath.
The elevator doors opened.
Visiting hours had long passed, but the inpatient building’s corridors
remained brightly lit. At the nurses’ station, there were two nurses on duty;
one was writing something with her head down, and the other was propping
up her face with her hand, appearing slightly drowsy.
When Han Bohan passed by, he drew their attention, and the nurse on duty
who was writing looked up and asked, “Who are you looking for?”
Han Bohan had seen Sun Xunyan once when he was investigating Sun
Yao’s case, and he still remembered her room number. ”I’m Bed 15’s family
member,” he told the nurse.
“It’s late, don’t walk around unless there’s something important. You should
get some sleep.” He was apparently treated as a family member
accompanying the patient.
Han Bohan nodded.
Sun Xunyan stayed in a single room. The door was shut, and no lights were
turned on inside.
Han Bohan quietly opened the door and entered the room. It was a small
room, and with the light from the streetlights streaming in through the
window, the entire space could be seen at a glance. Sun Xunyan, who was
lying on the hospital bed, was the only one in the room.
Sun Xunyan’s face was obscured by the darkness, but Han Bohan still
remembered how she looked. She was a beautiful young woman, and her
pale and sallow skin couldn’t hide her delicate features. She hadn’t reached
the age for presenting yet, so her second gender was unknown, but because
her mother was a Beta, the likelihood that she would present as a Beta was
high.
If a beautiful Beta girl like her could wake up one day, she would
undoubtedly become the target of many Alpha and Beta’s pursuits.
In the dark, Han Bohan’s gaze was fixed on her for a moment when, all of a
sudden, the sound of rushing footsteps resounded from the corridor outside.
It took only a few steps before they reached the hospital room’s door, and a
tall male Alpha kicked it open while an equally tall male Alpha pointed a
gun at Han Bohan. “Don’t move! Put your hands in the air!”
Han Bohan turned calmly to face them, slowly raising his hands.
The Alpha who had kicked open the door immediately reached out to hold
down his partner’s hand on the gun, sounding shocked as he exclaimed,
“Prosecutor Han?”
The lights were turned on; Han Bohan squinted in reflex, after which he got
a good look at the two Alphas’ appearance. He recognised both men as
criminal police officers from the city bureau. The Alpha who kicked open
the door was Zheng Xujiang, a former student of his father’s and currently
captain of the city bureau’s police squadron.
“Captain Zheng,” Han Bohan called out, slowly lowering his hands.
The astonishment in Zheng Xujiang’s eyes hadn’t waned. “Why are you
here so late?” he asked, taking two steps closer to Han Bohan.
Han Bohan’s shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was a little unkempt, giving
the impression that he was in a poor state.
Zheng Xujiang’s gaze never left Han Bohan, his brows furrowed slightly.
He couldn’t remember when it started, but he had feelings for Han Bohan,
and in the past, he used to go to the Hans’ house to meet Han Bohan’s
father, Han Zhang, and would occasionally see Han Bohan as well. Han
Bohan was still a university student at the time. He’d already presented as
an Omega, a beautiful yet somewhat haughty one who would only give
Zheng Xujiang an indifferent and polite nod whenever he saw him,
unwilling to say more than a few words.
After Han Bohan started working, Zheng Xujiang would frequently come
into contact with him. Han Bohan had been in the workforce for a long
time, but while he appeared to be very easy-going, there was always an
underlying cold arrogance in his demeanour that caused the Alphas who
pursued him to lose hope and retreat.
Once, when Zheng Xujiang and a few of his colleagues from the bureau
went out for drinks, they unintentionally gossiped about the bureau chief’s
Omega son, who worked as a prosecutor. They all shook their heads one
after another, saying that, if you couldn’t get the guy, there was nothing else
you could do about it.
So upon seeing the usually neat and tidy Han Bohan appearing in such a
state in front of him at present, Zheng Xujiang subconsciously sensed that
something was wrong. Furthermore, he couldn’t figure out why Han Bohan
would be here alone at such a late hour.
Han Bohan, as composed as ever, asked, “Are you guys on duty?”
Sun Yao’s escape from the detention centre had caused quite a stir. Not only
was the prison system affected—the entire city’s public security system was
also under a lot of pressure. They had dispatched a large number of police
officers to conduct a city-wide search, and the fact that Zheng Xujiang
would personally bring a team to monitor the hospital was unsurprising.
Zheng Xujiang nodded. He took another step closer to Han Bohan and, just
as he was about to speak, he suddenly stiffened in place. He could smell
Han Bohan’s pheromones, a scent that he’d never smelled before, because
Han Bohan had never delayed injecting his suppressants. But it wasn’t Han
Bohan’s pheromones that rendered him immobile; it was a trace of another
pheromone mixed in with Han Bohan’s—an Alpha’s pheromones.
The competitiveness and rivalry amongst Alphas almost compelled Zheng

Xujiang to draw his gun. He held it in at the very last moment, face
reddening, his gaze locked on Han Bohan. “You’ve been marked?”
Han Bohan froze.
Zheng Xujiang was a little shaken. He hadn’t even gathered the courage to
confess to the Omega he liked, and yet the Omega had already been marked
by another Alpha?! He let out a low growl, “Who is it?!”
Han Bohan frowned. “What does it matter?”
As soon as he stopped speaking, the room was filled with a strange alarm
that sounded ‘beep beep, beep beep’.
Han Bohan turned around and noticed a device on the head of Sun
Xunyan’s bed that had begun flashing as soon as it began ringing. “What’s
that?” He assumed it was Sun Xunyan’s monitoring equipment and that
there was something wrong with Sun Xunyan’s vitals.
However, the faces of Zheng Xujiang and the other Alpha police officer
who was standing in the doorway were suddenly filled with disbelief. The
Alpha police officer took a step forward and addressed Zheng Xujiang
nervously, “Captain Zheng?”
Zheng Xujiang’s face had lost all of its color, leaving him looking
somewhat ashen. He seized Han Bohan’s hand this time, the veins in his
forehead bulging as he asked, “You were marked by Sun Yao?”
Han Bohan’s chest tightened unexpectedly. He didn’t respond, instead

turning to inspect the device on the headboard.
Zheng Xujiang suppressed his rage. “That’s a pheromone detector we

borrowed from the Ministry of Public Security. It contains Sun Yao’s DNA,
and it’ll automatically sound an alarm if Sun Yao’s pheromone
concentration in the air reaches a certain amount.”
This device was still in its research and development stage, and not many
had been put to use because of its high expense and tight restrictions. As the
present situation had made a lot of noise, the bureau leaders had ordered
them to borrow one from the Ministry of Public Security.
Zheng Xujiang continued interrogating Han Bohan: “Did Sun Yao force it
on you? I’ll kill him!”
Han Bohan didn’t answer him, but the detector’s beeping continued to pick
up, which then set off all the alarms throughout the hospital.
Zheng Xujiang and his partner abruptly reacted, they opened the door and
dashed out.
Han Bohan’s face twisted, and he bolted out of the hospital room behind
them.
There were far more officers lurking in the hospital than Zheng Xujiang and
his partner. In a split second, they all mobilised, and the sound of rushing
footsteps filled every corridor, while the patients and family members who
heard the commotion all poked their heads out of their rooms to inquire
about the situation. In the middle of the night, the initially quiet and
peaceful hospital was thrown into chaos.
Han Bohan chased after them. Seeing Zheng Xujiang and his partner split
up and rush down the stairs on each side of the inpatient building, Han
Bohan hurriedly pursued Zheng Xujiang’s footsteps to run to the floor
where he and Sun Yao had previously agreed upon.
The physical strength of Omegas had always been inferior to that of Alphas.
On top of that, Han Bohan had just gone into heat. His footsteps were weak
and unsteady, and he almost lost sight of Zheng Xujiang’s back.
He entered the stairwell and heard footsteps above and below. Someone
below him yelled, “Don’t run! If you run again, we’ll start shooting!”
Han Bohan’s heart instantly seized up, and his steps as he descended the
stairs became erratic. He continued to take deep breaths, telling himself to
calm down, and then rushed down the stairs.
Right as Han Bohan made it to the second floor, he heard a gunshot from
the first floor. It was as if the bullet had struck Han Bohan in the chest. His
knees immediately went soft. He almost slipped, but luckily he caught hold
of the handrails. He couldn’t bear to imagine the scene below, and all he
could do was repeat to himself: Everything’s fine, everything’s fine.
Han Bohan’s eyes welled up with tears. He furiously wiped them away with
the back of his hand and continued down the stairs.
When he reached the first floor lobby, he was greeted by the sight of nearly
ten plain-clothes Alpha officers surrounding the lobby. He saw Zheng
Xujiang’s back—the man was training a gun at someone amongst the
crowd.
“DON’T SHOOT!” Han Bohan shouted. He dashed over to the crowd, but
before he could get any closer, Zheng Xujiang turned around and ran to his
side, holding Han Bohan back to prevent him from approaching any
further.
“SUN YAO!” Han Bohan yelled. He had no idea whether something
terrible had happened to Sun Yao; all he could see through the countless
feet was a man lying facedown on the ground, firmly restrained by two or
three people and unable to move a muscle.
Zheng Xujiang held him back and said, “He forcibly marked you. Don’t let
his pheromones get to your head! He’s an escaped prisoner!”
Han Bohan kept struggling, yelling, “SUN YAO!”
Sun Yao was sprawled on the floor. “I’m fine!” he exclaimed, but the next
thing he knew, his head was struck by the handle of a gun.
“Hold still! No talking!” yelled the police officer.
Han Bohan finally stopped struggling, collapsing to the floor as every

ounce of strength left his body.
Zheng Xujiang helped him up. Seeing that he had no strength in his legs, he
tried to carry Han Bohan in his arms.
The instant Han Bohan smelled Zheng Xujiang’s Alpha pheromones, he felt
dizzy and nauseated, his stomach churning. He refused to let Zheng Xujiang
carry him, and he pushed him away, preferring to sit on the ground. Then he
raised an arm to cover his mouth and nose, saying, “Get away from me.”
Zheng Xujiang stared at him.
Han Bohan continued, “I can’t stand your pheromones.”
Zheng Xujiang couldn’t tell whether the mark on Han Bohan’s body was
temporary or permanent. He just stared at Han Bohan dazedly, and a pained
expression crossed his face a moment later.
Sun Yao was escorted away by the police. He turned his bloody face to look
at Han Bohan, shook his head at him, and noiselessly mouthed, “I’m fine.”
The last thing Sun Yao saw of Han Bohan was him subconsciously reaching
out to him, face full of tears.
After that, Sun Yao was locked back up in the detention centre.
This time, he was imprisoned for nearly two months. During that time, a
prosecutor summoned him for questioning. He thought that he would be
able to see Han Bohan, but when he arrived at the interrogation room, he
was greeted by an unfamiliar prosecutor, prompting him to inquire, “Is
Prosecutor Han Bohan all right?”
The prosecutor maintained a cold demeanour and refused to answer any of

his questions.
Then there was the trial. He had no idea why, but the procuratorate only
charged him with escaping custody and not with intentional homicide. That
day, he didn’t see Han Bohan in court either.
In court, the judge delivered his verdict.
Sun Yao had already been detained for a half-year period prior to the court’s
decision, so it wasn’t long before his sentence expired and he was
immediately released from the detention centre.
On the day of his release, Sun Yao came out of the detention centre alone.
Nobody came to pick him up; his only living relative was lying on a
hospital bed and had never awoken to this day. Sun Yao had spent his days
in the detention centre in a daze. No one told him what had happened, and
until the very end, he had no idea why the procuratorate didn’t charge him
with intentional homicide, but deep down, he always felt that it had
something to do with Han Bohan.
Every word he’d told Han Bohan was true—he hadn’t murdered Cao
Yuxiang.
At this time, Han Bohan was tailing Sun Yao in his SUV. He gazed at Sun
Yao’s back from a distance, unsure whether or not to drive over.
Sun Yao’s pheromones had long since vanished from his body. His nape
was as smooth as it had been before, with no trace of having been bitten.
Han Bohan’s feelings for Sun Yao should have dissipated along with the
pheromones.
But for some reason, Han Bohan ended up here. He’d seen Sun Yao’s
verdict, and had firmly kept Sun Yao’s release date in mind. He didn’t know
what he was thinking, whether it was just the lingering shadow of the
temporary mark or if his heart had truly moved for the man. He didn’t know
—and he couldn’t tell them apart.
Sun Yao walked along the dusty road in front of the detention center, his
back a picture of loneliness. He hadn’t called a taxi because he didn’t have
any money on him.
Han Bohan’s spotless and beautiful car was also buffeted by a layer of dust.
Through the dust covering his windscreen, his gaze never left Sun Yao’s
body. He knew where Sun Yao was headed, and he also knew that he could
overtake him so long as he stepped on the gas pedal.
But he didn’t know if he should.
A black SUV noiselessly pulled up beside Sun Yao.
Sun Yao turned his head to peer inside the car.
Han Bohan said, “Hop in, I’ll give you a ride.”
☆☆☆
t/n – and that’s all she wrote! on changpei at least. there are two more a/b/o extras that jgq posted
on ao3 but they’re more like epilogues~ please remember to support the author on changpei by
buying the paid chapters!
The Sun
“A Marked Prosecutor Han”
Han Zhang’s 56th birthday wasn’t marked with much fanfare. Supposedly,
he had only invited a few close friends and family for a small gathering.
That afternoon, however, the people who had come to celebrate his birthday
rushed to the Han house, practically trampling through the lawn out front,
coming and going as if it were a large-scale western-style party.
Han Bohan was dressed in a suit and tie. The suit hugged his figure
perfectly, emphasising his long legs and slender waist. He looked both tall
and handsome.
He wasn’t all that fond of socialising, but as he was Han Zhang’s only son,
he had no choice but to receive the guests who came through the door of the
first floor drawing room. There were an abundance of young Alphas about,
and their gazes followed his every move, but he paid no attention to them,
remaining politely aloof no matter who he was facing.
Zheng Xujiang was also present. He was nominally Han Zhang’s student,
and as a close friend of the Hans, he half-played the role of a host, coming
in and out to greet guests as they arrived.
“Take a short break if you feel tired,” he advised Han Bohan.
Han Bohan only gave him a flat response. “I’m not tired.” He then turned
and walked away.
Han Zhang noticed the atmosphere between them and later spoke privately
with Han Bohan. “If you don’t care about Zheng Xujiang, that’s fine. But
it’s about time you think about your future.”
Han Bohan was thirty years old this year.
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed since he was kidnapped and
given a temporary mark by Sun Yao. The effects of the temporary mark had
long since faded, but an Alpha capable of giving him a permanent mark had
never appeared.
The phone in Han Bohan’s pocket vibrated lightly. He walked over to a

corner and took it out to see Sun Yao had sent a text—a short, two-word
message: I’m back.
After his release two years ago, Sun Yao had left. He said that he would be
leaving town to do business with a friend. Before leaving, he borrowed
200,000 yuan from Han Bohan and settled his daughter in a decent
sanatorium. Perhaps, the days he spent locked up in the detention centre had
made Sun Yao restless; he realised that there was no way he could
guarantee a lifetime without mishaps to care for Sun Xunyan. What he most
needed was money, and only with money could he ensure that Sun Xunyan
continued to receive the best care, even after he died one day.
Back then, Han Bohan hadn’t said a word and directly transferred the
200,000 to Sun Yao.
Sun Yao had been out of town these past two years, not even returning for
Chinese New Year. They both had each other’s contact information, but
they had practically never gotten in touch. Only during the New Year this
year did Han Bohan receive a transfer notice worth 100,000 yuan, which
was followed by a message from Sun Yao that said: Happy New Year.
He stared at that text message for a long time, and replied with a simple
“Happy New Year”. There was no follow up.
Han Bohan’s mind went blank for a moment after suddenly receiving Sun
Yao’s text. After a few minutes of standing in the unusually quiet corner, he
texted his mother: “Something came up. I’m heading out.” Then, he fetched
his car keys and wallet and rushed out.
Han Bohan knew where Sun Yao would be headed. When he returned after
two years, the first thing he’d do was pay a visit to Sun Xunyan.
The road to the sanatorium was somewhat congested, but Han Bohan was
neither anxious nor impatient. In truth, he didn’t know how he felt about
Sun Yao right now—it was just that, over the last two years, he would think
of Sun Yao from time to time, would have flashbacks of the humid and
stuffy house and the bed that was covered in his bodily fluids.
In his subsequent heats, Han Bohan had recalled the scent of Sun Yao’s
pheromones as well as his warm kisses, which comprised his only kissing
experience in his entire thirty-year life. He wasn’t some kind of exquisite
flower on a mountain peak, untouchable and out of reach—he was just
particularly pure, nothing more.
Before last year’s New Year’s, Han Bohan had gone to the sanatorium to
visit Sun Xunyan. Sun Xunyan’s complexion looked great; it was clear that
she was receiving excellent care there. Han Bohan had brought flowers, and
he had only stayed in her room for a few minutes before leaving. He didn’t
have anything to say to Sun Xunyan. He came to see her solely because she
was Sun Yao’s daughter.
He pulled up on the curb outside the sanatorium. Han Bohan didn’t rush
inside. He dialed Sun Yao’s number.
The call quickly connected, and Sun Yao’s deep, masculine voice rang out,
“Prosecutor Han?”
After a brief pause, Han Bohan inquired, “Are you at the sanatorium?”
“I am,” Sun Yao replied.
“I’m outside,” Han Bohan said softly. “Can I come in and see you guys?”
Sun Yao appeared to be a little taken aback. He remained silent for a brief
moment before responding, “Of course. Thank you, Prosecutor Han.”
Han Bohan parked his car in the sanatorium’s parking lot, took a deep
breath, then opened the door and got out of the car.
He realised that the closer he got to Sun Yao, the more difficult it became to
maintain his composure. He couldn’t focus, his heart raced faster and faster,
and even taking deep breaths couldn’t ease his anxiety. His brows were
furrowed as he stood in the elevator, feeling he was in a rather terrible state.
He wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was anticipation—or fear.
The door of Sun Xunyan’s room was wide open. When Han Bohan walked
in, he saw Sun Yao leaning against the windowsill, arms crossed on his
chest, long legs stretched out casually.
Sun Yao was more tanned and slimmer than he was two years ago. There
were uneven lines between his brows and at the corners of his eyes, but he
was full of vigour, his eyes were bright and his gaze was profound, and his
short hair set off his face and highlighted his handsome, distinct features.
When he saw Han Bohan walk in, Sun Yao straightened up. He was dressed
in a black trench coat, and his tall stature complemented his attire perfectly.
He approached Han Bohan slowly and extended his hand. “Prosecutor
Han.”
Han Bohan glanced down at his callused palm and reached out to take his
hand. “Hi, long time no see.”
The air was tinged with a faint blend of pheromones.
Han Bohan had injected a suppressant that lasted three months rather than a
year. He couldn’t explain why he made this decision—it was as if, deep
down, he was preparing for something.
They shook hands and parted moments later.

Sun Yao looked Han Bohan in the eyes and asked, “If you’re free tonight,
would you like to get dinner? I’ve accompanied Yanyan for quite a while,
it’s almost time to go.”
Not long after Han Bohan left his house, Han Zhang had called him,
furious. Han Bohan simply told him that he had urgent matters to attend to,
ignored Han Zhang’s ire, and ended the call at an upcoming intersection. He
had no intention of bringing it up now though, only nodding and calmly
agreeing, “Sure.”
They didn’t take Han Bohan’s car after stepping out of the sanatorium. Sun
Yao took Han Bohan to a roadside diner, and the two men went in to have
dinner together. The diner looked quite clean at first glance, but only after
taking their seats did they discover that the cracks on the wall at a corner of
the table were filled with grime.
Sun Yao carefully wiped the tabletop in front of Han Bohan with a napkin.
“This place isn’t that nice, could you make do?” he asked as he wiped it
clean. Han Bohan was dressed immaculately; in a place like this, he truly
looked out of place.
“It’s fine,” Han Bohan said calmly.
Sun Yao gave him a sidelong glance. “You haven’t changed at all.” His
pheromones, for one, were still those of a pure Omega, subtly clear and
sweet.
Han Bohan lowered his head slightly. Rather than talking about himself, he
asked Sun Yao, “Have these last two years been tough on you?”
Sun Yao chuckled. “Not at all.”
In fact, he’d weathered through many, many hardships, the most difficult
being the time he drove a truck full of goods that broke down in the
mountains, forcing him to spend the night in a truck with a temperature of
more than ten degrees below zero. He had rubbed his hands bloody and
gradually recovered afterwards; if you didn’t look too closely, you wouldn’t
even notice the scars.
“No matter what came at me, I’d be able to get through it as long as I
thought about Yanyan,” Sun Yao said calmly.
Han Bohan looked into his eyes and lowered his gaze again not a second
later, letting out a soft laugh.
“I’ll return the rest of the money in a few days when my friend transfers it
to my account,” Sun Yao continued.
When he heard this, Han Bohan said, “Take your time.” As he stared at the
jug of water that lacked a spout in bemusement, he thought inwardly, once
this one hundred thousand yuan was returned, there would really no longer
be anything tying them together.
Sun Yao stared at him in silence for a long time. “Have you met the right
person?”
Han Bohan quickly responded, “I haven’t.”
Sun Yao didn’t say anything at that, only leaning back slightly and letting
out a soft and shallow exhale.
During dinner, the two men drank a small amount of alcohol.
Han Bohan wasn’t much of a drinker, but he didn’t say no when Sun Yao
asked. Accompanying Sun Yao to drink was a rare opportunity.
Two cups of baijiu later, Han Bohan felt his body heating up. He loosened
his tie and undid a couple buttons of his shirt, and his wide open collar
revealed a peek of his delicate collarbones.
Sun Yao drew the cup in his slender fingers to his lips and sipped the
searing baijiu slowly. His gaze was drawn to Han Bohan’s collar, and his
thoughts drifted to the memory of his soft and delicate skin, how a light
suck was all it took to leave a red mark.
Han Bohan drank and barely touched his food. He was still sober, though a
little excited; it was as if the alcohol amplified every small emotion, and his
body grew hotter and hotter.
The Alpha in the group of eight who were drinking at a table next to theirs
turned his head to look their way.
Han Bohan’s Omega pheromones suffused with the alcohol in the air,
becoming heavier and heavier.
Sun Yao put his cup down, saying, “We’re done here, let’s go.”
There was a flight of stairs beneath their feet as they exited the diner. Han
Bohan was unaware of this and stepped on air, causing his body to fall
sideways.
Sun Yao reached out to support him, an arm to his waist that left it as
quickly as it came. He said, “You’re drunk.”
“I’m not,” Han Bohan said. He fished his phone out of his pocket to call a
substitute driver.
Sun Yao abruptly grabbed his hand, preventing him from opening the
substitute driver app, and said, “Come to my place for a while. I’m staying
at a hotel nearby.”
Han Bohan looked at him uncomprehendingly.
The smell of Omega pheromones in the air grew stronger and stronger.
Sun Yao was gripping Han Bohan’s hand tightly, tight enough to almost
hurt.
Han Bohan eventually gave a small nod.
Sun Yao stayed at a cheap motel nearby. Despite the fact that his financial
situation had improved, he was used to being frugal and was hesitant to stay
in a good hotel, so it appeared that he’d found a random motel to make do
with for one night.
The moment Han Bohan entered the room, he was greeted by a musty odor.
Aside from the smell of mold, there was probably a hint of something else
as well—no need to say what it was, it didn’t smell good anyway.
The room was small. There was a double bed in the centre of the room, as
well as a TV cabinet and a chair next to the bed.
A frosted glass wall separated the bathroom and bedroom; one’s silhouette
would be visible from the outside if the lights were turned on inside.
Sun Yao invited him to sit, and said, “Wait until you sober up a little before
you leave.”
Han Bohan sat down and watched as Sun Yao opened the curtains slightly.
Then Sun Yao sat on the edge of the bed, silently staring at Han Bohan.
Han Bohan looked a little unwell. He took off his tie, unfastened his suit,
and undid a few buttons of his shirt.
Sun Yao stood up and asked, “Are you all right? I’ll heat up some water for
you.”
When Sun Yao passed him, Han Bohan raised his head and said, “It’s hot.”
His face was stained with an unnatural flush.
The hint of Omega pheromones in the air hadn’t dissipated, but had instead
become denser by the minute.
Sun Yao stopped in his tracks and reached out to feel Han Bohan’s
forehead, which was burning hot to the touch. At first, he thought Han
Bohan was drunk, but now it seemed that things weren’t so simple.
Han Bohan angled his head and looked up at Sun Yao. The corners of his
eyes were tinged red. “Your pheromones,” he said. Sun Yao’s pheromones
—that familiar, pleasant scent—were all around him, gradually becoming
stronger until it almost enveloped him whole.
Sun Yao said, “You’re seducing me—so you know that you’re about to go
into heat?”
Han Bohan’s breaths were searing. His attention was solely on Sun Yao,
and a moment later, he said, “I do.”
“Why didn’t you take your suppressants?” Sun Yao asked.
Han Bohan didn’t answer him this time.
Sun Yao bent down and looked him straight in the eye, crooking his index
finger to tickle his cheek gentle with the knuckle. It then slowly slid down
from his ear to his nape, pressing against Han Bohan’s glands. “Answer
me.”
Han Bohan was starting to shiver. Despite his calm composure, he couldn’t
hide the faraway look in his eyes. He asked Sun Yao, “Answer what?”
Sun Yao pressed his fingers against Han Bohan’s glands. His tone was
unyielding, and he continued, “I don’t deserve you.” In every aspect, he had
no idea what qualifications he had to compete against other Alphas for an
Omega like this.
Han Bohan looked him in the eyes and asked, “What don’t you deserve?”
“I don’t deserve your everything—but I still want to mark you,” Sun Yao
said with a smile. “If you don’t want it, push me away now.”
There were many things Sun Yao hadn’t told Han Bohan, such as how, in
the last two years, he had been determined to make money not only for Sun
Xunyan, but also for Han Bohan; how, on countless days and nights, the
image of Han Bohan with a face full of tears as he reached out to him
emerged in the forefronts of his mind over and over, and how he would
constantly dream of trying to hold onto Han Bohan’s hand yet never could.
He hadn’t said anything to Han Bohan before leaving. The future was too
uncertain, and he wasn’t sure what would happen to them, so he hadn’t
dared to ask Han Bohan to wait for him. But at the time, he’d thought that if
Han Bohan was still single by the time he returned, then he must mark him
—make Han Bohan his Omega.
Sun Yao waited for Han Bohan’s final decision, but at that very moment,
Han Bohan threw his arms around Sun Yao’s shoulders without the slightest
hesitation and devoured his lips.
☆☆☆
Thank you to Cocole for the kofi!
t/n – one more!

Extra 3.7 – The Star Around The
Sun (END)
“A Marked Prosecutor Han”
NSFW WARNING // explicit sex, mpreg, omegaverse biology
Met with Han Bohan’s sudden kiss, Sun Yao was stunned for a beat before
he picked Han Bohan up off the chair and threw him onto the bed.
The only light source in the hotel room was a single dull yellow ceiling
light, its lampshade long darkened so that only half of its intensity
remained, leaving the room in a dim state.
Who knew how many guests had slept on the bed—the springs were unable
to bear the heavy load, and the mattress sank in, leaving imprints of a body
in the centre of the bed which no longer sprung back.
Fortunately, the bed sheets and covers seemed clean.
Han Bohan sat up, bracing himself with his arms. Sun Yao bent down to
kiss him while unbuttoning the rest of Han Bohan’s buttons and, with a
touch of roughness, stripped Han Bohan out of his shirt, exposing his fair
and clean body.
Then, Sun Yao moved to unbuckle his belt.
Han Bohan was breathing heavily. His lips were flushed crimson from Sun
Yao’s kiss, and his lower body was hard, tenting his suit trousers. The
moment Sun Yao took off Han Bohan’s briefs and trousers together, the
evidence of his expectation and excitement was fully displayed before Sun
Yao’s eyes.
His heat rushed at him in full force, like a raging tide carrying the salty
scent of the sea breeze, crashing into him head-on and engulfing him whole.
He felt heady with it, and his pheromones, tinged with the desire to mate,
burst out in the narrow room.
The crease of his ass was soaked, the slick pouring out of his body in
droves, staining the sheets beneath him.
Sun Yao traced Han Bohan’s rim with a finger and was greeted with a
handful of wet, slippery warmth. He locked his gaze on Han Bohan, then
wiped his slick-soaked finger across his chest.
The Omega’s pheromones during heat roused the Alpha’s body, and a rich
concentration of pheromones filled the air, declaring that the Alpha had
been lured into a rut by him.
Sun Yao had taken off his coat as soon as he entered the room. The only
piece of clothing that remained on his upper body was a thin sweater. He
grabbed the hem and yanked it up and off, exposing his lean yet powerful
body, toned muscles, and skin riddled with scars
He took Han Bohan’s hand in his and pressed it against the zipper of his
pants.
Han Bohan raised his head and gave him a quick glance before unbuttoning
his pants and pulling the zipper down with trembling hands, the back of his
hand brushing against the Alpha’s swollen male organ through his briefs.
Sun Yao pulled down his pants. They slid down his feet and were kicked
away impatiently. Then he straddled the bed, pinning Han Bohan beneath
him, nothing whatsoever between their bodies.
He kept touching and kissing Han Bohan’s body; the instincts he’d
suppressed in that rural village two years ago had now completely broken
free. He sucked on Han Bohan’s nipple, hard, and his rough palm caressed
the particularly tender skin of the inside of Han Bohan’s arm. Han Bohan
moaned as he shuddered minutely, struck with pain within the intense
pleasure.
Their bodies were intertwined on the bed. Sun Yao caught Han Bohan’s leg
and hitched it around his hip. His palm was flush against Han Bohan’s
thigh, rubbing and kneading. His long and thick cock lingered against Han
Bohan’s wet rim, rubbing against it, hesitant to enter.
Han Bohan was gasping like he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. He
could feel desire coursing through his veins. He clamped down on Sun Yao
with his legs, flushed eyes widened as he looked straight at him.
Sun Yao abruptly came to a halt, kissing Han Bohan’s lips with the utmost
tenderness. Then, he said, “Would it be all right if you got pregnant?”
Voice hoarse, Han Bohan said, “Anything’s fine.”
Sun Yao pushed the head of his hard cock into Han Bohan’s hot, wet rim
and entered the soft and tight passage.
Han Bohan couldn’t hold back a cry, his chest heaving intensely.
Han Bohan was so tight down there, yet so warm and slick. In an instant,
Sun Yao’s cock was snugly contained in his hole without the tiniest gap, as
if they were a natural fit.
As Sun Yao experienced an intense pleasure like he’d never felt before, he
understood why Alphas and Omegas were meant to be. Sweat ran down his
brows and down his face as he moved his lean hips. When he raised his ass
slightly to slide out of Han Bohan, he could feel Han Bohan’s tender flesh
clenching around him, trying to keep him inside. In the next second, he
pierced Han Bohan once more.
He thrusted in and out over and over and felt the hidden, even tighter
entrance within Han Bohan loosen.
“Does it hurt?” Sun Yao asked in Han Bohan’s ear, voice low and deep.
Han Bohan shook his head, saying, “Feels good.”
“I’m coming in,” Sun Yao said.

Han Bohan was in a daze. Sticky liquid incessantly oozed from his womb.
He gave a small nod. “Do it.”
Sun Yao pulled out and adjusted their bodies so that he lay on his side.
Holding Han Bohan from behind, he entered him once more.
Han Bohan’s nape was laid bare before Sun Yao’s eyes. All of a sudden,
Sun Yao’s heartbeat picked up speed. He was well aware of what a mark
meant—it meant that after this, this Omega would completely belong to
him alone, and if he ever left him, even surviving would become difficult. It
was the most serious responsibility in one’s life, but also the sweetest.
At the same time, an Alpha’s innate desire to possess aroused his heart—he
wanted to mark him, wanted to possess him, wanted to be Han Bohan’s one
and only.
No longer able to control his instincts, he fucked into Han Bohan’s hole
roughly and forced the head of his cock into Han Bohan’s womb.
“Hng——” Han Bohan cried out, as if he was in extreme pain yet also
extreme happiness.
The warm and wet cavity clenched around his cockhead, spilling slick
incessantly. It was squeezed out further, flowing out of Han Bohan’s body
and wetting the bed sheets. Sun Yao let out a muffled groan. He was so far
gone that he had completely surrendered to animal instincts as he fucked
Han Bohan relentlessly. Only when he felt his orgasm well up within him
did his thrusts become more and more urgent.
He tensed his muscles. At the last moment, he penetrated Han Bohan

deeply, his stiff cock entering Han Bohan’s womb and swelling into a knot.
Tightly secured in Han Bohan’s womb, he filled Han Bohan up with his
cum.
Sun Yao bit into the glands on Han Bohan’s nape as he came, pouring his
pheromones into Han Bohan’s body at the same time he emptied an excess
of semen into him, making Han Bohan his Omega and his Omega alone.
At the mercy of Sun Yao’s pheromones and intense pleasure, Han Bohan’s
entire body convulsed. No sound came out of his throat. An unending
stream of physiological tears that he could no longer hold back spilled from
his eyes.
The marking process lasted for a long time. Sun Yao could only pull out
after. He turned Han Bohan’s body over and saw that he was crying, so he
gently said, “Does it hurt?”
Han Bohan shook his head.
After a beat of silence, Sun Yao said, “Then—are you not ready?”
Han Bohan wrapped his arms around Sun Yao’s waist and buried his face in
his arms. It wasn’t that it hurt, or that he wasn’t ready—it was just that what
he was feeling now was difficult to describe, it was something that had
always been spreading and fermenting in his heart.
Sun Yao’s cum stayed inside Han Bohan’s body. His womb had already
closed up, not letting any semen leak out.
Sun Yao hugged Han Bohan and stroked his hair and back. He pulled the
covers up to cover their bodies.
Han Bohan clung to Sun Yao’s body, refusing to let go even when Sun Yao
tried to get out of bed to get a towel to clean Han Bohan’s body.
A moment later, Han Bohan raised his head and kissed Sun Yao. They
didn’t have much to say to each other—the warmth of their skin-to-skin
embrace was more than enough to satisfy them.
After a drawn out kiss, Sun Yao entered Han Bohan’s body once more. This
time, he fucked him slowly and gently. Han Bohan’s womb didn’t reopen.
Sun Yao got Han Bohan to straddle him and lean forward, after which he
held Han Bohan’s thighs and lightly rocked into him.
Sun Yao said, “I won’t leave. I’m going to buy a house. Let’s get married.”
“Okay,” Han Bohan said in reply.

The next day was a Monday. Han Bohan didn’t have time to go home and
get changed, so he wore the same suit he wore yesterday directly to the
office.
Sun Yao drove Han Bohan to the city procuratorate and parked the car in
the parking lot.
Han Bohan told him to take his car, but Sun Yao refused, saying that he’d
pick Han Bohan up when he got off work.
They both got out of the car. Sun Yao walked up to Han Bohan and hugged
him, pressing kisses on his lips and cheeks, saying, “Be good and go to
work.”
Han Bohan nodded.
As it was the morning rush hour, this scene was witnessed by numerous
employees.
That morning, the entire procuratorate was talking about how Han Bohan
was actually dating and how his partner appeared to be a male Alpha who
was much older than him.
Han Bohan himself was barely aware of the curious stares. During the two
Monday morning indictment meetings, there were three Alphas and two
Omegas among the twenty attendees. The others were Betas, who were
naturally incapable of sensing anything, but the three Alphas and an Omega
would frequently throw looks his way.
Han Bohan’s heat was technically not over, but because his womb had been
filled with semen, his body’s self-protection measures had blocked off his
heat symptoms. His pheromones were still rich, but they were interspersed
with an extra Alpha pheromone, which couldn’t be more obvious.
Once the meeting ended, Han Bohan left the conference room with his
things. The Alphas and Omegas left around the room began gossiping,
asking how it all came about.
The Omega was a single woman. She was a little embarrassed, and she
stayed silent as she blushed.
A long-time married Alpha laughed and exclaimed, “Our famed flower is

finally taken!”
A young Alpha who had just started working had grief written across his
entire face. “Han ge has been marked!”
That morning, two police officers from the city bureau came over to discuss
work matters, and in the afternoon, Zheng Xujiang came.
Zheng Xujiang sat in Han Bohan’s office for a long time before finally
asking, “Is he back?”
“Mm,” Han Bohan answered.
Zheng Xujiang laughed bitterly. “He marked you properly?”
Han Bohan replied, “I might get pregnant.”
Over a month later, Han Bohan found out that he was pregnant.
At this time, Sun Yao had already returned the 100,000 yuan he’d borrowed
and also bought an apartment. As he hadn’t had the time to decorate, he was
temporarily living at Han Bohan’s place.
That morning, when Sun Yao was making Han Bohan breakfast in the
kitchen, Han Bohan hugged him from behind and calmly said, “I’m
pregnant.”
The chances of an Omega conceiving were extremely high. If they had sex
during heat without any preventive measure, they had a nearly 99 percent
chance of becoming pregnant. The fact that he would get pregnant was not
at all surprising.
However, Sun Yao’s hands still trembled. He turned off the stove and turned
around to embrace Han Bohan, and said, “Let’s get that marriage license.”
In Sun Yao’s arms, Han Bohan nodded.
Sun Yao kissed his forehead. Han Bohan raised his head to kiss him.
Moments later, Sun Yao said, “We should see your parents.”
Han Bohan was a little hesitant before he nodded. He said, “No matter what
they say, just ignore it. I’m your Omega.”
Sun Yao smiled and said, “Of course.”
The Han family was turned upside down. In truth, word that Han Bohan had
been marked had already spread, but no one had dared to tell Han Zhang
until now, when Han Bohan, pregnant, took Sun Yao home.
Han Zhang was enraged within an inch of his life, but there was no way an
Omega who had been completely marked and was pregnant could abandon
his Alpha. Even if Han Zhang pulled out his gun and shot Sun Yao dead, the
one who would suffer the most would be Han Bohan.
In the end, Han Zhang could only kick them out and tell them to never
come back, and he would act as if he didn’t have a son.
Han Bohan accepted this calmly. Even without his parent’s consent, he
would never go back on his decision to marry Sun Yao.
They didn’t hold a wedding, and there were no guests to invite. On the day
they obtained their marriage license, Sun Yao took Han Bohan to visit Sun
Xunyan.
Han Bohan suddenly thought of a problem, asking Sun Yao. “If your
daughter wakes up one day, what should she call me?”
Sun Yao chuckled as he drew Han Bohan into his arms. “She can call you
anything you want her to call you.”
From that day on, Sun Yao would drive Han Bohan to the office everyday.
When he arrived, he would stand beside the car and kiss Han Bohan’s lips
and mouth. Han Bohan’s colleagues at the procuratorate all found it
fascinating—this Han Bohan was a completely different person from the
Han Bohan they knew.
When he was being kissed, Han Bohan was always very sweet. He would
tilt his face up and gaze at his Alpha tenderly. If he still had time, Han
Bohan would hug his partner’s waist and stand peacefully in Sun Yao’s
embrace.
Shortly after that, everyone noticed Han Bohan’s belly growing bigger. His
entire being exuded the scent of life, and that attractive yet indifferent face
gradually came to life.
Han Bohan gave birth to a son. They wouldn’t know the child’s second
gender until he presents at eighteen, but the chances of him being a Beta
were slim.
Meanwhile, Sun Xunyan passed her presenting period at eighteen in a

coma. She presented as a Beta; Sun Yao and Han Bohan felt that this was
quite good.
Not long after their son was born, Han Bohan’s parents’ attitude softened.
At this time, Sun Yao’s business was entirely on the right track, and Han
Zhang allowed Han Bohan and Sun Yao to take their child back home so he
could play with the child. He would also frequently summon Sun Yao to his
study to have a few words in private, hoping to assist Sun Yao’s business
before his retirement.
After all, he still hoped that Han Bohan could lead a happy life.
When their child was one years old, Sun Yao and Han Bohan moved to a
new house. It was a two-storey apartment with plenty of space and excellent
lighting.
They hired a nanny. Sun Yao also took Sun Xunyan home and arranged a
room for her on the first floor.
Sun Yao had very low living standards and required very little, but he
lavished Han Bohan with the best of everything.
When his son was two years old, Han Bohan became pregnant with his
second child. His body couldn’t handle his first trimester well, so he asked
for leave and stayed at home to rest.
One afternoon, when Han Bohan was napping on the sofa, his son suddenly
tugged on his hand and called his name.
Han Bohan opened his eyes and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Big sister is awake,” said his son.
Han Bohan froze. He turned over and rose from the sofa, then made his way
to Sun Xunyan’s room. Her bedroom door was open, and Han Bohan stood
at the doorway, seeing Sun Xunyan’s opened eyes—wan and befuddled as
she took in the world.
His eyes welled up with tears, remembering the countless hardships Sun
Yao had endured throughout the years. A smile then bloomed across his
face. “You’re awake.”
☆☆☆
t/n – THE END (for real this time)! thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, and remember
to support the author by buying the novel on changpei ❤

The Star Around The Sun

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The Star Around The Sun

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The Star Around the Sun

136 Chapters + 15 Extras

By chance, Xia Xingcheng, a mediocre actor of average popularity,

NU | Changpei | buy the book! | carrd

Fanart! Xia Xingcheng and Yang Youming on the set of ‘Gradual

Although he hadn’t made it big, his two consecutive TV dramas had

“What is it?” Xiao Yu asked, turning to face him.

Xia Xingcheng silently motioned to Xiao Yu to stop talking.

Xiao Yu propped up her head, curiously listening in on Xia Xingcheng’s

Xia Xingcheng turned to face her. “You heard that?”

Given Xia Xingcheng’s current status in the entertainment industry, a big

Xiao Yu sat up and said, “You’re leaving so late?”

Xiao Yu waved at him. “Bye.”

He Zheng—who hasn’t heard of He Zheng? This director had won

He couldn’t even dream—wouldn’t dare to ever imagine that He Zheng

Huang Jixin said, “I don’t know. He Zheng made no mention of it.”

Washed by a wave of embarrassment, Xia Xingcheng subconsciously

Xia Xingcheng immediately understood. However, there were still more

Huang Jixin was a little surprised. “You guys are done?”

Xia Xingcheng said, “But we’re talking about He Zheng here.”

“As well as Yang Youming,” interrupted Xia Xingcheng.

Huang Jixin froze. He made no small effort to grabbing Xia Xingcheng’s

Xia Xingcheng’s tone revealed a hint of excitement. “It’s Yang Youming.

Yang Youming was thirty-seven years old.

Compared to Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming could be said to be the pride

According to a magazing interview that Xia Xingcheng once read, Yang

Yang Youming was Xia Xingcheng’s idol.

Huang Jixin asked him, “You’re not worried?”

Xia Xingcheng drank a mouthful of milk and finally swallowed the

Huang Jixin said, “Yang Youming is a big movie star—moreover, he’s

Xia Xingcheng understood his intention. This kind of subject matter

After a bout of hesitation, Xia Xingcheng entered Yang Youming’s name on

The movie’s producer was a good friend of He Zheng’s, and the

t/n – Gradual Distance: 渐远 (jiàn yuǎn)

Then, Xia Xingcheng saw a man standing in the corridor ahead.

Xia Xingcheng subconsciously clenched his hands as he walked towards

Yang Youming turned and saw him.

Yang Youming nodded. “Likewise, I’m honoured too.”

Yang Youming asked him, “Did you drink?”

Back in his room, Xia Xingcheng laid down on the bed.

At the shooting location, people wandered about, making preparations for

Uneasy, Xia Xingcheng stole a glance at Yang Youming.

Seeming to have noticed Xia Xingcheng’s line of sight, Yang Youming

He zheng let them run through the scene first.

Xia Xingcheng was startled. It wasn’t an act–he was genuinely startled,

Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer, as he didn’t need to answer here.

As a result, Yang Youming leaned in. At that moment, Xia Xingcheng

Yang Youming nodded.

He Zheng asked him, “Are you fine with that?”

Xia Xingcheng didn’t react immediately. A moment later he realised that

He Zheng nodded and left to direct the lights.

Yang Youming suddenly asked Xia Xingcheng, “Are you nervous?”

Stunned, Xia Xingcheng looked at Yang Youming, not knowing how to

Yang Youming didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either. He lowered

The first official shoot finally began.

Yang Youming looked at him from the top of the stairway.

When he passed Yang Youming, he even deliberately avoided touching his

Xia Xingcheng looked at the other man with wide eyes.

Xia Xingcheng didn’t answer.

Xia Xingcheng himself wanted to stop.

Then, Yang Youming kissed Xia Xingcheng’s neck.

Xia Xingcheng whispered, “I don’t want to do this anymore.”