“All right.” Lian Jue Xiu coughed dryly. “Actually, I brought you here to show you a door.”
“What door?”
Lian Jue Xiu pointed toward the curtain beside the headboard.
Suspicious, Jia Zhi Qing walked over and pulled it aside. “What door?”
A door appeared behind the curtain.
“Why is there a door here?” he asked in surprise.
“Lots of hotels have connecting rooms,” Lian Jue Xiu explained.
Jia Zhi Qing pointed at the door. “So there’s another room behind it?”
Lian Jue Xiu nodded.
“Whose room?” A flash of inspiration struck Jia Zhi Qing. “Great God’s?” If he remembered the rooming list correctly, Lian Jue Xiu and Great God had rooms beside each other.
Lian Jue Xiu nodded again.
“Pfft. What’s so interesting about a door?” Despite saying that, Jia Zhi Qing automatically pressed his ear against it.
Lian Jue Xiu took a chocolate bar from the minibar, unwrapped it, and handed it over. “Hear anything?”
Jia Zhi Qing flushed. “An intense battlefield.”
“How’s the fighting?”
“Completely one-sided.” He bit into the chocolate. He really did need something to steady his nerves. No matter how intense things looked onscreen, they could not compare to the impact of a live performance—especially when the people involved were acquaintances.
“Ah, clothes just got thrown onto the floor.” Jia Zhi Qing imagined the scene. Great God’s body must be incredible.
Standing behind him, Lian Jue Xiu offered commentary backed by his extensive experience. “I guarantee the reason they’ve stopped right now is that he’s applying lubricant.”
Listening to the faint moans and panting filtering through the door, Jia Zhi Qing said awkwardly, “Shouldn’t we avoid listening to something improper?” Despite saying that, his ear remained firmly pressed against the door.
…
Lian Jue Xiu stood beside him and quietly wrapped an arm around his waist. “Mm? What counts as improper?”
Jia Zhi Qing felt warm breath tickling behind his ear and instinctively shrank his neck.
“Or do you mean this?” Lian Jue Xiu slowly pressed his lips to Jia Zhi Qing’s earlobe.
Jia Zhi Qing sprang away with a bang, landed on the bed, and pointed at him with a red face and neck. “You damn pervert!”
Lian Jue Xiu shrugged. “I think I’m quite the gentleman.”
“You—a gentleman? If you’re a gentleman, then I’m a saint!”
“Calm down.”
“Calm down my ass!” Jia Zhi Qing charged off the bed, yanked open the door, and fled.
Lian Jue Xiu calmly closed the door, drew the curtain again, leaned against the headboard, and made a call.
The call connected.
He asked leisurely, “What time is our flight? …Eight is too early. Make it afternoon. Two is fine. …We’ve worked hard for so long. We should get more rest. …Then let Tan Fei go back first.”
After hanging up, he muttered to himself, “I’ve done everything a friend possibly could. My work here is complete.”
After his “good rest,” Yan Su Ang was visibly brimming with energy.
In Lian Jue Xiu’s words, he looked like a walking red chili pepper glowing from head to toe.
Xiao Bai, meanwhile, kept dozing off.
Yan Su Ang had originally wanted to buy him a crutch. Fortunately, Xiao Bai was clearly in much better condition than Feng Ya Lun had been. Walking was no problem; only sitting made his backside hurt. So during the flight, he spent the entire trip sitting slightly sideways and leaning against Yan Su Ang.
Naturally, as far as Yan Su Ang was concerned, this was hardly bad news.
After getting off the plane, they were surprised to discover Gao Qin almost buried beneath a crowd of fans at the airport.
Gao Qin used to be both efficient and hardworking, but ever since Feng Ya Lun returned, he had practically become an office worker. Field assignments almost never fell to him anymore. Why was he so proactive today?
Yan Su Ang and Lian Jue Xiu exchanged glances and saw the same surprise in each other’s eyes.
Most of the crew had already gone their separate ways. The remaining people were heading home now too.
Lian Jue Xiu, Yan Su Ang, Xiao Bai, and Jia Zhi Qing got into the car Gao Qin had driven over.
The moment the car started, Gao Qin’s first sentence was, “So, did you finally get a taste?”
…
Yan Su Ang said smugly, “You can tell?” That made up somewhat for his disappointment that Xiao Bai was not using a crutch.
Gao Qin said, “I didn’t figure it out by looking. Someone told me.”
Yan Su Ang looked at Lian Jue Xiu. He knew perfectly well that their rooms had been connected.
Lian Jue Xiu shrugged.
He turned toward Jia Zhi Qing.
Jia Zhi Qing immediately raised both hands in surrender.
Gao Qin said, “A reporter told me.”
“…”
The atmosphere instantly turned grave.
Yan Su Ang frowned. “What did he say?”
“He says he has evidence of you getting a hotel room.” Gao Qin paused. “The reporter originally called Zhang Fu Man. Zhang Fu Man then called me.”
Lian Jue Xiu turned toward Yan Su Ang. “Which day do you think it was?”
“Either yesterday or the day before.” Yesterday, he and Xiao Bai had returned to the hotel and stayed in the same room. The day before, when the fire broke out, he and Xiao Bai had hurried out of the same room together.
Gao Qin said, “I think we need a meeting to discuss what we do next.”
Yan Su Ang said, “No need. I’ll handle this.”
…
Gao Qin glanced at him through the rearview mirror but said nothing.
Gao Qin dropped everyone off along the way.
The moment Yan Su Ang and Xiao Bai entered the house, Yan Su Ang said, “Go upstairs, take a shower, and get some sleep. You barely slept at all last night.” As he spoke, satisfaction rippled through his eyes.
Xiao Bai looked up. “What about you?”
“I’m making soup.” Smiling, Yan Su Ang nudged him toward the stairs. “It was your first time, after all. You need to replenish your strength.”
Xiao Bai was already so exhausted he could barely stand. After his shower, he did not even bother drying his hair before collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep.
He slept deeply.
When Xiao Bai woke and checked the clock, it was already past nine in the evening.
He touched his hair. It was dry.
A dry towel lay on the bed where his head had been resting.
Yan Su Ang must have seen him sleeping with wet hair and dried it for him afterward.
Xiao Bai casually ruffled his hair, then opened the door to go downstairs.
The instant he opened it, he heard Lian Jue Xiu shouting, “You’ve got to be joking! You finally managed to escape that place, and now you actually want to walk right back into it?”
Xiao Bai instinctively stopped.
Yan Su Ang said, “Are you jealous of my illustrious family background?”
Lian Jue Xiu snorted. “And your vicious stepmother and sleazy younger half brother.”
Gao Qin said coldly, “You’ve thought this through?”
“Mm.” Yan Su Ang paused. “I already considered this possibility when I decided to be with Xiao Bai. As a public figure, getting watched was inevitable sooner or later. I don’t care, but Xiao Bai’s career is only just beginning. News like this could very well destroy his future.”
Lian Jue Xiu said, “You think leaving the entertainment industry will magically fix everything? If dating Yan Su Ang would destroy his career, then whether that Yan Su Ang is still in show business or has already retired, it’ll destroy his career either way.”
Gao Qin said, “His concern isn’t unreasonable. A lot of fans are irrational. Some of them might not even accept Yan Su Ang having a girlfriend, much less a boyfriend. Yan Su Ang already has an international reputation and standing. Worst case, he can work overseas. But Xiao Bai would become the target of everyone’s fire. In this industry, the pressure of public opinion can be terrifying.”
Lian Jue Xiu said, “And him leaving the entertainment industry solves that? You think everyone will leave Xiao Bai alone just because he quits? Don’t be naive.”
Yan Su Ang said, “That’s why I’m going home. I don’t like that family, but I have to admit that its influence and power can be very useful at times. At the very least, protecting Xiao Bai shouldn’t be a problem.”
“But everything you’ve spent all these years building in the entertainment industry will be gone,” Lian Jue Xiu said. “Once you go back, your father will never let you leave again.”
“I know.”
Looking at the determination in his eyes, Lian Jue Xiu suddenly could not think of anything else to say.
Gao Qin said slowly, “Have you considered that your family won’t accept Xiao Bai?”
“I’ve thought about that too,” Yan Su Ang said. “My father needs someone who can help him watch over the family. That woman needs someone who won’t fight over the inheritance. Bringing Xiao Bai home works perfectly. He can help out, and he won’t produce a grandson who could threaten her or her son’s position.”
Gao Qin said, “You can really bear to give up your acting career?”
Yan Su Ang was silent for a long time before answering, “The only thing I truly can’t bear to give up is Xiao Bai.”
Lian Jue Xiu began, “Su Ang…”
“I’m a man. I have to protect the person I like.” Yan Su Ang’s voice deepened. “And I don’t mean simply making sure he never lacks food or clothes. I mean letting him freely do whatever he wants. You know, when I first fell for Xiao Bai, I was scared. I was afraid he only liked women. I was afraid he wouldn’t accept me. Now the thing I feared most is gone. Everything else… nothing is so difficult that I can’t accept it or overcome it. As long as he stays beside me, I believe there’s no obstacle we can’t get past.”
…
Only after a long time did Gao Qin say, “Things might not develop that far. We don’t even know how much that reporter actually has. Based on my years of experience, he’s probably bluffing. At most, he has the times you and Xiao Bai entered the room, proving only that you spent one night in the same room.”
Lian Jue Xiu agreed. “That’s hardly anything. You’re both men.”
Gao Qin said, “Exactly. When the time comes, insist that you were playing cards in the room. They have no concrete evidence, so their story won’t hold up.”
Yan Su Ang said, “I don’t want to take that risk.”
Gao Qin and Lian Jue Xiu exchanged glances. Both found the situation difficult.
“Don’t try to talk me out of it. I’ve thought about this for a long time, and I’ve thought it through clearly. This isn’t some spur-of-the-moment decision. I’ve considered it carefully. Actually, I originally planned for Tears of a Man to be my final movie, then casually pick up another Best Actor award or something and retire in style. When it comes to changing careers, the sooner the better.”
Lian Jue Xiu jumped up. “How can you do that? I’m still planning to make Prison Tears!”
“Use Feng Ya Lun. He’s free anyway.”
Gao Qin rejected the idea instantly. “No.”
Lian Jue Xiu said, “I’m beginning to think bringing you people into the gay ranks was fundamentally a terrible mistake.”
Ignoring him, Gao Qin turned toward Yan Su Ang. “Does Xiao Bai know about your decision?”
Yan Su Ang shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll find an opportunity.”
…
Xiao Bai quietly closed the door and climbed back into bed.
Moonlight lay hazily beyond the window, pale light spilling inside and illuminating the contemplative face of the man on the bed.
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