CH 44

Chapter 44

Looking at Lu Bai sitting at the table and waiting, Xueyu, who is actually serving the other and trying to blow on the porridge to cool down, Mr. Agent couldn’t help but shudder – too scary, too damn scary. When has he seen Xueyu treating anyone like this? He’s got a nice face and a warm and gentle voice, but he’s actually got an incredibly arrogant temper, and he’s got a big ego. He’s never seen him look at anyone like that in all these years. 

In a sense, the young master of the Lu family really is a talented individual, to able to tame this difficult-to-serve master into such…

But what should be said still has to be said, who let him be a particularly dedicated agent.

“Xueyu,” Bo Yangzhi coughed and said stiffly, “The movie will start in two days, so I think it’s time for you to enter the group.” Anyway, the movie will be shot in Jinghai over the next few days, so it would be convenient for this young master to visit the studio during this time.

Qu Xueyu’s movements faltered, and before he could say anything, he saw Lu Bai look at Bo Yangzhi: “I’m also going to be entering the crew with Xiao Qu.”

Bo Yangzhi’s eyebrows jumped, and he looked at Qu Xueyu with a hard stare: “?” It has only been a short period of time since you’ve become intimate, and already you can’t even be separated from one another even when you’re in the same city?!

Qu Xueyu stroked the teenager’s curls with an easy-going smile and stated, “Make the necessary arrangements. I’ll speak with Director Zhou about this later.”

Bo Yangzhi huffed, “Doesn’t young Master Lu attend university?” This young man looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old and should be at the age to go to college. Even if the young master wanted to skip his classes and stick to his lover, Qu Xueyu shouldn’t agree.

Lu Bai smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and exclaimed, “I was especially smart and moved my practical classes to this semester, so I have a lot of time to spend with Xiao Qu.”

Qu Xueyu looked at Bo Yangzhi with a raised eyebrow and nodded, “That’s how it is.”

Bo Yangzhi: “…” There was no longer any need to enquire about any scandal that would result from being photographed together, this lord now simply didn’t care. So what else could be done, but to arrange for it ahead of time…

Bo Yangzhi’s rather weary heart threw an OK gesture, then lifted his cell phone and resigned himself to making the necessary arrangements.

~~~~~

Although the movie “Glass” will start filming in Jinghai, and most of the scenes will be shot in Jinghai, the crew will be going south after a few days in Jinghai because they want to use the autumn scenery at the foot of a snow-capped mountain in the south. The day the crew left just happened to be his grandfather’s birthday and Lu Bai couldn’t follow along.

“It will be fine,” Qu Xueyu said as he sat on the sofa. It was the night before the first day of filming, and he pinched the cheek of the boy next to him, “I’ll be back in half a month, and most of my scenes will be in Jinghai after that.”

Lu Bai slumped as he put down his pillow. Rolling over to sit on the youth’s lap, he wrapped his arms around the youth’s neck and faced the young man squarely in the eyes. With a somewhat forlorn appearance, his voice sullen, he sighed, “But I don’t want to leave you.”

Looking at the teenager’s sad disposition, Qu Xueyu couldn’t help but peck the other’s lips. Seeing the teenager subconsciously open his mouth slightly, looking as if he was obediently and coquettishly letting the emperor have his way, Qu Xueyu’s eyes darkened, and he reached out to cover the back of the other’s neck, meeting the other with a light kiss.

“Xiao Qu, after Grandpa’s birthday I’ll buy a plane ticket and come to you, okay?” Lu Bai intimately rubbed against the youth’s forehead and said.

Qu Xueyu felt like his heart was a soft mess, but his eyes still curved into a smile and he said, “Okay.”

~~~~~

The next day was the opening day of the movie “Glass”.

This movie has both Director Zhou and Qu Xueyu, which rightfully attracted a lot of attention. Although Director Zhou is quite reclusive and doesn’t like to deal with the media, this movie, however, has too much at stake, so in the end, Director Zhou isn’t overly conservative, and the media will still be able to cover the movie.

Qu Xueyu temporarily does not want to expose Lu Bai to this side of his life. He can ensure that the crew is controllable, but the live media is not the same. He was a public figure in the limelight, and the slightest mistake would cause trouble for the youth. Even though he wanted to hold onto his hand and proudly announce to the world that this was his boyfriend, even though his almost paranoid possessiveness was on the verge of making him lose control, he restrained himself in the end. Everything involving the teenager had to be done with care. He needed to take his time laying the groundwork, he wanted the teenager to hear blessings, not insults and abuse, when he stood in front of everyone holding his hand.

“Mr. Qu!” As the question and answer session was drawing to a close, and Qu Xueyu was about to leave the scene and return to his Nanny Car, he heard a young reporter boldly ask, “The other day on the talk show, you said that you loved the White Dew Festival because of the poem, ‘The Dew is White Tonight’, what is the special meaning of this poem and this festival for you?

The little reporter didn’t expect Qu Xueyu to answer, everyone in the circle knows that this master hates reporters asking questions related to his private life, but since it was so hard to meet him today, it would be a pity if he didn’t try.

Bo Yangzhi was about to block it as usual, but who knows that when Qu Xueyu heard this question he stopped and smiled slightly at the reporter’s camera. Bo Yangzhi’s eyebrow twitched but in the end, he didn’t stop it, even the little reporter was stunned looking at that incredibly handsome face for a long time as if he was in a dream.

~~~~~1Reminder, Lu= Dew and Bai= White

Lu Bai was in Qu Xueyu’s nanny car, clutching his tablet and watching the live feed of the scene with great interest.

He watched as the youth laughed softly at the camera, then raised an eyebrow and answered the reporter’s question, “Don’t you think that no matter whether it’s the poem ‘Dew is White tonight’ or the White Dew Festival, it’s all unbearably cute?” After saying that, he turned around and left, with the air of someone who was in an incredibly good mood.

Lu Bai listened to the youth’s answer, his face a little hot. He dragged the progress bar back to replay it, captured a few pictures, and posted them on his newly registered V-blog account. Even his avatar was blank, with a line that read, “Boyfriend’s confession has been received. It would be better if you could say it to me in person.” It seems like it’s not bad to use this kind of software to record your life, Lu Bai thought with incomparable sincerity.

Lu Bai usually doesn’t normally do this kind of social media behavior, but this time he didn’t think twice before opening up the floor2This type of social media I think is a mix of facebook, reddit, and twitter. Based entirely on my reading of other translations as I haven’t actually found whatever site the author is referencing, but it’s a very common thing in modern danmei. Like any social media site, you can post something, and random people who see it can comment. Each comment is called a floor, so if someone is talking ‘to the floor above’ they mean the previous comment..

Fans saw it and only thought that this small trumpet was a passerby fan, so they left sporadic comments.

“What a coincidence, this is also my boyfriend. (Doge3This is the yellow shiba dog that was very famous a few years ago. Its meme status remains in use over in china on social media. Those unfamiliar with the doge memes, think “Bombastic side-eye” on tiktok. If all that is gibberish to you… its is a indicator of suspicious concern. head.jpg)” by ‘Depressed Cutie’.

“No, he’s just my boyfriend, not yours.” Lu Bai replied seriously, one word at a time.

“Ahhhhhh this is my boyfriend and he’s in my bed right now!” by ‘Dense Melancholy4Username was 5 ‘Yu’ characters, the same as Qu Xueyu’s yu. This is common for fans to make usernames based around their favorites’ name, it’s also how they can identify each other quickly. Very similar to how other fandoms or shippers interact over the internet.’. “No, he’s not yours, he’s my boyfriend. Last night he was in my bed, and he’ll be in my bed again tonight. It’s impossible for him to be in your bed.” Lu Bai saw all the messages while replying seriously with some bitterness, and his heart was even a little sour. No matter how seriously he explained to this group of people, all of whom had read his messages, they just wouldn’t believe that Qu Xueyu was really his boyfriend.

“Hahahaha this blogger is srsly such a cutie,” a passerby fan commented, “Don’t all fight about it, Yu Yu is everyone’s! (Doge head.jpg)”

“No. He’s only mine.” Lu Bai replied very firmly and seriously.

Fans only think of him as a budding fan who has just entered the community, and as the comments gradually increased, they came to tease him and express their love for Qu Xueyu. Lu Bai replied one by one, tapping out words until his fingers became numb, but ultimately, he was overwhelmed by the countless comments, and he could only throw the tablet to the side in frustration.

The little assistant and the little make-up artist were watching this little young master feeling like they were suddenly in a fantasy world. They couldn’t even believe that their high-minded boss had only gone to visit Jinghai, and then found a boyfriend. They were even so sticky that he brought his boyfriend directly to the set and personally instructed them to take care of him. Not to mention that he had even answered such a question – as if the one who had previously hated a reporter because they would ask him about his personal affairs was someone else – oh and also, when did their boss like the White Dew Festival!?

“Ah…Mister Lu?” The make-up artist Xiao Hua didn’t know how to address the young man at the moment. Since she didn’t know the young man’s character, she was a bit nervous.

Lu Bai blinked, “My name’s Lu Bai. You guys can call me however you like.” His voice was gentle and comforting.

Xiao Hua relaxed almost instantly, “Is it okay for me… for us, to call you Bai Bai?”

Lu Bai nodded. The tension within Xiao Hua’s heart then disappeared, she and the life assistant glanced at each other and smiled sweetly, “Bai Bai, W-what’s wrong? It seems like you were struggling a little bit.” He certainly looked a little miserable.

Lu Bai’s brows were slightly furrowed, and he bit his lower lip in frustration. So he held up his tablet for the other party to see, “They all don’t believe that Xiao Qu is my boyfriend, and was just confessing his love for me. But Xiao Qu is clearly my boyfriend, his certified, genuine5 Funny slogan was used here “如假包换 rú jiǎ bāo huàn replacement guaranteed if not genuine; fig. authentic” boyfriend!”

Xiao Hua and the life assistant: “…” They looked at Lu Bai with wide eyes full of admiration, their mouths agape while unable to manage a single word.

When Qu Xueyu entered his nanny car, he heard this ‘certified genuine boyfriend’, which brought a smile to his face. He took a look at the two young ladies and was about to tell them what to do when Bo Yangzhi, who was standing outside the car, spoke up: “Hey, Xiao Hua, Runrun, why don’t you come with me, and I’ll buy you a drink from Starbucks, and in the meantime, I’ll give you a little briefing.” Heh, in order to serve the great young master, it’s very difficult for him, isn’t it?

The two girls heard him and got out of the car, leaving only Qu Xueyu and Lu Bai inside.

Qu Xueyu sat across from Lu Bai, carefully observing the other in a slow and methodical manner, a smile hidden within his eyes.

Lu Bai scooted over onto the other man’s lap and clung onto the other’s neck, saying in a somewhat unconvincing voice, “You’re mine.”

Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow, and then he nodded. “Yes, I am this young master’s canary. I am relying on young master Lu to raise me.” It was considered the truth, this whole time he had really been dallying at Lu Bai’s house, tsk, or as it was more commonly known, eating soft rice6吃软饭 Trad. 吃軟飯 chī ruǎn fàn — to live off a woman literally means to eat soft rice. It’s meant as a derogatory term for men who live off their partners’ work without doing any work to contribute to the home themselves. Very sexist term as it implies that stay-at-home fathers are also somehow less-than, but a woman doing the same is just ‘to-be-expected’.. No wonder his grandfather scolded him for being hopeless.

After a pause, he leaned closer to the teenager’s ear, his voice low and gentle, and whispered.

Lu Bai’s eyes widened, his cheeks and earlobes flushing furiously almost immediately.

“I’m yours.” The young man had just whispered this to his ear. Lu Bai could feel the sudden throbbing in his heart like wildfire.

He gazed at the young man’s refined yet almost beautiful face, and his throat moved, “Xiao Qu, I want to kiss you.”

Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrow and nodded, his voice containing indulgence; “Kiss.”

Thus Lu Bai’s slight annoyance disappeared cleanly, and he contentedly nibbled on the other’s lips.

~~~~~~

“Director Zhou, let me recommend my young friend to you.” In the director’s temporary office, Qu Xueyu pulled the teenager’s wrist to face the other man and said.

Director Zhou was a slightly serious-looking little old man with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. His brows twitched at the words, but he didn’t look at Lu Bai, just looked Qu Xueyu up and down. With an intrigued expression, the director familiarly asked, “Have you changed your personality?” This young man clearly hated this kind of thing the most. He paused and then continued, “Even you and I can’t possibly open a back door, more so as the roles are already all finalized. If you want him to be an extra, turn left and look for the Head of General Casting.”

Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow and squeezed the teenager’s shoulders, ”I don’t want for my little friend to follow you as an actor, to suffer and be scolded. But I do want to bring him with me. It just so happens that there is a hands-on program at his university, and he can do photography. He can join us and take photos for you, and I’ll pay for his salary.”

When Director Zhou heard “my little friend”, his mouth twitched. He decided it would be a good idea to arrange for someone to shoot the special highlights, not to mention that the salary wasn’t paid by him, so he said, “Okay, fine.” Only then did he look at Lu Bai, and when he saw the young man, he froze, and his eyes focused intently.

Director Zhou stepped forward and seriously looked at Lu Bai’s face. After looking at him, he wanted to reach out, but Qu Xueyu pulled him behind him, “Director Zhou, what are you doing?”

Director Zhou stared at Lu Bai for a long time, then sighed softly in a difficult mood and said, “It’s a pity.”

Lu Bai: “?”

Qu Xueyu: “What do you mean?”

Director Zhou then raised his eyes to look at Qu Xueyu and said, “You’re playing the lead character? Qu Xueyu, you’re just a blind fool, can’t you see that this child is very suitable for a certain role?”

Qu Xueyu froze.

“But it can’t be helped that the role has already been decided,” Director Zhou smiled regretfully and sighed, “This kid pleases my eyes, stick around.” After saying that, he smiled lovingly at Lu Bai before slapping Qu Xueyu’s shoulder on his way out the door, “Treat him well.”

“Huh?” As Mr. Zhou walked out the door, Lu Bai raised his hand and pointed to himself, “Who’s the right person for what role?”

Qu Xueyu laughed as he reached out and tapped the bridge of the teenager’s nose, raising an eyebrow. “Actually, Director Zhou’s favorite character in this movie isn’t ‘Ruan Jiangjiu’.”

Lu Bai: “Then who is it?”

Qu Xueyu: “His favorite is Huo Qi. He almost picked through all of the countries’ new talent before picking one that was barely satisfactory.”

Huo Qi…Lu Bai blinked, then suddenly realized that Huo Qi was the big bullying bastard who drove Ruan Jiangjiu to the brink of destruction!

“I, I look like him?!” Lu Bai’s face was incredulous and filled with righteous indignation.

Qu Xueyu let out a light laugh as he pinched the teenager’s chin and scrutinized it for a long time, then raised his eyebrows and said, “Like.” Lu Bai had not read the script, so he did not know that Huo Qi was a complex character. It was true that he was vicious, but he was vicious and noble at the same time, and his viciousness was mixed with a natural innocence, madness, and paranoia. For this character- especially the innocence and naivety-are more important than any other traits, and there was a moment in the script where Ruan Jiangjiu felt like he almost actually wanted to fall in love with him.

Lu Bai: “…” he was a bit annoyed, slapping the youth’s cheek and questioning him. “Am I that vile?”

“No,” Qu Xueyu kissed Lu Bai’s lips, “Baby, you’re very good.” He was still a genuine young master who had been pampered and spoiled since he was a child. It wasn’t surprising that Director Zhou would look favorably on his family’s kid, after all, he was so wonderful.

~~~~~

Author’s Note: Yes, for some reasons, the one who will play opposite Xiao Qu in this drama will be Xiao Bai oh~

Edit: Krone