CH 31

The storm started pouring down without notice. Pea-sized raindrops made a crackling sound as they pattered against the windowsill. The room was peaceful and quiet, with yellow light flickering on Yan Xiao’s drooping eyelashes.

He did not seem to know what he had done. After his kiss, he continued to apply medicine to Ye Fei, his movements meticulous and steady. 

“You’re kissing even with this face,” Ye Fei darted his eyes to hide that hideous emotion, and joked, “Yan Xiao, do you have some form of ugliness-complex?”

Yan Xiao’s hand paused, and he glanced at Ye Fei with a hesitant and complicated expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ye Fei,” Yan Xiao put the ointment on the coffee table, glancing at Ye Fei with a careful look. “There is a problem with your self-awareness.” Yan Xiao earnestly attempted to explain. 

Ye Fei was stupefied. A moment later, he smiled with relief.

“Really?” He leaned over to Yan Xiao and exhaled, “Why did you restore the photo that was taken at Gu Ruijia’s house?”

Yan Xiao looked away.

“It’s not ugly either.” He whispered, before standing up and bluntly changing the subject. “I haven’t washed my hands yet, I’m going to use your bathroom.”

“Wait a minute.” Ye Fei stopped him. Yan Xiao had taken large footsteps, as if he had hurried his escape. But as soon as Ye Fei made a sound, he stopped moving and stood in the middle of the living room with his back straight. It was just too obvious to see how much he was restraining himself in staying mid-stride.

“Aren’t you in a hurry to find me?” Ye Fei poked the itchy spot on his face with a cotton swab, “What is it?”

Yan Xiao did not expect him to mention this. His whole person relaxed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he bent down to look at Ye Fei. “I want to see you.”

“What sort of emergency is this?” Ye Fei was dumbfounded, feeling that he had been deceived. 

“It’s an urgent matter.” As though Ye Fei was an incredible person in Yan Xiao’s heart; Yan Xiao was unwilling to miss a second of his life.

Ever since he was a child, Ye Fei had heard a lot of confessions; literary, enthusiastic, bold… but there had never been a time like today, where just a simple sentence of wanting to see him made his heart skip a beat.

Ye Fei took a deep breath and said with a chuckle, “Oh?” Before Yan Xiao could speak, he had already thrown away the pillow in his hand and walked over.

“What do you do when you can’t see me? ” He looked up and gave him a charming smile. Yan Xiao’s Adam’s apple moved, and he started to dazedly stare at Ye Fei’s face. 

“Bring your phone, I want to see if you have other pictures of me besides that ugly picture.” Ye Fei disregarded Yan Xiao’s silence, and stretched out a hand to Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao’s body froze. He turned his head to one side, and pretended to ignore him.

Ye Fei originally just wanted to tease him, but this reaction immediately confirmed his guess. He was torn between curiosity and embarrassment. Why had Yan Xiao –

“Leggs eq jcv ulnf la ab wf.” Tjc Wljb gfwjlcfv raloo, eckliilcu ab gfrqbcv. 

“Tjc Wljb, jgf sbe j qfgnfga?” Tf Mfl vfilyfgjafis qertfv tlr ojmf cfza ab Tjc Wljb jcv qgfrrfv tlr xcff jujlcra atf batfg’r ifu, “Vfmgfais ajxlcu qlmaegfr bo wf.”

“P’w cba,” Tjc Wljb lwwfvljafis gfabgafv, tbivlcu Tf Mfl’r kglra alutais, jr lo jogjlv atja tf kbeiv gec jkjs, yfobgf tf mjiwis fijybgjafv, “Pa’r cba j rfmgfa, sbe jugffv.”

“When was this, why didn’t I know?”

“June 16th at 0:35 in the evening.” Yan Xiao opened a five-person WeChat group and pointed to Ye Fei the group photo he had posted in the group. Ye Fei thought for a moment and understood. 

Yan Xiao had photographed him once, but took more than one photo.

“How many photos did you take?” Ye Fei was amused, but torn.

Yan Xiao was quiet for a while. “Twenty-seven.” He whispered.

Twenty-seven photos in a few seconds. Ye Fei looked at Yan Xiao, unable to resist amusing himself. 

“President Yan, you did as expected as a single man of many years.” Ye Fei licked his lower lip, wanting to say something more. However, he recalled his swollen face and angry red patches, and decided not to continue this line of conversation. After clearing his throat, he ordered, “Delete all of them.”

“Can I keep one?” Yan Xiao attempted to plead his case.

“Absolutely not,” Before Yan Xiao could speak, Ye Fei took out his mobile phone. “But you can save a new one.”

“There are photos in my album. You can choose one, the password is my birthday, it’s…” 

“930217.” Yan Xiao quickly answered. Ye Fei was startled, before he chuckled in return.

Yan Xiao attempted to take the phone from him, but Ye Fei retracted his hand. Yan Xiao thought that he had changed his mind, and blankly stared in confusion at the open air.

“Wash your hands first,” Ye Fei pointed to the bathroom with his chin and told Yan Xiao, “You can use the gray towel.”

“Okay!” Yan Xiao could not wait to turn around and go to the bathroom. 

When he came out, Ye Fei was on the phone with Gu Ruijia. Because his face was covered with ointment, it was inconvenient to place his phone near his face. Thus, Gu Ruijia was placed on speaker.

“I’ve asked people about Shen Lue in the past few days, and the comments are pretty good.” Gu Ruijia was talking to Ye Fei while chewing beef jerky, and his voice was muffled as he ate. “How do you feel about signing him?”

Shen Lue was a third-tier artist with good looks and better acting skills, but was not popular. His previous company had given a lot of resources in order to support him, and it could be said that they had done their best. If it were other artists, they would have long become red-hot with the work the company had put in. But Shen Lue had not even made a single splash.

His manager did not believe in luck, and stuffed him into a blockbuster. Even the supporting disabled character became a superstar, but Shen Lue still did not make a name for himself. After numerous tries, the company lost its hope, and Shen Lue’s notoriety for remaining unknown spread throughout the entertainment circle. 

People in the entertainment industry are superstitious. They have to do an opening ceremony when embarking on a project, and pay respects when promoting their production. Even an apple box that appeared in the shooting had to be carefully placed. Thus once Shen Lue’s contract with his old company was about to expire, there was not a single film and television company that came to him.

While Gu Ruijia was also a fellow believer, Tianxi was desperate for artists. Big-name stars have their own studio and would look down at their small business. As for little-name stars, the company had to carefully cultivate them, and their results would not be seen for a few years.

When sorting through the chaff, it was Shen Lue, the “living calamity”, who was the most suitable.

“I don’t think it’s as superstitious as what they say,” Gu Ruijia took a sip of water and continued, “Maybe he just lacks the opportunity; he could rise up tomorrow.” 

Gu Ruijia did not know how prophetic his words were.

Shen Lue’s popularity had been tepid for ten years in the circle, and it stood to reason that it would be like this for the rest of his life. But no one expected that at the beginning of next year, he would take on a seemingly ordinary idol drama. It became an instant hit, and the film contracts would pour in. Before Ye Fei’s death, he was almost regarded as the number one newcomer in the entertainment industry.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you,” Ye Fei said, “Sign him.”

“Hahahaha, I told you so,” Gu Ruijia was in a good mood after his suggestion was affirmed, and grabbed another handful of beef jerky, “I’ll contact his agent now, is a B-level contract okay?” 

“Yes,” Ye Fei turned up the air conditioning, “You are the one who should decide on Shen Lue’s future, you don’t need to discuss it with me.”

“Okay,” Gu Ruijia took out the wet towel and wiped his hands. Just as she was about to hang up, he reminded Ye Fei, “By the way, your ointment is once every six hours, don’t forget it.”

“I know.” Ye Fei thanked him and told him not to stay up too late and leave work early. Only then did the call end. Ye Fei threw the phone to Yan Xiao.

This was the first time Yan Xiao touched Ye Fei’s phone. He solemnly entered the six-digit password and clicked into the album with a shaking hand. 

Though Ye Fei acted like a male peacock, flirting here and there, his phone was the complete opposite of his wanton image. Most of the photos were of street scenes, with green shoots after the rain, stray cats with their tails up on the roadside, and jackfruit just emerging from the trees. There were very few selfies.

Though few, there were still dozens to choose from. Yan Xiao looked through it from beginning to end, and for the first time found it so difficult to make a choice.

“Can I choose two?” Yan Xiao asked.

Ye Fei glanced at him with a smile that did not reach his eyes.”Don’t go too far, President Yan.” 

Yan Xiao knew then that there was nothing to discuss. He hesitated for a moment, and selfishly chose a selfie of Ye Fei in their villa. The living room was tranquil before Yan Xiao broke the silence. “Ye Fei, do you need to apply medicine at night?”

“Yeah.” Ye Fei was distracted with the four-star level of the match-three game he was playing to kill time.

“About that,” Yan Xiao uttered, “I sleep six hours a day.”

Ye Fei’s hand paused and he raised his head. 

“My biological clock is very punctual,” Yan Xiao fidgeted, and intentionally hinted, “I can get up without an alarm clock.”

“So?” Ye Fei curled his lip in response. As if waiting for his words, Yan Xiao immediately spoke.

“I can stay tonight to help you apply medicine.”

“I’m sorry, President Yan,” Ye Fei put his feet on the coffee table in a languid manner and continued to remove the ice, “There is only one room at home.” 

“I’ll sleep on the sofa.” Ye Fei looked at the sofa, which was only half the length of Yan Xiao, and snorted before refusing.

“I can apply it myself.” Ye Fei took the time to pass five levels as Yan Xiao searched for an argument.

“The bed is enough for two people.”

Ye Fei put down his phone and slowly raised his head. Both Yan Xiao and Ye Fei were held in a staring contest, attempting to project their thoughts. 

“A bed~?” Ye Fei stretched out his words. “Do you want to do anything other than apply medicine?”

“No.” Yan Xiao denied.

“Then how do you know what this ‘something else’ means?” Yan Xiao remained silent.

“I’m going to sleep,” Ye Fei felt satisfied with the discomfort he provoked, and he stopped teasing Yan Xiao. “Go back.” 

“Okay.” Yan Xiao looked a little disappointed, but did not continue to entrench himself. He stood up and was about to walk off.

“Yan Xiao,” Ye Fei called his name the moment he turned around. “Give me some time to think about it?”

When Yan Xiao communicated with people, he struggled with comprehending their words. There were multiple occasions where he made a joke of himself, but he understood what Ye Fei had left unsaid.

Yan Xiao stood as still as a stuatue, until Ye Fei was actively resisting the urge to poke him. Finally, he turned around, and bent down to meet Ye Fei’s eyes. 

“Okay,” he said, “Just think.”

Then he murmured, “Take as long as you want.”

Unprecedented excitement and excitement surging in his body, Yan Xiao raised his hand and gently touched Ye Fei’s hair.

He was so happy, he did not know who to thank.