CH 8

Xu Jingzhe said that he would write a love letter, and he really did end up writing a love letter.

The photos and videos of their visit to IKEA ended up sitting on the trending list for a day and a half. There were even a bunch of GIFs created as a result of it, two of which were incredibly popular. One was a GIF of their fake kiss, and the other was a GIF of Liang Yu covering Xu Jingzhe’s entire face with his hand. 

It was only much later that Xu Jingzhe learned about what JingYu and YuJing meant. He didn’t really care about this kind of stuff. The only reason he found out about it was because he happened to see Zhu Xiaoxiao scrolling through the tags.

“I was just taking a look.” Zhu Xiaoxiao was very embarrassed after having been caught. “I was trying to get a better understanding of the situation.”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t really feel anything. He calmly asked, “How’s the situation?”

Zhu Xiaoxiao smiled awkwardly, “It’s good.” 

You’ve got to be kidding me! This was a ship between the two great gods of the entertainment industry! How could the situation not be good? Look at all this content we’re getting!

However, Zhu Xiaoxiao wasn’t going through the tags just for fun. She needed to take note of comments and opinions and report them all to Zhang Man. Because Xu Jingzhe was so hardworking, no one in his team wanted to hold him back. Zhang Man had been under so much pressure recently that she picked up a habit of mopping the office floors. She had already broken three mops, and a fourth was on its way.

Today, all of Xu Jingzhe’s activities were in the afternoon. He needed to take the promotional photos for his next drama. At noon, Zhu Xiaoxiao arrived at the villa.

Xiao Luo was also there, meaning that Liang Yu hadn’t left the villa yet. This girl was a little different from ordinary assistants. She was a little too comfortable being at Xu Jingzhe’s place. She didn’t treat herself as an outsider. Instead, she came and went as she pleased, and she spoke as loudly as she wanted.

“Mr. Xu, you should wear some more.” Xiao Luo had even brought him a coat as he put on his shoes. “It’s cold outside.”

Xu Jingzhe accepted the coat. When he looked at it, he realized that it wasn’t his.

Xiao Luo smiled and said, “It’s Liang Yu’s coat. He wears this one a lot. It’s very thick.”

Xu Jingzhe wore the coat over his clothes and said politely, “Thank Mr. Liang for me.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Xiao Luo followed them to the door. “Liang Yu said that he’ll pick you up once you’re done with the photoshoot. You don’t have any other arrangements, right?”

These past couple of days, Liang Yu had been coming back really late at night. He liked to stay in bed, and it was common for him to sleep until noon. It is difficult for Xu Jingzhe to even catch a glimpse of him.

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Xiao Luo: “Sure, I’ll book the restaurant. When the time comes, Liang Yu will take you there.” 

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Xu Jingzhe smiled and said, “Mr. Liang is fine with it, so that’s all there is to it. Besides, Liang Yu’s gay. He’s not interested in women.”

When Zhu Xiaoxiao heard this, she was immediately full of zeal. However, she was too embarrassed to ask directly. She held it in until her face turned red before finally asking, “In that case, you and him…”

“Him and I?” Xu Jingzhe was a little surprised. “Are you talking about our relationship?” 

Zhu Xiaoxiao nodded. Then, she quietly added, “A real relationship.”

Xu Jingzhe laughed once more and shook his head. “I can’t.” After a pause, he added, “The main thing is that I’m not a good fit. He probably wouldn’t like someone like me.”

As long as it was something work-related, Xu Jingzhe would always arrive at least half an hour in advance. Based on how these photoshoots usually went, someone of his status within the industry would be provided with his own makeup room. Sitting before the lighted mirror, Xu Jingzhe closed his eyes. The makeup artist started applying his eyeliner. She was halfway through when she sighed, “You don’t even have any dark circles under your eyes. You’ve maintained your skin very well.”

Xu Jingzhe responded politely, “I have a habit of sleeping early is all.” 

Zhu Xiaoxiao bought milk tea and coffee for all of the staff members. This was the usual practice for Xu Jingzhe’s team. Xu Jingzhe did not drink any of it himself. He took a straw and inserted it into a bottle of mineral water.

“Mr. Xu is way too self-disciplined.” The make-up artist put the wig on for him. “You must’ve lost at least ten pounds, right?”

Xu Jingzhe: “There’s nothing I can do. I’m over thirty. My metabolism can’t compare to that of a young person.”

He got up and, with the help of the staff, changed into his costume. The role he was playing this time was that of a godly doctor. The green-colored robes looked light and fluttery, but they were actually rather heavy and had a lot of layers. It was difficult to move in it. For this photoshoot, his chest was partially exposed and his hair was a little messy, creating an almost frail sense of beauty. 

The outdoor set had already been set up. After the photographer finished adjusting the sun visor, Zhu Xiaoxiao helped Xu Jingzhe hold up the hem of his clothes as he walked to the center.

The director was also there. His last name was Liu. He and Xu Jingzhe had collaborated on several dramas before, and all of them had been very highly rated and incredibly popular.

He had Xu Jingzhe strike a couple of poses. Then, he looked through the photos that the photographer pulled up and made a couple comments.

“Try to make your gaze a little softer.” Director Liu cracked a joke, “Think about how you usually look at Xiao Liang.” 

Before Xu Jingzhe could even react, the people around him had already started laughing.

“Director Liu, you’re being too much.” Xu Jingzhe seemed a little helpless. Still, that was where his complaints ended. In seconds, he adjusted his gaze and looked into the camera.

Director Liu clapped. “Wow, what a sweet gaze. Pull it back a little.”

Zhu Xiaoxiao was so nervous that her palms were sweating. She was not afraid of Xu Jingzhe messing up. Rather, she was afraid that she would not be able to take it anymore and accidentally reveal something. 

This feeling of wanting to ship yet knowing that it wasn’t real made Zhu Xiaoxiao feel like she was going crazy.

It didn’t take long for Xu Jingzhe to finish up the final set of promotional photos. He was able to get into the mood very quickly, and he was cooperative. He would even stick around and take a look at the photos after the photoshoot.

“This last one is really good.” Director Liu pointed at the photo and complimented him, “Look at the line from your shoulders to your neck. It’s beautiful.”

Xu Jingzhe hadn’t changed out of his costume yet. He was wearing a black riding outfit. The collar was tailored very neatly, bringing attention to his neck and jawline. As he was bending over to look at the photos, a sudden commotion broke out by the entrance of the studio. 

Director Liu looked back. He was stunned for a moment. Then, he started laughing. “Look who it is. What are you in such a hurry for? Afraid we’ll keep him?”

Xu Jingzhe blinked and slowly turned his head. Sure enough, he saw Liang Yu standing in the crowd not too far away.

He was someone who had walked the runway before. He was born with a model-like figure. No matter where he stood or where he went, he would always stand out from the crowd. There were certain female celebrities that you wouldn’t want to take a photo with, but the same was true for male celebrities. Nine out of ten male celebrities probably wouldn’t want to be in the same frame as Liang Yu.

“Director Liu.” It was really cold outside, but Liang Yu wasn’t wearing very much. He was wearing a trendy sweatshirt and sweatpants. He was also wearing a pair of boots. The coat he was wearing and the coat that Xiao Luo gave Xu Jingzhe were from the same brand. It was just the details that were a little different. 

Xiao Luo stood behind him, handing out cakes to the staff. She said things like “you’ve worked hard” or “please take care of Mr. Xu”.

For some reason, Xu Jingzhe felt a little bit like he was losing to Liang Yu. He adjusted his expression and said warmly, “You’re here? Was there a lot of traffic?”

“It was alright.” Liang Yu reached out very naturally and wrapped his arms around Xu Jingzhe’s waist. Then, he looked down at the photos. “It’s a good thing I got here early. I got to see something good.”

Director Liu was amused. “You’ve got the real thing right in front of you. What do you need the pictures for?” 

Liang Yu turned around and took in Xu Jingzhe’s outfit. He didn’t reveal much shock or amazement, yet it seemed as if he was looking at something extraordinarily beautiful. His eyes were clear and earnest.

“It suits you very well,” he said.

Xu Jingzhe was a little dazed. He kept feeling as though Liang Yu was bringing him into the play, his face turning hot. He lowered his head, as if embarrassed, and said, “I’m going to go change. Wait for me?”

Liang Yu let go and helped him call for Zhu Xiaoxiao. 

Zhu Xiaoxiao still felt a little conflicted after Xu Jingzhe finished changing. She watched her boss straighten out his hair in the mirror. She was both excited and a little anxious. “Mr. Liang’s a little too careless. What if someone had taken a photo of the two of you just now? You guys would’ve probably ended up on the trending list again.”

Xu Jingzhe’s hand froze. He absentmindedly pulled at his bangs and said, “He actually didn’t touch me at all. It only looked like he did.”

“…” Zhu Xiaoxiao choked. Her ship had overturned once again. It was a little hard for her to accept right away.

Xu Jingzhe probably thought that her expression was too amusing and let out a huff of laughter. He put on his wristwatch and threw Liang Yu’s coat over his clothes. Then, he opened the door and said, “Let’s go. We shouldn’t make Mr. Liang wait for too long.” 

Zhu Xiaoxiao subconsciously looked at Xu Jingzhe’s hand. The band of his wristwatch was obviously too big for him. It looked like it would slide off his wrist at the slightest moment, but, in the end, it finally settled on a position, loosely laying upon Xu Jingzhe’s fair wrist.