CH 24

Jiang Xiao and Xu Jingzhe’s boat scene finished filming at around seven o’clock in the evening. By that time, both of them were exhausted, especially Jiang Xiao. It might have been that he’d been yelled at one too many times, but, surprisingly, he managed to use this frustration to force out a passing scene.

He felt a little guilty towards Xu Jingzhe. He even came up to him to apologize once everything was over. 

Xu Jingzhe had just changed out of his wet costume and was in the process of removing his wig. Now, he also had to comfort his co-star, “This is your first time acting. You just need a bit more experience. Don’t feel too pressured.” He offered some advice with a bit more substance, “Go back and review the lines a little more, especially the pauses and rhythm from line to line.”

Jiang Xiao was very grateful towards him. “Would it be possible for me to review the script with you tonight?”

Xu Jingzhe paused. He felt as though he’d caused needless trouble for himself, but he could not bear to reject the other too bluntly. He was in the middle of thinking up an excuse when Liang Yu suddenly butt into the conversation.

He had Xu Jingzhe’s coat with him. He brought in a wave of the frigid outside air with him. He calmly looked at Jiang Xiao. 

“…” Jiang Xiao quietly said, “I’ll think over the lines myself first. Thank you, Mr. Xu.” He bowed towards Liang Yu. Then, he quickly slipped away.

Xu Jingzhe was stunned for quite a while. He was between laughter and tears. “You’ve scared the kid.”

Liang Yu’s temper flared. “He’s got to be seventeen years old already. Has he only grown taller and not smarter?”

Xu Jingzhe: “You can’t expect everyone to be like you.”

“It’s okay if they’re like you,” Liang Yu snorted. “He’s just stupid.”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t know what else to say. He took out his hair extensions himself. As soon as he got up, Liang Yu shook open his coat, and Xu Jingzhe gave him a soft thank you. He stuck his arms into the sleeves, his entire being wrapped in warmth.

“Should we go eat?” He asked.

Liang Yu: “Let’s eat in our room.” He said, “I’m sleepy.” 

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzhe naturally agreed. The two of them quickly bid their goodbyes to the rest of the crew. Director Liu was actually rather understanding. He said, “Go back and rest well. Jingzhe will accompany you.”

Liang Yu gave him a look. He said in a resentful tone, “If you hadn’t yelled cut so many times, we would’ve gone to bed ages ago.”

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

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Xiao Luo had rested well. She and Zhu Xiaoxiao brought dinner to Xu Jingzhe’s room. Liang Yu probably really was tired. He ate very quickly. After eating, he quickly washed up before making a beeline straight towards the bed.

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Xu Jingzhe: “I’m going to take a bath. I spent all day being rained on, so there’s a smell.”

Liang Yu rolled his eyes. He covered his face with the blanket and muttered to himself, “What smell could there possibly be?” After speaking, he struggled to get up again, “I’ll go with you.” 

Xu Jingzhe was taken aback. “Didn’t you say you were tired? Go to sleep first.”

Liang Yu followed behind him. He impatiently urged him along. “Quit wasting your breath. Hurry up.”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t really understand why Liang Yu needed to wait for him as he took a bath, but Liang Yu didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it.

“I’m just doing my job.” He offhandedly said, “Hurry inside.” 

Xu Jingzhe had no choice but to agree. “In that case, I’ll wash up quickly.”

Liang Yu sat on the bench outside the hot spring with his chin in his hands. He didn’t look at Xu Jingzhe. He simply waved him off. He waited until Xu Jingzhe had gone inside before pulling out his phone and calling Yang Jierui back.

“Oh my god.” Yang Jierui sounded as though he’d lived over eighty years. “You finally found it in your heart to call me back.”

Liang Yu wasn’t buying his act. “I’m tired. If you have something to say, just say it.” 

Yang Jierui: “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you know that any drama starring Xu Jingzhe is going to have fan sites and paparazzi following after them? As long as he joins the crew, they’re going to be inundated by paparazzi from beginning to end. The paparazzi will be able to find you two even in an uninhabited region, let alone a conservation area. It’s not like I’m not letting you go, but you can’t you just wait a few days? Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Yes, Xu Jingzhe was a huge help in promoting your holiday film, he was very hardworking, but we paid him for his time. It’s all written in the contract,” Yang Jierui complained. “What if you get photographed this time? You’ll end up promoting the drama for free. Are they going to pay you for it? Also, what if you don’t get photographed? Wouldn’t it mean that you did all that work for nothing?”

Upon hearing this, Liang Yu could no longer bear to listen. He shot back, “How do you know that it’s for nothing? What right do you have to say that?”

Yang Jierui choked. He didn’t understand what he’d said wrong. He was talking about business. Where the hell had Liang Yu’s train of thought gone?! 

Xu Jingzhe walked out of the hot spring to see Liang Yu with a poor expression on his face. It seemed as though he was angry with someone.

When he saw Xu Jingzhe, he blinked. Then, he frowned and coldly asked, “Why didn’t you blow dry your hair?”

Xu Jingzhe flicked his bangs. “I blow dried it for a bit. I was worried about making you wait.”

Liang Yu’s displeasure was instantly dissipated by a single phrase. He was silent for a while. Then, he stood up and put his arm around Xu Jingzhe’s shoulders. “Let’s go back to sleep. I’m tired as hell.” 

Their room at the farmhouse wasn’t that big, but the bed was a good two meters long. Liang Yu gave half of the blanket to Xu Jingzhe. Within seconds, he was out like a light.

Xu Jingzhe couldn’t fall asleep right after taking a bath. He laid flat on his back, but, after a while, he turned his head to look at Liang Yu. The man’s face was turned toward him. He was sleeping peacefully. The very first thing Xu Jingzhe noticed about Liang Yu was his eyelashes. He carefully observed each and every eyelash, one by one. He almost had to wonder whether the other had gotten eyelash extensions.

It might have been that they were lying too close to each other and his breathing had disturbed the other. Liang Yu moved his head and buried it deeper in the quilt. Xu Jingzhe felt that this motion was both boyish and interesting. He couldn’t help silently laughing to himself.

In the middle of the night, Xu Jingzhe woke up to use the bathroom. He’d just gotten out of bed when Liang Yu seemed to wake up next to him. He asked in a daze, “Where are you going?” 

Xu Jingzhe thought he was just sleep talking. He coaxed him like he would a child. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. Go back to sleep.”

Liang Yu: “Hurry up. I’ll wait for you.”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t understand what he was waiting on him for, but he quickly did his business and returned to the bed.

Liang Yu did in fact wait for him. Although he was clearly tired out of his mind, he still rolled up the blanket and wrapped it around Xu Jingzhe. 

On the next day, there was a scene between the male and female leads. Xu Jingzhe needed to wake up early in order to get his makeup done. Logically speaking, Liang Yu would definitely be sleeping in. Liang Yu, however, ended up waking up the moment Xu Jingzhe moved to get up.

“You should sleep some more,” Xu Jingzhe prodded him. “I told Xiao Luo to bring you some breakfast.”

Liang Yu still had a blanket around his waist. He had a bit of early morning moodiness, but he was still able to talk nicely with Xu Jingzhe. “What are you and Luo Yaoye filming today?”

Xu Jingzhe picked and chose a few points in the plot to tell him. 

Liang Yu curled his lips. He started kicking up a bit of a fuss. “There’s a kissing scene?”

Xu Jingzhe laughed and said, “It’s not being filmed today.”

Liang Yu: “When is it going to be filmed then?”

Xu Jingzhe: “We’ll probably film that at Hengdian. When the time comes, you can just not look.” 

In all likelihood, they wouldn’t be able to return to Hengdian before April. Liang Yu’s onset visit couldn’t last an entire month, even if he wanted it to. Besides, Paris Fashion Week was in March. As one of the most high-profile celebrities in the fashion industry, Liang Yu was sure to have received a mountain of invitations.

When he thought about how they would soon be separated again, Xu Jingzhe found himself feeling a little lonely for some reason. He asked, “How many days are you staying here this time?”

Liang Yu: “I’m staying until your birthday.”

Xu Jingzhe suddenly remembered that his birthday was on March 6th. The film crew would definitely post an announcement on that day. Considering their current relationship, it wouldn’t be strange for Liang Yu to accompany him on that day. It was business. This had all been well communicated in the contract at the time. For the sake of their careers, their cooperation, and their public images, they needed to keep up the act, no matter what. 

Xu Jingzhe was silent for a while. He didn’t know what it was he was thinking. When he came back to his senses, he noticed that Liang Yu still hadn’t moved. He thought he was not feeling well, so he asked, worried, “What’s wrong? Are you hungry? I’ll go rush Xiao Luo.”

A flash of embarrassment flickered across Liang Yu’s face. He glanced at Xu Jingzhe and said, “I’m … not hungry. I need to go to the bathroom.”

Xu Jingzhe hadn’t realized what he meant by that. He even tried to go over and help. “Did you catch a cold? Does your stomach hurt? Do you want me to help you?”

Liang Yu huffed out an annoyed laugh. He stared at Xu Jingzhe’s face. Then, he said through gritted teeth, “Xu Jingzhe, do you really not understand or are you faking it? I’m different from you. I have worldly desires. Do you get it now?” 

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

Translator’s Note:

I’m back, my loves! I’m so sorry for going AWOL. College is really eating me up.