《After the Villainous Supporting Male Had Raised the Wrong Canary》


 CH 1

    Lu Bai clenched his fist as he stood in front of a high-rise apartment building in Jinghai City. The corners of his mouth seemed to twitch as he stared at the dark brown door. After a while, he took a deep breath- as if finally making up his mind- and pounded the door in front of him¡ª after all, pounding against the door instead of respectably ringing the doorbell was more in line with his character.


    Soon, the door opened from the inside and a handsome roguish appeared. It was a young man with a pair of black eyes as sharp as a blade. The man was dressed sloppily. He was currently barefoot, wore a silk flower patterned shirt along with a mismatching pair of jeans. He yawned lazily, leaning on the door frame. He looked at Lu Bai with a raised eyebrow and spoke: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Qin Gu-ge1¡± Lu Bai exposed his white teeth. The smile on his face was so bright it was almost blinding. ¡°I missed you so much when you went abroad.¡±


    Qin Gu ¡®tsked¡¯ and looked at Lu Bai with a cold smile. His raised eyebrow revealed a hint of disdain: ¡°But I however, don¡¯t want to see you.¡±


    Lu Bai thought in his head, I am a villainous character, it would be frightening if you actually wanted to see me. While on the surface his face fell as if he was wronged and looked almost about to cry. ¡°Qin Gu-ge¡­¡±


    Seeing the look on Lu Bai¡¯s face, Qin Gu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. The playful and careless smile grazing his eyes disappeared. His face cooled down completely as he spoke, ¡°Your hypocritical appearance is still so disgusting.¡±


    Lu Bai inwardly let out a helpless sigh upon hearing his words: He also didn¡¯t want to do this ah¡­he thought in his mind. On the surface though, he pretended to be sad as his eyes reddened looking like he wanted to cry. Lu Bai thought that this was truly too difficult. Thinking of that, the stiffened corners of his lips twitched slightly¡ªwhat was harder was that he had to continue acting as a villain and do horrible things to ¡ª the book¡¯s protagonist shou, Qu Xueyu. Meanwhile, at Qin Gu¡¯s house, Qu Xueyu would come out after a while, having heard the commotion outside. As a vicious supporting character, he had to angrily throw a tantrum and furiously warn Qu Xueyu to stay away from Qin Gu.


    ¡°Qin Gu-ge¡± Although at the moment, the other¡¯s face was so cold that icicles could almost hang from it, Lu Bai braved himself to proceed in accordance with the plot. He looked at Qin Gu with reddened eyes full of expectation and said, ¡°There is an auto show today. Would you go there with me? There¡¯s this car I particularly like. If you want, I can buy it for you ah.¡± It¡¯s the ignorant and incompetent dandies that are most fond of luxurious cars and watches. These same dandies also naturally think that others would like those too. But what Qin Gu hated the most were hypocritical people whose outside appearance never match what they feel within. Next, he hated superficial and vulgar people. The villainous supporting male, Lu Bai, unfortunately was exactly both of those.


    Sure enough, Qin Gu¡¯s expression became even more colder and he directly said, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Qin Gu, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    At this moment, a voice came through from inside. The voice was clear and cold like winter. It sounded pleasant like ancient jade clinking against each other. Lu Bai was stunned when he heard the voice that his brows faintly twitched. A streak of light seemed to flash across his mind but he couldn¡¯t catch it. When he came back to his senses, a man had already stood beside Qin Gu. With a pair of exquisitely clear phoenix eyes, the man subtly glanced towards Lu Bai.


    Lu Bai looked at the good-looking man who seemed to be made of winter and his throat unconsciously bobbed. This was Qu Xueyu, the protagonist shou of the book ¡¶Gu Xue¡·. He swore that the real person was at least a hundred times better looking than on the big screen. It was no wonder that those little fangirls were crazy like that. Thinking of that, he glanced at Qin Gu quite vaguely: With such a good-looking lover, the protagonist gong was really the author¡¯s son.


    In the book, the protagonist shou, Qu Xueyu and Qin Gu have known each other since childhood. He, like Qin Gu, was also born with a noble temperament and was proud and ambitious. In their youth, they were sworn enemies who were at each other¡¯s throats. Later in the end, they had a mutual attraction and became very close friends. Still, even if they had developed feelings for each other, neither of them was willing to make the first move and yield to the other. They had to go through many twists and turns before they finally fell in love and had a happy ending. The ending of the story was perfectly beautiful and clich¨¦. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was in this story, Lu Bai would be easily willing to give them loud cheers and applause. But it so happened that he was villainous supporting male who was determined to go between the two lovers2.


    Thinking of that, Lu Bai secretly pinched his thigh and showed a hurt expression of disbelief. After his tears finally came out, his expression morphed into a fierce look as he pointed at Qu Xueyu and shouted: ¡°Stay away from Qin Gu-ge! If I see you around him again, I will¡ª¡± Originally the line after should have been that clich¨¦ and vicious ¡®find someone to cut your face!¡¯. But somehow, Lu Bai looked at those pair of clear piercing phoenix eyes and couldn¡¯t utter those words. He could only end up weakly saying: ¡°¡ªwill¡­will find someone to teach you a lesson!¡± cutting his succeeding momentum by half.


    In the original text, the villanous supporting male Lu Bai, stepped forward to shove Qu Xueyu after saying those lines only for Qin Gu to stop him and ruthlessly throw him to the ground. Lu Bai then left heartbroken and embarrassed, menacingly vowing in his heart to teach Qu Xueyu a nice lesson.


    Although, according to the plot, he wouldn¡¯t hit Qu Xueyu, Lu Bai¡¯s eyes still held a trace of apology. He then took a few steps forward. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes and raised his hand towards Qu Xueyu. He also prepared himself to be thrown down to the ground by Qin Gu¡ªin a moment the pain should hurt but he had to endure it for the sake of the plot.


    Strangely, the expected pain didn¡¯t come but the faint cold fragrance of peppermint filled his nose followed by his wrist being held by a pair of cold and frosty hands. Lu Bai was stunned. He opened his eyes and met a pair of eyes as clear as the night sky.


    Qu Xueyu looked indifferently at the boy who was one head shorter than himself. He held the boy¡¯s thin wrist in his grasp while his face revealed some suspicion: ¡°Have I met you somewhere?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened, struck dumb by Qu Xueyu¡¯s question. He almost couldn¡¯t even maintain his malicious expression: ¡°Ah?¡±


    Qu Xueyu pensively gazed at Lu Bai¡¯s face, seemingly recalling something as his brows faintly creased. Lu Bai¡¯s wrist was held by the other and he couldn¡¯t get rid of his hold. His scalp tingled as he looked towards Qin Gu only to see him idly standing aside and crossing his arms, looking back at him with a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. He completely had no intention of defending Qu Xueyu nor helping him teach himself, the vicious supporting character, a lesson.


    What¡¯s going on with the plot?!


    Lu Bai suffered a heavy blow in an instant. He closely looked at Qin Gu and desperately trying to hint at him: The vicious supporting character is provoking the protagonist shou. Such a great opportunity to show off, what the hell are you doing?


    Qin Gu looked at the young man whose wrist was caught by his close friend and was looking towards him with reddened eyes. His eyes were filled with grievances. It seemed that the tip of Qin Gu was suddenly pricked by something in his heart. Something strange brewed inside him and Qin Gu¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. He was just about to say something when he saw his close friend already releasing the hand. The young man then staggered back a few steps before immediately turning to flee without looking back.


    ¡°Who was that kid?¡± When the figure of the youth disappeared at the corner of the street, Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow towards Qin Gu and asked.


    Qin Gu suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and indifferently shrugged: ¡°From the Lu Family. My follower3 that had been annoying me to death since childhood. He loves to act pitiful.¡±


    He patted Qu Xueyu¡¯s shoulder: ¡°You know I hate those kinds of people the most.¡± saying that, he added, ¡°But the new term at the university is about to start so even if he¡¯s ignorant and incompetent, his father watches him closely. He won¡¯t likely have the time to come here again. In any case, since you don¡¯t like to stay at the main house, you can live here at ease.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Qu Xueyu smiled and said: ¡°I came to Jing Hai to shoot a film. I just passed by here to see you. I still have something to do in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Qin Gu nodded. ¡°Tell me if you need help with anything.¡±


    Qu Xueyu smiled: ¡°Okay.¡±


    At that moment, a ¡°zi la4¡± sound was heard nearby. A blinding pink sports car stopped by the curb. The door opened and a young girl wearing a high ponytail and sunglasses that covered half her face briskly alighted the car. She hurried towards Qin Gu. Her lips were fiery red as she took a deep breath and said: ¡°Has my brother5 been here?¡±


    Qin Gu slovenly nodded his head.


    The girl fiercely clenched her fist, her scarlet nails digging into her palm. She appeared somewhat angry and anxious as she spoke: ¡°Surnamed Qin, if you don¡¯t like my brother then stay away from him!¡± After saying this, she noticed Qu Xueyu watching passively by Qin Gu¡¯s side. The girl¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at Qu Xueyu and she abruptly faced Qin Gu.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you, surnamed Qin. If you already have someone then don¡¯t play with my brother again! I¡¯m warning you. If you dare hurt my brother, our Lu Family won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    Qin Gu sneered. He looked at the girl and stressed: ¡°Lu Guanguan, your brother is the one chasing me. He has been chasing me since we were children. No matter how much I drive him away, I can¡¯t get rid of him.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­you¡­¡­¡± the girl was so angry that she was rendered speechless. She ferociously glared at Qin Gu before turning around hurriedly walking away.


    When the girl¡¯s figure disappeared, Qu Xueyu eyed Qin Gu: ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you speaking so ruthlessly to a girl.¡±


    Qin Gu coldly snorted in disdain: ¡°What does Lu Bai¡¯s matter have to do with her? He isn¡¯t even her actual brother.¡±


    ¡°So that child¡¯s name is Lu Bai?¡±


    Qin Gu paused but nonetheless nodded, ¡°Yes. Lu Bai. From ¡®Tonight sees dew turn to frost¡¯6. Contrary to him, the name is actually not bad. Unfortunately, only the name is not bad.¡± He then continued: ¡°Aren¡¯t you filming in Jing Hai? What¡¯s your role?¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrows, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes, and said ¡°A poor student with a warped mentality.¡±

 CH 2

    Lu Bai collapsed into a ¡®´ó¡¯ shape on the soft bed, lost in thought. He was at the apartment he had purchased in a neighborhood near his school. In fact, when he was about to go to college last year, his father ordered him to live in the student dormitory and properly experience some hardship to temper himself.


    But of course, for a qualified dandy, it was only natural that he couldn¡¯t lower himself to squeeze in with his fellow students at dormitory. Therefore, under the double attack of his stepmother and grandfather¡¯s doting love, his father helplessly relented.


    He used to live at their house some time ago because Qin Gu had gone abroad to work on a project. Because there was no plot point, he could lay around and enjoy life with ease. Later, Qin Gu returned and the new university term was about to start so he reluctantly moved into the apartment and braced himself to go with the plot again ¨C It was originally for the convenience and sake of the plot that he specifically found this apartment that was not only near his school but also close to the place where Qin Gu usually lived.


    Lu Bai thought that the Lu family was indeed truly special. Each and every one of the Lu family including his looking-like-he-eats-people-with-his-serious-face father and the-originally-should-have-been-vicious supporting-characters stepmother and stepsister, have all overprotected Lu Bai, this worthless dandy. Not to mention his grandfather who loved him like a darling. Arguably, the plot of the Lu family has long collapsed but mostly owing to the fact that the Lu family only played an insignificant role, the World hadn¡¯t punished him.


    Thinking this, the corner of Lu Bai¡¯s lips tugged on his mouth: That¡¯s right. This was precisely the reason why he wanted to complete the story line. It wasn¡¯t only because he wanted to gain the freedom to return to his world but also because he had already tried out everything. The finer details didn¡¯t matter but in case his and Qin Gu¡¯s plot happened to collapse, this story¡¯s World would initiate the punishment mechanism.


    Since arriving in this world, in fact, the punishment mechanism had only been initiated once. That had been many years ago already¡ª Lu Bai raised his palm towards the dazzling bright light outside the window. His fair slender hand nearly became transparent in the light. Light spilled through the gaps of his fingers towards his translucent emotionless light-colored eyes. Lu Bai gently closed his palm into a fist: It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t stand the pain but because he hated being under the control of others. He must obtain freedom to completely reveal the secrets hidden in the dark by the World out open under the sun. After which, he then could give the guy who put him here a nice lesson.


    He was not the kind of person who would just grin and bear everything1.


    *Knock Knock*


    The knock on the door interrupted Lu Bai¡¯s thoughts. He sat up and couldn¡¯t help but smile: The only one he intimately knew that would knock on the door like that instead of using the doorbell, besides himself, was his sister2 in this world, Lu Guanguan.


    Lu Bai got out of bed. As soon as he opened the door, Lu Guanguan¡¯s bright and childish face appeared in front of him. With worry and concern in her eyes she asked: ¡°Are you okay brother?¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned. A bit of genuine warmth appeared in his eyes. He rubbed Lu Guanguan¡¯s hair and said: ¡°What can happen to me?¡±


    Lu Guanguan curled her lips. After all, she didn¡¯t want to poke at her brother¡¯s heartbroken mood so she simply replied: ¡°Brother, there¡¯s still some time before university starts. You should go back home first. Daddy and my mom miss you.¡± Qin Gu, that guy, has returned. It would be better if her brother could stay far away from him. This apartment was too close to Qin Gu.


    Lu Bai chuckled and was just about to say something when his mobile phone vibrated with a ¡®Buzz¡¯. He glanced at the screen before picking it up: ¡°Hello, mama.¡± Lu Guanguan heard Lu Bai¡¯s words and was dumbstruck before obediently keeping quiet to listen to Lu Bai¡¯s call.


    She didn¡¯t know what the person on the other end said but Lu Bai nodded and replied: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there that day.¡± Lu Guanguan saw Lu Bai¡¯s nearly blinding pure smile and her anxious heart couldn¡¯t help calming down. She racked her head ¡®til it was in disarray but she still couldn¡¯t understand how such a good person like her brother could fall for Qin Gu, who couldn¡¯t be but annoying in every way possible. Plus, that guy would keep rejecting her brother, hurting him over and over again.


    When Lu Bai hung up the call, Lu Guanguan blinked at him: ¡°Brother, is auntie coming to Jing Hai?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded and said: ¡°She will have an exhibit in half a month so she will we go over in two days to prepare for it. She also invited you and has prepared some gifts.¡±


    Lu Guanguan¡¯s eyes lit up and she showed a bright smile. ¡°I knew auntie was the best!¡± Lu Bai¡¯s mother, Ming Yan, was a locally and internationally renowned painter. Although she and Father Lu had divorced, she had always maintained a good relationship with Father Lu and the Lu family. She also really loves Lu Guanguan.


    Lu Guanguan happily looked forward to meeting Aunt Ming but she also didn¡¯t forget to persuade her brother to return home. It was unknown what she thought but she suddenly said: ¡°Brother. You should go back home during this time. You might have forgotten that there will be a cocktail party at home in two days. At that time, many of daddy¡¯s partners will be there and he will definitely ask you to go back.¡± Saying that Lu Guanguan blinked weirdly. ¡°It¡¯s better to go back early than late ya.¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned. If it wasn¡¯t for his sister¡¯s reminder, he nearly would have forgotten about the party. The party scene was too dramatic3 and too important. In Jing Hai City, the Lu Family and Qin Family were old friends so naturally, Qin Gu attended the party that day. During that night, Lu Bai, the malicious supporting male, went crazy and drugged Qin Gu. He schemed to possess the person first before possessing his heart and took the chance to sleep with Qin Gu. This was seen through by Qin Gu and ultimately it was Lu Bai who drank the spiked glass of wine.  That night, Lu Bai in his drugged state rolled on the bed together with a man and was even blackmailed with photos by said man. As for Qin Gu, he pretended to be intoxicated by the spiked wine and laid in Qu Xueyu¡¯s room waiting for the other to take care of him. It was precisely that night when the protagonist shou, Qu Xueyu, faintly recognized how special Qin Gu was to him.


    After recalling the plot, the corner of Lu Bai¡¯s mouth twitched due to the troublesome plot: He had never seen such a thoughtful and unlucky vicious supporting male. He did horrible things just to dig his own grave. He rolled on the sheets with a stranger only to be blackmailed with photos and so on. Wasn¡¯t this treatment reserved only for the miserable lead of a melodramatic soap opera?


    Lu Bai took a deep breath and looked towards Lu Guanguan: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go home with you. But Guanguan, do me a favor on the day of the party.¡± In any case, he couldn¡¯t really throw himself into such a miserable situation. He had tried it before. As long as the plot between him and Qin Gu actually happened, there was room for the other plots to move around.


    Upon hearing that her brother finally agreed to go back home with her, Lu Guanguan¡¯s eyes sparkled. She nodded: ¡°Brother, say it!¡±


    Lu Bai then said: ¡°Pay attention to me that day. If you see me unconscious, let Uncle Liu send me back to my room.¡± Afterall, they were at his house and unlike the repugnant original work, he still had his loved ones so it was impossible for him to dig his own grave in sleeping with a strange man and getting blackmailed with indecent photos of himself.


    Lu Guanguan nodded in seriousness: ¡°Don¡¯t worry brother.¡± Even if Lu Bai didn¡¯t say it, she would still pay attention. That guy, Qin Gu, would also be there. She would be foolish if she let Qin Gu bully her brother at their own house.


    ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go back ba.¡± What Guanguan said was right.  There¡¯s no difference whether he returned early or late. In any case, there was no plot point in the next two days.


    So, Lu Bai looked at Lu Guanguan¡¯s super cool blindingly bright pink sports car and his lips pursed. Nevertheless, he resigned to his fate and got in.


    They really didn¡¯t have the best timing today. There was a very bad traffic jam on the nearest route to their home. Lu Guanguan would have to go the long way around and take a different route. Although Lu Bai had grown up in Jing Hai since childhood, there were still places that he was unfamiliar with. He didn¡¯t know whether there was a problem with the navigation or something but the detour Lu Guanguan took was awfully far. They even accidentally entered the bar street where some shady people inhabited4. This bar street was different from the one near the city center. The staff here were messy and come from all kinds of places but it also contained profane, vulgar, and the hustle and bustle kind of liveliness.


    Lu Guanguan drove under the shade of the gingko trees. The dim yellow lights slowly began to light up. Amidst the narrow noisy street, they had no choice but to slow down and tread carefully. Lu Guanguan embarrassedly said: ¡°Sorry brother. I seem to have taken the wrong way. There might be something wrong with the navigation program just now. I might have gone in the wrong direction. We should have taken another path from Fuyu road but we accidentally made a turn right before it.¡± This Fuyu road wasn¡¯t far from the road they were originally supposed to take but it led to a completely different direction along with a different environment.


    Lu Bai¡¯s pupils contracted when he heard the name: ¡°What did you say the road was called?¡±


    Lu Guanguan held the steering wheel. She felt extremely aggrieved as she looked towards Lu Bai: ¡°Fuyu Road.¡±


    Lu Bai suddenly looked out the car window. At this moment, they just happened to turn a corner and Lu Bai directly saw a bar that was slightly quieter and more elegant compared to the other places surrounding it. The bar¡¯s signboard was made of wood and the four words written on it made it seem out of place: Collecting Fireflies, Reflecting Snow. Lu Bai looked at the bar then glanced at the dark alley next to the bar. His throat bobbed: Fuck. That¡¯s exactly it. That¡¯s the place where he will die and provoke the blackened supporting character Ruan Jiangjiu in the near future¡­


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Lu Bai replied with a twitch of his brows. In short, although that plot point was dramatic and headache-inducing compared with the one where he had to drug Qin Gu, at least it was still some time before it happened. He still had some time to properly think about how he could escape alive when he had to provoke Ruan Jiangjiu. As for why he must provoke Ruan Jiangjiu, Lu Bai¡¯s right eye twitched: Of course, it was still because of Qin Gu ah.


    At Collecting Fireflies, Reflecting Snow.


    ¡°Yo. Great film emperor. Young master Qu. Are you satisfied with the place where you¡¯ll step down to earth and come to experience life? I especially cleaned it for you today.¡± The empty bar was lit with a dim yellow light and only two men sat at the bar¡¯s counter.


    Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow and looked at the sloppy man. His black eyes still appeared as clear as winter in the dark. His slender fingers touched the wine lined with flecks of hazy colors from the light glass on the table but he didn¡¯t drink it. There was familiarity in his voice: ¡°Save it.¡±


    ""


    The man smiled and shook his head. He then asked: ¡°How long are you going to stay?¡±


    Qu Xueyu softly knocked on the wooden table: ¡°Two months.¡±


    The man spoke: ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry. No one will recognize you if you stay here.¡± After a pause, the man snorted out a laugh and coughed before sternly saying: ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu, starting today, you are a server in this bar.¡±


    Server Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°Oh.¡±

 CH 3

    The Lu family¡¯s reception was set in their home¡¯s garden. Even though it was a private event hosted by the Lu Family, many guests at the reception did not personally know Lu Bai. Lu Bai didn¡¯t like socializing much, if it wasn¡¯t for the important plot point that needed to happen here later, then no matter how his father would have scolded him for being unsatisfactory, he would never have come out of hiding.


    ¡°Xiao1 Bai has really grown up, and every year becomes more handsome. Lao2 Lu, he¡¯s old enough now. You should have him join the company to help you.¡± Qin Jing sighed with a smile. The Lu and the Qin families have been friends and allies in business for a long time. Qin Jing is Qin Gu¡¯s father and a good friend of Father Lu for many years.


    Father Lu patted Lu Bai on the shoulder, ¡°This kid is still too young, he is not ready yet¡±, there is a rare genuine smile on his face despite the harsh words. Father Lu then silently urged Lu Bai to continue meeting the guests. Seeing his father¡¯s smile, the corners of Lu Bai¡¯s mouth twitched anxiously, fearing that his father would really bring him along to work in the company on a whim.


    Catching Lu Bai¡¯s expression out of the corner of his eyes Father Lu scoffed. Taking advantage of a gap when there were no guests in front of them to say in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s useless protesting. Even if I wanted to accommodate you, your grandfather wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Lu Bai could not find the words to refute that, but after a moment of silence asked, ¡°Dad, when I say that I want to get rid of our family¡¯s halo and struggle for self-reliance to realize my own value in life, do you and grandpa not believe me?¡±


    Father Lu has always presented himself as a serious and upright person, but after hearing these words his brows couldn¡¯t help but twitch. He looked at his son in his slightly messy formal wear with a deadpan expression, ¡°Do you think that your Grandfather and I are fools?¡±


    Lu Bai, ¡°¡­¡±


    ~~~~


    After the majority of the important guests had been met, seeing Lu Bai¡¯s wandering attention Father Lu knew that his son was bored. With a bit of fatherly impatience, he lightly slapped Lu Bai on the back of the head and sent him off, ¡°Get lost. Watch how much you drink, don¡¯t overindulge.¡±


    Only when Lu Bai heard this did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. Smiling brightly, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth, with a small dimple faintly appearing on his cheek: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dad.¡± He only planned to drink that one cup of spiked wine that was in the plot today.


    Watching the back of his son scampering away, Father Lu sighed, but there was a helpless smile in his eyes. Sheng Mei came over to stand next to Father Lu in place of Lu Bai. She was beautiful in an elegant floor-length dress, and a gentle smile on her face, ¡°Relax, I already asked Uncle Liu to look out for Xiao Bai and won¡¯t let him drink too much tonight. I also asked the kitchen staff to prepare a late-night snack for the two children, and when it¡¯s ready I can send them over to fill their stomachs.¡±


    The focus of this reception was on Father Lu. His children, Lu Bai and Lu Guanguan, were still too young for business or political dealings, so not many people would pay attention to them. When the food is ready they could just have Uncle Liu call them to eat in the greenhouse. Their two children don¡¯t like to eat the western food being served at the party, and she doesn¡¯t want them to be like the adults, with only wine in their stomachs overnight.


    Father Lu put down his wine glass, ¡°We¡¯ll eat some as well when this is over.¡±


    Sheng Mei softly chuckled and nodded.


    ~~~~


    Lu Bai leaned in a corner of the garden, swirling the glass of red wine in his hand while lost in his thoughts, the deep red color of the wine was reflected in his honey-colored eyes3, casting strange shadows.


    This is the glass of wine that has been spiked in keeping with the plot. It is said that no matter how much self-restraint one has, after ingesting the drug, one would become like an animal in heat. Lu Bai had gotten this drug from his group of plastic friends who were all equally willful and ignorant as well. In the original book, Lu Bai had wanted to use this glass of wine to sleep with Qin Gu, but instead, he only got himself into trouble.


    The end results will be the same drinking it sooner or later tonight. With this thought in mind, Lu Bai took a deep breath and searched around, finally finding Qin Gu¡¯s figure. Birds of a feather flock together and people naturally divided into groups of people similar to themselves. Like how Lu Bai has his own circle of fox and dog friends, Qin Gu naturally has his own circle of ¡®good kids¡¯ that others were often compared with and found lacking in some way.


    Lu Bai approached holding two glasses of red wine and stopped in front of Qin Gu. He glanced at the barely hidden disdain and contempt in the eyes of Qin Gu¡¯s friends, pasting an overly bright smile onto his face. He handed over the glass with the additional ingredient, ¡°Brother Qin, a toast to you.¡± Lu Bai¡¯s plan in the original book was for Qin Gu to drink this cup of wine, then he would help Qin Gu to his room so he could ¡®rest¡¯, and everything would fall nicely into place.


    Qin Gu¡¯s facial features were so handsome and profound under the garden lighting that they looked like a chiseled statue. Qin Gu observed Lu Bai with a fading half-smile on his face as he accepted the glass of spiked wine just like in the original book. He held onto the glass while giving it a light swirl, but didn¡¯t drink from it. His eyes became darker and darker in the light reflected off the wine, containing complex emotions that Lu Bai didn¡¯t understand. Lu Bai shivered slightly, his free hand not holding his own wine glass up lightly clenched: The scene¡¯s climax is coming.


    In the original book, one of Lu Bai¡¯s fake friends had already snitched and informed Qin Gu. So Qin Gu and his group of friends had long known that Lu Bai would come to make a toast. So they planned at that time, a friend of Qin Gu would step forward and ¡°accidentally¡± overturn the wine in Lu Bai¡¯s hand, Qin Gu would then take that opportunity to turn around and get a new glass of wine for Lu Bai, and while doing so exchange his glass of spiked wine with the new one for Lu Bai. Lu Bai would only blindly see the rare moment of Qin Gu getting wine for himself, and there is no doubt in their minds that he would drink it quite happily.


    Sure enough, a young man beside Qin Gu quickly glanced at Lu Bai and took a few steps forward as if unintentionally bumping him while he was leaving. Afterward, the cuffs of Lu Bai¡¯s white shirt were soaked in a deep red, as dazzling as blood. Lu Bai frowned in disgust like in the original book, but he cared about how Qin Gu thought of him and didn¡¯t want to say anything in front of him.


    Qin Gu glanced at the now wet cuffs of the young man¡¯s that was stained red, and under the twinkling garden lights in the night air, looked at the guilty conscience and nervousness in the young man¡¯s light honey eyes, and a strange feeling flashed across his heart. But in the end, as planned, he turned around and picked up a new glass of red wine from the table, then quickly switched glasses. He raised his chin at Lu Bai and handed over the spiked glass, but didn¡¯t say a word. This is Lu Bai¡¯s home, he will be fine. If this guy dares to plot something like this against him, he should be taught a lesson and suffer a bit, not to mention, he should know that none of his friends are good or sincere to him.


    Lu Bai smiled and took it. He looked at Qin Gu, his honey brown and white eyes were bright, and then he drank the glass of wine without hesitation¡ªthe red wine at the reception should be savored slowly not downed like a shot, but there was nothing Lu Bai could do about it since he was just following the events from the Original book. Qin Gu looked at the bobbing throat of the young man as he swallowed, desperately suppressing his desire to stop the other party, and drank the wine in his own hand.


    The important plot point was finished and did not go wrong, Lu Bai finally let out a sigh of relief. Before the drug could even kick in, Lu Bai felt the hot rush of alcohol muffling his brain. He felt his cheeks becoming a little hot and was a little dizzy, but the scene had to go on.


    ¡°Brother Qin,¡± he pinched his palms to stay focused, ¡°You must be tired? Do you want to go to my room to sober up and have a rest?¡± Lu Bai thought that this vicious male supporting role was too stupid. If you say such super deliberate words in a super deliberate tone, even if no one had informed Qin Gu already, it would be easy to see through, okay?


    Qin Gu looked at the young man¡¯s misty and wet eyes, his cheeks which were already flushed with alcohol, and he couldn¡¯t say anything like refusal. He looked at Lu Bai expressionlessly for a while, and then grasped Lu Bai¡¯s arm, ¡°I¡¯ll help you to rest.¡± Before the medicine could even take effect, this guy was already drunk, and he was the one who should rest. Qin Gu¡¯s friends were a little surprised when they heard this, but they didn¡¯t speak up.


    Lu Bai had a very poor capacity for alcohol, and he drank too fast just now. At this time, his mind was blurred, and he couldn¡¯t hear what Qin Gu was saying at all. Qin Gu was suppose to reject him, so he subconsciously opened Qin Gu¡¯s hand that was holding him, showing a sad and vicious expression, and spoke his lines from the original book, ¡°Brother Qin, do you hate me that much? Refusing to even go to my room to rest? You like that Qu Xueyu, right? Just you wait, I won¡¯t let him go!¡± After saying that, he stumbled back a step, turned around, and left with quick strides.


    Perfect. Lu Bai walked away dizzily while giving himself a thumbs up in his heart.


    Qin Gu, ¡°¡­¡±


    Qin Gu watched Lu Bai¡¯s unsteady posture as he walked away, he hesitated for a moment and was about to chase after him when a sleazy-looking man came out of a nearby shadow. It was the snitch from earlier. He looked at Qin Gu with a flattering smile on his face, ¡°Brother Qin Gu, I knew that kid Lu Bai could never best you.¡± Thinking of what he saw while hiding in the shadowy corner, the flattery on his face became more and more obvious, ¡°He will only make a fool of himself. Don¡¯t worry, if he plans to act like a demon again in the future, I will definitely give you a heads up.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s heart was crossed with irritability, he looked straight at the other party with a cold face, and every word filled with disgust, ¡°You are not worthy of calling me that.¡±


    The other party was stunned by the coldness on Qin¡¯s face and subconsciously took a step back. The frigidity on Qin¡¯s face only intensified, and his eyebrows even overflowed with some dark hostility: ¡°You were only able to get into the Lu family¡¯s reception because of Lu Bai.¡± Only because of Lu Bai¡¯s invitation, this was how all of these unworthy guys could enter the Lu house.


    ¡°Stay away from Lu Bai. If I see you around him again in the future -¡± Qin Gu put down his empty wine glass on the table with a dull clang: ¡°I will have you ruined.¡±


    ¡°Now get the hell out of the Lu¡¯s house.¡±


    The man had never seen Qin Gu like this and was now so scared that his hands and feet were weak, but immediately turned around and stumbled away.


    After that person left, the people around Qin Gu looked at each other, a good friend who had known Qin Gu for many years only sighed and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°You are always like this. To be honest, after so many years I still can¡¯t figure out how you actually feel about Lu Bai.¡±


    Qin Gu frowned as he picked up a new glass of wine, and drank it down while saying with a sneer, ¡°Of course I hate him.¡±

 CH 4

    The cool wind was blowing on his face, but Lu Bai still felt like his body was very hot. The combination of the drug and wine made his brain completely confused. Before he knew it, he had turned onto a small path in the side garden, which was planted with many Osmanthus trees.1 He had loved playing here with Lu Guanguan when he was a child, but at this time, all the servants of the Lu family were now at the reception, so this place seemed extraordinarily quiet and remote.


    Lu Bai loosened his tie and sat on the grass, leaning against the biggest osmanthus tree. The moonlight, green grass, and osmanthus tree trunk were nice and cool, and Lu Bai finally felt comfortable. He took a deep breath and gently closed his eyes to rest. Lu Bai didn¡¯t realize that the spiked drink would work so quickly. At this moment, Lu Bai had long forgotten about asking Lu Guanguan to keep an eye on him. The potent mix of alcohol and the drug completely disintegrated his vigilance towards that strange man who had slept with Lu Bai but was not named in the original book. All Lu Bai wanted right now was to sleep comfortably in a cool place, his body was too hot and uncomfortable.


    ~~~~


    A shadowy figure appeared in front of the sweet-scented osmanthus tree and extended its hand toward the ignorantly sleeping Lu Bai. A dark cloud drifted over obscuring the clear, cold autumn moon.


    That hand was about to touch Lu Bai¡¯s collar when an icy cold baritone sounded from behind, ¡°What exactly are you planning to do?¡±


    The figure halted its movements.


    The dark clouds dispersed, and the moonlight spilled into the small osmanthus forest again. Qu Xueyu¡¯s gorgeous phoenix eyes were revealed as he walked over through the speckled light and shadows in valiant steps to shield Lu Bai behind him.


    He stared at the other man, his eyes filled with chilly intensity.


    ¡°I was just, uh, checking on him. I was going to wake him up if he was asleep.¡± The man smiled a little reluctantly, ¡± Are you his friend? Then I¡¯m relieved, in that case, I¡¯ll go first.¡± After saying this, he hurriedly left.


    Jinghai is a major city, but their circle is actually very small. Although the Qu family is not that close to the Lu family, their relationship is not bad, so they were also invited by Father Lu. The only family that Qu Xueyu cared about in Jinghai, his grandfather Qu, threw him the invitation, so he had no choice but to come. But he really did not want to be involved with his father, stepmother and younger brother in false harmony, which is why he came out here to the side garden and did not expect to bump into Lu Bai.


    ¡°Qu Xueyu, I¡¯ll make you look good!¡± Lu Bai muttered sleepily, not forgetting to rehearse his lines with dedication even in his uncomfortable slumber.


    Hearing this Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow, then partially crouched down. In the moonlight, his entire figure was like a flawless white sculpture. He was rarely this interested in others, yet he found himself scrutinizing the other party¡¯s face that looked as if it had been stained with rouge. This child¡¯s drunken temper is not small, even asleep he was still thinking about teaching him a lesson.


    ¡°Brother, are you out here?¡± Lu Guanguan¡¯s anxious voice interspersed with the sound of footsteps came over, and Qu Xueyu stood up after a beat. Not long after that Lu Guanguan and the housekeeper of the Lu family appeared in the moonlit garden entrance.


    ¡°Brother?!¡± As soon as she saw Lu Bai leaning against the tree trunk, Lu Guanguan¡¯s pupils shrank and she hurriedly ran over, and the housekeeper¡¯s eyes flashed as he followed.


    At the reception, Lu Guanguan had been paying attention to Lu Bai as he had asked. Later when she saw that he was looking for Qin Gu, she was about to go forward to protect her brother from being bullied again when Uncle Liu came over to talk to her about the late-night snack the kitchen had prepared for them. Lu Bai was already talking to Qin Gu at the time, so Uncle Liu did not go forward to interrupt him. But in just a few minutes of inattention, Lu Guanguan went to look for her brother again but could not find him anywhere in the main garden, so she was anxious to find him quickly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my brother?¡± She looked warily at Qu Xueyu.


    Qu Xueyu casually leaned against a tree and crossed his arms .¡±He was already passed out drunk when I came.¡±


    Lu Guanguan looked at Uncle Liu with anxiety in her eyes, as he carefully loaded the sleeping young man onto his back and nodded towards Qu Xueyu, ¡°Thank you, young master Qu, for taking care of my young master, please make yourself at home.¡±


    Lu Guanguan also hurriedly thanked him, ¡°Thank you for taking care of my brother.¡±


    After saying that, they both left in a hurry.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s figure almost blended into the speckled shadows under the tree as he looked at Lu Bai¡¯s back, and let out a low chuckle ¨C he still felt that the child looked familiar.

 CH 5

    ¡ªEvening.¡ª-


    ¡°If you come over, can I still experience what this life is like?¡± Under the interior lighting, Qu Xueyu sat at a somewhat cramped desk, flipping through the script with one hand and continuing his agent¡¯s call with the other.


    ¡°Xueyu, are you sure you really don¡¯t need me to come?¡± asked his agent Bo Yangzhi one more time.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Qu Xueyu casually marked a line, ¡°Filming will start here in Jinghai in two months. I¡¯ll just join the group when it does. You can come over with Director Zhou and join me then.¡±


    Bai Yangzhi sighed, ¡°Okay then¡­ Just, please, make sure you take care of yourself, and try to make sure you don¡¯t get recognized¡­¡± If he really does get recognized, he¡¯ll be featured in all sorts of headlines for months.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    The doorbell rang just a few minutes after he had ended his phone call with his anxious agent. Qu Xueyu opened his front door to see his cousin, Qu Xueying, standing in the hallway with his arms crossed tightly, scanning the rather humble surroundings of the small box apartment from the door, with a look of holding back something negative.


    Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°What?¡±


    Qu Xueying took a deep breath, ¡°Young master, even if you want to play as a waiter in my bar-¡± He again examined the place with open disgust, and said, ¡°- do you really need to live in this shitty place for two months? ¡± Even he, an illegitimate son of the Qu family, has never lived in such a place, let alone his cousin Qu Xueyu, who was raised by the head of their family as a proud son of heaven.


    Qu Xueyu was not fazed by his attitude, ¡°Yeah. Is that all you came over for?¡±


    Qu Xueying sighed with resignation as he passed over a large duffle bag from beside him filled with bar-appropriate work clothes and fished out a work badge from inside his jacket, which had a deliberately blurry profile picture with the name ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu¡± written underneath. ¡°Come over whenever you want to start, and remember to try and not be recognized. Otherwise, my poor little bar will be flooded by reporters and your fans¡­¡±


    Qu Xueyu nodded with a small smile as he accepted the overly filled duffle and work badge.


    ~~~~


    ¡ªA week after late at night, at ¡®Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯.¡ª-


    The air was filled with the disorienting combination of alcohol and various different perfumes; the lights were dimmed, and the sounds of many conversations were competing with each other to be heard over the music.  Lu Bai was leaning back in a sprawling heap on the padded booth bench, fighting against sleep. On the table in front of him were many empty glasses, several of which were his. Of course, he had drank so much because of the prompting from the group of ill-intentioned ¡°friends¡± he had with him.


    He didn¡¯t actually want to drink so much, but for the sake of the next scenario, he pushed past his discomfort and drank it all. With his nose full of alcohol fumes, Lu Bai drowsily thought to himself that his scenes could be too difficult at times.


    ¡°Xiao Bai!¡± A fashionable young man squeezed out of the crowd in front of the bar and sat next to Lu Bai. Taking in Lu Bai¡¯s sloshed appearance with some gloating and disdain in his eyes yet still talking with flattery, ¡°The Puzzled Firefly. It¡¯s their signature drink. Try it?¡±, as he slid the cup of overly colorful mixed drink in front of Lu Bai.


    Lu Bai lifted his bleary head to look at the drink and then his eyes fell shut again. Heh, Puzzled Firefly is indeed the signature drink here; it is also one of the highest-proof mixes they make. If he actually drank that on top of everything else he¡¯s already had, he would likely end up in the hospital with a stomach bleed¡­ However, this drink is an important prop for the upcoming scene. For this next part, he has no wiggle room to improvise as it is a part of the building blocks of the story.


    So, Lu Bai reached out and picked up the glass, but he didn¡¯t drink from it; only held it in front of his eyes, seemingly admiring the colors of the beautiful and disorienting drink. He was waiting, waiting for a waiter to accidentally hit his arm and spill the drink onto him. That was how the vicious male support, Lu Bai, was supposed to meet Ruan Jiangjiu tonight.


    ~~~~


    Qu Xueyu carried his drink tray through the crowd of people and discreetly observed all the different kinds of personalities and faces within seriously. In the mix, there were countless gazes of either appreciation or covetousness cast toward him. Ever since the arrival of this good-looking but somewhat gloomy and silent young man, many new customers have been coming to the bar.


    ¡°Woah, don¡¯t you think this Ruan Jiangjiu guy really looks like Film Emperor Qu?! He¡¯s so handsome!¡± A young woman who had gone into the bar specifically to people-watch whispered excitedly to her companion.


    ¡°Where do they look alike?!¡± The companion, who happened to be a fan of Qu Xueyu, then craned her neck to finally see the face of the waiter named Ruan Jiangjiu and froze. Nevertheless, she stood her ground, ¡°No, he looks nothing like him! Our Yu Yu is not so dark and gloomy! And he is much more handsome than that waiter!¡±


    There were, of course, customers with ulterior motives that have approached the young man named Ruan Jiangjiu. But without exception, the boss has taught them all hard lessons. Over this brief amount of time, the regular customers have tacitly agreed with each other that the waiter and the bar owner must have some kind of ambiguous relationship. There are rumors on the street that the bar owner is a member of Jinghai¡¯s Qu family who no one dared to provoke. This person belongs to the boss, so naturally, none of them will make a move on him.


    But there are also, inevitably, arrogant and cocky newcomers.


    ¡°How much for a night?¡± A middle-aged man had stopped the young waiter who had finished delivering drinks and was holding a now empty tray. The man¡¯s eyes were wide and leering as he sized up the much younger man¡¯s delicate face and his strong, thin looking waist that had been nicely accentuated by the black vest.


    Lu Bai flinched in surprise when he overheard that line from the table next to his. The scene he was waiting for is finally starting. Ruan Jiangjiu has encountered the guest who starts harassing  him. After he starts fighting with that guest, he will accidentally knock into the vicious male character, Lu Bai, and spills the other¡¯s drink over them. In all that commotion, the original Lu Bai is shocked after seeing the young man¡¯s face for the first time. Then, a twisted and vicious idea grew in his heart.


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the older man with eyes as cold as ice as the man reached out his hand towards him. However, Ruan Jiangjiu didn¡¯t move to avoid it but gave the man a frosty smile. With a crisp snap, the youth simply broke the man¡¯s wrist. Not dropping his tray, and without even looking at Lu Bai, he casually took that cold, colorful drink from Lu Bai¡¯s hand and poured it onto the man¡¯s head who had fallen to the ground screeching.


    The crowd of onlookers gasped, but the young man wasn¡¯t bothered. As he stood there with his arms crossed, he looked like an immortal who could do no wrong. He wasn¡¯t panicking or worried as he looked down at the unsightly man writhing around; his eyes only filled with cold contempt and disgust.


    Lu Bai: ???? The plot is off the rails again!1 Where is the promised pushing and shoving? The so-called Ruan Jiangjiu being in a tight spot? Of having his drink spilled on himself? Isn¡¯t Ruan Jiangjiu just a poor college student who can be bullied by anyone at this time?? Why is he so powerful now? Then later¡­ how can he dare to find trouble with Ruan Jiangjiu?!


    Although the bar owner is usually almost never seen, whenever this young man named Ruan Jiangjiu has had a problem, he always appears in a more timely manner than Doraemon2. After the owner swiftly came over and dealt with the incident, he escorted Ruan Jiangjiu away to the employees-only door. A short while later, a different waiter brought Lu Bai a new drink.  ¡°Our boss said that Xiao Ruan had borrowed your drink, so this is for you. Also, as an apology for the disturbance, your bill for tonight has been completely waived.¡±


    Lu Bai looked at the new drink in his hand, completely dumbfounded. How can he continue following the plot now¡­?


    He doesn¡¯t feel any pain either, which means this twist in the plot didn¡¯t trigger his punishment mechanism, but that¡¯s not guaranteed later. More importantly, Ruan Jiangjiu is a very important supporting character. If this scene doesn¡¯t  end correctly, the subsequent plot will almost for sure collapse entirely. Lu Bai grimaced, he must not let that happen. He dreams of his freedom at the end of his role and loves his own life, he cannot afford to gamble.


    With this reaffirmed motivation, he got up and drunkenly swayed towards the front door. The people from his booth, his supposed friends, just continued cheerfully drinking. They didn¡¯t stop him or even bother to check where he was going.


    This was one of Jinghai¡¯s clubbing districts bordering the cheaper residential zone, and the streets were filled with the smell of alcohol and bad decisions . ¡®Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯ was tucked away at the edge, so there was fresh and cool air on Lu Bai¡¯s face, allowing him to sober up a bit. He took a deep breath, then turned into the dark alley next to the bar. In the original story, after encountering Ruan Jiangjiu in the bar, Lu Bai followed the person outside then blocked him in this alley. Through  the combined means of coercion and bait, he forced Ruan Jiangjiu into being his canary.


    As for the reason why¡­ the corners of Lu Bai¡¯s mouth twitched as he tsk¡¯d; it was too twisted. The original Lu Bai wanted to insult Qu Xueyu, just because he also liked Qin Gu, by keeping and supporting this poor student who looked just like Qu Xueyu.


    Lu Bai lamented to himself, he is not actually vicious or perverted at all, but he still has to do such twisted things, which is really, really difficult.


    Even though he was reluctant, Lu Bai still took a few hesitant steps deeper into the darkness of the alley, and when his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted a quiet figure leaning against a wall. Ruan Jiangjiu must have been on his phone, and Lu Bai had come in just in time to see the other putting it away.


    He¡¯s already made it this far, he just needs to keep moving forward no matter what.


    With this little pep-talk to himself in mind, Lu Bai took a big step forward and slapped his hand down next to the man¡¯s ear3; the other man was a head taller than him, and he had to stand on his tiptoes to properly achieve this maneuver.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes narrowed in irritation.  Just  before he was about to do something very rude to this presumptuous stranger, he heard a shaky, trembling voice. ¡°You¡­ your name is Ruan Jiangjiu?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu felt that this voice brought to mind a fluffed-up kitten. The younger man¡¯s breathing was turbulent and his racing heartbeat was so clearly heard this close together. Moreover, this voice seems to be a bit familiar.


    ¡°You-you lack money, right?¡± Lu Bai stiffened his face like in the original and slapped a card on the other man¡¯s chest. ¡°Let Laozi4 sp-spend the night¡­¡± Lu Bai gritted his teeth: ¡°- and keep, keep y¡­ this million will be yours!¡± Lu Bai added on, rather sheepishly, ¡°There will be more in the future!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu, ¡°¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu felt a burst of amusement. He finally recognized who this person is. This kid can really be capable. Only, what kind of person threatens others when they themselves are so afraid that their legs shake? Listening to this kid¡¯s voice, what about himself did he think was intimidating? Finding it interesting, he asked, ¡°You want¡­ to keep me?¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned as he listened to the other¡¯s voice. As expected of Qu Xueyu¡¯s perfect substitute, even his voice is similar.


    ¡°Ye-yes.¡± Lu Bai confirmed stiffly.


    ¡°Alright then, you can keep me. The card fell on the ground, pick it up and give it to me.¡±


    Lu Bai felt lost. ¡°Uhh wha-?¡± He was prepared to take a beating like the original had, and then use many twists and turns to force Ruan Jiangjiu to give in. What is happening now?


    ¡°Are you not going to keep me then?¡± Ruan Jiangjiu clasped his arms in the darkness with an amused look at the gaping young man and pointed to the ground, ¡°The card, are you not going to pick it up? If you don¡¯t have any money, I won¡¯t follow you.¡± Lu Bai slowly squatted down and finally picked up the card, offering it to him again in a daze. This time, he accepted the card and said confidently, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m yours now. Where are you going to take me?¡±


    Lu Bai stammered, ¡°Where- where are we going??¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s exquisite eyes curved up in the darkness, with a strong interest flowing in them. ¡°To sleep, ah. Aren¡¯t  you going to sleep with me?¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­!¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    Refer to chapter 1 for the first time the plot deviated


    ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doraemon_(character) ), Childrens cartoon cat robot character. Follows a boy around and saves the day. Micky Mouse level of popularity


    The legendary wall kabedon meme. With the shorter person doing it to the taller person


    Laozi = Father/daddy , used by males to show superiority (example ¡°Call me daddy¡±/¡±Whose you¡¯re daddy?) in context, ¡°Let this daddy spend the night¡±

 CH 6

    Lu Bai was thrown by this unexpected situation and was really more than a bit confused. After his brain finally caught on to what was actually happening, he blushed furiously, his cheeks and ears turned completely red, burning in the night. He dry swallowed and subconsciously backed up a few steps. Perhaps it was the alcohol from earlier, but he even had some difficulty speaking, and just managed to choke out, ¡°You ¡­ you calm- calm down, too- too fast is n-not- not good.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. He looked Lu Bai up and down meaningfully, eyes bright like stars in the night. With this little practical knowledge, this kid wants to imitate others and raise canaries1?


    He shook his head helplessly, still wearing a grin on his face and in a much better mood now. Then he took Lu Bai¡¯s hand and put the card back in the other¡¯s hot palm. ¡°Little kids should be good and go home at this time of night.¡± After saying this, he brushed past Lu Bai and left the alley, leaving only a faint but cool fragrance teasing Lu Bai¡¯s nose.


    Lu Bai stood there silently. It took him a long time to realize that he had just been rejected. It also seems that he had been insulted. He angrily looked towards the entrance of the alley and wanted to curse, ¡®You¡¯re a child! Your whole family are children!!¡¯, but found that the entrance of the alley had long been empty; only the illusory and gaudy neon lights were left in the distance.


    Lu Bai took a deep calming breath and tousled his hair, reassuring himself that it was okay. Ruan Jiangjiu accepting him at this time would collapse the plot anyway. Although¡­ this Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s personality seems a bit of a surprise. He was originally a twisted character in the story, so his being different is not that strange.


    He walked towards the entrance of the alley. Regardless, this scene is finally over, and his next appearance won¡¯t be until a few days later. He was exhausted from the day, and he can finally go back to his apartment to rest properly. It must already be late into the night, as Lu Bai raised his head slightly and saw that the crescent moon was setting. Fortunately, he told his family before he left home that he would be going back to his apartment today. Otherwise, they would be very worried if he didn¡¯t go home now, and Guanguan would probably blow up his phone. He smiled at this thought and was about to use his phone to check the time when he remembered that he had accidentally left his phone charging in his car when he got out.


    Lu Bai huffed with slight annoyance, then went back into the bar; he left his car keys and wallet in the private booth. He needed to find a chauffeur anyway as he had been drinking tonight. The bar was empty when he made it over to his table and looked around it.


    ¡°Sir, the guests at that table left a while ago.¡± The bartender let him know as he was starting to wipe the bar down.


    Lu Bai twitched the corners of his mouth. That group of ungrateful bastards, not only did they take his wallet but they also took off with his car and his phone that was inside it.


    ¡°Sir¡­ we are closing for the night as well.¡± The bartender looked at Lu Bai with a complicated face. Unlike many bars on the street that will be open all night, ¡®Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯ closed at 2:30 am2.


    Lu Bai nodded, but was a bit stumped. He now had no phone, no wallet, and no way to get back to his apartment. After giving it a bit more thought, he was struck by an idea. Looking at the bartender, he took out the card he had just tried to bribe Ruan Jiangjiu with and placed it on the bar counter, ¡°Would you believe me if I said there¡¯s a million on here?¡±


    Bartender: ¡°???¡±


    Lu Bai took a deep breath, ¡°I¡¯ll let you hold onto this card as collateral if you lend me three hundred tonight, and then I will pay you back ten times over tomorrow.¡± His apartment is quite far from here, and a late-night taxi ride to it from here will take at least three hundred. Originally, he had wanted to borrow the phone, but he didn¡¯t want to alarm his family ¨C he can only depend on his family as he had no real friends in this world.


    The bartender looked at Lu Bai with a bemused expression, ¡°Young Sir¡­ do you think I look like a fool?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wang, is something wrong?¡± That familiar clear and cold baritone rang out from behind him, giving Lu Bai a shock.


    The bartender, Xaio Wang, shrugged and pointed to Lu Bai, ¡°Just encountered a liar; these days, liars must be really bad at scamming others.¡± He turned to Lu Bai, ¡°I see you are still young, so I will not call the police this time. In the future, learn to be a better person.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu had already come to stop at Lu Bai¡¯s side. He had casually asked around when he came back in and learned that Lu Bai had come with a group of friends. Now, just by looking at the situation, he could probably guess what had happened. In the dim lights by the bar, Ruan Jiangjiu looked at Lu Bai with a smile, and said meaningfully, ¡°Oh? So it¡¯s a little liar.¡±


    Lu Bai only felt that today was really unfortunate. He turned around to leave, ready to go outside to try his luck in finding an ATM, but Ruan Jiangjiu caught his wrist. Lu Bai subconsciously turned his head and met Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s beautiful eyes that were filled with light. He was looking at Lu Bai and seemed to be sighing helplessly, but it was so light that most people couldn¡¯t catch it, ¡°Stay at my place tonight.¡±


    ¡°Ehh!?¡± Xiao Wang¡¯s jaw dropped from the unexpected invitation as Lu Bai¡¯s eyes popped wide open as well.


    ~~~~


    ¡ªDowntown Jinghai.¡ª


    A group of young men emerged from the convenience store with their shoulders together, several of them carrying bags full of stuff.


    ¡°Tch, the guy¡¯s wallet had less than a thousand in it; all his money should be on his card.¡± A young man weighed the wallet in his hand and frowned, ¡°Should ask him for his pin tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± A different guy laughed obnoxiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will definitely tell you if you ask him. That fool has no friends, he can only depend on us to play with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, anyone know where Ah-Liu¡¯s been these last few days? I haven¡¯t seen him for a while.¡±


    ¡°Heh, haven¡¯t seen him since the other day when we met Mr. Qin at Lu¡¯s house party, he disappeared after that. Who knows where he¡¯s been fooling around.¡±


    ¡°- Qin, Mr. Qin?¡± The leader of the youngman¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the tall man in a black trench coat leaning against Lu Bai¡¯s car, then he subconsciously trembled and took a few steps back, knocking into his buddies.


    Seeing them coming out, Qin Gu straightened up and then took a few steps forward, expressionlessly scanning through the crowd. Not finding the person he was looking for, he frowned slightly and let out some hostility. The group of cubs were scared by the sense of pressure from Qin Gu and collectively took a few steps back as the bags in their hands dropped to the ground with thuds.


    ¡°Where is Lu Bai?¡± Qin Gu looked at all of them; his voice was low and contained a frosty cold intensity.


    The leader of the group only thought that Lu Bai had to have made Qin Gu angry again, so Qin Gu had come to settle the score. Pasting a smile on his face, ¡°He- we left him behind at the bar!¡± He thought that Qin Gu hated Lu Bai so much, so the other side would be pleased. ¡°Hehe, he doesn¡¯t have his cell phone, car, OR wallet. He will definitely suffer tonight heh¡­Mr.- Mr. Qin!?¡±


    Qin Gu had grabbed the youth¡¯s collar, face as dark as the night sea, eyes surging with inky hostility. The youth was terrified speechless. Qin Gu¡¯s voice was so deep that water dripped out, ¡°Which bar is he in?¡±


    ¡°¡®Ga-Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯ on Fuyu road¡±


    ¡°His things.¡±


    ¡°He-here.¡± The young man trembled as offered them up.


    Qin Gu snatched them, and released the trembling youth¡¯s collar abruptly. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned over them all one by one with displeasure, then turned away. The group of shaken young men took that chance to quickly run off.


    ¡°Mr. Qin?¡± The secretary in the car heard the knocking on the window and hurriedly rolled down the window. ¡°Have you found Young Master Lu?¡± Just a few minutes ago, the boss had seen that young master Lu¡¯s car and asked him to pull over nearby.


    ¡°You can head home now. There¡¯s something I need to go do.¡± Qin Gu replied curtly.


    The secretary¡¯s eyes widened. He was about to ask what that something was, but he only saw Qin Gu open Lu Bai¡¯s driver-side door, get in, and drive off.


    ¡ª¡¯Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯¡ª


    The bartender looked steadily at the man who was questioning him; he looked difficult to mess with, and his mouth twitched, ¡°Sir, we are already closed¡­ This bar has so many customers every day, I really don¡¯t know who you are talking about.¡±


    Qin Gu frowned, growing even more irritated. After pausing to think, he flipped through Lu Bai¡¯s wallet and finally found Lu Bai¡¯s student ID card. He covered the school information with his fingers, only revealing the photo, and showed it to the other, ¡°Him.¡±


    The bartender, Xaio Wang, looked at the photo and his eyebrows raised in surprise. Isn¡¯t that the kid Xiao Ruan had just taken home¡­ he hadn¡¯t thought he was really a student¡­


    This man¡¯s identity does not seem to be simple, and he is quite stubborn as well. It also seems that his relationship with that teenager is also not normal¡­ if he finds out that Xiao Ruan brought him back home¡­


    The boss had specially instructed them to take extra good care of Ruan Jiangjiu. When he remembered this, the waiter relaxed, rolled his eyes, and laughed a bit nervously, ¡°Ah, that kid. I do have an impression of him. I thought he looked kinda small for his age.¡±


    ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°He, uh¡­ he left with another guy. In places like this, it¡¯s normal to take home whoever you fancy.¡± Anyway, the boss had only said that they needed to take care of Xiao Ruan, not some stranger who had randomly appeared. It wasn¡¯t like he was lying; the boy had gone home with someone¡­


    Qin Gu¡¯s pupils contracted, and his eyebrows furrowed even more. One of his hands subconsciously clenched into a fist so tight the veins on the back of his hand bulged. This made the already anxious Xiao Wang even more on edge,  ¡°M-Mister?¡±


    Qin Gu just gave him a cold look as he turned and left.


    Xiao Wang watched the straight-back walking away and shook his head. Esh3, Who did Xiao Ruan just bring home? What exactly is that kid¡¯s background!?


    ¡®Keeping/Raising canaries¡¯ is a metaphor to say kept man/soft rice/sugar baby. It could apply to both genders, as it equates those kept by others to be canaries in a cage.


    Fun fact, where I live all bars are closed by 2am


    Kind of a irritated huff, I belive its the shortened version of saying ¡°Sheesh¡± or ¡°Jeeze¡±

 CH 7

    Ruan Jiangjiu lives in a small, box1 apartment not far from the bar. Unlike Fuyu Road, which is wide and well-lit, the apartment complex is down an alley that has no street lights.


    Lu Bai stopped at the entrance of the alley under a bright street lamp, looking into the darkness that enveloped the alley. It was as if there wasn¡¯t even an end ¨C just unending nothingness. It held onto him, halting his steps, his throat was dry, and his head felt oddly light.


    Ruan Jiangjiu had also paused and quietly chuckled as he looked aside at the stiff Lu Bai, ¡°Don¡¯t dare to follow me anymore? What, are you afraid that I will sell you?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s mouth twitched, and he shook his head to rid himself of that creeping feeling. It was kind enough of Ruan Jiangjiu to let him stay the night with him, it would be impolite to make a fuss about details. Lu Bai looked to the other, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the boy¡¯s wide-open and clear honey-colored eyes in the half-lit entrance, and finally couldn¡¯t help but reach out and rub the other¡¯s fluffy black hair¡ªthis is actually a bit out of line, and not something he would normally do¡­ but he couldn¡¯t help himself just now. When he put his hand on the top of the boy¡¯s hair, even he was stunned for a moment.


    ¡°Bear with it, it¡¯s too late and it¡¯s not easy to get a taxi here.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu deliberately softened his tone, as if he was coaxing an innocent child.


    It is indeed too late, and this street is too remote and too crowded; it is difficult to get a taxi at this hour of the night. Otherwise, he would have just called one and sent the teenager home. Although the Qu family and the Lu family do not have a deep friendship, his grandfather and Master Lu¡¯s personal relationship over the past two years has been good. For the sake of this friendship, he could not just leave this kid stranded in the middle of the night, especially on such a street that seemed to be two worlds away from Jinghai.


    Lu Bai was stunned, and his heart filled with warm happiness. He shook his head lightly, ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± At the same time, there was a slight pang of guilt. The not yet blackened Ruan Jiangjiu is just a student not much older than him. He has been so kind to him, while he himself had ¡­


    In the dark alley, Ruan Jiangjiu led the way and deliberately slowed his pace in order to accommodate Lu Bai. Lu Bai followed closely behind the other, his heart beating like a drum, and feeling so uncomfortable that he could hardly breathe. It was too dark and too narrow. Lu Bai fiercely pinched the palm of his hand before he could suppress the unpleasant feeling that flooded his heart.


    Lu Bai could clearly hear the sound of Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s breathing and footsteps, and he knew that the hem of the other party¡¯s coat must be within his reach, but in the end, he suppressed his hand from reaching out. After they finally reached the apartment building and went up several flights of stairs lit only by the setting moon, they finally arrived at Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s apartment. Only when the lights finally came on inside did Lu Bai feel relieved.


    Ruan Jiangjiu turned around. Originally, he was going to tell him to make himself comfortable but saw Lu Bai¡¯s pale face and forehead beaded with cold sweat. Recalling the past few minutes, ¡°Are you afraid of the dark?¡±


    Lu Bai gave this some thought for a few seconds and then slowly blinked, ¡°Sort of?¡± Although not exactly accurate, at home he does need to sleep with a small night light on.


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded at his answer, and pointed to his small sofa, ¡°Have a seat, and I¡¯ll make you something to eat.¡± This kid has been at the bar all night, and he probably didn¡¯t have much to eat, but since he has brought him home, he must take proper care of him now.


    Lu Bai now felt even more guilty in his heart for making this tired young man have to cook for him. So, he just lowered his head and buried himself in the small sofa. Before his blackening, Ruan Jiangjiu was really a good and kind person, ah, Lu Bai thought with sadness. While he had looked very gloomy and cold in the bar, he actually had such a warm heart. But what Lu Bai had to do now¡­ was force him to the edge. Just thinking about it made Lu Bai feel even worse ¨C he had rarely felt so sad after coming to this world. But this feeling was so real. Ruan Jiangjiu was not just an NPC, he was a flesh and blood person to him now.


    ¡°Little liar~, it¡¯s time to eat.¡±


    Until Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s words rang in his ears and interrupted Lu Bai¡¯s thoughts, he was not aware of how long he had been lost in thought. Lu Bai was startled out of his slumped position; as his nose filled with the aroma of hot food, his stomach ¡°grumbled¡± loudly. Lu Bai met Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s smiling eyes, his face could not help but blush.


    ¡ª¡ª-


    was actually called a tube apartment. After extensive internet research, they appear to be large apartment buildings, shoddily made, and cramped housing in low-income areas. Most are essentially one long room with low ceilings and shared kitchens and bathrooms located outside.

 CH 8

    Ruan Jiangjiu placed a steaming bowl of ramen on the small table in front of Lu Bai. The surface was topped with tender yellow poached eggs and sliced beef, which made it look very appetizing. As he placed some chopsticks next to Lu Bai¡¯s hand, he prompted, ¡°Go wash your hands.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Bai nodded a bit dazedly and got up.


    The bathroom was very small, but as with the tiny living room outside, it was clean to the point of being nearly immaculate. Lu Bai then remembered that in the original book, Ruan Jiangjiu, despite being born into a poor family, and growing up in the squalor and mishmash of people living on Fuyu Street, actually had a cleanliness obsession. Later on, even though he had become Lu Bai¡¯s nominal canary, he still lived the same difficult life and was almost forced to follow the unspoken rules.


    Lu Bai looked at himself in the mirror, fists clenching slightly on the sink edge. For the sake of repaying the kindness shown by the other party today, he had to reach out and pull Ruan Jiangjiu free with him. As long as the most important plots still happened, there was a lot of room for small plot twists. He just has to find some twists that also help out Ruan Jiangjiu as well.


    ~~~~


    After eating, Ruan Jiangjiu gathered up a new set of toiletries and an unopened new shirt for Lu Bai, ¡°Un, there¡¯s also new underwear,¡± said Ruan Jiangjiu, his arms crossed and his eyes meaningfully panned down, ¡°Whether you can wear it or not is another matter, so you¡¯ll just have to work with it.¡±


    Lu Bai was shocked. His eyes widened and his ears turned completely red. He ¡°you- you¡±d for a long time angrily but couldn¡¯t find the right words, so he simply turned around and strode into the bathroom, closing the door with a crisp snap.


    Ruan Jiangjiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. This kid is so thin-skinned and so careless, yet he dares to imitate others in raising canaries.


    This kid wants to teach him a lesson even in his dreams, and yet he can stand in front of him and the other side is fully convinced of his fake identity. In order to better experience his new role as ¡®Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯, he has sunk himself into the role inside and out. From altering his temperament and micro-expressions to even his clothing and hair, he¡¯s skilled enough that he doesn¡¯t easily get recognized. But in front of this kid, not once had he deliberately disguised himself, and this kid wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit suspicious ¨C it¡¯s as if he was convinced that there really is a Ruan Jiangjiu living on Fuyu Road and working in a bar.


    How intriguing. Ruan Jiangjiu narrowed his eyes and looked towards the place where the sound of running water was coming from, with a strong interest in his eyes.


    ~~~~


    With his hair still half wet, Lu Bai lounged on Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s bed, fighting sleep. Wearing the oversized white shirt he had been given, he unintentionally revealed a large portion of his collarbone and his pair of white thighs. He was really tired and his eyelids were heavy. Although this place is small and old, it was very clean, and the bed is dyed with the light fragrance of Ruan Jiangjiu, which somehow puts him at ease and makes him slip into sleep within a few breaths.


    When Ruan Jiangjiu finished his own shower and had blow-dried his hair, he walked into his small bedroom to see this scene and was rendered speechless. Qin Gu always said that this young man was scheming and pretentious, but in his opinion, the Lu family had raised Lu Bai as a fluffy white rabbit with red eyes. In a strange adult man¡¯s home for the first time, he would dare to completely let his guard down ¨C this behavior in the eyes of a normal man is more tempting than deliberate seduction.


    ¡°Wah!¡± A thick blanket suddenly fell from the sky, enveloping Lu Bai¡¯s entire body. Lu Bai waved his hands around and finally got his head out of the attacking blanket. He scowled at Ruan Jiangjiu with some dissatisfaction; when you¡¯re fast asleep, being suddenly covered by a blanket like that is really annoying, okay?


    Ruan Jiangjiu just looked at Lu Bai¡¯s disgruntled appearance in silence for a few seconds and shrugged, ¡°You¡¯ll catch a cold sleeping on top of the blankets like that. I don¡¯t want to have to take care of a patient in the middle of the night.¡±


    Lu Bai blinked, pacified, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Suddenly, thinking of something, Ruan Jiangjiu turned around and opened a drawer in search of something. Not a moment later, he threw the thing into Lu Bai¡¯s arms.


    Lu Bai looked at the¡­ rabbit lamp in his hand? Fist-sized, snow-white suede, with a button under the base. Lu Bai gently pressed it, and a soft light came on.


    Then Ruan Jiangjiu remarked casually, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of the dark? I don¡¯t have any night lights here, only this.¡± This lamp is a toy that his grandfather had custom-made for him when he was a child, he had almost forgotten about it. If his grandfather had not tossed it at him unexpectedly when he had returned to his house, he would have, but it came in handy now.


    Lu Bai looked at him full of curiosity now, ¡°You¡­ like rabbits a lot?¡± He felt a bit complicated when he thought that Ruan Jiangjiu actually liked such cute animals before he blackened.


    Ruan Jiangjiu watched Lu Bai¡¯s not-very-subtle changing expressions, ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t hate them.¡± After saying so, he made a bed for himself on the floor and shut off the lights.


    Lu Bai felt a little guilty about occupying someone¡¯s bed and asked, ¡°This bed is quite big, why don¡¯t we just sleep together?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu was already lying down with his arms under his pillow and looked meaningfully at Lu Bai, his eyes were a bit deep. It was only then that Lu Bai remembered that not long ago he had wanted to adopt someone and make them his canary, and quickly exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I wouldn¡¯t do anything to you!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu almost laughed out loud as he withdrew his eyes to look languidly at the ceiling, ¡°Oh?¡±

 CH 9

    Chapter 9


    It had been a long night, and now wrapped in a soft blanket, Lu Bai was fighting the urge to fall asleep every time he closed his eyes. The shirt he was wearing and the blanket draped over him were soft and skin-friendly. Lu Bai was familiar with this high-end luxury brand, but Ruan Jiangjiu was clearly a poor college student who couldn¡¯t even afford to pay his own college tuition.


    Lu Bai had a trace of doubt in his heart and blurted out, ¡°Your shirt and blanket¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu had closed his eyes at this time, his voice was comfortable and deep, ¡°The boss insisted on giving them to me.¡± It is indeed from Qu Xueying, that guy really can¡¯t see past his new roles¡¯ daily clothing and insisted on giving a bunch of things to him. Since he wanted to immerse himself in the role to experience a different life, naturally he had to be dedicated and serious, so all these expensive clothes and items never got used. However, Lu Bai was raised carefully, so he simply gave him the blanket and clothes to use.


    Lu Bai was instantly enlightened, and even his sleepiness faded.


    Right. When the book¡¯s Ruan Jiangjiu worked in the bar, the boss did like to pay special attention to him; Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s appearance was so beautiful that it was difficult not to. The boss was very scummy. He often used the pretext of work to make advances on Ruan Jiangjiu, and even tried to use force on him, but at that time Ruan Jiangjiu, who had not yet blackened, was stubborn but soft and endured it all in order to not lose his job.


    That lasted until he met Lu Bai, who forced the bar owner to fire Ruan Jiangjiu. All in order to pressure him into submission, and finally got him through other outrageous means. Even if the bar owner was rumored to be a member of the Qu family, he still backed down as the Lu family has a lot of influence in Jinghai.


    Poor Ruan Jiangjiu had just left the wolf¡¯s den only to enter the tiger¡¯s1Saying is similar to ¡°Out of the frying pan, into the fire¡± . Meaning going from one bad place to another..


    Now Lu Bai¡¯s sleepiness had completely disappeared. After staring at the low ceiling for a few seconds in silence, he rolled over and asked, ¡°Xiao Ruan, the bar is such hard work, is it very important to you?¡±


    Hearing the other party call himself like that2Calling him Xiao Ruan implies a closer relationship than strangers. In his view Lu Bai has just met ¡®Ruan Jaingjiu¡¯ an hour or so ago for the first time ever., Ruan Jiangjiu was a little surprised, but still replied, ¡°It¡¯s important to me right now.¡± He is still very much interested in experiencing his new role¡¯s lifestyle.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Then he can¡¯t let him lose this job. Lu Bai blinked, he had to figure out how to handle it properly. The core of the plot about Ruan Jiangjiu is centered around him being Lu Bai¡¯s canary. As long as this is accomplished, the other parts of the plot concerning him should have room to maneuver.


    So for now, he just needs to make Ruan Jiangjiu agree to be his canary under the premise of not letting him lose his job. After this part of the plot is over, he can come up with a better solution.


    Still, he felt some guilt in doing so. Lu Bai laid down flat again and asked, ¡°Xiao Ruan, do you have any wishes?¡± No matter what the wish is, he will try his best to help him achieve it, as compensation for him.


    Lu Bai¡¯s question surprised Ruan Jiangjiu a little, he opened his eyes and looked at Lu Bai in the faint light of the small lamp. The young man was wrapped in his blanket like a fluffy rabbit and looking at the ceiling in a daze.


    He didn¡¯t know this teenager very well, but at this moment, for some reason, he didn¡¯t want to be perfunctory, so he said, ¡°My wish, is to become a successful actor.¡± He really does love filming.


    Lu Bai smiled faintly to himself, it turned out that Ruan Jiangjiu was actually interested in filming, and had the dream of being a great actor. In the original, in order to better achieve the purpose of humiliating Qu Xueyu, Lu Bai sent Ruan Jiangjiu into the entertainment industry. But did not properly lay out a path for him, only treating him as a distraction and a prop. Moreover, he and Qu Xueyu looked too similar, so Ruan Jiangjiu had a difficult time working in the entertainment industry.


    But this Ruan Jiangjiu had just so earnestly told him he wanted to be a good actor.


    Lu Bai suddenly became a little sad. ¡°Xiao Ruan, your dream will definitely come true.¡± Lu Bai murmured before curling up and slipping into slumber.


    Ruan Jiangjiu curved the corners of his mouth at the words, and he closed his eyes, ¡°Thanks for your auspicious words.¡±


    ~~~~


    The next day when Lu Bai woke up, Ruan Jiangjiu was no longer there, presumably to go to work. The windows of the apartment were sunny and bright, there was a note pressed on the small living room table with breakfast. When Lu Bai read Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s good-looking font with sharp edges while eating a hot breakfast, he became more determined to help him.


    ¡ª¡¯ Gathered Fireflies to Reflect the Snow¡¯¡ª-


    Ruan Jiangjiu didn¡¯t seem to be working at the bar this morning. When the bartender from last night, Xiao Wang, saw Lu Bai, his eyes widened. ¡°You, how come you¡¯re back again??¡±


    Lu Bai looked at him and with a serious attitude, ¡°Where is your boss? I want to see him.¡± Since he can¡¯t let Ruan Jiangjiu lose this job, he certainly won¡¯t let this perverted scum boss keep harassing and putting his hands on him. Ruan Jiangjiu is so clean and so nice, it¡¯s only right for him to live a more comfortable life.


    Xiao Wang¡¯s confusion was plainly written across his face, ¡± Eh?¡±


    Lu Bai then added, ¡°My father is the Lu company¡¯s president, I¡¯m looking for your boss for an important matter.¡± The influence of the Lu family name in Jinghai is useful on most occasions. Even if the person you are meeting is really a member of the Qu family.


    Xiao Wang wanted to ask who he was trying to fool, but then he recalled the man who had come looking for this young man in the dead of the night. At first sight, he had known that the man had not been an ordinary person. So Xiao Wang swallowed his words and with some added respect, ¡°Please, come with me.¡± Their boss just happens to be upstairs in his office today.


    ~~


    When someone knocked on his door, Qu Xueying was rather irritated, and when he opened it and saw Lu Bai the corners of his mouth twitched. He looked at Xiao Wang, ¡°Who the hell¡¯s this?¡±


    Xiao Wang responded respectfully, ¡°Boss, he says he¡¯s Lu¡¯s grandson.¡±


    He scanned Lu Bai and then looked back at Xiao Wang, the corners of his mouth twitching even more, ¡°You stupid? That lil¡¯ troublemaker of the Lu family coming to Fuyu Road?¡± Even he has heard of the incompetent young master of the Lu family, who grew up pampered and spoiled. Even if that little prince was looking for an exciting time, he would never come to this side of the city.


    Lu Bai was not angry at being called a troublemaker; he stepped confidently into the room, heading to the sofa chair opposite Qu Xueying¡¯s desk. After seating himself, he looked at Qu Xueying with one brow raised and solemnly explained, ¡°I am Lu Bai, and there is something I want to talk to you about.¡±


    Qu Xueying looked at Lu Bai suspiciously before telling Xiao Wang, ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    ~~~~


    ¡°Young Master Lu,¡± even if he had just called the other a troublemaker right in front of the other, Qu Xueying was not embarrassed. He just nodded in greeting and smiled somewhat effusively, ¡°What did you want to discuss with me?¡±


    After the other man had sat back down, Lu Bai looked seriously into his eyes, ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu is mine. I¡¯m covering him now.¡±


    A crack appeared in Qu Xueying¡¯s perfect mask, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Although I might be considered foolish, I do know that even the Qu family in Jinghai has to give some face to the Lu family. Ruan Jiangjiu will still work for you but under my protection. You can¡¯t fire him. Or put your hands on him. If you dare to, I will make it impossible for you to stay in Jinghai. I can¡¯t accomplish that personally yet, but my dad most definitely can, even if you really are a member of the Qu family.¡±


    Qu Xueying¡¯s mask of calm politeness completely shattered, the lively smile on his face disappeared completely, while his eyes widened, and his mouth gaped in astonishment. He couldn¡¯t even utter a word as he looked at Lu Bai, and then finally choked out: ¡°You, you sure are awesome3raw says NB ¡û Nuo Bi, modern slang sometimes praise and sometimes derogatory, and when it is used in a positive way, it contains the meaning of admiration for someone. Along the lines of Awesome.¡±


    ¡°So you agree?¡± Lu Bai looked at the other party and asked.


    Qu Xueying only felt that he was in some new fantasy world at this point, and dazedly agreed: ¡°Yeah¡­ sure.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lu Bai nodded, then stood up and turned to leave.


    Only then did Qu Xueying finally react to what he had just heard. He stood up violently, slapping the table in anger, then he pointed at Lu Bai¡¯s back, and shouted, ¡°HEY!! Surnamed Lu! What the hell makes you think I¡¯m some kind of pervert who would sexually harass someone?¡±


    ¡°Look like one.¡± Lu Bai replied simply without even glancing back.


    Qu Xueying: ¡°¡­¡±


    ~~~~~


    Later that evening, in an elegant and quiet private room.


    ¡°Tell me, what makes that little fool surnamed Lu think I would do something like sexual harassment?¡± Qu Xueying asked indignantly.


    ¡°You look like one.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu joked absent-mindedly with faint laughter glittering within his eyes.


    ¡°You-!¡± Qu Xueying was extremely angry, but he could only drink down another cup of mulled wine. Only after finishing it did he finally ask, ¡°How did you even meet him?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu doesn¡¯t drink alcohol, so he just simply clamped a chopstick of celery lily4 https://baike.google.com/item/%E8%A5%BF%E8%8A%B9%E7%99%BE%E5%90%88/2642423?fr=aladdin , link to article about the food. Its in Chinese so use your browsers translator. Here is an English recipe https://fiveseasonstcm.com/blogs/salads-sides/celery-and-goji-stir-fry, and said, ¡°I met him at Qin¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not unusual,¡± Qu Xueying ungracefully refilled his glass of mulled wine, ¡°Nobody in Jinghai¡¯s circle is unaware that he likes Qin Gu. Wherever you have a Qin Gu, there is definitely a Lu Bai close.¡± Even he, an illegitimate son on the edge of the circle, knows this.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s movements of clipping food paused, but his voice still seemed normal, indifferent: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Qu Xueying was about to start blabbing away again when Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s cell phone buzzed. Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the name on the screen as he picked it up. After a pause, he answered, ¡°Qin Gu.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Edit Krone


    Proofread Mao

 CH 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°Brother.¡± Lu Guanguan carried a plate of Lu Bai¡¯s favorite sweet yellow pea cake1Chinese link, https://baike.google.com/item/%E8%B1%8C%E8%B1%86%E9%BB%84/474417?fr=aladdin English link, https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/beijing-famous-snack-yellow-pea-cake/ A dessert made of sweet yellow peas and agar can be finger food with softer consistency that is supposed to almost melt in the mouth. and a pot of black tea into Lu Bai¡¯s bedroom. He was sitting on his balcony staring at the distant sky, lost in thought.


    Lu Bai looked over at her with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lu Guanguan put the tray down on the table in front of Lu Bai, and sat down across from him, smiling nicely, ¡°I¡¯m just bringing you something to eat, it¡¯s your favorite!¡±


    Lu Bai raised his eyebrows, picked up a piece of cake, and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing it, ¡°Alright, speak up. What happened?¡± He loves eating yellow pea cake, but it was really sweet. Aunt Sheng2Aunt Sheng is Lu Bai¡¯s stepmother. always forbade him from eating too many at once, but this time she let his sister carry a plateful into his room.


    Lu Guanguan rolled her eyes, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong big brother~. It¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯re starting school soon, so you should stay home these days.¡± After a pause, Lu Guanguan especially emphasized, ¡°Don¡¯t go running around and just hang out at home with me.¡±


    Lu Bai snickered but still nodded his head. Aunt Sheng and Guanguan had really gone to great lengths to keep him from being upset.


    Lu Bai selected another piece of cake and stuffed it into his mouth contentedly. He gave it some thought and what came to mind was the next chapter of the story. In addition to Aunt Sheng and Guanguan, maybe even his old man is worried. Because in the next chapter¡¯s plot, the person who is soon returning from abroad can be too damaging to Lu Bai.


    The book¡¯s name ¡°Gu Xue3Please check dropdown at bottom of the chapter¡± was rather artistic, but the plot was too dog-blooded and vulgar. Especially the parts involving Lu Bai. In the protagonist gong4Gong is the Top/Seme/Pitcher/¡±Husband¡±/Attack/1 on the opposite side you have the Shou or the Bottom/Uke/Catcher/¡±Wife¡±/0. Most Danmeis only have set roles and they don¡¯t usually switch who is top or bottom very often¡®s childhood, there was a love triangle. One was naturally the protagonist gong, another was Lu Bai. As for the last, he was the key supporting character of the book. Someone who, unlike Lu Bai, was Qin Gu¡¯s beloved childhood friend and good brother5Not blood-related, meant more as a really good friend., and later is the biggest obstacle between the protagonist gong and the protagonist shou Qu Xueyu getting together, he is really in Qin Gu¡¯s heart. Even if in the end Qin Gu really gets together with Qu Xueyu, there was always a spot in his heart reserved for him. What¡¯s more touching is that a proud person like Qu Xueyu would still have sympathy for this supporting character and became friends.


    As for the love-triangle period of Lu Bai¡¯s childhood, of course, he was purely a vicious cannon fodder meant to highlight the kindness, purity, and loveliness of that supporting character. When Lu Bai came to this world, he was only an infant. He experienced that period firsthand, and in order to complete his role as a foil, it can be said that he did his best to work hard.


    Later, that supporting character left the country and Lu Bai could finally rest for a while. Now that he¡¯s back, Lu Bai has to resume his work as cannon fodder to highlight someone else.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lu Bai looked at Lu Guanguan with a warm smile on his lips, ¡°I won¡¯t really be sad.¡± Apart from it all being exhausting, how could it make people truly sad?


    Lu Guanguan was a bit confused, but still nodded: ¡°As long as brother isn¡¯t sad!¡±


    Aunt Sheng and Guanguan were not actually there during that period, so they should only know some vague details from his father and mother, but they are still so worried for him. Lu Bai¡¯s heart was filled with warmth. This world may be fictitious, but his family here is real.


    Lu Bai sipped his black tea and looked outside, the glass door behind him had been tinted by the twilight sky, and a soft smile appeared on his face. He needed to make an appearance tomorrow night for the upcoming plot.


    At that time, Xiao6Not the same Xiao as ¡°Little¡±. Check dropdown for more info Yang will have returned to China. Qin Gu introduces Xiao Yang to Qu Xueyu to get them acquainted, and the evil male counterpart Lu Bai comes over after hearing about it to make a scene.


    Just by thinking of this, Lu Bai¡¯s new phone beeps with a text message notification. His old wallet, car, and phone are still in the hands of that group of bastards, and he hasn¡¯t gotten anything back yet. He has already been helped by his family to purchase a new phone and a replacement card.


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyebrows raised reading the text message displayed on the screen.


    ¡°Xiao Bai, long time no see! I¡¯m back home now! Brother Qin and I decided to meet at Silence, I guess he was too busy and forgot to tell you. We¡¯ll wait for you tomorrow at 8 pm, the three of us should get together again! -Xiao Yang.¡±


    Reading the text, Lu Bai almost genuinely thought his old friend really seemed to miss him a lot. Although he didn¡¯t really want to go, he had no choice ¨C he stuffed another piece of yellow pea cake into his mouth, cheeks bulging, lips covered in crumbs. Who let him be a particularly dedicated and vicious male match?


    ~~~~


    Silence is a new specialty bar in the downtown city center, which only receives people who are well acquainted. The environment of the private rooms is quiet and secluded, and in addition to all kinds of wine, they also do Huaiyang dishes7Footnote; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaiyang_cuisine Lighter tasting , non-spicy, dishes. One of the four most popular food styles in China. Chinese Link: https://baike.google.com/item/%E6%B7%AE%E6%89%AC%E8%8F%9C/314695, which is why Qin Gu loves to come here. When Qu Xueyu opened the door of the private dining room, Qin Gu was just lazily leaning on the sofa, with his white shirt unbuttoned a few times, looking unrestrained. Seeing him coming, he did not get up, just waving his hand at him indifferently: ¡°You¡¯re here? Have a seat.¡±


    He was sitting next to a young man with a clean temperament; the young man¡¯s complexion was very white, the bridge of his nose was straight, his eyes were almond-shaped with a gentle look, and his face was still like a youthful, harmless student. Unlike Qin Gu, he stood up calmly when he saw Qu Xueyu, and when he smiled, his eyes curved into a pair of brilliant crescents. He extended his hand towards Qu Xueyu, and his voice was between a teenager and a young man: ¡°Hello teacher Qu8 Calling him ¡®Teacher Qu¡¯ implies that he is in the same industry as the other and of lower seniority. Is seen as respectful, but can also be seen as brown-nosing/sucking up depending on the context., I am Xiao Yang. I love watching your movies.¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow, smiled politely, and then clasped the other party¡¯s hand for a brief moment before releasing it, the tone was distant: ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Qu Xueyu.¡±


    Xiao Yang was not bothered. After Qu Xueyu settled in a seat, he then obediently and skillfully sat back beside Qin Gu. Qu Xueyu poured a cup of tea for himself, moistened his mouth, and then he looked at Qin Gu. The other day, Qin Gu had called him to ask for a favor. Qin Gu rarely asked for his help, and based on his friendship with the other, he had agreed. It seems that this time though, the flavor was not quite what he had imagined. Qu Xueyu unhurriedly took another sip of tea and did not open his mouth to ask. It was Qin Gu who had already laid the groundwork, and naturally, he had to explain the meaning behind tonight¡¯s meeting.


    Qin Gu is also naturally aware of this fact. He straightened up, patted the shoulder of the youth beside him, and looked at Qu Xueyu, ¡°This is my younger brother, and he wants to try filming. I am only familiar with you in the entertainment industry.¡± Other connections are not impossible to get, but he has always hated trouble.


    Qu Xueyu smiled faintly, ¡°Is this a request for my help in pulling some strings?¡±


    Qin Gu replied, ¡°Only a thread, if he really likes it, I¡¯ll take care of him after that.¡± Even if he doesn¡¯t like this circle much, Qin Gu also knows that it is easier to have a backer to smoothly navigate in the entertainment circle.


    Qu Xueyu thought that with one surnamed Xiao and the other surnamed Qin, there should be no biological relation, but also knew that this was Qin Gu¡¯s own private business, so decided not to ask questions. Since Qin Gu had opened his mouth, based on his friendship with him, he could pull a string to help.


    Qu Xueyu was about to say that in two months his new movie will start filming and there is still a role that has not been decided yet. Xiao Yang¡¯s appearance is also quite fitting, he can help Director Zhou make a connection


    The door of the compartment was suddenly opened with a bang, cutting Qu Xueyu off. He looked towards the door where a panting young man with a face full of resentment appeared, along with a few disgruntled employees.


    ¡°You are not allowed to appear in front of Brother Qin Gu! Get out of Jinghai!¡±


    ¡°Sir! Would you please leave!¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s voice and the voice of the security guard who had chased him to the private box sounded simultaneous, and for a few seconds after the two voices rang together, a peculiar silence settled over the room.


    Lu Bai did his best to make a malicious expression while viciously pointing at Xiao Yang sitting next to Qin Gu. He had done his best in order to get rid of the attendants on the way up, he was really out of breath. Playing the vicious male supporting role is really very difficult.


    ¡®What was the next?¡¯ Lu Bai pointed at Xiao Yang as he panted. It seems he had to splash Xiao Yang with a glass of wine and then receive a slap from Qin Gu. Tsk, today he has to suffer again. As for Film Emperor Qu, I¡¯m sorry, today he is a passerby with no role. Except that after this incident, he has a worse impression of the vicious male counterpart Lu Bai.


    ¡°Xiao Bai, long time no see.¡± Seemingly not caring at all about Lu Bai¡¯s rudeness, Xiao Yang wore a pleasant smile as he looked at Lu Bai, then he looked at the waiter and security guard who had difficult expressions next to Lu Bai, ¡°You guys can go back. It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s our friend. Sorry for the trouble we caused you guys.¡±


    The waiter and the security guard nodded gratefully at Xiao Yang and then hurriedly left.


    Lu Bai, as depicted in the original, made an even angrier expression. Then he took a big step forward, picked up the wine on the table, and splashed it on Xiao Yang¡¯s face. His actions were too fast, and when Qin Gu and Qu Xueyu reacted, Xiao Yang had already been drenched. The wine flowed down the bridge of his nose to the tip of his chin and then fell onto his soiled white clothes, making him look pitiful.


    ¡°Apologize.¡± Just like in the original book, Qin Gu¡¯s voice sounded sinister. Lu Bai¡¯s throat moved, and he didn¡¯t dare to look at the darkened face of the other man.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Deeper Explanation on some of the Chinese


    I just want to expand on some of my footnotes, this WILL be an info dump.


    The book name ¡°Gu Xue¡¶¹ÊÑ©¡·¡± (G¨´ xu¨§)


    -¹Ê g¨´ happening; instance; reason; cause; intentional; former; old; friend; therefore; hence; (of people) to die, dead


    -Ñ© xu¨§ snow; snowfall; CL:ˆö|³¡[chang2]; to have the appearance of snow; to wipe away, off or out; to clean


    Or, ¡°Old Snow¡± as Deeple says. Gu is also the original books Male Leads Name (Qin Gu ¡®Çعʡ¯), Whereas Xue is the same as the books¡¯ Shou (Qu Xueyu ¡®ÇúÑ©Óô¡¯)  This is likely playing off the two leads names as a pairing, but also as a elegant title. This is popular in online culture. This could also just be trying to make a ¡°deep¡± name considering all the different variations of translation, also why I left it as Pinyin.


    Character Names:


    OG ML/Book Gong, Qin Gu  ¡®Çعʡ¯  (Q¨ªn g¨´)


    -ÇØ Q¨ªn surname Qin; Qin dynasty (221-207 BC) of the first emperor


    -¹Ê g¨´ happening; instance; reason; cause; intentional; former; old; friend; therefore; hence; (of people) to die, dead


    ¡ª¨C


    MC, Lu Bai ¡®Â½°×¡¯ (L¨´ b¨¢i)


    -½ L¨´ surname Lu


    -°× b¨¢i white; snowy; pure; bright; empty; blank; plain; clear; to make clear; in vain; gratuitous; free of charge; reactionary; anti-communist; funeral; to stare coldly; to write wrong character; to state; to explain; vernacular; spoken lines in opera


    B¨¢i surname Bai


    ¡ª¡ª-


    ML, Qu Xueyu ¡®ÇúÑ©Óô¡¯ (Q¨± xu¨§ y¨´)


    -Çú Q¨± surname Qu


    -Ñ© xu¨§ snow; snowfall; CL:ˆö|³¡[chang2]; to have the appearance of snow; to wipe away, off or out; to clean


    -Óô y¨´ elegant


    y¨´ dense (growth); melancholy


    ML¡¯s Vest, Ruan Jiangjiu ¡®Èî½­¾Æ¡¯ (Ru¨£n ji¨¡ng ji¨³)


    -Èî Ru¨£n surname Ruan


    -½­ ji¨¡ng river


    -¾Æ ji¨³ wine (esp. rice wine); liquor; spirits; alcoholic beverage


    ¡ª¨C


    Xiao Yang  ¡®Ð¤Ñ롯 (Xi¨¤o y¨¡ng)


    -Ф Xi¨¤o surname Xiao


    -Ñë y¨¡ng center; end; to beg; to plead


    Not the same Xiao as Little, (С).


    ¡ª¨C

 CH 11

    Chapter 11


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t!¡± Anyway, he was going to be slapped in a moment, and he has already made it this far, so Lu Bai simply strengthened his determination and shouted.


    ¡°Apologize. Now.¡± Qin Gu repeated once more, his voice so cold that it was about to freeze. Xiao Yang¡¯s hair was still dripping with wine, and he was now hidden slightly behind Qin Gu with his head lowered so Lu Bai could not see his expression ¨C nor was he in the mood to see it.


    This time, the central plot should be the slap from Qin Gu. As long as it was done, Lu Bai figured he should be able to temporarily merit a retreat ¨C It was so difficult for him to rush to be beaten by others.


    With the idea that a beating is still a beating whether it happens sooner or later, and the earlier it is done, the quicker he can go home. Lu Bai had already taken a pre-emptive dose of painkiller1He took a painkiller before he even came in order to head off the worst of the pain, so he fiercely gestured at Xiao Yang, while focusing on Qin Gu, showing his obvious jealousy and malice: ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have returned to Jinghai or to you! It would be better if he had died abroad!! I will never let him off! So even if he has returned, I can make sure that he has no future in Jinghai! No one can touch what¡¯s mine! Even you can¡¯t protect him!¡±


    Slap!


    Lu Bai¡¯s face was struck sideways. He was raised pampered, and grew up with pale and delicate skin, such a slap to his cheek immediately made it become red and swollen.


    Tsk, Lu Bai touched the corner of his lips with his tongue; it really hurt, and he even tasted a trace of blood.


    To be quite honest, it is rather unpleasant to be slapped in the face. Lu Bai¡¯s mood was really not good, and his fists were secretly clenched. As soon as he found out who sent him here, what happened to him before, plus this slap, if he didn¡¯t return it, his surname wasn¡¯t Lu.


    It happened so fast that even Qin Gu was stunned for a moment when his gaze fell upon the injury on the young man¡¯s cheek. Those foul words that Lu Bai had just uttered stepped on his nerves one by one and made him feel angry, and the words the barman had shared with him that night suddenly came to mind. This guy¡¯s mouth was always saying how much he liked him, and yet he still went to places like Fuyu Road to fool around and then went home with others; his sanity snapped at that instant, and his body moved before he became aware of it.


    The young man¡¯s hair obscured his eyes, so Qin Gu could not see the other person¡¯s expression at this time, only the red cheek and the corner of his lips that were tinged with blood. Unlike his usual domineering attitude, this kind of Lu Bai makes others feel that he is actually vulnerable ¨C but how can the domineering, selfish, and vicious Lu Bai, who has been spoiled by the Lu family, be vulnerable?


    He was about to check Lu Bai¡¯s injury when Xiao Yang¡¯s hand touched his arm. ¡°Brother Qin,¡± there was no resentment in the eyes of the young man who had been drenched in Lu Bai¡¯s wine, and his voice was still so calm and gentle, ¡°I¡¯m sure Xiao Bai didn¡¯t mean it. I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t give him a hard time.¡± He then looked at Qu Xueyu, who had already stood up and had just withdrawn his eyes from Lu Bai, then said, ¡°Sorry for making Teacher Qu laugh, Xiao Bai is just a little capricious2ca¡¤pri¡¤cious /k??priSH?s,k??pr¨¥SH?s/ adjective given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.: ¡°it¡¯s terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a capricious boss¡± ¡°a capricious climate¡±.. Teacher Qu, please excuse him.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for your false pretenses!¡± According to the original depiction, Lu Bai raised his eyes suddenly and pointed at Xiao Yang saying viciously, ¡°Of course, I meant it! You just wait. I¡¯ll tell my father, and after tonight, there will be no place for you here in Jinghai!¡± Then he turned and looked at Qu Xueyu like a ferocious little beast, ¡°You wait for me too!¡±


    Qu Xueyu secretly withdrew the hand that had been raised. He quietly swept his eyes past Xiao Yang, and then looked at Lu Bai, who seemed to be hysterical and in a mess, with an ineffable gaze, but in the end, did not speak. He and this teenager did not know each other very well. This young man hated him, regardless of whether it was to stop the slap just now or to comfort him after, he had no right even if his heart was disturbed by the strong feeling that no matter what, he was an outsider. He is not allowed to do anything and is a mere spectator in this scene. A spectator is not allowed to have any qualifications or position.


    The little bit of pity in Qin Gu¡¯s heart disappeared in a flash, and he looked at Lu Bai expressionlessly while saying, ¡°Get. Out.¡±


    Lu Bai heard these lines before secretly sighing with relief. Finally, it can end. Acting as the clown can be so exhausting.


    Lu Bai pretended to look at Qin Gu with overwhelming sadness and finally ran out the door. So, he did not see that after his shadow disappeared, Qin Gu picked up the cup on the table with a cold face, and then fiercely smashed it on the ground. Qu Xueyu was somewhat surprised. Qin Gu normally looks as if he is cynical and untamed, but in fact, the inner reality is quite rational and almost cold. This is the first time he saw the other so out of control.


    With things developing to this point, it was inappropriate for outsiders to stay any longer, so Qu Xueyu put on his duck-tongue cap3Its called a Baseball hat where I live and sunglasses. ¡°Qin Gu, I¡¯m leaving first. I¡¯ll be in touch later.¡± There is no need for any sort of pretext or excuse, Qin Gu doesn¡¯t need one. Qin Gu simply nodded at his words and as expected didn¡¯t bother to say a word.


    Xiao Yang calmly scanned the mess, and thoughtfully looked at Qu Xueyu¡¯s upright back as he left.


    (Authors Note: Remember this slap, you have to take a test at the crematorium4Its a popular genre, ¡°Wife Chasing Crematoriun¡± basically the ML is scum to the MC who doesn¡¯t deserve it, until the MC finally leaves and ML realizes they had loved them. Cue ML doing just about everything under the sun to win back the MC. Usually drama filled with misunderstandings and abuse ¨C> bittersweet middle ¨C> MC forgives and they end up together again)


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Edited: Krone


    Proofread: Mao

 CH 12

    Chapter 12


    ¡°Big brother?¡± As soon as he left the bar, Lu Guanguan¡¯s phone call came, and Lu Bai was surprised, so he answered the phone, ¡°Guanguan, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± Lu Guanguan¡¯s lovely and clear voice sounded over the phone, ¡°When are you coming back to your apartment? Auntie Liu cooked some of your favorite dishes and we brought them over for you.¡± Her brother had said that he was too bored just sitting at home and went out for a walk earlier. Then he sent a message to the family chat saying that he was going to stay at his apartment tonight. They felt worried for some reason, so they went over to his apartment.


    Lu Bai¡¯s heart surged with warmth, he looked up at the sky and the neon lights under the canopy: ¡°Guanguan, I¡¯m going to stay at a friend¡¯s house instead tonight. Just put the food in the fridge, I¡¯ll eat it tomorrow when I get back.¡± After all, the bruise on his face won¡¯t go away for a while, and it will cause an uproar if his family sees it. To be on the safe side, it¡¯s better for him to stay at a nearby hotel for now.


    Lu Guanguan froze but still said yes, if her brother had really made a friend it was something to be happy about, and so was seeing him tomorrow.


    It was getting late, and Lu Bai felt tired after such a beating, and he walked idly towards a hotel with his hands in his pockets, yawning with drowsiness.


    Hiss. The corner of his mouth was torn and painful. Lu Bai stopped, suddenly thinking of how he left in a hurry today and hadn¡¯t thought to bring his ID. The Lu family¡¯s hotel always has a room open for him to stay whenever, but the manager had loose lips and was simply the most faithful megaphone for his family. If he saw his face, the next day not only his father but even his grandfather, who lives in Yanling, would have been alerted.


    ¡°Are you not gonna head home? It¡¯s pretty late.¡±


    A nice baritone sounded behind him unexpectedly. Lu Bai¡¯s pupils shrank as he jerked around, it was the main protagonist Qu Xueyu. Lu Bai instinctively emitted some defensiveness on the surface and was about to feign a disgusted expression, only to see the other party looking at himself with some familiarity as he bent his eyes in a smile, some teasing in his voice: ¡°Little liar.¡±


    When Lu Bai heard this name, he realized that the person in front of him was dressed completely differently from the Qu Xueyu he had seen today, so his guard fell away entirely and he shrugged: ¡°There is no way I can go home for now.¡± Perhaps it was because of that night, but in front of Ruan Jiangjiu outside of the plot, he didn¡¯t want to pretend, and neither did he want to lie ¨C although, it may be a little dangerous.


    Lu Bai looked at the neon-lit man and blinked: ¡°What about you? Why are you out here so late, Xiao Ruan?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the young man¡¯s lively and relaxed face with a soft sigh. The young man only relaxed his guard towards this false identity. When dealing with ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±, excluding the obvious and sharp rejection as well as disgust, the young man seems to be hiding something else that goes deeper.


    ¡°I came out for a casual stroll.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu recalls that the teenager had just been blankly looking around, so he asked, ¡°Do you have somewhere to go tonight?¡±


    Biu!


    Right into the heart of the matter, Lu Bai somewhat weakly rolled his eyes, but there was nothing that he could say.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu smiled under the neon lights, looking like he was the world¡¯s brightest and most pristine jewel. Lu Bai looked a little stunned for a while and then nodded like a good boy. Ruan Jiangjiu couldn¡¯t help but reach out and rub the other¡¯s fluffy hair.


    Despite the fact that it is getting late, there were still a few pedestrians outside. One girl had held up her cell phone to secretly take pictures, and from time to time, she looked over with a face of excitement and a desire to speak. Finally, she could not resist going forward, first looking at Lu Bai in confusion, and then looking at Ruan Jiangjiu with an excited face: ¡°Excuse me, are you Qu Xueyu? The Movie Emperor Qu?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu subtly paused, before answering her with great ease and without any sense of guilt, ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡±


    The young girl was a little disappointed, but was still convinced. She had some doubts just now about how Qu Xueyu could have appeared on the streets of Jinghai in the middle of the night with a young man wearing such cheap clothes without even trying to disguise himself. She had also brushed up on his fan news yesterday, which said he should be in Chunming City now.


    Despite her disappointment, the girl kept the photo, apologized to the two for misidentifying them, and left.


    After the unexpected encounter, Lu Bai glanced at Ruan Jiangjiu. Being mistaken for Qu Xueyu while having dreams of being an actor himself, he should be feeling quite sad now¡­ With that thought in mind, Lu Bai patted Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Xiao Ruan, don¡¯t be sad. You will also have many fans in the future.¡± Thinking about it, he added, ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t let this discourage you. You are much better looking than Qu Xueyu. You will definitely be more popular than he is in the future.¡±


    With rather mixed feelings, Ruan Jiangjiu nodded: ¡°Thanks for your auspicious words.¡±


    ~~~~~


    It was nearly midnight after they had returned to his apartment on Fuyu Road. After he came out of the shower, Qu Xueyu saw that the young man who said he would wait for him had fallen asleep on the sofa under a blanket. His black hair was a little messy and damp from his own shower, and the bruise on his cheek looked more serious under the light.


    This young man always had a domineering look in front of him as ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±, but was soft and endearing when he falls asleep before ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu¡± with no precaution.


    Ruan Jiangjiu frowned slightly. The bruise on Lu Bai¡¯s face was really noticeable.


    There are boiled eggs on his table, so Ruan Jiangjiu sat down next to Lu Bai, peeled the shells, and held the boiled egg in his hand. He looked at the younger man¡¯s sleeping face and reached out to press the soft egg against the other¡¯s red and swollen cheek1Chinese remedy for bruises, it confused all of us..


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Lu Bai frowned slightly, confused. He opened his eyes and then crashed into the clear, clean eyes of Ruan Jiangjiu.


    When he realized what Ruan Jiangjiu was doing, a warmth welled up in Lu Bai¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he earnestly remarked.


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    Lu Bai blinked, but still nodded, his face betraying some grievance: ¡°Actually, it really hurts.¡± Lu Bai thought people are really too vulnerable at night, revealing their own vulnerabilities so easily. Ruan Jiangjiu was one of the bizarre and wonderful types who could make others drop their guard so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy some medicine for you tomorrow.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s movements became lighter, and his voice was cool and gentle, like a lullaby.


    Lu Bai nodded: ¡°Okay.¡±


    ~~~ Later, In the bedroom~~~


    Lu Bai was once again wrapped in the plush fuzzy blanket, holding the same small rabbit lamp as last time. He was actually very tired from today, but his heart was filled with a strange sense of peacefulness.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan,¡± Lu Bai was so drowsy that he was on the verge of falling asleep, but he still managed to ask, ¡°Is that bastard boss of yours treating you well?¡± He didn¡¯t believe that only one warning was enough for that kind of lustful bastard.


    On the floor, Ruan Jiangjiu was resting on his arm, a light smile floated on his lips: ¡°It¡¯s been fine.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, you have to protect yourself.¡± Lu Bai slipped into half-sleep, muttering, ¡°Be careful of bastards like your boss and me.¡± Having finished his speech, he finally sank into a complete slumber.


    Ruan Jiangjiu laughed as he looked at the ceiling. There was a shallow, even breathing from the other in his ears.


    ¡®You¡¯re the one who has to protect yourself, Little Liar. You¡¯re not a bastard either.¡¯ He mused inwardly.


    Then, he closed his eyes.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Edited: Krone


    Proofread: Mao


    Egg??


    Shiotamari:  uhhh, so many questions? Why are they there, why did he put it on his face? Is this a Chinese medical thing? Do research when editing


    (Later)


    It is a home remedy, still undecided whether it works or not but a warm egg is supposed to help with blood circulation.


    Krone:   NGL, this confuses me. XD I believe the standard is to put ice xD due to that, perhaps it¡¯s best to footnote this xD a simple explanation ¡°this is similar to when someone gets a bruise and they put an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas on the swollen area¡± just in this case, it¡¯s a chinese home remedy version


    Mao:     I¡¯m surprised yet not surprised with this XD I¡¯ve heard of being wrapped with a leek when one has a fever. The effectiveness is questionable but I¡¯ve learned to accept such remedies XD

 CH 13

    Chapter 13


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, do you need to go to the bar tonight?¡±  Lu Bai asked in the morning, looking at the quite tempting breakfast on the table.


    Ruan Jiangjiu pulled out a chair and sat opposite Lu Bai. He was silent for a few seconds before he thought of a good excuse: ¡°The boss has ordered me to take a vacation.¡±


    Lu Bai smiled on the surface while inside, alarm bells rang in his heart ¨C he knew that bastard of a boss was not well-meaning. He was still not thinking about Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s well-being, the same as the scum who would later go pursue him.


    In the original, Ruan Jiangjiu became a canary raised by Lu Bai, but to Lu Bai, he was just a prop to insult Qu Xueyu. Everyone knew that Lu Bai didn¡¯t place much importance on him and barely even cared for him. So after being thrown into the entertainment industry, Ruan Jiangjiu continually attracted the attention of countless scum. His good-looking face, paired with his stubborn personality, made it easily arouse the desire of those who wanted to conquer and abuse. At the same time, he was a great substitute for Qu Xueyu. Those who did not dare to mess with the Qu family or Qu Xueyu, naturally put their thoughts on Ruan Jiangjiu instead, who had no support at all.


    Lu Bai sat looking at the young man seated casually in the morning light. He could not let those other things happen. They were almost irrelevant to the story anyway, barely even minor details in the plot, and the original story was a stand-alone, so he should be able to circumvent it.


    Ruan Jiangjiu smiled when he noticed Lu Bai¡¯s expression as if he was facing a big enemy, ¡°What¡¯s with this look?¡±


    Lu Bai solemnly replied, ¡°Xiao Ruan, not everyone in this world is as good as you.¡± That bastard boss definitely has ulterior motives towards Ruan Jiangjiu to give out small favors, but at this time, the not-yet-blackened Ruan Jiangjiu was just a poor college student. One who, despite his disadvantaged background, was very simple and has not experienced the dark side of the real world.


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu gave a rare ¡°cough¡± with a guilty conscience, and the tips of his ears turned red. He was not as good as the young man thought ¨C just because of curiosity and a little interest, he acquiesced that the young man regarded him as Ruan Jiangjiu, which was an out-and-out deception.


    ¡°Xiao Bai,¡± Ruan Jiangjiu seriously called Lu Bai¡¯s name and met his eyes: ¡°Actually-¡°


    Lu Bai¡¯s cell phone suddenly buzzed, interrupting Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s words. Lu Bai showed an apologetic expression to the other party as he picked up the phone.


    ¡°Second Uncle?¡± Lu Bai huffed, ¡°Why are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Bai, I need to talk to you this afternoon. Come see me.¡±


    Lu Bai heard the seriousness in the words of his second uncle, who had never been in any kind of proper manner and played with the world. He was shocked and then asked seriously, ¡°Second uncle, just what exactly is the matter?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been photographed by the paparazzi.¡± Lu Zhi on the other side of the phone answered, ¡°Anyway, you better come over this afternoon.¡±


    Although he did not understand the implications of his second uncle¡¯s words, Lu Bai still said, ¡°Okay¡­?¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ruan Jiangjiu asked, seeing Lu Bai put down the phone with a somewhat strange expression.


    Lu Bai twitched his lips: ¡°I¡¯m not really sure.¡± This was the truth, if his second uncle had not called him by name, he would have wondered if the other party had been drinking too much and had mistaken him for one of his company¡¯s starlets. This kind of creature, paparazzi, has nothing to do with a fellow like Lu Bai who has no interest in the entertainment industry.


    Ruan Jiangjiu had heard Lu Bai call the other ¡®second uncle¡¯. Lu Bai¡¯s second uncle was Lu Zhi, a rather unrestrained and rebellious man who was simply not interested in the Lu family business. He only loves good-looking beauties, so he simply opened a film and television company to enjoy a variety of flowers. For the past two years, he has flourished, bringing out many talented individuals.


    Ruan Jiangjiu furrowed his eyebrows slightly, he just faintly heard the word paparazzi. Was it because of him? While he asked his grandfather for help so that he wouldn¡¯t be disturbed by the paparazzi during this time, it was inevitable that some things would slip through the cracks. In any case, he should find someone to confirm the situation later; he can¡¯t bring trouble to Lu Bai because his identity is exposed.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing,¡± looking at Ruan Jianjiu¡¯s somewhat pensive face, Lu Bai smiled, and a small dimple appeared in the corner of his mouth: ¡°My second uncle just wants to see me later.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu remembered Lu Zhi¡¯s personality and nodded. According to Lu Zhi¡¯s protective and ruthless character, Lu Bai will not suffer any losses.


    ~~~That Afternoon~~~


    Lu Bai sat on the sofa in Lu Zhi¡¯s office, receiving his Uncle Lu Zhi¡¯s merciless treatment.


    ¡°You kid, you really have grown up, ah.¡± Lu Zhi chewed out the words while rubbing his nephew¡¯s hair into a bird¡¯s nest before relenting. Lu Bai could not easily escape from his clutches and huffed, the corners of his mouth twitching, ¡°Second Uncle, what the hell happened?¡±


    Lu Zhi gave a cold snort, ¡°I told you. Your picture was taken by the paparazzi.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°What are the paparazzi doing photographing me?¡±


    Lu Zhi showed a bright fake smile towards Lu Bai, grinding his teeth: ¡°To photograph you hiding your big secret from your family, you raising a wild man outside, ah.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°???¡± What kind of mysterious development is this? Even if he had wanted to raise, he had not done so yet! Besides, what wild man! That¡¯s a fashionable canary!


    ¡°Stop trying to play tricks with your second uncle,¡± Lu Zhi took out a stack of photos from his drawer, and with a cold snort, remarked, ¡°Take a look.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s throat twitched as he hastily picked up those photos, one by one, flipping through to the end, his eyes widened. These were all photos of him and Ruan Jiangjiu! From the time Ruan Jiangjiu rubbed his hair to when he followed Ruan Jiangjiu home. When he walked down the alley last night, Ruan Jiangjiu knew he was afraid of the dark, so he took his wrist. At the time, he didn¡¯t think it was appropriate, but the feeling of being in contact with anyone in the cramped, scary darkness was too good to refuse.


    The photos showed his face clearly, and Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s face was blurred instead.


    ¡°Second uncle,¡± Lu Bai said, ¡°If I said I just went to sleep at Xiao Ruan¡¯s house, would you believe me?¡±


    Lu Zhi huffed a laugh: ¡°Apart from sleeping, what else were you going to do? Play something more exciting?¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned, then he reacted and said, ¡°Not that sleep! Just pure sleeping! Xiao Ruan and I don¡¯t have that kind of relationship!¡±


    Seeing his nephew¡¯s red face when he denied it, Lu Zhi sighed, ¡°It¡¯s okay to have fun, just don¡¯t get tangled up in it.¡± He then rubbed Lu Bai¡¯s hair again, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of the photos, and I won¡¯t tell your father.¡± These photos are not too serious, his nephew has always been well protected by his brother, rarely being exposed to the public but who dares to touch his silly nephew in Jinghai? This is a slap in the face of the Lu family, he will not be satisfied until he digs out the person behind it.


    These photos were almost published in the papers before he pulled them at the last minute.


    ¡°No,¡± Lu Bai said seriously, ¡°Second Uncle, Xiao Ruan and I really don¡¯t have that kind of relationship, and Xiao Ruan is not that kind of person.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, every breath is ¡®Xiao Ruan¡¯ ¨C alright, as you say.¡± Lu Zhi obviously did not believe him and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Then, tell me. What happened to your face?¡± As soon as his nephew came in, he saw the fresh bruise on his face.


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes twinkled with a smile, ¡°Second Uncle, in addition to the matter of the photos, can you please help me keep this a secret?¡±


    ~~~~~The Lu family.~~~~~


    Father Lu has been looking at the latest headlines on his tablet, and his face was covered in dark clouds.


    Under a hot topic on a certain platform, his son¡¯s face, which he had always protected well, was hanging out on countless marketing accounts, together with another man, with headlines that were full of attention-grabbing drama.


    #Shocking! The son of a luxurious family met privately with his male lover in the middle of the night and stirred up a sea of love#


    #The rich man and his Cinderella canary#


    #The luxurious playboy¡¯s extreme affairs are exposed#


    These headlines, coupled with the ambiguous photos, made people think about the wrong things. All these eye-catching details of gossip about high-class families and their male lovers were brought together, and the popularity exploded in a flash.


    Father Lu¡¯s hand slapped fiercely against the table, the tablet was dropped to the ground, and his face was full of dark clouds: ¡°Where is that brat?¡±


    Sheng Mei looked at Father Lu, her delicate eyebrows furrowed: ¡°Xiao Bai is being pitted.¡±


    Father Lu replied, ¡°I know, where is he?¡±


    Sheng Mei answered, ¡°I¡¯ve already called him, and I¡¯ve sent Uncle Liu to pick him up.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s phone buzzed, and when he answered, Qu Xueying¡¯s voice burst out from it: ¡°Young master, be honest with me. The other man in Lu Bai¡¯s topic is you, right?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s fingers tapped on the desktop, his face cold: ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Qu Xueying took a deep breath and said, ¡°Well, the old master even greeted them, and that group of grandsons still dare to photograph you.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes filled with cold intent, ¡°The one they wanted to photograph was not me, it was Lu Bai.¡± The person who caused this drama didn¡¯t want to offend the Lu family and the Qu family at the same time.


    Qu Xueying huffed: ¡°What¡¯s the point of photographing Lu Bai?¡± He isn¡¯t in the entertainment industry, and although he doesn¡¯t have many friends and has offended many people, the Lu family is too powerful, so no one dares to pit him.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes lowered without answering. Such a complete exposure, even with the Lu family behind the scenes, the little liar¡¯s daily life will still be affected. However, at least the impact should be minimized. Thinking about this, he simply ended it: ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first, there¡¯s something that needs my attention.¡±


    ~~~~~


    Qin Gu expressionlessly picked up a stack of photos and was about to go out when Xiao Yang called his name: ¡°Brother Qin, where are you going?¡±


    Qin Gu turned to look at him: ¡°To find a friend. Then,¡± he lowered his eyes to look at the man in the photos whose face was blurred out, his tone was unexplainably cold: ¡°to find the man who dared to calculate Lu Bai.¡± This is an obvious matter, although that guy has always acted very domineering, he has always been simple and easily cheated. This time, he has been pitted like this, he better learn to be more careful in the future.


    ¡°Brother Qin, those photos are not fake.¡± Xiao Yang exclaimed, ¡°Maybe that¡¯s Xiao Bai¡¯s friend?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize this friend of his,¡± Qin said before he turned around and strode out the door.


    When Qin Gu¡¯s figure had completely disappeared, Xiao Yang took off his gentle mask. His phone rang, and he picked it up without any expression, ¡°You did a good job this time. I¡¯ll forgive you for screwing up last time.¡±


    ~~~~~


    Lu Bai sighed as he lay on his bed, he had been locked up by his father.


    He understands that they¡¯re saying he is ¡®locked up¡¯, but in fact, it is just disguised protection. Right now, there is a lot of gossip flying around about him, and his glorious deeds as a vicious male character from childhood are being dug out of the ground. Fortunately, the bruise on his face has been reduced after using the medication that Ruan Jiangjiu had bought him, and his family¡¯s focus was on the incident that just happened, so he didn¡¯t create another storm because of his injury.


    He was pitted, and his suspects can be numerous people ¨C for he has offended many people since childhood, and the number of people who look at him with displeasure is considerable.


    But the strangest thing is ¨C Lu Bai frowned slightly, his face was pure puzzlement ¨C this matter never happened in the original.


    Logically, apart from the fact that he, an outsider, could cheat and change some minor details, other parts of the plot happened in a step-by-step manner. So what happened this time¡­?


    He picked up his phone, and as soon as he pressed the key a popular news item popped up: #The identity of a certain wealthy prince¡¯s canary remains a mystery#, Lu Bai looked at the nonsensical headline with his lips twitching, then he froze. Canary¡­ Now almost everyone knows that he has a canary, just like in the original. In the original, Lu Bai did not conceal the existence of Ruan Jiangjiu from the public, and almost everyone knew. After all, the more people were aware of him, the better he could achieve the purpose of insulting people. Lu Bai didn¡¯t care about Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s life or death.


    But, Lu Bai suddenly rose and opened his eyes, he was trying to protect Ruan Jiangjiu. Lu Bai forcing Ruan Jiangjiu to be his canary is an important plot, but he has been avoiding it, and avoiding it is different from completely changing the plot, so the world has no way to launch a punishment mechanism on him¡­


    ¡°So¡­¡± Lu Bai looked at his palm and muttered, ¡°¡­the world itself pushed the plot to happen¡­¡± In the eyes of everyone, Lu Bai still raised Canary.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Edit: Krone


    Proofread: Mao

 CH 14

    Chapter 14


    He didn¡¯t know what to believe. Suddenly, Lu Bai looked towards his door, his brow wrinkling slowly.


    Then, the door was suddenly opened, and Lu Guanguan carried his dinner as she walked in. She looked at Lu Bai with some concern as she put his food down on the table, ¡°Brother, it¡¯s time for dinner.¡± After a pause, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad and Second Uncle have gone to investigate. You can just stay home for a few days.¡±


    Lu Bai flashed a quick smile as he picked up his chopsticks as if nothing had happened. He ate the celery lily in front of him, before looking up at Lu Guanguan with a serious look, ¡°Guanguan, I have to go out.¡± He has the protection of the Lu family, but Ruan Jiangjiu does not. Although they don¡¯t know why those paparazzi blurred Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s face, with the current popularity of this story, Ruan Jiangjiu will be dug out sooner or later, especially since he has a face that looks so much like Qu Xueyu¡¯s.


    Since sooner or later it will be uncovered, and the plot will eventually be pushed forward¡­ Lu Bai lowered his eyes, the corners of his mouth slightly skewed into a downward arc. In that case, it would be better to follow the original plot and turn Ruan Jiangjiu into his canary. This way, when Ruan Jiangjiu is eventually exposed according to the original plot, he can protect himself justifiably.


    However, if he follows the original practice of forcing Ruan Jiangjiu to submit¡­ Lu Bai¡¯s face slightly leaked some sadness. He would never be able to be friends with Ruan Jiangjiu again.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Lu Guanguan took two steps back, but her face was resolute: ¡°I can¡¯t let you go out.¡± Her brother would be eaten alive by the malicious people outside if he left the house today.


    Lu Bai looked at Lu Guanguan solemnly with gentle and clear eyes, and his voice was soft but firm: ¡°Guanguan, I must go out today.¡± Those paparazzi are pervasive, and the place where Ruan Jiangjiu lives will be dug up sooner or later. He has to go see Ruan Jiangjiu before the Lu family finishes with this matter and brings Ruan Jiangjiu to a safe place.


    Lu Guanguan looked at Lu Bai and was stunned, she had never seen her brother show that kind of expression. Not even Qin Gu had ever made her brother reveal such calm determination. As a result, she clenched her teeth and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll help you, brother.¡±


    ~~~~~


    In the middle of the night, came the sound of frantic knocking on his front door. Ruan Jiangjiu put down his phone as he rose to open the door, and the young man he had just been talking about on the phone appeared in front of him. Lu Bai was panting slightly, his cheeks were pale, his normally fluffy hair was damp with cold sweat, and his honey eyes were dark and shining in the dim yellow light of the corridor. He was so distraught and fragile that he wanted to take him into his arms immediately.


    Ruan Jiangjiu was so amazed at his feelings that he couldn¡¯t help but frown subconsciously, even as he reached out and grasped the other¡¯s wrist to pull him into his apartment. Sure enough, that wrist was a little cold. This child was afraid of the dark, but in the cold of the night, he still ran to his place. Chances were nine out of ten that he had secretly come over, the Lu family wouldn¡¯t let Lu Bai out in this storm alone.


    Once Lu Bai was comfortably nestled in the small sofa and covered with a blanket, his hands stuffed with a cup of hot fruit tea, his complexion finally got better.


    Ruan Jiangjiu sat next to him and raised his eyebrows: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± In the end, what happened to make this young man run to him alone in the middle of the night, away from the safety of the Lu family?


    Lu Bai took in Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s face which was even more exquisite in the light and bit his lip, ¡°I have lots and lots of money.¡± Although it was all from his parents, grandpa, and his aunt.


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded: ¡°I know.¡± This was the truth, the foundation of the Lu family in Jinghai was indeed among the deepest in the city.


    Lu Bai continued, ¡°I also know you¡¯re poor, but you don¡¯t care very much about money.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s expression blanked for a moment before nodding. Having the impression of being unaffected by the smell of copper in front of this kid should be considered a good thing. Even though growing up, his grandfather wasted a lot of money on him.


    Lu Bai was quiet for a few seconds before he finally voiced the key strike that got Ruan Jiangjiu in the original. It was shameless and despicable, ¡°I also know that your mother works in a small restaurant, she has a weak character and is not well. She raised you all by herself if you don¡¯t want to give her trouble-¡± The original Lu Bai, being the vicious male character, had used Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s beloved mother to threaten him, and Ruan Jiangjiu, who was headstrong by nature, finally submitted.


    ¡°Wait-¡± Hearing this, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyebrows twitched. This young man seems to have a deep misunderstanding of him, too deep. As he was about to say something, he saw the young man jerk his head up to stare at him with a fierce look, but his dark honey eyes seemed to contain an apology and faint embarrassment.


    Then he heard the young man harshly spit out, ¡°-just be my canary!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s ears burned red, but he still slapped a card on the coffee table and said with a burst of courage, ¡°You must accept this card!¡± In addition to the original one million, before he came, he also transferred most of his pocket money. Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s mother¡¯s medical expenses were quite substantial, not to mention that since he was going to be someone¡¯s financial backer, he had to be more qualified and generous.


    After saying such harsh words, Lu Bai lowered his eyes and waited for the other man to drive him out of the apartment.


    There was silence for a few moments.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s pleasant voice was like jade pendants colliding: ¡°I will accept it.¡±


    Lu Bai jerked his head up and saw Ruan Jiangjiu casually put away the card on the coffee table and met his eyes. Those beautiful eyes were not filled with the disgust and anger he had originally envisioned. They were still so warm and clear, as if they were hiding pure stars.


    Lu Bai¡¯s throat moved, his momentum suddenly weakened by half, and he said dryly but seriously: ¡°I, I will treat you well.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at him with a smile, then nodded: ¡°Then I¡¯ll look forwards to it.¡±


    ~~~~~


    The night was getting late.


    Lu Bai was wrapped in a blanket and curled up into a ball quietly sleeping, holding the round rabbit night light in his arms. Ruan Jiangjiu leaned over and gently covered him with a new blanket ¨C the late autumn weather in Jinghai is getting cooler and cooler.


    He reached out towards the young man¡¯s quiet, serene sleeping face but stopped short when he was about to touch the other man¡¯s skin.


    He had no business touching him without the other¡¯s consent like that. What¡¯s more, he had just lied to him once again.


    Lu Bai looked like a frightened rabbit when he first spoke, and his eyes seemed to have a sadness as if he had to give up something. So, he agreed. Afterward, when Lu Bai wanted to bring him away, he finally understood what this kid who was afraid of the dark had come here in the middle of the night to do. At that moment, the tip of his heart seemed to burn with a brilliant flame.


    He couldn¡¯t help but be intrigued and curious about this young man. He wanted to know what this young man was after and why in the world he was disguising himself with that vicious image.


    When the young man faced ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±, he acted like a little hedgehog with thorns all over his body, and he opposed ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±.


    In the darkness, Ruan Jiangjiu straightened up, but his eyes were downcast; such deception is too despicable, and he still has to find the opportunity to confess.


    The sound of a phone vibrating sounded from the living room. Ruan Jiangjiu came back to his senses, carefully left the bedroom, and gently closed the door.


    Pressing the answer button, his agent Bo Yangzhi¡¯s voice was heard: ¡°Xueyu, did something bad occur on your end?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu gave a start: ¡°I¡¯m fine, why?¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather just called me and told me to protect you properly and to tell him if anything happens in the future. The phone call in the middle of the night scared me into thinking something had happened to you, young master.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu frowned slightly at the words. If even his agent didn¡¯t know that he is that blurred-out man in the photo, it seems that the person behind it doesn¡¯t want to offend the Qu family ¨C they really were only after Lu Bai.


    Bo Yangzhi completely put his mind at ease, ¡°You just take good care of yourself then. Don¡¯t worry about this part of Chunming City, no one will know that you are not here.¡± Finally, he sighed: ¡°Young master, I¡¯m relieved that there¡¯s nothing wrong with you-¡°


    ¡°In fact, there is a small matter,¡± suddenly remembering, Ruan Jiangjiu spoke up. ¡°This thing¡­ it is better for you to be informed.¡±


    Bo Yangzhi lightheartedly chuckled, ¡°What is it?¡± As long as his master doesn¡¯t have an accident, any small thing is fine.


    ¡°I have been bought for a great deal of money.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu caressed the card in his hand, and could not help but smile, ¡°From today onwards, I am someone¡¯s canary. Please prepare yourself mentally.¡±


    There was a loud clatter across the phone as Bo Yangzhi fell out of his chair. Phone clattering to the ground alongside the glass of water he had just been drinking, soaking him and some papers that had been swept off the table in his shock. Too anxious to care about the mess he hurriedly retrieved his phone out of the puddle. Hands and voice shaking he cautiously asked ¡°What¡­ What did you just say young master?¡±


    He will absolutely get assassinated by Master Qu! Definitely!


    Authors Note: Regarding places; Jinghai probably corresponds to Shanghai, Chunming to Beijing, and Yanling to Changzhou! Just comparing!


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Mao

 CH 15

    Chapter 15


    ¡°I won¡¯t be coming to work for a while.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu continued the phone call while casually flipping through a cookbook ¨C a proper canary, of course, should be dedicated to the job, and learn a few more dishes to please their owner.


    ¡°Yo, you finally learned how hard it is?¡± Qu Xueying laughed and teased him over the phone: ¡°You now know how difficult it is for us normal folks that have to work.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s well-defined fingers casually turned over a page and remarked, ¡°I just want to experience something else first.¡±


    Qu Xueying chuckles and paused: ¡°For example?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu leisurely picked up a pen and circled a dish, then casually said, ¡°A canary being kept by a golden master.¡±


    Qu Xueying was silenced for several seconds, but finally spoke with difficulty: ¡°This¡­ is also a role requirement?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu thought back to the script and said without hesitation, ¡°It counts.¡± Although it doesn¡¯t match his current situation, the script does involve a related plot.


    Qu Xueying huffed, took a deep breath, and asked, ¡°So, where are you now?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked up at the gorgeous crystal chandelier and said, ¡°In the golden master¡¯s river-view villa.¡± Early that next morning, Lu Bai had sent him here, saying that it was a coming-of-age gift from Master Lu.


    Qu Xueying felt like he was having a dream, waking up to the fact that his cousin, who couldn¡¯t have been more golden since he was a child, actually had a golden master. After giving himself a moment to do countless mental reinforcements, ¡°Then your golden master¡­¡± Originally, he wanted to ask who the hell is so powerful, but Ruan Jiangjiu directly interrupted him, saying: ¡°The golden master went to see his mother. I want to prepare dinner in advance.¡±


    Qu Xueying: ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Xueying blankly stared at the phone that had been abruptly hung up and fell into a state of subtle skepticism about life.


    As soon as he hung up the phone, a few messages came in. Some new ideas about the characters from Director Zhou, and a message from Bo Yangzhi, asking him to go to the film¡¯s official announcement blog ¨C his social accounts are always taken care of by himself.


    The first thing he did was to find the official announcement blog and see the photos of the chosen actors. It seems that although he didn¡¯t go through him, Qin Gu still managed to get the role for the young man named Xiao Yang in such a short time.


    This was originally Qin Gu¡¯s business, but now it has even less to do with him.


    Ruan Jiangjiu reposted the official announcement and withdrew from the official blog page. Whenhe was about to exit the app entirely, he suddenly saw a trending article.


    The photos of him and Lu Bai circulating on the Internet have long been deleted by the Lu family, and this hot article is a marketing account apologizing for it.


    Lu Bai had been rudely raked over the hot coals of the internet, of course, the Lu family would not rest peacefully. Lu Zhi had sent lawyers¡¯ letters to the most popular of the marketing accounts and did a lot more things behind the scenes. Those marketing accounts had not expected that the Lu family would go to such lengths for the sake of their notorious offspring, and they were really scared and quickly apologized, but Lu Zhi did not show any mercy. The blog is still full of netizens discussing the secret affairs of the rich and famous family, discussing the so-called black material of Lu Bai that had been dug up over the past few days. A few comments questioning whether one should not dredge up the privacy of an ordinary person were quickly suppressed and then disappeared.


    Looking at it, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s brow creased slightly. He felt that the words used to describe the teenager were a bit harsh.


    Lu Bai has already been exposed to the public, even if the Lu family had the contacts and means, it is impossible to block everyone¡¯s mouth. Ruan Jiangjiu quit the app and lowered his eyes. While he usually does not have that kind of exposure himself, he has spent many years in the entertainment industry. So he knows that if you want to cover up a piece of news with maximum efficiency, the best way is to put out another piece of news that will attract the public¡¯s attention.


    As he thought of this, Ruan Jiangjiu lifted his eyebrows and dialed Bo Yangzhi¡¯s phone number.


    ~~~~~


    A certain Western-style restaurant.


    ¡°Xiao Bai,¡± Ming Yan was wearing elegant light makeup on her face, but there was barely concealed worry in her eyes as she carefully asked, ¡°How have you been lately?¡± She regretted the words as soon as they were spoken, all kinds of rumors were buzzing around outside these past two days, how could her son be fine?


    She was the mother of this child, but she couldn¡¯t get to his side when something happened to him.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Bai smiled softly, covering the woman¡¯s hand: ¡°Dad and the others have already solved it. I¡¯ve been doing well these days.¡± After a short pause, he directed the conversation to something else, ¡°There¡¯s less than half a month left, right? I¡¯m looking forward to mom¡¯s painting exhibition.¡±


    Ming Yan¡¯s nose was sore, but a smile emerged on her face as she flipped her hand to hold her son¡¯s in return, ¡°That¡¯s good. Mom is also looking forward to your visit.¡± After a pause, she was about to ask something else when a voice suddenly sounded.


    ¡°Auntie Ming, long time no see.¡± Xiao Yang was wearing a nice suit, but still had some childishness on his face, which made people feel favorable at first glance. He showed an appropriate amount of surprise as he said, ¡°And Xiao Bai as well, what a coincidence.¡± He looked back at Ming Yan, a gentle smile on his face, ¡°Auntie Ming, my mother misses you very much.¡±


    Ming Yan was shocked when she finally recognized who he was. Her face turned cold. She elegantly took a sip of her wine as she indifferently asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xiao Yang was not angry by her polite alienation, ¡°My mother always says that the kindness that Auntie Ming has shown to us, we can never forget in our lifetime.¡±


    Ming Yan faintly smiled, the curve of her mouth carried a trace of sarcasm. She was raised to adhere to a certain level of propriety and not say anything more unpleasant, not to mention her son was also here. She looked at Lu Bai and her eyes instantly became softer. She handed over a card and said, ¡°Xiao Bai, go to the front desk and settle the bill.¡±


    Lu Bai nodded and took the card, and left. Now that there was no plot involved, he didn¡¯t really want to see Xiao Yang.


    When Lu Bai¡¯s figure disappeared, Ming Yan¡¯s face completely chilled as she looked expressionlessly at the seemingly harmless youth in front of her, ¡°Stay away from my son.¡± They could just as easily have called the waiter over to settle the bill, but she didn¡¯t want her son to see her in this state of unseemliness.


    Xiao Yang smiled brightly, still so gentle and harmless, as he suddenly took Lu Bai¡¯s seat and narrowed his eyes at Ming Yan, ¡°Auntie still has such a deep misunderstanding of us mother and son.¡±


    At the front desk, Lu Bai had settled the bill and was about to go back. When he turned around, he bumped into the cloudy face of Qin Gu.


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He should have expected it; wherever Xiao Yang is, Qin Gu will most likely also be around. After all, Xiao Yang just returned to Jinghai, Qin Gu cannot let his valued little brother blindly wander in this unfamiliar place.


    However, during these non-plot times, he really does not want to put on a show.


    So, Lu Bai showed a rather perfunctory smile and blinked his eyes: ¡°Brother Qin!¡±


    The coldness on Qin Gu¡¯s face intensified, as he sneered, ¡°You¡¯ve just made such a big mess, but you¡¯re still so carefree.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes rolled: ¡°Oh.¡±


    Qin Gu let slip some blatant sarcasm on his face, and his heart inexorably rose with some irritation: ¡°Since you have already raised someone, don¡¯t come back to haunt me. It is too dirty for my tastes.¡± He shocked himself by saying such heavy words, but they could not be retracted.


    Lu Bai hung his eyes. That¡¯s not possible, the plot has to continue moving.


    ¡°And also,¡± Qin Gu felt that he should not say more, but what the young man has done in the past was like a fire burning his heart. The feeling was a little strange, he could not identify, but still the words came tumbling out of him: ¡°Lu Bai, you have so much more than Xiao Yang. Even though you do not deserve it. He is very simplistic, from now on stay away from him. If you ever strike out at him again, I will not show any mercy.¡±


    Not knowing what he had just jabbed, the mask-like fake smile on the corners of Lu Bai¡¯s mouth faded, he raised his head, looking directly into the frigid eyes of Qin Gu, and spoke one word at a time: ¡°Worthy. Or unworthy. It is not for you to say. Nor does it have anything to do with you.¡± Then he turned and strode away ¨C at any rate, any plot of Qin Gu and Xiao Yang¡¯s be damned.


    In this world, his family is his bottom line.


    When Qin Gu had met the teenager¡¯s stare for a split second his pupils contracted, and by the time he reacted, Lu Bai had disappeared. However, his heart¡¯s jarring heaviness was unable to clear up no matter what, a feeling so strange that he was bewildered.


    When he returned to his seat, Xiao Yang had already disappeared. Lu Bai handed his mother back her card, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ming Yan smiled up at him: ¡°Okay.¡±


    After taking Ming Yan back to her gallery, Lu Bai was on his way out when Ming Yan casually asked, ¡°Where are you going this afternoon?¡±


    Lu Bai blinked: ¡°Going to find Second Uncle.¡±


    Ming Yan simply assumed that it was because of that incident. She gently rubbed her son¡¯s cheek and nodded her head. After Lu Bai left, she picked up the phone ¨C although she has been abroad for many years, she also has some contacts in Jinghai, she should at least do something for her son.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°Say that again?¡± Lu Zhi twitched the corners of his mouth, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.


    Lu Bai sat on the sofa and blinked, and repeated quite seriously as requested: ¡°Second Uncle, how do you support people?¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Although he is an ordinary person with no background, I assure you, he is particularly good-looking. Second Uncle, I want to make him a big star. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± Lu Zhi¡¯s eye twitched violently.


    Lu Bai then blurted, ¡°It¡¯s that he and Qu Xueyu look a bit alike.¡± They say that the entertainment industry is very taboo about this, and he is afraid that his Xiao Ruan will be torn apart by Qu Xueyu¡¯s fans as soon as he debuts, and will be branded as a copycat.


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s handsome face contorted itself ugly for the first time. He regarded his nephew, and took a deep breath: ¡°Is he the canary you¡¯re raising?¡±


    Lu Bai froze before simply nodding: ¡°So Second Uncle, you have to cover him with me.¡±


    Lu Zhi looked at the resolute face of his nephew, the corners of his mouth unable to stop twitching, but finally sighed while saying, ¡°All right, all right, all right. I¡¯ll teach you how to raise, okay?¡± As long as his nephew was having fun. There was also the small matter of the little canary holding his nephew¡­ Well, it¡¯s easier to beat him if he really enters the entertainment circle. He didn¡¯t know how his nephew hid him, but he still couldn¡¯t dig him out after all these days.


    When Lu Bai finally heard Lu Zhi agree, his eyes brightened.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Mao

 CH 16

    Chapter 16


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lu Zhi patted his nephew¡¯s shoulder reassuringly, ¡°I¡¯ll help you find the first role for your little canary. You just be good and stay home awaiting news.¡±


    Lu Bai nodded, but he also grasped Lu Zhi¡¯s sleeve and stressed, ¡°Second Uncle, you have to pick well. The debut role is very critical.¡± After a momentary hesitation, he added: ¡°Money is not a problem, I still have some pocket money left.¡± If you wanted to grab a role, you may need to provide money for investment or something.


    Lu Zhi thought in his heart: how much pocket money could you have as a child, while saying, ¡°You can rest assured.¡± If he cannot stuff a single person into a play, then he will have spent all these years in vain.


    He was about to advise his nephew further about some things when there was a sudden knocking at the door.


    His secretary was outside and wouldn¡¯t disturb him at this time if he didn¡¯t have something important at hand, Lu Zhi gave an impatient ¡°tsk¡± and said, ¡°Come in¡±.


    The handsome young secretary walked to Lu Zhi¡¯s side, and pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose as he announced, ¡°Mr. Lu, something has happened.¡±


    Lu Zhi was alarmed for a moment, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The secretary then said, ¡°Qu Xueyu¡¯s love affair has hit the news.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡± His brow twitched and he took a deep breath, ¡°Qu Xueyu¡¯s romance has nothing to do with Laozi! He is not an artist of Laozi¡¯s1Laozi,( ÀÏ×Ó) l¨£o zi father; daddy; ¡°I, your father¡± (in anger, or out of contempt); I (used arrogantly or jocularly) company!¡±


    The secretary pushed up his glasses unhurriedly, ¡°Mr. Lu, other companies¡¯ artists are readying their own press releases. Our PR department just came to ask if we also wanted to make arrangements.¡± The shock of Qu Xueyu, who has always remained free of scandal, is now in the news and will occupy the headlines for a long time. For some artists, especially those who have worked with Qu Xueyu, it is an excellent opportunity to rub off some heat and gain some popularity. There¡¯s no need for the press release to be too blatant either, too obvious and it will offend people. As long as there is an implicit reference to something, it¡¯s a sure profit.


    Lu Zhi grimaced as he felt embarrassed in front of his nephew. He looked at his secretary and said tersely, ¡°If those people in the public relations department have such stupid brain cells, they should just scram.¡± The artists who make their name purely on hype will sooner or later be devastated by that same hype. This is something that has never changed in the entertainment industry. Not to mention that he is not a good man, but even he knows that whoever really takes advantage of that guy Qu Xueyu will be skinned by the old man of the Qu family.


    ¡°Very well said.¡± The secretary calmly stated.


    Lu Bai scooted closer to him at that moment, his eyes shining brightly, as he exclaimed, ¡°Second Uncle, since you¡¯re helping me, I¡¯ll give you some news!¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s eye started a slow twitch, ¡°What news?¡±


    Lu Bai began by saying, ¡°Do you know who Qu Xueyu likes?¡± He had just brushed up on the news, and it was not a specific relationship that broke out, only that Qu Xueyu had a favorite. The story only said that the source was reliable, but it did not explicitly indicate who. There were at least twenty different men and women included in various articles, but unfortunately, they were all wrong.


    Lu Zhi looked at his nephew: ¡°Who?¡±


    Lu Bai clearly stated: ¡°Qin Gu.¡±


    Lu Zhi looked skeptical: ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    Lu Bai patted Lu Zhi¡¯s arm: ¡°This news is absolutely reliable, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can wait and see.¡± The protagonist gong and the protagonist shou are a natural pair.


    Lu Zhi doubted it for a long time and his face showed it, he turned to Lu Bai: ¡°Don¡¯t you like that Qin Gu fellow?¡± All the people in the upper Jinghai circles have heard about it, plus his nephew has been doggedly fawning after Qin Gu for years, and although he has a canary now, he still thinks Qin Gu remains his nephew¡¯s white moonlight. But now his nephew is happily gossiping about Qin Gu and Qu Xueyu¡¯s rumored relationship and is not upset at all¡­


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡± He was so overly excited about the main characters being the subject of gossip that he forgot himself. In addition, Lu Bai blinked in thought, this kind of news about Qu Xueyu should occupy the hot spot for a long time. Now that the public¡¯s attention has been drawn to him, not many people will be concerned about Lu Bai¡¯s material, which simply helped him a lot.


    ¡°Ahem¡°, Lu Bai realized that he was too happy and patted his face, dropping the corners of his mouth perfunctorily and looking at Lu Zhi: ¡°Second Uncle, I¡¯m actually very sad right now ¨C very sad inside, really.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Only when Lu Bai had finally left did the secretary continue, ¡°Mr. Lu, there is one more thing.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°What?¡±


    The secretary then said, ¡°People from the Qu family have delivered the paparazzi who secretly photographed the young master that day. They said it would be more appropriate for you to handle it.¡±


    Lu Zhi gave a wry smile: ¡°Since when did the Qu family have such a good relationship with us? To get entangled in this matter?¡± His face was smiling, but his eyes are filled with coldness.


    ~~~~~


    Bo Yangzhi sighed over the phone, ¡°Young master, what the hell are you doing now? Look at all the hot searches, you¡¯re about to turn into Wagyu2OG was ¡°Tang monk meat¡±. It¡¯s in reference to a famous story called ¡°Journey to the West¡±, Long story short it¡¯s now a reference to a popular, hard-to-get thing. As the old saying ¡°selling like hotcakes¡±. I used Wagyu instead because almost everyone knows about it. and get eaten alive.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu put a plate of celery lily on the table while holding the phone, and smiled: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it for now, let it ferment for at least a week before you deal with it.¡± A week is enough for the public to forget about Lu Bai. After a pause, he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll tell my grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Bo Yangzhi let out another sigh as he said, ¡°You just stay quietly in Jinghai, and I¡¯ll deal with the mess from this week.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu beamed and said, ¡°Okay. Thanks.¡±


    It was already late in the evening when Lu Bai returned home, this river-view villa¡¯s security is very good, even safer than the main residence of the Lu family. Lu Bai has not told his family about Ruan Jiangjiu, so when Lu Bai proposed to stay here for a while, his family only thought he wanted to take a break and change his mood, and agreed to it.


    As soon as he entered the house, he smelled a tantalizing fragrance of rice and saw Ruan Jiangjiu sitting in the warm yellow light, with a smile in his eyes.


    Lu Bai was astonished, and his heart surged with a burst of warmth, the corners of his mouth curving up. He said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, I¡¯m home.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu cocked an eyebrow and smiled, there was something profound about it, ¡°Welcome home.¡±


    ~~~~~


    After eating, Lu Bai sat on the sofa in the living room with a pillow, and Ruan Jiangjiu sat next to him and handed him some fruit. Lu Bai ate a piece of rabbit apple3Literally just apple slices halfway peeled with a notch at the top to resemble a rabbit. Often seen in anime lunchboxes or as a snack., then asked, ¡°Do you want to watch TV?¡± There don¡¯t seem to be many other entertainment options in the house at night.


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded: ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    As soon as Lu Bai turned on the TV, a large, bright yellow font burst into view: ¡°Is the dream lover of the movie star him, him, or her~?¡± After the big words are the silhouettes of several people, accompanied by the hostess¡¯s vivid and excited presentation.


    Lu Bai ¡°tsk¡± and confidently stated: ¡°They are all wrong, Qu Xueyu obviously likes Qin Gu.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai belatedly reacted to the slip of the tongue again ¨C Ruan Jiangjiu is also from Jinghai. He also works in a bar, a place where gossip runs wild, so it is impossible for him not to know that Lu Bai likes Qin Gu. There is still a large chunk of relevant story yet to come, so for now he can¡¯t be exposed.


    He then had a brilliant idea, so he swallowed the apple chunk, and pointed at Qu Xueyu on the screen, feigning viciousness: ¡°Qu Xueyu is a demon!¡±


    After a pause, he painfully added: ¡°That¡¯s why brother Qin was charmed by him! I don¡¯t like him at all! Really!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu, who was now in a very complicated mood: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Mao

 CH 17

    Chapter 17


    Later that night, Lu Bai yawned as he was about to enter the bedroom when Ruan Jiangjiu suddenly threw that round rabbit lamp into his arms. Lu Bai was startled, and then his eyes curved into two crescent moons.


    It abruptly occurred to him that the other party may be bored constantly being in the villa, and Lu Bai was a bit embarrassed, so he said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, try to endure a few more days. Then you can finally go out.¡± The Lu family had suppressed the matter cleanly, and he had intended to have Ruan Jiangjiu live here until the public had forgotten all about the affair so that Ruan Jiangjiu would not be at risk of being dug up. The general public would find something that was more attention-grabbing in comparison to this type of luxury gossip. It wouldn¡¯t take very long. Little did he know that Qu Xueyu would end up helping him, and now in a week at most, Ruan Jiangjiu should be able to resume his normal life.


    Ruan Jiangjiu raised an eyebrow as he nodded: ¡°Well, I understand. Captivity play. Gold Masters all love the excitement from playing.¡± After a moment, he seemed to feel that his image was tarnished, so he added, without any hint of shame: ¡°This is how they all play in the TV shows.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened, and a burning heat spread from his cheeks to the base of his neck. Which unscrupulous TV show is causing his Xiao Ruan to be corrupted!?


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± Lu Bai bashfully exclaimed, ¡°I, I was not trying to play any exciting things with you¡­¡± After he said it, he regretted it so much that he wanted to burrow into the ground.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ruan Jiangjiu was nodding like he had realized: ¡°Then you want to play something unexciting?¡± His eyebrows arched and his eyes glittered with a burst of dazzling laughter, ¡°Do you need a non-exciting massage service1My boy here is implying a thing. Was just ¡°¡õ¡õ¡± in the raws, so he must have been too spicy for the ¡®crabs¡¯?


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai felt that even his toes were burning. He turned around and opened the bedroom door, taking a big step in, but stumbled over the door jamb and then snapped the door shut.


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the closed door and collapsed on the sofa with a rare smile of incomparable joy. This kid, oh no, he¡¯s his golden master now, was simply ¡­ much too cute.


    ~~~~


    A week later, Lu Zhi delivered the good news, Lu Bai¡¯s story was washed away by Qu Xueyu¡¯s romantic relationship on the Internet, and Ruan Jiangjiu could finally go out again.


    ¡°A web drama?¡± Lu Bai sat on the sofa in Lu Zhi¡¯s office looking at the older man with a suspicious gaze.


    Lu Zhi twitched the corners of his mouth, ¡°Just to start out. Acting in a web drama can be a good opportunity, and it is not too eye-catching that it would attract hate.¡±


    The suspicion on Lu Bai¡¯s face became even more intense: ¡°As male number three?¡± Are not all the main protagonists in TV dramas with gold owners just parachuted in as leads? Then there is an explosion of popularity and success pouring in from all directions, with no chance to let life become boring. Wait¡­could it be that he, as a gold master, is too inept?


    Lu Zhi seemed to know what Lu Bai was thinking. He rubbed his nephew¡¯s fluffy hair into a mess while saying, ¡°Be a good boy, and watch fewer brain-dead TV shows in the future, okay? It will lower your intelligence.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Zhi then continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, how could I treat your people badly?¡± To see how the little canary was tirelessly working for his nephew, sleeping with and coaxing his nephew to be quite happy, he felt he should-for his part- diligently cherry-pick the role with real thought. ¡°Of course, you have to give him good resources for him to go father down this path. But his debut can not be too attention-grabbing. Otherwise, in the future, it will be a black spot that can not be washed away. To really take root in this business, he has to practice his acting skills step by step.¡± After a pause, he then added: ¡°Don¡¯t be worried, the quality of this web drama is good, and this role will look very impressive when performed well.¡± The director of this show is very talented, but he¡¯s young and just starting out with not enough resources so he can only shoot web dramas.


    Lu Bai blinked: ¡°Oh.¡± After a pause, he looked solemn and asked, ¡°Really can¡¯t just give him the male lead?¡± His Xiao Ruan definitely deserves it!


    Lu Zhi¡¯s eyebrows twitched a little: ¡°It¡¯s best not to.¡±


    Only then did Lu Bai finally submit, ¡°Well, alright then.¡± There was a bit of regret in his tone.


    After finally coaxing his nephew, Lu Zhi sipped his tea and exasperatedly said, ¡°Go on. Tell that little bird you¡¯re raising the good news. Next Wednesday, we¡¯ll meet with the director for a meal, and this will be settled.¡±


    Lu Bai nodded his head vigorously a few times before remembering something, he looked up at Lu Zhi and cheekily grinned: ¡°Second uncle, this is his first play.¡±


    Of course, Lu Zhi knows what his nephew means. He gave a long sigh and waved his hand, ¡°There is more to follow.¡±


    Only then did Lu Bai leave happily, leaving only a sentence, ¡°Money is needed to talk.¡±


    Lu Zhi: Heh.


    ~~~~~


    When Lu Bai returned home to tell Ruan Jiangjiu the news, Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the young man¡¯s happy face with a small smile, his eyes swirling with emotions Lu Bai could not understand. After a moment of silence, a grin fully surfaced on his face, and he couldn¡¯t resist reaching out to rub the young man¡¯s fluffy hair and saying, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you on Wednesday.¡± Lu Bai sat next to Ruan Jiangjiu with a serious tone: ¡°Xiao Ruan, you do not know, but the entertainment industry is chaotic. You should not trust others in the future.¡± Just like how in the original, the people who approach Ruan Jiangjiu from the entertainment circle are 99% ill-intentioned towards him.


    Ruan Jiangjiu tilted his head to look at him, the smile fading into a serious look: ¡°The only person I will trust is you, OK?¡±


    Lu Bai was startled, a surge of warmth rose in his heart. He smiled so hard that a small dimple emerged at the corner of his mouth. Looking at it, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s hand itched to poke it, but then that wonderful smile and dimple disappeared. Lu Bai dropped his eyes somewhat lost: ¡°It¡¯s best not to believe even me.¡± Because if everything really continues according to the original plot, then he will ruin him.


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the suddenly lost young man, his heart could not help but sprout some heartache, as well as a mix of other emotions, just like a seedling breaking out of the ground in the spring, taking shallow root in his heart.


    He is not good at comforting people, so he was a bit distressed. Then he suddenly remembered that the boy seemed to like rabbit apples, so he reached for the fruit plate and used a toothpick to deliver an apple piece to the boy¡¯s mouth: ¡°Eat?¡±


    Lu Bai looked at the lovely rabbit apple in front of him and froze, he looked at Ruan Jiangjiu and bit the piece of apple in the other party¡¯s beautiful hand. The feeling of loss was swept away ¨C Lu Bai thought no wonder people love to raise canaries, it¡¯s really too sweet ¨C no, obviously only his Xiao Ruan is so cute.


    ~~~~


    Wednesday; Evening; A fine hotel.


    The young director sat watching Lu Zhi while cowering. He could not figure out why this usually unseen and legendary super-scary big boss would suddenly ask him, such a little-known director, to dinner.


    Lu Zhi stuffing a person into a crew is not even an important thing, there is no need to¡­ make it so formal.


    It¡¯s hard to believe that the one being stuffed in is Mr. Lu¡¯s darling. The young director silently ate melons2Internet slang for just sitting on the sidelines and watching. Eating melons, or melon seeds is pretty common slang, similar to a character pulling out sunglasses and popcorn in mangas or animes.. That said, this really is the most important person in the heart, to let Mr. Lu personally come over in advance and wait.


    ¡°Second Uncle.¡± A young voice rang out, the young director was stunned to hear this address, and only then did he know who Mr. Lu was waiting for, and his face was even more puzzled. Mr. Lu¡­ wants to send his precious nephew into his crew to film a drama?


    He looked up, and met a pair of smiling honey eyes, he was even more bewildered. Contrary to the rumors of being domineering, this is a clean and beautiful-looking youth.


    ¡°Hello, director Xu.¡± Lu Bai stretched out his hand towards the other, and the young director hurriedly shook it in response: ¡°Ah! Hello, Young Master Lu. I do not deserve3He is trying to politely lower himself in importance, implying that he hasn¡¯t yet earned the title of Director. Most likely he is fresh out of directing school. to hear the words ¡°Director Xu.¡±


    ¡°I have read over the script. I was told that you wrote it as well, I think it is very well written.¡± Lu Bai remarked. His second uncle had not lied to him, the show was at least of decent quality in terms of the script.


    Xu Wen froze when he heard this, and a genuine smile surfaced on his face. Very few had noticed that he was the one who wrote the script. He excitedly exclaimed, ¡°I appreciate your compliments.¡±


    ¡°Mmh, my Xiao Ruan will be depending on you. It¡¯s his first time filming and he trusts people too easily, so I hope you¡¯ll take care of him more.¡± The smile on Lu Bai¡¯s face was even gentler, which made Lu Zhi¡¯s brow furrow faintly. That little canary was becoming too important in his nephew¡¯s heart¡­


    Xu Wen¡¯s face was blank for a moment. Eh? It¡¯s not Mr. Lu¡¯s nephew joining? Who is Xiao Ruan¡­?


    Lu Zhi finally spoke up, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Lu Bai replied calmly, ¡°He went to the bathroom.¡± He looked at his watch and frowned slightly. He should have been here by now. So he got up, ¡°Excuse me, Second uncle. I¡¯ll go and check on him.¡±


    Looking at his nephew¡¯s back as he trotted off, Lu Zhi was silent. This so-called ¡®Xiao¡¯ Ruan, seems¡­  much more dangerous than that Qin Gu fellow¡­


    Lu Bai was afraid of something happening to Ruan Jiangjiu, so he accelerated his steps and saw Ruan Jiangjiu standing right around a corner. Lu Bai was about to call out when he suddenly saw another man standing in front of Ruan Jiangjiu, one who was dressed like a rich man in designer brands, and looked like he had a nasty personality.


    Lu Bai¡¯s subconscious set off alarm bells, walking closer he really heard a jarring sentence: ¡°¡­ come home with me?¡± -They said that while even reaching out their dirty paws4 not actual paws, Lu Bai is implying the man is acting beastly.  It can also be used in a cutesy way depending on context.! Ah, damn it! He hasn¡¯t even made it to the set yet someone dares to think about his Xiao Ruan!


    So he went up and kicked that person aside ¨C a dandy¡¯s identity is best used at such times.


    The man was kicked to the ground for no reason and became angry with a fire in his heart. He fiercely looked towards the other man and was about to curse, when he saw Lu Bai¡¯s face and his eyes widened: ¡°Lu Bai!? You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Lu Bai looked at the face of the person on the ground, with clear puzzlement on his face: ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Qu Lin: ¡°¡­!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu ruffled the youth¡¯s hair, glancing indifferently at his¡­ cheap brother5Qu Xueyu¡¯s disliked younger brother (unsure if illegitimate or just a disliked half brother) on the ground, now in a very good mood and curled up the corners of his mouth.


    ¡ª¡ª¨C


    As a big thanks to CeXiong for being my first Kofi I¡¯m doing a double release! Chapter 18 will be posted as well so don¡¯t miss it, and maybe give a bit of thanks in the comments for them  ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    Edited: Krone

 CH 18

    Chapter 18


    ¡°Mr. Lu,¡± Lu Bai had not yet returned with his person, and although Lu Zhi is really scary, Xu Wen still mustered up the courage to ask, ¡°May I dare to ask, what does that Xiao Ruan¡­ look like?¡±


    Lu Zhi tsk¡®ed, ¡°How should I know?¡± After a pause, he looked at Xu Wen in an inquisitive manner, ¡°Why do you ask?¡± A little director would not dare to think about his nephew¡¯s person, right?


    ¡°Well, Mr. Lu, it¡¯s like this.¡± Xu Wen explained, ¡°The third male in this play is the most outstanding, but his persona is based on the premise that the face must look good.¡± He did not have any expectations for temperament, as long as his face was good enough. When he thought of this he smiled a little embarrassed, ¡°In fact, I wrote it according to the movie emperor Qu.¡± Of course, he did not dare to hope that Qu Xueyu could act in a small web drama that he had never heard of, and there were not a lot of scenes for the third male.


    Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow, ¡°Then coincidentally, you don¡¯t even need to think about Qu Xueyu, because his substitute will be coming later. While it¡¯s not as good as the real thing, nevertheless since my nephew fancies him, his face should be able to get by.¡±


    Xu Wen was full of confusion: ¡°Sub-substitute?¡± The world of rich people is not something he can understand very well¡­


    Then he looked up, his eyes widened, and his mouth formed an ¡°O¡± shape.


    Pah! The cup in Lu Zhi¡¯s hand dropped directly to the ground.


    ¡°I would like to introduce to everyone, this is Ruan Jiangjiu.¡± Lu Bai said then he looked at Xu Wen, who was already staring in disbelief. ¡°Director Xu, this is the man who will act in that role in your show.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu smiled faintly: ¡°Hello, Director Xu.¡±


    Xu Wen: ¡°¡­¡± He must be dreaming¡­


    Lu Bai pulled out a chair and sat down, Ruan Jiangjiu took a seat next to him. Lu Zhi observed the man who was pouring water for Lu Bai, before taking a deep breath and turning to Lu Bai. His expression shifted again and again before he finally asked, ¡°Xiao Bai, is this the ¡®Xiao Ruan¡¯ you¡¯ve been talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Bai nodded, then moved closer to him and lowered his voice, ¡°Second uncle, although he resembles Qu Xueyu, don¡¯t you think my Xiao Ruan is much better looking than him?¡±


    Lu Zhi wanted to slap his stupid nephew awake. The fuck. This is not just a resemblance, this is the same damn person! His nephew used to be a bit stupid but he wasn¡¯t blind! What¡¯s wrong with him now? No wonder, Xiao Bai¡¯s canary could not be dug out no matter how he tried. His nephew did not hide him well, but it was because young master Qu was very good.


    ¡°Second uncle?¡± Lu Bai reached out and waved his hand in front of the other, Lu Zhi stared at the man who was currently placing a glass of water by his nephew¡¯s hand with a complicated look, and then looked back at his nephew who was simply foolish, but still decided to say, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Then he looked at the little director who was frozen across the table, tsk and impatiently bit out, ¡°It is no matter. Why do you look so foolish? It¡¯s just a substitute. My nephew wants a substitute, so, of course, he¡¯s going to get the best one.¡±


    That his nephew really became that way towards this ¡°Xiao Ruan¡±, he can only grit his teeth and play along. He has not yet figured out what is going on, and will only hurt his nephew by directly exposing it.


    Xu Wen reacted like a robot moving jerkily: ¡°Ah? Oh, oh! Sorry, I¡¯m sorry, so sorry, Mr. Lu!¡± he took another look at the young man called Ruan Jiangjiu, who is really just too similar. If Mr. Lu had not identified this person as Ruan Jiangjiu, he would have been so excited that he would have asked for an autograph.


    The waiters began to serve food, and even though they were used to seeing celebrities come to the restaurant, several waiters could not help but look at Ruan Jiangjiu a few more times when serving food. This is not a dimly lit bar or a late-night street, and Ruan Jiangjiu did not use micro-expressions to deliberately disguise himself. As long as one has eyes, there is almost no mistaking him, and there is practically no way there could be an exact duplicate in the world.


    ¡°The script is such a script, and the character is such a character.¡± Lu Zhi sipped his red wine, squinting his eyes at Ruan Jiangjiu, and said in a cold voice, ¡°If,¡± he paused subtly: ¡°¡ª¡¯Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯ thinks it¡¯s suitable, he can sign the contract.¡± In this web drama, even if Qu Xueyu doesn¡¯t make a big hit, he can still earn a lot of money. It¡¯s not too much to ask for him deceiving his nephew like this.


    ¡°You, you will be very suitable.¡± Xu Wen could not help but weakly speak up, there was even some excitement in his voice. This young man and Qu Xueyu are simply too similar, so naturally, he could not be more suitable.


    Ruan Jiangjiu just gave a faint smile without saying anything. Lu Bai saw that the director was satisfied and also felt happy, so he spoke up, ¡°Director, I have another request. If you agree, I will give you additional¡­¡± Lu Bai calculated the balance on his card, ¡°One million investment.¡± Most of his money has been given to Ruan Jiangjiu, so right now he can at most, come up with one million. Lu Bai lamented to himself that it was too difficult to be someone¡¯s gold master.


    Lu Zhi twitched his eyebrows and clenched his teeth, but finally resisted before saying anything ¨C he was not afraid of offending Qu Xueyu, or even the Elder Qu, but he was afraid of hurting his nephew.


    ¡°No, no, no! We have enough money,¡± Xu Wen hurriedly waved his hand. What a joke. He does not know how to understand the world of rich people, but it is impossible to receive money from someone¡¯s nephew in front of the Boss: ¡°You just say.¡±


    So Lu Bai grinned, ¡°When Xiao Ruan is filming I want to follow the group.¡± The original plot has so many people who have thoughts about Ruan Jiangjiu, how can he be assured when he is filming his first drama on his own? The identity of his family was still good to use, there should be no one to mess with Xiao Ruan. Lu Bai wanted Xiao Ruan to have a good life, so he could not be oblivious to injustice.


    Lu Zhi BANG! put his glass on the table, his face dark, only to say a sentence. ¡°Following the group is not necessary, Xiao Bai, don¡¯t you have to go to school?¡± Fortunately, his silly nephew who does not want anyone to worry about him will start college in a couple of days.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Mr. Lu, you don¡¯t have to worry!¡± Xu Wen said with a rather oblivious smile, ¡°Most of the scenes in this play are taken in Jinghai! Young master Lu can come over anytime he wants to visit the set.¡± After a pause and added, ¡°It¡¯s very convenient.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, second uncle,¡± Lu Bai nodded: ¡°It¡¯s very convenient for me to stop by.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡±


    So Lu Zhi¡¯s face turned even darker, and the veins at the corners of his forehead cheerfully pumped.


    Ruan Jiangjiu just watched the young man sitting next to him, his eyes only reflected the appearance of this youth, and nothing else. His eyes were thick and dark like ink as if he wanted to completely devour the young man who was sitting in the light at the moment.


    When Lu Bai left for the bathroom later, Lu Zhi¡¯s pleasant mask finally dropped to reveal a cold expression. He raised his chin towards Ruan Jiangjiu, his eyes freezing: ¡°Young Master Qu, is it fun to play with my silly nephew?¡±


    Xu Wen was surprised again, feeling the sudden change of atmosphere here since Lu Bai left and shrunk into a quail, silently watching the fight between the gods.


    Ruan Jiangjiu raised his eyes to look at Lu Zhi and spoke, ¡°Uncle Lu1 Here QXY/RJJ is calling LZ ¡°Uncle¡± like Lu Bai does. Using ¡°ÊåÊå / Shu Shu¡± instead of a polite ¡°´óÒ¯/ Da Ye¡± to address an older male., I have no ill will towards Xiao Bai.¡± He would confess everything to him soon. He was interested in that young man, and he could no longer lie to him. His pride would not allow him to lie to the other anymore. Getting to know each other, getting along, and being with each other are all true, only that hint of falsehood, like choking on broken glass, will cut a fatal wound in their relationship at any time.


    Lu Zhi jerked one corner of his mouth in a sneer, his brow furrowed: ¡°Who is your uncle?¡± Are their two families so close? No, they have no relationship with each other as ¡®uncle¡¯ and ¡®nephew¡¯.


    Ruan Jiangjiu was not concerned, only continued: ¡°I will sign the contract. The drama is free to use me to promote, and, I do not want to be paid a penny to film it.¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s heart clenched: ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu chuckled: ¡°I want 20% of the dividends after the show airs.¡±


    Lu Zhi was instantly angry. Damn, how worthy of that old man who raised him. His heart could be really black. As long as there is Qu Xueyu in this drama, 20% of the bonus is definitely not a small amount. He was about to say something, when he saw the younger man raise his eyebrows, his features under the light more refined: ¡°And the contract is to be written clearly, these bonuses will be given to Xiao Bai.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu wanted his little gold master to support him, but most of the small treasury is gone, so he should earn some pocket money for him.


    Lu Zhi looked at the other person with a complicated expression for a long time before saying, ¡°Deal.¡±


    At that moment, a text message suddenly came in. Ruan Jiangjiu looked down and saw that it was a message from his father, who had just invited his cheap brother home while showing off his fatherly love in front of him, sending him a message especially to teach him a lesson in anger. Ruan Jiangjiu blithely swiped through it, when another message popped up, and Ruan Jiangjiu narrowed his eyes at this message: it was Qin Gu asking him to meet.


    ~~~~~


    When Lu Bai came out of the bathroom, he opened his phone to reply to Lu Guanguan¡¯s message. Then suddenly, a trending headline popped up, with a very eye-catching title: #Shocking big reveal! The movie star¡¯s sweetheart is actually him!#


    Lu Bai scowled in disgust even as he clicked on the announcement while thinking that these media were too unethical, trying to pull the wool over the eyes of unrelated celebrities. However, when the announcement finally opened, he was stunned and blinked tsk, the media has finally dug up the real thing.


    The two dazzling and proud teenagers were standing side by side, behind them was the rising sun and a swath of bright red camellias, and beneath the glow of the light and blooming flowers, the two appeared simply fated to be a couple.


    The photo is accompanied by the text: The movie star and the domineering president¡¯s childhood love ¨C for more information, please visit the link.


    Well, he has long said it ah. But second uncle and Xiao Ruan refused to believe¡­


    A glance at the slightly grainy old photo of the teenage Qu Xueyu can not block the cold and delicate but eye-catching face even with the bad resolution ¨C Lu Bai as a melon eater in his heart sighed. tsk, Qin Gu is really too blessed.


    However ¨C Lu Bai looked towards the ceiling and twitched the corners of his mouth ¨C this matter  bursting into the open means that he will have to go to work again for the plot, tsk, not happy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Once again a big thanks to CeXiong for being my first Kofi! Please enjoy this extra chapter!


    Edited: Krone

 CH 19

    Chapter 19


    The news of Qu Xueyu¡¯s romance has been fermenting for a week, and Bo Yangzhi has started to deal with the ongoing popularity. But how could he have expected that his own master, who is usually very picky and difficult to serve, would appear in the hot topic with Qin Gu? The movie emperor and his domineering president, childhood friends, and rivals. The photo of the beautiful youths, together with these elements is simply bursting with sparks that are almost too good to be true. However, they were caught by surprise and appeared in the spotlight, attracting a lot of cp1CP fans, fans who ship a certain pair of people together as a couple/cp. fans, and even pressed other messy news to a clean sweep.


    This time the foolish marketing agencies saw that the famous PR team of the powerful Film Emperor Qu was actually ignoring the speculation on these articles, so they have been emboldened, madly laying down their bold speculations on the relationship between Qu Xueyu and Qin Gu.


    Bo Yangzhi was in a difficult position, Qin Gu is a friend of his family¡¯s master, and also a member of the Qin Family. In the end, how to handle this kind of news exposure is truly a test of skill.


    ¡°Withdraw it. The ones that exposed this should be sued.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu looked at all the lively buzz, remembering how the young man presented him with this message after returning from dinner last night, his eyes shining: ¡°I told you that Qu Xueyu absolutely loves Brother Qin Gu!¡± After a pause, added with feigned ferocity and swore: ¡°That¡¯s why I hate Qu Xueyu, really.¡±


    Just thinking about this Qu Xueyu¡¯s teeth itched a little2Teeth itching is slang for saying you¡¯re angry., he mused: ¡°Say, am I that unattractive?¡±


    Bo Yangzhi had not reacted yet over wanting to sue the marketing accounts, and then was blindsided by the next sentence into utter confusion, ¡°What?! Who does not like you? Who can dislike you? Then he must be amazing3Nuo bi again.¡± There is no one in this world who does not like Qu Xueyu, and there was also nobody who could reject Qu Xueyu. He had been an agent for twenty years, and from the first time he saw the teenaged Qu Xueyu, he knew that this was someone who was born for this job, someone who should be enveloped by light and noticed by all.


    ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu seemed to sigh softly, there was even a slight note of chagrin in his tone, which caused alarm bells to ring in Bo Yangzhi¡¯s heart ¨C this was definitely not normal. Qu Xueyu appeared to resemble a mountain of ice and snow that was untouched by the dust, but at heart, he was prideful and wild yet spontaneous, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have become friends with Qin Gu, so he tentatively asked, ¡°Is this related to your relationship with your golden master?¡± He only thought he was joking when his master said that he was staying at the home of a friend.


    -A friend? He also recalled Qu Xueyu¡¯s unusual attitude towards the scandal with Qin Gu, so he added: ¡°Xueyu, you and Mr. Qin are not really¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not in a relationship with Qin Gu.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu was expressionless as he replied.


    Bo Yangzhi: ¡°All right¡­truly?¡±


    Remembering a different thing, Ruan Jiangjiu changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯m informing you that I¡¯ve accepted a new show that will be filmed in a little over two weeks.¡±


    Bo Yangzhi has become accustomed to his master¡¯s surprise moves, so he was not surprised by it, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s rare for you to encounter a role that you like, and two weeks won¡¯t affect your participation in director Zhou¡¯s play, so that you can take it. In fact, I have suggested before that you could take some shorter roles in these two months to fill the gap.¡±


    It¡¯s just that Qu Xueyu has always preferred not to overdo it, and has a habit of preparing seriously when he meets a project he likes, which is why he has a full two-month gap. He casually asked, ¡°Whose show is it? Director Liu¡¯s?¡± Two weeks is usually a guest appearance, and Director Liu happens to be in Jinghai to shoot for an award-winning literary film. There is nothing wrong with finding Qu Xueyu to make a guest appearance.


    ¡°A web drama, the director is also unknown, and I¡¯ll play the third male.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu blandly stated.


    Bo Yangzhi: ¡°¡­¡± he felt as though he could hardly breathe, he was about to pass out. With this master of his, there¡¯s truly, a daily ¡°surprise¡± ¨C he will sooner or later be surprised by the young master into the emergency room.


    ~~~~~


    The place where Qin Gu asked to meet this time was still a bar, but probably because he didn¡¯t bring Xiao Yang, this time it was completely different from the previously clean and elegant bar. The room was still clean, but the lights were dim and ambiguous ¨C in fact, this is what Qin Gu really likes, hidden deep in his bones were chaos and brutality.


    Qu Xueyu entered the room and frowned slightly ¨C Hah, if his little gold master was to see, he would be even more sure of his wild theory.


    Qin Gu leaned lazily on the sofa, drinking a glass of wine with a misty color. Qu Xueyu sat down opposite him and raised his eyebrows: ¡°Why are you looking to see me?¡±


    Qin Gu drained the wine in his hand before looking at Qu Xueyu: ¡°Why are you meddling in Lu Bai¡¯s affairs?¡± The ¡°doggy¡± 4Paparazzi are called dogs because the way they spell it ¡°¹·×Ð¶Ó / Gou Zai Dui¡± Is literally ¡°Dog Group¡±. So they like to insultingly/jokingly refer to them as dogs. There is a whole danmei based around this called ¡°One Useless Rebirth¡± by Cant Play Chess (complete translation on Novel Updates btw)that both he and the Lu family were looking for was finally found by the Qu family, and the Qu family had given that ¡°doggy¡± to Lu Zhi.


    Qu Xueyu chuckled, ¡°I wanted to intervene, so I did. But you, Qin Gu-¡± he dropped his smile and lightly looked at the other party¡¯s half-drunk eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t you hate him? Then why did you interfere with his affairs?¡±


    Qin Gu looked perplexed for a moment, and then he slumped on the sofa and reached up to cover his face, laughing dumbly, with a strong sense of bewilderment and a little bitterness in his voice: ¡°Yes, why? I also want to know why.¡±


    Qu Xueyu dropped his eyes and didn¡¯t respond.


    Qin Gu refilled his glass of wine, before standing up: ¡°I¡¯m going outside for some fresh air.¡± He suddenly had the illusion that he must not be at a disadvantage in front of Qu Xueyu. This thought is weird and strange, but it wouldn¡¯t go away.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Qu Xueyu said.


    ~~~~~


    Walking down the corridor of a certain bar, Lu Bai once again felt that his work is very beastly, according to the original, at this time the protagonist gong Qin Gu and the protagonist shou Qu Xueyu are meeting in this bar. They met for a drink, and with the influence of alcohol, the two people kissed in a very natural way. As for the vicious male support, Lu Bai learned from an email from an unknown sender that Qu Xueyu and Qin Gu were going to meet in this bar, so he stormed over. He was so angry that he came to beat the lovebirds.


    It¡¯s so cruel, Lu Bai thought, disturbing a young couple¡¯s intimacy means getting struck by lightning5There¡¯s an old Chinese proverb about those who beat/separate a pair of lovers will be struck by heaven¡¯s lightning.!


    Standing in front of the private room, Lu Bai took a deep breath and decided to make this come to a quick conclusion. Xiao Ruan had something to do today, and he wanted to go home early and wait for him.


    So he violently shoved open the door, and viciously delivered those unbearably nasty lines ¨C and in order to prevent himself from seeing any improper scenes, he also closed his eyes as well!


    ¡°Qu Xueyu! You fuck off! Stay the hell away from brother Qin Gu!¡±


    There was silence for several seconds.


    Eh?


    Lu Bai frowned in confusion ¨C strange, according to his reasoning, Qin Gu would have directly sprayed him with a glass of wine, and then sneered at him to get lost. But how come there is no movement now?


    Finally, he cracked his eyes open, and then they snapped wide open.


    In the dim light, Qu Xueyu was standing in front of him with his arms crossed, looking at him with a wry grin, and then he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Qin Gu is not here.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­!¡± What the heck, what¡¯s going on?!


    For Lu Bai, the momentum of the vicious male match for this kind of thing happened all in one go. If the first time it didn¡¯t work, it will never come back again. So the person who had just acted so arrogantly, now could only take a step back in a somewhat abashed manner and dryly say, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Qu Xueyu moved his long legs to stand in front of the young man, he was so close that Lu Bai could see his reflection in the other¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You, what are you doing?¡± Lu Bai took two more steps back ¨C this person, is not going to beat him, right? Qin Gu had the possibility, but such a clean and noble person like Qu Xueyu who grew up drinking dew would not beat people ah? He probably¡­ won¡¯t get punched, right?


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you-¡°Their distance is so close that Lu Bai could hear the other man¡¯s heartbeat. His warm and pleasant smell also gave him a sense of oppression, and Lu Bai thought he was too unfortunate.


    As he finally reached the door, Lu Bai tried to run, but Qu Xueyu¡¯s hand crossed Lu Bai¡¯s shoulder and neck and closed the door with a bang.


    Thud


    Lu Bai was pressed against the door by Qu Xueyu, the other arm placed over his head, and prevented him from escaping. ¡°I have nothing to do with Qin Gu.¡±


    In the dim lighting, Qu Xueyu met the panicked eyes of the youth, his eyes glowing like both a starburst and a bottomless abyss, he solemnly stated once again, ¡°I have absolutely no relationship with Qin Gu.¡±


    He leaned down to get closer, and could even feel the other¡¯s panicked and warm breathing, ¡°Do you hate me that much?¡±


    Lu Bai felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. His brain was buzzing like hundreds of bees were flying around, and he couldn¡¯t think clearly about what was going on.


    His throat moved, and he pushed the other man away, his head was so chaotic that he stumbled back into the room only to trip over nothing and fall to the ground.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s pupils shrank, and he quickly reached out to catch the young man¡¯s wrist, but ultimately was brought down to the ground with him.


    The floor was carpeted and soft, but Qu Xueyu had still reached out to protect the back of the young man¡¯s head before they hit the ground. Lu Bai looked at the man pressed against him with his dazed eyes wide open, and could not utter a word.


    This is when the door was opened, Qin Gu was standing in the doorway against the light looking into the room, after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, his face became cold, and his voice chilled to a frightening degree: ¡°What the hell are you two doing?¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    TN: Lots of footnotes this time, for the novel I mentioned in my 4th footnote, I¡¯m going to try and Hotlink the Novel Updates page for it ¨Chere¨C It¡¯s 293 chapters completed and the translation wasn¡¯t too bad.


    My proofreader has been MIA for a month now so the last three chaps have not been PR¡¯d yet, If you see anything glaring please let me know either here or through discord!


    Edited: Krone

 CH 20

    Chapter 20


    When Lu Bai heard Qin Gu¡¯s voice, he robotically turned his head to look at Qin Gu¡¯s terribly cold face in the doorway. Because of this movement, Qu Xueyu¡¯s slightly cool lips brushed against Lu Bai¡¯s already red and boiling ears. Lu Bai¡¯s entire body jumped because of this touch, but there was nowhere to escape when he wiggled his body.


    While Lu Bai¡¯s eyes seemed to be fixed on Qin Gu, Qu Xueyu was fixated on the youth¡¯s delicate white neck in the dim light¡ªthe burning sensation upon his lips is like a butterfly on the tip of a man¡¯s nose; his breathing was in disarray.


    Qu Xueyu took a deep breath and then got up calmly before bending down to pull the young man¡¯s wrist to lift him up. Lu Bai¡¯s body was so stiff that he stumbled a few steps as soon as he stood up and fell straight into Qu Xueyu¡¯s arms.


    The young man¡¯s warm body rested against his chest, and the corners of Qu Xueyu¡¯s lips raised a light smile. He leaned down slightly and placed his lips right next to the young man¡¯s reddened ears, blowing softly with bad intentions as he whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t hate me anymore, okay?¡± After a pause, his voice was so low that it was virtually flirtatious: ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened, the buzzing bees in his head making his eyes glaze over. In this kind of situation, he couldn¡¯t speak as if he had lost his vocal cords. Qu Xueyu showed a winning smile, just to have the youth violently push him away, turn and escape to the door.


    Qin Gu subconsciously grabbed Lu Bai¡¯s wrist, ¡°Let me go, please.¡± Lu Bai¡¯s voice was hoarse beyond recognition, as he stiffly broke free from Qin¡¯s hand. Qin Gu saw the red eyes of the youth looking at him and he let go of his hand in a daze like he had been burned.


    Lu Bai¡¯s figure disappeared down the corridor, and Qin Gu turned around with a blank face and looked grimly at Qu Xueyu. Qu Xeuyu had already put on his sunglasses and his cap, as he was apparently preparing to leave, ¡°Xue. Yu. Why did you do that?¡± His voice was terribly deep.


    Qu Xueyu slowly walked toward Qin Gu, as he looked in the direction where the young man¡¯s figure had disappeared. ¡°There is no reason, Qin Gu. This is my personal matter.¡± After a pause, he turned to meet Qin Gu¡¯s cold and tumbling eyes and calmly said, ¡°I like that young man very much. I have some matters to attend to, so I will be leaving.¡± He said and then left with great strides.


    Bang!


    Qin Gu smashed his fist into the wall, and his knuckles became red and distinct.


    ~~~~~


    In the alley behind the bar, Qu Xueyu stopped at a trash can and sighed softly. After that, he took off his trench coat, sunglasses, and hat before tossing them in. Then, he walked towards the brightly lit main street¡ªit didn¡¯t matter if he was photographed, he just wanted to find the youth quickly.


    Lu Bai was crouched under a lonely street lamp on a corner; his head buried deep in his arms. His head was burning, and his breath was hot despite the autumn night breeze that made him feel chilled to the bone.


    His heart pounded inside his chest, and Lu Bai had no spare capacity to consider whether he had completed the plot or whether the world would punish him after he failed to complete his plot.


    ¡°Little liar.¡± A gentle and lovely voice came from above, and Lu Bai froze; his eyes widened in surprise.


    Ruan Jiangjiu watched the youth bury himself into a ball and sighed lightly. It seemed that just now, he had gone a little too far. He was about to speak up when he saw the young man stumble to his feet with his head slightly lowered and his messy bangs covering his eyes, so Ruan Jiangjiu could not see his expression at that moment. Then, he plunged into his arms¡ªhis trembling arms loosely hugging his waist.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s pupils shrank, with both hands subconsciously raising. And it was only after a brief pause that he gently placed one hand on the back of the youth¡¯s lovely head, while the other hand encircled the youth¡¯s slim waist in a protective posture.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan is so warm.¡±


    The muffled voice of the youth that was buried in his chest made Ruan Jiangjiu subconsciously breathe lighter. He regretted throwing away the windbreaker he just had which could not have been given to the youth for more warmth on this autumn night. His voice is soft like coaxing a fragile child: ¡°Who is bullying you?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s face stayed buried in the other party¡¯s warm embrace, and he was silent for a while before declaring, ¡°I really think he¡¯s bullying me.¡± His voice had a strong nasal sound and contained aggravation.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s heart felt like it was stabbed by something, and it hurt intensely for a moment. He hugged the young man tighter and looked up at the hazy night sky. Not knowing what he was feeling, he then stated: ¡°Then, he is indeed a big bastard.¡±


    ¡ª¨C


    No notes for this chapter, but let me know if anything was confusing


    Big Thanks to Nitta, my new proofreader who helped me get this chapter out on schedule!


    Edit: Krone


    Proofreader: Nitta

 CH 21

    Chapter 21


    It was very late when they got back home.


    Lu Bai with his half-dried hair was draped in a blanket and eating a bowl of steaming ramen. Ruan Jiangjiu sat next to him, quietly watching him, surrounded by the warm and bright light in the living room.


    Lu Bai finished eating all his noodles cleanly and finally regained his spirits, as well as warmed thoroughly up.


    When he saw that Lu Bai had finished his food and his face finally looked better, Ruan Jiangjiu lowered his eyes and attempted to bring up the topic that had been weighing on his mind. ¡°Xiao Bai, actually I¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ruan. You are right,¡± Lu Bai blurted out at the same time. Then he looked Ruan Jiangjiu straight in the eyes and continued in a serious tone, ¡°Qu Xueyu is a big bastard!¡± He grit his teeth saying this, and his face, which was still a bit pale from before had become red from anger. Lu Bai thought that Qu Xueyu must have used this trick in order to ¡õ¡õ¡õ1It was like this in the Raws. and have him get into trouble. It was too much, and now he was really a little scared to continue finding trouble with Qu Xueyu according to the original plot.


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai then hugged a pillow comfortably in his arms and blinked, ¡°Oh, Xiao Ruan, you were gonna say something?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyebrows twitched suspiciously and said, ¡°I, uh, wanted to ask you¡­ Xiao Bai, would you like some fruit?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s entire body sank comfortably into the sofa. He nodded as he hugged the soft pillow and extended his paw2A cutesy way to say hand, as with a previous chapter, can also be used as a negative. Here though it¡¯s positive. towards the other party with a look as if he wanted to be fed: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s mind was in a rare mess. Yet seeing the young man¡¯s appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but bend his eyes into a smile: ¡°Good.¡±


    ~~~Late at night.~~~


    Lu Bai¡¯s bedroom has a small night light, and the whole room is warm and dim like usual, but tonight his body was rigidly curled into a ball, the round rabbit lamp clutched in his arms.


    Lu Bai¡¯s breathing was a little heavy, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.


    He had just woken up from a nightmare.


    At this time, the plot was off-course. He had already planned to accept the discipline from the world of the plot. He was safely at home, and he had his night light and the rabbit lamp that Xiao Ruan had given him. He was no longer twelve years old, and it was only painful, not something that he couldn¡¯t endure at any rate.


    But strangely enough, the world hasn¡¯t punished him yet. Not as it had the first time when he hadn¡¯t fulfilled the scenario when he was twelve. Although he felt puzzled, it was a good thing nonetheless. The day had been exhausting, so he had quickly fallen asleep.


    Perhaps it was the memory of the punishment from before that triggered something. He then had a nightmare that seemed all too real ¨C not so much a scary or bad dream, but rather just reliving that certain scene from back then. He woke up panting and chilled, unable to fall back asleep after that.


    It was already pretty late at night, and outside the white curtains was endless darkness.


    Lu Bai clung to his blanket and rabbit lamp, even the tip of his nose was glistening with drops of cold sweat. He took some deep breaths and tried to calm himself down, but his unsteady breathing remained out of his control. Lu Bai stared blankly down at the rabbit lamp¡¯s cute ears as it finally occurred to him that he was not alone in the house.


    Some kinds of temptation are really irresistible. Lu Bai got up and out of bed, leaving his blanket behind, and stumbled towards his bedroom door without even bothering to stop and put on his slippers.


    The hallway was quiet but felt lively, Ruan Jiangjiu knew that Lu Bai was afraid of the dark, so he installed small nightlights in every corner of the house.


    Clutching his rabbit light and standing in front of the others¡¯ door, Lu Bai hesitantly bit his lower lip while he reached out and pushed it open.


    Unlike his imagination of it being dark inside, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s room was actually saturated in a dim, warm yellow, also being equipped with a small night light. Ruan Jiangjiu has always been a light sleeper, so he was easily woken up by the sound of Lu Bai opening the door. He propped himself up, his hair a bit sleep-tousled. Supporting his head to look at the other person, he was seemingly not upset by the sudden intrusion, only the smile on his face was completely different from the daytime: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± His voice was hoarse and languid, completely different from usual.


    Lu Bai was startled and subconsciously retreated two steps. Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s smile and voice were so foreign that he perceived a slight hint of danger, but failed to fully understand how.


    Ruan Jiangjiu knew he had just frightened him, and smiled helplessly, before clearing his throat and repeating: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Only then did Lu Bai subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief and shamefully blurted out, ¡°Can I, can I sleep with you tonight?¡± He felt somewhat embarrassed to say such a thing, and his eyes wandered around before finally looking at the ground.


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the cute toes that the other had scrunched up into the plush carpet and his eyes flashed as he took a deep and steadying breath. Then he lifted a corner of his quilt and smiled gently, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Lu Bai was delighted and hastily hugged his small lamp as he burrowed into the other person¡¯s quilt. There was a residual warmth and a clean, pleasant scent coming from Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s quilt. As Lu Bai¡¯s body sank into its¡¯ soft embrace, he could finally take a deep, soothing breath and felt the shadows in his heart dissipate.


    Ruan Jiangjiu watched the young man who was already nonchalantly lying down beside him as he slowly and flirtatiously teased, ¡°It is after all, one of the most important jobs of a canary. To accompany and sleep.¡±


    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not this.¡± Lu Bai¡¯s ears were a little red at the tips, but he was incredibly earnest as he said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, please don¡¯t worry. I will definitely never try to do anything to you.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu glanced up at the ceiling and languidly exclaimed, ¡°Oh.¡± Then he grabbed a pillow and got out of bed, about to go to find a blanket and futon for the floor. Then he suddenly felt something cling to the corner of his shirt. His movements stuttered as he turned slightly to look at the blushing young man who held onto the corner of his shirt.


    ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t do anything to you. So¡­ just for tonight, can we sleep in the same bed?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjjiu¡¯s eyes narrowed, as he quietly observed the youth whose body was nestled inside his cloud-like quilt and who had stretched out one tentative hand to grasp the corner of his shirt, so soft, and so¡­ irresistible. His voice seemed to contain grievances, just like the prickly yet soft paws of a little kitten, gently scratching across his heart. The color of his eyes then grew increasingly deeper.


    The young man did not seem to be aware of the situation and was still holding the corner of his shirt and saying those desperate things: ¡°Xiao Ruan, we have been living together for so long, so you should have the most basic trust in me, right? Of course, if someone else makes such a request to you when you are outside you can punch him. Hard. No matter who the other party is, I will bear the consequences.¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m not the same as them.¡± This statement seemed to have a strong sense of grievance in it.


    There was silence for a transient moment as Ruan Jiangjiu sat on the edge of the bed and quietly looked over the young man, with just his eyes that were so very dark.


    ¡°You and them, are of course, different.¡± He gently removed the hand gripping the corner of his shirt and placed it under the quilt, and then tucked the quilt around the youth. Then he met the other¡¯s eyes, ¡°Rather, Xiao Bai. It¡¯s that you are unlike anyone else.¡± For him, this young man was the most special.


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes twinkled then pouted and feigned sadness: ¡°But, even being so different from others, I am not permitted to share a bed with you. Xiao Ruan, this really makes me heartbroken.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu took a deep breath and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Do you really want to sleep with me?¡±


    Those deep and dark eyes stared. Which Lu Bai failed to see, as he nodded hastily; ¡°Uh huh! You can relax, it¡¯s purely sleep.¡± If only for tonight, he wanted to always feel Xiao Ruan¡¯s presence.


    Ruan Jiangjiu lowered his head and let out a low laugh, then seemed to sigh slightly. Then finally, he stepped closer to the bed and motioned while touching the corner of the blanket covering Lu Bai, ¡°You can sleep with this, I¡¯ll go get another blanket.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lu Bai was afraid that the other party would regret it if he was able to leave, and grabbed the other party¡¯s wrist, adding, ¡°No, we can share it together.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu hesitated briefly before giving in, ¡°Alright then.¡± It¡¯s not much of a difference whether there¡¯s one comforter or two, there¡¯s only one outcome of him not being able to sleep more tonight anyway.


    After finally getting what he wanted and being able to sleep alongside someone else, Lu Bai could finally put his fear aside and closed his eyes comfortably: ¡°Xiao Ruan, you¡¯re so good.¡± Half of his face was now buried in the pillow, and his voice was muffled.


    ¡®Well, I can second that.¡¯ Ruan Jiangjiu lay flat and stiffly stared at the ceiling and thought.


    After the youth¡¯s breathing became deeper, he rolled onto his arm, nestling against his neck. Feeling the warm breath puffed on his neck, Ruan Jiangjiu took a deep breath himself, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t resist turning sideways and reaching out his free arm towards the unsuspecting youth ¨C but ultimately, he only gently tapped his finger on the tip of his cute nose: ¡°Little dummy.¡± he sighed in a quiet whisper, his voice containing pampering that even he did not notice.


    ~~~~~~~~


    It was the same endlessly long nightmare: there was darkness, pain, and a thick smell of some kind of cheap plastic under a heavy layer of dust. He was curled up in a ball on the cold, dirty floor, shivering and shaking, because no matter what, he never seemed to be able to find the exit into the light.


    He had struggled desperately to find his way to the door, which was cloaked in the same darkness.


    No one would come find him, and no one would come to rescue him.


    He was left alone like this. Hurt, cold, and trapped in a state of boundless despair.


    Bang!


    It seemed that the invisible steel door had been violently kicked open. The bright moonlight spilled into the room without hesitation, as if to sweep away all the darkness.


    There in that backlit doorway with fine dust swirling around excitedly, stood a teenager. All of him was bathed in the moonlight as if he were a beautiful illusion, and Lu Bai¡¯s eyes were stung by the sudden brightness to the point of tears, making it even harder to see the teenager¡¯s face.


    ¡®Maybe he is an illusion.¡¯ Lu Bai thought to himself- This must just be a beautiful hallucination, it is said in books that one sees the most desired illusions in their most desperate moments. His eyes gradually dimmed from the certainty as he thought of this.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lu Bai heard that illusion-teen¡¯s voice anxiously ask and he tried to open his eyes wider and focus, but he didn¡¯t have any more strength. He then felt the other person pick him up and put him on his back with his slightly cool yet warm hands, ¡®Not a hallucination then¡¯.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital.¡±


    Lu Bai wanted to say thank you, but he could not control his body and could only drift off to sleep on the other¡¯s shoulder. As he lost consciousness, Lu Bai mused, ¡°This person smells really good.¡±


    Maybe, this time was a beautiful dream.


    ~~~~~~~


    The early morning breeze rustled against the curtains, with sunshine spilling into the house through the gaps between them.


    Lu Bai opened his eyes as he stretched out comfortably.


    ¡°Are you satisfied with this companion¡¯s sleeping service?¡± A pleasant voice that contained a hint of laughter sounded in his ears.


    Lu Bai flinched in surprise, and for a moment it was as if he had still been in that dream. Then he turned around and saw Ruan Jiangjiu lying on his side, with his head propped up on his hand, looking at him with a smug yet playful smile on his face, his eyes arched ¨C he just didn¡¯t know how long he had been watching.


    Lu Bai recalled that he had pestered him to share a bed with him late last night and blushed, but he still nodded quite honestly: ¡°Satisfied.¡± He has not slept so well for a long time, a good sleep is too satisfying.


    ¡°So,¡± Lu Bai looked at Ruan Jiangjiu with a look of innocence and a sincere attitude when he said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, from now on, can you sleep with me all the time?¡± Lu Bai also knows that this kind of request is too shameful. If it were the original story and he was one of those who wanted Ruan Jiangjiu to have ¡®fun¡¯, he would definitely be suspected of sexual harassment. But Xiao Ruan said he was different, so such a request should be okay, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t let him sleep with him for nothing, so he bashfully added: ¡°I, I will add money, add a lot of money.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª-


    Edited: Krone

 CH 22

    Chapter 22


    Ruan Jiangjiu was silent for a few seconds. With a light sigh that seemed to be helpless, he grinned a little. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Accompanying and sleeping are originally a canary¡¯s duties, are they not?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes lit up as he tugged on Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s sleeve saying with the utmost earnestness, ¡°Xiao Ruan, I will definitely be good to you.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu chuckled quietly, then he met Lu Bai¡¯s eyes, which contained some emotions that Lu Bai was unable to read, before saying, ¡°If one day-¡± He paused but did not finish his sentence, before eventually saying, ¡°Xiao Bai, in front of you, I have always been myself.¡± He has never disguised himself in front of this young man.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, what are you talking about?¡± Lu Bai looked at him with an amused air, ¡°Are you not yourself, or are you really that bastard Qu Xueyu?¡± Over the words spoken, Lu Bai also knew that the main character could not be blamed for what happened that day. After all, he was the one who provoked him first. When he thought of this, he sheepishly rolled his eyes and quietly said, ¡°Although, I was also at fault¡­¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai rarely saw Ruan Jiangjiu look like he was troubled by something, and he found this Ruan Jiangjiu to be somewhat cute, but he couldn¡¯t help but be a little worried.


    Not knowing what was on his mind, Lu Bai¡¯s heart ached. It couldn¡¯t have felt more natural as he covered the other¡¯s slightly cool hand, ¡°Is it your mother?¡± The original Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s mother seemed to be sick during this time period, so thinking of this Lu Bai resolutely spoke: ¡°I will help find your mother a good doctor.¡± The Lu family and many large hospitals frequently work together, so helping Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s mother find a good and reliable doctor would not be considered too difficult.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and his face had a slightly strange expression. He didn¡¯t understand why this young man was so sure that he had a sickly and poor mother. At the same time, the hand of the young man that was covering his hand was soft and warm. Ruan Jiangjiu can not reasonably be expected to hold back. So seemingly unintentionally, he started playing with the lovely knuckles of the young man, without making a big fuss about it.


    Lu Bai normally hated and was very resistant to physical contact with others, yet at this time, he was holding someone¡¯s hand, unthinkingly, as if it was just a natural habit he had. He even leaned forward and patted the other¡¯s shoulder, exclaiming, ¡°Xiao Ruan, don¡¯t worry! Nowadays, medicine is so advanced. Auntie will be fine.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu felt that there was no need for this misunderstanding to continue to exist at all, so he simply explained, ¡°Xiao Bai, my mother¡­ she¡­ It¡¯s not what you think. She is healthy. With a strong personality. And¡­ she does not love me.¡± As he said the last sentence, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes only slightly dimmed, like a light ripple in a pool of water after a breeze, the wind stopped and it was calm again.


    Lu Bai felt that something was not right. This was too different from the original description of Raun Jiangjiu¡¯s background, but he instinctively felt the little fluctuations in the heart of the young man in front of him. He then gently stroked the young man¡¯s hair as he had done many times: ¡°Xiao Ruan, you still have me.¡± In fact, this statement is a little over the line of proprietary, but Lu Bai had said it, and it was already too late to withdraw now.


    Ruan Jiangjiu quietly regarded the younger man, his black eyes seemed to have something churning around. After a long pause, he let out a low laugh, and for the first time decisively overstepped the rules by pulling the young man¡¯s wrist, embracing him in his arms.


    Lu Bai¡¯s pupils shrunk and subconsciously wanted to struggle, but felt that Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s movements were so gentle and solemn, so it was an instant stiffness and then subconscious relaxation of the body. He figured he was a gold owner after all, and it seemed like he was obligated to solve the other¡¯s troubles when his canary didn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood.


    So Lu Bai, who was determined to be a competent gold owner, gently patted the other¡¯s back, like he was coaxing a wounded beast into putting away its claws and teeth, and he softly spoke, ¡°Xiao Ruan, don¡¯t be sad. I¡¯m here.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu, who was thought to not be in a very good mood, instead had a smug grin on his lips as he contentedly breathed in the pleasant fragrance coming from the young man¡¯s neck and possessively hugged him tighter. He then softly whispered, ¡°Xiao Bai, actually I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    The phone on the table buzzed loudly. Lu Bai heard the ringing and blinked, then very naturally pushed the other party aside, picked up his phone, and pressed the answer button.


    Ruan Jiangjiu, whose arms are now empty: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Guan Guan, What¡¯s up?¡± Lu Bai said.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Lu Guanguan blurted over the phone. ¡°You should come back home tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa is coming back to Jinghai tomorrow, and also¡­¡± Lu Guanguan hesitated a bit as she trailed off.


    Lu Bai¡¯s voice became more gentle: ¡°Guan Guan, just tell me.¡±


    Lu Guanguan bit her lips, before saying, ¡°Auntie is also coming back.¡± Their aunt, Lu Min, didn¡¯t like Lu Guanguan, or her mother, and was also very critical of Lu Bai. As a result, Lu Guanguan¡¯s fiery nature was always quenched as soon as she meets that beautiful but cold lady.


    ¡°Guan Guan,¡± Lu Bai said, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s home will always be our aunt¡¯s home. But our home is just our home, and tomorrow, Auntie will be a guest at our home.¡±


    Lu Guanguan felt relieved hearing this, and her eyes got a little red. She smiled and said, ¡°Yes, brother, so we¡¯re waiting for you to come back.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Lu Bai looked at Ruan Jiangjiu: he needed to go home tomorrow, and Ruan Jiangjiu would have to be alone in this house.


    Ruan Jiangjiu just shrugged and sighed, ¡°I will indeed be sad if you are not here-¡± and he leaned forward and put his lips next to the young man¡¯s ear¡ª his warm breath puffed over his ear¡ª he quietly added: ¡°In order not to let your canary feel lonely, Xiao Bai, come back early tomorrow.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened and looked at Ruan Jiangjiu in bewilderment, his body seemingly stimulated with electricity.


    Thump, Thump, Thump


    The sound of a beating heart seemed to echo in his ears. Lu Bai felt that it was too audible and also too unfamiliar. He gulped, ¡°I, I will try.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the young man¡¯s now crimson ears, and a rather happy smile appeared on his face: ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to come home.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    The next day.


    ¡°Xiao Yu.¡±


    An elderly but dignified and loving voice sounded from the other side of the phone, Ruan Jiangjiu froze for a moment before answering. ¡°Grandfather.¡± Lu Bai had returned to his family home that afternoon, so he was the only one at home at this time.


    ¡°The old man of the Lu family is coming back to Jinghai tonight, you go see him for Grandpa and say hello. Grandpa is old and can¡¯t stay up all night.¡± Although the Lu family was having a homecoming dinner this evening, they had also invited a few others which was a good opportunity to make some connections. Old man Qu knew that his grandson did not like this kind of scene, and had already thought of what to say as soon as he refused.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu stated.


    The words that Old Man Qu had been about to say were stuck in his throat, he coughed lightly and asked, ¡°You, uh, agree to it?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°Grandpa, I agreed on going to the Lu family, but you¡¯re not happy?¡±


    ¡°I am happy, so you should go.¡± The old man hung up the phone cheerfully, then his movements paused: The Lu family¡­ Not long ago the paparazzo photographed the Lu family¡¯s kid and his grandson. His grandson had even asked him to help catch that paparazzo. Now his grandson, who does not like dealing with social functions, is so quick to go to the Lu family¡­ Just thinking about this made his eyebrows twitch, so he hastily summoned his butler.


    ~~~~~~


    The Lu family¡¯s banquet tonight is a low-key affair, but they did invite a lot of prominent figures from Jinghai. The Lu Family was not very close with the Qu Family, so their invitation was handed over to the Elder Qu alone.


    Qu Xueyu was dressed in formal attire, casually carrying a flute1Flute for Champagne, to provide less surface area for the bubbles to escape from. Causing it to stay fresh longer. For more information check the dropdown at the bottom of the chapter! of champagne while wandering the floor, his expression bland and his whole self exuding an aura of ¡°Do Not Approach¡±. After dryly dismissing the Nth2Nth, is using a letter in place of a number to indicate a large amount without having to say an exact amount. It¡¯s not a spelling mistake. person who came forward to strike up a conversation, finally, no one dared to come forward.


    He casually took a sip of his drink, but his eyes were searching around the room for someone.


    ¡°Xiao Yang is not an outsider.¡± Qu Xueyu¡¯s ears caught the voice of a lady not far away: ¡°If you didn¡¯t know, Xiao Yang almost became my nephew once! Although it didn¡¯t happen, to me, he¡¯s my half-nephew. He will certainly be more outstanding than my own nephew who is not very good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you said my niece? You must be misremembering. My elder brother only has an incompetent dandy of a son, where would he get a daughter?¡±


    When Qu Xueyu overheard these words, he had a faint hunch, so he turned and walked toward where the conversation emanated from.


    Sure enough, there was a very beautiful and elegant middle-aged lady chatting with another noble lady. By her side stood the young man named Xiao Yang, and beside him was Qin Gu, who looked like he was searching for something and was somewhat disinterested in their conversation, as his mind was somewhere else.


    Xiao Yang was still full of gentle and modest smiles, as he said, ¡± Auntie Minmin, you¡¯re joking too much, Xiao Bai is just young.¡±


    ¡°Young!?¡± The woman¡¯s face glinted with disdain. ¡°Xiao Yang, you¡¯re only two years older than him. He¡¯s just spoiled by my big brother.¡±


    Qu Xueyu frowned slightly at these words, then he scanned over the gentle smile of Xiao Yang¡¯s. There was a transient aversion within him, and at that moment, he finally found the one he had been searching and longing for all night running out from the crowd like an enraged lion.


    ¡°Get out of my house!¡±


    Lu Bai stood in front of the crowd now, pointing at Xiao Yang without any civility. With deliberate malice and genuine disgust on his face, he spat out: ¡°Leave my house now. And stay away from Brother Qin.¡±


    There was silence before the crowd spectating them, collectively gasped.


    Lu Bai had noticed the people around him starting to subtly gossip about him now. Twitching the corners of his mouth down and then sighing. Truthfully, he really didn¡¯t like Xiao Yang, and he also didn¡¯t like Xiao Yang coming to his house. However, no matter how stupid he was, he wouldn¡¯t have chosen this way of making himself lose face willingly. Of course, this was all happening because of that damn plot.


    Real anger leaked out from Lu Min¡¯s face, as she sheltered Xiao Yang behind her body, demanding: ¡°What are you trying to do? Did big brother and your real mother not teach you any manners?¡±


    Lu Bai grew a bit annoyed, wondering how it was polite on her end, to speak ill of the master¡¯s child behind their backs in their own home. Yet he still had to loudly continue in accordance with the plot, ¡°He must leave at once!¡±


    After the vicious male character, Lu Bai, yells, the scene is to strike at Xiao Yang. It is blocked by Qin Gu and then he falls flat on the ground. After losing so much face in public, even the grandfather who loved him the most becomes a little frustrated with him. Lu Bai thought that this kind of job is really worse than a social animals¡¯3Went on quite the journey because of this phrase. Long answer short, ¡®Corporate Slave/Donkey at a grindstone¡¯ Long answer at the bottom of the chapter in a dropdown!, he had to suffer such a big loss at home, rather than staying with his Xiao Ruan happily.


    Xiao Yang was still wearing the same gentle white lotus expression, even with a little apology on his face. Lu Bai quietly sighed but still stepped forward to slap Xiao Yang in accordance with the plot. Qin Gu¡¯s pupils shrank as he was about to reach out to stop the youth. Before it occurred to him that he should be protecting Xiao Yang from being bullied, the first thought that actually crossed his mind was: ¡®If he really does slap him, Lu Bai will become thoroughly disgraced¡¯.


    ¡°Xiao Bai,¡± a man suddenly appeared from the crowd of people. He caught Lu Bai¡¯s arm at that moment and pulled them both back a step: ¡°Check the invitations, you can send your butler to do it¡±, he deliberately stressed: ¡°You are the master here, you do not need to do anything.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment as he looked up at Qu Xueyu, who was holding him with his arms wrapped around his back: ¡°???¡± What the hell? What¡¯s happening?! How could the protagonist shou be here? Also, what the heck is with checking invitations??!


    The crowd: ¡°????¡±


    When the young man was firmly stabilized, Qu Xueyu scanned the crowd as well as that beautiful but scathing lady: ¡°The Lu family is famous for its proper discipline in Jinghai. And only those with invitations are allowed to enter here, is that not so?¡± Finally, he fixed his gaze on the young man named Xiao Yang and smiled slightly as he showed just the right amount of curiosity and innocence: ¡°This Mr. Xiao, I think he must have an invitation as well?¡±


    Flutes?? Here is a link to different drink glasses and why for those interested.


    https://www.bottleneckmgmt.com/blog/which-glass-for-which-drink-using-correct-types-of-glassware/


    Not relevant to the story, but just a fact that came to mind while editing I thought others might want to learn.


    ¡°ÉçÐó¡±


    Since the introduction of ¡°community animal¡± to China, it has quickly replaced ¡°overtime dog¡± and has become a hot phrase that people who are deeply squeezed by work are seated and frequently quoted. Although the blunt confession of ¡°overtime dog¡± also ¡°ensures¡± the psychological conveyance of the hardship of life and the firmness of self-derogation, but in terms of language warmth, it is still not as cold as the word ¡°community animal¡±. The Chinese word ¡°ÉçÎ is precisely between the abbreviation and expansion of the combination of ¡°society¡± and ¡°livestock¡±, which demonstrates the roughness of survival more brilliantly and powerfully. Moreover, ¡°community animals¡± extended the hopelessness caused by endless overtime work to a larger social field, that is to say, the feeling of exhaustion and labor caused by heavy work quickly aroused more and more people who were ¡°named¡± by ¡°community animals¡±. Association of slaughter conditions. Under the mobilization of ¡°community animals¡±, all kinds of bad situations where happiness is pushed out suddenly burst out, showing everyone¡¯s ubiquitous survival dilemma.


    ¡°Social animal¡± essentially describes the state of social alienation characterized by survival and labor relations, that is, the social representation of human beings is covered up, and the physiological representations that maintain basic human biological needs are amplified and become the most important part of labor


    This was pulled directly from ¡®Baidu Answers¡¯, the Chinese equivalent of a popular forum where the general public answers questions. It is mostly used for self-deprecating and can also be translated as ¡°corporate slave¡±. The term comes from the self-deprecating term of the low-level office workers in Japanese companies. It was spread through Japanese TV dramas and has now become a common Internet buzzword in China.


    Funny little aside, I spent a good long while trying to get the Nth to superscript in Google Docs as I was working on it. Had to give up and look up how to do it.  THen It DIdn¡¯t WoRk! So when I finally got it too I was so happy. Made it look all pretty with a fancy-looking ¡°N¡± and a properly superscripted ¡®th¡¯ ! Then I transferred it to Knoxt¡­ and it didn¡¯t work anymore (T-T) so you guys just get a boring italicized N and regular ¡®th¡¯.


    Edited: Krone


    Proofread: Nitta

 CH 23

    Chapter 23


    Xiao Yang stiffened up his smile, then said, ¡°Teacher Qu is joking. It¡¯s just that Xiao Bai has a little misunderstanding about me, so Brother Qin simply brought me along.¡± The implication was that the Lu family had not given him an invitation only because of Lu Bai¡¯s nonsensical insistence.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s beautiful fingers caressed the crystalline wall of his drink; his face revealed some coldness. When he was on the verge of speaking out again to try and save the situation, a piano-like feminine voice was heard: ¡°Mr. Xiao has it wrong.¡±


    Sheng Mei wore a graceful rose-red gown, with a modest smile on her face, but her tone was a bit chilly.


    She reached the edge of the crowd, glanced at Lu Min, and then at Xiao Yang. Her smile deepened, and she said in a joking tone, ¡°The people we invited were decided upon by my husband and I. Today is a family banquet, so naturally, all the people invited are our acquaintances. That Mr. Xiao did not receive the invitation should be blamed on us, what are you blaming Xiao Bai for?¡± She paused and then said in a voice that was not too loud and that could not be heard by the surrounding audience, ¡°Our Xiao Bai has always been sincere, without ulterior motives, and if there is anything to say, he will say it frankly. He does not practice this kind of hidden tricks, so I ask that you please forgive me.¡±


    The crowd¡¯s gazes bounced between the two like they were at a tennis match. An air of curious confusion had arisen. To say Lu Bai didn¡¯t do underhanded things, but would instead do them outright¡­ Now Xiao Yang had become the target of all the curious and probing gazes. His face paled as he slowly lost his smile, a shadow flitted behind his eyes as he regarded Sheng Mei.


    ¡°Aunt Sheng,¡± Qin Gu calmly broke the tense air. ¡°It was me who brought him here. So please, forgive me.¡± Xiao Yang did have some history with the Lu family. Regardless of how he feels about Lu Bai now, logically speaking, what had happened that year was indeed Lu Bai¡¯s fault. Xiao Yang is a person of great kindness though, so when he said he wanted to come to the Lu household to have a good chat with Lu Bai, he took the initiative to bring him to the banquet. Since he has brought him today, he should take proper care of him.


    Sheng Mei appeared as if she was suddenly enlightened, and her smile did not diminish: ¡°So it was actually Mr. Qin who brought him! Since Mr. Xiao has already come today, we can¡¯t say anything. Only, that the next time Mr. Qin wants to bring someone over, you should be more discerning. The Lu family does not welcome people who play tricks on Xiao Bai.¡± While it is true that the Lu family and the Qin family are good friends and that Xiao Bai likes Qin Gu, even so, Qin Gu and the people he brings should not lie and bully their hosts by playing tricks against the Lu family.


    This statement is quite unforgiving; the surrounding guests looked at each other, speechless, but secretly measuring Xiao Yang, their eyes filled with a bit more contempt.


    Qin Gu¡¯s expression became colder, while Lu Min was so angry that she couldn¡¯t say a word. Sheng Mei then looked at Lu Bai, and her eyes became softer. ¡°Xiao Bai, why don¡¯t you go upstairs? Your grandfather misses you so much.¡± She then looked over at Qu Xueyu and after a pause, ¡°Mr. Qu should visit as well. Father has said that he wishes to see you.¡±


    ~~~~~~~


    Lu Bai walked up the stairs in a daze. He had been sure that his mother would defend him, but he could never have anticipated that Qu Xueyu would suddenly jump out even before she could?


    This was all just too unusual.


    This brought Lu Bai to a standstill. Turning slightly to rest against the railing, he looked at the man who had followed him up and stopped as well, now just standing slightly behind him, his face clearly displaying his tangled thoughts: ¡°Qu Xueyu, why¡­?¡±


    Qu Xueyu had been paying close attention to the other and had stopped walking when Lu Bai had, quirking an eyebrow as he looked at the young man. His eyes filled with amusement.


    ¡°Were your actions today all just because of Brother Qin?¡± At this point in time, according to the plot, the protagonist shou should have already clearly realized that he likes the protagonist gong. The protagonist gong, however, still cared too much about Xiao Yang, and it was normal for the protagonist shou to have complaints about Xiao Yang. This seems to make sense, but yet it still didn¡¯t feel right. Qu Xueyu had a face like a glacier, and an arrogant personality, so he wouldn¡¯t do this kind of thing.


    Qu Xueyu scoffed and his eyebrows twitched, ¡°No.¡± When will this guy stop dragging him and Qin Gu together!? It is obvious that he and Qin Gu have no relationship with each other.


    ¡°Then you just¡­¡± Lu Bai really couldn¡¯t think of any other explanations, it couldn¡¯t be that his family¡¯s Xiao Ruan dressed up as Qu Xueyu to protect him, right?


    Qu Xueyu looked straight into the teenager¡¯s eyes intensely, and then a smile surfaced on his face, he shrugged: ¡°Obviously, I did it for you.¡± He then turned and continued up the stairs, leaving behind a shocked silly Lu Bai with his eyes wide open.


    ~~~~~~


    The Study.


    Grandpa Lu¡¯s legs had become a little uncomfortable as he got older, so he now sat in a wheelchair. Lu Bai squatted beside him with a soft, well-behaved smile on his face.


    The old man, who was usually stern and serious, currently had a gentle smile on his face. As he patted Lu Bai¡¯s hand: ¡°Bai Bai, from now on, don¡¯t be so soft. You have to be tougher, okay? The tougher you are, the less you will be bullied, you are just too good-hearted. Remember, no matter what happens, you have Grandpa to back you up.¡±


    Lu Bai twitched the corner of his mouth and thought to himself that he is already fierce and tough enough outside the house. His grandfather wore a thick filter1Thick filter is akin to saying someone has ¡®Rose-colored glasses on¡¯ where I live. It implies that your vision is distorted and you only see what you want when you like/love someone. This can also be reversed into only seeing the bad/negative things. on him to think that he was soft-hearted and good-natured, but a warm feeling came up in his heart ¡ª this old man sincerely loves him, so he exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa, no one dares to bully me.¡±


    The old man looked over at the attractive-looking young man that his grandson had obviously been avoiding from when he had come in. ¡°So you must be that boy from the Qu family?¡±


    Qu Xueyu couldn¡¯t agree more with the old man¡¯s remarks about Lu Bai and was nodding to himself while showing an appropriate smile. ¡°Grandpa Lu, I¡¯m Qu Xueyu. My grandfather asked me to come and visit you on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Grandpa Lu was in a good mood now after seeing his grandson, so he was a little more welcoming to others: ¡°You tell him that I¡¯m planning on staying in Jinghai for a while. I¡¯ll ask him to go fishing later.¡±


    Qu Xueyu chuckled: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure to pass on the message.¡±


    Old man Lu then looked back over at Lu Bai with a face full of doting. He stroked Lu Bai¡¯s head like he was coaxing a child, ¡°I¡¯ll bring Bai Bai and Guan Guan with me when I go, to take a little vacation, alright?¡±


    Lu Bai smiled so broadly that his eyes curved up: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrows after hearing this and secretly made plans in his heart.


    ~~~~~~


    The banquet was being held in the parlor, and at this time, the Osmanthus Grove in the Lu family¡¯s garden appeared secluded and serene at night. In the fall, the Osmanthus was in full bloom, and the garden was filled with its sweet fragrance. Lu Bai was walking within this very picturesque nightscape with a slight frown.


    Today¡¯s plot had failed as well, but so far, the world still hadn¡¯t punished him. What the hell was going on¡­ He clearly remembered that when he was twelve and he had completely rejected the main plot for the first time, the world had unleashed its punishment mechanism. At that time, he had been in such pain that he never wanted to experience it again in the future.


    Yet this failure, combined with the last, had not triggered that same punishment mechanism at all.


    If it wasn¡¯t for that painful punishment mechanism, and his desire to find out the truth about his arrival in this world, he wouldn¡¯t have had any desire to walk the path of a ¡®vicious male supporting character¡¯.


    ¡°Lu Bai.¡±


    Lu Bai flinched when he suddenly heard his name called out. When he looked up, he saw Qin Gu, who should have been in the banquet hall at this time, standing in front of him¡­ with Xiao Yang at his side.


    Lu Bai¡¯s lips immediately turned downwards while he thought about how to deal with this new situation. Even if it would collapse his persona, he did not want to be entangled with either of them right now. So he turned around on his heels to leave, but his wrist was caught by Qin Gu.


    ¡°Lu Bai!¡± For some reason unknown to himself, Qin Gu was a bit flustered and annoyed looking at the youth leaving like this. For no obvious reason, he felt as if he was about to lose something that was precious, so the words that he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Brother Qin, Xiao Bai is not very happy with me today, and it is understandable that he doesn¡¯t want to see me.¡± Xiao Yang¡¯s gentle voice was heard.


    As if Qin was awakened from a spell, he focused back on Lu Bai. His brows wrinkled into a frown as he forced himself to spit out those stuck words, ¡°Lu Bai, you should apologize to Xiao Yang for what happened seven years ago.¡± As long as he apologized, Xiao Yang would forgive him, and he would, in turn, be able to reasonably forgive him and turn back into his loving older brother.


    The memories from that incident that he had not wanted to remember were now being turned over by Qin Gu. For the first time, Lu Bai¡¯s mask really dropped. He forcefully wrenched his hand away from Qin Gu¡¯s grasp and glared directly into his eyes. With adamant stubbornness, he spoke one word at a time: ¡°No. I. Won¡¯t. As for what happened seven years ago, my conscience is clear.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s frown deepened. As he looked closely into Lu Bai¡¯s stubborn eyes, his heart felt a tinge of pain, but he still continued, ¡°A mistake is a mistake. You should apologize.¡± Only after he apologized could he forgive him.


    Lu Bai remained resolute: ¡°No. I will never.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s heart was stabbed by the red rims of Lu Bai¡¯s eyes. Xiao Yang then chimed in, ¡°Brother Qin, just forget it.¡± He looked at Lu Bai with narrowed eyes and as he was about to speak, he was interrupted.


    ¡°Xiao Bai,¡± Qu Xueyu walked down the lane, passing by a slightly lower branch of an osmanthus tree, his snowy white collar became dotted with night dew and petals. As he stopped beside Lu Bai and saw the look on the boy¡¯s face, his eyes narrowed. He gently reached an arm out and hugged him around the shoulders, his tone gentle: ¡°Why are you out here? Grandpa Lu is looking for you.¡±


    Looking towards Qin Gu and Xiao Yang, his face still held a smile, but it no longer reached his eyes, his expression was cold as he added: ¡°Qin Gu, Mr. Xiao. Bullying the master in the master¡¯s own house, is this the new etiquette of Jinghai? It seems that I have been out of town for too long.¡±


    With that, he swept Lu Bai away. Qin Gu looked at their backs. His face appeared colder than the curved moon in the sky, as he clenched his fist, with his nails about to pierce his palm.


    ~~~~~~


    In front of Lu¡¯s house.


    ¡°Thank you for that, just now.¡± Lu Bai looked at Qu Xueyu and earnestly said. In any case, it was he who had helped rescue him.


    Qu Xueyu silently regarded the youth, then shrugged: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to ask about what had happened, but ¨C ¡°Qu Xueyu¡± is not qualified.


    ¡°Not staying at home tonight?¡± It¡¯s already so late. Lu Bai¡¯s appearance is not very good; he should stay here at his family home for the night and have a good rest.


    ¡°No.¡± Lu Bai replied simply.


    He didn¡¯t know what the youth was thinking of, but Qu Xueyu could see a dazzling gleam appear in the other¡¯s eyes at that moment, and then he heard him say in a gentle smile. ¡°There is someone waiting for me to go home.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Lu Bai got into his car and left, and Qu Xueyu watched him, with dense clouds churning inside his eyes.


    He turned around and walked off briskly in another direction, unaware of what was occurring in his mind.


    ~~~~~~


    It was already very late when Lu Bai returned home. He got out of his car and didn¡¯t even bother to lock its doors before striding quickly towards the bright warm and yellow lights.


    As soon as Ruan Jiangjiu had finished quickly dealing with his jacket and changed clothes, the front door flung open, and the youth appeared in the light of the doorway. His head was downcast and his hair obscured his eyes, so Ruan Jiangjiu couldn¡¯t see the other¡¯s expression at the moment.


    Then, he saw the young man taking a big step forward and jumping into his arms, burying his face into his chest.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes fluttered, and then the young man¡¯s muffled voice was heard, somewhat hoarse. ¡°Xiao Ruan, you¡¯re really warm.¡±


    ¡°Tonight you should sleep with me again, okay?¡±


    So, as of this chapter, I have figured out that Lu Bai is 19yrs old ( Was 12yrs old 7 years ago, easy math). Making Xiao Yang ( who is a few years older than him according to Lu Min) ~21. The other two are harder to pin, but they should be a few years older since they were both in Highschool (grades 10-12) when those two were in Jr. High (7-9) 2Schooling in China consists of three years of kindergarten, six years of primary school, three years of junior middle school (also known as secondary school), and senior middle school (high school). In China, primary school education is compulsory and it lasts 6 years. Children start school at age six (seven in some areas)


    Edited: Krone


    Proofread: Nitta

 CH 24

    Chapter 24


    Lu family garden.


    ¡°Brother Qin Gu! You shouldn¡¯t blame Xiao Bai anymore. After all, the matter has already passed by a long time ago.¡± Xiao Yang wistfully looked in the direction where Lu Bai and Qu Xueyu had left and sighed.


    Qin Gu just tightly pursed his lips and focused his attention in that same direction without responding.


    The banquet was almost over, but the hall was still brightly lit and lively¡ªit was a stark contrast with the more dark and quiet osmanthus grove.


    The silence brought to mind the memories of that event from seven years ago that Qin Gu couldn¡¯t forget.


    Due to a few reasons, he was enrolled in high school in Chunming. He had two younger brothers1Just a reminder, Not Actual Brothers. Good friends call each other brothers. Like ¡®Bro¡¯, ¡®Bruh¡¯, ¡®Bud/Buddy¡¯, or your countries equivalent! from Jinghai. One was domineering and loved to cause trouble, while the other was quiet, well-behaved, and loveable. That particular day, these two little goblins had bought bus tickets and snuck out of school to see him in Chunming. When they made it, they went inside his school. The idea came from the one who loved to get into trouble, while the quiet and well-behaved one couldn¡¯t resist, so he was drawn along.


    The domineering one would be Lu Bai, and the quiet and well-behaved one was Xiao Yang.


    Lu Bai had disliked Xiao Yang even then. Taking advantage of his young age and good family background, he always loved to bully and frame the other for trouble. Xiao Yang¡¯s catchphrase since childhood was ¡®Xiao Bai didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it¡¯s alright.¡¯.


    The first thing he said after he was rescued from the pond was ¡°Xiao Bai didn¡¯t mean to do it. It¡¯s okay.¡± Lu Bai was nowhere to be found at that moment. If he had not arrived in time, Xiao Yang would have drowned.


    He was only a teenager at the time and he felt both disappointed and angry: The little brother he had cherished was so vicious despite being so young.


    ¡°That spoiled brat, Lu Bai, is in need of a good lesson.¡± Then, he cradled the shivering and soaked Xiao Yang with clenched teeth.


    Back then, he was shadowed by a group of fellow hot-blooded teenagers. They heard him say this and silently came to an agreement. When they finally found Lu Bai on campus that evening, they locked him in an abandoned school storage building. They didn¡¯t know that Lu Bai had been afraid of the dark since he was a child¡ªthey just wanted to teach him a little lesson.


    He had been at the hospital with Xiao Yang and was not aware of the situation. When he learned it, he rushed over to the storage building. The doors of the building were thrown wide open, and there was no longer a trace of Lu Bai inside. He concluded that Lu Bai must have opened the door by himself and left, and because of the trouble he had caused, he probably was hesitant to face him, therefore didn¡¯t try to find him.


    Indeed, he learned the next evening that Lu Bai had already returned to Jinghai. Only then did he finally take a sigh of relief. However, that kid was really too vicious. Not only did he refuse to admit his wrongdoings, but he also beat others up. After that day, Xiao Yang and his mother had to leave the country because of the Lu family.


    Qin Gu felt that it was unfair, but he had unwarranted affection for that vicious and domineering youth, which he could not help but feel. Only he knew that the moment he saw Qu Xueyu¡¯s arm resting on that youth¡¯s shoulder, he was so jealous that he wanted to kill.


    That youth still owes Xiao Yang an apology. While he only wants to be cowardly and give himself an excuse to like that youth openly.


    Xiao Yang turned around and saw the various emotions that were rolling around in the eyes of the man beside him. His eyes darkened and pursed his lips tightly downward, betraying a few traces of fleeting resentment.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Riverview Villa.


    Lu Bai thought this young man named Ruan Jiangjiu was too wonderful and strange. Simply being around him, his mood could be soothed to become tranquil and calm.


    The rabbit night light had been placed at the head of the bed, and the whole room was enveloped in a warm dimness. Lu Bai¡¯s entire body was buried in the soft quilt, his nose was filled with the scent of Xiao Ruan, and he was clearly about to fall asleep with his eyelids softly fluttering.


    Ruan Jiangjiu turned onto his side and quietly studied the other¡¯s profile. He couldn¡¯t help but reach out¡ªwanting to touch the teenager¡¯s sleep-blushed cheeks and his soft lips; In the end, he just stroked the other¡¯s hair. Between them, there was a clear boundary. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t just do whatever he wanted. He had to get the other¡¯s consent first; after all, he cherished him so much.


    Lu Bai rolled towards Ruan Jiangjiu, almost subconsciously catering to the other party¡¯s hand that was brushing his hair. He looked like a cat that had put away its sharp claws and snuggled up to its master. He had finally closed his eyes, and the tip of his nose was about to brush against the other¡¯s chest. The body heat and pleasant smell of the youth wrapped around him, making him feel safe and warm. He, then, suddenly felt a desire to confide in him.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan¡­ In fact, I have claustrophobia.¡± With his eyes closed, he softly blurted out. Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s hand that was stroking the other¡¯s soft hair paused, then overstepped that line and gently placed his hand over the teenager¡¯s back, embracing the other person.


    ¡°When I was a kid, I was only afraid of the dark,¡± Lu Bai quietly explained. ¡°It was only after I was locked up in a very cold, dark place when I was twelve years old, and in so much pain that it was like all the bones in my body were shattered that I became claustrophobic. Xiao Ruan, at that time, I really believed that I was going to die.¡±


    ¡°But at that time, I had not done a single bad thing to deserve it,¡± He quietly confided¡ªbeside this particular person, he could recount such unpleasant topics so easily: ¡°Xiao Ruan, do you believe me?¡±


    In the eyes of the outside world, he is so domineering and vicious. Would he believe that he had really not done anything to Xiao Yang, but had been punished for something he did not deserve?


    He was a human being; even if he had come to this world for seemingly no reason, he would still have feelings about people. He had spent so much time with Qin Gu, and he had, until then, truly thought of Qin Gu as his brother. Although he was annoyed by Xiao Yang¡¯s caution, he really had no ill will toward him. The plot wanted him to push Xiao Yang into the water. This is different from other harmless pranks, and he did not want to hurt others or let Qin Gu down, so he disobeyed the plot for the first time.


    After everything was said and done seven years ago, Qin Gu stood in front of him, eyes chilly and disgusted, as he said something similar to today: ¡°Lu Bai, you should apologize to Xiao Yang. You owe him half a life.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t owe him anything.¡±


    ¡°Lu Bai, you¡¯re still arguing?¡±


    From that point on, Lu Bai knew that Qin Gu was no longer his brother of any kind. And perhaps he never had been.


    For some reason, listening to the teenager¡¯s calm recounting, Ruan Jiangjiu felt that his heart ached. The pain came out of nowhere like a blazing fire that couldn¡¯t be stopped. It was as if he had known this youth for a very long time and had been sad for him many, many times.


    Such pain gave him the illusion of a long-awaited reunion with this young man. After all, from the first moment he saw him, he had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Thump-thump, Thump-thump


    Ruan Jiangjiu heard his own heartbeat beat together with Lu Bai¡¯s and couldn¡¯t tell the difference between them.


    Then he swept the teen along with his quilt, scooped him up, and gently pressed his lips upon his forehead. Leaving behind a single kiss. His voice was low and gentle like a soothing lullaby for the soul in the night. ¡°Xiao Bai, I certainly know what kind of person you are. Of course, I believe you.¡±


    Peeling away the not-so-solid shell, the young man inside was so soft and pure.


    Lu Bai was stunned, his eyes grew a little hot, but his lips perked up into a light smile. He buried his face in the other¡¯s arms and let out a comfortable sigh. ¡°Xiao Ruan, you¡¯re so wonderful.¡± Then he sank into a peaceful sleep.


    For the first time, Ruan Jiangjiu embraced the young man as he slept and held him like the most fragile and precious treasure in the world.


    Lu Bai¡¯s phone lit up on his nightstand with a message from Lu Zhi.


    ¡°That web drama will begin to shoot in three days.¡±


    (Quick rant about Qin Gu¡¯s POV/Flashback from the beginning of the chapter)


    Shio:  ?? I¡¯m not feeling very sympathetic but¡­. from his (Qin Gu¡¯s) POV it wasn¡¯t anything traumatizing or negative enough for this sentence to make sense to me. Like yeah, he found his one friend by themselves in the lake, pulled him out safely, and got him medical attention in short order. When that friend ¡®off-handedly¡¯ blames someone who wasn¡¯t there he sicked his goons on him, then next thing he knows, that person does just fine and flies off back home ¡®in a huff/ tail between legs¡¯.


    Krone: Ok I agree on this. It seems the reason is all so circumstantial and he unconditionally believed the other without calmly talking and getting the whole scenario than just the one side. -.- tsk


    Editor: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 25

    Chapter 25


    Lu Bai looked at the elegant invitation card in his hand and sighed softly.


    This was the invitation to his mother¡¯s painting exhibition tomorrow. There were many things happening these days; the painting exhibition, the painting exhibitions banquet, and the web drama opening ceremony were all crammed together. Even his school year will be starting in the next few days.


    But the only event he was struggling with was the painting exhibition.


    This exhibition was another key venue for the plot. More precisely, the plot event took place at the banquet after the exhibition. His mother, Ming Yan, was an internationally famous painter and came from Jinghai. Many celebrities in Jinghai naturally wanted to attend her exhibition. While she and Father Lu divorced, she still had a good relationship with the Lu family, so both the Lu family and the Qin family would be present.


    At that evening¡¯s banquet, not only will Qin Gu be there, but Qu Xueyu will also attend.


    As the vicious male character Lu Bai, who hates Qu Xueyu, he naturally couldn¡¯t help but be a bully. Lu Bai tried to pull off an evil stunt, but it was just dirty and shameless. Lu Bai, the wicked side character, specifically brought Ruan Jiangjiu, who looked very much like Qu Xueyu, to the banquet in order to insult him, but that was not enough. At the banquet, he also deliberately forced Ruan Jiangjiu to drink spiked wine, and after the drug took effect, he stripped Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s clothes to humiliate him in public. Thus, Lu Bai, with his own power, ruined his mother¡¯s exhibition and completely crushed Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s self-esteem.


    Lu Bai frowned slightly. Even if the plot world were to punish him, and even if he were to die because of pain, he would never do such a thing to his Ruan Jiangjiu. This time, Xiao Ruan just won¡¯t be brought to the exhibition.


    After making up his mind, Lu Bai focused on the invitation again, and another train of thought came to mind. The first two times he did not complete the plot at all, the plot world did not punish him. If he did not follow the plot this time, and the punishment mechanism still did not activate, does that mean¡­


    ¡°Do you want a rabbit apple?¡± A pleasant-sounding voice startled Lu Bai but then nodded his head. Before he could even move to get a piece, he saw Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s fair and beautiful hand had reached out to him, holding a toothpick with a piece of rabbit-shaped apple. Lu Bai just nonchalantly opened his mouth and bit off the slice of apple, and the sweet and tart juice flowed across his tongue.


    Ruan Jiangjiu watched the teenager¡¯s cheeks slightly bulge while chewing with a smile and shook his head. He was about to continue happily hand-feeding him when Lu Bai swallowed the piece of fruit and said with some hesitation, ¡°Xiao Ruan, I have to go out tomorrow.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu stopped his movements before remembering that tomorrow seemed to be the painting exhibition of Ms. Ming. Lu Bai was Ms. Ming¡¯s child. Therefore, it was natural for him to go to the painting exhibition.


    Thinking that the teenager was inviting him to go there with him, he opened his mouth to say yes when he heard the teenager firmly say, ¡°Xiao Ruan, you must not go to the exhibition tomorrow.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Lu Bai stared closely into Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes and carefully repeated: ¡°Xiao Ruan, you can go wherever you want tomorrow, just¡­ not to the painting exhibition.¡± Even with the exception of the first two times the plot changed, he still did not dare to bet.


    Ruan Jiangjiu frowned with a bit of puzzlement: ¡°Xiao Bai, why?¡±


    Lu Bai lowered his eyes and sighed: ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t say the reason.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu quietly regarded the youth, and after a short interval, he smiled, reached out, and ruffled the other¡¯s hair. Leisurely saying, ¡°All right. You can rest assured that your Xiao Ruan will not go.¡±


    Lu Bai felt relieved, a big smile appeared on his face and he exclaimed, ¡°Xiao Ruan, I¡¯ll be back in no time!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu cocked an eyebrow: ¡°Do you need the ¡®accompanying and sleeping service¡¯ after coming back?¡±


    Lu Bai gave a start, cheeks and ear tips blushing slightly. He has been bothering the youth and was a little embarrassed, but still honestly whispered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Appreciating the young man¡¯s flustered appearance, Ruan Jiangjiu almost laughed out loud. He picked up the fruit plate again and continued to feed the other person with relish while saying slowly and meaningfully, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll wait for you to come back.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Grandpa. I remember you mentioning before that you have an invitation to Ms. Ming¡¯s painting exhibition?¡± Lu Bai was taking a shower in the bathroom, so Ruan Jiangjiu made a quick phone call. Xiao Bai¡¯s attitude today was simply too strange, and he really didn¡¯t feel at ease.


    Elder Qu paused as he held the phone: ¡°Xiao Yu, Why are you asking about this?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu just replied, ¡°I¡¯m recently very interested in oil painting and would like to go enjoy some art. Can I have your invitation?¡±


    Elder Qu was silent for a few seconds before grumpily saying, ¡°Xiao Yu, do you think your grandfather is a fool?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu laughed lightly, then he seriously admitted, ¡°Grandpa. I want to chase Lu Bai. I like him.¡± There was nothing wrong with admitting it, as he never had any intention of hiding it in the first place. Besides, his grandfather was his closest family member.


    The old man¡¯s eyes twitched after hearing this¡ªboth feeling that a certain stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, yet that his heart wasn¡¯t exactly happy about it either. However, he was not willing to let his grandson slide just like that. After a long pause, he loudly shouted: ¡°You stinky brat! You¡¯re just going to tell me like that?! Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll find trouble with that kid!?¡± Although the thunder was loud, in the end, the rain was light.1Similar to ¡°All bark, no bite¡± Pretty much saying that his Grandpa talks big but doesn¡¯t actually do anything in the end.


    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Ruan Jiangjiu just shrugged. ¡°Grandpa Lu won¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    Elder Qu was stunned by his casual confidence, then chuckled, and shouted ¡°Stinky boy¡± a few more times, followed by: ¡°Come and get it tomorrow!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The old man smiled and said, ¡°Although I love you very much and it¡¯s natural to be able to speak well with me, the old man of the Lu family also loves his grandson the most, and you will not be able to speak so smoothly in front of him. So when you encounter a wall, you can solve it yourself. I won¡¯t help you.¡± With these rather gleeful words, a gloating Elder Qu promptly hung up the phone.


    Ruan Jiangjiu laughed helplessly after the call was hung up; right now, where even approaching the other party had to be done with a false identity, Elder Lu¡¯s hellish BOSS battle was not even available for him to press start.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, I¡¯m done washing! Are you ready for bed yet?¡± Lu Bai stood at the bathroom door in his pajamas. His wide collar was crooked, revealing a large area of fair and shower-flushed skin, his dark hair was only half dried and in disarray. As he stepped barefoot onto the dark carpet, his cute toes scrunched up slightly¡ª-Lu Bai never liked to wear shoes when he was at home.


    Ruan Jiangjiu turned around and took in the young man¡¯s damp and disheveled appearance. His pupils dilated before he lightly heaved a sigh. Walking towards the young man, he casually grabbed a soft white towel and covered Lu Bai¡¯s head.


    ¡°Xiao Bai, I have told you before. You should blow-dry your hair after you have towel-dried it.¡± He said and resigned himself to helping the teenager to towel dry his hair.


    Under the cover of the towel, Lu Bai rolled his eyes and muttered in a quiet whisper, ¡°Xiao Ruan will help me dry it anyway ah.¡±


    When he finished drying Lu Bai¡¯s hair for him, Ruan Jiangjiu removed the towel. A large area of skin and a delicate collarbone appeared in front of him, taking a deep breath before moving away. ¡°Xiao Bai, clothes should also be worn properly. Otherwise, you may catch a cold.¡±


    Lu Bai had a straight face: ¡°Xiao Ruan. We are going to sleep soon. It¡¯s hot in here.¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°It¡¯s even warmer when we are sleeping together.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, why are your ears so red?¡± Lu Bai¡¯s eyes betrayed some slight concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu gave the young man a deep look but did not reply. Simply took two steps and put the towel away, turned around, made his way to the bed, and laid down on his side.


    Lu Bai followed him to the bed. When he got into the soft quilt, he placed his messy black hair beside Ruan Jiangjiu. As he approached the youth¡¯s increasingly flushed earlobe, he was both curious and worried, ¡°Xiao Ruan, are you really okay?¡±


    The young man¡¯s warm breath sprayed over his ear, Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s pupils fluttered, he stiffened his body and simply closed his eyes ¨C there was no one who could maintain restraint in front of the object of their affection, not even him. But he still hasn¡¯t gotten the young man¡¯s consent, and he doesn¡¯t want to scare him.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan! Even your face is red! Ahh¡­ and the neck is also red!¡± Lu Bai¡¯s voice was now excited as if he was observing an interesting experiment subject.


    Crash!


    Ruan Jiangjiu finally couldn¡¯t hold back. He rolled over and pressed the restless person under his body, reaching out and capturing the other person¡¯s thin wrists and stretching them over his head.


    His body and the quilt formed a kind of silent, enclosed but ambiguous space. The person he had longed for was confined by him in such a narrow place, and their breaths were practically intertwined.


    In the warm, dim light, Lu Bai¡¯s eyes shone brightly, he stared at the good-looking young man pressing himself down on top of him, not the least afraid. He even had a wry smile, ¡°I was wrong. I shouldn¡¯t have teased you so much.¡± He just felt that this Xiao Ruan was strange yet cute so that he couldn¡¯t help but tease the other person a little.


    The young man pressing himself down didn¡¯t move at all, only looking at the teenager underneath him with his ink-soaked eyes, as if he wanted to eat the other person into his belly.


    Lu Bai finally felt that something was wrong, he blinked: ¡°Xiao Ruan?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Ruan Jiangjiu closed his eyes and opened them again, a feigned smile appeared on his face as well. ¡°Are you ready for bed?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s throat twitched and nodded: ¡°En¡­ goodnight.¡±


    Only then did Ruan Jiangjiu let go of his hands and roll off the younger man.


    ¡°Then sleep, ba.¡± He turned his back to the teenager, his voice somewhat stifled and hoarse.


    With one side of Lu Bai¡¯s body pressing against the other¡¯s back, he looked at the ceiling and blinked: ¡°Oh.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    Day of the exhibition.


    The exhibition hall was quite large, and Ming Yan¡¯s exhibition was on display for a week. On the first day, the gallery only released a small number of tickets along with a limited number of invitations. This was also the only exchange day within these seven days. If an invited party wanted a piece of artwork that could be purchased, they could pay for it, and then Ming Yan and the gallery would donate the money.


    Ming Yan¡¯s paintings were indeed outstanding and full of life, yet, while Qu Xueyu walked among the paintings, his attention was obviously not on them.


    He had been strolling around for some time but had not yet found Lu Bai. After passing a vibrant portrait, he turned a corner and arrived at a smaller out-of-the-way hall, where there was no other person and no works hanging on any of the four walls. There was only a simple exhibition table in the center, with a single open book displayed on it. Qu Xueyu was about to leave when he glanced at it; his pupils shrank and he stopped in his tracks.


    ¡°How rare. Are you interested in the sketches here?¡±


    A pleasant feminine voice sounded from behind, and Qu Xueyu¡¯s hand paused in flipping through the art book on the table. He put it down and turned around, revealing a polished smile. ¡°Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Qu Xueyu. I¡¯m quite interested in these works.¡±


    Ming Yan was surprised and gave a snort of laughter, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to be meeting you here.¡± Her invitation to Elder Qu was only a polite courtesy; she hadn¡¯t thought that he would actually come over. At the same time, she had never anticipated that he would send this grandson who was also a famous actor.


    Qu Xueyu chuckled and then continued, ¡°Ms. Ming, is there a price for this art book?¡±


    Ming Yan was stunned and shook her head with a polite smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Qu. Unfortunately, this is not for sale.¡± She took two steps forward and gently stroked her fingers across the cover of the book, her eyes revealing some nostalgia. ¡°This is probably the most treasured item in my collection.¡± Inside this book, she depicted her son and the memories of the time they shared.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes softened as he touched the album. Thinking of him, a gentle smile permeated the corners of his lips: ¡°I can understand.¡±


    Ming Yan was struck when she saw the young man¡¯s genuinely disappointed expression as she asked, ¡°Do you like these drawings so much?¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrows as he nodded. ¡°Like you, I probably like the works here the most.¡±


    Ming Yan smiled. Remembering something, she decided, ¡°I am happy that you like it so much. Although I can¡¯t give you this art book, I can offer you another souvenir.¡± Pausing, she said, ¡°When he was a child, he always hoped to share this painting with others. By giving it to you, I am fulfilling his wish.¡± This idea of hers had emerged whimsically because of the softness in the young man¡¯s eyes when he looked at those works. ¡°Please, come with me.¡±


    She led Qu Xueyu to her personal studio, where she opened a desk and took out a thin art portfolio, which she opened and presented to Qu Xueyu.


    It was a painting composed of youthful yet sophisticated brushwork. The artist who painted it seemed to have paid great attention to every line and depicted them with great care. The background of the painting seemed to be some kind of warehouse, in which the artist had depicted a young teenager with a firm and steady pose from an upward perspective. The young man was steeped in the moonlight with fine dust flying, just like an immortal that came down from above, but his face was blurred.


    ¡°My son made this when he was twelve years old. He had no friends at the time, so he could only share it with me. He said he owed this young man in the painting a thank you.¡± Saying this, Ming Yan¡¯s eyes betrayed endless nostalgia as she looked at the somewhat stunned young man and stated, ¡°Now. It¡¯s yours.¡±


    ___________


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 26

    Chapter 26


    ¡°Have you prepared for it?¡± Xiao Yang sat expressionlessly by the window, just staring outside.


    The man on the other side of the phone was silent for a few seconds before asking, ¡°Do you really want to do this? Once done, there is no turning back. He will be completely ruined.¡± This was more ruthless than all the previous times. There was nobody who could survive such a thing, even if the other party was arrogant and domineering, his self-esteem would be crushed.


    Xiao Yang coldly sneered and said, ¡°Chen Ming, he shouldn¡¯t be ruined, so I should be ruined, right?¡± His voice lowered as he paused, ¡°Chen Ming, I almost died at his hands back then. He was only twelve years old, but he hated me so much. I¡¯m only doing this to protect myself, and anyways, even if something were to happen to him, the Lu family would still protect him. But me? I have nothing. Only brother Qin Gu, do you understand?¡±


    There was further silence on the other side of the phone, and only after some time did the other man open his mouth to mumble, ¡°When I was stranded in the mud, it was you who reached out towards me. I am in your debt, I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Xiao Yang¡¯s lips finally curled up into a smile, and he said: ¡°I have arranged someone in the hotel. He doesn¡¯t know you, but he knows Lu Bai. He will go there as well and meet with you when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The man said in a hoarse voice.


    ~~~~~~


    Although Ming Yan did not like to make too much fuss, since the first day of the exhibition was a charity event, a casual banquet was held at a hotel near the exhibition hall.


    Lu Bai was wearing a comfortable dark suit and was accompanied by Lu Guanguan, who was dressed up in a modest cocktail dress and had applied some makeup.


    ¡°Brother, can I tell you a secret? But, don¡¯t tell Mom or Dad yet.¡± On the terrace, Lu Guanguan smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling.


    Lu Bai curled his lips and spoke, ¡°Guan Guan, please tell me.¡±


    Lu Guanguan was a bright and beautiful person whose personality was usually fiery and bold. Yet, there was a blush in her cheeks and she continued, ¡°Brother¡­ I have a boyfriend!¡± After a pause, she added: ¡°He is an actor who has just entered the circle. He is not famous, but he is very hard-working.¡±


    Lu Bai blinked in surprise ¨C suddenly, he remembered Ruan Jiangjiu. Recalling that this young man was waiting for him to come home. A smile spread across his face, and he gently asked, ¡°Is he good to you?¡± After all, the most important thing is the individual¡¯s personality.


    ¡°He¡¯s been very good to me.¡± Lu Guanguan¡¯s cheeks turned completely red, and even her voice was a little quieter, but the corners of her mouth could not be restrained from rising.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Lu Bai laughed as he reached out to rub Lu Guanguan¡¯s hair, saying, ¡°Guan Guan. No matter who the other party is, it is more important that you are happy.¡± After a brief pause, he casually asked, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± Their second uncle was better at doing background checks, so asking him to help look up someone was a good idea. Lu Guanguan looked like she had a flamboyant and outgoing personality, but in fact, she was quite simple.


    ¡°His name is Song Zhi¡¯an.¡± Lu Guanguan said.


    Lu Bai nodded and wrote down the name in his mind. At this time, a friend of Lu Guanguan¡¯s had just come over to the terrace looking for her, so Lu Bai just waved her off, ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll stay up here for a while.¡±


    Only then did Lu Guanguan depart with her friend.


    By now, it was already well into the night. The hall was brightly lit and warm with wine and flowers, but the open terrace had an autumn chill. While a pale full moon hung high in the sky, there were no stars to admire as the city¡¯s lights intermingled with the moonlight in the sky and blocked them.


    As Lu Bai gazed at the moon, the shadow of a teenager appeared in his memory. He couldn¡¯t remember the teenager¡¯s face, but he knew that he must have really existed. When he was alone, huddling in the darkness, suffering in pain, and about to lose consciousness, that teenager and the moonlight had appeared together, pulling him out of the bottomless darkness and providing him warmth.


    Today, for some reason, he looked at the moon and suddenly remembered him. But he doesn¡¯t remember his face, nor does he know his name, not to mention whether he will ever be able to meet him again and say ¡°thank you¡± to him.


    There was an elegant cello playing in the hall behind him. Lu Bai turned to look at the lively banquet which was filled with lights and laughter. Perhaps the moonlight tonight was making him too melancholic, Lu Bai couldn¡¯t help but look at the crowd in the hall and mutter to himself, ¡°If only he was right there.¡± When he was very young, his mother told him a story about a good child wishing on the moon and his wish coming true.


    That said, Lu Bai stopped for a moment and then laughed lightly; What kind of good boy is he? Even when he was really a child, he was still the wicked male foil.


    A masked waiter then entered the terrace with a drink tray in hand, he bowed towards Lu Bai, his voice deep and hoarse: ¡°Sir, would you like a drink?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded, then picked up a glass flute of champagne. The man watched Lu Bai accept it and his eyes under the mask flashed with a shadow: ¡°Please enjoy your drink, and have a pleasant evening.¡± After saying that, he turned around and left.


    ~~~~~~~


    ¡°Xueyu, stay away from Lu Bai.¡± Qin Gu said with a blank face, cupping a wine glass in his hand.


    Qu Xueyu gave a chuckle, only to leisurely look in the direction of the terrace¡ªhe had just seen the teenager heading out there and then asked, ¡°Qin Gu, when you say this¡­ what position are you taking?¡±


    Qin Gu furrowed his brow, hostility filling his eyes, he spoke: ¡°He is not a pleasant person. He is overbearing, selfish, and willful. At the age of twelve, he almost killed someone. Do you just fancy him for his looks? You may be able to get him, but when you recognize him for what he is one day, you will only hurt him.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and self-deprecation coursed through his eyes as he concluded, ¡°But I can tolerate all of that in him.¡± No matter how reluctant he was to admit it, it was a fact that he had fallen for that teenager: ¡°But you are different, Xueyu. You have a cleanliness obsession, even if you are temporarily charmed by  his face, you could never fully accept him that way, so don¡¯t go around teasing him.¡±


    The smile on Qu Xueyu¡¯s face had disappeared completely as he blankly stared at Qin Gu and stated, ¡°Qin Gu. You don¡¯t know him, nor do you know me. You also have no qualification to define him in this way. I¡¯ll leave first. I have something to do.¡±


    Taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around; not sure what he was thinking of, he looked directly into Qin Gu¡¯s gloomy eyes and said faintly, ¡°How do you think, on both occasions that we met, did Xiao Bai know when and where?¡±


    When Qin Gu heard that, his pupils narrowed, but Qu Xueyu didn¡¯t say more, just turned around again and left in stride.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Ah, Excuse me.¡±


    The waiter, who came out from the terrace doorway accidentally, collided with Qu Xueyu, he stabilized his tray but accidentally dropped his mask on the ground. Qu Xueyu picked up the mask and handed it to the other. And when he saw the other person¡¯s face, his movement slowed down, he said thoughtfully, ¡°You¡­?¡± ¨CHave you been to the Lu family¡¯s banquet? ¨C While he did not know this person, there was something familiar about him; he seemed to have seen him at the Lu family¡¯s dinner party.


    But before he finished asking, the waiter exclaimed ¡®thank you¡¯, took the mask, and stuck it back on his face before hurrying away. Qu Xueyu pondered the other man¡¯s back, then continued towards the terrace.


    As he entered the terrace, he spotted Lu Bai, leaning on the stone railing. A fresh flute of champagne was held loosely in one hand, while his other was playing with a shiny round marble1Originally changed from ¡®Glass bead¡¯ to ¡®Marble¡¯, check dropdown ¡°Marble¡± for more info. The marble gleamed and shone under the moonlight.


    Seeing that marble, Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed, then looked at him with a kind of inexplicable feeling for a few moments, before letting out a low laugh, smiling as his face relaxed, and the moonlight sparkled in his eyes.


    After hearing the sound, Lu Bai flinched and put the marble away. Turning around, he saw Qu Xueyu. Subconsciously, he wanted to make a fierce expression but then remembered that this person had helped him. Furthermore, he had no intention of following the plot today, so he just relaxed.


    He regarded Qu Xueyu and shrugged: ¡°Qin Gu isn¡¯t out here.¡± Then, he thought the other person had helped him but was unable to help the other person with even a small favor¡ªit was too immoral, so he solemnly added: ¡°I saw him earlier in the northern side in that corner, so, I¡¯ve yet to even bother him.¡±


    Qu Xueyu removed his smile, his face went dark and he said: ¡°I really have no interest in Qin Gu.¡±


    Lu Bai inwardly scoffed and said ¡®Only a ghost would believe¡¯, but on the surface, he just perfunctorily smiled¡ªafter all, the protagonist Gong and the protagonist Shou were born to be a pair in this world. It was simply like the existence of the truth.


    Qu Xueyu stepped forward and quietly looked at the other without speaking. The eyes of the youth in the moonlight were incredibly beautiful. As his eyes were suffused with moonlight, they appeared to be just as clear as the glass marble.


    Lu Bai¡¯s throat moved while subconsciously taking a couple of steps back. The other party¡¯s stare left him with a little fear for no apparent reason.


    ¡°Qu Xueyu? You, what is the matter with you?¡±


    Qu Xueyu, however, was not sparing the teenager; he moved forward and trapped the youth against the stone railing. He watched the somewhat panicked face of the teenager with a smile, raised his eyebrow, and remarked, ¡°I am not a person who extends kindness without expecting recompense.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°???¡± He only helped him out once! Does that require him to sell his body in return??


    Qu Xueyu then continued, ¡°The person you were thinking of is me.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°?!?!¡± Damn it, The main lead has gone crazy.


    ¡°The person you painted is also me.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s movements paused: ¡°???¡± Painting? Suddenly, he had a very faint feeling of premonition¡­


    ¡°You should know that I also graduated from high school in Chunming, the same as Qin Gu-¡± Qu Xueyu said word for word: ¡°the same school.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s subconsciously twitched head: ¡°? ¡­!¡± That premonition was getting stronger and stronger¡­


    Seeing the vivid expression on the teenager¡¯s face, Qu Xueyu curled the corners of his mouth in a rather good mood: ¡°The glass marble you just had, was mine.¡± He paused before adding, ¡°My family still has a jar; I can send you all of them if you want.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyebrows jumped: ¡°You, what makes you say that is yours?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± Qu Xueyu grinned. ¡°I had picked out that marble, there¡¯s a unique crack in it. It is very much like a snowflake, right?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°!¡±


    Qu Xueyu stepped back, watching the teenager¡¯s dazed face, languidly stating, ¡°When I was in high school, I inadvertently saved a child. He was locked up in a storage shed. When I found him, I carried him to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°All the way to the hospital, he was comatose. But when we reached the hospital, he held on to my sleeve and refused to let go. I removed his hand and felt that this poor kid was too sweet, so I gave him my favorite glass marble to hold instead.¡±


    Back then, when he brought the child to the hospital, he had settled the boy but had to leave because there was something else. And when he went to leave the child was obviously unconscious, but he was clutching his sleeve and wouldn¡¯t let go, so before he left, he stuffed a glass marble into the child¡¯s hand.


    When he returned to the hospital, he was told by the doctor that the child¡¯s family had picked him up and left him some money, more than ten times the amount he had deposited for medical expenses.


    Although he felt regret, he still treated it as just another episode in his life. Only, after that, he was never reunited with the child, nor did he have the opportunity to know the child¡¯s name.


    Lu Bai¡¯s mouth twitched again, his whole appearance was dumbfounded. He felt that he was caught in some kind of weird and strange dream, like a colorful and whimsical whirlwind dream, which was strangely exciting and lively, but he couldn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t a good dream.


    ¡®So, it turns out that mom¡¯s story is true¡­¡¯


    ¡®It turns out that I¡¯m a good boy?!¡¯ Lu Bai thought in a daze as he looked at Qu Xueyu¡¯s smiling, flushed face.


    Mask?? When the waiter/Chen Ming first shows up


    Shio: Unsure if (the waiter) it¡¯s a face mask or a party mask


    Krone: There¡¯s covid there too. So they¡¯re wearing facemasks as a precaution >:) lololol


    When The waiter bumps into QXY, QXY picks up his mask


    Shio: So¡­. probably not a face mask then


    Literally one paragraph later


    Shio: Why is he wearing a party mask as a waiter? I¡¯m confused, I know sometimes they do that for fancy party¡¯s but I feel like it¡¯s a security issue¡­ am I thinking to much about this?


    Krone: No you¡¯re not. I¡¯m thinking the exact same thing. But this is a story xD and we should not be applying real world logic to this. XD So let¡¯s just pretend that all the other waitstaff who saw didn¡¯t care and treated it as completely normal. XD


    Shio: lol oh good, I¡¯m not the only one then.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Marble So in the Raws what LB is holding is actually a (һöÌÞ͸µÄÁðÁ§Öé×Ó ), It¡¯s MTL into ¡®a single glass/glazed bead¡¯. Now while I don¡¯t normally approve of just changing things, this singular thing held me back for a WEEK! I couldn¡¯t get it to feel right, so I wasn¡¯t able to work past it (I¡¯m a bit weird like that). Looking into it further I realized that the same descriptor also applied to MARBLES!!!! Breakthrough! So I desperately scanned the entire rest of the novel and not once did this silly thing come up again¡­ so I made the decision to revise it as a marble. To me, seeing a child carrying around an interesting marble /having a jar of them at home/able to recognize it years later across a patio¡­. makes more sense to me than a tiny bead.


    So that was a fun little journey. My other option I was thinking about was revising it into a bracelet. Then it could have been QXY wearing a glass bead bracelet/putting it on the unconscious LB¡¯s wrist at the hospital/ having a jewelry box at home of similar/see LB fiddling with it like prayer beads and recognize it. But me and Krone felt that would be changing too much to fit in just a singular prop item that never appears again. ( plus, I felt like if it was jewelry LB would have been wearing it constantly, and it would have turned into a continuity problem)


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    Authors Note Self promotion


    The author has something to say:


    Interstellar abo article ¡°I have fallen¡± please bookmark QAQ, click into the author¡¯s column The first is it, ooh thank you little angels!


    The text is as follows:


    ¡®As I sink, I will drag you into the dust with me¡® ¨C Rumi, a Persian Poet


    Legend has it that the proud and dazzling second prince of the empire, Alan Scott, was 18 years old when he fell into the dust. At the age of eighteen, Scott beheaded the infamous leader of the Star Pirates amidst a sea of corpses and blood.


    But in full view of the public turned into an Omega.


    Legend has it that the second prince, who was supposed to be the crown prince, developed irregular bonding fever soon after the differentiation ¨C he would go into heat anytime, anywhere, and would not stop until he died.


    Legend has it that the second prince spent the entire night in the room of his political adversary when he first came into heat, and his right leg was humiliatingly tattooed with dazzling rose vines.


    The blood-red roses flowered on the thigh and the genitals.


    According to rumors, the day after the second prince was marked by his political adversary, he had a second heat and was unceremoniously thrown into the Empire¡¯s No. 0 secret prison.


    Legend has it that Imperial Prison No. 0 is a secret train that wanders the universe, filled with the Empire¡¯s most vicious prisoners.


    ¡­¡­


    One day, the 2nd prince, who was believed to be dead and buried, once again set foot on imperial soil, and the army he led completely swept away the corrupt decaying empire¡¯s vestiges.


    The sun rose, and the new king in battle armor plunged a sharp blade into the heart of his political adversary Song Yisheng, who was riddled with wounds, his gold-rimmed glasses fell to the ground, and his lips were bleeding at the corners.


    The man was a mess, his gold-rimmed glasses having broken on the ground, blood trickling out of the corners of his lips ¨C but he was smiling with madness in his eyes.


    He took off his white gloves for the first time, half-kneeling at the youth¡¯s feet, and kissed the back of his hand reverently and fervently:


    ¡°My king, welcome back.¡±


    ¡°I crown you with my blood.¡±


    ¡°Even if I die, my rose will be engraved on you forever, please hate me as much as you want.¡±


    The rose tattoo on the back of the golden-haired new king¡¯s neck as well as his legs and genitals tingled as he gritted his teeth and cursed, ¡°Bastard, don¡¯t fucking pretend.¡±


    Song Yisheng stood up without delay, wiped the fake blood from his mouth, pressed the new king on top of that throne, rubbed the back of his hot neck, and darkened his eyes


    He answered, ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Note: Song Yisheng X Alan Scott Scott


    The Gong has many vests (probably)


    ¡ª¡ª


    TN Warning, story is unfinished as of now at 31 chapters and the Author hasn¡¯t updated it since 11/30/2022. There is also no NU page for it. But the author promoted it in her end notes so  I wanted to include it as well.


    ¡ª


    I do want to thank all the readers for your comments! It¡¯s always nice to know my footnotes are appreciated, I try to put them on things that I think others might not know and even things that I have to research myself. I wish I could figure out how to do pictures as well, but that might be a later achievement.


    And also whoever bought me a Kofi, thanks so much! I will try my best to get out a double update for you soon.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof Nitta

 CH 27

    Chapter 27


    At last, Qu Xueyu flashed a faint smile as he looked at the teenager and asked knowingly, ¡°That kid is definitely a person who knows how to repay his debts, right?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded subconsciously, ¡°Right¡­ yeah, ah? You, what do you want?¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised an eyebrow, measuring the young man¡¯s body up and down with his eyes, as if he was considering where to eat first.


    Although Lu Bai has not yet recovered his wits, the other man¡¯s gaze caused his scalp to tingle. He subconsciously tried to step back, but his waist hit the stone railing,  leaving him with nowhere to go. Qu Xueyu took a step forward, their distance now frighteningly close. Lu Bai held his breath, eyes wide open and staring blankly at the other.


    ¡°Xiao Bai. What do you think I want?¡± Qu Xueyu questioned, looking straight into the teenager¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Qin, Qin Gu?¡± Lu Bai subconsciously replied.


    Qu Xueyu smiled kindly but it made Lu Bai¡¯s hair stand straight up, then he said: ¡°Congratulations. You guessed it wrong.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­?¡± He felt that his brain had become a  muddled mess. He couldn¡¯t think. He wanted to retreat further, but his back was already hurting from being pressed against the stone railing, and he couldn¡¯t move. He suddenly realized that for what he had done to the other, he could be considering retaliation, so he blurted out. ¡°It can¡¯t be to beat me up, right? If¡­ if you want to beat me up, you can do it.¡± He then closed his eyes tightly and looked like he was preparing for death: ¡°You can hit my face, too.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Qu Xueyu quietly stared at the teenager¡¯s pursed lips; the small lip bead1A Lip bead is commonly on a cupid bow mouth shape. It is the middle of the top lip, and it dips a bit forming a ¡®bead¡¯ and it is considered very attractive, so much so people often get surgery to have one. on his lips was so very cute and tempting. As he continued to silently look at the teenager, his heart softened in the end. He took a step back and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t hate me anymore.¡±


    Lu Bai stiffened before slowly cracking one eye open to peak at Qu Xueyu. Then he opened both of his eyes as he nodded his agreement: This is great too! He originally did not hate Qu Xueyu. Not to mention that the other party was his life-saving benefactor.


    Qu Xueyu saw the teenager nodding and then added: ¡°No more pairing me and Qin Gu together.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyebrows twitched in puzzlement, and his eyes were a bit hesitant¡ªafter all, the main character Gong and the main character Shou seemed to be in the cultivation period of mutual understanding right now; after the cultivation period was the honeymoon period.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously, and Lu Bai nodded nervously.


    ¡°The third thing,¡± Qu Xueyu looked at the teenager¡¯s lovely lip bead and opened his mouth. In his heart, he exclaimed ¡®I want to kiss you¡¯, but instead he exhaled, ¡°Give me that glass of champagne you¡¯re holding.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Bai blinked and looked at the glass of champagne in his hand¡­which he hadn¡¯t had time to even take a sip, before handing it over. ¡°Here.¡± After a second, he added: ¡°You can drink it; I have definitely not touched it.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    He gently sighed but still took the glass from the other. Then, as if taking a gamble, he drank it like a shot. The ice-cold alcohol flowed down his throat, and all the agitation this teenager caused him was somewhat pacified.


    Lu Bai couldn¡¯t help but watch Qu Xueyu¡¯s elegant yet bold and wilful drinking posture. His Xiao Ruan and Qu Xueyu were too much alike. He wondered what Xiao Ruan looked like while he was drinking¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but curl his lips into a soft smile thinking about it.


    With that glass of champagne, Qu Xueyu felt a little warmer. He loosened his tie and saw that the teenager was staring at him. Probably a little buzzed, he smiled and asked, ¡°Xiao Bai. For you, who am I?¡±


    Lu Bai subconsciously blurted out, ¡°Substitute.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai quickly reacted and clarified while waving his hands about, ¡°No! No, you¡¯re not his substitute. He¡¯s one of a kind.¡± There was a pause before he added: ¡°Of course, you are also unique.¡±


    Finally understanding who the other was looking at through him, Qu Xueyu nodded with mixed feelings and asked: ¡°He is very important to you?¡±


    Lu Bai stilled and nodded solemnly; his eyes were shining like the stars in the sky and said seriously, ¡°Extremely important.¡±


    The corners of Qu Xueyu¡¯s mouth twitched as he said, ¡°Good.¡±


    No sooner had the words been spoken than Qu Xueyu¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. Suddenly, he felt a little dizzy, and his body felt unusually hot. He took off his jacket and put it on his arm, the cool autumn breeze brushed over his body, but his neck and cheeks burned even more.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lu Bai saw that the other was not in good shape. He hurriedly went forward to check, and when he saw the other¡¯s flushed face and his crimson-lined eyes, his pupils shrank, and he reached up to touch the other¡¯s forehead: It was really hot!


    Qu Xueyu was now breathing heavily, and his body was trembling. Looking into Lu Bai¡¯s eyes made him feel even more terrifyingly hot, but he took a deep breath and retreated two steps away from the other. Forcing a smile, he replied, ¡°Xiao Bai, get out of here.¡± He paused to take a deep breath and added: ¡°I¡¯m not feeling well. I will look for my own room after you leave, I¡¯ll be fine after I get some sleep.¡±


    He glanced at the now empty glass in his hand, and his eyes were a little cold. Who was it that gave Lu Bai such a dirty, nasty drug at his mother¡¯s party? For some reason, he thought of that masked waiter he had bumped into coming to the terrace, and his eyes became even colder.


    Lu Bai stepped forward to support Qu Xueyu, pursing his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll help you back to your room.¡± A few of the upper floors of the hotel were reserved as rooms for guests to rest if needed, and Qu Xueyu was obviously not feeling well, so he couldn¡¯t leave him here all alone.


    What¡¯s more ¨C Lu Bai glanced at the empty glass and his eyes chilled ¨C there was most likely something wrong with the drink he had given to Qu Xueyu. It must have been laced with a quick-acting drug of some type.


    Qu Xueyu gazed dazedly at Lu Bai¡¯s worried face and forced a weak smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I just need to get some rest.¡± He said that, but his forehead was starting to bead with cold sweat. The young man was too close to him. He could smell the sweet fragrance from his body. His lovely lips were so close that as long as he wanted to, he could just lean over and kiss. Qu Xueyu swallowed¡ªhis eyes were terribly dark, but in the end, he restrained himself; the young man hadn¡¯t given him permission, and he could not.


    Lu Bai regarded Qu Xueyu¡¯s more alluring figure because of his sensual state and then frowned slightly. Qu Xueyu is a public figure whose presence anywhere is highly visible. Not far away, the banquet hall is still full of lights and laughter. Even though this venue has good security and privacy, if someone attending sees this appearance and spreads it, there is no telling what those people outside will say.


    Thinking of a plan, Lu Bai pulled the jacket from Qu Xueyu¡¯s arms and covered his head, hiding his lust-stained face tightly. If someone asked him about it he would say that Qu Xueyu was allergic to alcohol and that he was helping him to rest. As an actor, he naturally would not want the outside world to see his allergic appearance, which made it the best excuse. As for how they would speculate about his relationship with Qu Xueyu afterward, he no longer cared, his second uncle would help him with that.


    Compared to the explosive news that Qu Xueyu had been slipped an illegal drug, some random people¡¯s speculation about their relationship was irrelevant. What¡¯s more, all the guests today were prominent figures in Jinghai, and they would not dare to offend both the Lu and Qu families because of some speculation that was not even a scandal.


    All ready, Lu Bai then turned and braced Qu Xueyu on his shoulder. Wrapping his arm around the other and feeling the radiating heat and his increasingly heavy breathing, he knew he must be uncomfortable now, and he reassured him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take you to your room to rest.¡±


    Qu Xueyu leaned against Lu Bai¡¯s shoulder, helplessly thinking about how to get the teenager out of his room as soon as possible after. Otherwise¡­ he didn¡¯t want to think about what he might do.


    Almost everyone in the hall was gathered by the stage where Ming Yan¡ªthe star of the night¡ªwas talking about the story behind one of her paintings. Seeing that most of the guests were focused on his mother, Lu Bai breathed a sigh of relief as he guided the way from an inconspicuous corner toward the hall¡¯s entrance.


    From her vantage point on the stage, Ming Yan glimpsed her son¡¯s figure leading a covered man out and froze. Her heart swelled with worry before she met her son¡¯s eyes. Lu Bai, who was carefully holding up Qu Xueyu, looked at his mother and put a finger to the middle of his lips with a plea visible in his eyes. Ming Yan¡¯s eyes narrowed but still reluctantly smiled and nodded; her face maintained a light smile and continued her speech.


    ~~~~~~~


    The guests of the banquet should have been provided with accommodation on the upper floors, and it was said that there would be hotel staff guarding the entrance to the elevator on those floors so that guests who needed it could get their room cards directly from the attendant. It was already a little late at night and thankfully, Lu Bai found that there were no people in the corridor as he helped Qu Xueyu walk into the elevator.


    The elevator door opened, and there was indeed an attendant posted at the door. When he saw Lu Bai and the covered man beside him, he was confused; this was different from what he had been told. His boss had said that there would be a man bringing Lu Bai here before the party was over, and he should bring them to Qin¡¯s room as planned.


    But now, it¡¯s clearly not ¡®A man with Lu Bai¡¯, but ¡®Lu Bai with a man¡¯.


    ¡°I am a guest from the 15th floor, please open a room for me.¡± Lu Bai stated.


    The floor attendant frowned slightly but still put his doubts behind him. Whatever, it didn¡¯t matter who was leading whom. In any case, it was indeed ¡®Lu Bai and a man¡¯, and as long as he followed what came next, he would get a large sum of money. So he gave a faint smile and said, ¡°Please, follow me.¡±


    Lu Bai followed the attendant to a room, where the attendant took out a door card and opened the door, ¡°Please, come in. Have a pleasant evening.¡±


    Lu Bai took the room card with one hand and said thanks as he helped the man whose head was covered by a jacket into the room.


    The attendant regarded the closed door with a feeling of unease but still sent the word ¡°completed¡± to his boss. And, he asked for the rest of the money as part of their deal.


    Along with this message came another on Xiao Yang¡¯s phone: ¡°Xiao Yang, I¡¯ll go back to the terrace. Lu Bai has disappeared ¨C from Chen Ming.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    After entering the suite, Lu Bai inserted the door card with the light in the living room turning on. 2Ok, so.. this didn¡¯t make any sense to me until I remembered a few scenes from some movies/shows I watched years ago. As it¡¯s not something we have in America I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going to be able to talk about it right but here¡¯s what I can recall. Utilities are pre-purchased in some places onto either a rechargeable card or a just like one-time use one. You take these cards and insert them into card readers inside your apartment/home and your lights/water then work. In cases like hotels you use the key card you use to unlock the door to turn the stuff on. If any of that is wrong I apologize. Also, my editor Krone has informed me that even if you check in alone and get 2 cards( very common) you can also sometimes use a playing card. He helped Qu Xueyu to walk in the direction of the bedroom, and because his view was blocked by the other¡¯s body, he did not see the briefcase on the sofa in the living room.


    When they reached the bedroom, Lu Bai tried to carefully help Qu Xueyu down onto the bed.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    With a soft clatter, Qu Xueyu collapsed on the soft bed with Lu Bai in his hold.


    Lu Bai looked at Qu Xueyu who was pressing down on his body¡ªhis pupils shrank, and he subconsciously swallowed; this Qu Xueyu, he felt, was a little scary.


    Qu Xueyu propped up his body with his elbows bent and his eyes closed, his favorite and most cherished youth was now close enough that he could be easily grasped. His chest heaved with his heavy breathing and his body was also scorching, his forehead glistened with sweat, next was that he opened his eyes and stared at the youth trapped beneath him, his eyes ebbing and flowing with lust and desire.


    He slowly raised a hand, wanting to touch the boy¡¯s face, touch those lovely lips. No, not just touch. He wanted to kiss him¡ªwanted to kiss his lips, kiss his collarbone, kiss every inch of his body, he also wanted to¡­


    Lu Bai had not had time to turn on the bedroom light, so the whole room was left dark and ambiguous.


    ¡°You, what are you doing?¡± Lu Bai¡¯s voice trembled a little.


    They were so very close and the hot breath of the youth grazed his face. When the sweat from his forehead fell and dripped onto the other¡¯s nose, Lu Bai¡¯s entire body felt like it had been electrified. He wanted to push the other man away, but his strength was so great that he couldn¡¯t move.


    Lu Bai finally realized that he had been confined under Qu Xueyu¡¯s body. His eyes widened, and he started to toss his body, trying to escape but found that he could not break free.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s burning, hot breathing sprayed over Lu Bai¡¯s ears and blended with his own breathing, giving him a faint illusion of familiarity. The darkness in the room did not seem to end, and Lu Bai¡¯s heart tinged with fear.


    His voice was trembling slightly as he felt himself starting to panic, and almost subconsciously, he blurted out, ¡°Xiao Ruan!¡± Like a plea for help that could evoke anyone¡¯s compassion.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes fluttered, and finally, a moment of clarity came to his mind. He took a deep breath and lifted up from the teenager, then turned on the bedside lamp. He rubbed his disheveled hair, and the end of his eyes was red and frightening. As he dropped his body into the chair next to the bed,  he looked at the teenager who was lying there in a daze; the other¡¯s hair was in a mess, and his face was dyed red but with a little fear and aggression. Qu Xueyu¡¯s heart ached. He pinched his eyebrows, followed with his eyes closing and opening up again, and said in a hoarse voice: ¡°Leave.¡±


    Authors Note


    Authors Self Promotion


    The author has something to say:


    The Special Issue of ¡°Delusions of Love¡± is a new article! Thank you, Bixin(TN: Not this fingers crossed emoji but, the name of the finger heart emoji) ~


    The text is as follows:


    As a stand-in for the male protagonist who is going to cross over to this world, Li Yule is coerced by the male protagonist¡¯s plug-in to save the spare tires for the male protagonist.


    He rescued the movie star who was down and out on the streets, helped the protagonist¡¯s senior who was still a poor boy at the time and was forced to do good deeds without leaving a name to take care of the sick boss. Naturally, the movie star, the senior, and the boss, all think the protagonist is their white moonlight.


    The worst thing is that Li Xianle is also forced to suffer from lovesickness, and every day he is forced to express his love and affection to the movie star, the senior, and the boss who loathes him.


    He is no better than a silly lapdog.


    However, the fact that his own father did not love him, his own mother was murdered, and he was forced to be a simpering lapdog is not acceptable. So, Li Xianle kept a small record in his heart every day.


    Life was so miserable, but fortunately, he picked up a sweet little wolf cub as his companion at home, and his incomparably cute little niece accompanied him. A big house, a wolf cub, a small niece, and a round cat. Even if it is a little flawed, it is also a heavenly existence.


    But the good times did not last long. One day, the protagonist finally came to this world, and so, the world of Li Xianle instantly turned upside down. The protagonist moved his fingers and obtained the property of Li Xianle¡¯s father, occupied the large four-bedroom house left to him by Li Xianle¡¯s mother, his cat was snatched away, the little niece fell ill, and the little wolf cub disappeared. By the end of the day, Li Xianle had lost everything.


    Then the control of the main character¡¯s plug-in is finally lifted.


    The next day, the poor man, Li Yule, sneered and smashed the protagonist¡¯s right eye socket, and then began to calculate one-by-one the accounts listed in his ledger.


    And then¡ªthose men, who originally hated him to the core, looked at him more and more wrong and even had to painfully confess to him ¡­¡­


    In this regard, Li Xianle was expressionless: ¡°Oh. Actually not necessary.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    One day, the man who is said to be the protagonist¡¯s destined cp returns from abroad, and it is said that the man is deeply in love with the protagonist, but the more he looks at the man, the more he looks like his lost wolf cub.


    When he was blocked by the handsome man at the door, Li Yule¡¯s throat moved ¨C his long-cured lovesickness was back ¨C He must like me, he must like me, he can¡¯t dislike me!


    T/N Bixin Footnote: ¡°The heart-to-heart gesture is always used by idols, using the thumb and index finger intersecting to form a heart shape to express love for fans or friends. Because when singing, it is easier to compare the heart with the hands than to put the hands on the top of the head. This plus action plus a wink constitutes the meaning of the heart.


    In order to pursue a more cute feeling, some netizens wrote ¡°Bixin/±ÈÐÄ ¡± as ¡± pen refill /±ÊÐÄ ¡°, deliberately writing typos to express confusion. Later, it was accepted by more netizens, and the ¡°pen refill¡± spread.¡± ¨CBaidu


    T/N Story Promotion: Ok, so I translated it, but I can¡¯t actually find the story to link it¡­ the author also has the same thing in the novel summary but once again¡­ CAN¡¯T FIND IT. They did mention the same story in the author notes a few chapters ago but I hadn¡¯t included it then as they stated they had the first chapter written but not posted yet¡­


    Here is release 1 of 2 in thanks for the Kofi ¡°.¡± gave me!


    I do want to say how much I love and appreciate how respectful QXY is about getting LB¡¯s CONSENT! He¡¯s one of very few danmei ML¡¯s that asks for permission, and one of the biggest reasons I picked this up.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 28

    Chapter 28


    The bathroom lights were on, and the faint sound of water came from inside.


    Lu Bai was half sitting up, looking at the bathroom door somewhat dazedly. And then, his lips rose into a light smile. Probably afraid of scaring him, Qu Xueyu had gone into the bathroom, so that he could take advantage of this opportunity to leave.


    Unsurprisingly, the young teenager from the moonlight had grown into a brilliant young man, and some things remained unchanged as if they would remain the same forever.


    Qu Xueyu had been drugged, and tonight should be very difficult for him. Lu Bai believed that for the sake of that year¡¯s goodwill, he could not just leave him here alone. He took out his phone and sent a message to Ruan Jiangjiu, ¡°Xiao Ruan. Tonight I have to take care of Qu Xueyu at the hotel. I¡¯ll be home in the morning.¡±


    Lu Bai just sent a message, and Qu Xueyu¡¯s cell phone on the other side of the bed buzzed. He only thought it was a coincidence that someone had messaged the other person at the same time, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention.


    As he looked at the message he had sent, Lu Bai¡¯s heart suddenly felt a kind of inexplicable reticence. Xiao Ruan was waiting for him to go home, but he had to attend to another man in a hotel. This strange feeling came out of nowhere, and Lu Bai could not figure out why. It just happened to strike him that if Xiao Ruan had done this, he would have been very angry¡ªbut the reason for this anger was like it was hidden by a layer of gauze through which he could not clearly identify it.


    Thinking of this, Lu Bai sent another message to him. ¡°Xiao Ruan, there is nothing between him and me. It¡¯s just that he helped me and now needs care, so I can¡¯t leave.¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s cell phone which was placed on the bed buzzed again.


    Lu Bai stared at the phone lying on the bed for a moment; suspicion traced in his eyes. There was a truly earth-shattering idea in his heart that flashed by, but he failed to grasp it immediately.


    As he picked up his phone to send yet another message to Ruan Jiangjiu, the bathroom door opened.


    Qu Xueyu was wearing a loose bathrobe that exposed most of his chest. His still-damp black hair was a bit tousled, giving him a more aggressive look. The drug was really strong, and even after showering, he could still feel his cheeks and neck burning, and his body was extra heavy. Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes were cold. If Lu Bai had really drank that glass of champagne, then what was the other party planning to do? The most fortunate thing he did today was probably to drink that glass for Lu Bai by chance.


    ¡°After having a good shower, get some rest. I¡¯ll watch over you tonight.¡± Lu Bai looked away from the other person and sighed. If there was really an emergency later, they were going straight to the hospital.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard his voice, and he looked up incredulously at the side of the bed to see that the young man who should have already left was presently sitting at the head of the bed, looking at him.


    Qu Xueyu sat down in the soft chair by the bed and quietly regarded Lu Bai. He huffed out a low laugh, and his eyes curved up: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave?¡±


    To say that ¡®I stayed to take care of you¡¯ was too nauseating, but Lu Bai couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say, so he only muttered in a small voice, ¡°How could I leave you like that?¡± Only after the saying out loud did he realize that it seemed to be even lamer than that one sentence but it was too late to take it back.


    Qu Xueyu smiled even more. Who knows what came to his mind? But he raised an eyebrow and teasingly asked, ¡°Your ¡®Xiao Ruan¡¯ will not be angry?¡±


    Lu Bai was shocked, and he lowered his eyes and sullenly stated, ¡°Yes, I think so.¡± However, when he finished, his brow furrowed, and stared up at Qu Xueyu, suspicion appeared again on his face. ¡°How do you know about Xiao Ruan?¡± His Ruan Jiangjiu was very well protected, and Ruan Jiangjiu had not yet made his debut. Reasonably speaking, Qu Xueyu and Ruan Jiangjiu had not crossed paths at all, and it seemed impossible for Qu Xueyu to be aware of his existence.


    Qu Xueyu smiled and shrugged, as he watched the teenager with deep eyes, ¡°Ah yes, Xiao Bai. how do you think I know about your Xiao Ruan?¡±


    Lu Bai frowned even more, his face revealed some bewilderment. After a long time, he asked, ¡± Did I accidentally tell you?¡± But that shouldn¡¯t be ah, before tonight, any encounters with Qu Xueyu were limited to when he found him to be troublesome. Later, he helped him out. And, he was always very careful about the news of Ruan Jiangjiu, he couldn¡¯t have mentioned anything to Qu Xueyu.


    Qu Xueyu shook his head: ¡°Xiao Bai. You have not.¡± This young man did not reveal the existence of ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu¡± to ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±.


    Lu Bai: ¡°Could it be that you happened to meet my Xiao Ruan and thought he was better looking than you? And you thought he would be your rival and threaten your position in the future, so you had to investigate him?¡± If the Qu family wanted to investigate, he, alone, really could not hide anyone.


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath and sighed, ¡°Xiao Bai, although in a sense he is indeed my rival. I don¡¯t think he is better looking than me.¡± Qu Xueyu felt like he was going crazy for this teenager, so childish that he was drinking his own vinegar1common slang for being jealous..


    Lu Bai¡¯s look of ¡®I don¡¯t agree with you but I¡¯ll let you go because you¡¯re not feeling well tonight¡¯: ¡°Confidence is a good thing. Especially for a big star like you, I can understand.¡± He digressed rather thoughtfully and quickly changed the subject and said, ¡°You should rest early.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Taking a deep breath, he managed to answer, ¡°Yeah.¡± Perhaps tonight was not really the right occasion to confess.


    ~~~~~~


    On the bedside was a lit sconce, and the room was blanketed in tranquility and soft light.


    Qu Xueyu was lying on the bed, and Lu Bai had moved to the soft chair closer to the bed and sat on it to keep an eye on him.


    ¡°Xiao Bai, come up to sleep.¡± Qu Xueyu whispered with his eyes closed. Only after saying this did he realize that he was now ¡°Qu Xueyu¡± who was not close enough with the teenager to share a bed.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t worry, I can watch over you tonight.¡± Lu Bai then reached out to touch the other man¡¯s forehead. Some of the fever eased, but he was still a little hot.


    The teenager¡¯s voice was gentle and comforting, and his hand was cold and comfortable. Qu Xueyu¡¯s furrowed brow smoothed out slightly, and his breathing finally became long.


    It was very late into the night, and Lu Bai¡¯s eyelids became heavy as he leaned back in his chair.  After a long battle, he reached out and touched Qu Xueyu¡¯s forehead again, he felt the temperature finally subsided. He was finally able to relax a little, and simply lay down on the side of the bed to get comfortable, but never thought he would fall asleep.


    ~~~~~~


    Early the next morning.


    ¡°Mmm, Xiao Ruan.¡± Lu Bai somehow managed to move from the chair to the bed. Muttering, he rolled into the arms of the person beside him, who was also quietly sleeping but felt Lu Bai¡¯s presence and subconsciously wrapped his arm around his waist in a possessive manner.


    Lu Bai slept in a fuzzy mood; he usually can recognize his bed. But the bed here was really uncomfortable for him. He frowned slightly and felt discomfort. Yet, the breath of the person holding him to sleep at his side was so familiar and comforting that he was able to sleep in peace after rolling into the other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Mmm, Xiao Ruan, you¡¯re so great.¡± The young man who was mumbling in his sleep subconsciously nuzzled the chin of the man whose arms were around him, and the man hugged him tighter as he usually does.


    ~~~~~


    When Qin Gu got into the elevator, he pinched his brow with an aching headache. Last night¡¯s banquet had ended quite late, and after that his father had dragged him out to socialize¡ªhe did not like the hypocrisy of exchanging a few rounds of drinks, but being in this position, even he sometimes had to do so. Both his mother and father, together with his extended family, used the word ¡°responsibility¡± to decorate and polish him as well as to imprison him. The term had become increasingly overwhelming, and there was no escape for him.


    Qin Gu mocked himself a little; the omnipotent brother in Lu Bai¡¯s eyes, in fact, had long died. The teenager always loved to cling to him, but what would he think if he saw himself in this almost wretched state?


    ¡°Mr. Qin,¡± his secretary followed Qin Gu into the elevator whilst saying, ¡°You are free to rest in your room for the morning, and in the afternoon, you need to fly to Chunming for a meeting.¡±


    Qin Gu nodded expressionlessly as he walked forward briskly.


    The secretary hesitated for a moment looking at Qin Gu but finally said, ¡°Mr. Qin, Mr. Xiao said you were busy and he couldn¡¯t bear to disturb you and asked me to convey to you at your convenience, to please take care of your health.¡±


    Qin Gu took an unsteady step at his words; he looked over at his secretary and remarked, ¡°In the future, you don¡¯t need to waste my time by delivering such nonsense.¡±


    The secretary was flustered and hurriedly exclaimed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s words suddenly crossed his mind. Qin Gu frowned in thought, and then told his secretary, ¡°In the future, you should pay attention to Xiao Yang.¡±


    The secretary was confused, ¡°Mr. Qin¡­?¡± Because Mr. Xiao, like Young Master Lu, was considered special to the Boss. Outsiders like them did not dare to get involved.


    Qin Gu maintained his calm face as he said, ¡°He¡¯s still my brother, but from now on, pay attention to him. Take note of what he is doing and who he is involved with, got it?¡±


    The secretary quickly nodded his head.


    When they reached the door of his room, the secretary hastily took out the room card to open the door for Qin Gu and then followed him in. Once they entered the living room, Qin Gu loosened his tie and hung up his jacket, then passed a document to the secretary. The secretary collected it.  and was about to talk about the rest of the day¡¯s schedule, when an unfamiliar voice suddenly was heard.


    ¡°Mmm, Xiao Ruan. Hug tighter, this bed feels really uncomfortable today.¡± This voice was soft and sticky, seemingly coquettish. But since the bedroom door was open, anyone in the living room would be able to hear it plainly.


    Qin Gu¡¯s eyes narrowed, and the secretary¡¯s eyes widened. He gulped and suddenly dared not look at his boss¡¯s face¡ªthis voice was all too familiar. All too often, the teenager had appeared around his boss, so he was forced to learn by heart. But his impression of that teenager was usually domineering and arrogant and never spoke to anyone in such a spoiled manner.


    The secretary secretly swept his eyes over Qin Gu¡¯s fiercely cold and intimidating frown. Only then did he suddenly remember one of the most crucial questions: who is the one in Young Master Lu¡¯s mouth, ¡®Xiao Ruan¡¯?


    The bedside sconce was still glowing with a warm yellow light. At this time, the sky was already bright, and the sunlight outside the window came through a few shafts through the gaps in the curtains, falling onto the messy clothing on the floor.


    The snow-white quilt on the bed was in a heap, with the handsome young man¡¯s unkempt black hair, crisp jawline, and disorganized bathrobe. The entire figure was in a state of wantonness, and in his arms, he held a teenager snugly. The teenager was wearing a white shirt with its buttons undone, curled up closely in the arms of the young man, and his exposed arms were intimately wrapped around the neck of the man, white and glowing from the light.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, what¡¯s for breakfast today?¡± The teenager was still sleeping, but he intimately nuzzled the other¡¯s chin again, as if he was acting spoiled, muttering.


    The secretary had been shut outside the door, and Qin Gu looked like an enraged lion at this moment. His hands were tightly clenched into fists, the tendons on the back of his hands were protruding, and his voice was frighteningly frigid as if it had been dipped in ice.


    ¡°What exactly are you guys doing?¡±


    Qu Xueyu frowned slightly and then opened his eyes. He first caressed the teenager¡¯s hair before covering him with the quilt.


    Then, he sat upright and calmly faced Qin Gu, thinking of last night. He asked, ¡°This is your room?¡±


    Qin Gu gritted his teeth, cynically laughed, and remarked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes dropped to the ground. The drugged wine, the bribed waiter, Qin Gu¡¯s room. What would have happened if it was Lu Bai who drank that glass of champagne last night?


    Qin Gu felt like his heart was ablaze¡ªhe finally had to admit today that it was jealousy.


    He was about to speak again, but then he saw Qu Xueyu put his finger to his lips.


    Qu Xueyu looked down at the teenager who was slightly frowning from the noise. His eyes looked like a warm spring after the ice had melted, and he gently stroked the other¡¯s hair and looked back at Qin Gu. However, his face was indifferent, and he calmly said: ¡°Shh. Don¡¯t disturb his sleep. Let¡¯s talk outside.¡±


    T/N: Here is release 2 of 2!


    Jealousy/Vinegar  I believe the origin was from a story where a wife was so jealous of a concubine that she tried to drink poison, but it ended up being a bottle of vinegar.  huh.. looked it up and I was pretty close.


    ¡± the saying of jealousy is said to have come out from the Tang Dynasty. The story goes that in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, in an attempt to win people¡¯s hearts, saw that Prime Minister Fang Xuanling was childless, his wife was infertile and jealous, and forbade Fang Xuanling from approaching other women, so he had the idea of giving Fang Xuanling a concubine.


    However, Minister Fang¡¯s response was unexpected. He refused to accept the offer, which made Li Shimin wonder, there is no man who does not love beauty. Refusing to accept a concubine in the house of Lord Fang Xuanling had to be for a reason. Li Shimin then thought of Fang Xuanling¡¯s wife, so he sent someone to Fang Xuanling¡¯s house to persuade Lord Fang¡¯s wife to accept Fang Xuanling¡¯s concubinage, but who would have known that Fang Xuanling¡¯s wife is not greedy, and not even missing a beat, she insisted she wouldn¡¯t accept a concubine for Fang Xuanling.


    This really irritated Li Shimin, so he issued an edict to give Mrs. Fang a pot of poisoned wine. His message was that Lord Fang had worked so hard for the country and was so meritorious that he had been rewarded with several beautiful women, and if she wanted to resist the decree, then she would drink the poisoned wine and have her own closure, but who knew that Mrs. Fang Xuanling was also a very strong character and drank the poisoned wine with the mindset that she would rather break the jade than the tile, and as a result, she felt that the taste of the wine was not right and that it was not the taste of wine, but vinegar. ¡± ¡ª Baidu


    So I was pretty close, But basically, it does boil down to a wife being so stubborn about not wanting her husband to have a concubine she says she would rather die first. The emperor said ¡°bet¡± and sent her a jar of vinegar disguised as ¡®poisoned¡¯ wine. She drank it and won, leading to the story getting passed down and making ¡°drinking vinegar¡± synonymous with jealousy.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 29

    Chapter 29


    Leaving Qu Xueyu¡¯s embrace, Lu Bai couldn¡¯t sleep comfortably in the strange bed. He woke up with a frown and then rubbed his eyes.


    The bed no longer had Qu Xueyu¡¯s shadow. Rubbing his eyes, Lu Bai began to fasten his unbuttoned shirt. Ruan Jiangjiu always said he never dressed properly when he slept, and he was, in fact, not wrong.


    Lu Bai looked at his hands, somewhat baffled. Last night, he did not follow the plot, but the world still did not initiate the disciplinary system. He was not exactly sure why, but if he can further prove that the disciplinary system was completely gone, his life in this world would be free. Even if he still hasn¡¯t figured out the ins and outs of this world.


    Freedom, at least, was a blessing. Lu Bai curled his lips.


    He got out of bed barefoot, had a lazy stretch, and went to freshen up. It was already sunny outside when Lu Bai came out of the bathroom. Holding a mug in his hand and a toothbrush in his mouth, he pulled back the curtains. Abruptly, he heard a loud noise outside the bedroom door¡ªthe door was closed, so the sound was faint and he couldn¡¯t tell what it was.


    The memory of last night sluggishly replayed in Lu Bai¡¯s mind. Lu Bai remembered Qu Xueyu¡¯s uncomfortable appearance last night.  Remembering that again, he was frightened and worried about Qu Xueyu. He hurriedly ran out of the bedroom to look for the other man.


    ¡°¡­Qin Gu, I told you. You are not qualified to define him.¡± Not knowing what words provoked him, Qu Xueyu fiercely grabbed the collar of the other person, his face blank.


    As soon as Qu Xueyu¡¯s words fell, Lu Bai appeared at the door of the bedroom. Two people were fighting with each other, and Lu Bai¡¯s angle saw the appearance of two people kissing.


    Splat


    His mug fell on the floor;  the water spilled all over the floor.


    When Qu Xueyu heard the noise, he released his hand and turned around to see the teenager standing barefoot in the doorway of the bedroom, looking at them with a dazed face. His white shirt was wrinkled, and his black suit pants rolled up one leg. The toothbrush was hanging from his mouth with white toothpaste foam in the corner of his mouth. As his toes were curling because of the cold water on the floor, he had an unkempt appearance and an extremely shocked look.


    Qu Xueyu frowned slightly: ¡°Xiao Bai, put on some slippers.¡±


    Lu Bai snapped back to his senses, and his eyes were wide open. He jerked back two steps, swallowing nervously and waving. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry, you guys take your time kissing.¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Do not care about me, really.¡±


    Then, he closed the door to the bedroom with a snap.


    Qu Xueyu and Qin Gu whose faces were completely black: ¡°¡­¡±


    The secretary, who was standing off to the side doing his best to reduce his presence, couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth into an ¡°O¡± shape.


    Lu Bai leaned against the door to calm his breathing. Previously, he had to be the vicious male support that must undermine people¡¯s relationships, but now he finally no longer had to follow the plot! There was no reason to disturb people who were getting along¡ªafter all, destroying the happy couple was to be struck by lightning!


    Tsk, Qin Gu and Qu Xueyu were really the real deal, Qu Xueyu was drugged only last night, and the domineering president came to the door early the next morning to send warmth. So, Qu Xueyu especially emphasized last night that he and Qin Gu had no relationship. Was Qu Xueyu the so-called tsundere1OG it was ¡®°Á½¿¡¯/¡¯¨¤o ji¨¡o¡¯, there are a few different translations for it, but it means the same thing as the Japanese ¡°Tsundere¡±. Generally means the character is ¡®cold on the outside-hot on the inside¡¯. Or they act cold but have a warm heart.? Well, a high mountain, snow-like, cold beauty character was strangely adorable. Lu Bai once again secretly sighed; indeed, the main character gong, Qin Gu, was really lucky.


    The two people couldn¡¯t help themselves, and he understood. Unfortunately, a good kiss was still destroyed by him¡ªthe vicious male support.


    Lu Bai secretly made up his mind that since he was no longer bound by the plot, he must stay away from Qin Gu in the future.


    There was a knock on the door, and Qu Xueyu¡¯s voice rang out across the door. ¡°Xiao Bai, open the door.¡±


    Lu Bai was just about to say ¡®How are you and Qin Gu?¡¯, and as if he knew what he was going to say, Qu Xueyu¡¯s chilled voice spoke: ¡°Xiao Bai, what did you promise me last night?¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai opened the door but saw that only Qu Xueyu was left standing outside, and Qin Gu seemed to have left.


    Qu Xueyu folded his arms and stared at him for a long time, lifting an eyebrow. He said, ¡°We didn¡¯t kiss.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°Oh.¡± If the other side had said so, how can he tear down the show?


    Qu Xueyu quietly looked at the teenager; his eyes were clear, and he seriously began: ¡°I have someone I want to kiss. But he¡¯s a little fool, so I don¡¯t dare to kiss him for fear of scaring him away.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°???¡± Qin Gu and the little fool description, the difference was too big! Lu Bai placed the two together and so on, and then got goosebumps.


    Qu Xueyu helplessly chuckled as he watched the teenager¡¯s bewildered appearance. He naturally reached out and wiped away a bit of white foam from the corner of the other¡¯s mouth before saying, ¡°Go wash up. I¡¯ll use the other bathroom. Later, you can go home first. I have some things to do, so I can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    Many things could not be more normal for Qu Xueyu as he was an actor. But this statement was a little strange. Lu Bai was slightly puzzled, but didn¡¯t think any deeper; he just nodded and went back to the bathroom. As he reached the door, he turned to look at the youth, leaning against the door with his arms folded, and said, ¡°If you still do not feel better, you need to go to the hospital.¡±


    Qu Xueyu smiled and nodded his head.


    Waiting for Lu Bai to enter the bathroom, Qu Xueyu then quietly whispered in his direction: ¡°Little fool.¡± After saying this, he rubbed his forehead and smiled, before turning around and leaving the room.


    ~~~~~~


    Lu Zhi sat in his office and sent a message to his nephew, while his handsome young secretary was stationed to one side.


    ¡°Have you gotten an answer?¡± Lu Zhi finished sending the message, casually discarded his phone onto the desk, and looked at his secretary.


    Mr. Secretary pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses streaked with a touch of soft shadow as he spoke, ¡°I have found him. The person who had directed him was a man named Chen Ming. He had committed a crime and was caught by Chen Ming, who then forced him to secretly photograph the young master.¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s eyes chilled: ¡°Chen. Ming. What¡¯s the relation?¡±


    The secretary then explained, ¡°The young master previously had a group of mixed friends, and Chen Ming was one of them.¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s brows twitched as he said, ¡°What kind of crooked bastards2Orig ¡°Any crooked melon and cracked jujube¡± was a saying that originated similarly to ¡°Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover¡± but became insulting and took on a different meaning over time. Like ¡°The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.¡± which devolved into ¡°Blood is thicker than water¡± and took on the opposite meaning. So now, crooked melon and cracked jujube¡±Íá¹ÏÁÑÔ桱= Ugly or repulsive inside or out, human or object. think they are deserving of being Xiao Bai¡¯s friends.¡± After a pause, he said plainly: ¡°Our Xiao Bai is just too kind-hearted and generous, treating all sorts of rotten things as friends.¡± He emitted a sneering coldness across his face: ¡°This one dares to do such things to my nephew, it¡¯s not too much for me to ¡®talk¡® to him, eh?¡±


    His secretary promptly understood and agreed, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lu Zhi¡¯s expression then revealed some puzzlement as he muttered, ¡°Chen Ming¡­¡± This name sounded familiar to him for some reason, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had heard it before.


    Abruptly, his brain struck upon a light. He regarded his secretary thoughtfully and asked, ¡°When Xiao Bai was twelve years old, he pestered my sister-in-law to anonymously sponsor a poor student. What was that student¡¯s name again?¡±


    Stunned, the secretary gave a bow before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go check.¡±


    Lu Zhi waved his hand and replied, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just ask my sister-in-law.¡± His ex-sister-in-law happened to be holding a painting exhibition in Jinghai, which was very convenient.


    The secretary called up the next matter and asked, ¡°Boss, the paparazzi?¡±


    Lu Zhi ¡°Tsk¡± and said, ¡°Hasn¡¯t he committed a crime? It is only natural to squat in a cell if you¡¯re a criminal.¡± He leaned back in his chair and casually said, ¡°After entering his cell as to what will be done to him¡­ it¡¯s not our business, is it?¡±


    His secretary promptly understood and said, ¡°I will get it done.¡± He appeared to pay no intention of looking at the small hickey on the exposed skin of Lu Zhi¡¯s neck, as he turned around and left.


    ~~~~~~


    When Ruan Jiangjiu returned to Riverview Villa from Elder Qu¡¯s place, Lu Bai was hugging a pillow on the sofa and sleeping quietly. Ruan Jiangjiu lightened his steps as he walked to the teenager¡¯s side and gently draped the blanket over his sleeping form.


    There was no one better than the Qu family at finding people for this kind of thing. He had to find the waiter who drugged Lu Bai to feel at ease.


    Ruan Jiangjiu sat next to the teenager, looking at him, and then at the painting in his hands. This was the painting that Ms. Ming gave him; it was left at the exhibition hall, and he went back later to get it. When he went to see his grandfather, he intended to put it in his room at home, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t resist bringing it here.


    Last night, ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±, told the teenager that he had his painting.


    He knew he had to confess to him sooner or later that ¡°Qu Xueyu¡± and ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu¡± were the same person, so he felt there was no need to deliberately conceal these details. He even hoped that the teenager would figure it out sooner.


    The world outside said that Lu Bai grew up loving Qin Gu and was deeply obsessed with him. But Ruan Jiangjiu leaned down, reaching out and tapping the tip of the younger man¡¯s cute nose, murmuring, ¡°But you only care about Ruan Jiangjiu.¡±


    ¡°Little fool, I am Ruan Jiangjiu.¡±


    ¡°The person you care about is me. It can only be me.¡°


    He spoke his best words of love to a sleeping person, and when that person was awake, he was too treasured for him to even say ¡°like¡±.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan!¡± Lu Bai opened his eyes a bit later and smiled unconsciously when he saw him sitting by his side: ¡°I want to eat rabbit apples.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu grinned and fed the already prepared apple slices into the young man¡¯s mouth. Lu Bai munched on the apple and suddenly remembered that he hadn¡¯t returned all night last night. He swallowed the piece and looked at Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°Xiao Ruan, I was taking care of another man outside last night. Are you angry?¡± After asking this question, even Lu Bai himself was surprised.


    Ruan Jiangjiu cocked an eyebrow: ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±


    Lu Bai then exclaimed, ¡°Because if Xiao Ruan left me at home to take care of another man or woman, I would definitely be angry.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes dilated and then smiled stupidly. He looked at the young man and languidly asked, ¡°Xiao Bai, have you ever thought about why you would be angry?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Bai was stunned by this question and couldn¡¯t put his thoughts into words anymore. He felt that something was taking root in the depth of his heart, and he thought that when it sprouted, he would be able to tell Xiao Ruan an answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Ruan Jiangjiu reached out and tousled the teenager¡¯s hair as he explained, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Xiao Bai. You can take your time to think.¡±


    He would wait forever with this teenager until he figured out his answer.


    The sound of a message arriving echoed in the room. And when Lu Bai grabbed his phone, he saw that his second uncle had texted him.


    He grinned after reading it and exclaimed, ¡°Xiao Ruan, the drama starts tomorrow!¡± After a brief pause, he added, ¡°I still have a few days before school starts, so I¡¯ll go to the set to accompany you for the next few days.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu curled up the corners of his mouth, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    The media didn¡¯t have much to report on the web drama called ¡°The Immortal¡± that quietly started in Jinghai. After all, there were far too many mediocre web dramas that were released every year.


    The director of this web drama was a newcomer, and the actors were either new or obsolete. Despite hearing that there was Lu Zhi behind it, people in the circle only figured that Lu Zhi just wanted to promote a few newcomers for fun. This drama was so ordinary as to be insignificant, the media coverage was minimal, and even the scalpers and paparazzi who sell news to various fans and capture all the gossip were quite discouraged about it.


    ¡°I heard that we¡¯re parachuting in3If someone is being ¡°Parachuted In¡±, In showbiz or Actual business, that means they are using connections to enter wherever they are going. They usually get their new positions without any interviews or tests. In showbiz, rich patrons put people into shows/movies/music groups using money. On the business side, its generally parents or grandparents giving younger family members higher status jobs to start with. male number three.¡± The small group of actresses playing the maids exclaimed.


    ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s so surprising about this kind of web drama parachuting in a few people with connections,¡± remarked another person. ¡°That gold master really has no vision though. He¡¯s chosen such a lousy drama to promote his own darling.¡±


    ¡°The director said that the third male¡¯s archetype was the film emperor Qu!¡±


    ¡°Tch,¡± the young performer let out a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s it. That actor will be torn apart by fans as well as passers-by for trying to impersonate Emperor Qu.¡± Then, they sighed again. ¡°This gold owner truly has no foresight.¡±


    When Lu Bai arrived at the set location, his eyes were sparkling. Although he played as a dandy for nineteen years, he had never come into contact with this world, unlike the other guys who always play in the entertainment industry.


    When director Xu Wen saw Lu Bai¡¯s car coming, he rushed out to meet him. After he greeted Lu Bai, he turned to Ruan Jiangjiu and exclaimed, ¡°Qu- Oh, no. Mr. Ruan! Can you give me an autograph later?¡± The last time they met, there was no chance. As for the moniker, although he did not understand why. He knew that this big star could come down to shoot his web drama as a third male. It was all because of this young master. As long as he could make this young master happy, it was nothing for him to cooperate with a few off-screen scenes.


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded with a faint smile, and Lu Bai quickly whispered. ¡°Xiao Ruan, you have a second fan! Are you happy?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°Who is the first one?¡±


    Lu Bai pointed to himself: ¡°Me!¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu chuckled and gazed at the teenager¡ªhis arched eyes seemed to contain stars as he stated, ¡°Well, I am honored.¡±


    They were too far away from the other cast members, so they could not see Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s appearance. They were all gossiping, and some had disdain in their eyes.


    The assistant director, who has always preferred following the darker paths, looked at the young man with a jade body in the distance. Then he looked at the men and women in the crew, who were as fresh as the flowering branches in the morning dew, and his eyes flickered with an idea.


    The author has something to say: oooh, I tried my best, really! QAQ


    This web drama plot should be very short. It is in this that Xiao Ruan drops his vest4Vest is slang for disguise or persona..


    Question for the readers! Should I leave the name of the web drama as its pinyin ¡°JingXian¡± ( ¾ªÏÉ) or leave it as ¡°The Immortal¡±? Because it means:


    ¾ª j¨©ng ¨Cto start; to be frightened; to be scared; alarm


    ÏÉ xi¨¡n ¨Cimmortal


    Deeple says ¡°Amazing Immortal¡± ¡­. and other similar variants. I will see what the story is like if they talk about the scenes while filming and use that to adjust if needed. But I did leave the OG name ( Gu Xue)  in its pinyin as it was filled with multiple meanings, so I wanted to ask what you guys think.


    `~~~


    Happy Early 4th of July/Independence Day to my American readers! Be safe!


    Edit: Krone


    Proofreader: Nitta

 CH 30

    Chapter 30


    This web drama, from the beginning of the preparation to the start of filming, had been very discrete. Even with the participation of Lu Zhi, who is known for making a big splash, this drama did not cause too much noise. In addition, the director -Xu Wen himself- was not a person who loved making lots of fuss so much that even the opening ceremony was quite simple.


    But, no matter how simple, the main cast still had to attend the ceremony. Xu Wen regarded the scattered people at the ceremony and frowned; Some newcomers were not yet on fire yet looking at the next dish1Not yet on Fire= Not yet caught popularity ¡ª yet look at the next dish= Not content with what you have, you keep looking for more/better things. Others had obviously already passed their prime but still love to play at being popular. On the first day of shooting for the new drama, the male lead was not there, nor was the second male lead, which was fantastic.


    In his heart, he exclaimed that even if he took a step back and admitted that they were moderately popular, they were definitely no match for Film Emperor Qu, who still arrived on time. He sighed inwardly as he thought, ¡®If it continued in such a manner, this drama would be impossible to shoot.¡¯


    Tsk, it was obvious that there was a reason they were not successful. Not only were they not dedicated to their work, but they also had no awareness at all. They may not have known that Qu Xueyu would be in this play, but that Lu Zhi had personally overseen an additional investment in it was not a secret. Lu Zhi was not unknown to them in their circle, but since this drama was not hot from the start, they treated it lightly. It was really unacceptable.


    With these thoughts, he put down his dissatisfaction and grinned. ¡°Those two teachers2Referring to Actors/Actresses as ¡®Teachers¡¯ or ¡®Laoshi(ÀÏʦ l¨£o sh¨©)¡¯ in its common pinyin is a sign of respect for their dedication to the craft. This prefix is similar to saying ¡°Doctor Smith¡± or ¡°Attorney Smith¡±, as it¡¯s a title they worked hard to earn. are busy men. We won¡¯t wait for them.  Let¡¯s proceed.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu stood in the crowd, wearing a relaxed leisurely outfit with a pair of large sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose that almost covered half of his face. It was leaving only a section of his white and radiant chin¡ªwhich his little gold master put on for him.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan! My second uncle told me that all the big stars wear these.¡± Before the ceremony began, Lu Bai had taken out this pair of comically oversized sunglasses and seriously stated.


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    He knew that Lu Zhi was just messing with him, but he couldn¡¯t refuse Lu Bai, so he nodded willingly: ¡°Well then, you put them on for me.¡±


    The youth then curved his eyes and put on these sunglasses for him.


    Xu Wen really didn¡¯t like being bothered with things other than filming, so the ceremony was quite simple. They just worshiped the gods together and wished for everything to go well during filming. Lu Bai was not far away under some trees holding his phone and happily taking pictures of Ruan Jiangjiu, more dedicated than a die-hard fan. Ruan Jiangjiu couldn¡¯t help himself from softly smiling as he watched the teenager¡¯s performance from afar.


    A few of the other cast members standing beside Ruan Jiangjiu were looking at him in disbelief; their faces laced with a tangle of confusion and doubt. The director had not introduced this man to them yet, but this man¡ªeven with the sunglasses covering most of his face¡ªlooked too damn much like film emperor Qu!


    They were instantly filled with gossip; could it be that his gold master actually likes Film Emperor Qu, so he found such a god-like substitute to eat?


    In that case, it meant that the gold master who liked Film Emperor Qu had put the substitute he found into their crew to play a role based on Film Emperor Qu?!


    Tsk, rich people really knew how to play.


    ¡°He can¡¯t really be Emperor Qu, right?¡± One of the young stars whispered to her friend.


    ¡°How is that possible?!¡± the girl exclaimed. ¡°Even if it were to rain blood from the sky, and you and I were to suddenly become rich overnight, there¡¯s no way that Mr. Qu would come here to play the third male.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true¡­¡± The small bunch of performers stated, yet covertly gazed at the jade figure of the unknown man. Although they had not seen the other person¡¯s face, the figure and temperament were so similar to Film Emperor Qu. It was not a loss to look at a few more times.


    After the opening ceremony was finished, the male lead actor and the second male lead actor finally arrived. The male lead arrived with eight large bodyguards, wearing dark sunglasses and having the bodyguards clear the way. The male lead himself wore a pair of sunglasses that were even bigger than the ones on the bridge of Qu Xueyu¡¯s nose. He stopped in front of Xu Wen and looked as if he was bothered by the fact that he was too red3Red= Popular/trending, Black= Unpopular/forgotten. Xu Wen¡¯s mouth twitched as his agent rushed forward and said. ¡°Director Xu, so sorry! The road was blocked by fans and we were late.¡±


    Xu Wen mentally laughed at the idea of how many fans would be blocking someone. But also knew that the first day couldn¡¯t have any more mishaps, therefore he suppressed his anger and just said, ¡°Well, you¡¯ve made it.¡±


    On the contrary, the second male had a seemingly gentle demeanor and apologized with a smile.


    Lu Bai was watching from the side, smacking his lips, and he swore: ¡°Xiao Ruan, I will also hire some bodyguards to protect you.¡± When he thought about all those people who had been pining for Ruan Jiangjiu in the original story, he then said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, you really make me worry too much.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu was looking at the person in the center of the bodyguard like a clown and was silent for a moment, and then said, ¡°No need.¡± After pausing, he added; ¡°Besides, won¡¯t you always be by my side?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded seriously: ¡°I will.¡± He wanted to protect him well.


    Ruan Jiangjiu smiled and tousled the teenager¡¯s hair.


    On the opening day of the new drama, there was not much work for the actors but a lot of miscellaneous tasks for the crew. Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s job for the day consisted mainly of trying on his costumes. He entered the dressing room, wearing his oversized sunglasses, and the actor playing the male lead had already listened to some of the gossip on the set about him being a canary and a substitute. Thus, he stared at the young man¡¯s back and sneered disdainfully, ¡°Heh, a little white-faced4a ¡®little white face¡¯ is an insult based on someone¡¯s looks. Akin to a ¡®pillow pet¡¯, they use a weak and submissive act alongside a carefully cultivated appearance to catch rich patrons to support them. bastard who climbed up the ladder by selling his body.¡±


    Lu Bai heard his words and turned around, looking blankly at the man with a grim face. He cocked his head slightly¡ªhis face appearing strangely innocent, but his eyes were frighteningly cold. ¡°Did you know? I rarely get angry.¡±


    The actor stalled, but then anger and frustration appeared on his face. He was about to say something even worse when he saw the teenager looking straight at him, his eyes dark: ¡°You are the lead male protagonist. Xiao Ruan still has to get along with you for an extended period of time. But if you dare to say one more bad word about Xiao Ruan, or dare to touch him -¡± the pair of beautiful eyes seemed to have a ruthless intent and hostility passing through, and his voice was still calm and unruffled: ¡°You already know, I am Lu Bai. I am a big troublemaker, and I can do anything.¡±


    The male lead actor flinched as he took a step back. With his back against the wall, he looked at the young teenager in a stupefied daze and couldn¡¯t utter a single word.


    In the makeup room next door to the studio where the final photo was taken, Ruan Jiangjiu removed his makeup and changed back into his regular clothes after finishing taking the final pictures. With the gifted sunglasses placed back on the bridge of his nose, he left the room and walked towards Lu Bai.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Ruan Jiangjiu glanced at the actor, who was frozen in shock and unabashedly caressed the teenager¡¯s hair.


    The moment Lu Bai saw Ruan Jiangjiu, all the coldness on his face seemed to melt away like snow, disappearing completely. He looked at Ruan Jiangjiu with a sweet smile on his face and could not be more innocent. ¡°Helping you and colleagues to establish good relations.¡± After a pause, he pointed to the man standing nearby and said, ¡°We had a particularly good chat, and the atmosphere was also particularly pleasant. He shares many of my opinions.¡±


    The male actor: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai repeatedly emphasized several ¡°particular¡±, and Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s face darkened. He measured the man he had never heard of before through his sunglasses with an unfriendly expression and said blandly: ¡°Is that right?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded his head with great enthusiasm: ¡°Yes!¡±


    Despite wearing sunglasses, the actor felt overwhelmed by Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes and aura.  He vaguely realized that what he thought was a canary and a little white-face seemed even more intimidating than the teenager he¡¯d just encountered¡ªbut it clearly shouldn¡¯t be¡­


    Ruan Jiangjiu stepped between the actor and the teenager and suddenly flashed a smile towards the man, before saying quietly, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with Xiao Bai. Stay away from him in the future.¡±


    The threatening man took the teenager¡¯s wrist and walked away, and finally, he breathed a sigh of relief but found that he had developed a cold sweat.


    The sky had become dark, and Ruan Jiangjiu wanted to drag Lu Bai straight home. But just as they were about to leave, they were stopped by Xu Wen. He looked at Ruan Jiangjiu with a smile on his face as he said, ¡°The assistant director asked me to ask you if you wanted to go to a dinner party.¡± In fact, it was really a bit strange. Obviously, he could have asked Ruan Jiangjiu himself, but he instead asked for him to do it. But it was just an ordinary dinner invitation, and he didn¡¯t think about it any deeper. This master either could go or not. Anyway, he just passed on the message.


    Thinking about it, he added: ¡°Song Zhi¡¯an and the others have gone over already. You can go or not; it doesn¡¯t matter. I have things to do, so I won¡¯t go anyway.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu was about to refuse when he heard Lu Bai questioningly say, ¡°Song Zhi¡¯an? Song Zhi¡¯an is also in this crew?¡±


    Xu Wen was stunned and nodded: ¡°Yes, he is the second male.¡±


    Hearing the name of a strange man from Lu Bai¡¯s mouth, Ruan Jiangjiu had a sip of vinegar and was about to say something. But he was met by the teenager¡¯s eye who said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, let¡¯s go! I want to see that Song Zhi¡¯an.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s face darkened. He took a deep breath and wanted to say something against it until the teenager tiptoed up to his ear and whispered, ¡°He¡¯s my sister¡¯s boyfriend. I¡¯m a little apprehensive and want to see him.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s dark face immediately vanished, and he stroked the teenager¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Anyway, it¡¯s just an ordinary dinner, it¡¯s not a big deal to go.


    ~~~~~~


    The meeting place chosen seemed to be quite an upscale restaurant. When Ruan Jiangjiu saw the dim sum store next to the restaurant, he halted his steps and said, ¡°Xiao Bai, you go in first. I¡¯m going to stop by that dim sum5See drop down at bottom of chapter for Wiki info dump store to buy something quick.¡± This dim sum store was an old brand in Chunming and should have just opened in Jinghai. The store¡¯s sweet yet not cloying dessert was a specialty, and it was always good to buy some for the teenager to try.


    Lu Bai looked at the store¡¯s sign and knew what the young man wanted to buy. His heart filled with warmth, and he obediently nodded and headed for the restaurant.


    ~~


    ¡°I let Xu Wen, that fool, do the talking. In the end, if that little scourge of the Lu family really wants to accuse someone, they can¡¯t blame me, right?¡±


    In the private room, the assistant director was fawning over and talking with an obese, greasy-faced man sitting nearby with a flattering smile on his face.


    The fat man was holding a fresh-faced young man in his arms and was full of excitement: ¡°Does he really look so similar?¡±


    The assistant director patted his chest: ¡°Really does! I was blown away when I saw him today. He looks exactly like him!¡±


    The fat man laughed so hard that his eyes became slits: ¡°What¡¯s the name of this guy?¡±


    ¡°They say his name is Ruan Jiangjiu.¡±


    The man ¡®heh heh¡®, and a glass of rice wine went into his belly.e  He sighed: ¡°The Qu family can¡¯t be messed with, so it¡¯s worth it to play around with a look-alike. Unfortunately, the good thing fell into that little fop¡¯s hands.¡± He patted the assistant director¡¯s shoulder heavily and remarked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I¡¯m satisfied tonight, I¡¯ll kick out Xu Wen immediately and you¡¯ll be the director! Heh, for such a shitty little drama, Lu Zhi is not going to fight with me.¡±


    He said flippantly and stroked the man¡¯s face in his arms, ¡°Zhi¡¯an, how about tonight we have a game of double flying?¡ªWhat the hell!? Lu, Lu Bai!? How did you get here?¡±


    The assistant director was also a bit flabbergasted and couldn¡¯t figure out why the legendary domineering young ancestor of the Lu family would accompany a canary to a dinner party.


    Lu Bai stood at the door of the room; with his head slightly lowered and his hair in front of his eyes and shadows obscured his expression. His lips were tightly pursed downward; his fists were tightly clenched, and the back of his fists were bulging with veins.


    ¡°Young master Lu wants to come and play together?¡± The obese man¡¯s facial expression was so lewd that it made people want to vomit. As he patted the table, he said, ¡°How about a drink for Young Master Lu, and we can play with someone else as well?¡± For some reason, the man who was in his arms looked at Lu Bai somewhat sheepishly but did not dare to leave his embrace.


    Lu Bai raised his head and looked at the man blankly, his eyes were cold and frightening with hostility churning through them.


    He took a large step toward the three men. When he passed the wine on the table, he picked up the opened bottle of rice wine on the table.


    ¡°Yo, young master Lu wants to drink from the bottle?¡±


    Walala Lu Bai expressionlessly poured the whole bottle of rice wine over the fat man and Song Zhi¡¯an who was in his arms.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing!¡±


    Crshh! Lu Bai slammed the bottle down onto the table ridge. Half of the bottle was completely shattered, and the upper half of the intact bottle ultimately was broken with sharp edges.


    The man was on the verge of a harsher sentence when his pupils suddenly shrank¡ªseeing the teenager holding the half-glass bottle in his hand, pressing the cold glittering tips against his neck. As soon as the teenager exerted force, he could feel a stinging pain in his neck; he was bleeding!


    When he looked up, he was confronted with the boy¡¯s almost frightening blank expression.


    ¡°You deserve to say Xiao Ruan¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°I am vindictive and bad-tempered. If you want to touch my Xiao Ruan, I will never let you get away with it.¡± His voice was still calm and unruffled but carried ruthlessness and hostility.


    ¡°You, you let me go!¡± The fat man looked at the teenager¡¯s hostile face and felt the warm blood that was flowing down his neck. Finally, he learned to be afraid and swore, ¡°I, I¡¯m not touching him! You-you let me go!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s also you,¡± Lu Bai remained pressing the sharp edges against the fat man¡¯s neck. However, he was looking directly at Song Zhi¡¯an who was in the man¡¯s arms. He was expressionless as he said without batting an eye, ¡°Who told you to approach my sister?¡±


    Song Zhi¡¯an was so shocked by the teenager that he was covered in a cold sweat, swallowing. He stammered: ¡°It, uh, it was Xiao Yang¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiao Bai¡­?¡±


    A familiar voice sounded in the doorway.


    Lu Bai¡¯s pupils shrank as he looked back. Only to see his Xiao Ruan standing there, carrying the snacks he loved in his hand.


    Lu Bai finally let go of the broken bottle.


    Ruan Jiangjiu saw the teenager¡¯s inner pain, but he didn¡¯t know what had happened. The teenager¡¯s expression at the moment really stung his heart.


    He was about to take a big step forward to embrace the younger man in his arms but saw that the teenager had already walked toward him.


    The young man stood in front of Ruan Jiangjiu; there was no more hostility visible on his face. A soft smile was offered to the other man, and his warm hand gently covered the other man¡¯s eyes. His voice was incredibly gentle: ¡°Xiao Ruan, don¡¯t look. It¡¯s dirty.¡±


    The author has something to say: sorry it¡¯s so late orz6This is a bowing emoticon. With the head on the ground ¡®O¡¯, the arms holding up the body ¡®r¡¯, and bent legs ¡®z¡¯. Also I have heard it spoken as slang before pronounced as ¡®Oars¡¯, because work is too busy I can only stay up late to write really fast to post the update!


    (And so Xiao Bai is not only warm and soft side)


    Dim Sum Info dump from Wiki


    ¡°There are at least two thousand types of dim sum in total across China and over one thousand available in Guangdong alone. Dim sum are usually eaten as breakfast or brunch. Cantonese dim sum has a very broad range of flavors, textures, cooking styles, and ingredients, and can be classified into regular items, seasonal offerings, weekly specials, banquet dishes, holiday dishes, house signature dishes, travel-friendly, as well as breakfast or lunch foods and late night snacks.


    The subtropical climate of the southeast quadrant of Guangdong partly influences dim sum¡¯s portion size. It can cause a decrease in appetite so people prefer eating scaled-down meals throughout the day rather than the customary three large meals. Teahouses in Guangzhou served ¡°three teas and two meals¡±, which included lunch and dinner, and breakfast, afternoon, and evening teas with dim sum.


    Many dim sum dishes are made of seafood, chopped meats, or vegetables wrapped in dough or thin wrappings and steamed, deep-fried, or pan-fried. A traditional dim sum brunch includes various types of steamed buns, such as cha siu bao (a steamed bun filled with barbecue pork), rice or wheat dumplings, and rice noodle rolls that contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns, and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, stuffed eggplant, stuffed green peppers, roasted meats, congee, and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and can be ordered at any time since there is not a set sequence for the meal.


    It is customary to order ¡°family-style¡±, sharing the small dishes consisting of three or four pieces of dim sum among all members of the dining party. Small portion sizes allow people to try a wide variety of food. ¡± ¨CWikipedia


    Shio: It¡¯s my Birthday today so extra chapter for everyone!


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 31

    Chapter 31


    Lu Bai pulled Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s wrist and turned to stride out of there, so he didn¡¯t see before leaving Ruan Jiangjiu sent a chilling glare to the two men¡¯s eyes.


    The assistant director was startled when he saw the eyes of the pair¡ªnow aware of what horror he had brought onto himself as he fell out of his seat, frozen in shock until their figures disappeared. Only then did he turn to face the fat man and Song Zhi¡¯an, trembling as he choked out: ¡°He-, he is really Qu Xueyu!¡±


    In this business, you will learn as you meet more kinds of people through the eyes of those who have been raised in a superior position since childhood. It is impossible for a domesticated canary to have this kind of gaze. It was his fault that he had only looked at the other side¡¯s profile when the last few character photos were taken. He was so busy with pleasing others that he overlooked an obvious problem; there is no way in the world that there could be two people who look so much alike.


    ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± He blankly stared at the man who was doing his best to stay calm. They were all mistaken. They had misjudged Lu Bai who was not a fool as had been rumored. They couldn¡¯t pull Lu Bai into the murky water to have fun with them, and now they had even offended Lu Bai! Offending Lu Bai was offending the Lu family! Now, it seemed they even managed to anger Qu Xueyu.


    The Lu family would not spare them, and the old man Qu, who was currently the head of his family, would not either¡­


    As the night was getting late, Lu Bai held Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s wrist and walked along a sparsely populated street. He was in the lead, his head slightly lowered and his hair covering his eyes.


    Ruan Jiangjiu could feel that the teenager¡¯s grip on his wrist was extremely firm, yet trembling and burning as if trying to sear itself into his skin. He wanted to take hold of the teenager¡¯s wrist and bring him into his arms, helping him to block all the pain and filth of the world. He nearly did so at once.


    When they reached a lonely street lamp on a remote corner, Lu Bai abruptly stopped walking. Ruan Jiangjiu reached out towards the other when he saw the youth turn around and plunge into his embrace, hugging him tightly around the waist.


    His pupils contracted after which he wrapped his arms tightly around the teenager.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan,¡± Lu Bai said, buried in the youth¡¯s embrace, soaking up the warmth and wonderful scent of the man¡¯s body. His voice was muffled: ¡°I have some bad thoughts in my heart, and I can¡¯t stop them.¡± After a pause, he added, ¡°They are about you.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu held the young man and placed a hand on the back of his neck, blocking the cold wind of the late autumn night. He clutched the young man a little tighter around his waist, and with a gentle exhalation, he said, ¡°Tell me about it. Maybe I will find it cute.¡±


    Lu Bai fully buried his face into the other¡¯s embrace and quietly explained, ¡°I have thought about locking Xiao Ruan at home, where only I can see and touch him every single day. So that Xiao Ruan is mine alone.¡± He also wanted to eliminate all those guys who had designs on Xiao Ruan, or rather, he couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone having ideas about the young man at all. Just now, when he had heard those comments, he couldn¡¯t stop the rage in his heart.


    Ruan Jianjiu laughed lowly and lowered his eyes, looking at the reddened tips of the boy¡¯s ears in his arms, which were so close, perfect for touching it with his lips. He only moved his lips near the boy¡¯s ear, and his voice was remarkably gentle, ¡°Xiao Bai, Why? Did you ever think about why? Why do you think that?¡± After a brief pause, he let out a soft sigh. ¡°I want you to know the reason why.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°Because I¡¯m a pervert?¡± To imprison a person in his house solely for his own eyes or whatever, that couldn¡¯t  be said that it was not perverted.


    Ruan Jiangjiu gazed up at the near-inky, autumn night sky and said, ¡°A pervert? Well, I actually think it¡¯s cute.¡± After a pause, he said; ¡°Xiao Bai, this isn¡¯t the reason.¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned and remained silent for a few more seconds. When he finally thought of something, he clutched at Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s waist. Then abruptly raised his head and looked straight into the eyes of the young man, which seemed to contain all the stars. His face appeared unusually innocent. ¡°You asked me to think of a reason, but when I tried to think about it seriously, my head was only full of¡ª.¡± At that, he paused and said seriously: ¡°Xiao Ruan, I want to kiss you.¡± In a tone so normal that it seemed to be saying, ¡®Xiao Ruan, I want to eat rabbit apples tonight.¡¯


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s pupils dilated. He looked right at the teenager and swallowed, but he couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Thump, thump


    In this instant, Ruan Jiangjiu felt that he couldn¡¯t hear anything except the sound of his own heartbeat as well as the young man¡¯s who was tightly pressed against him.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan!¡± Lu Bai softly pressed his ear to the youth¡¯s chest and bent his eyes: ¡°Your heart is beating so fast.¡± After saying that, he then blinked: ¡°Xiao Ruan, let¡¯s go home. Some things are better to do at home.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu blinked and gazed deeply at the young man. Reaching down, he snatched the boy¡¯s wrist from his waist and strode briskly towards the parking lot.


    ~~~


    It was already midnight when they arrived back home.


    Once they made it inside the door, Ruan Jiang Jiu pressed Lu Bai against the wall. Under the soft light of the entryway, he pointedly examined the young man up and down. Swallowing, he asked, ¡°Xiao Bai, do you still want to kiss me?¡±


    Lu Bai met the youth¡¯s rather shadowy eyes which concealed untold emotions and nodded. Saying quite honestly: ¡°Yes.¡± That said, he slightly stood on his tiptoes and gently pressed a kiss on the soft lips of the youth¡ªleaving with a single brush, but incredibly precious.


    The kiss was as light and soft as a butterfly. Ruan Jiangjiu was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed out loud. One of his hands cupped the back of the boy¡¯s neck, wrapping him possessively in his embrace. The palm that touched the skin on the back of the boy¡¯s neck was hot. He then caressed the boy¡¯s cheek with his free hand. As he looked into the other¡¯s bright eyes and rosy cheeks, there was something murmuring inside him as if singing a timeless love song. His voice was hoarse: ¡°Xiao Bai, did you know? There are many different kinds of kisses, such as the one you just gave me. And then there¡¯s-¡± He said and then kissed the teenager.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened as he felt Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s warm, soft lips first pressing onto his; Then the youth stretched out his soft, wet, hot tongue and delicately traced the seam of his lips flirtatiously.


    Thump, thump


    Lu Bai felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest and felt his teeth being pried open by the youth¡¯s tongue. It was when his and the young man¡¯s mouths mingled, the young man¡¯s breath completely permeated into him at last. Lu Bai felt that he was about to run out of air, but the feeling of being intertwined with the other¡¯s tongue and lips felt too good to part with, and his hands were unconsciously wrapped around his neck.


    It all felt so overwhelmingly beautiful; Lu Bai¡¯s eyes released a single warm tear as if his soul had been reunited with someone after a long time. Lu Bai was oblivious to both the tear and the instinct.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 32

    Chapter 32


    The light in the bedroom was warm and dim, and the blankets were soft and fluffy.


    Lu Bai¡¯s whole body was sunk into the cloud-like blanket on the bed. With blushing cheeks, his somewhat red and swollen lips were slightly open, and his eyes were moist and misty, flushed like peach blossoms.


    Lu Bai¡¯s white shirt was crumpled and messy, and the buttons nearly all undone and half off. The teenager¡¯s snowy white shoulders and neck were exposed, as well as a small part of his waist.


    Ruan Jiangjiu was braced above the youth, and his eyes seemed like a wild animal.


    That delicate collar bone looked so captivating.


    That kiss was an invitation and permission, so he no longer had to suppress himself from all of his cravings for the teenager¡ªhis possessiveness was just one of them.


    So finally, he bent down and sank his teeth into the young man¡¯s collarbone.


    It was not a gentle bite either, as he used his tongue and teeth as if he wanted to break through the fragile, pale skin, and to get through the blood and muscles, to carve his mark into the boy¡¯s very bones so that it could never disappear.


    ¡°Unh¡­¡±


    Because of all those sharp tingles and many other more arousing sensations, the teenager¡¯s neck was taut and pale with blood coursing through its veins. And like the collarbone, it was a perfect place to eat.


    Not aware of anything else, Ruan Jiangjiu finally moved off slightly, leaving behind rose-like kisses1Hickeys/Lovebite/bruises along his collarbone and neck. Then, he leaned down again, but his lips simply touched the boy¡¯s forehead devoutly.


    Then, he wrapped the blanket around the boy¡¯s body, wrapping him up tightly into a burrito, and got up. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± His breathing was a little heavy and was making his way out of the bed.


    Lu Bai freed a hand and stretched out, gently capturing the other¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep going?¡± After a pause, he asked curiously, tilting his head. ¡°Xiao Ruan doesn¡¯t know how to? I can teach you!¡± Even if he had not actually done it before, he still knew how to do this kind of thing between two people of the same sex¡ªin the era of instant information, this was not a big mystery.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s breath hitched, the teenager¡¯s appearance at this time was too cute. In front of this person, he was not confident in his own self-control.


    ¡°No.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu stooped down once more, pressing his forehead against the other. The tips of their noses touched in a gesture of immense intimacy: ¡°Xiao Bai, nothing is prepared. You will be hurt.¡± In this home, there was really no such stuff that was necessary to do this kind of thing safely.


    Lu Bai blinked: ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not too afraid of pain¡­¡± His voice then softened as if he was shy: ¡°If it¡¯s Xiao Ruan, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Little fool.¡± Ruan Jiangjiu felt his heart softening into a mess. His eyes arched, and his lips gently kissed the teen¡¯s nearby lips before getting up and walking toward the bathroom.


    Not too long after, there was a faint sound of running water from the bathroom. Lu Bai, who was wrapped in a soft blanket cocoon, looked at the ceiling and blinked, Xiao Ruan is the fool. Obviously, they are already both in that state of affliction¡­


    And¡ªLu Bai lowered his gaze to the cocoon¡ªthe possession was mutual as well as the desire to obtain each other¡¯s hearts.


    Lu Bai scowled and tutted, ¡°I¡¯m also uncomfortable..¡± It would be impossible to not feel aroused when you had been provoked by that young man.


    Heh, he probably should have just gone into the bathroom with the youth, and they could have taken a shower together.


    Not long after, Ruan Jiangjiu came out in a loose bathrobe and silk pants. His black hair was half dry, and his body was covered with warm moisture. He got on the bed and leaned against the headboard, and then fished that big cocoon into his arms. Lu Bai flopped into the other person¡¯s arms and froze, and then saw the youth look at him with raised eyebrows: ¡°I¡¯ll help you solve that.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°???¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu sat up with the young man and brought him into his lap together with the blanket. He gently kissed the tip of the young man¡¯s lovely nose and slipped his hand into the blanket.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Bai opened his eyes wide, his hand clutching the youth¡¯s lapel tightly. He buried his face into the youth¡¯s chest and began to reheat, his body quivering faintly.


    ~~~~~~~


    ¡°Xiao Bai, go and wash.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s voice was  a bit hoarse, and he wiped his hands with a tissue and looked at the teenager who had his whole face buried in his arms under the blanket. The teenager¡¯s breathing was a bit of a mess, and he refused to get up from his arms, yet his exposed ears were so honest¡ªthey were so red that they were about to drip blood.


    Ruan Jiangjiu stroked the teen¡¯s hair with his clean hand and looked at the ceiling; this child was so bold earlier and even said he wanted to ¡°teach him¡± how to do it, but now, it was obvious that even at this level he was shy¡ªso cute, so lovable.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Bai agreed, his voice muffled. Then, he burst out of the remaining cocoon and cuddled into the youth¡¯s waist, his nose rubbing across his bare chest as if he was acting spoiled and just refusing to get up.


    Ruan Jiangjiu was in no rush, so he just let him cuddle. Time seemed to stand still for this moment, Ruan Jiangjiu thought. He really couldn¡¯t bear to let go of such a loving and dependent young man.


    A few moments later, Lu Bai nevertheless got up. He kissed Ruan Jiangjiu on the cheek and jumped out of bed to go to the bathroom. Ruan Jiangjiu smiled, his eyes gentle and moving. After he got up, he cleaned up the clothes scattered on the floor and changed the sheets on the bed.


    ~~~


    Later that night.


    ¡°Xiao Bai.¡± Lu Bai rolled into Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s arms to sleep as usual. The youth then gently patted his back, and as if he was speaking to himself yet also to the teenager: ¡°Who am I to you?¡±


    Lu Bai remained comfortably nestled in the youth¡¯s arms with his eyes closed but used the tip of his nose to intimately rub against the other¡¯s chest, softly mumbling, ¡°Boyfriend.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu suddenly burst out in a low, husky laugh.


    ~~~~~~


    The next morning Ruan Jiangjiu went back to the set. And that day just had his scenes, while Lu Bai went to Lu Zhi¡¯s office.


    Lu Zhi rubbed his nephew¡¯s head, with a rare serious expression: ¡°I¡¯ll settle yesterday¡¯s matter.¡± There was a brief pause, then he stated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His nephew had been spoiled by his big brother since he was a child, and it was because of his negligence that he let this naive youngster see those dirty things. His eyes were cold as he thought of this; someone who dared to touch his nephew and also dared to be a demon in the crew under his responsibility, don¡¯t blame him for not being polite.


    Lu Bai nodded: ¡°Second uncle, I accept your apology.¡± He blinked as he paused, ¡°Yesterday I was really very hurt. You must teach them a good lesson if you feel guilty in order to give me justice.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡±


    He twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to say something, but unintentionally caught a glimpse of something shocking. Lu Bai was wearing a solid-colored cardigan over a polo shirt. It was hot in his office, so his collar buttons were open.


    Lu Zhi¡¯s eyes twitched and then moved closer to reach out and pull open his nephew¡¯s collar¡ªon that snow-white collarbone, there was a clear and distinctive trail of hickeys! Lu Zhi gritted his teeth, the person that left this trail must be a dog! They were all fucking near bleeding!


    Qu Xueyu, that son of a bitch!


    Lu Zhi tried to hold back from cursing out loud¡ªhis na?ve nephew sleeping with others, and being slept with by others, were two different things in his mind.


    Lu Bai, however, did not care at all but was just fiddling with his phone and didn¡¯t really notice what he was doing.


    ¡°Second uncle, do you have any recommendations for stores?¡±


    Lu Zhi huffed, a slight downturn to the corners of his mouth, confused: ¡°What kind of store?¡±


    Lu Bai finally put down his phone to look at the other person: ¡°Adult store.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai stretched out a finger, ¡°Condoms and lube, I need a box of each.¡± His tone was so casual that he seemed to be saying ¡®I ate rabbit apples for lunch today¡¯.


    The author has something to say: the author of an all-nighter is about to pass out TAT


    The author of this article is happy. Tonight, the author is trying to see if they can make up another two thousand words and then that¡¯s it. The author is busy at work, so it¡¯s usually 1:00 am to 3:00 am update, very occasionally it will be earlier (today is really too much work orz), so we will look at it the next morning.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 33

    Chapter 33


    When Lu Bai left the office, he saw his uncles¡¯ handsome secretary by the door. He stopped and then asked, ¡°Mr. Chen, if you want to teach a lesson to a particularly nasty person, what would you bring to look more powerful?¡ªThe kind of weapon that tells you at a glance that you are fierce and that you are not to be messed with.¡±


    Former-boxer-and-street-gangster-turned-senior-secretary Mr. Chen pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose and spit one word from his thin lips: ¡°Brick.¡±


    Lu Bai smiled brightly and left in stride.


    Mr. Secretary entered Lu Zhi¡¯s office after watching the teenager step into the elevator. After entering, he saw his boss, lying down on the sofa with a loose tie, and his tie knot was faintly visible in the half-open collar of his shirt. It was a sexy and seductive sight¡ªthe cuffs of his white shirt were folded to the elbow, the muscle line of his forearm was smooth and beautiful, his long legs were casually resting on the armrest of the sofa, and because of his position, his suit pants and shoes revealed a small section of ankle protruding between them. The bare ankle was bent in a rather indolent manner.


    He was staring straight at the ceiling and seemed to have some doubts about life.


    Mr. Secretary¡¯s eyes darkened, but still respectfully went forward, bowed, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Lu Zhi tsked and impatiently stated, ¡°Get out.¡± Now, he was annoyed.


    The secretary was not angry at being cursed but raised his hand to look at the watch on his wrist. Glancing back down at the man on the sofa, he raised his eyebrows and said. ¡°Boss, let me remind you that it is now lunch break.¡± Lunch break was not part of the working hours.


    After that, he pressed a button on a remote control, and the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the office were automatically drawn shut, and the office darkened.


    Lu Zhi¡¯s eyebrows jumped: ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡±


    Mr. Secretary kneeled down over his prone body and reached out in the dim light and captured his jaw¡ªLu Zhi could feel that bastard was quite hard, and then the other man¡¯s voice deepened: ¡°Boss, as you said, working hours must be clearly separated, but unfortunately, it¡¯s lunch break.¡± He said as he leaned down and bit Lu Zhi¡¯s adam¡¯s apple. One hand held Lu Zhi¡¯s wrists above his head, and the other hand simply pulled off the belt from the other man¡¯s black suit pants.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lu Zhi kicked his feet but was quickly held down by the other man in a smooth manner. Mr. Secretary placed one of his legs over his shoulder and looked straight into the other¡¯s eyes: ¡°You¡¯re right, I want to fuck you.¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll finish on time. At the very last second before work hours start again.¡± Then, he reached out and completely ripped open the other man¡¯s shirt and the buttons flew everywhere.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡­¡± Lu Zhi¡¯s lips were completely taken by the other man. At such a close distance, Lu Zhi could see that Chen Wen¡¯s eyes were very much like a fierce beast was living within them.


    Looking at the other¡¯s appearance, a strong desire to conquer rose up in Lu Zhi¡¯s heart. He broke away from Chen Wen¡¯s hands and wrapped his arms around the other¡¯s neck, defiantly rampaging through the other¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Hmm ¡­¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Lu Zhi¡¯s eyes widened. His waist and back stiffened into a curved line, his hand clenched into a fist¡ªhe gritted his teeth¡ªdamn this bastard! Cursing in his heart, but his body was rather honestly responding to the other party¡¯s movements.


    ¡°Chen Wen, are you a fucking dog?!¡± Lu Zhi¡¯s throat was bruised and bit down hard on the other man¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You are right,¡± replied the man. ¡°I am indeed a dog for you and would do anything for you¡ª¡± he said. His eyes darkened, but they hid a solemn cherishment. ¡°As long as you feed me every day.¡±


    Lu Zhi: ¡°Fuck!¡± But in the end, not a slap greeted the face of the man, nor did he push the other away.


    ~~~


    ¡°Your new clothes.¡± Mr. Secretary was immaculately dressed and respectfully handed Lu Zhi a meticulously folded set of new clothes. While looking at his watch, he stated, ¡°Boss, your next business is to go over some documents. At three o¡¯clock is a video conference, and after the conference, you have dinner with Mr. Wang.¡±


    Lu Zhi, who had just pulled on his new suit pants: Heh


    After pausing, Mr. Secretary added. ¡°Just before the Young Master left, he had asked me what weapon I would take to teach my enemy a lesson -¡°


    Lu Zhi jerked his head up: ¡°Dammit! Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier-¡°


    Mr. Secretary continued unhurriedly: ¡°I have arranged for our people to follow the young master. In addition to that, I called Mr. Qu.¡±


    The veins on Lu Zhi¡¯s forehead throbbed. Oh, So you¡¯ve fucking done it all and I don¡¯t have to say anything?


    The secretary smiled faintly: ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back in high spirits.¡±


    Pah.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    Lu Zhi threw the pillow that had just been used as a support under his waist at Mr. Secretary.


    ~~~~~~


    Lu Bai, carrying a brick, stood at the door of Qin Gu¡¯s fancy apartment¡ªin which Xiao Yang lived.


    Qin Gu had always hated hassles, so the lock on his apartment was a fingerprint lock with a code lock.


    The door opened immediately¡ªhe previously had no choice but to pester Qin Gu to enter his fingerprints when he was acting, and he had just tried without much hope, but he didn¡¯t expect the lock on Qin¡¯s apartment to still have his fingerprints.


    This was ideal, it saved him a lot of trouble.


    So, he carried the brick and waltzed through the door. A few black-suited men who followed him looked from the open door to the corner where Lu Bai disappeared and followed him in; Secretary Chen had instructed them that they must not lose the young master. So with this kind of thing, breaking and entering, Boss would ¡­¡­ help take care of it.


    Lu Bai breezed into the living room, and sure enough, he saw the person he was looking for sleeping on the sofa with his mouth open.


    The living room was not far from the bar, and the liquor cabinet next to the bar had quite a few bottles. Lu Bai raised an eyebrow and went to the liquor cabinet and took the largest wine bottle of all of them. He then used a corkscrew to neatly remove the cork and carried the brick and the bottle of wine to the sofa.


    He raised his eyebrows and looked down at the sleeping youth on the sofa, then poured the entire bottle of wine onto the youth¡¯s face.


    Glug-glug-glug


    The wine in the bottle flooded out and drenched the youth a bloody red.


    ¡°Cough cough!¡±


    Xiao Yang woke up with a violent coughing. He had no idea what had just happened. When he wiped his face and saw Lu Bai, his eyes narrowed as he snapped. ¡°Xiao Bai, what do you mean by this?¡±


    Lu Bai didn¡¯t look at him, just glancing between the bottle in his left hand and the brick in his right hand, seemingly weighing which is more convenient to use. And then, with a tsk, he simply smashed the bottom of the bottle with the brick before dropping it, so there were now sharp edges on the bottom of the bottle.


    He stretched out his hand¡ªthe sharp glass edges pointed at Xiao Yang¡¯s face which was covered in wine and seemed unsatisfied, then pointed to the other¡¯s neck¡ªthe neck is the most vulnerable part of the human body.


    Xiao Yang¡¯s pupils shrunk. He was about to start complaining when he saw the teenager approaching his face. There was a cold and indifferent chill in his eyes; the broken bottle in the teenager¡¯s hand moved and Xiao Yang felt some stinging pain in his neck, his throat instinctively swallowed, and he finally felt a chill down his back¡ªfear at the threat of death is an innate human instinct.


    ¡°You, what are you going to do?¡± Xiao Yang forced himself to look directly into the eyes of the teenager, clenching his fist tightly, a trace of hatred and fear leaking out between his eyebrows.


    ¡°If you dare to make a move against Xiao Ruan and Guan Guan again, I will not hesitate to dispose you. Even Qin Gu would not be able to protect you.¡± Lu Bai stared straight into the other¡¯s eyes and said seriously, word per word, with a strange yet deceptive naivety on his face.


    Lu Bai lifted the bottle, patting Xiao Yang¡¯s face with the cold body. And, a strange smile suddenly bloomed on his face, as he said softly: ¡°You want to know something? I am not bound by anything now. I can dare to do anything, I will do anything. So you should think twice about messing with a crazy person¡ªwhoever they get hurt by, I will certainly become a crazy person towards.¡±


    ¡°Memorize this, and remember. Understand?¡± He stared directly into Xiao Yang¡¯s eyes and said one word at a time.


    Xiao Yang¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the teenager in front of him, who was completely different from before, and was so horrified that his mouth turned dry. He subconsciously shrank back and unconsciously blurted out, ¡°Remember! I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Hearing the other party¡¯s promise, Lu Bai finally disgustedly dropped the bottle in his hand. Instead, he picked back up the brick from the floor. When borrowing someone¡¯s stuff, you always have to return it. He raised his hand to look at the time; Xiao Ruan¡¯s scenes should be over. And after returning the brick, he should go pick him up and take him home.


    Thinking this way, he was about to leave when suddenly footsteps came from outside, followed by the appearance of Qin Gu at the entrance of the living room. When he saw the situation in front of him, his eyes shrank. He saw the young man standing in the middle of the messy living room, carrying a brick in his hand, while Xiao Yang was cowering in the corner of the sofa, drenched and in a state of distress.


    Outside the living room, several middle-aged men in black suits¡ªas if they had not seen the owner of the house¡ªremained respectfully observing whether their own young master had prevailed. Secretary Chen had instructed that if the young master was having fun, they did not need to go up and disturb.


    ¡°Brother Qin ¡­¡± Xiao Yang was in a wretched state but still said as always, ¡°Xiao Bai didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s eyebrows jumped and frowned. Looking at Lu Bai, his expression was gloomy¡ªeven if he had good feelings for this young man, even if he fancied him, he could not tolerate the other person bullying his protected younger brother in his own home. Right now, some things had  not yet been clarified. Xiao Yang wass still his younger brother, this teenager was as well, though.


    Qin Gu was about to ask, but then saw that the teenager, who was usually full of smiles when he saw him, just looked at him indifferently¡ªlike looking at a stranger. It was then that the teenager walked in his direction, and  he was going to brush right past him.


    Qin Gu subconsciously reached out to stop the other, his voice was heavy and he couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Lu Bai raised his eyebrow: ¡°To buy osmanthus jelly.¡± Then, his indifferent face became gentle in a flash like melting ice and snow. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to pick up my boyfriend from work.¡± Autumn in Jinghai Osmanthus flowers bloomed very well, now was the season to eat osmanthus jelly and osmanthus cake, and Xiao Ruan would surely loved to eat it.


    There was no need to follow the plot anymore. It was fine to tell the truth now, and so Lu Bai reached out and patted Qin Gu¡¯s shoulder and remarked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t pester you in the future, but-.¡± He pointed at Xiao Yang and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Please keep an eye on him. If he ever strikes at someone close to me again, I won¡¯t let him go.¡± After saying that, he departed with bold strides, and the black-clad bodyguards looked at each other and hurriedly followed.


    Qin Gu¡¯s pupils shrunk, he was frozen in a daze. Along with the wreckage in the living room, he was completely left behind by Lu Bai.


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 34

    Chapter 34


    Ruan Jiangjiu and Lu Bai just happened to bypass each other, and when Ruan Jiangjiu received a phone call from Mr. Chen that afternoon, he had rushed to Qin¡¯s apartment, where Lu Bai had just left.


    ¡°Qin Gu,¡± Qu Xueyu indifferently scanned through the mess on the floor and also the wretched young man on the sofa. He turned to the man whose face was shockingly grim at the moment and remarked, ¡°Do you remember the day I came to your place and ran into Xiao Bai?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Qin Gu¡¯s voice was so cold that it almost froze.


    ¡°Xiao Bai¡¯s sister is right,¡± Not caring about his face, Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrows and added: ¡°If you do not like Xiao Bai, stay away from him. Do not provoke him. And-¡± Here Qu Xueyu coldly looked from Xiao Yang to Qin Gu and said: ¡°Watch your own sweetheart. For the next time he attacks Xiao Bai and the people around him, I will not let him go. Qin Gu, you should know best. I am not the kind of person who can tolerate that kind of behavior the most. I hate to make a big deal out of a small one.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s face remained sullen, but a doubt crossed his face, so he said: ¡°Say it clearly. What do you mean?¡±


    Qu Xueyu could not help but sarcastically laugh, and then he pointed to Xiao Yang, saying. ¡°Qin Gu, do you really not know what he has done?¡± This person was really quite ridiculous. He said with conviction that Xiao Bai was at fault as if he had seen it with his own eyes and ears, but the person, who made so many small moves, was right next to him and could turn a blind eye to it.


    But this man, however, liked Xiao Bai.


    Even when he swore that he ¡°hated¡± Xiao Bai, he still bought an apartment near Xiao Bai¡¯s school.


    Qu Xueyu narrowed his eyes; He didn¡¯t care about any of this. Xiao Bai was his and could only be his. He couldn¡¯t let go of the precious treasure that had been caught in his arms.


    The doubts on Qin Gu¡¯s face were even greater when Xiao Yang¡¯s voice abruptly rang out, almost shrill: ¡°Teacher Qu, don¡¯t you know? Xiao Bai almost killed someone when he was only twelve years old! Although he didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s face instantly dropped, frighteningly cold.


    Qin Gu turned to Qu Xueyu with a stern face and said: ¡°What he said is true. After he almost got someone killed, he ran back to Jinghai overnight and didn¡¯t even offer an apology by relying on the Lu family. Qu Xueyu, can you really accept this kind of Lu Bai? If you can¡¯t accept the real him, stay away from him, and don¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    ¡°Qin Gu, you¡¯re really stupid.¡± Qu Xueyu blankly stated. ¡°Did you know? Xiao Bai has claustrophobia now.¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s eyes flinched.


    Qu Xueyu didn¡¯t even want to tell Qin Gu much about Xiao Bai, but he didn¡¯t want to watch Xiao Bai be wrongly accused after all these years. His little fool was soft-hearted and kind and wouldn¡¯t defend himself, so he would.


    ¡°Whether you believe it or not,¡± Qu Xueyu said. ¡°Xiao Bai did not push your sweetheart into the water that year, and he did not return to Jinghai later because he was heartless. Qin Gu, you know what your group of cronies and lapdogs did in order to please you? They kept Xiao Bai in that abandoned storehouse for almost a whole night. Imagine the extreme physiological pain accompanied by claustrophobia. He fell into a feverish state after arriving at the hospital. How could the Lu family not come to Chunming to pick him up?¡±


    Qin Gu¡¯s eyes widened, only feeling a chill down his back. At this moment, he felt that even his blood was cold¡ªall these things, he had never known. If they were true¡­ the Lu Bai, who was raised proudly by the Lu family, had never even looked for him to complain about these problems, so was he really so domineering? That kind of Lu Bai¡­ would he really push Xiao Yang into the water?


    He looked squarely at Qu Xueyu and said through clenched teeth, ¡°How do you know all this?¡±


    Qu Xueyu shrugged as he said, ¡°Because I was the one who saved him. Back then, I personally carried him out of that dark, cold warehouse. He has remembered me for seven years and missed me for seven years. Qin Gu, we were born for each other.¡± After a pause, he stated, ¡°So please, keep you and your sweetheart away from my boyfriend.¡±


    Qin Gu clenched his fists tightly, his forehead veins bulging, eyes red-rimmed and frightening. Qu Xueyu, however, turned around and walked away without any care.


    Bang!


    The sound of the door slamming loudly awakened Qin Gu and looked at the still woebegone young man on the sofa with coldness streaking through his eyes.


    ¡°Brother-, Brother Qin?¡± Xiao Yang¡¯s eyes were completely red, but there was fear in the depths of his eyes. He said, ¡°Brother Qin, what he said is not true. Teacher Qu just likes Xiao Bai, and that¡¯s why he spoke for him. Brother Qin, you should know that I have never resented Xiao Bai even when he treated me that way back then!¡±


    ¡°It would be best if that is the case.¡± Qin Gu¡¯s voice was indistinguishable from happiness or anger as he continued, ¡°Rest early.¡± After saying that, he walked towards his bedroom¡ªthere were many things happening¡ªincluding the things that happened back then which need to be investigated. Until everything was clear, Xiao Yang was still his beloved brother.


    ~~~~~~


    As the biggest investor behind this web drama, Lu Zhi directly replaced the male number two with a wave of his hand. As for the blind tycoon and the assistant director, in the end, he still alerted Elder Lu.


    Elder Lu called Father Lu to him and hammered his cane. ¡°Who Xiao Bai wants to play with as friends is a small matter. My grandson is happy, and everything is fine. But what a mess! People dare to provoke my grandson in Jinghai, and it¡¯s just right for you as a father to do something about it.¡±


    Father Lu was stunned and hurriedly said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Only after Father Lu left, did Elder Lu coldly snort, ¡°Hmph, that brat from the Qu family.¡± After all that, he dialed a phone number.


    ¡°We¡¯re going fishing.¡± He said somewhat imperiously. ¡°Call that good grandson of yours, and I¡¯ll also bring my family¡¯s Xiao Bai and Guan Guan.¡± He hung up the phone without giving the other party time to respond.


    Old man Qu on the other side of the phone: ¡°¡­¡±


    ~~~~~


    Ruan Jiangjiu returned to the set when it was getting late. His scenes for the day had already been shot, and the new second male lead was shooting some make-up scenes.


    The new assistant director was monitoring the set, so Xu Wen rushed over to welcome him back and said, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back?¡± He pointed to his dressing room and added, ¡°The dressing room was empty, so Young Master Lu is waiting for you inside.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded his thanks and went to the dressing room.


    He gently pushed open the door and closed it softly behind him, seeing that the young man he was worried about was sprawled out over a table, seemingly having fallen asleep with his eyes closed, yet appeared to be sleeping uneasily.


    On the table was a paper bag for snacks, and the packaging paper was painted with osmanthus flowers. It looked like some kind of osmanthus product¡ªat the moment, the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom in Jinghai, so it was indeed the best time to eat these.


    Ruan Jiangjiu lightened his steps and walked to the teenager. Looking at the teenager, his eyes reflected the lights and looked incredibly tender. He lightly caressed the teenager¡¯s hair, then took off his windbreaker and covered the teenager¡ªafter all, the weather was getting cooler now.


    Lu Bai could feel the warmth on his body as he slept, and then his nose was filled with a familiar fragrance. He opened his eyes and saw that the man was standing beside him, and his eyes, still bleary with sleep, immediately bent up. He turned around and leaned over to hug his waist.


    The warm, pleasant aroma of his body nourished all his nerves. Lu Bai sighed comfortably and hugged tighter.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes sparkled with laughter as he hugged the young man back over his windbreaker. He ruffled his hair and looked at the snacks on the table and raised his eyebrow: ¡°Is my boyfriend sending me snacks?¡±


    Lu Bai was dazed.  The tips of his ears quietly reddened, and he muttered: ¡°No.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°?¡±


    Lu Bai then cuddled up to the man¡¯s waist and tilted his head up to look at him, stating, ¡°It¡¯s too late, so we¡¯ll go home and eat these snacks.  Xiao Ruan, do you like osmanthus cakes and osmanthus jelly?¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu nodded: ¡°Yes, I like them very much.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°So, my boyfriend has come over for the show?¡±


    Lu Bai rolled his eyes, still burying his face in the other¡¯s arms. Only after a long pause did he say in a muffled voice, ¡°This boyfriend has come to pick up Xiao Ruan and bring him home.¡± As he spoke, the tips of his ears hidden in his black hair were completely red.


    Ruan Jiangjiu chuckled softly¡ªhis heart was so tender that he leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of the teenager¡¯s hair and whispered, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    After arriving home and taking the bath, Lu Bai came out of the shower and saw Ruan Jiangjiu in bed. He was leaning against the headboard of the bed and seemed to be flipping through something.


    He got into bed, tucked himself under the other¡¯s covers, scooted over to the youth, and blinked, ¡°Xiao Ruan, what are you looking at?¡± He was just curious about everything about the other man.


    ¡°Looking at a painting.¡± He closed the painting book with only one painting in it and laid it on the bed. He smoothly picked up a towel to help the youth wipe his half-dried hair. While drying it, he kissed the tip of the youth¡¯s lovely nose which was flushed from the steam and said meaningfully, ¡°Xiao Bai, I¡¯ll put the painting book on the bed. You can look at it whenever you want.¡±


    Lu Bai rolled his eyes, ¡°Oh. This is something that you¡¯re making me look at. Not something that I¡¯m curious to see on my own.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu curved his eyes: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Suddenly, the two phones on the bed rang at the same time. Lu Bai and Ruan Jiangjiu looked at each other and then answered their phones.


    Lu Bai and Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s voices rang out almost simultaneously: ¡°Grandpa?¡±


    Hanging up his phone, Lu Bai looked at Ruan Jiangjiu, ¡°My grandfather said that he wants to take me and Guan Guan to go fishing this weekend.¡± His grandfather really loved him, and he actually wanted to bring Ruan Jiangjiu to meet his grandfather, but he didn¡¯t know if the youth was willing to.


    Lu Bai was about to open his mouth when he saw the youth smile and said, ¡°Xiao Bai, what a coincidence. My grandfather also asked me to go fishing this weekend.¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned, ¡°Xiao Ruan, you-. You have a grandfather?¡± The original Ruan Jiangjiu seemed to be dependent upon his cowardly mother¡ªwait, Xiao Ruan had said that his mother was very strong.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ruan Jiangjiu reached out to cup the boy¡¯s face and pecked his lips. Their foreheads were bumping softly against each other, and their nose tips were touching each other¡¯s nose tips: ¡°Xiao Bai, I have a grandfather. Since childhood, my grandfather has loved me the most.¡± After a pause, he said, ¡°Xiao Bai, as long as you want to hear, I am willing to tell you everything about me¡ªRather, I beg you to want to know everything about me.¡±


    Every time the youth showed this gentle and seemingly somewhat frustrated look, Lu Bai was completely overwhelmed, so he leaned over and embraced him, saying, ¡°Of course, I would love to.¡± Of course, he wanted to know everything about this young man by spending more warm time together than those cold settings from the original.


    ¡°By the way,¡± the young man was about to say something when Lu Bai, remembering something, suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Xiao Ruan, I got it! I was introduced to the store by my second uncle.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°?¡±


    Lu Bai left the embrace of the youth, eyes blinking at the youth. ¡°Condoms and lubricant ah. In order to avoid not having enough, I bought a whole box of each! The boss saw me buy a lot and said he would send me many free gifts. I think they should be delivered soon-¡± After a pause, he slightly tilted his head towards the youth: ¡°Xiao Ruan, when it comes, we will unpack it together ah. Guan Guan once said that unboxing is the happiest moment.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu: ¡°¡­¡±


    The author has something to say: Regarding the secondary cp, the second uncle and Mr. Secretary are indeed cp, but their complete storyline I think I will write in the extras oh~


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 35

    Chapter 35


    Before the happy unpacking moment could arrive, Qu Xueyu received a call from his agent Bo Yangzhi the following evening.


    ¡°Xueyu,¡± Bo Yangzhi said from the other end of the call. ¡°You may need to shoot a small interview for Director Zhou¡¯s new drama in two days in Jinghai.¡± Even though the public thought Qu Xueyu was in Chunming at this time, Director Zhou¡¯s film was about to start its production. It was not strange for Qu Xueyu to appear in Jinghai now, as his private itinerary has always been very tightly guarded. In addition, Old Man Qu was here, so the scalpers would not dare to leak his details.


    Ruan Jiangjiu said: ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Director Zhou¡¯s new movie was starting soon, his time in the web drama production team was also coming to an end. It was unknown what Lu Zhi¡¯s intentions were, but this web drama continued to remain under the radar, and not even a single stage photo could be found online¡ªincluding his. Except for Xiao Bai, practically no one would believe that there would be such resemblance between the two in the world. Some people in the crew had actually speculated about his identity, but because of Lu Zhi¡¯s intervention, not half a bit of news was leaked.


    Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s scenes had almost wrapped up and gazed at the starry twilight sky with a smile; Xiao Bai had started classes today and could only pick him up from the set later.


    ¡°So,¡± the corners of Bo Yangzhi¡¯s mouth twitched and said: ¡°Now you are waiting for the kid to pick you up after class?¡± He was, after all, the young master¡¯s agent, so the fact that the young master is in love was not hidden from him. To be honest, it made him a little touched.


    Ruan Jiangjiu raised an eyebrow: ¡°He is very worried about me. He¡¯s afraid that I would be bullied, so he insisted on coming to pick me up.¡±


    Bo Yangzhi: ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu hung up the call after Lu Bai¡¯s car arrived. When the car door opened, he was suddenly pounced on by the youth, embracing him. His hands slipped inside the youth¡¯s warm windbreaker and closely held the other¡¯s waist.


    Ruan Jiangjiu was little surprised, yet still caressed the soft black hair of the teenager, and his voice was soft, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s body shook and sullenly mumbled, ¡°Nothing.¡± It was just that when he went to class today and slept, he dreamt of something not-so-good¡ªin the original story, this young man¡¯s ending was death. Because he was no longer bound by the plot, he had almost forgotten about it¡ªor, rather, he had deliberately refused to remember. But today, that dream had cruelly reminded him.


    Thinking of this, he hugged the young man a little tighter and said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, you must not leave me. I have to be by your side at all times.¡± This way, he could protect him. No matter what the cost was, he would not let this youth go into the same desperate situations as in the original story.


    Ruan Jiangjiu could hear that something was wrong in the teen¡¯s voice. He lowered his head and gently placed a kiss on the other¡¯s hair, asking, ¡°Xiao Bai, what¡¯s bothering you?¡± His voice contained worry.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± Lu Bai rubbed the tip of his nose intimately against the youth¡¯s chest and said, ¡°Xiao Ruan, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu hesitated, but still said, ¡°Okay.¡± All the things that this child¡ªwhom he cared for the most¡ª was concerned and worried about, he would one day know. If he could, he would be willing to take over all the worries of this teenager¡ªthis child was born to laugh without a care in the world.


    As they drove to the Riverview Villa, the lights sparkled all across the river, reflecting on the surface of the river, and the road next to the villa was already lit up¡ªthe residential area was tranquil and quiet, and the nearby lights were softly illuminating.


    Lu Bai did not pull into the garage but parked his car in front of the villa without getting out.


    Ruan Jiangjiu turned to him: ¡°Xiao Bai?¡±


    Lu Bai suddenly turned off the lights in the car, and the car immediately fell into darkness. Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s eyes narrowed and subconsciously reached out towards the teenager¡ªhis Xiao Bai was afraid of the dark and claustrophobic.


    But before he could reach out all the way, Lu Bai had already grasped it, and Ruan Jiangjiu felt that the younger man¡¯s hand was somewhat hot.


    Then, with a rustling, Ruan Jiangjiu felt that the teenager had shifted over to sit on his lap.


    Ruan Jiangjiu stretched out his other hand to grasp Lu Bai¡¯s waist. He felt the teenager leaning over and hugging him tightly with both arms wrapped around his neck.


    ¡°Xiao Bai?¡± In order to make the teenager¡¯s position more comfortable, Ruan Jiangjiu lowered the back of his chair. He held the other¡¯s waist with one hand and gently pressed his other hand on the back of his neck which seemed to be a comfort to them both¡ªhis voice sounded so gentle, as if he was afraid to scare the other.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan,¡± In the virtually enclosed space, Lu Bai took a deep breath of the warm and familiar fragrance of the youth, and his restless heart finally calmed down. ¡°I am indeed afraid of the dark and also have a phobia of confinement, but, you see, when you are around, I am not afraid of any of these. ¡°


    This was something that he actually discovered a while ago, and the only reason why he still slept with a night light on when he was with the other was because it was a deep-rooted habit.


    ¡°Xiao Ruan, I may even be grateful for such a dark and small space now,¡± Lu Bai murmured, rubbing the tip of his nose against the youth¡¯s fair and warm neck. ¡°Because, in such a space, I can be so close to Xiao Ruan.¡± It was as if they were the only two people in this small world, so he could clearly and unmistakably confirm that the youth was still alive. That he had a healthy body and a strongly beating heart.


    Hearing the teenager¡¯s words, Ruan Jiangjiu felt a sudden pain in his heart; this young man was not a person who should say these kinds of distressing words. He was pure and spontaneous, soft and lovely, but with a clear and simple personality. This teenager was not a hesitant, weak, and fickle person.


    But when he heard him say such things, Ruan Jiangjiu did not think he should feel this way. The corners of his lips rose into a smile and kneaded the back of the teenager¡¯s neck, saying, ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Lu Bai moved slightly away from the other, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness, and he cocked his head and said demandingly, ¡°Then you should kiss me.¡±


    Ruan Jiangjiu looked at the teenager straddling his lap in the darkness and felt like he was going crazy. He laughed out lowly, ¡°You are really my kryptonite.¡± The young man trustingly plunged down toward him and caught his body perfectly in his arms, kissing the young man¡¯s parted lips.


    ¡°Unh¡­¡±


    Their breath, lips, and tongues were thoroughly intertwined in the intimate darkness.


    The feeling of kissing this young man was so good that Lu Bai was running out of breath, but still could not bear to part¡ªas if this kiss itself was a life-saving gift, and he wanted to constantly confirm the presence of this youth.


    When they eventually separated, Lu Bai was gasping for air; his hand was on the youth¡¯s chest, and his body was tingling and heated. Ruan Jiangjiu laid supine in his seat. From out of the car window, one or two rays of light shone in, and the youth¡¯s slightly tilted neck showed a strange vulnerability and allure in it.


    Ultimately, he decided that he was on his way to complete madness.


    ¡°Shall we do it?¡± He was sitting on the youth¡¯s lap, and he was certainly aware of the changes in the other¡¯s body. Lu Bai thought there was nothing wrong with doing it here if the other party was Xiao Ruan.


    Ruan Jiangjiu chuckled as he squeezed the back of the youth¡¯s neck again, pinning the youth¡¯s body firmly into his embrace, but he merely kissed the other¡¯s heated ear and tenderly said, ¡°No.¡±


    Making love with someone you adore was supposed to be a beautiful experience, filled with mutual pleasure, but right now, when nothing was prepared¡­ he didn¡¯t want the young man to have any unpleasant experiences. He cherishes him too much to hurt him.


    ¡°Be a good boy. Let me help you.¡± He pressed the teenager into his arms and unzipped the other man¡¯s jeans.


    Lu Bai buried his face in the other¡¯s neck, his cheeks burning, and kept breathing in a disorderly manner. Unable to think of anything else, he dazedly reached a hand down and mirrored what the other was doing. ¡°I can also help Xiao Ruan.¡±


    He seemed to be somewhat shy, and his voice was soft, like a delicate feather brushing against Ruan Jiangjiu¡¯s heart. His heart felt soft and fuzzy, yet it burned like a flame. He felt that he would gladly be crazy for this teenager for many lifetimes with no complaints.


    ~~~~~~


    After a good night¡¯s sleep.


    The next day Lu Bai woke up rubbing his eyes and then, without any heartache, skipped the day¡¯s classes¡ªhis father had been busy with something for the past two days, and it was rare that he didn¡¯t supervise his homework.


    The other side of Lu Bai¡¯s bed was empty, and he vaguely remembered that Ruan Jiangjiu seemed to say that he had to go out today.


    ¡°Xiao Bai, I¡¯m going to give an interview in the morning.¡± Last night in bed, while his upper and lower eyelids were fighting, he seemed to have heard the youth telling him this.


    Originally, he had wanted to say ¡®My Xiao Ruan is so impressive! He just made his debut and someone came to interview him¡¯. He wanted to add ¡®I must go with you. You don¡¯t know it but those reporters can be too scary!¡¯ But he was too sleepy at that time and fell right back to sleep, so he didn¡¯t have the chance to say any of it in the end.


    Lu Bai ate the breakfast prepared by Ruan Jiangjiu and regretted not getting up earlier to go with the youth. The remote control was close at hand, so Lu Bai simply turned on the TV¡ªalthough it may not be on one of the famous channels or programs, and he may not have much time on camera, it would be nice just to see him.


    The TV was turned on, and Qu Xueyu¡¯s face popped up on the screen. Lu Bai was shaken by the face that was too similar to his Xiao Ruan and was about to change the channel when the hostess¡¯ sweet voice was heard.


    ¡°What is the name of Mr. Qu¡¯s new role?¡± Mr. Zhou¡¯s films had always been kept under wraps. And before the release of the production staff list, the public wouldn¡¯t even know the name of the main character.


    The young man on the TV screen was handsome and charming, and his eyes were bright like the stars in the sky. He smiled and said: ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu.¡±


    Lu Bai blinked in stunned silence.


    Much of the information about that movie had to be kept secret still, so the relevant questions concerning that were very cleverly deflected by the young man. Next segment came the interactive fan question session; the host pointed to the big screen and smiled, ¡°Next, we will have super fan questions popping up! Ah, Mr. Qu should pick at least one to answer!¡±


    Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrow and grinned: ¡°Sure.¡± After all, this was also part of the job.


    The host called out to start, and the screen quickly flashed with questions from fans¡ªthis was a live interactive TV station, and the questions were all in real time.


    Qu Xueyu looked at the feverish stream of questions and was going to pick one at random to answer when suddenly, out of nowhere, he saw one and his pupils shrank.


    ¡°Stop.¡± He said softly.


    The screen immediately stopped, and the host rushed to cater to him: ¡°Has Mr. Qu picked one? Let¡¯s see which one it is!¡±


    Even after pressing pause, there were still many different kinds of questions on the screen, and Qu Xueyu pointed to an inconspicuous spot in the corner of the screen and said, ¡°That one.¡±


    The host was stunned and hurriedly looked over and read out: ¡°What is Mr. Qu¡¯s favorite festival?¡± The host felt some regret after reading it out¡ªthe question was really too bland.


    But the handsome young man looked seriously at the camera, as if he was looking at someone through it. His eyes curved up, and there was a sparkle within them. He answered, ¡°I like the Bailu Festival 1Chinese Autumn Harvest Festivalthe most.¡±


    The host was stunned and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because of the poem, ¡®The dew(Lu) is white(Bai) tonight¡¯.¡± His voice was so gentle that it sounded like a light kiss, but it was so earnest and solemn.


    So after a bit of wordplay my man here just announced on national television that he ¡®likes Lu Bai the most¡¯¡­ twice lol. How? Well sometimes things can sound the same but be written differently and have different meanings. These are known as homophones, an example is how ¡°Pear¡± and ¡°Pair¡± sound the same but have different meanings. That¡¯s what happened just now, as Lu Bai¡¯s name is spelled ¡®Â½°×¡¯ (L¨´ b¨¢i) and the ¡®White Dew/Bailu¡¯ is spelt ¡®°×¶¡¯ (b¨¢i l¨´).


    Bailu Festival and Poem Bailu Festival= Equivalent to the autumn harvest festival, this is held Sept 7-9th. It can also be called the White Dew Festival.


    The Poem, ¡°¡®Â¶´Ó½ñÒ¹°×¡¯ by ¡®¶Å¸¦¡¯ ¡°/ ¡°l¨´c¨®ng j¨©ny¨¨b¨¢i by Tang dynasty poet Du Fu¡±


    ¡°The drum breaks off the pedestrians , and the sound of wild geese in Bianqiu .


    The dew is white tonight , and the moon is bright in my hometown.


    Brothers are all scattered, no family to ask death and life.


    The length of sending books is not long , and the situation is that the soldiers have not been suspended.¡±


    ~~~~


    The easier version,


    The sound of drums on the garrison building cut off people from coming and going. In the autumn of the frontier fortress, a lone goose was singing. Since tonight has entered the Bailu solar term, the moon is still the brightest in my hometown. There are brothers, but they are all scattered, and there is no home to inquire about life and death. Letters from home sent to Luoyang City often could not be delivered, not to mention the frequent wars that did not stop. ¡ª¡ª


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 36

    Chapter 36


    The autumn morning sunshine was very nice, but Lu Bai felt like the sky was spinning for a while as if he was in a fantasy world.


    Pah!


    The remote control in his hand fell to the ground.


    The interview had ended, and a commercial began to play. However, Lu Bai was still staring blankly at the screen.


    He blinked; Just now, what did Qu Xueyu say¡­


    He picked up the remote control and pressed the playback button like he had been revived. He wanted to replay from the very beginning, but accidentally adjusted the progress to the middle.


    Then the handsome and affectionate face of the young man reappeared on the screen, where he seemed to be looking at someone through the screen.


    A thousand years at a glance.1¡®One glance for ten thousand years means that one glance with affection can make you love ten thousand years . It means that 10,000 years have passed at a glance or 10,000 years have been remembered at a glance, which means that things are memorable and are generally used in love¡¯ ¨C google


    ¡°I like the Bailu Festival the most.¡±


    ¡°Because of the poem, ¡®The dew is white tonight¡¯.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice seemed to carry some kind of magic. Listening to it, Lu Bai¡¯s cheeks began to burn, and even the tips of his ears were completely red.


    The interview slot was short and quickly passed. However, the young man¡¯s voice echoed in his ears like a soul-soothing song, and felt his heart beating fiercely.


    Lu Bai did not know how many times he replayed it, but only when he could finally force his way away from the youth¡¯s voice, could he finally think about what had happened.


    But how is it possible?


    Suddenly, a flash of thought crossed his mind. Lu Bai turned and walked quickly toward his bedroom. He stood in front of the bedside table and looked at the album which Ruan Jiangjiu had never hidden from him.


    Lu Bai¡¯s brow was slightly wrinkled; his toes unconsciously curled¡ªhis current mood was unspeakably complicated, which reminded him of that night when he learned that Qu Xueyu was the young teenager who pulled him out of the darkness, and for a moment, it had been like he was having a bright and colorful fever dream.


    And now, he fell into another even bigger, more gorgeous, more noisy dream. One where Qu Xueyu was the undisputed king of this dream world and everything was dominated by him¡ªincluding ¡°Lu Bai¡±.


    After a moment of silence, Lu Bai reached out and picked up the album off the table. The album was bound with soft genuine leather, and one could easily tell that its owner took care of it. Lu Bai closed his eyes, then quickly opened it. His eyes immediately saw a familiar fairy-like young man, who seemed to be bathed in moonlight, and his face wasn¡¯t visible to anyone outside the painting.


    This was not a high-quality piece as the watercolor was too old, and the colors were peeling off.


    Lu Bai reached out and gently touched the face of the boy in the painting¡ªthis was the original reason he learned to draw from his mother. In the beginning, he learned to draw just to be able to paint the boy and then took it seriously and had to stumble around for a few months before he created this imperfect painting.


    After the painting was finished, he wanted to share his joy with others for the first time but suddenly realized that he had no friends in this world, so he could only tell his mother how wonderful the boy he didn¡¯t know was.


    This painting, given to Qu Xueyu by his mother, was now in Xiao Ruan¡¯s hands¡­it couldn¡¯t be clearer what this meant¡­


    Lu Bai clutched the album to his chest and fell on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling. The smell of the young man¡¯s body still remained on the bed, which was undeniably soothing. Suddenly, he sat up and found a sketching pencil in the bedside drawer. He opened to the page with the painting and held the album in his lap. The youth¡¯s true face immediately appeared in his mind.


    The pencil rustled, and in a short while, Lu Bai was able to add the features of the young man to the painting, but as he looked at it, he felt dissatisfied¡ªunlike his mother, he was not good at drawing, and the young man was so good-looking, but he could not draw even one-tenth of it.


    But the painting with the features of the young man was so vivid and so bright that Lu Bai could not bear to erase it.


    He touched the young boy¡¯s new face, his eyes bright and gentle, and whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± Thank you for pulling me out of the infinite darkness back then, and thank you for meeting me again later.¡±


    Then, it suddenly dawned on Lu Bai; he had been fooled by the other person for so long that it seemed right to be very angry.


    So then, he closed the book and put it on the bed, found his backpack, which he hadn¡¯t used in a long time¡ªand without any shame, stuffed it with two of the other man¡¯s clean shirts. With that done, he simply left the house.


    He should go home for a few days, in addition to expressing his anger about this matter, there was another more important thing¡ªthe original story had now collapsed, even ¡°Ruan Jiangjiu¡± this important role was only a role Qu Xueyu would play in a movie. He had to calm down and think about what the heck was going on!


    Lu Bai opened his car door, threw his backpack neatly into the back seat, and then without hesitation started the car.


    ~~~~~


    Qu Xueyu came home and saw from the entrance that the living room lights were not on, so he knew that the teenager had learned the truth.


    He moved inside, then dropped his eyes; He did it on purpose. From the beginning, he had never pretended in front of the teenager¡ªhe had always been ¡°Qu Xueyu¡±, and he couldn¡¯t let his relationship with Xiao Bai be tainted with such a dangerous deception.


    ¡°He must be very angry with me.¡±


    He so naturally imagined the mood of the teenager and then missed him like crazy¡ªclearly, it had only been a day.


    Qu Xueyu went into the bedroom to change clothes and go out, but then saw that the album was placed on the bed¡ªhe smiled helplessly, this album was indeed the best-supporting evidence to confirm his identity. He had always placed it by the bed and never hid it from Lu Bai, but his boy had just opened it today.


    He opened the album, as he has done countless other times. But he stopped moving, looking at the painting, his pupils shrank and then laughed low and hoarse.


    ~~~~~~


    The main residence of the Lu family.


    Lu Bai hugged Qu Xueyu¡¯s two shirts and rolled around on his bed, he grimaced in resentment; It was true that empty clothes were no match for a man to cuddle.


    ¡°Young master,¡± the housekeeper knocked on his door and entered Lu Bai¡¯s room. Bowing to Lu Bai, he stated, ¡°Young Master Qu is waiting for you in the garden.¡±


    Lu Bai half-sat up, opening his eyes wide to look at the butler, and asked incredulously, ¡°Uncle Liu, you- you actually let him in!¡± Was this still the same housekeeper who was so stubborn and dutiful that he didn¡¯t listen to anyone?2OG was ¡°Didn¡¯t care about Oil and Salt.¡± Which caused me great confusion until IO asked in the discord server and got help from my fellow translator Raine. Thank you Raine!


    The housekeeper smiled dotingly and said, ¡°Young Master Qu has helped you twice, and Mr. and Mrs. Lu said that he is a friend of the Lu family, so there is no need to announce when he comes here in the future. I was going to invite him in to sit in the living room, but he insisted on waiting for you in the garden.¡±


    Lu Bai was stunned, however, he had noticed something else: ¡°Twice?¡±


    The housekeeper replied, ¡°The first time you were drunk. It¡¯s normal that you can¡¯t remember. It was that garden reception not too long ago, where you were so drunk that Young Master Qu looked after you until the young Miss and I arrived.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes widened, and a warmth welled up in his heart. He hurriedly got out of bed and went to the window, and indeed, he saw the figure of that young man under that osmanthus tree outside his window. Now that it was an autumn night, it was very cool outside, but the youth was only wearing a thin windbreaker.


    Lu Bai frowned before saying, ¡°Uncle Liu, I¡¯ll go see him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The butler bowed.


    When the butler stepped out, Lu Bai opened his closet, fished out a thick and soft scarf from it, and carried it out the door.


    Beneath the fragrant osmanthus flowers that filled the night, Lu Bai stared straight into the young man¡¯s beautiful eyes, and irritation seemed to pass across his face.


    Half a minute later, he said, ¡°Follow me.¡± This guy was really underdressed, and would definitely get sick if he stood there any minutes longer.


    Qu Xueyu raised his eyebrows, ¡°Xiao Bai, you don¡¯t understand. Your heart is too soft. It¡¯s only in times like this that selling misery3Selling misery, or selling meng/cuteness. It is when you act a certain way in front of someone. It¡¯s something done to get the person¡¯s way with minor fuss. Like a dog giving you puppy eyes (selling meng/cuteness) for a treat, or sadly, when a homeless person makes a sign with a sad story on it in hopes someone will give them food or money (selling misery) works most effectively.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai tsked, then he simply stepped forward and grabbed the youth¡¯s wrist. He led him in the direction of the garden¡ªthere was a glass greenhouse next to the garden, where all kinds of delicate flowers were planted, so it was very warm.


    There was a resting area near the rose bed in the greenhouse, where the sweet aroma of roses permeated the area with soft sofas and matching wooden tables.


    Lu Bai used force to push the man down onto the sofa, then conveniently dropped to straddle the other¡¯s lap. He was still carrying the scarf in his hand, but he stared straight at the youth¡¯s eyes. And after a lingering silence, he said, ¡°Take it off.¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s pupils shrank, momentarily stunned¡ªhe had envisioned countless reactions of the young man, but he had not anticipated this.


    Seeing that the man hadn¡¯t moved, Lu Bai took it upon himself to sharply strip off the other man¡¯s windbreaker.


    Then, he seriously wrapped up the thick soft scarf for the youth¡ªthis kind of scarf was always warmer to wear close to the body.


    ¡°I am still very angry.¡± Lu Bai said emphatically. He was still straddling the youth¡¯s lap, and his distance from the other was ambiguously close.


    ¡°I know.¡± Qu Xueyu, with his scarf on, earnestly faced Lu Bai. He reached out to touch the youth¡¯s face, and the latter did not avoid his touch and even pressed his cheek against his palm.


    Lu Bai: ¡°You¡¯ve lied to me for so long, so you should be very guilty in your heart, right?¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s hand paused and nodded.


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes rolled and muttered ¡®As you should be¡¯, and then, he said: ¡°It¡¯s not too much to promise me a few things, right?¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°Of course.¡± If this teenager wanted his life, he was willing to die¡ªhe had long known that he had gone crazy for him.


    Lu Bai: ¡°Let me bite you first.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°Okay-¡°


    Unconsciously agreeing before he actually registered what was said. Qu Xueyu slowly reacted, his face blank: ¡°??¡±


    Lu Bai tilted his head, his face again appeared with that curious naivety: ¡°You didn¡¯t think that I stripped you of your coat just to give you a scarf, ah?¡± When you were very angry, of course, you had to bite each other hard to relieve the anger.


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 37

    Chapter 37


    Even with a thick and soft scarf, one could see that the young man¡¯s neck was long and graceful. Lu Bai, sitting on the man¡¯s lap, stared at the young man¡¯s scarf-adorned throat, and that small piece of fair skin that was bare, finding it very tempting.


    He looked for a long time and swallowed before meeting Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes and feigning viciousness: ¡°You don¡¯t agree?¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s hand grasped the youth¡¯s waist. He looked at the other silently for a moment before raising his eyebrow and said: ¡°Please.¡± Heh, would he be afraid of being bitten by Xiao Bai? Instead of saying that this was a punishment, it would be more accurate to say that it was a reward.


    Lu Bai stared at the exquisite face of the young man under the glow of the light, and his eyes looked as if they had rivers of flowing lights. The fragrance of roses filled his nostrils, so he deviously stated, ¡°In fact, you are more suitable to be stripped of all your clothes and thrown into a rose field covered with petals, and then be bitten by me fiercely.¡± After a beat, Lu Bai reached out and touched the scarf the youth was wearing, saying, ¡°This can be used to tie your hands.¡±


    Lu Bai looked at the young man in front of him before lowering his eyes and imagining the scene. His cheeks couldn¡¯t help but flush a little. Well, that was, damn, too tempting¡­


    Qu Xueyu had gotten used to the strange things that came out of the teenager¡¯s mouth from time to time and smiled subtly: ¡°Then, Xiao Bai, you and I will be the first people to be pierced by rose thorns into hedgehogs.¡± He paused and then added some insinuation. ¡°But you like rose petals, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°Oh, I like rose petals very much¡ªSo, you want to do it with me on rose petals, eh?¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s breathing turned disorderly in a flash, and his eyebrows flew up, changing the subject, ¡°Xiao Bai, are you still biting?¡±


    Lu Bai, quite honest, nodded: ¡°Biting.¡± After a pause, he tutted, ¡°Seeing as it¡¯s cold now, I won¡¯t strip you of your clothes.¡±


    After that, he leaned over, sniffing contentedly at the neck of the youth. He opened his mouth on the young man¡¯s shoulder which was covered with the fabric of his white shirt.


    The stinging sensation came with an ambiguous heat; Qu Xueyu completely relaxed against the soft sofa. His white shirt was unbuttoned a bit, revealing a large area of fair skin and a part of his clavicle. He felt the teenager¡¯s lovely teeth nibbling on his shoulder through the fabric. The other¡¯s warm breath puffed on the side of his neck. He held the young man¡¯s waist, slightly tilting his head back. Looking at the steel beams of the greenhouse roof, he laughed low and hoarse. His eyes were turning red at the end, and there was a deep desire in his eyes. He had been wearing an ice-like mask for so long, but at this moment, he looked just like a passionate Lothario1a man who behaves selfishly and irresponsibly in his sexual relationships with women: ¡°They are seduced by a handsome Lothario who gains control of their financial affairs¡±. He¡¯s a character from a book.


    ¡°A Lothario is a man who commonly seduces women, or who is viewed as intensely attractive to women, even if he chooses not to pursue them. As a general rule, Lotharios are also viewed as somewhat dangerous, since the assumption is that after the seduction, they will throw the woman away. Some similar slang terms include ¡°Casanova¡± and ¡°Don Juan.¡± Curiously enough, no female counterpart to Lothario exists, at least in English, perhaps because of a double standard about sexual behavior that dominates many English-speaking societies.


    This slang term is a reference to a play called The Fair Penitent, written by Nicholas Rowe and published in 1703. In the play, Lothario is a character who seduces a woman and then ultimately betrays her. Rowe may have borrowed the character from Don Quixote (1605), where a remarkably similar situation also includes a character named Lothario. By the 1750s, ¡°Lothario¡± had entered common English slang to refer to a seducer, usually with the implication that the seduction would inevitably end in betrayal of some form or another.¡± ¨Chttps://www.publicpeople.org/what-is-a-lothario.htm.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Lu Bai asked when he finally loosened his mouth in satisfaction.


    Qu Xueyu lowered his head and looked into the teenager¡¯s eyes, saying without any qualms: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Bai leaned down again. He stretched out his tongue across the nearly transparent fabric and gently licked the faint teeth marks under it.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s breathing was labored, and he kneaded the back of the teenager¡¯s neck, before finally hoarsely exclaiming, ¡°Xiao Bai, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Only then did Lu Bai raise his head and said, ¡°Not enough. I have other demands.¡±


    Qu Xueyu took a deep breath: ¡°Xiao Bai, tell me.¡±


    Lu Bai smiled triumphantly as he said, ¡°You lied to me, so you¡¯re no longer my boyfriend .¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s eyes dilated and was about to say something, but the teenager stretched out a finger to cover his lips.


    Then, Lu Bai added: ¡°But I¡¯ll allow you to chase me.¡± When he said this, he seemed a little embarrassed. His voice was a little quieter, and the tips of his ears, along with his neck and cheeks, were flushed.


    Qu Xueyu looked at the teenager¡¯s appearance in a better mood and curled his eyes.


    Lu Bai then added, ¡°I am very angry that you lied to me. In order to compensate me, you will have to continue to live with me, as well as to sleep with me. More importantly, you can¡¯t be too far away from me and you have to take me with you everywhere you go.¡± The last point was simply because even if Ruan Jiangjiu was just a fictional character in the movie that Qu Xueyu was going to play, for some reason, the fear and hidden worries in his heart still somehow couldn¡¯t subside. He still needed to watch the youth at all times to feel at ease.


    Qu Xueyu raised one eyebrow as he nodded.


    ¡°One last thing-¡± Lu Bai feigned a menacing look and said viciously. ¡°You need to stay away from Qin Gu! You¡¯re a person who is going to chase me. You are not allowed to be entangled with other men!¡± After a pause, he said without shame. ¡°Although you are no longer my boyfriend, only I am suitable for you, really.¡±


    After all, in the original story, Qu Xueyu and Qin Gu were meant to be together, and they ended up in HE2HE= Happy Ending, BE= Bad Ending! Thinking of this, Lu Bai¡¯s inner warning bells rang even louder. He reached out and cupped the youth¡¯s face, again, with a fierce look, he said, ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t like him! Only me! Otherwise, I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll-¡°


    Qu Xueyu crooked his eyebrow, his eyes deep, as he looked at the teenager: ¡°You¡¯ll do what?¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°Lock you up!¡± The words spoken were fierce, but the cheeks were even redder and hotter.


    Qu Xueyu once again laughed quietly as he pressed hard against the teenager¡¯s neck and gave the other a light kiss.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lu Bai¡¯s eyes opened wide, but in the end, he looped his arms around the young man¡¯s neck.


    After their kiss, Qu Xueyu looked at the teenager¡¯s somewhat misty eyes. He reached out to wipe the other¡¯s now somewhat flushed lips and suddenly stated, ¡°Xiao Bai, I have actually said it before.¡±


    Lu Bai was panting slightly, a quizzical expression crossed his face: ¡°What?¡±


    Qu Xueyu replied, ¡°¡®I have someone I want to kiss, and he¡¯s a little fool.''¡±


    Lu Bai froze.


    Qu Xueyu pecked the tip of Lu Bai¡¯s nose, his voice gentle and moving, containing a warm doting: ¡°Little fool.¡±


    Thump, thump.


    Then, Lu Bai once again felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°Brother, he¡­¡± Lu Guanguan seemed to be in low spirits, and when she saw Qu Xueyu in their living room, her eyes widened: ¡± He-he¡¯s that guy who was with Qin Gu!¡±


    Lu Bai ruffled Lu Guanguan¡¯s hair with a smile and said, ¡°Be good, from now on, he has nothing to do with Qin Gu.¡± After a pause, he then added: ¡°Only with me.¡±


    Qu Xueyu smiled and said, ¡°I also had nothing to do with Qin Gu in the past.¡±


    Elder Lu was already resting upstairs, and Father Lu and Sheng Mei regarded Qu Xueyu standing beside Lu Bai, and their eyebrows jerked, somewhat stunned.


    ¡°Hello uncle and aunt, I¡¯m sorry to bother you at night.¡± The young man smiled so politely that one could not pick a single fault.


    Lu Bai hastily added: ¡°I was going to chase him out, so I brought him my scarf. But it¡¯s too late now, so he should just stay here tonight.¡± Then added, ¡°He can stay in a guest room.¡±


    Lu Guanguan scoffed, looking at her watch with reluctance, and hesitated: ¡°Brother, it¡¯s only eight o¡¯clock¡­¡± Qu Xueyu wasn¡¯t a kid, but how could he be unable to return home at eight o¡¯clock? It was then she added: ¡°Our driver can send him home. He¡¯s absolutely safe.¡± Although her brother had always chased after Qin Gu, somehow, she felt that this young man was a hundred times more dangerous than Qin Gu.


    Lu Bai: ¡°But I want him to stay here tonight.¡±


    So Lu Guanguan completely folded, her head throbbing with a sigh, ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Father Lu and Sheng Mei looked at Qu Xueyu with complicated eyes. After a while, Father Lu asked the young man, with a slight frown, ¡°Are you willing to stay? This kid doesn¡¯t know how to do things, so if you¡¯re not voluntarily with him and you¡¯re not serious, by all means, please feel free to go.¡± His son has already suffered the pain of unrequited love for that Qin boy, and he didn¡¯t want him to suffer a second time.


    Qu Xueyu arched his eyes and met Father Lu¡¯s gaze. He then said with all seriousness, ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m gladly willing.3Another complicated poetic Chinese phrase was here. Check the dropdown at the bottom of the chapter if you are interested!¡°


    Sheng Mei sighed softly after hearing this and said, ¡°Uncle Liu. Please go and arrange a room for Young Master Qu.¡±


    Butler: ¡°Yes, madam.¡± He then stepped forward and gestured gracefully, ¡°Young Master Qu, this way please.¡±


    Qu Xueyu smiled and looked over at the teenager before following the butler. Lu Bai watched to see which guest room the man entered before looking back to his family and said, ¡°Well, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be going up first.¡±


    Father Lu stared at him for a long time before he waved his hand with a ¡°tsk¡°: ¡± Beat it!¡±


    He looked at his son¡¯s back as he vanished up the stairs and harrumphed somewhat helplessly: ¡°Stinky brat.¡±


    Sheng Mei chuckled: ¡°Young master Qu has always been more reliable than that Qin Gu. I haven¡¯t seen Xiao Bai so happy in a long time.¡± Just now, that kid had a dazzling smile all over his face.


    Father Lu smiled helplessly: ¡°I know.¡± So, what else was there to say¡­


    ~~~


    Standing in the bedroom hallway, Lu Bai was rubbing Lu Guanguan¡¯s hair. With gentle eyes, he exclaimed, ¡°Guanguan, for such a scum, it¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    Lu Guanguan was dazed, and the corners of her eyes became a little red. ¡°In fact, I was with him for less than a week. But I did like him, and I had really wanted to fall in love with him.¡± She was impressed by the other party¡¯s artificially designed encounter, so she was both angry and sad to learn that she had been conned.


    ¡°But!¡± Lu Guanguan revealed a bright and dazzling smile. ¡°Brother, you are right. He is a scum, and I, Lu Guanguan, definitely do not want to be disturbed by such a villain. Brother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be completely recovered tomorrow.¡±


    Lu Bai curled the corners of his mouth and placed his arm over Lu Guanguan¡¯s shoulder. His voice sounded gentle: ¡°Good.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    Midnight.


    The night light remained on in Lu Bai¡¯s room.


    He was wearing one of Qu Xueyu¡¯s shirts that he brought with him while hugging the other in his arms, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Lu Bai sat up and scratched his head, and his hair had become a bird¡¯s nest; he was too accustomed to falling asleep in the other¡¯s arms, and once he was away, he couldn¡¯t sleep.


    He stared blankly at the shirt belonging to his young man, and after only two seconds of pondering, he got out of bed without hesitation and walked out of his room.


    Because Lu Bai was afraid of the dark, the Lu family¡¯s corridor was always lit. This late at night was quiet. Qu Xueyu¡¯s guest room was on the ground floor, so he gingerly went downstairs and reached the guest room.


    He put his hand on the handle and twisted it gently, and it really opened¡ªQu Xueyu had not locked the door.


    Lu Bai walked in and saw that the night light was on in the youth¡¯s room and that the youth himself was already asleep in bed, breathing slowly.


    Lu Bai¡¯s mood was strangely calm. He walked forward and squatted beside the youth¡¯s side and then, without any hesitation, shook the young man¡¯s shoulder.


    Qu Xueyu was a shallow sleeper, so when he opened his eyes, he was not surprised to see the teenager but smiled slightly: ¡°What?¡±


    Lu Bai tugged at the sleeve of his shirt and showed the other person the one hanging on his arm, he bristled and said, ¡°These are useless.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°?¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°I wore your shirt and also deliberately brought an extra one to hold, but I still can¡¯t sleep.¡± After a brief second, he said, ¡°You just promised to continue sleeping with me.¡±


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s pupils shrank, only then did he see the teenager was wearing a poorly fitted shirt, and the neckline exposed his pale skin. His eyes darkened a bit and said in a husky voice: ¡°You¡¯re wearing my shirt?¡±


    Lu Bai nodded his head without any hesitation.


    Qu Xueyu regarded Lu Bai with eyes heavy with some kind of strange feelings for a long time and then laughed under his breath. He half-sat up and said: ¡°Come up.¡±


    Lu Bai¡¯s eyes lit up and casually hopped into the other man¡¯s bed and was about to get under the covers when he was pinched on the back of his neck¡ªQu Xueyu held the other man¡¯s nape and pulled him into his arms, so close that their eyelashes were almost touching.


    Lu Bai: ¡°?¡±


    Qu Xueyu reached out ambiguously, caressing the other man¡¯s lips, and whispered, ¡°Xiao Bai, you said I¡¯m not your boyfriend anymore.¡±


    Lu Bai blinked and nodded his head.


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°But you still climbed into my bed. Moreover, this is your home.¡±


    Lu Bai nodded again¡ªthis was indeed the truth.


    Qu Xueyu¡¯s long fingers gently pressed the teenager¡¯s beautiful lips, and his voice was as low as a lullaby: ¡°Xiao Bai, do you know what people call this kind of behavior?¡±


    Lu Bai: ¡°What?¡±


    Qu Xueyu smiled and raised an eyebrow: ¡°Secret Affair.¡±


    Lu Bai cocked his head: ¡°Oh. Then, do you want to do it? I can ask Uncle Liu to deliver condoms and lubricants.¡± After a brief pause, he added: ¡°I can also ask him to bring fresh rose petals. As you¡¯ve seen, I have a large number of them growing in my greenhouse.¡±


    Qu Xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lu Bai looked righteous and rational: ¡°Otherwise, have you ever seen an affair that doesn¡¯t involve lovemaking?¡±


    The author has something to say: is about to pass out again for the night oooh, enjoy reading the story ~ the author will see if they can adjust their situation, and try to update earlier in the future because I feel that my body can not hold up orz


    Spoiler alert, the next chapter will have a foreshadowing of the truth about the plot da ~


    Have fun reading the chapter, good night ~


    Naturally Willing So what he actually says is ¡°Naturally, I am sweet as syrup¡± But it has this other meaning that feels very romantic.


    ¸ÊÖ®Èçâ g¨¡n zh¨© r¨² y¨ª lit. as sweet as syrup (idiom, from Book of Songs); to endure hardship gladly; a glutton for punishment¡ª-yabla


    Gan Zhiru Yi, a Chinese idiom, the pinyin is g¨¡n zh¨© r¨² y¨ª, Gan: sweet; Yi: malt syrup. Feel as sweet as sugar. Refers to the willingness to endure hardship and pain in order to engage in a certain work. From Song Zhendexiu¡¯s ¡°Preface to Sending Zhou Tianji¡±: ¡°Wealth without righteousness; distance is like dirt; misfortune is low and poor; sweetness is like honey.¡±


    In a sentence:


    1. In the eyes of others, this kind of occupation is very difficult, but he enjoys it.


    2. It seems to be poor, but he is willing to do it, and never feels that there is something missing.


    3. Soldiers are willing to sacrifice everything for the revolution.


    4. After participating in the revolution, although life was difficult and the situation was dangerous, everyone was happy and open-minded.


    5. I will try my best to stick to the thoughts and life attitudes I have realized. Although there are swords and axes, I will be willing to repay my confidantes in my life.¡ª¨Cgoogle


    Edit: Krone


    Proof: Nitta

 CH 38

    chapter 38


    qu xueyu was quiet for a while, before resigning to stuff the teenager into his nest and cuddling him into his arms.


    lu bai comfortably lay in the other¡¯s arms, nuzzling the other¡¯s chin with the tip of his nose, and asked, ¡°are you being shy?¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrow twitched a little: ¡°you can consider it as being shy.¡± if they really did what xiao bai suggested, he would probably be kicked out of the lu family house in the middle of the night.


    ¡°you¡¯re so cute!¡± lu bai wrapped his arms around the other man¡¯s neck and rubbed himself against him, exclaiming, ¡°i think you¡¯re close to catching me, really.¡±


    qu xueyu stroked the back of his head and laughed lightly: ¡°oh?¡±


    ¡°xiao¡­¡± lu bai was just about to say his old name, the words on the tip of his tongue before he swapped it: ¡°xiao qu, tell me about the story of ruan jiangjiu in your script.¡± something was really too strange. what he thought was an important character in the original was just a character in the movie script in qu xueyu¡¯s hands.


    ¡°xiao bai, sometimes i suspect that you had peeked at parts of my script.¡± qu xueyu¡¯s beautiful voice rumbled in the night like a mellow vintage wine: ¡°the ruan jiangjiu in the script is a gloomy and cowardly poor student at the beginning of the movie, living with his sickly and timid mother, who works in a messy bar.¡±


    the film was called ¡°glass¡±1this is a play on words, like with the book¡¯s title, as ²£Á§/b¨­ li, literally means glass, but is also slang for a male homosexual. so we are getting to look through the glass/window at someone through the movie¡¯s story. the mc also happens to be gay. the closest i can think of is the british slang of ¡°fag¡± which i last knew to be both another name for a cigarette and an insulting name for an lgbtqia individual. or the ¡°lavender society¡± as it is a benign color and plant but has also been used as a symbol between american lgbtqia¡¯s. i am actually very unsure if this movie would pass china¡¯s censorship. but the double entendre name is prob helpful with that., a story about the lives of marginalized characters, which took place in the superficially glamorous city of jinghai. where there was light, there was also darkness, even in a city as prosperous as jinghai. in this darkness, there were countless ordinary people who used all their strength to survive, just like ruan jiangjiu.


    in addition to the fact that ruan jiangjiu¡¯s father was unknown, ruan jiangjiu liked men. ruan jiangjiu also had a deeply repressed mental illness that came from his father¡¯s genes, whom he had never met. but even though he grew up in the dark and was completely on the fringe, ruan jiangjiu had a heart that longed to grow towards the sun and worked hard to break free from the mire he was in, even had dreams of being an actor in his heart.


    unfortunately, he encountered the goodwill too late. he was exhausted before he met the one person who was truly willing to reach out to him. his anger and hatred had burned his entire life to the ground like a fierce wildfire, and he no longer had the strength to grab those hands.


    in his short life, he first met the bar owner whom he treated like a brother but sexually harassed him. after that, he was betrayed by his friends and forced to be a canary by a powerful and malicious dude using his mother, but he was only playing a cruel and vicious game. he sent ruan jiangjiu into the entertainment industry, showing an attitude to support him but always releasing his black material when his career was on the rise. the young man served as a marionette, and he was enjoying the youth¡¯s degradation and despair with pleasure¡ªhe was waiting for the young man to give up all hope and fall apart. and after he had squeezed out the last trace of the value to please himself, he would abandon him completely.


    but what he didn¡¯t expect was that he would really be attracted to this youth, who refused to fall. no matter how desperate his situation was, he still struggled with the stubbornness, resilience, and eyes that hid hatred like a flame that made him shiver.


    by the time he discovered his heart, which was riddled with holes, it was too late for anything.


    ruan jiangjiu had an illness in his mind, and that illness was kept locked in chains, and the key was his mother, and later the first person who was willing to reach out to him. after the man took his keys, the youth completely lost control.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°you know what?¡± the youth looked at the guy tied to the chair, his eyes so dark that he couldn¡¯t see the bottom. he was so calm that it was eerie, and the tongue of fire from the lighter in his hand caught the curtains, then quickly spread out into a sea of fire.


    ¡°when the lowly and vile and fragile glass in your eyes really breaks open, it is the sharp edge that will kill you.¡±


    ¡°have you ever loved me?¡± the man asked him with red eyes.


    ¡°fuck your love.¡± ruan jiangjiu laughed madly, while tears flowed from the corners of his eyes: ¡°scum like you who play with other people¡¯s lives deserve to go to hell with crazy people like me. if i meet you in hell i will kill you again so that you don¡¯t turn into a ghost to dirty other people¡¯s dreams.¡±


    ¡ª-


    ~~~~~


    after he finished telling him the story, lu bai was silent for a few moments, before hugging qu xueyu a little tighter. qu xueyu rubbed the back of the other¡¯s neck soothingly, and whispered, ¡°xiao bai, it¡¯s just a story.¡±


    ¡°i know,¡± lu bai¡¯s voice was muffled, ¡°but i¡¯m just sad.¡± along with the sadness, there was also fear.


    qu xueyu kissed lu bai¡¯s forehead, ¡°xiao bai, i¡¯m right here.¡±


    ¡°when you shoot this movie,¡± lu bai said, ¡°you have to bring me with you. i want to be on the set.¡± he clearly knew that ruan jiangjiu was ruan jiangjiu and qu xueyu was qu xueyu. there were no real parallels between them except for the fact that qu xueyu was going to portray this character, but in his heart, there was a fear that couldn¡¯t be dispelled.


    qu xueyu arched his eyes, ¡°okay.¡± he paused before changing the topic without making a show of it, and said, ¡°xiao bai, do you remember? your grandfather is going to take you and your sister fishing for a few days?¡±


    lu bai blankly blinked, ¡°i remember.¡±


    ¡°actually,¡± qu xueyu remarked, ¡°grandpa lu arranged an appointment with my grandfather and me. he probably already knows about us.¡±


    ¡°oh.¡± lu bai blinked, ¡°since my grandpa knows about us, then you can only be my person. you should be a little more conscious of this, and hurry up to catch me.¡±


    qu xueyu looked up at the ceiling in the dark, ¡°oh?¡± taking a second, he asked, ¡°well then, as for this fine young gentleman i¡¯m courting, what¡¯s his most pressing wish right now?¡±


    ¡°hahaha,¡± lu bai laughed out loudly, then coughed and said. ¡°the most urgent wish of the person you are pursuing is to unpack the boxes with someone, and¡ªfor someone to accompany him for a stroll in the maple forest. the maple grove is very beautiful right now.¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°who is this someone?¡±


    lu bai kissed the other¡¯s chin, ¡°someone is someone.¡±


    a certain someone then tugged lu bai closer and kissed him.


    ~~~~~~


    two days later, it was a sunny weekend.


    the lu family has a small villa in the suburbs. near this villa was a modest lake with a small tract of maple forest. it was autumn, and the views of the surrounding areas were very beautiful, and the fish in the lake were also very healthy. as a result, elder lu brought his grandchildren to go fishing.


    when qu xueyu followed his grandfather to the appointed meeting, he saw the old man was fishing with great interest, and lu bai was lying comfortably on a chaise lounge with a big straw hat over his face. but for some reason, lu guanguan was not around.


    ¡°old lu, you¡¯re taking it easy here.¡± elder qu sat himself alongside the other, and the butler handed over a prepared fishing rod. elder lu grunted as he scanned the handsome young man standing to the side and languidly exclaimed, ¡°old qu, i haven¡¯t seen you for a while. there is something that we need to talk about today.¡±


    elder qu blinked in surprise before laughing out loud, snorting, he proclaimed, ¡°yes, let¡¯s talk about it. let¡¯s talk about it.¡± saying this, he patted his grandson¡¯s arm. ¡°still not saying hello to mr. lu?¡±


    qu xueyu smiled, ¡°hello, grandpa lu.¡±


    elder lu glowered at the young man and was about to say something when he saw his grandson, who was lounging nearby, sitting up halfway presumably because he had heard his voice. with his oversized straw hat crookedly placed on top of his head, he looked over at the young man with eyes so bright they looked as if they were adorned with stars, ¡°you¡¯re here!¡± quickly rising to his feet, he ran forward and planted his hat on top of the young man¡¯s head, exclaiming, ¡°i¡¯ve been waiting for you for ages. it¡¯s especially nice here in the fall!¡±


    qu xueyu curled his eyes as he rubbed the youth¡¯s hair. and when elder lu saw this picture, the veins on his forehead danced as he ground his teeth. ¡°xiao bai, you haven¡¯t even greeted grandpa qu yet.¡±


    lu bai froze, then quickly looked to the hale and hearty old man beside his grandpa. with a look of a well-behaved boy, lu bai said, ¡°hello, grandpa qu.¡±


    elder qu¡¯s always serious and somber face smiled: ¡°good, good.¡± then he fished out two red envelopes from his pocket and stuffed them into lu bai¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°one for you, and one for guan guan.¡±


    lu bai graciously accepted the red packets and thanked him. after that, he simply held the young man¡¯s hand and looked toward elder lu, saying, ¡°grandpa, you and grandpa qu can have a nice chat, and i¡¯ll show him around this place.¡±


    elder lu stared wide-eyed at the two people holding hands, his face turned black. and after a long time of ¡°you, what are you¡±, he still couldn¡¯t bear to harshly say a word to his grandson. elder qu laughed and looked towards lu bai and qu xueyu and said, ¡°go, go, go¡­ young people aren¡¯t as comfortable as we are¡­ go and have some fun. ¡°


    ¡°mhm.¡± lu bai nodded with satisfaction and pulled the young man away.


    watching the duo¡¯s backs disappear into the fiery red maple forest, elder qu smiled and shook his head. he put bait on his hook and cast his fishing line towards the lake with a sigh. looking towards lu bai¡¯s grandfather, he said, ¡°old lu, i only have this one precious grandson. as long as he¡¯s happy, i don¡¯t have any more regrets.¡±


    elder lu let out a cold snort as he glowered and stretched out three fingers towards the other party, ¡°what ¡®just one grandchild¡¯? you have three!¡± everyone in jinghai knew that the qu family had two other children besides qu xueyu. it was just that they had the same father but a different mother than qu xueyu.


    elder qu huffed and emphasized, ¡°i only have one grandchild, xiao yu.¡± after a pause, he continued. ¡°xiao yu¡¯s father is a disgrace, and his stepmother is no good either. but old lu, you believe me, my family¡¯s xiao yu is a good child.¡±


    old man lu: ¡°my family¡¯s xiao bai is also a good child.¡±


    elder qu laughed: ¡°a good boy and a good boy together, isn¡¯t that a match made in heaven?¡±


    elder lu: heh


    ~~~~~~


    the layers of the forest are bursting with color. the maple leaves were as red as fire and the beautiful and brilliant hues spread out over a large area which was fascinating to behold.


    lu bai, however, was looking at a paper airplane in his hand. eyes wide open, face blanched, with cold sweat beading on his forehead, his body trembled slightly as the cool autumn wind blew.


    qu xueyu wasn¡¯t around; he had returned to get the teenager a snack of dried fish to help them pass the time.


    lu bai was startled by the brisk wind, and he gritted his teeth and put away the paper airplane, before stumbling in the direction of qu xueyu.


    on the crumpled paper airplane, a line read, ¡°you love ruan jiangjiu, don¡¯t you? then, please, save him.¡±


    this was lu bai¡¯s, very own, handwriting.


    author¡¯s note: note (or spoiler): the film script is really a fictionalized story, the person ruan jiangjiu doesn¡¯t really exist, and xiao qu truly doesn¡¯t have anything to do with his life other than playing him. the words on the paper airplane were indeed written by xiao bai, and there is really only one xiao bai in this world. that¡¯s about it.


    this is the setup for the plot of that later movie


    bishin(finger heart emoji), there will be no abuse in their relationship between the two of them.


    the unboxing will also happen!


    edit: krone


    proof: nitta

 CH 39

    chapter 39


    qu xueyu carried a bag of dried fish and a few oranges before heading back to the maple forest. just as he neared the edge of the forest, he saw lu bai standing there, panting. qu xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed slightly: ¡°xiao bai?¡± the young man¡¯s face was so pale that his heart ached almost immediately¡ªbut he was clearly fine just a moment ago.


    thump.


    lu bai pounced into qu xueyu¡¯s arms, almost tackling the other man to the ground.


    qu xueyu simply dropped the bag of dried fish and oranges on the ground, then wrapped one hand around the young man¡¯s waist, before gently kneading the back of his neck: ¡°xiaobai, what¡¯s the matter?¡± his voice contained worry.


    ¡°i hate this maple forest.¡± lu bai tightly clutched the other¡¯s waist, his knuckles turning faintly white.


    qu xueyu kissed the young man¡¯s head; his tone sounded so gentle that it felt like a lullaby, ¡°then we¡¯ll leave now.¡±


    ¡°but,¡± lu bai raised his head, meeting the youth¡¯s beautiful dark eyes. ¡°i want you to kiss me now.¡± not waiting for an answer, he slightly stood on tiptoe and kissed the youth¡¯s lips.


    his heart felt numb and chaotic, and he desperately needed to touch this youth to confirm that he was really still there.


    in this world, there was no ¡®ruan jiangjiu¡¯. only ¡®qu xueyu¡¯ really existed. truthfully, it didn¡¯t matter to him if he was ruan jiangjiu or qu xueyu. either way, they were his.


    nevertheless, whether it was a prank or something more sinister, it told him that something was threatening his man. no matter what, even if he had to gamble his freedom and life, he would never allow such a thing to happen.


    qu xueyu responded to the teenager¡¯s kiss, dotingly indulging the almost rough nibbling of his mouth.


    ¡°xiao qu,¡± lu bai panted slightly, his lips red and swollen, but tightly encircled the other¡¯s neck. ¡°when you are filming for that movie, i have to be there with your team for sure.¡±


    qu xueyu gently touched the reddened edges of the teenager¡¯s eyes and smiled, ¡°okay.¡± after a moment, he removed his windbreaker and draped it over the teenager, ¡°are you still cold?¡± just now, he felt that the teenager seemed to be shivering against the chilly-autumn air.


    the windbreaker contained the youth¡¯s body heat, and lu bai felt much more comfortable and warm, yet he still shook his head without guilt, ¡°no, i¡¯m still very cold.¡± taking a breath, he added, ¡°that¡¯s why you have to hug me more snugly.¡±


    qu xueyu let out a light chuckle, then lowered his head and pecked the tip of the teenager¡¯s nose. then, he firmly gathered the other man in his grasp and made his way out of the maple forest.


    ¡°xiao bai, tell me. what happened?¡± outside the forest and under the warm sunlight, there were no trees to shade them. qu xueyu cradled the teenager¡¯s face and asked, his beautiful eyes showing worry.


    lu bai sincerely regarded the young man¡¯s dark eyes which were warmed under the amber hue of the autumn sunlight. the young man looked at him with those clear and love-filled eyes so exclusively, which made him so happy he was nearly delirious.


    what happened in that clearing was just too weird, and he didn¡¯t really want to ruin the youth¡¯s mood with such a matter, so he decided not to say anything about it and changed the topic. ¡°xiao qu, i truly love you.¡± he paused before adding, ¡°even more than you can imagine, i love you.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s pupils narrowed: the word ¡®love¡¯ was so official and ceremonious that he felt he had to pick the right time to confess it to the teenager. he was afraid of spooking him, even though he, himself, didn¡¯t understand the reason why. in such a short period of time together, his feelings for the teenager were like an out-of-control blaze that was burning away inside of him, almost as if it was going to thoroughly consume his heart.


    he had wanted to say such an important thing to the teenager, but he didn¡¯t expect that the teenager had managed to say it first.


    qu xueyu scooped lu bai into his arms and let out a low laugh as he brought his lips over the teenager¡¯s ear and quietly whispered something, to which, the teen¡¯s ears turned completely red.


    ¡°shall we go back to my room?¡± lu bai was seemingly in a rare shyness, and his voice was a bit soft. he had come to the villa here a lot as a child, so he had a room on the second floor.


    qu xueyu brushed a hand over the teenager¡¯s adorable red and flushed earlobe, teasing the other with a raised eyebrow. ¡°why do you want to go to your bedroom?¡±


    the young man he was holding in his arms raised his head to look at him and said without a trace of modesty, ¡°because i want to undress you and kiss you. but i don¡¯t want anyone else to see your body¡ªjust because there¡¯s no one here now, doesn¡¯t mean there won¡¯t be later on! in addition, i also want you to kiss me-¡± he waved his hand. ¡°not only on the mouth.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    lu bai was still a bit morose even after he said this, ¡°i ordered that no one was to come into the maple forest. we could have played there, but i hate it now.¡±


    qu xueyu took a deep steadying breath while he kneaded the back of the teenager¡¯s neck. he looked up at the clear fall sky and concluded, ¡°that¡¯s alright. we¡¯ll just go up to your room then.¡±


    lu bai smiled with satisfaction.


    qu xueyu took the teenager¡¯s hand again and held it as he walked along the path to the villa that was lined with ginkgo trees1for your mental imagery, they have walked out of fiery shades of red and yellow forest to a golden tree-lined path. check the link for some beautiful pictures! (it is a japanese tourism link and not a china link so there may be some slight differences, but still fairly close) https://hyperjapan.co.uk/tourism/maple-vs-ginkgo-japans-must-see-fall-foliage-rivalry/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ginkgo_biloba, and right now, the path was awash with dazzling shades of gold. lu bai smiled happily as he gently placed a single beautiful golden ginkgo leaf on the top of the youth¡¯s head, ¡°xiao qu, you suit this very well, honestly.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrows twitched a little, but in the end, he did not remove the leaf. ¡°oh.¡± the teenager was in a better mood, and he didn¡¯t want to spoil his fun.


    he had caught a single golden leaf in his hand and was about to childishly place it on top of lu bai¡¯s hair in revenge when he saw a figure emerge at the end of the path. seeing him, qu xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously and subconsciously shielded the young man behind him.


    ¡°lu bai.¡± qin gu stared intently at the two holding each other¡¯s hands. his heart felt like it was being gnawed by countless ants, and then he looked straight at lu bai with his reddened eyes and said through clenched teeth, ¡°we need to talk.¡°


    ~~~~~~


    on the v-blog, a post was quietly fermenting.


    #shocking expos¨¦: a web drama appears to be the double of the movie star qu!


    #noble son who loves movie emperor qu has become obsessed with raising a stand-in ¨C a clone of his very likeness!


    the male lead of ¡°the immortal¡± felt that he had outdone himself this time. not only did he create a flattering image of emperor qu, whom everyone sought out, but he also didn¡¯t expose the young master of the lu family, and he even provided the drama with a hot streak2in his opinion, he brought the drama a lot of attention. getting it trending on this social media platform= providing heat. more attention gives the topic a red color and most people associate red with warmth hence the jargon relating to heat or the opposite where they are cold/unpopular..


    after the drama aired, that ruan jiangjiu guy would be torn to shreds by film emperor qu¡¯s fans and passersby-alike. even if that young master of the lu family were to speak up, the lu family would hold him down, not letting him get into trouble for a canary who had already been exposed. what¡¯s more, he did it especially subtly this time, no one would suspect him at all!


    it was perfect, simply perfect. the male lead smiled from ear to ear, admiring his own wisdom.


    ¡°is he stupid?¡± a small group of extras whispered surreptitiously to one another.


    ¡°yeah-,¡± another small actress smirked, ¡°so stupid. he¡¯s offended movie star qu, offended young master lu, and offended mr. lu! mr. lu already said that we¡¯re not allowed to say anything about movie star qu to the public right now.¡±


    ¡°he shouldn¡¯t-¡± a small actress frowned sharply. ¡°even now, does he still think that movie emperor qu is really just a stand-in for himself?¡±


    it dawned on the young actress, ¡°maybe? but doesn¡¯t he read the news? the fact that movie emperor qu¡¯s next role is called ruan jiangjiu has already been announced several times, right?¡±


    the group of extras fell silent for a few seconds, ¡°it turns out that there really is such a naive person in the circle.¡±


    edit: krone


    proofread: nitta

 CH 40

    chapter 40


    the moment he saw qin gu, lu bai¡¯s heart was ringing with alarm bells. and the word ¡°rival¡± brushed across his mind non-stop.


    his xiao qu was how many people¡¯s white moonlight ah? especially qin gu! although the plot had now collapsed into a dismal mess, if you followed the original, the two of them should have been to the point where they were getting together now!


    thinking about this, lu bai¡¯s heart was a little uncomfortable. he thought that qin gu had a beloved little brother already, so why did he still want to come to seduce his xiao qu?! lu bai felt for the sake of his family¡¯s xiao qu, even if the other party was the male lead, he couldn¡¯t wimp out.


    so he took two steps forward, looked at qin gu, and coughed before saying: ¡°xiao yang truly loves you. the two of you seem to be a good match. don¡¯t you always think that xiao yang is poor and miserable? now is the time to demonstrate your charisma and reliability.¡± anyway, in the original story, it¡¯s not that qin gu didn¡¯t have feelings for xiao yang¡ªbut compared to xiao yang, the main character qin gu preferred qu xueyu.


    ¡°so,¡± lu bai looked at him critically and said: ¡°you should quit thinking about xiao qu.¡± then, he possessively slipped his fingers through the fingers of qu xueyu and shook their hands in front of qin gu, stating: ¡°xiao qu loves me, and he cannot live without me,¡± he insisted. ¡°there is nothing that can change his mind¡±. looking up at qu xueyu and winking: ¡°right, xiao qu?¡±


    qu xueyu could barely contain his laughter. raising an eyebrow, he gripped the young man¡¯s hand in return and nodded fervently as he looked at qin gu, ¡°yes, i love xiao bai. i can¡¯t live without him. so-¡± he paused and said, ¡°qin gu, you¡¯d better not bother us anymore.¡±


    lu bai nodded even harder, ¡°yeah.¡± he then cautiously added, ¡°especially don¡¯t bother xiao qu again.¡±


    qin gu¡¯s eyes reddened, feeling as if his heart was trapped in an unquenchable bonfire. he couldn¡¯t resist coming here today to talk about those things that he didn¡¯t yet understand, which wasn¡¯t like him at all. he had been investigating the matters of that year, only to find out some clues but did not yet produce results. however, as long as he thought of that arrogant and domineering-looking teenager was actually wrongfully accused, he could no longer fall asleep.


    qin gu laughed to himself and thought, really, he had fallen¡ªperhaps, he had long ago fallen for this boy but had not realized it himself. if he had really hated this boy, the boy would not have been able to do these things time after time, and he would not have silently allowed the boy¡¯s closeness over and over again.


    but on what grounds did qu xueyu stand? obviously, he was the first to appear, when this teenager was just a soft and cute child. when he followed him, calling him big brother every day, as they grew up together. everyone in jinghai knew that this teenager had a crush on him. so on what grounds, on what grounds did qu xueyu just barely reappear, and then turn everything upside down?


    qin gu¡¯s forehead veins vaguely bulged and was about to start saying something when his phone rang. after seeing the name on the screen, he unlocked the phone to check it. reading the message, his eyes widened.


    putting his phone back into his pocket, he stared intently at the teenager in silence for a long time. finally, after forcibly calming down, he spoke, ¡°xiao bai, i have something to discuss with you. in a few days, i will come back to find you again.¡±


    lu bai thought to himself, ¡®it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t. xiao qu has always been wanted¡ªespecially by his official match in the original. the feeling of someone wanting his man was really unpleasant¡¯, but on the surface, he smiled in an awkward but distant way, ¡°oh.¡± heh, it¡¯s a hundred times better for qin gu to come and warn him than to hook up with xiao qu in private.


    the other man¡¯s figure gradually disappeared into the golden intersection. qu xueyu narrowed his eyes as he watched the intersection where qin gu disappeared before lu bai fiercely spread his hands and blocked his view, saying with some viciousness. ¡°you¡¯re not allowed to look at him from now on!¡± after hesitating, he said even more righteously, ¡°you want to chase me, right? if you chase me, you are not allowed to look at him! moreover, you just, you just-¡± lu bai¡¯s ears and cheeks went a little red, unable to finish.


    as qu xueyu gleefully smiled, he reached out and pinched the teenager¡¯s cheeks, ¡°i just what?¡±


    lu bai felt that he absolutely couldn¡¯t chicken out at a time like this, so he went all out and casually stated. ¡°you just said i¡¯m the only one you love. you can¡¯t break your word. since you are pursuing me and you love me so much, of course, you can¡¯t look at qin gu.¡±


    qu xueyu chuckled quietly, ¡°little fool¡­¡±. as soon as the nearly-whispered words disappeared, he kissed the teenager¡¯s lips amidst an expansive backdrop of brilliant gold. he possessively pried open the teenager¡¯s mouth with his tongue and rampaged through. lu bai just wrapped his arms around the other¡¯s neck, allowing the other to kiss him in an almost overbearing way. he was so gentle and lovable.


    after the kiss, qu xueyu encircled lu bai¡¯s waist and held the boy in his arms. with a faint smile, he stated, ¡°xiao bai, i won¡¯t look at qin gu, and you¡¯re not allowed to either.¡±


    lu bai was startled, his brows furrowed slightly, a simple doubt traced between his eyebrows, ¡°why would i look at qin gu?¡±


    qu xueyu thought to himself, ¡®have you forgotten that every time you met with ¡®qu xueyu¡¯ before, you warned him to stay away from your ¡®brother qin?¡¯


    thinking about this, qu xueyu¡¯s smile became even brighter: ¡°you are also not allowed to call him brother anymore.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°oh.¡± anyways, it was not as if he wanted to call him his brother. lu bai¡¯s eyes flashed brightly while looking at the young man, with cunning in his eyes, he asked, ¡°do you want me to call you brother?¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrow jumped again but still nodded honestly.


    the smile on lu bai¡¯s face intensified, and he kissed the other¡¯s chin. meeting the youth¡¯s eyes, he softly said, ¡°brother~¡±


    this call was really too pleasing to the ear. qu xueyu was in a beautiful state of mind; he was about to say something, but then saw the young man smiling at him, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. ¡°- go to bed?¡±1ÉÏ´²Âð ÉÏ´² sh¨¤ng chu¨¢ng to go to bed; (coll.) to have sex Âð ma (question particle for ¡°yes-no¡± questions) well, he¡¯s already nineteen years old. he should understand what he was implying. it¡¯s unlikely he didn¡¯t know how things work between consenting partners by now.2just noting that i did take liberties with this sentence to have it make sense in relation to the question. it was a mess of hyperboles.


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­ ¡± heh, if it wasn¡¯t for grandpa lu and his grandfather being here¡­ even if nothing had been prepared and they couldn¡¯t make it through the last step, he would¡­


    the youth¡¯s appearance was just too refreshing and sweet, lu bai couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. yet he still couldn¡¯t help but continue to tease the young man, ¡°shall i call you my brother in bed as well?¡± after a pause, he remarked, ¡°i¡¯ve heard that this is called role-playing.¡±


    qu xueyu took a deep breath, ¡°xiao bai, who did you hear that from?¡±


    lu bai rolled his eyes, and he dragged lu zhi out to block the bullet without a trace of weakness, ¡°my second uncle.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s face was a little dark. he took out his cell phone and directly dialed a number; it didn¡¯t ring for long before the call was picked up.


    lu zhi¡¯s voice rang out, with him exclaiming, ¡°yo, you¡¯ve seen the news on the internet too? if you have time to come over, we can talk about it in person-¡°


    before he could finish his words, lu zhi was interrupted, and then he heard the young man on the other side of the phone say, ¡°uncle lu, please don¡¯t teach xiaobai any more of those messy things. if he wants to learn about them, i should be the one to do it. especially your sexual fetishes, there¡¯s no need to specifically tell xiao bai about them.¡±


    lu zhi¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°fuck! qu xueyu you damn! well, say clearly what sexual fetishes laozi has?!¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrow arched, ¡°calling brother.¡±


    lu zhi: ¡°???? qu xueyu don¡¯t think that i wouldn¡¯t dare sue you for slander just because you and my nephew have gotten together!¡± he suddenly remembered another thing and said: ¡°and fuck off with your ¡®uncle lu¡®! who¡¯s your uncle?! did you marry my nephew?!! uncle!!! i¡¯m telling you, my father isn¡¯t easy to fool¨C¡°


    ¡°boss, you have a visitor.¡±


    lu bai heard the handsome secretary¡¯s voice from the phone which doused his uncle¡¯s temper like a fire extinguisher, and then lu zhi impatiently said, ¡°i¡¯ve got to go¡±.


    after ending the call, qu xueyu looked at the teenager.


    lu bai then revealed, ¡°actually, i was lying about that. i learned all of this without a teacher, it wasn¡¯t my second uncle who told me.¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°oh?¡±


    lu bai: ¡°then, do you want to hear me call you brother in bed or not?¡±


    qu xueyu was silent for a few seconds, ¡°yes.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°that web drama finishes production in a few days, right?¡±


    qu xueyu didn¡¯t know why the teenager had brought the topic up but still nodded his head.


    lu bai cocked his head slightly and flashed a toothy smile, ¡°then you can come home soon. our package arrived two days ago, but you have been rushing around the production set these days, leaving me all alone at home. when you return home after finishing shooting, we¡¯ll unpack it together, okay?  especially the big pair of boxes.¡±


    shio: lb is getting a bit kinky here ??


    krone: makes me wonder if we¡¯re learning things about second uncle that we prolly shouldn¡¯t know? (what a joke xd we editing a not-so-clean story right now xd) just saying


    edit: krone


    proof: nitta

 CH 41

    chapter 41


    it was still daylight, however, lu bai wanted to drag qu xueyu into his bedroom, which contained memories of his childhood that he couldn¡¯t wait to show him. and he also wanted to fall on the bed with him¡ªthe bed was small enough that they would have to snuggle together to not fall, and that kind of intimate touch would make him feel safe¡ª the paper airplane was too distressing for him, and the fate of the young man¡¯s next role as ruan jiangjiu also made him feel uneasy.


    he was just about to pull the young man into the villa when he heard the sound of a quarrel not far away. lu bai¡¯s steps faltered and looked in the direction of the source of the sound¡ªhis brows furrowing slightly.


    qu xueyu: ¡°xiao bai, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    lu bai frowned even more and stated, ¡°that¡¯s guan guan¡¯s voice.¡± saying that he headed off toward it in bold strides, so qu xueyu came forward and grasped the other¡¯s hand to follow him towards that place.


    not far down the ginkgo path, a slightly distressed man stood in front of lu guanguan with a pitiful appearance: ¡°guan guan, i was wrongly accused! you must believe me!¡±


    lu guan guan stared expressionlessly at the man.


    ¡°guan guan!¡± song zhi¡¯an¡¯s nose reddened, and he snapped, ¡°it¡¯s all because of your brother! that brother of yours is a petty loser, and he doesn¡¯t want us to be together, so he¡¯s framing me for something¡­¡±


    pah!


    before he could finish his sentence, the young lady slapped him across the face, and the man was stunned.


    ¡°i don¡¯t know how you managed to get on my family property. but let me tell you, i don¡¯t want to see you at all right now. just thinking about you makes me feel sick. in the first place, i don¡¯t even want to think about you, let alone see you-¡± after a pause, lu guanguan¡¯s voice chilled furiously, and she let out a sneer. ¡°but if you dare to say one more bad word about my brother, then i¡¯ll make you leave jinghai by the end of the day!¡±1this was super troublesome to trans. but she is using haughty formal language instead of polite. original:¡°ÎÒ²»ÖªµÀÄãÔõô»ì½øÎҼҵģ¬ÎÒ¸æËßÄã,ÎÒÏÖÔÚÒ»µã¶¼²»Ïë¿´µ½Äã¡£Ò»Ïëµ½ÄãÎҾ;õµÃ¶ñÐÄ¡£±¾À´ÎÒÏ붼²»ÏëÏëÆðÄãµÄ,¸ü±ð˵ÕûÄ㡪¡±¶ÙÁËÏ£¬Â½¹Ø¹ØÉùÒôÃ͵ØÀäÏÂÀ´£¬ËýÀäЦһÉùµÀ£º¡°µ«ÊÇ,ÄãÈç¹ûÔÙ¸Ò˵ÎÒ¸çÒ»¾ä»µ»°£¬ÀÏÄïÈÃÄãÔÚ¾¨º£Ò»Ì춼´ý²»ÏÂÈ¥£¡¡±


    ¡°second uncle will do that anyways.¡± lu bai suddenly made a sound, and song zhi an was startled. as soon as he turned around, he met lu bai¡¯s blank stares¡ªthe memory of that day coming back to him, which made him subconsciously take a few steps in retreat.


    qu xueyu was leaning against a large ginkgo tree, staring at his teenager with his eyes narrowed in a fierce and protective manner. his xiao bai had always been extremely protective, and he had known that for a long time. to the outside world, he put up a body full of spikes, but to the people he truly recognized, he was incomparably soft and lovable.


    lu bai took a big step forward and shielded lu guanguan behind him. his face was impassive as he regarded song zhi¡¯an and remarked, ¡°you lied to my sister, so you will have to pay the price¡­ you may still be able to stay in jinghai, but i can¡¯t let a man like you continue to lie to another young miss like my sister. our second uncle has been informed of this matter. as to how he may proceed, pray that you will be lucky.¡±


    thinking of lu zhi¡¯s methods, song zhi¡¯an¡¯s face turned white, ¡°no, no! you can¡¯t do this to me¡­¡± his backer had been ruined overnight by the lu family and could no longer get up. if lu zhi was targeting him, not only in jinghai but even within the entertainment industry, he would no longer have the chance to work.


    after the incident, mr. lu had only removed him from the drama. so he still had a little bit of hope, and that¡¯s why he approached lu guanguan for help.


    just as he was about to start arguing, he heard a pleasant voice ringing out, ¡°security, that¡¯s him.¡±


    song zhi¡¯an was stumped, then he met qu xueyu¡¯s smiling face, and his eyes popped wide open. that day, that, ruan jiangjiu¡­ or should he say, qu xueyu, turned out to genuinely be with the young master of the lu family¡­


    ¡°yes. young master, miss, young master qu, i¡¯m deeply sorry. it¡¯s my fault for not screening the attendants.¡± the head of security apologized as he ordered his people to take song zhi¡¯an away.


    only when the others left did lu bai look at lu guanguan with gentle eyes, ¡°guan guan, don¡¯t be sad. you still have many years ahead of you and will continue to meet and experience countless wonderful encounters with many different people. my little sister will definitely find her beloved.¡±


    lu guanguan¡¯s eyes reddened, but she smiled and nodded vigorously.


    she paused her steps as she passed by qu xueyu and looked earnestly at the other person, ¡°if you are the right encounter for my brother, please treat him well. my brother is the best person in the world.¡±


    qu xueyu gave a light laugh and regarded the teenager, but he nodded his head seriously, and only then did lu guanguan leave.


    ¡°the relationship between you and your sister is very good.¡± qu xueyu stepped forward and embraced lu bai with a hug.


    lu bai nodded earnestly as he turned to qu xueyu, ¡°i¡¯ve always treated guan guan as my own sister2just a reminder that lu bai and lu guanguan are step-siblings. . she¡¯s an important part of my family.¡± after a pause, he cupped the young man¡¯s face. he had a strangely solemn expression on his face as if he was making a pledge: ¡°xiao qu, you should know this. the most important things in this world to me is my family and you.¡±


    qu xueyu arched his eyes as he leaned over and pecked the teenager¡¯s lips¡ªif they were the ones the teenager cared about the most, he would be jealous, but he would also love the house3old saying, akin to you loving someone so much you can even love the birds on top of their house. qxy is saying that since lb loves his family so much, he will love and care for lb¡¯s family as well..


    ¡°actually,¡± suddenly reminded of it, qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°i also have a younger sister.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°?¡±


    qu xueyu then continued, ¡°she¡¯s a sister born after my mother formed a new family. it¡¯s just that we¡¯re not very close.¡± his father and mother each started their own families and had other children, and he became the redundant one as a result. his father disliked him and gave all of his fatherly love to his two half-brothers. while his mother did not love him either, as he was an unmistakable reminder of her failed marriage.


    ¡°but it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± qu xueyu shrugged, ¡°grandpa loves me*4check drop down for some ¡®sugar¡¯ , same for the next two *.¡±


    there was no resentment nor hatred on his face, only pure and clear indifference as if it was someone else who was ignored and neglected by his parents since they were young. lu bai¡¯s heart immediately hurt. embracing the young man, he buried his face in the other¡¯s chest, but his hand gently stroked the young man¡¯s back, as if coaxing a child, ¡°i also love you ah*.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes curved into a moon, as if a warm river was flowing in his heart. he gently removed the golden leaf that had just drifted down on the top of the youth¡¯s hair, kissed his head, and said in a low voice: ¡°yes, you love me*.¡± the voice was so gentle that it was like a hymn crooned.


    ~~~~~~


    lu bai¡¯s bedroom was always kept clean, so he straightforwardly dragged the other person through the door. this bedroom was small and cozy; the walls were painted in warm colors. the room also had a single bed, similarly bedecked with warm-colored and soft bedding. at the head of the bed was a small and exquisite rabbit vase, which held a branch of graceful osmanthus, filling the room with its faint fragrance. next to the balcony was a bookcase, in which all kinds of books were neatly arranged.


    lu bai happily pulled the other man down onto the soft but narrow bed, contentedly squeezing into the other¡¯s arms. he gazed at the ceiling painted with different colors and stars and said, ¡°my grandpa kept this room for me. when i was a kid, i loved to visit this place.¡± at that time, he was living under the burden of the plot, he was so lonely that he didn¡¯t have anyone to talk to, but he didn¡¯t want his family to worry about him. so when he wanted to think, he would read quietly in this room. and when they saw that he was reading, his family wouldn¡¯t disturb him anymore.


    ¡°i don¡¯t know why,¡± lu bai kissed the youth on the cheek as soon as he twisted his head in the youth¡¯s arms. ¡°i feel that xiao qu should come to celebrate the next holiday here. hmm-¡± lu bai pondered for a moment and said, ¡°or when it snows.¡± although he didn¡¯t know where this inexplicable feeling came from, lu bai still smiled as he hugged the youth. ¡°will you accompany me here when it snows? i¡¯ll have someone prepare extra warm and soft bedding! as it snows outside the window, xiao qu will have to hug me tightly under the blankets.¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°and then, make love. and when we¡¯re done, we can relax in bed and drink hot black tea with honey.¡± while he didn¡¯t know why he had such a specific scenario in mind, the imagery was overwhelmingly pleasurable.


    qu xueyu pressed the young man underneath him to capture a kiss, his voice hot and muffled as he moved to gently nibble on the young man¡¯s ear and said, ¡°good.¡± he was willing to go mad for this teenager¡ªas mad as possible until the end of time. eternity is such an abstract and distant topic, yet he seemed to have experienced it, engrained in the teenager¡¯s words just now.


    this feeling was so tumultuous that it gave him the urge to engrave this young man into his bones and blood.


    ¡°xiao qu,¡± lu bai smiled as he wrapped his arms around the youth¡¯s neck with force, and the youth covered him. they were in such an intimate stance, ¡°we¡¯ll be together forever.¡± because i will never allow anything other than that to happen.


    ¡°yes.¡± the youth was as solemn as if he had made a promise.


    the sugar hidden in the ''*'' so there was a very touching translation choice i just want to highlight. for (grandpa loves me), (i also love you), and (yes, you love me) the word the author uses is ÌÛ / t¨¦ng = (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly .


    so you have the first one of (grandpa loves me), the raws had (Ò¯Ò¯ºÜÌÛÎÒ)


    Ò¯Ò¯ y¨¦ ye (coll.) father¡¯s father; paternal grandfather; cl:‚€|¸ö[ge4]


    ºÜ h¨§n (adverb of degree); quite; very; awfully


    (i also love you)ÎÒÒ²ÌÛÄãѽ


    ÎÒ w¨¯ i; me; my


    Ò² y¨§ also; too; (in classical chinese) final particle implying affirmation


    ÌÛ t¨¦ng (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly


    Äã n¨« you (informal, as opposed to courteous Äú[nin2])


    ѽ ya (particle equivalent to °¡ after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt)


    and the last one, (yes, you love me)ºÃ£¬ÄãÌÛÎÒ


    ºÃ h¨£o good; well; proper; good to; easy to; very; so; (suffix indicating completion or readiness); (of two people) close; on intimate terms


    h¨¤o to be fond of; to have a tendency to; to be prone to


    Äã n¨« you (informal, as opposed to courteous Äú[nin2])


    ÌÛ t¨¦ng (it) hurts; sore; to love dearly


    ÎÒ w¨¯ i; me; my


    i felt like i should share this little bit of knowledge, as sometimes if you mtl or try to use a translator it can come out as ¡®you hurt me¡¯ or ¡®my grandpa hurts me¡¯ ! that could give you the wrong idea or just be very confusing. also i felt it was another pretty poetic bit of chinese that doesn¡¯t have the same flair in english.


    thanks for reading!


    edit: krone


    proof: nitta

 CH 42

    chapter 42


    ¡°congratulations on finishing your scenes!¡± xu wen smiled and stuffed a large bouquet of flowers into qu xueyu¡¯s arms, then hesitated and asked, ¡°did young master lu not come today?¡±


    qu xueyu accepted the flowers, saying: ¡°thanks.¡± he smiled as he remembered something, his eyes instantly becoming gentle, ¡°he¡¯s waiting for me at home.¡±


    xu wen was surprised, but smiled and exclaimed, ¡°you should go home early tonight! you can eat with mr. lu at the final banquet.¡±1qxy has finished filming all his scenes for the web drama ¡°the immortal¡±. they still need to shoot other people¡¯s scenes so production will continue for a bit, but qxy no longer needs to be on set. when everyone is finished they will hold a banquet where they invite everyone who was involved back. then it moves on to post-production for editing and visual effects before going to the cfa who decides if it can be seen as is or needs to go back and be changed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/film_censorship_in_china#:~:text=the%20film%20public%20screening%20permit,before%20they%20can%20be%20released.


    qu xueyu nodded and stated, ¡°put everyone¡¯s meals on my account tonight.¡±


    xu wen grinned and accepted his offer with a cheerful attitude, saying, ¡°many thanks to teacher qu, then.¡±


    qu xueyu turned around in mid-stride and glanced back at xu wen, ¡°you are a very talented director and screenwriter, thank you for taking care of me throughout this time.¡±


    xu wen froze, his eyes rimmed with red. he opened his mouth and couldn¡¯t manage to say anything, so he waved his hand energetically at qu xueyu, who laughed and then turned back around to leave.


    qu xueyu was wearing the windbreaker given to him by lu bai and walked along the sidewalk where pedestrians were scarce. overhead are the golden leaves of ginkgo trees. arriving at the corner qu xueyu paused under a ginkgo tree¡¯s overhanging branches. when he saw the car, he grinned and quickly waltzed over to it.


    the car door swung open, and lu bai with an armful of roses rushed out of the car. when he saw qu xueyu, he clutched the bouquet of blossoms into his arms, the roses were red like fire, and with so many of them together, they simply blinded people¡¯s eyes. there were really so many flowers, and there were even some delicate red petals on lu bai. lu bai didn¡¯t seem to notice, he just grabbed the flowers sent by the crew to qu xueyu and threw them into the car, before stuffing his own bouquet into qu xueyu¡¯s arms, a few of the flowers had directly covered qu xueyu¡¯s lower face. lu bai had a smile revealing a mouthful of white teeth, ¡°xiao qu, congratulations!¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow as he held his arm full of flowers, ¡°red roses?¡±


    lu bai nodded, casually voicing out a cheesy line of love, ¡°the roses represent my feelings.¡± he paused, ¡°of course, i definitely have more love for xiao qu than this.¡±


    qu xueyu nodded in understanding and decided to go back and check if there was a way to preserve fresh flowers forever.


    in order to sit in the front and be closer to lu bai, these flowers naturally couldn¡¯t be held. so the bouquet of roses received the same fate as the crew¡¯s bouquet of flowers and were relocated to the backseat.


    after arriving quickly at home, lu bai parked the car but did not get out. he just looked at qu xueyu and asked, somewhat mysteriously, ¡°xiao qu, do you like to eat fruit?¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°they¡¯re not bad.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°then¡­ do you like watching me eat fruit?¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrows flew up, but he still nodded-feeding the teenage rabbit apples was indeed one of his great pleasures.


    but it was still a strange question, so qu xueyu asked, ¡°xiao bai, why are you asking this?¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes twinkled as he shook his head, and then he was laughing, ¡°let¡¯s get out of the car. it¡¯s time to unbox the packages at home.¡±


    qu xueyu watched as the teenager¡¯s eyes shone brightly, the corners of his mouth curved up, and he leisurely said, ¡°alright.¡±


    when they got inside, there were really two slightly larger boxes in the living room. lu bai¡¯s eyes shifted and his cheeks suddenly turned a little red as he exclaimed, ¡°i¡¯m going to take a shower, so xiao qu, you can just unpack the boxes first.¡± with that, he was about to run away but was caught by the youth by the wrist.


    the youth threw the roses in his hand upwards, and the petals were scattered all over lu bai, who had frozen, before he could even register anything, he was picked up and placed on the dining table by the youth.


    ¡°wu¡­¡±2sfx of surprise, think ¡®whoa¡¯, ¡®ah¡¯, or ¡®wah¡¯ lu bai¡¯s eyes were wide open, the young man¡¯s own eyes were so close to him that they seemed to be containing a terrifying hurricane.


    qu xueyu kissed the other hard, prying open the teenager¡¯s lips without restraint. his teeth even deliberately nibbled on the lips so hard that he was about to puncture through them.


    breaths entwined together, causing the air around them to heat up.


    lu bai was nearly out of breath, but qu xueyu didn¡¯t relent. as he gorged himself on the young man¡¯s soft lips, his palms pressed firmly against the back of the other¡¯s neck, fingers gently caressing skin.


    lu bai¡¯s body seemed to be electrified, his heart beating so fast that it felt as if it was going to jump out of his chest. he was very close to being suffocated.


    when he was finally released, lu bai sat on the dining table with arms around the youth¡¯s neck, his lips red and swollen, parted and gasping for air. his eyes were brimming with moisture, and he looked at the youth with a bewildered look, looking somewhat distressed and a bit pathetic.


    ¡°aren¡¯t you usually-¡± qu xueyu pressed down on the young man¡¯s neck firmly and urged the other to come closer to him. his eyes were slightly shadowed, and a dangerous light flickered in them. he slowly reached out and caressed the young man¡¯s tingling lower lip, ¡°-very good at provoking me?¡±


    lu bai¡¯s body quivered, his throat moving, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. qu xueyu buried his face in the teenager¡¯s neck, ambiguous warm breath teasing the young man. after a while he raised his head, biting a rose petal between his lips. he casually removed the petal from his mouth, and then brought his lips closer to the teenager¡¯s hot ear, whispering, ¡°you have flower petals all over you, so let me take them off for you.¡±


    after saying that he hefted the teenager off the dining room table and mischievously told the soft youth within his arms, ¡°xiao bai, you can go take a shower now. i¡¯ll unpack the boxes.¡±


    lu bai suddenly woke up, pushing the other away before barely managing to stand. he rushed into the bedroom with gusto, only to come back out a short while later, red-faced, and shoved an ¡­orange into the young man¡¯s hands.


    qu xueyu¡¯s distinctive hand with its strong bones held onto the orange, but his eyebrows shot up, ¡°???¡±


    lu bai¡¯s heart was racing, he was unusually a little shy. slightly ducking his head, his voice was somewhat trembling and low: ¡°this, this is a navel orange. when we bought the stuff, we got it as a complimentary gift. that pamphlet said, send this to you, and you¡¯ll be happy.¡±3¿ªÐÄ k¨¡i x¨©n to feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great time; to make fun of after a pause, he remarked without any qualms, ¡°of course i know exactly what that means!¡± with that, he turned and scampered back into the bedroom.


    qu xueyu stayed standing in the living room, holding the orange in his hand, watching the teenager¡¯s back. once he disappeared from the room, he stared at the door, his eyes scarily dark.


    he raised his eyebrows and looked at the orange in his hand. after a while, he turned around and looked at the two boxes.


    ~~~~~


    after lu bai finished his shower, he saw that qu xueyu had already washed up in the other bathroom. he was now leaning against the bed, holding the orange in his hand and waiting for him. when he saw him, his eyes went suddenly profound.


    qu xueyu curled his lips, his smile was somewhat meaningful, and his eyes looked to be hiding a bottomless dark sea. ¡°xiao bai, come here.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s fair toes subconsciously curled, and his throat moved, but he still approached the young man.


    as soon as he was close enough, he was seized aggressively into a warm embrace, his body sinking into the soft, white comforter.


    qu xueyu had wrapped one hand around the back of the youth¡¯s neck, while the other laid on the youth¡¯s delicious butterfly bones4shoulder blades. only a layer of white shirt separated his palm from the youth¡¯s warm skin.


    with his forehead resting against the teenager¡¯s, he quietly asked, ¡°only wearing one of my shirts after taking a shower, did you learn that from that pamphlet as well?¡±


    ¡°no¡­¡± lu bai wrapped his arms around the youth¡¯s neck and brought himself even closer, his cheeks were burning, but at this moment, he was rolling his eyes as if he didn¡¯t feel like answering.


    ¡°hmm?¡± qu xueyu kneaded the back of the teenager¡¯s neck harshly.


    lu bai then blurted out, muttering, ¡°it was that time when i went home and wore your clothes, you seemed a little happy.5referring to when qxy¡¯s identity was revealed and lb went back to his family home with two of qxy¡¯s shirts.¡°


    qu xueyu¡¯s heart was like a stormy sea, but it was overwhelmingly soft. he wanted to immediately tear this teenager apart and swallow him whole, carving him into his bones and blood. instead kissed the young man on his forehead with incomparable tenderness.


    ¡°it¡¯s all here,¡± lu bai buried his face into the youth¡¯s chest, ¡°shall¡­ shall we do it?¡±


    qu xueyu quietly laughed out, slowly wrapping the quilt over the teenager¡¯s shoulders, and then using his strength, he pressed the teenager underneath his body completely and utterly.


    ¡°where¡¯d the orange go?¡± inside the narrow tent formed by the youth¡¯s arms and the quilt, lu bai¡¯s eyes shone brightly, but his cheeks were so red, yet he still asked so adorably.


    qu xueyu gave the tip of the teenager¡¯s adorable nose a peck, his voice held some teasing, but it sounded husky: ¡°xiao bai, were you thinking it would only happen once?¡±


    ~~~~~


    the lights were dimmed. even the night light felt dimmer, and the house sank into the ambiguous yet safe darkness of the night.


    ~~~~~


    early morning.


    lu bai snuggled into the young man¡¯s embrace, exposing his white shoulders, the protruding bumps of bone peppered with bright red hickeys that resembled rose petals in the morning dew.


    ¡°xiao bai,¡± qu xuyue kissed on top of a hickey and whispered into the youth¡¯s ear, ¡°who am i to you?¡±


    ¡°mmm¡­¡± lu bai frowned slightly at being disturbed, but then he reached up and wrapped his arm around the youth¡¯s neck, nuzzling into the youth¡¯s embrace to find a more comfortable position and fall back to sleep, his voice muffled as he muttered, ¡°boyfriend¡­ ¡°


    shiotamari: i have no idea what significance the navel oranges are supposed to mean. when i looked it up i only got health benefits and not any slang meanings. krone and i think it¡¯s just a nice gift from the adult product company since they bought so much stuff, with a side of ¡®wink, wink, nudge, nudge,¨C try to eat something and keep your energy up for all the fun you¡¯re about to have. ¡® if anyone has any other ideas let us know in the comments!


    ps: this is as spicy as it gets, thanks to the censorship crabs


    this chapter is not yet proofread. i decided to post it anyway and will update this chapter when my pr gets back to me.


    edit: krone

 CH 43

    chapter 43


    the morning breeze ruffled the curtains, and a ray of sunlight poured into the room through the cracks in the curtains.


    when lu bai opened his eyes, he met the youth¡¯s eyes that looked exceptionally transparent and gentle under the light, and he subconsciously revealed a soft smile to the other.


    the crystal vase on the bedside was decorated with a bouquet of roses in full bloom. at that moment, a single delicate petal fell away from the bloom and ultimately fluttered around and settled on the young man¡¯s red and slightly swollen lips.


    ¡°wu, tickles¡­¡± lu bai mumbled and was about to brush away the petal.


    qu xueyu looked at the red petal compared to the teenager¡¯s lips with a darker glint in his eyes, ¡°don¡¯t move.¡± he held the teenager¡¯s hand, and then moved closer to his face, saying, ¡°i¡¯ll help you get rid of it.¡± his voice was low and husky.


    while he said that, qu xueyu only kissed the younger man¡¯s lips through the soft petal. from the edge of the lips to the center, until he finally made it to the young man¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°wu¡­¡± lu bai¡¯s body subconsciously catered to the other¡¯s movements and even took the initiative by opening his mouth wider to let the other party do as he pleased. the slightly bitter taste and light fragrance of the rose petal, together with the young man¡¯s tongue in his mouth, slowly spread through him. it made lu bai feel as if he was in a safe and secure houseboat1a houseboat is as it sounds, a simple building on a slightly larger floating base located in a body of water. it can be as different in size as any land-dwelling, from a small apartment to a 2 or 3-bedroom single-story. they are different from floating houses in that they do not have any connections to city power or utilities and are completely self-contained with solar panels and generators., where the young man was the only support he¡¯d ever need.


    after the kiss, lu bai stayed wrapped around the neck of the youth and snuggled in the youth¡¯s bosom, panting slightly. his lips were gently parted, showing his white and beautiful teeth, and the edges of his lips were tinged red with a little bit of rose juice. without realizing it, he is currently making himself a tempting figure to kiss.


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes were dark, but he only gently kissed once again on the other¡¯s lips once, sipping off that flower juice.


    lu bai comfortably squinted, lazily enjoying the warmth. after a heated session, he exclaimed, ¡°xiao qu, i¡¯m hungry.¡±


    qu xueyu brushed the teenager¡¯s hair out of his face with a smile, and there was a playful tone in his words, ¡°do you want to eat an orange? hm, a navel orange?¡±


    recalling some things, lu bai¡¯s cheeks reddened a little, he coughed and muttered, ¡°for now, no.¡± he then looked into the youth¡¯s eyes-obviously shy, but he still chose to look straight into the other¡¯s eyes: ¡°it still hurts a bit. we can only eat again after it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    qu xueyu felt that such a young man was too cute to be true. he wrapped his hand over the young man¡¯s waist and kneaded it, chuckling, and asked, ¡°rabbit apples?¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°want to eat.¡±


    qu xueyu then resigned himself to getting up and was about to put on clothes and prepare breakfast and rabbit apples when he saw that the other was now sitting up as well.


    with his movement, the soft white quilt had slipped down around the young man¡¯s waist. he was still wearing qu xueyu¡¯s shirt. however, he had not fastened the buttons and his bare front was left exposed. the chest was covered with hickeys, and some of them appeared a little painful, as can be seen by qu xueyu¡¯s roving eyes.


    qu xueyu¡¯s hand stretched out to cover the back of the teenager¡¯s neck and pulled the teenager into his arms, his other hand then gently touched the teenager¡¯s collarbone, his thumb ambiguously brushing over the traces on it.


    lu bai felt a little prickle of pain and pleasant tingles, some of his memories from last night came back. his breathing faltered for a moment, and his toes, which were hidden under the quilt, unconsciously curled up, while his body welcomed the young man¡¯s touch and behavior almost instinctively.


    ¡°you¡¯re responsible for what you have left here.¡± lu bai said, ¡°and you¡¯re now my boyfriend again. so you absolutely, positively, can¡¯t be too far away from me.¡±


    qu xueyu let out a low chuckle as he hugged the young man into his arms, his fingers stroking back a strand of the young man¡¯s soft black hair as he earnestly said, ¡°okay.¡±


    lu bai then revealed a satisfied smile, before immediately pushing the youth away and cheerfully planting a kiss on the other man¡¯s cheek.


    ~~~~~


    qu xueyu was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, lu bai was sitting at the kitchen table, occasionally eating a slice of rabbit apple. he was still wearing that white shirt that was a bit big for him. it was buttoned up crookedly, and he was wearing a pair of qu xueyu¡¯s black sweatpants, his pale feet were hidden in the overly long pant legs, with his toes peeking out from underneath.


    dingggg-donggg.


    suddenly, the doorbell rang. lu bai was startled, glancing at the youth who was cooking breakfast in the kitchen and apparently didn¡¯t hear the ringing, simply stood up and padded over to the front door on his own, barefoot.


    as soon as the door opened, there was a loud voice ringing into his ears.


    ¡°xueyu! director zhou¡¯s movie is about to start. pack up and say goodbye to your young master and we¡¯ll then head for the set¡­¡±


    before he could finish his sentence, bo yangzhi completely froze.


    his eyes widened as he looked at lu bai, his mouth in the shape of an ¡°o¡±, a look of excessive shock that could not be hidden.


    there was something in his head that was frantically swiping the screen.


    ¡®fuck2cantonese slang for ¡®fuck¡¯ is the japanese ¡®ÈÕ¡¯. it translates to just ¡®day¡¯ and took me a bit of internet sleuthing to figure out. thankfully i stumbled across a helpful reddit post i will link below. for an american context, bo yangzhi is swearing in mexican in his mind. https://www.reddit.com/r/chineselanguage/comments/8zjdcq/what_are_the_swear_words_in_chinese/! xueyu, what did you do to the young master of the lu family??! look at all those hickeys on his neck, they¡¯re almost bleeding, and you¡¯re making him wear your shirt¡­ and even after all this, you¡¯re still allowing him to open the door¡­?¡¯


    ¡®fuck! if elder qu doesn¡¯t try to kill me, then i¡¯ll be quietly silenced by the lu family.¡±


    ¡®being an agent is just¡­ too¡­ difficult! so difficult!¡¯


    ~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: i¡¯m sorry, today¡¯s post is a bit short, i¡¯m just a bit tired because of work. however, this story is now about halfway through, so i should be able to wrap up soon, the author needs the companionship of angels3author is referring to her readers who comment and support her work as angels, not religious to have the power to write on, oh~!


    shio: so once again, i haven¡¯t found an actual innuendo about navel oranges = horizontal tango, i now believe this is just an inside joke between our two characters.


    also, i went on a fun journey to find that last swear that byz says in his head. i went to all of the usual translation resources and couldn¡¯t find it, but  i knew that he couldn¡¯t be using the word ¡®day¡¯ as a swear. finally, i stumbled on this reddit post , it is unverified as it¡¯s just a bunch of random people saying what they think is true, but for slang/swears¡­ isn¡¯t that what they are? it is a very interesting post, if you have an interest in foreign swears give it a gander!


    edit: krone


    proof: n/a

 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 ¨C 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 ¨C as if the one who had previously hated a reporter because they would ask him about his personal affairs was someone else ¨C 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 ¡°Èç¼Ù°ü»» r¨² ji¨£ b¨¡o hu¨¤n 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 rice6³ÔÈí·¹ trad. ³ÔÜ›ïˆ ch¨© ru¨£n f¨¤n ¡ª 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

 CH 45

    chapter 45


    almost all of the cast and crew had noticed the young student holding a dslr1digital single lens reflex, it¡¯s a camera a step above cellphone photography. good for beginners and amateur photographers as they can have interchangeable lenses for different situations. and taking pictures of the cast and set, as anyone with eyes could see that he had a close relationship with film emperor qu. qu xueyu was always serious when filming, so naturally he couldn¡¯t care for him personally, but film emperor qu¡¯s team-including that powerful agent-were all circling around that kid.


    ¡°bai bai, have a drink.¡± between breaks, life assistant runrun slipped a cup of steaming milk tea into lu bai¡¯s hand. he thanked her and gave her a handful of candies as a token of appreciation, before sitting down on a small bench to drink the milk tea, his dslr hanging from his neck. however, his eyes were always staring off in a certain direction, making him look a bit lonely.


    bo yangzhi really couldn¡¯t help himself, and with a twitch of his mouth, he went forward, crouching beside lu bai, and coughed: ¡°makeup always takes a while.¡±


    lu bai sucked a mouthful of milk tea still staring in a certain direction, ¡°oh.¡±


    as bo yangzhi observed lu bai, he finally understood why qu xueyu had fallen ¨C tsk, who wouldn¡¯t want to keep such a well-behaved, affectionate, and adorable person?


    with some genuine warmth in his eyes, he continued, ¡°xueyu has no thoughts about anything else when he¡¯s filming, but don¡¯t worry, he specifically instructed us to take good care of you.¡± after a second, he added, ¡°he also had a word with director zhou, so no one in the crew will be talking nonsense outside.¡± director zhou was a person with a strong command over the crew, as long as he gave the word, no one would dare to gossip about lu bai outside, so lu bai¡¯s private life wouldn¡¯t be disturbed.


    a warmth welled up in lu bai¡¯s heart and the corner of his mouth curved up, ¡°xiao qu is very good, i know.¡±


    bo yangzhi was about to continue talking, but a low sound of stunned admiration came from a short distance away, and then he saw the teenager put down his milk tea and stood up abruptly, lifting his dslr and aiming the lens in a certain direction.


    bo yangzhi froze, following the teenagers¡¯ camera to look over, and indeed found qu xueyu had come out of the dressing room.


    in this scene, ruan jiangjiu was bullied because of his sexuality as a teenager, and then he came home to his mother to be comforted.


    because he had to play a gloomy and silent teenager, qu xueyu¡¯s hair was cut short, and makeup had been applied. his jawline appeared sharp and fragile, his face was an unhealthy white, and his lips were covered with dry skin, pallid to the point of colorlessness. due to the fact that he had just been beaten up in the plot, he had bruises and blood drawn on his brow bone and the corners of his lips. he was wearing a dirty white shirt, with a few buttons ripped off, and a pair of mud-stained black sports pants on the lower half of his body. his whole appearance was like that of a down-on-his-luck high school student.


    in the studio the set is ready. director zhou stood in front of the camera with a serious look and shouted  start.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu has his head lowered, his bangs covering his eyes. his body is in a sorry state as he steps on the muddy street and walks under a dim streetlight. his features are hidden in the shadows, and only half of his chin is exposed in the light, which makes him look like a ghost.


    turning into an alley, he stopped at a tube apartment door but did not knock.


    he quietly straightened his clothes in front of the door, smoothing them out as best he could, and knocked.


    a short while later, the door opened and a gaunt but gentle woman appeared in what little light there was. she looked at her son for a moment and then with worry in her eyes, she asked, ¡°xiaojiu, what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°mom, it¡¯s nothing.¡± the teenager¡¯s voice was hoarse, and the woman couldn¡¯t bear to ask any further questions, so she hurriedly pulled the teenager into the house.


    the camera pans to show the woman busy in the kitchen and the teenager devouring a bowl of veggie noodles in the small but clean living room. eating the noodles cleanly, the teenager looks at the woman¡¯s back and quietly asks, ¡°mom, is liking men such an unforgivable sin?¡± despite his best effort to hold back, he still let out a few hints of indignation and despair.


    they live together, and they depend on each other, they only have each other. after all, the teen is still young, and besides his mother, he doesn¡¯t know who to talk to about this. this was the first and last time he opened his mouth towards his mother out of weakness.


    splat


    under the flickering dim lamp, the woman¡¯s thin back trembled, and the bowl in her hand thudded to the floor.


    ¡°cut! pass!¡± even if he was satisfied in his heart, director zhou still looked like a grumpy little old man as he waved his hand, ¡°take a fifteen-minute break.¡±


    during the break time, the actress who was acting with qu xueyu spoke with him and then went out to her nanny car to take a rest and fix her make-up. qu xueyu was the only one in the makeshift room, he leaned against the wall, pinching his nose bridge and closing his eyes, taking deep breaths to get himself out of the scene.


    there was still a little bit of ¡°ruan jiangjiu¡± spirit left in his body, qu xueyu was preparing to open his eyes when he was suddenly surrounded by a hug so familiar that he curled his lips and hugged the teenager back.


    ¡°xiao qu-¡± lu bai held the young man¡¯s face which was much more brooding because of his youthful makeup.


    qu xueyu opened his eyes and gazed at the teenager, there was no longer a trace of shadow in his eyes, only a warm tenderness, ¡°what?¡±


    lu bai¡¯s throat moved: ¡°it¡¯s rest time now.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°uh-huh.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°mr. bo said that he will keep an eye out for us and won¡¯t let anyone in.¡±


    qu xueyu laughed and raised an eyebrow, ¡°hmm?¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes shone brightly, ¡°you¡¯re my boyfriend, and you love me, right? i also love you!¡±


    qu xueyu rubbed the teenager¡¯s hair, ¡°mmm. so?¡±


    ¡°xiao qu,¡± lu bai still held the youth¡¯s face, his eyes incredibly bright, he seriously stated, ¡°you, the way you look after you¡¯ve been bullied, you really look very kissable.¡± lu bai finally made his request shamelessly without any hesitation, ¡°give me a kiss.¡± after a pause, his cheeks turned a little red, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll only kiss you. we¡¯ll do the rest back at the hotel.¡± lu bai looked at the youth¡¯s appearance and sinfully thought, he now seems to somewhat understand why huo qi was so obsessed with ruan jiangjiu. really, beauty kills.


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡± after a moment of silence, he looked at the youth, and said, ¡°kiss.¡±


    lu bai then smiled and contentedly kissed the young man¡¯s slightly pale lips, then hugged his waist again and jokingly quipped, ¡°if only i were huo qi.¡±


    qu xueyu softly chuckled as he gently patted the back of the youth¡¯s head, ¡°don¡¯t you hate him?¡±


    lu bai muttered, ¡°hmph, he¡¯s even more annoying now.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°?¡±


    lu bai, however, stopped talking and just hugged the other¡¯s waist and refused to let go.


    ~~~~~~


    ¡°tsk, still not talking?¡± in the somewhat dimly lit warehouse, lu zhi looked contemptuously at the miserable young man on the ground and snapped.


    chen wen¡¯s methods of asking questions were unable to produce answers, this person¡¯s mouth is really stubborn.


    lu zhi half squatted down and patted the man¡¯s bloody and sweaty face. he clenched his teeth and refused to show an expression, ¡°you truly are a bastard, ah, you know how to wag your tail when you are fed a meat bun. my foolish nephew begged my sister-in-law to fund you, and that silly boy fed you so much pocket money, and that¡¯s how you treat him? get someone to videotape him? drugging him? ruining his sister?¡±


    the youth on the ground who was originally resolute and remarkably silent heard the words, and his eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. someone had funded him for this matter, except for himself and his sponsor, it should be impossible for anyone else to know! just now, this man, what in the world is he talking about?


    thinking of a certain possibility, his body violently trembled, his voice was hoarse, and even his teeth were thrashing: ¡°what, what did you say?¡±


    edit: krone

 CH 46

    chapter 46


    fall, especially late fall, is the season to enjoy sweet osmanthus wine.


    lu bai cheerfully brought the hot wine back to the hotel ¨C this day¡¯s shooting continued until late at night. when qu xueyu went back to the hotel to take a shower, lu bai left a note and sneaked out to buy the perfect drink to go with their late-night snacks.


    however, as a result of this, he has not yet gotten back to the hotel but was stopped by someone standing outside.


    the man was wearing a black coat, and his face was obscured by the shadows of the night, making it hard to see.


    lu bai¡¯s movements stalled, on guard ¨C this place was still quite lively, if the other really meant harm, he would not be helpless.


    the man did not move, just watched the young man profoundly. after a long time, he opened his mouth, and his voice was broken and hoarse, a little harsh.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry. thank you.¡± with that, he turned and strode away, his silhouette melting into the darkness of the alleyway.


    lu bai: ¡°???¡± did you recognize the wrong person?


    although it was strange, lu bai did not worry about it after seeing that person leave. he went back to the hotel, and just after entering the lobby, he was caught by qu xueyu.


    qu xueyu wore the simplest white shirt and black pants, put on a jacket, and pressed a cap on top of his head, then came to the lobby and waited for lu bai. this is the lu family¡¯s hotel, and lu bai had explained to them in advance, so the hotel had cleared the surrounding paparazzi. it was late at night, and there were not many guests in the lobby, so qu xueyu freely went up to greet him at the door.


    ¡°wine.¡± lu bai offered the treasure in his hand to the other person in front: ¡°you grew up in chunming, didn¡¯t you? jinghai¡¯s osmanthus wine is very delicious.¡±


    qu xueyu laughed softly, his eyes carried a genuine warmth, he stroked the teenager¡¯s hair, and said: ¡°okay.¡±


    in fact, to say that he grew up in chunming is not accurate, before his parents divorced he also briefly lived in jinghai for a few years, but that was too long ago. not to mention the fact that even during their marriage, his parents were almost enemies, each treating him as a disgrace with the blood of ¡°the other side¡±. as a result, neither of them would be able to make themselves comfortable enough to share this sort of meal with him.


    later, after his parents divorced and almost immediately got married and started their own families, he became completely unwanted. his grandfather couldn¡¯t bear to see him suffer, so he brought him to live in chunming until he could take care of himself, and only then did his grandfather return to his home in jinghai.


    so he didn¡¯t have much affection for the city of jinghai, since he would come back in a hurry to visit his grandfather or to shoot a movie, he really didn¡¯t have much of a chance to savor the food here. and as there were few osmanthus wines brewed in the north, he really rarely drank them either. there was nothing particularly special about jinghai that he was attached to, let alone the local fare.


    ¡°jinghai is such a lovely city. the osmanthus wine smells delicious, too.¡± he looked into the boy¡¯s shining eyes and reached out to gently caress the other¡¯s cheek. the look in his eyes was so gentle that it was as if he loved the city with all his heart and soul ¨C and he thought to himself that the city was indeed so charming and delightful because, well, it was home to his boy. since this city was his hometown, he couldn¡¯t help but love it.


    lu bai smiled even wider at his words, then took the teenager¡¯s hand and walked towards the elevator. secretly planning to get all the delicious snacks in jinghai and feed them to the young man, and then cheerfully record the young man¡¯s bright eyes as he ate them.


    when they were inside the elevator and the doors were just about to close, a beautiful and slender hand reached in, ¡°excuse me.¡± hearing the lady¡¯s voice. lu bai hurriedly pressed the door open button.


    the woman was dressed modestly but elegantly, wearing light makeup, and had a pair of sharp eyebrows. she was carrying food and she smiled at lu bai, ¡°thanks so much.¡±


    lu bai stared at the woman¡¯s eyes for a brief moment, then said, ¡°you¡¯re welcome.¡± however, as if by instinct, he tightened his hold on qu xueyu¡¯s hand.


    only after having thanked lu bai, did the woman then notice qu xueyu. the moment she saw qu xueyu¡¯s face under the brim of his hat, her eyes shrank and her face instantly cooled down.


    qu xueyu looked at the woman, his face had a polite and detached smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes, ¡°mother.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, and he held the youth¡¯s hand even tighter.


    the woman¡¯s face cooled a bit more when she heard this title, and she seemed to be a bit embarrassed, then she traded the food between one hand to her other and remarked, ¡°i didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    qu xueyu quietly gripped the teenager¡¯s hand in return and looked at the woman as he raised an eyebrow, ¡°i also didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±


    the woman¡¯s face seemed to soften for an instant at his words, ¡°yaya was tired after a day of rushing around after casting calls and wanted to eat roadside snacks, so i went outside to look for some.¡±


    qu xueyu rubbed the teenager¡¯s hand, no color on his face: ¡°hmm.¡±


    ¡®yaya¡¯ his half-sister, wants to be an idol. his mother has used all her connections to send the girl into the entertainment industry and has to rush all over the country to make auditions. his mother accompanies her throughout the whole process, fearing that her precious daughter will have a little accident and suffer a little bit of grievance.


    the elevator soon fell into an awkward silence. finally a ¡°ding¡± sounded, and the woman was out of the elevator in no time, a few steps later, she turned back to the elevator, and her prideful face showed a rare hint of a twisted tenderness, and she regarded qu xueyu through the closing elevator doors. ¡°you, you are also considered as yaya¡¯s older brother. the circle is complicated, if one day she runs into trouble, i ask that you look after her.¡±


    qu xueyu lowered his eyes: his mother was of noble birth and haughty disposition¡­ she never went back on her words and never begged for help, yet she was willing to compromise for her daughter¡¯s sake with her son, whom she absolutely refused to get involved with again¡­


    since he was a child, this was probably the first time his mother had looked back at him.


    his mother was as cold and intense as he remembered her to be, but wrinkles had been added around her brows and eyes.


    qu xueyu tightly held the teenager¡¯s hand in his as he silently regarded the woman. there was no warmth in his expression. however, he managed to solemnly, courteously, and detachedly say, ¡°fine.¡± having made such a promise, he would not fail to keep it.


    the woman nodded, said thank you, and turned to leave again.


    ¡°auntie!¡± lu bai suddenly reached out and caught the elevator door that had almost closed, shouting towards the woman¡¯s back.


    the woman stopped but did not turn around.


    ¡°i¡¯m xiao qu¡¯s boyfriend.¡± lu bai said, ¡°i¡¯m deeply in love with him. so i think i¡¯m somewhat qualified to say these words.¡±


    ¡°auntie. he is your son as he has your blood in his veins, so you do have some right to claim him. but! if you have never truly loved him or acknowledged and taken him seriously from the beginning, and are not prepared to love him in the future, then please at least don¡¯t hurt him by making such a demand!¡±


    ¡°yaya is your baby. xiao qu is my baby1reminder that this can also mean treasure. lb is not saying he¡¯s adopted qxy. just like how she treasures and pampers her daughter he wants to treasure and pamper qxy.. just as you would never want to see your baby girl upset, i don¡¯t want my cherished baby to be upset. i hope you can understand.¡±


    the woman heard his words, but she still didn¡¯t turn around, she simply left. lu bai and qu xueyu couldn¡¯t see what expression she had on her face at that moment.


    lu bai released the doors and they slowly closed.


    in the closed elevator, qu xueyu hugged the teenager tightly in his arms, he buried his head into the teenager¡¯s neck, deeply breathing in the warm and sweet scent of the teenager¡¯s body. a smile lay beneath the corners of his lips. he cared, after all, she was his mother, but he also didn¡¯t really mind ¨C they were more like strangers sharing a bloodline. he had never hated his mother because she had the right to choose the kind of life she wanted to live. there was no love, no hate, and it made things easier for both of them.


    but this teenager is so damn iron-willed and adorable.


    ¡°who am i to you?¡± qu xueyu asked in a low, muffled voice beside the teenager¡¯s ear that had been flushed red by his breath.


    lu bai felt that the youth buried in the side of his neck was like a beast licking its wounds. he gently patted the youth¡¯s back with heartache, and even though the words that were about to be spoken really made his cheeks a little red and hot, he still replied, ¡°you¡¯re my baby. don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll always love you in the future.¡±


    qu xueyu finally chuckled a low, husky sound, and he bluntly gave the teenager¡¯s hot earlobe a kiss, then said, ¡°good.¡±


    lu bai still gently patted the young man¡¯s back, and then looked up at the camera in the elevator rather worriedly: heh, tomorrow i¡¯ll have to go to the manager and erase this before i can go¡­


    after enjoying the osmanthus wine and snacks they washed up, qu xueyu then carried lu bai to the bed.


    the room was filled with the safety of the night.


    lu bai snuggled into the youth¡¯s arms, raising his head obediently and coquettishly to let the youth kiss him, and his hands didn¡¯t even forget to lightly patrol the youth¡¯s back like he was coaxing a fragile child.


    qu xueyu¡¯s heart was a soft mess, and after the kiss, he hugged the youth a little tighter and said: ¡°in fact, my grandfather loves me very much. to me, he is considered to be the one who brought me up, and i haven¡¯t had to suffer much since i was a child.¡± as a result, neither his father nor mother were that important to him, and all the love that was missing in his early childhood was made up for by his grandfather, and more.


    ¡°i¡¯ll also cherish you.¡± lu bai muttered, and after a pause, he pushed himself away from the youth, looking straight into his eyes, as if making a promise: ¡°really.¡±


    ¡°hmm.¡± qu xueyu pulled the youth back into his arms, sighing in comforting relief, ¡°xiao bai is really reliable.¡±


    ¡°i also think i¡¯m reliable.¡± lu bai said without a trace of self-consciousness. after a pause, he asked, ¡°are you still going to yunzhou in two days?¡± there was a snowy mountain in yunzhou with great autumn scenery, and the movie needed to use the autumn scenery there. however, autumn only came once a year, so the crew would have to rush there to shoot the relevant plot before the end of this fall.


    qu xueyu took a short pause to think then nodded.


    for some reason, lu bai¡¯s heart suddenly flashed with a sense of panic that he couldn¡¯t grasp. he touched the young man¡¯s hand over him in the darkness, and stuck his fingers one by one into the other¡¯s finger gaps, as he said, ¡°after grandpa¡¯s birthday, i¡¯ll go over there to accompany you.¡±


    qu xueyu kissed the corner of the youth¡¯s forehead, ¡°good.¡±


    ~~~~~~


    the fall sky was cloudless.


    lu bai hung up qu xueyu¡¯s phone call reluctantly and went downstairs.


    elder lu¡¯s birthday lunch was organized in a rather low-key manner, the number of guests had been cut down again and again, but there was still a full house.


    the banquet was arranged in a warm and cheerful manner, lu bai and lu guanguan also accompanied elder lu who was quite happy. the lu family also invited ming yan to come, besides some disagreements with the former sister-in-law, ming yan and the lu family got along quite well.


    but when the banquet ended and the guests were sent away, there appeared an uninvited guest in the house.


    qin gu¡¯s face was a bit cold, but he still brought the woman to the lu family¡¯s living room.


    the woman¡¯s temperament was tranquil, her eyebrows were beautiful, and her eyes looked a bit sad, but there was a shrewd light in them. she swept her gaze past father lu and sheng mei, before fixing it on ming yan, her voice gentle and soft: ¡°mr. lu, yan, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ming yan¡¯s face instantly went cold.


    father lu composed his face as he looked at qin gu.


    qin gu removed his gaze from the teenager and met father lu¡¯s eyes, stating, ¡°auntie xiao2xiao yangs mother said that she has something she wants to say to you and auntie ming.¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°about xiao bai.¡± if it hadn¡¯t been about lu bai, he wouldn¡¯t have brought someone in at the expense of the lu family¡¯s displeasure.


    ¡°young master,¡± at this moment a servant walked in from the side door and handed lu bai something, ¡°there¡¯s a delivery for you.¡±


    lu bai took the item wrapped in kraft paper and blinked in confusion, but he still thanked him and accepted it. after touching the brown paper ¨C it seemed to be a book or notebook within.


    the woman looked away from lu bai, who was standing beside his father oblivious to the situation at hand and only fiddling with the delivery in his hands, and with a slight smile, she stated, ¡°i do have something to say about xiao bai.¡±


    author¡¯s note: missing person returns orz


    edit: krone

 CH 47

    chapter 47


    ¡°xiao bai,¡± almost subconsciously, ming yan opened her mouth and said, ¡°didn¡¯t you already buy a plane ticket for this evening? i think there¡¯s nothing else to do at home tonight, so why don¡¯t you change or rebook your ticket for this afternoon.¡±


    sheng mei also smiled, she patted lu guanguan and said, ¡°guan guan, why don¡¯t you go see your brother off.¡±


    lu guanguan hurriedly took lu bai¡¯s arm and smiled, ¡°brother, let¡¯s go! i¡¯ll take you to the airport.¡±


    lu bai felt warmth in his heart, and a smile spread on his face, raising an eyebrow, he said, ¡°okay.¡± this is his family¡¯s sincerity, it is impossible for him to not accept it.


    passing by the woman, her words seemed to be lamenting in a whisper, but her tone was gentle like an elder: ¡°xiaobai, it¡¯s about you. don¡¯t you want to listen?¡±


    lu bai paused to smile, his eyes a little cold: ¡°staying and suffering despite knowing that whatever you will say is malicious, is something that only a fool would do.¡± lu bai shrugged: ¡°let aunt xiao be disappointed, i am not a fool.¡± he looked toward the woman, appearing to be na?ve, and tilted his head: ¡°xiao yang and i are not the same. i have loving parents and relatives, they will protect me. i trust them, that¡¯s all.¡± after saying this, he carried the delivered package and left with lu guanguan without any hesitation.


    the woman was still wearing a polite smile, but one of her hands under her sleeves was clenched tightly in a fist, her nails piercing through the palm of her hand.


    after lu bai and lu guanguan¡¯s figures disappeared, ming yan turned to the woman coldly and demanded, ¡°say it. what are you trying to do now?¡±


    the woman huffed a low laugh, her eyes looking instead at sheng mei, who stared at her with frigidity across her face. after a short while, she finally withdrew her eyes and refocused her gaze on ming yan, remarking, ¡°i said i¡¯m here to talk about xiao bai¡¯s matter. ming yan, do you want the truth about your son having a mental illness to come out?¡±


    ming yan¡¯s pupils shrank, and an icy chill then came out of her eyes as father lu and sheng mei stared at the woman with unfriendly expressions.


    the woman looked like she didn¡¯t feel any of it, and just continued, ¡°i¡¯ve heard xiao yang say that he is dating that kid from the qu family. i don¡¯t care if qu xueyu breaks up with him because of his illness, but that kid from the qu family is a public figure. this is an incredibly easy thing to do, and with a little bit of maneuvering, the fact that your son is a mental case1Éñ¾­²¡ sh¨¦n j¨©ng b¨¬ng mental disorder; neuropathy; (derog.) mental case will become known to everyone by virtue of the qu xueyu¡¯s reputation. ¡°


    crash!


    a vase shattered by the woman¡¯s feet, the fragments scattering around. her face turned a little white, but she still stood there stiffly and glared directly at ming yan.


    ming yan maintained her posture after throwing the vase, her eyes reddening, and sheng mei stood beside her, supporting her position. father lu¡¯s face was frigid as he looked at the woman, ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.


    qin gu¡¯s eyes were filled with shock as he looked at the woman, gritting his teeth as he chewed out, ¡°a-auntie xiao, is this what you came to the lu family to do!?¡± harming and threatening, it was a world away from the previous image of a kind and pathetic victim.


    the woman suddenly laughed out loudly looking at qin gu with barely hidden madness in her eyes, ¡°qin gu, ah, do you think i don¡¯t know?! that person named chen ming has already contacted you right?¡± she pinched his shoulder with almost cruel intent and tilted her head to look at him, ¡°you didn¡¯t let my son into the cast in the end, did you? you said-¡± she looked at qin gu with a hair-raising smile on her face, ¡°it¡¯s come to this point. if i don¡¯t show my cards, what should my son do? i failed to gain him a good family and a good father, do i still have to watch him lose his favorite person and a promising future??!¡±


    ~~~~~


    airport.


    ¡°brother,¡± lu guanguan had some concern in her eyes, ¡°would it be better for me to send you to yunzhou and then go back?¡±


    ¡°no need,¡± lu bai simply carried his backpack, he rubbed his sister¡¯s hair and said, ¡°i already sent him a message, he¡¯ll come to pick me up. go home, guan guan.¡±


    lu guanguan was startled, but then a smile spread across her face, ¡°good. let us know when you arrive, brother.¡±


    lu bai curved the corners of his mouth, ¡°ok.¡±


    the roar of the airplane taking off was loud. lu bai sat in his seat, looking out the window at the brilliant sea of clouds drenched in sunlight, squinting his eyes comfortably, and then he took out the package from his backpack. he opened the wrapping and an aged notebook cover was revealed.


    lu bai was dumbfounded as he looked at the cover.


    he reached out thoughtfully and stroked the somewhat yellowed cover, a look of pure disbelief crossing his eyes.


    the notebook, indeed, felt familiar, but when he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t recall anything specific.


    he frowned, then flipped open the cover, the crooked and old handwriting in the book appeared before his eyes, and lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, eyes full of incredulity.


    ¡°evil male cannon fodder lu bai main plot:


    -before the age of 12, pestering qin gu;


    -at the age of 12, pushes xiao yang into the water;


    -12 to 19 years old, pestering qin gu;


    -age 19, meets with the main character shou qu xueyu, sabotages qin gu¡¯s date with qu xueyu, and dies in a car accident.


    tsk, a good, simple and cursory plot oh, after going through with it can i really go back to my original world and continue to live?¡±


    lu bai stared blankly at the words on the page ¨C this was his own handwriting, but he had no memory of it, and there were no traces of ruan jiangjiu in the plot he had summarized about the ¡°evil male cannon fodder, lu bai¡± ¨C so why had he believed in a completely different plot about ruan jiangjiu than the one in this notebook?


    lu bai suddenly felt pain in his forehead, and he couldn¡¯t help rubbing his temples. at that moment, a photo fell out of the notebook. lu bai picked up the photo, and when he saw it, his eyes reddened as his pupils shrank. he caressed the photo, his face revealing a nostalgic smile ¨C unlike how he had forgotten about this notebook, he remembered this photo. in the photo, it¡¯s his parents from his original world, the ones who had already died in a car accident.


    high in the sky, the clouds were brilliant and crisp, and lu bai¡¯s honey-colored eyes were tinted amber by the sunlight ¨C how long has it been since he remembered his old world?


    ¡°mom, dad, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯m doing fine here. my family here is nice, and he¡¯s very good too.¡± lu bai murmured as his fingers gently rubbed against the window.


    just- lu bai¡¯s hand gently closed into a fist, his knuckles against the window were a little red- right now, he wanted to hug his man tightly and pour out some of his doubts and stories.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: sorry, oooh have to get up early so now going to sleep qaq i will do some explaining, xiao yang and his mom will go offline in either the next chapter or the one after that; when xiao bai first came to the book world he only had ptsd because of his experience in the original world but his family in this world healed him; so he did indeed pass through to the book; the notebook is his, why he would remember the photo but not the notebook will be explained later da; it¡¯s a little bit of a spoiler, isn¡¯t it? the notebook and the photo are things he brought from the original world, so even if the book world reboots the notebook and the photo won¡¯t disappear. i know everyone has doubts, but i will slowly explain later oooh good night ah, love you guys!


    thank you very much for your support, i will continue to work hard!


    shio: ugh, what a rude lady


    edit: krone

 CH 48

    chapter 48


    at the foot of the snowy mountains are the grasslands. the autumn air is sweet and fresh, with the coolness of the rain. as soon as lu bai arrived at the temporary filming location, he was wrapped in a cotton coat from head to toe.


    in the distance are the snow-capped mountains glittering under the light of the setting sun, but the grassland at the foot of the mountains in the evening is almost empty and deserted. with the wind whispering in his ears, lu bai hugged the youth tightly around his waist and buried his face in his embrace, as if this was a paradise where only the two of them existed.


    ¡°xiao qu, i missed you so much.¡± lu bai¡¯s voice was a little muffled, with deep dependence and intimacy.


    qu xueyu hugged the other back, helping him straighten his coat collar, stroking the other¡¯s head with a smile: ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± he could easily hear the abnormality in the teenager¡¯s voice, as if it was instinctual. today¡¯s scenes have been shot, and everyone has returned to the hotel. this part of the grassland has been contracted by the crew to ensure that there is no one there, so he can hold his young man with freedom and enjoy the warmth of the moment.


    touching the cool ears of the teenager, qu xueyu stretched his hands to cover them, he asked, ¡°do you want to lodge in a tent or in a hotel?¡±


    lu bai looked up at the youth¡¯s clean and clear eyes and said, ¡°if we stay in a tent, will it be just me and you, and i can do whatever i want to do to you? to do anything to you in the grasslands sounds like a very romantic and appealing experience.¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, he said in his heart ¡®if we stay in a hotel, you¡¯ll still be sharing with me, and we can do whatever we want to do¡­¡¯, but he still smiled and nodded. with that, he wrapped his arm around the teenager¡¯s waist and headed in a certain direction.


    here the crew set up their tents, not far away from a shallow river. qu xueyu¡¯s role is important, and the hotel is some distance away from here, so when he has too much to act, he simply sleeps in his tent. this afternoon, after the crew made adjustments, everyone went back to the hotel to rest. qu xueyu sent away bo yangzhi and the others, and then waited for lu bai ¨C he would have liked to take the teenager for a walk under the snowy mountains, but it looked like the teenager had something he wanted to share with him.


    after the sun had completely sunk, the tent was lit up with warm lights, which made it look like a small boat drifting on the dark grassland.


    lu bai briefly scrubbed his body, qu xueyu then stripped the teenager of almost all his clothes, and tucked the other into the thick, soft, and warm blankets on the simple bed ¨C tucking him in tightly so that he wouldn¡¯t be exposed to the slightest breeze ¨C and then placed a cup of steaming black tea into the other¡¯s hands, setting a plate of snacks in his lap before sitting down next to him, and he contentedly gathered the other into his embrace with his blankets, and said: ¡°talk while you eat.¡±


    lu bai nodded obediently and sipped his black tea, ¡°oh.¡± after a pause, he met the youth¡¯s gentle eyes in the lamplight and said, ¡°xiao qu, if i say that i¡¯m actually not from this world, can you believe me?¡±


    saying such an absurd and earth-shattering statement, qu xueyu nevertheless just quietly looked at lu bai, the tenderness and love in his eyes still sparkling ¨C he wasn¡¯t even surprised. after a long time, he just rubbed the young man¡¯s hair, ¡°i¡¯ll believe it if you say so.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes suddenly got a little hot, he put the black tea on a small table to the side and leaned over to snuggle into the youth¡¯s embrace, qu xueyu pulled the blanket around him a little tighter and lowered his head to kiss the teenager¡¯s forehead.


    the night wind blew on the tent, producing a vague starting sound. lu bai felt that the blanket on his body was soft and warm, and the youth¡¯s embrace was so comfortable that he slowly started talking about some of his past memories to his favorite person.


    ¡°it seems a long time since i had the luxury of remembering them. in my world, my parents loved me too-they were the ones who loved me most in that world. but one day, they were driving me to the airport and we were in a car accident.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯ve always wondered if they had loved me just a little bit less, or if they simply didn¡¯t have a child like me if they wouldn¡¯t have died and would have lived happier lives.¡± had they not loved him so much, his parents wouldn¡¯t have personally taken him on a simple trip to the airport. had they not loved him so much, his mother wouldn¡¯t have shielded him in the moment of the crash, and his father wouldn¡¯t have almost subconsciously jerked the steering wheel at that moment, choosing to put his own body right in the oncoming path of that truck.


    if he hadn¡¯t been such a distracting child to raise from a young age in the first place, his parents wouldn¡¯t have died at all, and would surely have been able to live a much happier life.


    the cold pool of blood seemed so far away, and yet in this moment of recollection, he felt as if he could reach out and feel the blood-tinged mess everywhere. the pressurized and deformed car was dark and cold, and there was blood everywhere.


    ¡°live, xiao bai, live happily¡­¡±


    those were the last words his mother left him.


    the young man was speaking calmly when he said those words, but qu xueyu felt that his heart was being torn by the placid sorrow contained within them. as words had lost their meaning, he just clutched the young man a little tighter and kissed his brow over and over again.


    ¡°after coming to this world, i still had my original memories,¡± lu bai said, ¡°my mom and dad in this world treated me well, but i didn¡¯t want them to love me. i always felt that people who love me like that must suffer misfortunes.¡±


    so before the age of five, lu bai didn¡¯t cry, didn¡¯t laugh, didn¡¯t talk, resisted all approaches and intimacy from the lu family, and refused to establish relationships with anybody. this was actually a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. naturally, the lu family didn¡¯t know what the child had gone through in his ¡°past life¡±, and they were anxious to take him to the doctor, where he received a diagnosis of autism.


    they poured more love and care into the child and did not ask for anything in return. when the child was five years old, he finally cried and jumped into ming yan¡¯s arms and called for his mother, ming yan hugged the child tightly and cried her heart out, while father lu¡¯s eyes reddened at the same time.


    ¡°when i was five years old, i fell down from a very high step, my mom caught me but she fell down with me onto the ground. she¡¯s a painter, but at that time, when the back of her hand and arm were scratched up with bloody trails, she was busy just asking me if i was hurt.¡± lu bai said, ¡°xiao qu, i always make the people who love me sad.¡±


    the moment he called out ¡°mom,¡± it seemed as if he was hearing those words again-¡°live on, xiaobai, live happily¡­¡±


    after coming to this world, the world told him that he had to follow the plot or he would be punished, and the plot of this world concealed the correct answer for him to be able to live.


    he had planned to deal with it passively, there was no meaning to him in living, even if he did manage to survive and return to his original world, his parents were no longer there.


    but knowing that he was so valued by this world¡¯s loved ones, he could no longer treat his life and death so selfishly and casually. whether to stay here or go back to the original world, only after he was able to achieve victory and survive would he be eligible to choose. so after that, he began to organize the plot instilled in his mind by the ¡°world¡±, and began to think about how to survive.


    these memories had been there all along, but for some reason they had been ignored until he saw this notebook ¨C he had almost forgotten why he was here.


    now, both the real plot of the original story and the plot that had been strangely born in his mind had completely collapsed.


    lu bai¡¯s hand tightly grasped the youth¡¯s shirt collar- for some reason, he felt a strong sense of unease. the plot that had completely collapsed, his tampered memories, this notebook that had suddenly appeared, and that weird paper airplane all made him feel intensely uneasy.


    qu xueyu sensed the teenager¡¯s emotions, his brows furrowed slightly as he gently patted the teenager¡¯s back, ¡°xiao bai.¡± he kissed the teenager¡¯s brow, kissing all the way down from his brow, kissing over the bridge of the other¡¯s nose, the tip of his nose, and finally planting his lips on the teenager¡¯s lips as he said, ¡°believe me, it¡¯s a blessing to love you. i love you happily.¡± this teenager¡¯s family -his original-worlds family as he called it or this world¡¯s family -would also be grateful for the same.


    lu bai¡¯s eyes suddenly turned a little red, and a smile seeped out of the corner of his mouth as he murmured and kissed the youth all over again, a sentence gently melting between their lips, ¡°xiao qu, you¡¯re so wonderful.¡±


    ~~~~~


    lu zhi sat in his office, his fingers tapping the desk, and asked, ¡°how¡¯s it going?¡±


    mr. secretary pushed up his glasses, a light flashed across his lenses, and said, ¡°chen ming has already contacted young master qin.¡±


    lu zhi scoffed and said: ¡°only sending someone to jail is boring ah. it¡¯s much more painful to execute them first and then send the body to jail. he started framing my nephew at the age of fourteen, drugged him, and then tampered with his car, so it¡¯s not too much to ask that i send him in to get someone to take care of him, right?¡±


    mr. secretary corrected, ¡°boss, this matter has nothing to do with you. he broke the law and chen ming reported him, that¡¯s all. you are a good citizen who abides by the law.¡±


    lu zhi: ¡°heh.¡±


    mr. secretary, however, then added, ¡°it¡¯s just about that ms. xiao¡­¡±


    lu zhi looked at him and said in a puzzled manner, ¡°my elder brother does look gentle and elegant and is very good at deceiving people, but do you seriously think that he is mr. nice guy? my old man was famous in jinghai for his ruthless methods back then, and in our family, my big brother is the most like him.¡± when he said this, his face darkened for a moment as he shuddered and ¡°coughed¡±, ¡°xiaobai is the center of my big brother¡¯s heart, and no one wants to deal with my big brother¡¯s anger.¡±


    mr. secretary¡¯s eyebrows twitched a bit, and then inquired, ¡°boss, i¡¯m very curious. this xiao mother and son, why exactly did they get involved with the lu family in the first place?¡±


    lu jie laughed and let out a soft sigh as he said, ¡°because my sister-in-law is a truly good person.¡± with that said, he raised an eyebrow at mr. secretary and said, ¡°don¡¯t you know the story of the farmer and the snake best? that¡¯s how things are in this world, sometimes the good people get hurt.¡±


    mr. secretary looked straight at lu zhi, his eyes somewhat deep.


    lu zhi shrugged, then began to tell the story: ¡°at first, she was my sister-in-law¡¯s friend. her husband died in an accident, and her late husband¡¯s relatives were vampires who embezzled the mother¡¯s and son¡¯s assets. my sister-in-law helped her, and then, in order to let her and her son recuperate, my sister-in-law took the mother and her son into the family.¡±


    people are always greedy. in the beginning, it began with envy. the woman envied ming yan¡¯s husband, envied the lu family¡¯s wealth, and envied ming yan¡¯s child for having a good father -even though the child was sick, his father still loved him and spoiled him, and wanted to pluck the stars from the sky for him. but her xiao yang who is a healthy and lovely child can only tug on her sleeve and say that he envies xiao bai¡¯s father and that he also wants to have a father like uncle lu.


    the woman with her child lived with the lu family for a few years. even when they moved out later, ming yan found them a nearby house to make it easier for her to take care of them. it was also during the days of living with the lu family that xiao yang met qin gu.


    ming yan is an emotional and spontaneous artist, and when her relationship with father lu faded, she went with the flow and got divorced, but father lu and the lu family still treated her as a family member.


    when the woman learned the news, she had her own little thoughts. she thought to herself that since ming yan had divorced the other person, father lu would not stop looking for a new wife, and since lu bai was a sick child who needed a stepmother to take care of him, it was only natural for her to be the stepmother! she could have the best of both worlds, she would have a husband she could rely on, a good father for her son, and she wouldn¡¯t have to envy lu bai anymore.


    the woman had such thoughts but did not look for her friend ming yan. rather cleverly, she looked for lu bai, who was still a child at the time, explaining the situation to him. the child¡¯s eyes were clear and simple, but he looked at her and had no mercy in his words: ¡°auntie xiao, i don¡¯t want to have such a white-eyed wolf as a stepmother.¡± then he turned to leave, but this was heard clearly by the teenager xiao yang. that¡¯s why later in chunming¡¯s scheme ¨C he jumped into the pond and framed the teenager who spoke ill of his mother, but also suggested to the group of teenagers who were full of fantasies about justice beside qin gu that lu bai was most afraid of the dark.


    ming yan and the lu family also learned that the woman had looked for lu bai on her own and that later lu bai followed the woman¡¯s son to chunming to look for qin gu, but was picked up unconscious. ming yan realized that the woman she had helped from the beginning to the end had bitten her ruthlessly, that she had coveted her husband as soon as she had just gotten divorced, and that she had hurt her most beloved son. she and the woman completely severed their relationship, the lu family warned the woman, who then took her son out of the country.


    ¡°now,¡± lu zhi renewed tapping the table and sneering, ¡°the white-eyed wolves are back, and they¡¯re still thinking of messing with my nephew. and that kid from the qin family, he¡¯s also a fool. my big brother shouldn¡¯t have listened to xiao bai too much in the first place and let xiao bai get close to him.¡±


    shio: thank you fellow translator raine for your help with a tricky paragraph :heart: !


    edited: krone

 CH 49

    chapter 49


    the morning air of the grassland in the fall is fresh and cold, and when qu xueyu led director zhou into their tent, lu bai was sitting at the table, staring at a page in the notebook, his face full of suspicion.


    qu xueyu rubbed the youngster¡¯s head, his eyes were worried: ¡°xiao bai, is something wrong?¡±


    lu bai was startled, and raised his head to look at the youth, as he said, ¡°it¡¯s not much, but something is a bit strange. i¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re done with today¡¯s scenes.¡± he paused, and looked at director zhou, ¡°are you looking for me for something?¡± according to reason, right now he should be on set working. director zhou wouldn¡¯t personally come here for nothing.


    director zhou cleared his throat and looked at the teenager, seemingly a little embarrassed, but could not produce a sentence. qu xueyu chuckled and turned to lu bai and said, ¡°it¡¯s like this, director zhou would like to ask you to perform in the movie.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°what?¡±


    director zhou subtly prodded qu xueyu again, and qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrows twitched before he continued, ¡°director zhou would like to hire you to play the role of huo qi.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°¡­¡±


    the request is so sudden and strange, that there must be some sincerity. director zhou sighed and added, ¡°the actor who played bai qin couldn¡¯t join the cast for some unknown reasons. we should have looked for an actor to replace bai qin, but i learned from xue yu that you were coming here, so i had other ideas.¡±


    the original actor of bai qin was xiao yang.


    lu bai tilted his head: although he didn¡¯t know what happened between xiao yang and qin gu, it was none of his business ¨C as long as they didn¡¯t bother him and the people he cared about.


    director zhou looked at lu bai¡¯s young age and was afraid that his serious and dark appearance would scare him, so he tried his best, and even took out the posture of coaxing his grandchildren, slowing down his voice and said: ¡°the actor who currently plays huo qi is in fact more suitable for bai qin, and he himself understands that the role of bai qin suits him much better, so there is no problem on his side. xiao lu, are you willing to play huo qi? as long as you¡¯re willing to come, any conditions are agreeable.¡±


    lu bai looked at director zhou and twinkled, ¡°director zhou, in fact, i¡¯m not bad at acting! i have a lot of acting experience.¡± previously, he acted as a vicious male character, which was really great.


    director zhou was about to blurt out ¡®it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t know how to act, xue yu and i can teach you¡¯, and the corner of his mouth twitched as he suppressed the words, replacing them with, ¡°good, good, it¡¯s healthy to have self-confidence. xiao lu, are you saying yes?¡±


    lu bai watched as qu xueyu rolled his eyes, his eyes shining brightly, ¡°i can act. but with one small condition.¡±


    director zhou¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°just say it. you can ask for a high salary or anything else.¡± the big shot behind the actor who breached the contract and failed to enter the group had just paid out a large sum of money in default, and the group¡¯s funds were now very plentiful.


    lu bai looked at director zhou and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, ¡°then, can we add more intimate scenes with me and xiao qu?¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    director zhou: ¡°???¡±


    lu bai had a righteous look on his face, ¡°i¡¯ve always regarded money as nothing, only xiao qu¡¯s beauty can buy me, really.¡±


    director zhou¡¯s eyebrow twitched and his face contorted a bit as he said, ¡°actually¡­ we do have quite a lot of kissing scenes in this movie.¡± the twisted feelings between ruan jiangjiu and huo qi can often only be expressed in bed, kissing, and lovemaking scenes. however, the kind of intimacy plays in their movie may not be the same as what this kid was thinking ¨C in order to capture the twisted feelings, the scenes will be very oppressive. after a pause director zhou unflinchingly sold out the leading male: ¡°if you come over to shoot, we can add some more as we see fit, and the shooting can be a bit more realistic.¡±


    lu bai swallowed, then nodded and said without further consideration, ¡°i¡¯ll do it.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    ~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: today is short little monarch orz oooh sorry! the next chapter shows xiao and xiao¡¯s mom being dismissed (as xiao bai said, he trusts his family, and his family will help him out).


    good night angels!


    edit: krone

 CH 50

    chapter 50


    lu bai was in the dressing room when he received a call from lu zhi.


    ¡°xiao bai ah, you¡¯ve made it big.¡± lu zhi on the other side of the phone sounded a bit like he was holding back a smile, ¡°director zhou has already called and told us about it. all of your relatives are waiting to go into the movie theater to support you, especially your grandfather.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°¡­¡± pausing, he remembered something, his brows furrowing a bit as he said, ¡°second uncle! i was going to ask you and dad. xiao yang¡¯s mom-¡± he wanted to ask uncle to pay closer attention to her but was interrupted by lu zhi.


    ¡°xiao bai,¡± lu zhi¡¯s voice had a false sense of gentleness, but in fact, the corners of his mouth did hold a rare smile: ¡°this isn¡¯t something you need to worry about, believe in your father.¡± everyone in their family will not let lu bai get involved in this matter.


    lu bai, however, frowned slightly. he unconsciously clenched his fingers, thinking of the note found in that notebook yesterday, ¡°second uncle, this time you must pay attention to xiao yang¡¯s mom. i can¡¯t say the reason, but second uncle, please.¡±


    hearing the seriousness and uncomfortable anxiety in lu bai¡¯s tone, lu zhi was dazed. he slowly nodded and replied, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll pay attention to her.¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°take good care of yourself over there.¡±


    lu bai listened to lu zhi¡¯s promise and finally relaxed slightly, and his heart surged with warmth, he said, ¡°okay.¡±


    after hanging up the phone, mr. lu narrowed his eyes in thought, and after a long time, he remarked, ¡°tonight, i¡¯ll go back to my family¡¯s estate.¡±


    mr. secretary nodded respectfully, and then he changed the itinerary for lu zhi, after that, he asked, ¡°boss, is ms. xiao now¡­¡± he was actually just curious about what lu zhi¡¯s big brother, who was no less ruthless than the old man lu back in the day, actually was like.


    lu zhi raised an eyebrow as he looked at mr. secretary, ¡°that woman said that my nephew is mentally ill.¡± he paused to tap the desk, lightly saying, ¡°so, my big brother just threw her into a psychiatric hospital.¡± his big brother has rarely used such ruthless tactics since his nephew was born. lu zhi laughed lightly and continued, ¡°primarily, it¡¯s because she was threatening my big brother¡¯s beloved son. my big brother is prone to being overly protective when it comes to his family, and he has always been worried that one day, after he¡¯s gone, xiao bai will be bullied by other people. that woman had simply stomped on my big brother¡¯s nerves in a very accurate and ruthless move. ¡°


    after a long moment of silence, mr. secretary sniffed and asked, ¡°boss, if one day mr. lu uses these tactics on me-¡± after all, what mr. lu cares most about is his family. his family¡¯s boss is also an important member of the other party¡¯s family.


    lu zhi grinned coldly after hearing this, ¡°heh, then it¡¯s also because you deserved it.¡±


    with a raised eyebrow, mr. secretary teased, ¡°you¡¯re right. well then, before mr. lu targets me, i¡¯ll cherish every minute, every second, of my time with you. especially, the hours in bed.¡± those eyes he used to look at lu zhi were so deep that they were fearsome.


    lu zhi¡¯s eyebrows jumped, ¡°damn it, get lost.¡±


    ~~~~~


    the scene to be filmed in the snowy mountains in the fall is actually the middle of the plot for the movie ¡°glass¡±, and is also the turning point when huo qi¡¯s feelings for ruan jiangjiu begin to change.


    after obtaining ruan jiangjiu, huo qi, a playboy who enjoys playing around, felt that although the youth¡¯s face was good-looking, his character was really uninteresting, so he grew a little tired of him. however, he was not willing to let go of the person he finally got his hands on, and so he became keen on tormenting the youth.


    one day in the middle of the night, he wanted the young man to come over as his toy and show him off to the other young masters attending the drinking party. in addition to huo qi¡¯s friends, there were also ruan jiangju¡¯s high school classmates as well. huo qi was thinking about how embarrassed and humiliated the youth would appear when he came to his arranged scheme, but instead, he received the news that the youth had gotten into a car accident.


    in response to this news, huo qi just raised his eyebrows, barked out a light laugh, and remarked to his friends at the table, ¡°don¡¯t worry, with the advanced techniques of modern medicine, he won¡¯t die. let¡¯s continue to play.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu had indeed not died, but his eyes were temporarily blinded, and one of his legs was now broken. his career, which had not been easy to recover, had hit rock bottom again. huo qi abandoned him alone in the hospital. he suddenly felt weary and helpless in his dark days, but he didn¡¯t want his mother to worry about him, so he decided to buy a ticket to yunzhou and wandered aimlessly around the snow-covered mountains in the fall here.


    ruan jiangjiu¡¯s eyes were still blind, but his mood became calm and steady as he smelled the sweet air of the snow-covered mountain meadows.


    still, he had never thought that huo qi, having learned of his departure, would follow him here on a whim.


    ¡°you don¡¯t love him yet, understand?¡± director zhou tapped lu bai¡¯s head and said, ¡°you¡¯re just following him because you have nothing to do for fun. right now, you¡¯re hiding your identity to tease him wanting to amuse yourself with a blind man, but in the process of spending time with him here, you fall in love with him without even realizing it yourself.¡±


    lu bai huffed at his words as he looked at director zhou and asked, ¡°do i really look the same as such a bad person in your eyes?¡± muttering to himself, he added, ¡°i would never be able to abandon my family¡¯s xiao qu like that.¡±


    director zhou looks at the young man¡¯s naturally noble and innocent look mixed with a bit of flirtatiousness due to the makeup and change of clothes, and nods, ¡°particularly similar.¡± huo qi is the kind of character who has the most unworldly face but does the most worldly and indulgent things. he paused and went over to pat lu bai on the shoulder, whispering to lu bai, ¡°aren¡¯t you curious about what your xiao qu looks like when he enters the scene? if you want to see it, do a good job of acting.¡±


    sure enough, lu bai¡¯s eyes lit up and he nodded, ¡°i¡¯ll definitely shoot well.¡±


    ¡°begin!¡±


    director zhou and qu xueyu had shown lu bai where to walk in advance, so lu bai dressed in a messy outfit, walked through the grass casually with his hands in his pants pockets. he had a carefree curiosity on his face, it was only because he was bored that he became curious as to what his casually raised bird was planning to do, and thus he had come here.


    in the distance were dazzlingly white snow-covered mountains, but near the meadow, there was a river meandering into the distance, and the slender youth was currently sitting in a wheelchair, which was parked alongside the bank of the river.


    huo qi lifted an eyebrow, and some faint disappointment crossed his face. oh, suicide, he¡¯d seen a similar scene too many times from others, and it would be tedious having this young man do it again.


    however, after waiting for a long time, the youth still did not take action, and huo qi¡¯s curiosity was so strong that he finally walked up to see what was going on. arriving behind the youth, huo qi blinked in surprise: he had guessed wrong, this youth did not plan to commit suicide, but rather ¨C was releasing some, goldfish?


    the youth¡¯s distinctive hand gropes its way into the transparent bag, gently catching hold of a goldfish and lowering it into the freezing water of the stream.


    huo qi stood behind the youth for a long time watching, his eyes finally revealing some interest. deliberately disguising his voice, he finally chimed in, ¡°these domesticated goldfish won¡¯t be able to survive if you put them into such cold water. but even if they can, without any natural predators, they¡¯ll just turn into a nuisance.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu had long sensed that there was someone beside him, he didn¡¯t recognize huo qi¡¯s voice and only thought that the other party was a bored tourist. he blandly replied, ¡°oh, is that so? if there is no hope to survive, they deserve to die.¡± the youth said and turned around, following the voice to try and meet huo qi¡¯s gaze with his dull and lifeless gaze, ¡°since they will not survive by themselves already, what you said about them becoming a nuisance becomes a paradox.¡± the voice was placid to the point of numbness.


    huo qi frowned slightly, he didn¡¯t like the youth¡¯s impassive appearance. that was boring, so he naturally stepped forward-pushing the youth¡¯s wheelchair a few steps forward, and drove the youth into the cold, bone-chilling creek with a push.


    ¡°tsk, sorry, my hand slipped.¡± huo qi teased.


    in fact, the river was currently only as deep as his knees, ruan jiangjiu sat awkwardly in the river, gently coughing a few times. his cheeks flushed crimson as huo qi watched: this young man was like that, easily affected by alcohol and emotions. that¡¯s what makes him look so attractive and interesting, he thought.


    ruan jiangjiu was drenched, and still sitting in the river but didn¡¯t seem to be angry, following the sound of his voice he looked towards huo qi and quietly exclaimed, ¡°i seem to have caught a crab.¡±


    huo qi cocked an eyebrow, then squatted down by the river and stretched out his hand towards the youth, ¡°oh? show me.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu took the opportunity to grab the other¡¯s wrist and yanked him into the river ¨C with a splash, huo qi unexpectedly ended up in the river as well. thoroughly drenched even his black hair was sticking to his forehead in thick, uneven waves, making him uncomfortable, and for the first time, his eyes widened in surprise as he looked towards the youth, but there was no anger on his face. only an expression of innocent surprise and momentary loss.


    ¡°sorry,¡± ruan jiangjiu let go of the other man¡¯s wrist and said without a trace of guilt: ¡°my hand slipped.¡±


    huo qi squinted at the youth: in the past, he was always full of shame and resentment when he faced him. when he had no choice but to give in to him, it was with stoic numbness, but his current appearance was rather new and lively ¨C huo qi mused to himself that he found it rather interesting to look at.


    the soaking-wet dandy looked at the blind youth with a delighted smile that made people almost chilled to the bone, and said profoundly, ¡°very good. this is very good.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu, however, because he couldn¡¯t see the other party and didn¡¯t recognize the other person¡¯s voice, raised an eyebrow and remarked, ¡°to be pranked like this and to say it¡¯s very good, are you sick in the head?¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°but you pushed me first, so i¡¯m not going to apologize.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re absolutely right.¡± huo qi stepped up onto the bank, pulling the youth¡¯s wrist to bring him up, as he looked at the youth¡¯s gorgeous and wet face, he said meaningfully, ¡°you couldn¡¯t be more right.¡±


    ~~~~~


    ¡°cut!¡±


    when director zhou shouted to stop, qu xueyu¡¯s assistant rushed forward with clothes and towels. the tips of qu xueyu¡¯s hair were dripping with water, and his clothes were plastered all over his body, but he was helping lu bai to dry his hair with some heartache: ¡°are you cold?¡±


    lu bai had already donned a thick cotton jacket, but because of the wet clothes he still felt uncomfortable, his nose twitched, and he said, ¡°cold.¡± after a pause he added, ¡°but if you kiss me, i probably won¡¯t be cold.¡± his eyes were bright when he said this, like being bathed in warmth by his clear and distinct eyes, qu xueyu¡¯s heart was fluffed into a mess. he laughed softly and stuffed a mug of hot ginger tea into the other¡¯s hands, and was unable to resist the urge to kiss the tip of the other¡¯s nose, which was a little reddened, and wrapped lu bai¡¯s jacket tighter around his shoulders.


    bo yangzhi huffed at the sight, still resigning himself to help conceal the situation for him.


    ¡°very good.¡± director zhou gave lu bai a rare pat on his shoulder with a big smile, ¡°i didn¡¯t expect the effect to be this good either.¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°we just got drenched with cold water.¡±


    director zhou was startled and exclaimed, ¡°damn, it¡¯s my fault. xiao lu, quickly go rest, and change your clothes! be careful of catching a cold.¡±


    only then was qu xueyu satisfied and swept the other man towards their tent.


    ~~


    the light in the tent remained a warm yellow, and the sound of the hair dryer resonated, qu xueyu¡¯s fingers were touching the teenager¡¯s dripping wet black hair as he diligently helped him dry the other¡¯s hair.


    ¡°tsk,¡± lu bai, wearing a fresh change of clothes, and covered in a warm blanket while cradling the mug of hot ginger tea in his hands, exclaimed, ¡°too bad, too bad, how could you suggest that i treat you that way?¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s hand fluttered, and he raised an eyebrow, ¡°so?¡±


    lu bai hugged the youth¡¯s waist and looked up at him. while he seemed to be stifling his laughter, with his eyes sparkling in the warm light, he pretended to be serious and stated, ¡°so, to atone for my sins, please, ravage me to your heart¡¯s content. i¡¯ll allow you to do anything you want to me-¡± finally unable to hold back his laughter at the end of the sentence, he broke out into a fit of giggles.


    qu xueyu finally finished drying the last curl of the teenager¡¯s black hair. setting the hair dryer aside, he returned the embrace and hugged the teenager back, but his hand entered the teenager¡¯s shirt and roamed around the teenager¡¯s back, and when his hand strayed to the slight dip of his lower back, he gently pressed it, ¡°hmmm?¡±


    ¡°unh¡­¡± lu bai buried his face in the youth¡¯s embrace, his face was a little red, and his voice was a little muffled, ¡°although i was joking, but if you want to, then you can¡­¡±


    having said this he looked up at the other party again, a river of lights flowing in his eyes as he said, ¡°xiao qu, i seem to have made a mistake in my acting.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°hm?¡±


    lu bai then explained, ¡°director zhou told me that huo qi was only intrigued by ruan jiangjiu at that point in time, and didn¡¯t love him yet. but, when you took my wrist, i couldn¡¯t help but love you.¡± saying this, he leaked out some bitterness onto his face, ¡°i must have made it very obvious at that time.¡±


    qu xueyu was looking closely at the teenager who was talking, his pupils were so incredibly dense that there seemed to be a blazing fire in the dark depths.


    edit: krone

 CH 51

    chapter 51


    ¡°you acted very well in the last scene,¡± director zhou did his best to soften his expression while he was teaching lu bai, ¡°afterwards, as long as you follow the same feeling as the last time, you¡¯ll have no problems.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes were bright and clear, his eyes shining brightly, and he asked, ¡°director zhou, i passed the last time?¡±


    director zhou raised his eyebrow and nodded his head. in his eyes, there was a smile when he faced this child: ¡°you did, although there was a certain moment¡­¡± he then chuckled: ¡°but it doesn¡¯t matter¡­ who made you huo qi.¡± perhaps in that moment, huo qi would reveal that kind of expression. this young man is currently shaping him, so he won¡¯t restrain him.


    after a pause, director zhou took the script full of notes to continue explaining the scene to lu bai: ¡°huo qi is capricious and arrogant with no common sense in everyday life, he doesn¡¯t even say a word to ruan jiangjiu before invading his cabin to live in and hogging his bed. not to mention the fact that every day he would wait for the blind and limp person to bring him food in his hand, but he never even says thank you. ruan jiangjiu, however, doesn¡¯t kick him out. because while he feels hopeless, he couldn¡¯t help but want to get close to someone.¡± speaking to this point, he patted lu bai¡¯s shoulder and added: ¡°this is a special scene here, and the vast majority of it is the opposing performance between you and xueyu.¡±


    at this time, qu xueyu happened to finish his makeup and came over. he sat beside lu bai and kissed the other¡¯s head. lu bai rubbed the tip of his nose and looked at the other side and said, ¡°xiao qu, i don¡¯t know how to cook, either.¡±


    qu xueyu who just arrived and didn¡¯t hear their conversation, just chuckled and tapped the tip of lu bai¡¯s nose, and said, ¡°it¡¯s okay, i¡¯ll do it.¡±


    lu bai also ignored that director zhou was still around, and jumped into the other¡¯s arms, ¡°xiao qu you¡¯re so wonderful.¡± then, when he thought of huo qi¡¯s annoying and outrageous behavior of exploiting ruan jiangjiu, he whispered a bit sheepishly, ¡°actually, i, i can learn. i won¡¯t be like huo qi, forcing you to cook for me even when you¡¯re suffering.¡±


    qu xueyu finally realized what the teenager was struggling with, and his heart was a soft mess as he smiled and unashamedly scooped the teenager into his arms. raising an eyebrow as he looked at the other, and asked, ¡°so you won¡¯t eat anymore of my rabbit apples either?¡±


    lu bai smiled as he looked at the youth¡¯s face brimming with a gentle smile, ¡°i¡¯ll peel them for you to eat ah.¡±


    qu xueyu thought in his heart that he couldn¡¯t bear to see him peeling the fruit with a knife, but nodded and teased the youth, ¡°when you say that, i want to get sick.¡±


    lu bai naturally wrapped his arms tight around the youth¡¯s waist as if he was acting spoiled and said, ¡°actually, i cannot bear to see you fall ill.¡±


    director zhou felt that his teeth were going a bit sour while he watched the way qu xueyu smiled without any barriers and was even a bit nauseated. though he was certainly a young master, he was also an arrogant and stubborn young man with a cold personality, and it was only because he had a face that was too bewitching which made so many young girls and boys go crazy and claim that he was gentle. he had been friends with the other for quite a long time, but he had never seen such an expression on the youth. tsk, it¡¯s true that true love changes people drastically. the little old man shook his head and sighed.


    after lu bai had entered the make-up tent and put on his own make-up, director zhou called out ¡°start¡± again.


    ~~~~~~


    huo qi wearing loose-fitting clothes, swaggered in unashamedly and occupied ruan jiangjiu¡¯s bed. the signal here wasn¡¯t good, so he picked up his handheld game console and clicked away vigorously and confidently, while his face remained bored and indifferent.


    standing at the edge of the bed with his arms wrapped around him, the youth was frowning slightly, without any light in his eyes.


    ¡°i don¡¯t think i invited you in.¡±


    huo qi didn¡¯t care that the youth couldn¡¯t see him at all, he just reached out his hand to the other party and said, ¡°hungry.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu: ¡°and?¡±


    huo qi: ¡°i won¡¯t eat on my own if you don¡¯t feed me. you¡¯ll be in trouble if i starve to death. what¡¯s more, you¡¯re already blind and crippled, so getting into trouble would be even worse.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu¡¯s eyebrow jumped and suddenly he had a strange feeling of dissonance, but in the end, he didn¡¯t think too much about it, he just sneered and said, ¡°i¡¯ve been in more trouble and you¡¯re not even close to the top of the list.¡± he said and then left the room.


    huo qi scoffed, but didn¡¯t get up ¨C he really wouldn¡¯t eat unless the youth fed him.


    after a while, huo qi saw the youth come back. he was holding a piece of cake that didn¡¯t look very appetizing. huo qi just wanted to ask, ¡°you don¡¯t think i¡¯m going to eat this, do you?¡± when the youth simply and neatly stuffed a piece of the cake into the young man¡¯s mouth with unparalleled accuracy and force.


    ¡°wu, wu.¡±


    huo qi¡¯s eyes widened ¨C this cake was not only ugly, but it was also salty as hell, he¡¯s never eaten anything this bad in his life. he tried to spit it out somewhat angrily, but the youth caught his chin, ¡°aren¡¯t you wanting to be fed? then eat. wasting food is shameful, swallow it.¡± although his voice was light, his hands were unyielding, and with such a forceful grip, huo qi was forced to swallow the bite of cake.


    ¡°cough, cough.¡±


    just as he was about to lose his temper, the youth had already held a porcelain bowl of water in front of huo qi, who ¡°grunted¡± before gulping down half of the bowl of water right from the youth¡¯s hand.


    ¡°why are you drinking water like a puppy?¡± ruan jiangjiu patted huo qi¡¯s head like he was a puppy.


    huo qi on the surface was proud, he was just about to lose his temper, but when he looked at the youth with dull unseeing eyes, he was dazed ¨C although it was faint, this youth, was smiling¡­ when he smiled, it was so refreshing that it made his heart quiver in excitement for a long time. huo qi stared at the other, with an almost eerie smile on his face, his voice softly discouraging, and said meaningfully, ¡°very good¡±. when he was hoping to pass the time and followed him here, he had never anticipated that this youth would be so very interesting.


    ¡°did you deliberately serve me that awful cake just now?¡± huo qi narrowed his eyes as he stared at the other.


    ruan jiangjiu raised an eyebrow, ¡°yes.¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°after all, i¡¯m blind and crippled, so i can only rely on teasing you for fun. by the way, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    huo qi quietly gazed at the youth who asked him his name for the first time, then shrugged and said, ¡°call me xiao bai.¡± it was his mother¡¯s maiden name anyway.


    ruan jiangjiu nodded, ¡°it really sounds like a puppy¡¯s name.¡±


    this time, huo qi did not get angry, but just let out a light laugh. as he looked at the youth, his tongue wet his lips, and he said meaningfully, ¡°then you should be careful,¡± he said pointedly, ¡°you must know that a dog can bite people.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu simply sniffed and lifted the white porcelain bowl away from huo qi¡¯s mouth, stating, ¡°a dog that bites someone ¨C then you don¡¯t get to drink this water.¡± with that, he turned around and left the room.


    huo qi¡¯s jaw dropped as he sat half-up on the bed, and for the first time, a childish expression of vexation and dumbfoundedness appeared on his face as he reacted. that childishness even overpowered the frivolousness and hostility lingering across his features ¨C that cake was really salty as hell, and he was genuinely thirsty right now, and he hadn¡¯t had enough water at all.


    ¡°cut! pass!¡±


    after the scene passed, qu xueyu went back to their cabin, and upon his return to the set, saw the teenager still propping himself up on the cot, his brow slightly furrowed, seemingly struggling with something. qu xueyu moved quickly and sat down next to the other. he wrapped his arms around the other¡¯s shoulders and asked, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    lu bai sniffed and looked at qu xueyu, his face full of hurt, and said, ¡°is the name xiao bai, really like a puppies name?¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡± he twitched his eyebrow and sighed, ¡°it¡¯s, uh, not really similar.¡± after a pause, he added, ¡°really.¡± and in passing, he sold director zhou out completely, ¡°the script for this movie was written by director zhou, and the name was also chosen by him. be good, don¡¯t bother yourself over it.¡±


    lu bai pouted, a little downcast, ¡°oh.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    the author has something to say: today there will be afternoon or evening updates. i try to write more then! the next chapter or the one after that will have an unexpected twist, but the little angels know that no matter what happens, xiao qu and xiao bai will always like each other and end up being happy together.


    shiotamari:  only 11 chapters left! wish me and my team luck as we try to make our goal of completing this story by the end of the year (2023)! my proofreader¡¯s uni classes keep them busier than they thought so that has been lagging, i am updating the chapters after they find time to get to them. i had a death in the family and took time away from the computer for family and ran out of my stockpile. even my editor has been swamped with irl events! but like i said, goal is to post c62 before the end of the year! then its time to find my next project!


    editor: krone

 CH 52

    chapter 52


    ¡°for the next scene, we have to shoot on a snowy mountain. we don¡¯t have to be too high, just a little higher up the mountainside.¡± director zhou had called lu bai and qu xueyu to come with him this time, and after saying this, he looked at lu bai and continued, ¡°huo qi is capricious and loves to torment people. he is even more interested in ruan jiangjiu, so he tries his best to harass him. he hid the only relic that ruan jiangju had left of his father and told the other to accompany him and climb the snowy mountains before he would return it to him, and ruan jiangju, meanwhile, was still blind and crippled. huo qi just wanted to see ruan jiangjiu angry while having to surrender to him.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°this person is really bad.¡± he glanced at qu xueyu¡¯s cool and tender appearance due to his makeup and haircut, and then looked back to director zhou: ¡°xiao qu is so great, huo qi should treat xiao qu as a treasure. how could he bully him like this.¡± after a pause, he quietly grabbed the youth¡¯s fingers, and with a straight face: ¡°only i can bully xiao qu.¡±


    director zhou: ¡°¡­¡±


    qu xueyu coughed slightly, his ears were a little red, but he held back his laughter and stroked the young man¡¯s hair.


    director zhou took a deep breath as he watched the two people flirting with each other, and drawled as he said to lu bai, ¡°xiao lu, you are huo qi.¡± he paused and then began to talk about the scene, saying: ¡°on the mountain, huo qi gets high altitude sickness1physical distress from difficulty adjusting to lower oxygen pressure at high altitude. most cases of altitude sickness are mild, but some may be life-threatening. symptoms tend to occur within hours after arrival at high altitude and include headache, nausea, shortness of breath, and inability to exercise. mild cases may resolve in one to three days. severe cases may require oxygen, medications, and moving to a lower altitude. source, and had to let the blind cripple carry him on his back and fumble his way down the mountain. it was on ruan jiangjiu¡¯s back that huo xiu fainted, but his feelings for ruan jiangjiu began to change.¡±


    then director zhou raised his chin towards qu xueyu and said: ¡°there is nothing i should be worried about, but i still want to remind you. in the scene, i want you to keep yourself together and do what you need to do. when you are in a scene, you are ruan jiangjiu, and xiao lu is huo qi.¡± qu xueyu was a bit proud, but there is no doubt about his professional ability. he never needed to worry about him when shooting a movie, but with this teenager that he was playing against, it felt too personal for qu xueyu.


    but he himself is also guilty, director zhou thought, he actually let a loving couple come and play as enemies. it is not without an understanding yet it was annoying, but there was no other alternative. finding a suitable person to play huo qi was not easy.


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow but nevertheless nodded with a slight smile. as he looked over at the teenager, his eyes were glowing with warmth and humor, and for the first time in his career, spoke an irreverent and unconvincing sentence, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    director zhou huffed but didn¡¯t say anything.


    although qu xueyu had made the remark, when he entered the frame, he had already completely shifted into the brooding ruan jiangjiu.


    ¡°give me back the photo.¡± ruan jiangjiu grit his teeth. he tugged on huo qi¡¯s wrist, throwing the guy against the wooden wall. there was obvious anger in his dull eyes ¨C if the other man wanted to play, he could play along with him, and even if some of the other¡¯s pranks went too far, it didn¡¯t matter, he could then pay him back. however, everyone has their own bottom line.


    this time the man took away the only family photo he had. his family home had caught fire, and all the other photos had been burned out, except for this one.


    huo qi looked at the youth¡¯s enraged appearance and finally burst out into a low laugh, which was both chilling and contained giddy malice as he asked, ¡°what if i don¡¯t give it back to you?¡± like he was teasing a toy.


    huo qi did not deliberately change his voice anymore, but ruan jiangjiu did not recognize him because he had never listened carefully to huo qi¡¯s voice before or just because he had been spending too much time with huo qi lately and was unable to clearly identify his voice. he just frowned sharply, grabbing huo qi¡¯s collar and pinning the other against the wall, his voice sounding frighteningly frigid: ¡°do you know what? i¡¯ve seen a real monster. i got too close to him once, and he turned me into a vicious person as well¡­ and now i can do anything.¡±


    huo qi, however, just stared at the youth¡¯s up-close soft and rather fetching lips with narrowed eyes, the tip of his tongue flicking across his lips.


    the fall sky in the grassland was wide, the air carrying the fragrance of fresh grass. in the distance are the majestic snow-capped mountains, the slowly setting sun starting to spill over the top, as if shedding a handful of blood.


    huo qi stared at the colored mountain peaks in the distance, a mischievous smile spread across his face and he suddenly exclaimed, ¡°accompany me up the mountain and i¡¯ll return it to you.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu abruptly let go of him and cursed, ¡°psycho.¡± nevertheless, he turned around and took big strides in the general direction towards the snow-covered mountains. huo qi barked out a malicious light laugh, so he hung back and followed the other party to walk towards that place as well.


    ¡°cut! pass!¡±


    when this scene was over, the sun was still low in the sky, so director zhou urged the cast and crew to rush to the mountain site not far away. he knew that it might be a bit of a scramble today, but he still wanted to take a shot and try his luck. the altitude of this place was already high, but the mountains were even higher, and they had already made preparations. the tour guide had found oxygen tanks and other necessary supplies in advance, and the scene would only be filmed not far from the base of the mountain, for safety reasons.


    qu xueyu and bo yangzhi talked about something, and then qu xueyu pulled lu bai to an isolated corner, draping a cotton coat around the other person, and started to undo the buttons of the slightly thinner coat that he was wearing for the scene.


    lu bai obediently let the other man maneuver and did not struggle. his ears were red, but his eyes were bright. there was a sense of mischief in his eyes, and he pretended to be shocked and asked, ¡°do you want to do it here, xiao qu? in broad daylight? you¡¯re really too wild!¡± although he said that, his face was unable to hold back his smile. even put his hand into the pockets of the others¡¯ coat in a particularly natural way without difficulty.


    qu xueyu tore open the warm babies2brand of heat packs. these are thinner and gently adhesive on one side to wear under clothes and not be noticeable. helpful for when one is wearing thin or fewer clothes than they should. packaging in his hand. he raised his eyebrow and glanced at the teenager with a smirk: ¡°the sky is nearly dark, it¡¯s not exactly broad daylight.¡± as he said that, he put a sheet of warm baby under lu bai¡¯s shirt on his lower back, and then he gently kneaded the teenager¡¯s waist.


    ¡°mmm¡­¡± lu bai docilely buried his face into the other¡¯s chest, letting the other have his way.


    qu xueyu smiled somewhat helplessly. tearing open the rest of the warm babies, he carefully pasted them on for the teenager. it was almost nightfall, and the snowy mountains were definitely cold. for the purpose of filming the scene, however, he had to wear a slightly thinner coat for the desired visual impact.


    the youth¡¯s embrace was gentle and slightly cool, penetrating through the thin fabric to the skin, the face of lu bai was slightly red in the youth¡¯s embrace, thinking of something, he tilted his head up to look at qu xueyu: ¡°xiao qu, what about you?¡±


    when qu xueyu put the last piece on, he answered, ¡°don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s more.¡±


    lu bai hugged the other¡¯s waist, ¡°then i¡¯ll help you apply them too.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes curved up as he ruffled the teenager¡¯s curly hair, ¡°okay.¡±


    ~~~~~


    because they needed to find a snowy place to shoot, the crew came to a gentle slope in the shade of the snowy mountains. the sun had not yet fully set, and the golden rays of light spilled down into the white snow fields in the shade, presenting a strange sense of sacredness.


    after all the preparations were made, director zhou called out to start.


    huo qi fell into the snow, his face pale and panting heavily.


    with the higher elevation up here, he was having some altitude sickness, and he hadn¡¯t even thought about bringing an oxygen tank.


    ruan jiangjiu squatted in front of huo qi with a cold face. reaching out, he groped for the other man¡¯s face and patted him, then said, ¡°now, return the photo to me.¡±


    the sky is gradually painted with dark colors, and the endless snow appears cold and shadowy. huo qi¡¯s hands were pressing into the snow, being frozen until they turned red, his face was frighteningly blanched, but the tip of his nose was getting frostbitten. due to the altitude change, his heart was fluttering terribly, and yet as he looked at the appearance of that young man he coughed out a laugh, and he hoarsely asked, ¡°so, it¡¯s that important to you?¡±


    ruan jiangjiu coldly nodded and extended his hand towards the other again, ¡°it¡¯s very important. so give it back.¡±


    huo qi raised his eyebrow, staring at the youth for a long time. but with a shivering hand, he managed to hand the thin photo over to the other ¨C but only half of it. he kept the remaining half. despite his current lightheadedness, he was looking forward to seeing the youth¡¯s enraged appearance when he found out about it.


    ruan jiangjiu naturally quickly noticed. frowning furiously, he stood up and turned around to walk away ¨C although his eyes could not see, he was able to navigate with the simple crutches he had under his arms. while that guy was the worst kind of human, he should be left for dead on the snowy mountains.


    with the youth gone, all is silent amidst the snow. huo qi was lying flat in the snow. his heart palpitations were getting worse, his lips were blushing and starting to crack as he panted heavily. the snow chilled through his clothes, freezing him into the ground. yet he merely stared blankly up at the darkening sky, a detached yet placid grin on his face-it seemed that he was really going to die. when the young man called ruan jiangjiu found out that the one he had left in the snow to die had been his enemy, what kind of expression would he have on his face?


    the moment the tips of the young man¡¯s crutches reappeared in his line of sight, huo qi half-closed his eyes and giggled quietly-saying that he had also become a bad guy, yet he was still so soft-hearted. in this world, those who are soft-hearted will always be hurt. there are always many fleeting opportunities that they miss, just like how this young man, who clearly had the chance to take revenge, still returned to help him, the bad guy.


    ruan jiangjiu¡¯s grim face remained silent. he just groped his way to pick up huo qi, who was nearly unconscious, and slung him onto his back. struggling to stand up again, he left one of his crutches behind. using his remaining crutch to help him find his path, he steadied huo qi¡¯s body with his other hand. that was how he limped through the silent snowy terrain.


    huo qi¡¯s eyelashes were caked with cold snow, which was now gently touching the bared skin of the youth¡¯s neck.


    ¡°why, return?¡± the corner of huo qi¡¯s face let out a shallow smile brewing with madness, but he was too tired. as he spoke, his upper and lower eyelids subconsciously fluttered together, his eyelashes trembling, melting onto the back of the youth¡¯s neck thanks to the ice and snow on them.


    ruan jiangjiu felt the ice-cold tickle, but his grim face did not say anything, just leaning on his crutch and laboriously moving forward.


    his eyes were still blind, so he couldn¡¯t see what kind of strange gaze was coming from the young man on his back who was holding on with his eyes half-open.


    ~~~~~~


    director zhou looked at the two people in the camera and nodded with satisfaction-it seemed that there wasn¡¯t even a need to reshoot, he just needed to supplement with an additional couple of shots showing the two people¡¯s profiles.


    lu bai was being steadily carried by qu xueyu, and when he noticed that the camera position had started to change, he knew that they wanted to shoot some back shots. if he was filming his back, he wouldn¡¯t need to act as huo qi anymore.


    ¡°xiao qu,¡± he leaned closer to the youth¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°are you cold?¡± the youth was wearing even thinner clothes than he was.


    qu xueyu had not yet gotten out of character when he heard the teenager¡¯s illusive voice, he paused. closing his eyes, and then reopening them, they were filled with a gentle warmth and he continued walking, quietly whispering, ¡°i¡¯m not cold, xiao bai. if you¡¯re cold, you can slip your hand under my collar and hold on to me, i¡¯m warm there.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s heart felt like a soft mess, as he was about to say something, he suddenly glanced at the youth¡¯s ears which were a little red from the cold, and was startled ¨C he was wearing a very thin outfit, so how could he not be cold?


    lu bai frowned slightly, his line of sight could only see the youth¡¯s cool jawline and a little bit of the tip of his nose, which, as expected, was also red.


    after a few seconds of silence, lu bai gently pressed his lips to the youth¡¯s earlobe. as long as the movement was kept to a minimum, the camera at the back should not be able to capture it.


    feeling the kiss on his ear, qu xueyu¡¯s eyes dilated, and his steps stuttered before continuing forward. his steps on the fresh snow made a squeaking crunch.


    following the earlobe kisses, lu bai kissed the young man¡¯s neck which was exposed to the cold air. these kisses were gentle and soft as if they were filled with boundless affection.


    qu xueyu¡¯s voice was hoarse and low: ¡°xiao bai, wh-why?¡±


    lu bai brushed his lips over the other¡¯s cold skin again before he whispered, ¡°my hands are too cold to provide any warmth, and the movements would be too big. but my mouth is soft and hot, it can help you get warm ah.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s breathing was turbulent for a moment, his heart going nearly sour with softness.


    the night had completely shrouded the snowy land, and the view from afar was colored in a cold mix of deep blues and snowy whites. in that instant, qu xueyu felt that he was willing to carry this teenager on his back and walk along this road for eternity.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: oooh still haven¡¯t written the twist, but it¡¯s coming! after i finish the twist, it¡¯s going to be over! (i¡¯ll try my best to finish it by the end of this month!) (shakes fist and sets up a flag.jpg)3they don¡¯t lol. author posted this chapter sept 9th 2020, and the final chapter, c62, was uploaded feb 16th 2021. (latest update was feb 14 2023 on c59)


    editor: krone

 CH 53

    chapter 53


    ¡°xiao bai, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s done.¡±


    when lu bai received a text from lu zhi, the stone that had been hanging high in his heart finally broke free.


    qu xueyu entered the tent then, with a business card in his hand, and sat down by his side. then lu bai climbed onto him and looked at it: ¡°who is this?¡±


    qu xueyu quirked an eyebrow, ¡°hmmm¡­ a psychology professor.¡± ruan jiangjiu¡¯s character has a mental disorder, and when he turns dark in the later stages of his life, this disorder is fully revealed, so director zhou gave qu xueyu the information of one of his many contacts, asking him to consult the other person for advice in the later stages of the film.


    lu bai gestured to himself with gusto, ¡°you could have asked me!¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrows rose: ¡°??¡±


    lu bai: ¡°i¡¯m a psychology minor at university.¡± although up to now he has only studied for one year. his learning is quite shallow, but he is quite diligent in his studies. he smiled as he thought of this, ¡°i¡¯ve been studying hypnosis ¨C oh, in fact, it¡¯s more like a kind of psychological suggestion. my professor has said that i¡¯ve got a talent for it.¡± after a moment, his eyes fell to look at the ground, and added in a mumble, ¡°¡®cause it¡¯s something i had wanted to learn in my old world.¡±1 ¡°overall, psychiatrists are trained in both medicine and mental health, while psychologists focus solely on mental health. both psychologists and psychiatrists can find work in a private practice, mental health clinic, treatment facility (such as drug or alcohol rehab centers), general or psychiatric hospital, academic center, and many other settings.¡± ¡ªucla ¡®whats the difference between psychologists and psychiatrists¡¯


    qu xueyu smiled softly and wrapped him up in his arms, kissing his forehead. he solemnly looked at lu bai and asked, ¡°xiao bai, in fact, when you told me that there are other worlds outside of this world, i wasn¡¯t surprised. humans tend to be shallow and ignorant. but i have to ask-¡± his eyes seemed bright and gentle, and he kissed the corner of the teenager¡¯s mouth and continued, ¡°will you return to your original world?¡±


    lu bai quietly looked at the young man¡¯s eyes which were like shining starlight but only held his silhouette, then said, ¡°xiao qu, if i were to say i will, what would you do?¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s face continued to wear a smile, but as if he was afraid that the young man would disappear in the next second, he clutched the young man tightly in his arms.


    lu bai¡¯s ears seemed to hear a soft sigh of resignation that couldn¡¯t be any lighter, and then, he received the youth¡¯s steadfast and gentle reply.


    ¡°xiao bai, i would let you go.¡± the youth whispered in his ear, his voice sounding as if he would drift away, ¡°in fact, if that day really comes, i¡¯ll be so envious of your world that it would drive me to madness¡­ but i love you, so would let you go.¡± then, perhaps spend the rest of his life being filled with hopeless longing, or after sending away the only relative he cared about in this world, exhaust all his strength to reach that world where his beloved existed.


    lu bai snuggled in the other¡¯s arms, his eyes curved up, yet they reddened. he wrapped his arms around the youth¡¯s neck to whisper in the youth¡¯s ear, ¡°but i don¡¯t want to leave.¡± in this world, he had both his family and his beloved, which made this place also a real world to him. the world where he has already lost the only people he cared about is no longer his home.


    lu bai nudged qu xueyu away from him and then placed qu xueyu¡¯s hand over his heart.


    thump, thump, thump.


    feeling the young man¡¯s strong and warm heartbeat under his palm, qu xueyu¡¯s eyes shuttered.


    he then heard the teenager state, ¡°my mom and dad will always be in here. xiao qu and my family in this world will always be in here as well.¡±


    the teenager¡¯s glistening eyes were shining in the warm light, honey gold and white, clean and transparent, coated with glittering tears.


    qu xueyu felt his heart beating rapidly, about to jump out of his chest.


    he covered the back of the teenager¡¯s neck and fiercely hugged the teenager into his bosom. then he vigorously nibbled on the other¡¯s lips and squashed the other underneath him.


    ¡°mmm¡­ ¡± lu bai enjoyed the youth¡¯s passionate embrace, reaching up to wrap his own arms around the youth¡¯s neck.


    ~~~


    after the last kiss, lu bai¡¯s clothes were messy as he clutched the youth¡¯s waist while gently panting. he looked at the youth with a crafty yet innocent twinkle in his eyes, ¡°tomorrow, before returning to jinghai, you and i will have a make-out scene-¡± he pinched the other¡¯s chin mimicking huo qi to call the other¡¯s name: ¡°xiao ruan, will you still kiss me like this then? give me your love?¡± the tone and expression was that of a playboy¡¯s, but his eyes were still bright and happy ¨C and so, so adorable.


    qu xueyu raised his eyebrow, his eyes profound. he lightly nipped the teenager¡¯s lip, before heaving a sigh and intimately resting his forehead against the teenager¡¯s forehead to look him in the eyes, he proclaimed, ¡°xiao bai, if you look at me with such eyes in that moment, i indeed couldn¡¯t help myself-even if director zhou carded2if the director calls a shot no-good (card) they would have to re-shoot it me a hundred times, i would not be able to resist taking the initiative and kissing you.¡± to be able to hold back is not human.


    lu bai grinned as his eyebrows arched, ¡°oh~?¡±


    ~~~~~~


    as lu bai had said, the last scene set in the grassland was an intimate one. director zhou didn¡¯t worry about qu xueyu, but he thought that it was lu bai¡¯s first time as an actor to perform in this kind of scene, and he even cleared the set of extra personnel when explaining the scene to him.


    the location of this scene was ruan jiangjiu¡¯s cabin. the house was cleared, and at this time there were only three people there: director zhou, lu bai, and qu xueyu.


    director zhou, a little old man, slapped the stiff bed and looked at his two actors so passionately that even his native dialect came out: ¡°the bed scene, ya¡¯ know it bah?¡± this is one of the biggest and most important scenes in the movie.


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyebrow twitched, and lu bai felt some rare nerves and embarrassment and quietly held qu xueyu¡¯s hand. the youth immediately returned his grip, not seeming to mind his slightly wet palm. lu bai perked up with a smile, and qu xueyu curved his eyes and brushed the other party¡¯s hair back behind his ear.


    ¡°xiao lu, you can¡¯t smile like that,¡± director zhou emphasized as soon as he saw the smile on lu bai¡¯s face and patted the other¡¯s shoulder, ¡°this bed scene is very oppressive, even to the extent of becoming perverse, how could you smile so sweetly? if you smile so darn sweetly, would ruan jiangjiu still be reluctant to sleep with you? when you smile like that, whoever would reject you is blind, eh?¡± this smile looks like a loving sweetheart, the opposite of the perverted, twisted, and oppressive situation in the movie.


    lu bai: ¡°xiao ruan is indeed blind at this point.¡±


    director zhou huffed, rolling up the script and lightly smacking lu bai on the head, ¡°you just can¡¯t smile like that.¡± saying this, he looked at qu xueyu again and said, ¡°qu xueyu you damn well better pay attention to laozi3reminder, this is slang for ¡®your father¡¯. used to demand respect, not actually qxy¡¯s father. too, put that away.¡±


    qu xueyu cocked an eyebrow and boldly wrapped his arm around the teenager¡¯s shoulders, and looked at director zhou: ¡°even the most depressing bed scene is still a bed scene. when you come to an unfamiliar environment, you have to familiarize yourself with it in advance. director zhou, we¡¯ll familiarize ourselves with the scene while you talk about it.¡±


    director zhou frowned in his heart, i say you have already eaten the little guy clean and are still not familiar enough? but to see lu bai being held happily by the young man, his heart softened ¨C let it go, if there is a problem, it¡¯s not a great problem to spend more money on a few more takes if the scene was not good.


    so director zhou watched the two people puttering around and began to talk about the scene: ¡°after huo qi came down, he fell sick, and it was ruan jiangjiu who took care of him. in the process of someone taking care of him, huo qi became strongly possessive of him. huo qi is a twisted man, but he has a sense of cleanliness. before this, he had not slept with ruan jiangjiu, he had only toyed with him in front of outsiders, humiliating him, torturing him, and playing with him to death. at some point in being taken care of by ruan jiangjiu, it was then that this playboy suddenly wanted to kiss him.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°tch, what a lack of vision.¡± he tilted his head to look at the delicate-faced youth, ¡°if i were huo qi, i would have wanted to sleep with my family¡¯s xiao qu the first time i saw him!¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­ ¡± well, as expected of his family¡¯s little friend, how adorable, so bold to say.


    director zhou also choked and coughed before continuing to talk through the scene, ¡°he made this request directly, but ruan jiangjiu just thought he was sick, and of course, he didn¡¯t agree. so huo qi came up with a rather drastic solution ¨C he was already a bit of a crazy guy with a twisted nature.¡±


    ¡°he drugged ruan jiangjiu.¡± finally, director zhou shrugged.


    lu bai: ¡°heh, perverted scumbag bastard.¡± he looked at director zhou with a blank stare, ¡°director zhou, why do you like such a character?¡±


    the little old man seemed to have been stabbed in the heart. he was silent for a few seconds then let out a light laugh and gently patted lu bai¡¯s shoulder, like a kind elder, and said, ¡°children shouldn¡¯t ask so many questions. xue yu, you talk to xiao lu again about what he should pay attention to when you¡¯re recording, i¡¯ll wait for you outside, and we¡¯ll start filming in a bit.¡±


    lu bai faintly felt that he seemed to have unintentionally poked at a wound in director zhou¡¯s heart, so he nodded obediently with some guilt. qu xueyu also said ¡°alright¡±.


    ¡°did i say the wrong thing just now?¡± lu bai looked towards the doorway and asked.


    ¡°it¡¯s okay.¡± qu xueyu rubbed the teenager¡¯s hair and smiled, ¡°even though he won¡¯t admit it, he does need to find out. xiao bai, maybe you helped him.¡±


    after a few seconds of silence, lu bai asked, ¡°is it true that director zhou isn¡¯t married and doesn¡¯t have any children? in that case, we¡¯ll visit him often in the future.¡±


    qu xueyu smiled, ¡°good.¡±


    ~~~~~


    ¡°start!¡± behind the camera, director zhou gave the order. the small room was cleared, leaving only essential personnel, and the camera featured a strange kind of ambiguous feeling.


    ruan jiangjiu was expressionless in the dim light as he fed huo qi his medicine.


    huo qi drank the bitter medicinal liquid he hated the most, and then, he tilted his head to look at the youth and righteously declared, ¡°i want you to kiss me.¡±


    crshhh!


    the medicine bowl in ruan jiangjiu¡¯s hand fell to the ground and shattered into shards and small wet spots.


    ¡°psycho.¡± ruan jiangjiu coldly groped for the shards on the floor to gather them up, then turned around and left the cabin. the half-sitting huo qi on the bed stared intently at the other¡¯s silhouette, and narrowed his eyes, then, an icy smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth-what he wanted to get, he never failed to obtain.


    ~~


    there are often people selling their goods on the grassland, and it is not difficult to obtain some shameful or dirty drugs from those people. huo qi has not yet fully recovered from his illness, his face is still very pale, but his eyes are amazingly dark, it seemed as if there was no light in them, and they were even a bit scary. he casually weighed the item in his hand, and returned to the wooden cabin-the youth had gone to the river to wash vegetables, and would not return until later.


    it¡¯s easy to pull tricks in front of a blind man, and huo qi just boldly poured the powder into the youth¡¯s cup of water with a big, paranoid grin.


    ~~


    ruan jiangjiu¡¯s cheeks were flushed red as he collapsed on his bed, panting heavily. it was as if there was a fire burning violently inside his body, and even in his blood.


    a human¡¯s senses become more sensitive once they lose one. without sight, the remaining senses become more keen to compensate for the loss.


    huo qi sat on the youth, wearing only a white shirt. he leaned down in the somber moonlight that filtered in through the window, almost obsessively looking at the youth¡¯s tightly clenched teeth, red face, dark and disoriented eyes, and the veins protruding from his forehead.


    when he gently covered the youth¡¯s hand that was gripping the bed sheet tightly with bulging veins, he let out a low laugh and brought his lips to the youth¡¯s ear, ¡°i bet you¡¯re having a hard time right now.¡±


    as if through clenched teeth, the youth spat out four words, ¡°get, the hell, out.¡±4origanally three characters, ¡®¹ö³öÈ¥¡¯ ¹ö g¨³n ¨C to boil; to roll; to take a hike; get lost! ³öÈ¥ ch¨± q¨´ ¨C to go out


    ¡°no. how can i play if i leave.¡± huo qi laughed suddenly, his eyes were dark without any luster, and his face was pale, but his lips were ruddy like blood. his whole presence in the gloomy moonlight was like that of a malicious ghost.


    ¡°kiss me.¡± huo qi commanded. he moved his lips towards the young man¡¯s lips, coming very close but not touching. in the end-what he wanted was for the young man to take the initiative to kiss him.


    ruan jiangjiu felt the other¡¯s warm breath on his face, and together with those damned words, they were like feathers brushing against his body, where a careless step would lead to complete degradation, itching, and numbing.


    he clenched his teeth and strained to avert his face, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.


    huo qi sneered as he slipped a hand into the youth¡¯s clothes. feeling the youth¡¯s almost rigid body, he brought his lips to the youth¡¯s ear. with a heart full of malicious intentions and other indiscernible bits in his mind, he softly remarked, ¡°i know you¡¯re feeling very uncomfortable right now.¡± after a pause, his voice was even milder, with a touch of tenderness. to the youth¡¯s ears he sounded like both a devil and a siren, terrifying: ¡°if you take the initiative to kiss me, i¡¯ll let you do it. to cure you of your poison.¡±


    ruan jiangjiu¡¯s eyes widened.


    snap


    while his eyes were still clouded in darkness, he felt like a string had snapped in his brain. despite not being able to see, no one could resist such a temptation.


    he clenched his jaw, his hand raising up mechanically with each passing second, and when he felt the warm skin, he heavily closed it over the back of the teenager¡¯s neck, and then ferociously brought the teenager down underneath him.


    before completely losing his mind and taking the prize he¡¯d been promised, he didn¡¯t forget to give the other what he wanted in exchange.


    a soft kiss reflected across his lips, where the youth¡¯s body burned hot, but his lips had a faint coolness to them.


    huo qi¡¯s pupils contracted, as if somewhat stunned ¨C it turns out that being kissed by someone was this kind of feeling. immediately afterward, he broke out into a low, crazed laugh, his voice hoarse and muffled.


    he almost completely lost his mind before the youth fully pressed him down, without knowing what kind of emotions were crossing through his heart, and under the cold moonlight with the dark shadows, a transparent tear quietly flowed from the corner of huo qi¡¯s right eye.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: oooh, still didn¡¯t write the twist, crying late at night!


    shio: so just wondering, if me and my team can actually finish translating this before the end of the year¡­ would you guys prefer a lump update of all the final chapters or a daily post?


    editor: krone


    proofread: ¡ª

 CH 54

    chapter 54


    ¡°cut! pass!¡±


    once the scene was successfully filmed, director zhou called out and led everyone out, not forgetting to assist the others with the door. naturally, after shooting this kind of scene, it is necessary to clear the set again. to make sure that lu bai doesn¡¯t feel embarrassed after his first time doing this kind of scene ¨C after all, after the first time, a person¡¯s heart will feel more comfortable, so they can smoothly perform subsequent intimate scenes later, no?


    lu bai was still lying on the hard bed and didn¡¯t try to get up. curling his toes, his legs felt cold. qu xueyu put on his shirt and leaned over to stroke the teenager¡¯s slightly wet bangs, fearing that the other would catch a cold he then used the thick and soft blanket on the other to cover the other tightly. although they didn¡¯t actually do it, they had to stick to the director¡¯s requirements, which made it quite a bit easier to perform. they also fell into the scene, and it was quite heartbreaking to capture it.


    ¡°are you okay?¡± qu xueyu gently touched the tip of the teenager¡¯s nose.


    lu bai half sat up and hugged his partner¡¯s waist, burying his face in the other¡¯s bosom, sniffling and saying, ¡°it¡¯s a bit hard to endure.¡±


    qu xueyu gently patted the teenager¡¯s back like a child, smiling helplessly and dotingly, ¡°what?¡±


    lu bai acted spoiled and then cuddled up to the other more closely, ¡°i know it¡¯s a movie, and it¡¯s all made up. xiao qu is not xiao qu and i¡¯m not me either, but it¡¯s just hard for me not to be upset.¡± after a pause, lu bai tilted his head and looked straight into the eyes of qu xueyu: ¡°xiao qu, if you kiss me, i¡¯ll definitely not be sad anymore.¡±


    qu xueyu quietly regarded the teenager looking into his eyes, full of dependence. his heart softened into a puddle, he smiled and leaned over, catching the teenager¡¯s soft lips, tenderly and languidly kissing him.


    after the kiss, lu bai¡¯s pale face finally improved a bit, a smile emerged on his face, and his eyes arched into crescent moons: ¡°xiao qu, you are my precious treasure, i can¡¯t live without you.¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow: ¡°hmm, a baby, it¡¯s acceptable.¡±1±¦±´ b¨£o b¨¨i ¨C treasured object, treasure, darling, baby = small play on words. i believe i already made a footnote about this when they confronted qxy¡¯s mother a few chapters ago. but felt like i should include again as it helps make qxy¡¯s response make more sense. after all, he had even been his canary. after a moment, he fetched lu bai¡¯s clothes and brought them over to lu bai¡¯s side, while he himself got off the bed.


    lu bai subconsciously reached out and grabbed the other¡¯s sleeve. qu xueyu turned back and gently rubbed the teenager¡¯s tresses, saying, ¡°be good. get dressed first, while i go find you some hot water.¡± his voice was a bit hoarse, and it was already getting cold, so it was better for him to drink some hot water. however, he was actually quite shy outside, and it was really not appropriate to let an assistant in under these circumstances.


    lu bai was slightly mollified, so he let go of his sleeve, and qu xueyu headed outside.


    the lights in the cabin were dim, and as lu bai continued to look at the young man¡¯s elegant back in the darkness, he somehow felt a sense of unease in his heart that he could not explain¡­


    lu bai frowned as he looked at the youth¡¯s back out of reach¡­ for a moment, he felt that his back was distorted and illusory in the light, and almost subconsciously, he reached out his hand towards the other, and the words that came out of his mouth were tinged with inexplicable panic: ¡°xiao qu-!¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s steps lurched, and he turned around again, a helpless but doting smile on his face as he caught hold of the young man¡¯s hand that had been extended towards him, ¡°what?¡±


    lu bai returned his firm grip on the youth¡¯s well-defined hand and felt dazed ¨C it was hot, so warm and real¡­


    lu bai blankly stared, then blinked and smiled, letting go of the young man¡¯s hand: ¡°it¡¯s nothing. just, just reluctant about being away from you.¡± perhaps he was overthinking it.


    qu xueyu laughed and arched his eyebrow, he stretched out a finger and gently tapped the teenager¡¯s head, ¡°i¡¯ll be back as soon as i find some hot water, so you can drink some to warm up and we¡¯ll go back to the tent.¡± the teenager had sweat on his body and it was too cold outside, it would be unpleasant if he got sick.


    lu bai nodded obediently while wearing the blanket, ¡°oh.¡±


    qu xueyu then once again turned and walked away.


    lu bai intently and dependently watched the other¡¯s back.


    cree-


    suddenly, the ground seemed to shift slightly, and the bed and table in the wooden house let out an inconspicuous soft squeak as if it were a hallucination.


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, and for some strange reason, an inexplicable foreboding flooded his mind, and the words on that paper airplane suddenly flashed in his mind


    ¡°you love ruan jiangjiu, right? then, please, save him.¡±2end of chapter 38


    the paper airplane that seemed like a curse found in the maple forest ¨C the maple leaves that were as bright red as blood¡­


    lu bai¡¯s body trembled violently ¨C blood¡­


    his eyes dilated, and almost instinctively, he got out of bed and stumbled towards the youth¡¯s back ¨C he was close, after all, this room was so small¡­ he would be able to touch his xiao qu¡­


    the ground shook violently, and the shouts of the staff outside the house of ¡°earthquake! ¡± and the shouts of mr. bo yangzhi and director zhou as they called their names sounded unreal¡­


    lu bai couldn¡¯t hear a thing. in his eyes and heart, there was only the young man who seemed to be so close to him and yet too far away to be caught¡­


    this wooden hut was specially built for filming, and there was only one support beam for the roof, which was right above qu xueyu¡¯s head. when the ground started to tremble, the deadly beam shifted and fell down!


    ¡°xiao qu!¡±


    lu bai lunged at the other party with all the strength he could muster.


    he stretched out his hand towards him, and the moment he grasped the other¡¯s wrist a transparent resistance seemed to rise out of nowhere in the air¡­


    no, it¡¯s too late, he¡¯s not allowed to be too late!


    lu bai¡¯s eyes were as red as a monster¡¯s, bits of the broken beam and collapsing roof pelted his body and cut blood marks on his neck, but he didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it, he just gritted his teeth and fiercely stretched out his hand towards the other party!


    before the roof beam came crashing down, he was able to grip the young man¡¯s wrist and pull him to his side by using all his efforts in spite of the youth¡¯s shaken state of mind.


    the roof beam fell with a loud bang, and without any support the entire wooden house collapsed, qu xueyu almost instinctively shielded the youth in his arms.


    broken boards and sharp shards fell one after another, burying the two people who were hugging each other tightly underneath.


    lu bai was light-headed, warm blood dripping over his eyes, his brain frantically flooding with new memories. after a hectic moment, he had managed to grab hold of the young man firmly, and a light smile appeared on his pale, blood-stained face. this time, he finally succeeded in his goal of making amends¡­


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: absolutely no abuse! the author guarantees!


    edit: krone


    proofread: ¡ª

 CH 55

    chapter 55


    like a dream, deep and distant and limitless. inside was a clear and long-lasting memory¡­


    blood stained the gray road with red.


    a handsome young man collapsed in a pool of blood, the light in his eyes seemed like a fragile spark that was about to be extinguished, but deep in the depths of that spark, there was an unwilling obsession.


    ¡°why¡­?¡± lu bai fell to his knees in the middle of the road. he held the dying young man in a daze, with his hands and clothes stained with warm blood. his eyes were wide open, filled with shock and disbelief, while tears quietly flowed down his face.


    the original plot was never like this! this was his plot! he was the villainous male support, lu bai!


    the one who was supposed to die here was him¡­


    lu bai, the villainous male character in this book, dies in a car accident at the age of nineteen. lu bai, to sabotage the date of the protagonists gong and shou, goes to wreak havoc, but because of a truck that runs a red light, he dies in a flash on his way there.


    the world has used the punishment mechanism and the temptation of ¡°going home¡± to force him to go through the plot. it¡¯s as if he was being forced to participate in a game, and completing the plot of the ¡°villainous male support¡± seems to be the only solution. the world has created the illusion that if he completes his storyline, he will be able to return to his original world and be reborn ¨C even if the final plotline of him being a villainous male was a car accident and death.


    fresh, bright red blood dripped from the corner of the young man¡¯s lips again, and lu bai trembled violently as if awakened from a nightmare. he stretched out his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of the young man¡¯s mouth, his hand trembling uncontrollably as if wiping the blood clean would bring the young man back to life.


    ¡°qu xueyu¡­¡± the blood couldn¡¯t be completely wiped clean, lu bai sobbed and cried: ¡°why¡­?¡± obviously, he was the one who should have been hit by the truck, but this young man appeared unexpectedly and pushed him away. he pushed him away, and he suffered all the pain on his behalf¡­and even, his death¡­


    ¡°because¡­ i like you, xiao bai.¡±


    the young man¡¯s weak voice was like a soft sigh, but it rang in lu bai¡¯s mind as clearly as a thunderbolt.


    lu bai¡¯s pupils shrank. his disheveled bangs covered his eyebrows and eyes, so no matter how hard the youth who was collapsed in his arms tried to discern, he couldn¡¯t read lu bai¡¯s expression at this moment.


    qu xueyu laughed helplessly and laboriously, more blood spilling between his teeth. this type of affectionate statement should be said at a better time, it would be best to say it when the moon is full and the flowers are beautiful¡­ saying it now would not be romantic at all, and it would only scare the other¡­


    but if he doesn¡¯t say it now ¨C qu xueyu¡¯s eyes reveal a flash of unwillingness and helplessness ¨C if he doesn¡¯t say it now, it¡¯ll be too late. he¡¯s not the kind of person who keeps his love in his heart till after he dies.


    when he heard his confession, what kind of expression would he see in the young man¡¯s eyes, obscured by his curly bangs? qu xueyu pondered whether he would be shocked, touched, embarrassed, or ¡­ disgusted? no, although this child always looks fierce in appearance, however, his heart is softer and kinder than anyone else, he will not be ¡®disgusted¡¯.


    as qu xueyu was thinking, a glittering tear hit him on the cheek like a heavy pearl. his pupils shrank, and he saw the young man raise his head slightly to look at him with red eyes, and with more glittering tears in his eyes, he said loudly: ¡°then you, don¡¯t die! please, please don¡¯t die!¡±


    qu xueyu was stunned to see the teenager¡¯s first out-of-control appearance, after a long time, the corner of his lips finally perked up with a smile. points of black spots had already appeared in his vision, and the sound of his heartbeat was getting weaker and weaker¡­ he used all his strength to raise his hand to touch the other¡¯s face, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°xiao bai, come a little closer¡­¡± he wanted to add the words ¡®i have something to say¡¯ but he already didn¡¯t have the strength.


    lu bai bent down in a daze, and the youth took the opportunity to press on the back of his neck. using inertia, he brought the teenager even closer, so close that he was finally able to touch the teenager¡¯s lips.


    ¡°mmmm¡­¡±


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, tears once again falling onto the others face, giving the illusion that the young man was crying as well. but being so close, lu bai could see that there was a soft and gentle smile in this youth¡¯s eyes.


    lu bai let the youth kiss him, with his lips stained with blood, and his mouth full of its scent. his heart was pounding through the kiss, but it was also so sour and painful that it felt like he was going to die as well.


    ¡°remember me, xiao bai.¡± after that kiss, qu xueyu caressed the young man¡¯s stunned and pained face, his eyes full of longing. but when he finally lowered his hand and closed his eyes, his lips curved into a gentle smile, and his voice was so sweet like he was afraid of scaring the other, ¡°no¡­ xiao bai, you have to forget about me. i¡¯m only doing this because of my selfishness, you don¡¯t need to shoulder any of this.¡± it was he who liked this young man, it was he who willingly went to his death for him. he liked him so so much and cherished him so deeply, how could he bear to watch him carry such a heavy burden of feelings as well as a life, it was not fair to this young man.


    ¡°no¡­¡± lu bai held the youth¡¯s hand, his eyes so red that they looked like they were stained with blood, ¡°you, you can¡¯t die¡­¡± as he said this, the youth¡¯s beautiful eyes dimmed completely, his heart stopped beating, and his hand slipped to the ground¡­


    the sound of the long overdue ambulance and the clamor of the crowd buzzed in his ears. the advertisement screen not far from the wreckage was broadcasting with news: ¡°our station is making an urgent report that a fire broke out in the lu¡¯s mansion, and there are no currently reported survivors. the cause of the fire is now under investigation by the police.¡±


    ¡°this station is reporting that a serious car accident has occurred on wutai road. it is rumored that this accident may involve a famous movie star and lu¡¯s son, the specific details will be reported by our frontline reporter shortly.¡±


    lu bai tightly clutched the youth¡¯s body which had gradually cooled off. countless voices fell into his ears, but it was like a distorted reality.


    his palm burst with a sharp pain, so he sluggishly raised his hand to look at it. he suddenly discovered a line of small red letters on his palm, which stood out in the dreary early winter afternoon and shocked him.


    ¡°congratulations on clearing the world. reward: return to your original world and gain back your life.¡±


    return to his original¡­ world¡­gain his life¡­ and be free¡­


    the youth¡¯s body went completely icy, and the news of the lu family¡¯s fire filled his ears¡­


    lu bai hugged his tightly clenched fists and suddenly started to laugh. the sound of his laughter was bitter and mad, his face covered with tears. so, this was the real solution.


    at the very beginning, this was probably a trap. he was forced to follow the plot by the ¡°world¡± and the desire to live had been rekindled in his heart. but in the end, he still couldn¡¯t escape from the word ¡°death¡±. it was an unsolvable knot.


    so the only real solution was for someone to willingly die for him. someone had to give his life for him. someone¡­ had to be shackled by the destiny of certain death for him, so that he could be free.


    but this young man was so good ¨C lu bai gently stroked the young man¡¯s face. gradually, his eyes churned with nearly demented turbulence ¨C why should he lose his life like this?


    lu bai jerked his head up and glared at the news on the advertising screen ¨C his family is also so good, so why should they end in this way?


    in the early winter sky, thick clouds were tumbling across the sky, and sparkling white snowflakes began to drift down gradually. lu bai looked up to the sky, and snowflakes fell on his eyelashes and stained the corners of his red eyes, which were cold to his core.


    he vaguely saw that behind the overcast clouds was some kind of passageway. when the passage was fully opened, he should be able to return to that world in which his parents were no longer there, and which was all but empty and cold for him. this youth, and his family in this world, were going to be buried forever in this world¡¯s cold first snow of the year, and would never open their eyes again.


    no, it can¡¯t be¡­


    lu bai¡¯s nails pierced through his palms, and his dark eyes began to burn with fire-he would not allow such an ending¡­


    ¡°lu bai.¡± a person suddenly smacked lu bai¡¯s shoulder, and lu bai turned sluggishly, his face expressionless as he met qin gu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°what are you doing?! release him!¡± qin gu was frowning, and as he took in the teenager¡¯s appearance, a trace of heartache crossed his eyes as he said, ¡°stop bullying xiao yang. i know you¡¯re grieving over the lu family¡¯s disaster, xiao yang and i will help you take care of your lu family¡¯s final affairs.¡± after a pause, he trailed off, ¡°the qu family will take care of xue yu¡¯s affairs, please, let him go.¡± elder qu¡¯s beloved grandson died because of lu bai¡¯s misfortune, and lu bai is now holding xue yu and won¡¯t let go of his body. elder qu is already on his way and seeing this situation, there is even less chance that he will spare lu bai.


    lu bai looked down at the person in his arms in a daze, and only then did he realize that there were nurses who wanted to carry qu xueyu¡¯s now cold body into their ambulance, but couldn¡¯t because lu bai was holding onto him so tightly.


    lu bai frowned slightly, and then all of a sudden, he looked fiercely at qin gu with a chilling glare, remembering something.


    qin gu¡¯s pupils shrank ¨C this teenager had always declared his love for him before, and this was the first time he had ever used such cold eyes to look at him.


    lu bai took off his coat and placed it on the ground, then gently placed qu xueyu¡¯s body on top of it, his movements were gentle and diligent. then, his hand groped for a while for a piece of broken glass left after the car accident, and gripped it in his fist. the sharp edges cut into his palm, and blood dripped down his fingers onto the ground, but lu bai acted as if he couldn¡¯t feel the pain and squeezed the piece of glass a little tighter. he stumbled to his feet and fixed qin gu with a hostile and foreign glare.


    ¡°xiao bai¡­¡± frowned qin gu, stepping forward to grab the teenager¡¯s shoulders, his heart feeling numb with pain as he looked at such an unfamiliar teenager.


    lu bai expressionlessly brought the sharp edge of the piece of glass against qin gu¡¯s vulnerable neck.


    qin gu¡¯s eyes dilated, and his heart felt like it had been plunged into ice-cold water.


    lu bai, however, didn¡¯t care about him at all at this point, as he raised his head and shouted towards that certain hidden gate, seemingly addressing empty air, ¡°this is your favorite child, isn¡¯t he?¡± qin gu was the world¡¯s actual protagonist, it was as if the world had lavished him with every ounce of good fortune. he has a good family background, good luck, and will stand at the top of the business empire in the future. he also had a perfect lover like qu xueyu who willingly took a backseat to him in the later stages of the storyline, even enduring the fact that he kept a small corner of his heart for xiao yang ¨C it is clear that qu xueyu was a very proud person.


    ¡°promise me one thing! otherwise, i¡¯ll kill him! i¡¯ll kill your favorite child!¡± lu bai bellowed towards the nothingness, his voice rang hoarsely.


    it was a big gamble. a world that recklessly played with the fate of so many people, and he was betting that it truly cared about qin gu.


    the people gathered around were in an uproar as they gawped at this cracked teenager like he was a lunatic.


    ¡°xiao bai¡­ ¡°qin gu was incredulously looking at the other person¡­


    ¡°do you agree or not!¡± lu bai moved the shard with a trembling hand, and a bloody line was drawn on qin gu¡¯s neck.


    woosh


    with a soft sound, the entire world, including qin gu, stood still, as if someone had pressed the pause button on time.


    the world was silent, and the snowflakes peacefully floated in midair.


    lu bai took a big breath and finally relaxed his hand, but the glass remained at qin gu¡¯s neck, immobile. only the bright red blood from lu bai¡¯s palm continued to drip down onto the gray ground.


    ¡°i want to save qu xueyu and my family.¡± lu bai looked at the equally still sky and with a blank face stated, ¡°i¡¯ll give up returning to the original world. this is the exchange.¡±


    the world remained still, as if lu bai was the only one left in this pale and lonely place.


    after a long wait, the palm of lu bai¡¯s hand which had not been scratched suddenly felt a tingling sensation once again. lu bai was startled, then he lowered his head to look at it, and finally, after a long look, he burst out in a low, muffled laugh.


    in the palm of his hand, the red handwriting was especially eye-catching in the pale and still world.


    ¡°deal.¡±


    the red handwriting wrote.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    author¡¯s note: missing person returns! orz


    this is what happened the first time xiao bai walked the plot, but also the beginning of xiao bai who began repeating a certain part of the plot over and over.


    the only way for xiao bai to be freed and able to live is if someone willingly dies for him, so because xiao qu died for him, he was free when he re-walked the plot afterward.


    no spoilers for the rest of the story, it will continue to be made clear da, and it will be he1happy ending alright~


    edit: krone


    proofread: n/a

 CH 56

    chapter 56


    the world began to dissipate gradually, lu bai quietly watched as his fingers slowly started to disperse into dust ¨C except for him, in this world everyone else was frozen in time. naturally, he had no sense of it, but he was able to continuously perceive the burning pain as his body disintegrated, and the pain seemed to penetrate his bones.


    he turned to look at the youth lying quietly on the ground, a shallow smile on his face ¨C no matter how much it hurt, it wouldn¡¯t hurt more than that young man¡¯s death. that proud and clean young man, from a young age, was loved by his grandfather growing up, never suffered greatly, and never toiled too much, yet he had just spilled so much blood¡­ lu bai wondered how much it had hurt him the moment he had been hit by the truck¡­


    ¡°i will save you.¡±


    he gazed over at the youth, and softly, but firmly, spoke.


    ¡°and my family¡­¡±


    ¡°i will save you all.¡±


    as his body completely dissipated, the world finally began to reorganize.


    ~~~~~~


    the early fall sky in the south is still bright as if it were a sheet of glass.


    thud, thud, thud!


    in the center of downtown jinghai, the teenager clenched his teeth and banged on the dark brown door. the door opened and lu bai grinned at qin gu, revealing a mouthful of white teeth: ¡°brother qin gu! i missed you so much while you were out of the country.¡±


    after a few phrases, a cool and elegant voice like ice and snow came out from inside: ¡°qin gu, is something wrong?¡±


    when the young man heard this voice, he was stunned, it was as if a streak of light flashed through his mind, but he couldn¡¯t catch it. then, immediately afterward, he internally muttered that his voice sounded lovely, worthy of being the main character¡¯s lover. when he saw the young man who looked like he was made of pure snow and ice, lu bai¡¯s eyes widened and he swallowed ¨C he was too good-looking, wasn¡¯t he?


    in his heart, he said sorry ah i have to follow the plot. however, when he was about to teach the young man a lesson according to the plot, he tripped and fell straight into the warm embrace of the young man.


    a cool and refreshing fragrance filled the air and into his nose. lu bai stiffened, his eyes widened, and then he saw that the good-looking young man who was supporting his body with a hug had raised an eyebrow, and his beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons, ¡°what¡¯s your name?¡± after a pause, his eyebrows seemed to draw in confusion: ¡°have i seen you somewhere before?¡±


    and so the plot began to collapse, lu bai was surprised to find that even if he no longer followed the plot, the world would no longer punish him, and he seemed to have gained the freedom he had always dreamed of.


    after this, he and the youth named qu xueyu fell in love naturally. he was so wonderful that he couldn¡¯t help but fall for him.


    he had brought the young man to the suburban villa where he used to play when he was a child and led the young man to his childhood room as if offering a treasure.


    in the small and somewhat crowded children¡¯s bed, lu bai comfortably hugged the youth¡¯s waist, intimately snuggled in the other¡¯s arms. he kissed the youth¡¯s chin, and his eyes curved up, ¡°xiao qu, you¡¯re so good.¡±


    qu xueyu was resting on one arm, and he used his other to hold the youth a little tighter. he raised an eyebrow and teased the youth in mock suspicion as he looked over at him, ¡°hmm¡­where am i good?¡±


    the teenager¡¯s eyes rolled and he said, ¡°xiao qu is especially good-looking.¡±


    qu xueyu pinched the youth¡¯s face and went to tickle the other person again, pretending to be sad and remarking, ¡°oh, it turns out that xiao bai just likes my face.¡±


    lu bai buried his face into the youth¡¯s embrace, his face was red from tickling and laughing yet he still refused to leave the youth¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°hahaha more than just like xiao qu¡¯s face-¡± lu bai begged, ¡°i like everything about xiao qu.¡±


    ¡°i love you.¡±


    the words blurted out right after that, as if by a ghost¡¯s will. lu bai was startled, and then he buried his face a little deeper, while his ear tips reddened completely.


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes widened when he heard that passionate confession, and for a long time, he was smiling with a low, silly laugh, before rolling over and pressing the teenager in his arms underneath him.


    ¡°xiao bai,¡± he trapped the teenager in the small space between his arms, his eyes had deep desire and soft laughter, ¡°do you know what happens when you say that to a man?¡±


    lu bai rolled his eyes with a grin as he reached out and wrapped his arms around the youth¡¯s neck, ¡°will it make you want to sleep with me?¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    he took a deep breath and then let out a low, muffled laugh as he leaned in and gently bit the young man¡¯s lip, but ultimately just held him tightly in his arms ¨C he cherished this young man too much to want to hurt him when he was unprepared.


    lu bai had his arms around the youth¡¯s neck, but he was looking towards the ceiling, a helpless smile appeared at the corners of his lips and he said, ¡°xiao qu, as you know, today is the white dew festival, and it¡¯s my birthday.¡± it was because of his birthday that he brought the youth here.


    qu xueyu: ¡°mmm.¡±


    lu bai: ¡°actually, i¡¯m feeling particularly dissatisfied with your gift.¡± after saying that and then pausing, he pushed the youth away and half sat up, starting to rummage through the small cabinet at the head of the bed for something.


    not much later, lu bai turned back around and shoved something into the youth¡¯s hand, tilting his head, and saying, ¡°you said before that you¡¯d get me whatever i wanted for my birthday, right? although i¡¯ve already accepted your car, i still want one more thing.¡± lu bai paused and smiled, revealing a toothy smirk, ¡°i want xiao qu most of all.¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes fluttered, and his breathing was turbulent for a split second on the cramped bed, as the cardboard box and gel-like item in his hand became almost scalding hot.


    in the middle of the day, he let out a low, husky laugh, as he reached out and caressed the young man¡¯s face, his fingertips a little hot, ¡°xiao bai, you¡¯re really my treasure.¡±


    with that, he pressed the teenager underneath him.


    ~~~~~~


    after it was over, lu bai and qu xueyu huddled on the narrow bed, their warm bodies embracing each other.


    it was already night outside the window, and the maple forest not far away was glowing red. there was a cold wind blowing towards the house, but it was blocked by the windows.


    the room and the bed were warm and cozy and made one feel drowsy. lu bai affectionately hugged the youth¡¯s waist, drinking the hot black tea right from the youth¡¯s hand. the youth smiled helplessly while his other hand dragged the soft blanket over the young man.


    ¡°xiao qu, why did you fall for me?¡±


    as the night wore on, lu bai snuggled into the youth¡¯s arms and fell into a deep sleep, but his mouth had muttered this question.


    the youth hugged lu bai and closed his eyes, but when he heard this vague question he curved his lips, and as if by instinct, he replied, ¡°there is no reason. xiao bai, i would always have fallen in love with you.¡±


    lu bai buried his face into the other person¡¯s arms and hugged the other person¡¯s waist tightly, ¡°oh.¡±


    qu xueyu possessively enfolded the teenager into his arms like a wild beast, only to gently pat the teenager¡¯s back, like he was comforting a delicate child.


    ~~~~~


    lu bai thought this kind of life would last forever, until one day, the young man died, while his family died once again in a fire.


    the moment the young man died in his arms, the lost memories came back again. it was only then that lu bai realized how cruel and cunning the exchange between the world and him had been.


    the world would reboot to the day he met the young man, and while the young man was shackled by a death sentence, he himself had been freed from the chains of the tragedy. with the knowledge that the young man and his family were going to die, he would have been able to save them. but when the world restarted, his relevant memories were purged at the same time, and only when the young man dies and the world returns to a standstill will all his memories come back to him.


    he and this young man, together with his family, are stuck in this nightmarish cycle. over and over again, he has to face the deaths of the people he loves the most until he breaks down ¨C unless, of course, he can save them.


    ~~~~~


    the heavens and the earth darkened, and time stood still once again.


    lu bai hugged his knees and curled up on the small children¡¯s bed, hugging himself tightly. outside the window was the still, fiery red maple forest, like blood and fire.


    he was cold, and he desperately wanted someone to hold him¡­


    ¡°dad, mom, auntie, guan guan, second uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°xiao qu¡­¡± he curled up like a displaced child and mumbled his lover¡¯s name, but no one answered.


    pah!


    an abrupt thud sounded from the bookcase.


    lu bai was startled, wondering what happened, he jerked and half-sat up, with teardrops covering his face.


    everything on the desk and bookcase remained still, but there was a notebook lying on the ground, which had just fallen off the bookcase.


    lu bai¡¯s eyes widened: everything here has remained unchanged, but this notebook ¨C he wondered why it was different, and hurriedly tumbled out of bed to turn the notebook over.


    seeing his handwriting on the notebook lu bai¡¯s eyes narrowed: this was the notebook he had brought from the original world! it contained the records he had made when he first came to this world, he had never expected that this book was in this room¡­


    if this notebook is not subject to the influence of this world, nor the reorganization of the world¡­ the photo sandwiched in the notebook fell out and when lu bai picked it up, he was suddenly astonished when he saw the figures in it, and his eyes reddened: these were his parents from his original world.


    ¡°dad, mom, is this you trying to help me?¡± he murmured.


    reflecting on this, lu bai clenched his teeth and then took a pen to write down some words.


    ¡°self, when you see this, please save qu xueyu and your family! they¡¯re going to die. your lover¡¯s manner of death is uncertain, but your family will die in a fire.¡± his xiao qu had died from a fall from a high place this time, while his family still died in a fire.


    he had written down one final stroke but then accidentally made an extra mark, but lu bai no longer had time to care. a searing pain had begun to spread through his body, and his fingers had already begun to dissipate once again¡­


    ~~~~~


    the third time.


    when he regained his memory, lu bai opened the notebook frantically, but the words he had written vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the scratch ¨C lu bai¡¯s eyes widened, the world eliminated his reminders, but left behind the scratch. does that mean that the world will only eliminate the reminders concerning the fatalities of xiao qu and his family, but won¡¯t eliminate any unrelated information?


    what if it was subtler?


    lu bai then wrote with a shaking hand yet another statement in his notebook:


    ¡°your lover and family will die.¡± had he known about all this in advance, and had he only paid more attention, he would have been able to prevent it.


    after writing, lu bai¡¯s thoughts flashed quickly, and he wrote the name ruan jiangjiu in his notebook. it was a role played by the young man, and his xiao qu loved playing such a role, but he died before he could finish shooting the role.


    if the world does not override ¡°ruan jiangjiu¡±¡­


    ~~~~~


    the fourth time.


    the reminder had disappeared, but the words ¡°ruan jiangjiu¡± had not.


    lu bai was half sitting on the bed, curled up as if there was still the young man¡¯s warmth on it.


    he bit the tip of his tongue, and used his precious few minutes to review this round of ¡°rebirth¡±.


    the time his xiao qu had died on the set of that movie. the lu family had still burned in a fire, but that fire had felt a little weird for some reason.


    without knowing why, something came to mind, and his eyebrows shot up ¨C xiao yang¡¯s mother had seemingly been at his family¡¯s house not long before the fire.


    this kind of thought was haunting, but lu bai couldn¡¯t stop the thoughts in his head.


    he wrote, ¡°save ruan jiangjiu. pay attention to xiao yang¡¯s mother.¡±


    ~~~~~


    the fifth time.


    only the words ¡°save ruan jiangjiu¡± remained in the notebook.


    lu bai, however, was still unable to save his xiao qu. even without his memories, he had sensed that something was wrong, but he still couldn¡¯t make it in time ¨C his xiao qu had died when he wasn¡¯t there with him, and the lu family was still caught in a huge fire.


    lu bai¡¯s face was blank, but his eyes were completely red. he tasted blood when he bit his tongue ¨C if he wanted to save them, he would need a more thorough and careful strategy.


    not counting the first time, he had already experienced three world reorganizations, and two seemingly coincidental things were certain to happen in all three reorganizations. they should therefore be plot-specific events.


    the first was that he would surely bring his xiao qu here to stroll through the maple grove, and would also bring him into this room as well.


    the second thing is that xiao yang¡¯s mother will visit lu¡¯s house on october 20th.


    lu bai gnashed his teeth and rewrote another sentence in his notebook.


    ~~~~~


    the sixth time.


    it was still the same room.


    lu bai quietly looked at his pale reflection in the mirror ¨C if he wanted to save his xiao qu, he needed to make himself believe in the real existence of ¡°ruan jiangjiu¡± without having his memory. only if he truly believes that this person exists and that he loves him, will he be able to protect him even with his memory gone! protecting ruan jiangjiu is protecting qu xueyu.


    he had studied psychology at university, and although the efficacy of self-directed suggestion is not that strong, with the support of the world¡¯s reorganization, if these hints are even a little bit effective during his memory loss, there is hope for them.


    lu bai looked out the window, the still maple leaves were as red as blood. he frowned slightly, perhaps it would be more effective to be warned in the maple forest. after thinking about it, he tore off a page of his notebook to write the message and walked towards the door.


    when he returned, he turned towards his reflection in the mirror¡­


    ~~~~~


    the seventh time.


    the mental suggestion worked, but the content of the suggestions to himself didn¡¯t seem quite serious enough.


    what he needed, was to stick by xiao qu¡¯s side from the moment he arrived at jinghai. while most of the accidents happened during the filming of that movie, there was always the low probability that they could strike while xiao qu was studying at the bar.


    he needed to be there for him and protect him from that point on.


    as for the fire at the lu family home, he had practically confirmed that the culprit was xiao yang¡¯s mother.


    lu bai quietly regarded himself in the mirror with a pale face and thin cheeks, replaying in his mind the fate of ruan jiangjiu in that movie along with everything he had experienced, and began to weave together the plot that he was going to suggest to himself afterward.


    ~~~~~


    the eighth time.


    lu bai¡¯s eyes were rimmed with red, but the corners of his mouth finally showed a shallow smile.


    this time, he was just a hair¡¯s breadth away from saving his xiao qu and his family¡­as long as his psychological hints were a little more thorough, and his notebook was utilized a little more cleverly.


    ~~~~~


    the ninth time.


    lu bai tore off a blank piece of paper, wrote down a sentence, and then made it into a paper airplane and stuck it inside a tree-he had already confirmed that when he was walking with xiao qu, he would always lean against this tree and shake it rather idly-he just wanted to pick a leaf to give it to xiao qu, and at that moment, the paper airplane would then fly towards him with the force from it. there was almost no rain this time of year in the fall of jinghai, so there was no need to worry about it getting wet.


    after doing this, lu bai expressionlessly looked at the previous writings left in his notebook a few times from before, then casually tore the pages off and pressed them under his bed.


    he flipped to the last page and wrote down a few words, ¡°she, big fire, family home.¡±


    he then tore off another blank page and wrote, ¡°please send this to the lu residence on october 20th. ¨C lu bai.¡± after that, he placed the notebook, which had nothing more than the previous entries and the crucial note at the back, in a trusted servant¡¯s room, and then placed the note on the notebook. after the world reopened, the servant would see it and send the notebook to him as he had requested.


    it was the only solution he could think of, the world was even stricter when it came to xiao yang and his mother than it was with information related to xiao qu. so he could only leave no mention of her, and just let the servant send him the key words on that critical day.


    ¡°she¡±, who came to the lu family¡¯s house on october 20, would set fire to their home and hurt them. that¡¯s what the keywords meant to convey.


    he knew himself, and when he saw those words, he would certainly be alarmed; on xiao qu¡¯s side, with all the psychological hints and the reminder in maple grove, he wouldn¡¯t fail to be anxious and apprehensive either¡­


    lu bai felt the familiar burning pain and looked at his fingers which were beginning to dissipate, but a brilliant smile sprang out from his lips.


    he will save them. he will save all of them.


    he would meet his xiao qu again, and his family was still by his side. no matter how many times he came back, he would always fall in love with his xiao qu, and his family would always love him forever.


    with these constants in place, what was there to fear¡­


    in the small cabin at the foot of the snowy mountains, in the grassland. after receiving that message from lu zhi, lu bai became aware that he had succeeded in saving his family.


    the moment the deadly roof beam fell he finally managed to grasp the young man¡¯s wrist in time.


    when the warm blood dripped down between his eyebrows, a tearful smile spread across lu bai¡¯s face.


    he stretched out his hand with great effort and stroked the youth¡¯s closed eyelids beneath the broken wooden boards and debris. finally¡­i¡¯ve saved you.


    darkness and dizziness overtook him, and lu bai finally closed his eyes reluctantly.


    it was as if he was walking along a long, dark road, with the young man he loved holding his hand tightly for the whole journey. when they were close to the light, the youth stopped and looked at him, his eyebrows arched and his eyes seemed to contain starlight.


    ¡°xiao bai, can you see it?¡± the youth pointed into the warm, brilliant light, ¡°go on.¡±


    ¡°what about you?¡± lu bai panicked and clutched the youth¡¯s fingers tightly.


    ¡°little fool,¡± the youth smiled, reaching out to rub the younger man¡¯s hair, ¡°haven¡¯t you already saved me? i¡¯ll be waiting for you just inside the light, ah. go on, xiao bai, walk through there, and you¡¯ll see me again.¡± however, being unable to accompany this youth through the final part of the journey was both unwelcome and unfortunate.


    ¡°i love you.¡±


    the moment he let go of the youth¡¯s hand, lu bai heard the youth behind him say this.


    ¡°i love you too.¡± he turned around, a tearful smile on his face as he faced the other, ¡°when i wake up, i will be able to see you at first glance, right?¡±


    qu xueyu kissed the teenager¡¯s fingertips reverently, his smile full of softness, ¡°of course.¡±


    then lu bai turned around reluctantly and walked toward that light.


    translator note: as hard as i tried i don¡¯t think  i can get the the rest of the chapters up before the end of the year (,,>©n

 CH 57

    chapter 57


    lu bai slowly opened his eyes, his nose was filled with the smell of hospital disinfectant, a snow-white ceiling appeared in front of his eyes, and the anxious face of a pretty girl drew his attention.


    ¡°brother, you finally woke up!¡± after many days of worry and anxiety, lu guanguan¡¯s face finally revealed a smile, while her eyes were a little red.


    lu bai looked at the face of the girl in front of him, making him somehow feel affectionate towards her, and was stunned, but finally was unable to resist asking, ¡°who are you?¡± this phrase was asked in a soft voice, as if afraid of shocking the girl, and asked, ¡°are you my younger sister?¡±


    lu guanguan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    at this moment, the door clattered a bit, and ming yan entered with light footsteps. she looked a bit tired, but she was still holding steady, and after closing the door, she turned around and saw her son, who had already woken up and half-sat up, and was astonished. her body trembled suddenly, and then she quickly moved to the side of the bed, where she cupped lu bai¡¯s pale face. tears rolled down from her eyes, and she said: ¡°xiao bai, you¡¯ve scared your mother to death. ¡°


    she then gracefully wiped the tears from her face, flashing a small smile, ¡°look at me, what am i doing talking like this?¡± she gently hugged her son: ¡°it is good that you are awake, that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    although lu bai did not recognize the woman, he instinctively felt that the woman and the girl called lu guanguan were similarly dear. he could feel the woman¡¯s heartache and sadness, and gently patted the woman¡¯s back, ¡°¡­mom? don¡¯t worry, i¡¯m fine now. i- i just seem to have forgotten a few things.¡±


    ming yan inhaled sharply, lu guanguan then exclaimed, ¡°auntie, brother, he¡­seems to have forgotten about us. but don¡¯t worry, the doctor will be here soon, and brother will be fine.¡± after a beat, she added, ¡°mom, dad, and grandpa are already on their way over now that they know that brother has woken up, and second uncle will be coming over later as well.¡±


    when elder lu learned that his favorite grandson had an accident and almost passed, father lu and sheng mei rushed home to appease him yesterday. although they had the best doctors and nurses to take care of their son, the lu family was still uneasy, so they took turns going to the hospital to monitor lu bai.


    ¡°yes, i¡¯ll be fine.¡± sensing the woman¡¯s intense worry for a moment, and even though his mind was still eerily empty, lu bai instinctively and gently smoothed the woman¡¯s back and said reassuringly.


    ~~~~~


    ¡°you and your family members don¡¯t need to worry.¡± as father lu was his boss, when the doctor reported on lu bai¡¯s condition he showed his respect, ¡°young master didn¡¯t injure any vitals. he¡¯s only temporarily experiencing some memory loss due to the concussion and some other stimuli. provided that he has the appropriate care, he can quickly recover.¡± he added after a pause, ¡°please rest assured, the concussion is also on the mild side, there won¡¯t be any lingering effects. the young master¡¯s vital points were guarded at the time. while the cut on the young master¡¯s forehead looks shocking, he¡¯ll be able to bounce back soon after some proper recuperation.¡±


    it was reported that this young master had encountered a low-magnitude earthquake in yunzhou, which had toppled his wooden cottage, and buried their young master underneath it. fortunately, it was constructed with lighter wood, and there was another person who shielded his vitals when the accident happened, so he was only slightly injured.


    only after this did the lu family breathe a sigh of relief, and ming yan was quick to ask the doctor, ¡°what¡¯s the method for my son to regain his memory?¡±


    the doctor smiled and said, ¡°try to find familiar people and places to stimulate him, don¡¯t worry, he should be able to recover soon. except for the concussion, his temporary amnesia might have been caused by external stimulation. but for that, you can only ask the young master when his memory recovers.¡±


    ming yan slowly relaxed her heart and nodded. she stroked her son¡¯s soft curly hair, lost in thought, and softly said, ¡°good.¡±


    ~~~~~


    when lu zhi rushed to the hospital, lu bai was sitting on his hospital bed, nibbling on an apple, and sheng mei was sitting next to him, quietly talking to him, as if to not intimidate him. lu guanguan and ming yan had been staying with lu bai all night and had gone to rest, and grandpa lu had also just returned home. lu zhi looked at his big brother who was standing eight feet away from the child for fear of scaring him and twitched his mouth.


    ¡°auntie,¡± lu bai nibbled on an apple, and glanced at father lu, who was quite far away from him, and asked, ¡°is he really my dad? does he hate me?¡± despite saying this, there was no tone of worry in his words. for some reason, although his mind felt empty, he wasn¡¯t at all anxious or scared. he had easily accepted that they were his family members and had given them his trust.


    sheng mei¡¯s eyebrows twitched as she said, ¡°of course he doesn¡¯t.¡± father lu coughed at her words and stepped forward to peel an orange and shoved it into the teenager¡¯s hands. deliberately softening his movements, he patted his son¡¯s shoulder, ¡°don¡¯t think nonsense. focus on getting better.¡±


    lu bai¡¯s heart unconsciously surged with a burst of warmth, he bent his eyebrows, ¡°oh.¡±


    ¡°xiao bai, is there anything you want to want to play?¡± sheng mei said, ¡°i¡¯ll find someone to buy it and bring it for you.¡± a young kid would get bored while staying in the hospital.


    lu bai blinked and was about to say something when suddenly, a flicker of something crossed his heart. but it was so fast that he couldn¡¯t catch it, so he frowned slightly and said, ¡°auntie, i have a feeling that¡­ i think i made a promise with someone to do something but i¡¯ve forgotten it¡­¡± pausing, he looked at sheng mei and asked: ¡°auntie, besides you guys, who else should i remember but have forgotten?¡±


    sheng mei was surprised and raised her eyes to look at father lu. lu zhi twitched his mouth and said, ¡°just say it. the doctor said that being in a familiar environment can stimulate bai bai to recover his memories.¡±


    father lu was not sure where to start. he sighed softly, then nodded- even if xiao bai didn¡¯t ask, he would have to tell him sooner or later. after all, that was the person xiao bai loved. how could he bear to see his child forgetting about his beloved? what¡¯s more, in that moment, that young man did not forget to protect xiao bai.


    after receiving his big brother¡¯s permission, lu zhi then flashed a toothy smile at the teenager on the bed and said, ¡°xiao bai, do you still remember qu xueyu?¡±


    hearing this name, lu bai¡¯s forehead throbbed sharply, and his heart swelled almost uncontrollably with indecipherable emotions, but his eyes blinked with bewilderment. he was unable to grasp or recognize those emotions, so he simply stated, ¡°i don¡¯t remember.¡±


    lu zhi then shrugged and sighed, ¡°he¡¯s your boyfriend, you guys used to be so mushy that my teeth fell out.¡± after a pause, he quietly huffed and said, ¡°remember him quickly, xiao bai.¡± because only qu xueyu was able to genuinely bring such an animated and happy smile to his nephew¡¯s face.


    lu bai tilted his head, ¡°i have a boyfriend? what does he look like?¡±


    lu zhi smiled and jerked his chin towards lu bai, ¡°just look at your cell phone¡¯s screen and you¡¯ll know.¡±


    lu bai hurriedly picked up his cell phone from the nightstand with great interest. when he pressed the power button, the face of a young man came into his eyes. the photo was a little fuzzy, as though it was taken quickly, and the young man in the photo was lying on his side on the sofa sleeping, his face was so beautiful that it resembled the beautiful landscapes of the south of the yangtze river.


    lu bai stared at the photo and his throat moved, his eyes lit up, and his heart as if by instinct started pounding. he reached out and touched the face of the young man in the photo, and then raised his head to look at lu zhi, his eyes bright as if they were full of stars, and he said, ¡°my boyfriend is really good-looking! where is he now?¡±


    lu zhi awkwardly cleared his throat and then shrugged his shoulders while he tsk¡¯d, ¡°he¡¯s recuperating from his own injuries. you don¡¯t have to worry, xiao bai, second uncle will arrange for you to meet him later.¡±


    when lu bai heard that he couldn¡¯t see the person immediately, although he was a little disappointed, he still nodded his head obediently and said, ¡°alright¡­¡±


    ~~~~~


    in the hospital corridor.


    father lu frowned at his own brother, snapping; ¡°say it, what happened to that child from the qu family?¡± the two kids were brought back to jinghai for treatment, and although their injuries were not severe, they both suffered head injuries. it would be a lie to say that they weren¡¯t worried. lu bai is the heart of the lu family, while qu xueyu is also elder qu¡¯s favorite grandson. after the hospital prevented qu xueyu¡¯s two half-siblings who came to see him twice, elder qu warned qu xueyu¡¯s father. in the end, he was still not at ease, and after obtaining the doctor¡¯s consent, he simply packed up qu xueyu and brought him home to recuperate under his own supervision.


    lu zhi¡¯s lips twitched: ¡°brother, qu xueyu is fine. it is only that he has also developed some memory loss. just like xiao bai, a temporary amnesia due to a concussion.¡±


    father lu¡¯s brow furrowed sharply ¨C so, what should he tell his son?


    as if he knew what his big brother was thinking, lu zhi patted his brother¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°don¡¯t worry, big brother. elder qu also treasures his grandson and wants him to recover as soon as possible. he and our old man cleared the air, and made arrangements for xiao bai and qu xueyu to meet one another first.¡±


    father lu¡¯s furrowed brows rose slightly, while still letting go of some of his anxiety.


    ~~~~~


    bo yangzhi finally felt relieved as he observed the man with a bandage on his head but whose eyes were bright and shining, he exclaimed, ¡°eldest young master, i finally get to see you. you have scared me to death.¡±


    qu xueyu smiled and laughed, asking, ¡°what did director zhou say?¡±


    bo yangzhi was shocked, but said, ¡°don¡¯t worry, director zhou is waiting for you.¡± originally ¨C because of the accident ¨C this movie ran the risk of becoming unfinished. lu zhi and his grandfather, however, had injected money into it. with money, everything is fine, and the actors can coordinate their schedules or even make a deal.


    after a pause, bo yangzhi gave qu xueyu a probing look; ¡°you really forgot what happened after you came to jinghai?¡±


    qu xueyu shrugged: ¡°i forgot.¡± but it¡¯s not a big deal, anyway, the doctor said that he will be able to remember sooner or later.


    bo yangzhi swallowed then asked: ¡°so, you¡¯ve really forgotten about that kid? the one you loved and cared about so much that you couldn¡¯t wait to carry him around at all times?¡±


    qu xueyu raised an eyebrow, ¡°are you kidding? is there anyone i would like so much?¡±


    bo yangzhi shook his head rather honestly, ¡°no.¡± this young master is indeed very arrogant ¨C but after a pause, he continued, ¡°but you certainly liked this kid so much that even i felt tired of looking at him.¡±


    qu xueyu was about to scoff when grandpa qu entered the room on his crutches. he nodded at bo yangzhi, then came to qu xueyu¡¯s bed, and said in a rather subtle and disdainful tone, ¡°if you don¡¯t believe it, this old man won¡¯t force you to believe it either. i can see that you¡¯re quite spirited as well, so you may as well go on a blind date.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°???¡±


    bo yangzhi twitched the corners of his mouth, ¡°????¡±


    grandpa qu then said: ¡°the location of the person¡¯s marriage house is good, it is in the river view villa.¡± after a pause, he also looked at his grandson and said, ¡°the person is younger than you, even if you have forgotten about others, remember, don¡¯t hurt people. after all, you have also eaten the soft rice of others.¡±


    qu xueyu: ¡°¡­¡± he huffed and looked at bo yangzhi.


    bo yangzhi¡¯s eyebrows jumped as he said, ¡°i¡¯ll testify that it¡¯s true.¡± you really have been a human canary.


    elder qu tapped his cane, ¡°going or not?¡±


    qu xueyu felt that this matter was absurd to the extreme, he wanted to refuse, but his words mysteriously changed direction, as he raised an eyebrow and replied, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    author¡¯s note: it won¡¯t be abusive, none of it will be abusive afterward, only sweet, really, trust me. just temporary memory loss, will soon be restored (the author feels that even in the case of memory loss will still unconsciously like each other this kind of emotion is very moving)


    editor: krone


    proofread: n/a

 CH 58

    chapter 58


    there are two fuyu roads in jinghai. one is the rich area in the center of the city, where even in the daytime it is very quiet, with deep sycamores on both sides of the road. the other fuyu road is far into the outskirts of the city, where fish and dragons mix and mingle, and the city is lively and vibrant.


    the main residence of the qu family is located in the center of the city on fuyu road, but since master qu moved out, qu xueyu has never gone back.


    the outer fuyu road is very narrow, with both sides of the road filled with new and old buildings, and winding alleys everywhere. qu xueyu parked his car in front of a dusty-looking alley, which was deep and lined with various tall and short tube buildings.


    ¡°i lived here then?¡± qu xueyu tapped the steering wheel with his alabaster-like fingers and looked at qu xueying who was in the passenger seat.


    qu xueying twitched his lips and then nodded: ¡°absolutely. besides you ¨C unless they¡¯re having a hard time, who else is going to rent a room here?¡± this kind of building on fuyu road isn¡¯t very common anymore. it¡¯s the place where the young master came down to experience life, how could he forget it? the building was so dilapidated that no one wanted to live there, not even the young people who wanted to save money. when he rented the room for the young master, the landlord looked at him with the eyes of an underdog, with eyes as bright as light bulbs, and so enthusiastic that he was frightened.


    in the end, qu xueying got out of the car, turned to qu xueyu¡¯s side and knocked on his glass window. he raised an eyebrow and said: ¡°young master, please enjoy your time in the alley, i still have a date.¡± originally, he wanted to find the landlord for the spare key. but who have thought that the landlord wouldn¡¯t be there, so qu xueyu couldn¡¯t get in, and could only stroll around in the alley. there weren¡¯t many people here even in the daytime, and qu xueyu didn¡¯t have to worry about being photographed when he was in disguise. he would have liked to say not to knock on people¡¯s doors, but he thought that no one would rent that room for a while, so he kept his mouth shut.


    qu xueyu cocked an eyebrow with a nod.


    qu xueying was right, this place looked shabby and old. it was clearly daytime, but the depths of the alley were dark. qu xueyu pressed the top of his baseball hat down and stood at the mouth of the alley looking into the darkness. he had the uncanny feeling that a few lamps should be installed in the alley, because ¡°he¡± was afraid of the darkness.


    qu xueyu froze, eyebrows slightly wrinkled ¨C afraid of the dark, who is it?


    when he was standing in front of his door inside the tube building, qu xueyu quietly observed the mottled doors, which were covered with dust, and did not look like it was inhabited by anyone. after a moment of silence, qu xueyu lightly knocked on the door ¨C not expecting anyone to be there. just for a moment, he suddenly felt as if there was someone who had knocked on his door, or on this door, on a night like this.


    that person must be very important to him, but he could not remember who he was.


    suddenly, with a squeak, the door opened from the inside, and a young man poked his head out from behind the door, when he saw qu xueyu, he froze at first, and then his eyes lit up.


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes widened, it seemed that the young man had recently been sick. his face was pale, and the thin tip of his chin made him look a little boyish, but his eyes were clear and bright, and his eyes were distinctly amber and white.


    qu xueyu was somewhat stunned and stared at the young man in front of him because he appeared like a miracle. in his heart, he seemed to have drawn a shadow that overlapped with the image of the young man in front of him, but the shadow was too fast to be caught.


    ¡°you-¡± the teenager took a step forward, stretching out his white and beautiful fingers, suddenly cupping qu xueyu¡¯s face, and his eyes were as bright as the stars.


    at qu xueyu¡¯s rare astounded expression, the teenager¡¯s face showed a slightly shy but good-looking smile, and he then said logically and righteous: ¡°you¡¯re my boyfriend, i¡¯ve seen your pictures on my phone.¡±


    qu xueyu swallowed, subconsciously he wanted to brush off the teenager¡¯s warm hand, but his hand was frozen and he could hardly move. when he looked straight into the young man¡¯s eyes, his heart unexpectedly beat faster and faster.


    this was not like him at all, for starters, someone like him couldn¡¯t fall in love with someone at first sight, but such a thing was happening right now.


    at first sight, he had fallen in love with a young boy who said such inexplicable things, right here, in front of the door of a dingy, shabby apartment. a few rays of sunlight pierced through the dilapidated brick wall and peppered the teenager¡¯s face. the teenager¡¯s pale face almost blended into the light, giving people the illusion that he might disappear in the next second.


    qu xueyu¡¯s heart suddenly raced with a few waves of inexplicable panic, a rather uncomfortable feeling.


    pah


    his body acted before his consciousness, and by the time qu xueyu realized his reaction, he had already gained a firm grasp on the young man¡¯s wrist. with a simple pull of his hand, the young man tilted over and fell into his embrace, his hands still maintaining their positions on his face.


    qu xueyu closed his eyes, his warm nostrils brushing against the side of the teenager¡¯s fragile neck, he took a deep breath, suddenly feeling all of the wisps of irritation and panic that he couldn¡¯t resist in his heart ever since he woke up disappearing completely.


    ¡°if that¡¯s what you so desire, then i am.¡± he gently murmured in the teenager¡¯s ear, his tone light as if he was coaxing a child to sleep.


    lu bai naturally wrapped his arms around the other man¡¯s neck. he blinked and said rather seriously, ¡°you are. it¡¯s good that you admit it.¡± he had seen their photos in the hospital, and there was no mistaking him. he was supposed to meet with the other man in a few days, but he unconsciously wandered here yesterday and found that this alley and this room meant something to him. so he simply found the landlord and rented this room, and today when he came over to take a look at it, his boyfriend, who looked so good in the photos, knocked on his door ¨C and this boyfriend looked even better in real life than he did in the photos.


    ~~~~~


    qu xueyu entered the teenager¡¯s apartment.


    it was currently the middle of the day, but the room was cramped and dim, with dust floating in the air.


    lu bai held the other¡¯s wrist and had him sit on the tiny sofa, touching the tip of his nose with some embarrassment, as he said, ¡°this is the only place that¡¯s clean.¡± he hadn¡¯t had time to find someone to clean this room, but there had to be a place to rest his head when he was here, so he took matters into his own hands and tidied up the sofa, and now it¡¯s just right for his good-looking boyfriend to sit on.


    qu xueyu was a bit of a clean freak, but right now he didn¡¯t care about the dust, he just watched the youth, ¡°did you just move in?¡±


    lu bai thought that although he didn¡¯t necessarily want to live here, he did just rent this place, so he nodded his head.


    qu xueyu checked out the other person¡¯s outfit and could see that there was still some youthfulness on the other¡¯s pale face, so inquired a bit more, ¡°are you a student?¡±


    lu bai recalled that his family had told him that he was a sophomore at a certain university, so he nodded again.


    the mental image of a poor student with a difficult situation who was struggling to survive took shape in qu xueyu¡¯s mind, and as he looked at the young man, his eyes softened, and his heart subconsciously welled up with sadness. he pulled the young man¡¯s wrist and drew the other into his arms, stating, ¡°i¡¯ll take care of you from now on, okay?¡± after saying this, he feared that he might hurt the other¡¯s self-esteem, so he made his voice more friendly, and said, ¡°you said i¡¯m your boyfriend, didn¡¯t you? so there¡¯s nothing wrong with it, is there?¡±


    lu bai has no sense of self-consciousness to hurt his self-esteem, he obediently and coquettishly nestled in each other¡¯s arms, and then naturally and familiarly wrapped his arms around the other¡¯s neck, nodding his head and said, ¡°oh, then you must take good care of me.¡± then he couldn¡¯t hold back and kissed qu xueyu on the cheek, smiling so much that his eyes curved up and said, ¡°i¡¯ll take good care of you too!¡± tch, he really had a good eye in the past, finding such a good-looking boyfriend who was also delightful.


    feeling the faint residual warmth left by the teenager¡¯s lips still imprinted on his face, qu xueyu¡¯s eyes narrowed, and the hand placed on the teenager¡¯s waist tightened. he thought that this child¡¯s guts were also too big and too trusting. seeing him and calling him ¡®boyfriend¡¯ can still be said to be fateful love at first sight, but as soon as he came in and sat down, he kissed him! if he was a bad person, he would be¡­ he was even more glad now that the person who knocked on the door today was him.


    while mentally criticizing the other¡¯s lack of vigilance, qu xueyu resolved to properly educate this child when he had the chance. at the same time, he hugged the teenager a little tighter, pointed to his own lips, and raised an eyebrow, ¡°kiss here.¡±


    lu bai nodded, ¡°oh.¡± of course, a boyfriend would want to kiss on the lips. so he naturally leaned down and kissed qu xueyu¡¯s lips, and after he kissed him, he strangely had the impression that someone had taught him how to kiss before, and a blurry face flashed in his mind, which immediately disappeared as if it had fallen into nothing but water. lu bai¡¯s heart felt a slight uneasiness, but when he looked at the youth, he relaxed on instinct. so as if it was a natural habit after countless times kissing in this way, he gently nipped at the corner of the youth¡¯s lips and then pried open the youth¡¯s unresisting mouth.


    ¡°hmmm¡­¡±


    qu xueyu¡¯s eyes widened faintly, as he pressed down hard on the back of the youth¡¯s neck, reveling in such a wonderful kiss, while at the same time thinking ¨C this kid, he is really¡­was he picked up by a little wildcat and brought home today?!


    edited: krone


    proofreader: n/a

 CH 68.1

    shen liuxiang curiously flicked the little sachet with his fingertips, wondering what was inside. he opened it and a wisp of starlight drifted out. in the blink of an eye, he found himself holding a garment in his hand. the garment was as thin as gossamer in the moonlight, adorned with starlight, giving off a faint, icy aura.


    shen liuxiang¡¯s expression shifted from confusion to realization as he recognized the garment.


    in the original story, the xu family was a renowned family of artifact craftsmen on the continent. xu xingchen had a magical garment called the ¡°immortal robe.¡± after falling for su baiche, he brought the robe back to the imperial palace, first having it recognize him by dripping his blood on it and then having su baiche wear it.


    the immortal robe shared a telepathic connection with its master, so after that, except for him, xu xingchen, no one else could take off su baiche¡¯s clothes.


    the immortal robe that xu xingchen gave shen liuxiang now clearly had not recognized him as its master.


    shen liuxiang raised an eyebrow and looked at zhou xuanlan, asking, ¡°do you recognize this garment?¡±


    zhou xuanlan replied, ¡°i do.¡±


    shen liuxiang extended his slender index finger and poked his cheek. ¡°do i look like i need this garment right now?¡±


    zhou xuanlan¡¯s expression changed as he contemplated for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, ¡°master, he wants the robe to recognize you and for you to wear it.¡±


    shen liuxiang pondered for a moment, feeling that it was unnecessary. nevertheless, since xu xingchen had gone to the trouble of sending it, he decided to oblige. he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the garment, causing faint starlight to shimmer.


    shen liuxiang put on the immortal robe, and it immediately vanished from sight. there was no sense of weight or presence; it was as if he wasn¡¯t wearing anything at all.


    he turned to zhou xuanlan and said, ¡°you should try taking it off me.¡±


    zhou xuanlan hesitated, then shook his head. ¡°the immortal robe follows its master¡¯s will. if you want to take it off, it won¡¯t resist.¡±


    shen liuxiang secretly marveled at this and stretched out his hand to tighten his belt.


    however before he could, a sudden noise from above interrupted them. shen liuxiang felt his wrist being pulled, and before he knew it, he was being held tightly in zhou xuanlan¡¯s arms as they swiftly moved several yards away.


    a cloud of dust rose where they had been standing, and when it cleared, a large pit appeared in the ground.


    shen liuxiang blinked and saw zhou xuanlan¡¯s hair swaying in front of his eyes. after being released from the embrace, he looked around and asked, ¡°what was that?¡±


    ¡°woo~¡± a painful moan came from the pit.


    a male fox lay there, sprawled on the ground, his eyes sparkling with stars. his fur was covered in dirt, and even the patterns on his forehead were smeared.


    ¡°under the peony tree, a fox can be as charming as a human.¡± the fox sighed, then shed a few tears in silence.


    after not seeing each other for several years, su baiche had transformed from a white lotus into a carnivorous flower. huajian had initially been gentle with him because of his injuries, but he had never expected that su baiche¡¯s cultivation had advanced so rapidly. in retaliation, su baiche had sent him flying, making it difficult for huajian to approach him again.


    huajian climbed out of the pit, feeling melancholic. when he looked up and noticed two people standing above, his eyes lit up.


    beauty! a beauty?!


    huajian¡¯s eyes were about to light up again, but when he saw the person next to the beauty, he almost forgot to breathe.


    since zhou xuanlan had become the ninth demon king in the demon realm, huajian had been avoiding him as much as possible. after all, they were not on friendly terms. in their first encounter, he had deceived the young and impoverished zhou xuanlan. he had cast a spell on him, and now, zhou xuanlan was the ninth demon king. if he held a grudge, it could lead to trouble.


    the fox hesitated, sizing up the situation. he decided to feign unconsciousness, believing that as long as he kept a low profile, no one would recognize him.


    ¡°hmm? little jian?¡± shen liuxiang called out.


    the fox¡¯s body stiffened, but he continued to pretend to be unconscious until zhou xuanlan picked him up from the pit and tossed him to the ground, saying, ¡°master is calling you, third demon king.¡±


    huajian didn¡¯t hold a grudge anymore. he opened his eyes, looked at shen liuxiang, who was crouching and touching his fox ears, and resisted the urge to swat his hand away. he spoke in a friendly tone, ¡°let¡¯s live in harmony, shall we? water from different wells doesn¡¯t interfere with each other.¡±


    the situation was quite complex. shen liuxiang was the young master of the imperial palace, while zhou xuanlan was the ninth demon king. both were not to be underestimated.


    shen liuxiang continued to pinch the fluffy fox ears and asked, ¡°what brings you to qilin city?¡±


    fluffing up his tails, huajian replied, ¡°i¡¯m looking for my relatives.¡±


    shen liuxiang found the fox¡¯s fur surprisingly pleasant to touch but was stopped by his disciple when he attempted to continue petting him. huajian then inquired, ¡°does master have a preference for furry creatures?¡±


    shen liuxiang replied nonchalantly, ¡°it feels comfortable to touch.¡±


    zhou xuanlan, with his long and straight eyelashes, lowered his gaze slightly and said, ¡°when it comes to true forms, i can easily crush creatures like them with a single blow. my true form is even more formidable.¡±


    when shen liuxiang thought about the true form of the dragon race, his heart became itchy and he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°in the future, can i touch you¡­cough,¡±


    concerned about the presence of others, he hinted at it by touching his own forehead, then forming a horn shape with his hand whilst mouthing the words ¨C dragon horn


    zhou xuanlan¡¯s lips curved into a smile as he responded, ¡°alright.¡±


    shen liuxiang was satisfied with this agreement and glanced at the furry fox in the pile of leaves. he couldn¡¯t resist the urge and moved his fingers slightly, showing that he was eager to try.


    zhou xuanlan spoke up, ¡°it¡¯s better for the third demon king to transform back into his human form. there are many wolves in this area, and you might be mistaken for prey. it could tarnish your reputation.¡±


    huajian understood the implications and transformed back into his human form. he only enjoyed touching beautiful people; he didn¡¯t like being touched by them.


    with floral patterns on his forehead, he blinked his peach blossom eyes and wiped the dirt off his face with a silk handkerchief. he asked, ¡°what are you doing in qilin city?


    shen liuxiang and zhou xuanlan exchanged glances. ¡°it¡¯s a long story.¡±


    they decided to explain the unusual situation they had encountered in qilin city on their way back.


    huajian listened attentively, and when they mentioned the mysterious phenomena in the city, he became curious. by the time they reached the city gate and saw ye bingran, huajian was informed about the disappearances of disciples from the sword sect as well.


    huajian raised an eyebrow and looked at ye bingran, who held his sword. he wondered, ¡°could this be related to wenren qin?¡±


    ye bingran, who had some knowledge of formations, had tried to attack the wall with his sword but couldn¡¯t make a dent. he asked, ¡°i used my sword energy earlier, but it disappeared upon touching the wall. do you know why?¡±


    huajian was surprised by the situation. as far as he knew, zhou xuanlan had left the cultivation world because of the sword sect. he couldn¡¯t believe that zhou xuanlan would help them now.


    however, zhou xuanlan then mentioned, ¡°i know a formation called ¡®sennlo mandala''¡±


    ye bingran frowned, he had never heard of it.


    zhou xuanlan explained, ¡°the formation outside wenren qin¡¯s residence is a branch of the sennlo mandala. the most significant feature of this formation is the ¡®²Ø¡¯ (cang) character, which means ¡®to hide.¡¯ it allows everything to be concealed and hidden within the mandala.¡±


    zhou xuanlan pointed at the black flames on the wall. ¡°there¡¯s a gateway to this formation here.¡±


    shen liuxiang was intrigued. ¡°is this formation very powerful?¡±


    zhou xuanlan replied, ¡°it¡¯s an ancient formation from the primordial era.¡±


    huajian, with a hand on his chin, narrowed his peach blossom eyes in suspicion and asked, ¡°how did you come to know about such an ancient formation that has been lost for so long?¡±


    zhou xuanlan smiled, somewhat mysteriously, and replied, ¡°if wenren qin can set up formations, why can¡¯t i know about them?¡±


    hua jian thought for a moment and realized, ¡°is it because of the great mountain and sea? you younger generations seem to have better luck than us.¡±


    shen liuxiang tapped the wall and asked, ¡°do you have a way to enter the formation?¡±


    zhou xuanlan nodded. after a brief silence, he said, ¡°master, stay here and wait for me. i will help you rescue the sword sect disciples.¡±


    shen liuxiang shook his head, ¡°i owe a favor to the sword sect. you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± he remembered how the sword sect had imprisoned zhou xuanlan, even planning to kill him. now, it didn¡¯t seem right to ask him to help rescue sword sect disciples.


    after some contemplation, zhou xuanlan finally agreed.


    he turned and called over luo yu and the others, giving them detailed instructions, before walking to the base of the city wall.


    zhou xuanlan pressed his hand against the cold stone wall. his bony fingers seemed to move like he was drawing curtains. the entire city wall¡¯s brick pattern began to ripple like water.


    suddenly, a door appeared on the wall.


    shen liuxiang¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and zhou xuanlan pulled him inside as he stepped in first. ye bingran followed closely, and out of curiosity, huajian joined them just before the door vanished, leaving the city wall intact once again.