T/N: Weird. This was suppose to post 8 hours ago đŚ ...
The companyâs annual meeting was held one week before Christmas. In addition to the companyâs employees, there were many people from the media. Up until that day, ZhouXiang was still busy working behind the scenes.
LanXiRong, who should have been in the banquet hall, found him at the back of the hotel.
Sneaking in a smoking break, ZhouXiang saw him and asked surprisingly, âHow come youâre over here?â
LanXiRong smiled, "Iâve been looking for you all night, didnât expect you to hide here.â
âI am not hiding here. I was working back there. Hurry back, someone should be looking for you shortly.â
âI came out to take a breather.â LanXiRong looked at him warmly, âXiang Ge, youâve worked hard.â
âItâs nothing. Itâs not like Iâm working for free." ZhouXiang extinguished his cigarette.
âI didnât expect that we could act in a film together. Iâm really looking forward to acting with you," LanXiRong said with some expectation.
ZhouXiang stared blankly, âWe have scenes together?"
âYes, you havenât read the script.â
âOh, youâre playing the role of WangYuDongâs younger brother. Weâll definitely have interactions.â
âNo, itâs not the part where you are his stuntman. The supporting role youâre playing, we will have interaction.â
ZhouXiang smiled, "I donât know. My role is not that heavy. Director Wang didnât give me the script."
âThatâs because the script isnât finished editing yet. President Wang helped secured a few more scenes for you. Iâve read the old script. Your role has good exposure. Xiang Ge, Iâm really looking forward to it.â LanXiRongâs eyes sparkled as he looked at him without blinking.
ZhouXiang heart is also a bit excited but he is embarrassed to show it, âIâll ask the screenwriter about it in a few days.â
âThere will be a meeting after Christmas; you can ask him again then.â
âOkay.â
LanXiRong smiled faintly, âXiang Ge, how are you spending Christmas? With your......boyfriend?â
âYea, should be. Weâre both too busy so we havenât talked about it yet.â Although ZhouXiang had thought about it himself, he had yet to ask YanMingXiu. He didnât know whether he will be rejected.
LanXiRong lowered his eyes dejectedly, âXiang Ge, if you havenât made plans for Christmas, spend it with me. We can go eat hot pot.â
ZhouXiang smiled, âYouâre so busy; I donât think you have time.â
âIf youâre going to spend it with me, I will cancel everything. Iâm serious,â LanXiRong looked at him very seriously.
ZhouXiang lowered his head uncomfortably, âLetâs talk about it later.â
The two people casually said a few words; LanXiRong glance at his watch and reluctantly returned to the banquet hall. ZhouXiang smoked one cigarette after another. He looked up at the blue sky; his mind was in chaos, thinking about everything but no results came up.
When he returned home that night, it was almost two oâclock. He was busy for an entire day and is extremely exhausted.
To his surprise, YanMingXiu wasnât asleep and seeming to be waiting up for him, making ZhouXiang felt very touched.
YanMingXiu poured him a cup of hot water, âCome and have some water.â
ZhouXiang removed his coat and sat down on the table, his cold hand holding the warm cup.
YanMingXiu looked at his frozen red face, reached out and caressed it, frowning, "You didnât drive? Freezing yourself like this.â
âI went to help move some things after the annual meeting ended.â
YanMingXiu definitely didnât like seeing ZhouXiangâs exhaustive expression. No matter how dazzling the entertainment circle might me, in YanMingXiuâs opinion, the value in the work that ZhouXiang does is too insignificant. But still, ZhouXiang enjoys it.
He asked softly, âDid LanXiRong also attended your annual meeting?â
ZhouXiang froze, "Hmm.â
âDid you guys talked?â
â......No, he was in the banquet hall. I was busy backstage. I didnât see him." ZhouXiang felt a bit guilty. Thinking about what LanXiRong said to him today, he was even more worried. He has been waiting for the opportunity to tell YanMingXiu that he wanted to participate in WangYuDongâs film and that LanXiRong is also in the film. But seeing YanMingXiuâs attitude, he is even more afraid to speak.
YanMingXiu nodded satisfactorily and then moved his hand from his face to his ears, âIn the future, things that you shouldnât do, donât be proactive on it. What are you aiming for? Getting yourself so frozen like this."
ZhouXiang naturally responded, "They are my colleagues; itâs normal to help.â
YanMingXiu shook his head, âGo take a shower and sleep early.â
ZhouXiang finished drinking the water and went to take a comfortable hot shower. When he entered the bedroom, he saw that YanMingXiu had already lied down.
He got into bed and embraced YanMingXiu from behind, softly murmuring, âMingXiu, do you have any plans for Christmas?â
YanMingXiu turned around, âWhat do you want to do?"
ZhouXiang smiled, "Are you letting me plan Christmas? Then youâre giving me your time that day?"
YanMingXiu nodded, âThis kind of holiday is no big deal, nothing special.â
âJoin in on the fun. Letâs go eat and then watch a movie? Last time a friend recommended a Western restaurant, saying that it has great ambiance. There is a three month reservation waiting list. This friend of mine knows the boss. I can find him to make arrangement?"
"Okay, you do that." YanMingXiu is not interested in these kinds of festive holidays but seeing how important it seems to be for ZhouXiang, he is also willing to accompany ZhouXiang in the excitement. He added, "Then Iâll book the hotel. Letâs change a place......"
Change a place to do what?... Naturally it goes without saying that is to have sex in a different place. ZhouXiang smiled wickedly, "Good idea. I just want to say that.â
YanMingXiu put a hand on his waist; his dark black eyes looked quietly at ZhouXiang through the rays of moonlight.
ZhouXiang felt himself being sucked in by YanMingXiuâs expression. So much that he couldnât look away. The two of them looked at each other so serenely. They had not look at each other this closely for a long time.
ZhouXiang lowered his voice, âWhat are you thinking?â
âNothing.â
ZhouXiang smiled lightly, âMingXiu, I feel very happy now. You?â
YanMingXiu blinked and gently âhmmâ a sound. He didnât say yes nor say no, just a simply a âhmmâ.
ZhouXiang smiled and closed his eyes.
YanMingXiu leaned closer and wrapped his strong arms around ZhouXiangâs back, almost wanting to put ZhouXiang into his arms. Although with ZhouXiangâs body shape, this posture is a bit funny, YanMingXiu could feel ZhouXiangâs breaths on his neck. He felt very warm.
Letâs just be like this; there is nothing wrong with it.
ââ
On Christmas Day, YanMingXiu came back early. ZhouXiang was waiting for him at home. After YanMingXiu changed, they took advantage of the time and started to head out early.
This day is both a holiday and a Friday. The traffic congestion is so bad that itâs slower than walking. Fortunately, the restaurant is not far from them. A distance that usually takes them 15 minutes took an hour today.
The restaurant is also packed today but the ambiance within is very quiet, a stark contrast to the crowds outside.
Many couples sat around them. Two grown men having a candlelight dinner directly facing each other is a bit awkward. Especially with YanMingXiuâs looks, it is even more eye-catching. Almost everyone had to sneak a glance at them.
ZhouXiang didnât expect to have such an awkward scene so he kept paying attention to YanMingXiuâs expression, fearing that he would get angry.
But YanMingXiu acted as though there were nobody else around. Seeing ZhouXiang looking at him, he even laughed, "Why are you so nervous? Donât let strangers influence your mood.â
Only then ZhouXiang feel relieved. He smiled, "Are you used to being ogle at?â
YanMingXiu shrugged his shoulders lightly and didnât comment.
âJust from your calm and collected nature, itâs a pity that youâre not a star."
YanMingXiu shook his head with a smile, âI hate those kinds of career that essentially have no privacy. Itâs inconvenient to do anything.â
ZhouXiang, "Yeah, you canât imagine it. Some reporters are terrible. They can even dig up old matters from more than ten years ago that even the party involved had forgotten. Being a star is really not something people can do. The greatest thing in the world is to have money without others knowing."
ZhouXiang chatted to YanMingXiu about some of the typical gossip going around in the entertainment circle. They usually donât talk about these things because YanMingXiu didnât seem too interested. But today he listened with great interest. The two havenât chatted so much for a long time. This meal was very enjoyable.
After they finished eating, they went to the underground parking lot. Just when they were about to get into the car, a female voice suddenly sounded from behind, âMingXiu?â
When the both of them turned around, they saw a tall and beautiful woman holding a man wearing a pair of sunglasses standing behind them.
At a glance, ZhouXiang could see that the person wearing sunglasses is WangYuDong.
When YanMingXiu saw the two people, his expression immediately changed. He vaguely said, âJie (T/N).â
T/N: Older sister
âMingXiu, you came here to eat too? Why didnât I see you earlier?â YanMingMei asked as she walked up to him. But when she noticed ZhouXiang, she paused.
WangYuDong also removed his sunglasses. He looked at ZhouXiang with his expression full of caution.
ZhouXiang felt so embarrassed momentarily that he didnât know where to hide. He could only force himself to calm down and smile politely at YanMingMei.
YanMingMei didnât smile. She almost immediately began to doubt the relationship her brother has with this man. Itâs not that YanMingMei is not aware of YanMingXiuâs sexual orientation, but like her parents, sheâs always chosen to forget it.
She looked at ZhouXiang and then looked at YanMingXiu, âMingXiu, is this your friend?â
YanMingXiuâs lips trembled a bit. His eyes were focused on YanMingMeiâs hand on WangYuDongâs arm. No matter how he looked, itâs an eyesore.
WangYuDong held YanMingMeiâs waist and softly murmured, "This person is a colleague I have collaborated with. I was the one who introduced them.â
YanMingMei seemed to sigh in relief but still turned her head restlessly to give WangYuDong an inquiring look.
WangYuDong gave her a reassuring looking, âThey probably have something to do today.â
YanMingXiu said bluntly, âWe still have things to do; weâll leave first.â
âHeyâ YanMingMei pulled him, "Whatâs the hurry? WangYuDong and I are going to watch a movie. Letâs go together." She was still apprehensive and wanted to observe the relationship between the two.
YanMingXiu impatiently said, "Iâve said that we still have things to do, no time to watch a movie. You two go ahead."
YanMingMei perceptively sensed the fluctuation in YanMingXiuâs mood. Furrowing her brows, "Whatâs wrong with you? Whatâs the hurry?â
YanMingXiu heavily emphasized, âIâm busy.â After saying that, he pressed to unlock the car doors and said to ZhouXiang, "Letâs go.â Then, got into the driverâs seat.
ZhouXiang didnât turn his head as he got into the passenger seat. He felt two pairs of eyes staring at him.
They didnât go to watch the movie as ZhouXiang expected.
The mood was very heavy along the way. YanMingXiu didnât say a word, his expression was very bad.
ZhouXiang thought that YanMingXiu was worried about his sister finding out about him being gay so he also said nothing. He couldnât even say anything to comfort him. He could only follow along in silence.
YanMingXiu drove back home and went straight into the study upon entering the home. Then, slammed into the door to the study.
ZhouXiang looked at the closed door. He knew that he is once again locked out of YanMingXiuâs heart. And still, he couldnât see him being able to step into his heart.
ââ
After the incident on Christmas Day, they did not mention it again, as if nothing had happened, but YanMingXiu became increasingly quiet.
Two days before New Yearâs, Director Wang convened another meeting. For a minor role like ZhouXiang, it was not necessary for him to attend so no one notified him. It was after President Wang arrived and realized that he wasnât in attendance that he specially called to tell him to come over, wanting him to get in touch with some of the people.
ZhouXiang rushed over after receiving the call, but he was still half an hour late. He didnât expect that once he entered, he would see the scene of Director Wang and WangYuDong in a heated argument.
As soon as he entered, everyoneâs eyes were on him. ZhouXiang wished he could become an invisible person. At this time, who would want to attract gunpowder?
President Wang did not expect that the two people would end up arguing. He quickly used his discreet expressions to signal for ZhouXiang to find a place to sit.
ZhouXiang lowered his back and ran over to sit next to President Wang.
WangYuDong says coldly, âMy engagement is a major life event. Others have agreed to postpone the film launching ceremony. Why canât Director Wang just accommodate it? I must go on this vacation, hope Director Wang can understand."
Director Wang slammed his hand on the table, "This date was set two months ago. You think you can just say to change and it can change?! This delays many things! The date cannot be changed. If you donât come then your name wonât be on the list of cast!"
Since these words are said to such extent, the relationship between the two is almost irreparable. The three investors all looked gloomy. President Wang rolled his eyes as if heâs too lazy to care.
WangYuDong is so enraged that the muscles on his face are a bit distorted, "Fine. Director Wang can find someone else to replace me then. Hope you can find a satisfactory candidate.â
âThere are many people who can replace you!â Director Wang is so furious that he was blowing his beard with glaring eyes. He glanced at ZhouXiang, who had just sat down, and said sternly, "ZhouXiang!â
ZhouXiang was so scared that he was shaking; everyone looked at him.
Director Wang gave a heavy âhumphâ and said, "I think ZhouXiang is good. You have always been WangYuDongâs stuntman and also know how to act. This time you can take on WangYuDongâs role, not as a stuntman. I want you to be the lead.â
As soon as these words came out, everyoneâs eyes widen and the entire conference room became quiet. ZhouXiang was scared witless; he didnât dare to breathe.
Those people who have a good relationship with ZhouXiang looked at him sympathetically.
Everyone could understand that Director Wang saying this is not because ZhouXiang is talented nor really qualified. It was just to humiliate WangYuDong to the greatest extent.
Being replaced by his own stuntman, if this is becomes confirmed, WangYuDong will become the greatest joke in the entire entertainment industry.
This move of Director Wangâs is really ruthless, pushing ZhouXiang to the heart of their struggle
End of the chapter
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