ã€ŠProfessional Body Doubleã€‹


 Chapter 1

    Zhou Xiang doesn¡¯t know if the Heavens gave him a second chance at life because of their excessive consideration for him, or because they hadn¡¯t had enough fun with him yet.

    Or else, why would he be used, in film and in real life, in his previous life and this one, by Yan Mingxiu as the body double for the exact same person?

    He didn¡¯t know who was more pitiful, he himself, who can only ever be a body double, or Young Master Yan, who has no choice but to find a body double.

    <strong>Tags: BL, HE, Angst, Rebirth, Show Business, Stuntman, Body Double, Drama</strong>

    The author¡¯s other novels are , and , currently being tranted by (, ), and Beloved Enemy (fully tranted on Wattpad).Professional Body Double has a simr vibe to those novels.

    Please note that this novel is all drama and no fluff (from what I can remember). The male lead is also aplete jerk, please do not proceed if you¡¯re not okay with that.

    The author recently reuploaded the story . Because the new version has been censored, I will be tranting off the (while cross-checking for any corrections/changes). The numbering will follow the old version as well. (Old version: 125+ chapters vs New version: 27 very long chapters).

    I¡¯ll be releasing 3 chapters a week starting<strong>next week</strong>.

    Underneath is the glossary ofmon suffixes/words that I¡¯ve kept in Chinese. The ones below will not be re-exined in the trantion, so I rmend that you at least skim over it. The links to the chapters are at the end of the page.Vissit n??velbin(.)c??m for ??ew ??ovels

    <strong>¸ç ¡®ge</strong>¨C means older brother - added at the end of a male¡¯s name Eg. If a person¡¯s name is Cai Wei (Cai=surname, Wei=first name), he might be called: Cai¡¯ge or Wei¡¯ge or Cai Wei¡¯ge => in English, it¡¯ll be Brother Wei.

    Could either mean:

    - the person is actually your older brother

    - you¡¯re so close to them they¡¯re almost like your older brother

    - to show that the person has seniority over you, way of showing respect without being too formal

    <strong>½ã ¡®jie</strong>¨C means older sister (used in the same way as ¡®ge¡¯ but towards females)

    <strong>Ð¡ Xiao</strong>

    ¨C means<strong>little</strong>¨C added at the front of someone¡¯s name - nickname - used by people older than youEg: Zhou Xiang -> Xiao Zhou or Xiao Xiang -> Little Zhou, Lil¡¯ Zhou

    <strong>ÀÏ Lao</strong>¨C means<strong>old</strong>¨C added at the front of males¡¯s name - nickname - used by people younger than you (and you also happen to be middle-aged or old, or too old to be called brother [ge], I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen this used with females)Eg: Zhou Xiang -> Lao Zhou or Lao Xiang -> Old Zhou, Ol¡¯ Zhou

    <strong>°¡ A¡¯</strong>¨C added at the front of someone¡¯s name - nickname - used by people older than you

    Eg: Zhou Xiang -> A¡¯Zhou or A¡¯Xiang

    <strong>ÐÖµÜ Brother/Sister</strong>- When someone is really close friends to someone they might refer to them as their Brother/Sister. In these cases, it just means that ¡°my very good friend¡±, they aren¡¯t real brothers/sisters or anything (unless they have the same surname or it¡¯s stated somewhere that they¡¯re rted).

    <strong>NG</strong>¨C means No Good ¨C Filming term ¨C either someone¡¯s made a blooper or the scene isn¡¯t good enough (director not satisfied etc), and you need to retake. (If I¡¯m toozy to think up an English equivalent to express NG, I might even use it as a verb: ¡®NGed¡¯.)

    <strong>Aiya</strong>¨C expression of exasperation

    And here¡¯s four chapters to start off:

    See you next week :)

 Chapter 2

    Zhou Xiang stayed at the hospital for another two days. His body felt excellent and he really didn¡¯t want to stay in the hospital any longer so he told Chen Ying again that he wanted to be discharged.

    Chen Ying said that she would go ask a doctor.

    Zhou Xiang waited in his hospital room. That elderly man sleeping on the bed next to him would probably never wake up ever again. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Zhou Xiang would think about how it was utterly silent next to him even though there was a person lying there; it was actually really horrifying.

    That was when the hospital room door opened. He thought Chen Ying hade back, but to his surprise, a forty year old man walked in. Zhou Xiang froze with shock the moment he saw that man¡¯s face.

    Cai Wei?

    When Cai Wei saw him, he also froze for a moment, and then said in astonishment, ¡°You...You-you-you-you¡¯re awake?¡±

    Zhou Xiang blinked. He was even more shocked than Cai Wei. He never thought that he would encounter one of his past friends only a short few days after waking up.

    Cai Wei strode over to him. This gruff man was so worked up his entire face was zing red. He grabbed Zhou Xiang¡¯s shoulder with one hand, hurting Zhou Xiang slightly with the sheer amount of force of his grip. Cai Wei said excitedly, ¡°Buddy, you won¡¯t know me, but I know you.¡± He pointed at the adjacent bed with his other hand, which was carrying a bag of food. ¡°That person is my dad. My dad has been lying there for over a half a year, I saw you every time I came to visit. Ah, there¡¯s not much we can say since my dad is already at this age, but you¡¯re still so young, if you really did stay in aa for the rest of your life, your mum would be finished. I never thought that you¡¯d actually wake up. Way to go kid!¡± He gave Zhou Xiang a heavy pat on the shoulder, a sincere smile on his face.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart trembled. He grabbed hold of Cai Wei¡¯s arm. He was so excited he couldn¡¯t speak. He wanted to say ¡°Wei¡¯ge¡± but in the Cai Wei¡¯s eyes right now he was only a stranger who also happened to be called Zhou Xiang.

    Cai Wei looked at him, slightly baffled. ¡°Buddy, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Do you feel ufortable anywhere? Should I call a doctor over?¡±

    ¡±No, no need. That, you, don¡¯t give up, maybe uncle will wake up one day too.¡±

    Cai Wei ced his stuff on his father¡¯s side, sat on a chair and let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s hopeless, it was an old age stroke... Now he¡¯s just dangling here, half dead, half alive, it¡¯s painful for the entire family, but we can¡¯t just sit by and watch him die.¡± Cai Wei nced at his dad. ¡°No matter what, we can still say he¡¯s alive right now.¡±

    His voice was bleak and weary, making Zhou Xiang feel especially sad. Cai Wei was getting by pretty well in the entertainment circle. The work he did was rtively varied and he could do nning and management. Nevertheless, he had connections everywhere; a lot of new kids who started their career in the circle needed to watch his face and be careful not to offend him. Hence, Cai Wei had a pretty good sry. However, the daily hospital charges and having to provide for his wife and kids and look after his elderly father at the same time was truly a heavy burden. Only two years had passed but Zhou Xiang felt that Cai Wei had aged a lot.

    Zhou Xiang wanted say some words offort, but was afraid that he would expose something if he said too much. It would probably be impossible for a normal person to believe that a different person was living in this body.

    Cai Wei silently nced at him a few more times. He then sighed heavily and wiped his face. The expression on his face was a bit pained.

    Zhou Xiang cautiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Zhou Xiang.¡± Cai Wei called, using the exact tone as he did when he said Zhou Xiang¡¯s name in the past. Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart trembled. ¡°Did you know? I used to have a brother whose name was also Zhou Xiang. If he was still alive, he would be <f title="Lunar Age">thirty five</f> this year... He was extremely young, extremely loyal and an extremely good brother.¡± Cai Wei¡¯s face looked like he was both crying and smiling. He said in a slightly choked voice, ¡°I heard from your mother that you got into an ident two years ago? That brother of mine also had an ident two years ago, but you woke up, while we can¡¯t even find his corpse. And that job, was one that I introduced to him too...¡± Cai Wei sniffed, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t...¡±

    He couldn¡¯t finish the rest of the sentence, but his self-me and sadness seemed to melt into the air, and making the atmosphere feel indescribably heavy.

    He really wanted to give Cai Wei a good punch and tell him off for talking rubbish: What has my death got to do with you? At that time, he had offended Wang Yudong and it was clear that he could no longer stay in the entertainment circle. Only Cai Wei looked out for him, wearing out his lips to help introduce him to a production team. With that production team, Zhou Xiang entered the <f title="A Mountain Range that is over 100 kilometers long, 30-40 kilometers wide with an area of 2600 kilometers squared. Shiwan means one hundred thousand.">Shiwan Mountain range</f> to film a documentary. It was his own bad luck that he got caught in that kind of weather. If he truly was dead then he wouldn¡¯t know anything, but being alive made him be aware of the fact that Cai Wei had been ming himself for his death the entire time, which made him feel even worse than Cai Wei.

    Cai Wei was normally not the sort of person who would talk so much in front of a stranger but at this moment, he had somewhat lost control over his emotions. This young man in front of him stirred up deep feelings and made recall too many painful memories. He felt a bit embarrassed as well. He quickly cleared his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what I just said, I was just thinking of the past. By the way, my name¡¯s Cai Wei. If you don¡¯t mind, you can call me Wei¡¯ge. We have a strong fateful connection. Let¡¯s take care each other from now on.¡±

    In a slightly shaky voice Zhou Xiang called out ¡®Wei¡¯ge¡¯ once. He really wanted to drag Cai Wei out to the canteen near the hospital, order a few dishes and two litres of white wine, and drink to his heart¡¯s content, like they used to in the past. Cai Wei had always looked after him when they were still in Sports College. After he graduated and couldn¡¯t find a good job, he shamelessly went to find Cai Wei for help. It was also Cai Wei who helped him arrange him work in production teams doing misceneous jobs at various sets and locations. It was only afterwards that he slowly started doing martial arts body double jobs, and started earning a pretty good sry. The two of them got along the best, and in Zhou Xiang heart, Cai Wei was almost like his real brother.

    Cai Wei smiled. ¡°I¡¯m speaking this from my heart, but don¡¯t think too much about it. You feel unusually close and familiar to me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because your name is also Zhou Xiang, at any rate, I feel that you two are a bit simr.¡±

    Zhou Xiang also smiled. How could Cai Wei possibly know that he and that Zhou Xiang were the very same person?

    Just as he was about to speak, Chen Ying came back. ¡°Xiao Cai, you¡¯re here to visit your dad.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Aunty Chen, howe you didn¡¯t tell me that Zhou Xiang woke up? This deserves a big celebration. Ah, when can he be discharged? I¡¯ll take you guys out to eat.¡±

    ¡°My, you¡¯re so busy with work, how can we bother you like this.¡±

    ¡°How is it a bother? You¡¯re always helping the carer look after my dad, even if I spend my rest of my life, I still won¡¯t be able to repay you for all you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m unupied and doing nothing anyway. You still have to earn money to feed your family, you can¡¯tpare yourself to an idle person like me. Don¡¯t stand on ceremony. When you have time, visit your father more often, perhaps your father can wake up one day too.¡±

    Cai Wei smiled. ¡°Yeah, and maybe we can even rub off some of you guys¡¯ joyous air.¡±

    Chen Ying had gained a noticeable glow to her face; her entire person was bursting with happiness. ¡°Xiao Cai,e and eat some fruit.¡±

    The three sat and chatted for a while. Cai Wei stayed for over an hour. He helped his dad change clothes, trim his hair and then left.

    After he left, Chen Ying said to Zhou Xiang, ¡°I didn¡¯t say it in front of him because I didn¡¯t want to bother him, but the doctor said that you can be discharged tomorrow.¡±

    Zhou Xiang responded happily, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pack up our stuff. You have a good rest, we¡¯ll be going back home tomorrow.¡±

    Zhou Xiang said softly, ¡°Mum, thank you all your hard work.¡±

    Chen Yingughed as she smoothed down his slightly long hair, ¡°You¡¯re awake now, all the hard work was worth it.¡±

    ---

    They woke up early the next morning, and were about to go andplete the hospital release forms, but to their surprise, Cai Wei arrived.

    Cai Wei said, smiling, ¡°Aunty Chen, you¡¯re not being a good friend, he¡¯s discharging from the hospital today but you didn¡¯t even let me know, I had to ask a doctor to find out. Don¡¯t say anything, and no need to be courteous with me. Today I¡¯m going to help you guys run errands and take you two out for a celebration dinner.¡±

    Chen Ying felt extremely apologetic for inconveniencing him. She tried to decline quite a few times, but was no match for Cai Wei¡¯s enthusiasm, and ended up epting.

    Cai Wei hurriedly helped themplete the discharge forms. Zhou Xiang ced their belongings into his car. He had lived in the hospital for two years, leaving the hospital was practically the same as moving house. If they didn¡¯t have Cai Wei¡¯s car, they really would have been in trouble.

    They bustled about the entire morning and were all tired. Chen Ying was worried about Zhou Xiang¡¯s body but Zhou Xiang was actually perfectly fine; he felt that his body was bursting with energy. This body had been lying for two years. What itcked most was not rest, but exercise.

    Cai Wei dragged the two to a high ss Cantonese restaurant. Seeing Cai Wei¡¯s new car, and how he was making a show of extravagance, Zhou Xiang knew that he had been doing very well the past two years and he was happy for him.

    Zhou Xiang made himself at home, speaking as he ate.

    Chen Ying didn¡¯t have much to say. After speaking for a while she fell silent, while the other two continued chatting. After chatting for a while, Cai Wei looked at him with an odd expression in his eyes.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart jumped in rm, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You truly feel like... a close acquaintance to me, how can that be?¡±

    Zhou Xiang hurriedly reflected on what he had just said to see if he had said something wrong. He had been as careful as he could; he probably hadn¡¯t slipped up. Thus, heughed out loud, ¡°Didn¡¯t Wei¡¯ge say it before, we have a fateful connection.¡±

    Cai Wei shook his head, and smiled, ¡°Right, I must be overthinking things. Who told you to have the same surname and name as my brother.¡± He let out yet another sigh.

    Zhou Xiang was afraid that he was remembering past memories again, and hurriedly poured him a ss of wine, ¡°Here, Wei¡¯ge, drink some wine.¡±

    Both of their faces became flushed after three rounds.

    Cai Wei asked him, ¡°Zhou Xiang, what do you n to do from now on?¡±

    ¡±Find a job.¡±

    ¡±What work did you do before?¡±

    Zhou Xiang was truly at a loss on how to answer. He turned to ask Chen Ying, ¡°Mum, what work did I do before?¡±

    Cai Wei pped his own head, ¡°Oh, I forgot that you can¡¯t remember anything. Doesn¡¯t that mean that everything that you learnt before has gone to waste?¡±

    ¡±Tell me about it.¡±

    Chen Ying seemed to have remembered something and herplexion didn¡¯t look too good. ¡°In the past you posed for photos for a magazine, and also went to motor shows to be a model or something. You said you wanted to be a celebrity, and even took part in some training thing. At that time, I urged you to be realistic, but you wouldn¡¯t listen, hah...¡± Chen Ying sighed. She seemed to have realised that she shouldn¡¯t have said so much, and lowered her head to continue eating.

    Zhou Xiang was taken aback for a moment. He hadn¡¯t expected that the original owner of this body had actually had dreams of stardom. This body was pretty good looking. However there was an ocean of handsome boys in Beijing. This body¡¯s appearance wouldn¡¯t be considered anything outstanding. Unless he had something that outshone others, there was no way for him to be famous. Zhou Xiang had been in the circle for so many years, and had seen too many young men with superior natural endowments but in the end all sadly pulled out. To be famous, even if you possessed all the qualities required, it was all pointless if you didn¡¯t have luck.

    Cai Weiughed. ¡°You want to be a celebrity? That just so happens to be my trade, this big brother can help you.¡±

    Chen Ying raised her head. ¡°No, so many people want to be celebrities, only a few can seed, it would be better to find an honest and secure job.¡±

    Zhou Xiang nodded as well. ¡°Wei¡¯ge, I don¡¯t want to be a celebrity, I know that my qualifications aren¡¯t good enough. I know that you work at an entertainmentpany. If you want to help me, introduce me to some work at yourpany as some assistant or crew member in a production team, I can do any work.¡±

    Cai Wei nodded. ¡°That¡¯s no problem. My boss just bought a model agency and set up a film studio with a floor area of over 1000 square metres at the side of <f title="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_roads_of_Beijing">Sixth Ring Road</f>. There are plenty of jobs avable, so long as you aren¡¯t scared of hardship, earning enough to feed you and your mum shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±

    Zhou Xiang decisively nodded. ¡°Thank you Wei¡¯ge.¡± It could be said that he didn¡¯t know anyone right now. If Cai Wei really was willing to introduce work to him, he would be able to earn an ie right away and that was exactly what he needed right now. Let his death be bygones, he was alive so he still had to find a way to continue living.

    Chen Ying opened her mouth, but upon seeing that Zhou Xiang¡¯s mind was set, she didn¡¯t say anything else. However, her eyes were filled with anxiety.

 Chapter 3

    By the time they finished eating, and walked out of the restaurant it was two in the afternoon with the zing sun beating down their heads. Zhou Xiang narrowed his eyes as he raised his head to look up. Across the street was a gigantic LED advertisement screen in themercial square up ahead. The screen was disying a businessmercial. Due to the light shining behind therge building, for a few seconds it was almost impossible to clearly make out what was on the screen. By chance, a ck cloud floated over, blocking the sun. The giant screen switched to a luxury expensive watch brandmercial, and a man wandered out from a pure ck background.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯splexion suddenly changed.

    It was a man in his early twenties. His tall, slender and perfect figure was wrapped by a pure white suit, creating a stark contrast with the background. He lifted his head slightly, revealing a peerlessly handsome face. That face waspletely expressionless, his eyes were ice-cold, and the line of his tightly pursed lips conveyed an inapproachable hard and cold air. He buckled a diamond watch onto his wrist. It was just a very, very simple action, yet when it was performed by him, it noble, graceful, thrilling and breath-taking. Many people walking on the street turned their heads or halted their steps, all in order to rest their eyes upon that man.

    A sharp pain cut through Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart. With a pallidplexion, he took a deep breath.

    Yang Mingxiu? Why was he... Why would he go and shoot amercial? With his family background, why would he need to go on screen to sell smiles?

    Behind him, Cai Wei snorted coldly, his tone permeated with hatred.

    Zhou Xiang instantly snapped out of his reverie and adjusted his facial expression, afraid that Cai Wei would make out something.

    Cai Wei knew about what happened between him and Yan Mingxiu. As a result, Cai Wei was full of loathing towards Yan Mingxiu, and that hadn¡¯t changed in these two years.

    From the looks of it, the influence a person has on another person really isn¡¯t something that can easily fade.

    To Cai Wei, two years had already passed. However to Zhou Xiang, everything that happened between him and Yan Mingxiu was just something that urred a week ago. He could even still vividly remember thest phone call he had with Yan Mingxiu. He could still clearly remember Yan Mingxiu¡¯s scent, his overbearing, wilful and various demands, his personality which persisted on doing things his own way, not caring in the least when he hurt others, and even his smile, his rage, and his unquestionable love for Wang Yudong were all still crystal clear in Zhou Xiang¡¯s mind. Everything that he wanted to forget as quickly as possible, to him, was something that only happened a few days ago. They say that time is the best medicine; for him the time passed was still too short. He originally thought that he would start afresh, without having to see him, without thinking about him, and one day he would be able to wipe that failed rtionshippletely from his mind. He never expected that he would be forced to see Yan Mingxiu again on the very day that he left the hospital, and that in the foreseeable future he will continue to see him.

    Seeing that Zhou Xiang and Cai Wei were both staring at themercial in front, Chen Ying looked as well and then gasped in admiration, ¡°How can a boy look be so nice-looking, he¡¯s too good-looking.¡±

    Cai Wei said in disdain, ¡°What¡¯s the shit use of being good-looking when you¡¯re a bastard.¡±

    Chen Ying said with surprise, ¡°Xiao Cai, you know him?¡±

    Cai Wei replied sullenly, ¡°Mhm, I know him¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him? He¡¯s not a good person?¡±

    Cai Wei said with a forced smile, ¡°Aunty Chen, the entertainment world is a very messy ce, there aren¡¯t many good people there.¡±

    Zhou Xiang suppressed the urge to ask Cai Wei about Yan Mingxiu. The less he knew, the better it was for him. It was best if he could let Yan Mingxiupletely disappear from his life.

    After the watchmercial disappeared, Zhou Xiang secretly let out a breath of relief. However, the trembling in his heart didn¡¯t disappear. It was all truly beyond his control. He offended Wang Yudong, fell out with Yan Mingxiu, took the wrong step and fell down a cliff; all these kept him wide awake at the night. To him, these were all things that happened a short while ago. He needed time. What he needed now, was time.

    ---

    After Cai Wei sent them back home, Chen Ying minced her words for quite a while before she said sheepishly, ¡°Xiao Cai, normally, Aunty Chen should really invite you in to sit, but this ce is a rental, it¡¯s too simple and crude, I¡¯ll also feel guilty making youe in. Thank you for today.¡±

    Cai Wei knitted his brows and looked at their old housing district. The location was remote, the surrounding environment was poor; it was indeed not a good ce. He inwardly sighed. In order to treat Zhou Xiang, Chen Ying exhausted all of her savings, and also borrowed arge sum of money. Zhou Xiang was awake now, but their hard life was only just beginning.

    After Cai Wei left, Chen Ying took Zhou Xiang upstairs. This seven storey building had at least twenty years of history. The corridors were dusky, the staircase was narrow, and the walls were so filthy it was impossible to make out its original colour.

    Chen Ying was renting a small forty square meter apartment with only one bedroom. She had cleaned up the ce as much as she could, but still couldn¡¯t hide the fact that the dweller of this apartment was in dire financial straits.

    Chen Ying said with augh, ¡°I¡¯ve tidied up the bedroom, and also bought a new bed. I¡¯ll sleep in the living room from now on.¡±

    Zhou Xiang hastily said, ¡°Mum, I¡¯ll sleep in the living room.¡±

    ¡°How can I let you do that, you¡¯re juste out of hospital, and still need to recuperate your health. I¡¯m already used to sleeping on the hospital¡¯s nk beds, sleeping in the living room is nothing.¡±

    Zhou Xiang responded, ¡°Mum, that¡¯s nonsense, I can¡¯t let you sleep in the living room while I sleep in a bedroom.¡±

    The two wrangled for a brief while. Chen Ying couldn¡¯t make him change his mind, and was forced to agree.

    Chen Ying made a pot of tea, and also brought out a big bundle of photo albums. Sitting on the living room sofa, Chen Ying slowly told him about Zhou Xiang¡¯s past.

    Zhou Xiang was a normal kid that grew up in the capital. His dad was a civil servant, and his mum was an ountant. Originally their lifestyle was pretty good, but his father passed away when he was going to university, and he got into an ident at twenty four. One could well imagine how much pain and misery had engulfed Chen Ying¡¯s life.

    He didn¡¯t have much interest in Zhou Xiang¡¯s past. However, the more he found out the more he sympathized with this woman.

    Chen Ying spoke and spoke, and eventually burst into tears. ¡°I don¡¯t have a good life, I almost couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. Son, thank goodness you woke up, or else mum truly wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on any longer.¡±A period of two years, without knowing when a miracle would ur, she held on continuously for two years. This thin, weak and small woman was countless times stronger than how she looked.

    Zhou Xiang wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting her cry to her heart¡¯s content in the arms of her most beloved son.

    After Chen Ying finished venting, she was very embarrassed. Seeing Zhou Xiang sitting in front of her healthy and sound, she couldn¡¯t help but break out into a smile.

    Zhou Xiang asked, ¡°Mum, while I was hospitalised, you borrowed a lot of money right? Take the ount book out, and we¡¯llpare.¡±

    As soon as he brought that up, Chen Ying¡¯s face dimmed again. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up and took out an ount book from the TV cab. All of the loan slips were carefully and neatly sandwiched inside the ount book using paper clips. Proving herself as a former ountant, everything was clear and orderly.

    She let out a heavy sigh. ¡°In the beginning, we still had some savings, but your hospital expenses were too high. I sold our two apartments. At that time, the property market wasn¡¯t good, if I had sold it during these past two years, I would have been able to get almost one million, but I urgently needed the money at that time...¡±

    Zhou Xiang flipped through the thick pile of IOUs. He asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Mum, how much do we owe altogether?¡±

    Chen Ying sniffed. ¡°The retirement money I get is only a little over two thousand a month. Afterwards, I went around everywhere to borrow money, rtives, friends, colleagues, I borrowed from everyone, when they see my number now, they don¡¯t even pick up anymore...¡± Chen Ying said hoarsely, ¡°Right now, we still owe <f title="Over 50,000 USD"> three hundred and seventy thousand yuan</f> altogether.¡±

    Three hundred and seventy thousand...

    Zhou Xiang calcted his own savings from before. Without counting his apartment and car, he had around two hundred thousand in the bank. His apartment was an old apartment which his father¡¯s workce had allocated to his father, but the location was very good. Two years ago it was worth one million and three hundred thousand yuan. His car was second-hand. If he sold it, he¡¯d be able to get twenty to thirty thousand. He couldn¡¯t sell the house as he and Chen Ying still needed to live there. The rest he could gather elsewhere, repaying the full three hundred and seventy thousand wouldn¡¯t be hard... Just as Zhou Xiang was calcting in his head, his eyes unconsciouslynded on a photo in one of the albums. He was abruptly brought back to reality. He was already no longer that Zhou Xiang, that Zhou Xiang was already ¡°dead¡±! He had absolutely no idea, in the end, how those savings in the bank and his property were dealt with and who helped him take care of it. How could he possibly use a stranger¡¯s identity to get back his assets?

    Zhou Xiang was bathed in cold sweat from head to toe. That would mean, not only had he had be a pauper, he was also a pauper with a debt of three hundred and seventy thousand yuan.

    Chen Ying saw his pallidplexion; her own face was also wore a very worried look. Her son had woken up, but their difficult life was far from over.

    Zhou Xiang looked at her. Although this woman was not his mother, he felt that it was his duty to look after her the rest of her life. Because he had taken possession of her son¡¯s body, she had actually lost her son forever, while he had obtained a preciouspletely new life. He couldn¡¯t only pick up the good things; he should also shoulder the responsibilities he needed to bear in this life and duties he ought to fulfil.

    Zhou Xiang sorted out his frame of mind and closed the ount book. ¡°Mum, don¡¯t worry too much. Both of us are healthy and alive, money can be earnt, we will pay off the entire debt one day.¡±

    Chen Ying forced out a smile, ¡°You¡¯re right, we must be positive and optimistic. You woke up, mum can now see hope. Go to work with Xiao Cai tomorrow, I¡¯ll go and find a job too.¡±

    Zhou Xiang grasped Chen Ying¡¯s hand, ¡°Okay.¡±

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t sleep well the entire night. He tossed and turned trying to think of a way to get money. In the end, he decided that he would find out how his assets had been taken care of as soon as possible, and then work out what to do next. He drifted to sleep in the early hours in the morning. After he got up from his short sleep, he realised that he hadn¡¯t thought about Yan Mingxiu at allst night. This was a really promising development.

    He washed his face, changed his clothes and went to report at Cai Wei¡¯spany.

 Chapter 4

    Zhou Xiang arrived at thepany very early.

    Cai Wei was currently the managing deputy director of thispany. He was their boss¡¯ left and right hands, and took care of everything. The boss wasn¡¯t in Beijing most of the time. He basically managed and supervised all of thepany¡¯s matters. His connections and position in the entertainment circle now was leagues better than two years ago, thus, arranging a job for Zhou Xiang was a walk in the park.

    Two years ago, no for Zhou Xiang, only a month ago, Zhou Xiang was also an employee in thispany. In the past, whenever Cai Wei introduced jobs to Zhou Xiang, he would deduct the lowestmission fee and treated Zhou Xiang extremely well. Zhou Xiang had been in thepany for a long time; he was well-liked and had good rtionships with the people in thepany so he really liked thispany. He felt that being able to work here was a very good start to his new life.

    Zhou Xiang came across a few of his old colleagues inside the building. He resisted the urge to greet them. In these people¡¯s eyes, he was aplete stranger.

    Cai Wei brought Zhou Xiang into his office. He smiled as he invited him to sit down and then answered a phone call. After finishing the call, he grabbed his keys and said to Zhou Xiang, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to that film studio to have a look around. Our Chief Wang invested over 10 million to make that film studio. Right now it¡¯s the biggest film studio in Beijing. We get quite a lot of jobs every day. So, do some old jobs first, work hard, move about and be active, and who knows, you might fish up a chance to shoot amercial one day.¡±

    Zhou Xiang smiled. ¡°Wei¡¯ge, right now I¡¯m happy as long as I have a job. I¡¯m not nning on thinking about anything else at the moment.¡±

    Cai Wei nced at him appreciatively. ¡°Good, a stable and patient person of your age is hard toe by. Work well, and if there¡¯s an opportunity, Wei¡¯ge will definitely help you. I know that it¡¯s not easy for you and your mum. I¡¯m sure she must have spent a lot of money for your treatment. Take your time, life has to go on, it¡¯ll get better in the future.¡±

    Zhou Xiang was a bit moved. In an outsider¡¯s eyes, Cai Wei was strict and unkind, and he had a sense of craftiness, shrewdness and ruthlessness, but Zhou Xiang knew that it was a guise that he created in order to survive in this circle where good and bad were mixed. Cai Wei was actually guy who was very loyal to his friends.

    Cai Wei drove him towards the Tongzhou area, taking him to that newly built film studio at the border of the 6th Ring Road. Their boss had leased the first four floors of thisrge building. The total floor area was over one thousand square meters. The interior had been remodelled intorge-scale filming headquarters. Every floor was divided into two districts. The specialisation or focus of every district was different and could be changed at any time.

    As soon as they entered the building, they saw a few tall and slim, lightly dressed models walking around with exaggerated heavy makeup on their faces. The two didn¡¯t bat an eye at the strange sight and headed straight for the second floor.

    They passed by a production team which was in the middle of filming a familyedy drama and then walked to the other side to the district which specialised in shooting special effects films. They were currently in the middle of filming a science fictionmercial. The male model¡¯s healthy and beautiful body was wrapped inside skin tight silver costume, and he was dangling from a wire, flying about in the air.

    ¡°A¡¯Liu.¡± Cai Wei called out to white and chubby youngster.

    The person called A¡¯Liu immediately ran over, and warmly called out ¡°Wei¡¯ge.¡±

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t recognise this person. It was possible that he was new.

    ¡°Let me introduce you to my little brother from my hometown. Help arrange some work for him here. He¡¯s just been discharged from the hospital, don¡¯t give him any heavy work, try get him to learn all of the things in the studio; I¡¯ll leave it all up to you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, no problem, you can count on me, Wei¡¯ge.¡±

    Cai Wei said to Zhou Xiang, ¡°A¡¯Liu is twenty four this year, he¡¯s younger than you by two years, so you can call him A¡¯Liu. He¡¯s part of the administration team here, he¡¯s in charge of odd jobs, follow him and learn as much as you can. There will be opportunities in the future for you to be a nner or stage manager, etc.¡±

    ¡°A¡¯Liu.¡± Zhou Xiang greeted A¡¯Liu with a smile and then nodded at Cai Wei, ¡°Thank you Wei¡¯ge.¡±

    When Zhou Xiang had just graduated, he had also hung around film studios and various sets doing misceneous jobs. He was extremely familiar with this kind of work, and his wealth of experience greater than anyone else. Although this old profession of his was hard work, it was at least something he could do skilfully and easily. He felt more and more grateful to Cai Wei.

    ¡°I¡¯m busy in the afternoon so I won¡¯t be eating lunch with you, I¡¯ve got to go now.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, Wei¡¯ge. I know how to look after myself.¡±

    A¡¯Liu said, chuckling, ¡°See youter, Wei¡¯ge.¡±

    A¡¯Liu was an easy-going and friendly person who interacted with everyone with a smile. After Cai Wei left, A¡¯Liu led Zhou Xiang into the film studio, and briefly introduced him, ¡°We have a newrade, ady-killer, you guys all better not be envious, do your work properly everyone.¡±

    The several people who were busy at work responded with a few words of abuse.

    Zhou Xiang swept a nce around the ce. Unexpectedly, there was no one he recognised. Although it was fact that the mobility of staff and crew members in the entertainment circle was high, only two years had passed, yet he already couldn¡¯t find even one familiar face. Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel mncholic.

    Zhou Xiang calmly smiled. ¡°My name is Zhou Xiang, please take care of me from now on, this little brother thanks everyone.¡±

    ¡°Zhou Xiang?¡±

    A person, who had been adjusting the stage lighting with his back towards Zhou Xiang and hadn¡¯t turned his head the entire time, turned around and silently nced at Zhou Xiang.

    Zhou Xiang froze for a moment. He had finally found an acquaintance. This person used to be one of the stage lighting guys at thepany. His surname was also Zhou, and everyone called him: Lao Zhou.

    Lao Zhou stood up and looked at Zhou Xiang. He seemed to have thought of the past Zhou Xiang and let out a sigh. "Hello."

    Zhou Xiang also had a good rtionship with Lao Zhou in the past. Meeting face to face like this, but being unable to acknowledge him, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know how many times in the future he would have to experience this sort of sad and awkward scene.

    A¡¯Liu said to Zhou Xiang, "It¡¯s almost noon. After lunch I¡¯ll take you around to show you the ropes. For now, go have a stroll around the ce, there¡¯s a lot of interesting stuff here, but don¡¯t go touching the filming equipment, they¡¯re dead expensive."

    Zhou Xiang nodded, and then started walking around, getting himself familiarised with his new workce.

    Ever since Zhou Xiang was small he had always been a people person. He had a sort of generous and tolerant yet principled personality which made his broadmindedness obvious to the eye, but it also made it so that people didn¡¯t dare to carelessly offend him. He was a righteous, honest and upright person, and never used his seniority to bully neers. He was witty, and he could hit it off with just about everyone. Whenever someone around him was in trouble, they always liked going to find him for advice or get him to lend a hand. The girls and guys who hade in contact with him generally all really liked him. If he wasn¡¯t gay, he would have married a good beautiful wife with a great body a long time ago.

    Using just one lunchtime, this charismatic man got familiar with all his colleagues. When they started work after lunch, he first helped Lao Zhou to set up the lighting and after that, went to help the stage props coordinator. For the next few hours, he wasn¡¯t idle for even a second. Although it was a bit tiring, everyone praised him for being a fast learner. Zhou Xiang would then seamlessly y dumb.

    When they finished shooting themercial, it was nearly eight o¡¯clock. The director was a real handful; it took him an entire day up before he was finally satisfied. Everyone was starving. They rushed to pack up and go to eat.

    While Zhou Xiang was helping Lao Zhou pack up the equipment, Lao Zhou nced at him twice, and sighed, "Your name is Zhou Xiang..."

    Zhou Xiang put on an act of ignorance. "What¡¯s wrong?"

    "In the past, I used to have a little brother who was also called Zhou Xiang."

    "Oh, I¡¯ve heard from Wei¡¯ge about him."

    Lao Zhou said, "I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because you two have the same name but, why do you feel so simr to him? The way you speak, the way you act... It¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m unconsciously giving myself that idea. Actually, he¡¯s already been gone for two years, I can¡¯t remember him that well now either."

    Zhou Xiang smiled helplessly. He didn¡¯t know what he should say.

    It was at this moment that A¡¯Liu answered a phone call, and shouted loudly, "Right now?!" Give me a break, it¡¯s already eight, I¡¯m almost gonna go t from starvation."

    A person mocked, "Liu¡¯ge, is your girlfriend making you go out to buy dog food?"

    ¡°Hahaha.¡±

    A¡¯Liu dejectedly hung up the phone. He red at that bloke, "Stop talking nonsense. Stillughing? Let¡¯s see if you canugh any longer."

    "Why won¡¯t I be able tough?"

    A twisted expression appeared on A¡¯Liu¡¯s face. "Everyone, stop packing up, today¡¯s work isn¡¯t over yet. A big big big big celebrity is gonnae over to shoot amercial."

    ¡±Noooooo---¡±

    Everyone broke out into dreary cries and screams. Although they frequently had to work overtime to match with some celebrities¡¯ schedules, and this sort of situation wasn¡¯t rare, today was a Saturday and they could finally have a day off tomorrow. In the first ce, they didn¡¯t have fixed working hours. After working hard all day, everyone wanted to quickly go home to rest. They never expected to be given more work at this time. Plus, they also didn¡¯t know how many days it would take toplete. And what was most heart-breaking was that if they didn¡¯t get it right today, they would have to work tomorrow, which meant overtime again.

    "Who? Who is it?"

    "It¡¯s the Great Young Master Yan. He¡¯s downstairs already and insists on shooting today."

    A newly hired female assistant suddenly shrieked, startling everyone present. She jumped up and down in excitement. "Yan Mingxiu! Yan Mingxiu! I¡¯m gonna see Yan Mingxiu in person!"

    All colour cleanly faded from Zhou Xiang¡¯s face. His hand trembled uncontrobly a few times.

    Lao Zhou swore resentfully. He lowered his head and saw Zhou Xiang¡¯s frighteningplexion. He quickly asked, "Xiao Zhou? What¡¯s wrong? Are you hungry?"

    Zhou Xiang mumbled, "Ah, oh, yes, a bit."

    Yan Mingxiu? How could this be happening? It wasn¡¯t that it hadn¡¯t crossed his mind that if he worked in this profession he would encounter Yan Mingxiu again. He had nned out that he would just not participate in any jobs that Yan Mingxiu was involved in. However, he never would have imagined that he would be forced to see him on his first day of work. He was caughtpletely unprepared, and was instantly stunned stupid.

    A¡¯Liu also cast a nce at Zhou Xiang. "Zhou Xiang, are you okay? Why do you look so pale?"

    Zhou Xiang stood up. He said awkwardly, "A¡¯Liu, I was just discharged from the hospital, I think my body can¡¯t quite keep up, may I go home first?" There was no need to bow his head; he could already sense everyone¡¯s resentful gazes. He, a man, was using the excuse of feeling unwell to escape from working overtime. Above all, he was also a neer. Their criticism was unavoidable. If he wasn¡¯t at the end of his rope, he wouldn¡¯t make this sort of request either.

    A¡¯Liu also didn¡¯t want to let him go, as the others would definitely get cranky. However, Zhou Xiang was someone that Cai Wei had personally brought over. Cai Wei had also frankly told him in the really beginning that Zhou Xiang¡¯s health wasn¡¯t good, so he also couldn¡¯t make things difficult for Zhou Xiang. Thus, he nodded, and asked Lao Zhou, who was the most senior here, "Zhou¡¯ge, what do you think? Wei¡¯ge told me that he had just left the hospital, maybe he really doesn¡¯t feel too well."

    Lao Zhou nodded. "Let him go home. Look, there¡¯s no colour on his face."

    The other people shot a nce at Zhou Xiang and discovered that he truly did look out of sorts. His body looked like it was on the verge of copsing. However, as he was perfectly fine working all afternoon and only started having problems when he heard that they needed to work overtime, it was true that it didn¡¯t sound too convincing.

    A¡¯Liu said, "Catch a taxi when you get out. I¡¯m busy here so I can¡¯t leave, or else I would personally send you home."

    Zhou Xiang waved his hand. "There¡¯s no need, I can go by myself. I¡¯m really sorry everyone, I will make up for today¡¯s share of work next time. I¡¯m really sorry." After apologising repeatedly, he packed up his own stuff, and then headed for the elevators like he was fleeing from something.

    Just as he was about to reach the elevator doors, the second floor elevator ¡¯dinged¡¯, and the two sides of the elevator doors slowly but steadily slid open from the middle.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart trembled. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead, and his heart gradually calmed.

    Yan Mingxiu won¡¯t recognise him, so why would it matter if they met?

    The doors were fully opened now. Standing right in front was the man who had appeared on the LED screen in thatmercial that day, and was at the pinnacle of stardom at the mere age of twenty three years old, the hot and mighty film star, Yan Mingxiu.

    Yan Mingxiu had grown a little.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s memories of him were still frozen at his boyhood phase where he liked wearing sportswear and jeans and had a youthful, brash and arrogant air. The Yan Mingxiu right now was wearing a casual suit. He looked calm and reserved and his expression looked as if it was frozen on his face, extremely cold and detached. Zhou Xiang had been in the entertainment circle for almost ten years. He had seen every kind of beauty possible, but be it three years ago, or even now, in terms of appearance, he felt that Yan Mingxiu¡¯s was the most perfect he had ever seen. He didn¡¯t know how God managed to sculpt him out so beautifully; his being able to captivate millions of people wasn¡¯t surprising at all.

    Even he himself, who thought himself as someone who had experienced and interacted with all sorts of people [1], had once been infatuated with Yan Mingxiu.

    His mind had no way of stopping itself from remembering all the bits and pieces between him and Yan Mingxiu. From when he and Yan Mingxiu first meet, to their final phone call, beginning to end, was only a period of one year. For him, those memories were too recent. It was a very strange feeling, as if, a person who was still a boy when he saw himst week had already turned into a man when he met him this week. Those two years, which were a total nk to him, had changed everyone, had changed many things. Only he had lost those two years of time, yet he was forced to ept the changes that urred in those two years.

    Zhou Xiang stood on a straight line leading towards the elevators. When Yan Mingxiu walked out of the elevator while being swarmed by a crowd of people, Yan Mingxiu saw him at first nce.

    He should have just been a stranger who Yan Mingxiu would never spare second nce, but when Yan Mingxiu saw the indescribably deep andplicated expression in Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes, it was like his body was being sucked in, and his heart started palpitating violently.

    Why did that expression look so familiar?!

    Yan Mingxiu faintly bent his back. He couldn¡¯t stop the frenzied pounding of his heart. He had absolutely no idea what was wrong with himself. Why was he getting so rattled over a stranger?

    The two people looked at each other, separated by a few meters. The distance between them was so close, yet they seemed to be thousands of rivers and mountains apart.

    Zhou Xiang felt hopeless. In front of Yan Mingxiu, just like in the past, he became unlike himself. He forced himself to stay calm, and lowered his head, nning to use the stairs instead.

    Just when he passed Yan Mingxiu, Yan Mingxiu suddenly charged one step forward. Under everyone¡¯s shocked gazes, he grabbed Zhou Xiang¡¯s arm, using so much force Zhou Xiang knitted his brows.

    Zhou Xiang abruptly turned his head to look at him. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s height which was almost 190cm was very intimidating. He saw a light suddenly appear in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s eyes. Lips faintly trembling, in an ice cold tone which brooked no intervention, Yan Mingxiu suddenly asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    [1] ÔÄÈËÎÞÊý - has two meanings

    1) Has a lot of knowledge and experience because they¡¯ve met, seen, and interacted with many people, good at reading people

    2) Has a lot of sexual experience with many people

 Chapter 5

    Three years ago.

    ¡°Xiang¡¯ge can¡¯t you be a bit more civilised when you eat?¡± The beautiful makeup artist, Mi You, came over holding a powderpact.

    Zhou Xiangughed as he stuffed some bread into his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re ming me? Look at all this powder you¡¯ve smeared all over my face. It falls off as soon as I move, I haven¡¯t eaten lunch yet. If I faint from starvation I¡¯m gonna get even with you.¡±

    ¡°Your skin tone is a shade different from Wang Yudong¡¯s. How would I be able to get you to be the same colour without applying that much powder?¡± Mi You nced at him. ¡°Then, you hurry up and eat, I¡¯ll give you five minutes, and then I¡¯ll touch up your make-up. You¡¯d better not mess it up again.¡±

    ¡°Will do, it¡¯s still early. The big star isn¡¯t even here yet, why are you in such a rush?¡±

    Mi You poured him a cup of water. ¡°Drink some water, don¡¯t choke.¡±

    ¡°Hey yo, Mi You treats you so well.¡± Xiao Liu ruthlessly tightened Zhou Xiang¡¯s belt. ¡°Come, let me strangle Xiang¡¯ge¡¯s small waist to make it even narrower.¡±

    Zhou Xiang scolded, ¡°Stinky brat, you¡¯d better abuse your power to avenge personal grudges. You yank any more, and I might spew up on your face.¡±

    After Zhou Xiang was dressed his costume, he did a twirl on the spot. His slender, tall, healthy and beautiful body was dressed in a navy blue <f title="¾¢×° - jinzhuang - sturdy costume - agile and nimble clothing - often seen in martial arts (wuxia) novels or games (The word wuxia doesn¡¯t actually appear in the text, but I added it so it¡¯ll be easier imagine without looking at the footnotes).">wuxia costume</f>, dashing and heroic, with the strong air of an ancient noble warrior.

    ¡°How is it, am I handsome or not?¡±

    Xiao Liuughed, ¡°Handsome.¡± He went around to look at his back. ¡°Tut, tut, Xiang¡¯ge, your back looks too much like Wang Yudong¡¯s. Unless you¡¯re looking from the front, it¡¯s basically impossible tell you two apart. The only difference is that your hair¡¯s a little darker."

    ¡°You don¡¯t say! If not, why would he find me to be his martial arts double?¡± Zhou Xiang jumped up and down on the spot. ¡°I hope that we can finish shooting early today, Ah, let¡¯s go singing after work.¡±

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go to that ce we wentst time, on Sanlitun Street. The sound quality is good, and their chicken wings are really nice.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Liu, hurry and reserve a room.¡±

    ¡°At what time?¡±

    ¡°Reserve it for... seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven o¡¯clock...¡± Zhou Xiangughed after he finished speaking. There wasn¡¯t a set time they got off work. It all depended on the director¡¯s mood.

    The others startedughing as well.

    Chang Ji ran over to tell Zhou Xiang to get ready; they will be filming his action sequence in a moment. Zhou Xiang had already discussed with the action choreographer beforehand. The moves weren¡¯t difficult; it would be a cinch for him to pull off.

    Zhou Xiang had been a martial arts double for six to seven years already. When he first started, he did odd jobs. It was onlyter on when an action director noticed that he had a good figure and his physique wasn¡¯t bad either, and he had Cai Wei backing him up, that he gradually starteding in contact with this sort of work. Zhou Xiang had majored in swimming at Sports College. He had learnt a bit of Chinese kickboxing and so on from his dorm mates at that time. He never would have imagined that it would be his current meal ticket.

    He currently had a pretty good reputation in the entertainment circle. There would always be one or two jobs he could ept every month. He sometimes got to y minor roles in movies, andtely, he was getting offered even more action choreography jobs for low budget films. When his parents passed away, they left him behind an apartment in a very good location. He was homosexual, and he would never have to worry about marrying a wife and raising kids in his lifetime, so even though he was living in an expensive city like Beijing, he was still veryfortably off with his sry.

    Although Zhou Xiang was all alone, he was an optimistic person. He loved having fun, knew how to enjoy himself, and was very good at searching for amusement for himself. His passionate attitude towards life was very infectious; the people around him all really liked him. Most neers who were on the younger side and had just entered the circle, liked regarding him as their big brother. Zhou Xiang had an innate charm that made people want to get close to him and trust him.

    Zhou Xiang had now stopped moving around, scared that if he moved the powder woulde falling down again like a <f title="Ludagun or Rolling donkey is a cake made of soy bean flour and rolled in soy bean flour so it has a powdering coating.">Ludagun pastry</f>.

    At that moment, a very clear and very nice-sounding male voice excitedly called from behind him, "Dong¡¯ge."

    He couldn¡¯t help but want to turn around to have a look to see what kid had such a nice sounding voice, but before he even started turning his head, a shadow shot forward, and tackled his waist from behind, knocking into him with so much force, he stumbled forward to a good number of steps before he managed to steady himself.

    The chest on Zhou Xiang¡¯s back was burning hot. Even through the costume Zhou Xiang could felt that body¡¯s explosive force, and the sturdy chest muscles which were tightly pressed against his back.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart was like a frisky monkey. Is today a special day? Why did a boy suddenly throw himself onto him?

    He quickly turned his head around to see who it was.

    With that turn, the two froze.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart almost jumped out of his chest. That face was too goddamn good-looking. Even though their faces were so close, his skin was so tender, Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t find a single pore. Those eyes, that nose, those lips, tsk, tsk. He had been mingling in the entertainment for almost ten years, what type of beautiful man hasn¡¯t he seen? Yet today, this young man¡¯s facepletely blew him away. Just which agency did this celebrity belong to? It would go against the will of nature if he didn¡¯t be famous.

    Yan Mingxiu was also dumbstruck. The face that turned around was not Wang Yudong¡¯s, but his back looked so much like Wang Yudong¡¯s. Yan Mingxiu let go at once and fell back a few steps He was a bit embarrassed that he had made a mistake. No matter how Yan Mingxiu looked at Zhou Xiang¡¯s beaming face, it seemed like he was mocking him, making him feel exceptionally humiliated and resentful. He knitted his brows, and said rudely, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t take offense. Heughed, ¡°My name is Zhou Xiang. Are you looking for Wang Yudong? I¡¯m his martial arts stunt double.¡±

    No wonder their figures look so simr. Yan Mingxiu also didn¡¯t know what was up with himself, but this man, who had Wang Yudong¡¯s figure but had a face that was many times inferior to Wang Yudong¡¯s, really rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was because he had done something stupid, and that warm smile on that man¡¯s face continuously reminded him of his mistake.

    A bystander couldn¡¯t suppress a snigger. Yan Mingxiu¡¯splexion didn¡¯t look too good. "Where¡¯s Dong¡¯ge?"

    ¡°He isn¡¯t here yet. He¡¯s scheduled to film two hours from now, he might also get here earlier. If you know him, you should give him a call, the director also would like him to hurry up ande."

    Yan Mingxiu shot him a nce and went to sit alone at the side, waiting for Wang Yudong.

    Zhou Xiang nced at him several times. He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh with admiration. Unfortunately, this boy didn¡¯t seem to like him much. It wasn¡¯t Zhou Xiang¡¯s fault this boy mistook him for someone else. Zhou Xiang was very innocent in this matter.

    He asked Xiao Liu, "Who is this boy? He¡¯s too beautiful, he doesn¡¯t look real.¡±

    "Dunno, he was very arrogant, demanded for ¡®Dong¡¯ge¡¯ as soon as he arrived. He¡¯s definitely connected to Wang Yudong in some way." Touching his own chin, Xiao Liu sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that. He really is good-looking, I¡¯m a guy but even I want to gaze at him forever.¡±

    Mi You also couldn¡¯t resist looking at him a few times. "Could he be a new talent of some agency? He¡¯s too handsome, and he also has such a good figure. Act in any TV drama, and he¡¯d definitely rocket to stardom."

    Yan Mingxiu was only dressed casually in a white T-shirt and jeans. As soon as he sat down, his surroundings seemed to freeze into a photo frame with him; it had an indescribable sense of beauty. How earth-shattering a person¡¯s beauty could be, could be seen by looking at the people secretly eyeing him.

    Zhou Xiang really wanted to go up and exchange a few words with him. Unfortunately, they were almost about to start shooting, so he could only walk onto the set for the scene while holding back his disappointment.

    This was a <f title="Feast of Hongmen ¨C banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest">Feast of Hongmen</f> type scene, except this scene was taking ce on the birthday of the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance. Zhou Xiang was in charge of performing a sword dance to liven and entertain the guests, while seizing the opportunity to assassinate the Martial Arts Alliance Leader¡¯s Left Protector.

    Zhou Xiang weighed the sword in his hand. To order for the scene to look realistic, the sword was real and felt heavy. Sword dances weren¡¯t his strong point; his bare-handed kungfu fighting was more beautiful, however, it still wasn¡¯t any problem for him.

    The director yelled, "We¡¯re starting! Pay attention when I tell you where to go, be focused, Lao Wang, go stand up there, raise the light a little higher."

    Zhou Xiang started brandishing the long sword ording to the action director¡¯s choreography. His movements were beautiful and precise but the director¡¯s requirements were very high. Zhou Xiang was even made to perform the simple action of flipping over and stabbing forward four times.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s eyes, which were originally gazing outside the set area, slowly gravitated towards Zhou Xiang. He narrowed his eyes, watching Zhou Xiang¡¯s slender and powerful body nimbly dance on the set.

 Chapter 6

    A short just over a one minute <f title="´íÎ»¾µÍ· disced/misced scene? Not too sure what it is, perhaps it means it¡¯s a short background scene?">misaligned scene</f> took over two hours to film. This director was a famous big-name in the country. He had a very odd old man¡¯s temper. When he was working, he didn¡¯t like the look of anyone; even a fresh and lively twenty year old girl could be reduced to tears by his scolding. As this was Zhou Xiang¡¯s second time working with him, Zhou Xiang had already fully grasped his personality. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t get mad no matter how many times the director requested him to do it again. It wasn¡¯t that Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t have a temper. It was just that he knew that if he got impatient, the old man would be even more impatient, and no one would expect to leave that day.

    When they finished shooting that scene, Zhou Xiang¡¯s body was soaked in sweat. The old man was very satisfied with him. He even remembered Zhou Xiang¡¯s name. After they finished shooting, he said to Zhou Xiang, ¡°This drama is still missing an actor for a character, if you can have time in your schedule, go have a talk with A¡¯Cheng. The character doesn¡¯t have many scenes, in the entire drama, altogether, you will only be appearing just over half an hour, but I guarantee that the pay will satisfy you.¡±

    Zhou Xiang chuckled, ¡°Thank you. You really didn¡¯t need to speciallying over to talk to me about small matter like this. I just y extras, fitting a time in my schedule won¡¯t be a problem at all. Then, I¡¯ll go and talk to Cheng¡¯ge. Director Wang, if you have this sort of opportunity in the future, I hope you will still remember me.¡±

    The old man nodded expressionlessly, but from the fact that he hadn¡¯t blown or scolded anyone in the past two hours, one could see that he was really satisfied with Zhou Xiang¡¯s performance.

    ¡°Hey, Wang Yudong has arrived.¡±

    Everyone looked towards the door. Wang Yudong strutted in following behind his two assistants. He was wearing a pair of sunsses, and was dressed casually. He looked extraordinarily handsome, attracting everyone¡¯s gazes as soon as he appeared.

    Wang Yudong was a film star who had shot to fame in these past two years. He reportedly had an incredible family background and the ancient costume serial drama, which he filmed as soon as he debuted, was specially made in order to promote him. It could be said that Wang Yudong possessed all of the potential to be popr. He had a superior appearance, knew how to appropriately speak and behave ording to the asion and above all, he had people to hype and promote from behind. Although his acting was stiff and rough when he first started, it didn¡¯t stop his handsome face from appearing every day in all kinds of media. Hence, his career skyrocketed and he became extremely famous and popr, and was currently Yixing Media¡¯s number one money tree.

    At first Zhou Xiang epted random martial arts stunt double jobs from all over the ce, but due to the advantage of having a build and back view that resembled Wang Yudong¡¯s, he was able to ride on Wang Yudong¡¯s sess as well. Now, whenever Wang Yudong needed a stunt double, he would mainlye to find Zhou Xiang.

    After Wang Yudong walked in, he took off his sunsses while smiling, and greeted the crew members without the slightest bit of arrogance. He then went over to Director Wang to apologise. He didn¡¯t exin why he waste either and just apologised to the old man with a smile.

    You can¡¯t hit a person who is smiling and has already admitted they are wrong. Though not resigned, Director Wang couldn¡¯t express his anger at him, so he told Yan Mingxiu to hurry to get himself made-up.

    After Wang Yudong finished coaxing Director Wang, he turned around and saw Zhou Xiang. ¡°Hey, A¡¯Xiang.¡±

    Smiling, Zhou Xiang nodded, ¡°Dong¡¯ge, you¡¯re here.¡± He was actually quite a few years older than Wang Yudong. Zhou Xiang had also been in the circle for longer but with his position and status in the circle, there was no reason for Wang Yudong to call him ¡®ge¡¯. However, he didn¡¯t hate Wang Yudong. Wang Yudong was a really tactful person. As long as you didn¡¯t have any conflicting interests with him he always appeared very gentlemanly. Zhou Xiang was toozy to pay attention to the rumours and nders concerning Wang Yudong. He was just a small stuntman; in his entire lifetime, he would never be able to impinge on Wang Yudong¡¯s interests. The two of them, living together in harmony, how wonderful.

    Wang Yudong affectionately patted Zhou Xiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯ve finished shooting, go take a shower and change out of that costume. Look at all that sweat on you, if you catch a cold, who am I going to find to be my stuntman?¡±

    Zhou Xiangughed, ¡°Got it, I can take my leave now that you¡¯re here. Then, I¡¯m going now.¡±

    ¡°Ok, see youter.¡±

    Zhou Xiang was nning to go remove his makeup and change. As soon as he turned around, he saw that especially good-looking boy from before walk into the set. He had probably gone to the toilet. As soon as that boy saw Wang Yudong, his eyes lit up, and he called out happily, ¡°Dong¡¯ge.¡±

    Wang Yudong immediately turned around. He said with pleasant surprise, ¡°Mingxiu? Why are you back in China?¡± After he finished speaking, he walked over and gave Yan Mingxiu a tight hug.

    A dazzling smile appeared on Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face, ¡°I graduated.¡±

    ¡°Graduated? Then, you don¡¯t n to work overseas? And came back just like this?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu grabbed Wang Yudong¡¯s arm, looking at him with delight, his eyes brimming with happiness. ¡°What¡¯s so good about overseas, you don¡¯t evene to visit me.¡±

    Wang Yudongughed. He said in a low voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t your sister go visit you on my behalf?¡±

    Zhou Xiang was standing close to them and happened to catch what he said. He couldn¡¯t help but guess that Wang Yudong and this boy¡¯s sister definitely didn¡¯t have an ordinary rtionship.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°That doesn¡¯t count.¡±

    ¡°Fine, nothing beats home, I¡¯m d you¡¯re back. Wait for me, Dong¡¯ge will definitely hold a wee dinner for you tonight.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu looked at his watch. ¡°I originally thought that you¡¯d be here earlier, so I specially came here to wait for you. It¡¯s toote now, I¡¯m having dinner with my dad tonight. I have to get going. Being able to see you is enough. That weing party, let¡¯s have it some other day.¡±

    ¡°True, it¡¯s toote today, how about tomorrow? You decide the time, no matter what Dong¡¯ge has on, Dong¡¯ge will definitely get out of it and make it there for you, how ¡¯bout it?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu broke into a smile. Seeing that smile on his face, Zhou Xiang was <f title="ÐÄÀïÑ÷Ñ÷ ¨C Definition: ¡®itchy heart¡¯ or ¡®itching to do something¡¯. Means that you suddenly have a strong urge/desire to do something, and you can¡¯t quell the (ufortable) itch in your heart unless you do it.">suddenly hit by a restless desire to do something</f>.

    He sighed somewhat regretfully. He passed the two people who were still chatting, and entered the dressing room to remove his makeup.

    As a man, he wasn¡¯t worried about being rough with his face. He rubbed his face with makeup remover for half a day, washed it off and was done. He then changed into his own clothes and walked out.

    Yan Mingxiu had already left. Wang Yudong was in the middle of applying makeup. Zhou Xiang walked over to ask Xiao Liu, ¡°You guys have to work overtime?¡±

    Xiao Liu scowled miserably. ¡°Yeah, your work is done... while we...¡± He angrily stuck out his lips at Wang Yudong¡¯s direction, and lowered his voice, ¡°We still have to wait on him.¡±

    Zhou Xiangughed, rejoicing in his misfortune. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going now.¡±

    Xiao Liu curled his lips. ¡°Go, go and nevere back.¡±

    Zhou Xiang swatted his head,ughing, ¡°Beat it, well I¡¯m going to go home to have a hot bath, eat snacks, and y games.¡±

    The volume of his voice was especially loud, drawingints from everyone. Zhou Xiang loosened his shoulders. Humming a little tune, with one hand in his pocket, the other hand spinning his car keys, he headed for the parking lot.

    ---

    Yan Mingxiu was at the intersection trying to hail a taxi.

    He had just gotten off the ne, and before even going home, had rushed to the set with his luggage after finding out Wang Yudong¡¯s schedule. His sister talked to a staff member and he was let in. In order to surprise Wang Yudong, he didn¡¯t give him a phone call, and simply waited there. Even though he had waited for over three hours, being able to see Wang Yudong made it all worth it.

    Yan Mingxiu thought about Wang Yudong¡¯s gentle face and smile, and felt his fatigue and exhaustion was nothing significant anymore.

    He was actually lying when he said that he was having dinner with his dad. The ne ride was ten hours and including the time spent catching the ne and waiting for the ne, he hadn¡¯t rested for almost twenty hours already. Although it wasn¡¯t anything he couldn¡¯t endure, he didn¡¯t want to express fatigue in front of Wang Yudong, so he was nning to find a hotel to sleep.

    It was currently the rush hour, the exact time people were getting off work. The taxis were either all full, or were rushing to hand over to the next shift. He had waited for ten minutes but not even one taxi had stopped for him. Fighting a battle against his sleepy eyelids, he started getting a bit mad. He wanted to call the chauffeur over to pick him up but he was also scared that his mum would jabber on about how he didn¡¯t go home first after getting off the ne. He had initially been nning to pretend that he only came back tomorrow.

    Just as he was hesitating, a Volkswagen stopped in front of him.

    Zhou Xiang lowered the window. He kindly said to Yan Mingxiu with a bright smile, ¡°Where are you going? I can give you a ride.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu took two seconds before he realised that this person was Wang Yudong¡¯s martial arts stunt double. When he previously saw Zhou Xiang, Zhou Xiang was dressed in an ancient costume, and had heavy makeup on his face. Without that outfit and makeup, for a moment, Yan Mingxiu truly couldn¡¯t quite recognise him.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s back view, which resembled Wang Yudong¡¯s back view so much that even he ended up mixing them up, immediately floated into his mind. Zhou Xiang¡¯s nimble body when he was sword dancing had leapt before his eyes from time to time. During the afternoon, Yan Mingxiu had mainly killed time watching Zhou Xiang film his scene.

    Yan Mingxiu lightly knitted his brows. He was a bit hesitant.

    He didn¡¯t know what was up with himself. Even though this person hadn¡¯t done anything to him, he felt a bit hostile towards him.

    Zhou Xiang said with a smile, "You won¡¯t be able to catch a taxi at this time. Look at the sky, it¡¯s about to start raining. I¡¯m free after work, I can give you a ride." Zhou Xiang could see his hesitation. Heughed, ¡°What¡¯re you afraid of, can my car eat people?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t find any reason to refuse either so he nodded. "Thanks."

    Zhou Xiang got out of the car, wanting to lift Yan Mingxiu¡¯s suitcase for him.

    Yan Mingxiu felt that Zhou Xiang¡¯s attentiveness was a bit fishy. He grabbed his suitcase, and he said, ¡°I can carry it myself.¡±

    Zhou Xiang opened the trunk and pointed at the clutter inside. ¡°Sorry, got quite a bit of stuff in there.¡± Zhou Xiang was an outdoor enthusiast. The car had a lot of equipment that he hadn¡¯t had the time to take back home yet.

    Zhou Xiang bent over and one by one gathered his stuff into a pile further inside to make space for Yan Mingxiu¡¯s suitcase.

    Yan Mingxiu stared at Zhou Xiang¡¯s close-cropped hair, strong wide shoulders, and slender neck. He couldn¡¯t help but drift into a slight daze. How can this person¡¯s back view look so much like Dong¡¯ge¡¯s?

    After Zhou Xiang cleared some space, he said, ¡°Come put it in.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu ced his luggage inside, and the two sat into the car.

    Zhou Xiang smiled as he extended his right hand. ¡°My name is Zhou Xiang, the ¡®xiang¡¯ from the word ¡®fly¡¯.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu shook Zhou Xiang¡¯s hand. ¡°Yan Mingxiu.¡±

 Chapter 7

    ¡°Where are you headed?¡± Zhou Xiang watched Yan Mingxiu strap on the seat belt. The back side of his white hand and slender fingers were very sexy.

    Yan Mingxiu was about to say ¡®nearby hotel¡¯ when his phone sounded.

    Yan Mingxiu took out his phone to look. It was a call from his sister, Yan Mingmei. Yan Mingmei told him to go her ce to stay the night, and they¡¯ll go back together to their parent¡¯s home tomorrow. Yan Mingxiu really didn¡¯t want to go. He hated hearing about her and Wang Yudong¡¯s rtionship from her lips. But, in the end, she was still his older sister, and he couldn¡¯t think of any reason to refuse her. Thus, after he hung up the phone, he gave out the address of a neighbourhood in the Third Ring Road. Yan Mingmei had bought an apartment there for convenience to work, and generally lived there on work days.

    Zhou Xiang smiled, ¡°That¡¯s not far from my house.¡± He turned the steering wheel and from the parkingne, forcibly squeezed his car into jammed-packed main road.

    Shortly after he drove off, it suddenly started raining. Yan Mingxiu silently watched the gloomy sky through the window, with no intention of talking to Zhou Xiang.

    Nevertheless, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t find it awkward and started talking to him. ¡°Are you Wang Yudong¡¯s fan?¡± Zhou Xiang had seen fans behave in front of celebrities with the same sort of zeal and enthusiasm as Yan Mingxiu had in the afternoon, when he was interacting with Wang Yudong, countless times, so he didn¡¯t find it strange at all. He simply felt that it was a bit of a shame. This boy looked like he was a very indifferent and standoffish person, yet only in front of Wang Yudong was he so friendly and enthusiastic; this must be the star power of a superstar.

    Naturally, Yan Mingxiu wasn¡¯t going to tell an outsider that Wang Yudong was his sister¡¯s boyfriend, and gave a perfunctory reply, ¡°Hn, I¡¯m Dong¡¯ge¡¯s fan.¡±

    ¡°Which agency are you signed with?¡± Zhou Xiang guessed that Yan Mingxiu had to be a new talent that had just signed with somepany, or else, no matter how pretty he was, he wouldn¡¯t have been allowed toe in and out of the studio as he wished.

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t understand. ¡°What agency?¡±

    ¡°Talent agency of course.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu finally responded, ¡°No, I¡¯m not signed with any.¡±

    Zhou Xiang said in shock, ¡°You haven¡¯t signed with any yet? Then, could you consider signing with ourpany? Ourpany isn¡¯t big, but its financial resources and connections are all top-notch.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu finally understood what he meant, and exined, ¡°I¡¯m not signing with any agency. I¡¯m not bing a celebrity.¡±

    Zhou Xiang was stunned for a moment, before he realised that he had guessed incorrectly. He said, smiling, ¡°I apologise. You¡¯re so handsome, I thought that you just debuted. That¡¯s a shame, with your looks, you¡¯ll definitely be popr.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu said absentmindedly, ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± His happy mood from seeing Wang Yudong had beenpletely ruined by his sister¡¯s one phone call. He knew that in Wang Yudong¡¯s heart, he will only ever be his girlfriend¡¯s little brother. But to Yan Mingxiu, Wang Yudong meant far more than that...

    Zhou Xiang felt a bit bored seeing Yan Mingxiu¡¯s cold and detached attitude. Although he was itching to sound Yan Mingxiu out, he could tell Yan Mingxiu waspletely uninterested in him. Even if Yan Mingxiu was gay, what did it matter? Being homosexual wasn¡¯t anything special. If two men liked the look of each other, both would have realised already. Who had the patience to unearth if the other person was beautiful inside? Even though Zhou Xiang felt that it was a pity, he wasn¡¯t a petty person. Being able to apany such an unrivalled beauty on the way home in a traffic jam under the heavy rain was already very wonderful. He¡¯ll just make do with sexually fantasizing about him in his head. He should tightly zip his mouth, behave and drive the car to avoid annoying him.

    Thus, Zhou Xiang stopped trying strike up a conversation with him, knowing that he¡¯ll be given a cold shoulder. However, in order to dispel the awkward atmosphere in the car, he put on music.

    The car had already entered the fifth ring, and was currently moving forward at a turtle¡¯s ce. Today happened to be Friday, and it was also raining heavily; the congestion level was not surprising. Pea sized raindrops beat down on the car. The car was ying a soothing English song, quietly resounding in the closed-off space. The inside and outside of the car were almost like two worlds. They could feel with distinct rity that only the two of them existed within this world inside the car. It was a wondrous feeling. Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to nce at Zhou Xiang. Zhou Xiang had one hand on the steering wheel, his chin resting on his other hand, his elbow leaning on the window frame, ovee with boredom as he watched the dense rain and fog in front. His eyes were unfocused, as if lost in thought.

    Zhou Xiang wouldn¡¯t be considered handsome but was very masculine. His figure was good, and his body gave off a pure masculine charm. The side view of his face was especially attractive and resembled Wang Yudong¡¯s slightly, though Wang Yudong¡¯s face was more exquisite and elegant, and Zhou Xiang¡¯s looks and temperament were inferior by far.

    An odd feeling welled up in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s heart, causing him to continue staring at Zhou Xiang even after two seconds had passed. Zhou Xiang sensed his gaze, and turned his head to nce at him, his faintly narrowed eyes glimmering with an unspeakable ambiguous nature.

    Yan Mingxiu was startled for a moment, and immediately read the naked desire in those eyes. He slowly turned his head away, and started staring out the window again. After thinking for a few seconds, he said indifferently, ¡°Let¡¯s go to your ce.¡±

    This time it was Zhou Xiang¡¯s turn to be startled. He mmed the brakes, and heart leaping with fear, he apprehensively looked at the dangerous distance between his car and the car in front.

    The car behind started resentfully abusing its horn. Zhou Xiang lightly released the brake, letting the car continue to glide forward. Working hard to keep his cool, he said, ¡°Okay, my house is a bit closer.¡±

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart wildly frolicked with joy. He had originally thought that there was no hope of any action, or in the really least, with Yan Mingxiu¡¯s indifferent attitude, there was definitely no chance of anything happening the first time. Zhou Xiang had originally even given up on asking for his phone number. He never expected that after many twists and turns, Yan Mingxiu would suddenly suggest it on his own ord. Was it some special day today? Being able to do it once highest grade good like Yan Mingxiu, was enough to keep him reflecting and savouring over for a long time.

    Yan Mingxiu sent a text to Yan Mingmei, telling her that he wouldn¡¯t be going over anymore, and then turned off his phone. He didn¡¯t want to go to his sister¡¯s ce at all. He feltpletely put off and disgusted as soon as he thought about how Wang Yudong had slept there before, but not with him.

    Originally, Zhou Xiang had really been enjoying being in a traffic jam with a beautiful man keeping himpany, but now he was impatient to get back home, wishing that he could arrive home right away. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t fly over there, and could only move forward slowly following the jammed train of cars.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s parents died in a car crash when he was in elementary school. His dad was originally a vice-director of a state enterprise. The factory¡¯s employee benefits at that time were good, and allocated their family an apartment with an floor area of over seventy square meters in the northern Second Ring. At that time, everyone thought that the apartment wasn¡¯t bad, and didn¡¯t feel that it was anything great. Now, however, houses at the district had all risen to twenty thousand per square metre. The apartment was old and it was a bit worn down, but Zhou Xiang was really satisfied to be able to have a ce in Beijing to settle down and make his home.

    He parked the car downstairs. The rain had already gotten a lot lighter. Zhou Xiang quickly opened the boot. Yan Mingxiu had only just gotten out of the car and Zhou Xiang had already run through the doorway with Yan Mingxiu¡¯s luggage. He shook off the water on his hair. ¡°The light on the second floor is broken, watch your step.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu studied the staircase. The walls had recently been painted; the paintwork was really rough. These kinds of old apartment blocks fundamentally just directly covered the walls with putty powder; covering up the marks left behind in the passing of time, thickening the walls with everyyer. He shot a nce at his luggage. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it myself.¡±

    Zhou Xiang energetically proceeded up the stairs. ¡°There¡¯s no need to stand on ceremony, your suitcase is as light as a feather, besides, my apartment is just on the third floor.¡±

    The light on the second floor was broken. Usually, there would still be moonlight, but as there was a rainstorm today, the moon wasn¡¯t visible at all. Zhou Xiang knew this staircase like the palm of his hand; he could go up even with his eyes closed. He was afraid that Yan Mingxiu would fall, and wanted to take out his phone to give him some light. In the end, before he even managed to take out his phone, his leg tripped on Yan Mingxiu¡¯s suitcase, and as the soles of his shoes were very slippery from the muddy water, he lost his footing, and fell backwards.

    Yan Mingxiu was right behind him. He encircled his arm around Zhou Xiang¡¯s waist, and grabbed the staircase handrail with his other hand.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s entire back was leaning against Yan Mingxiu¡¯s chest. He apologetically turned his head and smiled.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s deep and unfathomable eyes looked especially bright against the dim lighting. He looked deeply at Zhou Xiang. Their faces were extremely close, their breath on each other¡¯s faces; they only needed to move forward a little bit and they¡¯ll end up kissing.

    A light smile appeared on Zhou Xiang¡¯s face. The mood was so good, there was no reason to stop, so he leaned forward slightly and kissed Yan Mingxiu¡¯s lips.

    Yan Mingxiu was startled for a moment, and was a bit displeased, but very quickly <f title="ÐÄÔ³ÒâÂí - a heart like a capering monkey and a mind like a galloping horse -- restless; harbor monkey-feelings and horse-thoughts; in a restless and jumpy mood; one¡¯s heart is agile as an ape and one¡¯s thoughts swift as a horse.; one who can¡¯t settle down to his job; perturbed; the heart of an ape and the mind of a horse; with one¡¯s mind running wild">his heart became frisky and his mind became restless</f> from Zhou Xiang¡¯s faint cigarette voured kiss and soft lips. He lightly nipped Zhou Xiang¡¯s lips and deepened the kiss.

    After the two parted, the expression in their eyes was a bit strange.

    Yan Mingxiu said hoarsely, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

 Chapter 8

    R15

    As soon as they entered the apartment, Zhou Xiang pushed Yan Mingxiu against the wall. He stroked Yan Mingxiu¡¯s silky face with his slender fingers, and smiled gently, "Xiao Yan, <f title="Original line before Author censored it was: " you¡¯re="" so="" f***in¡¯="" good-looking."¡¯"="">you¡¯re so good-looking</f>."

    Yan Mingxiu reached out his hand, and grabbed hold of Zhou Xiang¡¯s already responding groin. His lips perked up slightly, "Mn, I can tell that you really like it."

    Zhou Xiang lightly licked Yan Mingxiu¡¯s lips, and said in a low voice, "I like it, of course I like it." Holding the back of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s head, Zhou Xiang intensified the kiss. His lips carefully sucked and devoured those pair of lips in every angle, and his tongue slipped into Yan Mingxiu¡¯s slightly parted lips, entwining with his tongue, skilfully teasing and ravaging his mouth.

    Ever since Zhou Xiang discovered in his teens that he was gay, in these many years, he had been in two solid rtionships. However, those rtionships no longer had any traces in his heart. He had had several long-term sex-friends but he hadn¡¯t had many one-night stands. He wasn¡¯t someone who slept around. He only had healthy physiological needs. To him, a stable genuine rtionship was a luxury good: something that could only be found by ident and not through seeking. Only a small handful could walk their lives together to the very end. Zhou Xiang also longed to meet a person who would be true to him. But before all that, being able to roll in the bed sheets with a person who he found pleasing to the eye, seemed to be a more feasible and realistic need.

    Yan Mingxiu was quite young, having just turned twenty this year. Although he wasn¡¯t a pure and innocent boy, he hadn¡¯t had much sexual experience either. He couldn¡¯t quite hold up against with Zhou Xiang¡¯s aggressive and intense kissing technique. Their breathing became a bit heavy and rough, and their entangled mouths brought about a concentrated scent of lust.

    Yan Mingxiu slipped his hand into Zhou Xiang¡¯s clothes, gently caressing Zhou Xiang¡¯s smooth and firm back. Zhou Xiang also slipped his hand into Yan Mingxiu¡¯s clothes. The two fondled and caressed each other. The passionate and heated atmosphere was on the verge of exploding.

    Yan Mingxiu raised his neck, letting Zhou Xiang to lick and kiss his throat and corbone. His hand continued to move down, and in the end he sped Zhou Xiang around the waist, and flipped and pressed Zhou Xiang against the wall. His hand reached into Zhou Xiang¡¯s pants, kneading Zhou Xiang¡¯s firm and perky ass.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s actions grew more aggressive and assertive. Blindly engrossed in the act, Zhou Xiang took a long time before he realised that something wasn¡¯t right. He suddenly woke up, and grabbed hold of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s finger which was about to enter that certain hole of his.

    Yan Mingxiu was also pulled up short.

    They both had realised what the problem was.

    Zhou Xiang said awkwardly, "I¡¯m a <f 0="" 1="" title="Zhou Xiang actually says " i¡¯m="" a="" 1."="" means="" on="" the="" top="" seme="" gong,="" bottom="" uke="" shou."="">top</f>."

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t speak. He looked at him, frowning. Anyone would be unhappy if they were forcibly interrupted after already progressing to this stage, especially an egotistical person like Yan Mingxiu.

    Their lust was immediately put out like they had been sshed with cold water. Being attracted to each other was a good thing, but finding out they were both tops, only one step before they jumped into bed, was honestly a bit of a mood-killer.

    Zhou Xiang had nothing against being on the bottom, but he hadn¡¯t ever bottomed before. You can¡¯t just give someone a gun and expect them to go on a battlefield. No matter what, he still needed to temper and steel himself to let himself mentally ept it first. After looking at Yan Mingxiu¡¯s dark face again, he knew that there definitely wasn¡¯t going to be any action today.

    Zhou Xiang was vexed and disappointed. A peerless beauty was right in front of him; they had kissed and touched birds, but were now stuck between the problem of who was on the top and bottom. At this point in time, even if he wanted to continue, he couldn¡¯t lower his pride to do so.

    Yan Ming¡¯s spirits had been dampened greatly. He picked up his suitcase and said, "I¡¯m going now."

    Zhou Xiang stopped him. "Hey, don¡¯t, look at that rain outside, where can you go at this time? The terrain here is low, cars might not be able to get out anymore. Though we didn¡¯t manage to do it to the end, I¡¯m not so bad that I¡¯ll kick you out. You¡¯re already here anyway, sleep here tonight."

    Yan Mingxiu looked outside the window. That downpour showed no signs of stopping. How to leave was indeed a big problem.

    Zhou Xiang snatched his suitcase from his hand and ced it next to the shoe-shelf. "Come, go sit inside, let¡¯s eat dinner, satisfy our living needs first."

    It was only then that Yan Mingxiu had the opportunity to study the apartment properly.

    An apartment with a floor area of over seventy square meters, two bedrooms, two lounges. The floor n wasn¡¯t very practical, but it didn¡¯t appear cramped either. Although the apartment had seen better days, and the furnishings also felt dated, everywhere showed signs that it had been diligently cleaned and maintained by its owner. Zhou Xiang¡¯s home waspletely different from normal bachelors. It was clean, fresh,fortable and warm, corresponding very well with the impression Zhou Xiang gave off to other people.

    Zhou Xiang quickly adjusted his mood. Actingpletely unaffected, he passed Yan Mingxiu a pair of slippers.

    Just a moment ago, they had started passionately making out at the entrance hall before they had even taken off their shoes. Thinking about their enthusiasm just earlier, he felt a bit embarrassed.

    Zhou Xiang let Yan Mingxiu into the room and poured him a cup of water. He smiled gently at him. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"

    "Anything is fine."

    "Then, go watch TV for a little while. I¡¯ll go make dinner."

    Yan Mingxiu nodded. His face rxed a little.

    The apartment had an open-n kitchen-dining and the kitchen-dining and living room was only separated by a single wall of transparent ss. Yan Mingxiu only needed to turn his head to be able to see the view of Zhou Xiang¡¯s back busying around in the kitchen.

    He narrowed his eyes, closely watching that back that moved about continuously in front of him. He felt that the area around his lower abdomen was about to start to burning up again.

    He fantasized that the person standing there making dinner for him was Wang Yudong.

    That back view that bore a remarkable resemnce to Wang Yudong¡¯s blurred inside his mind, and was thenpletely superimposed with Wang Yudong¡¯s back view. It felt as if that back would turn around in the next second, and Wang Yudong, carrying a gentle smile on his handsome and refined face, would softly ask him, "What do you want for dinner?"

    He fantasized that he could embrace that person from behind, tear open his clothes and do every shameless thing to him he could, leaving behind his marks on that person¡¯s body.

    Suddenly, the back turned around, and Zhou Xiang¡¯s face suddenly appeared in front of him, shattering his delusion. Zhou Xiang asked with a smile, "Do you eat spicy?"

    A nameless rage arose in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s chest. He answered stiffly, "No."

    Zhou Xiang sensed that he was unhappy. He shrugged his shoulders and didn¡¯t let it bother him. Yan Mingxiu was at least ten years younger than him. He hadn¡¯t gone so low as to get into a sulky fit with a little boy.

    Zhou Xiang had lived with several rtives in the past after his parents passed away. However, living while relying on someone else¡¯s charity was an unbearable feeling. His rtives also didn¡¯t care about him, kicking him back and forth. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore, and ran back to this house by himself. Hence, starting from when he was a fourth grader in elementary, he started fending for himself. He bought and cooked his own food, and washed his own clothes. There wasn¡¯t a single household chore that he wasn¡¯t a good at.

    After half an hour ofbour, the rice was done and he had also made three dishes and one pot of soup. He ced the hot and fragrant dishes on the table, and called out to Yan Mingxiu, ¡°Hurry ande over to eat, it¡¯s already past eight.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu walked over and looked at the dishes on the table. It was all normal home cooking, but were things that he hadn¡¯t eaten for many years. He sat down, and couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Smells great.¡±

    Grinning broadly, Zhou Xiang pinched his tender cheeks. ¡°It tastes even better than it smells, hurry and eat, after you finish eating, give Xiang¡¯ge a smile.¡±

    As Zhou Xiang had been magnanimous and acted appropriately the entire time, Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t get mad. He gave an embarrassed smile, and extended his chopsticks to pick up a block of tofu and sent it into his mouth.

    Zhou Xiang scooped a bowl of soup for him. "How is it? It¡¯s yummy, right?"

    A natural smile appeared on Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face for the first time. "Pretty good, it¡¯s delicious."

    Zhou Xiang was happy too. ¡°Here, eat more. My fridge still has some rock-sugar braised snow-pear I made yesterday. Remember to leave some space in your tummy to eat dessertter.¡±

    The two harmoniously started eating dinner, as if the awkward scene when they entered the house never happened.

 Chapter 9

    After they finished eating, Yan Mingxiu continued to watch TV, while Zhou Xiang tidied up the kitchen.

    After he finished, he brought out desserts and tea. He hadn¡¯t entertained guests in his house for a long time. He rarely brought people home and even if he did bring someone back, they would usually start having sex as soon as they entered the house, and definitely wouldn¡¯t have time to sit down to drink tea and chat.

    Although it was a pity that they couldn¡¯t aplish their goal, sitting and chatting together with Yan Mingxiu in this sort of rainy night was pretty romantic, so Zhou Xiang was in a pretty good mood.

    Zhou Xiang chatted with Yan Mingxiu, asking him stuff like what he was doing right now. Yan Mingxiu started school at a rtively early age. He was only twenty this year but had already graduated from university, and hade back to China to work. Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t reveal a lot of information about himself, but Zhou Xiang listened with great interest. The two of them chatted for a long time. Zhou Xiang was a rather humorous and witty person, and knew what to say and what not to say. In the end, Yan Mingxiu was clearly not as cautious as he was in the beginning and would even asionally reveal a smile that made Zhou Xiang¡¯s little heart skip a beat.

    Seeing him like that, Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but race. He hadn¡¯t experienced this kind of feeling for a long time.

    Time passed very quickly. In a blink of an eye, it was already past ten o¡¯clock. Yan Mingxiu yawned. A wave of fatigue also swept over Zhou Xiang. Both of them were exhausted from today¡¯s activities.

    Zhou Xiangughed. ¡°You must be tired out from chatting with me for so long. Go have a shower, and then go to sleep.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu entered the bathroom to have a shower. When he came out of the bathroom, Zhou Xiang was watering his flowers. As soon as he turned around, he saw Yan Mingxiu wearing a pair of baggy pyjamas and shorts. He looked fresh and full of life, and especially alluring.

    The two of them looked at each other. They both felt something, but remembering the awkwardness a few hours ago, neither made any further move. Zhou Xiang pointed to the bedroom. ¡°I found a clean nket. You¡¯ll have to bear with sleeping with me tonight, my guest room hasn¡¯t been cleaned for a quite a while, it¡¯s uninhabitable.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu nodded, turned and entered the bedroom.

    After Zhou Xiang finished bathing, Yan Mingxiu seemed to have already fallen asleep. He quietly walked into the bedroom and heard Yan Mingxiu¡¯s even breathing. He moved closer and saw that, sure enough, Yan Mingxiu had fallen asleep from exhaustion. His longshes cast a circr shadow on the curve of his eyes. His straight nose and line of his lips made his profile look like absolute perfection. Even just looking at it moved Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart beyond imagination.

    Zhou Xiang thought of himself as someone who didn¡¯t judge people by appearances. However, he had no choice but to admit that most people in the guymunity were shallow. Males paid more attention to their visual sexual appeal than females. Themunity chose based on who was handsome, who had a good figure, and who¡¯s ¡¯ything¡¯ was big. They could take off their pants and do it in their first meeting if they liked the look of each other. Who had the time to study a person¡¯s inner beauty? With looks like Yan Mingxiu¡¯s, it was hard for Zhou Xiang not to be attracted to him.

    Nothing happened today. Zhou Xiang started feeling a bit regretful so he stooped down and secretly kissed the side of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face. Only after that did he climb onto the bed and lie down beside him to sleep.

    After Zhou Xiangy down, Yan Mingxiu softly opened his eyes. An unreadable light flickered in his eyes.

    As Yan Mingxiu had taken a long distance flight, he was truly too tired. By the time he woke up, it was already past two in the afternoon. When he woke up he felt very dazed, and for a moment had no idea where he was.

    He shook his head, and retrieved his memories. He was in the house of someone he had only known for one day, and almost had sex with him.

    In the past, when Yan Mingxiu had sex, he would never go to the other person¡¯s house, and bringing them into his own home was even more out of the question. He didn¡¯t know what was up with himself yesterday; he actually went home with Zhou Xiang without any mental resistance. He couldn¡¯t get rid of that image of Zhou Xiang¡¯s back when he was cooking for him from his mind.

    He nkly shot a nce at the empty sheets beside him. A peculiar unfamiliar feeling swept over him, but it also caused him to fall into a reverie of wild and fanciful thoughts.

    At this precise moment, Zhou Xiang walked in. Upon seeing that he was awake, he raised an eyebrow. ¡°You sure slept soundly. You were out for fourteen hours.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s voice was a bit husky. He said in a low voice. ¡°I just got off the ne. I hadn¡¯t slept for more than twenty hours.¡±

    Zhou Xiang smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a new toothbrush and towel for you. Go wash your face and brush your teeth, and thene out to eat. I¡¯ll heat the food up for you again.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s head was dizzy from sleeping too much. He wobbled into the bathroom. The new toothbrush and facecloth were already on the sink ready for him to use. Yan Mingxiu smiled mockingly; this sight was like he was going start to living here.

    He finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom. The fragrant food smell had already rushed into his nostrils. He had lived alone all those many years he was overseas. Being able to have breakfast prepared for him the moment he woke up truly wasn¡¯t a bad feeling.

    Zhou Xiang pulled out a chair. ¡°Hurry ande to eat. You must be starving.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu nodded, and stretched. ¡°I truly never thought that I¡¯d sleep for so long.¡±

    Zhou Xiang sat down next to him, watching him eat, and asked, ¡°Do you need to go home today? I¡¯ll give you a ride back.¡±

    ¡°No need, the rain¡¯s stopped. I can catch a taxi back.¡±

    ¡°No need to be polite. It¡¯s my day off today.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Yan Mingxiu said, emphasising his tone.

    With no other choice, Zhou Xiang relented, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s usually easy to catch a taxi around here.¡±

    After Yan Mingxiu finished eating, he turned on his phone. It noisily notified that he had received arge number of texts, most of which were from his sister. He was a little annoyed. He thought for a moment, and then dialled back.

    ¡°Hello? Mingxiu? What happened? Why¡¯d you turn off your phone?¡±

    ¡°No power.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have charged in the hotel? Which hotel are you at? If you can¡¯te home because of the rain I can go and pick you up.¡±

    ¡°No need. The rain was too heavy yesterday. I¡¯ll go home now.¡±

    ¡°Where are you? Sis wille and pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ve already called for a taxi.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You sound so lifeless, have you caught a cold?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t know what was wrong with himself either. Right now, he felt annoyed whenever he heard his sister¡¯s voice, and really wanted to hang up. He held back his temper and said, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. I¡¯ll go back myself, you don¡¯t need worry.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu hung up the phone, and let out an almost undetectable sigh.

    Zhou Xiang was sitting on the sofa. He asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re gonna go now?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Yan Mingxiu nodded.

    ¡°Leave your number, okay?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu walked over, bent over, took the phone in Zhou Xiang¡¯s hand, and pressed in his own number.

    After he finished entering his number, he gave the phone back to Zhou Xiang. Zhou Xiang hooked his arms around Yan Mingxiu¡¯s neck, and pursed his lips into a smile. ¡°Can we still meet again?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu narrowed his eyes. His clean and fresh breath fanned against Zhou Xiang¡¯s face. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to let me top you.¡±

    Zhou Xiang said, grinning, "That¡¯s not a big problem, but, do you have experience? I¡¯m a physicalbourer, I¡¯m not allowed to be injured."

    Yan Mingxiu smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll find out if you try.¡±

    Zhou Xiang lightly pecked his lips. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay today?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu stood up. ¡°I need to report back home today. Maybe some other time.¡±

    Disappointment appeared in Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I see you off downstairs.¡± He had never been so attentive to any sex-friend.

    Zhou Xiang saw Yan Mingxiu off on a taxi before reluctantly returning home. He fiddled with his phone, staring at that series of numbers and started imagining his next meeting with Yan Mingxiu in his head.

 Chapter 9 (2)

    After the meal, YanMingXiu continued to watch TV while ZhouXiang went to clean up the kitchen.

    After cleaning up, ZhouXiang brought out the dessert and tea. He had not entertained anyone in his home for a long time. He rarely had people over. Even if he brought back any fuckbuddies, they just have sex; they certainly wouldn''t have time to sit down to have tea and chat.

    Although it is a pity that he and YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t achieve the goal (sex), sitting and chatting with him on this rainy night is quite romantic so ZhouXiang¡¯s mood has been good.

    ZhouXiang casually chatted with YanMingXiu, asking him about the things he is doing now. YanMingXiu started school earlier than usual so he graduated from college at just 20 years old. Now, he came back to work. He didn''t disclose much but ZhouXiang is very interested. The two chatted for a long time. ZhouXiang is a very humorous and considerate person. So toward the end, YanMingXiu obviously became less reserved and would asionally reveal a smile that makes ZhouXiang''s heart jump.

    Seeing such expression from him, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t stop his heart from beating erratically. He hadn¡¯t experience this feeling in a long time.

    Time went by quickly. Soon it was already past 10pm. YanMingXiu yawned a few times and ZhouXiang also felt tired. The two were exhausted today.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°We¡¯ve chatted for a long time, you must be tired. Go take a shower first and sleep.¡±

    YanMingXiu opened his suitcase to take out a set of clothes; then went to the bathroom to shower. When he came out, ZhouXiang was watering his flowers. ZhouXiang turned and sees YanMingXiu wearing loose pajama shorts looking refreshed and especially captivating.

    The two looked at each other; both have lust on their minds, but when they remembered the embarrassment a few hours ago, no one made any further moves. ZhouXiang pointed to the bedroom, ¡°I got a newly washed nket. Tonight, you''ll have to bear it a little and sleep next to me. My guest room hasn¡¯t been cleaned for a long time so it''s not suitable for people to stay there."

    YanMingXiu nodded, then turned and walked into the bedroom.

    When ZhouXiang came out after the shower, YanMingXiu seemed to have fallen asleep. He quietly walked into the bedroom and heard YanMingXiu''s even breathing. Looking closely, YanMingXiu was really so exhausted that he fell asleep; his long eyshes casted a fan-shaped shadow around his eyes and his prominent nose and lip line made his side profile look so perfectly beautiful. Just looking at him, ZhouXiang''s heart continued to beat erratically.

    ZhouXiang is not a person who judges people by their appearance. Though, he couldn''t help but admit that most gays in the ET circle are quite superficial. Men pay more attention to sexual temptation than women. In the ET circle, who they seek for are those people who look attractive, has a good figure, who can be messed around with big time, and would take off their pants on the first meeting. Who has the time to really look into the inner beauty of another person? With YanMingXiu''s attractive appearance, it is hard for ZhouXiang to not fall for him.

    ZhouXiang still fell a bit pity that nothing happened today. He leaned down and secretly kissed YanMingXiu''s cheek. Then, climbed into the bed and slept next to him.

    YanMingXiu gently opened his eyes after ZhouXiangy down, his eyes shed with unclear radiance.

    Due to the long-distance flight, YanMingXiu was very exhausted. He slept until 2pm of the next day. He was dazed when he woke up. For a moment, he didn''t know where he was. Flinging his head in trying to recall, he realized that he¡¯s in the home of a man he had just met for a day and even almost had sex with him.

    When YanMingXiu has sex with others before, he never goes to their homes or takes them to his own home. He didn¡¯t know what happened yesterday. He actually went home with ZhouXiang without hesitating. His mind could not get rid of ZhouXiang''s back silhouette when he was cooking. He dazedly nced at the empty space next to him on the bed; there is a strange and unfamiliar feeling, making him continuously lost in his wild thoughts.

    ZhouXiang happened toe in at this time. Seeing that he had awaken, he raised his eyebrows, ¡°You slept so sweetly; you slept for 14 hours.¡±

    YanMingXiu''s throat is a little coarse as softly murmured, ¡°I just got off the ne and haven''t'' slept for more than 20 hours.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I got a new toothbrush and towel for you. Go wash up ande out to eat. I''ll heat up the food for you."

    YanMingXiu slept so much that he was dizzy so he wobbled to the bathroom. A new toothbrush and towel have already been ced on the sink counter. This scene seems as though he would be living here. YanMingXiu mockingly smiled.

    After washing up, he came out of the bathroom. The aroma from the food permeated his nose. He had live abroad by himself for many years. Being able to wake up with breakfast already prepared by someone, this feeling is really not bad.

    ZhouXiang pulled out a chair, ¡°Hurry upe and eat. You must be hungry.¡±

    YanMingXiu nodded and stretched, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to sleep for so long.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat down beside him. He watched him eat and asked, ¡°You have to go home today? I can give you a ride.¡±

    YanMingXiu nodded, ¡°You don¡¯t need to. The rain stopped. I can just take a taxi.¡±

    ¡°Don''t need to be polite. I''m off today.¡±

    ¡°It''s okay," YanMingXiu added with a serious tone.

    ZhouXiang can only say, ¡°Alright then. It''s usually easy to fetch a taxi here."

    After YanMingXiu finished eating, he turned on his cell phone and saw several text messages, mostly from his sister. He felt a bit annoyed. After pondering over it, he called her back.

    ¡°Hello? MingXiu? What''s going on? Why did you turn off the phone?¡±

    ¡°No battery.¡±

    ¡°You didn''t charge it at the hotel? What hotel are you staying at? You said that you can''te back because of the rain, I can go pick you up."

    ¡°Don''t need to. It was raining really hard yesterday. I''ming home now."

    ¡°Where are you? I''ll go pick you up.¡±

    ¡°It''s okay. I''ve already called a taxi.¡±

    "What is the matter? You sound weak, caught a cold?"

    YanMingXiu also don''t know why. But when he hears his sister''s voice now, he felt annoyed and can¡¯t wait to hang up. Trying hard to suppress his temper, he responded, ¡°No, I''ll go back by myself, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    YanMingXiu hung up the phone and sighed.

    ZhouXiang sat on the sofa with a faint smile, ¡°So you''re leaving?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± YanMingXiu nodded.

    ¡°Leave a number?¡±

    YanMingXiu walked over, bent down and took ZhouXiang''s phone from his hand to punch in his number. After he''s done, he gave the phone back to ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang looped his arm around his neck and pursed his lips, ¡°Will we meet again?"

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and breathes on ZhouXiang''s face, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to let me top you.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°That¡¯s not a big problem but do you have experience? I am a manual worker; I can''t get injured."

    YanMingXiu faintly smiled, ¡°You''ll know once you try."

    ZhouXiang gently pecked YanMingXiu''s lips, ¡°Why don''t you stay today?"

    YanMingXiu stood up, ¡°I have to go home. Another day."

    ZhouXiang''s eyes revealed a pitiful expression, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I''ll walk you downstairs.¡± He was never this attentive to his fuck buddies.

    After ZhouXiang walked YanMingXiu to the taxi, he was a little reluctant to go home. He fiddled with his cell phone, looking at YanMingXiu''s phone number; his heart began to depict his next meeting with YanMingXiu.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 10

    ZhouXiang rested at home for two days. When he has work, he¡¯d be busy well into the middle of the night. But when there is no work, he didn¡¯t even have to go out for a week. In the past two days, he sent two text messages to YanMingXiu but received no response. ZhouXiang is somewhat disappointed. It¡¯s likely that even if he takes the initiative to ask YanMingXiu out, he (YanMingXiu) wouldn¡¯t evene out.

    By chance, a young model named Ah Bei, whom he just metst month, asked him to go out to eat. He also said that he would bring a friend along and asked ZhouXiang to pick them up. ZhouXiang is free so he went.

    These two people had juste to Beijing for work. Their only assets are their good looks; they don¡¯t have money, don¡¯t have any special background or know anyone. Each month, they relied on some magazines postings or modeling a few sets of clothing to survive. Sometimes they would call ZhouXiang out to freeload a meal. ZhouXiang would also happily take them out to eat delicious foods. Being a migrant working in Beijing is very harsh so he understood these youngsters quite well.

    After dinner, he gave the two a ride home. When they arrived to their home downstairs, Ah Bei tugged him, hinting with eagerness for ZhouXiang to join them in a threesome. ZhouXiang looked at their desperate expression, but he¡¯s really no match for them. He can deal with one but two, they will take his life. He really doesn¡¯t have that physical stamina so he refused, saying he has something to do.

    The boy he just met unhappily asked, "Xiang Ge, is it because you don¡¯t like how I look?"

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°How can you say that? I really have something to do." After all, he can¡¯t tell them that he won¡¯t be able to endure doing it with the both of them right?

    Ah Bei tugged at his clothes, refusing to let him go, ¡°Xiang Ge, I have been bragging to my friend for a long time, saying that your (sex) skills are really good. y with us for a bit okay?¡±

    ZhouXiang patted his face, ¡°Stop pulling (his clothes). I really have something to do today. My friend is waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°Which friend? Is it because you have one hiding at home?¡± Ah Bei unhappily asked.

    ¡°Really...no. Be good, stop making a fuss.¡±

    Ah Bei unwillingly sigh and then told him the truth, ¡°Xiang Ge, we want to ask for your help.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± ZhouXiang knew that there had to be something. <i>Why didn¡¯t he just say so in the beginning?</i>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t yourpany recruiting models? Please help us submit our profiles."

    ¡°Ahh okay. That¡¯s nothing big."

    ¡°Thank you, Xiang Ge,¡± Ah Bei kissed him on his cheek.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°No need to thank me.¡±

    Ah Bei sadly said, ¡°Xiang Ge, it¡¯s not because of this that I wanted to have sex with you. I really like you. You really can¡¯te up?¡±

    ZhouXiang is getting an ongoing headache. Just when he was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that the call was actually from YanMingXiu.

    ted, he quickly connected the call, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hey, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I...I just finished doing something, about to go home.¡±

    ¡°Come out to eat with me.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Where do you want to go, I¡¯ll go pick you up?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to. GongTi worker¡¯s stadium. I¡¯ll text you the address. Juste over." He hung up after saying that.

    ZhouXiang put his cell phone away and looked up. He saw the two boys looking at him mischievously. The space in the car is small and it is quiet, so they must have heard.

    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so eager to go. That voice sounded really nice, a singer?¡± Ah Bei asked with a wink.

    ZhouXiang smiled but didn¡¯t exin.

    ¡°Since Xiang Ge has a date, we won¡¯t stop you. Hurry and go."

    ZhouXiang ruffled Ah Bei¡¯s head, ¡°Give me your information. I will help you as much as I can.¡±

    After the two went upstairs, ZhouXiang quickly drove toward the direction of the GongTi worker¡¯s stadium.

    He followed YanMingXiu¡¯s direction on the text and found the Thai restaurant. When he entered the private room, YanMingXiu was already sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking at the menu. His imposing mannerisms looked as if he is reading a contract worth hundred millions. Next to him, stood an extremely polite and courteous looking waitress who was sneaking nces at him with her glimmering eyes.

    When ZhouXiang came in, both of them turned around. ZhouXiang cheerfully greeted YanMingXiu, ¡°Sorry, I amte.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I just got here.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat down next to YanMingXiu. The waitress immediately poured a cup of tea for him. The tea tasted a bit strange. He didn¡¯t know if it came from Thand.

    YanMingXiu closed the menu, "We¡¯ll have these (food items) first.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t order too much. I ate something before I came.¡± In fact, he is actually full.

    ¡°You ate already?¡±

    ¡°Ahh, no, I just ate some snacks at home so I¡¯m not too hungry.¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t too many (dishes),¡± YanMingXiu handed the menu to the waitress.

    After the waitress left, they were the only two left in the private room. ZhouXiang asked, ¡°Seeing outside, the business here is very good. Just the two of us use such big private room?¡± He could guess that it won¡¯t be cheap.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even pay attention to what he was saying, but instead stared at his lips strangely.

    ZhouXiang said a few things but seeing that YanMingXiu is staring at him, he felt that the atmosphere had changed. He cleared his throat and flirtingly asked, ¡°Howe you have time to ask me out today? The text messages I sent you, you didn¡¯t respond. I thought you¡¯ve already forgotten who I am.¡±

    YanMingXiu faintly responded, ¡°Toozy to respond (to the texts).¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s arrogant and selfish nature is actually quite detestable ¡ª if ced on ordinary people. But when YanMingXiu disyed such expression, ZhouXiang felt that each of his expressions are extraordinarily charming. Even hisxed indifferent attitude made people¡¯s heart feel tingly. ZhouXiang wondered if he was a bit too craved for sex. Had he known, he would¡¯ve gone upstairs with Ah Bei and the boy today. Perhaps, after he had sex with them, he would not be daydreaming about this boy so much that he looks like horny pervert.

    YanMingXiu looked at him. ZhouXiang¡¯s attraction and desire for him is so obvious that it can¡¯t even be concealed. Actually, there is no reason to conceal it. Between men, it¡¯s better to be direct. Each takes what one needs.

    ZhouXiang leaned close to him and softly asked, ¡°So, have you really forgotten me?¡±

    YanMingXiu gripped his chin and gently touched his lips, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve only just remembered you.¡±

    ZhouXiang burst out inughter, ¡°It¡¯s quite timely.¡± He bit YanMingXiu¡¯s lips, gently tugging it, ¡°But I¡¯ve been thinking of you every day.¡±

    YanMingXiu asked softly, ¡°Think of me? Thinking of me topping you?¡±

    ¡°Actually, of me topping you but if you¡¯re not willing, I can only suffer this time."

    ¡°You¡¯ve really never been a 0?¡±

    ZhouXiang jokingly responded, ¡°Nope. I wanted to be (a zero) when I was young, but people wouldn¡¯t even look at me because they thought I looked too mature. When I got older, it was even more unlikely. There are more 0¡¯s than 1¡¯s in the circle...so many fresh meats waiting for me; you think I¡¯d go looking for people to top me?"

    YanMingXiu gently reached his hand into ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes and pinched his slender waist, then says coarsely, "So then, if you¡¯re going to do it with me, it¡¯ll be your first time (being a zero)?"

    ZhouXiangughed, ¡°Exactly. Don¡¯t you have to be responsible?"

    ¡°Haven¡¯t topped you yet, what¡¯s there to be responsible for? Give an IOU?"

    ¡°Then you top.¡± ZhouXiang blocked YanMingXiu¡¯s mouth from talking and slipped his tongue in. In between the heated kiss, he murmured, ¡°Otherwise, why did you ask me out for a meal?"

    YanMingXiu also didn¡¯t bother with the nonsense. They are both adults; there is nothing to be embarrassed about. He responded to ZhouXiang¡¯s kiss intensely. Thinking of how he would be pressing this man beneath him on the bed and fuck him fiercely tonight, the feeling must be very good.

    He¡¯ll use the back position and pull ZhouXiang¡¯s hair, forcing him to lift his ass. That tight muscles and elegant figure will definitely make his arousal increase tremendously since ZhouXiang¡¯s back looks so much like WangYuDong¡¯s.

    The WangYuDong whom he dreamed of fucking.

    Just when the two people were unable to separate from their intensely wet kiss, a knock sounded from the door and a few girls strolled in with the dishes.

    ZhouXiang wanted to push YanMingXiu away. Although he didn¡¯t need to hide his identity, he didn¡¯t want to scare these young girls. But in the end, YanMingXiu tightly gripped his waist and pressed him even harder to the sofa; his tongue licking ZhouXiang¡¯s teeth, making it impossible for him close the corners of his mouth that is oozing out transparent bodily fluid.

    These girls were so frightened that they didn¡¯t know whether to continue going in or walk back out so they just stood frozen in ce.

    After YanMingXiu got satiated from kissing, he licked his lips and turned to nce at them coldly, "Serve the food. Why stand there frozen for?"

    ZhouXiang touched the corner of his mouth and smiled softly at the little girls, trying to appease their frightened emotions.

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s smile. He seemed to have just realized that ZhouXiang not only smile at him alone, he¡¯s like that to everyone.

    This made YanMingXiu feel very unsettled.

    The little girls forced themselves to calmly ce the dishes on the table. ZhouXiang felt a bit apologetic seeing their embarrassed faces so he said, ¡°You can leave after putting the dishes down. Don¡¯t need to serve us."

    Several girls sneakily peaked at him and then at YanMingXiu. Then they all left with their flushed faces.

    ZhouXiang pushed YanMingXiu¡¯s shoulder and smiled, ¡°I really can¡¯t tell you¡¯re actually that daring.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t react, ¡°Let¡¯s just eat.¡±

    Originally, this private room can serve eight to ten people. But because of YanMingXiu, they specially changed the big table, recing it with a rectangr table for six. The two sat directly facing each other while they tasted the exquisitely prepared Thai food.

    ZhouXiang casually ate a few pieces and praised, ¡°This is so vorful. I¡¯ve passed by this restaurant several times but never been in.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say much. He merely responded with a few words, then asked, "How old are you?"

    ZhouXiang blinked, ¡°Whatever age you say I am... but I¡¯m actually 30 years old.¡±

    ¡°Your profession is a stuntman?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a martial arts stuntman.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of work dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Danger is not the primary thing. In fact, there are only a few times that it¡¯s actually dangerous. It¡¯s just that there are many actions that actors can¡¯t do so a martial arts stuntman is needed for the quality effect.¡±

    ¡°How many years have you been doing that?"

    ¡°Hmm...Let me see. When I graduated from sports school, I was 19. Then, I worked for more than a year as a salesperson. Afterwards, I went into the entertainment circle to do odd some jobs. When I really started to be a martial art stuntman, I should be about 22... so it¡¯s about 8 years.¡±

    YanMingXiu bunched his brows, ¡°An average person working this long should be able to get some supporting roles. You really don¡¯t blend in well."

    ZhouXiang smiled, not minding what he just said, ¡°If I have your looks, I¡¯d definitely get some contracts. With my looks, I¡¯m more suitable to y a hero¡¯s defeated opponent or cop like roles. It¡¯s toopetitive. If there is a chance to make more money, I¡¯m more than happy. But if there isn¡¯t, I¡¯m very content just being a stuntman."

    YanMingXiu, ¡°You can¡¯t be doing this for a lifetime, right? What are you going to do in a few years when your body can¡¯t handle it?¡±

    ZhouXiang casually responded, ¡°By then, I¡¯ll change to be a manager (for actors). In any case, I¡¯m familiar with the operations in the circle. Why think so far ahead into the future?"

    He is indeed a person who lives a rxed life; he has no family and ispletely carefree. He doesn¡¯t need to worry about taking care of the elders, a wife, or children because he will never have any. He just needs to make sufficient money to support himself in his old age.

    ZhouXiang thought...in the eyes of young people like YanMingXiu, who are in their early twenties and have a great future in front of them, such unnned life is unimaginable. ZhouXiang did not intend to make him understand.

    YanMingXiu nced at him and realized that this person is really just content with how things stand. He felt that there is nothing distinctive with this person, just like his appearance. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know why, but he didn¡¯t feel too happy. Perhaps it is because he¡¯s always wanted to find WangYuDong¡¯s shadow in ZhouXiang. But ZhouXiang is nothingpared to WangYuDong.

    <i>Should he use his status to help ZhouXiang?</i> YanMingXiu hesitated a bit.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 10 (2)

    Zhou Xiang rested at home for two days. When he had work, he would be busy until the middle of the night; when he didn''t have work, he didn''t need to leave his house for a week. The past two days, he sent Yan Mingxiu two texts one after another. However, like stones sunk into the sea, he received no reply. Zhou Xiang was a bit disappointed. He guessed that even if he took the initiative to invite Yan Mingxiu, Yan Mingxiu still wouldn''te.

    To his surprise, one afternoon, Yan Mingxiu actually rang him on his ord. Thrilled to bits, Zhou Xiang hurriedly answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Hi, where are you?¡±

    ¡°I''m at home.¡±

    ¡°Come out for a meal with me.¡±

    ¡°Sure, where do wanna go? Should I go pick you up?¡±

    ¡°No need. . I''ll send you the address, juste straight over.¡± Yan Mingxiu hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking.

    Zhou Xiang quickly leapt from the sofa. He had a shower and shaved his beard in the fastest possible speed, tidying himself up. After that, he impatiently drove to Gongti.

    When Zhou Xiang arrived at the Thai restaurant and entered the private room Yan Mingxiu had reserved, he saw that Yan Mingxiu was already sitting on the sofa. His legs were crossed, and his head was lowered, looking at the menu. His imposing manner was like he was reading a several hundred million yuan contract. The female waitress stood reverently and respectfully at his side, secretly sizing up his face, eyes filled with admiration.

    As soon as Zhou Xiang came in, the two looked over. Zhou Xiang happily greeted Yan Mingxiu, ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I just arrived too.¡± Yan Mingxiu closed the menu. ¡°We''ll have these first.¡±

    Zhou Xiang hastily said, ¡°Don''t order too much, I ate a little before I came.¡±

    ¡°You''ve eaten already?¡±

    ¡°I ate some snacks at home, so I''m not really hungry.¡±

    ¡°I haven''t ordered that much.¡± Yan Mingxiu passed the menu to the waitress.

    The waitress left, leaving the two of them alone in therge private room. Zhou Xiang asked, ¡°Judging from what I saw out there, this restaurant seems to have really good business, why are we using such a big room?¡± Even the cheapest room probably wouldn''t be cheap.

    Yan Mingxiu wasn''t paying any attention to what Zhou Xiang was saying at all, and was instead staring at Zhou Xiang''s lips with an odd expression in his eyes.

    Zhou Xiang spoke a bit more and noticed that Yan Mingxiu had been staring at him the entire time. Sensing that the atmosphere in the room had changed, he cleared his throat, and said with a soft and silky voice, ¡°How did you find the time to invite me out today? You didn''t reply to any of the texts I sent you, I thought that you had already forgotten me.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu said indifferently, ¡°Toozy to reply.¡± Yan Mingxiu¡¯s sort of arrogant and egoistic personality was actually really annoying¡ª¡ªif that personality belonged to just an ordinary person that is. However, when it was Yan Mingxiu acting this way, Zhou Xiang felt that his every expression was exceptionally enchanting, even thatnguid and apathetic attitude made his heart tickle.

    Yan Mingxiu cast nce at him. Zhou Xiang wasn''t concealing his fondness and thirst for him at all; though it was true that there was no reason to hide it. Among men, it was better to be more direct, just each taking what they need.

    Zhou Xiang inched closer and asked quietly, ¡°So, did you forget me or not?¡±

    Pinching Zhou Xiang''s chin, Yan Mingxiu lightly caressed Zhou Xiang''s lips. ¡°I might have just remembered you.¡±

    Augh escaped from Zhou Xiang''s lips. ¡°What perfect timing.¡± Zhou Xiang nipped and softly tugged at his lips. "I thought about you every day."

    Yan Mingxiu murmured, ¡°¡±

    ¡°I was actually thinking about topping you but, if you''re not willing, ¡±

    ¡°You really haven''t been a 0 before?¡±

    Zhou Xiang said jokingly, ¡°Nope, I wanted to be when I was young, but they snubbed me, didn''t like that I looked too mature. It got even more impossible when I grew up, in the gaymunity, it goes without saying that there are lots of 0s and very few 1s, so much fresh meat waiting for me, why should I bother finding someone to top me?"

    Yan Mingxiu softly slipped his hand into Zhou Xiang''s clothes, kneading his firm waist and hoarsely said, ¡°So that means, if you do it with me, it''ll be your first time.¡±

    Zhou Xiang chuckled. ¡°Exactly! Are you gonna take responsibility?¡±

    ¡°I haven''t even topped you, take what responsibility? An IOU?¡±

    ¡°Then why don''t you top me?¡± Zhou Xiang sealed his lips with his own, slipping his tongue inside, and mumbled during the intervals of their passionate kiss, ¡°Or else, why''d you call me out for a meal?¡±

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t beat around the bush. The two were adults; there was no point in ying coy. He aggressively returned Zhou Xiang¡¯s kiss. He imagined how it''ll feel to press this man down onto the bed and violently f**k him. It was going to feel good for sure.

    He will take this person from the back, grab his hair and force him to move his butt up towards him on his own. Those even muscles and graceful figure will definitely be able to exhrate him, because they looked so much like Wang Yudong''s.

    Even in his dreams, he dreamed about topping Wang Yudong.

    While they were immersed in their fervent kiss, there was a knock on the door, and right after, several girls walked in carrying trays of food.

    Zhou Xiang wanted to push Yan Mingxiu away. He wasn¡¯t trying to keep his sexuality a secret, but he didn''t want to scare those teenage girls either.

    However, Yan Mingxiu tightly held his waist in ce and pressed him down harder against the sofa, his tongue caressing and licking Zhou Xiang''s teeth. A clear fluid trickled out from the corner of Zhou Xiang''s mouth which he had no way of closing.

    Those girls were scared silly, temporarily not knowing whether they should enter or retreat, directly freezing on the spot.

    After Yan Mingxiu kissed his fill, he licked his own lips and finally turned his head to coldly nce at those girls. ¡°Serve the dishes, what you all standing there for?¡±

    Zhou Xiang wiped the corner of his mouth and then smiled warmly at the girls, wanting to pacify their frightened state of mind.

    Yan Mingxiu looked at Zhou Xiang''s smile with narrowed eyes. It was then that he seemed to realise that Zhou Xiang was not all smiles only in front of him; he was like that to everyone.

    This fact made Yan Mingxiu feel very ufortable.

    The girls forced themselves to act calm as they ced the dishes on the table. Seeing the awkward expressions on their faces, Zhou Xiang felt a bit apologetic. ¡°You guys can leave after putting down the dishes. We don''t need you to serve us.¡±

    The girls snuck a nce at him, and then looked at Yan Mingxiu. They then all ran away with red faces.

    Zhou Xiang nudged Yan Mingxiu''s shoulder andughed, ¡°Never would have guessed that you had such big guts.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t respond to his words. "Let''s eat."

    This restaurant room was originally meant to seat eight to ten people. For Yan Mingxiu, they had specially switched out therge table for a long six seater table. They sat facing each other, tasting the exquisitely presented Thai dishes.

    Zhou Xiang eximed, ¡°It¡¯s so delicious. I''ve passed by this restaurant many times before but never once went in.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t say much, casually responding with a few words, and then asked Zhou Xiang. ¡°How old are you?¡±

    Zhou Xiang winked, ¡°, actually I''m twenty nine years old.¡±

    ¡°You''re a body double?¡±

    ¡°Yup, martial arts body double.¡±

    ¡°Then your job is very dangerous, right?¡±

    ¡°It''s actually rarely ever dangerous. It''s just that there are lots of movements that actors can''t perform, so in order to get the desired effect, they have to use martial arts stunt doubles.¡±

    ¡°How many years have you worked as one?¡±

    "Let me calcte. I graduated from sports college when I was neen, I was a sales representative for over a year, afterwards, I entered the entertainment circle to do odd jobs, I should have been twenty three when I properly started doing stunt doubling work, so almost seven years."

    Yan Mingxiu lightly frowned. ¡°An average person, if they''ve been in the business for so long, they would already be able to y some supporting character roles. You''re really not doing that well.¡±

    Zhou Xiangughed, not offended in the least. ¡°If I had your looks, I¡¯ll definitely be offered lots of roles. A person with my looks is suited to act the viin who''s defeated by a noble warrior or a policeman. The range of characters that I can y is too limited. I''ll be happy too if I had the chance to earn more money. Even if I don¡¯t get offered any roles, I''m still very content being a martial arts double.¡±

    Yan Mingxiu said, ¡°But you can''t be a stunt double for the rest of your life, right? What''re you going to do a few years from now when your body can''t handle it anymore?"

    Zhou Xiang replied breezily, "When that timees, I''ll change profession and be an agent. After all, I''m familiar with that sort of work too. What''s the point of thinking so far ahead?"

    He was someone who lived a carefree life. He had no family and no cares. Once he¡¯s full, no one in his family is hungry. He didn''t need to think about providing for the elderly, or marrying a wife or having kids, because he would never have any. He only needed to save enough money to provide for himself when he got old.

    He thought, in the eyes of a youngster like Yan Mingxiu, who had just turned twenty and had great future prospects and great hopes for the future, a life without a n was probably impossible to imagine. Zhou Xiang also didn''t n on making Yan Mingxiu understand.

    Yan Mingxiu nced at him and noticed that he truly was happy with the status quo. He thought inwardly, this person really is a good for nothing just like his outer appearance. Yan Mingxiu didn''t know why he didn''t feel too happy. Perhaps it was because he was always trying to find traces of Wang Yudong in Zhou Xiang, but besides his back view, Zhou Xiang didn''t have anything that could be mentioned in the same breath as Wang Yudong.

    <strong>Trantors Note:

    </strong>

    <strong> I said in the beginning that I''m tranting from the old version and crosschecking with the new version. So far, it¡¯s worked out fine because it¡¯s just been minor changes that help improve the wording and flow of the text (so you could say that I¡¯m actually tranting from the improved new version).

    </strong>

    <strong> In this chapter, the author cuts out a whole section and some other lines (around 700 words) from the original. It¡¯s understandable because those parts aren¡¯t really necessary to the story.

    </strong>

    <strong> But, if anyone wants to read the original version, it can be found here:

    </strong>

    <strong> The cut or modified lines are in this purple colour. The lines that are the same are in ck.

    </strong>

    <strong> For future chapters, if I feel that a changed line has been ¡°censored¡± rather than ¡°improved¡±, I will use the original version and put the new version of the sentence in the footnotes.</strong>

 Chapter 11

    ZhouXiang put down his chopsticks after eating a little. The food is very good but he really couldn¡¯t eat anymore. So he just sat there and chatted while at the same time help YanMingXiu remove the crab meat from the shell, dipped it in yellow curry sauce and ced it on his te.

    This obvious doting action made YanMingXiu feel quite pleased. He had been served by people since he was a child so he didn¡¯t feel that there was anything wrong with it. He actually enjoyed having ZhouXiang serve him.

    YanMingXiu could see that ZhouXiang likes him very much. ZhouXiang is likely one of those rare people who is very attentive to YanMingXiu and whom he does not want to push way because ZhouXiang¡¯s kind of attentiveness doesn¡¯t make people feel tired. Instead, he allowed people to feel his enthusiasm and warmly tenderness.

    After the two finished eating, ZhouXiang excused himself to use the restroom, wanting to pay the bill.

    YanMingXiu pointed toward the direction of the window, "There is a restroom in this private room.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I also wanted to go smoke a cigarette." He figured that this meal must have cost a lot of money. He has a good ie while YanMingXiu had just graduated from college and probably hasn¡¯t found a job yet.

    After ZhouXiang went to the restroom, he went to the cashier to pay the bill.

    The cashier took out their bill to look, "Sir, your table is on credit. No need to pay."

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    "Our restaurant has a membership system. This room is booked by a member and does not need to pay cash."

    ZhouXiang said ¡°Oh.¡± <i>Fine, save my money then.</i>

    When ZhouXiang returned to the room, YanMingXiu had already stood up, intending to leave. ZhouXiang¡¯s hand pressed against the door frame as he smiled and asked him, ¡°It¡¯s only nine o¡¯clock, let¡¯s find a ce to have a drink?¡±

    YanMingXiu shook his head, ¡°No fun.¡±

    ¡°Then where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°Your ce.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed a few times, then lowered his voice and asked vaguely, ¡°Howe I can¡¯t see that you are actually this anxious (to have sex)?¡±

    YanMingXiu respond, ¡°I just don¡¯t like noisy ces.¡±

    "Fine. Let¡¯s go to my home. My ce is quiet.¡±

    After they left the restaurant, ZhouXiang went directly to get his car. YanMingXiu pondered and then called his driver toe over to help him take his car back while he left in ZhouXiang¡¯s car.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s home is small and old, but unknowingly YanMingXiu likes it a lot. It¡¯s probably because this home has a ¡¯homely¡¯ feel and is full of life everywhere.

    When the two returned to the home, ZhouXiang took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa, then turned to ask YanMingXiu, ¡°You want to shower first or me first? Or......" He licked his lips and smiled mischievously, ¡°Together?¡±

    YanMingXiu clenched his chin. ¡°You first, wait for me in bed after you¡¯re done.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed, ¡°No problem.¡± After saying that, he hummed a little song and went to take a shower. After washing, he especially sprayed some cologne on himself.

    While YanMingXiu was showering, ZhouXiang took out the lubricant and condom. KY is something that is normally not used on him. ZhouXiang felt that this is quite mystical. There is actually a day when a pure man like him would be a 0. He didn¡¯t know if it would hurt or not but who cares. If it¡¯s not pleasurable, there won¡¯t be so many gays willing to be fucked by men. This kind of experience (being a 0) is bound to be very fresh and exciting.

    ZhouXiang also deliberately burned some fragrant candle to make the atmosphere more romantic. Making love is an important enjoyment. If done well, it will be memorable for a long time, especially with a stunning man like YanMingXiu. He must absolutely take it seriously.

    After a while, YanMingXiu came out. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he sees ZhouXiang wearing a pair of ck briefs sitting on the bed smirking at him. ZhouXiang is not very handsome but is very manly. His figure is very good; a standard male model¡¯s body. His muscles are beautifully even and not overly exaggerated; his bulging penis encased in the area between his legs. He has this extraordinary scent, so sexy that it gives people nosebleeds.

    YanMingXiu is quite satisfied with ZhouXiang¡¯s appearance. ZhouXiang¡¯s smooth and sly, yet passionate personality blended together is just perfect. It makes this 30-year old man full of matured charms... so much that people can¡¯t help but want to tame him.

    ZhouXiang smiled at him, ¡°Let¡¯s agree on something first. I still have to work the day after tomorrow. If your skills are not up to par, you better say so ahead of time, don¡¯t dupe me." He¡¯s heard of people having to go to the hospital from their first time (being a 0). He just wants to have sex. That¡¯s all. He didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed. Although his words sound quite conservative, ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes have already nakedly swept at YanMingXiu¡¯s abs. His muscles are too beautiful and his skin so exquisite that it¡¯s reflective. YanMingXiu looks very thin when he¡¯s wearing clothes but that¡¯s probably because he¡¯s so tall. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect that once YanMingXiu remove his clothes, his body would be so firm, paired with his long legs and his face, click-click (clicking his tongue sound), his mood right now is just like a straight male having sex with an exceptional beauty.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s slender fingers gently hooked on the knot of the bath towel. ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes stared at his hand. YanMingXiu¡¯s fingers only need to pull gently and ZhouXiang would be able to see what he wanted to see.

    The bath towel was gently removed and thrown to the ground. The (huge) size of YanMingXiu¡¯s cock visibly between his legs is vastly differentpared to his stunning appearance, causing ZhouXiang to be a bit shocked.

    YanMingXiu walked over slowly; ZhouXiang sat up from the bed and pulled him onto the bed. ZhouXiang climbed on top of him and faintly smile, ¡°MingXiu, you¡¯re so damn mesmerizing to me.¡± He had said sweet words to many people on the bed, but this sentence today is absolutely heartfelt.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hand wandered around ZhouXiang¡¯s body as he hoarsely muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll let you see if my skills could pass."

    ZhouXiang smiled and lowered his head to suck onto YanMingXiu¡¯s lips, very carefully tasting his lips. YanMingXiu kept caressing his skin; the smooth and firm skin feels really good in his hands.

    After ZhouXiang satiated himself with sucking YanMingXiu¡¯s lips, he moved to his chin and carefully bit him with his teeth. YanMingXiu¡¯s breathing obviously became heavier. He turned over and pressed ZhouXiang beneath him. Then immediately grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s cock and stroked it.

    ZhouXiang also grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s big hardened hot rod. This size is really gratifying, arousing him endlessly. The two kissed while stroking each other others desires. Entangling like two snakes rolling around, their fiery hot bodies grinded tightly against each other, causing their body temperatures to rise continuously and their blood to boil.

    YanMingXiu patted ZhouXiang¡¯s firm ass, ¡°Turn over.¡±

    ZhouXiang knowingly turned his body over and flip to the other side; the two men are in a top-to-bottom (6-9) position. He pressed YanMingXiu¡¯s thigh with one hand and pulled his cock with another hand to put the hard baby into his mouth. ZhouXiang¡¯s blowjob is great. After a few sucking of YanMingXiu¡¯s big baby, it got even harder.

    At the same time, ZhouXiang¡¯s entire lower body is in front of YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes. YanMingXiu spread apart his thighs and squeezed some lubricant onto his palm and smeared it on ZhouXiang¡¯s butt crack. Then he spread the tight buttocks and used his slender finger to skillfully poke at the tight chrysanthemum, slowly inserting his finger.

    ZhouXiang felt a bit ufortable and turned his butt. YanMingXiu pped his ass, ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ZhouXiang deliberately used his cock to rub against YanMingXiu¡¯s chest, his mouth sucked YanMingXiu¡¯s cock harder while one of his hand yed with YanMingXiu balls.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s finger inserted fully into ZhouXiang¡¯s hole. With the effect of the lubricant, he began to thrust his finger. ZhouXiang obviously felt that there is something in his butt. Even though it¡¯s not considered painful, it definitely felt ufortable. <i>Could it be that this is how it feels to be a 0? This really doesn¡¯t feel very good.</i>

    While ZhouXiang was still wondering, he felt YanMingXiu squeezing in another finger. This is quitemon when he did it to other people, but he didn¡¯t expect it to feel so different when done to his own body.

    ZhouXiang looked up and gasped, ¡°Hey, be gentle, it feels weird.¡±

    YanMingXiu arched his lower body, ¡°Stop talking. I guarantee to make you feel good in a bit. Suck it (his cock) good.¡±

    ZhouXiang move his mouth away and deliberately stuck out his tongue out to fiercely suck the tip of his cock. YanMingXiu took a breath of cold air; this move almost made him cum. Having been provoked, he forcefully pped ZhouXiang¡¯s ass and thrust his fingers into ZhouXiang¡¯s chrysanthemum.

    ZhouXiang whimpered, ¡°Fuck......it¡¯s hurts a bit, be gentler."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s tone tinged with a bit of caution but his words were very erotic, ¡°I haven¡¯t fucked you yet. If you make me cum now, then I can only use my fingers.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°If you cum, then it means you¡¯re not good. Don¡¯t me me ah."

    YanMingXiu pulled out his moisten fingers and quickly sat up. He half-kneeled behind ZhouXiang, ¡°Give me the condom.¡±

    ZhouXiang took the condom from the headboard. He turned around and tore the package, then sucked on YanMingXiu¡¯s cock while putting the condom on it.

    The veins on YanMingXiu¡¯s cock are exposed; it¡¯s ready and eager to prate ZhouXiang body to have a good fuck.

    ZhouXiang generouslyy atop him, with his arms around his neck, ¡°Gently ah.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at his face; a strange feeling rose from his heart. He pulled ZhouXiang up and turned his body over, making him hunch over doggy-style.

    ZhouXiang astonishingly asked, ¡°You like this position?¡±

    Before ZhouXiang finished talking, YanMingXiu had already pushed ZhouXiang¡¯s head onto the bed, "Stop talking and focus." After he said that, he held tightly onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist and grabbed his own cock to try and squeeze his huge cock into the tiny hole that had been slightly opened.

    ZhouXiang finally felt some pain. He grimaced, ¡°Gentler......oh......it hurts a lot.¡±

    At this time, YanMingXiu is already unable to restrained himself. ZhouXiang¡¯s broad shoulders, elegant shoulder des, and fine sweat beads on the back of his spine all make his blood vessels erupt. This sexy back instantly ovepped with WangYuDong¡¯s image. YanMingXiu only felt his blood madly rushing to his lower body, moring for him to fuck this person ruthlessly and unleash all his desires on him.

    YanMingXiu did not allow ZhouXiang to flinch back as he push his thick cock into ZhouXiang¡¯s body.

    ZhouXiang sucked in the cool air, thinking that this kid was really bragging. His skills suck. He¡¯s not good. But at this pivotal moment, he can¡¯t tell YanMingXiu to stop. He can only passively ept YanMingXiu¡¯s entry.

    YanMingXiu sighed with a long deep breath; ZhouXiang had never heard such a satisfying sigh. For a moment, he was very happy.

    YanMingXiu held onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, moving slowly in and out and then sped up.

    ZhouXiang buried his head in the bed sheets, enduring the waves of foreign intrusion in his body. Even though it hurts, he could still bear it. But he really felt that having something in the ass is too strange. When he fucked someone before, he never felt it.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s movements sped up as he skillfully searched for ZhouXiang¡¯s sensitive spot. He poked in different angles and finally found the spot that made ZhouXiang cry out.

    After the initial pain, following the movements of YanMingXiu¡¯s thrusts, ZhouXiang felt a burst of strange pleasure. He unconsciously swayed his hips, not knowing whether he wanted to get rid of that unfamiliar feeling or wanted more.

    YanMingXiu started to thrusts vigorously. His strong muscled thighs mmed harshly into ZhouXiang¡¯s buttocks creating ¡¯pat-pat¡¯ sounds. His eyes became somewhat blurred from the rising pleasure. The back silhouette of ZhouXiang kneeling in front of him, allowing him to freely fuck him, and WangYuDong¡¯s elegant and graceful back silhouette converged. YanMingXiu¡¯s lower body movements became even more and more rigorous and fast causing ZhouXiang to moan unbearably and gasped continuously.

    ZhouXiang was fucked so hard that he had no strength to even lie on his stomach. YanMingXiu caressed his waist and continue to pummel him from behind. The sweat on ZhouXiang¡¯s back gave him an impulse to want to lick it.

    It definitely didn¡¯t feel like this is their first time having sex; thepatibility of their bodies is astonishing. Throughout the night, YanMingXiu pressed onto ZhouXiang and did it with him three times. Each time, it ended with indescribable climax. Finally, ZhouXiang¡¯s voice is so hoarse that he can¡¯t make any sounds and can only let YanMingXiu take him to the torrents of desire again and again, unable to extricate themselves in this thrilling pleasure.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 11 (2)

    R18 - NSFW

    <f title="Original Line: Zhou Xiang ate a little and then put down his chopsticks. The food was very delicious but he truly couldn''t stuff down any more. With nothing to do, he chatted while he helped peel crab for Yan Mingxiu. He dipped the white tender crab meat into the clear yellow fragrant thick curry, and ced it in Yan Mingxiu''s te.">After Zhou Xiang ate his full, he chatted while he helped peel crab for Yan Mingxiu. He dipped the white tender crab meat into the clear yellow fragrant thick curry, and ced it in Yan Mingxiu''s te.</f>

    Yan Mingxiu felt that this sort of action, which was clearly done kiss up to him, was very convenient. However, he had been waited upon his entire life, and didn''t feel that it was anything inappropriate, fully enjoying Zhou Xiang''s service with a clear conscience.

    He could tell that Zhou Xiang really liked him. Zhou Xiang was one of the rare people that Yan Mingxiu didn''t want to kick away despite his exceptionally eager attentiveness towards him. This was because Zhou Xiang''s attentiveness didn¡¯t make him feel fed up or annoyed, but instead made him feel his passion and tenderness.

    After they finished eating, Zhou Xiang made an excuse that he was going to bathroom, wanting to go pay the restaurant bill.

    Yan Mingxiu pointed to the direction of the window. "This room has a toilet."

    "Oh, I want to go out to smoke on the way." This meal probably cost a lot of money. However, in the really least, Zhou Xiang thought, he had ie, while Yan Mingxiu had just graduated from university and probably hadn''t found a job yet.

    Zhou Xiang first went to the toilet and when he came back, he passed the front desk and told the employee at the cash out that he wanted to pay the restaurant bill.

    The employee brought up their order and said after one look, "Sir, your table is signed, you don''t need to pay the bill."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Our restaurant has a membership system. Your room is a room for members, you don''t need to pay."

    Zhou Xiang responded with an "Oh". Good, saved some money.

    When Zhou Xiang returned to the room, Yan Mingxiu was already standing and was nning walk out. Zhou Xiang pressed a hand on the door frame, and asked him with a smile, "Right now, it''s only a bit past nine, how about we find a ce to have a drink?"

    Yan Mingxiu shook his head. "Not interested."

    "Then where do you wanna go?"

    "Your ce."

    Zhou Xiangughed aloud a few times and then lowered his voice and said flirtatiously, "Howe you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in as much of a hurry as you sound?"

    Yan Mingxiu replied, "I just don''t like noisy ces."

    "Fine, let''s go home. My house is quiet."

    When Zhou Xiang went to get his car from the parking lot, Yan Mingxiu rang the chauffeur to tell him toe over and drive his car back. He then left in Zhou Xiang''s car.

    Zhou Xiang''s house was small and old, but for some reason Yan Mingxiu really liked it. It was probably because it had that feeling of ¡®home¡¯ everywhere, and the smell of everyday life.

    When they arrived at Zhou Xiang''s home, Zhou Xiang took off his own jacket and threw it on the sofa. He then turned around to ask Yan Mingxiu, "You wash first, or should I wash first? Or..." He licked his lips, and smiled ambiguously, "Together?"

    Yan Mingxiu pinched his chin. "You wash first. After you''re done, wait for me in bed."

    Zhou Xiangughed yfully. "No problem," he replied, and went to have a shower while humming a made-up tune. After he finished his shower, he also specially sprayed on a bit of cologne.

    While Yan Mingxiu was in the shower, Zhou Xiang took the opportunity to take out lubricant and condoms. He normally never used KY on himself. Zhou Xiang felt it was very miraculous, that there would actuallybe a day where a purely masculine guy like him would be a 0. Would it hurt? Oh screw it, if it wasn''t pleasurable, there wouldn''t be so many gay guys willing to be drilled by a man. This experience was going to be fresh and exciting for sure.

    Zhou Xiang also specially lit some incense, wanting to make the atmosphere a bit more romantic. Lovemaking was an important pastime. If it all worked out well, he''ll be able to reflect back on it for a long time. Above all, he was doing it with a beauty like Yan Mingxiu, so he definitely had to take it seriously.

    A whileter, Yan Mingxiu came out. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he saw Zhou Xiang sitting at the headboard smiling at him devilishly, wearing a pair of ck bullet briefs. Although Zhou Xiang wouldn''t be considered very handsome, he was very masculine. He had an extremely good figure; the sort of slender, healthy and beautiful figure of a standard male model. His body muscles evenly distributed and beautiful, but didn''t appear exaggerated. A bulging sex organ was parcelled between his two thighs. He had a sort of particr vour, sexy to the point it gave people nose bleeds.

    Yan Mingxiu was really satisfied with Zhou Xiang''s outer appearance and his personality which was a perfect makeup of suaveness and passion; it permeated this thirty year old man with a mature charm, so that people couldn''t help but want to properly discipline him.

    Zhou Xiang smiled at him. "Let''s get this out of the way first, I have to work the day after tomorrow. If your technique isn''t up to scratch you must give prior notice, don''t defraud me." He had heard of cases where people had ended up in hospital from their first time. He didn''t want to end up in such an embarrassing situation just from having sex. Though his words were very conservative, Zhou Xiang''s eyes were already nakedly checking out Yan Mingxiu''s chest. Those muscles were too beautiful, and his skin was so exquisite it shone. When Yan Mingxiu wore clothes, he looked really slender; perhaps it was because he was too tall. Zhou Xiang hadn''t expected that once he stripped off his clothes, he would be so sturdily built. Matched up with those pair of long legs and that face, tsk, tsk, his feelings right now, was exactly the same as how a straight man would feel when a peerlessly beautiful woman is about to go to bed with him.

    Yan Mingxiu lightly hooked his slender fingers on the bath towel''s bow knot. Zhou Xiang''s eyes stared fixedly at his hand. That hand only needed to lightly pull once and then Zhou Xiang would be able to see what he wanted to see.

    The bath towel was deftly pulled off and tossed to the ground. The discrepancy between the size of that chap between Yan Mingxiu''s legs and that face of his was too wide. Zhou Xiang was a bit startled.

    Yan Mingxiu slowly walked over. Zhou Xiang sat up on the bed, and pulled his arm, yanking him down onto the bed. Zhou Xiang climbed on top of him, and said, lightly smiling, "Mingxiu, you drive me crazy." He had spoken sweet words of endearment to many people in bed in the past, but today these words came from the bottom of his heart.

    Yan Mingxiu''s hand wandered around his body. He said hoarsely, " I''ll let you see if my technique is up to standard or not."

    Zhou Xiangughed as he dipped his head and covered Yan Mingxiu''s mouth with his, carefully tasting the soft pair of lips inside his mouth. Yan Mingxiu fondled and stroked his skin without stopping; that smooth and firm sensation under his hand felt too good.

    Zhou Xiang had enough of kissing his lips, and shifted his lips onto his chin, delicately nibbling with his teeth. Yan Mingxiu''s breathing grew noticeably heavier. He flipped over and pressed Zhou Xiang under his body. One hand grabbed hold of Zhou Xiang''s length and started rubbing and ying with it.

    Zhou Xiang also grabbed onto Yan Mingxiu''s big hot erection. The size was truly spectacr, making him feel extremely excited. While they kissed and stroked, they rubbed each other¡¯s desire. They entwined and rolled like two snakes, their burning bodies tightly rubbing against each other, causing their body temperatures to rise continuously, and their blood to boil up higher and higher.

    Yan Mingxiu pped Zhou Xiang''s firm butt. "Turn around."

    Zhou Xiang did as he was told and rotated his body, leaving them one on top of the other, with heads on opposing sides. He pressed one hand on Yan Mingxiu''s thigh, grabbed hold of Yan Mingxiu''s sex organ with his other hand and took that stiff treasure into his mouth. Zhou Xiang''s blowjob was pretty good. After he licked Yan Mingxiu''s big treasure a few times, it stiffened even more.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Xiang''s entire lower body was in front of Yan Mingxiu''s eyes. Yan Mingxiu parted his thighs, squeezed some lubricant onto his palms and applied it between the crack of Zhou Xiang''s butt. He pulled apart Zhou Xiang''s tight butt cheeks, skilfully poking and exploring that tightly closed chrysanthemum hole with his slender finger, and then slowly pushed his finger in.

    Zhou Xiang felt a bit indisposed and twisted his butt. Yan Mingxiu gave his butt a p. "Don''t move."

    Zhou Xiang purposely rubbed his own sex organ on Yan Mingxiu''s chest. His mouth worked hard to suck Yan Mingxiu''s cock in and out, while also using one hand to y with Yan Mingxiu''s round sacks.

    Yan Mingxiu''s finger was nowpletely inside Zhou Xiang''s meat hole. With the help of the lubricant, he stirred and slid his finger in and out. From beginning to end, Zhou Xiang could feel that there was something inside his butt. Although, he couldn''t say that it hurt, it was definitely notfortable. Don''t tell me this is how it feels to be a 0? It truly didn''t feel good.

    Just as he was puzzling over this, Zhou Xiang felt Yan Mingxiu squeeze in yet another finger. When he had sex with other people in this past, doing that sort of thing was really normal. He hadn''t expected that it''ll feelpletely different when it was being done to him.

    Zhou Xiang lifted his head, panting as he said, "Hey, lighter, it feels very weird."

    Yan Mingxiu arched his lower body up. "Don''t speak, I guarantee that I''ll make you feel good. Suck it properly."

    Zhou Xiang twitched his mouth, and deliberately stuck out his tongue and fiercely sucked the meat head. Yan Mingxiu sucked in a breath of cold air; that had almost made him ejacte. Slightly mad, he gave Zhou Xiang''s buttocks a heavy p and stabbed his finger into Zhou Xiang''s chrysanthemum hole.

    Zhou Xiang cried out quietly, "F**k... It hurts, be gentler."

    There was a hint of warning in Yan Mingxiu''s voice, but his words were iparably erotic, "I haven''t f**ked you yet, if you make me shoot out, I''ll have no choice but use my fingers."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "If you shoot, then it''s because you''re no good, don''t put the me on me."

    Yan Mingxiu extracted a dripping finger, and quickly sat up, half kneeling behind Zhou Xiang. "Give me a condom."

    Zhou Xiang felt out a condom from the head of the bed. He turned around and tore open the packaging, giving Yan Mingxiu a blowjob while putting on a condom for him.

    The veins on Yan Mingxiu''s erection were exploding out. It was already an arrow pulled back on a bow, impatiently wanting to stab into Zhou Xiang''s body and go all out.

    Zhou Xiang generouslyy on top of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s body and hooked his arms around Yan Mingxiu''s neck, "Be gentle."

    Yan Mingxiu looked at his face and a peculiar feeling arose in his heart. He pulled up Zhou Xiang''s arms, and flipped Zhou Xiang¡¯s body around, making him lean forward on his knees.

    Zhou Xiang said with astonishment, "You like doing it in this position?"

    Before he had even finished speaking, Yan Mingxiu had already pressed his head onto the bed. "Don''t talk, concentrate." After he spoke, he hugged Zhou Xiang''s waist, grabbed his own meat stick and attempted to force that massive head into that slightly stretched small meat hole.

    Zhou Xiang finally felt some pain, baring his teeth, "Lighter, hiss... It still really hurts."

    At this point, Yan Mingxiu already couldn''t quite control himself anymore. Zhou Xiang''s wide shoulders, graceful shoulder des, and also the fine sweat drops running down his back, all made his blood vessels want to burst. That sexy back momentary ovepped with Wang Yudong''s form. Yan Mingxiu could feel blood furiously rushing down to hisher regions, screaming that they wanted to ruthlessly f*** this person dry, to vent out all his thirst for him.

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t let Zhou Xiang retreat and pushed his thick cock into Zhou Xiang''s body.

    Zhou Xiang sucked in a breath of cold air, thinking inside that this brat really was just talking big, his skills were crappy to the core, not as good as Zhou Xiang was. But they were already at this critical junction, and there was no way he could tell Yan Mingxiu to stop, and had no other choice but to ept Yan Mingxiu''s entry.

    Yan Mingxiu slowly let out a long breath. Zhou Xiang had never heard such a satisfied sigh before, and felt extremely happy for a moment.

    Yan Mingxiu held Zhou Xiang''s waist in ce, and started moving, gradually speeding up.

    Zhou Xiang buried his head into his sheets, holding up against the foreign invasion. You could say it hurt, but it was still bearable. But the feeling of having something stab inside his butt was too strange; he had never felt this way when he was stabbing other people.

    Yan Mingxiu speed up, and skilfully sought out Zhou Xiang''s sensitive spots; he poked in different directions, searching, and finally managed to make Zhou Xiang start crying out.

    After the initial pain passed, as Yan Mingxiu thrust in and out, Zhou Xiang felt a strange wave of pleasure. He unconsciously twisted his butt, not knowing if he wanted get rid of this unfamiliar feeling, or if he wanted to demand for more.

    Yan Mingxiu started furiously thrusting in and out like a violent storm. His firm thigh muscles pped against Zhou Xiang''s butt. His eyes were a bit unfocussed from the continuously rising pleasure. The back view of Zhou Xiang kneeling in front of him letting him f*** him as he wished, and Wang Yudong''s eternally elegant back-view superimposed together. His thrusts became faster and more aggressive, pounding Zhou Xiang to the point he couldn¡¯t stop moaning helplessly.

    In the end, Zhou Xiang was f***ed till he didn''t even have the strength to hold himself up. Yan Mingxiu then supported his waist and continued to enter from behind; the sweat on Zhou Xiang''s back gave him an urge to lick off all of the drops one by one.

    It didn''t seem like it was their first time making love at all. Their bodies were astonishinglypatible. In one night, Yan Mingxiu pressed Zhou Xiang down and did him three times; concluding with an indescribable climax every time. In the end, Zhou Xiang''s voice was so hoarse he could no longer make any sound, and could only let Yan Mingxiu bring him into tide after tide of intense pleasure, unable to break free.

 Chapter 12

    The morning light reflected on Zhou Xiang¡¯s bare shoulders. It was already Fall, yet the sun could still burn his skin. ZhouXiang finally woke up.

    He nced at the clock on the wall. He hadn¡¯t slept till noon for a long time. When he was young, he loved to sleep in. But after passing the age of 30, he¡¯s always felt that it was wasteful to spend time sleeping.

    He was really too exhaustedst night. ZhouXiang moved his thighs; his body is so sore. He really didn¡¯t want to move.

    YanMingXiu asked hoarsely above his head, ¡°You¡¯re up?¡±

    ¡°Yea......¡± ZhouXiang turned over, ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m really sore. You brat......I can¡¯t really tell." YanMingXiu looks so beautiful. How can he be such a wild beast in bed? That kind of strength is too vicious; that stamina is too......

    YanMingXiu proudly ¡¯humph¡¯ twice, ¡°Did my skills pass?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but reach out to knead ZhouXiang¡¯s ass. It felt so great.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°But my bones are falling apart. I¡¯m so exhausted. If I can¡¯t get up tomorrow, you have to pay me for missing work.¡±

    YanMingXiu casually asked, ¡°What drama are you filming tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Still the one with WangYuDong.¡±

    YanMingXiu responded with an ¡¯Oh,¡¯ "Is heing?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Want to see him? I don¡¯t know. The whereabouts of the big star will not be revealed to me.¡± He then asked, ¡°Do you know WangYuDong?¡±

    "Yea, we...our parents know each other."

    ¡°No wonder. In the beginning, I thought you and him were from the same managementpany.¡± ZhouXiang rolled over again andid t on the bed. With his waist sore, he couldn¡¯t straighten or bend. This is called difort, he quietly murmured.

    YanMingXiu felt guilty so he put his hand on ZhouXiang¡¯s waist and massaged it twice, ¡°Originally, I wanted you to cook for me. I¡¯m hungry. But seeing that you can¡¯t even get out of bed, let¡¯s call for takeout."

    ZhouXiang ¡¯humph¡¯ twice, ¡°Who said that I can¡¯t get out of bed? I¡¯m just beingzy. Let¡¯s just call for takeout...¡± He reached out and grabbed the phone. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Something light.¡±

    "There is a porridge ce outside the neighborhood. It¡¯s open twenty-four hours. I often eat there; it¡¯s pretty light."

    ¡°Okay. You order then,¡± YanMingXiu yawned and rubbed his smooth face on ZhouXiang¡¯s chest like azy cat.

    ZhouXiang caressed his bare back; although his body is not feeling veryfortable, he is in a good mood.

    YanMingXiu caressed a bit here and there and then changed his course of action to suck on the little nub on ZhouXiang¡¯s chest with his tongue swirling back and forth.

    ZhouXiang wanted tough at being toyed with. He pushed his head, "Sucking milk? Get up. That restaurant delivers food pretty quickly."

    YanMingXiu licked his lips and reluctantly let him go.

    ZhouXiang used his hand to pull himself up, his movements are particrly awkward.

    YanMingXiu watched as ZhouXiang held his waist to walk oddly into the bathroom. His heart gushed up with pride and satisfaction. He didn¡¯t expect to do it so many timesst night. The sexual stimtion this man gives him is far from what he had imagined.

    YanMingXiu is a very picky person. From childhood, he is only willing to enjoy the best of everything. Even his bedpanions from when he was studying abroad were all rare beautiful men. Compared to these men, ZhouXiang is a far cry from them. As forparing to WangYuDong, there is essentially noparison. But this man (ZhouXiang) is just to YanMingXiu¡¯s liking, his character, his smile, and even his natural performance in bed.

    The most important thing is that ZhouXiang has a back silhouette that is very simr to WangYuDong. Just looking at him makes him hard. He likes to have sex with this man, very much so.

    After ZhouXiang came out from the shower, the food had just arrived.

    YanMingXiu also finished washing up and walked out of the bathroom cheerfully. The heater is turned on in the room and it is warm. He only wore a pair of ZhouXiang¡¯s pajama pants; his broad shoulders and narrow waistline is very alluring.

    ZhouXiang whistled, ¡°MingXiu, if you be a star looking like this, don¡¯t know how many people will be captivated to death by you."

    YanMingXiu is in a very good mood as he grinned and smiled, ¡°I first need to captivate you to death is enough.¡±

    ZhouXiang blew him a kiss, ¡°I¡¯ve already been captivated to death. Come and eat.¡±

    The two are like a couple who have been living together for a long time. After a night of frantic passion, they woke up at noon, sitting face to face to have breakfast in their pajamas. This ambiance is warm and harmonious.

    After eating, ZhouXiang received a call from CaiWei.

    ¡°Hey, Wei Ge,¡± ZhouXiang put down the spoon in his mouth and answered vaguely.

    CaiWei¡¯s crude voice sounded through the phone, "Just got up?"

    "Ah, haha, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Dude, where did go have funst night?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t know even if I tell you."

    CaiWei smiled and scolded, ¡°Shameless. Hurry and listen. I have a stunt coordinator job for you. Want to take it? It¡¯s not a movie but an ad."

    ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°If you want it,e over this afternoon to discuss with them."

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be satisfied (with the amount).¡±

    "Okay, text the address to my phone. I¡¯ll go over in the afternoon."

    After he hung up, YanMingXiu frowned and looked at him, ¡°You need to leave?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, someone introduced a job to me. I have to go discuss it with them. How about you stay here and wait for me? I¡¯lle back tonight to pick you up for a good meal."

    YanMingXiu said displeasingly, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±

    ZhouXiang stunned.

    ¡°Just stay at home today and be with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang pamperly ruffle his head, ¡°I also want to stay here with you, but brother, I, have to go to work. I have to take on more martial arts coordinating jobs so I can slowly move to that direction of workter."

    YanMingXiu mumbled unhappily, ¡°How much can you get doing that; might as well just stay home to be with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I can definitely get two months¡¯ worth of meals from it. This field pays very fast. Be good, wait for me. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He changed and quickly left without looking at YanMingXiu¡¯s darkened expression. He hoped that CaiWei would not see his oddly walking posture; otherwise CaiWei will definitelyugh at him.

    ZhouXiang discussed with the screenwriter for two hours. They decided on the content, the requirements as well as themission for the ad. After that, he got up and left.

    He also wasn¡¯t willing toe out on his day off to talk about work. So right now, he is in a hurry to rush home to be intimate with YanMingXiu.

    CaiWei called to stop him, ¡°Hey, Ah Xiang, what¡¯s the hurry? Come to my house for dinner tonight? Your sister inw <sup>(T/N)</sup> haven¡¯t seen you in a long time."

    T/N: This sister inw is not ZhouXiang¡¯s real sister inw. His rtionship with CaiWei is like brothers so ZhouXiang would refer to CaiWei¡¯s wife as his sister inw.

    ¡°Another day; I have something to do tonight.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, what things? Which little moth have you been involved with recently?"

    ZhouXiang just ¡¯heh heh¡¯ in response ¡°Wei Ge, you¡¯re just jealous. A married man seeing me so unconstrained and free, you must be particrly jealous right? Oooh, let me take a closer look at your little eyes, are they red (jealous)? Jealous huh?¡±

    CaiWei swatted away his hand away andughably cursed, "Bullshit. Laozi <sup>(T/N)</sup> has a good life with wife and kids. You¡¯re jealous to death."

    T/N: Laozi is an informal way of I.

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not jealous,¡± ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I¡¯m so unconstrained and free. Anyways, I will call sister inw when I get back. I really have something to do today. Gotta go.¡±

    CaiWei patted his back firmly, ¡°Get lost.¡±

    ZhouXiang blew him a kiss, ¡°Wei Ge, thank you for introducing the work to me. I¡¯ll treat you guys out to dinner.¡± After saying that, he left in an instant.

    On his way home, he bought some beer and snacks. It just happened that there is a Real Madrid ser game in the evening. He and YanMingXiu can watch the game together, how enjoyable.

    After buying the things, he was very anxious to return home, ¡°MingXiu, I am back.¡±

    When he entered the home, he saw that YanMingXiu¡¯s shoes at the front door were gone. ZhouXiang was instantly disappointed but still unwilling to give up, he called out twice. The home is empty. No one responded.

    In the past 20 years, besides him, this old home didn¡¯t have many guests. He can no longer remember thest time he called out, ¡¯I am back¡¯ when he returned home. What it felt like to get a response back, he thought he could experience it again today.

    Unfortunately, YanMingXiu had already left; he is still alone.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t hide his inner disappointment and dejectedly put the things on the table. The two leftover boxes from their lunch were still on the table... which proved that beside him, there was someone else here.

    CaiWei¡¯s family treated him very well, but he is not willing to go to his house. CaiWei is right. He is very jealous of the joyous life of CaiWei¡¯s family. It¡¯s probably because ZhouXiang is naturally born to live a lonely life. His entire family died when he was just ten years old. Adding on, he is even gay. Such natural events in life such as having a wife, getting married, and have children will never happen in his life. Even finding a genuine same-sexpanion is harder. He had slept with one after another, but none stayed by his side.

    He really wanted to have a family.

    ZhouXiang sighed, not knowing why he suddenly thought of these depressing matters, making his mood worse.

    He got up and swiftly tidy up the table. Not willing to give up, he sent a text message to YanMingXiu. ¡°There is a ser game tonight. Come over to my home to watch it. I bought a lot of food.¡±

    This text message is also like the other messages he sent...like a stone sinking into the vast ocean, with no response.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 12 (2)

    A single ray of early morning sunshine rested upon Zhou Xiang''s naked shoulder. It was already fall, but the sun was still scorching to the skin, and that was how Zhou Xiang woke up.

    He nced at the clock on the wall. He hadn''t slept until noon for a long time. When he was young, sleeping in was his favourite thing to do, but after he started approaching thirty, he kept feeling that squandering time on sleep was very wasteful.

    Yesterday was too tiring. Zhou Xiang shifted his thigh. His body ached horribly all over. He really didn''t want to move.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s somewhat hoarse voice sounded from the top of Zhou Xiang''s head, "Are you awake?"

    "Mn..." Zhou Xiang flipped over. "Damn it hurts, you brat... really couldn''t tell." Yan Mingxiu had such a beautiful face, why was he like a beast in bed? His strength and energy was too ferocious, and his stamina was also too...

    Yan Mingxiu snorted twice somewhat proudly. "Was my technique up to scratch?" He reached out to rub Zhou Xiang''s butt. That sensation under his hand felt extremely good.

    Zhou Xiang replied, "My bones are about to fall apart. I''m so tired, if I can''t get up tomorrow, you have to pay me my skipping work fee."

    Yan Mingxiu asked offhandedly, "What are you shooting tomorrow?"

    "It''s still that Wang Yudong one."

    "Oh," Yan Mingxiu responded, "Will he be there?"

    Zhou Xiangughed. "You wanna see him? I don''t know either. No one''s going to disclose to me a superstar''s whereabouts." He returned a question, "Do you and Wang Yudong know each other?"

    "Mm, we... Our parents are acquainted."

    "No wonder. In the beginning, I even thought that you and Wang Yudong were from the same agency." Zhou Xiang flipped over again, lying t on the bed. His lower back ached so much he couldn¡¯t stay straight and he couldn¡¯t bend either. It was pure torture. He quietly cried out in pain twice.

    Yan Mingxiu discovered his conscience, ced his hand on Zhou Xiang''s waist, kneaded it twice and said, "I was initially going to ask you to make food for me, I''m hungry, but seeing that you can''t get out of bed, let''s order take-out."

    Zhou Xiang snorted twice. "Who said I can''t get out of bed? I''m just toozy to get off. Still, let''s order take-out..." He reached out to grab his cell phone. "What do you want to eat?"

    "From a clean ce."

    "There''s a congee store just outside the neighbourhood, open twenty four hours. I always order from them. It''s really clean."

    "Fine, you decide what to order." Yan Mingxiu yawned. He rubbed his smooth cheeks against Zhou Xiang''s chest,zily like a cat.

    Zhou Xiang stroked his naked back. Although his body didn''t feel toofortable, he was in a very good mood.

    As Yan Mingxiu rubbed and rubbed, his rubbing slightly changed nuance. He opened his mouth and took the small balls on Zhou Xiang''s chest into his mouth, licking back and forth with his tongue.

    Zhou Xiang wanted tough seeing Yan Mingxiu like this. He pushed Yan Mingxiu''s head away and said, "Are you drinking milk? Get up, that shop delivers really fast."

    Yan Mingxiu licked his own lips, and reluctantly let go of him.

    Zhou Xiang got off bed using his hands to support his body. His movements were extremely stiff and awkward.

    Yan Mingxiu watched him <f title="The line also had the words " strange="" walking="" posture"="" to="" describe="" zhou="" xiang="" with="" hands="" supporting="" his="" waist.="" i="" couldn''t="" work="" out="" how="" fit="" it="" in="" the="" sentence="" without="" sounding="" so="" has="" been="" omitted="" trantion."="">walk to the bathroom while supporting his waist with his hands</f>, and a wave ofcency and satisfaction bubbled up inside. He hadn''t expected that he would do it so many timesst night either. The sexual excitement this man aroused in him far exceeded his imagination.

    Yan Mingxiu was a very picky person. From when he was small he was only willing to enjoy the best. Even the bedpanions he had when he was studying overseas were all rarely seen beautiful men. Zhou Xiang was far inferior to those men, and couldn''t evenpare to Wang Yudong. However, this man suited his appetite very well: his personality, his smile, and even his natural and confident disy in bed all made Yan Mingxiu really satisfied.

    The most important thing was that Zhou Xiang had a back view that bore an unparalleled resemnce to Wang Yudong''s. Even just looking at it could make him harden. He liked making love with this man, very liked it.

    Zhou Xiang finished his shower and came out just in time for the food to arrive.

    Yan Mingxiu also finished washing his face and mouth and walked out of the bathroom looking rxed and refreshed. The air conditioner was on and the room was nice and warm. He was only wearing a pair of Zhou Xiang''s pyjama pants. His wide shoulders and tight and narrow waist line were extremely captivating.

    Zhou Xiang whistled. "Mingxiu, if you entered show business, who knows how many people will be crazy about you."

    Yan Mingxiu was in a very good mood. He grinned. "Driving you crazy about me first is enough."

    Zhou Xiang blew him a kiss. "You seeded in that a long time ago. Hurry ande over to eat."

    The two of them were like a pair of sweethearts who had lived together for a long time: sleeping until noon after a night of madness, getting up, grabbing and putting on pyjamas which belonged to who knows who, sitting face to face while eating breakfast, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

    After they finished eating, Zhou Xiang got a phone call from Cai Wei.

    "Hey, Wei''ge." Zhou Xiang put down the spoon in his mouth. His words were a bit muffled.

    Cai Wei''s rough voice arrived from the other end, "Just woke up?"

    "Haha, yep."

    "Who did you have a romantic happy time withst night?"

    "You wouldn''t know even if I told you."

    Cai Wei scolded, "Shameless, hurry up and get your mind into work mode. I have a stunt directing job in hand, you want to ept it or not? It''s not for a movie, but for an advertisement."

    "When?"

    "If you want to ept, thene over in the afternoon today to discuss with them."

    "How much are they paying?"

    "To your satisfaction."

    "Alright, send the address to my phone, I''ll go over in the afternoon."

    After he hung up the phone, Yan Mingxiu looked at him, frowning. "You''re going out?"

    "Yup, someone¡¯s introduced a job to me, I''ll be going to discuss with them first. Do you mind staying at my house for the time being? I''lle pick you up at night, and then we''ll go out to eat something good."

    Yan Mingxiu said discontentedly, "Don''t go out."

    Zhou Xiang was taken aback.

    "Stay at home today, and keep mepany."

    Zhou Xiang indulgingly pinched his cheeks. "I want to stay with you too, but big brother needs to go to work. I need to ept lots of martial arts directing jobs, and slowly transfer to that field in the future."

    Yan Mingxiu unhappily mumbled, "You won''t earn much anyway, you might as well stay home with me."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "I''ll definitely be able to earn at least two months of food expenses. This profession is a fast money earner. Be good, wait for me, I''ll be back soon."

    He changed his clothes, and he rushed out of the door, without pausing to attend to Yan Mingxiu''s darkened expression. He hoped that when he met up with Cai Wei, Cai Wei wouldn''t notice that he was walking strangely or else Cai Wei would definitely mock him and say that he¡¯s indulged in debauchery.

    Zhou Xiang talked with the other party¡¯s screenwriter for two hours. After the advertisement content and requirements were more or less decided, and they had also pretty much finished discussing hismission, he stood up and said his goodbyes.

    He hadn¡¯t wanted to run out to discuss business on his good day off either. Right now, he wanted to rush home and be intimate with Yan Mingxiu for a while.

    Cai Wei called out to him, "Oi, A''Xiang, what are you in such a rush for? Have dinner at my house tonight? <f title="Cai Wei and Zhou Xiang are close friends and call each other brothers. Sister-inw is Cai Wei''s wife.">Your sister-inw</f> hasn''t seen you for ages."

    "Let''s make it another day. I''m busy tonight."

    "Shit, what business? Which little moth are you hooking up with this time?"

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Wei''ge you''re jealous, aren''t you? Seeing me so free and unfettered makes the <f title="Chinese associate ''red eyes'' with jealousy and envy, ie. people get red eyes when they are jealous. The word used here for jealousy/envy is made up with the word two characters ''red'' and ''eyes'' (ºìÑÛ)">eyes of married man like you go red with envy</f>, am I right? Heyo, let me carefully look at your little eyes, are they red or not? Are they red or not?"

    Cai Wei smacked down his hand, and taunted, "Bullshit, <f title="Laozi: Arrogant way to say ''I''">Laozi</f> has a wife, kids and a warm bed, you''re the one with red eyes."

    "Yeah right, as if I''m jealous." Zhou Xiang chuckled. "I''m so free andfortable this way. Let''s end our conversation here. I''ll give sis-inw a phone callter, I really do have something to do today, I''m going now."

    Cai Wei gave him a heavy swat on the back. "Scram."

    Zhou Xiang blew him a kiss. "Wei''ge, thank you for introducing me this job, I''ll invite you guys out to eat some other day," he said and then left like a wisp of smoke.

    On the way back, he bought some beer and snacks. It just so happened that there was Real Madrid ser match on tonight. The two of them watching ser together at night; it was going to be so much fun.

    He impatiently rushed home after shopping. "Mingxiu, I''m home."

    The moment he entered the apartment he saw that Yan Mingxiu''s shoes were gone. Disappointment swept over Zhou Xiang''s heart, but unwilling to give up, he called out two more times. The apartment was absolutely empty. No one responded.

    In these twenty years, he rarely had guests over in this old apartment. He had already forgotten how it felt to return home and say "I''m home" and be able to receive a reply. He thought that today he''d be able to try it out.

    Unfortunately, Yan Mingxiu had already left, and as before, he was all alone.

    Zhou Xiang couldn''t cover up the despair in his heart. He dejectedly ced the stuff onto the table. On the table, there were still the lunch boxes from their meal in the afternoon which still hadn''t been cleared away, proving that there had been someone inside this apartment besides him.

    Cai Wei''s family treated him very well, but he didn''t want to visit his house. Cai Wei was right. He was envious, envious of the happy life of their family of three. Zhou Xiang was probably fated to be alone. It was already bad enough that his entire family died when he was ten, in spite of everything, he was also gay. The ordinary matter of marrying a wife, having kids and establishing up a family, was something that had no chance of happening in his life. And, finding a homosexual who wholeheartedly loved him was even harder. He slept with one person after another, but in the end, not one stayed by his side.

    He really wanted to have a family.

    Zhou Xiang sighed. He didn''t know why he suddenly started thinking about these sad things, putting a damper on his own mood.

    He stood up and swiftly cleared the table. After that, still a bit unwilling to give up, he sent Yan Mingxiu a text: "There''s a ser match on tonight,e to my house to watch ser, I bought a lot of yummy snacks."

    And like his many texts before, like a stone dropped in the big ocean, there was no response.

 Chapter 13

    Zhou Xiang drove to the studio early the next morning. They were shooting on location today, so after they gathered at the studio, they all boarded a bus to head for the filming location.

    Today¡¯s scenes were a bit demanding. There was a five to six minutebat scene which needed to be filmed in water and half of that scene needed to be filmed by a body double. It was already fall. Even during noon, the hottest time of the day, the temperature was only around eighteen to neen degrees, and the water temperature was even colder.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t feel there was anything toin about. This was the reality of filming. He had toplete the scene even if he had to clench his teeth. Since when was earning money easy?

    Wang Yudong arrived with his assistants half an hourter. The number of times Zhou Xiang had seen himtely had grown noticeably. Before, they would always shoot their scenes separately. However, apparently, Director Wang¡¯s next movie was going to be a 3D Xuanhuan blockbuster. Wang Yudong was currently fighting for the protagonist role, so he had beening to the studio a lot more frequently.

    Although an actor didn¡¯t need to film together with his body double, the result was a bit better if they filmed together. Director Wang was a serious person who pursued perfection. Every time he would request for Wang Yudong and Zhou Xiang toe together. However, if Wang Yudong didn¡¯t need to film, most of the time, he didn¡¯te. Hence, Director Wang¡¯splexion improved slightly after seeing that Wang Yudong was here today.

    Zhou Xiang was having his makeup applied in the temporarily erected tent when Wang Yudong came in. Zhou Xiang saw him in the mirror and greeted him with a smile, "Dong¡¯ge, you¡¯re here."

    Wang Yudong smiled and said to Mi You, "Youngdy, lighten the hair on his temples, his hair colour is clearly darker than mine."

    Mi You nced at her watch. There wasn¡¯t enough time. She was about to talk back but Zhou Xiang pulled her sleeve, using his eyes to warn her not to speak.

    Zhou Xiang had tasted the fickleness of human nature since he was small. Observing a person¡¯s words and gestures was his most fundamental survival skill. Zhou Xiang had a pretty close grasp of Wang Yudong¡¯s personality. In one nce he could tell that Wang Yudong was in a very bad mood. Although his smile was still as charming as always, he had probably been forced by his agency to butter up to Director Wang, and had probably been very unwilling to get up this early in the morning.

    Zhou Xiang would rather interact with someone who was blunt and had an explosive temper, than be at odds with a person like Wang Yudong who would say one thing but mean something different. It was best to go along with him as much as possible, so he hastily warned Mi You, who hadn¡¯t read into things deeply enough, that Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t in a good mood, and that he was purposely using them to annoy Director Wang.

    Mi You discontentedly pursed her lips. Although dyeing his hair wouldn¡¯t take much time, the main issue was that she had already finished doing up Zhou Xiang¡¯s hair. To dye, she would need to take off the wig and attach it back on again after dyeing. This would take at least ten minutes and it was almost time to start shooting. At that time, the people Director Wang would yell at would naturally be her and Zhou Xiang.

    Wang Yudong sat next to Zhou Xiang as if no one else was present. His exclusive makeup artist immediately started applying makeup on him.

    Mi You had no other choice but to quickly tear off the wig, and begin dyeing. Xiao Liu also joined in to help her. The two rushed as fast as they could, but were still five minuteste. The assistant director walked into the tent with a dark face. He frowned as he watched Mi You fix the wig on Zhou Xiang¡¯s head, and said grumpily, "Everyone is waiting for you guys."

    Mi You continuously apologised. She felt so wronged her eyes were a bit red.

    Zhou Xiang apologetically smiled, "Zhang¡¯ge, we¡¯re very sorry. The ser matchst night was too intense, otherwise I would¡¯ve been able to get up an hour earlier."

    The assistant director was a diehard ser fan. His attention was immediately diverted, and he responded, grinning, "I predicted correctly, I managed to win four thousand in one night yesterday."

    "Zhang¡¯ge you must have really good eyes."

    After they chatted a little more, Mi You finished doing up his hair. Zhou Xiang rushed out with the assistant director. When they reached Director Wang, the assistant director also put in a few good words for Zhou Xiang. Director Wang cast him two nces, and didn¡¯t make things difficult for him.

    Zhou Xiang breathed a sigh of relief.

    In this sequence of scenes, Zhou Xiang first needed to defeat a few bandits on the shore, and then fly across the surface of the water to the boat while dangling on a wire. Then from the boat, he needed to jump into the water, and rescue the supporting female character, who had fallen into the water, from the river.

    The shore scene was filmed without a hitch, and after that they started filming the scene where he had to fly to the boat by <f title="Áè²¨Î¢²½ - fly across the water using l¨ªngb¨­w¨¦ib¨´ - sprint walk/skill of rapid movement - a martial arts skill of a Duan Yu, a character in Jin Yong¡¯s Demi Gods and Semi Devils">skimming across the water surface</f> while holding a saber.

    He performed the scene two times, but Director Wang was still unsatisfied with his movements, feeling that it wasn¡¯t graceful enough.

    The steel wire dug into his skin and was very painful. It was also very ufortable having to wear thinyers in this cold weather. Gritting his teeth, he redid the scene over and over again. Only on the fifth take did that short ten second scene finally get a pass.

    Then, it was time to film the jumping from the boat into the water scene.

    In order to reduce the time the actress had to stay in the water, and so that he wouldn¡¯t have to go and change into dry set of clothes again, he had to seed in the first take.

    He and the action director discussed the choreography over and over again, so that he¡¯d feel perfectly confident when it was time to do it.

    As soon as the director yelled ¡¯action¡¯, Zhou Xiang elegantly flipped in the air and jumped into the water. The river water was bone-chillingly cold, and pierced his skin like ice needles. After hended in the water, he immediately swam to the actress. As he was originally a swimming major, his swimming form was especially beautiful. He reached her in several strokes, and held the girl, whose lips had turned purple from the cold, into his embrace.

    "Very good!" Director Wang nodded in satisfaction. "This scene passes."

    The actress said, her voice trembling, "Xiang¡¯ge, I¡¯m so cold."

    "I know, I know. Be good, bear for it a little longer. You still have to film with Wang Yudong." Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t help but pity her a bit. He only needed to jump in the water once. This actress still needed to act out the hero-saves-beauty scene with Wang Yudong in the water.

    The actress¡¯ voice was tearful. "Get me to the shore fast. I¡¯m going to freeze to death."

    Zhou Xiang swam her to shore and the crew members helped pull them up.

    The two of them immediately rushed into the tent. Zhou Xiang rapidly changed out of his wet clothes, and sat there wrapped in a nket with warm air blowing at him.

    Mi You cheerily helped him blow-dry his hair. "Congrattions on passing in one take, Xiang¡¯ge."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "That¡¯s because your Xiang¡¯ge had to pass in one take no matter what." Eyes half closed, he let Mi You run her fingers back and forth through his hair. The air from the hair dryer was nice and warm, and his ice-cold body gradually recovered its warmth.

    When Yan Mingxiu walked in carrying food in his hand, this was the sight that he saw: Zhou Xiang, with a content look on his face, half leaning against the body of a beautiful girl, letting the girl blow his hair. Yan Mingxiu knitted his brows. He didn¡¯t know why but he found this scene extremely displeasing to the eye.

    Zhou Xiang opened his eyes and looked at Yan Mingxiu in surprise. "Oh? What¡¯re you doing here?"

    Yan Mingxiu red at him and coldly asked, "Where¡¯s Wang Yudong?"

    "Oh, he¡¯s filming by the river." He nced at the bag in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s hand. There was a logo of some restaurant printed on the bag. Had he speciallye to deliver food to Wang Yudong? Zhou Xiang felt a bit upset. It was an undeniable fact that they had slept with each other, but Yan Mingxiu was acting like absolutely nothing had happened between them, and he even specially came out this far just to deliver food to Wang Yudong. He treats the superstar so well.

    Yan Mingxiu coldly nced at him, turned and headed towards the river.

    Mi You asked with shock, "You two know each other?"

    ¡°Hm,¡± Zhou Xiang responded. "I came across him that day when I was leaving, and gave him a ride."

    Mi You curled her lip. "He certainly is really handsome, but why so haughty and arrogant?"

    Zhou Xiang shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?"

    After Zhou Xiang cleaned himself up and changed into other clothes, Wang Yudong had also finished shooting his scene. It was now his turn to shiver with cold in the tent while being blown with warm air. Yan Mingxiu apanied Wang Yudong the entire time, and even helped blow-dry Wang Yudong¡¯s hair in front of Zhou Xiang. Furthermore, while Yan Mingxiu was blowing, he even shot Zhou Xiang a cold look.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Yan Mingxiu. Yan Mingxiu suddenly seemed to have a grudge against him. Could it be that he¡¯s angry that I didn¡¯t keep himpany yesterday?

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t want to meet with disaster by interacting with Yan Mingxiu at this time either, so he acted like they barely knew each other, and he went over to sit with the people in hispany with his chicken drumstick lunch, eating while chatting.

    Wang Yudong and Yan Mingxiu¡¯s food was a lot better than their simple and crude dishes. Their four dishes and one soup which came from a big restaurant were tightly and cleanly packed in stic lunchboxes.

    Zhou Xiang thought to himself, Yan Mingxiu¡¯s family¡¯s financial situation must been very good. He had heard that Wang Yudong came from a very good family background. If their families were acquainted, then Yan Mingxiu¡¯s background definitely wouldn¡¯t inferior to Wang Yudong¡¯s by much. No wonder Yan Mingxiu looked like he was so contemptuous towards Zhou Xiang¡¯s job.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t have any opinion regarding this; every person is destined to their own life, that¡¯s all. The only thing that made him depressed was Yan Mingxiu¡¯s cold attitude towards him. Was no chance between them anymore?

    There were a several scenes to shoot in the afternoon, but Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t have that many.

    Everyone was busy applying makeup on the other actors and actresses. Zhou Xiang had nothing to do so he sat on the side ying on his phone. He inadvertently lifted his head and then saw that Yan Mingxiu was walking over to him.

    Zhou Xiang stood up as well, and smiled at him.

    Yan Mingxiu said, "Come out."

    Zhou Xiang was slightly startled for a moment and then followed Yan Mingxiu out of the tent. They walked to an area which was behind several trees and a distance from the production team.

    Zhou Xiangughed, "You¡¯re still angry with me? When I came back and saw you were gone, I was so disappointed."

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t pay any heed to his regret and went straight to the point. "You haven¡¯t told anyone about our rtionship right?"

    Zhou Xiang froze. "Why would I? I don¡¯t have the hobby of sharing my private life to others."

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s expression eased slightly, but immediately after, he seemed to recall something, and said ill-temperedly, "Are you gay or do you eat both?"

    Zhou Xiang replied helplessly, "I only like men."

    "You seemed really close to that makeup artist."

    Zhou Xiang happilyughed. "Are you jealous? I introduced Mi You to thepany. She and I are just friends.

    Yan Mingxiu sneered in contempt upon hearing the word ¡¯jealous¡¯.

    Zhou Xiang was just joking when he said that, but he hadn¡¯t expected that Yan Mingxiu would look so disdainful. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit awkward and said with embarrassment, "You treat Wang Yudong so well, even speciallying over to deliver food to him, do you like him, by any chance?"

    He was just casually asking, but Yan Mingxiuplexion turned extremely ugly and he said bluntly, "He¡¯s my sister¡¯s boyfriend, don¡¯t talk nonsense."

    Zhou Xiang was taken aback for a moment. So that¡¯s it, no wonder their rtionship is so close, but Wang Yudong sure hid it deep enough, absolutely no one knows that he has a girlfriend.

    Yan Mingxiu said coldly, "You are not allowed to reveal this to anyone."

    "Don¡¯t worry." Yan Mingxiu¡¯s tone was getting more and more impolite. Zhou Xiang felt that there was no point talking to him anymore. Although Zhou Xiang had a good temper, that was usually towards the people he had a good rtionship with. As Yan Mingxiu was acting so aloof, and Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t be bothered indulging him, Zhou Xiang said, "Gotta go" and left.

    Yan Mingxiu stood there looking Zhou Xiang¡¯s back and then narrowed his eyes slightly.

    When he and Wang Yudong wore the same set of clothes and had the same hair-style, even Yan Mingxiu felt that it was very hard to differentiate them from their backs. If this man¡¯s back view wasn¡¯t so simr to Wang Yudong¡¯s, he truly wasn¡¯t worth his notice.

    Because of his conversation with Yan Mingxiu, Zhou Xiang¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t very good in the afternoon. He messed up hisst scene six to seven times. Everyone had to wait for him before they could knock off and go to dinner. Zhou Xiang was always the least likely person to cause problems, but this time he ended up dragging on the shoot for half an hour. Everyone was very astonished.

    Luckily, Zhou Xiang had a really good rtionship with the crew. Everyone patiently waited for him. Zhou Xiang felt really apologetic. He worked hard to pull himself together, and finally finished shooting his scene.

    By the time they got off work, Wang Yudong and Yan Mingxiu had already left a long time ago. Zhou Xiang gloomily packed his belongings, and <f title="I¡¯m almost certain that the line in first paragraph says that they caught a bus to the shooting location, but here it says that he drove back home from the location. Not sure if the author has made a mistake, or if I¡¯ve tranted the first line wrong. Here¡¯s the line: ÔÚÆ¬³¡¼¯ºÏÈ»ºóÍ³Ò»×ø´ó°ÍÈ¥">drove off</f>.

    As the filming location was very far from the urban area, Zhou Xiang took over two hours to drive back. He was so hungry his stomach was rumbling.

    After a very long drive, he finally arrived home. Holding the takeout food that he had bought on the way in his hand, he rushed up the stairs while skipping steps, but froze with shock when he reached his floor.

    Yan Mingxiu was leaning against the door frame with ear-plugs in his ears. When he saw Zhou Xiange up the stairs, he indifferently nced at him.

 Chapter 13 (2)

    Early the next morning, ZhouXiang drove to the set. They had to film an outdoor scene today so they all met up at the set and took the bus together.

    Today''s scene was a bit harsh. They needed to film in the water; it was about a five to six minutes fighting scene in the water. Just using a stuntman took half of the time. Now it''s already Fall; the hottest temperature is at noon at about 18-19 degrees Celsius (64-65 Fahrenheit) but the water is much colder.

    ZhouXiang did notin about anything. Filming work is just like this, having to grind their teeth to work in all kinds of arduous scenes in all kinds of weather. Making money is not an easy thing.

    After more than half an hour, WangYuDong arrived with his assistant. The number of times that ZhouXiang seen him had increased recently. They filmed separately before but hearing that Director Wang''s next movie is a 3D fantasy movie and with WangYuDong striving for the leading role, he had toe to the studio more often.

    Although the actor and the body double do not need to film together, the effect is better when done together. Director Wang took things very seriously and is a perfectionist. Every time he requested that WangYuDong and ZhouXiange together. But when WangYuDong doesn''t have any scenes, he rarelyes. So when he came today, Director Wang''s mood is a bit better.

    ZhouXiang was putting on makeup in the temporary built shack when WangYuDong came in. ZhouXiang saw him from the mirror. He smile and greeted, ¡°Dong Ge, you''re here.¡±

    WangYuDong smiled and turned to MiYou, ¡°Miss, dye the hair on his temple. His hair color is obviously darker than mine.¡±

    MiYou nced at the clock and felt they are a bit tight with time. She was just about to open her mouth when ZhouXiang pulled her sleeve and used his eyes to signal her not to talk.

    Since childhood, ZhouXiang had experienced the fickleness of human nature, observing people''s words and actions are his most basic survival skill. With WangYuDong''s temperament, ZhouXiang could surmise at about 80-90% if at 100% assurance with just a nce that WangYuDong is in a very bad mood, though the big star''s smile still appears charming. It''s likely that thepany forced him toe to appease Director Wang, but having to get up so early, he must have been very reluctant.

    ZhouXiang is more willing to interact with those people who are irritable and straightforward than to have conflict with a person like WangYuDong, whose outside appearance differ from his inner personality. It is better to go along with him as much as possible, so he quickly reminded MiYou that WangYuDong is not in a good mood and is just being deliberate in using this as an excuse to upset Director Wang.

    MiYou pursed her lips very displeasingly. Although hair dying doesn''t take that much time, the main point is that ZhouXiang''s wig had already been set. To dye it, the wig needs to be removed, dyed and then put on again. It would take another 10 minutes. It''s almost time to start shooting. When Director Wang is angry, it''s naturally that he would scold at her and ZhouXiang.

    WangYuDong sat next to ZhouXiang as if nothing happened. His personal makeup artist immediately began to apply makeup on him.

    MiYou had no choice but to quickly removed the wig from ZhouXiang and started dyeing his hair. The hair cream is a one-time use. The process was quick. Xiao Liu also came to help. The two got busy and quickly forgot that five minutes had passed. The assistant director came over with a dark expression and frowned at MiYou as she was putting the wig on ZhouXiang. He said with dissatisfaction, "Everyone is waiting for you."

    MiYou apologized for a bit; she felt so wronged that her eyes are a little red.

    ZhouXiang smiled apologetically, ¡°Zhang Ge, I''m sorry. Last night''s game lost is fucking terrible or else I would''ve gotten up half an hour earlier."

    The assistant director is a hardcore sports fan so his attention immediately shifted. He said with a smile, ¡°I was able to predict correctly and won £¤4,000st night.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Zhang Ge predicted very urately.¡±

    The two chatted casually while MiYou got his hair done. ZhouXiang quickly followed the assistant director and headed over to the set. When they got to Director Wang, the assistant director said a few good words. Director Wang looked at him and didn''t give him any troubles.

    ZhouXiang led out a sigh of relief.

    ¡ª¨C

    In this scene, he had to beat up a few bandits on the shore. Then, he was to be tied to a steel wire and jump from the shore to the raft. Then from the raft, jump into the water to rescue the supporting actress who had fallen into the river.

    The scene on the shore was filmed very smoothly. The next scene is one that he had to carry his sword and glide through the water as he jumped onto the raft.

    This scene, he filmed it twice but Director Wang was still not satisfied with his movements because he felt that it was not graceful enough.

    It was hard to bear with the steel wire tied to his body. Along with the low temperature and thinly clothes, ZhouXiang felt very ufortable. He gritted his teeth as he filmed this scene repeatedly. It wasn''t until the fifth take before this short ten-second scene was able to pass.

    Then came the scene where he had to jump from the raft into the water.

    In order for the actress to not have to stay in the water for too long and for him to not have to change to another costume, ZhouXiang must seed in falling into the water on the first take.

    He and the stunt coordinator discussed this going into the water scene repeatedly so he felt very confident.

    As soon as the director shouted, ZhouXiang called the supporting actress''s name and then did an elegant flip and jumped into the water from the raft. The water in the river was so cold that it felt like ice needles were piercing his flesh. After he jumped into the water, he immediately swam toward the actress. He used to be a swimmer so his movement in jumping into the water was particrly beautiful. After a short while, he got to the actress'' side and hugged the girl who was so cold that her lips had turned purple.

    "Very good!" Director Wang nodded with satisfaction. "Passed."

    The actress shivered, ¡°Xiang Ge, it''s very cold.¡±

    ¡°I know¡­ I know. Be good. Just bear with it a little more. You still have to do the scene with WangYuDong." ZhouXiang can¡¯t help but feel sympathy for her. For him, jumping into the water once was enough but this actress still had to go into the water with WangYuDong for a ''hero rescuing beauty'' scene.

    The actress'' voice was sobbing, "Hurry and take me to shore. I''m freezing to death."

    ZhouXiang took her and swam to the side of the boat; the staff pulled them up from the water.

    The two immediately went into the temporary tent. ZhouXiang quickly changed out of his drenched clothes and wrapped himself in a nket and got under the warm hair dryer.

    MiYouughed and blew his hair, ¡°Congrattions, Xiang Ge. You passed on one take."

    ZhouXiang smiled and joked, ¡°Of course. Your Xiang Ge must pass on first take." He closed his eyes and let MiYou''s fingers rake through his hair. The air from the hair dryer is very warm; his cold body gradually regained its warmth.

    When YanMingXiu took food into the tent, he saw ZhouXiang leaning half of his body toward a beautiful girl, letting her blow dry his hair. His brows bunched up. He didn''t know why but seeing this image made him extremely unsettled.

    ZhouXiang opened his eyes and look at YanMingXiu curiously, ¡°Huh? Why are you here?¡±

    YanMingXiu red at him and asked coldly, ¡°Where''s WangYuDong?¡±

    ¡°Um, he was filming on the other side of the river.¡± He nced at the bag in YanMingXiu''s hand. The restaurant''s name is printed on it. <i>Could it be that he especially brought a meal for WangYuDong?</i> ZhouXiang¡¯s heart felt upset; the two of them obviously slept together but YanMingXiu looked at him as if nothing had happened, deliberatelying from so far away to just to bring WangYuDong''s meal. The treatment of the big star is really good.

    YanMingXiu nced at him coldly, then turned to walk toward the river.

    MiYou surprisingly asked, ¡°You know him?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded with a ''hmm'' sound, "I bumped into him when I left that day and gave him a ride."

    MiYou curled her lips, "He''s quite attractive. Why is he here?"

    ZhouXiang shrugged, ¡°Who knows.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly changed his clothes. WangYuDong''s scenes were also finished. This time it was WangYuDong''s turn to be shiver in front of the heat inside the tent. YanMingXiu kept following WangYuDong and even blow dry his hair in front of ZhouXiang while looking at him coldly.

    ZhouXiang also didn¡¯t know what was wrong with YanMingXiu but he felt that YanMingXiu is a bit aimed at going against him<i>. Was it because YanMingXiu was angry at him for not staying yesterday?</i>

    ZhouXiang also wasn''t willing to stir up anything with him at this time so he just pretended that they are not familiar with each other. He ate his drumstick rice te and chatted with the people from theirpany.

    Compared to their simple dishes, the dishes that WangYuDong and YanMingXiu ate were much better. The take out from the big restaurant came with four dishes and a soup. They were packed nicely in stic lunch boxes.

    ZhouXiang felt that YanMingXiu¡¯s family must be quite well off. He heard that WangYuDong has a very good background. If the two families know each other, then YanMingXiu''s background will definitely not be inferior. It is no wonder that he shows dislike toward his type of work.

    ZhouXiang didn''t think too much. Everyone''s lives are different. The only thing that made him depressed was YanMingXiu''s cold attitude towards him. <i>Could it be that it''s over for them?</i>

    There were still a few more scenes in the afternoon. WangYuDong¡¯s scenes in the drama are heavier than his. He first yed a minor role as one of the rogues that got freed by WangYuDong''s heroic character. Then changed back to the same outfit as WangYuDong and waited for Director Wang''s arrangement.

    Everyone was busy helping other actors with their makeup. ZhouXiang was idle so he yed with his cell phone. He inadvertently looked up and sees YanMingXiuing towards him.

    ZhouXiang also stood up and smiled at him.

    YanMingXiu, "Come out.¡±

    ZhouXiang stared nkly for a moment and followed YanMingXiu out of the tent. The two went to a ce far away from the crew and hid behind a few trees. These people could hardly see them.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°You''re still mad? I came back yesterday but you had left. I was quite disappointed.¡±

    YanMingXiu ignored his pitiful words and asked bluntly, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone about my rtionship with you right?¡±

    ZhouXiang was dazed for a moment, ¡°Why would I? I don''t have a hobby of sharing my private life.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression eased a little but he immediately thought of something and impolitely asked, ¡°Are you really a homosexual or bisexual?¡±

    ZhouXiang helplessly responded, ¡°I only like men.¡±

    ¡°You and that makeup artist seem pretty close.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Are you jealous? I was the one who introduced MiYou into thepany. We are only friends.¡±

    YanMingXiu sneered at the word ''jealous''.

    ZhouXiang was just joking but he didn''t expect YanMingXiu to be so disdain. Feeling a little awkward, he asked embarrassingly, "You treat WangYuDong so good, specially bringing him a meal. It couldn''t be that you like him, right?¡±

    ZhouXiang was only casually asking, but YanMingXiu''s expression became very unsightly. He bluntly responded, "He is my sister''s boyfriend. Don''t talk nonsense."

    ZhouXiang is surprised. <i>So that''s what it is. No wonder they are so close but WangYuDong hid this very well. No one knew that he has a girlfriend.</i>

    YanMingXiu coldly added, ¡°This matter can''t be exposed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s tone became more and more impolite. ZhouXiang felt that it was meaningless to continue on talking to him. Although ZhouXiang has a good temper, it is usually toward people who he has a good rtionship with. YanMingXiu treated him so distant, ZhouXiang was toozy topromise so he just said, "Gotta go" and left.

    YanMingXiu stood and watched ZhouXiang¡¯s back silhouette with his eyes slightly narrowed.

    With ZhouXiang and WangYuDong wearing the same clothes, even YanMingXiu felt that it is difficult to distinguish the difference between them from behind. If ZhouXiang and WangYuDong''s back silhouettes are not so simr, YanMingXiu really would not pay attention to him.

    The conversation with YanMingXiu put ZhouXiang in a very bad mood in the afternoon. When he filmed thest scene, he NG six to seven times, everyone was waiting for him to finish so they could go eat. For ZhouXiang, who was rarely in this condition, having to drag filming for half an hour, everyone was very surprised.

    Fortunately, ZhouXiang had a good harmonious rtionship with everyone. They all waited patiently for him. ZhouXiang himself was very embarrassed. He tried to adjust his mindset and finally finished filming thest scene.

    When it''s time to stop work for the day, WangYuDong and YanMingXiu had already left. ZhouXiang gloomily packed up his own things and drove away.

    Because the outdoor filming location was so far from the city, it took him more than two hours to get back. He was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling.

    After getting home, he took big steps to rush up the stairs, but he stumbled while holding the takeout that he bought along the way.

    YanMingXiu was leaning against the door frame with headphones plugged in his ears. Seeing hime up, YanMingXiu casually shot him a nce.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 14

    ZhouXiang was also a little astonished, ¡°Why are you here?" Although it is much unexpected, he couldn¡¯t hide his pleasant surprise.

    YanMingXiu took off his headphones, ¡°Am I not wee?¡±

    ¡°How can that be? Come on in."

    ZhouXiang opened the door and let YanMingXiu into the condo.

    Looking at ZhouXiang¡¯s slender neck from behind, YanMingXiu really wanted to pounce on him and bite it to vent the grievances in his heart.

    He drove for nearly three hours to the filming set to see WangYuDong, but in the end, WangYuDong still went to his sister¡¯s ce. WangYuDong even said goodbye to him with a smile. YanMingXiu was so furious that he was about to explode.

    So he came to look for ZhouXiang. When he fucked ZhouXiang, he could fantasize that he is with his Dong Ge, which made him feel better.

    ZhouXiang, ¡°Have you eaten? I just got fast food. What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll cook it for you."

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to. I ordered food,¡± Right after he said that, the doorbell rang. YanMingXiu went to open the door. Once ZhouXiang saw the uniform on the food delivery staff, he knew that it is from the hotel across from his neighborhood.

    ZhouXiang smiled and shook his head, ¡°You little brat really knows how to enjoy."

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang. When he thought of himself treating this person as Dong Ge, he felt a bit guilty and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You must be very tired after a day of filming, you should eat something good.¡±

    ZhouXiang is very happy. He smiled, ¡°Not bad, you really know how to treat people well.¡± He sat down on the table and arranged the dishes one by one. ¡°Come and eat. It smells very good.¡± ZhouXiang clipped a piece of T bone and took a bite. This meat is very tender and the sauce is so vorful. It was very delicious.

    YanMingXiu looked at his contented expression and wanted tough, ¡°It¡¯s alright; I can make it better."

    ZhouXiang is surprised, ¡°You know how to cook?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded nonchntly, ¡°I¡¯ve always cooked for myself when I was abroad. I don¡¯t like having outsiders in my home.¡±

    ¡°Cook for me one day so I can try your culinary skills."

    ¡°No problem,¡± YanMingXiu thought for a moment. ¡°You still have workter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be free next week. This profession is good. It¡¯s doesn¡¯t have fixed days off."

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay here,¡± YanMingXiu gave him a look that didn¡¯t seem to be seeking permission because he knew that ZhouXiang would certainly agree. He¡¯s not blind. He could see that ZhouXiang is very much interested in him. Adding on, he just didn¡¯t want to go home and also didn¡¯t want to think of someone.

    They each take what they need. YanMingXiu liked this mode of getting along.

    ZhouXiang more than wee him. He lightly smiled, ¡°How long do you want to stay?¡± It¡¯s rare to be able to spend time-off with an attractive man apanying him, having some liveliness in the home, he couldn¡¯t think of any reason to refuse.

    After the meal, the two have sex again. They are like two energetic vigorous beasts passionately entangling with each other, leaving sex traces all over the small home.

    ZhouXiang had never lived such an incredible life in a long time.

    During this period of short time, he and YanMingXiu lived and ate together; they barely went out. Every day, they had passionate sex and then exhaustively slept till the afternoon of the next day. Sometimes, they called for takeout; sometimes they went to the supermarket to buy food to cook. They watched movies and yed games; the two of them got very familiar with each other.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s smiles appeared more often. He had never been an easy person to get along with and didn¡¯t have very many friends because very few people could stand his unpredictable bad temper. But ZhouXiang could. Not only that he could, ZhouXiang was also able to coaxingly make YanMingXiu feel very much at ease andfortable. The most important is that ZhouXiang could tolerate YanMingXiu¡¯s immaturity and selfishness. This was not something difficult for ZhouXiang to do. Men were always very patient and tolerant toward beautiful creatures. Especially since ZhouXiang have always been a patient and tolerant person. Toward YanMingXiu¡¯s asional bad temper, ZhouXiang treated it as if YanMingXiu was just being a tease; he was never bothered by it.

    YanMingXiu felt that when he is with ZhouXiang, he felt very rxed and veryfortable.

    They are like a couple who had been living together for a long time... living a life where they only have each other.

    The longer they are together, the more ZhouXiang felt that YanMingXiu is like a child. As long his demands are met, it is very easy to get along with him. After all, he wasn¡¯t nning on marrying YanMingXiu, why bother on caring whether or not the person had a good or bad temper?

    At that time, let alone YanMingXiu, even ZhouXiang, didn¡¯t take it seriously.

    The six days of peaceful leisure time soon came to an end. ZhouXiang had to start on the stunt coordinator job for the ad he agreed tost time. YanMingXiu was also annoyed by the repeated phone calls urging him to go home. He finally nned to make a trip home.

    ZhouXiang had an appointment with someone and had to leave first. YanMingXiu watched as ZhouXiang quickly put on his shoes. A gush of unwillingness rushed to his heart, he pulled ZhouXiang¡¯s arm, turned him around and pressed him to the wall to kiss him intensely.

    ZhouXiang held onto YanMingXiu¡¯s slender waist and close his eyes to respond to the heated kiss. YanMingXiu unconsciously reached his hand into ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes. He didn¡¯t want ZhouXiang to leave. When he thought of ZhouXiang going to a job that can make him extremely exhausted for only a few bucks, he really wanted to tell ZhouXiang that could support him. But he knew that ZhouXiang is very content with his work so he couldn¡¯t say it loud.

    ZhouXiang lightly smiled, ¡°Hey. Okay. If you continue to grope me, I won¡¯t be able to leave. You also won¡¯t be able to leave."

    ¡°Then don¡¯t go; it¡¯s still raining outside.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t ah. Work is a serious matter.¡± ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Not willing to part with me? If so, then don¡¯t leave. Wait for your big brother (referring to himself) toe back and give you some love?"

    YanMingXiu pinched his waist, ¡°I need to make a trip home. Will be back another day."

    ¡°Okay. You¡¯re wee here at any time," ZhouXiang licked his ear and lewdly muttered, ¡°It feels so good doing it with you. Even if I don¡¯t see you, I get hard just thinking of you."

    Hearing these flirtatious wordsing from ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth, YanMingXiu also felt very pleased. He bit ZhouXiang¡¯s lips, ¡°Even if you¡¯re hard, don¡¯t casually have sex. If you let others fuck you, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed happily, ¡°Having you, who else would I want?" He didn¡¯t take YanMingXiu¡¯s words seriously to heart. He didn¡¯t know that YanMingXiu is serious about this.

    YanMingXiu never had any concept of chastity, but he subconsciously regarded ZhouXiang as his. Perhaps because he is the first person to top ZhouXiang; or perhaps because he regarded ZhouXiang as WangYuDong so he could not stand ZhouXiang being close to other people. Although YanMingXiu felt that there is a problem with his way of thinking, he was toozy to delve into the reasons. In his heart, he¡¯s the only one who can fuck ZhouXiang. After ZhouXiang left, YanMingXiu turned on his phone. In order to avoid the phone calls from his mother and his sister, his phone was only turned on for a couple of hours. Immediately after the phone is on, there was a text message. It was sent an hour ago from WangYuDong; the message read, "Dong Ge will treat you to dinner.¡± YanMingXiu was ted; his gloomy mood of ZhouXiang leaving was swept aside. He responded to the text with his confirmation. Then he quickly went to take a shower, tidied himself up and headed straight to the restaurant.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 14 (2)

    Zhou Xiang said with slight astonishment. "What are you doing here?" Although he was very surprised, he still couldn''t conceal his delight.

    Yan Mingxiu pulled the ear phones out of his ears. "I''m not wee?"

    "How could that be? Come in."

    Zhou Xiang opened the door and let Yan Mingxiu into the apartment.

    Yan Mingxiu stared at the exposed area of Zhou Xiang''s slender neck from the back. He really wanted to throw himself at him and take a bite, to vent out the resentment and indignation in his heart.

    He drove almost three hours to the shooting location to see Wang Yudong, but in the end, Wang Yudong went to his sister''s ce, and Yan Mingxiu even had to bid him farewell with a smile. He was so angry he felt like heart and lungs were going to explode.

    That''s why he went to find Zhou Xiang. When he was on top of Zhou Xiang, he could hypnotise himself into thinking that he was with Dong''ge, and make his heart feel a little better.

    Zhou Xiang asked him, "Have you eaten? I only bought fast food for one person. If you want to eat something, I''ll make it for you."

    "No need, I''ve already ordered food." Right after he said those words, the door bell sounded. Yan Mingxiu went to open the door. The moment Zhou Xiang saw that food delivery person''s uniform he knew that the food was from that hotel opposite his neighbourhood.

    Zhou Xiangughed as he shook his head. "Boy, you really know how to enjoy life."

    Yan Mingxiu looked at Zhou Xiang and remembered how he was using this person as a substitute for Dong''ge''s and felt a bit guilty inside, so he couldn''t help but blurt out, "You''re really tired from filming the whole day, so you should eat something good."

    Zhou Xiang was really happy. He teased, "Not bad, you sure know how to dote on people." He sat at the table, and ced the food on the table one by one. "Come over to eat. It smells delicious." Zhou Xiang picked up a piece of T-bone steak with his chopsticks, and bit into it. The meat was fresh and tender, the sauce rich; it was very tasty.

    Yan Mingxiu saw the content look on his face and felt an urge to smile. "This is so-so, I can cook better than this."

    Zhou Xiang eximed, "You can cook?"

    Not the least bothered by Zhou Xiang¡¯s surprise, Yan Mingxiu replied, "I always cooked my own meals when I was living overseas. I don''t like having strangers in my house."

    "Let me try your cooking some other time."

    "No problem." Yan Mingxiu thought for a moment. "Do you have any more work the next few days?"

    "I''mpletely free next week. This profession is great, any day could be a day off."

    "Then I''ll stay here." Yan Mingxiu nced at him. He had almost no intention of asking if he could stay because he knew that Zhou Xiang would definitely agree. He wasn''t blind. He could tell that Zhou Xiang was really interested in him, and it just so happened that he didn''t want to go home, and also didn''t want to be alone.

    Each taking what he needs; Yan Mingxiu really liked this sort of method of interaction.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s staying more than Zhou Xiang could have wished for. He smiled, "You¡¯re wee to stay however long you like." A beautiful man to keep himpany during one of his rare holidays, adding an air of life to his house; he simply couldn''t think of any reason to refuse.

    After they finished eating, they had sex again. They were like two vigorous beasts, fervently entangling and copting, leaving behind the traces of lovemaking everywhere around the small apartment.

    Zhou Xiang hadn''t passed his days so preposterously for a long time.

    He and Yan Mingxiu were eating and living together. They almost didn''t leave the house. Every day falling asleep in the midst of exhaustion from their mad and wild sex, sleeping until noon the next day, sometimes ordering takeout, sometimes going to the supermarket together to buy ingredients to cook, watching TV and ying games together. They grew more and more familiar with each other as they spent more and more time together, and Yan Mingxiu also started smiling more.

    Yan Mingxiu had never been a person who was easy to get along with. He had very few friends because very few people could stand his unstable temper. However Zhou Xiang could, and that wasn''t all, Zhou Xiang could also coax Yan Mingxiu into feelingfortable and at ease, and patiently put up with Yan Mingxiu''s immaturity and self-centeredness. For Zhou Xiang this wasn''t anything difficult. A man is always especially patient to beautiful living beings. Besides, Zhou Xiang was originally a very patient, tolerant and magnanimous person anyway. Yan Mingxiu would sometimes show a bad attitude, but Zhou Xiang would treat it as he was acting like a spoiled child, and never bickered with him.

    Thus, Yan Mingxiu increasingly felt that being with Zhou Xiang was really rxing andfortable.

    They were like a pair of sweethearts who had lived together for a long time, living as if their lives only had each other.

    The more Zhou Xiang interacted with Yan Mingxiu, the more he felt that Yan Mingxiu was a like little child. So long as you satisfied his demands, he was really easy to get along with. He wasn''t nning to marry Yan Mingxiu, why should he care if Yan Mingxiu had a good temper or not.

    At this point in time, forget Yan Mingxiu, not even Zhou Xiang was taking this rtionship seriously.

    Their six days of leisure andfort came to an end very quickly. Zhou Xiang needed to got to work and Yan Mingxiu had been pestered by the two calls a day from home, and finally decided to go home.

    Zhou Xiang had an appointment with someone, and was leaving the house first. When Yan Mingxiu saw Zhou Xiang put on his shoes and prepare to leave, a feeling of reluctance surged up in his heart. He pulled Zhou Xiang''s arm, turned his shoulder around, pressed him against the wall and deeply kissed him.

    Zhou Xiang hugged Yan Mingxiu''s firm and narrow waist, closed his eyes and returned the passionate kiss. Yan Mingxiu unconsciously slipped his hand into Zhou Xiang''s clothes. He didn''t want to let Zhou Xiang go. As soon as he thought of Zhou Xiang epting those jobs that tired him to death but didn''t earn him much money, Yan Mingxiu really wanted to say to him, "I''ll financially support you." However, as he knew that Zhou Xiang was really satisfied with his job, he couldn¡¯t say it out loud.

    Zhou Xiangughed lightly, "Hey, hey, enough. If you keep touching me, I won''t be able to leave, and you won''t be able to leave either."

    "Then don''t leave, it''s still raining outside."

    "I can''t do that. Work is a serious matter." Zhou Xiangughed. "You can''t bear to part with me? If that''s the case, then don''t leave either. Wait for big brother toe back to pamper you, okay?"

    Yan Mingxiu pinched Zhou Xiang¡¯s waist. "I need to go back home. I''lle back again another day."

    "Fine, you''re wee here any time." Zhou Xiang licked his ear, and said ambiguously, "It feels so good doing it with you, if I can''t see you, even just thinking of you gets me hard."

    These flirtatious words were basically words that Zhou Xiang had spilled out without thinking and Yan Mingxiu also felt reallyfortable hearing it. He bit Zhou Xiang''s lips. "Even if you''re hard, don''t indiscriminately go shooting your gun. If you let another person top you, I won''t spare you."

    Zhou Xiangughed out loud. "Why would I want anyone else if I have you?" However, he didn''t take Yan Mingxiu''s words to heart. He didn''t know that Yan Mingxiu was being serious.

    Yan Mingxiu originally never had any concept of chastity, but he unconsciously felt that Zhou Xiang belonged to him. Perhaps it was because he was the first person who topped Zhou Xiang, or perhaps it was because he thought of Zhou Xiang as Wang Yudong¡¯s substitute, he couldn¡¯t tolerate Zhou Xiang being with anyone else.

    Although he could feel that there was something wrong with his thought process, he was toozy to delve deeper to find out why. In his heart, only he was allowed to pierce Zhou Xiang''s butt.

    After Zhou Xiang left, Yan Mingxiu turned on his phone.

    These past two days, in order to evade his mum and his sister''s calls, he had only kept his phone on for a few hours. As soon as he turned it on, a text immediately popped out. Wang Yudong had sent it an hour ago, and the message read: "Dong''ge wants to invite you out to eat."

    Yan Mingxiu was overjoyed. His gloomy mood from Zhou Xiang leaving was immediately swept clean. He returned a confirmation message, and then rushed into the bathroom to have a shower. After tidying himself up, he headed straight for the restaurant.

 Chapter 15

    R18 - NSFW

    Wang Yudong¡¯s father was a big businessman who was worth several billion. However, he had only had a primary school education. Even though he had risen up in the world and made his fortune many years ago, his crude upbringing would sometimes disy itself. President Wang married veryte. He married a very beautiful supermodel, who gave birth to a beautiful boy, Wang Yudong. As Wang Yudong was a son that came when Chief Wang was already old, and because his son¡¯s appearance and temperament took after his mother, Chief Wang really doted on Wang Yudong.

    Although the Wang Family was not short of money, none of their rtives were from a high social ss. Nowadays, wielding money couldn¡¯tpete with wielding power. Wang Yudong was also a rich young master but, anyone who rummaged through his family background would instantly know that his father was new money. Chief Wang also still constantly needed to go curry favour with those influential officials in the capital with deep and unmeasurable backgrounds, and the Yan Family was the biggest tree they climbed up on.

    Originally, for a family at the level of the Wang¡¯s, even being able to eat one meal at the same table as the Yan Family could allow him to reap benefits for a long time. Seeking connections with them to climb up in society was something that he never even dared to dream of. However he had a son who was determined not to fall short. By nature, Wang Yudong liked people revering and swarming around him like little moons circling a. After he graduated from an Ivy League Business School, he didn¡¯t go pursuing a career in the business world, and insisted on bing a celebrity. President Wang spent millions to create a costume drama catered for his son, and not surprisingly, Wang Yudong propelled to stardom. What was most worthy of celebration wasn¡¯t his rise to fame, but rather, after he became popr, the Yan Family¡¯s precious daughter became captivated with the character he yed, and became his admirer. Thus, under Wang Yudong¡¯s warm pursuit, the two people logically became a couple.

    The head of the Yan Family household looked down on performers. In his eyes, Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t good enough for his daughter but he didn¡¯t explicitly oppose. After all, the two young people were mutually in love. Plus, he couldn¡¯t find any shorings with Wang Yudong¡¯s financial ability, appearance, education or behaviour. Wang Yudong was also very good at boot-licking, so the Yan Family Head also gradually tacitly consented.

    What he didn¡¯t know was that it wasn¡¯t just his daughter who liked Wang Yudong. When Wang Yudong entered the doors of the Yan Family house for the first time, Yan Mingxiu was only sixteen, and his eyes were also glued to Wang Yudong the entire time.

    The Yan Family¡¯s daughter had now reached marriageable age. The elders of the two families decided to sit down to have a discussion, shifting the matters such as their engagement and wedding into their schedule.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s mother rang Yan Mingxiu every day, pressing him to return home without dy; the two families were going to have a meal together. However, Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t want to go to that sort of asion at all. Sit there for two hours hearing about when his sister and Wang Yudong¡¯s engagement dinner will be held? How else did they want to disgust him?

    Thus, Wang Yudong gave him a call. The entire family knew that Yan Mingxiu still listened to the words of this future brother-inw.

    Yan Mingxiu happily went to meet up with Wang Yudong, but as soon as he walked into the room, what he saw was the Yans and the Wangs conducting the meeting of future inws, and his face ckened on the spot.

    As the elders were also present, he couldn¡¯t just m the door and leave, and so he gloomily sat down.

    Wang Yudong immediately sat next to him. He couldn¡¯t afford to offend this little brother-inw. If Madam Yan hadn¡¯t forced him to call Yan Mingxiu out, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have done such a strenuous and unrewarding task. He gently apologised, "I¡¯m sorry Mingxiu, Aunty said that I had to call you over, but I really do want to invite you out for a meal, is tomorrow okay?"

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t want to take out his bad temper on him, but he didn¡¯t put on a good face either. "No need. I¡¯m busy tomorrow."

    Wang Yudong still wanted to say something, but Madam Yan called Yan Mingxiu toe over to her.

    Yan Mingxiu went over and said grumpily, "You guys can discuss among yourselves, it¡¯s not me getting married, why did you have to call me over?"

    Madam Yan red at him. "This is a major event for your sister. Doesn¡¯t it look a bit more dignified when the entire familyes together?"

    "Then why isn¡¯t my big brother here?"

    "He¡¯s on a business trip, he couldn¡¯te."

    "Then why can¡¯t I not be able toe?"

    Madam Yan puckered her eyebrows. "What¡¯s wrong with you? Is eating a meal together really so hard for you? How busy are you?"

    "I¡¯ve just started up mypany, and I¡¯m also in charge of one of dad¡¯spanies. You tell me, am I busy or not? In the future, don¡¯t call me over for this sort of matter, I have no opinion."

    Madam Yan said resentfully, "Even if there¡¯s nothing going on, don¡¯t tell me that I can¡¯t even see my own son when I want to? Instead of attending university here, you insisted on going to an overseas one, I didn¡¯t agree to it at that time. Even after you came back, you¡¯re never at home, what is it about home that can¡¯t make you stay?"

    Yan Mingxiu looked at his mother¡¯s slightly wronged and resentful expression, and his attitude softened. "Mum, I didn¡¯t mean it that way, I really am busy."

    It wasn¡¯t that home couldn¡¯t contain him. He just didn¡¯t want to hear news about his sister and Wang Yudong. It was best if he didn¡¯t know anything. Unfortunately the two of them were nning to get engaged inter in the year. Every time he came home, the stuff they talked about at the dinner table would mainly rted to that. He knew that Wang Yudong would never belong to him, but he just wanted to temporary escape and give his ears peace and quiet.

    The meal was dry and tasteless. Yan Mingxiu felt only extreme gloominess seeing Yan Mingmei and Wang Yudong smile at each other and their intimate manner. He really wanted to shake his fist and leave.

    At that precise moment, his phone sounded, notifying him that he had a new text message. He turned on the screen. Zhou Xiang had forwarded him a joke.

    He never had a habit of returning Zhou Xiang¡¯s texts. If he needed to contact Zhou Xiang, he would directly call. However, right now, he desperately wanted to separate himself from the atmosphere in front of him, even if it was just using a text to temporary divert his attention. He returned: ¡®Where are you?¡¯

    Zhou Xiang immediately replied: ¡®At a film studio.¡¯

    Yan Mingxiu asked: ¡®Where? I¡¯ll go find you.¡¯

    Zhou Xiang was absolutely overjoyed. Not only did Yan Mingxiu reply to his message, he even said that he wanted to find him. Yan Mingxiu was truly impossible to predict. Every time Zhou Xiang thought that there was no hope between them, Yan Mingxiu would move closer to him a little bit. It wasn¡¯t much, just a tiny little bit, but that tiny bit made him unbearably excited, made him want to approach Yan Mingxiu even more, made him want to know what other happy surprises Yan Mingxiu still had in store for him.

    The first time Yan Mingxiu took the initiative to call him, the first time he smiled at him, the first time he returned his texts, were all things that made Zhou Xiang frolic with joy. Like clearing a level in a game, he experienced the satisfaction of slowly conquering the final BOSS.

    With every little interaction he had with Yan Mingxiu and as their rtionship got closer, Zhou Xiang would sometimes be able to reflect back on the feeling of being in love for the first time. Although he couldn¡¯t even remember how his first love looked like anymore, he still remembered that it was like being on an unpredictable roller coaster ride.

    Zhou Xiang messaged Yan Mingxiu the address. On-the-spot action directing jobs were very dry and dull. He needed to constantly modify the unpractical requests that the director came up with, and then teach the actors and actresses how to aplish the set of moves over and over again. Sometimes he would worry helplessly when an actor or actress simply couldn¡¯t get it right. Thus, in this sort of oppressive environment, he really looked forward to Yan Mingxiu¡¯s arrival. Every time he saw Yan Mingxiu, his mood would immediately brighten up.

    Yan Mingxiu really couldn¡¯t stand this torturous meal any longer. In the end, in spite of the older generations¡¯ discontent, he found an excuse and quickly ran away.

    When Yan Mingxiu appeared at the studio, Zhou Xiang felt as if he had received a present that he had been waiting for a long time.

    Taking advantage of Zhou Xiang¡¯s break-time, Yan Mingxiu dragged Zhou Xiang into the toilet cubicle, pressed him against the door and roughly ravaged his mouth.

    In between his ferocious kiss, Zhou Xiang arduously gasped for breath and said hoarsely, "What are you doing here? Weren¡¯t you going home?"

    Yan Mingxiu bit Zhou Xiang¡¯s lips. "Don¡¯t speak." He reached his hand into Zhou Xiang¡¯s pants.

    Zhou Xiang caught his hand. "You¡¯re not going to do it here, are you?"

    "I want to do it here." Yan Mingxiu¡¯s eyes were abnormally bright.

    Zhou Xiang forced a smile. "Don¡¯t be unreasonable, I still have to go back when my break is over."

    Yan Mingxiu flipped him around and pressed him against the door. As he pulled down Zhou Xiang¡¯s pants, he nibbled Zhou Xiang¡¯s sensitive ear. "Let me do you."

    Zhou Xiang felt that if he was ten years younger, perhaps he would agree to make love with a man in a toilet, but at this age, he truly wasn¡¯t suited to be doing something so crazy and reckless. He struggled, waiting to push Yan Mingxiu away but Yan Mingxiu was a lot stronger than he expected and his hands ended up being pinned against the door.

    They had just done it in the morning. Zhou Xiang¡¯s lower body was still in a moist and soft state, Yan Mingxiu was able to squeeze himself in without much effort.

    Zhou Xiang moaned, and said anxiously, "Wear a condom..."

    Yan Mingxiu turned a deaf ear, and impatiently started thrusting in and out.

    Both of them were still almost fully dressed, only Zhou Xiang¡¯s pants were at his knees. His chest was pasted against the wall. The door banged loudly as Zhou Xiang¡¯s body banged against the door from Yan Mingxiu¡¯s wanton thrusting.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s face was boiling red. If someonees in at this moment...

    It wasn¡¯t that Yan Mingxiu wasn¡¯t aware that this was not the right ce to be doing this, so after he finished venting the gloominess and discontent in his heart, he quickly finished this episode of sex.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s legs felt like jelly. Yan Mingxiu sat down on the toilet seat lid while carrying him. Zhou Xiang had suffered an enormous shock. His eyes were a bit dazed. He wiped off the sweat on his forehead and said, gasping for air, "You young people¡¯s games are too stimting..."

    Yan Mingxiu stroked his face, and couldn¡¯t resist kissing his red and swollen lips. "I think you really like stimtion and excitement."

    Zhou Xiang panted for breath several more times. "You brat, you normally don¡¯t talk much so it¡¯s impossible to tell you¡¯re such a mad... Oh no, I need to get back." Zhou Xiang pulled his pants and was going to stand up.

    "Don¡¯t rush." Hugging his waist, Yan Mingxiu yanked out a few napkins, and in rare bout of kindness, gently helped clean Zhou Xiang¡¯s lower body.

    Zhou Xiang was about to protest, but Yan Mingxiu blocked his mouth, fondling him as much as he liked.

    It took five to six minutes before Yan Mingxiu finally finished ¡®wiping him clean¡¯.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s mind was restless and running like a horse, not thinking about work at all anymore.

    Yan Mingxiu was a lot more brazen than Zhou Xiang was when he was twenty.

    Yan Mingxiu helped him pull up his pants and buckle up his belt. He rubbed his lips against the tip of Zhou Xiang¡¯s nose. "I¡¯ll wait for you to get off work."

    Zhou Xiang stared at Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face. His heart was beating so fast he felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. Zhou Xiang faintly started to feel that their rtionship, which was bing more and more intimate, was getting a bit dangerous. In thismunity, sleeping with someone several times wasn¡¯t any serious matter, but if they fell in love for real, it absolutely wasn¡¯t as simple as ¡¯if they like each other then they¡¯ll be together¡¯. Like the big majority of the gaymunity, <f title="Could also be tranted as " longed="" for="" true="" affection="" a="" rtionship""="">Zhou Xiang longed for a serious rtionship</f>, but also feared it.

 Chapter 15 (2)

    WangYuDong¡¯s old man, Chairman Wang, is a big boss worth billions but only had a primarily education. Even though he had umted wealth over the years, his unrefined nature would asionally be exposed. He married a very pretty supermodel veryte in life and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named WangYuDong. Having a child in old age, adding on his son''s temperament is like that of his mother, Chairman Wang had always doted on WangYuDong immensely.

    Although the Wang family does notck money, the rtives around them are not socialites. Having money was notparable to having power. Although WangYuDong is also a rich young master but almost everyone knew that his father is new money (newly rich). Therefore, it was still necessary for Chairman Wang to constantly kiss up to the elites in the capital. The Yan family is the biggest tree for them to climb to increase their status.

    Originally, with the Yan family''s prestige and influential power, the Wang family couldn''t even have a meal on the same table with the Yan family''s master. To be rted to the Yan family is something that Chairman Wang wouldn''t dream of. But he has a son that is very capable. WangYuDong is born naturally loving to have people revolve around him. After graduating from an Ivy League Business School, he didn''t go into business, but instead went to be an actor. Chairman Wang took out a few millions to produce an ancient costume drama tailored for him. As expected, WangYuDong became popr. Getting popr was not what was worthy for celebration; after he got popr, the Yan family''s young miss was extremely captivated by the role he yed and thought very highly of him. So under the WangYuDong''s aggressive pursuit, the two got together.

    The patriarch of the Yan family does not like actors. In his eyes, WangYuDong was not worthy of his daughter but he didn''t explicitly opposed them. After all, the young couple likes each other. Besides there were no problems with WangYuDong¡¯s financial abilities, appearance, education, or behavior. Adding on, he especially knew how to cater to people so they gradually epted them.

    What the Yan patriarch didn¡¯t know was that not only did his daughter liked WangYuDong, when WangYuDong entered the Yan family home for the first time, his 16-year-old son''s (YanMingXiu) eyes also stared radiantly at WangYuDong.

    Now, the Yan family''s young miss had reached marriageable age; the parents from both sides nned to sit down to discuss their engagement and marriage date.

    YanMingXiu''s mother called him every day, urging him to quickly go home so that the two families could have a meal together but YanMingXiu simply didn''t want to attend such asion. Having to sit for two hours just to hear his sister and WangYuDong talk about when they will be holding their engagement banquet? How sickening will that be for him?

    Finally, WangYuDong called him. The entire family knew that YanMingXiu would listen to this future brother inw''s words.

    YanMingXiu tedly went to meet up with WangYuDong. But as soon as he entered the door, he saw the scene of his family meeting with the Wang¡¯s family. His expression immediately darkened. But because the elders were present, he didn''t want to m the door and leave so he could only sit down depressingly.

    WangYuDong immediately sat next to him. He can''t afford to offend this little future brother inw of his. If it wasn''t for Mrs.Yan forcing him to call YanMingXiu, he would not do such thing. After he sat down, he instantly apologized warmly, ¡°MingXiu, I''m sorry. Auntie asked that I must call you toe over but I really want to treat you for dinner. How about tomorrow?"

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t want to unleash his temper on him, but his expression is not good, "Don''t need to. I have ns tomorrow."

    WangYuDong still wants to say something but Mrs. Yan called YanMingXiu over.

    YanMingXiu walked over in a bad mood, ¡°It''s just fine for you guys to discuss. I''m not the one getting married, why must you call me here?"

    Mrs.Yan red at him, "This is to discuss your sister''s engagement. Wouldn''t it be a bit more dignified with the entire family here?"

    ¡°Then howe older brother didn''te?¡±

    ¡°Your brother is on a business trip; he really can¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°Then I can¡¯te back as well.¡±

    Mrs. Yan bunched her brows, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? How hard is it for you to have a meal together with us? You''re really that busy?¡±

    ¡°Mypany has just started and I''m also partially in charge of dad''s otherpany. You don''t think I''m busy? Don¡¯t call me for this kind of thing in the future. I have no opinion.¡±

    Mrs.Yan distressingly said, ¡°Even if it''s for nothing, can''t I just want to see my son? A good university in China, you didn''t want to attend but insisted on going to a university abroad. I didn¡¯t agree with it then. But after you came back, you also didn''te home. What part of home do you find so unbearable?¡±

    When YanMingXiu saw his mother¡¯s grievances and dissatisfied expression, his attitude softened, ¡°Mom, that''s not what I mean. I¡¯m just really busy.¡±

    It''s not that he finds the home unbearable. He just didn''t want to hear about his sister and WangYuDong when he''s home. It¡¯s best not to know anything. But the two have nned to get engagedter in the year. Every time he goes home, that''s what they would talk about. He knew that WangYuDong would not belong to him. He just wanted to evade as much as possible and change to a quieter environment.

    This meal was nd and dull. He watched as YanMingMei and WangYuDong smiled intimately at each other. YanMingXiu felt bored and wanted to leave.

    At this moment, a text message came. He turned on the phone screen and saw that ZhouXiang had sent him a joke.

    He never had a habit of responding back to ZhouXiang¡¯s texts. If anything, he would call directly. But at the moment, he couldn¡¯t wait to get out of the current atmosphere; even if it was just a text message to distract him. He responded with, ''<i>Where are you?''</i>

    ZhouXiang also immediately responded, ''<i>Filming an ad.''</i>

    YanMingXiu asked, ''<i>Where? I¡¯lle find you.''</i>

    ZhouXiang is ecstatic. Not only did YanMingXiu respond to his text, he also said that he woulde to find him. YanMingXiu is really a person that is hard to grasp. Every time he felt that there was no hope to move forward, YanMingXiu would get closer to him. Not a lot, but just bit by bit. But this bit made it impossible for ZhouXiang''s heart to resist, making him want to be even closer to YanMingXiu, wanting even more to know what other surprises YanMingXiu have for him.

    The first time YanMingXiu initiated in calling him¡­ the first time he smiled at him¡­ the first time he responded to his text message¡­all this made ZhouXiang feel excited. It''s almost like increasing levels or fighting monsters in a game, he experience the satisfaction of gradually conquering the big BOSS.

    The little things he did with YanMingXiu when they are together and them getting closer will from time to time make ZhouXiang reflect back on the feelings of first love. Although he could no longer remember how his first love looked like, he remembered the feeling of his heart beating erratically.

    ZhouXiang sent the address of his location to YanMingXiu. The stunt coordinator''s line of work is very boring. He needed to constantly adjust the stunt sequences with the unrealistic demands of the director, and then guide the actors at every step for each moves. Sometimes when the actors didn''t perform well, he would get very anxious. So in this boring environment, he looked forward to seeing YanMingXiu. Every time he sees YanMingXiu, his mood would be a lot better.

    YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t stand the torture of sitting through this meal. In the end, he threw out and excuse and left quickly regardless of the elder¡¯s unusual looks. Once he started the car, he headed to go find ZhouXiang.

    When YanMingXiu appeared on the set over an hourter, ZhouXiang¡¯s mood is like getting a gift that he had waited for a long time.

    During break time, YanMingXiu dragged ZhouXiang to a bathroom stall and brutally ravaged his lips.

    ZhouXiang gasped hard under his intensive kisses and asked, ¡°Why did youe? Weren''t you going home?"

    YanMingXiu bit his lips, ¡°Stop talking.¡± His hand lewdly reached into ZhouXiang¡¯s pants.

    ZhouXiang gripped his hand, ¡°You''re not thinking of doing it here, right?"

    ¡°I want to do it here,¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s pupils are unusually bright.

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°Stop joking, I have head back in a bit.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned him over and pressed him against the door frame, tugging his pants down while biting his sensitive ear, ¡°Let me do it.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt that if he was 10 years younger, he may agree to have sex with a man in the bathroom stall. But at this age, it is really not appropriate to do such crazy things. He struggled to push YanMingXiu away but he didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to have such strength, firmly pressing his hands to the door.

    The two had just done it in the morning; ZhouXiang¡¯s lower body is still in a soft and yielding state so YanMingXiu was able to enter him without much effort.

    ZhouXiang groaned and quickly urged, ¡°Wear a condom¡­¡­¡±

    YanMingXiu turned a deaf ear and impatiently thrust into him.

    The both of them were still considered to be dressed properly; only ZhouXiang''s pants had slipped down to his knees, his chest mmed against the door frame with YanMingXiu willfully thrusting in and out of him from behind, causing his body to m on the door frame making ''bang-bang'' sounds.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face blushed from this burning heat. <i>If someone were toe in at this time¡­</i>

    It''s not that YanMingXiu didn''t know that this is an inappropriate ce. So after he had vented out his depression and dissatisfaction, he quickly ended the sex.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s legs went soft. YanMingXiu held onto him as he sat on the toilet lid. Having been greatly stimted, ZhouXiang eyes were a little dazed. He wiped off the sweat on his forehead and said breathlessly, ¡°The game you young people y is way too exciting¡­¡±

    YanMingXiu touched his face. He couldn''t help but kiss his red lips. ¡°I think you quite like the excitement.¡±

    ZhouXiang gasped and panted a few breaths, ¡°You brat. You usually don''t talk much. Can''t tell that you can be this this crazy¡­¡­Oh no, I have to go back.¡± ZhouXiang quickly pulled his pants wanting to stand up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush,¡± YanMingXiu pulled some toilet paper and did something he rarely ever did. He gently helped ZhouXiang wipe that ce (his hole). ZhouXiang felt embarrassed; YanMingXiu is much more brazen than he was at twenty. YanMingXiu supported his waist so he could stand up. Then pulled up his pants and fastened his belt. Rubbing his (ZhouXiang) nose with his lips, ¡°I''ll wait for you to get off work.¡± ZhouXiang faintly felt that their rtionship is getting more and more into dangerous territory. In the entertainment industry, having sex a few times with someone is not that big a deal. But if one was to really fall in love, it''s absolutely not as simple as just being together. ZhouXiang is like most gays who hope for a truly sincere rtionship but he also fear it.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 16

    Zhou Xiang worked until eleven o¡¯clock in the evening before they finally called it a day. Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t look like a person with patience, but he quietly sat at a corner the entire time, eyes closed and ear phones in his ears, silently waiting for Zhou Xiang.

    Although everyone on set was stunned by his looks, no one could tell what he was thinking.

    Once in a while Zhou Xiang would turn his head and would see Yan Mingxiu sitting at the side with an indifferent expression on his face, ncing at him from time to time.

    This person waited eight to nine hours for him, from the afternoon to nearly midnight. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know why Yan Mingxiu decided to do this, but he was very touched.

    Never in his life had there been anyone who had waited so long for him for the sake of going home together with him. Zhou Xiang simply didn¡¯t know how to describe how happy he felt. Yan Mingxiu was a person who captivated people like this. There were times when he was very cold, and there were also times when he would do unexpectedly moving things. Zhou Xiang was finding more and more impossible to move his eyes away from such a contradictory and mysterious person.

    After Zhou Xiang finished work, he walked over Yan Mingxiu, who was resting with his eyes closed, and touched his nose.

    Yan Mingxiu opened his eyes. "Finished work?"

    Zhou Xiang gently smiled. "Yup, sorry for making you wait for so long, you should have gone back first."

    "It¡¯s boring being alone." Yan Mingxiu stood up, and stretched his legs. "Let¡¯s go to eat something. I know a ce that has good Japanese cuisine, you should follow my car there."

    Zhou Xiang replied, "Sure, you lead the way."

    They went downstairs and Zhou Xiang saw that Yan Mingxiu¡¯s car was a Lexus SUV. He nced at it and thenughed, "You are indeed a rich second generation."

    The Yan Family were all people who followed the principle ¡®to not show the mountain and to not reveal the water¡¯. They never showed off their wealth outside. This car was simply an ordinary means of transport. But, in Zhou Xiang¡¯s opinion, it was already very incredible that such a young child like Yan Mingxiu could drive a car worth around one million.

    Yan Mingxiu casually said, "It¡¯s my dad¡¯s."

    Because it was already sote, the drive was smooth and they reached the restaurant very quickly.

    After all the dishes arrived, the waiter closed the door for them, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet space.

    Zhou Xiang poured him some wine andughed, "Mingxiu, I¡¯m so sorry for making you wait for so long. You looked like you were about to fall asleep on your seat."

    "It¡¯s fine, I had nothing to do anyway."

    "Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re going to start a business? What have you been up totely?"

    "I¡¯m financing." Yan Mingxiu seemed reluctant to discuss work rted stuff with him. "Try this, it¡¯s good for your kidneys."

    Zhou Xiang burst outughing. "Your Xiang¡¯ge¡¯s liver is really good. Seeing how energetic you are, you should really be eating more to supplement yourself." Zhou Xiang was alluding to what happened in the afternoon in the toilet.

    Yan Mingxiu shot him a side-nce. That nce was packed with ambiguity, and extremely amorous, making Zhou Xiang¡¯s little heart violently tremble.

    "Eat more. Your job doesn¡¯t have fixed hours, and the nature of your profession is dangerous, that¡¯s very bad for your health."

    Zhou Xiang took one sip of his sake, and said quietly, "Why are you suddenly so concerned about me?"

    Yan Mingxiu looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You naturally need to be in good health, because I quite like being together with you."

    Zhou Xiang could feel that his cheeks were burning hot and his heart was pounding out of control. He blurted out without thinking, "How about you move in and live together with me?"

    After he said those words, the two of them froze.

    Yan Mingxiu silently stirred the mustard with his chopsticks. Zhou Xiang head was also down, deeply regretting the words he had identally blurted out without thinking.

    He had definitely scared Yan Mingxiu. They had only known each other for two weeks, and he already wanted to live together with him.

    Zhou Xiang wasn¡¯t actually really thinking of living with him. In the least, he definitely wasn¡¯t prepared to live with someone he didn¡¯t understand. No matter howpatible their bodies were, cohabitation was a matter that required careful consideration. It¡¯ll be too unsightly if their personalities shed and they ended up falling out with each other. He was already this old, why was he still making irresponsible remarks? What on earth was wrong with him?

    Zhou Xiang really wanted to give himself two ps on the face.

    Fortunately, Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t make anyment, using silence to express his refusal.

    Zhou Xiang let out a breath of relief but at the same time, he felt a vague sense of disappointment. He felt that he was getting more and more abnormal. So long as it was a matter rted to Yan Mingxiu, he would alwaysck some rationality in the way he handled things.

    His heart gave off a big warning bell. Yan Mingxiu had so much influence on him. He wouldn¡¯t really have fallen for him, right?

    Zhou Xiang had long passed the age where he would dash on bravely disregarding his own safety for the sake of love. Falling in love with twenty year old youngster, who blew hot and cold and who he didn¡¯t know much about, when he was nearing thirty was definitely not a good thing. Zhou Xiang lowered his eyes, working hard to conceal his emotions. If he had to make a choice now, he would rather to continue being sex-friends with Yan Mingxiu than to involve his feelings into it.

    However, from the looks of it, all this internal conflict was all just wishful thinking on his part. Yan Mingxiu changed the topic and ced a piece of fish-roe sushi onto Zhou Xiang¡¯s te. "Eat this. This ce has really good business, all the ingredients are really fresh."

    "Oh, ok." Zhou Xiang quickly recovered. "This tastes pretty good."

    They continued to chat and eat as if nothing had happened.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s phone suddenly rang.

    He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Wang Yudong. He immediately answered, "Hello?"

    "Ah, Mingxiu." It was obvious from Wang Yudong¡¯s voice that he was intoxicated.

    "What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve been drinking?"

    "Ah, yeah,e over, I¡¯m inviting you out to eat."

    "Where are you? I¡¯ll go pick you up."

    "I¡¯m... I don¡¯t know where..."

    Someone next to him snatched away his phone. "Hello, can youe to pick up Mr Wang? He¡¯s at Tang Hui. He¡¯s drunk a lot."

    "I¡¯ll be there right away. Please watch him." Yan Mingxiu immediately stood up.

    Wang Yudong¡¯s voice was no longer recognisable. Zhou Xiang could only tell that someone was drunk, but didn¡¯t know who it was. He asked, "Your friend is drunk?"

    "Mn," Yan Mingxiu answered. "Wait for me, I¡¯ll go send him home and thene back." He then hastily put on his shoes and rushed out.

    Zhou Xiang wanted to say, ¡¯No need, I¡¯ll go home by myself¡¯ but before he could open his mouth, Yan Mingxiu had already disappeared without a trace. I wonder who it was was on the other end, to be able to make Yan Mingxiu so anxious. Zhou Xiang stared at the table of uneaten fine cuisine and felt really upset.

    He hesitated over whether he should pay and leave, or do as Yan Mingxiu said and wait for him toe back.

    Zhou Xiang decided to continue eating and wait for him for a while. It was possible that Yan Mingxiu might really be able toe back after sending that person back home.

    Zhou Xiang waited two hours. He really couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so he gave Yan Mingxiu a phone call. The call went through but Yan Mingxiu hung up almost immediately after.

    This was the kind of person Yan Mingxiu was. One second he could help ce food in his bowl and be concerned about his health, and in the next second he could hang up his phone call without considering his feelings. An unstable personality like this, as good as Zhou Xiang¡¯s temper was, even he couldn¡¯t quite handle it.

    Zhou Xiang heaved a little sigh, and called a waiter to settle the bill.

    This meal cost over three thousand yuan, which was more than one month of food expenses for him. However, he didn¡¯tin. He had never been a petty person, and he had originally been nning to treat him to this dinner anyway. It was just that this meal hadn¡¯t been a happy one. Yan Mingxiu left after only eating a few bites, and didn¡¯te back again.

    Even though it wasn¡¯t too mature to think this way, Zhou Xiang felt as if he had been toyed with. Zhou Xiang dejectedly returned home.

    <b>Trantors Note</b>

    The author cut out a few lines this time. I have pasted the original below. Click "Expand" to read. Lines in purple are the cut out lines.

    <b>Expand</b>

    *****

    Yan Mingxiu casually said, "It¡¯s my dad¡¯s."

    Oh." Zhou Xiang responded. "Then I¡¯ll follow you. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m starving."

    Because it was already sote, the drive was smooth and they reached the restaurant very quickly. As it was almost twelve o¡¯clock, there weren¡¯t many people at the restaurant. The two had one tatami room to themselves. The moment Zhou Xiang flipped through the menu, his heart jumped.

    The stuff here is too expensive, ten pieces of fish costs over a thousand yuan?

    Last time, Yan Mingxiu invited him to eat, and he also waited so long for him today so this time Zhou Xiang should be paying for the food, but, how much is this one meal going to cost him?

    Zhou Xiang inwardly sighed but quickly got over it. Money is merely a worldly possession, if this meal is eaten happily, then it¡¯s all good.

    Yan Mingxiu ordered seven to eight dishes. Zhou Xiang had no interest in taking a look at the prices, he didn¡¯t want to ruin his good mood for tasting gourmet food.

    After all the dishes arrived, the waiter closed the door for them, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet space.

    *****

 Chapter 16 (2)

    ZhouXiang was working until 11pm in the evening. Looking at YanMingXiu, he appears to be someone who is impatient, yet he sat quietly in the corner with his headphones plugged in his ears and his eyes closed, waiting for him quietly.

    Nobody knows what he is thinking; even though everyone on the set is captivated by his extraordinary beauty.

    asionally ZhouXiang would turn his head and sees YanMingXiu sitting on the side with an indifferent expression, looking at him from time to time.

    Seeing YanMingXiu waiting for him made ZhouXiang feel an indescribable emotion filling his heart.

    Having a person, waiting an entire 8 to 9 hours from noon to the middle of the night just for him to get off work, ZhouXiang don''t know what YanMingXiu is thinking of but he is very moved by this act.

    There had never been anyone who had waited for him for so long just to go home together with him. ZhouXiang simply didn¡¯t know how to describe his excitement. YanMingXiu is a person who baffles people. Sometimes he is very cold, but sometimes he would unexpectedly do something that would make him (ZhouXiang) fall for him. This contradictory and mysterious person makes it all the more increasingly hard for ZhouXiang to look away from him.

    After work was over, ZhouXiang walked toward YanMingXiu, who was resting with his eyes closed and touched his nose.

    YanMingXiu opened his eyes, "Off work?"

    ZhouXiang smiled at him softly, ¡°Yeah. Having to wait so long, you should have went back first."

    ¡°Meaningless to go back by myself," YanMingXiu stood up and stretched, "Let''s go. Let¡¯s go eat something.¡±

    YanMingXiu added, ¡°I also drove. I know a Japanese cuisine at this ce that is very good. How about you follow my car?"

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Okay, you lead the way.¡±

    Once they got downstairs, ZhouXiang noticed that YanMingXiu drives a Lexus SUV. ZhouXiang nced and him and smiled, "You brat is indeed a wealthy second generation.¡±

    The Yan''s family''s disposition is to not reveal their true colors. When in public, they would never unt. This car is just an ordinary transportation mechanism. But to ZhouXiang, for a young kid like YanMingXiu to drive a car over a £¤100,000 is very unusual.

    YanMingXiu responded casually, ¡°It''s my dad''s.¡±

    ZhouXiang replied with an ¡°oh,¡± ¡°I''ll follow you then. Let''s go. I am starving.¡±

    At this time, traffic is very smooth. They arrived at their destination in less than half an hour. It''s almost midnight but there weren''t many people who came to eat. The two upied a tatami <sup>(T/N)</sup> private room. ZhouXiang casually flipped through the menu, his stomach is constantly rumbling.

    T/N: tatami is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms.

    This restaurant is very expensive; about ten plus pieces of shark fin is over a £¤1,000.

    Since YanMingXiu treated himst time and waited for him for so long today, ZhouXiang ought to pay for this meal. But how much would this cost?

    ZhouXiang sighed in his heart but soon got over it. Money is merely a worldly possession right? As long as they have a happy meal then it''s all fine.

    YanMingXiu ordered seven to eight dishes; ZhouXiang didn''t even have any interest to nce at the prices. He didn''t want to ruin his good mood in tasting the delicious food.

    After the dishes were served, the waiter closed the door, leaving two of them in this tranquil ambiance.

    ZhouXiang poured him some wine and smiled, ¡°MingXiu. Having you wait so long today, I''m sorry. I saw that you quickly fell asleep even just sitting there."

    ¡°It''s alright. I have nothing to do.¡±

    ¡°Didn''t you say that you''d be starting a business? What have you been busy with during this time?¡±

    ¡°Financing stuff,¡± YanMingXiu didn''t seem too willing to talk to him about work matters. ¡°Try this burdock. It''s nutritious for the kidneys.¡±

    ZhouXiang cracked up, ¡°Your Xiang Ge''s kidney is pretty good. Looking at your stamina, you really need more nutrients.¡± ZhouXiang was referring to the incident (sex) in the bathroom earlier in the afternoon.

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes, his expression full of ambiguity and flirtation, making ZhouXiang''s little heart tremble erratically.

    ¡°Eat a bit more. Your work has no fixed time and the nature of your job is dangerous. This is very damaging to your health."

    ZhouXiang smell the wine and asked softly, ¡°Why do you suddenly care about me?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Of course you have to be in good health because I quite like being with you."

    ZhouXiang felt his cheeks burning hot and his heart beating erratically. Without thinking, he blurted out, "How about you move in with me?"

    After the words are out, both are shocked.

    YanMingXiu silently mixed the wasabi with his chopsticks while ZhouXiang lowered his head, feeling regret for saying those words without thinking.

    YanMingXiu must have been frightened. They''ve only known each other for two weeks and ZhouXiang had already wanted to live with him.

    In fact, that''s really not what ZhouXiang thought. At least, he''s absolutely not prepared to cohabit with a person he didn''t know. No matter howpatible their bodies are, cohabitation is a matter that requires careful consideration in case the two people''s personalities sh and they have a fallout, it would be too unsightly. He''s already at this age, how can he speak so carelessly? What''s wrong with him?

    ZhouXiang really wanted to punch himself twice.

    Fortunately, YanMingXiu did not express his position and intended to use his silence to dere his rejection.

    While ZhouXiang sighed in relief, his heart is also faintly disappointed. He''s increasingly feeling that he''s not normal. With any matters rting to YanMingXiu, his way of dealing with it always seems tock some rationale.

    The rming bells in ZhouXiang''s heart erupted. YanMingXiu''s influence on him is so immense; <i>he couldn''t have fallen in love with him right? </i>

    ZhouXiang had already passed the age of recklessly throwing himself into love. At the age of 30, falling in love with a 20 year old young man who he doesn''t know much about and who neither seems close or distant is definitely not a good thing. ZhouXiang lowered his eyes and tried hard to conceal his emotions.

    If he is allowed to choose now, he wanted to continue on being fuck buddies with YanMingXiu and not get himself involved in a rtionship.

    But seeing as it is, all this is just his wishful thinking. YanMingXiu changed the topic and gave him a caviar sushi, "Eat this. The business is good here; the food is very fresh."

    ¡°Uhm, okay," ZhouXiang quickly regained his senses, ¡°This tastes good.¡±

    As if nothing had happened, the two continued to chat and eat.

    At this time, YanMingXiu''s phone suddenly rang.

    He nced at the phone and it was WangYuDong. He immediately picked up, "Hello?"

    ¡°Ah, MingXiu.¡± WangYuDong''s voice sounded obviously drunk.

    ¡°What''s going on? You drank?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah,e, I''ll treat you to dinner.¡±

    ¡°Where are you? I''lle pick you up.¡±

    ¡°I am at¡­¡­don¡¯t know¡­¡­¡±

    Someone next to WangYuDong took his phone and said, "Hello. Can youe to pick Mr. Wang up? He is at the Tang Association. He drank too much.¡±

    ¡°I''ll go there now. Look after him,¡± YanMingXiu stood up immediately.

    WangYuDong''s voice no longer sound like him so ZhouXiang could only hear that someone is drunk. But he didn''t know who he was. He asked, "Your friend''s drunk?

    "Yeah,¡± YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Wait for me. I''ll take him home ande back.¡± After saying that, he quickly put on his shoes and rushed out.

    ZhouXiang wanted to tell him to not bother withing back, that he will go home. But before he could open his mouth, YanMingXiu had disappeared. He had no idea know who the person on the other line was that could make YanMingXiu so anxious. ZhouXiang looked at the unfinished exquisite cuisine on the table, his heart feeling vorless.

    He hesitated on whether to pay and leave or like YanMingXiu said to wait for him to return?

    ZhouXiang decided to continue eating. He''ll just wait for a bit; maybe YanMingXiu woulde back after taking the person home.

    This waitsted two hours. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer so he gave YanMingXiu a call. The phone was connected but YanMingXiu immediately hung up.

    YanMingXiu is just this kind of person. In a second, he could care about his health and give him food; but in the next second, he could be so insensitive to people''s feelings and hang up on him. This kind of vtile personality, even with ZhouXiang''s mild temper, it is also a bit unbearable.

    ZhouXiang sighed softly and asked the waiter for the bill.

    This meal cost more than £¤3,000, more than his one month''s food expenses but he had noints. He was never a petty person. Adding on, he had originally intended to treat. It was just that this meal was not too pleasant with YanMingXiu leaving without eating a few mouthfuls and didn''t return.

    Although thinking this way was not very mature, he had a feeling of being yed by someone. ZhouXiang went home feeling depressed.

    End of the Chapter

    .

 Chapter 17

    After Zhou Xiang had a shower and went to bed, he cast a nce at the clock on the wall. It was already four o¡¯clock.

    He felt really tired but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. His mind was tense the entire time. His head couldn¡¯t get rid of the events that had happened between him and Yan Mingxiu over the past ten hours.

    Zhou Xiang was deeply worried for himself. No matter how attractive Yan Mingxiu was, he still shouldn¡¯t be plunging in like a greenhorn who was in love for the first time. Analysing it rationally, although Zhou Xiang had always dreamed of having a stable rtionship, Yan Mingxiu was evidently not a person who could settle down with him. Yan Mingxiu was too dazzling and too young. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t feel that he¡¯ll be able to keep a watch over him.

    He shouldn¡¯t be so serious about Yan Mingxiu. It was too dangerous.

    Zhou Xiang closed his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep.

    Just as he started feeling sleepy, the doorbell suddenly rang. Zhou Xiang jumped with a start. He opened his eyes. It was almost five o¡¯clock, who would be ringing the doorbell at this hour?

    Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s...

    Zhou Xiang jumped out of bed, nced into the peephole, and then opened the door. Standing at the entrance was Yan Mingxiu, reeking of alcohol.

    Yan Mingxiu usually always looked arrogant and indifferent. This was the first time Zhou Xiang had ever seen him so intoxicated.

    Yan Mingxiu nced at him, and suddenly threw himself at him, mumbling, "F**k, What am I to you..."

    Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t hear clearly. "What? You what?"

    Yan Mingxiu was tall and heavy, and almost crushed Zhou Xiang to the ground. With great effort, Zhou Xiang moved Yan Mingxiu to the bedroom. Fortunately, his apartment was small, and he didn¡¯t need to go that far.

    Yan Mingxiu was still mumbling words that Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t understand. Zhou Xiang turned on the light, and stared at the slightly pathetic looking Yan Mingxiu, and felt extremely helpless.

    He helped Yan Mingxiu take off his clothes and shoes, and used a hot towel to wipe off the sweat on his face. Afterwards, he poured him a cup of water, and made him drink hangover medicine.

    Yan Mingxiu opened his eyes, and nkly stared at him, or perhaps he was looking at another person through him.

    "Mingxiu? Are you awake or not? Do you feel ufortable anywhere? Weren¡¯t you going to pick up your friend? How did you end up drunk as well? Then how did your friend get back? How did you get over here? Shit, don¡¯t tell me were drunk-driving, the police are watching out so tightly these days. You actually dared to? Don¡¯t you know how dangerous that is?"

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s eyes slowly recovered focus. He said hoarsely, "Oh, it¡¯s you."

    Now it was Zhou Xiang¡¯s turn to stare nkly at him. He then said helplessly, "You really have drunk too much."

    Yan Mingxiu covered his eyes with the back hand. The light was too harsh.

    He did everything he could to treat Wang Yudong well. He had never been so good to anyone in his entire life. Why did that person have to be his future brother-inw? He drove in the middle of night to pick him up at a nightclub, but he moured and yelled for someone to find his wife. In the end, his sister went to pick him up, and they supported each other back home.

    Who did Wang Yudong think he was? He had no authority or power. If Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t his future brother-inw, Yan Mingxiu would have already used his own methods to obtain him. However, there were some things in this world that even he, Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t obtain.

    No matter how well he treated him, it was all a waste of time.

    Yan Mingxiu flipped over. The sheet¡¯s cheapundry powder smell entered his nose. His mind felt very foggy for a split second.

    What was he doing here? There were so many things he could be doing, so why was he wasting his time on a man who nothing but a back view that resembled Wang Yudong¡¯s. What on earth was he doing?

    An ice-cold hand covered his forehead. It was like a cool breeze, alleviating his irritation and gloominess. Zhou Xiang¡¯s maic voice sounded by his ear, "I¡¯ve turned off the light, have a good sleep." That voice was filled with mellowness, making him feel oddly at ease.

    Yan Mingxiu opened his eyes. The light really had been turned off and Zhou Xiang was lying in the bed next to him. Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t help but turn around, hug Zhou Xiang¡¯s waist and bury his head into Zhou Xiang¡¯s chest.

    Although Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t say anything, Zhou Xiang could sense his downcast mood. He gently stroked Yan Mingxiu¡¯s back, andughed gently, "Be good, go to sleep, when you wake up, you won¡¯t feel bad anymore."

    For the first time these two people fell asleep on the same bed without doing anything.

    Yan Mingxiu never expected that Zhou Xiang¡¯s embrace would be so warm, that his hands would be so gentle and soft, and that his voice could be so pleasant to listen to. This man seemed to have a lot of qualities that were worth unearthing.

    His hug made Yan Mingxiu feel at ease.

    He finally rxed and closed his eyes.

    Yan Mingxiu was woken up by a fragrant smell. He was so hungry his stomach was grumbling. Although his eyelids felt swollen and heavy, he still struggled to a sitting position.

    He was at Zhou Xiang¡¯s house, in a room he was very familiar with. <f title="Original Line: " he="" put="" on="" zhou="" xiang¡¯s="" clothes="" and="" pushed="" open="" the="" door.="" xiang="" was="" busy="" in="" kitchen="" with="" an="" apron="" on,="" his="" mouth="" also="" humming="" a="" gentle="" tune.""="">When he walked out, he saw that Zhou Xiang was busy in the kitchen with an apron on.</f>

    Yan Mingxiu leaned against the wall and watched him for a long time. His heart was slowly won over by this scene. He had no choice but to admit that he really liked how it felt being together with Zhou Xiang. How to put it? He felt reallyfortable and at home.

    Zhou Xiang was mature, had his own job and would not pester him. Zhou Xiang was big-hearted. Even when he said unpleasant things, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t mind at all, and always had a smile on his face, so Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t lose his temper at Zhou Xiang no matter bad his mood was. Furthermore, making love with him felt seriously good. Zhou Xiang was a partner with almost no shorings that he could find. Having someone like Zhou Xiang by his side seemed to be precisely what he needed.

    The most important thing was, when he was with Zhou Xiang, even if he was only tricking himself, he could also relieve his obsession towards Wang Yudong a little bit.

    Yan Mingxiu walked over and knocked on the ss wall.

    Zhou Xiang turned his head around, and shed him a bright smile. "<f title="Original Line: " you¡¯re="" awake,="" really="" early,="" i="" thought="" that="" you="" would="" sleep="" until="" three="" or="" four="" o¡¯clock="" in="" the="" afternoon.""="">You¡¯re awake, you¡¯re really early."</f>

    "I¡¯m hungry."

    "The food is almost ready."

    Yan Mingxiu sat at the dining table, his chin propped on his hands, his head tilted, watching Zhou Xiang¡¯s busy figure. Even when he was at his own home, he had never felt such a strong family atmosphere. Could it be that their kitchen and living room are too far away from each other?

    Or is it because the person cooking isn¡¯t the right person?

    Zhou Xiang carried over the sumptuous breakfast.

    Yan Mingxiu nced at it. "Why¡¯d you make so much?"

    "Look at the time, eat breakfast and lunch together. Yesterday you drank too much and looked really unwell. You need to eat more today to make up for it." Zhou Xiang ced the sushi which he hadn¡¯t finished eating at the restaurant yesterday and had brought back home onto the table. "These are still fresh, it¡¯s a real shame you didn¡¯t get to finish eating it."

    Yan Mingxiu remembered how he cast Zhou Xiang aside and left yesterday and he felt a bit strange inside. "I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t go back yesterday, you didn¡¯t wait for me for too long, right?"

    "Don¡¯t worry about it, I left as soon as I finished eating." Zhou Xiang replied nonchntly. "The porridge is a bit hot, blow first."

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t move and instead looked at him and said, "Give me a set of your house keys."

    Zhou Xiang nkly stared at him.

    Yan Mingxiu raised his eyebrow. "You said it yesterday, you wouldn¡¯t have forgotten, have you?"

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s face flushed with excitement. "You, you¡¯re really... You¡¯re really going to move in?

    "Mn." Yan Mingxiu nodded, and seeing the unconceble joy on Zhou Xiang¡¯s face, for some reason his heart also felt nice and warm inside. "Except when I have to go back home once in a while."

    Zhou Xiang felt that these past two weeks had been too insane. He invited a one-night stand whom he had only known for two weeks to live with him, and the other party agreed as well.

    His rationality told him that this wasn¡¯t right. How much did he know about him? What if they couldn¡¯t get along? But he godamnit wanted to hug and kiss Yan Mingxiu right now. He felt very excited. It had been so many years. This house was finally going have a second resident, and it was also someone who he was infatuated with.

    Zhou Xiang happily reached over the dining table, and gave him a fierce kiss. "You are warmly wee here, darling."

    Yan Mingxiu captured his chin, and said in a low voice, "First, you need to promise me two things."

    "Go on."

    "One, when we¡¯re living together, you are not allowed to be involved with another man. Two, must not interfere with each other¡¯s lives."

    Zhou Xiang patted his cheek, and smiled, "Deal."

    Admitting someone into his house wasn¡¯t as hard as Zhou Xiang had imagined. Perhaps it was because Yan Mingxiu had never deliberately concealed his own ws so Zhou Xiang had already experienced and adjusted to Yan Mingxiu¡¯s personality. Thus it could be said that they were getting along.

    Yan Mingxiu brought over some daily necessities and aputer. Zhou Xiang heard that he was starting a business so he tidied up the guest room and ced a business desk in there for him. This guest room used to be his bedroom when he was little, and was perfect as a study.

    On night of the first day Yan Mingxiu moved in, to celebrate, Zhou Xiang opened a bottle of Lafite he had kept for a long time. This wine was something a producer gifted to him in the past. All this time, he hadn¡¯t been able to bring himself to drink it, but today was a very significant day for him, because he was bringing another person into his life, into this old apartment. No matter how far they could go in the end, in the least, this person will apany him for a period of time in his life, so he would at least not be lonely.

    They wildly made love that night, using the most naked and direct way to express their unconceble hunger for the other person.

    Their cohabitation officially began.

    <f title="This paragraph was omitted in the new version, but I¡¯ve kept it here because I felt that thest part is important.">They could both be considered self-employed. The jobs Zhou Xiang did spanned over several months. Normally when he had nothing to do, he would go out with friends to drink and watch ser, but because of Yan Mingxiu, he went home noticeably more often. Yan Mingxiu on the other hand, was currently observing a project and frequently had to go out. However, almost every time he came home, Zhou Xiang would have prepared food for him in the fridge, ensuring that no matter when he came home, he would always have food to eat.</f>

    Their co-habitation was very harmonious from the very beginning. They didn¡¯t show interest in each other¡¯s work or social life. Even now Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know what Yan Mingxiu was doing and also never asked. He only knew that the Yan Mingxiu had a high standard of living. Zhou Xiang was very satisfied with their current rtionship.

    Today, he got a call. He was taken aback when he saw the name disyed on the screen. He hadn¡¯t expected that Lan Xirong would still contact him after more than a year had passed.

    Withplicated feelings, he answered the call. A really nice-sounding male voice sounded from the other end, but its tone was clearly a bit ufortable. "Xiang¡¯ge, I¡¯vee back."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Oh, you¡¯re still using this number. Long time no see."

    "Mhm, I never changed my number..."

    The two fell into an awkward silence.

    Zhou Xiang said as a form of courtesy, "I heard news about you on TV. Your movie was a big sess. When it¡¯s shown in theatres, I¡¯ll definitely go to cheer you on. Xiang¡¯ge will invite you out to eat next time."

    Although it was very obvious to anyone listening how perfunctory these words were, Lan Xirong was unwilling to follow along and hang up the phone. Instead, after a moment of silence, he said, "Xiang¡¯ge, do you have time today? Let¡¯s meet."

    "Unfortunately, I¡¯m busy today, some other day, okay? You just came back so you must be really tired, go have a good rest."

    "Xiang¡¯ge." Lan Xirong hastily said, "Are you mad at me?"

    "What¡¯re you saying? Don¡¯t overthink things. I really am busy today. You¡¯re a famous celebrity now, you can¡¯t just casually invite people out to meet as you please. I¡¯m also doing this for your own good."

    Lan Xirong took a deep breath. "Xiang¡¯ge, I want to see you. I want to see you right now."

    Zhou Xiang froze, and then said helplessly, "Xirong, I feel that it¡¯ll only be awkward if we see each other. Why is there any need for us to meet? I¡¯m gay, you¡¯re not. It¡¯s that simple. No one¡¯s wronged anyone. You¡¯ve be a star, Xiang¡¯ge congrattes you, let¡¯s leave it at that."

    "Xiang¡¯ge." Before Zhou Xiang could hang up the phone, Lan Xirong rushed to say in a low voice, "I want to apologise to you. I was thoughtless in the past."

    Zhou Xiang "Mn"ed, and then said politely, "I don¡¯t me you. I¡¯m still busy on my side, I¡¯m hanging up now." After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone without any hesitation.

    Zhou Xiang threw his phone onto the sofa and let out a long sigh.

    Lan Xirong was currently theirpany¡¯s biggest cash cow. When he first entered the entertainment industry, he and Zhou Xiang had a really good rtionship. At that time, Zhou Xiang was his senior, and because Zhou Xiang had a good impression of clean and pure boys with talent like Lan Xirong, he helped Lan Xirong out a few times. Zhou Xiang was homosexual. When he saw an outstanding boy, it was hard for him to avoid having other ideas. However, he had never once entertained the notion of forcing someone or using the little power he had to coerce another person. He only wanted to help Lan Xirong, and also openly expressed to Lan Xirong that he liked him. However, Lan Xirong misunderstood, and from then on, even acted as if Zhou Xiang¡¯s help was a deep insult to him, making Zhou Xiang feel extremely awkward.

    Lan Xirong¡¯s beahviour was very immature, but Zhou Xiang never med him. However, their rtionship gradually drifted apart.

    Afterwards, Lan Xirong obtained the chance to participate in a Hollywood blockbuster. He had a bright future ahead of him, and he and Zhou Xiang broke off contact. Zhou Xiang had already long forgotten about him.

    Zhou Xiang never expected that Lan Xirong would contact him again. However, Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart was very tranquil. From today¡¯s phone call, he could clearly sense that Lan Xirong had matured a lot and this made him feel really gratified. However, in light of their unhappy past, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t want toe in contact with him again as much as possible.

    Unfortunately, they were from the samepany. Not bumping into each other was easier said than done.

    The next day after he hung on the phone on Lan Xirong, he got a call from Cai Wei telling him that thepany was holding a celebratory dinner for Lan Xirong, and his attendance waspulsory.

    Yan Mingxiu was next to him at that time. Zhou Xiang refused without the slightest hesitation. "Wei¡¯ge, I have a family matter to attend to."

    Cai Wei countered, "What family matter could you possibly have?"

    Zhou Xiang looked at Yan Mingxiu¡¯s peerlessly handsome face andughed, "I have an appointment with my beauty."

    "Cancel it." Cai Wei said bluntly, "Xirong specially stressed to me that you muste. He said that he was ignorant in the past, you helped him so much, he wouldn¡¯t be where he is today without you, he wants to apologise to you, and also thank you."

    "Heyo, he¡¯s over-exaggerating. A little, little stuntman like me really didn¡¯t help him much. If you needed to calcte who contributed to his rise to fame, I certainly wouldn¡¯t be counted in the equation. Wei¡¯ge, I¡¯m begging you, I won¡¯t hide things from you, you already know that things are really awkward between us, I¡¯m not going, ok? Be good, you guys y by yourselves."

    "Not ok. The boss is alsoing tonight. You already know how highly the boss regards him now. If you don¡¯t go, wouldn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯re not giving the boss face?"

    Zhou Xiang felt utterly helpless. "Fine, fine, fine, I get it, argh.¡±

    After he hung up the phone, Yan Mingxiu nced at him. "What¡¯s up? Who are you meeting? Why don¡¯t you want to go?"

    "An old junior of mine who¡¯s famous now. There was some unpleasantness between us in the past, I really don¡¯t want to go." Resigned to his fate, Zhou Xiang went to change his clothes. "They pay my sry so, haah. Heat up the leftovers from lunch for your dinner, I¡¯m noting back in the evening."

    Yan Mingxiu looked at Zhou Xiang and knitted his brows. He felt a bit ufortable. "If you don¡¯t want to go then don¡¯t go, what¡¯s so good about your job anyway, if you resign, I¡¯ll feed you."

    Zhou Xiangughed as he touched Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face. "Darling, I really love hearing those words." However, he would never take those words seriously. He gave Yan Mingxiu a kiss, grabbed his wallet, phone and keys and left the house.

 Chapter 17 (2)

    After ZhouXiang took a shower, he went to bed. ncing at the clock on the wall, it was already 4am.

    He actually felt exhausted but couldn¡¯t sleep. His mind had been in a state of tension. He couldn''t stop his mind from lingering of all the things that happened in the ten hours with YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang was deeply worried for himself. No matter how charming YanMingXiu is, he should be not be like a little boy experiencing love for the first time, plunging head on into it. Analyzing it rationally, even though ZhouXiang dreamed of having a stable rtionship¡­ to have a very considerate person who he can share the rest of his life with¡­ YanMingXiu is obviously not that person who can settle down with him. YanMingXiu is too dazzling and too young. ZhouXiang didn''t feel like he could hold onto him.

    He shouldn''t set his heart on YanMingXiu too much; it is too dangerous.

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

    Just when he was feeling sleepy, the doorbell rang. ZhouXiang sat up in shock. He opened his eyes to look and saw that it was already 5am<i>. Who would be ringing the doorbell at this time?</i>

    <i>Could it be¡­¡­</i>

    ZhouXiang jumped out of bed and looked through the peephole, then opened the door. Standing in front of the door is YanMingXiu, reeking of alcohol.

    YanMingXiu had always looked arrogant and indifferent. It is definitely the first time for ZhouXiang to see him in such drunken state.

    YanMingXiu nced at him and immediately threw himself onto ZhouXiang. Murmuring softly, ¡°Fuck, what am I¡­¡­"

    ZhouXiang didn''t hear it clearly, ¡°What? What''s going on?¡±

    YanMingXiu is so tall and heavy that when he leaned on ZhouXiang, ZhouXiang almost ended up sitting on the ground. He exhaustively supported YanMingXiu into the bedroom. Fortunately, his home is small so they didn''t have to go too far.

    YanMingXiu still mumbled words that ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t understand. ZhouXiang turned on the light and sees YanMingXiu looking helplessly pitiful.

    He removed YanMingXiu''s clothes and shoes and used a hot towel to help him wipe the sweat on his face. Then poured him a ss of water so he can smoothly take the hangover medicine.

    YanMingXiu opened his eyes and stared nkly at him, or he could be looking at someone else through him.

    ¡°MingXiu? Are you awake or not? Where are you ufortable?¡± After saying that, ZhouXiang felt that he had asked something stupid. How can he feelfortable being drunk like this?

    ¡°Didn''t you go to pick up your drunk friend? Howe you also got drunk? How did your friend get back? Why did youe here? Fuck, you didn''t drive while intoxicated right? It''s very strict now. You really dare, it''s so dangerous."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes gradually regained its focus as he hoarsely uttered, "Oh, it''s you."

    This time it was ZhouXiang who stared at him. Then, he helplessly responded, "You''ve really drank too much."

    YanMingXiu covered his eyes with the back of his hand; the lights are too ring.

    YanMingXiu did his utmost to be good to WangYuDong. He had never treated anyone this good in his life. Why is WangYuDong his future brother-inw? He drove to the nightclub to pick him up in the middle of the night, but WangYuDong kept calling out for his sister. Finally, his sister came and the couple went home.

    WangYuDong is nothing special. He has no power, no influence. If he was not with his sister, YanMingXiu would''ve already used his own means to get him. But there are actually things in the world that he, YanMingXiu, could not have.

    No matter how good he treat him (WangYuDong), it is useless.

    YanMingXiu turned over and suddenly became distracted when he smelled the cheap detergent on the bed sheets.

    <i>What is he doing here? There are so many things he could do, yet he''s wasting time on a man who merely has a simr back silhouette as WangYuDong. What exactly is he doing?</i>

    A cold handnded on his forehead like that of cool breeze, diminishing is temper and depression. ZhouXiang¡¯s soft and alluring voice sounded on the side of his ears. ¡°I''ve turned off the light. Sleep well." This voice is full of a man¡¯s simplicity and kindness, making people feel immenselyfortable.

    YanMingXiu opened his eyes. Sure enough, the lights are off and ZhouXiang is lying next to him.

    YanMingXiu blinked and couldn¡¯t help but turned and grabbed ZhouXiang''s waist, burying his face on his (ZhouXiang) chest.

    Although YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say anything, ZhouXiang felt his depressing mood. He stroked YanMingXiu¡¯s back and faintly smiled, "Be good. Sleep. You''ll feel better when you wake up."

    This is the first time that the two slept hugging each other and did nothing.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t think that ZhouXiang¡¯s embrace would be so warm, his palms so gentle and soft and his voice so pleasant to hear. This man seems to have a lot of things worthy for him to discover.

    Holding him made YanMingXiu feel at ease.

    He finally closed his eyes rxingly.

    YanMingXiu was awakened by a vorful aroma. He is so hungry that his stomach is rumbling. Although his eyelids were swollen and heavy, he still struggled to get up.

    He is at ZhouXiang¡¯s home; he is familiar with this room.

    Wearing ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes, he pushed the door open. ZhouXiang is in an apron, busily cooking in the kitchen, humming a soft tune.

    YanMingXiu leaned on the wall and looked at him for a long time. His heart is gradually convinced by such a scene. He can''t help but admit that he likes the feeling of being with ZhouXiang. How should it be said? It is veryfortable.

    ZhouXiang is mature, has his own career, and won''t nag him. ZhouXiang is broad-minded; even if he (YanMingXiu) said any unpleasant words, ZhouXiang hardly minds. ZhouXiang always has a warmly smile on his face. Even if he (YanMingXiu) is in a very bad mood, ZhouXiang wouldn''t get angry. Also, having sex with him feels so good. ZhouXiang is apanion that he couldn''t find any faults with. With such person by his side, it''s really what he needs.

    The most important thing is that being with ZhouXiang, even if he were to only deceive himself, it can slightly alleviate his obsession with WangYuDong.

    He walked over and knocked on the ss screen.

    ZhouXiang turned his head and exposed a bright smile, ¡°You''re up. It''s still early. I thought you''d sleep till three to four this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Just in time. I''m almost done cooking this."

    YanMingXiu sat down on the dinner table, propping his hand on his chin as he turns his head to look at ZhouXiang''s figure walking back and forth. Even in his own home, he didn''t feel such intense family ambience.

    <i>Could it be that the kitchen in his home is too far from the dining room? Or does it have something to do with the person who is cooking?</i>

    ZhouXiang brought out the sumptuous breakfast.

    YanMingXiu nced, ¡°You cooked so much?¡±

    ¡°Look at the time. We''re eating breakfast and lunch together. You must be so ufortable from being drunk yesterday so today, you must nourish yourself." ZhouXiang took the leftover sushi from yesterday and put it on the table. ¡°It¡¯s still fresh, such pity that you didn¡¯t finish eating yesterday.¡±

    YanMingXiu thought of how he had casted ZhouXiang aside and left yesterday, his heart felt a bit strange. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯te back yesterday. You didn''t wait too long for me did you?¡±

    ¡°It''s fine. I left after finished eating,¡± ZhouXiang hardly mind, "The porridge is a bit hot. Blow it a little."

    YanMingXiu drank some warm water and then said clearly, ¡°Give me a copy of your house key.¡±

    ZhouXiang stared at him nkly.

    YanMingXiu raised his eyebrows, ¡°You haven''t forgotten what you said yesterday, right?"

    ZhouXiang''s face turned red from excitement. "You, you really¡­¡­you''re really going to move in?"

    ¡°Yeah,¡± YanMingXiu nodded and sees ZhouXiang''s inconceble happiness. Somehow, YanMingXiu''s also felt his heart warming, ¡°Except having to return home once in a while.¡±

    At this time, ZhouXiang felt that this is all too crazy. He invited a one-night stand, whom he had only known for two weeks to live with him, and the other party actually agreed.

    His rationale tells him that this is wrong. How much does he know about the other person? What if they are ipatible? But damn it, he wants to hold and kiss YanMingXiu. ZhouXiang is extremely excited. It''s been so many years. This home finally has a second person in it. Furthermore, it is a person who captivates him.

    ZhouXiang happily leaned over the table and kissed him intensely, ¡°Baby, warm wees.¡±

    YanMingXiu grabbed his chin and lowly uttered, ¡°Let''s agree on some things first; you have to promise me two things.¡±

    ¡°Say it?¡±

    ¡°First, when living with me, you can''t have any connections with other men. Second, we don''t interfere with each other''s lives."

    ZhouXiang patted his face and lightly smiled, ¡°Deal.¡±

    epting a person into his own home, ZhouXiang didn''t think it was going to be hard even from the start. Perhaps because YanMingXiu never deliberately concealed his shorings so ZhouXiang had long withstood his temper and had gotten used to it. So the two people could be said as being able to get along perfectly fine.

    YanMingXiu brought some daily necessities and aputer. ZhouXiang heard that he wanted to start a business so he simply cleaned the guest room and put in a desk for him. This room was originally his childhood room. Now, it''s perfect to use as a study room.

    The first night YanMingXiu moved in, ZhouXiang opened a bottle of Laffey that he had saved for a long time. This wine was given to him by a former producer. He had been reluctant to drink it, but today is of great significance to him because he brought another person into his life and into his home. Regardless of how far they may go, at least this person will be with him for a while so he won''t be so lonely.

    At night, they made love passionately, venting their hunger for each other using the most primitive and straightforward way.

    The two men''s cohabitation officially began.

    ¡ª¨C

    Both of them are considered to be self-employed at the moment. ZhouXiang''s work usuallyst a few months. Usually when he doesn''t have anything to do, he would go out with his friends to drink and watch ball games. But because YanMingXiu is in his home, the number of times ZhouXiang returned home increased significantly. As for YanMingXiu, he is looking into a project and is often out. But almost every time hees back, ZhouXiang would always have food prepared for him left in the refrigerator to ensure that he would have something to eat whenever he returns.

    From the start, they got along very harmoniously. They wouldn''t ask about each other¡¯s work or friends. ZhouXiang still doesn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu does. He only knows that YanMingXiu''s standard of life is very good. He never asked. He is very content with their present status.

    This day, ZhouXiang received a phone call. Looking at the caller ID, he is startled. He didn¡¯t expect that LanXiRong would contact him after over a year.

    He took the call with aplicated mood. A very good male voice came from the other line but his tone obviously sounded awkward, "Xiang Ge, I''m back.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Oh, you''re still using this number? Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Yea, I''ve continued to pay the phone bill¡­¡­"

    The two fell into a moment of awkwardness.

    ZhouXiang politely uttered, ¡°I''ve seen your news on TV. The filming must have been quite sessful. I''ll definitely go support the movie when it''s in theater. One of these days, I''ll treat you to a meal."

    These spoken words obviously sounded very halfhearted. LanXiRong refused to follow the course of the conversation in hanging up. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Xiang Ge. Are you free today? Let''s meet up."

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have ns today. How about another day? You''ve just returned so you must be tired. Have a good rest."

    ¡°Xiang Ge,¡± LanXiRong scrambled to ask, ¡°Are you angry at me?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Don''t think too much. I really have ns. You''re a big star right now. You can''t just casually meet up with people. I''m just thinking for your own good."

    LanXiRong took a deep breath, ¡°Xiang Ge, I want to see you¡­see you right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang paused and responded helplessly, ¡°XiRong, I think it would be awkward for us to meet. Why bother? I''m gay, you''re not. What''s between us is just this simple. There is no who wronged the other. You created a name of yourself, Xiang Ge congratte you. Let''s just leave it at that."

    ¡°Xiang Ge,¡± LanXiRong quickly stopped him from hanging up and softly voiced, "I want to apologize to you. I was not sensible back then."

    ZhouXiang ¡°hmm¡± and politely said, ¡°I don¡¯t me you. I''m busy. Going to hang up." After he said that, he hung up the phone without hesitation.

    ZhouXiang threw the phone on the sofa and sighed.

    LanXiRong is currently thergest cash cow in theirpany. When he first debuted, he had a good rtionship with ZhouXiang. At that time, ZhouXiang was his senior. Because he was very impressed with LanXiRong''s talents, he helped him a few times.

    ZhouXiang is a homosexual. It is inevitable that he would have other thoughts when seeing such an exceptional boy. But he never thought of using his seniority to force others. ZhouXiang really just wanted to help him. Moreover, he had bluntly expressed his interest in LanXiRong to him, but LanXiRong misunderstood, so much that since then he appeared to be very much insulted by ZhouXiang''s help. He also publicly mocked ZhouXiang, making ZhouXiang very embarrassed.

    LanXiRong''s course of action is very immature but ZhouXiang didn''t me him. It''s just that the two gradually became estranged.

    Later on, LanXiRong got a chance to participate in a Hollywood blockbuster. His future is very promising. ZhouXiang and he no longer contacted each other. He (ZhouXiang) almost forgot out their matters.

    Unexpectedly, LanXiRong would still contacted him. But ZhouXiang''s heart is very calm and also felt very proud of LanXiRong''s achievements.

    After the phone call today, ZhouXiang obviously felt that LanXiRong had matured a lot. It made him felt very gratified. But considering their unpleasant past, ZhouXiang tried not to get in contact with him again.

    Unfortunately, the two are from the samepany so it''s impossible for them not to bump into each other.

    The next day, he received a call from CaiWei, informing him that thepany is throwing LanXiRong a celebratory party and he must attend.

    YanMingXiu was next to him at the time. ZhouXiang refused without hesitation, ¡°Wei Ge, I have family issues."

    CaiWei rhetorically asked, "What family issues can you have?"

    ZhouXiang smiled in response, "I have a date with a beauty.¡±

    ¡°Decline it,¡± Cai Wei said bluntly. ¡°Today, XiRong specifically emphasized to me that you must attend. He said that he was not sensible before¡­ that you helped him so much. Without you, he wouldn''t have his aplishments today. He wanted to apologize and to thank you."

    ¡°Aiyah, sounding so serious. I''m just a mere stuntman. I didn''t really help him much. He was able to be popr; the number of people he should thank wouldn''t even get to me. Wei Ge, I''m begging you. I''ve not hidden anything from you. You also know how awkward it is between us. I''m not going to go, okay? You guys go right ahead and enjoy yourselves."

    ¡°Can''t, the boss is attending tonight. You know that the boss think highly of him. If you don''t attend, aren''t you not giving him face?

    ZhouXiang responded helplessly, "Fine, fine, fine. I know. Jeez."

    After he hung up, YanMingXiu nced at him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who are you seeing? So unwilling.¡±

    ¡°A junior from the past. Now he''s popr. There were some unhappy matters between us before. I really don''t want to go." ZhouXiang dejectedly changed into a suit. "Aiiighhh, that''s how it is when you''re working for a sry. Oh, you can heat up the leftover food for dinner, okay? I''m not going to be back tillter tonight."

    Seeing ZhouXiang slightly bunching up his brows, YanMingXiu''s heart felt a bit unsettled. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go then just don''t go. Your job is no big deal. Quit, I''ll support you."

    ZhouXiang smiled and caressed YanMingXiu''s cheek, "Baby, I really love hearing your words." But ZhouXiang would never take it seriously. He kissed YanMingXiu, grabbed his wallet and keys and left.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 18

    The CEO of theirpany booked a banquet hall at the Grand Hotel to host a weing reception for LanXiRong. In fact, LanXiRong had returned twice, seeming to prepare for his record. But the film did indeed take more than a year toplete filming. After it waspleted, his poprity in the country is already very different from before.

    On this day, most of thepany¡¯s people had arrived. Theirpany is not veryrge, but still, there were about 70- 80 people and their profits have been good. Their boss is from a 2<sup>nd</sup> generation wealthy family. The businesses in his hands are very vast but his personality is a bit strange. Still, he is a good person, giving the employees great benefits. Whether it is ZhouXiang or other employees, working in thispany has been veryfortable.

    As ZhouXiang entered the hotel, he first noticed CaiWei weing the guests downstairs. He greeted him and walked by but CaiWei is too busy to socialize with him, ¡°Go up by yourself, it¡¯s on the second floor.¡±

    There are many big-shot celebrities attending from entertainment circle. When someone is popr (LanXiRong) it is obviously very easy to rally a powerful crowd. There are at least three hundred attendees and at least ten media reporters. Their President Wang is evidently trying to hype up interest for LanXiRong.

    Although ZhouXiang is a rtively unknown martial arts stuntman, he¡¯s widely known within the entertainment circle. He, himself, knows many people. Adding on, with his warming personality, he gets along with everyone. So along the way, he met many acquaintances, greeting each of them tirelessly.

    Looking around after he got upstairs, he finally spotted LanXiRong and their President Wang, who were being surrounded by a group of people in the middle of the banquet hall.

    LanXiRong looked just like he does on TV... tall and handsome; his face is like a crown jade with two visible dimples when heughs. He looks very adorable. His fresh temperament between a man and a boy can really make people like him tremendously.

    When ZhouXiang saw LanXiRong¡¯s flushed with sessful contented appearance; it was really hard for him to feel any connection now to this youngster. LanXiRong was once at aplete loss with his future, having just graduated from the film academy. This was the youngster who would alwayse over to his home to hang out and eat hot pot.

    ZhouXiang wandered over aimlessly.

    LanXiRong and President Wang both saw him at the same time. LanXiRong¡¯s eyes suddenly sparkled, unable to take his eyes off of ZhouXiang, his expression looking a bit excited.

    ZhouXiang very naturally and calmly greeted him, ¡°XiRong, Xiang Ge congrattes you on your triumphant return.¡± Then, he smiled at President Wang, "President Wang, you¡¯re back.¡± After saying that, he consciously moved to his side and greeted the guests that he knew, not leaving any time for LanXiRong.

    LanXiRong¡¯s eyes shed a tinge of disappointment, but there were many people surrounding him talking so he couldn¡¯t just distract himself. He could only sneak nces at ZhouXiang from time to time.

    ZhouXiang whispered to the originally pale and chubby President Wang, ¡°President Wang, you got tan.¡±

    President Wang humphed twice, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ZhouXiang narrowed his eyes, ¡°(You) Going to Tibet to pray to Buddha and having only eaten vegetarian food, not touching meat for three months, don¡¯t everyone look oddly good since your return?"

    President Wang red at him, ¡°I can just see that you look oddly good, how about I drown you (with work)?"

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Bring it on, I most certainly wee it.¡±

    President Wang looked at him nkly, ¡°Hold with the nonsense. Come aside, I have something to ask you.¡±

    When the two of them walked aside, President Wang asked, ¡°I heard that Director Wang and WangYuDong¡¯s quarrel got a bit unpleasant. You were also on the set; do you know what¡¯s going on?"

    ¡°The two don¡¯t like each other. Director Wang has a fierce temper and WangYuDong has never been subjected to this kind of temperament, gradually there would be some contradictions."

    President Wang furrowed his brows, ¡°I¡¯ve invested a lot in this movie. It can¡¯t afford any impediments. I¡¯ll find a day to have a chat with Xiao Wang.¡±

    ¡°If ites from you, it¡¯ll definitely help."

    President Wang embarrassingly uttered, ¡°Not necessarily. The Xiao Wang now can¡¯t bepared to the past.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Climbed onto some high branch.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean? Whose branch did he climb onto?"

    President Wang was going to say something, but suddenly red at him, ¡°You kid, why are you so gossipy?¡± ZhouXiang felt wronged, "You¡¯re the one that brought it up first.¡±

    The two still have something to say but LanXiRong¡¯s voice sounded from behind ZhouXiang.

    ¡°Xiang Ge.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his head. LanXiRong had already gotten rid of the other people and is quietly looking at him. ZhouXiang knew that he can¡¯t hide. He raked through his hair, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the balcony and chat?¡±

    The two went to the balcony and closed the French doors. It¡¯s a bit cold outside; ZhouXiang lit a cigarette and smiled, ¡°XiRong, seeing you like this, I¡¯m really happy for you."

    LanXiRong¡¯s beautiful eyes stared at ZhouXiang¡¯s face and softly muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m sorry toward you, I was too ignorant at the time.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s all in the past, don¡¯t mention it.¡±

    LanXiRong lowered his head and sullenly voiced, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know what happened at the time... I¡¯ve always thought that you treating me well and helping me is because you thought of me as a friend. I didn¡¯t think that you had other thoughts. I felt insulted. In fact, no matter what, you really helped me a lot, but I ......¡±

    ZhouXiang blew out a puff of smoke said faintly responded, ¡°I really did treated you like a friend, actually more like a younger brother. But you knew early on that I am gay. Just like the kind of thoughts you would have seeing a beautiful girl, especially when the person is constantly wandering in front of your eyes. At that time, I had wanted to ask if you were straight or gay. If you don¡¯t like men, I also won¡¯t pester you. Anyway, we¡¯re still friends....forget it. Let¡¯s not mention the past. I was also wrong. I¡¯ve scared you."

    LanXiRong lifted his head and said emotionally, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m sorry. This is really my fault. I obviously knew that you are gay. Yet I still like for you to treat me well, making you misunderstand. I¡¯ve mocked you in such manners, yet you still so generously let it go, I....... can you forgive me?¡±

    When ZhouXiang remembered the things from the past, he really felt screwed.

    At that time, when the two were going through unpleasant times, he had wanted to ask LanXiRong specifically, "You said that you are not GAY, then why the hell are you alwaysing to my home and constantly getting near me? I confessed to you, yet you fucking feel wronged. Is there something like this?"

    However, even at the time when LanXiRong misunderstood him, he didn¡¯t get angry; thinking that he¡¯s young and have not yet matured. ZhouXiangforted himself and endured it. After all, he really liked this little boy and didn¡¯t want to have a fall-out with him. He can just distant himself. That would be good enough.

    Now that LanXiRong turned around and apologize to him, he felt that this matter is very satisfactory settled between them.

    ZhouXiang said softly, ¡°Xiang Ge doesn¡¯t me you. I didn¡¯t me you before. Don¡¯t think too much. We¡¯re both from the samepany. We¡¯ll see each other all the time. Whatever happens in the future, will happen. Don¡¯t feel burdened with it, okay?"

    The rim of LanXiRong¡¯s eyes turned a bit red. With big strides forward, he forcefully hugged ZhouXiang, his voice choking a bit, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve missed you so much during this time.¡±

    <i>What is this again?</i>

    ZhouXiang is stunned.

    ¡°When I just got to America, I can¡¯t even speak theirnguage clearly. Everything is so unfamiliar. Just like the time when I first came to Beijing, no one treated me as well as you did. I¡¯ve wanted to call you several times but I didn¡¯t dare. I¡¯ve since regret it more and more. I really wanted toe back to find you... Xiang Ge, sorry, can we still be the same as before?" LanXiRong is just like a child in ZhouXiang¡¯s arms, telling him his heartfelt thoughts. The more he talked, the sadder he became.

    ZhouXiang sighed, feeling a bit softhearted as he patted LanXiRong¡¯s shoulder, "I really don¡¯t me you, don¡¯t cry."

    LanXiRong suppressed himself from crying out; but his tone is already off. He wiped his eyes and grabbed onto ZhouXiang¡¯s arm, ¡°Xiang Ge, can we be like before? Can I go to your home to eat hot pot?¡±

    ZhouXiang remembered that his home is already raising a living thing (YanMingXiu), but he couldn¡¯t really refuse a meal so he frankly responded, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, you¡¯re wee at any time.¡±

    LanXiRong finally exposed a smile.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s hurry back. Everyone is here, the lead can¡¯t be missing.¡±

    The two returned to the banquet hall together. The host began to express LanXiRong¡¯s achievements with great enthusiasm. LanXiRong came onto the stage and very mannerly thanked a bunch of people. Although it was words for the asion, it was all very fittingly appropriate.

    ZhouXiang felt a burst of emotions, the little clueless boy from the past really had grown up.

    Because there were so many acquaintances, ZhouXiang ended up drinking so much that he became unconscious. LanXiRong¡¯s had his driver take him home.

    LanXiRong is extremely familiar with ZhouXiang¡¯s residence. During his lonely time in America, he didn¡¯t know how many times he dreamt of carrying food ingredients,ing to this familiar home and knocking on this warmly door, having a gentle and humorous older brother listening and sharing his tribtions with work and helping him relieve is anxieties and difficulties.

    The car stopped downstairs, LanXiRong sent the driver away. He personally took ZhouXiang upstairs, intending to stay in his home for the night.

    He pulled out ZhouXiang¡¯s key and opened the door. The room is dark. He familiarly touched the switch on the wall and turned on the light.

    Suddenly, footsteps came from the front. A man came out of the bedroom wearing loose pajama pants. LanXiRong looked up and sees YanMingXiu directly in front of him. Both of them were stunned.

    LanXiRong seeing YanMingXiu¡¯s attire, it is obvious that this person lives here. <i>He.....is he ZhouXiang¡¯s boyfriend?</i>

    This reality is something he couldn¡¯t immediately ept. He asked sternly, ¡°Who are you?¡± He rather wished that YanMingXiu is a random thief but he knew that there¡¯s no thief that could have such bewitching appearance like that of YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu is also furious, so much that his fingertips were trembling. ZhouXiang is drunkenly in the arms of a young and attractive man...both evening back together at past 2 in the middle of the night!

    Based on how ZhouXiang wanted to have sex with him the first time they met, he knew that ZhouXiang is someone that is definitely easy, but since he was already with him, how dare he bring other men home in the middle of the night!

    The two red at each other, the scene looking as though they are ready to fight.

    YanMingXiu asked coldly, ¡°I should be asking you this? Who is letting you casuallye into OUR home?¡± YanMingXiu clearly emphasized the word ¡°OUR.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s face that had be blushed from drinking instantly paled.

    <i>Xiang Ge has a boyfriend... Right, why won¡¯t he? How can Xiang Ge not have a boyfriend? Why would he continue on waiting for him?</i>

    LanXiRong felt a burst of sadness. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking. He only knew that he hated this man in front of him to the extreme<i>. What gives him the right to be standing in this living room? This is the ce where he and Xiang Ge hang out</i>.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s temper is initially bad to start with, at this time, he is so enraged that he wanted to use the broomstick to kick LanXiRong out. He came forward and roughly grabbed ZhouXiang, ¡°The person is home, hurry and get the fuck out.¡±

    LanXiRong refused to let go of ZhouXiang. The two of them pulled for a while. ZhouXiang¡¯s body tilted and fell to the ground.

    YanMingXiu immediately caught him.

    LanXiRong looked at his empty hands, his heart felt unbearably terrible.

    YanMingXiu nced coldly at him, ¡°Stop being persistent, ZhouXiang already have someone. You don¡¯t need to be concern about him in the future.¡±

    LanXiRong red at him hatefully, then turned and mmed the door.

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang, who is unconscious in his arms. The furor in his heart burned more and more.

    He can¡¯t stand ZhouXiang having these thoughts of other people. ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes should only be looking at him.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 18 (2)

    Theirpany''s boss booked a banquet hall at a hotel to hold a weing reception for Lan Xirong. Lan Xirong had actuallye back to China twice before, apparently to prepare to record a single. However, that movie really did take over a year to finish shooting. After the filming finished, Lan Xirong¡¯s status in the China was already substantially different.

    Almost all of people in theirpany hade today. Theirpany wouldn''t be considered big, but it had seventy to eighty employees, and always performed pretty well financially. The boss was the child of an official. He owned a wide range of businesses, and his personality was also rtively weird. However, he was a good person and gave his employees goodpany benefits. Whether it was Zhou Xiang or some other employee, everyone felt reallyfortable working for thispany.

    As soon as Zhou Xiang walked into the hotel, he saw Cai Wei greeting and weing guests. Zhou Xiang called out to him and then walked over.

    Cai Wei was too busy to pay attention to him. "Go up by yourself, second floor."

    When someone was famous and popr, it really was a hundred answers to a single call. At least three hundred people hade today. There were over ten reporters, and also many entertainment industry bigshots. Their Chief Wang obviously wanted to create hype for Lan Xirong.

    Although Zhou Xiang was just a little no-name martial arts stuntman, his face was widely known and he knew a lot of people. In addition, he had a good personality, and could get along with almost anyone. On the way up, he came across quite a few acquaintances. He had his hands full greeting them.

    After he went upstairs, he finally saw Lan Xirong and their Chief Wang. They were surrounded by people in the centre of the banquet hall.

    Like his appearance on TV, Lan Xirong was young and handsome and his face was like a crowned jade. Two dimples appeared on his face whenever he smiled, and was extremely cute. His fresh and clean temperament, whichy somewhere in between a boy and a man, had the ability to make people''s favourability factor of him double.

    Seeing Lan Xirong flushed with sess like this, Zhou Xiang found it really difficult to connect him with that boy who had just graduated from a film academy, whose future prospects were a big blur, and always carried hotpot ingredients to his house to eat with him.

    Zhou Xiang aimlessly wandered over.

    Lan Xirong and Chief Wang noticed him at the same time. Lan Xirong''s eyes suddenly brightened and he gazed steadily at Zhou Xiang. He looked a bit excited.

    Zhou Xiang calmly walked over to greet him. "Xirong, Xiang''ge congrattes you for your triumphant return." After that, he smiled at Chief Wang. "Chief Wang, you''re back." He then deliberately stood to the side of Chief Wang, not setting aside excessive time for Lan Xirong.

    Disappointment shed across Lan Xirong''s eyes. However, there were loads of people around him, and so he couldn¡¯t get side-tracked, and only snuck peeks at Zhou Xiang''s direction from time to time.

    Zhou Xiang said quietly to their originally white and plumb Chief Wang, "Chief Wang, you got ck."

    Chief Wang snorted twice, "What?"

    Zhou Xiang winked as he said, "You went to Tibet to abstain from meat and pray to the Buddha, you haven''t touched meat and fish for three months. Aftering back, does everyone look strangely good-looking?"

    Chief Wang red at him. "You look strangely good-looking to me, want me to use the <f title="Unwritten rule is sex exchange for benefits.">unwritten rule</f> on you?"

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Come at me, that''s exactly what I want."

    Chief Wang gave him a supercilious look, "Bullshit,e over, I want to ask you something."

    The two walked off to the side. Chief Wang asked, "I heard that Director Wang and Wang Yudong aren''t getting along. You''re on set, do you know what that''s all about?"

    "They don''t mesh too well. Director Wang has a bad temper, and Wang Yudong has never been mistreated before, so they gradually started having some disagreements."

    Chief Wang frowned. "I invested quite a lot in that movie, there''d better not be any setbacks. I''ll find <f title="Xiao Wang = Wang Yudong">Xiao Wang</f> to have a talk with him next time.

    "It''ll definitely make a difference if you go talk to him."

    Director Wang said sheepishly, "Not necessarily, Xiao Wang''s status is not the same as it used to be."

    "What''s going on?"

    "He''s climbed up a high tree."

    "What do you mean? Climbed on who?"

    Chief Wang red at Zhou Xiang, "Brat, why are you such a gossip?"

    Zhou Xiang felt really wronged, "You brought it up first."

    They were about to say something else, when Lan Xirong''s voice sounded from behind Zhou Xiang.

    "Xiang''ge"

    Zhou Xiang turned his head around. Lan Xirong had already thrown off the other people and was quietly staring at him. Zhou Xiang knew that he couldn''t escape this time. He pulled at his own hair, "Let''s talk at the balcony?"

    The two walked to the balcony and closed the French window. It was a bit cold outside. Zhou Xiang lit a cigarette andughed, "Xirong, you¡¯ve done really well for yourself, congrattions."

    Lan Xirong''s beautiful eyes gazed at Zhou Xiang''s face. He said softly, "Xiang''ge, I''m sorry. At that time, I was too thoughtless."

    "Forget it, it''s all in the past, don''t mention it."

    Lan Xirong dropped his head, and said gloomily, "I don''t know what was wrong with me at that time either... At first I thought that you treated me well and helped me because you thought of me as a friend. I didn¡¯t expect that you had other ideas so I felt I had been insulted. But, in fact, no matter what thoughts you had towards me, you really did help me a lot, but I..."

    Zhou Xiang took a puff of his cigarette and said indifferently, "I really did consider you my friend, or rather a younger brother. But you also already knew beforehand that I was gay. For instance, even you would get ideas when you see a beautiful woman, right? And even more if that person appears in front of you every day. At that time, I just wanted to ask you, in the end, are you straight or bent? If you don''t like men, then I won''t go pestering you either, we will still be friends... Forget about it, let''s not talk about the past anymore, I was also in the wrong, I frightened you."

    Lan Xirong raised his head, and said agitatedly, "Xiang''ge, I''m sorry. It really was my fault. I was fully aware that you were gay, but I liked how you were nice to me, and made you misunderstand. I said that stuff about you, but you were still magnanimous and let it slide, I... Can you forgive me?"

    Zhou Xiang thought about what happened in the past, and felt that it was really f***ed up.

    During the unpleasantness between the two of them, he had really wanted to ask, Lan Xirong, you say that you''re not gay, then why did youe to my house all the time, and always cling all over me? I dere my position, and then you f***ing feel that you''ve been wronged, who behaves like that?

    However, even though Lan Xirong misunderstood him, Zhou Xiang didn''t get angry at him. Zhou Xiang consoled himself, ¡®He is young and immature¡¯, and endured it. After all, he truly did really like this young boy. He didn''t want to have a nasty falling out with him. If worst came to worst, he''d just stay far away from him.

    Lan Xirong was able to acknowledge his mistakes, ande back to apologise. Zhou Xiang felt that this matter hade to a satisfactory conclusion.

    Zhou Xiang said gently, "Xiang''ge doesn''t me you. Don''t think too much. We belong to the samepany, we''ll see each other all the time. In the future, do what you ought to do. Keep your mind free from burdens, okay?"

    The rims of Lan Xirong''s eyes were a bit red. He took one stride forward and firmly hugged Zhou Xiang. His voice was slightly choked, "Xiang''ge, I missed you so much this past year."

    Now what¡¯s this about? Zhou Xiang was startled.

    "When I just went to America, I couldn''t speak English properly, everything was so unfamiliar, just like when I first came to Beijing. But no one was nice to me like you were. So many times I wanted to give you a phone call, but I didn''t dare to. I felt more and more regretful, I really wanted toe back to find you... Xiang''ge, I''m sorry, can we still return to how we were in the past?" Lan Xirong cuddled against Zhou Xiang''s chest like a child, voicing out his feelings, growing sadder and sadder as he spoke.

    Zhou Xiang sighed. His heart softened slightly. He patted Lan Xirong''s shoulder. "I really don''t me you. Don''t cry."

    Lan Xirong managed to hold back his tears but his voice had already gone strange. He wiped his eyes, grabbed Zhou Xiang by the arm, and said, "Xiang''ge, can we be like before? Can I still go over to your house to eat hotpot?"

    Zhou Xiang recalled that he was already raising a living being at home. However, he couldn''t keep refusing to eat a meal with him, so he said frankly, "What problem is there? You''re wee any time."

    Lan Xirong finally smiled.

    "Hey, hurry and go back. Everyone has arrived now. The main lead shouldn¡¯t be missing."

    They returned to the banquet hall. The presenter started passionately embellishing Lan Xirong''s achievements. Lan Xirong went on stage and confidently thanked a heap of people, and although what he said were all civilities, they were very appropriate for this asion.

    Zhou Xiang was deeply moved. That absentminded young boy had truly grown up.

    Because there were too many acquaintances at the party, that night Zhou Xiang was forced to drink until he <f title="Direct trantion: " he="" was="" forced="" to="" drink="" until="" lying="" on="" the="" ground,="" facing="" sky="" with="" four="" limbs="" spread="" out""="">couldn¡¯t stand</f>. When it was time to go home, it was Lan Xirong''s driver who sent him back.

    Lan Xirong couldn''t be more familiar with Zhou Xiang''s apartment. In those lonely months in America, he couldn''t remember how many dreams he had of himself walking through this familiar housing district while carrying some ingredients, and ringing the bell of this warm door, and have a warm, generous and humorous big brother listen to him talk about the rough times at work, and help him resolve difficulties and leave worries behind.

    The car stopped at the apartment building. Lan Xirong told the driver to leave first, and he helped Zhou Xiang up the stairs, intending to stay at Zhou Xiang''s ce tonight.

    He fished out Zhou Xiang''s keys and opened the door. The room was pitch-dark. He easily found the switch on the wall, and turned on the light.

    Suddenly, footsteps sounded from inside. A person wearing loose fitting pyjamas walked out of the bedroom. Lan Xirong raised his head, and locked eyes with Yan Mingxiu. The two of them froze.

    Lan Xirong looked at Yan Mingxiu''s attire. It was clear that he lived here. Was he... Zhou Xiang''s boyfriend? This fact made Lan Xirong feel like he had been struck by lightning. He asked sternly, "Who are you?" He strongly wished that Yan Mingxiu was some thief that randomly broke in. However he knew that no thief would look as sinful as Yan Mingxiu.

    Yan Mingxiu was so angry that his fingertips were shaking. A handsome young man was carrying an intoxicated Zhou Xiang in his arms, and they even came home together in the middle of the night past two o''clock!

    From the fact that Zhou Xiang wanted to sleep with him on the first day they met, Yan Mingxiu knew that in the past Zhou Xiang definitely wasn''t some <f title=" A light-saving lightbulb is someone who doesn''t easily have sex with people.">light-saving lightbulb</f>, but as he was already together with him, how dare he bring a man back home in the middle of the night!

    The two people angrily red at each other, daggers drawn.

    Yan Mingxiu said coldly, "That''s what I should be asking you. Who let you casually walk into our home?" Yan Mingxiu purposely emphasized the word ''our''.

    Lan Xirong''s handsome face which was originally flushed pink from alcohol instantly turned pallid.

    Xiang''ge has a boyfriend... Right, why can''t he have a boyfriend? Why wouldn''t Xiang''ge have a boyfriend? Why would he continue waiting for me?

    Pain gripped Lan Xirong''s heart. He hated the man in front of him with every fibre of his being. What right did he have to stand in this living room? This was his and Xiang''ge''s hangout!

    Yan Mingxiu had a naturally bad temper. Right now, he was so mad, he wanted to sweep Lan Xirong out with a broom. He went forward and roughly tried to take Zhou Xiang from him. "He''s home now, hurry and get lost."

    Lan Xirong was unwilling to let go. The two people pulled back and forth for a while. Zhou Xiang''s body tilted, and started falling towards the ground.

    Yan Mingxiu immediately caught him.

    Lan Xirong stared at his own empty hands, and his heart hurt like mad.

    Yan Mingxiu coldly red at him. "Don''t keep standing here. Zhou Xiang has a master now, you don''t need to think about him ever again."

    Lan Xirong red at him with loathing, turned, mmed the door and left.

    Yan Mingxiu stared at Zhou Xiang who was sleeping like the log on his chest. The rage in his heart zed higher and higher.

    He couldn''t stand Zhou Xiang <f title="Can''t stand Zhou Xiang being interested in another person, having designs on another person, liking another person, have feelings for another person, etc.">having thoughts for another person</f>. Zhou Xiang''s eyes should only be looking at him.

 Chapter 19

    Zhou Xiang hadn¡¯t been drunk for a long time. When he woke up, he turned over, but his body met air and he fell onto the ground with a thud. He opened his drowsy eyes and saw that he was in the living room, and just before he had been sleeping on the sofa with only a nket over him.

    Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t remember how he got back, but since he got home safety, it didn¡¯t matter.

    "Awake now?"

    Zhou Xiang jumped with a start. He turned his head and saw Yan Mingxiu sitting in front of the dining table, coldly staring at him.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s body ached terribly all over. Someone his height had squeezed in a sofa for one night so it wasn¡¯t surprising. "My waist really hurts, ow." Zhou Xiangined resentfully, "You let me sleep on the sofa?"

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s anger hadn¡¯t dispelled. He snorted, "Don¡¯t tell me I should have let someone as stinky as you sleep on the bed?"

    Zhou Xiang thought to himself, ¡¯That¡¯s my bed¡¯, but it was true that a drunken person was pretty troublesome, and it ended up fine anyway; now he didn¡¯t have to change his sheets.

    He absentmindely closed his eyes again. His head was very heavy. He didn¡¯t want to move.

    Yan Mingxiu mmed a cup down on the ss dining table, and raised his voice. "Why don¡¯t you ask yourself how you got back?"

    "Ah? How did Ie back? Who sent me home?" He felt that it should be Cai Wei.

    "It was a young handsome guy." Yan Mingxiu sat down on a sofa next to his one, and said in bad-temperedly, "Your attractiveness level is pretty high, if I wasn¡¯t at home yesterday, today you two would have probably woken up in the same bed."

    Zhou Xiang worked hard to recall his memories. Don¡¯t tell me it was Lan Xirong who sent him back home? Besides him and Cai Wei, no one else knew where he lived. He replied, "Oh, I know who it is now. A colleague, right?" He cracked a grin, "Are you jealous?"

    Yan Mingxiu burst into anger. "Don¡¯t think so highly of yourself." He then stood up, grabbed his keys, mmed the door and left.

    Zhou Xiang stared nkly at the door. Unfortunately, he had a serious hangover right now. He really didn¡¯t have the energy to think any further. He wobbled into the bedroom, fell head first into the bed, and fell asleep right away.

    When he woke up again, the sun had already set. Zhou Xiang got up and had a very thorough shower. He changed his sheets, and fed himself some food.

    When he turned his cell phone on, he saw that there was pile of unread messages and missed calls from Lan Xirong.

    Zhou Xiang called him back. After the call connected, Lan Xirong¡¯s slightly deep voice sounded from the other side, "Xiang¡¯ge, why did you only turn on your phone now?"

    "Slept too much." Zhou Xiang kneaded his temples. "Did you send me back home yesterday? Sorry for the trouble."

    "Why are you being so polite?" Lan Xirong let out a sigh, and asked quietly, "Is that person your boyfriend?"

    "Hm", Zhou Xiang answered vaguely. "You saw him?" Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t be considered his boyfriend, after all, they hadn¡¯t ever made any sort ofmitment or anything. Right now, they could only be considered bed partners.

    "Xiang¡¯ge, do you..."

    Zhou Xiang could tell that Lan Xirong had something to say but had stopped for some reason. He pressed, "What is it?"

    "Do you like him?" After Lan Xirong spoke, he wanted to take back those stupid words, but it was toote.

    Zhou Xiang honesty confessed, "I like him. Things are going pretty well between us."

    Lan Xirong was silent for a moment. "Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to invite me out for a meal? When?"

    "How about the weekend? I have work the next few days."

    "Okay, but you can¡¯t take your boyfriend with you, is that okay?"

    "What¡¯s up with you?"

    "You¡¯re inviting me out to eat, why do you have to bring him with you?"

    As Zhou Xiang and Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t poke their noses into each other¡¯s lives, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t think much before replying with augh, "Fine, I won¡¯t bring him."

    Lan Xirong let out a breath of relief. "I¡¯ll be waiting for your call."

    After Zhou Xiang hung up the phone, he finally remembered that Yan Mingxiu had mmed the door and left this morning. Had he misinterpreted his and Lan Xirong¡¯s rtionship?

    Although it was a real mystery to Zhou Xiang why Yan Mingxiu got mad, the possibility that Yan Mingxiu was throwing a jealous fit over him still made Zhou Xiang secretly ted. He immediately dialled Yan Mingxiu¡¯s number.

    The phone rang a few times, and then hung up.

    Aiya, such a big temper.

    Zhou Xiang thought for a moment, and dialled again a few more times. In the end, Yan Mingxiu finally answered, saying impatiently, "What?"

    Zhou Xiangughed, "I just woke up, and really missed you. Where are you?"

    "Thepany."

    "Are youing home for dinner?"

    "No."

    "Are you still angry?"

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t answer.

    "That person yesterday was a little brother of mine in the past. He sent me back home out of kindness. You can¡¯t just see a hot guy and think that I¡¯m cheating with him, we¡¯re just friends."

    "It didn¡¯t look that way to me. That man looked at me like he¡¯d seen an enemy."

    "Why would he? He had drunk a lot too, people act differently when they¡¯re drunk, you¡¯re being oversensitive. Darling, are you jealous?" Zhou Xiang let out a deepugh.

    Yan Mingxiu was a bit embarrassed and angry. He said coldly, "You¡¯re the one being oversensitive. I¡¯m only hoping that you remember our agreement, to not get involved with other people, or else, don¡¯te to find me again."

    Zhou Xiang wanted tough imagining Yan Mingxiu baring his fangs on the other end, "Don¡¯t worry, right now, my heart can¡¯t fit in anyone but you. Don¡¯t be angry anymore, ande back home for dinner. I¡¯ll make you whatever you want to eat."

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s heart finally felt a bit morefortable, and reluctantly said, "Make whatever."

    Yan Mingxiu came home past six. Zhou Xiang was cooking while watching TV. When he saw him, he smiled, "You¡¯re back," and then went over, embraced Yan Mingxiu and gave him a big kiss. He looked at him, eyes crinkling. "You look so handsome even when you¡¯re being jealous."

    Yan Mingxiu knitted his brows, pushed Zhou Xiang away, and went to change.

    When he came out all the dishes were already on the table. Zhou Xiang helped Yan Mingxiudle soup as he hummed a note. "Come over, drink it while it¡¯s still hot."

    Yan Mingxiu nced at Zhou Xiang¡¯s apron-wearing homely figure, which looked surprisingly elegant and unrestrained. His slender and powerful fingers, which were moving around the bone porcin tableware, gave off yet another vour.

    The TV happened to start broadcasting an entertainment variety show. The female presenter excitedly announced today¡¯s guest¡ª¡ªLan Xirong.

    Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t resist lifting his head to look at the TV. Lan Xirong appeared on the TV screen with a smile, dressed in a casual suit.

    Yan Mingxiu followed the line of his gaze and looked over. His face instantly darkened.

    Zhou Xiang realised that Yan Mingxiu had be unhappy because of the person on the screen. He promptly withdrew his eyes, and grabbed the remote control, wanting to change the channel.

    Yan Mingxiu snatched away the remote control, fiercely red at him, and then turned his head to look at the TV.

    The presently started happily and excitedly announcing Lan Xirong¡¯s overseas box office performance, and the new single that he was about to release. When Lan Xirong talked about his experiences of rising to fame over the past year, as per format, he started expressing his thanks to multiple people. At the very the end, he said, with a smile on his face, that he especially wanted to express his gratitude to a big brother who took care of him when he was still a lowly-ranked unpopr model.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyebrows jumped. He lowered his head and raked a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

    Yan Mingxiu asked him, "Is he talking about you?"

    "Probably not, how can a stuntman like me help him with anything."

    However, when the presenter was asking in-depth questions about his experiences and struggles, it was unknown whether it was intentional or idental, but Lan Xirong said out ¡¯Xiang¡¯ge¡¯. He said it really quickly. Almost no one noticed, but two people outside the television set did.

    Zhou Xiang nced at Yan Mingxiu.

    Yan Mingxiu coldly snorted. "You two seem to have a really good rtionship."

    Zhou Xiang finally started feeling a bit upset. Yan Mingxiu was really cute when he was jealous, but it was always so surly and weird, and kind of annoying.

    It wasn¡¯t like he had been caught red handedmitting adultery. It was only a series of interlinked trivial matters. What was the point of Yan Mingxiu being so mocking and sarcastic? It was like he was purposely picking a fight.

    Zhou Xiang sighed. "It very wasn¡¯t easy for him at that time. We¡¯re from the samepany, I helped him out a little. It was nothing, really. Mingxiu, what¡¯re you trying to do? Is such a small matter worth making such a big fuss over?"

    Yan Mingxiu mmed his chopsticks onto the table. Zhou Xiang was talking as if he was a resentful woman making trouble for no reason. However he simply couldn¡¯t contain his anger. His intuition told him that Lan Xirong¡¯s feelings for Zhou Xiang weren¡¯t normal, and it definitely wasn¡¯t as simple as feelings towards a normal friend.

    Yan Mingxiu wanted to blow up, but as Zhou Xiang had already said his part, if Yan Mingxiu did get angry, it¡¯ll seem like Zhou Xiang¡¯s words had hit the mark. He firmly clenched his fist, and then released it. He switched off the TV, holding down his anger as he turned around. "Let¡¯s eat."

    Zhou Xiangdled him some soup and said softly, "Mingxiu, cheer up. I, Zhou Xiang, am a man of my word. I definitely won¡¯t make advances at someone else when I¡¯m with you."

    Yan Mingxiu raised his head and gazed steadily at him. "I hate that person. I don¡¯t want you to ever see him again, will you agree?"

    Zhou Xiang expressed a troubled expression. "Mingxiu, we work at the samepany."

    "No meeting in private."

    Zhou Xiang gave a strained smile, "Mingxiu... Didn¡¯t we say that we won¡¯t interfere in each other¡¯s lives?"

    An enraged expression appeared on Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face.

    Zhou Xiang got a fright, not daring to believe that Yan Mingxiu would reveal such a vicious expression.

    Yan Mingxiu narrowed his eyes. "You¡¯re right. I have no right to interfere." He lowered his head and silently continued to eat.

    Zhou Xiang also continued eating. However, he felt deeply worried and sick at heart during the meal. He couldn¡¯t shake of the feeling that something had changed in their rtionship.

 Chapter 19 (2)

    ZhouXiang hasn¡¯t gotten drunk in a long time. When he awakened and turned over, he felt his body lightened. Then he fell and slumped to the ground. Drowsily opening his eyes, he realized that he was sleeping on the couch with a nket over his body in the living room.

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t remember how he got home, but as long as he got back safely is all that mattered.

    ¡°You''re up?¡±

    ZhouXiang is startled. He turned his head and sees YanMingXiu sitting in front of the dining table staring at him coldly.

    ZhouXiang''s entire body felt sore, having been tightly squished sleeping on the couch the entire night. The difort is obvious. ¡°My waist hurts really bad, ouch." ZhouXiang climbed onto the couch andined, ¡°You just let me sleep on the couch ah."

    YanMingXiu''s furor had not yet subsided, snorting, ¡°You stink. Should I have let you sleep on the bed?"

    ZhouXiang innately thought, <i>it''s my bed</i>, but getting drunk is really annoying to people. This is also good, save him from having to wash the sheets.

    He dazedly shuts his eyes, feeling a headache; he didn''t even want to move.

    YanMingXiu puts a cup on the ss table and raised his voice, ¡°You''re not going to ask how you got back?¡±

    ¡°Ah? So how did I get back? Who took me back?¡± He thought that it should be CaiWei.

    ¡°A young attractive guy,¡± YanMingXiu sat down on the couch next to him and says in a grimly tone, ¡°You''re quite charming. If I wasn''t home yesterday, you guys probably would have woken up in bed together today, right?"

    ZhouXiang tried hard to remember<i>. Could it have been LanXiRong who took him home? </i>Besides him and CaiWei, no one knows where he lives.

    ZhouXiang tilted his chin and blinked a few times, ¡°Ahhhh, I know who it is, my colleague.¡± He cracked a smile, ¡°Jealous?¡±

    YanMingXiu flew into a rage, ¡°Don''t be so full of yourself.¡± After saying that, he stood up, grabbed his keys, mmed the door and left.

    ZhouXiang stared nkly at the empty couch. Unfortunately, he has a very bad hangover. He really didn¡¯t have much energy to ponder too much over this. He wobbled into the bedroom, flopped down onto the bed and very quickly fell asleep.

    When he woke up, the sun was setting. ZhouXiang got up and took a shower. Then changed the sheets and ate something.

    He found his cell phone on the bottom of the couch that had been dropped during his drunkenness. When he turned it on, there were a bunch of missed calls and text messages from LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang gave him a call back. After it got connected, LanXiRong''s low voice sounded from the other side, "Xiang Ge, why did you just turn on your phone now?"

    ¡°Really bad hangover, phone dropped under the couch,¡± ZhouXiang massaged his temple. ¡°Was it you that took me home yesterday? Sorry to have troubled you.¡±

    ¡°Why are you so courteous with me?¡± LanXiRong sighed and softly asked, ¡°Is that man your boyfriend?¡±

    ZhouXiang vaguely responded with a ''hmm,'' "You saw him.¡± YanMingXiu can''t be considered as his boyfriend. After all, there had never been any promises ofmitment between them. At most, they can only be considered aspanionship? He also doesn¡¯t know how to define this rtionship he has with YanMingXiu.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, you¡­¡±

    ZhouXiang listened to his stuttering words and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Do you like him?¡± After LanXiRong asked, he wanted to retract this stupid question, but it was toote.

    ZhouXiang responded bluntly, ¡°Like ah, we get along fine.¡±

    LanXiRong was silent for a moment, ¡°Didn''t you say you were going to treat me for a meal? When?¡±

    ¡°Let me see, this weekend, I''m busy with work theseing few days."

    ¡°Okay. But don¡¯t bring your boyfriend, okay?¡±

    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±

    ¡°You''re treating me to a meal, why do you need to bring him for?¡±

    Both ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu don''t interfere with each other¡¯s lives, so he didn''t think too much about it, "Fine, I won''t bring him."

    LanXiRong sighed with relief, ¡°Then I''ll wait for your call.¡±

    After ending the call, ZhouXiang thought of YanMingXiu leaving after mming the door. <i>Did he misunderstand between him and LanXiRong? </i>

    Although his bad temper was a bit baffling, thinking that YanMingXiu might have been jealous because of him made him secretly delighted. He immediately called YanMingXiu.

    The phone rang a few times and then was hung up.

    <i>Aiiiighh¡­his temper is quite big.</i>

    ZhouXiang thought about it and continued to call a few times. Atst, YanMingXiu finally picked it up and asked impatiently, ¡°What?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I just woke up. Didn''t see your face when I woke up. Where are you?"

    ¡°At work.¡±

    ¡°Are youing back for dinner tonight?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Still angry?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°The guyst night is a little brother from before. He''s just being nice in taking me home. You can''t just be seeing a cute guy and think that there is something between us, right? We''re just friends."

    ¡°Why won''t I think so? That man looked at me like an enemy.¡±

    ¡°How can that be? He also drank too much. When people drink too much, they don''t act normal. Don''t think too much. Baby, are you jealous?" ZhouXiang softly smiled.

    YanMingXiu was a little resentful as he coldly responded, ¡°You''re the one thinking too much. I just want you to remember our agreement. Don''t involve yourself with other people, otherwise don''t bother toe looking for me."

    ZhouXiang wanted tough while thinking of YanMingXiu''s grimace appearance on the other end of the phone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Right now, besides you, my heart has no space for any other. Don''t be angry. Come back for dinner tonight, okay? What do you want to eat? I''ll make it for you."

    YanMingXiu finally felt a bit better, but still reluctantly replied, ¡°Make whatever you want.¡±

    At about 6ish in the evening, YanMingXiu came home. ZhouXiang was watching TV while cooking. When he saw him, he smiled, ¡°You''re back.¡±

    After saying that, he walked over to hug YanMingXiu, giving him a big kiss, squinting his eyes at him, ¡°So attractive when you''re jealous.¡±

    YanMingXiu frowned, ¡°I''ve said, you think too much.¡± After saying that, he pushed him away and went to change his clothes.

    When he came out, the food was ready. ZhouXiang gave YanMingXiu a bowl of soup while humming a small tune, ¡°Come, drink while it''s hot.¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at ZhouXiang''s homely appearance wearing an apron, he actually looked a bit dashing; his long slender finger holding on the china tableware brought with it a tinge of distinctive vor.

    The TV just happened to be on an entertainment program and the host''s voice excitedly announced the guest that was invited today, LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but look up at the TV. LanXiRong was wearing a casual suit, smiling on TV.

    YanMingXiu also followed his gaze and looked toward the TV, his face turned gloomy.

    ZhouXiang realized that YanMingXiu was not happy because of the person on TV so he quickly turned back and grabbed the remote control intending to change the channel.

    But YanMingXiu immediately grab the remote control and nced at him fiercely, then turned to watch the TV.

    The host began to happily announce LanXiRong¡¯s overseas box office sales and his uing new record. When LanXiRong talked about his huge poprity in the past year, he began to systematically thank various people. Finally, he smiled and said that he especially wanted to thank the big brother who took special care of him when he was still a no-namer model.

    ZhouXiang raised an eyebrow and lowered his head to eat.

    YanMingXiu asked, ¡°Is that you?¡±

    "Nah, it can''t be. What can a martial-arts stuntman help him with?¡±

    Later when the host asked him a deeper question about his hard working experience, it is unknown whether LanXiRong did it intentional or not, he quickly stated "Xiang Ge." He said it so fast that it was hardly noticeable but the two people watching it on the other side of the TV most definitely heard it.

    ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu snorted, ¡°You guys have a very good rtionship.¡±

    ZhouXiang finally felt a bit bitter. YanMingXiu''s jealousy is quite adorable but this is very strange and a bit annoying.

    It wasn''t like YanMingXiu caught him in bed with someone. This is just a bunch of little things linked together. What is the meaning of YanMingXiu¡¯s acting so unreasonable and ridiculous? It''s as if he was deliberately trying to stir up something.

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°He really had a hard time back then. We''re both from the samepany. I helped him a bit. It was nothing much. MingXiu, why are you being like this? Still mad over this?"

    YanMingXiu mmed the chopsticks on the table. ZhouXiang spoke of him as though he''s an unreasonable bitter wife so he couldn''t control his anger from rising. His instinct tells him that LanXiRong''s thoughts on ZhouXiang are abnormal, definitely not as simple as an ordinary friendship.

    YanMingXiu wanted to get angry, but since ZhouXiang has said it to such an extent. If he was to get angry, then it would seem like what ZhouXiang said was right. He clenched his fist fiercely, then released it. He turned off the TV and restrained his anger while turning around and uttered, ¡°Just eat.¡±

    ZhouXiang scooped a spoonful of soup for him and said softly, ¡°MingXiu, don¡¯t be upset. I, ZhouXiang, will do what I say. Since I''m with you, I won''t involve myself with anyone else."

    YanMingXiu looked up at him fixedly, ¡°I hate that person. I don''t want you to see him anymore, okay? ¡±

    ZhouXiang revealed a distressed expression, ¡°MingXiu, we''re from the samepany.¡±

    ¡°Then don''t see him privately.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°MingXiu¡­.. We said that we won''t interfere with each other¡¯s lives.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked enraged but tried to suppress it.

    ZhouXiang is shocked. He couldn''t believe that YanMingXiu would reveal such fierce expression.

    YanMingXiu let out a long sigh, ¡°You''re right. I can¡¯t control it,¡± After saying that, he lowered his head and ate quietly.

    ZhouXiang also immersed himself in eating. But this meal isden with heavy-hearted anxieties and troubles. He really felt that his rtionship with YanMingXiu had changed.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 20

    As expected, Yan Mingxiu and Zhou Xiang had a falling out, and Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯te home for consecutive days,.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t feel anything at first, especially when he was busy with work. However, after a few days passed, he started to feel ufortable, and kept feeling that the house was empty and missing a person. There were traces of Yan Mingxiu everywhere in the house. It was only when Zhou Xiang woke up to reality, that he discovered he really missed Yan Mingxiu.

    Zhou Xiang had a good temper but that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t have his own principles. With the exception of Yan Mingxiu, he had never been so patient and amodating with anyone before, and although he felt that he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, Yan Mingxiu¡¯s indifference was too much for him to bear. Yan Mingxiu said that he wouldn¡¯te back and really didn¡¯te back; he didn¡¯t answer his calls, and didn¡¯t reply to his messages.

    The food was dull and tasteless when Zhou Xiang was eating dinner alone. He put down his chopsticks and looked at the empty seat opposite him. His heart started to fill with fear. He finally had no choice but to admit that Yan Mingxiu had entered his heart a long time ago.

    A man his age needed an enormous amount of courage to admit that they liked someone, especially if that person they¡¯ve fallen for is a boy who¡¯s ten years younger. If the two of them had continued living together like this, Zhou Xiang would have been happy with the way things were. However, Yan Mingxiu suddenly disappeared from his life without a word, making Zhou Xiang experience an unprecedented sense of crisis.

    They had been getting along very well the entire time. He had never thought about how he would feel if Yan Mingxiu decided to break things off with him one day.

    He knew now. It felt extremely bad.

    How many years had it been since he had experienced rtionship like this, where he would keep himself at arm¡¯s length and <f title="»¼µÃ»¼Ê§: scared that you can¡¯t obtain something, and once you¡¯ve obtained something, you¡¯re scared that you¡¯ll lose it; worrying unduly about pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages">worry unduly about personal gains and losses</f>? Zhou Xiang felt as if he was like a teenager who experiencing love for the first time, unable to restrain himself from approaching Yan Mingxiu, impulsively inviting him to live with him, being infatuated by him,promising for him, and realising in the really end that every abnormal thing he did was all because he had started liking Yan Mingxiu for real.

    It was no wonder he handled his rtionship with Yan Mingxiu so unwisely.

    Zhou Xiang sighed. His heart was a bit heavy, but he was also somewhat excited.

    He was a person who took responsibility for his own actions. It wasn¡¯t easy to find a person he liked so he shouldn¡¯t give up so easily. Besides, they were already living together; so long as he worked hard, perhaps Yan Mingxiu will return his feelings too, and everyone will be happy.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t feel like eating anymore, and started to ring and send texts to Yan Mingxiu again. For the past few days, Zhou Xiang had pretended nothing had happened and his texts generally contained stuff like jokes or words asking about Yan Mingxiu¡¯s health. Today, Zhou Xiang finally folded, and said to Yan Mingxiu, "Mingxiu, don¡¯t be angry anymore. I really miss you,e home, let¡¯s have a proper talk."

    If Yan Mingxiu still won¡¯te back, he will have no choice but to go into the study see if he can find out where Yan Mingxiu worked, and find him directly. They couldn¡¯t keep dragging out things like this.

    To his surprise, past ten in the evening, Yan Mingxiu came back.

    Zhou Xiang was thrilled. He went forward, hugged him and kissed him fiercely, "Precious, has your temper cooled? The house didn¡¯t feel right without you here these past few days."

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s expression eased slightly, but he was still unforgiving. "You said you want to have a proper talk with me. What do you want to talk about? If you¡¯re going to repeat what you saidst time, save your breath."

    Zhou Xiang pulled at his own hair, and fell into a short silence. He didn¡¯t know the right words to use, so he went straight to the point, "Mingxiu, can I pursue you?"

    "What?"

    "I want to pursue you." Zhou Xiang sincerely replied. "I don¡¯t want to merely cohabitate with you like we¡¯re doing right now. We¡¯ve been together for over three months. We¡¯ve gotten along really well the whole time, and I really like you. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking inside but I want to get closer to you. I want to seriously be together with you, so, can I pursue you?"

    Yan Mingxiu was taken aback. There was a faint indescribable change in his facial expression. "You like me?"

    Zhou Xiang nodded, a bit embarrassed. "I¡¯m a rather direct person. There¡¯s nothing wrong with admitting it that I like you. I really like you, and it¡¯s not like you feel nothing for me, right? Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have been so angry these past few days, am I right? Can you give me a chance?"

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s bright eyes stared at him unblinkingly. Although his face looked very calm, his mind was billowing with intense waves of emotions.

    Zhou Xiang had made his intentions very clear. He wanted to start a serious rtionship with him and no longer wanted to be cohabitating sex-friends.

    Yan Mingxiu felt that he should be enraged at Zhou Xiang¡¯s ¡®be given an inch, and take a mile¡¯ way of thinking. If he had known that this rtionship would ultimately end up too tangled to unravel, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have stepped a foot in. However, he didn¡¯t have it in him to get mad, and seeing Zhou Xiang¡¯s slightly bashful, but warm and unyielding eyes, he couldn¡¯t even say out those words of ridicule which normally came out of his mouth so easily.

    It seems that, when you¡¯re with someone for a long time, you will indeed develop some feelings for them, and to some extent, can¡¯t bring yourself to hurt them.

    Furthermore, when he heard that Zhou Xiang liked him, his heart filled withcency, immediately clearing away his moodiness which had built up over the week. He wasn¡¯t surprised in the least. He had already noticed a long time ago that Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes brimmed with adoration whenever he looked at him. Since childhood, he had seen that sort of expression in too many people¡¯s eyes. However, it still felt really different to hear Zhou Xiang say it personally.

    Yan Mingxiu let out a lightugh, and said stubbornly and arrogantly, "Okay, you can pursue me, but if you want to chase me, you¡¯re not allowed to see that Lan Xirong ever again. I¡¯ll say it again, he irritates me."

    Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t know why, but he felt a strong aversion towards <f title="ÄÇ¸öÐÕÀ¼µÄ: The direct trantion is ¡¯That Lan/That whose surname is Lan¡¯, addressing someone directly by their surname like this rude and demeaning.">that Lan Xirong</f>. He made Yan Mingxiu feel threatened, and very ufortable.

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Mingxiu, I get the feeling that you¡¯re <f title="eat vinegar: means to be jealous">eating his vinegar</f> right now. Admit it, okay? Let Xiang¡¯ge feel happy."

    Yan Mingxiu frowned, "Are you trying to change the topic?"

    "I wouldn¡¯t dare. I get it. Unless wee across each other at thepany, I won¡¯t meet him in my private time, okay?"

    Only then did Yan Mingxiu nod with satisfaction. "Cook me food, I¡¯m hungry."

    Zhou Xiang said gently, "It¡¯s already sote, why haven¡¯t you eaten yet? Sit here and wait a bit, I¡¯ll whip some stuff for you right away."

    After two days doing his utmost to coax Yan Mingxiu, Zhou Xiang finally smoothed down Yan Mingxiu¡¯s fur, and they reinstated their previous lifestyle. One difference however, was that Zhou Xiang started dealing with his own feelings with a conscientious attitude.

    The way Zhou Xiang spoke and handled matters was smooth and evasive, and he was in fact smooth and evasive. However, in the regards to rtionships, he was still really idealistic and pure. Although his number of sex partners wouldn¡¯t be considered small, his past experiences were nothing more than two men relieving their physiological demands with each other. When he discovered that he liked someone for real, he could set his heart to specially treat that person well. He wasn¡¯t a phnderer. After finding his heart¡¯s treasure, he wanted to wholeheartedly devote himself into obtaining that person, have a steady rtionship with him, and strive to make their rtionshipst as long as possible.

    Zhou Xiang was really satisfied with their current situation. There were a lot of people whose rtionships started in bed and ended up together for realter. It was beautiful even just thinking about it. Zhou Xiang was a bit nervous and fearful, but the image of him and Yan Mingxiu bing a couple was too beautiful, and too tempting. He hesitated for only a moment before plunging in headfirst.

    Even from the beginning, Zhou Xiang treated Yan Mingxiu very well, but he had now gone a step further. At home, Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t have to stretch a hand to do anything. <f title="Original Line: " zhou="" xiang="" took="" care="" of="" everything="" in="" their="" daily="" life.="" yan="" mingxiu="" originally="" wasn¡¯t="" a=""zy="" person.="" he="" lived="" alone="" overseas="" and="" could="" look="" after="" himself="" very="" well,="" but="" living="" together="" with="" xiang,="" didn¡¯t="" have="" to="" do="" anything,="" his="" reliance="" on="" permeated="" every="" aspect="" life.""="">Zhou Xiang took care of everything in their daily life, and Yan Mingxiu¡¯s reliance on Zhou Xiang permeated every aspect of his life</f>. However, he didn¡¯t realise that at all, and only felt that everything was a matter of course because Zhou Xiang liked him.

    These days were the most content period of Zhou Xiang¡¯s life. He had a job with a good sry, he had the person he liked to keep himpany, he was diligently involved in a rtionship, and was filled with beautiful dreams of the future. There was practically nothing in his life that he needed to worry about.

    Today, when he went find Cai Wei at thepany, he happened toe across Lan Xirong.

    Zhou Xiang greeted him and didn¡¯t n to speak to him any further. He still needed to find Cai Wei for a matter. To his surprise, after he finished talking with Cai Wei, and walked out of the office, Lan Xirong was leaning against a wall waiting for him. Lan Xirong went up to him, and said, smiling. "It¡¯s not every day that we can bump into each other, let¡¯s go out for lunchter."

    Zhou Xiang thought about Yan Mingxiu. Although Yan Mingxiu¡¯s demand was a bit unreasonable, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t want to get too close to Lan Xirong either. First, because they had once parted in bad terms. Second, because Lan Xirong¡¯s status wasn¡¯t the same as before. Getting too close to Lan Xirong wouldn¡¯t benefit him in any way. Thus, he made up an excuse, "I¡¯m busy today, let¡¯s go another day."

    Disappointment appeared on Lan Xirong¡¯s face. "Xiang¡¯ge, have you forgotten? You said that you¡¯ll invite me to eatst week."

    Zhou Xiang replied awkwardly, "I¡¯ve been too busytely, and I¡¯m guessing that you¡¯re really busy as well. I see you doing promotions on TV programs every day. Let¡¯s wait until we¡¯ve both no longer busy and then bring it up again."

    How could Lan Xirong not be able to tell that Zhou Xiang was clearly saying that for show and was actually blowing him off? His lips trembled, and he couldn¡¯t help but say, "Xiang¡¯ge, I always thought that you were a big-hearted person. I never thought that you would still not be willing to forgive me even now."

    Zhou Xiang hastily refuted, "Where did you get that idea? I already forgave you a long time ago."

    "Then why are you acting so distant?" Lan Xirong¡¯s eyes were filled with resentment. "You¡¯re the only person I consider my friend, because I know that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s genuinely kind to me. Xiang¡¯ge, can¡¯t we go back to how we were before?"

    Zhou Xiang sighed. "Xirong, we can¡¯t go back. You¡¯re no longer that no-name little model like before, and I¡¯m no longer single. Tell me, when would you have time to hang out with me every day? You don¡¯t have time, and I don¡¯t have time either. We both have our own respective lives, but I swear that I am definitely not holding a grudge against you."

    Lan Xirong violently hit the wall with his fist. "Xiang¡¯ge, after all is said and done, the real reason you¡¯re keeping me at a distance is because of that little boyfriend of yours, right?"

    Zhou Xiang felt even more awkward. He was wrong. Lan Xirong hadn¡¯t grown up much at all. He was still so impulsive, still so immature. Zhou Xiang looked down the hallway. Fortunately there was no one here at this time. He didn¡¯t want to continue this conversation. He had no other choice but to pat Lan Xirong¡¯s shoulder and persuade him, "Xirong, the past is in the past, Xiang¡¯ge is really happy seeing how sessful you are now, but we..."

    Lan Xirong suddenly grabbed Zhou Xiang arm, turned and pressed Zhuo Xiang against the wall. That face that always had an amiable and cute smile on TV was now a bit twisted from resentment and indignation. "Xiang¡¯ge, I truly regret noting back sooner. You liked me in the past, right? I was stupid, I actually got scared and ran away. In what way is that boyfriend better than me? Tell me, is it still possible between us? I want to start over with you, not as a friend and not as a brother, I want to be together with you."

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes widened.

 Chapter 20 (2)

    The cold war with YanMingXiu undoubtedly continued. He didn''t return for several days.

    At first, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t feel too much amiss, especially when he''s deeply immersed with work. But after a few days, he began to feel unsettled. The house felt so empty without someone''s presence. YanMingXiu''s shadows are everywhere. Very soon, he came to realize that he really missed YanMingXiu.

    Although ZhouXiang has a good temperament, it doesn''t mean that he doesn''t have his principles. He has never been so tolerant of anyone, only with YanMingXiu. Even when he felt that he didn''t do anything wrong, he can''t bear to ept YanMingXiu simply not returning home, not answering his phone nor returning his messages.

    When ZhouXiang was eating alone at night, the food tasted nd and vorless. Putting down his chopsticks and looking at the empty space in front of him, fear suddenly rose in his heart, finally ZhouXiang can no longer deny that YanMingXiu had already entered his heart.

    It really takes a lot of courage for a man at his age to admit that he likes a person, especially a boy ten years younger than himself. If they are just to continue on living as they have, ZhouXiang would have been content with things as they are. But YanMingXiu''s sudden disappearance from his life without saying anything made him realize a sense of crisis that he had never experienced before.

    All along they have been doing well. It never urred to him how he would feel if YanMingXiu was to break up with him one day.

    Now that he knew. It felt utterly miserable.

    How many years has he not experienced this kind of anxiety over a rtionship that neither seemed close or distant? ZhouXiang felt just like a young boy experiencing love for the first time¡­ his inability to restrain himself from getting close to YanMingXiu, his impulsiveness in inviting him to live together, being captivated by him, and all the concessions he had made. Finally, he hase to realize that all these behaviors are because he has really started to like him (YanMingXiu).

    No wonder he had handled this rtionship with YanMingXiu so wrongly.

    ZhouXiang sighed. His mood feeling a bit heavy but also a bit excited.

    ZhouXiang is a daring man with the courage to take responsibly for his actions<sup>(t/n)</sup>. To be able to find a person that one likes is not easy. He won''t just give up. Moreover, the both of them are already living together. As long as he tries a little harder, perhaps YanMingXiu will also like him. Then wouldn''t everyone be happy?

    T/N: The idiom here is ¸Ò×÷¸Ò®”: a true man has the courage to ept the consequences of his actions, take responsibility for it

    ZhouXiang could no longer continue to eat. He started to repeatedly call and send texts to YanMingXiu, pretending as if nothing had happened from a few days ago, sending him jokes and asking random questions. Today he finally revealed his weakness. He said to MingXiu, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, I especially miss you. Come home. Let''s talk.¡±

    If YanMingXiu still didn¡¯te back, he could only check in the study room to see if he could find out where YanMingXiu works and go there directly to find him; dragging it like this is also not good thing.

    To his surprise, YanMingXiu returned at 10ish in the evening.

    ZhouXiang was so ted that he embraced and kissed him intensely. ¡°Baby, are you over with being angry? The few days that you didn''te back, something didn''t feel right in this home."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is slightly relieved but still unforgiving, ¡°You said you wanted to talk to me. What do you want to talk about? If it''s the same asst time, then forget it.¡±

    ZhouXiangbed through his hair and was silent for a moment. He didn''t know how to word it properly, so he simply spitted it out, ¡°MingXiu, can I pursue you?¡±

    "Huh?"

    ¡°I want to pursue you,¡± ZhouXiang said genuinely. ¡°Not like the cohabiting rtionship we have now. We''ve been together for more than three months. We''ve gotten along very well. I like you very much. I don¡¯t know what you think but I want to be closer to you. I want to really be with you, so can I pursue you?"

    YanMingXiu is stunned, with a tinge of indescribable change in his expression, ¡°You like me?¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, somewhat embarrassed, ¡°My words and actions are usually direct. There''s nothing wrong with admitting that I like you. I really like you. You must also feel something for me, right? Otherwise, you won''t be so angry these days. Am I right? Can you give me a chance?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s glistening eyes looked at him without hesitation. Even though his expression remained calm, the emotions in his chest surged furiously.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s meaning is very clear. He wanted them to have a romantic rtionship, not just cohabiting fuckbuddies.

    YanMingXiu felt that he should be angry with ZhouXiang¡¯s insatiable idea. If he had known that their rtionship would be so tangled that it''s be impossible to unravel, he would never have gotten involved with him in the beginning. However, he couldn¡¯t get angry. In fact, seeing ZhouXiang being a bit bashful with his gentle and resolute expression, the ridiculing words he had intended to say, he couldn''t even say it.

    Being with this person for a while, there are indeed feelings, so he was a bit unwilling to do so.

    Moreover, ZhouXiang telling him that he likes him made him feel so pleased with himself. The gloomy mood he was in slowly dissipated. Actually he was not surprised. He had seen ZhouXiang looking at him with his eyes full of adoration. He''s seen this kind of expression from many people ever since he was a child. But to hear him directly say it, the feelings are still different.

    YanMingXiu smiled lightly and said proudly, ¡°Fine, you pursue me then. But if you want to, you must not see that LanXiRong again. I repeat. I don''t like him."

    Not knowing why, the person with the surname Lan makes him feel some kind of threat, making him feel considerably hateful toward this person.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°MingXiu, I feel that you''re jealous of him. Just admit it so Xiang Ge can be happy."

    YanMingXiu furrowed his brows, "Are you trying to change the topic?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare. Alright, I know. Unless we run into each other at work, I won''t see him privately, okay?"

    YanMingXiu nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Cook for me, I''m hungry.¡±

    ZhouXiang said softly, ¡°It''s already sote, why haven''t you eaten? Sit and wait. I''ll go cook right now."

    ZhouXiang made an all-out effort to coax YanMingXiu for two entire days. Finally, he was able to appease him. The two returned to their previous lifestyle. However, ZhouXiang has begun to treat their rtionship seriously.

    ZhouXiang is a person who is a smooth and evasive sweet talker, but in terms of feelings, he''s still very simple and idealistic. Although he has had quite a few sexual partners, these previous experience is merely to release the physiological needs between men and men. When he realized that he really likes a person, he can set his heart to be good to only that person. He''s not promiscuous. After finding the person he truly loves, he just wanted to concentrate on fully capturing this person, to simply date and strive for their rtionship to go even further.

    He''s very satisfied with his and YanMingXiu''s current lifestyle. Many people who have started their rtionship with sex were also able tost. Just thinking about this, it is beautiful. Although ZhouXiang is very apprehensive, the image of being a couple with YanMingXiu is too beautiful, too tempting. He hesitated for a moment, but decisively plunged into it.

    Originally, ZhouXiang was already treating YanMingXiu very well. Now, it''s even better than before. When YanMingXiu is home, he didn''t even have to lift a finger. Their livelihood and everything at home is taken care of by ZhouXiang. YanMingXiu, himself is not azy person. When he was living abroad alone, he took care of himself quite well. But after being with ZhouXiang, he didn¡¯t have to do anything. His dependence on ZhouXiang had prated every aspects of his life, but he wasn''t in the least bit aware of this. He only felt that since ZhouXiang likes him, everything was taken for granted.

    ZhouXiang is most content during this period of time. He had a good paying job and a person that he likes by his side. He sincerely put his heart fully into this rtionship. Toward the future, he is full of beautiful dreams. There was nothing that he needed to worry about in life.

    That day when he went to thepany to look for CaiWei, he happened to run into LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang greeted him and didn¡¯t n to say more. He was looking for CaiWei for some matters. Unexpectedly, after he and CaiWei had finished chatting, he saw LanXiRong waiting for him by the wall as he was walking out.

    ZhouXiang was a bit surprised.

    LanXiRong saw that he hade out, he greeted him smiling, "Such a coincidence to be running into you today, let¡¯s go eat in a bit.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought of YanMingXiu. Although this was making things a bit difficult, he really didn''t want to get too close to LanXiRong. For one, they once had a fallout. Second, LanXiRong''s current position is no longer what it was before. It''s not good for him to get too close. So after thinking for a while, he wanted to evade, ¡°I have something today, let''s change the date.¡±

    LanXiRong''s face revealed a disappointed expression, "Xiang Ge, have you forgotten that you said you''ll invite me for dinnerst week?"

    ZhouXiang awkwardly replied, ¡°I''ve been too busytely. I''m guessing that you''ve also been very busy, seeing that you''ve been rushing with work notice every day. Let''s wait till a time when the both of us are not so busy."

    How can LanXiRong not tell that these are obviously perfunctory words? His lips trembled. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Xiang Ge, I''ve always thought that you are big-hearted. I didn¡¯t expect you to still be unwilling to forgive me."

    ZhouXiang quickly exined, "You''re thinking too much. I really don''t me you a long time ago."

    ¡°Then why are you so distant with me?¡± LanXiRong''s expression is full of sadness. ¡°We''ve always had a good rtionship. Can we really not go back to how it was? There are a lot of people around me now, but I only treat you as my friend because I know that only you are honestly good to me. Xiang Ge, can¡¯t we go back to the past?¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°XiRong. There''s no way for us to go back to how it was. You''re no long that muddling along little unknown model and I''m no longer single. Tell me, do you even have time to fool around with me every day? You don''t. Neither do I. We both have our own things going on. But I swear that I really have no intention to me you.¡±

    LanXiRong punched the wall fiercely, ¡°Xiang Ge, no matter how you put it, you''re distancing yourself from me because of your little boyfriend, right? He''s jealous, right?¡±

    ZhouXiang felt awkward. He was wrong. LanXiRong had really not grown up. His words and actions are still so impulsive, not a bit matured. He nced at the corridor. Fortunately, there is no one at this time.

    He didn¡¯t want to keep on talking anymore, patting LanXiRong''s shoulder, he gave some good words of advice, ¡°XiRong, all that have happened is in the past, Xiang Ge seeing that you are so popr now, I''m very happy for you, it''s just that we¡­¡±

    LanXiRong suddenly grabbed his arm, turned and pressed him to the wall. The face on TV that had always exhibited a lovely smile, at this time has be distorted because of his grievances. ¡°Xiang Ge, I really regret it. I didn''te back sooner. You also use to like me too, but I was so stupid that I got scared and ran away. How is your boyfriend better than me? Tell me. Is it still possible between us? I want to start over with you, not as friends, not as brothers, I want to be with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes widened.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 21

    <b>We¡¯ve recently found our English trantions being posted on other sites without our </b><b>knowledge</b><b> and permission. We will not halt our postings since it is not fair to those of you reading, but please do NOT repost. While we have granted permission for trantion in othernguages, we have not given anyone permission to repost the English. We will never ask for donations or anything mary, our only ask is that people respect the tremendous amount of time and effort we have put in </b>to share with you and not pass off our work as their own. Thanks much.

    <b>Without much further ado.....</b>

    LanXiRong eyes are a little red. He¡¯s only in his early twenties and has never truly fallen in love with anyone. In fact, he didn¡¯t even know whether he liked men or women, but his intuition tells him that he doesn¡¯t want to give Xiang Ge to anyone.

    Before he achieved any level of sess, only ZhouXiang was good to him. After he became popr, none of those people close to him are genuinely good to him.

    ZhouXiang blinked and quickly calmed down, ¡°XiRong, do you know what you¡¯re talking about?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Let go of me first,¡± ZhouXiang pushed him a bit but couldn¡¯t get him to let go. LanXiRong looked at him persistently. ZhouXiang uttered hopelessly, ¡°Let me go. If others see us like this, you don¡¯t know what rumor it¡¯s going to turn into," ZhouXiang very slowly pushed him away.

    LanXiRong half-squinted his eyes, finally calming down, "I¡¯m serious with what I said, Xiang Ge. I don¡¯t trust anyone else. They all have ulterior motives. You¡¯re the only one that is truly good to me."

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, "I also have an ulterior motive. At that time, didn¡¯t I find you attractive?¡±

    LanXiRong grinned at him, ¡°At least, when I had nothing, only you are willing to help me unconditionally. I know that you liked me before. What about now? Is there not a bit of feelings now?"

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how to exin it to him. At that time, the feeling he has for LanXiRong could be said as ¡¯like.¡¯ He really liked him. But it was exactly the same as when he first saw YanMingXiu. He was just attracted to his appearance. ZhouXiang had never avoided a man whom he considered to be good looking. But in order to really have this person in his heart, there must be a process. LanXiRong didn¡¯t give him that time before having a fall-out with him. No romantic feelings could withstand this kind of game. He no longer had any feelings for him.

    Moreover, he already has YanMingXiu.

    He felt very vexed and hopeless in LanXiRong¡¯s reversal in wanting to be with him, because he knew that LanXiRong is not GAY.

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°XiRong, you don¡¯t like men, stop messing around okay?¡±

    ¡°But I like you.¡±

    ¡°What you feel for me is not ¡¯like.¡¯ It¡¯s dependence. You don¡¯t have any rtives or friends in Beijing so you feel that I am trustworthy. You relied on me. But you don¡¯t like me, don¡¯t waste our times."

    LanXiRong reluctantly clenched his fists, his lips trembled slightly.

    ZhouXiang lowly uttered, "Go back and think about it carefully. You¡¯re not that young, you should be able to figure it out.¡±

    LanXiRong wants to refute but didn¡¯t know what to say. If ZhouXiang was still single, he would definitely not refuse him. The resentment in his heart has nowhere to vent. He was so angry that he turned and kicked the trash can.

    ZhouXiang had a bit of headache. He no longer said anything and just walked silently past him.

    LanXiRong looking at his back silhouette, his expression full of unwillingness.

    ZhouXiang drove to the set. The movie starring WangYuDong hit a few bumps in the middle, but still it was very quickly nearingpletion. Today ZhouXiang is acting as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman for a fighting scene at a tavern.

    As soon as he arrived on the set, he felt that the atmosphere was not right. The staff was busy with their heads down, no one spoke a word.

    He looked inside, Director Wang and WangYuDong stood face to face. Director Wang looked angry. Although WangYuDong put on his signature smile of a gentleman, his smile appeared forced.

    These two people not being able to get along is not something new, especially recently. WangYuDong work notices came continuously, having to fly all over the country. Director Wang is a person who is extremely demanding of his work, often dragging him for several hours, dying his trip. The two of them have been in contention over this numerous times. In the end, it was basically WangYuDong whopromised but everyone could see that WangYuDong¡¯s forced smile won¡¯t be able tost for too long.

    ZhouXiang seeing their tense stance, he¡¯s definitely not stupid enough to run over to be a cannon fodder. He grabbed MiYou, intending to head over to do his makeup.

    When he walked passed, Director Wang saw him at a nce and pointed at him, shouting, ¡°ZhouXiang!¡±

    The voice startled ZhouXiang. He quickly walked over, "Hey, Director Wang, you called me?¡±

    Director Wang asked sternly, ¡°What you have is time right?!¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how to respond. He could only answer that he does.

    ¡°The next scene, big star Wang don¡¯t need to be in it. Change the script, this scene will be masked with a ck silk hat, all to be shot by ZhouXiang!¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s face changed immediately. He didn¡¯t expect Director Wang to be so ruthless.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face also changed, his heart grumbled endlessly, "Aiyah, stop joking around Director Wang. I¡¯m merely a stuntman. I can¡¯t act Dong Ge¡¯s scene." He sneaked a glimpse at WangYuDong and saw that WangYuDong is looking had him lividly.

    ZhouXiang felt that he is so unlucky. Director Wang humiliated WangYuDong in front of so many people but WangYuDong can¡¯t do anything to him (Director Wang). But to make life difficult for a little minion like ZhouXiang would be a piece of cake. Now he could only pray that WangYuDong would be a little more generous toward him. This Director Wang is really causing him a lot of trouble.

    Adding to the fire, Director Wang shouted intentionally, ¡°He (WangYuDong) doesn¡¯t have the time! If he can¡¯t act well, then might as well not act in it. After all, you both look simr with your face covered. You can even make more money. Big star Wang can have more time, isn¡¯t this all great?!"

    The entire set can hear his angry sarcasm. The staff who had a good rtionship with ZhouXiang look at him sympathetically.

    ZhouXiang sighed in his heart. He nned on not speaking; anything he said is going to be wrong.

    The smile on WangYuDong¡¯s face disappeared as he bitingly muttered, "Fine, let him shoot the scene. I¡¯ve no opinion." After saying that, he took out a pair of sunsses from his shirt pocket, wore it on his face, then turned and left.

    His assistant quickly followed behind, calling for him while apologizing to Director Wang.

    ZhouXiang, seeing WangYuDong¡¯s assistant rushing like that, he felt that he might not have been the most unlucky one.

    WangYuDong shook off his assistant¡¯s arm and left without turning around.

    ZhouXiang stood there in shock, not knowing how this is going to end.

    Director Wang is so enraged that he is shaking, ¡°What are you doing just standing there! Change the script! ZhouXiang will shoot this scene!¡±

    ZhouXiang really wanted to kneel down in front of him; his face seeming to wail, ¡°Director Wang, don¡¯t mess with me. I really can¡¯t shoot this scene. If I yed Dong Ge¡¯s role, how am I going to be able to continue on working in this circle?¡±

    Director Wang simply didn¡¯t hear any of it, ¡°Why can¡¯t you? The viewers won¡¯t be able to tell. He is busy running around with all his other work, his mind is not in this film. You are his stuntman. If he can¡¯t do it, then you can. Go get your makeup done."

    ZhouXiang reluctantly followed the stylist. After leaving Director Wang, he immediately took out his phone to call CaiWei, informing him of the matter.

    CaiWei cursed as he talked about how this old geezer is causing trouble for him. But he didn¡¯t have that power to settle this matter, so he could only let ZhouXiang shoot the scene first. But this scene must not be put in the movie, this kind of act where the minor yer upstages the main actor, WangYuDong would absolutely be furious.

    ZhouXiang has no choice but to endure it and filmed the scene with a veil.

    Most of the scenes in this movie are shot from the back and sideways, with the face covered in a ck veil. If there wasn¡¯t a close-up view, one can¡¯t see the difference. With some more editing, the stuntman can definitely be the main actor.

    But everyone on the set knew that he¡¯s fake and this news will spread before tomorrow even arrives. The joke of WangYuDong being taken over by his own stuntman is definitely sensational material for gossipy news.

    ZhouXiang has been in the entertainment industry for seven to eight years, and has been cautious, almost never offending anyone, but today he has been forced to take a tumble.

    This scene took over nine hours to shoot. ZhouXiang was extremely exhausted when he returned home.

    YanMingXiu was home reading a book. Seeing ZhouXiang looking so distressed, he asked, "What happened?¡±

    When ZhouXiang thought of YanMingXiu and WangYuDong¡¯s rtionship, he couldn¡¯t tell him what happened, merely responded that he¡¯s just exhausted from filming.

    YanMingXiu poured a ss of water for him. Just as ZhouXiang was drinking, the doorbell rang.

    ZhouXiang went over to look through the peephole and saw that it was CaiWei.

    He opened the door, startled, ¡°Wei Ge, why are you here?"

    CaiWei raised the gift box in his hand, ¡°Someone gave me a bunch of big hairy crabs today. They¡¯re all alive. Your sis-inw (his wife) tells me to bring some over to you. This kind of things can¡¯t wait."

    ZhouXiang was very touched. He knew that CaiWei came because of today¡¯s events.

    He opened the door for CaiWei toe into the home. At a nce, CaiWei saw YanMingXiu and is stunned.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Wei Ge, this is... we¡¯ve just lived together not too long ago. I just haven¡¯t told you yet.¡±

    "You two live together?" CaiWei asked shockingly.

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    ¡°Fuck. Aren¡¯t you telling me this toote?¡± From a straight man¡¯s point of view, doesn¡¯t living together mean that a couple¡¯s rtionship is basically settled?

    ZhouXiang awkwardly smiled, ¡°Let me exin it....¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 21 (2)

    Lan Xirong''s eyes were a bit red. He had only just turned twenty, and had never properly dated anyone before, but his instincts told him that he didn''t want to give Xiang''ge to another person. When he was unsessful and unpopr, only Zhou Xiang treated him well. The people who only came near him after he became popr were nothing.

    Zhou Xiang blinked and quickly calmed down, "Xirong, do you know what you''re saying?"

    "I know."

    "Let go of me first." Zhou Xiang gave Lan Xirong a push but Lan Xirong didn¡¯t budge. Lan Xirong stubbornly stared at him. Zhou Xiang said helplessly, "Let go of me. You should know what rumours will start spreading if someone sees us like this." Zhou Xiang slowly, but forcefully pushed Lan Xirong away.

    Lan Xirong half lowered his eyelids. His emotions had calmed slightly. "I''m serious about what I said. I don''t trust anyone, they all have ulterior motives, only you are sincerely good to me."

    Zhou Xiang forced a smile, "I had an ulterior motive too. I approached at that time because you were handsome."

    Lan Xirong pursed his lips and looked at him. "In the least, only you were willing to unconditionally help me when I had nothing. I know you liked me in the past. What about now? Don''t tell me you don''t feel anything for me now?"

    Zhou Xiang didn''t know how to exin to him. If you had to talk about liking, he was indeed very fond of Lan Xirong at that time. However, just like when he saw Yan Mingxiu for the first time, he was only attracted to his appearance. Zhou Xiang had never refrained himself from liking good-looking men but a course of events was necessary to develop real feelings for the other person. Lan Xirong fell out with him before giving him the time. Any fondness he had for Lan Xirong couldn''t withstand all that happened; he had lost all feelings for Lan Xirong a long time ago.

    Besides, he already had Yan Mingxiu.

    Lan Xirong came back and now wanted to be with him. Zhou Xiang felt very distressed and helpless, because he knew that Lan Xirong wasn''t gay.

    Zhou Xiang sighed. "Xirong, you don''t like men. Don''t be wilful, okay?"

    "But I like you."

    "What you feel isn''t like, it¡¯s reliance. You didn''t have any friends or any family in Beijing, that''s why you think I''m trustworthy, that''s why you depend on me, but you don''t like men, don''t waste each other''s time."

    Unconvinced, Lan Xirong tightly clenched his fist. His lips were slightly trembling.

    Zhou Xiang said softly, "Go back and have a good think about it, you''re not little anymore, you''ll figure it out."

    Lan Xirong wanted to argue, but he didn''t know what to say. If Zhou Xiang was still single, he definitely wouldn''t have rejected him like this. The resentment and indignation in his heart had nowhere to vent. He was so mad he turned around and kicked a rubbish bin over.

    Zhou Xiang didn''t say anything else and silently walked past him.

    Lan Xirong watched his back, his eyes filled with non-eptance.

    ---

    Zhou Xiang drove and rushed to the studio. Although the movie, in which Wang Yudong was starring as the lead, had met a lot of bumps and issues along the way, they were now almost at the final phases of filming. Today, Zhou Xiang was acting out abat scene inside a tavern as Wang Yudong''s stand-in.

    As soon as he reached the set, he sensed that the atmosphere was strange. The staff all had their heads down, silently busying back and forth. No one was speaking.

    He nced inside. Director Wang and Wang Yudong were standing face to face. Director Wang''s face was furious, and although Wang Yudong still had his signature gentlemanly smile on his face, one look, and you could tell that the smile was very forced.

    It wasn''t the first or second time they hadn''t met eye to eye. It had especially gotten worsetely because Wang Yudong had endless promotionalmitments, and needed to fly all over the country. Unfortunately Director Wang had very high standards for his own works, and often held Wang Yudong back several hours, dying his schedule. The two had gotten into many disputes over this matter, and it was generally Wang Yudong whopromised in the end. However, sooner orter, there would be a day Wang Yudong would no longer be able to hold his smile.

    Seeing their standoff, Zhou Xiang wasn''t so stupid that he''d go over to be their cannon fodder. He grabbed Mi You, nning to get his makeup applied.

    When they passed them, Director Wang saw him at first nce, pointed at him and called out, "Zhou Xiang."

    That voice gave Zhou Xiang a start. He hurriedly went over. "Oh, Director Wang, you''re calling me?"

    Director Wang said sternly, "Do you have a plenty of spare time?!"

    Zhou Xiang didn''t know how to answer, and was forced to say yes.

    "Then Superstar Wang won''t need to film the next scene. Modify the script, get Zhou Xiang to wear a ck veil mask and a hat, Zhou Xiang will be filming the whole scene!"

    Wang Yudong''splexion immediately changed. He hadn¡¯t expected that Director Wang would be so relentless.

    Zhou Xiang''splexion also changed, his heart crying endlessly with bitterness. "Aiyo, Director Wang, please don''t joke, I''m just a body double, I can''t act out Dong''ge''s scenes." He snuck a nce at Wang Yudong and saw that Wang Yudong was looking at him with an ashen face.

    Zhou Xiang felt that he waspletely out of luck. Director Wang was humiliating Wang Yudong in front of so many people. Wang Yudong couldn''t do anything to Director Wang, but making Zhou Xiang¡¯s life difficult would be easy as pie for him. Now he could only pray that Wang Yudong would be a bit magnanimous. Director Wang had truly dealt a ton of damage this time.

    Director Wang yelled even more intensely, "He has no time! You two look almost the same with your faces covered anyway. You¡¯ll also be able to earn more money and Superstar Wang can also earn more time, everyone''s happy!"

    Everyone on the set could hear his angry ridicule. The crew members who had a good rtionship with Zhou Xiang all threw him looks of sympathy.

    Zhou Xiang inwardly sighed. He decided not to say anything. Anything he said would definitely be wrong.

    Wang Yudong''s smile was now nowhere in sight. He said tly, "Fine, let him shoot, I have no objections." He then took out a pair of sunsses from his shirt pocket, put it on his face, turned and walked away.

    His assistant hastily followed after him, pulling him while nodding and bowing an apology to Director Wang.

    Seeing the assistant''s desperate state, Zhou Xiang thought to himself, perhaps he wasn''t the most unfortunate one.

    Wang Yudong threw off the assistant''s arm, and walked off without turning back.

    Zhou Xiang dumbly stood there, not knowing how to wind up this matter.

    Director Wang was so angry he was shaking from head to toe. "What are you people dazing out for?! Modify the script! Zhou Xiang will be acting this scene!"

    Zhou Xiang really wanted to kneel down at him. He said with a face which looked like he was in mourning, "Director Wang, please don''t y me, I really can''t act. If I act Dong''ge''s scene, how am I supposed to continue surviving in this circle?"

    His words met death ears. "What can''t you survive? None of the viewers will be able to tell. He''s busy going everywhere promoting; his mind isn''t focused on acting at all. You''re his body double, when he can''t do it, you''re supposed do it in his ce. Go get your makeup done!"

    Zhou Xiang grudgingly followed the stylist. After he parted from Director Wang, he immediately fished out his phone to call Cai Wei, and exined the situation to him.

    Cai Wei swore over the phone, ''this damn old coot is always causing trouble.'' However, he didn''t have the power to take care of this matter, so he told Zhou Xiang act out the scene first, but they definitely can''t put that segment into the movie. There was no way Wang Yudong would not swallow it down and let an outsider steal the show.

    Zhou Xiang had no choice but to force himself to film the scene with his face covered.

    This scene was mostlyprised of back and side view shots. With his masked face covered by ck veil, if you didn''t show close-up shots, you really couldn''t tell the difference. After some editing, they could totally pass it off for real.

    However, everyone on the set knew that he was a fake, and it wouldn''t take even a day for this matter to spread around everywhere. Wang Yudong being usurped by own body double, such a bigughing matter, was undoubtedly good news material.

    Zhou Xiang had been in the entertainment industry for seven to eight years. He had always been careful and had almost never offended anyone, but today, he had tumbled face first into it.

    They filmed this scene until past nine o''clock. When Zhou Xiang got home, he was physically and emotionally exhausted.

    Yan Mingxiu was at home reading. Seeing Zhou Xiang''s gloomy and overcast state, he asked, "What''s wrong?"

    Zhou Xiang recalled Yan Mingxiu and Wang Yudong''s rtionship and decided not to tell him what happened, and merely said that he was a bit tired from filming.

    Yan Mingxiu poured him cup of water. Right after Zhou Xiang drank some water, the doorbell rang.

    Zhou Xiang went over, leaned forward and nced into the peephole. To his surprise, it was Cai Wei outside.

    He opened the door and asked with astonishment, "Wei''ge, why are you here?"

    Cai Wei raised the present box in his hand. "A person sent me some Chinese mitten crabs today, all live ones. Your sister-inw told me to send some over to you, this stuff can''t be kept."

    Zhou Xiang was really touched. He knew that Cai Wei had speciallye over because of what happened today.

    He let Cai Wei inside. Cai Wei spotted Yan Mingxiu at first nce, and was struck dumb.

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Wei''ge, this is... We started living together just recently, I haven¡¯t had the time to tell you yet."

    "You two are living together?" Cai Wei said in shock.

    Zhou Xiang nodded.

    "Shit, aren''t you telling me a bitte?" For a straight man, living together was generally equivalent to settling down into long-term serious rtionship.

 Chapter 22

    ZhouXiang conveniently made up a story on how they end up liking each other, then introduced the two.

    YanMingXiu had no hostility toward CaiWei. This is mainly because CaiWei initially mentioned ¡¯sister-inw¡¯ when he first entered the door. He politely shook CaiWei¡¯s hands but his expression is still not very friendly.

    ZhouXiang is also used to him being like this as he quickly led CaiWei into the house.

    CaiWei nced at YanMingXiu a few times. His upational habit led him to ask, ¡°Xiao Yan ah, whatpany are you from? Why haven¡¯t I heard of you before?"

    YanMingXiu frowned slightly.

    ZhouXiang quickly replied, ¡°Wei Ge, he is not in the circle.¡±

    CaiWei was surprised, "For real? Such good conditions, why not be an artist? Just relying on this looks, is there any faster way to earn money?"

    YanMingXiu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not interested." Not following his family¡¯s discipline had already made his rtionship with his father tense, if he really went and became a star, exposing his face, his old man will definitely kill him. Not to mention that he has no interest in this type of work that requires him to sell himself to the cameras.

    CaiWei felt the slightest pity and sighed, but still handed him a business card and said with a smile, ¡°Ah Xiang and I are good buddies, if you are to change your mind, you muste to me, don¡¯t look for anyone else.¡±

    Giving respect to ZhouXiang, YanMingXiu smiled lightly and took it.

    CaiWei told ZhouXiang, ¡°Since you have someone at home, I¡¯m going to leave first. Make sure to quickly cook the crabs. We¡¯ll chat on the phone."

    ZhouXiang remembered that CaiWei was looking for him because of the matters with Director Wang and WangYuDong. But since YanMingXiu is here, it was an inappropriate ce.

    After escorting CaiWei out, YanMingXiu asked, ¡°Was he looking for you about something? What is it?"

    ZhouXiang responded vaguely, ¡°Work rted stuff; it¡¯s not important." Thinking that YanMingXiu is not only WangYuDong¡¯s future brother-inw, but also a fan of his, he must not tell him about this. Who knows how he will react.

    Originally, YanMingXiu was just casually asking, but ZhouXiang¡¯s half-hearted attitude made him a bit ufortable. At this point, ZhouXiang basically did everything his way. YanMingXiu naturally got used to it, enjoying the warmth and indulgence from ZhouXiang. So ZhouXiang hiding something from him suddenly made it hard for him to ept. Heshed out unhappily, ¡°What is it that you can¡¯t tell me...that you have hide from me? Am I an outsider?"

    ZhouXiang saw that his expression had changed and knew that his temper has surged. He quickly coaxed, ¡°How could you be considered an outsider? You¡¯re certainly an insider,¡± After saying that, he smiled perceptively. "Don¡¯t think too much, it¡¯s really nothing important, just that a few people got into some arguments on the set. It¡¯s actually quiteplicated and over something so trivial. You most definitely don¡¯t have the patience to want to hear it."

    YanMingXiu slowly nced at ZhouXiang¡¯s slightly pale face, he felt inexplicable heartache. Pulling, ZhouXiang onto the couch, "You look so tired, take a break. I¡¯ll cook."

    ZhouXiang exposed a contented smile. He couldn¡¯t help but hugged YanMingXiu¡¯s waist and rubbed his belly, ¡°Really? You¡¯re going to cook for me?¡±

    When YanMingXiu saw that his face is full of expectations, his mood became a lot better, ¡°Isn¡¯t there crabs? I¡¯ll make you steamed crabs.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I really don¡¯t know how to cook that kind of stuff. I¡¯ll learn from you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to lie down to rest for a while?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Just looking at you I¡¯m even more awake," ZhouXiang quickly stood up and leaned over to YanMingXiu, then softly uttered, ¡°Even if I don¡¯t see you for a day, I want to........¡±

    YanMingXiu use to feel nauseous hearing people¡¯s honeyed-sweet words. These wordsing out of ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t change its meaning, but sounding into his ears made him utterly happy. Every time ZhouXiang flirtingly say these sweet words, YanMingXiu would want to shove him beneath is body and fuck him fiercely. The reason is because ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth not only could spit out words that are pleasing to his ears, it could also let out pleasurable sounds, especially when he¡¯s in the thrills of passion moaning continuously. This made YanMingXiu aroused just thinking about it.

    The two are standing especially close, so close that ZhouXiang immediately noticed when YanMingXiu got hard. ZhouXiang subconsciously took a step back and smiled smugly, ¡°MingXiu, I think you¡¯ve missed me.¡±

    The two have been together for a few months. Ever Since ZhouXiang told him that he wanted to genuinely be with him, they have entered a loving period simr to that of a honeymoon instead of their independent non-interference arrangement from before. So the usual sweetness between them is notcking, as long as they have that thought, they could easily be horny at any time.

    However, ZhouXiang is really tired today, not wanting to do it, but rather eat.

    YanMingXiu threw him down on the sofa and reached his hand into his (ZhouXiang¡¯s) pants, whispering, ¡°It¡¯s you that aroused me....¡±

    ZhouXiang blinked a few times, not wanting to ruin YanMingXiu¡¯s mood but he was really too tired. Adding on, he was still bothered by the things that happened today so he couldn¡¯t get himself in the mood. YanMingXiu kissed him for a long time before finally realizing that ZhouXiang¡¯s mind was somewhere else.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is not very good, "What are you thinking? Why is your mind wandering off when you¡¯re doing it with me?"

    ZhouXiang immediately regain his senses, feeling extremely apologetic, ¡°MingXiu, I¡¯m very tired...¡±

    YanMingXiu red at him for a while.

    Just when ZhouXiang thought he was still angry, YanMingXiu climbed on top of him, "I¡¯ve told you toy down and rest but you have to tease me. Got me so aroused, now you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re tired. Next time you do this, I¡¯m going to fuck you till you can¡¯t take it."

    YanMingXiu pinched his ass to vent his anger, then adjusted his clothes and went into the kitchen.

    ZhouXiang stared at his back as he¡¯s rinsing rice, feeling warmness rising in his heart.

    Although YanMingXiu has a bad temper and is very strong-willed, ZhouXiang felt that YanMingXiu¡¯s heart is moving closer and closer to him. He¡¯s not as self-centered as he used to be and would asionally care about him. Every time this happens, it makes ZhouXiang incessantly happy. He used all his sincerity to treat YanMingXiu well. At the same time, he felt that YanMingXiu had little by little returned some of that sincerity. This gave him immense motivation. He knew that at this point in their rtionship, YanMingXiu doesn¡¯t yet have him in his heart. But the return he¡¯s received from all the efforts he¡¯s given made him feel that the two of them will one day love each other.

    ZhouXiangy on the couch rxingly and couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    Although they would undoubtedly be faced with all kinds of difficulties in life, generally speaking, he is still very content.

    After lying down for a while, he felt that he¡¯s regained some of his energy so he went into the kitchen to help. He¡¯s been so use to spoiling YanMingXiu that it¡¯s be habit. In turn, it¡¯s a bit ufortable for him to have YanMingXiu taking care of him.

    YanMingXiu turned back to nce at him but continued on cooking.

    ZhouXiang grabbed an apron hanging on the door of the refrigerator and wrapped it around YanMingXiu¡¯s front and tied it to his (YanMingXiu¡¯s) back. After tying the knot, he hugged YanMingXiu¡¯s waist from behind and leaned his face against his shoulder.

    YanMingXiu is four to five centimeters taller than him so leaning on him is just perfect.

    YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t help but scoffed, ¡°What are you doing? Is that helping?"

    "I want to see how you do it, next time I¡¯ll cook it for you."

    ¡°What is there to learn? If there is hairy crab in the future, I¡¯ll just cook it," YanMingXiu said casually.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s gentle soft voice sounded near YanMingXiu side, ¡°For all the hairy crabs in the future?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± YanMingXiu responded nonchntly.

    ¡°If there is that day that you don¡¯t want to be with me, I¡¯m going to buy a bunch of hairy crabs and take it to your house and suffocate you."

    YanMingXiu paused, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mess up, I¡¯ll be with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang was only just joking. He didn¡¯t expect to get something simr to that of a promise. He suddenly got excited and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "MingXiu, are you happy with how we are now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± YanMingXiu pondered over it. There is nothing for him to be unsatisfied with; His livelihood is going great and he has someone by his side. Although the one next to him is not the one he wanted, he had no other way but topromise with reality. ZhouXiang was the next best choice.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes shed a trace of confusion and WangYuDong¡¯s refined and handsome smile appeared in front of him. He often imagined that the person behind him is WangYuDong. But it¡¯s bing harder and harder for him to find WangYuDong¡¯s shadows in ZhouXiang because ZhouXiang¡¯s personality is too distinct. ZhouXiang is a person with an independent personality so it was hard for him to feel that ZhouXiang is ¡¯like¡¯ WangYuDong. Sometimes YanMingXiu would forget the reason why he initially agreed to live here but he didn¡¯t want to change anything. He enjoyed everything that ZhouXiang has given him.

    ZhouXiang quickly followed in asking, ¡°I¡¯ve never dared to ask you, your family....do they know (about you being gay)?¡±

    YanMingXiu was cutting green onion into sections, looking at him, he didn¡¯t seem to care all that much, "Know a bit.¡±

    ¡°Then... what is their reaction?¡±

    ¡°I left the country to hide from them, so what do you think?¡±

    YanMingXiu found himselfpletely disinterested in girls and even bored with their entanglement when he was in junior high. But at the time, he was also equally annoyed with those stupid boys of the same age, so he didn¡¯t realize the issue is with his sexual orientation.

    That is until high school when he identally saw a GV (gay video) on the Inte and realized his desire for the same sex.

    He has an older brother and an older sister. In the family he is considered to be most heavily favored and didn¡¯t need to take on the burden of any important matters. As such, he is extremely unruly in his actions. When his parents realized that something is wrong with him, he felt a bit guilty so he packed up his bags and left to America. But now, he has his own views and his own thoughts, his parents are even more unable to discipline him. Everyone thought that he lived veryfortably, but his heart is trapped by a person. How is this considered to befortable?

    He will never forget the year that he was at the entrance of the cinema and identally stopped to watch a movie trailer; that gracefully white back silhouette both mesmerized and captivated him, shocking him to his core.

    When ZhouXiang saw that he was looking down, he thought he was feeling depressed. He couldn¡¯t help butugh at himself, ¡°In any case, your parents care about you. I can only dream of having someone control me.¡±

    YanMingXiu knew that ZhouXiang parents died when he was very young. Thinking that ZhouXiang had been alone for more than 20 years, he felt that it must not be easy.

    ZhouXiang continued to hug YanMingXiu¡¯s waist from behind. Wherever YanMingXiu moved to, he also followed behind. The two reached a nonverbal mutual agreement to not continue on with this heavy topic but instead lightly chat about the hairy crabs. The atmosphere is indescribably warm and harmonious.

    ZhouXiang has always fantasized that this home will be able to wee its other owner one day. Now all his waiting has be true.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 22 (2)

    Zhou Xiang smiled awkwardly, and randomly fabricated a story about how they got together, and then introduced them to each other.

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t feel any hostility towards Cai Wei. This was primary because ¡®sister-inw¡¯ was one of the first words that came out of Cai Wei¡¯s mouth when he arrived. Yan Mingxiu politely shook Cai Wei''s hand, but as usual, he still didn''t look really enthusiastic.

    Zhou Xiang was used to his behaviour, and hurriedly invited Cai Wei in to sit.

    Cai Wei nced at Yan Mingxiu a good number of times, and his upational disease kicked in, "Xiao Yan, which agency are you from? Whoe I haven''t heard about you before?"

    Yan Mingxiu lightly knitted his brows.

    Zhou Xiang hastily said, "Wei''ge, he''s not in the circle."

    Cai Wei responded in surprise, "Is that really true? Even with such good qualifications, you''re not a show business? Just relying on your looks alone, what can make money rush in faster than that?"

    Yan Mingxiu shook his head. "I''m not interested." His rtionship with his dad was already strained enough because of his rebellious nature. If he became a celebrity and showed his face to the public eye on top of that, his dad would definitely beat him to death. Moreover, he had never been interested in that sort of job which required you to sell smiles.

    Cai Wei let out a disappointed sigh, and, unwilling to give up, passed him his business card anyway, smiling as he said, "A''Xiang and I are good brothers, if you change your mind, you must find me, don''t go finding someone else."

    To give Zhou Xiang face, Yan Mingxiu epted the card.

    Cai Wei said to Zhou Xiang. "Since you have someone at home, I''ll be off now, eat the crab as soon as possible. Let¡¯s talk by phone."

    Zhou Xiang recalled that Cai Wei hade to find because of Director Wang and Wang Yudong''s matter, but because Yan Mingxiu was here, it wasn¡¯t convenient for Cai Wei to bring it up.

    After seeing Cai Wei off, Yan Mingxiu asked, "He came over to find you for something, right?"

    Zhou Xiang said vaguely, "Work-rted, it''s not important." Zhou Xiang remembered that Yan Mingxiu was not just Wang Yudong''s little brother-inw, but also Wang Yudong¡¯s fan, so he definitely couldn''t tell Yan Mingxiu about what happened today. Who knew how he would react.

    Yan Mingxiu originally was just asking, but Zhou Xiang''s evasive attitude made him feel a bit ufortable. Zhou Xiang let Yan Mingxiu have his way for almost everything now. Yan Mingxiu had taken this for granted and gotten used it, enjoying Zhou Xiang''s tenderness and leniency. Zhou Xiang hiding matters from him was a bit difficult for him to suddenly ept. Thus, he unhappily said, "What matter is it that you can''t let me know? Am I an outsider?"

    Zhou Xiang saw that hisplexion had changed, and knew that Yan Mingxiu''s temper was acting up again. He hurriedly coaxed him, "How can you be an outsider? You''re absolutely an <f title="ÄÚÈË also means wife">insider</f>." He smiled craftily. "Don''t overthink, it¡¯s really nothing important. A few people got into a dispute at the set, that''s all. It''s reallyplicated to exin. It''s a trivial matter, you definitely won''t have the patience to listen."

    Yan Mingxiu''s expression eased slightly. Seeing Zhou Xiang''s slightly pallid face, for some reason, Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t quite bear seeing him like that. He pulled Zhou Xiang to sit down on the sofa. "You look exhausted, have a rest, I''ll cook."

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s face broke into a content smile. He couldn¡¯t help but hug Yan Mingxiu¡¯s waist and rub against his stomach. "Really? You''re really going to make food for me?"

    Seeing the expectation across Zhou Xiang¡¯s face, Yan Mingxiu¡¯s mood brightened. "Don''t we have crabs now? I''ll make you some steamed broth mitten crab."

    "Yay, I really don''t know how to cook that thing, I''ll learn from you."

    "Don''t you want to lie down to rest for a bit?"

    "No need, I get reenergised looking at you." Zhou Xiang quickly stood up and moved forward to kiss him, saying out velvety words, "If I can''t see you for even one day I..."

    In the past, Yan Mingxiu always felt disgusted hearing sweet speech and honeyed words, but when those lines came out of Zhou Xiang¡¯s mouth, even though Zhou Xiang hadn¡¯t changed a single word, Yan Mingxiu felt happy hearing it. Every time Zhou Xiang said those sappy lines, Yan Mingxiu wanted to push him down and fiercely f*** him, because not only could Zhou Xiang''s mouth sprout out these pleasant sounding words, it could also let out very nice sounding sounds, especially his uncontroble moans during their intense lovemaking. Even just remembering those moans made Yan Mingxiu entire body heat up.

    As they were snuggled so close, Zhou Xiang was able to detect right away that Yan Mingxiu had gotten hard. Zhou Xiang unconsciously fell back one step, and smiled proudly, "Mingxiu, I see you really want me too."

    They had been together for a few months. Ever since Zhou Xiang said he wanted to start a serious rtionship with him, contrary to expectations, from their non-interfering sex-friend mode, they entered a sort of head-over-heels honeymoon phase. Thus, their average sweetness level wasn''t low. As long as the notion crossed their mind, they could immediately go into heat anytime.

    However, Zhou Xiang truly was too tired today. He didn''t really want to do it, and would much rather eat right now.

    Yan Mingxiu pushed him down onto the sofa, and reached out his hand to pull Zhou Xiang''s pants. He said in a low voice, "You provoked me first..."

    Zhou Xiang blinked. He didn''t want to ruin Yan Mingxiu''s mood, but because he was too tired, and that unluckiness that urred today was still upying his mind, he couldn''t quite throw himself into it. Yan Mingxiu kissed him for a long while before he finally realised that Zhou Xiang attention was wandering.

    Yan Mingxiuplexion didn''t look too good. "What are you thinking? You''re thinking of something else when you''re doing it with me?"

    Zhou Xiang immediately snapped out of his daze and apologetically said, "Mingxiu, I''m too tired."

    Yan Mingxiu stared at him for a while.

    Just when Zhou Xiang thought that he was definitely going to get angry, Yan Mingxiu got off his body. "I told you to rest just earlier, you insisted on being cocky, provoking me and then deciding that you''re tired. If this happens again, I''ll going to have to f*** you to death."

    Yan Mingxiu pinched Zhou Xiang''s butt to expel his anger, neatened up his own clothes, and turned to go to the kitchen.

    Zhou Xiang nkly watched Yan Mingxiu¡¯s back as Yan Mingxiu washed rice, and warmth welled up inside his heart.

    Yan Mingxiu had a bad temper and was headstrong but Zhou Xiang could feel that Yan Mingxiu''s heart was also drawing closer to him. Yan Mingxiu was no longer as egoistic as before, and would sometimes be concerned about him. This little drip of progress made Zhou Xiang feel overwhelmed with joy. He gave all his heart to treat Yan Mingxiu well, and continuously received a little bit of response. Perhaps his love can finally be mutual one day.

    Zhou Xiang rxed himself along the sofa, and had an uncontroble urge to smile.

    After lying for a while, he felt that he had recovered a bit of energy and went into the kitchen, wanting help out. He was used to waiting on Yan Mingxiu. Being looked after once in a while made him feel at a loss.

    Yan Mingxiu turned to nce at him, and continued with what he was doing.

    Zhou Xiang pulled down an apron from the fridge door, and hung it over the front of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s body. After he helped Yan Mingxiu tie it on, he hugged Yan Mingxiu''s waist, and rested his face on Yan Mingxiu''s shoulder.

    Yan Mingxiu was four to five centimetres taller than him. His shoulder was just the perfect height to rest on.

    Yan Mingxiu couldn''t hold back a scoff. "What are you doing? Getting in the way?"

    "I want to see how you''re cooking it, next time I''ll make it for you."

    "What''s the point in learning how to? In the future, when we have crab, I¡¯ll cook it." Yan Mingxiu said casually.

    Zhou Xiang''s gentle, low and husky voice sounded from behind Yan Mingxiu, "Then, you¡¯ll be in charge of cooking all the crabs from now on?"

    "Hm." Yan Mingxiu casually agreed.

    "Then, if one day, you don''t want to be with me anymore, I will buy some crab, go to your house and block off your front door."

    Yan Mingxiu paused. "As long as you don''t cause trouble, I¡¯ll continue to be with you."

    Zhou Xiang had only been joking. He hadn''t expected that he would receive words ofmitment. Suddenly ovee, he couldn''t resist asking, "Mingxiu, are you satisfied with the way things are now?"

    "Mm, satisfied." There was food to eat, a person to apany him, and although the person keeping himpany wasn''t the one he wanted to be with most, he had topromise with reality and Zhou Xiang was the next best thing.

    A trace of confusion crossed Yan Mingxiu''s eyes. Wang Yudong''s refined, bright and handsome face appeared in front of him. He often fantasized that the person behind him was Wang Yudong, but he was finding it harder and harder to find traces of Wang Yudong in Zhou Xiang, because Zhou Xiang''s personality was too clear and distinct. He had his own individual personality, and couldn''t "resemble" Wang Yudong as Yan Mingxiu wanted. Sometimes Yan Mingxiu forgot the initial reason he first came here. However, he didn''t want to change anything. He enjoyed everything Zhou Xiang gave him.

    Zhou Xiang asked yet another question, "I''ve always been too scared to ask, your family... How much do they know?"

    Yan Mingxiu concentrated on cutting the green onions, and replied as if it didn¡¯t bother him at all, "They know a little."

    "Then... How did they react?"

    "I left the country just to avoid them, what do you think?"

    Yan Mingxiu discovered that he had absolutely no interest in girls in middle school, and even felt very fed up with their pestering. However, at that time, he was also just as fed up with the stupid boys his age, and did not notice that there was a problem with his sexual orientation.

    He only became aware of his sexual preference when he was in high school, when he identally saw a gay video online.

    He had a older brother and a older sister. In his family, he could be said to be the most favoured, and the one with the least expectations on him. Thus, he was a lot more unreasonable and wilful. After his parents noticed that something wasn¡¯t right about him, because of a guilty conscience, he escaped to America to study. But now, he already had aplete mind of his own, and was even more beyond his parent¡¯s control. Everyone thought that his life was really free and unrestrained, but his heart had been trapped by one person, how can that still be considered free?

    He would never forget that year when he inadvertently stopped at the gate of a cinema to watch a movie trailer, how that white clothed graceful figure on the screen had stunned and taken his breath away.

    Seeing his bowed head, Zhou Xiang thought that he was feeling depressed, and couldn''t help but say self-deprecatingly, "No matter what they say, your parents are just worried about you. I don''t have anyone to keep me in check even if I want them to."

    Yan Mingxiu knew that Zhou Xiang¡¯s parents passed away early. He recalled that Zhou Xiang had passed over twenty years alone and felt that Zhou Xiang really didn¡¯t have it easy.

    Zhou Xiang hugged Yan Mingxiu''s waist from the back. No matter where Yan Mingxiu moved, Zhou Xiang would follow. The two understood tacitly and didn¡¯t continue with the heavy subject, and started discussing about mitten crabs. The atmosphere was indescribably warm and harmonious.

    Zhou Xiang had always dreamed that one day this house would wee its other master. Perhaps that day hade atst.

 Chapter 23

    The next day, ZhouXiang went to thepany to find CaiWei. He didn¡¯t expect that President Wang, who is rarely ever in thepany to actually be there.

    ZhouXiang thought that the matter was very serious so he was particrly nervous.

    President Wang knew what he was thinking just by looking at him. He slowly took a sip of his tea, "Don¡¯t be so nervous, it¡¯s okay.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt the weight lifted from his shoulders. President Wang is a reliable person. If he said everything is okay, then it must be okay.

    ¡°After CaiWei told me yesterday, I gave WangYuDong a call. Director Wang is more than thirty years older than him and is his senior. His temper can¡¯t be changed. Although this old man is sometimes unreasonable, he¡¯s really a talent. WangYuDong should give him some level of respect. I¡¯ve talked to him for a long time yesterday. He said that he would apologize to Director Wang in a few days. On Director Wang¡¯s side, I¡¯ve asked another investor to talk to him. I talked to him for a long time yesterday so you don¡¯t have to worry."

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°Got me so worried, I¡¯m just a minor stuntman. I really can¡¯t afford to offend anyone.¡±

    President Wang also smiled, ¡°They¡¯re just messing around. I¡¯m praying that this is the end of this so that I can smoothly get my money (profits) back and not have any more setbacks. Help me watch them closely on the set. If anything happens, immediately notify me."

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Hey, CaiWei said that you¡¯re living with your little boyfriend? How¡¯s iting along? Is this really serious?"

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯ve realized that since you got married, your mouth is getting more and more loose. Sister-inw has fed you very well.¡±

    CaiWei scoldingly smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking bully me. Isn¡¯t this a good thing? Your ass had been staggering along for so many years. Don¡¯t you also want to find true love? Can¡¯t I just be happy for you?¡±

    President Wang nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t been back for so long. I feel that I¡¯m out of sync with the modern lifestyles. Thepany¡¯s annual meeting permits family members to attend. Bring him along."

    ¡°That is still more than a month away. We¡¯ll talk about it then," ZhouXiang felt that YanMingXiu¡¯s personality is one that doesn¡¯t like to interact with people so it¡¯s likely that he won¡¯t be willing to attend.

    President Wang raised his eyebrows, ¡°What¡¯s the deal with seeing him? I just want to see how this person looks; this keen star manager here, CaiWei, highly praises his beauty."

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°President Wang, he really doesn¡¯t want to be a star. You might as well give up." What the two wily old foxes are thinking is clearly written on their faces.

    CaiWei shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Such a pity. Seeing his face and then looking at my own face, I feel that life is really too sad.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt a bit proud, thinking that he has YanMingXiu to himself. He felt that he is extremely lucky.

    He went to the set again two dayster. WangYuDong arrived before him and was already getting his make-up done.

    ZhouXiang walked over apprehensively and respectfully addressed, "Dong Ge."

    WangYuDong nced at him from the mirror and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± After saying that, he looked at him, assessing him up from head to toes, his expression very piercing.

    ZhouXiang felt the chilling air rising from the soles of his feet.

    He ufortably went to the make-up table on the side. MiYou looked at him anxiously.

    WangYuDong responded, ¡°Hey, wait a minute. Turn a circle so I could take a look.¡±

    ZhouXiang blinked, his heart drumming. He turned around in a circle.

    WangYuDong lowly smiled, ¡°Ahhh... you really look quite like me. I watched the scene you shot. The audience most certainly won¡¯t be able to tell that it¡¯s not me. It seems it¡¯s a good deal to have you as my stuntman."

    With cold sweat starting to drip down, ZhouXiang muttered, ¡°Dong Ge, don¡¯t make fun of me. Only my figure is a bit simr to yours, but my acting with my mannerisms and posture is still very far from you. The average audience may be fooled, but your devoted fans would certainly know that it¡¯s shot by a stuntman at just a nce. I definitely can¡¯t bepared to the real you."

    WangYuDong narrowed his eyes and smiled, ¡°The way you say it makes me feel so embarrassed. Go get your make-up done. Do it well. We¡¯ll have future opportunities to work together."

    ZhouXiang nodded. WangYuDong¡¯s smile didn¡¯t seem genuine. He felt that this would be thest time that he and WangYuDong would cooperate. But this also made him sigh with relief. It¡¯s not that big of a deal to have lesser sry, the bigger problem is if he was to have identally offended this great god of the entertainment circle, he might not even be able to work in this field.

    Not only is WangYuDong¡¯s status high up there, he also have very good backing. He¡¯s the number one person ZhouXiang can¡¯t afford to offend so he would rather just stay away.

    Today WangYuDong is shooting a tavern scene. ZhouXiang is shooting another scene next to the set.

    He looked toward WangYuDong¡¯s side every so often. Director Wang¡¯s request is as strict as ever. Anyone who is familiar with him knows that he did not intentionally target WangYuDong but is like this with everyone. On the set, he is just like the emperor, standing by his own words. But in the eyes of WangYuDong, who is proud and arrogant, it seems as though Director Wang is targeting him, especially after the incident from before. Director Wang did not in thest bit curb his attitude; still continuing to yell and scream at him, so it¡¯s no wonder that WangYuDong would think in such way.

    Although they reluctantly forced themselves to finished shooting this scene, the atmosphere between the two did not ease.

    ZhouXiang looked on in fear. He also prayed that the film would bepleted soon so he can just take the money and leave.

    In the blink of an eye, it is Winter.

    This Winter is especially cold in Beijing, with snow already falling in early November. Although the weather was cold, he and YanMingXiu¡¯s small home is always warm and cozy.

    ZhouXiang has be used to the life of seeing YanMingXiu every morning when he wakes up and going to bed with him at night.

    Initially, he thought that there would definitely be a lot of friction living with such an arrogant and willful person like YanMingXiu. But in reality, when he puts his heart and soul into taking care of their daily lives, most of the times it is harmonious. From the very beginning, YanMingXiu brought only very little luggage to his home, but now there are traces of him everywhere.

    ZhouXiang is still living a leisure life. If there was no work, he would just be resting at home. After more than half a year of operations, YanMingXiu¡¯spany is also on the right track. The times that YanMingXiu is home was bing lesser and lesser, with most of his time spent on his career.

    However, even when he¡¯s busily working during the day, there aren¡¯t many social interactions at night so most of the time he woulde home to have dinner with ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang knew that his personality is not one that likes to socialize, but he is still very happy. He felt that his life with YanMingXiu is simr to that of a newly married couple; warm and sweet. He is very content with this lifestyle.

    By the end of the month, the movie starring WangYuDong is soon to bepleted. ZhouXiang¡¯s scenes have all been shot. Thest day would be the routine celebration and many reporters would attend to report on the updates, thereby creating promotions for the film.

    His role is so minor that it¡¯s not a big deal whether or not he attends. But he didn¡¯t expect Director Wang to personally ask him to go have a drink, making him feel somewhat fearful.

    When WangYuDong was shooting the final scene, ZhouXiang arrived. Many reporters have been waiting on the set to interview WangYuDong immediately after.

    ZhouXiang sat on the side and chatted with his colleagues. There was a lot ofmotioning from the doorway.

    A few people turned around and sees a man wearing a pair of sunsses and a heavy ck cashmere jacketing in from the door. Although he was wearing sunsses and wrapped in a scarf, these perceptive reporters still recognized him as LanXiRong.

    A reporter rushed to interview him. LanXiRong took off his sunsses and politely smiled. Then he slowly pushed the microphone, ¡°I am here to look for a friend, everyone please let me go." After saying that, he ditched the reporters and headed toward ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang stood up. Since parting on bad termsst time, he hasn¡¯t seen LanXiRong for more than two months. Although LanXiRong would call him once in a while, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what to say to him.

    LanXiRong smiled softly at ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiang Ge, I heard that you¡¯re done shooting today. I came to see you.¡±

    He put the cakes he brought on the table. Then invited the staff toe over, ¡°Everyonee over and try it. This mango mousse is delicious.¡±

    A group of people came over and grab a piece. LanXiRong took the opportunity to pull ZhouXiang out of the crowd.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve nothing to do today so I came here to celebrate."

    The two stood in a corner far from the crowd. LanXiRong deliberately turned his back to the reporters so that they could not see his expression. He softly muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve missed you very much so I can¡¯t help but came to see you."

    ZhouXiang patted him on the shoulders, ¡°I¡¯ve heard your new album. You used to sing in my ears. You have a naturally great singing voice."

    LanXiRong sighed, ¡°Xiang Ge, are you going to continue to treat me so passively?"

    ZhouXiang responded embarrassingly, "I didn¡¯t. It¡¯s not easy to be able to see you, I¡¯m very happy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been out and about promoting my album recently and have just returned to Beijing yesterday. I¡¯ve always remembered the meal that you promised. But I don¡¯t think that you¡¯d honor thatmitment so I came over to freeload off of your celebratory feast and have a meal with you." LanXiRong¡¯s expression is quite lonesome.

    ZhouXiang felt very embarrassed. Regardless, he really didn¡¯t mention it out of courtesyst time but had really sincerely promised to treat him for a meal. But in the end, this person had already returned for over half a year and they still haven¡¯t gotten together for that meal. In fact, if LanXiRong didn¡¯t confess to him, and at a time when YanMingXiu could forget about LanXiRong, he would have called LanXiRong toe over and hang out. It wouldn¡¯t have been that big of a deal, but ever since LanXiRong said those words, everything is now different.

    He didn¡¯t know how to face LanXiRong so he could only keep some distance. But seeing LanXiRong¡¯s exhaustive appearance with dark circles around his eyes, he believes that LanXiRong didn¡¯t get enough rest after his promotional activities. ZhouXiang is a person that is extremely soft-hearted. Seeing that LanXiRong especially came to see him today, he felt all the more that he should go have a meal with him.

    He raked through his hair, ¡°That, we can go eat after work. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just you, but it¡¯s also livelier with more people."

    LanXiRong nodded, ¡°Xiang Ge, the set is too stuffy. Can youe downstairs with me for a bit?¡±

    ZhouXiang knew that it would be ufortable to be stared at by so many people so he could only agree, ¡°Wait for me to grab my jacket.¡±

    ZhouXiang put on his jacket and went to the door with LanXiRong. ZhouXiang was not used to so many reporters looking so enthused at him. He felt that he didn¡¯t even know where to put his foot. Fortunately, the reporters understood the rules and didn¡¯t just carelessly shoot (pictures).

    When the two of them got to the door, a person came directly in front of them, joining them in their pictures.

    ZhouXiang was surprised as he stared nkly at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu looked at him and then looked at LanXiRong, his expression immediately changed.

    End of the Chapter

    <strong>T/N:</strong> This story has 124 chapters

 Chapter 23 (2)

    The next day, Zhou Xiang went to thepany to find Cai Wei. To his surprise, Chief Wang, who only came to thepany once in a blue moon, was there too.

    Zhou Xiang thought that the situation must be very grave and was extremely nervous.

    Chief Wang saw his expression and knew what he was thinking. After he slowly drank some tea, he said, "Rx, everything¡¯s alright now."

    The weight on Zhou Xiang¡¯s mind was immediately lifted.

    "After Cai Wei told me the situation yesterday, I gave Wang Yudong a phone call. Director Wang is an elder, his personality can''t be changed. Although that old man is unreasonable at times, his talent is real. Wang Yudong shouldn¡¯t bother arguing with him. I talked to Wang Yudong for long time yesterday. He said that he''ll go to apologise to Director Wang in a few days¡¯ time. I got another investor to talk to Director Wang. That take won¡¯t be in the movie, so you don''t need to worry."

    Zhou Xiang said with a strained smile, "I was so nervous. I''m just a little, little stuntman, I really can''t afford to offend anyone."

    Director Wang smiled too, "Those two troublemakers, let''s pray that the movie finishes filming without dy so I can smoothly get back my money, and that there won''t be any more hups. Keep a close watch at the set, if anything happens, report to me immediately."

    "I got it."

    "Hey, Cai Wei told me that you''re living with your little boyfriend? Is it serious this time?"

    Zhou Xiang didn''t know whether tough or cry. "Wei''ge, I''ve noticed that even since you got married, your tongue has gotten more and more loose, Sister-inw must be feeding you really well."

    Cai Wei scoffed, "Don''t freaking mock me, isn''t this a good thing? You''ve been drifting along by yourself for so many years. Don''t you want to find true love too? Am I not allowed to be happy for you?"

    Director Wang nodded, "I''ve been away for too long, I feel detached from the modern world. You''re allowed to bring family members at the annual dinner, bring him with you to join in with the fun."

    "That''s over a month away. I''ll think about it when the timees." Zhou Xiang felt that as Yan Mingxiu didn''t likeing in contact with people, he probably wouldn''t want toe.

    Chief Wang raised an eyebrow. "Why can¡¯t you let us see him? I just wanted to see how a person who even Cai Wei, who is an entertainment agent who has seen all types of people before, says is handsome to the point of no return, would look like."

    Zhou Xiang let out a sigh. "Director Wang, he truly doesn''t want to be a celebrity. You two should just give up." What these two old foxes were thinking waspletely written on their faces.

    Cai Wei shrugged his shoulders. "What a shame. After seeing his face, when I look at myself in the mirror, I feel that life is really sorrowful."

    Thinking about how he currently had Yan Mingxiu all to himself, Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t help but feel fortunate and proud.

    Two dayster, Zhou Xiang went to the studio again. For the first time, Wang Yudong was there before him and already getting his makeup applied.

    Zhou Xiang walked over nervously and respectfully greeted, "Dong''ge."

    Wang Yudong aimed a nce at him through the mirror and smiled, "You''re here." He then scrutinised Zhou Xiang from head to toe. The expression in his eyes was really blunt.

    Zhou Xiang felt cold air drilling up through him from the soles of his feet.

    He uneasily headed towards the makeup station on the side. Mi You looked at him with a face of concern.

    Wang Yudong said, "Hey, wait a moment, spin around for me see."

    Zhou Xiang blinked. His heart drummed. Resigned to his fate, he span around once.

    Wang Yudong let out a lowugh. "No need to say it, it is really simr. I saw that segment you filmed. The viewers definitely won''t be able to tell that that isn''t me, Wang Yudong. I see that finding you as my body double was a really good deal."

    Cold sweat dripped down Zhou Xiang¡¯s body. "Dong''ge, please don''t tease me, my build only resembles yours a little bit, my presence and bearing don¡¯te even close. It might be possible to fool some normal viewers, but your seasoned fans and the people who know the ropes in this industry will be able to tell in one nce that it''s a body double, there''s absolutely noparison."

    Wang Yudong narrowed his eyes, and nced at him with a smile, "Your words make even me feel apologetic. Go get your makeup done, work well and we''ll still have opportunities work together in the future."

    Zhou Xiang nodded. For some reason Wang Yudong''s smile made him feel ufortable. He had a feeling that this would be his and Wang Yudong''sst coboration. That however, made him heave a sigh of relief instead. Losing one source of ie wasn''t a big issue. If he identally offended a Big God in the circle, he might not even have a ce here anymore. Not only did Wang Yudong have a higher status than him, Wang Yudong also had an incredible background. Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t someone that Zhou Xiang could afford to offend so he''d rather stay further away.

    Wang Yudong hade to shoot that inn scene today. Zhou Xiang was at a neighbouring set shooting another scene.

    Zhou Xiang nced towards Wang Yudong''s side from time to time. Director Wang¡¯s demands were as strict as always. Those who were familiar with the way he worked knew that he actually wasn¡¯t personally picking on Wang Yudong. He treated everyone this way. On the set, he was the Emperor. He said what he meant and only just that. However, in the eyes of Wang Yudong, who seemed like he was amiable and elegant but was actually a proud and arrogant person, Director Wang had it out for him. Wang Yudong couldn''t help but overthink and misunderstand, especially because, even afterst time''s unpleasantness, Director Wang wasn''t exercising any restraint at all, and was still shouting and yelling at him.

    Although they managed to finish shooting that scene, the tension between the two hadn¡¯t eased at all.

    Zhou Xiang''s heart trembled with fear seeing this. He also started praying that this movie would wrap up quickly, and then he could get his money walk away.

    Time flew, and it was already winter.

    Beijing''s winter was especially cold this year and snowed in the beginning of November. Although the weather was cold, Zhou Xiang and Yan Mingxiu¡¯s little home was always nice and warm.

    Zhou Xiang had already gotten used to seeing Yan Mingxiu when he woke up every morning, and falling asleep together at night.

    In the beginning he thought there would be a lot of friction living together with a wilful and arrogant person like Yan Mingxiu. However, in reality he discovered that after he made an all-out effort to manage their daily lifestyle, and went along with Yan Mingxiu''s temper as much as possible, they had almost no arguments or disagreements, and it was harmonious between them most of the time. When Yan Mingxiu first moved in he only brought some simple luggage, but now this house had traces of Yan Mingxiu everywhere.

    As always, Zhou Xiang lived a leisurely lifestyle where he worked whenever he had work, and rested at home whenever he didn''t. On the other hand, Yan Mingxiu''spany had been running for over half a year, and had already gone into orbit. Yan Mingxiu spent less and less time at home during the day, and his mind was on hispany most of the time.

    However, even though he went to work during the day, he didn¡¯t attend social events at night much. He returned home most of the time to eat dinner with Zhou Xiang. Although Zhou Xiang knew that the reason for this was because of Yan Mingxiu''s unsociable personality, Zhou Xiang still felt very gratified. He felt that their rtionship was more or less like a newlywed couple''s, passionate and sweet. He was really satisfied with the way things were.

    The movie was going to finish shooting at the end of the month. Zhou Xiang had already finished all his scenes. The production team organised an <f title="É±Çà¾Æ: end of celebration wine (drinking party), wrap up drinking party">end-of-filming celebration wrap party</f>. It didn''t really matter if a minor character like him went or not but to his surprise, Director Wang personally told him toe back to attend the wrap party, making Zhou Xiang feel ttered and overwhelmed.

    Zhou Xiang arrived at the studio in the afternoon. Many reporters had already arrived, preparing to interview Wang Yudong.

    Zhou Xiang sat at the side chatting with his colleagues. He suddenly heard a disturbance at the door.

    Several people turned their heads. A man wearing a thick ck cashmere cloak and sunsses walked through the door. Although he was wearing sunsses and a scarf, the sharp-eyed reporters were still able to recognise him as Lan Xirong in one nce.

    Some reporters charged forward wanting to interview him. Lan Xirong pulled off his sunsses and politely smiled. He then slowly pushed away the microphone. "I''vee to find a friend today, please let me off." After he spoke, he cast aside the crowd of reporters and headed for Zhou Xiang''s direction.

    Zhou Xiang stood up. After they parted on bad terms thest time they met, it had already been two months since he had seen Lan Xirong. Lan Xirong still rang him once in a while but Zhou Xiang didn''t know what he should say to him anymore.

    Lan Xirong smiled gently at Zhou Xiang. "Xiang''ge, I heard that the movie is wrapping up today so I came to visit you." He ced some cake on the table, and beckoned the idle crew members. "Everyone,e and try some cake, this bakery¡¯s the mango mousse is really good."

    A crowd of people rushed over to fight over cake. Lan Xirong took the opportunity to pull Zhou Xiang out of the crowd.

    Zhou Xiang smiled, "Thank you, to tell you the truth, I¡¯m not working today, I just came here to celebrate."

    The two of them were standing at a corner arge distance from the crowd. Lan Xirong purposely positioned himself so his back was facing the reporters, not letting them see his expression. He said softly, "Xiang''ge, I really missed you. That''s why I can''t stop myself froming to see you."

    Zhou Xiang patted his shoulder. "I listened to your new album. In the past, you always sung next to my ear, you have truly been gifted with a beautiful voice."

    Lan Xirong let out a sigh. "Xiang''ge, are you going to continue putting me off like this?"

    Zhou Xiang answered awkwardly, "I''m not, it''s not easy to meet up with you, I''m also really happy."

    "I just came back to Beijing yesterday after promoting my album the past few months. I still remember that you said that you were going to invite me out for a meal. I know that you won''t break a promise so I came over to freeload off you guys¡¯ celebration party, which can also be considered having a meal with you." Lan Xirong''s expression was very lonely.

    Zhou Xiang felt ashamed. Whether or not he had only said it to be polite at that time, he had indeed promised to invite Lan Xirong for a meal. But in the end, Lan Xirong had already been back for over half a year, and he still hadn''t had his meal. The truth was, if Lan Xirong hadn''t confessed to him, perhaps Zhou Xiang would have called Lan Xirong to sit down to have a chat after Yan Mingxiu forgot about Lan Xirong. This originally wasn''t a serious matter. However, everything changed after Lan Xirong had that conversation with him.

    He didn''t know how to face Lan Xirong, so he could only keep a distance. However, upon seeing Lan Xirong''s eyes with slightly ck rings, and his exhausted face, Zhou Xiang had no doubt that Lan Xirong had speciallye here to see him today immediately after finishing his promotions, before he had even had time to rest. Zhou Xiang had a soft heart, and felt increasingly apologetic seeing Lan Xirong in this state.

    He rubbed his hair. "Hey, we''re going out to eat together after we finish work, you cane with us, the more the livelier."

    Lan Xirong nodded. "Xiang''ge, the studio is too stuffy, can we go for a walk downstairs?"

    Zhou Xiang knew that Lan Xirong felt ufortable being stared at by so many people, and had no choice but to agree, "Wait a moment, I¡¯ll get my coat."

    Zhou Xiang put on his coat, and followed behind Lan Xirong, heading for the door. Zhou Xiang wasn''t used to being stared at with a fervent gaze by so many reporters. He felt like he didn¡¯t know where to ce his legs. Fortunately, the reporters knew the rules, and didn''t indiscriminately take photos.

    When they had almost reached the entrance, a person entered the doors, meeting them head-on.

    Zhou Xiang was startled, and stared nkly at Yan Mingxiu.

    Yan Mingxiu looked at him, and then looked at Lan Xirong. Hisplexion immediately changed.

 Chapter 24

    At that moment, even the reporters and staff members on the side could sense the abnormal atmosphere between the three people.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face with covered with ice, Lan Xirong¡¯s face was stiff, Zhou Xiang was at aplete loss.

    Although they didn¡¯t recognise Yan Mingxiu, and couldn¡¯t make out what was going on between them, their sharp eyes could see that Lan Xirong and this handsome new arrival did not get along.

    They might be able to scoop up some big gossip. Filled with excitement, everyone paid close attention to how the situation would unfold.

    Zhou Xiang went forward and grabbed Yan Mingxiu¡¯s arm. "Mingxiu, what are you doing here? I just bumped into Xirong. We¡¯re nning to go outside for a smoke, let¡¯s talk outside." He spoke while signalling to Yan Mingxiu with his eyes, getting him to take note of the fact that there were lots of reporters on the side.

    Lan Xirong also quickly recovered. Even if there was some conflict between them, he would not gift people gossip material for free.

    Yan Mingxiu shook off Zhou Xiang¡¯s hand, and said stiffly, "I¡¯m not here for you." He then brushed past Zhou Xiang and walked over to Wang Yudong.

    Zhou Xiang looked embarrassed and Lan Xirong was also deeply angered by Yan Mingxiu¡¯s attitude. However, he did his best to suppress it and not let it show. He pushed Zhou Xiang. "Xiang¡¯ge, let¡¯s go."

    Zhou Xiang watched Yan Mingxiu¡¯s back and sighed. This was not a good time to go coax him. Just as Zhou Xiang was hesitating, Lan Xirong pushed him out of the doors.

    Lan Xirong frowned. "Xiang¡¯ge, your boyfriend¡¯s temper is so stinky, did I offend him or something? He always has a bad look on his face whenever he sees me." He however, had forgotten that his face had also been filled with hostility when he saw Yan Mingxiu the first time.

    Zhou Xiang smiled awkwardly, "It¡¯s a misunderstanding. He¡¯s actually really easy to get along with." Zhou Xiang¡¯s voice grew less confident as he spoke. Even though these two had clearly barely spoken to each other before, they were ready to jump at each other¡¯s throat as soon as they saw each other. Could it really be that he was too charming? Thinking about it, Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry.

    Lan Xirong wasn¡¯t a smoker so he simply watched Zhou Xiang smoke and absentmindedly throw nces inside the studio continuously. It was obvious that Zhou Xiang was still thinking about Yan Mingxiu. Lan Xirong felt more and more miserable.

    "Xiang¡¯ge, I know that you are a really tolerant person. There are people with tempers that you shouldn¡¯t get used to, the more you indulge in them, the worse their tempers will get. I don¡¯t want you to suffer grievances."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "What are you saying? Two people are only together if they¡¯re a good fit, if they aren¡¯t then they would have split up a long time ago. There¡¯s no such thing as grievances or no grievances. Xirong, things are going well between us, it¡¯s not how you imagine it to be, don¡¯t worry."

    "Don¡¯t worry?" Lan Xirong smiled bitterly, "I deeply wish that you two will break up faster."

    Zhou Xiang awkwardly turned his face away. When he was with Lan Xirong now, he no longer felt rxed like he used to when he was with him. Not only was Lan Xirong¡¯s famepletely different now, Lan Xirong¡¯s attitude towards him was also getting stranger and stranger. He didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to respond to him.

    Lan Xirong turned his head and looked seriously at Zhou Xiang. "Xiang¡¯ge, I have a feeling that you two won¡¯tst for long. Don¡¯t use me for jinxing you two, but a person like him who only has a good appearance and considers everyone beneath him is not good enough for you. I¡¯ll wait for you. By the time your rtionship with himes to an end, you will be able to see that I will still be waiting for you. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve never fallen for a man before, but I really like you. When I¡¯m with you I feelfortable and at ease."

    Zhou Xiang stamped out his cigarette and said in a low voice, "Xirong, being homosexual isn¡¯t anything fun, don¡¯t trample into muddy water, you have a dad and a mum, why go this far? Besides, our rtionship really is going well. You¡¯re just temporarily confused about your feelings for me. Sooner orter, you will meet a good girl, when the timees, you¡¯ll understand."

    Lan Xirong¡¯s eyes were filled with refusal to ept. He said haltingly, "Xiang¡¯ge you have no idea at all. The past year I thought about a lot, concerning you... Forget it, you won¡¯t believe me even if I say it. I just wish that you won¡¯t avoid me, and can still think of me as a friend."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Xirong, I think of you as my friend, but I hope that you won¡¯t bring up it up ever again." Especially those words hoping that he and Yan Mingxiu will quickly break up. He seriously didn¡¯t like hearing it.

    Lan Xirong lowered his head, his tightly pursed lips divulging his unwillingness.

    Zhou Xiang said, "Let¡¯s go back. It¡¯s too cold outside." He headed back inside with his coat on.

    Lan Xirong knew that Zhou Xiang was anxious about Yan Mingxiu and felt even more jealous and resentful towards Yan Mingxiu.

    They had been outside for least than ten minutes but when they went in their bodies were already cloaked with cold air.

    Yan Mingxiu was waiting inside a short distance from the doors. Wang Yudong was still busy filming, so they had only exchanged a few words. Although Yan Mingxiu hadn¡¯t gone outside, Zhou Xiang could see that the air around him wasn¡¯t much warmer than theirs.

    Zhou Xiang left Lan Xirong, and walked over to Yan Mingxiu. He smiled, "Mingxiu, you came to find Wang Yudong? Why didn¡¯t you tell me you wereing?"

    Yan Mingxiu nced at him. "If I had told you beforehand, would you have gone to smoke somewhere else?"

    Zhou Xiang turned a death ear to his sarcasm, "Mingxiu, the filming wraps up today. Lots of people came, I didn¡¯t know that he¡¯de either."

    Yan Mingxiu turned to nce at Lan Xirong and saw that Lan Xirong was staring fixedly at them. His gaze was very deep and very heavy. The rage in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s heart med up even more. He was absolutely certain that that person had designs for Zhou Xiang. He pulled Zhou Xiang. "Come with me."

    The two walked out of the back door of the studio. Outside was an enclosed balcony but the windows weren¡¯t tightly sealed, allowing wind to blow in, so very few people came out here in winter.

    Yan Mingxiu looked at him angrily. "What did you two talk about when you went outside just then?"

    "I just smoked one cigarette. It¡¯s super cold outside, how could we say anything? So I rushed back to see you."

    "Does he have designs for you? Or else, why is he always looking at me like that?" A trace of hate emerged on Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face.

    Zhou Xiang consoled him, "He doesn¡¯t, you think too much. I already told you that he¡¯s straight. There must be some misunderstanding between you two. Maybe he drank too much that day so his attitude wasn¡¯t good. You two red back and forth, and ended up ring up daggers."

    Even though Yan Mingxiu could see that Zhou Xiang was very certain, he still had some misgivings.

    Zhou Xiang hurriedly moved closer and tightened Yan Mingxiu¡¯s scarf. "It¡¯s so cold outside, why are you dressed so lightly?"

    "Mn," Yan Mingxiu responded, "This down-fitted garment is really good keeping out the cold."

    "Really? It feels very thin." Zhou Xiang kneaded his arm, and then reached out to feel his pants. "Are you only wearing one pair of pants? Why are you only wearing one pair on such a cold day?"

    "It¡¯s not that cold yet."

    "This time of the year is the coldest for your bones. You must wear those warm undergarments I prepare for you, okay?"

    While they were being sappy and clingy, Zhou Xiang pushed Yan Mingxiu against the wall. Zhou Xiang kissed his lips as he said, "Even your lips are cold, what¡¯re you going to do if you get sick?"

    Yan Mingxiu couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that Zhou Xiang was trying to change the subject. Just when he was about to say something, Zhou Xiang covered Yan Mingxiu¡¯s mouth with his and slipped his tongue in.

    Yan Mingxiu unconsciously hugged Zhou Xiang¡¯s waist.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t have a small frame, but his waist was especially narrow. Even through a thick coat, Yan Mingxiu could still feel out the line of his waist. He couldn¡¯t help but slip a hand inside to feel his warm skin.

    Zhou Xiang shivered from the feel of that ice-cold hand. He scolded, "Is there anyone like you, putting a hand in without any warning, trying to freeze me to death."

    Yan Mingxiu could feel Zhou Xiang¡¯s body shivering. His mood improved a bit, and he snorted, "If you keep barking, I¡¯ll strip you naked right here."

    Zhou Xiang touched Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face, leaned against him andughed yfully, "Strip me naked and then what?"

    Yan Mingxiu answered hoarsely, "Strip you naked and top you of course. Every time you¡¯re f***ed by me, your body¡¯s especially hot, perfect for warming me up."

    Zhou Xiangughed wickedly, "Let¡¯s try doing it outside another day. It may be a bit cold, but I bet it¡¯ll be really interesting."

    "You actually even want to try... What if we both freeze to death out there?" Yan Mingxiu kissed him while caressing his tight and firm waist.

    Zhou Xiang imagined them freezing to death while making love. That would simply be too humiliating; he couldn¡¯t resist bursting out intoughter.

    They exchanged vulgar flirtatious words which they could only utter out in front of only each other. The surrounding temperature was cold but they were cuddled together, chest against chest, lips stuck together. They didn¡¯t feel cold at all, and were insteadfortably warm from their bodies to their hearts.

    However, an astonished voice, like a bolt of lightning, smashed their sweet little world to pieces.

    "Mingxiu?!"

    The two of them immediately turned their heads. Wang Yudong was staring at them with wide eyes of shock. He hadn¡¯t removed his makeup yet, and was still dressed in a warrior costume; he looked elegant and peerlessly handsome. However, his face was brimming with shock and his brows were tightly knitted, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.

    Yan Mingxiu practically pushed Zhou Xiang away without any hesitation. He pushed so hard Zhou Xiang almost fell over.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes travelled back and forth between Wang Yudong and Yan Mingxiu, at aplete loss of what to do.

    Wang Yudong forced himself to calm down. He indifferently swept his gaze over Zhou Xiang. His eyes contained undisguised contempt and warning. He said to Yan Mingxiu in a stern voice, "Mingxiu,e with me for a moment."

    Yan Mingxiu clenched his fist. His whole body started trembling uncontrobly. Without sparing Zhou Xiang even single nce, he followed after Wang Yudong inrge strides.

    The two entered the studio in a blink of an eye.

    Zhou Xiang was still nkly standing on the balcony. Everything had urred too quickly. He hadn¡¯t had any time to react.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s push just then was like he was anxiously trying to say that he had no rtionship with him, filling Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart with anxiety. He thought to himself, Yan Mingxiu must just be too flustered because he was discovered by his future brother-inw, that¡¯s all. He could anyfort himself that way, even though after knowing Yan Mingxiu for so long, he had never seen Yan Mingxiu so flustered over any matter before.

    Plus, Zhou Xiang was truly very flustered.

    Wang Yudong¡¯s strong warning gaze made Zhou Xiang feel uneasy. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s alienating attitude also made him uneasy. He thought dejectedly, perhaps all people react this way when a family member discovers their sexual orientation?

    He continuously told himself to not think too much, but no matter what he couldn¡¯t forget the view of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s back as he was leaving, how he didn¡¯t turn back to look at him even once.

 Chapter 24 (2)

    At this time, the reporters and staff next to them also noticed the unusually tensed atmosphere between the three.

    YanMingXiu''s expression is chillingly cold; LanXiRong''s face had frozen and ZhouXiang lookedpletely lost.

    Although they don¡¯t know YanMingXiu nor could they guess what is going on between them, anyone can see that LanXiRong have some contention with this handsome guy that had just appeared.

    This would probably make a sensational gossip story. Everyone is excited as they concentrated on the development of their tensed situation.

    ZhouXiang went and grab YanMingXiu¡¯s arm, ¡°MingXiu, why are you here? I just met up with XiRong and was nning on going out for a smoke. Let¡¯s go out and talk.¡± As he was saying this, his eyes hinted at YanMingXiu to take notice of the number of reporters around them.

    LanXiRong also quickly regained normalcy. Whatever discord between them, he will not let these people treat it as gossip news.

    YanMingXiu swatted ZhouXiang''s hand away and said bluntly, ¡°I didn''te to look for you." He walked to the side toward WangYuDong.

    ZhouXiang''s face is full of awkwardness. LanXiRong is extremely furious over YanMingXiu¡¯s attitude but he desperately tried to suppress his emotions from showing. He pushed ZhouXiang a bit, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s go out and smoke.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu''s back silhouette. This is not a suitable time to chase after YanMingXiu to appease him. There are too many people watching. LanXiRong slowly pushed him out the door. The two men ran to the corner behind the building. Seeing that no one followed them, they let out a sigh of relief.

    LanXiRong creased his brows, "Xiang Ge, your little boyfriend''s temper is really

    terrible. I''d say he''s asking for trouble. Every time he sees me, he has this hostile attitude." He''s forgotten that he had also looked at YanMingXiu with hostility when they first met.

    ZhouXiang mocked, ¡°It''s just a misunderstanding. In fact, he''s very easy to get along with.¡± The more ZhouXiang spoke, the more he finds himselfcking that confidence. Obviously these two people have never said more than a few words, yet they are ready jump at each other''s throats upon seeing each other. Could it be that he''s too charming? He didn''t know whether tough or cry just thinking about this.

    LanXiRong didn''t smoke but look at ZhouXiang blowing out smoke, and then sees him inattentively aimed his sight inside. Knowing that ZhouXiang is obviously thinking about YanMingXiu, his heart felt increased pained.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, I know that you''re a very tolerant person, but some people¡¯s temper should not be condoned. He will just be more and more unreasonable. I don''t want you to have to suffer."

    ZhouXiang smiled, "What are you saying? Two people coulde together is because they are suitable. Otherwise, they would have separated long ago. What is there to suffer or not suffer? XiRong, we get along very well. It''s not like what you think, don''t worry."

    "Don''t worry?" LanXiRong said bitterly, "I rather you guys break up earlier."

    ZhouXiang move his face away awkwardly. He no longer has that rxed feeling he use have when he is hanging out with LanXiRong. Not only is LanXiRong''s poprity vastly different from before, but his attitude towards him is also increasingly strange. He simply didn''t know what how to deal with this properly.

    LanXiRong turned around and look at ZhouXiang seriously, "Xiang Ge, I have this feeling that you and him won''tst long. Don¡¯t me me for cursing you guys. His kind of condescending arrogant person with nothing but a pretty face is not worthy of you. I''m waiting for you. When you guys end it, you''ll see that I''m still waiting for you. I really don¡¯t like men, but I like you a lot. I feel very much at ease being with you."

    ZhouXiang extinguished his cigarette and lowly uttered, ¡°XiRong, homosexuality is not a lot of fun. Don¡¯t get drowned in this muddy water. You have parents, why bother? Plus, he and I get along very well. What you feel for me is just your momentary confusion. Sooner orter, you''ll meet a good girl. At that time, you''ll understand."

    LanXiRong is unwilling to ept this reality. He said with much difficulty, ¡°Xiang Ge, you don¡¯t know. I''ve thought a lot in this past year¡­ about you¡­forget it. You won''t believe what I say anyway. I only hope that you won''t hide from me and still can treat me as a friend.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°XiRong. I''ll treat you as a friend but I hope that you won''t mention these words ever again."

    Especially words of him hoping that he and YanMingXiu would breakup soon, he really doesn''t want to hear it.

    LanXiRong lowered his head, his tightly sealed lips revealed his unwillingness to ept this reality.

    ZhouXiang added, ¡°Let¡¯s head back. It''s too cold to be staying out here for too long.¡± After saying that, he wrapped his arms around his jacket and walked back.

    LanXiRong knew that he, himself, is jealous of YanMingXiu. His envious hatred toward YanMingXiu is increasing more and more.

    They stayed outside for at most ten minutes. When he went back to the room, his entire body was already frigidly cold.

    YanMingXiu waited not too far from the door''s entrance. WangYuDong was busy. The two didn''t even say more than a few words. Even though he didn''t leave the room, but ZhouXiang could see that the air exuded around him is much warmerpared to before.

    ZhouXiang ditched LanXiRong and walked over to sit next to him, smiling, "MingXiu, are you here to look for WangYuDong? Since you''reing, why didn''t you say so?¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at him, ¡°If I said it in advance, would you guys have just changed the ce to smoke?¡±

    ZhouXiang turned a deaf ear to his sarcasm, maintaining hisposure, ¡°MingXiu, today is the final scene for movie. Many people came. I also didn''t know he woulde."

    YanMingXiu turned to nce at LanXiRong and saw that LanXiRong was staring at them; his expression deep and heavy, the anger surging in his heart. The man has other intentions toward ZhouXiang. He is sure of it. He pulled ZhouXiang up, ¡°Come here.¡±

    The two men walked out from the back door of the set; outside is a closed balcony, but the windows are not closed. The cold breezy air flowing in, no one woulde out during the Winter.

    YanMingXiu looked at him angrily, ¡°What did you guys go out to talk about?¡±

    ¡°Just smoked. It''s rather cold outside, what can we talk about? So I just hurried back to see you."

    ¡°Does he have other intentions toward you? Otherwise why does he always look at me like that?¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s face revealed a trace of loathing.

    ZhouXiang tried to sooth him, ¡°No, you''re thinking too much. I''ve already said that he''s straight. There must be some misunderstanding between the two of you. Maybe he drank too much that night and had a bad attitude. The both of you ring at each other likely caused some friction. It''s definitely a misunderstanding.¡±

    Seeing ZhouXiang looking so certain about this, YanMingXiu felt a tinge of doubt.

    ZhouXiang rushed over to tighten the scarf YanMingXiu was wearing, ¡°It''s so cold outside, how can you dress so lightly?"

    YanMingXiu ''hmm'', ¡°This down jacket is very warm.¡±

    "Really? But it feels so thin," ZhouXiang pinched his arm and then reached his hand down to touch his pants. "Are you wearing only this pair of pants? So cold, how can you only wear a pair (of pants)?"

    ¡°It¡¯s not that cold yet.¡±

    ¡°This time of the year is chilling to the bones. I''m going to get you warm underwear, you have to wear it."

    The two started to get get intimate. ZhouXiang pressed YanMingXiu against the wall and kissed his lips while murmuring, ¡°Your lips are cold, what to do if you get sick."

    YanMingXiu felt that ZhouXiang is just trying to change the topic. Just when he was about to say something, ZhouXiang covered his mouth and slipped his tongue in.

    YanMingXiu unconsciously hugged ZhouXiang¡¯s waist.

    ZhouXiang''s body frame is not small but his waist is extremely slender. Even wearing a thick jacket, YanMingXiu could still feel his waistline. He can¡¯t help but reached in to caress his warm skin.

    ZhouXiang is startled by his cold hand, he smiled scoldingly, ¡°Not saying anything and just reached your hand in, so freaking cold."

    YanMingXiu can feel his body trembling. His mood is a bit better as he scoffed, "If you cry out, I''m gonna strip you naked right here.¡±

    ZhouXiang stroked YanMingXiu¡¯s face and leaned against him, "Soo¡­ what after stripping me naked?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded hoarsely, "After that, of course¡­ fuck you. Every time I fuck you, your body is especially hot, perfect to keep me warm."

    ZhouXiangughed wickedly, ¡°We should try and do it outside sometimes, though it''s a bit cold, it should be very exciting.¡±

    ¡°You still really want to try¡­ what to do if we get frozen together,¡± YanMingXiu caressed his slender waistline while kissing him.

    ZhouXiang thought that if the two were to have gotten frozen during sex, it would be so embarrassing. He couldn''t help butugh out.

    The two indecently spoke of flirting words that could only be said in front of each other. Although the temperature around them is very low, with their tight embrace, their chests tightly snuggled to the other, their lips sealed together; neither is feeling the slightest cold. Instead, it is warm from their bodies to their hearts.

    At this time, a strange voice sounding like that of thunder came crashing down, shattering their sweet little world.

    ¡°MingXiu?!¡±

    The two turned their heads and see WangYuDong ring at them in shock. He still had not removed his dress-up, wearing a hero''s outfit, looking handsomely impressive, but the expression on his face is full of horror. His brows creased, as though he couldn''t believe everything he just saw.

    YanMingXiu almost didn''t hesitate to shove ZhouXiang away. His strength was so hard that ZhouXiang almost fell.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes moved back and forth between WangYuDong and YanMingXiu,pletely at a loss.

    WangYuDong forced himself to calm down and swept his gaze at ZhouXiang. There was an undisguised warning and contempt in his eyes. He gloomily said to YanMingXiu, ¡°MingXiu,e with me.¡±

    YanMingXiu clenched his fists; his entire body couldn¡¯t stop shaking. He didn¡¯t even look at ZhouXiang as he took big strides in following behind WangYuDong.

    In the blink of the eye, both entered the room.

    ZhouXiang was still standing in the balcony. Everything happened so fast that he had no time to react.

    YanMingXiu''s shove earlier seem as though he had no connection with him whatsoever. This thought made him full of anxiety. He thought that YanMingXiu might have just been too flustered from being caught by his future brother-inw. He could onlyfort himself this way. Even though, he had known YanMingXiu for this long, he had never seen him flustered over anything.

    But ZhouXiang is very baffled.

    WangYuDong¡¯s eyes, full of caution, made him feel uneasy. YanMingXiu¡¯s isting attitude also made him feel uneasy. He wondered maybe this is the kind of natural reaction when family finds out about his sexual orientation.

    He kept telling himself to not think too much. But still, he couldn''t forget YanMingXiu''s back silhouette before he left. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even look back at him.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 25

    After they finished filming the final scene, everyone was exhausted and excited.

    A staff member had already put up a banner a while ago, celebrating that the film was able to wrap up without a hitch.

    Wang Yudong was on set epting rounds of reporter interviews. He took a few photos with the crew members and then took Yan Mingxiu away.

    In the evening, the cast and crew booked a few tables at a restaurant for the wrap party. Wang Yudong didn¡¯t participate, but he had properly fulfilled his part for the asion.

    Zhou Xiang was originally really looking forward to today but after Yan Mingxiu left he couldn¡¯t but feel dejected, and in the end, it was Lan Xirong who apanied him to eat.

    This drinking partysted until reallyte. Many people got drunk, let loose and went on a rowdy drunken craze. Everyone hadboured hard for seven to eight months, encountering a lot of difficulties and challenges along the way. The rtionship between their main actor and the director in particr had made little soldiers like them fret without end. It was all finally over now. Everyone was naturally very excited, and drank as much as they possibly could.

    In contrast, Zhou Xiang, who was usually a very good drinker, only drank a few mouthfuls. He and Lan Xirong sat at one side the entire time, talking about the past. Zhou Xiang was a bit absentminded, but because there were so many people present, he couldn¡¯t leave.

    Lan Xirong finally couldn¡¯t help but ask "Xiang¡¯ge, what rtionship does your boyfriend have with Wang Yudong? They left together just before."

    Zhou Xiang replied, "Hm, they¡¯re acquainted."

    Lan Xirong¡¯s brows knitted.

    Zhou Xiang immediately exined, "It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking."

    Lan Xirong replied in a low voice, "Really? It doesn¡¯t look that simple to me."

    Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t just casually gossip about Wang Yudong to him. However, what happened earlier, and the warning look Wang Yudong directed at him before he left, made him feel an unexinable sense of anger towards Lan Xirong¡¯s conjecture. His face finally darkened. "Don¡¯t make blind guesses. It¡¯s really not what you¡¯re thinking."

    Lan Xirong looked at Zhou Xiang¡¯s dark ace with slight shock; his expression looked slightly wronged, "Xiang¡¯ge, you¡¯re angry at me?"

    Zhou Xiang let out a sigh, "No..."

    "That time, even when I used you of harbouring illicit thoughts towards me, you didn¡¯t even get angry with me. I was so insensitive at that time, but you were still able to forgive me. But now, you got angry just because of one careless remark I made. Xiang¡¯ge, I was wrong. You truly like <f title="Lan Xirong calls Yan Mingxiu only by his surname here.">that Yan</f>, don¡¯t you?" The expression in Lan Xirong¡¯s eyes was abnormally dark.

    Zhou Xiang responded quietly, "Xirong, yes, I do really like him, if not, why would I live with him? But don¡¯t tell anyone about this matter. He isn¡¯t part of this circle, and I don¡¯t want to be indirectly linked with Wang Yudong in any way."

    Lan Xirong didn¡¯t speak, and gloomily drank a mouthful of wine. He then said bitterly, "Xiang¡¯ge, we really can¡¯t go back to before."

    Zhou Xiang was also honestly in no mood tofort him. His head was an entire mess himself. He didn¡¯t know how this situation would develop from now on.

    By the time the dinner party ended, it was already past ten. Zhou Xiang hadn¡¯t drunk much, and could immediately drive off. Lan Xirong was apletely different story. Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t tell if it was deliberate or if Lan Xirong was truly drunk, but either way, Lan Xirong directly draped himself on Zhou Xiang¡¯s body and resolutely imed that he couldn¡¯t walk by himself.

    Whether or not he could walk, his body reeked of alcohol so he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to drive. He hade here for Zhou Xiang¡¯s sake. Zhou Xiang had no choice but to lend his shoulder and fulfil the duty of sending him back home.

    Lan Xirong looked really skinny but he was tall, and after drinking, he was especially heavy. Gasping for breath, Zhou Xiang sent him back home to the address given, working up a sweat in the midst of the great winter.

    He opened the door to Lan Xirong¡¯s house and saw that it was maiste apartment with a floor area of over two hundred square meters. The interior decor was simple, but very rich and high ss. Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the small apartment Lan Xirong rented at that time, which was as different as sky and earth whenpared to his current apartment. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little envious.

    While he was dazing out, Lan Xirong¡¯s body dropped, and he started falling forward headfirst.

    Zhou Xiang hurriedly caught him but he was tripped up by Lan Xirong¡¯s long legs. He lost bnce and fell down onto the bright and clean wooden floorboards with Lan Xirong.

    Lan Xirong had fallen on top of Zhou Xiang, roughly breathing against Zhou Xiang¡¯s body. He had a pair of abnormally bright ssic apricot eyes. When his eyes were smiling, he looked pure and kind, captivating the hearts of millions of people.

    However, at this moment, those eyes werepletely intoxicated and filled with lust.

    Zhou Xiang had a bad premonition, and promptly pushed away Lan Xirong, wanting to stand up.

    However, Lan Xirong pinned down his arm, lowered his head and violently covered Zhou Xiang¡¯s lips with his.

    Zhou Xiang knitted his brows.

    Lan Xirong¡¯s mouth was all alcohol vour. But that wasn¡¯t the important; the main point was that this was his first time kissing a man. His kissing had absolutely no order to it. He bit Zhou Xiang¡¯s lips and randomly grinded against Zhou Xiang¡¯s mouth, and even knocked into Zhou Xiang¡¯s teeth.

    Zhou Xiang calmly gave his waist a strike.

    Lan Xirong shrank back in pain.

    Zhou Xiang speedily pushed Lan Xirong off his body, and nimbly got up from the ground. He said in a heavy voice, "Don¡¯t drink so much next time. You can¡¯t drink alcohol in the first ce." He knew that Lan Xirong wasn¡¯t drunk. There was no way a drunken person could have so much strength.

    Lan Xirong said hoarsely, "Xiang¡¯ge, why didn¡¯t you wait for me?" The volume of his voice was really low, as if he was saying it only for himself to hear.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t reply to him. He picked up his own phone which had fallen onto the ground, and left without turning back.

    He had originally thought that Yan Mingxiu definitely wouldn¡¯te back home today. Surprisingly, his house lights were on.

    Zhou Xiang entered the apartment, and sure enough, Yan Mingxiu was sitting on the sofa. He wasn¡¯t watching TV and he wasn¡¯t reading a book. He just sat there, as if he was thinking of something. When he saw that Zhou Xiang hade back, he cast a nce at Zhou Xiang; hisplexion was very pale.

    Zhou Xiang stood at the door no knowing what to do. "You... You¡¯re back."

    Yan Mingxiu said coldly, "Isn¡¯t that what I should be saying to you? You guys ate till this hour? Does the restaurant not get off work?" Yan Mingxiu looked at the clock on the wall. It was already nearly two.

    Zhou Xiang replied, "We went drinking after eating. Those people are too rowdy. If I had known that you were at home, I would havee back earlier."

    "Why can¡¯t I be at home?" Yan Mingxiu countered.

    Zhou Xiang said hesitantly, "Today, Wang Yudong..."

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯splexion turned even darker, "That¡¯s none of your business. Don¡¯t mention it again."

    Zhou Xiang changed into slippers, stripped off his coat and hung it on the clothes rack. While carefully observing Yan Mingxiu¡¯s expression, he sat down next to him.

    Yan Mingxiu said with a dark face, "I called you several times, why didn¡¯t you answer?"

    "Oh, my phone ran out of power. Big screens consume way too much power." Zhou Xiang even specially fished out his phone from his pocket, wanting to prove his words. The result was, when he casually pressed the button, the screen lit up.

    Zhou Xiang was taken aback. He lowered his head to look at lock-screen. To his surprise, it was a fashion modelling photo of Lan Xirong.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s good eyes also noticed. He snatched away the phone. Hisplexion couldn¡¯t get any uglier.

    Zhou Xiang immediately realised what must have happened.

    That year was precisely the year the first generation iPhone came out; it was as hot as it could be. A ce like the entertainment circle was flooded with people who closely followed trends. Zhou Xiang was inevitably influenced, and also bought one. Currently, he was surrounded by people who used that phone. Everyone would take out the same phone. Sometimes it was really easy to get their phones mixed up.

    Seeing that photo of Lan Xirong, Zhou Xiang almost immediately remembered that his phone with a dead battery was still in the pocket of his coat. He had taken Lan Xirong¡¯s phone which had fallen to the ground for his own, picked it up and taken it home.

    How was he going to exin?

    Yan Mingxiu waved the phone with the offending screen. His face was a bit menacing, "Care to exin?"

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s brain turned in full operation, and decided to tell the truth. "He... He got drunk and couldn¡¯t drive so I sent him back. His phone dropped onto the ground, I thought it was mine, and brought it back."

    Yan Mingxiu said viciously, "Zhou Xiang, you¡¯re treating my words like air, right? I f**king told you not toe in contact with him again!"

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s day of umted rage was set ame. He raised the phone and violently smashed it to the ground.

 Chapter 25 (2)

    After theypleted shooting the final scene, everyone was exhausted but excited.

    Someone earlier had pulled up the celebratory banner, wishing for the movie''s sess.

    WangYuDong epted a round of interviews with the reporters on the set and took some pictures with the banner and the staff. Then, he took YanMingXiu away.

    In the evening, the crew booked a few tables at the restaurant to celebrate thepletion of filming. WangYuDong didn''t participate but he did everything expected of him for this asion.

    ZhouXiang was originally in a very high spirits but after YanMingXiu left, he couldn''t help himself from feeling depressed. In the end, it was actually LanXiRong who apanied him to dinner.

    They drank till veryte into the night. Many of the people ended up drunk, bing absolutely unruly and wild. Everyone has worked hard for seven to eight months. There were many challenges in the middle, especially with the tensed rtionship between the director and the protagonist that created a lot of extra work for these menial staff. Now that everything is finally over, everyone is thrilled; inevitably they will drink to their heart''s content.

    On the contrary, ZhouXiang, who can usually drink actually didn''t drink much. He and LanXiRong have just been sitting next to each other, chatting about the past. ZhouXiang''s mind is a bit distracted, but there was too many people present so he really couldn''t leave.

    LanXiRong finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Xiang Ge, what is the rtionship between your boyfriend and WangYuDong? They just left together.¡±

    ZhouXiang replied, ¡°Ahh, they know each other.¡±

    LanXiRong creased his brows.

    ZhouXiang immediately tried to exin, ¡°It''s not what you think.¡±

    LanXiRong lowly added, ¡°Really? I don''t think it''s that simple.¡±

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t just casually gossip about WangYuDong to him. But what just happened earlier, with WangYuDong¡¯s warning expression before he left made him feel somewhat annoyed at LanXiRong''s spection. He finally gloomily voiced, ¡°Don¡¯t just blindly specte, it''s really not what you think.¡±

    LanXiRong was surprised to see ZhouXiang¡¯s gloomy expression, feeling a bit grieved, "Xiang Ge, are you angry at me?¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Back then, even if I mocked your intentions toward me, you didn''t even get angry at me. I was really ignorant at the time but you still tolerated me. Now you''re actually angry with me over something I unintentionally said. Xiang Ge, I''ve thought wrong. You really like that surname ¡°Yan" guy, right?" LanXiRong¡¯s expression is extremely somber.

    ZhouXiang lowly uttered, ¡°XiRong, I like him a lot. Otherwise I won''t be living with him. But this, don''t tell others. He is not from the circle, and I also don''t want to indirectly have any connections to WangYuDong."

    LanXiRong didn¡¯t speak, but depressingly poured a cup of liquor. Then said bitterly, ¡°Xiang Ge, can we really not go back to the past?¡±

    ZhouXiang was also not really in the mood tofort him. He, himself is in a mess, not knowing how his matter with YanMingXiu progressed to."

    The celebratory dinner didn''t end until sometime past 10pm. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t drink too much so he could have just left and drive away. But LanXiRong couldn''t. Whether he was deliberately drunk or not, he leaned onto ZhouXiang''s body, insisting that he''s couldn''t leave by himself.

    Regardless of whether he could leave or not, he was reeking of alcohol. So, it''s absolutely impossible for him to drive. LanXiRong came to this gathering because of ZhouXiang so ZhouXiang had no choice but to bear the responsibility of taking him home.

    LanXiRong look very thin, but he''s tall and drunk so he''s particrly heavy. ZhouXiang was breathless, sweating profusely in this winter weather as he took him home using the address he mentioned.

    Opening the door, he could see that this is a duplex apartment at a size more than 200 square meters. The d¨¦cor is simple but very stylish.

    ZhouXiang couldn''t help but think of the small house LanXiRong once rented. Now, it''s a world of difference, he felt a bit envious.

    Right when he was in a dazed, LanXiRong''s body heavily slumped forward.

    ZhouXiang quickly tried to hold onto him, but instead he was kicked by his long legs and lost his bnce. He and LanXiRong both fell onto the clean wooden floor.

    LanXiRong panted as he leaned atop ZhouXiang body. His typically pair of almond-shaped eyes is especially dazzling. When he smiles, they looked pure and familiarly warm, captivating all those around him.

    But at this time, his eyes were full of drunkenness and desire.

    ZhouXiang felt that this would be bad so he quickly pushed LanXiRong away to stand up.

    LanXiRong immediately held his arm down, lowered his head and sealed his lips with ZhouXiang¡¯s lips.

    ZhouXiang furrowed his brows.

    LanXiRong''s mouth is full of the stench of liquor, but this is not the main point. The main point is that this is likely his first time kissing a man,pletelycking in skills as he bit and grind his lips, even colliding against ZhouXiang¡¯s teeth.

    ZhouXiang calmly hit his waist.

    The pain made LanXiRong curled his body.

    ZhouXiang quickly pushed him away and got up from the ground, sullenly uttering, "Don¡¯t drink so much next time. You don''t normally drink.¡± He knew that LanXiRong is not drunk because drunks would not have such tremendous strength.

    LanXiRong voiced hoarsely, ¡°Xiang Ge. Why didn''t you wait for me?¡± He said this phrase so quietly that it''s almost as if he was saying it for himself to hear.

    ZhouXiang didn''t answer him as he picked up his cell phone that had dropped on the ground. He left without turning back.

    He had thought that YanMingXiu would definitely note home tonight so he didn''t expect that the lights at home to be brightly turned on.

    When ZhouXiang got into the house, sure enough, YanMingXiu was sitting on the couch, not watching TV or reading, but sitting as if he was in deep thoughts. Seeing that he had returned, he nced at him, his expression turning pale.

    ZhouXiang stood at the door in disbelief, ¡°You¡­ you''re back.¡±

    YanMingXiu said coldly, ¡°Shouldn''t I be the one to be saying that? You had dinner until now? The restaurant didn''t have to close?"

    YanMingXiu nced at the clock on the wall; it was almost two o¡¯clock.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°We went drinking after eating. These people are too wild. If I had known that you''re home, I would have came back earlier."

    "Why wouldn''t I be home?" YanMingXiu asked.

    ZhouXiang hesitated, ¡°Today, WangYuDong¡­¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face is even more gloomy, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, don¡¯t mention it.¡±

    ZhouXiang changed his shoes into slippers, took off his jacket and hung it on the clothes hanger, carefully observing YanMingXiu''s face as he sat next to him.

    YanMingXiu said with a sullen face, ¡°I''ve called you several times. Why didn''t you pick up?¡±

    ¡°Oh, the phone was out of battery. The screen of this phone uses a lot of battery.¡±

    ZhouXiang also deliberately took out his cell phone from his pocket wanting to prove what he had just said. But instead, with just a push of a button, the screen lit up. ZhouXiang was shocked as he looked down at the screensaver, which turned out to be a fashion picture of LanXiRong.

    YanMingXiu''s sharp-eyes also noticed it. With lightning speed, he grabbed the phone, his expression extremely unsightly.

    ZhouXiang immediately knew how this could have happened. That year was the first generation release of the iPhone. It was so hotly popr. The entertainment industry is full of people wanting to follow the trends. ZhouXiang also inevitably feel the pressure, so he also got one.

    Now most people around him are using it. It''s all the same phones so sometimes it''s easy to get confused.

    Seeing LanXiRong''s picture, ZhouXiang almost immediately thought about it. His out of battery cell phone is still in the pocket of his coat. But he mistakenly grabbed LanXiRong¡¯s phone thinking it was his own.

    <i>How is he going to exin this?</i>

    YanMingXiu shook the phone in his hand with the ring screensaver, his face a bit fierce, ¡°Do you want to exin this?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s thought quickly for a moment but then decided to tell the truth. ¡°Yes¡­. he got drunk and can''t drive so I took him home. His phone fell onto the ground and I took it thinking it was mine."

    YanMingXiu very fiercely said, ¡°ZhouXiang, are you turning a deaf ear to what I said? I''ve fucking told you to not have any more contact with him!"

    YanMingXiu''s anger that had all been umted the entire day exploded. He took the cell phone and ruthlessly threw it on the ground.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 26

    Zhou Xiang looked at the phone on the ground, head lowered, and didn¡¯t speak.

    He didn¡¯t want to have a fight with Yan Mingxiu but he was too tired to exin. Merely sending a drunken friend back home could result in this kind of interrogation. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s wilfulness and arrogance was nothing new, but it was especially unbearable today. Perhaps it was because his mind was still upied with what happened during the day. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s attitude, how he anxiously dissociated himself from him, made it so that even though Zhou Xiang had found lots of reasons in his head to defend him, he still felt bitterly disappointed.

    Seeing that Zhou Xiang wasn¡¯t saying a word, Yan Mingxiu got even madder. Wang Yudong¡¯s low sigh echoed in his head over and over again. Wang Yudong had looked at him with eyes ofplete puzzlement and asked him why he was getting involved with someone like Zhou Xiang.

    Those eyes stabbed him like a needle.

    He also started wondering in confusion, was the reason he was together with Zhou Xiang merely because of his back view resembled Wang Yudong¡¯s and nothing more? He, Yan Mingxiu was unable to obtain the same thing, and could only demean himself and resort to finding a substitute. When did he be so pathetic?

    And even though this person was just a substitute, and repeated over and over again that he liked him, he was also sowing oats behind his back.

    Yan Mingxiu had never been subjected such humiliation. Ruthlessness swelled up within him. Zhou Xiang¡¯s silence didn¡¯t not cool his temper in the least. Instead, that silent admittance made his rage me up even more.

    Yan Mingxiu shouted angrily, "F**king say something! You promised me at that time that unless youe across him at thepany, you will absolutely note in touch with him. Were those words all just a f**king fart? You even went to his house! He¡¯s a major celebrity, why couldn¡¯t someone else send him home, why did it have to be you?!" At this point, it was no longer just about Lan Xirong, Yan Mingxiu only needed to find an outlet to vent his irritable mood.

    Zhou Xiang raised his head. His face didn¡¯t have its usual smile. He merely said dully, "Mingxiu, stop making a fuss, okay? I only sent a drunk person home, does it deserve you acting this way?" His voice was filled with exhaustion. Even simply constraining the discontent in his heart had already used up all of his mental and physical energy.

    Yan Mingxiu snorted coldly, "You already sent yourself to his house, why bother toe back? I heard people say that you two used to always hang out together. He can drop by your house without notice, if I hadn¡¯t been here, you two would have already continued your rtionship from before."

    The more Yan Mingxiu spoke, the more he felt he sounded like an unreasonable shrew. However, he couldn¡¯t stop. He felt as if he was a spectator, helplessly watching his own mouth unceasingly spit out those cutting words. He didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. Maybe he wanted to see Zhou Xiang get angry, or maybe he just wanted to take out his temper on Zhou Xiang. This person had thrown him off his bnce, and had made him drift further and further away from Wang Yudong, and Wang Yudong even saw them embracing each other. Even though he knew perfectly well that there was no hope between him and Wang Yudong, he still never wanted to let Wang Yudong know about him and Zhou Xiang. It made him furious and indignant, it made him panicked, it made him want to bring order out of chaos.

    Zhou Xiang suddenly stood up, hisplexion gloomy. "Mingxiu, I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you. Think for yourself whether you¡¯re being reasonable. I¡¯ll stay out tonight." He grabbed his coat and started to head out. He couldn¡¯t stay here for a second longer, if he did, he was afraid that he would...

    Yan Mingxiu grabbed his shoulder and suddenly pressed him against the wall. He looked at him viciously. "You dare to leave?" He was pressing down an astonishing amount of force. Zhou Xiang felt like his shoulder bone was going to split open.

    Zhou Xiang grabbed Yan Mingxiu¡¯s arm and shouted, "Let go, how long are you going to keep this up for?!"

    Yan Mingxiu was startled. They had almost known each other for a year. Zhou Xiang had never given him an attitude even once, let alone scold him in a loud voice. Yan Mingxiu was so mad his hand was shaking.

    It was already bad enough that he had embarrassed himself in from of Wang Yudong, now even Zhou Xiang was daring to blow up at him, and all for the sake of that sissy face Lan Xirong!

    Without thinking, he pped Zhou Xiang on the face. His lips trembled, "You¡¯re getting angry at me for him?"

    Zhou Xiang was momentarily pped stupid. He stared at Yan Mingxiu with disbelief.

    When you hit people, you don¡¯t hit the face. From Zhou Xiang¡¯s pallidplexion you could see how humiliating this p was in this sort of situation.

    He pushed Yan Mingxiu away, and said sternly, "When on earth are you going to grow up?!" If there was really is something between me and Lan Xirong, would I wait until today?! <f title="Can also be tranted as: " can¡¯t="" you="" see="" what="" i,="" zhou="" xiang,="" feel="" for="" you?""="">Can¡¯t your eyes see how I treat you?</f> You don¡¯t even have this little drop of trust in me, was my hard work during this time all f**king fed to a dog?!

    "You¡¯re regretting now? You¡¯re regretting that you didn¡¯t go with that sensible Lan Xirong?"

    "What does this have to do with him? It has never had anything to do with him, it¡¯s all just your f***ing groundless thinking. I want to ask you as well, why did you act like that at the balcony today? You¡¯re not even afraid of your parents finding out, but you¡¯re still scared of Wang Yudong finding out? Is being with me that shameful?" After Zhou Xiang shouted out everything that he had be holding back in his heart in one go, he felt released for a moment. However, upon seeing Yan Mingxiu¡¯s extremely uglyplexion, he felt a dull ache in his heart. He didn¡¯t know if he and Yan Mingxiu would end just like this. They had been together for so long and had never quarrelled before. He was unable to predict what sort of consequences this fight would bring about.

    The moment Zhou Xiang mentioned Wang Yudong, Yan Mingxiu seemed to explode. With eyes of ice, his pointed at Zhou Xiang¡¯s nose and said in a stern voice, "You have no right to butt into my business, who the f**k do you think you are?!"

    Zhou Xiang moved his lips. He wanted to argue back, but something seemed to have clenched onto his heart; he couldn¡¯t say a word.

    Yan Mingxiu was always demanding this and that from him. Although in Zhou Xiang¡¯s eyes, Yan Mingxiu¡¯s demands were very immature, he thought Yan Mingxiu acted that way because he cared about him. However, he actually still didn¡¯t even have the right to question Yan Mingxiu¡¯s actions even a little bit?

    After they had been known each other for almost a year, for the first time, this stark discrepancy was thrown into Zhou Xiang¡¯s face, and in such a naked manner, he couldn¡¯t evade or turn a blind eye even if he wanted to.

    Because Yan Mingxiu hadn¡¯t spared Zhou Xiang¡¯s feelings at all.

    They had been together for so long now. Zhou Xiang thought that they had already stepped into the right direction, but it turned out it was all his wishful thinking. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s heart was too high; he still couldn¡¯t reach it.

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t want to continue arguing. The situation was already bad enough. He nodded, "I, Zhou Xiang, am no one." He pulled Yan Mingxiu¡¯s hand off his arm, and headed for the door carrying his coat.

    He hadpletely forgotten that this was his home. For a long time, he had already thought of this ce as Yan Mingxiu¡¯s home as well. But right now, this ce was flooded with his hurt and despair. He truly couldn¡¯t stay here any second longer.

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s palm was suddenly reced by air. He looked at Zhou Xiang¡¯s back and couldn¡¯t bear to see Zhou Xiang leave like this. He charged over and grabbed Zhou Xiang. "Where the f**k are you going?"

    Zhou Xiang said dully, "Mingxiu, I have no right to interfere in your business, and you also have no right to interfere in mine. You can¡¯t go too carried away with your double standards." He pushed Yan Mingxiu away, opened the door and left without turning back.

    Yan Mingxiu gazed at the empty corridor. The only thing he could feel were the cold gusts of wind tearing at his skin.

    ---

    Zhou Xiang aimlessly drove his car around the urban. He had nowhere to go.

    In the past, he definitely would have run to Cai Wei¡¯s ce without a second thought, and taken shelter for one night at his ce, on the bed or sofa or anywhere. However, Cai Wei had a family now and his wife was pregnant. Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t just senselessly go at this time of the night and disturb their rest. After a person starts a family, they seem to be wrapped up by an invisible membrane. They will no longer belong to him, and will naturally no longer belong to friends. Zhou Xiang gradually met up with Cai Wei less and less. Zhou Xiang also no longer outrageously rang Cai Wei in the middle of the night to tell him to get up to yputer games.

    As his close friends gradually attained their own lives, Zhou Xiang felt more and more lonely, as if the people beside him were disappearing one by one, and only he had been cast aside.

    He wanted a family too, and he also wanted to get married. Unfortunately, his circumstances didn¡¯t allow it.

    After he turned thirty, too many of his friends had already formed their own families, and <f title="Humans have a mentality to conform.">humans have a tendency to swim with the tide</f>. Possibly because of that, although no one pressed him, he also couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit anxious. However, finding a man that he could settle down with was truly too hard. He knew perfectly well that Yan Mingxiu was not suitable to be that person, but he really liked him. He just wanted... Just wanted to make a gamble, have a try, so that he wouldn¡¯t regret it in the future.

    He had always thought that he was doing pretty well. In the end, it was only today that he clearly saw how many grams his hard work was worth.

    It was too unbearable. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know what to do.

 Chapter 26 (2)

    ZhouXiang looked at the phone on the ground. He lowered his head and didn''t speak.

    He didn¡¯t want to argue with YanMingXiu, but he was also tired of exining. Why did he have to suffer through this kind of skepticism for merely taking a drunk friend home? YanMingXiu¡¯s strong-willed and arrogance is absolutely not something that is just a day or two, but it is particrly unbearable for him today. Perhaps it is because of the things that happened during the day that are still on his mind; YanMingXiu''s attitude, his eagerness in making it seem as though they have no connection. Even though he tried to find a number of reasons to exin it, it still made him feel chillingly cold.

    When YanMingXiu saw that ZhouXiang wasn''t speaking, he got even angrier. His mind continuously conjured up WangYuDong¡¯s lowly sigh andpletely iprehensible expression, questioning why he would get himself involve with someone like ZhouXiang.

    That expression is like needles piercing him.

    He started to be confused. Why is he with ZhouXiang? Is it only because he has a back silhouette simr to WangYuDong? Is it because WangYuDong is something he can''t have, so he could only find a substitute. When did he be so pitiful?

    Although ZhouXiang is just a recement, who had repeatedly told him that he likes him, he also broke their agreement behind his back (referring to ZhouXiang meeting Lan).

    YanMingXiu had never been so humiliated. The furor within him surged. ZhouXiang¡¯s silence did not diminish his anger a bit. On the contrary, this implied affirmation from his silence made him even more furious.

    YanMingXiushed out fiercely, ¡°Fucking talk! You promised me at the time that you won''t have any contact with him unless you ran into him in thepany. Were you fucking shitting me? You even went to his home! He''s such a big star, why can''t anyone else take him home, why does it have to be you!?" At this moment, this is not just a matter with LanXiRong, YanMingXiu just really needed some reason to vent out his violent emotions.

    ZhouXiang looked up, his face is no longer of his usual easy-going smiling self; he merely softly responded, ¡°MingXiu, let''s stop quarrelling okay? I''m only taking a drunk person home, do you need to have this big of a reaction?" His voice is full of fatigue. The effort it took him to suppress the discontent in his heart is enough to drain all his energy.

    YanMingXiu coldly retorted, "You''ve already taken him to his home, why bothering back? I''ve heard from people that the both of you use hang out together all the time. He can just casually to your home anytime. If it wasn''t because I am here, wouldn''t the two of you have continued on rekindling your loving rtionship?"

    The more YanMingXiu spoke, the more he felt like he was being an unreasonable asshole. But he couldn''t stop himself. He is like a bystander, looking on helplessly as his mouth spitted out these words. He didn''t know what he was thinking. Maybe he wanted to see ZhouXiang angry, maybe he just wants to rile up ZhouXiang''s temper. This person baffles him, making the distance between him and WangYuDong further and further apart. Even when WangYuDong saw them (YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang) hugging each other, and he obviously knew that there is no hope between him and WangYuDong, he never wanted WangYuDong to know about his and ZhouXiang''s matters. It made him angry, made him panic, made him want to immediately set things straight.

    ZhouXiang suddenly stood up, his expression gloomy. ¡°MingXiu, I don¡¯t want to argue with you. Think about this yourself on whether you''re being reasonable or not. I''ll leave for the night." He grabbed his jacket intending to leave, not wanting to stay for even another moment. The longer he stays, the more that he''s afraid he will¡­..

    YanMingXiu gripped his shoulder and shoved him against the wall, looking at him viciously, ¡°You dare to leave?" His astonishing strength is frightening; ZhouXiang could feel his shoulders bones shattering.

    ZhouXiang gripped onto YanMingXiu¡¯s arm and shouted, ¡°Let go! When the fuck are you going to stop this shit!¡±

    YanMingXiu was momentarily startled. The two had known each other for almost a year. ZhouXiang had never given him such attitude, let alone yell at him. YanMingXiu is so enraged that his hands are shaking.

    As if it wasn''t enough that he was feeling unbearable in front of WangYuDong, now even ZhouXiang dared to anger him and over someone like LanXiRong, who looked like a girl!

    He didn''t give much thought before pping ZhouXiang in the face. His lips trembling, "You''re getting angry at me over him?¡±

    ZhouXiang was pped-stupid with this move, he looked at YanMingXiu in disbelief.

    The saying goes, never hit someone on the face. This p on the face is extremely insulting under the circumstances, as can be seen from ZhouXiang''s livid expression.

    He immediately pushed YanMingXiu away and shouted, ¡°When are you going to grow up! If I was really to have something going on with LanXiRong, would it have waited till now? How I, ZhouXiang, have been treating you, you really can''t see it? Not even having a bit of trust in me, are all my fucking efforts during this time for feeding a dog!"

    ¡°Are you regretting it? Regretted for not being with your sensible LanXiRong?¡±

    ¡°What does this have to do with him? There was never anything between us. All this is in your fucking mind. I also wanted to ask you, when we were both out on the balcony today, what the hell was that? You''re not even afraid of your parents knowing, but afraid of WangYuDong knowing? Are you that ashamed to be with me?" ZhouXiang unleashed everything that had been suppressing his heart, feeling a sense of relief. But looking at YanMingXiu''s unsightly face, his heart dully ached. He didn''t know if this would be the end between him and YanMingXiu. They have been together for this long and have never had any arguments so there was no way for him to even predict the consequences of such a dispute.

    Just when ZhouXiang mentioned WangYuDong, YanMingXiu''s entire person felt like exploding, his expression chilling as he pointed at ZhouXiang''s nose, shouting, ¡°My business is not for you to talk about, who the fuck do you think you are!¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips tremble. He wanted to refute, but his heart seems to be caught by something, so he couldn''t say it.

    YanMingXiu have all these expectations of him, although it all seems to be very immature but he wanted YanMingXiu to care about him. However, even at this point, he is still not qualified to question YanMingXiu''s way of doing things.

    After being together for nearly a year, this is the first time this serious contradiction is presented so clearly in front of ZhouXiang, so much that even though he wanted to evade, it''s now impossible for him to turn a blind eye.

    Because YanMingXiu is so merciless.

    Having been together for this long, ZhouXiang thought they were on the right track. But in the end, it was all his delusion. YanMingXiu is too proud and too arrogant. Is everything that he had done still not enough?

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to continue arguing anymore; otherwise it would get even uglierter on.

    He nodded, ¡°I, ZhouXiang, is nothing.¡± He pulled away YanMingXiu''s hand that was gripping onto his arm, then grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

    He hadpletely forgotten that this is actually his home. In fact, he had long ago also thought of this as YanMingXiu''s home as well. But now, it is full of disappointment and sadness, he really can''t make himself stay any longer.

    YanMingXiu felt his empty palm as he looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s back. He couldn¡¯t bear to see him leaving just like that. He rushed over and grabbed ZhouXiang, ¡°Where the fuck are you going?¡±

    ZhouXiang faintly responded, ¡°MingXiu, I can¡¯t control you, but you also can''t control me. Your double standards can¡¯t be that serious.¡± He pushed YanMingXiu away and left without turning back.

    YanMingXiu looked at thepletely empty corridor, only feeling the cold breeze wheezing by, tearing his skin.

    ZhouXiang drove around the city aimlessly, having nowhere to go.

    If it was before, he would definitely not hesitate to go to CaiWei''s home, be it a bed or couch; he just needed a ce to sleep for a night.

    However, CaiWei has a family now and his wife is pregnant. ZhouXiang can¡¯t be that insensitive as to go there to disturb their tranquility. When a person forms a family, it would seem like he''s being wrapped in an invisible film, no longer belonging to himself, and of course, no longer belonging to friends. Gradually, the times that ZhouXiang and CaiWei got together are fewer and fewer. ZhouXiang will no longer just freely call CaiWei in the middle of the night to tell him to get up to y games.

    As the friends around him gradually have their own lives, ZhouXiang felt even more and more lonely. It was if the people around him are disappearing one by one, leaving only him alone.

    He also wanted to have a family, wanted to get married, but hecked the conditions (as he''s gay.)

    Maybe because after the age of 30, with many of his friends already married or have an established career, people would naturally have the mind of wanting to belong. Even without anyone''s urging, he inevitably also felt a bit anxious. But finding a man to settle down is too hard. Obviously, he knew that YanMingXiu is not that person but he really likes him. He just wants to¡­ just want to gamble this once, to try so he won''t regretter on.

    He always felt that he had done quite well. But today''s matters clearly showed him how much all his efforts was worth.

    This is too painful. ZhouXiang didn''t know what to do.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 27

    In the end, Zhou Xiang was simply too sleepy and stayed the night at a hotel. Even though that house was clearly his home, it was like he had been kicked out.

    He only woke up at noon the next day due to hunger. After he woke up, he sat and dazed out on the unfamiliar hotel bed for half a day. As he recalled what happened yesterday, his head ached more and more.

    He refreshed himself and then checked out of the room. It was currently the most bustling time of the day. The sunlight pierced his eyes when he came out of the hotel. The weather was so good, but his mood was gloomy and heavy.

    He sat in his car for a long time and then decided to go home.

    He couldn¡¯t not go home forever. Running away was not a solution.

    He was a bit regretful that he had a fight with Yan Mingxiu yesterday. He was well aware of Yan Mingxiu¡¯s temper, yet he still bothered arguing with him. However, he really couldn¡¯t hold back yesterday, and Yan Mingxiuter words made him lose control of himself.

    He hadn¡¯t been so angry and sad for a long time.

    But after calming down and having a think about it, he still didn¡¯t want things to end between him and Yan Mingxiu just like this. He had already invested a lot in this rtionship. How could he retreat so easily? Even if Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t like him, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from liking Yan Mingxiu.

    That was why he decided to go home. If Yan Mingxiu was at home, then he will calmly have a proper talk with him. There were probably also misunderstandings between them. Things might work out if they talked it out.

    Thus, he quickly drove back home. To his disappointment, Yan Mingxiu wasn¡¯t at home.

    As soon as he entered the house, he saw that iPhone which had been thrown to the ground. He walked over and picked it up. The screen was cracked, but the phone was clearly still on. However, the screen was too fuzzy, so the messages on the screen were almost illegible. However, he could make out there were a lot of missed calls.

    Zhou Xiang charged up his own phone, wanting to give Lan Xirong a call. However, just as he was about to dial the number, he remembered that he had Lan Xirong¡¯s phone. He truly didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry.

    How could he just take someone else¡¯s phone back home? Lan Xirong was such a busy person. He would definitely have lots of phone calls and important matters. Who knew how many matters had been dyed because of him.

    Zhou Xiang rang Cai Wei without dy. After calling many numbers, he finally found Lan Xirong¡¯s assistant¡¯s number. He rang, and sure enough, Lan Xirong was with his assistant.

    "Hello? Xiang¡¯ge?" Lan Xirong¡¯s voice carried a hint of happy surprise.

    "Xirong, I¡¯m sorry, your phone is with me."

    "What?"

    "When I sent you home yesterday, your phone fell onto the ground. We have the same model so I thought that it was mine and took it back home. In the end, I even identally dropped and broke it.

    Lan Xirong let out a breath of relief. "Oh, as long as it isn¡¯t lost. The phone doesn¡¯t matter, what¡¯s important are the phone numbers and messages inside. It would have been a real problem if someone else had picked it up."

    "I¡¯m truly sorry. The alcohol muddled up my head yesterday. Where are you? I¡¯ll buy you a new phone right now and send it over."

    "It¡¯s fine, Xiang¡¯ge. I¡¯ll be free in a moment, I¡¯ll go to your house to pick it up... Or you can just tell me where to pick it up. You don¡¯t need to buy me a new one. My fans sent me a lot of phones, I¡¯ll never be able to use it all."

    Zhou Xiang felt extremely apologetic. "How is that okay? I¡¯ll buy you one, okay? I was the one who broke it after all."

    "Xiang¡¯ge, you really don¡¯t have to do that. I have a lot of phones at home. It¡¯ll just be a waste of money if you buy one for me. I just need the sim card inside. How about this, why don¡¯t we meet up at that cafe we used to visit all the time?

    "Okay, see you there."

    Zhou Xiang had a shower, ate some food and then drove the car to that cafe which wasn¡¯t far from his house. He was just on time.

    He went in, and after he sat for a short while, Lan Xirong arrived. Lan Xirong was disguised the same as yesterday: a big pair of ck sunsses, and a scarf covering his chin. His face was almostpletely covered. Unless someone looked closely, they wouldn¡¯t be able to recognise who he was.

    There were really few people in the cafe at this time. Their table was also at a secluded corner. After Lan Xirong sat down, he took off the sunsses and scarf, and looked at their surroundings in a rxed manner. He sighed, "This ce has barely changed at all."

    "Yeah." The ce Lan Xirong used to live was close to this cafe. His rental had no inte so he often came here to go online. When Zhou Xiang was free and had nothing to do, he would alsoe over and sit with him. They were so leisurely and free back then. Now, when Lan Xirong was sitting in front of him, Zhou Xiang was scared that Lan Xirong would be recognised.

    Zhou Xiang passed him the phone, and apologised again, "I¡¯m really sorry for breaking your phone like this. I drank too much yesterday."

    Lan Xirongughed, "Xiang¡¯ge, it¡¯s really no problem. When I discovered that my phone was gone in the morning, it was true that I was really worried but fortunately, it was with you. If a scheming person had picked it up, then it really would have been a big problem."

    Zhou Xiang teased, "What? Are there nude photos in there?"

    "No nude photos, but quite a lot of gossip."

    Zhou Xiang put on a face of regret, "It¡¯s a real shame the screen broke."

    Lan Xirongughed, "Xiang¡¯ge, I wouldn¡¯t be afraid even if you looked through my phone. I know that you won¡¯t go spreading things around. You¡¯re a trust-worthy person."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "I hope it didn¡¯t hold up too many matters."

    "It¡¯s nothing. Today, my assistant couldn¡¯t contact me, so he went to my house, and woke me up in time. Xiang¡¯ge, you¡¯re so heartless, yesterday, you just dumped me on the ground and left."

    Zhou Xiang said awkwardly, "You weren¡¯t even drunk at all."

    "But you still shouldn¡¯t have just left me on the ground, you could have at least helped me onto the sofa."

    Zhou Xiang was just about to speak, but two waitresses timidly walked over, and asked quietly, "Excuse me, are you Lan Xirong?"

    Lan Xirong raised his head, looked at them and smiled lightly.

    The two girls¡¯ faces turned bright red. They stammered out, "You, you really are, can you give us your autograph?"

    Lan Xirong epted the notebook they passed over, and quickly signed his name. He then smiled gently, "Beauties, I want to chat with my friend, please don¡¯te over to disturb us after this, okay?

    "Yes, yes, of course. Thank you." The two walked away, turning their head back every three steps.

    Zhou Xiang snorted withughter, "I never imagined at that time that a day like this woulde."

    Lan Xirong alsoughed, "I never imagined it either. Over a year ago, I only earnt a thousand five hundred from one photo shoot, but thankfully, at that time I had you, otherwise living alone in Beijing truly would have been so difficult."

    Drinking the fragrant coffee, the two people slowly talked about the things that happened in the past, sometimes breaking into loudughter, sometimes heavilymenting in sorrow. Since the two met again, this was the first time they had sat down and chatted together so peacefully and harmoniously. There was no apologies, no ulterior motives, and no disagreements. There were merely like a pair of old friends, easily andfortably talking to each other.

    When they had chatted for almost three hours, Lan Xirong¡¯s phone rang. He said that he had a dinner party in the evening, but in his eyes there was nothing but reluctance to part, and he even asked Zhou Xiang whether he wanted toe with him.

    Zhou Xiang still had a heap of things in his head that he needed to sort out. He really didn¡¯t have the time to attend a dinner party, so they parted ways.

    When Zhou Xiang got home, Yan Mingxiu wasn¡¯t there. He hesitated over and over, and decided to give Yan Mingxiu a call. To his surprise, Yan Mingxiu¡¯s phone was turned off.

    He dejectedly threw his phone to the side. He couldn¡¯t muster up even a little bit of energy. Although he felt that he was very hopeless, he still started getting worried. He was worried that Yan Mingxiu was saying goodbye to him for real this time, but even so, he didn¡¯t want give up so easily.

 Chapter 27 (2)

    ZhouXiang finally couldn¡¯t stand it and found a hotel to sleep for the night. That ce is obviously his home, but it seems like he was kicked out.

    He slept till noon before he woke up from hunger.

    After he got up, he sat on the bed in this unfamiliar hotel for a long time, thinking about everything that had happened the day before. The more he thought, the more his head hurt.

    He washed up and went downstairs to check out. This is the noisiest time in the afternoon. The sunlight pierced his eyes. With such nice weather, his mood was still so gloomy.

    He sat in the car for a long time, finally deciding to go home.

    He can''t just continue to not go home. No matter what, escaping is meaningless.

    He regretted a bit having argued with YanMingXiu yesterday. He obviously knew that YanMingXiu temper is like that, yet he still argued with him. But if he really did hold back yesterday, the words that YanMingXiu saidter would have made it even harder for him to control himself.

    He no longer felt angry. His feelings of being hurt had past.

    When he calmed down and pondered over it, he was still unwilling to break up with YanMingXiu like this. He had already put in a lot of effort into this rtionship, how could it be that easy for him to let go? Even if YanMingXiu doesn¡¯t like him, he can¡¯t control himself from liking YanMingXiu.

    So he decided to go home. If YanMingXiu is home, they would calmly sit down and discuss peacefully. There is just some misunderstanding between them. Maybe it would be all fine after they talked about it. So he quickly drove back home. But what made him disappointed was that YanMingXiu wasn''t even home.

    As soon as he got into the home, he saw the cell phone that was thrown on the ground. He walked over to pick it up. The screen is cracked but it is obviously still on. However, it is impossible for him to decipher the information on the screen because it was too shattered but he could still see that there were many missed calls.

    ZhouXiang charged his own phone, wanting to give LanXiRong call. But right when he was about the make the call, he remembered that LanXiRong¡¯s cell phone is in his hands. He didn''t know whether tough or cry.

    He simply took someone''s cell phone. Thinking that LanXiRong is such a busy person, there must be many calls for many important things. He didn''t know what kind of interference this could have caused for LanXiRong.

    He quickly called CaiWei to have the call forwarded to LanXiRong''s assistant. After connecting the call, LanXiRong was really with his assistant.

    ¡°Hey? Xiang Ge?¡± LanXiRong¡¯s voice is tinged with a hint of surprise.

    ¡°XiRong, Sorry. I have your phone with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°When I took you homest night, your phone fell on the ground and since we have the same model phone, I thought that it was my phone so I took it. But, I identally dropped and cracked it."

    When LanXiRong heard it, he sounded relieved. ¡°Oh, it''s just great that it''s not lost. The phone''s condition isn''t that big of a deal. The most important thing is that there are many other phone numbers and information on there. If someone was to have gotten a hold of it, it will be troublesome.¡±

    ¡°I''m really sorry. I got it all mix up yesterday. Where are you? I''ll go and buy a new phone and send it over to you."

    ¡°No need Xiang Ge. It''s fine. I''ll to your home to get it back¡­.. Or, I can get it back from anywhere you want. You don¡¯t have to buy me a new one. So many fans give me cell phones; I can''t even use it all."

    ZhouXiang is particrly embarrassed, ¡°That''s not right, I''ll buy you one. After all, I''m the one that broke it.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge. You really don''t have to. I have a lot of cells phones at home. It''ll be a waste even if you buy me one. I only need the card inside. How about this, let¡¯s meet at the coffee shop we used to go to?¡±

    ¡°Okay, that''s fine.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a shower and ate something. Then, drove to the coffee shop not too far from his home. The time was just right.

    He didn''t sit for too long before LanXiRong arrived. LanXiRong was still wearing the simr attire fromst time; huge ck sunsses with a scarf covering his mouth; his face is almostpletely concealed. If one wasn''t looking at him carefully, one can''t tell who he is at all.

    At this time, there were very few patrons in the cafe. The two were sitting in a secluded corner. After LanXiRong sat down, he removed his sunsses and his scarf, then rxingly looked around the caf¨¦. He sighed, "There''s barely any change here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± The rented apartment where LanXiRong use to live was not far from here. It didn''t have inte connection so he would oftene here to go online. ZhouXiang woulde hang out with him if he didn''t have anything to do. This was a very leisure time period in their lives. But right now with LanXiRong across from him, ZhouXiang would worry that he would get recognized.

    ZhouXiang gave the phone back to him, "I''m really sorry. Giving you the phone back with it cracked like this. I also drank too much yesterday.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled and said, ¡°Xiang Ge. It''s really fine. I was really anxious after realizing that the phone was missing this morning. But fortunately, it is with you. If it ended up in the hands of people with malicious intent, it would be troublesome.¡±

    ZhouXiang teased, ¡°Why, are there some sex photos in there?¡±

    ¡°No sex photos, just a lot of tabloid worthy gossip."

    ZhouXiang pitifully expressed, ¡°It''s too bad that the screen is cracked.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled, ¡°Xiang Ge. Even if you were to read it, I''m not afraid. You''re not one to gossip. You''re a trustworthy person.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I hope this didn''t interfere too much with your matters.¡±

    ¡°There''s really not. My assistant couldn''t get in touch with me today so came to my home to wake me up. Xiang Ge, you are really heartless, you just left me on the floor yesterday.¡±

    ZhouXiang embarrassingly, ¡°You weren''t drunk at all.¡±

    ¡°But you shouldn''t have just left me on the ground. In any case, you should have taken me to the couch."

    Just when ZhouXiang was about to talk, two waiters excitedly came over and whispered, ¡°Excuse me, are you LanXiRong?¡±

    LanXiRong looked up at and nced at them, then lightly smiled.

    The two little girls blushed and stuttered. ¡°Really, you''re really him? Can you please give us an autograph?¡±

    LanXiRong took the book handed over by them. He quickly signed his name and then smiled softly, "Ladies, I''d like to talk to my friend here. After this, can you please not disturb us?"

    ¡°Of course. Of course, thank you.¡± The two of them walked back and left.

    ZhouXiang scoffed, ¡°I really didn''t expect that you would have such a day.¡±

    LanXiRong also smiled, ¡°I also didn''t expect it. More than a year ago, I was only getting £¤1,500 for my modeling jobs. Fortunately, I had you at the time. Otherwise, it would have being so unbearable being in alone in Beijing."

    The two men sipped the fragrant coffee and slowly reminisced about their past; sometimes they wouldugh out aloud; sometimes they''d get very emotional. This is the first time since they have met up with such harmonious atmosphere, sitting and chatting, with no apologies, no ulterior intentions, no disputes, nothing but just old friends chatting along.

    They talked for three hours. At this time, LanXiRong¡¯s phone rang. He mentioned that he had a social gathering to attend at night. But seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s expression seemingly depressed, he asked if he wanted to go.

    There are still a lot of things on ZhouXiang¡¯s mind. He really wasn''t in the mood to be socializing so the two left separately.

    After ZhouXiang returned home, he realized that YanMingXiu still haven''t returned. He hesitated again and again, but still called YanMingXiu. What he didn''t expect was that the phone was turned off.

    He threw the phone aside in frustration. His entire person feeling dispirited. Although he felt that he was very inept, he was still worried. He was worried that YanMingXiu would break up with him just like that¡­. but he never wanted to give up that easily.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 28

    ZhouXiang received a call from CaiWei in the evening. CaiWei was very excited to tell him that Director Wang might be working with WangYuDong again on his next film and that WangYuDong¡¯spany still wanted him to be his stuntman.

    ZhouXiang was very surprised, ¡°Director Wang would still work with WangYuDong? How could that be when they can barely get along?"

    ¡°Director Wang is not willing but the investor wanted to use WangYuDong. The box office would be guaranteed with him. They¡¯re in the midst of negotiating over this at the moment. There should be apromise in the end.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt a bit exhausted, ¡°Wei Ge, this time I don¡¯t want to be in it.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°You know what happenedst time. WangYuDong definitely won¡¯t see me pleasing to his eyes. I also feel a bit awkward. You say, what happens if the two of them go at it and use me as the scapegoat? I¡¯d be too unlucky. This money, I rather not earn. I don¡¯t want to drown in this muddle water."

    ¡°Your concern is also reasonable, but our President Wang is also one of the main investors this time. He wouldn¡¯t be that petty."

    ¡°I feel that he finds me aggravating, might as well avoid it. I really don¡¯t want to do it.¡± If it was only because of what happenedst time, ZhouXiang isn¡¯t too worried. But WangYuDong had already found out about him and YanMingXiu. If he didn¡¯t give him that detestable expression, it would be strange. Not to mention working together, he¡¯d rather stay as far away from him as possible.

    CaiWei said pitifully, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s your own business. I have other work for you anyway."

    "By the way, LanXiRong is going to y the supporting male role. He¡¯s now thepany¡¯s sole popr artist. President Wang has really put in a lot of effort on him."

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. This kid can carry the weight. He¡¯s never failed to live up to President Wang¡¯s expectations.¡±

    CaiWei echoed his words, ¡°Right, he actually thought you would continue to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman and was ecstatic saying that you guys would be acting in the same scenes. Even if you can¡¯t reveal your face, he was still happy. This kid is very grateful, wanting to repay you. He¡¯s really good to you."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°How could this be considered as having scenes together? He should be concentrating on his acting. I¡¯m a martial arts stuntman, how can I be acting in the same scenes with him?"

    ¡°You can resolve that yourself when hees andin to you.¡±

    The two of them chatted about other things and then ended the call.

    ZhouXiang looked at the calendar. It¡¯s been three days since his fight with YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu had not returned and is not answering his phone. He¡¯s always like this,pletely ignoring and neglecting people whenever he felt like it. ZhouXiang can¡¯t even do anything about it.

    Just when he was about to find something to eat, he heard soundsing from the front door. Someone is opening the door from the outside.

    ZhouXiang bolted in to the living room and sure enough, YanMingXiu opened the door and came in.

    ZhouXiang was a little excited, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him coldly, ¡°Need to get something.¡± As he was saying this, he went to the study to grab a folder from a drawer.

    ZhouXiang followed him into the study and closed the door. He says seriously, ¡°MingXiu, let¡¯s talk about it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have time,¡± YanMingXiu didn¡¯t lift his head. He checked the contents of the folder and intended to leave.

    ZhouXiang stopped in front of the door and unrelentingly said, ¡°MingXiu, let¡¯s talk.¡±

    YanMingXiu red at him, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with each other right? There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°I was very anxious that day. Both of us weren¡¯t calm. In fact, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding. Can we just talk this through? I¡¯ll be first to swear, there is nothing between LanXiRong and me. I only have you in my heart. We¡¯ve been together for this long, are we really going to let this misunderstanding cause an irreparable rift between us?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s chilly armor slowly dissipated a bit, but he still looked at ZhouXiang angrily.

    Lacking a bit of confidence, ZhouXiang asked, ¡°You also like me a little bit right?¡±

    YanMingXiu is stunned. He didn¡¯t know how to answer this. <i>Like? The person he likes is someone who can never belong to him, WangYuDong. Not a substitute recement.</i>

    How could he have made ZhouXiang think that? What made ZhouXiang thinks that he likes him? This made him terrified. With ZhouXiang asking such a question, he felt resentful. This obviously created some doubts in his feelings (toward WangYuDong).

    <i>Is it because he and ZhouXiang are too close? So close that he¡¯s forgotten to keep that distance?</i> He never wanted ZhouXiang to have such an illusion.

    ZhouXiang is already use to use to not getting the answer that he wanted to hear, yet it never made him feel dejected even once.

    He even has the feeling that no matter how much effort he puts in, he still won¡¯t be able to move YanMingXiu¡¯s heart. This rtionship is really like a bottomless pit. He had put in a lot, yet the other party wasn¡¯t even willing to give him a word of encouragement. <i>When will this ever end? </i>

    Even for ZhouXiang, who had always been an optimistic and open-minded person, he has also tasted bitter failure in this situation.

    At the same time that ZhouXiang was feeling frustrated, YanMingXiu was also very much rmed. He enjoyed living with ZhouXiang, but he doesn¡¯t want to be romantically involved with him. Maybe agreeing to live with him initially was a reckless and wrong decision to start with. Now that that a problem has urred, he needs to promptly fix it.

    ¡°I think I should move out."

    When YanMingXiu said this, the palm of his hand was sweating, his lips felt heavy. <i>Why is he hesitating?</i>

    ZhouXiang suddenly looked up at him; his expression is that of utter panic, ¡°MingXiu!¡± ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder depressingly drooped. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu was thinking. YanMingXiu only wanted to have apanion and not be emotionally involved. This ispletely different from his (ZhouXiang) intent. Having casual flings in the circle is a verymon urrence. People getting together with this easye easy go mentality, sleeping around, having merely apanion, their livelihood is not considered to be lonely, but they never thought for it to be longsting. Day after day, until the timees for one of them to think that it¡¯s time to break it off, they would just calmly and peacefully end it. It¡¯s a very harmonious rtionship with no bitter fallout in the end. From the beginning when he and YanMingXiu started living together, they too have this mutually agreed mentality. It was him that deviated from those bounds. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with such rtionship because he likes YanMingXiu. He wanted more but YanMingXiu didn¡¯t like him.

    Is it because he broke the rules so now there is nothing he could do to get the other party to follow along?

    He didn¡¯t want to end it with YanMingXiu just like this. He even can¡¯t ept it. He can only agonizingly urged, ¡°MingXiu, It¡¯s just me thinking too much. Don¡¯t move out. Can we just go back to how we were, just like before ok?¡±

    He not willing... he¡¯s really not willing. If one can just break up with someone they love so easily, how much tears would be saved?

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart felt especially pained; he even couldn¡¯t breathe smoothly. He wanted to get rid of this unfamiliar sentiment as soon as possible. Lowering his head depressingly, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter,¡± After saying that, he held onto this document intending to leave.

    ZhouXiang immediately hugged him, ¡°MingXiu, we have been living well together all along. I hope that you won¡¯t leave.¡±

    ZhouXiang has never begged anyone like this. He, himself, felt really ashamed, but he can¡¯t help it.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s cheeks brushed against ZhouXiang¡¯s hair, light and soft. It was a little itchy, shaking up his heart each and every time.

    This person likes him so much, he really wants to let this surname Lan see this.

    The grievance that he harbored because of LanXiRong disappeared in an instant. YanMingXiu stroked ZhouXiang¡¯s hair and muffled, ¡°Then you and that surname Lan, can I still not have a say?¡±

    "How can you not?" ZhouXiang helplessly uttered, "You are my ancestor."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression finally eased.

    ZhouXiang took this time to say a lot of coaxing words. This crisis is finally able to smoothly pass.

    Only ZhouXiang knew it himself, that the closer he is to YanMingXiu, the more he wanted him. But the more he wanted him, the more he has to restrain himself. Continuing to live with YanMingXiu is definitely not a good idea, but he¡¯s really not willing to part.

    He hopes that he can freely and easily let go of YanMingXiu one day.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 28 (2)

    Zhou Xiang got a call from Cai Wei at night. Cai Wei excitedly told him that Director Wang might be coborating with Wang Yudong again for his next movie, and Wang Yudong''spany still wanted Zhou Xiang to be his martial arts double.

    Zhou Xiang was astonished, "Director Wang is coborating with Wang Yudong again? They¡¯re at such loggerheads with each other already."

    "Director Wang doesn''t want to but the investors want Wang Yudong to be in it, to guarantee box office sess. They''re still arguing about it, but I reckon they''ll have topromise in the end."

    Zhou Xiang felt a bit weary. "Wei''ge, I don''t want to do it this time."

    "What? Why?"

    "You already know what happenedst time. Wang Yudong definitely has a low opinion of me now, and I feel really awkward too. Think about how screwed I¡¯ll be if those two start fighting again and make me their cannon fodder. I''ll rather earn less money than to tread into muddy waters."

    "Your misgivings are justified, but our Chief Wang is one of the main investors this time. He still hopes that you can be in it. Ourpany will support you no matter what, and it¡¯s not like you directly offended Wang Yudong or anything, he¡¯s not likely to be that narrow-minded."

    "At any rate, I feel that I¡¯ve incurred his dislike, so it''ll be better to just stay away from him. I really don''t want to take the job." If it was only that incidentst time, maybe Zhou Xiang wouldn''t be so apprehensive either, but Wang Yudong discovered his rtionship with Yan Mingxiu. It''d be a strange if Wang Yudong could still look happy seeing him. Say nothing more of coborate, from now on Zhou Xiang nned to take a detour around Wang Yudong.

    Cai Wei said with slight regret, "Alright, this is your own business, I have other jobs avable for you anyway. Oh, right, Lan Xirong is going to be the second lead actor. He''s the most popr star at ourpany right now, Chief Wang really put in a lot of work and effort into him."

    "That''s a good thing. That kid <f title="Can shoulder and take care of heavy responsibilities">can lift up a big bridge</f>, and he''s never betrayed Chief Wang''s expectations."

    Cai Wei agreed, "Yeah, he thought that you were going to continue being Wang Yudong''s body double and was ted. He was saying that he''d be able to act opposite you, and that he''s happy even if your face won''t be shown. But now it turns out that you''re not taking the job, he''s definitely going to be really disappointed. This kid really knows how to show gratitude, and treats you really well."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "How can that be called acting opposite each other? Get him to focus on his own acting, I''m just a stuntman, how could I possibly act opposite him?"

    "When he goes to you toin, you deal with it yourself."

    They chatted a little more, and then hung up the phone.

    It had already been three days since their fight and Yan Mingxiu hadn''te back since. He wasn''t answering calls either. He was like this every time. Decides he''ll ignore someone and truly ignores them. Zhou Xiang was powerless to do anything about him.

    He was about to find something to eat when he suddenly heard a door opening. Someone outside was opening the front door.

    Zhou Xiang hurriedly strode into the living room, and sure enough, he saw Yan Mingxiu push open the door ande in.

    Zhou Xiang was a bit excited, "You''re back."

    Yan Mingxiu coldly nced at him, "I¡¯m here to get something." After he spoke, he entered the study, and rummaged out a brown file envelope from a drawer.

    Zhou Xiang followed him into the study and shut the room door behind him. He said seriously, "Mingxiu, can we have a talk?"

    "I don''t have time." Yan Mingxiu answered without raising his head. After he finished inspecting the stuff in the envelope, he turned to leave with it.

    Zhou Xiang stood in front of the room door and said, without giving any room for argument, "Mingxiu, let''s talk."

    Yan Mingxiu angrily red at him, "Weren''t we staying out of each other''s businesses? There''s nothing we have to talk about."

    Zhou Xiang said with a strained smile, "I was too worked up that day. We both weren''t too level-headed that day. It''s actually all just a misunderstanding. Can we just proper talk with each other? I swear to you, there''s nothing between me and Lan Xirong. My heart only has you. We''ve been together for so long, do you really want us to be locked in a fight over some misunderstanding?"

    Yan Mingxiu''syer of cold-hard armour ckened a tiny shred, but he still continued to stare looking at Zhou Xiang.

    Zhou Xiang said somewhat unconfidently, "You like me even just a little bit, right?"

    Yan Mingxiu was taken aback. He actually didn''t know how to answer. Like? The person he liked was that Wang Yudong, who would never belong to him for all eternity, not some substitute.

    How did he make Zhou Xiang think this way? What made Zhou Xiang think that he liked him? This made him terrified to the point that he felt humiliated and angry hearing Zhou Xiang ask this sort of question. This was practically calling his feelings into question.

    Was it because he and Zhou Xiang were too close and he forgot to maintain a distance? He absolutely did not to want let Zhou Xiang be under that sort of misconception.

    Although, never once had Zhou Xiang not felt dejected, Zhou Xiang had already gotten used to never obtaining the answer he wanted. He even had the feeling that no matter how much energy he put in he would still never be able to shake Yan Mingxiu''s heart. This feeling was like a bottomless pit. What he had invested wasn''t small, but Yan Mingxiu wasn''t even willing to coax him or go along with to even one word of his. When will this reach an end?

    Even the always optimistic Zhou Xiang now tasted the bitterness of defeat.

    While Zhou Xiang was being down in the dumps, rm bells started ringing wildly in Yan Mingxiu¡¯s head. He enjoyed living together with Zhou Xiang, but absolutely didn¡¯t want to have any emotional entanglement with him. Perhaps, agreeing to live with him was a reckless and wrong decision from the beginning. Now that a problem had emerged, he should promptly make it right.

    "I think¡­ I should move out." Yan Mingxiu¡¯s palms were damp with sweat when he said these words and his lips felt as heavy as a thousand kilograms. Why was he so hesitant?

    Zhou Xiang immediately looked up at him. There wasplete panic in his eyes. "Mingxiu!" Zhou Xiang dropped his shoulders in disappointment. It wasn''t that he didn''t know what Yan Mingxiu was thinking. Yan Mingxiu only wanted to find apanion, and didn''t want to drag emotions into it. Zhou Xiang¡¯s goal was alreadypletely different now. This sort of casual physical rtionship was verymon in the entertainment circle. Everyone partnered with someone to pass their days. Sleeping together, chatting, and keeping each otherpany, so that their lives won''t be lonely. However, they had no intention of being together long-term, living and making decisions by the day. If one of them decides to end things one day, then they can calmly end things. This was a really harmonious sort of rtionship, and people were unlikely to end up tearing each other''s faces apart. In the beginning, both he and Yan Mingxiu had had that the sort of attitude when they started living together. Zhou Xiang was the one who stepped out of the line. He was unsatisfied with that sort of rtionship. He liked Yan Mingxiu and wanted more, but Yan Mingxiu did not like him.

    He was the one who broke the rules. He couldn''t demand Yan Mingxiu to cooperate with him.

    However, he couldn''t bear to have their rtionship end like this. He couldn¡¯t ept it. He had no choice but to say bitterly, "Mingxiu, I was too greedy, don''t move out. Let''s go back to our initial rtionship. Can we return to how we were before?"

    He couldn''t bear it. He truly couldn''t bear to part with him. If it was possible to just stop liking a person whenever you wanted to, how many tears could have been saved?

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s heart started throbbing with a gripping pain, even his breathing turned a bit uneven. He wanted to break away from this foreign emotion as fast as possible. He lowered his head and said sternly, "We''ll talk about this another time." He started to leave with the file in his hand.

    Zhou Xiang hugged him. "Mingxiu, we¡¯re living so well together. I hope that you won''t leave." Zhou Xiang had never begged anyone this way. He felt that he had <f title="Done something very humiliating, lost a lot of self-respect">lost a lot of face</f>, but it was something he could afford to lose.

    Yan Mingxiu''s cheeks were right next to Zhou Xiang''s hair. It was light and soft and a bit ticklish, scratching his heart bit by bit.

    This person liked him so much. He really wanted to let that surnamed Lan see.

    As it was because of Lan Xirong he was nursing a grievance, his resentment and anger instantly faded by arge amount. Yan Mingxiu stroked Zhou Xiang''s hair, and said moodily, "<f title="More like: " can="" i="" also="" control="" manage="" interfere="" in="" your="" rtionship="" with="" that="" surnamed=""n?""="">Am I also allowed to get a say in your rtionship with that Lan Xirong?</f>"

    "Do I have a choice?" Zhou Xiang said helplessly, "You are my ancestor."

    The look on Yan Mingxiu''s face finally eased.

    Zhou Xiang took the opportunity to say a lot of ttering words. The crisis this time seemed to have tided over smoothly. However, Zhou Xiang knew that the closer he got to Yan Mingxiu, the more he wanted to obtain him. The more he wanted to obtain him, the more he needed to control himself. Continuing to live together with Yan Mingxiu was not a good decision, but he knew that he couldn''t bear to separate from him.

    He hoped that one day, he would be able to freely let go of Yan Mingxiu too.

 Chapter 29

    The New Year¡¯s holidays were just around the corner. Zhou Xiang noticed that Yan Mingxiu¡¯s mood was worsening these days. He would often shut himself in the study and note out. Sometimes he would sit in front of the TV and silently daze out.

    One day, Zhou Xiang finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked Yan Mingxiu what was wrong with him. Was hispany not going very smoothly? After all, things were rtively busier at the end of the year.

    Even now, Zhou Xiang still didn¡¯t have any concrete idea of what Yan Mingxiu did. It seemed to have something to do with finance and investing of that sort, but Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t understand that stuff, and was always toozy to ask. He just knew that Yan Mingxiu had a pretty good sry. He always bought the best when he was shopping. They didn¡¯t split their living expenses; both of them just paid whenever something needed to be paid, and never haggled over it. Thanks to Yan Mingxiu, Zhou Xiang had also gotten to use a lot of good stuff. Generally,panies needed to focus on and settle with backlogged work at the end of the year, so being busy was a given. Even Zhou Xiang who usually didn¡¯t need to go to thepany office was dragged away to prepare for thepany¡¯s annual party these past few days. Seeing Yan Mingxiu¡¯s state, Zhou Xiang guessed that he was suffering from exhaustion.

    Yan Mingxiu shook his head. "It¡¯s nothing." He said and entered the room with a gloomy face.

    Zhou Xiang wanted to help him but was helpless to do so.

    Zhou Xiang went to thepany again at first light. Cai Wei had made him an assistant, helping to n and prepare the annual party. It was difficult to book hotels at this time of the year. Zhou Xiang went around to quite a few hotels with Xiao Zhang from the nning Department, and still hadn¡¯t been able to book a suitable one.

    He had just stepped into the building when Cai Wei saw him from far away, pulled him over, and said to him with a cautious face, "A¡¯Xiang, I never expected that you were so capable."

    Zhou Xiang was utterly confused.

    "Did you know? Director Wang nominated you to be in his new movie. He said that he wants to give you a supporting role."

    Zhou Xiang responded with shock, "Really?"

    "Really, how did you subdue that old lunatic?"

    "I have no idea. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m rtively good at taking a scolding."

    Cai Wei snorted withughter, "That¡¯s possible. At any rate, you definitely can¡¯t pass off this opportunity. So many people are scrambling for the chance to show their face in his movie. If you ept this character, you might not need to be a body double anymore."

    Zhou Xiang was already thirty. For a few years when he first started, he had also dreamed of bumping into a good role and shooting to fame. After being in the circle for a long time, he had seen a lot and learnt that even if someone was equipped with everything, they would probably never, in their entire lifetime, <f title="Properly utilise a good situation/terrain">be able to borrow the east wind and be famous</f>, say nothing of someone ordinary like him. He never imagined that this sort of opportunity would really arrive.

    Zhou Xiang actually didn¡¯t have a strong desire to be a celebrity, but he liked earning more money. Improving one¡¯s lifestyle was a man¡¯s natural instinct. Although Zhou Xiang wasn¡¯t materialistic, he didn¡¯t want to give up the opportunity to earn money.

    "But Wang Yudong..."

    "Hey, why are you worrying about him? You¡¯re not going to be his body double this time. It¡¯s Director Wang who invited you. You two aren¡¯t acting the same character, it¡¯s not worth his notice. You also have Chief Wang¡¯s strong support. He¡¯s nning to invite the screenwriter out for meal, and to get them to add more screentime for you and Lan Xirong. Cai Wei happily patted his arm. "A¡¯Xiang, Wei¡¯ge has always hoped that he¡¯d be able to take you to better ces, you¡¯re alone and have no family, you must save up a lot of money when you¡¯re young."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "Thank you, Wei¡¯ge. Then, then do I need to contact Director Wang¡¯s assistant?"

    "Hm, go now, they¡¯re all in the conference room"

    "What? Them?"

    "Chief Wang, Director Wang and Wang Yudong¡¯s people. Oh, also two other investors. They¡¯re holding a meeting today, but Lan Xirong was busy and didn¡¯te."

    "That¡¯s not good. They¡¯re holding a meeting with so many people, what am I going up there for?"

    "What are you scared of? You¡¯re part of the cast, aren¡¯t you? Go, go." Cai Wei dragged him to the conference room.

    Chief Wang nodded at him. Zhou Xiang greeted the people one after the other andstly gave Director Wang an ingratiating smile. This big director was extremely hard to please. Zhou Xiang was a bit ttered that Director Wang nominated him.

    Director Wang was as cold and unfriendly as usual, "Sit."

    Wang Yudong uninterestedly cast him a nce. His eyes were extremely cold.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart trembled. From the looks of it, Wang Yudong¡¯s opinion of him had already dropped to the point he didn¡¯t even bother to act polite on the surface. This was understandable. Yan Mingxiu was his future little brother-inw after all. Who would want their own brother-inw to be homosexual, and also to have hooked up with one of the people around him. It was awkward to even think about it.

    Zhou Xiang decided to simply not look at him and steer clear of him as much as he could. <f title="Wang Yudong still needs to show Director Wang and Chief Wang respect and be sure not to offend them even if he doesn¡¯t show any respect to Zhou Xiang.">Even if Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t giving him any face, Wang Yudong still needed to look at Chief Wang and Director Wang¡¯s faces.</f>

    The atmosphere in the conference room was very strange. Several investors were trying all sorts of ways to reconcile Director Wang and Wang Yudong¡¯s rtionship. Director Wang was sixty this year; coaxing him wasn¡¯t humiliating for anyone. However, Zhou Xiang could clearly tell that Wang Yudong wasn¡¯t sincere at all. He had a feeling that this movie would definitely meet with trouble, and when that happened, he definitely needed to hide as far away as possible.

    After the meeting ended, Director Wang left first with someone. Thepany staff also left one after the other. Chief Wang wanted to say a few words to Zhou Xiang but then saw that Wang Yudong was waiting nearby looking at Zhou Xiang.

    Zhou Xiang knew that Wang Yudong wanted to talk to him. He really didn¡¯t want to.

    Chief Wang looked between them. "Yudong, you want to talk to Zhou Xiang?"

    Wang Yudong nooded.

    "I¡¯ll rmend another body double for you, I know someone who is really suitable."

    Wang Yudong smiled politely, "Thank you Chief Wang, I¡¯ll have a look when I have time."

    Chief Wang raised a brow. "Then you guys discuss your thing. Zhou Xiang,e to my office afterwards."

    After Chief Wang finished speaking, he grabbed Cai Wei and left.

    After there was only the two of them left in the conference room, Zhou Xiang politely smiled, "Dong¡¯ge, what did you want to talk to me about?"

    "I heard that you don¡¯t want to be my body double this time?"

    Zhou Xiang nodded, "I epted too many jobstely, I¡¯m too busy..."

    "Zhou Xiang, don¡¯t try to fool me, that supporting role has more screentime than my martial double, how do you have time for that?"

    Zhou Xiang smiled awkwardly, "Dong¡¯ge, it wasn¡¯t easy for me to fish up a role, you can understand, right?"

    "How can I not? But we¡¯ve coborated many times, you¡¯re now suddenly making me change body doubles, I really can¡¯t get used to it. If by any chance the new body double isn¡¯t as skilled as you, and brings down my performance in the movie, then I don¡¯t want to use someone else." Wang Yudong said with a surface smile.

    Zhou Xiang broke out into cold sweat. "Dong¡¯ge, look..."

    "No more excuses, you want to avoid me because of Mingxiu, right? The entertainment world is only this big, can you hide from me forever?"

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t speak.

    "Mingxiu¡¯s matter, reasonably speaking, I don¡¯t have the right to interfere, but more importantly, I can¡¯t risk letting his sister find out. Mingxiu has a great future ahead of him, he can¡¯t keep mingling with you forever."

    Zhou Xiang secretly clenched his fists and remained silent.

    "Zhou Xiang." Wang Yudong said well-meaningly, "Let¡¯s get this all out of the open. I know what you¡¯re scheming, if you can make connections with the Yan Family, you won¡¯t have to worry about anything for the rest of your life. But, why hasn¡¯t a smart person like you realised? You two are both men. Can you give birth to his children? Can you marry him? If you offend his family, no one will be able to protect you. We¡¯ve known each other for three, four years already. I¡¯m warning you out of kindness. It¡¯s already really good that you were able to fish up this character. Stop while you¡¯re ahead."

    Wang Yudong¡¯s words were already considerably impolite. Zhou Xiang was so angry his body was trembling. Rather than beating around the bush like this to insult him, why doesn¡¯t he just point at his nose and give him a full chewing out that he wants to live off Yan Mingxiu.

    The problem was he f***ing didn¡¯t know what the hell Yan Mingxiu¡¯s family did.

    Wang Yudong looked at Zhou Xiang¡¯s ashen expression and smiled with contempt, "Zhou Xiang, Mingxiu¡¯s sister and I are getting engaged on New Year¡¯s Day. At that time, our rtionship will be made public and I¡¯ll be considered be tied with the Yan Family. If people dig out that my brother-inw is involved with my body double, that scoop will be enough to amuse the masses for half a year, don¡¯t you think? I don¡¯t want to deal with that kind of aftermath, and I trust that you don¡¯t either."

    Zhou Xiang said grimly, "We never nned to make our rtionship public, you¡¯re thinking too much."

    Wang Yudong sneered, "In this circle, how many secrets are there in which the parties implicated don¡¯t want to be revealed, but have still been forced to let the world know?"

    Zhou Xiang tightly clenched his fists, scared that he¡¯d lose control and give him a piece of his mind. He wasn¡¯t a wet behind the ears youngster with no brains. He knew which people he couldn¡¯t afford to offend.

    Wang Yudong looked at him and said, "As for my body double, you¡¯d better do it. I don¡¯t feel safe using someone else. There¡¯s a lot invested in this movie, and is crucial for me in order to enter the Asian market. I don¡¯t want my image to be affected when the timees because the martial arts scenes aren¡¯t perfect enough. I still trust you more than the rest. I¡¯ll pay an amount that will satisfy you. I¡¯ve already spoken this much, <f title="Means that if Zhou Xiang doesn¡¯t agree to be Wang Yudong body double, then he¡¯s abusing the respect and attention that Wang Yudong has given him.">don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re not even going to give me this face?</f>"

    Zhou Xiang endured and endured. He endured to the point that his heart and lungs were about explode. He told himself, this is society, this is life.

    He nodded, and forced out a smile, "You¡¯re already said so much, Dong¡¯ge, how can I dare notply?"

    Wang Yudong nodded approvingly. Seeing Zhou Xiang¡¯s expression, he knew that he had achieved his two objectives today. He walked over and patted Zhou Xiang¡¯s shoulder. "Go back and thoroughly think through what I said to you today. I¡¯m not opposed to you fishing up more things, but I advise that you end things with Mingxiu early. Perhaps it¡¯s not something you like to hear, but I really am saying this for your own good."

    After Wang Yudong left, Zhou Xiang couldn¡¯t muster back any energy. He stood in the conference room for a long time, until his legs and abdomen became numb.

    Heughed mockingly at himself, turned and headed straight for Chief Wang¡¯s office.

    Chief Wang was reading a book with his legs crossed. Zhou Xiang sat down on the sofa on the side. Chief Wang said, "It¡¯s nothing big, I just want to warn you about some things. One, if anything happens between Director Wang and Wang Yudong, tell me right away. Two, I¡¯m fighting for more screen time for you, you must properly make use of this opportunity. You actually have a really unique appearance, if you grasp the opportunity, it¡¯s possible that you can make a name for yourself."

    Zhou Xiang nodded. His heart pounded extremely fast. After thinking it over and over, he finally couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, "Chief Wang, can I talk about some gossip?"

    "Huh? What gossip?"

    "Concerning Wang Yudong¡¯s girlfriend. He told me that he¡¯s going to get engaged."

    "Oh, you know too now. Yes, on New Year¡¯s day, I¡¯m also invited."

    "What... What exactly is his girlfriend¡¯s family background? I heard, I heard that it¡¯s really incredible?"

    Chief Wangughed, shaking his head. "You¡¯re really behind with the news. It¡¯s not a specially big secret, perhaps it was in the past, but now that they have fixed a day, Wang Yudong is absolutely eager for the entire world to know."

    Zhou Xiang felt an uprush of nervousness and agitation. "Chief Wang, stop with the guessing game, please tell me directly."

    Chief Wang narrowed his eyes and said with embarrassment, "Is it really that hard to guess? That surname is really rare. How many rich families in Beijing have the surname Yan? Isn¡¯t there only just one?"

    Zhou Xiang blinked, and suddenly he had a revtion, "Yan, Yan Dejiang?"

    "Yup, what other family would be able to make Wang Yudong so cocky? Hmph." Chief Wang twitched his mouth, and sneered, "This pretty boy sure is popr. He must really feel proud and ted this time."

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

    If he didn¡¯t even know who Yan Dejiang, a person who was broadcasted in the news from time to time, was, then he really was living in the information age in vain.

    Even though, even before he had felt that the surname Yan was really unusual, even if he used ten of his brains, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to work out that Yan Mingxiu was that Yan Dejiang¡¯s grandson. How could such a powerful person, who could make the capital quake with the stomp of his foot, possibly live in the same world as him?

    It was practically nonsensical, too nonsensical.

    Chief Wang noticed that Zhou Xiang was deathly pale, and asked in confusion, "What¡¯s wrong? Is there any need to be so shocked? Even an immortal has to get married."

    Zhou Xiang shook his head with difficulty, "I just never expected..."

    "Who would have expected this? That year, when Wang Yudong¡¯s father wanted to find him to send gifts he couldn¡¯t even touch the right connections. You can say that they¡¯ve endured ande out top. He truly has brought up a good son." Chief Wang¡¯s tone was somewhat disdainful. He himself was a <f title="ºìÈý´ú is the third generation descendant of a leader in China when the Communists won over the Nationalists in 1949.">third generation descendant of government leader</f>, but was not on the same level as the Yan Family. In the past, people like Wang Yudong needed to butter up to him but now Wang Yudong was relying on that sort of rtionship to intimidate him, so he was more or less a bit unhappy inside.

    The two chatted a little more. Chief Wang revealed quite a bit about how Wang Yudong was <f title="Ð¡ÈËµÃÖ¾ - English Trantion: small man intoxicated by sess. Refers to when a person with low ethics (or a dishonest person, or person with a despicable personality) gets hold of power.">intoxicated by sess</f> after he made connections with the Yan Family¡¯s daughter. Zhou Xiang wasn¡¯t in any mood to listen. From beginning to end, he kept thinking about Yan Mingxiu.

    He finally understood how Yan Mingxiu cultivated that sort of domineering and egoistic personality. Zhou Xiang felt that it was more and more unreal that Yan Mingxiu was willing to squeeze into a seventy square metre old apartment with him, and even stay there for almost a year now.

    On the way back home, because Zhou Xiang was so in such a trance, he almost crashed into the back of someone¡¯s car. He thought it over the whole journey home, and in the end decided that he¡¯d treat it as if he didn¡¯t know anything. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t seek anything besides Yan Mingxiu himself. Since Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t tell him, then it also wasn¡¯t necessary for him to ask. Letting this matter pass was also a really good n.

 Chapter 29 (2)

    Very soon, it was almost the New Year¡¯s holiday. ZhouXiang realized that YanMingXiu¡¯s mood is getting worse and worse with each passing day. At times, he would often hide himself in the study room for a long time. Sometimes he would just sit in front of the TV, not saying a word.

    One day, ZhouXiang finally couldn¡¯t help himself from asking whether his business wasn''t going well. After all, the year-end is usually very busy.

    He actually never knew what YanMingXiu does. It seems to be rted to finance or investment banking and the like. But those are things ZhouXiang don¡¯t understand and have always been toozy to ask. He knew that YanMingXiu has good ie. The things he buys are always the best. The two never did separate their spending for the home; it''s always been whoever buying whatever they need, neither of them really bickered over financial matters.

    Borrowing YanMingXiu¡¯s glory, ZhouXiang also got to use many good things.

    Generally, there are many pressing things that needed to be resolved at the end of the year so being busy is inevitable. Even ZhouXiang, who usually doesn''t have to go to work, had to go help prepare for thepany''s annual meeting these days. Seeing YanMingXiu''s expression, he''s obviously been overworked.

    YanMingXiu shook his head, ¡°It''s nothing," After that, he sullenly went into the room.

    ZhouXiang wanted to help him but even with good intentions, he was powerless.

    Early this morning, ZhouXiang went to thepany again. CaiWei made him the assistant to help with the nning and preparation of the annual meeting. The hotel venue has not yet been decided. ZhouXiang went with the event nner to scope out several hotels, but they have yet to find a suitable venue.

    He has just gotten into thepany door when CaiWei saw him and pulled him over, his face full of caution as he uttered, ¡°Ah Xiang, I really didn¡¯t think that you were this capable.¡±

    ZhouXiang is baffled.

    ¡°Did you know that Director Wang designated you to take part in the filming of this new movie? He said that he would give you a supporting role.¡±

    ZhouXiang was surprised, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, really. How did you convince this old madman?¡±

    ¡°I also don¡¯t know, maybe because I can rtively endure his craziness?"

    CaiWei scoffed and smiled, ¡°That''s possible, regardless, you can''t miss this opportunity. How many people would want to snatch this chance to show their faces in his movies? After getting this role, maybe you''ll never have to be a stuntman ever again.¡±

    ZhouXiang is already thirty years old. In the first few years, he dreamt of hitting it big with a signature role. However, after drifting along for such a long time and having experienced so many things, he knew that even if he wanted to be famous and all the stars are aligned, it is something that is hard to attain. Especially with his ordinary conditions, he didn''t think that this opportunity would reallye.

    ZhouXiang''s desire to be a star is not great, but he wanted to make more money. To pursue a better quality of life is human nature. Although ZhouXiang is not strongly materialistic, he didn''t want to let go of the opportunity to make money.

    ¡°But WangYuDong¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, why care about him? This time you''re not his stuntman. It is Director Wang who insisted on you. You''re not acting the same role as him. You can''t possibly offend him. President Wang also supports you. You just get yourself ready to invite the screenwriter out for a meal so he can give you and LanXiRong a few more scenes." CaiWei happily patted his arm, "Ah Xiang, Wei Ge has always hoped to bring you to a better ce, you''re just on your own, you must make as much money as you can while you''re still young."

    ZhouXiang said with a smile, ¡°Thank you Wei Ge, then ¡­ then, should I be contacting Director Wang¡¯s assistant?¡±

    "Yeah, go now, they''re in the conference room.¡±

    ¡°What? Who?¡±

    ¡°President Wang, Director Wang, and people from WangYuDong¡¯s side. Oh, there are also two other investors. It just so happened that they are here for a meeting. But LanXiRong hasmitment and couldn''te."

    ¡°That''s not too appropriate right? So many people are in the meeting, what am I going to do in there?¡±

    ¡°What are you afraid of? Aren''t you part of the cast? Just go,¡± CaiWei dragged him to the conference room.

    President Wang nodded at him. ZhouXiang greeted them one by one. Lastly, he smiled at Director Wang. This big director was extremely difficult to please. ZhouXiang humbly felt a bit overwhelmed.

    Director Wang is still is usual self, responding but paying no attention, "Sit¡­"

    WangYuDong faintly nced at him, his expression extremely chilling.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart trembled. It seems that WangYuDong¡¯s forbidding opinion of him is so great that he no longer even bothered with showingmon courtesy. After all, YanMingXiu is his future brother-inw. Who would like his brother-inw to be a homosexual and also be with someone that is around him? Just thinking about this is awkward.

    ZhouXiang also simply didn''t look at him, trying to evade him as much as he could. WangYuDong didn''t look at him but at President Wang and Director Wang.

    The atmosphere of the meeting was very strange. Several investors were trying to harmonize Director Wang and WangYuDong''s rtionship. Director Wang is already sixty this year so nobody felt ashamed in sweet-talking to him. But ZhouXiang seeing WangYuDong''s expression, he''s obviously doesn''t look sincere. He felt that something will likely happen again in this film. When that timees, he will stay away as far as possible.

    After the meeting, Director Wang left with some people. The people from thepany also dispersed. President Wang wanted to say a few words to him but then saw that WangYuDong was waiting for ZhouXiang not too far away.

    ZhouXiang knew what he wanted to say. He most certainly didn''t want to go.

    President Wang looked between the two, ¡°YuDong, are you looking for ZhouXiang?¡±

    WangYuDong nodded.

    ¡°I''ll rmend another stuntman for you. I know one that is quite suitable."

    WangYuDong smiled politely. ¡°Thank you, Wang Ge, I''ll look into it when I have time.¡±

    President Wang raised an eyebrow, ¡°Then you guys go ahead. ZhouXiang, youe to my office after you''re done.¡±

    After saying that, President Wang and CaiWei left.

    With only the two of them remaining in the conference room, ZhouXiang smiled politely, ¡°Dong Ge, is there something the matter?¡±

    ¡°I heard that you didn''t want to be my stuntman this time?¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, "I have been working too much recently, too busy¡­"

    ¡°ZhouXiang, stop with the lies. This supporting role has way more scenes than my stuntman. How do you have the time?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled awkwardly, ¡°Dong Ge, It''s not easy for me to get a role, can you be a bit more understanding?¡±

    ¡°How can I not, but we have worked together several times after all. You''re asking me to change to someone else in this instant; I''m a bit not use to it. What if the new stuntman is not as skilled as you? It will reduce my performance in the movie. How can I not care?"

    ZhouXiang sweated coldly, ¡°Dong Ge, you think¡­¡±

    ¡°Not that I think. Aren''t you doing this because of the matter with MingXiu, wanting to hide from me? The entertainment circle is so big, can you really hide?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°With MingXiu''s matters, it is reasonable to say that I don''t have the right to have a say, but I dare not let his sister know. MingXiu has a promising future in front of him; he can''t possibly continue to be involved with you."

    ZhouXiang secretly clenched his fist but still did not speak.

    "ZhouXiang," WangYuDong said with heartfelt sincerity, "Honest people don''t say deceitful words. I know what you are scheming. To be a part of the Yan family, you won''t have any worries your entire life. But you are a smart person. How can you not know? You''re both men. Can you have his child? Or marry him? If you provoke their family, nobody can protect you. We''ve known each other for three to four years. I''m sincerely giving you a few cautionary words. For you to be able to get this role is already very good. Stop while you still can.¡±

    WangYuDong''s remarks were quite rude. ZhouXiang was so furious that he was trembling. Why beat around the bushes in insulting people, it''d be much more satisfying to simple point him in the nose and say that he wants to live off of the Yan family.

    The problem is¡­he doesn''t even fucking know anything about YanMingXiu''s family.

    WangYuDong looked at ZhouXiang''s livid expression as he smiled scornfully, ¡°ZhouXiang, MingXiu''s sister and I will be engaged on New Year¡¯s Day. At that time, our rtionship will be announced. I will be considered a part of the Yan family. You say, if people were to dig up this news and find out that my future brother-inw and my stuntman are involved, isn''t this enough to entertain them for half a year? Will you be bearing the consequences? I don''t believe you want to.¡±

    ZhouXiang said gloomily, ¡°We never intended for the public know about us, you''re thinking too much.¡±

    WangYuDong sneered, ¡°How many secrets in this circle are forced by the involved parties to be exposed regardless of their unwillingness?"

    ZhouXiang clenched his fist, fearing that he wouldn''t be able to control himself from wanting to swear at someone. He''s not na?ve nor inexperienced, he knows who he can''t afford to offend.

    WangYuDong looked at him, ¡°Regarding the issue with my stuntman, it''s still better for you to do it. I don''t trust others. This film is heavily invested. It''s a vital role for me to enter the Asian market. I don¡¯t want my image to be affected because the martial arts are not up to par. I still trust you more. You''ll be satisfied with the pay. I''ve said it as such, you can''t possibly not give me face?"

    ZhouXiang endured and endured, so much that he was suppressing his heart and lungs from exploding.

    He told himself that this is how the world is and this is life.

    He nodded as he gritted his teeth, ¡°Dong Ge said it as such, I dare not.¡±

    WangYuDong nodded with satisfaction as he looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s expression. He knew that his two goals have been achieved today. He walked over and patted ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What I told you today, go back and think it over. I don''t oppose if you work more but I''m advising you to break up with MingXiu sooner. You may not like to hear these words, but I''m really saying it for your own good.¡±

    Long after WangYuDong left, ZhouXiang was not able toe back to his senses. He stood in the conference room for a long time until his legs were numb. Heughed at himself and turned away from the meeting room, heading straight to President Wang''s office.

    President Wang is reading a book with his legs crossed. ZhouXiang sat down on the sofa next to him. President Wang, ¡°It''s nothing important, I just wanted to say a few things. For one, if there are any issues with Director Wang and WangYuDong, let me know immediately. Two, I''m trying to increase your screen time; you have to grasp onto this opportunity. In fact, you are quite unique. Seizing the opportunity might get you popr."

    ZhouXiang nodded with his heart beating extremely fast. After considering it again and again, he finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°President Wang, can I mentioned a bit of gossip?¡±

    ¡°Ohhh? What gossip?¡±

    "Regarding WangYuDong¡¯s girlfriend. He told me that he''s getting engaged.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know it too, yeah, New Year¡¯s Day, I''m also invited."

    ¡°He¡­ his girlfriend¡¯s family, what is her background? I heard that it''s very impressive?¡±

    President Wang shook his head with a smile. ¡°This news is way too old. It''s not a particrly big secret. It may have been before but now that the two are stable, WangYuDong can¡¯t wait for the world to know.¡±

    ZhouXiang only felt a gust of anxiety rising to his head, ¡°President Wang, don¡¯t y this guessing game with me, just tell me directly.¡±

    President Wang narrowed his eyes and embarrassingly uttered, ¡°Is it that difficult to guess? How many families have the surname ''Yan'' in Beijing? Isn''t there only one?¡±

    ZhouXiang blinked and it suddenly dawned on him, ¡°Yan¡­YanDeJiang?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, which other family can make WangYuDong arrogant like this, humph.¡± President Wang snorted and sneered. ¡°This pretty boy really got himself into an influential family, this round he should be feeling exuberant."

    ZhouXiang''s entire body exuded cold sweat.

    If he doesn¡¯t even know YanDeJiang, who often appears in the newswork from time to time, then he''s been living in this information age in vain.

    Although he used to think that the surname ''Yan'' was quite unique, but even if he was to borrow and put ten minds together, he would never have guessed that YanMingXiu would be YanDeJiang''s grandson. This powerfully wealthy character in Beijing, how could they be of the same world?

    This is just ridiculous,pletely ridiculous.

    President Wang saw his paled face and wondered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s not that shocking right? It''s just that the male god (referring to WangYuDong) is getting married.¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°I just didn¡¯t think¡­¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought that back then when WangYuDong''s father wanted to send some gifts (as in raising the family''s societal position), he couldn''t even touch these doors. They no longer have to worry about this. He''s really raised a good son (since his son is marrying into the prestigious Yan family)." President Wang''s tone is a bit disdainful. He is also from a third generation wealthy family, but is not the same level as the ''Yan'' family. For WangYuDong, who used to also depend on him, right now, he can use his rtion with the family to suppress him. His felt a bit of discontent.

    The two of them chatted for a while. President Wang revealed a lot of how pompous WangYuDong had be after dating this Miss. Yan. ZhouXiang was not in any mood to listen. His mind was constantly on YanMingXiu.

    He finally understood how YanMingXiu¡¯s unique character was cultivated. It has got to be hard for him to be willing to cram himself into an old shabby house of no more than 70 square meters (753 sq.ft) with him. Soon, it''ll be a year. ZhouXiang felt that this is bing increasingly unreal.

    On the way home, ZhouXiang ispletely in a daze, so much that he almost hit the car he was tailgating. He thought about it all the way home, finally deciding on pretending that he didn''t know. Except for YanMingXiu himself¡­ he didn¡¯t know anything. Since YanMingXiu didn¡¯t tell him, he didn''t need to ask. Continuing on like this is also good.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 30

    When YanMingXiu came back in the evening, he found ZhouXiang looking at him strangely.

    YanMingXiu had been agitated by the gradual approaching of his sister and WangYuDong¡¯s engagement ceremony so he hasn¡¯t really looked at ZhouXiang for many days. Bunching his brows, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    ZhouXiang reacted quickly, "It¡¯s nothing. I see that you¡¯ve been absent-minded recently. Even if you¡¯re busy at work, don¡¯t get yourself so worked up."

    YanMingXiu faintly responded with, ¡°Yeah."

    ZhouXiang walked over and patted his face. ¡°It¡¯s so unlike you to be like this. Why don¡¯t you take a few days off? I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s not safe for you drive in your condition."

    ¡°I¡¯m fine."

    YanMingXiu grabbed his hand and put it behind his back, then buried his face in his neck, gently biting along his sexually appealing corbone."

    ZhouXiang softly asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± YanMingXiu pressed him onto the couch and kissed him while pulling his clothes. The two had not done it for four to five days so as soon as they touched each other¡¯s bodies, their lust is instantly ignited.

    When YanMingXiu was vigorously thrusting into him from behind, ZhouXiang gasped andughed softly, ¡°Why do you like the back position so much?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s movement slowed down. ZhouXiang moaned unbearably as he was forced to feel YanMingXiu scorching hot throbbing member inside of him.

    YanMingXiu lowered his head and uttered hoarsely, ¡°Can get deeper this way.¡± His hand lingered and gently caressed and stroked ZhouXiang¡¯s naked back, his glistening smooth back, constantly curved into seductive lines from his thrusts, aroused his desires to blistering heights.

    Although their backs are very simr, YanMingXiu is also clearly aware that he is bing less and less able to pretend that ZhouXiang is WangYuDong. When he is fervently thrusting into this person, he no longer imagined that the person pressed beneath him is WangYuDong. He knew that the man who could bring him the ultimate thrills of pleasure, the man whose body is astonishinglypatible with his, is ZhouXiang.

    Because ZhouXiang has been busy with the annual meeting, he¡¯s been out a lot more frequently every day. Sometimes when YanMingXiues home and can¡¯t see him, he¡¯d feel agitated.

    This night when YanMingXiu returned home, ZhouXiang was once again not home so he just went into the study to go online.

    Searching the website, he inadvertently stumbled upon a gossip story that was more than half a month ago. The headline read, ¡°LanXiRong and a friend drinking coffee, chatting happily." The photo was obviously taken secretly without their knowledge. Even though the person¡¯s backdrop is very blurry, YanMingXiu immediately recognized at a nce that the person sitting opposite of LanXiRong is ZhouXiang. Looking at the date, it was the second day of their big fight.

    YanMingXiu suppressed himself from closing the webpage. His hand hesitated for a long time between the mouse and the phone. But in the end, he didn¡¯t call ZhouXiang to ask him about this. However, his apprehensions and dislike toward LanXiRong increased day by day.

    Although ZhouXiang promised him that there was nothing between him and LanXiRong, YanMingXiu could never forget the expression he first saw on LanXiRong when they first met, that kind of hostile, hateful look. He definitely doesn¡¯t believe that LanXiRong only saw ZhouXiang as a friend.

    When YanMingXiu thought of the two belonging to the samepany and may be meeting in some ces that he can¡¯t see,ughing and talking as they are in this picture, he wished that ZhouXiang would resign. Not being able to get WangYuDong had already made him filled him with frustration. But if he even can¡¯t even control ZhouXiang, then he, YanMingXiu, is aplete loser.

    It just so happened that at this time, ZhouXiang came home. Not only did hee back, he also brought YanMingXiu histe-nigh snack.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t have any appetite. When he opened the door, he asked, ¡°You saw LanXiRong on the 28th ofst month?¡±

    ZhouXiang was a bit startled as he tried to recall. Then he remembered that was the day he gave LanXiRong back his cell phone. He cautiously observed YanMingXiu¡¯s expression, fearing that he would get angry again.

    He lowly muttered, ¡°I was returning the phone to him. How did you know about that?¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled sarcastically, ¡°It¡¯s already in the entertainment gossip. Why? So absorbed in your chatting that you didn¡¯t even know that someone had secretly taken your picture?"

    ZhouXiang sighed weakly. He¡¯s really tired of dealing with YanMingXiu¡¯s temper. He just wanted to turn around and leave.

    Fortunately this time YanMingXiu didn¡¯t intend to make it hard for him. He just expressionlessly took thete-night snack from his hand and muttered, ¡°Good timing, I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ZhouXiang breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time started to worry about something else. <i>What if YanMingXiu knows that he and LanXiRong are going to be shooting in the same film? What will happen?</i>

    However, he hasn¡¯t read the script. Maybe he and LanXiRong won¡¯t have any scenes together. No matter what, he would never give up on such a good opportunity. Besides, this time he must also be WangYuDong¡¯s martial arts stuntman. Even if he wants to hide, he can¡¯t avoid LanXiRong. If he can hide this from YanMingXiu a day at a time, he just wants to keep doing that.

    ZhouXiang felt extremely exhausted when he thought of YanMingXiu going ballistic after finding out about this.

    Since he found out about YanMingXiu¡¯s family background, he felt that the distance between the two of them has reached to the point where it is very far away. He no longer harbored any hope that his rtionship with YanMingXiu wouldst, nor does he know the meaning of them continuing to be involved in this moment.

    Even if he understands, he can¡¯t convince himself to give up. So with each calming peaceful days, ZhouXiang especially cherished it. He really didn¡¯t want for anything toplicate the matters.

    The end of the year is quickly approaching, ZhouXiang was extremely busy. Just the procurement activities is already enough to make him busy non-stop for days. These days he actually saw President Wang who rarely appeared in thepany twice. Hearing from his mouth, ZhouXiang found out that WangYuDong¡¯s engagement banquet will be held during the New Year¡¯s holiday. After the holiday, WangYuDong will be going on a vacation with his fianc¨¦e. This just so happened to coincide with theunching ceremony of the new movie, with this date already set previously. Director Wang is very displeased. It was heard that he even tore his wedding invitation.

    When President Wang said these words, he was very displeased. ¡°So many artists and media will be attending theunching ceremony, how would it look if the male lead doesn¡¯t attend? This date was determined by the fortune master and was decided by everyone. Just because he had vacation ns with Miss Yan, he asked all of us to change the time. How is this reasonable? Now the two are in a deadlocked, not knowing whether the film can even start shooting smoothly."

    President Wang likely thought that ZhouXiang is not one to gossip and can be trusted. The heart of the matter is that ZhouXiang had no influence in the circle so things that he normally won¡¯t talk to others about, he will tell him. ZhouXiang echoed President Wang words. Anyway, he was also displeased with WangYuDong.

    President Wang suddenly remembered something. ¡°Hey? Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t want to be his stuntman? Why did I hear CaiWei say that you¡¯re going to do it? Last time he asked you to stay, was it to talk about this?"

    ZhouXiang responded with, "Yeah, he said that he¡¯s afraid that the newbies won¡¯t have the experience. He still hoped that I will do it.¡±

    President Wang patted him on the shoulder, ¡°That¡¯s also not a bad thing, just a bit tiring. CaiWei negotiated very good pay for you, guaranteed to make you satisfied."

    ZhouXiang smiled reluctantly, ¡°That, I¡¯m satisfied as long as I can make money.¡±

    Before the New Year¡¯s arrived, the news of WangYuDong¡¯s impending engagement was already widely spread on the Inte, generating a lot of attention and also giving his fans enough mental preparation. WangYuDong poisedly admitted publicly that he will be engaged on New Year¡¯s Day. To protect his fiance¡¯s privacy, the engagement ceremony will only be inviting close rtives and friends. He didn¡¯t want cause them any disturbance.

    Once this news got out, many of his fans were heartbroken. Everyone tried to guess who WangYuDong¡¯s mysterious fianc¨¦e is. Although most of the gossiping news is not very reliable, one thing is certain, and that is, this women¡¯s background is definitely not minor. Before the year ended, WangYuDong once again seeded in generating publicity from another heated topic.

    When ZhouXiang came home, YanMingXiu was at home. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but ask him, ¡°Your older sister is getting engaged to WangYuDong?¡±

    YanMingXiu turned his face, the calm expression that he had exhibited previously suddenly changed, ¡°Why are you asking about that?¡±

    ZhouXiang thought that YanMingXiu was being apprehensive of him (ZhouXiang) because he was asking about his family¡¯s business so he immediately voiced, ¡°Isn¡¯t she your older sister? I¡¯m just casually asking. If you don¡¯t want to say, that¡¯s fine."

    YanMingXiu has been terribly upset and confused, so much that he didn¡¯t even want to go to the engagement ceremony. He was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself. With much difficulty, he asked, ¡°What rumors did you hear?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head and pretended not to know, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t believe him. Even on the inte, there are many spections regarding his sister¡¯s identity. ZhouXiang is in the entertainment circle, how could he not know? YanMingXiu didn¡¯t deliberately hide his family¡¯s identity from him. Back then, he just didn¡¯t think it was necessary for ZhouXiang to know and now how he also didn¡¯t want to tell ZhouXiang. He is worried that ZhouXiang¡¯s attitude towards him will change. If ZhouXiang starts to acts like all the others and grovel at him, he will feel disgusted.

    However, seeing ZhouXiang acting as though he is not in the least bit concerned made YanMingXiu curious. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So many people are trying to figure out who my sister is, don¡¯t you want to know?¡±

    ZhouXiang drank a mouth of water and nonchntly replied, ¡°Must be well-matched with WangYuDong.¡±

    YanMingXiu raised his eyebrows, with ZhouXiang¡¯s attitude; it really saved him the trouble (because he didn¡¯t want to tell him). But it also made him feel quite confused.

    ZhouXiang nced at him, seeming to know what he¡¯s thinking. He walked over to sit on hisp and smile as he pulled his neck close, ¡°We¡¯ve been together for almost a year, you didn¡¯t even mention your family so I¡¯m going to guess that you don¡¯t want to tell me. I also don¡¯t want to ask. It doesn¡¯t affect anything, right?¡±

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes at him and says softly, ¡°Right.¡±

    ZhouXiang leaned close and licked his lips. YanMingXiu slightly lifted his chin and their kiss lingered. Then as expected, this turned into an episode of intensive passionate sex.

    YanMingXiu is now even more dependent on ZhouXiang. Before, he would look for WangYuDong¡¯s shadow in ZhouXiang. Now he relied on ZhouXiang to forget about WangYuDong and his sister. This strong contrast between the previous and the present actually urred unexpectedly in a very peaceful manner, so peaceful that he didn¡¯t even know when this change in his mind urred. He only knew that when he and ZhouXiang are making frenzied passionate love, he could forget a lot of his troublesome matters.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 30 (2)

    Censored Version Below to trick aggregators. Click here: for full version

    When Yan Mingxiu came home that night, he noticed that Zhou Xiang was looking at him strangely.

    Because his sister and Wang Yudong''s engagement ceremony was steadily drawing closer, Yan Mingxiu had been in a jittery mood these days. He hadn''t looked at Zhou Xiang straight in the face for many days already. He knitted his brows, "What''s wrong? Why''re you looking at me like that?"

    Zhou Xiang reacted strongly to his words, hastily exining, "Nothing, you''ve been looking preupiedtely. Even if you''re busy with work, you shouldn¡¯t tire yourself out."

    ¡°Hm,¡± Yan Mingxiu indifferently responded.

    Zhou Xiang walked over and patted his face, "You¡¯re acting very strangelytely. You should rest for a few days if you¡¯re too tired. With you like this, I''m scared that it¡¯ll be unsafe for you to drive."

    "It''s nothing." Yan Mingxiu grabbed Zhou Xiang''s hand, and put it behind his back. He buried his head into Zhou Xiang''s neck, lightly biting along his s*xy corbone.

    Zhou Xiang said lightly, "Have you eaten yet?"

    As Zhou Xiang was busy with the annual party, the time he was out of the house everyday increased noticeably. Yan Mingxiu would sometimese home and not see him there, and would then feel agitated.

    When Yan Mingxiu returned home today, Zhou Xiang wasn''t home again. Yan Mingxiu randomly grabbed something to eat, and then surfed online in the study.

    He was browsing a certain website, and inadvertently saw a news report from over half a month ago. The headline was ''Lan Xirong drinks coffee, and chats happily with a friend''. The photo was obviously a candid shot. The people and background were very blurry but Yan Mingxiu could recognise in one nce that the person sitting opposite to Lan Xirong was Zhou Xiang. He looked at the date. It was precisely the day after their fight.

    Yan Mingxiu suppressed his unhappiness and closed the webpage. His hand wavered between the mouse and his phone for a long time, but in the end he didn''t call Zhou Xiang to interrogate him. However, the misgivings and loathing he felt towards Lan Xirong increased steadily.

    Although Zhou Xiang constantly reassured him that his and Lan Xirong''s rtionship was pure, Yan Mingxiu could never forget the look in Lan Xirong''s eyes when he and Lan Xirong met for the first time, that hostile and jealous expression. He absolutely did not believe that Lan Xirong only thought of Zhou Xiang as a friend.

    As soon as he thought about how they belonged to the samepany and coulde in contact with each other in ces he couldn''t see, and chat cheerfully with each other like in that photo, Yan Mingxiu wished strongly that Zhou Xiang would resign. He was already filled with frustration from not being able to obtain Wang Yudong. If he couldn''t even keep reins on Zhou Xiang, then he, Yan Mingxiu, was truly a loser through and through.

    Zhou Xiang came home at this precise moment. Not only did hee back, he even brought back some midnight snacks for Yan Mingxiu.

    Yan Mingxiu had no appetite. He went to straight to the point, "You met Lan Xirongst month on the twenty eighth, right?"

    Zhou Xiang was startled for a moment. He thought back hard for a moment and remembered that that was the day he returned Lan Xirong¡¯s cell phone. He cautiously observed Yan Mingxiu''s expression, scared that he would flip out again. He said in a low voice, "I gave him back his phone that day, how did you know?"

    Yan Mingxiuughed mockingly, "It''s already up on the entertainment gossip news. What? Were you guys were so carried away with chatting with each other that you two didn''t even notice you were secretly photographed?"

    Zhou Xiang was a bit keyed up. He was truly too tired to deal with Yan Mingxiu''s spontaneous temper. He really wanted to turn around and leave.

    Fortunately, Yan Mingxiu didn''t intend to make things difficult for him this time. He merely expressionlessly epted the midnight snacks in Zhou Xiang¡¯s hand. "I was just feeling hungry."

    Zhou Xiang let out a breath of relief, but at the same time, a new worry emerged. If Yan Mingxiu found out that he and Lan Xirong were acting in the same movie, how would he react?"

    But, he hadn''t seen the script yet. It was possible that he and Lan Xirong didn''t interact at all in the movie. Whatever the case, he couldn¡¯t give up such a good opportunity. Moreover, he had to be Wang Yudong''s martial arts stunt double this time as well. He couldn¡¯t avoid Lan Xirong even if he wanted to. Even if Zhou Xiang could only conceal it from Yan Mingxiu for a day, Zhou Xiang still wanted conceal it from him even just that one day more.

    Even just thinking about how Yan Mingxiu would be furious about this matter made Zhou Xiang feel exceptionally exhausted.

    Ever since he found out about Yan Mingxiu''s background, he felt that the distance between them was so far away it was alreadypletely out of reach. He didn''t harbour any hopes that he and Yan Mingxiu would be able have any future together, and he also didn''t know if there was any meaning in continuing to entangle like this.

    However, even though he understood all that, he couldn''t convince himself to give up. Thus, Zhou Xiang very cherished every single of these seemingly tranquil days. He really didn''t want to let side issues arise for the sake of any matter.

    The end of the year was quickly approaching. Zhou Xiang was also awfully busy. Even just <f title="²É¹ºÕâÒ»¿é: Not too sure what this means. Direct trantion: " purchasing="" procuring="" this="" block",="" it="" doesn''t="" specify="" what="" "block"="" is="" so="" i="" went="" with="" seems="" possible."="">procuring the stuff necessary for the annual party</f>, caused him to have to run around a good number of days without stopping to rest. He found out from Chief Wang that Wang Yudong''s engagement feast was scheduled on New Year''s day. Wang Yudong nned to go on vacation with his fianc¨¦e after the New Year holidays, which just happened to coincide with the date of the <f title="In China, they hold always an opening (starting filming) ceremony when right before they start filming a new movie or drama etc.">opening ceremony of the new movie</f>, which had already been set a while ago. Director Wang was extremely displeased. Zhou Xiang heard that he even tore up the engagement feast invitation to shreds.

    Chief Wang was extremely unhappy when he was telling Zhou Xiang all this. "We invited so many celebrities and media for the ceremony. How is it proper if the lead actor isn¡¯t there on the day? We found a Master to divine that date, and everyone decided on it together. Just because he added an extra vacation with the Yan Family''s Big Miss, he''s now demanding everyone to change the date. Who would be able to ept this? Now those two are deadlocked again. We don''t even know if we''ll be able to start smoothly start shooting."

    Chief Wang probably felt that Zhou Xiang was tight-lipped and could be trusted, and most importantly, Zhou Xiang didn''t have much influence in the circle, so Chief woulde and find him to tell him things that which was usually unsuitable to say to other people. Zhou Xiang also parroted Chief Wang. After all, he was also resentful towards Wang Yudong.

    Chief Wang suddenly remembered something, "Hey? Didn''t you say that you didn''t want to be his martial double? Why did I hear from Cai Wei that you''re nning to ept the job now? Did he keep you backst time to talk about this matter?"

    Zhou Xiang answered, avoiding the important and only talking about trivial, "Yes, he said that he was afraid that a new person would be inexperienced, and wants me to do it."

    Chief Wang patted his shoulder, "This isn''t a bad thing. It''ll just be a bit tiring for you. Cai Wei has helped negotiate a good price for you, you''ll definitely be satisfied."

    Zhou Xiang forced a smile, "Of course, if I can earn money then I''m satisfied."

    It wasn''t the New Year yet, but news of Wang Yudong''s engagement was already spreading widely online. It was only after his engagement had been publicised enough, and he had given his fans enough mental preparation, that Wang Yudong finally confidently acknowledged to the public that he would be getting engaged on New Year¡¯s. In order to protect his fianc¨¦e¡¯s privacy, only rtives and friends were invited to the engagement ceremony and he did not wish for his family to be disturbed.

    This news shattered the hearts of many female fans. They guessed one by one who Wang Yudong''s mysterious fianc¨¦e could be. Although most of the news was not too reliable, one thing was certain, the bride didn¡¯te from a small background. At the end of the year, Wang Yudong seeded once again in arousing another topic for discussion.

    After Zhou Xiang came home, he couldn''t resist asking Yan Mingxiu, "Your sister and Wang Yudong are going to get engaged, right?"

    Yan Mingxiu turned his head around. His expression which was calm a second ago abruptly changed, "What''re you asking that for?"

    Zhou Xiang thought that Yan Mingxiu was worried that he was poking his nose into his family matters, and immediately said, "She is your sister after all, I''m just asking, it''s okay if you don''t want to tell me."

    Yan Mingxiu was distraught with anxiety, to the point that he didn''t want to attend the engagement ceremony. He was afraid that he would lose control of himself. He said very stiffly, "What rumours have you heard?"

    Zhou Xiang shook his head, pretending he didn''t know, "Didn''t hear anything."

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t quite believe him. Even online, there was heaps of spection about his sister''s identity. Zhou Xiang was in the circle, how could he not know? Yan Mingxiu wasn¡¯t actually deliberately concealing his family background. Before, he merely felt that it wasn''t necessary for Zhou Xiang to know, and now the reason he didn''t want to tell Zhou Xiang was because he was worried that Zhou Xiang''s attitude towards him would change. He would feel disgusted if Zhou Xiang tried to butter up to him like all those other people.

    However, Zhou Xiang''s uninterested attitude now made Yan Mingxiu curious. He couldn''t help but ask, "A lot of people are trying to guess who my sister is, you don''t want to know?"

    Zhou Xiang drank some water and replied smoothly, "I¡¯m sure she must be well-matched with Wang Yudong."

    Yan Mingxiu raised a brow. Zhou Xiang''s attitude really saved him trouble, but it also made him very puzzled.

    Zhou Xiang nced at him. He seemed to have made out what Yan Mingxiu was thinking, and walked over to him and straddled on his thighs. He wrapped his arms around his neck, andughed, ¡°We¡¯ve been together for almost a year. You don''t bring up your family matters, so I reckon that you don''t want to tell me, and I also don''t want to ask. This also doesn¡¯t affect anything, right?"

    Yan Mingxiu looked at him with narrowed eyes. He lightly said, ¡°That¡¯s right."

    Zhou Xiang licked Yan Mingxiu''s lips. Yan Mingxiu tilted up his chin slightly. The two of them kissed lingeringly, and in the end, to no surprise, it developed into an intense round of lovemaking.

    Yan Mingxiu was getting more and more dependent on Zhou Xiang. Before, he would look for traces of Wang Yudong in Zhou Xiang. Now, he relied on Zhou Xiang to forget about Wang Yudong and his sister''s matters. There was such an intense contrast between these two aims, yet it changed abnormally peacefully, so peacefully that he couldn''t work out when that mental change urred. He only knew that when he and Zhou Xiang were madly making love, he would forget about a lot of the troubles on his mind.

 Chapter 31

    T/N: Weird. This was suppose to post 8 hours ago ?? ...

    Thepany¡¯s annual meeting was held one week before Christmas. In addition to thepany¡¯s 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, ¡°Howe you¡¯re over here?¡±

    LanXiRong smiled, "I¡¯ve been looking for you all night, didn¡¯t expect you to hide here.¡±

    ¡°I am not hiding here. I was working back there. Hurry back, someone should be looking for you shortly.¡±

    ¡°I came out to take a breather.¡± LanXiRong looked at him warmly, ¡°Xiang Ge, you¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m working for free." ZhouXiang extinguished his cigarette.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we could act in a film together. I¡¯m really looking forward to acting with you," LanXiRong said with some expectation.

    ZhouXiang stared nkly, ¡°We have scenes together?"

    ¡°Yes, you haven¡¯t read the script.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re ying the role of WangYuDong¡¯s younger brother. We¡¯ll definitely have interactions.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not the part where you are his stuntman. The supporting role you¡¯re ying, we will have interaction.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, "I don¡¯t know. My role is not that heavy. Director Wang didn¡¯t give me the script."

    ¡°That¡¯s because the script isn¡¯t finished editing yet. President Wang helped secured a few more scenes for you. I¡¯ve read the old script. Your role has good exposure. Xiang Ge, I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡± LanXiRong¡¯s eyes sparkled as he looked at him without blinking.

    ZhouXiang heart is also a bit excited but he is embarrassed to show it, ¡°I¡¯ll ask the screenwriter about it in a few days.¡±

    ¡°There will be a meeting after Christmas; you can ask him again then.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled faintly, ¡°Xiang Ge, how are you spending Christmas? With your......boyfriend?¡±

    ¡°Yea, should be. We¡¯re both too busy so we haven¡¯t talked about it yet.¡± Although ZhouXiang had thought about it himself, he had yet to ask YanMingXiu. He didn¡¯t know whether he will be rejected.

    LanXiRong lowered his eyes dejectedly, ¡°Xiang Ge, if you haven¡¯t made ns for Christmas, spend it with me. We can go eat hot pot.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°You¡¯re so busy; I don¡¯t think you have time.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to spend it with me, I will cancel everything. I¡¯m serious,¡± LanXiRong looked at him very seriously.

    ZhouXiang lowered his head ufortably, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡±

    The two people casually said a few words; LanXiRong nce 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 o¡¯clock. He was busy for an entire day and is extremely exhausted.

    To his surprise, YanMingXiu wasn¡¯t asleep and seeming to be waiting up for him, making ZhouXiang felt very touched.

    YanMingXiu poured him a cup of hot water, ¡°Come and have some water.¡±

    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 didn¡¯t drive? Freezing yourself like this.¡±

    ¡°I went to help move some things after the annual meeting ended.¡±

    YanMingXiu definitely didn¡¯t like seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s exhaustive expression. No matter how dazzling the entertainment circle might me, in YanMingXiu¡¯s opinion, the value in the work that ZhouXiang does is too insignificant. But still, ZhouXiang enjoys it.

    He asked softly, ¡°Did LanXiRong also attended your annual meeting?¡±

    ZhouXiang froze, "Hmm.¡±

    ¡°Did you guys talked?¡±

    ¡°......No, he was in the banquet hall. I was busy backstage. I didn¡¯t 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 WangYuDong¡¯s film and that LanXiRong is also in the film. But seeing YanMingXiu¡¯s attitude, he is even more afraid to speak.

    YanMingXiu nodded satisfactorily and then moved his hand from his face to his ears, ¡°In the future, things that you shouldn¡¯t do, don¡¯t be proactive on it. What are you aiming for? Getting yourself so frozen like this."

    ZhouXiang naturally responded, "They are my colleagues; it¡¯s normal to help.¡±

    YanMingXiu shook his head, ¡°Go take a shower and sleep early.¡±

    ZhouXiang finished drinking the water and went to take afortable 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, ¡°MingXiu, do you have any ns for Christmas?¡±

    YanMingXiu turned around, ¡°What do you want to do?"

    ZhouXiang smiled, "Are you letting me n Christmas? Then you¡¯re giving me your time that day?"

    YanMingXiu nodded, ¡°This kind of holiday is no big deal, nothing special.¡±

    ¡°Join in on the fun. Let¡¯s go eat and then watch a movie? Last time a friend rmended 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 apany ZhouXiang in the excitement. He added, "Then I¡¯ll book the hotel. Let¡¯s change a ce......"

    Change a ce to do what?... Naturally it goes without saying that is to have sex in a different ce. ZhouXiang smiled wickedly, "Good idea. I just want to say that.¡±

    YanMingXiu put a hand on his waist; his dark ck eyes looked quietly at ZhouXiang through the rays of moonlight.

    ZhouXiang felt himself being sucked in by YanMingXiu¡¯s expression. So much that he couldn¡¯t 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, ¡°What are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled lightly, ¡°MingXiu, I feel very happy now. You?¡±

    YanMingXiu blinked and gently ¡¯hmm¡¯ a sound. He didn¡¯t say yes nor say no, just a simply a ¡¯hmm¡¯.

    ZhouXiang smiled and closed his eyes.

    YanMingXiu leaned closer and wrapped his strong arms around ZhouXiang¡¯s back, almost wanting to put ZhouXiang into his arms. Although with ZhouXiang¡¯s body shape, this posture is a bit funny, YanMingXiu could feel ZhouXiang¡¯s breaths on his neck. He felt very warm.

    Let¡¯s just be like this; there is nothing wrong with it.

    ¡ª¨C

    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 it¡¯s 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 YanMingXiu¡¯s looks, it is even more eye-catching. Almost everyone had to sneak a nce at them.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect to have such an awkward scene so he kept paying attention to YanMingXiu¡¯s expression, fearing that he would get angry.

    But YanMingXiu acted as though there were nobody else around. Seeing ZhouXiang looking at him, he evenughed, "Why are you so nervous? Don¡¯t let strangers influence your mood.¡±

    Only then ZhouXiang feel relieved. He smiled, "Are you used to being ogle at?¡±

    YanMingXiu shrugged his shoulders lightly and didn¡¯tment.

    ¡°Just from your calm and collected nature, it¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re not a star."

    YanMingXiu shook his head with a smile, ¡°I hate those kinds of career that essentially have no privacy. It¡¯s inconvenient to do anything.¡±

    ZhouXiang, "Yeah, you can¡¯t 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 don¡¯t talk about these things because YanMingXiu didn¡¯t seem too interested. But today he listened with great interest. The two haven¡¯t 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, ¡°MingXiu?¡±

    When the both of them turned around, they saw a tall and beautiful woman holding a man wearing a pair of sunsses standing behind them.

    At a nce, ZhouXiang could see that the person wearing sunsses is WangYuDong.

    When YanMingXiu saw the two people, his expression immediately changed. He vaguely said, ¡°Jie <sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N: Older sister

    ¡°MingXiu, you came here to eat too? Why didn¡¯t I see you earlier?¡± YanMingMei asked as she walked up to him. But when she noticed ZhouXiang, she paused.

    WangYuDong also removed his sunsses. He looked at ZhouXiang with his expression full of caution.

    ZhouXiang felt so embarrassed momentarily that he didn¡¯t know where to hide. He could only force himself to calm down and smile politely at YanMingMei.

    YanMingMei didn¡¯t smile. She almost immediately began to doubt the rtionship her brother has with this man. It¡¯s not that YanMingMei is not aware of YanMingXiu¡¯s sexual orientation, but like her parents, she¡¯s always chosen to forget it.

    She looked at ZhouXiang and then looked at YanMingXiu, ¡°MingXiu, is this your friend?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lips trembled a bit. His eyes were focused on YanMingMei¡¯s hand on WangYuDong¡¯s arm. No matter how he looked, it¡¯s an eyesore.

    WangYuDong held YanMingMei¡¯s waist and softly murmured, "This person is a colleague I have coborated with. I was the one who introduced them.¡±

    YanMingMei seemed to sigh in relief but still turned her head restlessly to give WangYuDong an inquiring look.

    WangYuDong gave her a reassuring looking, ¡°They probably have something to do today.¡±

    YanMingXiu said bluntly, ¡°We still have things to do; we¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡± YanMingMei pulled him, "What¡¯s the hurry? WangYuDong and I are going to watch a movie. Let¡¯s go together." She was still apprehensive and wanted to observe the rtionship between the two.

    YanMingXiu impatiently said, "I¡¯ve said that we still have things to do, no time to watch a movie. You two go ahead."

    YanMingMei perceptively sensed the fluctuation in YanMingXiu¡¯s mood. Furrowing her brows, "What¡¯s wrong with you? What¡¯s the hurry?¡±

    YanMingXiu heavily emphasized, ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡± After saying that, he pressed to unlock the car doors and said to ZhouXiang, "Let¡¯s go.¡± Then, got into the driver¡¯s seat.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t turn his head as he got into the passenger seat. He felt two pairs of eyes staring at him.

    They didn¡¯t go to watch the movie as ZhouXiang expected.

    The mood was very heavy along the way. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t 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 couldn¡¯t even say anything tofort him. He could only follow along in silence.

    YanMingXiu drove back home and went straight into the study upon entering the home. Then, mmed into the door to the study.

    ZhouXiang looked at the closed door. He knew that he is once again locked out of YanMingXiu¡¯s heart. And still, he couldn¡¯t see him being able to step into his heart.

    ¡ª¨C

    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 Year¡¯s, 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 wasn¡¯t in attendance that he specially called to tell him toe 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 hourte. He didn¡¯t expect that once he entered, he would see the scene of Director Wang and WangYuDong in a heated argument.

    As soon as he entered, everyone¡¯s eyes were on him. ZhouXiang wished he could be 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 ce to sit.

    ZhouXiang lowered his back and ran over to sit next to President Wang.

    WangYuDong says coldly, ¡°My engagement is a major life event. Others have agreed to postpone the filmunching ceremony. Why can¡¯t Director Wang just amodate it? I must go on this vacation, hope Director Wang can understand."

    Director Wang mmed 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 dys many things! The date cannot be changed. If you don¡¯te then your name won¡¯t be on the list of cast!"

    Since these words are said to such extent, the rtionship between the two is almost irreparable. The three investors all looked gloomy. President Wang rolled his eyes as if he¡¯s toozy to care.

    WangYuDong is so enraged that the muscles on his face are a bit distorted, "Fine. Director Wang can find someone else to rece me then. Hope you can find a satisfactory candidate.¡±

    ¡°There are many people who can rece you!¡± Director Wang is so furious that he was blowing his beard with ring eyes. He nced at ZhouXiang, who had just sat down, and said sternly, "ZhouXiang!¡±

    ZhouXiang was so scared that he was shaking; everyone looked at him.

    Director Wang gave a heavy ¡®humph¡¯ and said, "I think ZhouXiang is good. You have always been WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman and also know how to act. This time you can take on WangYuDong¡¯s role, not as a stuntman. I want you to be the lead.¡±

    As soon as these words came out, everyone¡¯s eyes widen and the entire conference room became quiet. ZhouXiang was scared witless; he didn¡¯t dare to breathe.

    Those people who have a good rtionship 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 reced by his own stuntman, if this is bes confirmed, WangYuDong will be the greatest joke in the entire entertainment industry.

    This move of Director Wang¡¯s is really ruthless, pushing ZhouXiang to the heart of their struggle

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 31 (2)

    The annual party was held one week before Christmas. In addition to thepany employees, many media people also came. Zhou Xiang was still busy behind the scenes even on the very day.

    Lan Xirong, who was originally supposed to be in the banquet hall, was for some reason at the back door of the hotel looking for Zhou Xiang.

    Zhou Xiang had squeezed in a break and was smoking a cigarette. When he saw Lan Xirong, he said with shock, "What''re you doing all the way here?"

    Lan Xirongughed, "I''ve been looking for you the whole night. I didn¡¯t expect that you''d be hiding here."

    "I''m not hiding. I''m working behind the scenes in the first ce. Hurry and go back. Someone will probably being to look for you soon."

    "I''vee out for some fresh air." Lan Xirong tenderly gazed at him, "Xiang''ge, thanks for your hard work."

    "It''s no problem. I''m not working for free anyway." Zhou Xiang put out his cigarette.

    "I never thought that we would be able to act together in a movie. I can''t wait to act opposite you." Lan Xirong said with slight anticipation.

    Zhou Xiang froze, "We''re going to be acting opposite each other?"

    "Yep, you haven''t seen the script?"

    "Oh, right, you''re acting Wang Yudong''s little brother so we''ll definitely act together."

    "Not that, not as a body double. The character that you''re ying interacts with mine."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "I wouldn''t know, I don''t have much screen time. Director Wang didn''t give me a script."

    "That''s because they haven¡¯t finished modifying the script yet. Chief Wang helped win over quite a few more scenes for you. I had a look at the old script, your character has a very positive image. Xiang''ge, I''m really looking forward to it." Lan Xirong gazed unblinkingly at Zhou Xiang, his eyes sparkling.

    Zhou Xiang also felt a bit excited, but he was too embarrassed to show it, "In a few days, I''ll go find the screenwriter to ask."

    "There''s going to be a meeting after Christmas, you can ask him then."

    "Okay."

    Lan Xirong smiled faintly, "Xiang''ge, how are you nning to spend your Christmas? Are you going to... spend Christmas with your boyfriend?"

    "Oh, probably. We''ve been too busy, so we haven''t discussed it yet." Although Zhou Xiang had also thought about how they¡¯d be spending Christmas, he hadn''t asked Yan Mingxiu yet. He didn''t know whether Yan Mingxiu would refuse or not.

    Lan Xirong dropped his head down with slight disappointment. "Xiang''ge, if it turns out that you don''t have ns for Christmas, spend it with me, we''ll eat hotpot."

    Zhou Xiangughed, "You''re so busy, there''s no way you''ll have time."

    "If you spend Christmas with me, I''ll clear my schedule, I''m serious." Lan Xirong looked at him very earnestly.

    Zhou Xiang ufortably turned his head away, "Let''s talk about it again when the timees."

    They chatted a little more. Lan Xirong looked at the time, and grudgingly returned to the banquet hall. Zhou Xiang smoked one cigarette after the other, staring at the inky blue starry sky. His head was a swarming mess. He thought of everything, but still couldn''te up with a conclusion.

    It was already nearly two-am by the time he returned home. He had busied about the entire day. His body was about to fall apart from exhaustion.

    To Zhou Xiang¡¯s surprise, Yan Mingxiu wasn''t asleep yet and seemed to be waiting for him. This made Zhou Xiang feel really touched.

    Yan Mingxiu poured him some hot water. "Come over to drink some water."

    Zhou Xiang took off his jacket, sat down in front of the table, and wrapped his cold hands around the warm cup.

    Yan Mingxiu stared at Zhou Xiang¡¯s face, which was flushed red from the cold. He reached out a hand to touch it, and frowned, "Didn''t you drive? How did you still freeze yourself to this state?"

    "After the annual party ended, I helped transport a few things."

    Yan Mingxiu didn''t like seeing Zhou Xiang look exhausted like this at all. It was jarring to the eye no matter how he looked at it. In his eyes, the value produced from Zhou Xiang''s work was too small, yet Zhou Xiang still very liked doing it.

    He asked quietly, "Yourpany''s annual party, Lan Xirong was there too, right?"

    Zhou Xiang was taken aback, and then affirmed with an "Hm."

    "Did you two talk?"

    "...No, he was at the banquet hall, I was busy working at the back, I didn''t even see him." Zhou Xiang felt a bit diffident, and upon remembering what Lan Xirong said to him today, he felt even more worried. He had been trying to find the opportunity to tell Yan Mingxiu that he was going to be in Wang Yudong''s movie, and that Lan Xirong was also in it, but seeing Yan Mingxiu''s attitude, he couldn¡¯t pluck up the courage to tell him.

    Yan Mingxiu nodded, pleased. His hand moved from Zhou Xiang¡¯s cheek to his ear. "In the future, don''t be foolishly proactive with things you shouldn''t be doing. What were you trying to do, freezing yourself like this?"

    Zhou Xiang said smoothly, "We''re all colleagues, it¡¯s normal to help each other out."

    Yan Mingxiu shook his head. "Go have a shower and quickly go to sleep."

    Zhou Xiang finished drinking his water and went to have afortable hot shower. When he entered the bedroom, he discovered that Yan Mingxiu was already lying down.

    He squeezed into the nkets, and embraced Yan Mingxiu from the back. He said softly, "Mingxiu, do you have any ns on Christmas?"

    Yan Mingxiu turned his body over, "What ns do you want to make?"

    Zhou Xiangughed, "You''re letting me n Christmas? Then your entire day will belong to me?"

    Yan Mingxiu nodded, "It doesn''t matter how you spend this sort of holiday. It''s not any special asion."

    "It''s called joining in with the fun. Why don¡¯t we go out to eat and then watch a movie? A friend rmended a restaurant to mest time. They said that it has a really romantic ambiance. You have to wait three months before you can get a booking. My friend knows the owner, should I get him to arrange a booking?"

    "OK, you do as you see fit." Yan Mingxiu wasn''t interested in days like Christmas which the entire nation celebrated just for the sake of it. However, seeing that Zhou Xiang seemed care a lot about it, Yan Mingxiu was willing to join in with him. Yan Mingxiu said, "Then I''ll book a hotel, and change the location..."

    As for changing the location to do what, it naturally needn''t be said. Zhou Xiangughed wickedly, "Good idea, I was just about to say that."

    Yan Mingxiu ced a hand on Zhou Xiang''s waist, and borrowing the light of the moon, he calmly gazed at Zhou Xiang with his bright ck eyes.

    Zhou Xiang felt himself being sucked into his gaze, unable to tear his eyes away. They quietly gazed at each other. It had already been a long time since they had carefully looked at the other person.

    Zhou Xiang lowered his voice, "What are you thinking about right now?"

    "Nothing."

    Zhou Xiang smiled, "Mingxiu, I feel really blessed right now, what about you?"

    Yan Mingxiu blinked, and replied softly, "<f title="àÅ - ''Hm'' - interjection indicating approval or agreement or a nonverbal grunt as an interjection. It could mean that the person is agreeing with what the other person is saying, but it could also just be the person making an ''Hm'' sound to express that they''re listening to what the other person is saying.">Hm.</f>" He didn''t say ''yes'' and he also didn¡¯t say ''no'', merely a single ''Hm''.

    Zhou Xiangughed as he closed his eyes.

    Yan Mingxiu moved closer, and wrapped his powerful arm around Zhou Xiang''s back, practically enclosing Zhou Xiang inside his embrace. Although with Zhou Xiang''s build, this pose was a bitical, Yan Mingxiu could feel Zhou Xiang''s breath on his neck and felt very warm.

    Just let it be. Leaving things the way they are isn''t bad either.

    Yan Mingxiu came home early on Christmas Day. Zhou Xiang was at home to waiting for him. After Yan Mingxiu changed his clothes, they set out early to make sure they wouldn¡¯t bete.

    It was Christmas Day and also a Friday. The roads were so blocked it was even faster to walk. Fortunately, that restaurant wasn''t far. On normal days, it would have taken fifteen minutes to get there. Today, it took an hour.

    The restaurant was a full house today, but the atmosphere was very peaceful, a clear-cut contrast from the busy streams and crowds of people outside.

    Yan Mingxiu and Zhou Xiang were surrounded by couples in all directions. The two big men sat face to face, having a candle-light dinner. They truly looked a bit out of ce. Yan Mingxiu¡¯s looks especially, made them even more conspicuous. Almost everyone was stealing peeks at them.

    Zhou Xiang hadn''t expected that such an awkward situation would arise. He paid constantly observed to Yan Mingxiu''s expression, afraid that he would get angry.

    Yan Mingxiu however, acted as if there was no one else around them. Seeing Zhou Xiang look at him, he evenughed, "What are you getting so nervous for? Don''t let strangers influence your own mood, eat your food."

    Only then did Zhou Xiang let out a breath of relief. Heughed, "Have you been stared at so much that you''re used to it?"

    Yan Mingxiu shrugged his shoulders, declining toment.

    "Even that stable and calm attitude of yours is a perfect celebrity trait. It''s a real shame that you won''t be one."

    Yan Mingxiu shook his head, "I hate upations where you have no privacy at all, makes it inconvenient to do anything."

    Zhou Xiang responded, "Yeah, you''ll never imagine how frightening those reporters are, they can even dig old affairs from ten years ago that even the person involved might not remember. Being a celebrity truly isn''t for humans. That greatest thing would be to have money yourself, without anyone else knowing."

    Zhou Xiang told Yan Mingxiu some of the rtively ssic gossip stories in the entertainment circle. They usually didn''t talk about this kind of stuff because Yan Mingxiu didn''t seem very interested. Today, however, he listened in rapt attention. It had been a long time since theyst talked this much to each other. It was an extremely happy meal.

    After they ate, they headed for the underground parking lot. When they were about to get in the car, a woman''s voice suddenly sounded from behind, "Mingxiu?"

    Zhou Xiang and Yan Mingxiu turned around at the same time, and saw that two people with linked arms, a beautiful woman and a man with sunsses, were standing behind them.

    Zhou Xiang instantly recognised that the man wearing sunsses was Wang Yudong.

    Yan Mingxiu''splexion changed the moment he saw the two people. He unclearly mumbled out, "Sis."

    "Mingxiu, you came here to eat too? Why didn''t we see you?" Yan Mingmei said while she walked forward. When she noticed Zhou Xiang, she froze.

    Wang Yudong pulled off his sunsses. He looked at Zhou Xiang, eyes filled with warning.

    For a moment, Zhou Xiang was so embarrassed he didn''t know where he should go to hide. He could only force himself to calm down, and aim a polite smile at Yan Mingmei.

    Yan Mingmei didn''t smile. She almost immediately started having suspicions about her brother and this man¡¯s rtionship. It wasn''t that Yan Mingmei didn''t know there was a problem with Yan Mingxiu''s sexual orientation, but she, like their parents, always liked to selectively forget.

    She nced at Zhou Xiang and then looked towards Yan Mingxiu, "Mingxiu, this is your friend?"

    Yan Mingxiu¡¯s eyes were fixed upon Wang Yudong''s arm which was linked with Yan Mingmei¡¯s. He loathed the sight of it.

    Wang Yudong wrapped his arm around Yan Mingmei''s waist, and said lightly, "This person is a colleague I''ve worked with. It was me who introduced them to each other."

    Yan Mingmei seemed rx, but was still not too reassured, and turned her head, questioning Wang Yudong with her eyes.

    Yan Mingxiu said stiffly, "We still have some matter to attend to, we''re going now."

    "Hey." Yan Mingmei held him back. "What are you in such a rush for? Yudong and I are going to watch a movie, let''s go together." She was still uneasy, and wanted to observe the two people''s rtionship.

    Yan Mingxiu said impatiently, "I said that we''re still busy. How can we still have time to watch a movie? Go by yourselves."

    Yan Mingmei perceptively detected the fluctuations in Yan Mingxiu''s mood. She furrowed her brows, "What''s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

    Yan Mingxiu said with emphasis, "I''m busy." He then unlocked the car doors with the remote, and said to Zhou Xiang, "Let''s go," and then sat in the driver¡¯s seat.

    Without looking back, Zhou Xiang also sat into the front passenger seat. He could feel that there were two scorching gazes glued onto his back.

    The mood on the way back was very heavy. Yan Mingxiu didn''t utter a single word. Hisplexion wasn''t very good either.

    Zhou Xiang figured that he was worried about being discovered by his sister. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t know what to say either, unable to even offer any words offort, and could only remain silent along with him.

    After Yan Mingxiu drove home and entered the house, he went straight into the study, loudly mming the door closed.

    Zhou Xiang gazed at the tightly closed door. He knew that he had been locked outside of Yan Mingxiu''s heart''s door again, and as always, couldn''t find any chance to step in.

    Both tacitly never brought up that Christmas day again, as if that day never happened. However, Yan Mingxiu became increasingly umunicative.

    Two days before the New Year, Director Wang convened another meeting. It didn''t matter whether a minor character like Zhou Xiang''s came or not, so no one notified him to attend. It was only after Chief Wang arrived that he discovered that Zhou Xiang hadn''te, and specially called him to tell him toe over, wanting him toe in contact with more people.

    Zhou Xiang rushed over in his car as soon as he got the phone call but he was still half an hourte. To his surprise, after he entered the room, he saw that Director Wang and Wang Yudong were in the heat of an argument, and had argued to the point that their faces were red and their voices were hoarse.

    The moment he walked in, everyone in the room turned to look at him. Zhou Xiang wished he could be invisible. Who would be willing to draw fire at this point in the time?

    Chief Wang also hadn''t expected that the two would ultimately start fighting. He hastily used his eyes to tell Zhou Xiang to find a ce to sit down.

    Hunching forward, Zhou Xiang ran over to sit next to Chief Wang.

    He then heard Wang Yudong coldly say, "My engagement is a one in a lifetime event. Everyone else has agreed to postpone the opening ceremony. Can''t you amodate once, Director Wang? I must go on this vacation, I hope that Director Wang can understand."

    Director Wang mmed the table. "The date was set two months ago, now you expect it changed just because you say so. How many matters will be dyed?! The date will definitely not be changed. If you don''te, then your name will not be in the performer¡¯s list!"

    Now that it had reached this stage, their rtionship was already almost irreparable. The three investors'' faces were all gloomy and Chief Wang openly rolled his eyes, toozy to bother.

    Wang Yudong was so mad his face muscles were a bit distorted. "Fine then, find another person to rece me, Director Wang. I hope that you''ll find someone who will satisfy you."

    "There are plenty of people who can rece you!" Director Wang was also puffed with rage. He immediately spotted of Zhou Xiang, whose buttocks hadn''t even had time to warm his seat yet, and said sternly, "Zhou Xiang!"

    Zhou Xiang quivered with fright. Everyone turned to look at him.

    Director Wang heavily ¡®hmphed.¡¯ "I think Zhou Xiang''s pretty good. You''re been Wang Yudong''s body double all along, and you know how to act. We''ll have you act Wang Yudong''s character, not as a body double. I''ll let you be the lead."

    As soon as these words were spoken, everyone''s eyes almost popped out. The conference room fell intoplete silence. Zhou Xiang was struck dumb with terror by those words, and didn''t even dare to breathe.

    The people who had a good rtionship with Zhou Xiang all revealed sympathetic eyes.

    Everyone understood that the reason Director Wang said those words was not because Zhou Xiang had talent, and was not because Zhou Xiang really had the qualifications to carry this big bridge, but because it could humiliate Wang Yudong to the greatest degree.

    Being reced by your body double in your own role, if this truly came to pass, Wang Yudong would be the entertainment world''s biggestughing stock.

    This move of Director Wang was indeed vicious enough, but had pushed Zhou Xiang into the teeth of the storm.

 Chapter 32

    Zhou Xiang¡¯splexion was pallid. He didn¡¯t dare to even raise his head. He could sense the countless gazes on him, which were just like needles, making him unable to sit still.

    He cursed Director Wang and Wang Yudong a hundred times inside his heart. Why do these two bastards never let him off whenever they fight?

    Chief Wang tried to smooth things over. "Aiya, cool down, Director Wang. The misunderstandings between you two can be settled bymunicating. Don¡¯t get worked up."

    Director Wang was more than just worked up. He was practically about to stand and m the table. He said obstinately, "There¡¯s nothing we can talk about, I feel that Zhou Xiang is pretty good, so I¡¯m rmending him to be the lead. Zhou Xiang, do you dare to ept?"

    Zhou Xiang raised his head. Wang Yudong icy knife-like gaze rested on his face. Zhou Xiang forced out a smile, "Director Wang, you really know how to joke."

    "Who¡¯s joking with you? I never joke. I¡¯ve shot films my entire life, I won¡¯t make mistakes in my judgement of people. If I feel that you can do it, then you certainly can. Agree now, as long as you agree, that leading role will be yours!"

    Several of the investors couldn¡¯t sit still anymore, and one after another, started trying to persuade him out of it. They were investing real money into this movie and had already publicly announced that Wang Yudong was the lead. Who would change the lead actor to nameless small body double in thest minute? Even Chief Wang wouldn¡¯t.

    Zhou Xiang truly wished that he could stand and leave at this moment. He didn¡¯t want even a cent anymore and he didn¡¯t want to act some supporting character either. He just wanted to stay far away from this cast and production team. Wang Yudong¡¯s career was currently flourishing, and he had also tied connections with the powerful Yan Family. If he offended Wang Yudong, how would he be able to stay in the entertainment circle from now on?

    He only wanted to earn his meals.

    Wang Yudong said darkly, "Zhou Xiang, state your position. Director Wang is vigorously endorsing you like this, you can¡¯t let down his great expectations, right?"

    Cai Wei wanted to cover for Zhou Xiang, but Chief Wang stopped him before he could even open his mouth. Cai Wei didn¡¯t have enough power or influence. At this point, anyone who spoke would be a target.

    Chief Wang stood up. Hisplexion looked very bad and his tone wasn¡¯t too polite either. "We¡¯ve worked together up to this point, we¡¯ve already spent money on promotions and advertising, and we¡¯ve already invested money in the first stage of the budget. I¡¯m sure fighting at this point in time isn¡¯t good for anyone, right? Three investors are currently present. I know that this might not be nice to hear, but whoever pays is the boss. You two can have personal grudges all you like, but can¡¯t you two <f title="Give face - Treat them with respect, honour and dignity">give us investors some face</f>, not let your emotions affect your decisions, and drag your personal grudges into the workce?"

    Chief Wang¡¯s background also couldn¡¯t be treated lightly. No one truly dared to offend him and as <f title="»°ÒÑ¾­Ëµµ½Õâ·ÝÉÏÁË - " already="" said="" this="" much"="" -="" he¡¯s="" everything="" that="" can="" be="" said,="" offered="" offered,="" if="" you="" don¡¯t="" agree="" then="" you¡¯re="" stingy="" and="" insincere."="">he had already said this much</f>, for a moment, the conference room sank into a peaceful silence again.

    After a long while, Wang Yudong said, "Wang¡¯ge, I would never dare to not give you face. It¡¯s just that Director Wang¡¯s bullying has gone too far, I have my honour and dignity too. Director Wang is giving the role to another person, I can¡¯t be shameless and ask him for it."

    The implication was that he wanted Director Wang to swallow back the words that he had said out of anger.

    Director Wang was a resolute and upromising crabby old fellow. He drank some water, and slowly said, "Chief Wang, I am not letting my emotions affect my decisions. In my heart, Zhou Xiang is more suited for this character than Wang Yudong. I can give you a lot of reasons to justify my decision, and I can convince all of you. It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve used a neer for my movies. Every time I film a movie, I take responsibility to the very end. When have I ever disappointed the investors? There is no way Wang Yudong and I can work together. If you force us to, I won¡¯t be able to shoot what I want to create. Even if it¡¯s not Zhou Xiang, it will still be someone else. Either way, it will definitely not be Wang Yudong."

    Wang Yudong was so mad his lips were trembling. If his assistant wasn¡¯t pressing him down, he would have stood up and left a long time ago.

    Director Wang gave Wang Yudong a challenging nce and then said to the investors, "I¡¯m not talking nonsense, Zhou Xiang can act this character, and he can do it well, and we can also shoot a good film. I don¡¯t need Wang Yudong, and I will never coborate with him again. I¡¯ll make this perfectly clear, if you have him, then there won¡¯t be me, you guys can swap me out."

    No one would dare to swap out Director Wang. Director Wang was truly unshakeable this time.

    The investors exchanged helpless looks at each other. Wang Yudong¡¯s face was ashen. All the other people were too scared to breathe loudly.

    Director Wang asked Zhou Xiang, "Zhou Xiang? Say something. Do you dare to ept? If you ept the lead role for this movie, your status will immediately rise, you¡¯ll have everything."

    Zhou Xiang wasn¡¯t silly. There was no way he could rashly believe his words.

    There was indeed a possibility that he would shoot to stardom from this movie. However a greater possibility was that he¡¯d be sprayed to death by Wang Yudong¡¯s swarm of fans, and be ruthlessly shut out by the other people in the entertainment circle. No one would dare to coborate with him after this movie was over, and in the end he would have no choice but to find another livelihood.

    Even thinking about that aftermath made his scalp numb.

    Zhou Xiang was just aw-abiding little performer. Although he had once dreamed of bing a big star, when there was a really a possibility of realising it, his instinctive reaction was only terror.

    Chief Wang heavily sighed. "The decision can¡¯t be made now. You need to give Zhou Xiang some time. Let¡¯s break up for today. Director Wang, I will discuss with you alone tomorrow." He then left, dragging Zhou Xiang along with him, with Cai Wei following closely behind.

    After they entered Chief Wang¡¯s office, Chief Wang was so angry he kicked over a chair, and swore roundly, " One old stupid cunt, one little stupid cunt, always f***ing looking for trouble for Laozi!"

    The other two didn¡¯t dare to breathe loudly.

    He had heard that Chief Wang had invested over ten million into this movie. It was one of his main investment projects next year. How could he not be anxious?

    Chief Wang walked back and forth in the room for a long time, before sitting back on a chair gasping for breath, looking at Zhou Xiang with narrowed eyes.

    Zhou Xiang also nced at him, and said in a low voice, "Chief Wang, please point a path for me. I still want to stay in the circle to earn a living. I don¡¯t want to be treated like a cannon and be set off like this."

    Chief Wang tapped the table with a finger. He looked very agitated. "Go back home first, let me have a think. Tomorrow I¡¯ll go have talk with Director Wang, if he truly persists on not using Wang Yudong, then we¡¯ll still have to find someone else, I reckon the chance won¡¯t fall to you. However, if he insists on using you, then you do it, still better than letting someone else benefit."

    Zhou Xiang said gloomily, "Chief Wang, I can¡¯t act a leading role, I¡¯ve always been a body double."

    "If you intend to be a body double the rest of your life, then you¡¯re a stupid and cowardly good-for-nothing." Chief Wang pped the table. "Go home, go home. Let me have a think. I¡¯ll ring you in two days."

    Zhou Xiang turned to leave. Cai Wei wanted to follow after. Chief Wang stopped him, "Cai Wei, you stay."

    Cai Wei squeezed Zhou Xiang¡¯s shoulder. His look of concern made Zhou Xiang¡¯s heart feel a little better. Zhou Xiang forced out a grin, lowered his head and left.

    It was the New Year¡¯s in two days, but Zhou Xiang¡¯s mood remained heavy the entire time.

    For the next few days, he waited in fear and trepidation for Chief Wang¡¯s phone call, but the call never came. In those days, Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯te home at all, and didn¡¯t phone even once. Zhou Xiang figured he had returned home to celebrate the New Year, and after the celebrations, he still needed to attend Wang Yudong¡¯s engagement banquet, so he probably wouldn¡¯t being back for a few days. Normally, Zhou Xiang would definitely ring and send messages, but right now his head was an utter mess, and he couldn¡¯t muster up the mood. Moreover, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him anyway.

    Cai Wei rang him once and was very frank. His opinion was that as long as Director Wang persevered, Zhou Xiang had to ept the role no matter what. The reason was that even if Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t ept, he had already offended Wang Yudong. His future days would definitely not be easy. If Zhou Xiang epted, he still had a chance to shoot to fame, his status would rise up rapidly and Wang Yudong wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him. This was in fact a gamble, a gamble whether he, Zhou Xiang had that sort of fate.

    Zhou Xiang felt that what Cai Wei said wasn¡¯t unreasonable and then asked if that was Chief Wang¡¯s opinion.

    Cai Wei hesitated for a long time before replying, ¡¯No, this is my own opinion.¡¯

    Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t state his opinion at that time, and only said that he¡¯ll have a good think about it. The truth was he really hoped that Chief Wang would be able to pick a path for him. He truly couldn¡¯t work out what to do. He hoped that Chief Wang who had always been wise and farsighted could make a decision for him.

    Thus he anxiously waited for Chief Wang¡¯s phone call the whole time.

    The day after New Year¡¯s Day, which was also the night of Wang Yudong¡¯s engagement, Zhou

    Xiang still hadn¡¯t received a call from Chief Wang, and instead received one from Yan Mingxiu.

    It was already past two in the middle of the night. Zhou Xiang had already gone to sleep a while ago but was woken up by his phone ringing.

    As soon as he saw the name Yan Mingxiu on the disy, he answered it without a second thought. A stranger¡¯s voice came from the other end. "Hello sir, is the owner of this phone your friend?"

    "Ah, yes he is. May I ask who you are?" Zhou Xiang suddenly became nervous. He was really afraid that the person on the other end would say that they were at the hospital.

    The other side said, "Your friend is drunk, sir. Your number is his most frequently contacted number. Pleasee to pick him up, we will be closing in an hour.

    Zhou Xiang let out a sigh. "He¡¯s drunk? Is he alone?"

    "Yes, he came by himself.

    Zhou Xiang pulled on his pants as he said, "Send the address to my phone."

    Zhou Xiang drove to the bar in the fastest speed permitted. Inside the bar were only two employees, who were polishing sses and preparing to lock up. Yan Mingxiu was lying on a sofa on the side, dead drunk.

    Zhou Xiang crouched down by his side, and patted Yan Mingxiu¡¯s bright red face. Yan Mingxiu didn¡¯t react at all.

    He asked the bartender, "How long did he drink?"

    "He came over past nine. He didn¡¯t say a word, and kept drinking the entire time."

    This was clearly the behaviour of someone drowning their sorrows. He couldn¡¯t understand why Yan Mingxiu woulde here by himself to drown his sorrows. Wasn¡¯t today the day of his sister and Wang Yudong¡¯s engagement? Why wasn¡¯t he at home?

    Zhou Xiang paid for the alcohol, and moved Yan Mingxiu into his own car with the bartender¡¯s help.

    Zhou Xiang¡¯s house was on the third floor. There was no elevator as it was an old apartment block. By the time he finally managed to carry Yan Mingxiu into the house, even though it was in the twelfth lunar month of winter, his entire body was drenched in sweat.

    After he threw Yan Mingxiu onto the bed, Zhou Xiang sat on edge of the bed gasping for breath for half a day. Yan Mingxiu was seriously too heavy.

    He rested for a while and then stood up to take off Yan Mingxiu¡¯s jacket, trousers, shoes and socks, stripping him down to his briefs, and then stuffed him into the nkets. Afraid that he¡¯d be cold, Zhou Xiang even turned on the electric nket.

    Zhou Xiang went to the bathroom to get a towel, wringing it out after soaking it with hot water, to use to wipe Yan Mingxiu¡¯s face.

    Yan Mingxiu face reeked of alcohol. Zhou Xiang wiped it a few times. Yan Mingxiu flipped over and surprisingly, slowly opened his eyes. However, his gaze was extremely vacant, and didn¡¯t have any focus.

    Zhou Xiang softly called out, "Mingxiu?"

    Yan Mingxiu opened his mouth. His throat let out an eerie sound. Zhou Xiang didn¡¯t catch it.

    Zhou Xiang was nning to get up and fetch him a cup of water but Yan Mingxiu suddenly grabbed him. This time Zhou Xiang heard that Yan Mingxiu¡¯s hoarse voice was saying something.

    Zhou Xiang bent down, wanting to hear what Yan Mingxiu was saying, but Yan Mingxiu wrapped his arms around Zhou Xiang¡¯s neck and quietly called out, "Dong¡¯ge."

 Chapter 32 (2)

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face paled. He didn''t dare to lift his head. He could feel many pairs of eyes on him. Those piercing eyes are like needles, making it impossible for him to sit or stand from his nervousness.

    He cursed Director Wang and WangYuDong a hundred times in his heart. <i>These two bastards fighting, why must they always involve him?</i>

    President Wang tried to appease the atmosphere, ¡°Aiyah. Director Wang, calm down. There are some misunderstandings between you two. Let''s discuss of ways to resolve it. No need to be so agitated.¡±

    Director Wang is far from agitated; he wanted to stand up and m the table, "There is nothing to discuss. I think ZhouXiang is good. I''m rmending him to be the lead. ZhouXiang, do you dare to ept the role?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked up and WangYuDong''s eyes are like a knife that fell sharply on his face. ZhouXiang smiled reluctantly, "Director Wang, you must be joking.¡±

    ¡°Who is joking with you, I never joke. I''ve spent my lifetime making films. My assessment of people is pretty good. If I feel that you can take it on, then you definitely can. Agree to it now. As long as you agree, the lead role is yours!"

    Several investors were unable to sit still and began to mediate between the quarrelling parties.

    They''ve invested money into the film and had publicly promoted WangYuDong as the leading actor. So changing the lead role to a merely unknown stuntman at thest minute, who is going to be fine with that? Even President Wang wouldn''t be.

    ZhouXiang really wished that he can get up and leave at this time. Now he doesn''t even want a penny or any supporting role. He just wanted to be farther away from this production team. WangYuDong''s power is now flourishing. Adding on, he has the Yan family''s backing, if he offended WangYuDong, will he still be able to work in the Entertainment industry in the future?

    He just wanted to make a living; he didn''t want to hit it big with significant ups and downs.

    WangYuDong implicitly asked, "ZhouXiang, what''s your stance? Director Wang is so adamant on rmending you, you can¡¯t let him down, right?¡±

    CaiWei wanted to help ZhouXiang but before he could even open his mouth, President Wang stopped him. CaiWei does not have enough weight; whoever talks at this time may be cannon fodder.

    President Wang stood up, his expression unsightly and his tone not very polite, "We''ve already cooperated to this extent, the promotion costs have been expended and the budget has also already been invested, to have such fall-out at this time is not beneficial to anyone right? Now with all three investors present, to say this bluntly, the bosses are the ones putting out the money. The grievances that you two have are personal grievances. How about give us investors some faces. Don''t let your emotions affect your decision and bring your personal grievances to work, okay?"

    President Wang''s background is not to be underestimated. With that being said, no one really dared to offend him and the conference room is silent once again.

    After a long while, WangYuDong said, ¡°Wang Ge (referring to President Wang), I definitely don''t'' dare to not give you face, but Director Wang really went too far. Talking about what''s at stake, I am also someone with prestige. Director Wang have already given this role to someone else, I can''t be shameless enough to demand it from him."

    These words implied that Director Wang would have to swallow the words he spit out.

    Director Wang, this stubborn old man is determined not topromise. He drank some water and slowly uttered, ¡°President Wang, I am not letting my emotions affect my decision. In my heart, ZhouXiang is more suitable for this role than WangYuDong. I can give you many reasons and also be able to convince all of you."

    "It''s definitely not the first time that a neer has been used for my films. As long as it''s my film, I''ve been responsible for it to the end every single time. Not once has it disappointed the investors. I can''t cooperate with WangYuDong. Forcing us to do so, I can''t do this film to my liking. Even if it''s not ZhouXiang, it will be someone else. In short, it will definitely not be with WangYuDong."

    WangYuDong is so furious that his lips trembled. If it wasn''t for his assistant holding him, he would''ve already gotten up and left.

    Director Wang looked at WangYuDong with deliberate provocation, and then said to the investors, ¡°I am not talking nonsense. ZhouXiang can take on this role. In fact, he can do it well. This file can be filmed well. I don¡¯t need WangYuDong. I definitely will never cooperate with him again. To put it bluntly, it is either him or me. You guys can rece me."

    No one dared to rece the director. Director Wang is really determined this time.

    Several investors exchanged helpless expressions. WangYuDong''s face is livid. He had wanted to stand up and leave a few times. Others didn''t even dare to breathe heavily.

    Director Wang asked ZhouXiang, ¡°ZhouXiang? Say something. Do you dare to ept this role? If you ept the role, your value will immediately increase and you will have everything.¡±

    ZhouXiang is not stupid; how can he easily believe his words. To get popr from filming this role is definitely a possibility; however, the biggest and likeliest possibility is that he will be damned by WangYuDong''s fans and pushed aside by others in the entertainment circle. No one would dare cooperate with him after taking on this film. So in the end, he could only find another way to make a living.

    Just thinking of these consequences would make a person''s scalp numb.

    ZhouXiang is just a minor actor. Although he had dreamt of being a big star but when faced with such possibility that this might really happen, his first instinct is fear.

    President Wang sighed heavily, "This matter can''t be decided now. You also have to give ZhouXiang time. Let''s end this today. Director Wang, I''ll talk to you alone tomorrow.¡± After saying that, he pulled ZhouXiang and left. CaiWei followed closely behind them.

    ¡ª¨C

    After entering President Wang''s office, he (President Wang) is so enraged that he kicked his chair away andshed out, "An old dumb fuck and a young dumb fuck! Fucking giving problems to LaoZi!"

    The two of them were both afraid to breathe.

    It was said that President Wang had invested more than 10 million in this film and it is one of his prime investment projects for next year. How can he not worry?

    President Wang paced back and forth for a long time before he gaspingly went back to his chair and sat down, narrowing his eyes at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang also nced at him and softly uttered "President Wang, can you point me in some direction? I still want to make a living in the circle. I don''t want to be used as anyone''s ammunition."

    President Wang tapped his finger on the table, looking very irritated, ¡°Go back first. Let me think about this. I''ll talk to Director Wang tomorrow. If he really insist on not wanting WangYuDong, then he has to find someone else. I reckon it likely won''t be you. But if he does insist on using you, then just take it, better than giving someone else this advantage."

    ZhouXiang quietly muttered, "President Wang, I can¡¯t take on the lead actor. I''ve always been a stuntman."

    ¡°If you only have the heart to be a stuntman your entire life, then you are a wimp.¡± President Wang tapped the table, ¡°Go back. Let me think. I''ll call you in two days.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned to go and CaiWei also wanted to follow him out but President Wang stopped him, ¡°CaiWei, you stay.¡±

    CaiWei softly kneaded ZhouXiang''s shoulder, his caring expression made ZhouXiang feel a little better. ZhouXiang forcefully grinned, lowered his head and left.

    ¡ª¨C

    It would be New Year¡¯s Day in two days but ZhouXiang¡¯s mood was heavy all along.

    During these days, he is full of fear and trepidation as he waited for President Wang¡¯s phone call. But the call never came. Moreover, YanMingXiu didn¡¯te home these days, not even giving him a call. ZhouXiang assumed that he likely went home for the holidays. After the holidays, he still has to attend WangYuDong¡¯s engagement party so he shouldn''t be back for a few days. Normally, ZhouXiang would definitely call or send him text messages, but his mind is in chaos at the moment, having no mood to do so. Adding on, he likely won''t be able to get in touch with YanMingXiu.

    CaiWei called him. His words were very direct and blunt, essentially telling him that as long as Director Wang persists, ZhouXiang would have to take on this role, because even if ZhouXiang don''t take this role, WangYuDong is already offended. His future days won''t be easy. If ZhouXiang takes on this role, at least there is still that chance he could get popr and his career will rise astronomically from then on. Then WangYuDong can''t mess with him. This is actually a gamble, a gamble on whether ZhouXiang has that kind of life (to be popr).

    ZhouXiang felt that CaiWei words sounded reasonable. He then asked CaiWei if this is President Wang''s idea.

    CaiWei hesitated for a long time, only to say no and that it is his own idea.

    ZhouXiang did not express his position at the time; he only said that he will think about it. In fact, he particrly hoped that President Wang can give him some direction. He really can''t think it through. He hoped that the usually wise, farsighted, and knowledgeable President Wang could make this decision for him. So he had been anxiously waiting for President Wang¡¯s call.

    On the second day of the New Year¡¯s, which is also the day of WangYuDong''s engagement, he still did not get a call from President Wang. But, he got a call from YanMingXiu phone.

    It was already past 2 in the middle of the night at the time. ZhouXiang had already fallen asleep, but was woken up by the call.

    When he saw that it was YanMingXiu, he pressed the answer button without thinking. A strange voice sounded from the other line, ¡°Hello, is the owner of this phone your friend?¡±

    The other party added, ¡°Your friend is drunk. This phone number is his most frequent contact. Come pick him up; we still have an hour before we close."

    ZhouXiang sighed, "Drunk? Is he alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he came alone.¡±

    As ZhouXiang was putting on his pants, he said, ¡°Please text the address to my phone.¡±

    ZhouXiang drove to the bar expeditiously. Only employees remained in the bar mopping the floors and cleaning the sses, preparing to close down. YanMingXiu was lying on the couch next to himpletely drunk.

    ZhouXiang squatted beside him and patted his bright red face. YanMingXiu had no reaction at all.

    He asked the bartender, ¡°How long has he been drinking?¡±

    ¡°He came at a little past 9pm, didn''t say anything but kept drinking.¡±

    This is obviously an indication of using alcohol to drown out his sorrows. He had no idea why YanMingXiu would do that. Isn''t tonight his sister and WangYuDong engagement? Why didn''t he stay at home?

    ZhouXiang paid the bill and got YanMingXiu in his car with the bartender''s help.

    ZhouXiang lives on the third floor and the old house has no elevator. So by the time he got YanMingXiu into the home, he was already sweating profusely even in winter weather.

    After throwing YanMingXiu onto the bed, ZhouXiang sat on the bed and breathe heavily for a long time. YanMingXiu is too heavy.

    After taking a break, he got up to remove YanMingXiu¡¯s jacket, pants, shoes and socks until he was only in his underwear. Then he put him under the nket. He was afraid that YanMingXiu would catch a cold so he turned on the electric nket.

    ZhouXiang went to grab a towel from the bathroom, soaked in hot water and then squeezed out the water to wipe YanMingXiu''s face.

    YanMingXiu reeked of alcohol. He wiped his face a few times. YanMingXiu turned over, and even slowly opened his eyes, but his expression is very dazed without any focus.

    ZhouXiang gently uttered, "MingXiu?¡±

    YanMingXiu opened his mouth, his throat made some strange sounds. ZhouXiang couldn''t hear it clearly.

    ZhouXiang intended to get up to pour him a ss of water but YanMingXiu grabbed onto him. This time ZhouXiang could hear coarse wordsing from YanMingXiu''s mouth.

    ZhouXiang leaned over, wanting to hear what YanMingXiu said. YanMingXiu grabbed his neck and faintly murmured, ¡°Dong Ge.¡±

    End of the chapter

    <strong>T/N:</strong> Will be posting another chapter very shortly. Have some time and don¡¯t want to leave ya¡¯ll hanging with this ending¡­. but brace yourself for the next chapter. It is very very ??

 Chapter 33

    <strong>T/N:</strong> Atst.. we know this wasing...but still.. ??

    ZhouXiang stared nkly and thought that he heard wrong.

    YanMingXiu cried out anther ¡¯Dong Ge. Unknowingly, YanMingXiu suddenly got the strength to throw himself at ZhouXiang¡¯s and cried out "Dong Ge" as he hastily kissed ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body felt like he was struck by lightning, so much that he couldn¡¯t react as he allowed YanMingXiu to kiss him a few times.

    <i>Dong Ge? Who is he calling?</i>

    It became hazy in front of ZhouXiang. WangYuDong¡¯s refined and elegant appearance continuously lingered in front of his eyes. The expression that YanMingXiu gives WangYuDong is obviously very different from his usual expression. How could he not have noticed even bit before? Just because YanMingXiu is WangYuDong¡¯s brother-inw?

    Why would YanMingXiu be with him? Why is it that every time they do it (have sex), he always liked using the back position? Why is he drunk on WangYuDong¡¯s engagement day? Everything now has an answer.

    ZhouXiang only felt a sharp knife piercing heart, his entire body soaked with blood.

    He had never felt such excruciating pain.

    He could ept YanMingXiu not liking him, even if he doesn¡¯t like him for a lifetime. It¡¯s nobody fault. <i>But to treat him......as a substitute?</i>

    Not only is ZhouXiang heart-broken but he also experienced unprecedented humiliation.

    He fell short of WangYuDong in all aspects. When WangYuDong mocked him, he can only suffer in silence. To make a living, he had no other choice but to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman. But why is he also a substitute for him in his personal life? What does he owe to WangYuDong to be humiliated to this extent?!

    ZhouXiang had never been trampled in his life like this by anyone. He simply didn¡¯t know how to react.

    He shoved YanMingXiu away harshly and fled frantically....fled from his own home.

    Driving aimlessly, he continuously circled around the streets on this cold and quiet winter night. The more he circled, the more flustered he became. He didn¡¯t know where he should go.

    His eyes gradually became blurry; he couldn¡¯t see what is in front of him so he could only park his car on the side of the road. The heating in the car is very good, but he still felt chillingly cold. His mouth tasted a bit salty. He had not tasted tears for many years. His life was peaceful and content before...hardly were there any huge fluctuations in his emotions. But ever since he met YanMingXiu in this year¡¯s time, he had experienced all kinds of anxieties... yearnings, suspicions, irritabilities, and sadness.

    It¡¯s shameful to say, how can he fall in love with a boy who is ten years younger than himself?

    He had been thoroughly yed. No matter what kind of effort he put in, YanMingXiu would not like him. In YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, he is always looking for WangYuDong through him. He, ZhouXiang, is not a person that will stand out in YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes and certainly will not have a ce in his heart.

    Right from the start, he didn¡¯t even stand a chance but he still stupidly fantasized for a year.

    <i>ZhouXiang, you are really a dumb fuck</i>

    He wiped the tears on his face and looked at the dimly lit streets,pletely at loss. His heart is in too much in pain, so painful that he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    He really likes YanMingXiu. But every moment with him and every time they make love, YanMingXiu treated him as someone else. And this someone else is a person that ZhouXiang is deeply disgusted with. When he thought of this, he felt that his heart and lungs are about to explode.

    A sports car sped by from the oppositene, and then piercing brakes sounded loudly on this deste street in the middle of the night.

    ZhouXiang thought that there was a car ident. He immediately turned his head and sees a car turning around and parked on his side.

    Looking through his window, ZhouXiang sees LanXiRong, who was wearing only a sweater, bolting out of the car and walking toward his car. ZhouXiang quickly wiped his face and opened the door.

    LanXiRong still look a bit hesitant but when he saw ZhouXiang, he said with surprise, ¡°Xiang Ge, it¡¯s really you? When I drove by, I thought your car looks familiar. Why did you stop on the side of the street in the middle of the night? There are many robberies in this area at night.¡±

    ZhouXiang got out of the car and quietly said, "Drank a bit of alcohol so taking a break.¡±

    LanXiRong came closer and sensed that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t seem right.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body was tinged with a little of the alcohol smell from YanMingXiu, but he didn¡¯t appear a bit drunk at all. Instead, LanXiRong could tell at a nce that he¡¯s in a gloomy mood.

    LanXiRong bunched his brows and took a few steps forward. He reached out and touched ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes. He was shocked, ¡°Xiang Ge, what¡¯s wrong?¡± What matters can make a man who is usually optimistic run to the street in the middle of the night and cry?"

    ZhouXiang lowered his head embarrassingly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Go to your car and put on a jacket. You might catch a cold."

    LanXiRong clenched his chin, forcing him to look up and angrily asked, "You think I¡¯m a fool? What the hell is going on?¡±

    ZhouXiang swatted his hand away, "Leave me alone. I¡¯m going to go.¡±

    LanXiRong grabbed his shoulder and pressed him to the car, said sternly, "Did you get into an argument with your little boyfriend? So you ran out in the middle of the night? That¡¯s your home, why didn¡¯t you tell him to leave!"

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much...¡±

    ¡°Humph! My guess is correct, right?" LanXiRong revealed a sorrowful expression, ¡°Xiang Ge, you could cry for him, are you really the Xiang Ge that I know?"

    ZhouXiang sighed. At this time, he didn¡¯t want to face anyone, not to mention hearing their skepticism. He wanted to push LanXiRong away, "Can you leave it alone? I want to be alone for a while. Can¡¯t you just pretend you didn¡¯t see me?"

    LanXiRong refused to let him go, ¡°No, I can¡¯t pretend that I didn¡¯t see you. Come back with me to my house."

    ¡°No. XiRong, I repeat, let me go," ZhouXiang felt both embarrassed and annoyed, he just wanted to hide.

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t let go? Are you going to punch me?" ¡°LanXiRong unflinchingly stared at ZhouXiang, "If you want to punch me, go ahead. I really owe you a beating. "

    ZhouXiang saw that his lips were paled and his mouth was blowing cold air, but still was unrelenting in letting him go. He couldn¡¯t help but feel touched, but he¡¯s really not in a bit a mood deal with him.

    He shoulders drooped as he sadly mutters, ¡°XiRong, let go of me okay? I really just want to be alone for a while. See it as me begging you. I already feel embarrassed as it is, can you just leave me alone?"

    LanXiRong¡¯s hand that was grabbing him trembled; with a heavy-heart and helplessness, seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s dispirited expression, his heart also tightened.

    ZhouXiang pushed him away, then turned to get into the car and quickly drove away.

    From the rearview mirror, he could still see LanXiRong standing at the same spot, watching him until he turned and disappeared.

    ZhouXiang drove aimlessly around all night, not sleepy but not fully alert. Finally, he drove the car to thepany and stayed in the car for two hours. At this time, the sky has brightened. After thepany¡¯s doors were opened, he went to CaiWei¡¯s office and rested on the sofa.

    CaiWei came at 9am. When he entered the office and saw him, he was shocked.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t sleep at all so he was very exhausted. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. When he heard movements, he sat up, ¡°Wei Ge.¡±

    CaiWei looked at him astonishingly, "You...What¡¯s going on?¡±

    He looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s exhaustive and deste appearance; he (ZhouXiang) obviously does not look normal

    ZhouXiang was not afraid of CaiWeiughing at him, ¡°Had an argument with him, came out to calm down a bit."

    CaiWei muttered an ¡¯Oh¡¯ as he didn¡¯t think this was a big deal. How can there be no argument when two people are together? He even teased, "I haven¡¯t seen you like this for so many years. It¡¯s really refreshing. Let me see. Aiyah, even cried? What¡¯s the big deal? When your sister-inw and I were newly married, we had a big fight every three days and a small fight every two days. Haven¡¯t all that passed? Just get through this period and things will be fine." CaiWei also patted ZhouXiang¡¯s head.

    These words did notfort ZhouXiang. He couldn¡¯t tell CaiWei the truth, of what he heard and found outst night. He can guarantee that it is unbearable for anyone. His mind is still buzzing right now; he couldn¡¯t concentrate and his heart is in pain.

    CaiWei looked at his unmoving expression and realized that this is not just any ordinary argument. Setting aside his joking mentality, he asked softly, ¡°It¡¯s very serious?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Wei Ge, don¡¯t ask. Can I stay here for a while?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Just stay here.¡± CaiWei poured him a ss of hot water, ¡°Drink some water; your lips are cracked.¡±

    ZhouXiang held the cup and looked at the floor tiles, his mind in a daze.

    Seeing him like this, CaiWei feared that the two people might break up so he wanted to shift his attention away. He really can¡¯t get used seeing ZhouXiang looking like this. He asked, ¡°Have President Wang contacted you the past few days?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head; how can he remember President Wang.

    CaiWei sighed, "He said that he contacted you but you did not answer the phone. Actually, he just wanted me to tell you. It is about Director Wang¡¯s film. President Wang told me to tell you that the director is very optimistic about you, for you to decide for yourself."

    ZhouXiang is astonish, ¡°What? What do you mean let me decide?¡±

    ¡°Precisely, it is for you to decide whether you want to ept the role or not. It¡¯s likely that those two Wangs couldn¡¯t persuade the parties and didn¡¯t want to offend them so they pushed the decision to you.¡±

    This is a very difficult predicament for ZhouXiang. He drank some water and forced his mind to sober up a bit, "This, let me decide? I don¡¯t know...¡±

    CaiWei looked at him gravely, ¡°ZhouXiang, you have to know. You must make a decision."

    ZhouXiang forcefully smile, "Wei Ge, I¡¯m really not in the mood right now. Moreover, I really don¡¯t know if I should ept this role. To be honest, I am a little scared.¡±

    CaiWei patted his back harshly, "Just because you two lovebirds have an argument, it can¡¯t dy real business. This matter directly impacts your future. It must be your first priority in consideration.¡±

    ZhouXiang forced himself to be a bit spirited. He knew that what CaiWei said is reasonable. Without love, life still has to continue. He asks, "Wei Ge, what do you think I should do?¡±

    CaiWei¡¯s expression is resolute, ¡°ept it.¡±

    ¡°ept?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have to ept it. Just like I saidst time, you¡¯ve already offended WangYuDong. Whether or not you ept the role, the news from that day had already spread. Everyone knows that you are taking over WangYuDong¡¯s role. What is WangYuDong¡¯s status is in the entertainment circle and what is yours? Do you think anyone will offer you work in the future? Who wants to offend WangYuDong because of you? This matter had already been settled conclusively. If you don¡¯t ept the role, you willpletely disappear from the circle. But if you ept it, maybe you can be popr. President Wang and Director Wang will promote you, especially Director Wang. From what I see of this old man¡¯s mannerisms, he is determined to humiliate WangYuDong no matter what. If you act in the role, even if you don¡¯t get popr, at least you get a huge sum of money and don¡¯t have to work in the entertainment circle in the future. You can invest in other businesses. So you can¡¯t give up this opportunity.¡±

    Every sentence that CaiWei sounded reasonable, especially the sentence ¡°determined to humiliate WangYuDong¡± made ZhouXiang¡¯s heart beat especially fast.

    If he reced WangYuDong role, WangYuDong would certainly be enraged. WangYuDong had always thought that ZhouXiang could only be his stuntman. Now that the position is switched, with him bing the lead actor, even if it was just in a film, ZhouXiang still felt happy. Even if he was only WangYuDong¡¯s substitute for the rest of his life in YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, there is actually a time when a stuntman like him could actually make WangYuDong feel dejected and depressed.

    ZhouXiang felt a sudden burst of warped pleasure.

    If not for anything else but to be able to strive for vindication in front of WangYuDong, and be able to lift his head slightly in front of WangYuDong, and not be inferior to him and grieve to such extent, ZhouXiang is also willing to ept this role that he had no assurance in.

    His heart trembled unconsciously. He really wanted to see what YanMingXiu¡¯s expression would be when he finds out that he had stolen his Dong Ge¡¯s lead role.

    He, ZhouXiang, is only WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman; he is not to be his substitute outside of filming!

    CaiWei asked, "Are you done deciding?¡±

    ZhouXiang turned to look at him and uttered each word clearly, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯ll ept.¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 34

    ZhouXiang slept at CaiWei¡¯s home that night. He originally didn¡¯t want to go there since CaiWei¡¯s wife is only three months from her delivery date. He was afraid to disturb them but CaiWei took him home without allowing him to hesitate.

    CaiWei talked to Director Wang to express ZhouXiang¡¯s decision. Director Wang was extremely delighted, stipting that ZhouXiang muste to XX Hotel to attend the filmunching ceremony on Saturday. They will announce the change of roles to the media at that time.

    After talking with Director Wang, CaiWei then called President Wang again. The two men talked for a long time. After ending the call, CaiWei¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look very good. ZhouXiang knew that President Wang didn¡¯t want him to y the leading role. After all, he is a businessman. He was concerned with the box office results, but he had no confidence to oppose this. He had thought that ZhouXiang would renege, not expecting him to actually agree. President Wang pondered over this situation and felt that this definitely had something to do with CaiWei so he was naturally dissatisfied.

    CaiWei is a person that is extremely loyal to their brotherhood. He didn¡¯t say much to ZhouXiang except that he must arrive on time on Saturday. ZhouXiang knew it in his heart. He is especially grateful to CaiWei.

    When he was sleeping in the guest room that night, ZhouXiang¡¯s phone rang. He picked up and sees that it is from YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu rarely took the initiative to call him. It is reasonable to say that he can¡¯t possibly be looking for him because he hasn¡¯t gone home for a day or two, right? If so, wouldn¡¯t YanMingXiu also feel that this is unusual?

    ZhouXiang took a few deep breaths, still feeling the throbs of suffocating pain in his heart; he answered with his fingers trembling.

    ¡°Hey? ZhouXiang,¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s crisp voice is exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± ZhouXiang leaned on the bed. He didn¡¯t turn on the light. In the darkness of the night, his eyes aimlessly looked at the dark ceiling above him.

    ¡°Where have you been these two days? Why aren¡¯t youing home?¡±

    ZhouXiang faintly uttered, ¡°Got things to do.¡±

    ¡°Where are you? Why didn¡¯t you call to let me know you weren¡¯ting home? Come back right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang had a bit of a hard time breathing. He sat up straight and strenuously tried to take a deep breath before forcing himself to say these subsequent words, ¡°I won¡¯t being back for the time being. Whenever you move out, let me know.¡± ZhouXiang felt his body bing listless. He had never thought that he would be the one to initiate ending their rtionship one day. He thought that he would shamelessly beg for YanMingXiu to stay until YanMingXiu would no longer want to look at him anymore.

    The phone was silent and then YanMingXiu¡¯s chilling voice came slowly, "What are you talking about?"

    ¡°I said, let me know when you move out so I can go home.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what the fuck you¡¯re talking about? ZhouXiang. Are you kicking me out?! You¡¯re actually kicking me out!¡±

    Without actually seeing him, ZhouXiang also knew how enraged YanMingXiu is on the other side of the phone. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to see him with his own eyes. Just through the phone, he could already sense his scalp going numb.

    ZhouXiang said as calmly as possible, ¡°YanMingXiu, I¡¯ve treated you wholeheartedly but what you treat me as, you know clearly in your heart. Just move out of my home. Consider it as me being shamelessly cheap, let¡¯s just break up peacefully.¡±

    YanMingXiu is furious, ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Fucking say it clearly.¡±

    ZhouXiang bitterly responded, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell it to you clearly. The person you like is your brother-inw, the big star WangYuDong, am I right?¡±

    The phone on the other side is suddenly silent.

    This kind of silence is like a knife stabbing at ZhouXiang¡¯s heart.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even refute any of that, which is not surprising. YanMingXiu has never attempt to even tell him any white lies <sup>(T/N)</sup>. This kind of honesty is cruel enough.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but got emotionally choked up, ¡°YanMingXiu, you sure are good at trampling on people. I¡¯m ashamed to say that I¡¯m no match to you. I give up. I don¡¯t want to be WangYuDong¡¯s substitute both in and outside of work. Just move out. As soon as possible. I also want to go back home soon." After saying that, he immediately hung up. He didn¡¯t dare to hear YanMingXiu¡¯s voice. It would be too humiliating if he identally cried. He didn¡¯t want to be any more shameful than he already is.

    T/N: a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone¡¯s feelings

    After hanging up the phone, ZhouXiang kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind would think of the bits and pieces of memories of the times he spent with YanMingXiu in this past year.

    Time really has passed by too quickly. So fast that before he even had time to react, he had already gotten himself too deep into this trap. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu revealing the truth in his drunken stupor, he really didn¡¯t know how long will continue on holding to this delusion...noting to his senses.

    It¡¯s good. Everything is over...all fucking over.

    ZhouXiang painfully closed his eyes.

    ZhouXiang stayed at CaiWei¡¯s home for two days. His dispirited appearance made it unbearable for CaiWei so CaiWei took him to thepany and had him with help out on some public rtions tasks.

    Not long after ZhouXiang arrived at thepany, Xiao Liu came over and informed him that someone was looking for him.

    ZhouXiang asked who it was. Xiao Liu said that this person is very attractive but didn¡¯t seem to being with good intentions.

    Intuition tells ZhouXiang that this person is YanMingXiu but he didn¡¯t think that YanMingXiu would ever initiate ining to find him. His words to YanMingXiu were so harshly extreme. With YanMingXiu being such a proud and arrogant person, he would have left long ago.

    ZhouXiang pondered over it, and then have Xiao Liu take this person to the reception room. After he finished with his business phone call, he went to the room.

    When he is holding the door handle to the reception room, he felt the palm of his hand sweating. Turning it, the handle wouldn¡¯t turn because his palm was too slippery.

    When he tried to turn the handle again, the door opened from the inside and YanMingXiu appeared in front of him, his eyes piercing at him like a chilly knife.

    The rims around YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are dark. He looked exhausted but it still didn¡¯t diminish his arrogance a bit.

    He grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s wrist and dragged him into the room, then mmed the door.

    ZhouXiang looked at him silently.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lips trembled for a long time, before finally uttering, ¡°You¡¯ve got some balls, not going home for so many days."

    Just looking at him, ZhouXiang already felt such immense pain that he couldn¡¯t even breathe. In this small reception room, all the cells on his body seem to be breathing in YanMingXiu¡¯s aura, making it impossible for him to evade.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, reluctantly forcing himself to appear calm; he asked ¡°Have you moved out yet?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded fiercely, ¡°You think that you can just tell me to move in and I move in, move out and I move out? What the fuck are you taking me as?"

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Then what do you take me as?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face is livid, ¡°Regarding WangYuDong¡¯s matter... it has nothing to do with you. You said that we are going back to our former rtionship, we are just fuck buddies, what right do you have to care so much!¡±

    ZhouXiang responded hoarsely, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to care. I just want to end it with you. Even if we are just fuck buddies, I don¡¯t want to be treated as someone else when we have sex.¡±

    YanMingXiu clenched his fist tightly, ¡°ZhouXiang, I like WangYuDong, but it is never possible between us. I am willing to be with you as long as you stop mentioning this ever again. Go home with me now.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him incredulously, ¡°YanMingXiu, am I really that cheap in your eyes? Go and find someone else to mess with. I don¡¯t want to be that person.¡±

    If he had really considered YanMingXiu to be a one-night stand...a bedpanion, he wouldn¡¯t have cared whom he (YanMingXiu) had in his mind when they have sex. But when he really liked YanMingXiu, he can¡¯t bear it. Not only does he want to escape from YanMingXiu, he even hates WangYuDong.

    YanMingXiu gnawed his teeth, ¡°ZhouXiang, when you say these words, did it even pass through your mind? What is not good with how we are now? I¡¯m used to being with you. Can we just be like before? You want to be a star, I will invest in you. You can y any roles you want. Being with me, the benefits are far more than you think. You really want to break up with me?¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t for his frame of mind being entirely wrong, ZhouXiang really wanted tough aloud.

    If YanMingXiu had told him before that he was willing to invest in his films, he would readily ept. But for YanMingXiu to say this now, he only felt humiliated.

    He, ZhouXiang, is just an ordinary person. He is neither noble nor virtuous, but at the very least, he knows what it means to be shameless.

    ZhouXiang bitterly smiled, ¡°YanMingXiu, I repeat, I¡¯m really not that cheap. You can¡¯t get WangYuDong; it is not reason for you to trample others. If I had just wanted to mess with you, I¡¯ve already have gotten enough of it from you. But I¡¯m not. I, ZhouXiang, have been quite fulfilled. I am very satisfied with my life. I don¡¯t aspire for you to give me anything. I¡¯ll just treat this (their rtionship) as though I¡¯ve been blinded to have fallen for you." When ZhouXiang said these words, his heart is feeling tremendously painful. If it hadn¡¯t gotten to this step in this moment, he would never have known how much he loves YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu is so livid that his face is deathly white. He pointed at ZhouXiang¡¯s nose and sternly uttered, ¡°Fine. ZhouXiang, you¡¯ve got balls. Don¡¯t regret what you said today."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to stay a second longer. He was afraid that he would break down.

    He opened the door and turned to leave.

    The door behind him closed heavily... as if it¡¯s closing his heart.

    In the next second, the door is mmed opened and YanMingXiu rushed out of the room. He immediately gripped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder and shoved his back against the wall.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are bloodshot, as if he had been angered to delirium. He forcefully clenched ZhouXiang¡¯s chin and chillingly uttered, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone so fucking insensible like you! Wasn¡¯t it you who had been chasing my ass all this time? Did I force you? What right do you have to me me now? Could it be that your charms are greater than WangYuDong? What makes you think you¡¯re all that? You¡¯re actually fucking kicking me out?!¡±

    All along, ZhouXiang¡¯s impression of YanMingXiu is that of cold indifference, tinged with the trace of a child¡¯s arrogant personality and with a huge temper. His words are a bit mean and he¡¯s most definitely very selfish. But after getting along with him for a while, he¡¯se to realize that YanMingXiu is not as cold as he seems on the surface. He actually likes to smile when he¡¯s home and is fiercely passionate when making love. Sometimes he would even flirt and tease with ZhouXiang.

    In ZhouXiang¡¯s mind, YanMingXiu had not yetpletely matured, which ispletely different from this person in front of him now that is full of malice, looking as if he has been lighted with gunpowder. ZhouXiang grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s arm and swung it away. After breaking free, he wanted to leave.

    This ce... this person, he didn¡¯t want to stay for even a second.

    YanMingXiu grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back. Not giving a care that they are currently in thepany¡¯s corridor. He grabbed onto ZhouXiang, flustered and exasperated refusing to let him go. He felt that once he let ZhouXiang go, it wouldn¡¯t.. it wouldn¡¯t feel right. He can¡¯t say what is wrong but in short, he didn¡¯t want to let ZhouXiang go.

    Although ZhouXiang is a martial arts stuntman, the things he learned are all for show. There is very few times when he actually fought with someone. So he was quite easily subdued by YanMingXiu in a few moves.

    ZhouXiang angrilyshed out, ¡°Let go, you know where this is?!¡± If someone were toe over right now, where can he hide?

    YanMingXiu gnashed his teeth ¡°Are you afraid of being shamed? Why weren¡¯t you afraid when you were chasing me? Don¡¯t fucking bother to pretend now! You think you can cast me away that easily, what are you treating me as?"

    ZhouXiang was just about to say something when he heard a rush of footsteps behind him. Then the pressure that was gripping his arm was loosened and he heard a groaned as both him and YanMingXiu fell to the ground.

    ZhouXiang got up to look. LanXiRong had unknowingly bolted over and was looking at YanMingXiu furiously.

    YanMingXiu instantly got up from the ground and didn¡¯t even hesitate to start beating LanXiRong. With his bloodshot eyes, his mannerisms look like he wanted to kill LanXiRong alive.

    The two men wrestled in the narrow corridor, thepany¡¯s employees all rushed over, ZhouXiang quickly rushed forward, wanting to pull them apart but was also helplessly punched a few times.

    The people around struggled to pull the two people apart, probably because they were afraid of being heard by others people. The two weren¡¯t even hurling insults toward each other; they were immersed in this intense fight. Those who tried to break them apart were unable to. The scene is extremely chaotic.

    CaiWei and President Wang were thest to arrive. CaiWei¡¯s face was livid as he asked "What is going on?!"

    YanMingXiu and LanXiRong didn¡¯t say anything but just red at each other with fierce animosity. ZhouXiang was angry and anxious. Facing President Wang¡¯s serious gaze, he already couldn¡¯t utter a word.

    President Wang looked at LanXiRong and then looked at YanMingXiu. His expression immediately changed. He walked over and probingly asked, ¡°Are you a MingXiu?¡± One can¡¯t me him for not recognizing YanMingXiu at all, seeing that he looked so dposed and murderous, far from the usual image of the proud young master.

    YanMingXiu looked up and faintly swept him a glimpse.

    President Wang is getting a headache. The young master from the Yan family actually getting beaten up by an artist in hispany. If this matter was to be spread, the repercussions would be colossal. He instantly grab YanMingXiu¡¯s shoulder, ¡°MingXiu, I don¡¯t know what happened but there must be some misunderstanding. Go, let¡¯s go to talk in my office." After saying that, he didn¡¯t give YanMingXiu a chance to hesitate before pulling him away.

    YanMingXiu turned back and pointed at ZhouXiang, his voice trembling ¡°This is not over.¡± He looked at him deeply before leaving with President Wang.

    When CaiWei and LanXiRong saw President Wang¡¯s attitude towards YanMingXiu, they immediately realized that YanMingXiu¡¯s identity is unusual. CaiWei looked at ZhouXiang inquisitively. ZhouXiang turned his face away.

    LanXiRong really didn¡¯t have the time to think so much. He grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s arm and lowly uttered, ¡°Xiang Ge,e over here.¡±

    He dragged ZhouXiang into the employee¡¯s bathroom and closed the door. ZhouXiang looked at his swollen face, his heart rising with remorse. LanXiRong took a few deep breaths and asked, ¡°Tell me, what is going on?¡±

    ZhouXiang softly responded, ¡°We broke up.¡±

    LanXiRong was shocked for a moment, then resolutely expressed, ¡°Great!!¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, not wanting to say another word.

    LanXiRong said with disappointment, ¡°I really regret not throwing him a few more punches.¡±

    "XiRong..." ZhouXiang softly muttered, "You shouldn¡¯t have acted so impulsively. His identity is really unusual. I don¡¯t want your career to be impacted because of my matters."

    LanXiRong furrowed his brows, ¡°What do you mean? Who is he?¡±

    ZhouXiang hesitated repeatedly but still didn¡¯t tell him, ¡°Don¡¯t ask, I just hope that you won¡¯t get yourself involved in our matters in the future. I¡¯ve already broken up with him...adding on...It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ZhouXiang gritted his teeth as he said thisst sentence. His mind emerged YanMingXiu¡¯s pair of very red eyes and his indescribable expression before leaving.

    LanXiRong pursed his lips and then softly uttered, ¡°President Wang is so polite to him. He¡¯s definitely not an ordinary person. But I¡¯m not afraid of that. Don¡¯t worry about me. But Xiang Ge? Why would you be with him? I don¡¯t I believe that you are that kind of person.¡±

    ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t in any mood to respond. He just shook his head faintly, "XiRong, in the future, you don¡¯t need to stand up for me. This is my own business. I don¡¯t want to implicate you. Today... thank you. I¡¯m going to leave first.¡±

    LanXiRong instantly grabbed him and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you go today. Either you leave with me or I leave with you."

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t make this hard for me, okay?¡±

    "However you put it. Go eat with me now or I¡¯ll continue to follow you."

    ZhouXiang gently pushed him away and walked out of the bathroom, heading directly to CaiWei¡¯s office. Sure enough, LanXiRong really followed him as he said he would.

    CaiWei was indeed waiting for him at the office.

    ZhouXiang kept LanXiRong outside the door. As soon as he entered the office, he was faced with CaiWei¡¯s grim expression.

    ZhouXiang lowly uttered, ¡°Wei Ge, sorry, I¡¯ve caused you trouble.¡±

    CaiWei mmed his hand on the table, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know that! You two assholes actually fought all the way to thepany? And got LanXiRong involved? Do you fucking have a brain?!¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind is utterly confused, even basic thinking ability is lost.

    Seeing his distraught appearance, CaiWei softened a bit but was still angry, ¡°That boyfriend of yours, what kind of person is he? Tell me honestly."

    ZhouXiang mumbled, ¡°He is WangYuDong¡¯s future brother inw.¡±

    CaiWei eyes suddenly widened, "What did you say? WangYuDong¡¯s future brother-inw? Yan... from that ¡¯Yan¡¯ family?¡±

    ZhouXiang look depressingly at his shoes and nodded lightly.

    CaiWei took a deep breath, ¡°Ah Xiang, you really... how did you meet him, huh? Can we just casuallye in contact with this kind of people? How can you even get into such big altercation with him?"

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t exin it to him so he could only stay silent.

    ¡°Your fight, does that have anything to do with you taking WangYuDong role?¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded and shook his head again.

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°This is going to be very troublesome... This... you have to really think about it. Nobody can help you. But I still hope that you can participate in the filming. Remember, if you don¡¯te to the filmunching ceremony on Saturday, no one can help you. I know that your pressure is definitely great, but in my opinion, you can¡¯t turn back. Don¡¯t be influenced by others, you have to n for yourself.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded and gloomily responded, "Wei Ge, I will be there. I won¡¯t give up this opportunity for anyone.¡± This may be the only chance he has in his life to win over WangYuDong. Although this thought is ridiculous and irrational, but it is his biggest driving force that would enable him to alleviate the sufferance and pain in his heart.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 35

    After ZhouXiang made up his mind, he felt that he really had no way out. Either he never work in the entertainment circle ever again or go all in at this time. So even if he can¡¯t get popr, at least the film¡¯s pay this time would be enough for him to venture into other businesses.

    At this crucial moment, it is really not the time to be reflecting on this fucking rtionship. What he really should worry about is how to make a living going forth. He ispletely carefree with no other family, if he can¡¯t even support himself, no one can help him.

    When ZhouXiang came out of CaiWei¡¯s office, LanXiRong was waiting for him in the corridor. He was holding an icepack to his face. For a celebrity, his face is the most important weapon. YanMingXiu¡¯s fists concentrated solely on LanXiRong¡¯s face. It most certainly is intentional.

    ZhouXiang and LanXiRong both calmed down a lot. They looked at each other for a long while. LanXiRong was the first tough aloud, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve really never expected to get into a fight out of jealousy in my life; and over a man at that." Hisughter must have aggravated the injuries on his face. It became a little distorted.

    ZhouXiang walked over to check the injuries on his face and sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t be so impulsive next time. You still have to trouble Wei Ge to help you settle the matter this time. Even though you¡¯re now in a good position, you¡¯re still a neer. You must not be ndered by negative news."

    ¡°I know, Xiang Ge. You still care so much about me.¡± LanXiRong looked at him deeply.

    Seeing LanXiRong¡¯s expression made ZhouXiang feel extremely awkward, "Go back and rest, I...¡± ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t think of what he should do for a moment. He really wanted to go home but he didn¡¯t know whether YanMingXiu had moved out.

    LanXiRong uttered, ¡°I heard a bit from Wei Ge. Right now you¡¯re living at his ce? Sister-Inw is about to give birth, it¡¯s not convenient for you to live with him. Come to my home.¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head. If LanXiRong still considered him as a close friend, it¡¯s no big deal for him to go to his home for a few days. But now, with his and YangMingXiu¡¯s matters still a mess, he can¡¯t allow for any ambiguity between him and LanXiRong at this time. That would reallyplicate things.

    LanXiRong looked at him genuinely, ¡°Xiang Ge, I have no other meaning. You just can¡¯t stay at hotel every day. I used to also stay in your home all the time. I just want to repay you for all your kindness. You saw my home, it¡¯s big enough. There is ce for you anywhere.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°XiRong, thank you, but I really can¡¯t go to your ce. I¡¯m going to stay at Wei Ge¡¯s for the night and will go home tomorrow. YanMingXiu is such a proud and arrogant person, he must have moved out by now. I¡¯ll get myself ready to go to the filmunching ceremony on Saturday.¡±

    LanXiRong is unrelenting, ¡°At least have dinner with me. You¡¯ve promised me a long time ago, can¡¯t you appease me once?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at LanXiRong¡¯s half-bruised face and his intensive hopeful eyes. Words of refusal that was on the tip of his tongue, he couldn¡¯t say it out. He merely muttered, ¡°Okay, Xiang Ge will treat you to a meal today.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled happily.

    ZhouXiang and LanXiRong drove to a membership-based restaurant opened by a renowned agent. People whoe and go here are all celebrities from the entertainment industry. They don¡¯t have to worry about being disturbed and the ambiance is pleasant with delicious foods. There are many celebrities whoe here every night.

    After the two went in, they really saw a few acquaintances, but they were all ¡¯acquaintances¡¯ of LanXiRong. These are people that ZhouXiang only knew of. They likely didn¡¯t give any second nces to peons (minor character) like ZhouXiang.

    The two were taken to a secluded corner. LanXiRong ordered a table of food. Although ZhouXiang mentioned that he would treat but LanXiRong didn¡¯t intend to let ZhouXiang pay.

    ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t in any mood to eat. His mind is fully focused on the words that YanMingXiu said and his distorted angry expression. Each one of his words pierced his heart. Until now, ZhouXiang still have not recovered from this confrontation with YanMingXiu. He sometimes dazedly thought that he was dreaming. Obviously everything was going really well. Clearly, his life living with YanMingXiu was already very stable. <i>How did everything change in the blink of an eye? How did he and YanMingXiue to the point of tearing into each other?</i>

    Thinking of himself and this youth that he love, not being able to make a meal together, nestled together to watch TV and y games, and fervently touching each other in every corners of the home, he felt his heart cracking into a big gaping hole and nothing could fill that gap.

    There was even a voice in his head telling him that what he is doing is wrong. If he didn¡¯t bring all this to light, at least he and YanMingXiu could still appear to be getting along harmoniously. Why didn¡¯t he just pretend that he didn¡¯t know and continue on peacefully? What harm would this have done him? For them to go so far as to get to this step today!

    However ZhouXiang knew that even if this was to repeat itself, he still can¡¯t pretend as if nothing had happened and continue to live on well with YanMingXiu.

    There is no grandiose reason; it¡¯s just because he loves YanMingXiu. He can¡¯t stand for YanMingXiu to treat him as a substitute to someone else.

    Seeing that ZhouXiang was distracted, LanXiRong felt very agonized. But he knew that ZhouXiang had just broken up with YanMingXiu, it¡¯s not possible for him to recover so soon. He needed to take the time to carefully consider the matter.

    He waved his hand in front of ZhouXiang and muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, are you thinking about him again?¡±

    ZhouXiang came back to his senses and nced at LanXiRong awkwardly, his expression gloomy.

    LanXiRong sighed, ¡°There¡¯s going to be one day when you will stop thinking about him. At that time, it should be the best chance for me."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t seem to hear him as hepletely absorb himself in his meal. His entire person seeming like his spirit has left his body.

    LanXiRong also put down his chopsticks, with his arm propping his chin looking out the windows, his expression looking a little deste.

    The two finished eating their meal in silence. Afterwards, ZhouXiang drove to CaiWei¡¯s home. After entering the home, what made him feel even more awkward was that CaiWei hasn¡¯t returned home, only sister-inw (CaiWei¡¯s wife) was home alone. Even though he is a gay and this sister-inw treated him fondly, ZhouXiang still inevitably felt awkward. He made an excuse to go downstairs to buy cigarettes so as to avoid that awkward atmosphere, and to especially evade this sister inw from probing about his love life. He¡¯ll just wait for CaiWei toe home before going back.

    He stood outside the small supermarket in the neighborhood. The weather is cold but he didn¡¯t want to go into the house. He wanted to clear his mind a bit.

    At this time, CaiWei called him and ZhouXiang answered, "Wei Ge, are you home yet?"

    CaiWei responded in a bad mood, ¡°Don¡¯t mention going home, I can¡¯t even get out of thepany.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart sank, thinking that President Wang scolded him, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°YanMingXiu is at the door of my office, not letting me leave. He¡¯s adamant on seeing you.¡±

    ZhouXiang breathed deeply, not being able to speak for a while.

    When he and LanXiRong left, YanMingXiu was still talking to President Wang in his office. It didn¡¯t seem like he was stopping him, but instead he¡¯s impeding CaiWei from leaving.

    ZhouXiang forced himself to stay calm, ¡°Wei Ge, I... I¡¯ll head over right now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. I know that you don¡¯t want to see him. Seeing him like this, you guys will just end up fighting when you meet. Aigh... even President Wang can¡¯t persuade him. President Wang will call you in a moment; you must not pick up the phone, just pretend as if you didn¡¯t know."

    ¡°Then, what are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep in the office for the night. I don¡¯t believe that he won¡¯t leave for an entire night.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°No, sister-inw is due anytime now, someone has to be home. Juste back.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave; help me watch over her.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed deeply, ¡°Wei Ge,e back. I¡¯m sorry toward you. Now, I¡¯ve even brought trouble to you.¡±

    ¡°What shit are you spewing?¡±

    ZhouXiang hung up and then called YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu quickly picked up the phone. His voice chillingly cold, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Stop causing trouble for Wei Ge. Why are you looking for me?¡±

    "ZhouXiang, I¡¯ve said. This is not over."

    ¡°MingXiu, what more do you want?¡±

    ¡°Come home right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent.

    ¡°ZhouXiang, don¡¯t think that I, YanMingXiu, is that easy to get rid of. Come back right now or this is not over."

    ZhouXiang only felt that his entire body is frigid, so cold that his hands were uncontrobly shivering. He gloomily responded, "Fine, I¡¯lle back now. We¡¯ll get this all over with once and for all tonight."

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 36

    ZhouXiang drove home.

    This is the home that he had lived in from when he was born... for thest 30 years. And now because of one person, he hasn¡¯t dared to go home for several days.

    It was him who took this person home but now he has to drive this person out. The proud and arrogant YanMingXiu likely won¡¯t be able to withstand the humiliation of being kicked out.

    In YanMingXiu¡¯s heart, perhaps he was just apetent housekeeper and bed partner,pletely dispensable.

    When he got home, the lights were on. YanMingXiu had already returned.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and opened the door with his key.

    YanMingXiu was sitting on the sofa, staring at him coldly.

    ZhouXiang did what he would habitually do whenever he came home; he took off his jacket and hung it near the door, changed his shoes into a pair of slippers and put the keys on top of the shoe rack. Every time hees home, this is what he would do. YanMingXiu had seen this many times. This familiar scene in front of him is as if nothing had happened between them, only that YanMingXiu had returned home before him.

    ZhouXiang used his life¡¯s biggest determination, remaining calm on the surface and walked over to look around the home, then asked indifferently, ¡°You still haven¡¯t packed up your stuff yet? I¡¯ll help you."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression changed dramatically. He bolted from the sofa and grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s cor and raised his fist,ing close to punching him.

    ZhouXiang instantly grab his wrist and looked at him, reluctant to show his weakness.

    YanMingXiu gnashed his teeth, ¡°What the hell is actually going on with you? Are you fucking out of your mind? To quarrel to this point!¡±

    ZhouXiang swatted his hand away and gloomily professed, ¡°You were drunk that night. You came back, hugged and kissed me, but your mouth was calling for ¡®Dong Ge¡¯. I am just a stuntman. I can¡¯t bepared a bit to your ¡¯Dong Ge¡¯ but I still have my pride. The person you were thinking of the entire time you were fucking me is your ¡¯Dong Ge¡¯. This I can¡¯t ept. Any normal person won¡¯t be able to ept. These words should be clear enough, please move out. Go to your ¡®Dong Ge¡¯.¡±

    YanMingXiu is livid. Although he had already guessed that he must have said something that he shouldn¡¯t have said that night in his drunken state, he doesn¡¯t remember it at all. The engagement ceremony between his sister and WangYuDong made him very upset but it also gave him a sense of relief. He felt that he should finally let go. Things that one could not possess always appeared to be very captivating. But no matter how much he desires it, this is not something he could touch. He can¡¯t possibly steal his sister¡¯s husband. They are siblings. He could only give up. That night, he drank away his failures and frustrations. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to vent anything. He just wanted to reflect on his past, reflect on the time when he was a teenager and was still feeling apprehensive of his true sexuality, that kind of mesmerizing and yearning feeling he had when he saw WangYuDong onscreen.

    It was a pure white and smooth sleek back, elegantly falling into the water. The cold river water under the moonlight soaked his robe, exposing his faintly discernible broad shoulders, his narrow waistline and plump buttocks, exuding such alluring sex appeal. YanMingXiu can even remember his blood raging impulsively at the time. The revealing of this alluring back silhouette as the person slowly turned around definitely wasn¡¯t disappointing. It made him aroused from seeing a man¡¯s body. For YanMingXiu, who was only sixteen at the time, it was a huge shock. Since then, he had seen all kinds of beautiful people, but he had never forgotten his initial overwhelming intense captivation from WangYuDong.

    At that time, he never thought that this person would be an object could not grasp.

    When WangYuDong and his sister held their engagement ceremony, it was like deration of YanMingXiu¡¯s failure, making him feel utterly depressed. He didn¡¯t even remember how he walked into the pub, how he got drunk, or how ZhouXiang took him home.

    So naturally, he would not remember what he said and did that night. However, ZhouXiang had told him. Furthermore, it was not far from what he had guessed.

    But he never imagined that ZhouXiang would have such huge reaction.

    When he saw the couple happily smiling at the engagement ceremony, he only felt his entire body chillingly cold. He wanted to return to the home he shared with ZhouXiang. He wanted to hug ZhouXiang because ZhouXiang canfort him. He had never had a moment when he felt such intense need to see and feel ZhouXiang.

    Because ZhouXiang is always there. No matter what he says or does...ZhouXiang won¡¯t leave.

    But even ZhouXiang has left.

    When he regained his senses, there was no warm body, no dry towels and no hot breakfast.

    At a time when he waspletely drunk and feeling nauseous, ZhouXiang was not by his side taking care of him. He had never been treated with such indifferent coldness. He was so angry that he had a headache for an entire day.

    He thought ZhouXiang left because something happened at thepany but he didn¡¯t expect ZhouXiang to not return for the entire night. He endured and endured. He finally couldn¡¯t endure it any longer. So on the second day, he called ZhouXiang, wanting to hear his exnation. But what he heard was ZhouXiang¡¯s demand to kick him out.

    The ZhouXiang, who has been so docile and obedient in this year, is actually kicking him out!

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t want to admit it, but had admit that he has the feeling of being dumped at the moment. This makes no sense. Only he can be tired of such rtionship. What right does ZhouXiang have to dump him!

    ZhouXiang saw that YanMingXiu¡¯s expression was a little distorted, as if he would attack and bite him at any time. He carefully stepped back, "If you need my help, I¡¯ll help you pack. If you don¡¯t need it, I¡¯lle back in a few days.¡±

    YanMingXiu responded gloomily, ¡°Come back in a few days? Where have you been these few days? Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know. You left with LanXiRong. If I didn¡¯t tell you toe back, wouldn¡¯t you have stayed at his ce tonight? You are so anxious to kick me out is precisely because of him, right?"

    ZhouXiang feels a splitting headache, "The matters between me and you have nothing to do with him.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting closer and closer to him and wanting to break up with me. You dare to say that it has nothing to do with him.¡± YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t believe that ZhouXiang would give up on him. The only possibility is that he was confused by that pretty boy, LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and looked fiercely at YanMingXiu while enunciating word by word, "It has... nothing to ... do with him! YanMingXiu, can you be more unreasonable? The reason we are at this point is all because of you! The person you like is WangYuDong. Why must you humiliate me?!"

    YanMingXiu flew into a rage, ¡°When did I humiliate you! I never said that I liked you. I¡¯m not under any obligation to like you. You know it yourself. We have been together for this long, what right do you have to be dissatisfied now? What was not good with what how we are?"

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes and felt that his heart ispletely cold. Every wordsing out of YanMingXiu¡¯s mouth pierced his heart, so much that he couldn¡¯t even cry out. He hoarsely muttered, "Right, you really... have no obligation to like me. Go like your Dong Ge, let me go.¡±

    YanMingXiu clenched his fist and red at him. He couldn¡¯t convince himself to m the door and leave. He is not willing to let this off. Why is it that even ZhouXiang dared to push him away?

    YanMingXiu¡¯s cell phone rang when the two were at a standstill. Their state of mind is instantly pulled back to reality.

    YanMingXiu irritably pulled out his phone intending to throw it on the ground; but when the he saw the name on the caller ID, he paused and hesitantly held the call.

    ZhouXiang unconsciously opened his mouth, ¡°It¡¯s WangYuDong. Why don¡¯t you pick up?¡± He didn¡¯t know why he knew, but he guessed.

    "Take the call. Let me carefully see the look and expression you have when talking to WangYuDong so that I canpletely give up."

    YanMingXiu nced at ZhouXiang and still took the call, ¡°Hello, Dong Ge.¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s voiceing from the other line sounded a bit depressed, "MingXiu, can you talk right now?"

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang and ZhouXiang was also watching him. This condo is small, the dark night was deathly quiet. ZhouXiang could hear WangYuDong¡¯s voice clearly.

    ZhouXiang revealed a slightly sarcastic smile, a smile that is full of despair.

    YanMingXiu felt that ZhouXiang¡¯s smile was extremely ring. He had intended to go into the room to talk, but right now didn¡¯t want to move at all. He looked at ZhouXiang and said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s fine, let¡¯s talk.¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s tone is heavily exhaustive, ¡°MingXiu, do you know that I¡¯ll be cooperating with Director Wang in a new film?¡±

    ¡°Your news in the circle I don¡¯t know much about.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll cut it short. After I got engaged with MingMei, many people in the circle are jealous. I¡¯m under more and more pressure now. Many people want to see me humiliated. This Director Wang is a mean madman. In thest film, he deliberately made everything difficult for me. This time he wants me to give up the engagement ceremony with MingMei to participate in the filmunching ceremony. Of course MingMei is my priority. As a result, Director Wang used this as an excuse to rece the lead role that was already previously been decided."

    YanMingXiu is so enraged and confused at this time that he almost didn¡¯t continue to listen to what WangYuDong was saying. He only focused on the changes in ZhouXiang¡¯s expression. He obviously saw the look of contempt in ZhouXiang¡¯s expression when he (ZhouXiang) heard WangYuDong¡¯s words and is anxious to know what this expression meant. So much that for the first time, he (YanMingXiu) even felt impatient with WangYuDong¡¯s call. He said, ¡°Dong Ge, with this matter, what do you say is the proper way to handle it? I can mobilize resources for you however you want, or I could get my older brother to help, he is more familiar with the entertainment industry.¡±

    WangYuDong sighed, ¡°I¡¯m actually looking for you to help me with a favor.¡±

    "Me? What can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°Do you know who Director Wang is recing my lead role with?¡±

    YanMingXiu creased his brows and asked quickly, ¡°Who?¡±

    WangYuDong took a deep breath, ¡°ZhouXiang.¡±

    YanMingXiu was shocked and widened his eyes at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang also looked at YanMingXiu with fearlessness. He didn¡¯t see it wrong. WangYuDong is really a two-faced viin, spitting out lies again and again. He thought of himself being suppressed by such a person everywhere and even the person that he loves... loves such a person. He felt the cirction of his blood attacking his heart... so hateful, it made him gnashed his teeth.

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang deeply and voiced softly, ¡°Dong Ge, say it.¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang is originally my stuntman. Now Director Wang wants him to rece my role. If this happens, I will be so humiliated. Anyone can rece me but ZhouXiang, do you understand? I would be upstaged by my own stuntman. I, WangYuDong, have been in the entertainment industry for so many years, what kind of defamation have I not endured. With the exception of such insult...I really can¡¯t stand it.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s calm expression and has a lot of questions in his heart, "Dong Ge, ZhouXiang has no backing. It is so easy to rece him, why are you so nervous?¡±

    WangYuDong smiled bitterly, ¡°ZhouXiang really has no background, but Director Wang is persistent in rmending him just to humiliate me. And his boss, also with the surname Wang is the son of Minister Wang. You¡¯ve seen him. This President Wang¡¯s attitude is very ambiguous, allowing for ZhouXiang to decide for himself. Right now, President Wang is heavily promoting hispany¡¯s star, LanXiRong. LanXiRong will also be participating in this film. If ZhouXiang ys the lead, theirpany will monopolize the male and supporting male lead roles. I¡¯ve heard today that ZhouXiang has already agreed."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s pupils shrank sharply. The news of LanXiRong ying the second male lead is especially gripping to his heart.

    ZhouXiang and LanXiRong in the same film! ZhouXiang didn¡¯t mention shit about this!

    YanMingXiu gnashed his teeth and asked, ¡°When was this?¡±

    ¡°Started before Christmas. The day after tomorrow, there will be aunching ceremony and press conference at XX Hotel. If ZhouXiang goes, I¡¯ll really be turned into a joke." WangYuDong sighed, ¡°MingXiu, I know your rtionship with ZhouXiang. This time, you have to help me, you can¡¯t let him go.¡±

    YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang looked at each other, the air full of abnormal vor. YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes is full of chilling frost, he just haven¡¯t pierced a hole through ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang with determination, his voice chillingly cold, ¡°Dong Ge, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him go.¡±

    ZhouXiang immediately stood up from the sofa.

    WangYuDong was relieved, ¡°MingXiu, thank you. I n to end the vacation with MingMei earlier and return home tomorrow night to attend theunching ceremony the day after tomorrow.¡±

    YanMingXiu hung up the phone. ZhouXiang looked at him; his eyes filled with hopeless despair but still firmly said each and every word, ¡°I will definitely go.¡±

    YanMingXiu revealed a cold smile, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about going anywhere. If I allow you to be in the same film as that pretty boy, LanXiRong, I will change my surname from now on.¡±

    End of the Chapter

    <strong>T/N:</strong> Tomorrow ¨C Chapter 37 (House Arrest) and Chapter 38 (Losing All Hope) will be posted at the same time tomorrow. A double update... It¡¯s waaaaaaaay tooooo intense in my opinion.

 Chapter 37

    ZhouXiang¡¯s breadth became unstable as his chest fiercely undted. He looked at the person in front of him, the feeling is so unfamiliar. His pupils tinged with the shade of extreme disappointment as he very slowly open his mouth, ¡°YanMingXiu, do you know the importance of this role to me? I¡¯ve offended WangYuDong. There is no ce for me in the entertainment circle. All my bet is on this role. Only if I can breakthrough this barrier myself will I be able to have a footing in this industry.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t put his apprehensions to heart. He couldn¡¯t wait for ZhouXiang to quit the entertainment industry. After all, the disappearance of a small character like ZhouXiang would not be any huge loss to anyone. But for him, it can ensure that ZhouXiang would no longer have any associations with LanXiRong. Not to mention that it is no big deal for him to support ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu threw the phone on the sofa and said nothing, ¡°You overestimate yourself. What makes you think you can y Dong Ge¡¯s role? When this filmes out, it won¡¯t even be profitable. Will you be able to establish yourself? You will be even more dejected and depressed.¡±

    ZhouXiang sneered, ¡°In your eyes, WangYuDong is God. But that¡¯s not what I think. Whether or not I can y this role is not for you to judge. You have no right to stop me.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him fiercely, ¡°You can try and see if you can get out of here. Your few moves are only for show. Even if I have to tie you up, I won¡¯t let you go.¡±

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t suppress the sorrow from rising in his heart, ¡°YanMingXiu...you treating WangYuDong with such deep affections, I can say nothing more. In your eyes, except for him, others are nothing. Even if we were together for a year, in your eyes, it didn¡¯t amount to shit.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lips quivered, seeing the sorrow in ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes, his heart shuddered all of a sudden. He gritted his teeth, ¡°ZhouXiang, why bother to steal his role? What is the point of humiliating him? What¡¯s more, it¡¯s a role with LanXiRong! You want to shoot a film or you want to be the lead, I¡¯ll satisfy you. You can pick any prominent director and screenwriter in the country; I¡¯ll pay to tailor a film or TV series for you. Are you satisfied with that?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression is as if he wanted to cry, ¡°YanMingXiu, we¡¯ve been together for this long, why haven¡¯t you thought of giving me anything during this time? With your prestigious wealthy Yan family, it shouldn¡¯t matter to anything. If it wasn¡¯t for me threatening your Dong Ge, you wouldn¡¯t even have thought a bit for me, am I right?¡±

    In this rtionship between them, ZhouXiang had always been the one who is continuously putting in the effort...constantly putting in the effort. Not once had YanMingXiu given him the slightest reciprocation. ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t really expecting anything in return for treating him well. He even believed that the reason YanMingXiu didn¡¯t help him in the past wasn¡¯t because he was unwilling to spend the money. It was merely because he was toozy to put in any effort for him...because even if YanMingXiu didn¡¯t do anything, he, ZhouXiang, would still shamelessly treat him wholeheartedly. Why would YanMingXiu need to waste any energy?

    ZhouXiang felt that he, himself, is so fucking pitiful. If he knew early on that YanMingXiu was only treating him as a substitute, he would¡¯ve handle the rtionship between thempletely differently and definitely wouldn¡¯t have let himself fall for this person. But right now, everything is toote.

    YanMingXiu responded harshly, ¡°You are deliberately twisting my meaning. Whether or not there is Dong Ge, I won¡¯t let you and LanXiRong have a chance to act in the same film...¡±

    Unexpectedly, ZhouXiang yelled at YanMingXiu, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking pretend!! I¡¯ve known you for more than a year. Only with matters involving WangYuDong would you not be calm. Only with matters involving WangYuDong would you be abnormal. In your eyes, WangYuDong is God. I¡¯m not fucking anything. Why can¡¯t you admit it!!? Why are you involving LanXiRong in this? It has nothing to do within him from start to finish. From now on, I, ZhouXiang... whoever I¡¯m with, whatever film I¡¯m in, how I live... will have nothing to do with you! I also don¡¯t care whether or not your Dong Ge will be humiliated. I must act this role! Get the fuck out of my home right now!¡± After ZhouXiang said these words, his tears had already fallen.

    This is purely unbearable. YanMingXiu¡¯s unconditional protection of WangYuDong made him gnash his teeth with hatred toward WangYuDong. No, maybe it¡¯s not hate, but jealousy. He is so jealous of WangYuDong that he is going crazy.

    WangYuDong has everything... the looks, the talent, a great family, status, and even YanMingXiu¡¯s wholehearted genuine feelings.

    Which of these do ZhouXiang have? He is jealous of WangYuDong having something that is beyond his reach. The power of jealousy motivated him to take WangYuDong¡¯s role, to humiliate WangYuDong. Even if he can beat WangYuDong for even a little bit, it is enough to make him feel happy.

    Although he knew that he will never win over WangYuDong.

    In WangYuDong¡¯s eyes, he is just a lucky bastard that Director Wang conveniently use as a weapon, someone that is not even worthy to be his opponent. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have known that the thing that ZhouXiang desperately strive to get and wanted was actually YanMingXiu¡¯s heart, which also belonged to him (WangYuDong).

    He, ZhouXiang, will always just be a mere stuntman for WangYuDong. The apuse and glory that WangYuDong gets in front of people and the fame and affections he gets from behind the scenes has nothing to do with his stuntman (ZhouXiang).

    There had never been a moment in his life when he felt so mediocre, so lowly. WangYuDong¡¯s glory that had asionally swept through his dark corner is already enough to pierce his heart, making his entire body feel such immense pain, not to mention YanMingXiu stabbing him with a knife time and time again.

    He didn¡¯t just get deeply hurt and heart-broken from YanMingXiu, he was also deeply ashamed.

    Although he knew that doing so will only exacerbate the situation and will not be beneficial to him at all, he still wanted topete with WangYuDong for this role. Otherwise, he can¡¯t get pass himself. He also wanted to take something from WangYuDong to save thisst bit of self-esteem that is on the verge of copse.

    But all this, YanMingXiu will not understand.

    He understood that in YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, he is now just a lowly person who dared to offend WangYuDong. YanMingXiu would not hesitate to bait him with huge sums of money in exchange for WangYuDong¡¯s reputation.

    He absolutely won¡¯t agree to this.

    YanMingXiu dazedly looked at the tears on ZhouXiang¡¯s face and felt overwhelmed for the first time.

    He never saw ZhouXiang cry. ZhouXiang always had on a smile... a generous and wholehearted smile... a gentle smile and a considerate smile. In YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, ZhouXiang is a person who never seems to have any worries and can get over anything. At least, ZhouXiang never showed his moodiness in front of him.

    But in one night, all of this changed. He got to see ZhouXiang¡¯s indifference and resistance. And now, he also got to see ZhouXiang¡¯s helpless tears.

    YanMingXiu immediately felt his heart tightened. He really didn¡¯t know what is happening to him. Seeing ZhouXiang expressionlessly crying is most unsightly.

    He didn¡¯t know how to refute ZhouXiang¡¯s words.

    The reason he did this is not only for WangYuDong. WangYuDong¡¯s request, he really can¡¯t refuse. But the bigger reason is that he can¡¯t stand for ZhouXiang to film with LanXiRong, especially when their rtionship is on the verge of copse. LanXiRong will definitely take this opportunity to get together with ZhouXiang. He had heard from WangYuDong before that this new film will be shooting in the northwest desert for three months. This is a very remote area with no entertainment whatsoever. With ZhouXiang and LanXiRong in this ce for more than three months, what will happen when he return? Will ZhouXiang have a change of heart? Will he still like him (YanMingXiu)?

    He can¡¯t take this risk. He can¡¯t see his own heart clearly. The only thing that he knows surely is that he don¡¯t want ZhouXiang to leave him. He is used to having ZhouXiang by his side. He is used to enjoying everything that ZhouXiang had given him. Especially after his delusion with WangYuDong shattered, he needed ZhouXiang to stay by his side even more. ZhouXiang is the only person who canfort him and is the only person who can put him at ease.

    He would never give ZhouXiang to anyone. He absolutely would not let ZhouXiang be in this film!

    ZhouXiang wiped the tears from his face, picked up his keys, and turned to go to the door.

    YanMingXiu shouted, ¡°Where are you going?!¡±

    ZhouXiang did not answer and went straight to the door.

    YanMingXiu quickly chased from behind. But ZhouXiang seemed to be prepared and on guard. He suddenly turned around and raised his fist toward YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t think that ZhouXiang would hit him. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t think he would be the first to strike, but without thinking, his fist had already been thrown out. Even though he hesitated, he still struck YanMingXiu in the face.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body hit the shoe cab, groaning as he instantly grab the shoe cab to stabilize his body from falling to the ground.

    ZhouXiang desperately gasped a few breaths and quickly reached for the doorknob, wanting to quickly leave this ce as soon as possible.

    YanMingXiu suddenly hugged him from behind, forcing him to fall on the floor in the living room.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body mmed on the ground. He struggled to get up.

    YanMingXiu was on top of him at once. With his infinite strength, he instantly had ZhouXiang trapped. He couldn¡¯t even move.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know where YanMingXiu¡¯s strength came from as he vigorously struggled to get up, but YanMingXiu hands grabbed his arm like a pair of iron tongs.

    ZhouXiang red at YanMingXiu with bloodshot eyes, ¡°Let me go, are you fucking crazy!?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him condescendingly and said firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t think of leaving.¡±

    ZhouXiang was anxious as he screamed, ¡°Even if you treat WangYuDong better, he won¡¯t be with you! He is your brother-inw! What fucking use is it for you to be doing this?! He won¡¯t like you, he never will!¡±

    ¡°I know that,¡± YanMingXiu responded calmly. He knew all these reasons, but he never thought that someone would tell him that. He thought he would flip out from humiliation, but he didn¡¯t. He felt that he had epted this reality very peacefully. Perhaps because he had been disappointed for too long so he couldn¡¯t even feel much sadness.

    The only thought in his mind now is how to stop ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang struggled desperately, so much that he was panting and sweating profusely, ¡°YanMingXiu, you are really pitiful, for someone who doesn¡¯t like you...¡± He wanted to say something provoking to incite him, but he can¡¯t say it, because every word and every sentence seems to be mocking himself.

    For a person who doesn¡¯t like him, he made himself into such a pitiful fool, what qualifications does he have to talk about others?

    YanMingXiu pulled out a rope used for jump rope from under the coffee table. It was very old and seemed to be more than ten years old. It hasn¡¯t been used for a long time but it is very convenient. He grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and tied them up.

    ZhouXiang saw that YanMingXiu was serious about this and panicked as he shouted, ¡°YanMingXiu, let me go!! WangYuDong merely lost just a role. If I don¡¯t go, my career in the entertainment circle for all these many years ispletely over, I must go!¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s over, then so be it. I¡¯ll support you,¡± YanMingXiu said calmly and coldly.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes are bloodshot as he red at YanMingXiu furiously.

    After YanMingXiu finished tying him up, he gripped his chin and asked, ¡°ZhouXiang, do you like me?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t speak. He just stared at him.

    YanMingXiu gently stroked the newly grown stubble on ZhouXiang¡¯s chin and softly muttered, ¡°Continue to like me, you can have anything.¡±

    He leaned over and softly touched ZhouXiang¡¯s lips, ¡°I¡¯ll give you what you want, but you¡¯re not allowed to think about others.¡±

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes, turning his face to the side, feelingpletely devastated.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 38

    YanMingXiu carried ZhouXiang into the bedroom and threw him on the bed. Then, he proceeded to remove ZhouXiang¡¯s outerwear and outer pants.

    YanMingXiu was continuously kicked and punched by ZhouXiang. With this series of punches, his face was also bruised and his expression looking very unsightly. This effort in subduing ZhouXiang made him sweat profusely.

    After ZhouXiang was tied up and couldn¡¯t move, he could only look at YanMingXiu coldly.

    YanMingXiupletely ignored his chilling expression as he removed the rest of ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes except for his underwear and draped a nket over him, ¡°Just stay like this for theing two days. Don¡¯t think about going out. I¡¯ll be watching over you.¡±

    ZhouXiang chilling responded, ¡°YanMingXiu, you bastard.¡±

    YanMingXiu touched his flustered enraged face, ¡°I¡¯ll release you after theunching film ceremony is over. I¡¯ll do what I say and take you to see Director Zhang Ling on Monday. He was looking for investors some time ago. I¡¯ll rmend you to be the lead actor. This role is not any worse than Dong Ge¡¯s role. What more could you be dissatisfied with?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s dark pupils looked at him without hesitation, ¡°YanMingXiu, if I say that all I want is WangYuDong¡¯s role?¡±

    YanMingXiu knitted his brows and responded coldly, ¡°Do you really want Dong Ge¡¯s role or do you want to act in scenes with LanXiRong?¡±

    ¡°I want WangYuDong¡¯s role! Will you give it?" ZhouXiang looked at him through gritted teeth.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s facial muscles are somewhat distorted. He can¡¯t understand why ZhouXiang is so paranoid. After a long time, he responded, ¡°Dong Ge¡¯s role is not one that you could act in. Besides, he is now considered to be a part of my Yan family, so we can¡¯t lose face.¡±

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled and uttered sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯re right. What right do I have to y WangYuDong¡¯s role? I willpletely tarnish his image.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know it. You¡¯ve just been Dong Ge¡¯s stuntman a few times. Do you really think that you could y the leading role? At that time when you find yourself ipetent, you¡¯ll just be putting yourself to shame.¡± It wasn¡¯t that YanMingXiu hasn¡¯t seen ZhouXiang act. Even though it was only as a stuntman, in order to get into the role, one must also coordinate his actions to make the appropriate facial expressions and say the lines. ZhouXiang is just an ordinary stuntman with average acting skills; it is iparable to the level of proficiency of WangYuDong. With ZhouXiang¡¯s image, it is not suitable to perform roles of a selfless undemanding hero who does not care about the mundane world. So for him to want to y WangYuDong¡¯s role, he felt that ZhouXiang is merely overestimating himself. YanMingXiu might as well spend the money to create a role that is suitable for him. This might instead make him popr. Even though he does not want ZhouXiang to get popr at all but it seems that ZhouXiang himself wanted to be. He is willing to satisfy him as a way topensate him.

    YanMingXiu felt that his arrangement was reasonable. He didn¡¯t understand why ZhouXiang is being so persistent. ZhouXiang just didn¡¯t know what was good for him.

    ZhouXiang hoarsely voiced, ¡°Even though this role is not at all suitable for me, I¡¯ve earned this opportunity myself. YanMingXiu, I¡¯m not going to ept your handout. I want to break up cleanly with you. I hope you could understand this.¡±

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes, "Say it again?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him fearlessly, ¡°I said I want to break up with you cleanly.¡±

    YanMingXiu rolled over and pressed on top of him. He pinched ZhouXiang¡¯s chin. Because of his excessive force, ZhouXiang is in pain. YanMingXiu chillingly responded, ¡°ZhouXiang, don¡¯t make yourself so shameless.¡±

    ZhouXiang gnashed his teeth, ¡°Let me go!!!¡±

    YanMingXiu unyieldingly responded, ¡°Not possible.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his waist, wanting to push him off his body but YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even budge. Instead, he leaned down and propped his elbows on both sides of ZhouXiang¡¯s face, looking at him condescendingly, his pair of deeply dark eyes closely red at ZhouXiang.

    Their noses almost touching each other.

    YanMingXiu breathed softly, ¡°ZhouXiang, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you. I¡¯ve already said it to such extent, what more do you want?"

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes. He knew that there was no way they couldmunicate.

    Soft lips brushed over ZhouXiang¡¯s lips. ZhouXiang opened his eyes and felt YanMingXiu kissing his lips, gently sucking it, with his deep ck pupils looking at him with eagerness.

    ZhouXiang wanted to turn his face but YanMingXiu gripped his chin so ZhouXiang was forced to ept this slightly lingering kiss.

    YanMingXiu gently gasped and softened his tone. For the first time ever, he used a negotiating tone, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s stop fighting. We¡¯ve always been getting along very well. Isn¡¯t it good to be just like we were before?"

    ZhouXiang bitterlyughed twice, ¡°Can you like me the way you like WangYuDong?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him silently. He didn¡¯t like ZhouXiangparing himself with WangYuDong. They arepletely separate. WangYuDong is his first love, is a precious treasure that he could never have and also is his brother-inw. ZhouXiang is...

    What is ZhouXiang?

    ZhouXiang is the person who would cook him all sorts of good foods. He is the person who wouldy down on the bed first to warm up the nkets in the winter so that when he got out the shower, he could immediately sleep warmly andfortably. He is the first person he sees when hees home and is the person who could instantly make him rx. He is the person that always had a smile on his face. He is the person that is extremelypatible with him in love making, giving him unsurpassable intensive pleasure.

    ZhouXiang and WangYuDong are not the same. WangYuDong seems to exist only in his fantasy but ZhouXiang is real.

    The smile on ZhouXiang¡¯s face is extremely somber, ¡°Can¡¯t right? Then we can¡¯t be the same as before.¡±

    YanMingXiu only felt perplexed. There are some irrational words he wanted to say to refute, but couldn¡¯t say it<i>. What does he want to do with ZhouXiang? What is ZhouXiang¡¯s ce in his heart? Even he himself does not know.</i>

    The only thing he knows is that he doesn¡¯t want to be separated from ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu¡¯s silent expression and feltpletely overwhelmed by disappointment.

    If YanMingXiu tells him that he ¡¯likes him¡¯ in this moment, even if he was just lying to him, perhaps he might waver and change his mind.

    But as expected, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even make an effort to lie to him. This kind of honest bluntness is chilling.

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes and turned his head. He no longer wanted to say even a word.

    He felt YanMingXiu quietly getting under the nket with both of his hands meandered around his waist, caressing every inch of his scorching hot skin.

    YanMingXiu softly muttered behind his back, ¡°ZhouXiang... I miss you a little.¡±

    ZhouXiangid passively as his underwear was getting removed and his thighs spread apart. YanMingXiuy sideways behind him; with his familiarity with ZhouXiang¡¯s body, he effortlessly squeezed his cock into ZhouXiang¡¯s tight passage.

    ZhouXiang suppressed himself from making any sounds. There had never been a time when sex made him felt as miserable as it did now. Yet, he had no strength to resist.

    YanMingXiu hugged his waist tightly. ZhouXiang¡¯s silence made him endlessly flustered. He slowly gasped and uttered unbearably into ZhouXiang¡¯s ears, ¡°ZhouXiang... I miss you.¡±

    His voice even slightly tinged with grievance, but still, he didn¡¯t get a response. Feeling a bit furious, he turned them over and kneel on the bed with their position in doggy-style as he clutched ZhouXiang¡¯s thighs and ruthlessly thrust into him from behind.

    ZhouXiang buried his face in the nket and tightly pressed his lips, not wanting to make a sound. The more YanMingXiu wanted to humiliate him, the more he wouldn¡¯t let YanMingXiu get his way.

    But he knew that YanMingXiu could easily shatter his self-esteem. Because up until this moment, YanMingXiu still refused to look at his face during sex. ZhouXiang¡¯s entire worth to YanMingXiu¡¯s is only that he had a back silhouette very simr to WangYuDong.

    ZhouXiang opened his eyes. His expression is more lucid than ever.

    He could let go of YanMingXiu. With enough time, he could let go of YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t continue to do it with him well into the middle of the night as he usually does. Instead, he stopped after once. Unresponsive sex made him feel awful. No matter how satisfied his body is, his heart is void. He really misses the days when he and ZhouXiang would make intensive passionate love, the kind of carefree, uninhibited dripping wet sex. <i>Would he be able to experience it again?</i>

    YanMingXiu wiped ZhouXiang¡¯s lower body with a wet towel and then hugged him under the nket.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s back was originally facing him, but that made him feel quite ufortable so he turned ZhouXiang over.

    ZhouXiang looked at him and slowly closed his eyes.

    YanMingXiu held him overbearingly in his arms and said in a low-pitched voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°Xiang Ge, I won¡¯t treat you as WangYuDong again.¡±

    ZhouXiang did not say anything.

    A deathly silent night.

    ________

    When LanXiRong called ZhouXiang¡¯s phone, YanMingXiu had wanted to throw his phone on the ground, but he restrained himself and cklisted LanXiRong.

    YanMingXiu really did what he said. He forcefully put ZhouXiang under house arrest for two days. But he didn¡¯t have ZhouXiang tied up the entire time. Instead, he locked the door from the outside and hid the keys and his phone. Unless ZhouXiang threw caution out of the wind and didn¡¯t care to shamelessly cry out for help inside the house, otherwise YanMingXiu was constantly staring at him. He had no way to escape from this condo.

    He has lived in this ce for 30 years. There was not one neighbor that didn¡¯t know him. He couldn¡¯t afford to be that shameless.

    On the afternoon of the filmunching ceremony, LanXiRong, CaiWei and President Wang separately called ZhouXiang several times. The phone was always busy and the three were busily preupied with their work so didn¡¯t have the time to look into his matters or pay much attention to it.

    At 8¡¯o clock in the evening, ZhouXiang did not appear at the press conference. Instead, it was WangYuDong who showed up, impably dressed, appearing as the lead actor. It was as if nothing had happened. They were all dumbstruck.

    In front of so many cameras and dozens of reporters, Director Wang couldn¡¯t quarrel with WangYuDong. So just like how it was rehearsed, they had a seemingly joyful filmunching ceremony. Nothing has changed, as if theplicated matters that happened outside of the ceremony didn¡¯t happen. The rumors of WangYuDong¡¯s lead role being reced werepletely discredited.

    All are happy.

    Only ZhouXiang watched as time slowly ticked by, as if the blood in his body haspletely been drained and is getting colder and colder.

    He had already given up.

    The position of the leading actor, he may need to ze a new trail to get it. But he obviously did not have that kind of life. He doesn¡¯t have the life of a lead actor. He could only naturally resign himself to being a stuntman. No matter how hard he strive for it and fought to get a leading role, in the end, it only proved that he is just a fool.

    He could only be a stuntman.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t feel anything, no disappointment, no anger, and also no regrets... because YanMingXiu had given him two days to be mentally prepared for this ending. He calmly epted it.

    The next morning, YanMingXiu gave him back his keys and phone and told him that he would take him to see Director Zhang Ling.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I say and give you a role that is suitable for you. However popr you want to be, I¡¯ll fulfill it for you.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t resist as he was dragged to the car.

    YanMingXiu arranged to meet Zhang Ling at a hotel caf¨¦. They arrived ten minutes earlier. The two sat on the sofa as they waited for Zhang Ling.

    ZhouXiang said that he needed to go to the bathroom.

    ZhouXiang appeared to be very calm and YanMingXiu didn¡¯t think too much as he let him go. He didn¡¯t know why but when he stared at ZhouXiang¡¯s back silhouette, up until ZhouXiang disappeared at the corner, this back that is no different from usual, still looking very much like WangYuDong¡¯s back, but YanMingXiu could no longer think of WangYuDong as he look at this back. He clearly realized that it is ZhouXiang.

    If he knew at this moment that this would be thest time he would ever see ZhouXiang, he would be willing to pay any price just to return to this day.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 39

    CaiWei¡¯s wife was not feeling well so he stayed home on this day to be with her. Upon seeing ZhouXiang, he was startled for a moment. Then, he immediately grabbed onto his cor and shouted, ¡°Where the fuck were you these past two days! If you¡¯re not dead, I wanna hear how you¡¯re going to fucking exin this!"

    ZhouXiang look exhausted as he pushed CaiWei¡¯s chest to get him into the home, ¡°Wei Ge, let¡¯s talk inside.¡±

    CaiWei also realized that ZhouXiang¡¯s expression is ghastly paled, as if he had experienced some sort of tragedy. This made him even more worried.

    He had known ZhouXiang for more than ten years. ZhouXiang is a very responsible and reliable person. The things ZhouXiang agreed on, he would never back out of. There has to be some reason. Even if he was to change his mind thest minute, he would not have turned off his phone and just disappear without reason. He will definitely tell him so they that they can be prepared. The only possibility is that something happened beyond ZhouXiang¡¯s control.

    Therefore, CaiWei was in a panic, afraid that ZhouXiang might have been in an ident. He had nned to go to ZhouXiang¡¯s homest night, but helplessly, his wife wasn¡¯t feeling well. He didn¡¯t sleep all night and couldn¡¯t get away. At this time, LanXiRong had already gone to ZhouXiang¡¯s home.

    Before hearing anything from LanXiRong, ZhouXiang actually appeared at his home.

    CaiWei pulled him into his home and shoved him on the sofa. His wife came out of the bedroom and looked at them anxiously.

    CaiWei had his wife go back into the room and closed the door. Then he sat down on the sofa next to ZhouXiang and gravely asked, ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

    ZhouXiang was toozy to make up any excuses at this time. He slowly muttered, "YanMingXiu didn¡¯t let me go.¡±

    "YanMingXiu didn¡¯t let you go? Why?" CaiWei quickly reacted. YanMingXiu is WangYuDong¡¯s future rother-inw.

    ZhouXiang nced at him, confirming what he (CaiWei) suspected, "WangYuDong called him and have him stop me from going. He...in short. I couldn¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, he¡¯s really fucking using force to bully people!!¡± CaiWei is so furious that he almost smashed the coffee table, "How did he stop you? He couldn¡¯t possibly have tied you up?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t utter a word, which by itself is silently admitting it.

    CaiWei is incensed, ¡°What the fuck!! You guys have been together for so long; did he not feel a bit of sentiments toward you? Not to mention that WangYuDong has not officially married his sister, even if they have, he can¡¯t be that ruthless to you!¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, "Wei Ge, it¡¯s useless to say that now, Director Wang¡¯s and President Wang¡¯s side, I don¡¯t know how to exin it. I don¡¯t dare to see them.¡±

    ¡°You also don¡¯t want to see them. Director Wang is furious, same with President Wang. Ah Xiang, I¡¯ve already said earlier. If you don¡¯te, you really can¡¯t work in the entertainment industry anymore, you understand?¡± CaiWei carefully observed ZhouXiang¡¯s expression, afraid that he couldn¡¯t take it.

    When ZhouXiang had just finished school in his 20s, CaiWei arranged for him to do meager odd jobs with the crew. Most of them werebor intensive with low pay. Gradually, some of the jobs would blend in with some roles that could expose the face or there could be a line or two. After three to four years, he began to get into the martial arts stuntman profession. Although being a martial arts stuntman is considered a rtively low ranking career in the entertainment industry, at least in terms of ie, it is much better than ordinary white-cor workers. ZhouXiang did not have the burden of caring for a wife nor taking care of the elders (since his parents had passed), so this ie is enough for him to live a good life. He is also content with that. Moreover, in recent years, since he had gotten connections with many people, he has begun to pick up some martial arts supporting roles and stunt coordinator type of work. His prospects are definitely better. All this, he umted from his years of effort. But because of this matter, it had all been destroyed.

    ZhouXiang not only offended WangYuDong but also offended Director Wang and misled their President Wang. He is such a low level worker, how could he continue to exist in this circle?

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°Wei Ge, how could I not understand, but I have no other way...¡±

    CaiWei sighed, his heart full of helplessness. ZhouXiang has been his buddy since they were back in their school days. They¡¯ve always had a good rtionship. He really didn¡¯t want to see ZhouXiang lose his job going forth.

    ZhouXiang lowered his head and depressingly said, ¡°Wei Ge. I know that I could no longer be a stuntman. I wanted to ask if you could find me some other work. I just need to make a bit more money. I can open a shopter.¡±

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t rush things, just rest for a few days first.¡±

    ZhouXiang revealed a desperate expression, ¡°Wei Ge, I can¡¯t possibly not be anxious. Right now, I¡¯m... YanMingXiu is still staying at my house refusing to leave. I have no other way. I want to avoid him at the moment.¡±

    CaiWei is shocked, ¡°YanMingXiu? Is at your home refusing to leave? What the hell does this shameless bastard still want?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I want to hide from him. He may leave after a while so if there is anything else I could do right now, I want to do it right away. I don¡¯t want to be idle.¡± He will think too much if he has too much free time. He¡¯s already passed the age of holding on to regrets. The most important thing right now should not be this unrealistic love but his livelihood.

    CaiWei thought for a long time, then said with much difficulty, ¡°There is one, but it is too harsh.¡± After he said that, he was very hesitant, seemingly reluctant to say it.

    ¡°Wei Ge, It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t bear the hardship. Tell me. Just as long as I could earn some money. Even if I was to go out and find a job now, I have no other skills. I can only find you. Only you can introduce me to some suitable jobs.¡±

    CaiWei couldn¡¯t bear his persistence so he had no choice but to tell him, ¡°I know a person some time ago who specializes in filming documentaries. This time, they are going deep into ShiWan Mountain to track this mysterious primitive tribe that has never been out and record their life habits, traditions and the like. He¡¯s trying to assemble a group of people right now. You have been working as part of the crew for many years, what outdoor environmental filming locations have you not seen? You are exactly who they need. But the conditions of shooting a documentary are very harsh. It¡¯spletely different from the brilliance life of working in the entertainment circle. Their purpose is not for profit but for scientific records and their fundse from the state and some civil organizations. They are definitely not treated like ordinary actors. Adding on, they often have to go through a lot of trouble just to shoot a certain scene, not to mention that this unknown ce might be apanied by a lot of dangers." CaiWei looked at him deeply, "It may take months or even a year or two. ZhouXiang, I really don¡¯t want you to go, but this is the only thing I could think of right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll go. This job is very suitable for me. Now is not the time for me to be pick the job but the job to pick me.¡±

    CaiWei continuously sighed, ¡°Ah Xiang, think about it again. Working in the indigenous forest is going to be very hard work and they¡¯ll have to bring a lot of equipment and the like. I advise you to think about it for a few more days. Then I¡¯ll help you ask. For the time being, you can live in my home for a while.¡± After CaiWei finished saying this, he really regretted it. He still didn¡¯t want ZhouXiang to go. Although there are many people involved and security shouldn¡¯t be a problem, this is deep into the forest, who knows what will happen? ZhouXiang has lived in the city his entire life. Would he be able to stand it? He really regretted opening his mouth so fast.

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Wei Ge, this is great. Really. Let me go. The documentary crew has very little contact with the entertainment industry. They wouldn¡¯t reject me because of WangYuDong. Maybe I can still specialize in this type of work. This can be considered experience for me. Wei Ge. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡±

    CaiWei hesitated for a long time, and finally gave in to ZhouXiang¡¯s repeated request. He called the person in charge of the crew and briefly introduced ZhouXiang. CaiWei is somewhat prestigious in the entertainment circle. The people he introduced is very reliable so the other side very quickly agreed. ZhouXiang will be going in the next two days. Besides two sets of changing clothes, he can bring nothing else. All the preparations have been made to go into the mountains. The normal everyday clothes is of no use there. The crew seems to be in a rush to go.

    CaiWei didn¡¯t expect them to be leaving so quickly, this also caught ZhouXiang by surprise. CaiWei once again asked if he really nned on going.

    ZhouXiang thought about his situation and thought of YanMingXiu¡¯s chilling attitude. In the end, he nodded.

    After meeting with the person in charge, he directly got on the flight to Guangxi.

    During this time, his phone was turned off. He knew that YanMingXiu and LanXiRong would look for him, but he didn¡¯t want to hear from anyone at the moment. He just wanted to put all his energy into his work. Maybe after he returned a year and a half or soter, everything would have calmed down. At that time, he will look at nning out his life again.

    The only person he still kept in contact with is CaiWei. But it was through CaiWei contacting the person in charge, who would then contact him. CaiWei knew why he didn¡¯t want to turn on his phone. But this caused CaiWei a lot of headaches because his phone was constantly bombarded with calls from YanMingXiu and LanXiRong.

    Although CaiWei didn¡¯t know what they (YanMingXiu and LanXiRong) know, they obviously think that CaiWei knew where ZhouXiang is.

    ZhouXiang is at a low point in his life. Although CaiWei is overwhelmingly pestered, he didn¡¯t tell him about these things. He just reminded him that he must take care of himself. After a year, when everyone has forgotten about this matter, maybe he cane back and continue doing work as a martial arts stuntman again. Anything can happen, as long as he takes care of himself ande back healthy and energized.

    That phone call was made on the way to the mountain. At that moment, he never would have thought that, what was waiting for him was his own mystifying fate.

    At the beginning, everything went smoothly. They gradually proceeded led by the local guides. Finally, they settled in an outback remote area of the ShiWan Mountain. This ce is far away from the world, but the scenery is beautiful and the air is fresh. This was quite shocking for several staff members who grew up in the city.

    With still more than a hundred kilometers away from their destination, they can still stay in the vige. The vige can still receive cell phone signals. But to get further and deeper into the mountains within two days, not to mention cell phone signal, they won¡¯t even be able to see a chicken. At that time they would have to start living the life of the great outdoor wilderness. But everyone would be spirited and happy with their dedications to the humanities in carrying out this type of work. Everyone got along very harmoniously, unitedly helping each other out in this unfamiliar strange forest. This makes ZhouXiang feel much better than the crews in the entertainment circle. At least in this ce, there is no fighting and scheming against each other. Whether it is the scientist who is obsessed with the natural sciences or the passionate adventurer, their hearts are rtively simple.

    After spending a few days with them and with the ambiance environment of the vast nature, ZhouXiang felt that his entire person is much better. Because he is exhausted every day, the time he spends thinking of YanMingXiu is also less. This is definitely a lucky break.

    On the eighth day of entering the mountains, they stayed in thest vige that hadmunication to the outside world. Going forward, there are no public roads. They could only carry their heavy equipment and walk on foot.

    Everyone ate a lot that night, and then went to bed early. They would be leaving the next day when the sun is out.

    ZhouXiangy on the bed and couldn¡¯t sleep no matter how he tried. He doesn¡¯t know what is on his mind that is haunting him, making him toss and turn unable to sleep.

    He looked at his watch and it was only sometime past ten o¡¯clock in the evening.

    He couldn¡¯t help but took out his phone and nned on calling CaiWei. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt very flustered. He was afraid that something might have happened to sister-inw (CaiWei¡¯s wife). After all, her delivery date is near.

    This is already thest ce to have phone signal. Once they entered deeper into the mountains, he won¡¯t be able to make any contact. It would be toote to contact him at that time.

    He quickly charged the phone for 20 minutes and then took it to the highest point in the vige where the signal is strongest.

    The moment his phone was turned on, it beeped with dozens of text messages and missed calls, shocking him.

    All those calls and text messages were from YanMingXiu and LanXiRong. He didn¡¯t look at any of it. He was afraid of seeing what he didn¡¯t want to see.

    He dialed CaiWei¡¯s phone but didn¡¯t expect CaiWei to have turned off his phone.

    He didn¡¯t know that CaiWei had turned off his phone because he was continuously pestered by YanMingXiu and LanXiRong. Instead, he thought that his fears hade true and could only pray in his heart that sister-inw and the baby are both safe.

    He looked at the remaining battery on his phone and decided to call LanXiRong. He also felt guilty knowing that LanXiRong was so worried.

    The call quickly connected with LanXiRong shouting, ¡°Xiang Ge! Where did you go? Why don¡¯t you answer your phone! Do you know how worried I was!! Wei Ge merely mentioned that you went to work but didn¡¯t tell me where you went. You don¡¯t trust me?"

    Toward the end, he felt particrly grieved.

    ZhouXiang guiltily responded, ¡°I really did go out for a job. I¡¯ve been very busytely so didn¡¯t turn on my phone.....¡±

    ¡°You even lie to me. Wei Ge has already told me about it. You turned off your phone to hide from YanMingXiu. I went to your home that day but nobody was at home. If I saw him, I would have beaten that heartless bastard to death."

    ZhouXiang sighed, "XiRong, consider it as Xiang Ge begging you, stay far away from him. He is not the type of people that we can provoke. I¡¯ve already broken up with him. You should also pretend that he doesn¡¯t exist. I¡¯m doing really well right now. I like this job very much. I¡¯ll be back in a few months. We¡¯ll meet up again then.¡±

    LanXiRong sighed, "Hearing your voice, I¡¯m relieved. At least tell me what you are doing, where are you at?¡±

    ZhouXiang briefly told him a bit.

    After hearing it, LanXiRong was worried, ¡°Is this ce safe?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We have more than 20 people in the crew. It¡¯s only just a bit hard but it a great learning experience. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. My phone is almost out of battery. Tomorrow when we enter the wilderness, I¡¯m not going to have phone signal so I¡¯ll contact you when I get back. Don¡¯t worry about me."

    LanXiRong reluctantly said a few words to him and finally muttered, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you toe back.¡±

    ZhouXiang knew the meaning of that sentence but he¡¯s in no mood to give any response at the moment. Maybe after hees back a year and halfter and could let go of YanMingXiu, he would consider going out with LanXiRong. But now he doesn¡¯t even want to think about it.

    Right after hanging up, YanMingXiu¡¯s call immediately came. ZhouXiang hesitated but finally picked up.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice sounded exhausted tinged with a bit of anger, "You finally turned on your phone."

    ZhouXiang faintly felt that this call came too coincidentally at this time; he couldn¡¯t help but blurted out, ¡°You tapped my phone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, or will I have to call your phone for 24 hours?¡±

    ZhouXiang was too angry to speak.

    ¡°You went so far away just to hide from me?¡± YanMingXiu had been so exhausted by this matter with ZhouXiang these past days that he couldn¡¯t even get angry. When he heard the ¡¯friendly¡¯ conversation between LanXiRong and ZhouXiang through the tapping software, his heart felt a faint throbbing pain, knowing that ZhouXiang would never initiate in calling him.

    "I¡¯m doing it for my job," ZhouXiang tried to calm himself down.

    YanMingXiu said exhaustively, ¡°ZhouXiang,e back, why must you go against me? What good does that do you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going against you. I went into the mountains to work. YanMingXiu, have you moved out of my home?¡±

    YanMingXiu gnawed his teeth, ¡°No, I will stay in your home and wait for you toe back."

    ZhouXiang depressingly muttered, ¡°Why can¡¯t you just let me go?¡±

    YanMingXiu was silent for a moment, ¡°I want to start over with you. I like the feeling of being with you. Are these reasons good enough?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind is in uttered chaos, "If you had said these words before you called out WangYuDong¡¯s name while hugging me, I would have agreed to anything."

    ¡°ZhouXiang! Don¡¯t be too much. What do you want from me?"

    ZhouXiang looked at the pitch-ck dark forest; his voice is a bit hollow, "MingXiu, you don¡¯t understand... you don¡¯t understand what it meant to me for you to be treating me as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute. You also don¡¯t understand how important that role was for me. We can¡¯tmunicate with each other; let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±

    "ZhouXiang!" YanMingXiu was consciously aware that he would hang up so he urgently stopped him. YanMingXiu¡¯s tone was tinged with sense of grievance, "Do you still like me?"

    ZhouXiang felt stabbing pain in his heart.

    YanMingXiu asked slowly, ¡°Do you still like me? Xiang Ge, continue to like me. I won¡¯t treat you as WangYuDong anymore because I already......¡±

    The call disconnected abruptly.

    ZhouXiang looked at the dark screen, obviously out of battery.

    He stared at the phone for a long time before returning to his room. Laying on the bed, unable to sleep the entire night.

    The first time he saw YanMingXiu, he was mesmerized by him. This had be the entire image in his mind, making him feel such severe pain, as if a knife was being twisted in his heart.

    After ZhouXiang¡¯s rebirth, thest few days of his previous life were the days that he was most reluctant to remember.

    On the fourth day after they entered the mountain, there was a sudden rainstorm. Heavy rain washed away the muddy road. They had difficulty progressing. Everyone relied on their strong-will to move forward because this ce had no ce for them to rest. Even the guides arepletely clueless.

    In the middle of the night, they suffered a terrible mudslide. The entire team was in chaos and the roads were obstructed. In the dark, everyone lost their way. ZhouXiang was no exception.

    ZhouXiang had always been with the second half of the team. When the mudslide urred, everyone scattered and fled in all directions. He also ran deep into the mountains. After it had be safe, he realized that he had lost contact with everyone and didn¡¯t know where he was.

    He was carrying photographic equipment worth more than £¤1.6 million and weighing more than ten kilograms. He didn¡¯t dare to ck off and could only rely on his memory to keep going.

    Because hecked survival experience in the wild, he didn¡¯t know how grave his situation was. At this time, he also panicked. Perhaps, if there was a person apanying him, he would not have made the wrong decision. But in the dark, filled with unknown creatures lurking in the primitive forest, the judgments that a city person can make are mostly affected by fear. He was getting more and more panic. The direction of thepass is mostly blocked by the damage caused by heavy rain. He could only keep on detouring. In the end, he was exhausted andpletely lost in the forest.

    ZhouXiang could never forget how his footnded on what felt like empty air, the feeling of rapid fall is a kind of fear deeply ingrained in a person¡¯s bone marrow.

    He didn¡¯t even know that he was on the edge of a cliff. He couldn¡¯t see the ground under his feet. Then, with the heavy rain, he was like a kite with its line broken, falling into the abyss.

    He didn¡¯t have time to fear nor shout. His mind swiftly swept past his 30 years of life. Then.... he could no longer feel anything anymore.

    End of the Chapter

    <strong>T/N: This is the end of the shback. The next chapter resumes with the elevator scene in Chapter 4 (after ZhouXiang¡¯s rebirth).</strong>

 Chapter 40

    <strong>T/N:</strong> shback ended. This chapter resumes with the elevator scene from Chapter 4. In instances where Older and Younger is used, Older ZhouXiang is referring to ZhouXiang before rebirth. Younger ZhouXiang is after rebirth.

    <strong>[ELEVATOR SCENE FROM CHAPTER 4 RESUMES]</strong>

    All the things that happened in the past are like horses racing by one after another in ZhouXiang¡¯s mind. One can¡¯t me him for remembering it too clearly. After all, to him, all these things have only urred very recently. His heart still throbbed erratically for YanMingXiu¡¯s each and every move. When YanMingXiu grabbed his arm, he felt his breathing stopped.

    <i>Could it be that he could recognize him?</i>

    <i>That¡¯s impossible... Everyone thought that he is dead. How could YanMingXiu have known that he had awakened in someone else¡¯s body?</i>

    YanMingXiu stared intensely at ZhouXiang¡¯s face. This person is aplete stranger to him, seemingly ordinary with nothing distinctive. YanMingXiu can¡¯t even remember where he had seen this person. But when he stared into this person¡¯s eyes as they brushed past each other, he felt his heart indescribably pounding fiercely.

    This gripping pain in his heart made him suddenly feelpletely at loss on what to do. He instinctively grabbed onto this person, wanting to know why.

    ZhouXiang exerted all his energy to remain calm on the surface. Maintaining hisposure, he asked softly, ¡°Mister, is something the matter?¡±

    YanMingXiu stared dazedly. <i>What is really wrong with him?</i>

    YanMingXiu still wanted to ask who he is but he can¡¯t really ask. They¡¯ve never met before. This question is even more baseless. How can people answer?

    ZhouXiang nodded at him and slowly pulled his arm out of his hand.

    YanMingXiu kept looking at him; the arm in his hand is very thin. Although this person¡¯s body¡¯s frame is not small but he¡¯s too thin and appeared sickly.

    No matter how he looked at him (ZhouXiang), there was nothing worthy for him to take notice.

    When ZhouXiang turned around and headed toward the elevator, YanMingXiu suddenly realized that this person¡¯s back silhouette is a bit like ¡¯him<sup>(t/n)</sup>¡¯, but he is far too thin, so thin that he looks a bit deformed (thin like a broomstick).

    T/N: The ¡¯him¡¯ here is referring to older ZhouXiang.

    Could it be that this is the reason why he felt this sense of familiarity?

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart can¡¯t suppress itself from beating erratically.

    ZhouXiang calmly walked into the elevator.

    When the elevator doors slowly closed, ZhouXiang looked up and sees YanMingXiu looking closely at him.

    Their gazes once again collided in the air, but the elevator door quickly closed.

    Once the elevator door closed, ZhouXiang felt his legs going soft. He held onto the elevator wall with his hand supporting his body. This shocking impact of seeing YanMingXiu again is too immense. Although he haspletely different face now, under YanMingXiu¡¯s gaze, he still has the feeling that there is no ce to hide, as if he ispletely naked.

    He never... never again wanted to have anything to do with YanMingXiu.

    God had given him a second life. It¡¯s not for him to get himself immersed back in into the mistakes andplicated mess from his previous life but for him to live a new life. This secret must not be discovered by YanMingXiu.

    He needed to get farther away from YanMingXiu.

    He returned home looking paled. The house permeated with the strong aroma of vorful meat, the pot on top of the stove is boiling with hot steams. This simple taste makes ZhouXiang feel warm in his heart.

    ChenYing poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled, ¡°Son, you¡¯re back.¡±

    ZhouXiang stood at the door and watch this gentle and caring woman revealing a smile of contentment from her wholeheartedness in stewing a pot of chicken soup for her son.

    He felt a bit of sorrow and quickly responded, "Mom, I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, right? Even if you have,e have a bowl of soup. You¡¯ve just left the hospital. In the past two years, you haven¡¯t eaten anything decent. Your body is very weak; you need a lot of nourishment.¡±

    In the past two years, this body had been relying solely on nutrient solutions and a liquid diet to sustain life so it¡¯s definitely not healthy. ZhouXiang also felt that this body is extremely thin but his condition is not bad. With this young body, it¡¯s just a matter of time before he¡¯ll fully recover.

    The two ate a nice and hot meal around the simple dining table. ZhouXiang told ChenYing about the things that happened and what he had learned at work today.

    ChenYing listened with great enthusiasm; her eyes shined full of brilliance. This kind of expression is very easy understand, it is full of hope...the hope for the future.

    After the meal, ZhouXiang called CaiWei. After all, it was CaiWei who introduced the job to him. No matter what, he should follow up with him on the first day and also thank him.

    CaiWei listened to his brief summary of his day¡¯s work and was very happy for him, "Ah Liu also called me and said that you got along very well with your colleagues and that you learned things very fast. Everyone likes you very much. But then you weren¡¯t feeling well at night and left first. Are you fine now?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I might just have been toocking in nutrients in thest two years so my body is a bit weak. My mom is thinking of ways to help me nourish. If I can gain some weight after a while, that would be good."

    ¡°Really, you are too thin. With work, you don¡¯t need to worry. If you don¡¯t feel well, just go back to rest. I won¡¯t pay you any less. Your situation is different from others; I¡¯ll take special care of you.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded with gratitude, ¡°Wei Ge, thank you.¡± Regardless of whether it was in his previous life or current life, CaiWei is always his benefactor. He¡¯s always the one to pull him back when he has trouble and the one to put him on the right track.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I heard that you ran into YanMingXiu today?¡± CaiWei pretended to inadvertently ask.

    Sure enough, nothing can be concealed from CaiWei, ZhouXiang thought. YanMingXiu made a lot ofmotions at the elevator. For a person (YanMingXiu) with very few words, who treated everyone with cold indifference to suddenly grab onto a stranger and not letting go is indeed very strange. It¡¯s no wonder that this news will reach CaiWei.

    ZhouXiang tried to make light of the situation, ¡°Yeah, we saw each other."

    "Why is YanMingXiu interested in you?" CaiWei is baffled. The YanMingXiu that is condescending and arrogant, why would he grab onto ZhouXiang¡¯s arm and not let go?

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know, could he have mistaken me for someone else?¡±

    CaiWei is silent for a moment and then warned, ¡°ZhouXiang, stay away from this person. I know that your situation is not good right now. Certain people that can help, you most certainly should reach out to them. But it¡¯s not the same with this surname ¡¯Yan.¡¯ Hees from a very influential background. In the entertainment circle, he doesn¡¯t give crap about anyone. Not only will you not earn his favor, but can also end up hurting yourself. I¡¯ll tell you honestly, I¡¯m extremely resentful of this person. There is also a problem with this person¡¯s character. The entertainment circle is actually very small. Maybe you will run into him again someday. But no matter what his motives are in being interested in you, you must not get too close to him. Wei Ge will not harm you. Remember my words, got that?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded firmly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wei Ge. People that should not be provoked, I definitely won¡¯t. I¡¯ll follow your words.¡±

    CaiWei breathed a sigh of relief, "That¡¯s good. This matter, I¡¯ll look more into it. This is too strange...¡±

    The two men talked a bit more and then hung up.

    ZhouXiang felt somewhat uneasy, but he does not know where this anxietyes from.

    He thought to himself, perhaps it is because of his £¤370,000 debt.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 41

    The next day, ZhouXiang rested at home. He kept thinking over and over again. Finally he decided to go to the Inte cafe and do a search on the things that happened two years ago and see how his incident was reported. Sitting in front of theputer, after the listing of the names of the crew, the page was redirected. His heart is literally suspended in that moment.

    Nobody in the world can understand his feelings. He is actually looking at his own death report.

    Although it happened two years ago, there were still a lot of reports about that ident. ZhouXiang looked at it one by one. His heart felt more and more pained.

    At that time, he was not the only one that had an ident. There was also a very talkative young man in his early twenties that was buried under the mudslide. Several of the crews were injured. The ones that were scattered were rescued in the subsequent Soshan Operation. The expectations and enthusiasm of the crew when they entered the mountain were all shattered.

    After he fell off the cliff, the rescue team couldn¡¯t find any clues because the heavy rain had already washed away all the traces. After looking for a week, they still couldn¡¯t find his body so they could only treat his as a disappearance. But no one believed that he was still alive, otherwise why would he not appeared in two years?

    ZhouXiang also wanted to know where his body is. When he thought of his body lying in the depths of the mountains, exposed to all the natural elements, turning in a pile of bones, he felt such immense pain that made him want to cry.

    For the first time, he clearly felt like he was really ¡¯dead¡¯, but he didn¡¯t even get a chance to have a burial.

    If possible, he really wanted to go back and find his body. But where he went that night, he didn¡¯t even know himself. Even the rescue team could not find him, how could he?

    ZhouXiang stared at theputer screen for a long time and still could not get himself out of this heavy sentimental emotion. This body that had apanied him for thirty years was the greatest gift left by his parents. It was healthy and full of life. Without that body, it¡¯s like the only thing left by his parents in the world has disappeared.

    ZhouXiang sat for a long time. There was an indescribable pain in his heart but there was no one he could talk to.

    It took him a long time to adjust his emotions and search for other important content but there wasn¡¯t any.

    He thought about it and searched for LanXiRong. He found out that after his ident two years ago, LanXiRong left to develop his career abroad and only asionally returned to China. He is already a hotmodity Chinese film star in Hollywood. Although he has not yet gotten the chance to y the protagonist, not many Chinese artists canpare to him in terms of international influence.

    ZhouXiang is very happy for LanXiRong.

    With this two years gap, he had too many questions.

    So he searched news of WangYuDong.

    In the end, WangYuDong didn¡¯t act in that film. But the reason for the fall-out is definitely not because Director Wang changed out his role. WangYuDong regretfully withdrew for ¡¯physical reasons.¡¯ Missing out on this did not affect WangYuDong¡¯s career at all. In fact, after half a year of silence, he took on several films, pushing his acting career to a peak, getting awards one by one. Although ZhouXiang hated him, he had to admit that WangYuDong is a naturally talented actor. His acting skills pervaded into all aspects of life, helping him achieve the effects that he wanted...regardless of whether it was on the big screen or in his interpersonal rtionships. With WangYuDong¡¯s cleverness in dealing with people, some people can¡¯t even achieve with a lifetime of practice.

    WangYuDong not only have a full-fledged career but also sessfully married his fianc¨¦e six months ago. His fiance¡¯s identity has always been mysterious. It was not until the wedding day that everyone knew that his wife is the sole favorite granddaughter of YanDeJiang. Although YanDeJiang¡¯s term will be ending at the XX Conference this year and he will be stepping down, his influence is still not to be underestimated. Not to mention that his son is now a rising star in the political arena. What WangYuDong became a part of is this towering tree that does not fall, making his position in the entertainment industry iparable to any others.

    ZhouXiang look at WangYuDong¡¯s proudly smug smile. He couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous.

    WangYuDong can be said to have a smooth sailing life, surrounded by endless triumphs. But for him (ZhouXiang), he was met with an unfortunate death.

    ZhouXiang smiled andughed at himself. If it wasn¡¯t because of YanMingXiu, he would never have over-confidentlypared himself to WangYuDong. He even had to grovel at WangYuDong in everything. But now everything has changed because of YanMingXiu. WangYuDong¡¯s sess is like a mockery to his failures from time to time, though it is likely that WangYuDong has already forgotten him.

    ZhouXiang trembled as he entered the name of YanMingXiu in the search engine. The half year after his ident, YanMingXiu suddenly started to take on advertisements. Because of the huge sums of money spent on promotions, adding on to his extremely attractive looks, a short fifteen-second ad made him insanely popr. Since then, it never ended. It could be said that he didn¡¯t need to take more than a few steps to get to the position of a superstar.

    That is the power of money. It can make any impossible thing possible.

    At the same time, YanMingXiu is also a very controversial person. He barely smiles in front of the camera; his expression is always cold and indifferent. He does not autograph for fans nor does he participate in any variety shows. He didn¡¯t have any scandals and does not need to do any sort of promotions. As if, besides taking on ads and acting in some suitable roles, he didn¡¯t have to do anything else. He was already immensely popr without having to put too much effort into his fame.

    The public¡¯s opinion toward him has always mixed. Some people loved his ¡¯coolness¡¯ to great extremes, others made him out to be totally worthless.

    But regardless, everyone knows that he is the famous prince of Beijing. No matter how skeptical one is on how he became famous, no one dares to be pompous in front of him.

    Just like that, YanMingXiu thrived in the entertainment industry using this weird way.

    ZhouXiang looked at the chilly photos on the webpage and felt that this person is very unfamiliar to him.

    Even though YanMingXiu used to be arrogant, he still smiled. Was WangYuDong¡¯s marriage to his sister that heavy of a blow to him? Why did he be a star? When ZhouXiang use to joke that YanMingXiu could get popr, YanMingXiu was full of contempt for this profession.

    But for whatever reasons, all this have nothing to do with him.

    Now, he only wants to quickly make money, pay off his debt and then live well with ChenYing in a better home.

    Condo!

    ZhouXiang thought of his former condo.

    That was what his parents left him. After he ¡¯died,¡¯ who helped him manage that? And now, whose name is it in?

    He has this urge to go back and see. He never intended to sell that condo because it is full of his childhood memories and is the only link between him and his parents. But when he thought about how the condo would be managed after his disappearance, his heart is full of anxiety. He decided to go back and check today. Even if it already belonged to someone else, he needed to see it with his own eyes.

    He left the Inte cafe and took the bus back to the neighborhood where he used to live. He is very familiar with this ce. Because for him, he had just left a few weeks ago.

    There have been some changes in the neighborhood, but it¡¯s not obvious. After all, it is an old residential area. He walked into his own unit, the stairs were dark and old, but for him, the intimacy he felt is indeed iparable. He wanted to continue to live here. Going upstairs, he came face to face with an uncle <sup>(T/N)</sup>. ZhouXiang was about to open his mouth to call out "Uncle Zhang,¡± but suddenly stopped himself. He must always remind himself that he is no longer that ZhouXiang that many people knew, but is now this ZhouXiang that they don¡¯t know.

    T/N: uncle- also a term of respect for older man

    Uncle Zhang seems to think that this young man who had been staring at him is very strange. He nodded politely and passed by him.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart jumped a few times as he walked stiffly to the third floor. He stood in front of his door. There were no changes at all to this door; it is still the old-fashioned security door with rusted copper.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help himself from reaching out to touch his door. He wanted to pull out his key and open the door. This warm home would be as usual...weing his return.

    But he didn¡¯t dare.

    He didn¡¯t have any contact with his rtives so he use to put the spare key in the hydrant¡¯s box and hid it in the crevice of the fire extinguisher. He immediately wanted to open the fire hydrant and see if the key was still there, but he was afraid that someone was in the home.

    In his moment of hesitation, there were footsteps from the room separated by the door panel!

    ZhouXiang was frightfully shocked and panicked. Without even thinking, he went upstairs and hid in the stairwell.

    After a long time, the door opened and a man wearing sunsses and a cap came out from inside and turned around to carefully lock the security door.

    Although he disguised himself a bit, ZhouXiang recognized him at a nce. It is YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart immediately tightened.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 42

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t realize that anyone was peeking at him. He pushed down his cap, locked the doors and went downstairs.

    ZhouXiang had been bending over hiding on the stairwell. He was even afraid to breathe too deeply. It wasn¡¯t until he saw that YanMingXiu had walked out the building¡¯s door through the stairwell did he dare to stand up. His heart continued to beat wildly as he silently looked at the closed security door, feeling all sorts of emotions.

    <i>Why would YanMingXiu be here?</i> He shouldn¡¯t be living here. Even if he was to disguise himself very well,ing and going from this ce every day, he will definitely be discovered by people nearby. No celebrity has ever lived in such a densely popted old neighborhood. This would certainly cause an inconvenience to a celebrity¡¯s livelihood.

    But on theirst phone call before his ident, YanMingXiu had said, <i>¡°I will stay in your home and wait for you toe back.¡±</i> ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t get his mind off this thought. So he actually clearly remembered every word that YanMingXiu said. In fact, he can even remember the tone that YanMingXiu used when he said these words, as well as the pration of this sentence in the surrounding quiet air, reaching to the bottom of his heart.

    <i>Could it be that he had really been waiting for him to return all this time?</i>

    It merely just crossed ZhouXiang mind, then he immediately rejected this thought.

    He¡¯s already dead. Why would YanMingXiu wait for him? People who over-estimate themselves would always live harder days. YanMingXiu appearing here is very likely because he had toe back to get something. After all, he had lived here for a year. Everywhere in this condo is full of his traces.

    Whatever the truth may be, one just needs to open the door and go in to take a look and will know. But ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare. He was already scared out of his wits seeing YanMingXiu suddenlying out of the condo.

    ZhouXiang decided to check and see if the spare key was still in the fire hydrant box and then n again.

    He snuck down the stairs like a thief. His eyes kept moving, looking at his surroundings as his ears carefully try to distinguish any subtle sounds. After all, he is now considered to be ¡¯someone else¡¯. If he hastily goes in, then he¡¯s really a thief.

    After he determined that there was no one around, he quickly opened the fire hydrant box and reached his finger into the ce where he had hidden the key. With a touch, sure enough, he felt a small piece of metal. He took it out and saw that it was really his spare key!

    The only people who knew of the location of this spare key are him and YanMingXiu. But he only mentioned this once to YanMingXiu when he had just moved in. Most likely he (YanMingXiu) had long since forgotten about this. So after his ident, the key had just stayed there, not having been touched.

    ZhouXiang was unexpectedly overjoyed. He really wanted to open the door right now and to see what changes there have been with his condo. This unbearable excitement seemed to be rushing out of his body, but he exerted all his energy to suppress this urge.

    He put the key back in its original ce and nned on waiting till a time that he thinks is safe beforeing back. In case there is someone in the condo... in case someone suddenlyes back, this is a risk that he can¡¯t take.

    ZhouXiang left his former home.

    He decided to look into how his things were managed after his death, especially with his assets. There was £¤200,000 in the bank ount that was his hard-earned money from his many years of work. He must find a way to get it back. Otherwise, with just his meager sry of £¤3,000 a month, he still had to pay rent and support two adults. Adding on, the debt he incurred while staying in the hospital is still unclear.

    After he got home, he saw ChenYing looking at an ad with her reading sses. ZhouXiang walked over and noticed that it is a job advertisement from a housekeeping agency.

    ZhouXiang creased his brows, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re almost sixty; you still want to work as a housekeeper?¡±

    ChenYing is still looking at it intently, "It¡¯s not a housekeeper, but a caretaker <sup>(T/N)</sup>. I ran into my former colleague in the supermarket today. Her daughter-inw just gave birth to a child. Do you know how much a caretaker gets paid a month?¡±

    T/N: the term used is ±£Ä·. It refers to a person that is hired to care for both newborn child and the mother in the month after birth.

    ZhouXiang shook his head.

    ¡°£¤6,000,¡± ChenYing sighed, "That is really good money. Just working for a month and can earn £¤6,000. I wanted to go get some training to be a caretaker."

    ¡°Mom, does this kind of training require money? The employer will give £¤6,000 but the intermediary fees will be withdrawn. At most, you¡¯ll get is half in your hands.¡±

    ¡°Half is fine too. It is still better than just sitting here. Earning any little bit helps.¡±

    Looking at ChenYing¡¯s pale face and thinly frail body and thinking that she still have to worry about working for a living at this age, ZhouXiang¡¯s heart burst with waves of sadness.

    But he can¡¯t stop her. They are really desperate for money right now. What ChenYing said is right, earning every bit helps. He turned over the ad and felt that it was done too simply and look disreputable, "Mom, this doesn¡¯t look reliable. It could be a scam. Wait till I can go with you.¡±

    ¡°How about Monday?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t ah. I have to work.¡±

    ¡°Those people are only there during work days, what should we do?¡±

    ZhouXiang thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ve just started work. It¡¯s inappropriate for me to take time off. Let¡¯s wait two weeks. I¡¯ll go with you then. You also rest your body a bit. You¡¯ve been taking care of me all this time, it¡¯s tiring enough."

    ChenYing furrowed her brows, ¡°That¡¯s also good.¡±

    After ZhouXiang finished eating, he called CaiWei. He has just entered thepany. Nobody thinks of him as anything so his sry now is just a meager. He wanted to ask CaiWei to help introduce some private work for him on the weekends. It can be anything as long as he can make some money.

    The average person will never mention this request to a person he had just known for a few days, especially if the other party has given him a stable job. But perhaps because ZhouXiang knew CaiWei too well, and subconsciously, he still felt very familiar to him, so he didn¡¯t think too much when making this request.

    From CaiWei¡¯s perspective, for a neer who had just entered thepany to dare ask him this request, he would have quickly hung up. But he don¡¯t know why, he especially wanted to help ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang told him very genuinely on the phone that his mother had to sell their two condos for his hospital care. They owe arge amount of debt. What he needs most now is to make money.

    After CaiWei heard this, his heart felt very heavy. Perhaps, it is because ZhouXiang gave him a sense of familiarity... perhaps it is because ChenYing helped him take care of his father many times... or perhaps it was just because he is also called ZhouXiang, which made him continuously think of his buddy whose body still can¡¯t be found. Thinking of this buddy made him feel full of guilt. He wanted to make himself feel a bit better by helping this ZhouXiang.

    In short, CaiWei immediately agreed. He has many printed and media ads all year round. The decision to use any new person is up to him. He had heard from ChenYing that ZhouXiang had wanted to be a star before his ident. Now is just the time to pull him in. It¡¯s not that ZhouXiang don¡¯t have the potential to be popr.

    CaiWei arranged an audition for him on Sunday. It is a printed magazine ad for men¡¯s skincare and is a job that CaiWei ced him in at thest minute.

    ZhouXiang is very happy. This kind of face-only advertisement he had never thought about doing before. But this young ZhouXiang has a handsome face. Although he had no distinguishing features, it is enough to shoot this kind of low-cost advertisement.

    ZhouXiang went out early the next morning and got to the audition site half an hour early. He went into the ce and looked, it was a home modified to be a photo studio. The area is small and looked quite unprofessional.

    The other two young boys who came together to audition looked disappointed. ZhouXiang can understand their mentality. The newbies who had just entered this industry always had unrealistic fantasies about their career prospects, and then be disappointed when faced with the reality gap in front of them.

    This kind of low-cost magazine print advertisement will give the brokeragepany a maximum of £¤6,000 to £¤7,000. The model could probably get the remaining £¤2,000 left. But even if it wasn¡¯t for the money, some people will fight for the chance to get their faced exposed. Even if it was just to take a few photos in a sleazy studio for a magazine that is not popr, there ispetition.

    Reality is so cruel.

    These two boys obviously looked down at such a shabby workce. So when they were auditioning, it is inevitable that they would reveal their discontent, making the staff displeased. On the contrary, ZhouXiang is much more calm and at ease. His spoken words were polite and he looked sincere and responsible. So even though he is a little older and his appearance is not as good as the other two, he got the job effortlessly.

    ZhouXiang spent the entire day in this small studio. For three photos on the magazine, he smiled for hours, smiled so much that his cheeks hurt from having to constantly repeat the same movements over and over again to be in alignment with the ad¡¯s requirements. All in all, he took more than 400 photos.

    After the job ended, ZhouXiang dragged his tired body back home.

    After dinner, CaiWei called him and asked him about the progress of his work today. ZhouXiang briefed him and CaiWei was ted saying that he¡¯ll give ZhouXiang 50% of the pay. After doing more jobs in the future, he will find a way to increase his price.

    ZhouXiang is infinitely grateful to CaiWei. Theirpany has rigid rules. On the basis of this rule, CaiWei can decide on what percentage of pay to give a model. Generally, for a neer to get 30% is already not bad. The managementpany gets an agency fee. But CaiWei gave him half of it so he¡¯s definitely being especially caring towards him.

    CaiWei had always been like that. When he went to take on stuntman work previously, CaiWei would give him a bigger share, usually 20-30%. Without CaiWei, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how many jobs he would have had to work in order to have a stable ie after graduating from sports university. It was CaiWei who gave him a way to make a living and not have to worry about his livelihood. And now that he has died and lived once again, it is still CaiWei who is helping him.

    This advertising job alone gave him a month¡¯s of his sry. If he can continue to get these private jobs, his life with ChenYing will improve a lot.

    He decided that after he got the money, he would first buy a TV so that ChenYing won¡¯t be too bored at home.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 43

    ZhouXiang went to the studio to work as usual on Monday. Since he is still in the training stage, he can only do some menial odd tasks in various sets. This kind of work, he had done almost ten years ago. Unexpectedly, he had to start all over again.

    When he arrived at the sets, many of his colleagues had already arrived. He heard several girls chatting continuously about something.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be right? YanMingXiu doesn¡¯t talk much?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve never heard him say a word. I was wondering if he was a mute. Could it be that the nice voice in the film was dubbed?"

    ¡°Aigh yah, he can talk. He just doesn¡¯t like to talk, that¡¯s all. He¡¯s pretty cool like that.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that cool? I think that it¡¯s too abnormal. Is there such person in the entertainment industry who doesn¡¯tugh or talk? If it wasn¡¯t for his family¡¯s influential background and his attractive looks, he wouldn¡¯t have been popr."

    ZhouXiang passed by them and smiled lightly, ¡°Ladies, there are all kinds of people in the entertainment circle. These kinds of words are okay to talk about among friends but don¡¯t let other people hear it.¡±

    These girls were stunned. They couldn¡¯t understand how a neer like ZhouXiang would dare lecture them.

    ZhouXiang subconsciously realized that he¡¯s no longer a senior. But for a moment, he couldn¡¯t hold back.

    Although he really can¡¯t help but want to warn these naive girls who don¡¯t seem to understand anything, the bigger reason is that he really didn¡¯t want to hear anything about YanMingXiu. Unfortunately, he knew that this was impossible. As long as he¡¯s working in the entertainment industry, he will be forced to hear about YanMingXiu¡¯s various news.

    Fortunately, Ah Liu just came over and eased his embarrassment. Ah Liu red at them, "Ladies, be nice. How can you say these words so carelessly? Do you know what family the ¡°Yan¡± from YanMingXiu¡¯s surname is from? You need to suffer a bit to know? Hurry up and get to work!"

    The girls scattered and each went to do their work.

    ZhouXiang helped Lao Zhou move the lighting equipment. As he was moving, he was a bit lost in his thoughts. His mind kept thinking about YanMingXiu¡¯s cold, expressionless face on the big screen.

    He really didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to be like this. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t seem to have a bit of enthusiasm for this profession. But then...why did he get into it?

    ¡°Be careful!¡± Lao Zhou shouted as he grabbed ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang suddenly regained his senses. His foot mis-stepped and he almost fell down the steps. It didn¡¯t matter if he fell, but if he damaged the equipment in his hands, he won¡¯t be able to afford it.

    Lao Zhou nced at him condemningly and took the equipment himself, ¡°What¡¯s going on? What are you thinking?¡±

    ZhouXiang only smiled apologetically. Following his natural warming personality, he liked to make jokes to alleviate the awkwardness so he blurted out, ¡°I was just thinking about the sweet and sour pork ribs that sister-inw <sup>(T/N)</sup> makes.¡±

    T/N: Sister-inw here is referring to Lao Zhou¡¯s wife.

    Once these words were spoken, the both of them froze. ZhouXiang can¡¯t wait to punch himself twice. How long is it going to take for him to adapt to this identity change?

    But this really can¡¯t be med on him. In his memory, he was still that ZhouXiang a month ago. In just a month, he became this current ZhouXiang. He needed to change how he used to speak and his style of doing things. He also needed to pretend that the people he knew before areplete strangers now. Only in doing so, can he be at ease at any time. But when his mind is distracted, this is easier said than done.

    Lao Zhou looked at him with widen eyes, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly responded, ¡°Right. Wei Ge told me that. Wei Ge is full of praises for sister-inw¡¯s culinary skills. He mentioned it to mest time.¡±

    Lao Zhou looked at him skeptically, ¡°Thest time he went to my home to eat was at least a year or two ago. Oh yeah, ZhouXiang was still here at that time.¡± After saying that, Lao Zhou looked at him even more suspiciously.

    ¡°Yes, yes, Wei Ge said that. I have the same name as that buddy of Wei Ge¡¯s who had passed away. That day I called Wei Ge to brief him on my work and said that Zhou Ge (aka Lao Zhou) is especially caring towards me. Just mentioning this, Wei Gemented and said that ZhouXiang had a very good rtionship with you. They also went to your home to have dinner together, so I just... I was joking with Zhou Ge." ZhouXiang felt that this statement can be justified but he was still so nervous that he was sweating bullets.

    Lao Zhou said, "Oh, so that¡¯s what it is. If there is a chanceter, I¡¯ll tell your sister-inw to make a meal for you guys.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a must Zhou Ge.¡±

    After Lao Zhou walked away, ZhouXiang secretly reminded himself that this kind of mistake can never be happen again, absolutely not.

    Being busy the entire time from early morning to night, ZhouXiang received a call from CaiWei when he was about to get off work. CaiWei sounded a bit urgent telling him this on the phone, ¡°ZhouXiang, I have a job here, you have toe right away, I think you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Now? But I¡¯m not off work yet.¡±

    ¡°Just tell Ah Liu. Take a taxi here. I¡¯ll text you the address."

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± When ZhouXiang heard that he can make more money, all his fatigued from his day of work seems to have been swept away. His entire person immediately felt uplifted. He told Ah Liu and quickly went to the address CaiWei gave him.

    When ZhouXiang got to the ce and looked around, it was an office building. The floor he went on is rented to a magazine publisher that specializes in martial arts gaming consultation.

    When he was taken into a room by a staff, he realized that this room is temporarily used as a dressing room and CaiWei was waiting for him.

    CaiWei urged the makeup artist to ¡°Hurry up,¡± while at the same time press ZhouXiang onto the chair, patting him on the shoulders.

    ZhouXiang swept a nce at the person who rushed over to do his make-up. He could already guess what was going on.

    CaiWei exined, ¡°There is a game for the first anniversary celebration hosted by this magazine. They want to put a live-action video clip on that day. I think your image is quite matching with a game¡¯s character so I called you over.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Thank you, Wei Ge, I really don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡±

    This kind of video clip can make more money than printed magazines. And once you get into the gaming industry, there will be many opportunities to get work in the future if you perform well. People who are skilled and talented do not need to be promoted. But most people still have to rely on exposure and more socialworking to making a living in this niche of work. In those years, CaiWei led him step by step into this field. Right now, CaiWei is once again repeating the same thing that he did before. But the CaiWei now is more capable than before. ZhouXiang is full of expectations for his future.

    CaiWei smiled, ¡°No need to thank me. If I can see that you and your mother can have a good life, I will be relieved. It is like this. Listen carefully. There are still a few people auditioning with you this time. Most of them have a bit of martial arts experience so their movements will look more beautiful than yours. You have to calm down a bit. In fact, anyone will be able to do those moves with some practice. You need to focus on the details, don¡¯tpare yourself with them."

    ZhouXiang nodded, thinking that even if he was just doing it for show, he won¡¯t lose. But he still had to remind himself that he can¡¯t perform too well; otherwise he will look too suspicious.

    After changing into his costume and having his make-up done, ZhouXiang looked at ¡¯himself¡¯ in the mirror. There was always a bit of weirdness in his heart. He always felt that it was not him. In fact, this is really not him, but now he has be one with him (younger ZhouXiang).

    CaiWei looked at him approvingly, ¡°Not bad, very handsome but just too thin. Eat more. You don¡¯t look good being thin like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve gained four to five kilograms (about 8-10 pounds) since I¡¯ve been discharged from the hospital. After a while, I¡¯ll get to my normal weight.¡± ZhouXiang smiled then turned a circle.

    CaiWei paused and dazedly looked at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang astonishingly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?"

    CaiWei murmured, ¡°You... turn a circle.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned a circle and could only hear CaiWei sighing softly behind him.

    ZhouXiang turned back and asked, ¡°Wei Ge, what¡¯s wrong?"

    CaiWei smiled forcefully, ¡°Same name...even the back silhouette is quite alike. Fate is really strange.¡±

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t help but be stunned, ¡°Are you saying that my back is very simr to your buddy?¡±

    CaiWei felt momentarily pained as he sighed, "Yeah, simr. Before you were too skinny so it was hard to tell, but now with a bit of meat, you look more and more like him. My buddy is almost just like you, but his body is much more firm than yours."

    ZhouXiang felt sorrow rising in his heart.

    Back silhouette... it¡¯s the back silhouette again. If he didn¡¯t have a back that is simr to WangYuDong, his fate would have beenpletely different. Likely he would not have lost his life at the age of the thirty.

    CaiWei smiled reluctantly, "Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you over there. Don¡¯t worry. They will give me face and will give priority to you. If I didn¡¯t have such great assurance, I wouldn¡¯t have you rush over here.¡±

    He took ZhouXiang to an office where there are two cameras. There were several people sitting at the table and others dressed up like him standing on the side.

    A staff member released a video clip of the game, showing the repeated actions of the game characters for about four to five seconds. Then they were to imitate the actions.

    These actions were just a few ordinary kicking and punching kungfu moves. For ZhouXiang, it is extremely simple. He could easily remember it by just looking once or twice.

    Other people who came for the audition went on the stage one after the other. Since they came for the audition, they have a bit of confidence. Their movements were not bad, but still far worse than a professional martial arts stuntman like ZhouXiang.

    When it was ZhouXiang¡¯s turn to be on the stage, he deliberately lowered his performance to make himself look less conspicuous. But he was really eager to get this role so his action sequence was done in one go. Without making the slightest errors, the few judges including CaiWei looked on in shocked.

    Though these series of movements are only four to five seconds, it was extremely difficult to make the entire sequence smooth, coherent, and beautiful. ZhouXiang merely look a few times and was able to achieve this level is definitely incredible.

    People who don¡¯t know those with martial arts background would at most think that ZhouXiang learned his kung-fu moves well. Only CaiWei who knew to some extent of their background knows how amazing that was.

    ZhouXiang had never told him that he had learned martial arts. Moreover, even though those few moves were a little rough, the way it was done, is a bit like... like his good buddy who is no longer here.

    CaiWei¡¯s heart beat rapidly, feeling that there are too many coincidences in this world. Maybe God sent this ZhouXiang to him is so that he could make it up to him (older ZhouXiang).

    ZhouXiang seeded in getting this role easily. Although he would only appear in this short game clip for a little over ten seconds and his face will only appear in a few shots, ZhouXiang is still very happy. His payment from this short game clip is more than £¤10,000.

    After the audition, the staff informed him the time of the official filming. CaiWei had to leave ahead of time. After ZhouXiang confirmed the time, he nned on going home.

    When he walked to thepany¡¯s door, someone yelled behind to stop him. He turned to look and saw a woman in her thirties. She was also a judge in the selection panel earlier.

    The woman smiled politely, "Greetings, my surname is Zhang, you can call me Zhang Jie <sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N: Jie is older sister or a respectful way to address an older woman.

    ¡°Zhang Jie greetings.¡±

    Zhang Jie asked him, ¡°Have you just debuted? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I can¡¯t be considered to have debuted. I¡¯m just a handyman for JuXing. Wei Ge takes cares of me, giving me few chances to pick up some private jobs.¡±

    Zhang Jie cordially said, ¡°Come, sit down and have a talk. I was really amazed watching your moves earlier.¡±

    ZhouXiang can vaguely sense something. It¡¯s likely she will be introducing him to other work so he followed along her and sat on the couch.

    Zhang Jie said bluntly, ¡°Have you ever thought about being a stuntman?¡±

    ZhouXiang is shocked, not knowing how to respond for a moment. Not only have he thought about it, he has been one for six to seven years.

    ¡°Your figure is not bad but better if you gain some weight, especially when you turn around, your shoulders, neck, ears, the shape of your head, is very much like this person. Others did not notice this, but I did at a nce.¡±

    ZhouXiang is a little nervous. He didn¡¯t know but he had a hint of ominous premonition. He carefully asked, ¡°Who?"

    Zhang Jie smiled smugly, ¡°WangYuDong, you must know him?¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 44

    In that instant, all sorts of feelings welled up in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart.

    He wanted tough, to cry, to flip the table and kick the wall.

    WangYuDong... it is WangYuDong again! Stuntman... stuntman again!

    He really has no doubt that he has been cursed. Even with apletely new life, he still can¡¯t get rid of being WangYuDong¡¯s shadow. It¡¯s likely that this curse is branded on his soul, having nothing to do with his physical body.

    He hated WangYuDong, hated being WangYuDong¡¯s substitute, whether it is in films or outside.

    At that moment, he only had the feeling of being yed by God. It seemed that something invisible is dragging him forward, making it impossible for him to escape. He felt that he is surrounded by heavy barriers and can¡¯t breathe.

    He took a deep breath and forcefully revealed a smile, "Of course I know who he is. Zhang Jie, thank you very much.¡±

    Zhang Jie also smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. This is a win-win situation.¡± In her opinion, ZhouXiang will certainly agree. Not to mentioned that he would be greatlypensated for being a stuntman of a superstar like WangYuDong. Even if there is no marypensation, many people would desperately vie for such opportunity. Even if they don¡¯t get to reveal their faces in the film, but to be able to be a part of the WangYuDong¡¯s filming crew and get to know a few people or even casually get a few pointers for promotion is a great opportunity for anyone¡¯s future development. This is a golden opportunity. ZhouXiang is a merely a handyman, how could he refuse?

    However, she didn¡¯t expect ZhouXiang to politely say, ¡°Zhang Jie, this is indeed a very good opportunity, but I have to discuss it with Wei Ge.¡±

    ¡°Wei Ge? CaiWei?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m an employee from JuXing and work for him. Wei Ge won¡¯t allow me to casually ept any jobs; I have to get his consent.¡±

    Zhang Jie burst intoughter, "You... young man is really......¡± She wanted to say naive, but in the end, she didn¡¯t say it. She smiled and said, "Xiao... what is your surname?¡±

    "Zhou."

    ¡°Well, Xiao Zhou, let Zhang Jie tell you a few real words. Just listen but don¡¯t say it out, okay?¡±

    ZhouXiang could guess what she wanted to say. This woman may be a few years older than him, but the way she handle matters is not as good as himself, so he nodded quietly.

    Zhang Jie smiled, "CaiWei is a good person and also takes great care of his subordinates. But with this matter, you really don¡¯t need to discuss it with him. Think about it yourself. You be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman. You don¡¯t even have to show your face on the film. It¡¯s just a few shots from your back. And if you prefer, your name won¡¯t even appear on the credits. And you can still get a lot of money. Who would know that it¡¯s you? I know that eachpany¡¯s rules are different. Most won¡¯t allow for employees to take on private jobs. They have to follow thepany¡¯s policies. It¡¯s so troublesome. You just have toe over quickly and don¡¯t tell others. CaiWei would never know. And if you have to go through thepany, at most, the most money that will be in your hands is 30%. Are you willing? Zhang Jie don¡¯t think that it¡¯s worthwhile for you to do that."

    Zhang Jie has her own considerations. If ZhouXiang really wanted to go through his managementpany, there is indeed no loses to her. But ording to industry rules, since she was the one that introduced ZhouXiang to such a big job, besides have to pay amission to his brokeragepany, he must still have to give her a portion. So the money that ZhouXiang actually gets in his hands is very less. She is also worried that ZhouXiang is not willing to the job because it is so little money. If ZhouXiang was to ept this job privately, her introduction fee is definitely more.

    ZhouXiang understood her sentiments clearly. But he would never agree to it.

    First of all, to not inform CaiWei before epting any job is just being greedy for momentary petty gains. It¡¯s a stupid thing to do. Only new people will such things for immediate benefit. This surname Zhang is really selfish to be sabotaging new people for mary gains. The entertainment industry is so small. CaiWei¡¯s prominence is so widespread that the possibility of taking on a private job without being discovered is almost zero. If he did this, CaiWei will be utterly disappointed in him. It is like him taking the initiative to pave his alternative future path. Most importantly, he definitely didn¡¯t want to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman again. He doesn¡¯t even want to see WangYuDong again. When he thought of WangYuDong revealing that familiar hypocritical smile, he just wanted to throw his fist.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Zhang Jie, what you say is very reasonable. But Wei Ge is very caring of me. If I don¡¯t tell him, I definitely won¡¯t feel at ease. I still want to discuss it with him. I think he will agree. Let¡¯s do this. Why don¡¯t we exchange our phone numbers? I¡¯ll give you a call back. Is that okay with you?"

    Zhang Jie¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, but she tried to suppress from expressing it, "That¡¯s also fine. Give me a call after you discuss it. But you really should think over what I said, okay?¡±

    Zhang Jie dialed ZhouXiang¡¯s cell phone with her phone and then left heavy-heartedly.

    ZhouXiang dragged his exhaustive body home. He didn¡¯t have time at all to rx today, working tirelessly the entire day.

    As soon as he entered the home, he heard someone¡¯s sobbing noise. He was stunned. Taking a closer look, shocked, he saw ChenYing lying on the sofa bursting in convulsive sobs.

    ¡°Mom? What happened?¡± ZhouXiang quickly walked over, feeling extremely worried.

    ChenYing saw that he had returned. She quickly wiped away her tears, "You¡¯re back, I forgot to cook...¡±

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not hungry, why are you crying? What happened?¡±

    ChenYing kept her head down for a long time and didn¡¯t say anything. After ZhouXiang repeatedly asked, she cried and told him that she went to the agency yesterday to apply for the caretaker training. But it was a sham after all. She gave a deposit of £¤300, but now those people are nowhere to be found.

    Although it wasn¡¯t a lot of money, they are now living in poverty and ChenYing is really dejected.

    This woman had already experienced so much misfortune in her life that any small thing can deeply affect her.

    ZhouXiang felt such unbearable pain. He couldn¡¯t me ChenYing for not waiting for him to go with her. Hees home looking extremely exhausted everyday so ChenYing likely guessed that he couldn¡¯t find the time to go with her, but she didn¡¯t actually expect it to be a sham.

    Money... not having money is really depressing.

    It¡¯s not that ZhouXiang can¡¯t bear the suffering. He lost his parents when he was in elementary school and had been alone for so many years. But ever since he was young, he never had to worry over money. His parents left him with the condo and their bank savings. Adding on, there was thepensation given by the responsible party for the ident as well as the support for the cost of upbringing and mary support given by his parents¡¯ families and rtives. Even though most of that has been depleted as he grew older, but by then, he had already started working and earning a living so he had never been burdened by debts. Thus, he had never felt such anxiety and desperation over money.

    This is like a big rock, pressed against his shoulders, and he couldn¡¯t breathe.

    ChenYing whimpered, ¡°I thought that since you had woken up, the nightmare would be over, but... so much money, when can we pay it off?¡±

    ZhouXiang held this frail woman in his arms andforted her. Although he feels physically and mentally exhausted, he can¡¯t leave this mother alone. It would be too wrong for him to do that. He can¡¯t do it. No matter how difficult it is, he is a man, a son, and is ChenYing¡¯s only hope, he must clench his teeth and endure it (the hardship).

    ZhouXiang remembered his own bankbook. As long as he can get a hold of his bankbook, he has his password and could take the money out. But he is already ¡¯dead.¡¯ What can he do if the bank ount has already been cancelled? He didn¡¯t know how his possessions were managed after his death. There are no rtives in his family and had no contact with any distant rtives, who could help him deal with all these things?

    He knew that it was impossible for him to get the condo back. But the money, his bank savings, he must find a way to get it back. As long as he got the £¤300,000 plus, the remaining £¤10,000 plus can be repaid within two to three years if he lives frugally.

    That is his greatest hope.

    The next day, he left work an hour earlier and went to the local police station in his district to check on his death certificate. He took a prop from hispany ¨C a fake reporter¡¯s ID card and cropped his own picture onto the card. He informed the civil police officer that he was here to follow up on the story of the documentary film crew that encountered an ident in heavy rain and mudslide in the mountains two years ago.

    He deliberately chose to go to the station five minutes before it closes. The only employee left at the police station is a very young female police officer. It¡¯s likely that she had just started the job and didn¡¯t know that this is not in line with the regtions. But everyone was basically gone so she couldn¡¯t find anyone to ask. She was a bit nervous. ZhouXiang patiently coaxed her, saying a lot of good words. ZhouXiang is a bit handsome and could sweet-talk, so with the fake reporters ID card, the female police officer agreed to let him check.

    He checked for a long time but still couldn¡¯t find his own death certificate. He searched using his name, home address, and even his ID number and he still found nothing.

    Does he not have a death certificate? ZhouXiang¡¯s heart ignited a glimmer of hope.

    He then went to the Inte cafe and checked. If he disappeared from an ident, it would take two years for him to have been missing before a death certificate could be issued. It has just been two years since the date of his ident, so now it can be issued. The point is who will initiate the issuance of his death certificate? There is no one that woulde here to do that for him. Unless his rtives was informed and wanted to take his property, but they haven¡¯t had any contact for so many years. They might not even have known about his passing.

    If there is no death certificate, doesn¡¯t that mean that his assets have not been divided and his bank ount not cancelled? He can get it as long as he goes home? ZhouXiang feels his heart thumping. When he thought of his bankbook that could possibly still be in his home, he got extremely excited. His eyes seemingly brighten with this new prospect.

    When he returned home, he deliberately bought some fruits. The life of going to the supermarket and just casually throwing anything that he wanted into the shopping cart is gone forever but ZhouXiang is still full of hope for life.

    He did not tell CaiWei what Zhang Jei had said to him. He didn¡¯t n on doing it anyway.

    When he got to thepany the next morning, CaiWei called him into the office.

    CaiWei asked him when the game magazine will be filmed; ZhouXiang told him on the 16th.

    CaiWei patted his thighs, ¡°That¡¯s perfect. Go to the filming studio city the day after tomorrow, I got a small role for you in a republic era drama. It¡¯ll just take you two days to shoot this, so do this first."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes radiated. He didn¡¯t expect to have a chance to participate in a TV series so soon. CaiWei basically gave him all the jobs that he could get. He really didn¡¯t know how to thank CaiWei.

    CaiWei smiled, ¡°Stop it, don¡¯t thank me again. I am not doing it for you. I just want your mom to live a little better. And also, I feel that you and my buddy have a predestined connection. When I see you, I always think of him.¡±

    ZhouXiang can understand CaiWei¡¯s mindset in wanting to make it up to him. But he really didn¡¯t want CaiWei to feel guilty because of him. His ident is definitely not CaiWei¡¯s fault.

    He endured and endured, finally he couldn¡¯t help himself from voicing, "Wei Ge that was not your fault, why do you me yourself?¡±

    CaiWei raised his eyebrow, "How do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯ve heard a bit and you¡¯ve mentioned it so I went online to look and somewhat guessed it.¡±

    CaiWei heaved a sigh, ¡°You don¡¯t understand...¡± He waved his hand, ¡°Get on with your work.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at CaiWei¡¯s somber expression, his heart feeling endless excruciating pain.

    On the 12th, he went to the filming studio city on the outskirts of Beijing to report to work. This movie studio was opened in the past two years. Now many ancient dramas are shot here. There could be at two to three crews working simultaneously. Of course, there are also journalists and fans.

    ZhouXiang found the person in charge of the crew but he was extremely busy. He merely gave a quick assessment looking him up and down and exaggeratedly snapped his finger, "Yes, qualified. Go change clothes and have makeup done first. Then just wait. Your scene is not for a while. If you¡¯re bored just go stroll around but don¡¯t go too far."

    The person in charge spitted words quickly like a machine gun. Before ZhouXiang could even react, he was already gone.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled helplessly and took the initiative to head toward the dressing room. He hasn¡¯t seen such a chaotic crew for a long time. The entire studio set was chaotically busy. There is no order at all. If he was the one managing, he would definitely not do it like this. He couldn¡¯t even find anyone to let him know what his role was or what he should be wearing.

    After wasting more than an hour, he changed into the costume and got his make-up done. At this time, it was already time for lunch. After ZhouXiang finished eating, he realized that it was still very early for his scene and decided to go look around. It¡¯s the first time he came to this filming studio city, the area is definitely not small.

    He strolled to another studio set where they were filming an ancient movie. Standing in front of a replica of the ancient looking building, he carefully observed the meticulous carvings on the eaves and was amazed at how well the studio was built.

    He was so fixated that he didn¡¯t even realize that there was a suddenly rush of footsteps behind him. Before he could react, his shoulders were violently gripped by someone, forcing him to turn his body around.

    He widened his eyes and sees YanMingXiu¡¯s face unexpectedly appearing in front of him.

    Time seems to blur at once; the space between the twopletely distorted. Three years ago, the boy who hugged him from behind coincided with the face of the man who is half a head taller than him now. His facial features didn¡¯t change, still so beautiful that people can¡¯t look away. But the youthful naivety and arrogance has already faded from this person in front of him. Instead, it has changed into an expression that is chilling cold.

    Moreover, the distance between them has changed from their formerly intimate coption to a distance between life and death.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lips trembled as he gripped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulders, unconsciously tightening.

    <i>Not him. It¡¯s really not him.</i>

    Obviously he knew that it was impossible. But when he saw that simr back silhouette, he still held onto that glimmer of hope, hoping that he would be able to see a miracle.

    <i>But...</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is pale, almost without a trace of blood.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body also trembled. YanMingXiu was gripping his shoulder so hard that it hurt, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He needed this pain to remind him to stay calm.

    His legs went soft. When he faced YanMingXiu again, he can¡¯t be as calm as he imagined. He wanted to run, to get as far away from him as possible. Otherwise, he would be someone that is not himself.

    He forcefully opened his mouth, ¡°You.....what are you doing?¡±

    As if lighting has struck, YanMingXiu immediately took back his hand and looked at him coldly.

    <i>It¡¯s not him, just a stranger.</i> But, he has met this ¡¯stranger¡¯ once. He usually doesn¡¯t remember unrted people, but he clearly remembered the first time he saw this person. The throbbing in his heart is like the raging waves rising in the stormy seas. Twice in a row, this person had made him lose control. <i>Who exactly is he?</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s assistant stared at him nkly on the side, <i>for one who never acknowledges others, why is he so interested in this person (ZhouXiang)?</i> This is the second time.

    The assistant asked softly, ¡°MingXiu? Do you know him?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t move at all, his eyes still stared at ZhouXiang as he coldly uttered, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± He wanted to turn around and leave, but he couldn¡¯t move. This person gave him an indescribable feeling. He didn¡¯t know what is happening to him.

    ZhouXiang secretly pinched himself. The pain made him wake up. He said calmly, ¡°Mr. Yan, I know who you are, but you definitely don¡¯t know me. Maybe I ask what business do you want with me?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t saying anything. He looked at him from top to bottom, once again confirming that the person in front of him is not one he would give a second nce and should not have such impact on him.

    Just as he turned his body around, wanting to go, a voice sounded from afar, ¡°ZhouXiang, it¡¯s your turn,e over and get ready!¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body stopped again. He stared at ZhouXiang with widened eyes, "What is your name?¡±

    ZhouXiang clenched his fist, his forehead protruding cold sweat, "My name is ZhouXiang.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 45

    YanMingXiu almost gnashed out of his teeth, ¡°Your name is ZhouXiang?¡±

    The name ZhouXiang is actually a verymon name. There is nothing special about it. But this person in front of him has stirred up emotions in him that he had never felt before. He could not exin why he would pay such attention to a stranger, adding on that this person¡¯s name is ¡¯ZhouXiang.¡¯ He is also named ZhouXiang?

    The two words ¡®Zhou Xiang¡¯ is like a curse that can instantly erode his heart with tremendous pain. <i>Why, why is this person also called ZhouXiang? Is God messing with him?</i>

    ZhouXiang passed by YanMingXiu and quickly ran toward the set filming the republic era drama. He ran very quickly, not turning around, trying to leave all his distress and heavy-heartedness behind, along with this person who made him restless. Completely leaving all of it behind him.

    YanMingXiu stood stiffly for a few minutes; his body not moving at all.

    His assistant looked at him anxiously but also iprehensively.

    YanMingXiu said to him, ¡°Look into him, the more extensive the better.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s role is very simple for this drama. He merely had to act as a ssmate who aids the protagonist in liking the heroine. When the protagonist tries his hardest to reveal his love toward the girl, his role is just to say a few scripted lines of advice and then follow up with some sort ofmotions. That would be the end of it.

    The plot is so simple, yet he NG¡¯d seven times.

    When everyone could almost shoot their scenes in one to two takes, his behavior obviously causes dissatisfaction among others. His is merely a dispensable supporting role, yet wasted everyone¡¯s time and film. ZhouXiang¡¯s face is flushed with shame. The more he wanted to recover from the shock of running into YanMingXiu... to calm down, the more he is unable to do it.

    He either forgot the scripted lines or was in a daze in the middle of the scene. Having been a stuntman for so many years, he has been cast in dozens of small supporting roles that requires him to show his face. This kind of situation has never happened before. It makes him want to just p himself.

    If it wasn¡¯t because CaiWei was the one that introduced him to this job, the person in charge would have kicked him out.

    Atst, he was forcefully able toplete the scripted lines, ending his day¡¯s torture.

    Unexpectedly, after the work was over, CaiWei actually picked him up. ZhouXiang was already worried about his performance from this afternoon. He felt that he had put CaiWei to shame, yet CaiWei still came to pick him up. This made him even more embarrassingly ashamed. The person in charge must have called CaiWei toin, so he came over specifically.

    CaiWei smiled immediately upon seeing him, ¡°I know what you wanted to say but you don¡¯t need to say anything. It¡¯s normal for the first time. Let me tell you a joke. It¡¯s with my buddy ZhouXiang. The first time he acted in a movie, it was with a scene with a model that is almost as tall as him. So the director put a box under his feet but he forgot about it when they were shooting and fell off. It wasn¡¯t such a big deal that he fell, but he fell on top of the model who was furious. Hahaha. That is way more embarrassing than you."

    ZhouXiang looked at CaiWei. When he first took that minor role where he ended up identally harassing that model seven to eight years ago, he really made a spectacle of himself. CaiWei was watching on the side at the time. After he finished shooting, CaiWeiughed at him the entire time. Then the two went to a bar and got drunk. At that time, it seemed that nothing was a big deal. As long as there was liquor and their brotherhood, they justughingly passed the time.

    <i>Where did that heroic boldness of his go? Could it have died with his body?</i>

    The rim of ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes turned red, his tears almost falling.

    When CaiWei saw that his eyes were red, he mocked, ¡°No way, why are you crying? With this, you¡¯re very different from my buddy. He will not cry over something like this.¡± After CaiWei finished saying, he looked at him and heaved a sigh, ¡°You must not cry. Man up!¡±

    ZhouXiang swung his head and smiled, ¡°Of course not, why would I cry?" Looking like this, he is indeed not at all like that ¡¯ZhouXiang.¡¯ He was an optimistic and open-minded person. He¡¯s always adopted a lighthearted perspective in everything and is usually free from worries. Because in his mind, there is nothing in the world that is more painful and terrible than the death of his parents. He had already ovee that. What else can bring him down?

    How can he let himself be someone like a resentful woman over a man and even gave up his life?

    What is the big deal with owing £¤370,000 in debts? As long as he is alive, it can be repaid. So what if life is a bit hard? At least he can run, can move, and can feel the world around him. Being able to live again is already the biggest bargain God had given him.

    In this moment, ZhouXiang felt his mood lightened up a bit. Although he is still suppressed by the shadows of YanMingXiu and the debt, he began to learn to self-bnce, to enlighten himself and think of the positive. He has a mother as well as his good buddy CaiWei.

    CaiWei patted him on the shoulder, "It¡¯s really okay. It¡¯s your first time acting in a film. It¡¯s normal to not do well. You¡¯ll be fine after a few more times in the future.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, "Wei Ge, I¡¯m so happy to have met you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, so you are very lucky. Be optimistic. All difficulties will pass. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to dinner. Shoot... let¡¯s just go to my house. I already told your sister-inw (his wife) that I am going home to eat today."

    ¡°That¡¯s great. I also wanted to see your twins.¡± Before his ident, it was near the time of his wife¡¯s delivery date. Their ultrasound pictures revealed that it was a set of twin girls, whom he saw as his goddaughters. He felt that he would never have children in his life so he wanted to cherish CaiWei¡¯s children as his own. Unexpectedly things in the world are never certain. Before the babies are born, he had the ident. Now that he thought about it, the girls should be two years old.

    Surprisingly, CaiWei is shocked. He looked at ZhouXiang strangely, ¡°Twins?¡±

    ZhouXiang is stunned. He remembered that it was indeed twin girls. Did he remember it wrong?

    CaiWei creased his brows, "Who told you that I have twins?¡±

    ZhouXiang suddenly became nervous. What did he say wrong? He only felt that he had said too much, ¡°Heard....heard it from others.¡±

    ¡°My wife did have twins but only gave birth to one. This other one died in the womb. But this, nobody knew about it. How did you know? Who did you hear it from?"

    ZhouXiang felt the vision in front of him turning dark. He didn¡¯t expect that he had been so careful, yet still ended up saying the wrong thing. He never thought that he would make such a careless mistake.

    CaiWei didn¡¯t suspect anything else. He totally thought that the people in thepany found out about his family¡¯s secret. Having one of their child die in the womb was very painful for the couple. They didn¡¯t want anyone to know. He¡¯s always thought that nobody in thepany knew. He didn¡¯t expect that the secret that he had kept so well, is it really no longer a secret in thepany? That even a newbie like ZhouXiang knew about it?

    This made him furious and suspicious.

    If ZhouXiang knew about this, how can he not know that one of them was not born? Did he really not know or did he slip-up?

    CaiWei stared at him fixedly, ¡°Who actually told you?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face turned ghastly paled as he tried to evasively respond, ¡°I forgot, maybe I got it mixed up. Didn¡¯t Bai Jie just have a baby? That day everyone was talking about children and someone mentioned that Wei Ge has twins. I definitely remembered it wrong. There were too many people talking that day. I got it all confused. I must have gotten you mixed up with somebody else.¡±

    CaiWei didn¡¯t really believe it. He thought that ZhouXiang was afraid that it would make him depressed so deliberately hid it. But even if he was to pursue this matter, there wouldn¡¯t be any sort of oue so CaiWei didn¡¯t want to ask any more. He just thought that it was strange. How did this get leaked out?

    He only told ZhouXiang about his wife¡¯s condition at the time. So except for ZhouXiang, no one knew that his wife was pregnant with twins. ZhouXiang is definitely not a bbermouth person. He has known ZhouXiang for so many years and knew his personal character.

    <i>So who could have said it? How could this young man in front of him know about it?</i> CaiWei felt that this was so peculiarly bizarre. But he couldn¡¯t say what is wrong so he could only conceal his emotions, "If people gossip about me in the future, remember to let me know.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded stiffly, thinking that he must carefully think about what he says in the future. He must never make this kind of blunder again.

    After ZhouXiang got in the car with CaiWei, YanMingXiu and his assistant were in the car not far away. YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes kept staring at ZhouXiang until their car disappeared from his sight.

    <i>He (ZhouXiang) also works for JuXing and is also under CaiWei??!!</i>

    This person with the same name as ZhouXiang, why are there so many coincidences with ZhouXiang. These coincidences, it is too strange to say. It¡¯s as if the paths of their lives are ovepped.

    YanMingXiu is more and more curious about this person. He said to his assistant, ¡°The ad for the suit, reach out to him to shoot it with me.¡±

    Assistant Jiang nodded and carefully took note of YanMingXiu¡¯s instructions on his notebook.

    End Of the chapter

 Chapter 46

    ZhouXiang saw the little niece at CaiWei¡¯s house. The little girl was running all over, being very adorable and lively. She especially liked him and stuck to him as soon as he entered the door.

    CaiWei said with a smile, ¡°Strange, my little girl is very reserve with everyone. She had never been so close to strangers. You¡¯re the first one."

    When ZhouXiang was holding the little girl, his heart is full of emotions. When she was still in sister-inw¡¯s belly, he had gently touched her. He could even recall her little movements inside the belly. But now, the child is so big. He is a person who had died and came back to life, but the little person his arms is a purely new life. For a moment, all sorts of feelings welled up in his mind.

    During dinner, ZhouXiang was feeling very unsettled. After all, CaiWei and his wife are too close with him. He had already said something wrong during the day. Now he¡¯s even more careful, his entire person bing overcautious. Sister-in wughed at him, saying that he¡¯s too shy. ZhouXiang really has an unspeakable suffering.

    After dinner, ZhouXiang refused CaiWei¡¯s offer to take him home. He took the bus instead.

    When he arrived home, it was pass 10pm. ChenYing was still waiting for him to give him a bowl of bowl of dong quai <sup>(T/N)</sup> chicken soup.

    T/N: dong quai or angelica sinensis is an herb widely used in Chinese traditional medicine for health, cardiovascr conditions, osteoarthrosis, inmmation, headache, infections, mild anemia, fatigue and high blood pressure.

    ZhouXiang felt that being able to experience this maternal love at all times has been the greatest gift since his rebirth. This is the thing most worthy for him to cherish.

    ¡ª¨C

    YanMingXiu¡¯s assistant, Xiao Jiang, contacted CaiWei the next day. The two people knew each other but aren¡¯t too familiar. But still, Xiao Jiang thought that CaiWei will definitely agree. After all, for a neer to be in amercial with YanMingXiu is like a big gift from the sky.

    He never thought that CaiWei would t-out refuse.

    Xiao Jiang is shocked, thinking <i>what is wrong with CaiWei, isn¡¯t this harming ZhouXiang¡¯s career? This is a rare opportunity; will there be a second time in this life?</i>

    So he questioned CaiWei but CaiWei didn¡¯t dare reveal his hatred toward YanMingXiu. CaiWei is shocked by the fact that YanMingXiu would look for ZhouXiang so he subconsciously wanted to refuse for him. He pondered over it and merely responded, ¡°I have his work fully booked so he won¡¯t have any extra time. Moreover, his health isn¡¯t good. He can¡¯t work too much."

    These words were obviously his half-hearted response. Xiao Jiang had his doubts but obviously didn¡¯t want to point it out bluntly. Since CaiWei put it in such a way, he also couldn¡¯t force the matter. He can only hang up the phone and nned on discussing with YanMingXiu first before doing anything.

    This phone call with Assistant Jiang made CaiWei even more alert. When he heard of the previous incident with YanMingXiu not letting ZhouXiang go at the elevator, he already felt very unsettled. He couldn¡¯t tell exactly what is wrong. This time YanMingXiu specifically named ZhouXiang to be in an ad with him. These two people are so far off they can¡¯t even mingle together, how can YanMingXiu choose ZhouXiang?

    CaiWei didn¡¯t want to let ZhouXiang do this ad because he hated YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu had already gotten ZhouXiang indirectly killed. He didn¡¯t want to send this ZhouXiang to YanMingXiu¡¯s side. He felt that is unlucky and is a bad omen.

    So he didn¡¯t tell ZhouXiang about this matter. He was afraid that ZhouXiang would be tempted by the money so he suppressed it.

    ¡ª¨C

    ChenYing eventually found a legitimate agent and started training to be a caretaker. After having something to do, she was full of spirits. ZhouXiang was very happy to see her like this.

    After over a month, ZhouXiang had his normal sry with additional ies from other ads and short films. In all, it totaled more than £¤10,000. ZhouXiang is very satisfied with this start. If he can maintain such ie, even if he will be more tired, paying off the debt will just be around the corner.

    ZhouXiang spent his free time working out. Having been fed chicken soup every, ChenYing had fatten him up a bit. But after lying in bed for two years, his bones and muscles were very stiff, without the feeling of agile and dexteritypared to his former body. He had already felt that thest time he filmed that game video. Although he felt that he could do many movements, it would note off as satisfactory to people¡¯s expectations. If there is still such an opportunity in the future, he hoped to be able to show his level of performance from his past.

    He still hopes to be able to work in his old line of profession if possible. Although running into YanMingXiu and WangYuDong in the entertainment industry is a risk, these apprehensions is not importantpared to sustenance. Being a martial arts actor is his primary skill set; it is what he is mostpetent in and most familiar with doing. He had been doing this for seven to eight years and had been relying on this for his ie. To do something else all of a sudden, he really doesn¡¯t know what to do.

    If it wasn¡¯t for being able to meet CaiWei, if it wasn¡¯t for CaiWei giving him this type of work, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to get in touch with doing this type of jobs. He had no diploma, no other skills, or even knew anyone. Perhaps he can only start off by being a security guard or a salesman. Those kinds of days will definitely be much more difficult than what he is doing now.

    Now that he had changed into another body, a body that is youthful and somewhat attractive, he hoped to get into the entertainment industry with CaiWei¡¯s help. Even if he can only be a supporting actor in his life, it is enough to support ChenYing and himself.

    He positioned himself to be a martial arts actor. This is his greatest strength. For this goal, he has to train his body to move toward his goal step by step.

    When he was resting at home on Saturday, CaiWei called ZhouXiang and asked him toe to thepany.

    ZhouXiang asked him why. CaiWei responded happily, ¡°Our boss ising back from abroad, he wanted to see you.¡±

    <i>President Wang?</i>

    ZhouXiang calmly voiced, ¡°Why is President Wang interested in me?¡±

    ¡°I just mentioned you to him. Come over and meet the boss. Show off yourself. Oh, by the way, President Wang also brought back someone, you probably know him."

    "Who?"

    ¡°Ourpany¡¯s pir, LanXiRong.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened.

    He left quickly after hanging up the phone. While on the bus, he looked at his face reflected on the windshield and almost hypnotized himself<i>, You are not that ZhouXiang now. Be careful and be cautious when you speak.</i>

    No one couldprehend that a dead person¡¯s soul is reborn into someone else¡¯s body. He must not expose himself.

    When he arrived at thepany, ZhouXiang familiarly went to the President¡¯s office. After entering the office, as expected, three people were sitting around chatting.

    He deliberately put on a nervous face and said hello to President Wang. Then he couldn¡¯t help butnd his sight on LanXiRong.

    LanXiRong didn¡¯t change much from two years ago. He has a baby face that is already distinctive even when he doesn¡¯t smile. But when he smiles, he¡¯s very cute. The years seemed to leave no trace on him, except for his pair of iprehensible bottomless eyes.

    LanXiRong faintly nced at him and then slightly bunched his brows.

    He already heard from CaiWei that this person is also called ZhouXiang and also had many simrities with that ZhouXiang but he didn¡¯t believe it. ZhouXiang is amon name, but his Xiang Ge is very different from anyone else.

    But when he saw this person, his heart trembled.

    <i>The face didn¡¯t look like but his body is indeed very simr, especially this person¡¯s temperament...his tranquility and calmness and his coolness, he¡¯s not very old but gives people a very steady feeling.</i>

    When their eyes collided, ZhouXiang¡¯s expression disyed an iprehensible familiarity that made LanXiRong feel somewhat unsettled.

    CaiWei is right. This person is very much like Xiang Ge.

    LanXiRong¡¯s expression turned gloomy instantly, feeling endless pain in his chest. <i>Xiang Ge......</i>

    President Wang looked at ZhouXiang for a long while, and then sighed heavily, "Fate. It is fate.¡±

    CaiWei pointed to ZhouXiang and said, "President Wang, this kid¡¯s life is not easy. His mother owed a lot of money in treating his illness, if there are any good opportunities, please give him some consideration."

    ¡°I know. XiRong, isn¡¯t your MV (music video) needing a male supporting actor? Will his figure do?"

    LanXiRong nced ZhouXiang deeply, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    President Wang smiled, "I thought so too. As long as he doesn¡¯t look as good as you."

    ZhouXiang took the opportunity to tter, "Most people won¡¯t be more attractive than him."

    Everyone loves to hear good ttery words, especially their President Wang. ZhouXiang used to rely on his mouth to make their President Wang happy so he was able to work more than the average employees. Otherwise, how could a little stuntman like him talk andugh with President Wang?

    President Wang likes people who knows their position and smiles, "Then let ZhouXiang do it but let me say this first. You have to do it well. This MV is different from the small ads you have received before. Game promotion video can be different. This is one of the main MVs for LanXiRong¡¯s album. His record sales are all over a million. There are many people who covet this supporting role. I¡¯m giving CaiWei face and also face to my former employee, ZhouXiang, to give you this opportunity. If you don¡¯t do well, then you should give up this role immediately.¡±

    ZhouXiang is so ted that he almost jumped up.

    Being able to show his face in LanXiRong¡¯s MV is more effective than acting in a hundred ads.

    President Wang stared at his face for a long time, "Your look is passable. Why don¡¯t you get double eyelids done? And also fix your chin, I¡¯ll give you money."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s chin almost fell to the ground but he didn¡¯t want to do cosmetic surgery. He felt that this young man¡¯s face is quite attractive.

    CaiWeiughed, "President Wang is just joking with you.¡±

    LanXiRong, who had not spoken, suddenly said, "This is fine.¡± He faintly swept ZhouXiang a nce, "You have to act it well. Don¡¯t lose face to this name.¡±

    After saying that, LanXiRong sighed, then turned and walked out.

    President Wang frowned, "What¡¯s wrong with this kid today, so strange."

    CaiWei felt pained, "XiRong¡¯s rtionship with ZhouXiang use to be very good. The two are like brothers. When ZhouXiang got in the ident... you also know...he almost copsed."

    President Wang nodded, ¡°But it had been two years. This kid is very sentimental.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head and sighed in his heart.

    President Wang and CaiWei had to talk privately so ZhouXiang went out. He ran into LanXiRong in the hallway.

    LanXiRong nced at him; his eyes scanning him.

    ZhouXiang smiled, "Lan Ge, I am very happy to be able to participate in your MV. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled slightly, ¡°Just call me by my name. You¡¯re older than me right?"

    ¡°Yes, I am almost twenty-seven, just a little older than you.¡±

    LanXiRong pulled out his phone, ¡°Leave me your cell number. I¡¯ll have my assistant inform you of the schedule."

    "Okay."

    The two of them exchanged phone numbers. LanXiRong nced at him again; his lips revealed a somewhat ironic smile, ¡°You¡¯re lucky.¡±

    ZhouXiang is stunned.

    ¡°If not for you having this name... if not for you looking a bit like him... no one will help you like this. You have to thank that ZhouXiang.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his eyes and forcefully smiled, "What you said is true.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s face momentarily turned paled. He shuddered and tucked his phone into his pocket, "Go. I want to be alone for a while."

    Seeing his hurtful expression, ZhouXiang felt extremely distressed. He resisted the urge tofort him and walked in the opposite direction.

    Since he is already ¡¯dead¡¯ in everyone¡¯s mind, then just let him be dead.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 47

    ZhouXiang received a call from President Wang Saturday morning. He was sleeping at the time and quickly got up as soon as he saw the caller ID.

    ¡°Hello, President Wang.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Zhou ah, you still haven¡¯t gotten up yet?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Too tired from yesterday.¡±

    "I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be more tired today. Get up. I arranged an ad for you. Head over there now."

    ¡°Huh? Right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the big star specifically indicated for you to go. He even called me directly," President Wang¡¯s tone sounded a bit odd.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his face, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    "YanMingXiu.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire person became instantly alert, ¡°Yan...YanMingXiu?¡±

    President Wang thought that he was too excited, ¡°Yea, it¡¯s that YanMingXiu. Although I don¡¯t know what he saw in you but this is a golden opportunity. You are very lucky...getting to shoot an ad with YanMingXiu and also get to expose your face in XiRong¡¯s MV. Your future will be much brighter. However, XiRong¡¯s MV is still in the nning stage. It will be several more months before shooting starts. This ad is just in front of you. Since luck is on your side, hurry up and head over there."

    ¡°This... Wei Ge didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    ¡°Who knows what CaiWei is thinking in not letting you take on this job. So the call came to me. I¡¯ll ask him about itter. Get up and get ready."

    ZhouXiang is thinking of how to refuse. He astoundingly voiced, ¡°President Wang, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to go, but I have something to do today.¡±

    ¡°What do you have to do?¡±

    ¡°I have... I have another ad that is also coincidentally today.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. Have CaiWei to send someone else. Those are minor ads; just randomly sending any handsome guy will do. It doesn¡¯t have to be you. But for this one, YanMingXiu specifically chose you, so you must go. Don¡¯t say anymore. Hurry up and get ready. Give me your address. I¡¯ll send a driver to pick you up."

    "President Wang......"

    ZhouXiang knew that it is useless to say anything else. This little favor for YanMingXiu with such minimal cost, of course President Wang willingly obliges. To President Wang, he is merely lending his own staff to YanMingXiu. But for ZhouXiang, he had to endure his heart¡¯s torment to be in close proximity to YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang got up and washed his face, patting his cheeks loudly to try and calm himself down as soon as possible.

    ChenYing ran over after hearing the noise and shockingly asked, ¡°Son, what are you doing? Hitting your face so hard it¡¯s red.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, "Nothing. I have to go to a job. Wouldn¡¯t this wake me up even more?"

    ChenYing agonizingly said, ¡°Since you started working, you almost never had a weekend off. Though we really need the money, your health is most important. If you get sick again, everything would be meaningless. Don¡¯t just neglect your health to work so tirelessly."

    ¡°Mom, you¡¯re thinking too much. My work is not tiring. I just do a few moves in front of the camera, how tiring can it be? But you... you have to rest more. Your face looks so pallidtely.¡±

    When ZhouXiang looked at ChenYing, he wondered where the nutrients from the chicken soup went? While he gained some weight, ChenYing also drank it with him, but how can herplexion still look so bad?

    ChenYing smiled, "Your mother is almost sixty; I can¡¯t still be fair skin like a young girl right? I don¡¯t need to rest at all. It¡¯s boring staying home. Come back early today. I¡¯m going to go buy some big prawns this afternoon."

    ChenYing was mumbling what¡¯s for dinner while wiping the water that ZhouXiang sshed onto the floor. ZhouXiang lowered his head and looked at ChenYing¡¯s frail, bulging spine, feeling pain in his heart.

    <i>Don¡¯t think about YanMingXiu... think about the money. Doing this ad with YanMingXiu, the pay must be pretty good. </i>This is what he should be thinking about.

    Although he is extremely baffled as to why YanMingXiu would ask him to do this ad.

    Half an hourter, the driver that President Wang sent arrived at the downstairs of his apartment.

    While sitting in the car, ZhouXiang pondered over why CaiWei didn¡¯t let him take this job. Could it be that he hated YanMingXiu? But with CaiWei doing that, it actually benefited President Wang because now he is able to do a cheap favor for YanMingXiu. As for his feelings and difficulties, it is obvious that a person like President Wang would not consider.

    In President Wang¡¯s mind, to be in an ad with YanMingXiu, for a minor unknown person like ZhouXiang, he should really be giving his thanks profusely.

    ZhouXiang exposed a sarcastic smile.

    It had been more than two months since he had awakened in this body. From the very beginning, it was ufortable and awkward. Now he finally has the feeling of beingpletely integrated with this body.

    In the past two months, he had been trembling with fear and trepidation. In fact, he even became a bit of a ¡®yes¡¯ man, having no personal opinions, especially when facing people he is familiar with. He was really afraid of saying the wrong things or doing the wrong things, which might cause others to be suspicious. Even though he repeatedly reminded himself that he is no longer that ZhouXiang, he still misspoke a few times regardless of how careful he was. For apletely matured person to subconsciously change and force himself to adapt to a new identity is an extremely hard thing to do. It is beyond imagination, but he had gradually overcame it.

    After acknowledging this body, he also fell back into his previous personality bit by bit. He, ZhouXiang, should not be such a coward with a guilty conscience when seeing anyone. No one could ept such outrageously bizarre thing as soul transferring. This will be the secret of his life. But it didn¡¯t mean that he should live in a shadow his entire life. He must get out and bring out his former easy-going and optimistic self to start a new life. He is youngerpared to before, with more advantages. He even has a family now. No matter how he looked at this, he is lucky because it could have been worst. The only thing he needed to do ispletely abandon his past and get rid of YanMingXiu entirely from his life. This process will be extremely painful, but he will still do it. Otherwise, he won¡¯t be considered as having new life... his heart will still be the same as before, imprisoned in his painful past

    The first step he should take is to calmly confront YanMingXiu... to face this person he had lived with, whom he had once loved but never loved him in return. He shouldpletely forget this failed rtionship and let the two of them be true strangers.

    After doing all sorts of thorough mental analysis in the car, ZhouXiang felt a lot better from the anxiety and nervousness he felt since receiving the call.

    When he got out of the car, he saw YanMingXiu¡¯s assistant. Taking a deep breath, he put on a calm smile, "Greetings, I¡¯m ZhouXiang. We seemed to have seen each otherst time. What is Dai Ge¡¯s <sup>(T/N)</sup> name?"

    T/N: Dai Ge means older brother or a respectful way of calling someone older.

    ¡°My surname is Jiang. We¡¯re about the same age so you can call me Xiao Jiang." As YanMingXiu¡¯s assistant, Xiao Jiang¡¯s position in the entertainment industry should not be underestimated. However, when faced with the only person (ZhouXiang) YanMingXiu had ever been interested in, Xiao Jiang didn¡¯t dare to be even a bit pretentious.

    ¡°Jiang Ge, you¡¯re being modest. I¡¯ve not shot an ad before so please give me some guidance." ZhouXiang took out the cigarette and handed it to Assistant Jiang, "Jiang Ge, would you like a smoke?"

    Assistant Jiang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t smoke. Let¡¯s go in. MingXiu is waiting for us.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart jumped fiercely. Clenching his fist secretly, he went to the set talking andughing with Assistant Jiang.

    They are to shoot an ad for a branded suit today. The plot is to mimic Men in ck. The general idea is for everyone to wear sunsses with YanMingXiu leading a group of people wearing ck suits walking by.

    Although the scene looks silly, but after incorporatingputer special effects, they will look like they are traveling back and forth in space with full of mind-blowing powers.

    After ZhouXiang arrived at the scene, he realized that he is one of a dozen members wearing a ck suit. He led out a sigh of relief. Although assistant Jiang arranged for him to be in the front, with him wearing sunsses and the same ck suit with the others, adding on an abstract background, he will be less conspicuous.

    When he entered the studio, YanMingXiu came out of the dressing room after finishing his makeup and styled dress-up. He didn¡¯t need to wear sunsses, so the corners of his eyes are painted with obvious eye makeup. How to describe the eye makeup? The corners of his eyes are slightly raised, aligning with YanMingXiu¡¯s expressionless but beautiful and wless face, it gives people a very strange and bewitching feeling. When he swept his eyes, it¡¯s exceptionally captivating to people, just like the evil spirits who had the power to drive men crazy in ancient literature.

    Although ZhouXiang had slept with him for a year, there are times that he would still be stunned by his appearance. Today is no exception. Beauty is an eternal joy. No one could evade this norm. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu looking like this, ZhouXiang wouldn¡¯t have wanted to approach him in the first ce, leading to him falling so deeply.

    YanMingXiu also saw him; with eyes like that of a deep natural pond quietly fixated at him for a full three seconds...it is enough to make ZhouXiang break out in cold sweat.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to be appear passive, so before YanMingXiu could react, he simply walked toward him with a happy smile, "President Yan, we meet again. I really didn¡¯t expect you to seek me out to shoot an ad with you. I don¡¯t know how to thank you. Would you like a cigarette?"

    He knew that YanMingXiu is most annoyed with ttery people. It¡¯s best that YanMingXiu is so annoyed that he won¡¯t want to see him again.

    If he could just see YanMingXiu¡¯s indescribable unsurpassed beauty once in a while and yet YanMingXiu never knew that there is such a person like him existing in this world, this is the best ending between them.

    Sure enough, YanMingXiu is dumbfounded as he raised his brows. Perhaps because ZhouXiang¡¯s initiative and enthusiasm arepletely different from the previous two encounters, it made YanMingXiu find him a bit strange. And the way he tried to kiss-up to him is so simr to many other people, how can YanMingXiu feel that this kind of person is even a bit like ¡¯him¡¯? YanMingXiu¡¯s expression had a trace of anger.

    He looked ZhouXiang silently and then walked passed him, as if undisturbed by what he had seen.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand was still in mid-air; he didn¡¯t feel embarrassed. He calmly retracted his hand, turned and walked into the dressing room.

    Changing clothes, applying makeup, getting the props, ZhouXiang prepared for everything like the other ten plus models dressed in ck suits.

    ZhouXiang gradually calmed down. Regardless of what YanMingXiu¡¯s purpose is in requesting that hee, now he (YanMingXiu) didn¡¯t even look at him. He (ZhouXiang) is just happy to shoot the ad, then take the money and leave.

    After putting on his suit, he nced at the mirror and felt that it¡¯s very fitting. The time when he was in the hospital, he only thought that this young man¡¯s face was not bad. Unfortunately, he was skin to the bones. Now that he¡¯s gained some weight and with his exercises, this figure is bing more entuated. Looking at it now, this figure is the same height as his original body and even the body shape is simr.

    Perhaps men with the same body height and shape all look about the same right? It¡¯s not like a woman¡¯s body where the breast cup size is an obvious characteristic.

    No matter what, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to admit that his back is still simr to WangYuDong¡¯s. Even though he couldn¡¯t see his own back silhouette, he also didn¡¯t want to see it.

    The scriptwriter came over and told them to assemble. ZhouXiang and the others head toward the studio. The scriptwriter gave instructions on when to walk and how to walk. Then the ten plus people lined up and practiced the walking speed, the frequency, and also how to control their facial expression to remain expressionless.

    Halfway into it, many of themughed because a bunch of people walked around in ck suits is really funny.

    ZhouXiang was standing at the front center of the line-up; with the exception of YanMingXiu, his is the best position. The entire time, his performance is very much aligned. He was not distinctive nor did he bothered the crews. However, what made him most ufortable was that he noticed that YanMingXiu would look at him from time to time. His kind of careful probing expression made him feel very uneasy.

    They spent almost the entire morning practicing walking in team formation. When walking, they have to be uniform and consistent. It is a bit of a challenge for this group of young people who have just met.

    YanMingXiu is a lot more rxed; he just practiced a few times and essentially knew what to do so he sat on the side. Sometimes he would stare around nkly, other times he would nce over and look at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang remembered that three years ago, YanMingXiu had also sat on the side like he is now, watching him film in front of the camera. That day, they made love in the dimly lit toilet stall. Afterwards, YanMingXiu waited for him from morning till evening. That frenzied passion is forever gone, yet sealed in his mind. <i>Does he really want to still stir up and break through his restraint to reminisce on his feelings from that time?</i>

    He must suppress these ridiculous impulses.

    After filming for an entire afternoon, the ad finally took shape.

    ZhouXiang also consciously observed YanMingXiu while he was filming. YanMingXiu can¡¯t be considered an actor with talent; this having a lot to do with hisck of expressions. But unexpectedly, his fans like him like this. He¡¯s definitely the only one who can create a name for himself in the entertainment industry solely by relying on having no expressions.

    It had been said that YanMingXiu only smiled when he was a guest star in his brother-inw¡¯s films. Just to see YanMingXiu¡¯s smile, the people who went to see the films is probably no less than those who went to see WangYuDong.

    ZhouXiang could certainly imagine that YanMingXiu, who normally treated everyone indifferently, will only smile when facing WangYuDong.

    After the shooting, ZhouXiang changed his clothes, removed his makeup, intending to go home.

    He had just walked out when Assistant Jiang came over, ¡°ZhouXiang.¡±

    ZhouXiang answered, ¡°Jiang Ge, thank you for today. I don¡¯t know anything. I didn¡¯t give you any trouble right?"

    Assistant Jiang smiled, "You¡¯re too modest. You said that you¡¯re a newbie, but I could see that you¡¯re very familiar with filming. Your performance is the best."

    ZhouXiang smiled, "That¡¯s great. Then I will leave first."

    ¡°Hey, wait...¡± Assistant Jiang pulled him to the side. When he was sure that no one else could hear them, he whispered, ¡°ZhouXiang, our MingXiu wants to invite you for a meal. He¡¯s waiting for you in the underground garage. Go.¡±

    ZhouXiang said with surprise, ¡°This... why?¡±

    Assistant Jiang nced at him strangely, ¡°You have to ask yourself this. How would I know?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, "I don¡¯t know either. Are you not mistaken?¡±

    ¡°How is that possible? Hurry up and go. MingXiu doesn¡¯t like to wait on people. Be careful when eating with him. He has a bad temper. When talking, just go along with whatever he says."

    ¡°You... you¡¯re not going?¡± ZhouXiang heart sunk.

    Assistant Jiang pushed him out, ¡°Why would I go? Hurry and go.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed heavily and he took the elevator down to the garage. He could immediately see YanMingXiu¡¯s low-profile Lexus.

    In his mind, these capital princes will typically unt their identities with something that ordinary people can¡¯t afford. To say the least, their President Wang¡¯s car is very expensive. While YanMingXiu¡¯s food and clothing must be of superior quality, he is not one to be mboyant. If not for ZhouXiang having lived with him for nearly a year, he would not have known that YanMingXiu¡¯s background is so impressive when he initially thought it was only good.

    After bing an star, YanMingXiu seemed to be even more low-profile. It is indeed safe for him to be driving this kind of car. No one will believe that such a prominent star like YanMingXiu would be hidden inside. Only ZhouXiang knew because they have had sex in this car many times.

    He walked over, opened the passenger door and sat in, ¡°President Yan.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him faintly and asked, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Anything is fine.¡±

    YanMingXiu started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

    This is the first time that they met alone since ZhouXiang was reborn again and it is in such a narrow space.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart beat like a drum. He repeatedly asked himself, W<i>hy... why is YanMingXiu paying such special attention to him? Could it be that he saw something?</i>

    <i>Impossible. He did not reveal any ws. No one would know, YanMingXiu could not have known.</i>

    The only possibility is that...

    ZhouXiang remembered that day when he ran into Zhang Jie during the audition. He still remembered what Zhang Jie had said, <i>¡°Your back looks very much like WangYuDong¡¯s.¡±</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart sank to the bottom.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 48

    YanMingXiu took him to a members only restaurant that he had previously gone with LanXiRong. The patrons whoe and go from here are all from the entertainment industry so they are protected from being harassed by the public.

    It seems that fame has brought a lot of disturbances to YanMingXiu¡¯s life. It is hard to imagine that a person like YanMingXiu, who is so self-centered and so indifferent toward strangers, would put himself in the entertainment circle where there is apleteck of privacy. Even though gossip rting to him is very rare, buting and going will require him to conceal his face. Just thinking about this kind of life already made ZhouXiang thinks that it difficult to bear, not to mention for YanMingXiu, who has a very bad temper.

    The waiter took them to a secluded area and politely offered them the menu, ¡°Mr. Yan, please.¡±

    YanMingXiu seems toe here often as he familiarly selected a few dishes.

    After taking the order, the waiter went away. The two sat directly across from each other, both not knowing what to say. The atmosphere is very awkward.

    ZhouXiang unintentionally looked at YanMingXiu and was stunned by the depressive expression in his eyes.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s facial features did not change from before but the temperament of his entire person has changedpletely; from this bright and brave looking, arrogant and unyielding youngster to this introverted, coldly detached, and unsmiling young man.

    Only one person can make him change to such extent.

    Even though many things have changed with the passage of time, the two of them is actually sitting together again. But YanMingXiu could no longer recognize who he is. This scene seemed to change instantly and the dark and exquisite restaurant became ZhouXiang¡¯s old family home with the both of them sitting face to face at the table tasting the dishes that ZhouXiang cooked.

    At that time, YanMingXiu¡¯s smiles and his smiles...both of their smiles came from within their hearts.

    Looking at YanMingXiu, seeing this person who is now so unfamiliar to him, who he could no longer guess what is on his mind, and then thinking of his already ¡¯dead¡¯ self, he can only look at life through someone else¡¯s body. With this person (YanMingXiu) whom he had once been intimate with, now they are looking directly face to face, but no longer know each other. His inner pain and sorrow are like the torrents of the river¡¯s raging water, furiously flooding his heart.

    This moment is so painful that it is indescribable.

    People who have not experienced this can never understand how much sadness, regret and helplessness is in his heart.

    He desperately appeased himself in order to forcefully maintain calmness on the surface, even though his heart has already felt like it had been twisted with a knife.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s slender fingers tapped on the wooden table and said in a low voice, "Your name is ZhouXiang, is it also the Xiang from "fei xiang<sup>T/N</sup>"?

    T/N: ïwÏè ¨C fei xiang means to soar in the air, spreading wings and fly

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath with his lips shuddering a bit as he nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡± <i>Does he (YanMingXiu) still remember himself (ZhouXiang)?</i>

    YanMingXiu stared at him for a while, and then turned away, his half-lidded eyes concealing his emotions.

    (Yan¡¯s thoughts) <i>Does he look like him? Not alike? Even the back is a little simr. Why is he only interested in this person? When he is with him, he always has this odd feeling. It is as if something is pulling at his heart, making him follow this person closely. </i><i>Why is that? Besides having the same exact name as ZhouXiang, what else is there? Why is he hoping for this bit of pathetic constion?</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart tightened.

    <i>He is nowhere... nobody can be him.</i>

    ZhouXiang asked cautiously, ¡°President Yan, why did you want to invite me to dinner? I¡¯m a little embarrassed."

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t respond to his question. He didn¡¯t know how to respond. He just felt that there is something that he needed from this person but he didn¡¯t know what it is. He couldn¡¯t even exin this weird feeling to himself, how can he exin it to someone else?

    He thought of a question that he had wanted to ask all along, ¡°What is your rtionship with CaiWei?¡± When Xiao Jiang told him that CaiWei refused his request, he was very astonished. Originally, the coincidence of ZhouXiang working with CaiWei is enough to make him wonder. Now CaiWei¡¯s attitude is making him even more suspicious.

    ¡°Wei... I am Wei Ge¡¯s employee. Wei Ge takes great care of me.¡±

    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±

    ZhouXiang lowly muttered, ¡°Maybe because I have the same name as his buddy who has died."

    YanMingXiu mmed his fork on the china te, his neck stiffly moving, and his serenely deepened eyes probing him, ¡°You know about his (older ZhouXiang) matters?¡±

    ZhouXiang carefully pondered over every word he is going to say next, ¡°Wei Ge told me a bit.¡±

    ¡°CaiWei...what did he tell you?¡±

    ¡°Only said that he was filming in the mountains and had an ident and died...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead!!¡± YanMingXiu suddenly shouted lowly, shocking ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes suddenly became bloodshot as he red at ZhouXiang, ¡°Who told you that he died?¡±

    ZhouXiang is so shocked that he sweated profusely. <i>What does YanMingXiu really know?</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s attitude made him even more afraid to speak. He hesitated, ¡°The specifics... I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s what Wei Ge said.¡±

    YanMingXiu seems to be aware that he has lost self-control. He used a napkin to gracefully wipe his lips and tried to suppress his emotions, ¡°He¡¯s not dead. Go back and tell CaiWei not to speak utter nonsense."

    These words were not only a warning to CaiWei but also a warning for him. ZhouXiang could certainly understand its meaning. He wanted to ask YanMingXiu why he is so certain that he¡¯s not dead. He¡¯s so obviously and thoroughly dead... so thoroughly dead that his soul has taken on someone else¡¯s body. In this world, is there anyone else who can have more say with regards to his life and death than himself?

    But to say that he¡¯s not dead is indeed right. His soul is still alive.

    <i>But how can YanMingXiu be so sure?</i>

    He pondered over and over again but still did not ask. He was afraid of making YanMingXiu suspicious.

    YanMingXiu said faintly, ¡°ZhouXiang is not dead. He wille back one day. You should be d that you¡¯ve touched his light. Otherwise, why would CaiWei take special care of you?¡±

    That is also the truth. CaiWei is one that upholds the code of brotherhood but is not a fullypassionate Holy Mother. The only reason why CaiWei would help him for the most part is because CaiWei wanted to make himself feel better. Even though he never med CaiWei, CaiWei still felt guilty for his death.

    ZhouXiang glumly responded, ¡°President Yan is right.¡±

    Eating this meal is nd and vorless. No matter how delicious the food is, ZhouXiang can¡¯t taste it because his heart is suffering from unspeakable torment.

    Fortunately, YanMingXiu did not continue on with this topic. It seems that he was treating him as though he was transparent. YanMingXiu finished eating his own food and didn¡¯t utter another word.

    Remembering the countless meals they had eaten together, ZhouXiang never thought that one day they would have such a strangely bizarre meal together.

    ZhouXiang realized that his psychological defense is not strong enough. All these happy and sad memories still prated through these small cracks right into his heart, piercing him and riddling him with holes.

    It would be nice if he was really given more than two years¡¯ time, even if he was just lying in bed, it is enough for him to get rid of these huge, negative emotions. Unfortunately, although the world¡¯s clock has ticked passed two years, in his consciousness, he was still sleeping with this person in front of him just three months ago. He will get up early to prepare breakfast and then happily pull YanMingXiu out of bed to eat.

    Drastic change. In such a short time, he had experienced a drastic change.

    If time is a cure for everything, then the dose he took is obviously not enough.

    After the meal, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t appear to have the intention to take him home. ZhouXiang was even more eager to leave separately. The two of them left the restaurant and parted ways.

    ZhouXiang took out his cell phone and called CaiWei.

    He thought it was necessary to tell CaiWei about this (regarding the ad), but he had been so busy the entire day that he didn¡¯t even have the time to check his phone.

    CaiWei really didn¡¯t know anything about him going to film this ad with YanMingXiu. In President Wang¡¯s eyes, this is nothing that is worth informing CaiWei. When ZhouXiang told CaiWei about it, CaiWei was utterly astounded.

    ZhouXiang asked, ¡°Wei Ge, why didn¡¯t you want me toe?¡±

    CaiWei didn¡¯t want ZhouXiang to misunderstand so he exined, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to get more work, I just don¡¯t want you to get too close to YanMingXiu.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly voiced, ¡°Wei Ge, you must have your reasons for doing what you did. I have no other meaning, I¡¯m just curious.¡±

    CaiWei deeply heaved a sigh, ¡°With my buddy¡¯s ident, this surname Yan person needs to bear a huge part of the responsibility. I don¡¯t want to say more. In short, stay far away from him. He¡¯s nothing good.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Wei Ge, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll remember." Clearly, CaiWei has grudges toward YanMingXiu because of him. The reason why he was in an ident, indeed, is in part due to YanMingXiu.

    To say that he does not hate YanMingXiu is impossible. But since he has been reborn, there are many things that are more important than holding grudges. Not to mention that he didn¡¯t want to have any connection with YanMingXiu. Hate or not hate, what can be done?

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t tell CaiWei about YanMingXiu inviting him out to eat. Naturally, he didn¡¯t mention YanMingXiu¡¯s warning (about him speaking nonsense with regards to ZhouXiang¡¯s death). CaiWei is not a bbermouth. What¡¯s more, what YanMingXiu said is really baffling.

    However, since YanMingXiu is so determined that he is still alive, then the things in his home most likely have not been changed. And naturally, YanMingXiu will not initiate in getting his death certificate issued. He has no rtives in Beijing. If his death certificate is not issued, the Public Security Bureau can only treat this as a disappearance. He¡¯s afraid that his rtives who have the legal rights to manage his assets will never know that he had passed.

    Then the cash and bank cards left at home are likely still in the same ce. YanMingXiu simply would not be interested in these things. He must go back as soon as possible.

    ZhouXiang looked up Assistant Jiang¡¯s cell phone number. He nned to start with this assistant and get close to him to find out about YanMingXiu¡¯s recent itinerary. And then pick a time when YanMingXiu is away to go back home and take a look.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 49

    When Assistant Jiang received the call from ZhouXiang, he wasn¡¯t surprised. There are many people who wanted to get in contact with him. However, he dared not treat ZhouXiang like any others in randomly dismissing him. His big boss personally invited ZhouXiang for a meal. He has worked for YanMingXiu for over a year and has never seen him pay so much attention to one person. Who knows what his boss is thinking. He only knows that he can¡¯t offend ZhouXiang.

    The two of them chatted politely for a while. ZhouXiang used the excuse of wanting Assistant Jiang to introduce him to others as they continually chatted. In the end, he was able to sessfully get YanMingXiu¡¯s itinerary.

    ZhouXiang got a more precise time. YanMingXiu will be flying to Chongqing next Thursday. But it wasn¡¯t work rting to the entertainment circle but dealings with his own business.

    Most of the people in the entertainment circle called YanMingXiu "President Yan" because YanMingXiu is unlike most performing artists who are constantly called to participate in various types of programs or to participate in public activities. YanMingXiu has his ownpany. It fact, it was doing quite well.

    Besides filming or advertising, YanMingXiu literally does not participate in any social activities. He didn¡¯t seem to care about his exposure rate just as long as he has works from time to time to ensure that the public will not forget him.

    ording to Assistant Jiang, YanMingXiu would not be able to return till at least Sunday with this meeting in Chongqing.

    ZhouXiang decided not to hesitate any further. He will take action on Thursday night.

    After dinner on Thursday night, ZhouXiang watched TV with ChenYing as usual. Shortly after 10pm, he used the excuse that he was meeting a friend to go out. He had initially nned on going out in the middle of the night and not tell ChenYing but he came to realize that ChenYing is a very light sleeper. It would be much more troublesome if she found out.

    He prepared a series of things: a hat, sunsses, mask, shlights, pliers, etc. With all this tools, definitely no one would think that he¡¯s actually going back to ¡°his own home¡± but instead would think of him intending to steal.

    ZhouXiang also felt pitiful and ridiculous. He had to go back to his own home to get his hard-earned money. But in order to do so, he needed to ¡°steal¡± it. There is no other way. If he was caught looking like this, he certainly would be considered a thief.

    He got to the corridor of his own neighborhood and waited for a while to give himself the courage. After confirming no one was around, he quickly pulled out the spare key from the fire box and shuddered while using it to open the door¡¯s lock.

    He looked for a long time standing outside the door. There was not a bit of light within. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone but he was still so nervous that he was trembling all over.

    The security door to his condo was the same as before. It is not so easy to open. Even after the key is inserted, he needed to hold the door handle up to make the key fit perfectly with the keyhole. The sound of the gear rotation is especially loud in the middle of the night, gently pounding at ZhouXiang¡¯s heart.

    The door opened!

    ZhouXiang looked around again. He quickly turned the door handle to the wooden door inside and walked into the condo, quietly closing the door.

    The condo was filled with a muggy dusty smell. ZhouXiang immediatelye to realize that no one hade to this condo for some time. In this season, if the windows are not opened for several days, there will be this kind of stifling smell. It seems that YanMingXiu does not live here.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to turn on the light. Instead, he turned on his shlight and scanned the room. The light of the shlight and the glimmering moon enabled him to see his home once again.

    Everything looked exactly as it did from his memory. There is not a bit of change. It seems like the passage of two years is all an illusion. He had only left for three months and has returned. His home, this ce that has been with him from birth has been kept just as it was, waiting for him to return.

    In this condo, his memories are everywhere. He and his parents, him and YanMingXiu, his 30 years of life stories have all but concentrated in this old condo, so much that that every old wall is sprinkle with the taste of memories.

    ZhouXiang felt pain. He had an urge of wanting to cry.

    How much he hoped to be able to just appear here for the mere reason of ing home¡¯ as he had done countless times in the past instead of only temporarily staying like a thief?

    ZhouXiang sniffed his nose and didn¡¯t dare to think more. Although YanMingXiu is in another city, he still didn¡¯t dare to stay here for too long. This is likely what¡¯s called a person¡¯s guilty conscience.

    He wrapped the stic bag on his shoes and gently walked in. The shlight shed through the dust on the shoe cab. It wasn¡¯t thick, just a thinyer of dust, which proves that there are people who came to clean from time to time. Maybe YanMingXiu still felt a bit of their former affections toward him so would asionally have peoplee to clean it. That way the condo is not abandoned.

    He walked through the familiar small porch straight into his bedroom where he put his cash.

    He had a habit of putting spare cash in the bedside table. It wasn¡¯t much, just four to five thousand yuan which was still better than his monthly sry. He was ready to take the cash and go back to the living room to get his bank card.

    When he got into the bedroom, it looked just the same as before... even the bedding was the one he bought with YanMingXiu. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but walked over and touched the neatly folded silk nket, that soft and smooth feel. ZhouXiang could even remember thatfortable feeling on his bare skin, especially when YanMingXiu turned over and wrapped the both of them with the nket.

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly as he gently put the corners of the nket back in ce. He quickly opened the bedside table. Sure enough, the money that he casually threw in there was still there.

    ZhouXiang had a pretty good life before. Four to five thousand was not a lot of money to him. At that time, he was able to untingly casually drive his car, take a boy that he had just met for a meal and gift him little presents. There was hardly any worries in his life until he met YanMingXiu.

    But now, even if it is £¤4 to £¤5, he will save it. In order to save the bus fare money, ChenYing will walk half an hour home in the zing hot sun holding a bunch of groceries. ZhouXiang is also forced to change his habit of buying things without looking at prices. Instead, he¡¯d diligently tried to save all the money he could.

    This £¤4,000 to £¤5,000 is already a pleasant surprise for ZhouXiang.

    He quickly put the money into his pocket and then returned to the living room. But what he didn¡¯t expect was that the shlight would malfunction. The light shed a few times and then stopped working. ZhouXiang was angrily annoyed. He could only use the light on his cell phone to get his bank card from the closet. The cell phone¡¯s light would always turn dark after a short while so it was frustrating hard for ZhouXiang.

    When he went to GuangXi, he only brought a card for emergency use. In fact, following the crew, they were responsible for providing the meals. Adding on, there was no ce to spend money in the mountains so he actually brought too much. He couldn¡¯t remember how much was on the card, it certainly wasn¡¯t much. The card with more money is ce in the drawer. There were pile of his bills in the drawer, including documents and passbooks, etc. even his parents¡¯ marriage certificate were in there.

    Just as he turned around, he sensitively heard the security door¡¯s lock turning.

    All the fine hairs on ZhouXiang¡¯s body stood upright.

    <i>Is there someone? YanMingXiu? That¡¯s impossible! Isn¡¯t he in Chongqing! How could he be so unlucky as to be openly caught like this!</i>

    If YanMingXiu sees him here, how would he be able to exin this? Even with ten heads, he didn¡¯t know how to exin it!

    In his moment of desperation, ZhouXiang was atplete loss on what to. He grabbed a few things like his bank card and stuffed into his pocket. Then, he quickly closed the drawer. Panicking, he nned on sneaking into the study room to hide but didn¡¯t expect to have a little mishap as he was rushing. His tripped over the small stool near his foot and fell onto the ground with a loud thump.

    The front door was opened and the shadow of a tall figure appeared at the door, yelling, "Whose there?!¡±

    End of the chapter

    T/N: Yikes.. think that is a cliffhanger there.... sorry, but have to end it there! ??

 Chapter 50

    When ZhouXiang heard that voice, all the fine hairs on his body stood up....<i>How could it be him?!</i>

    He immediately remembered that besides him and YanMingXiu, there was one other person who knew where he put the spare key. At the time, this person had a very good rtionship with him and went to his home almost every day. LanXiRong!

    One time ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t at home and couldn¡¯t leave but LanXiRong hade to his ce so ZhouXiang told him the location of the spare key. After all, at the time he trusted LanXiRong and there was nothing valuable at home. That was the only time. Ever since then, every time LanXiRong came over, he was always home so he had long since forgotten about this.

    It wasn¡¯t until the encounter with LanXiRong at this strange time that he suddenly remembered.

    <i>What to do?!!</i>

    LanXiRong quickly turned on the lights in the living room. His first reaction was that there is a thief. Sure enough, a man wearing a cap, sunsses and a mask with his face tightly concealed fell onto the ground. As he tumbled, several bills and hundred yuan bills fell out of his pocket.

    LanXiRong angrily shouted, ¡°You fucking dare to steal things here!¡± He hastily rushed up in a step, not even giving ZhouXiang a chance to react as he stepped on ZhouXiang¡¯s calf.

    ZhouXiang smothered his groans. It was so painful he almost cried out.

    LanXiRong bent over and was going to capture him. ZhouXiang remembered there was a potted nt behind him, so he reached behind and grabbed a handful of soil from the potted nt and didn¡¯t hesitate to throw it toward LanXiRong¡¯s face.

    LanXiRong was caught unprepared and couldn¡¯t open his eyes for a moment.

    ZhouXiang took the opportunity to bolt up from the ground and kicked LanXiRong to the ground, then with big step jumped over him and fled out the door.

    The soil went into LanXiRong¡¯s eyes so tears gushed out. He forcefully turned his head and sees the thief¡¯s back as he fled out the door. His legs slightly nted, but that figure, LanXiRong faintly felt that he had seen it somewhere.

    ZhouXiang ran out of the neighborhood. When he ran down the stairs, he faintly saw that several of his neighbors had turned on their lights. They were likely awakened from the shouting andmotions.

    As he ran, he removed the things from his face and threw it into the trash can. These were things he brought to disguise himself as he got near the neighborhood. At this time, most of the people in the neighborhood are sleeping, but there are still people on the main street. These things would easily make people suspicious.

    He ran out hundreds of meters away. It was only when he saw that LanXiRong didn¡¯t catch up that he finally felt relieved.

    His heart were in leaps and bounds, as if it is about to jump out of his body. ZhouXiang has never been so nervously tensed his entire life. He can¡¯t imagine how he could exin this if he was caught by LanXiRong. <i>Confess to him?</i>

    When ZhouXiang thought of this possibility, his heart beat even faster. <i>Perhaps, LanXiRong can ept his identity?</i>

    No, he can¡¯t hold on to this kind of wishful thinking. The reason why ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to let anyone know, for the most part is to protect himself. This kind of outrageous thing, once it is discovered by others, the impact it could bring him ispletely unpredictable. Even though he still trusts CaiWei and LanXiRong, he still does not dare to take these risks.

    ZhouXiang hid in the corner for a long time. He is now half a kilometer away from the neighborhood. But because he was hidden directly in front of the neighborhood, he could clearly see the neighborhood¡¯s gate. He originally nned to return home quickly, but he suddenly wanted to see if LanXiRong would call the police.

    After waiting for about half an hour, the police car still didn¡¯te. LanXiRong also didn¡¯te out. It appears as though he didn¡¯t call the police.

    Suddenly, an Audi Q7 drove past the street next to him. He casually looked. Despite the dim lights and a few other cars on the street, ZhouXiang could still see the license te number at a nce.

    <i>That is CaiWei¡¯s car!</i>

    ZhouXiang watched as CaiWei¡¯s car turned into the neighborhood. He is utterly shocked. He knew his n haspletely failed.

    LanXiRong didn¡¯t know why he suddenly came to ZhouXiang¡¯s home but he was obviously shocked running into a thief inside. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know how to deal with it so he called CaiWei.

    No matter how much they discussed on how to handle this, there would still be traces left. In the end, YanMingXiu will still surely know about this.

    YanMingXiu will definitely be more strictly guarded in the future. At the very least, he would change the door¡¯s locks. It would be impossible for him to go back to his home again.

    ZhouXiang quickly pulled out his pocket to check the bunch of cards that he had quickly stuffed into his pocket.

    There were medical insurance cards, VIP cards from the clothing stores, hotel discount cards, etc. In the pile of cards, ZhouXiang finally found his ICBC card. To his disappointment, he remembered that this card is not the one that had most of his money. There might only be four to five thousand in this card.

    Moreover, after such a trouble, he didn¡¯t dare use this card. Just in case that after much discussion, the two people would report the card loss to the police. He knew that the banking system is connected to thework so if the card is really registered as loss, he would walk right into the trap when he goes and withdraw the money.

    He put the cards back into his pocket and subconsciously patted the cash in his pocket, hoping that it can be a bit of afort to himself.

    Although this time isn¡¯t considered as not having achieved anything, the loss is far more than what he had obtained. This made him feel extremely pained.

    In this world, what is more unlucky than being able to see your own money but can¡¯t use it...seeing your own home, but can¡¯t live in it?

    ZhouXiang looked at the time and saw that it was already veryte so he could only return home. He nned to go to thepany tomorrow to see if he can inadvertently get any information from CaiWei regarding the incident today. CaiWei is not on guard with him so he may tell him.

    Early the next morning, just when ZhouXiang got into thepany¡¯s door. Ah Liu immediately saw him and grabbed him, ¡°ZhouXiang, are you nning on looking for Wei Ge?¡±

    Everyone in thepany knows that ZhouXiang and CaiWei have a good rtionship. If he wasn¡¯t out for work, he would often look for CaiWei.

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Yeah, why?¡±

    Ah Liu lowered his voice, ¡°Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t go right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang also unconsciously lowered his voice and creased his brows, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Young Master Yan is here. LanXiRong is also here. They¡¯re arguing right now. What are you going to do going in there now, be a cannon fodder?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart thumped, ¡°YanMingXiu? YanMingXiu came?¡±

    Ah Liu has gotten to know ZhouXiang for a while and the two have be familiar with each other. Ah Liu told him without hesitation, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve just entered thepany. You may not know. It¡¯s been told that YanMingXiu and LanXiRong don¡¯t get along. They have fought before in thepany. Not sure why. Anyway, after YanMingXiu entered the entertainment circle, LanXiRong went abroad, mainly to develop abroad. It¡¯s likely that he wanted to avoid him (YanMingXiu). Don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on today but YanMingXiu suddenly came to thepany to look for LanXiRong and CaiWei. He caused a bigmotion; just don¡¯t know if they fought already." Ah Liu shook his head, although his tone seems to be very concerned but his face clearly showed that he¡¯s gossiping.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be troublesome if there really was a fight? Nobody told President Wang?¡± ZhouXiang merely wanted to test the waters. It would really be troublesome to tell President Wang.

    Ah Liu blinked, ¡°Who would dare? Even Wei Ge himself didn¡¯t call (President Wang), who would dare call? Isn¡¯t that looking for a scolding? In short, just don¡¯t go in there. Everyone just pretend like we don¡¯t know, after all, it¡¯s none of our business anyway.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded and patted his chubby arm, ¡°I know, I¡¯m gonna go take a smoke.¡±

    ZhouXiang got rid of Ah Liu and snuck toward the direction of CaiWei¡¯s office.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 51

    <strong>[In CaiWei¡¯s Office]</strong>

    "Surname Lan, aren¡¯t you being shameless? If it wasn¡¯t for giving face to ZhouXiang, there wouldn¡¯t be a ce for you here." YanMingXiu¡¯s face is unsightly as he red at LanXiRong.

    Not to be outdone, LanXiRong sneered, ¡°I know that your Yan family is powerful and influential but isn¡¯t abroad too far for your family to reach? You don¡¯t have to use this to threaten me. I don¡¯t depend on you for a living. What do you mean by giving face to Xiang Ge? You¡¯re just feeling guilty. If it wasn¡¯t for you, Xiang Ge wouldn¡¯t have died!¡±

    YanMingXiu shouted angrily, ¡°You fucking talk more shit, I¡¯ll tear your mouth! ZhouXiang is not dead. Without seeing his body, he must still be alive! You bastard actually stormed into our home. What shit talk with this thiefing into the condo, that thief is you!¡±

    He got the call from CaiWei in the middle of the night. CaiWei informed him that a thief had gone in and burrized ZhouXiang¡¯s home and that he shoulde back to deal with it.

    After ZhouXiang¡¯s ident, the key to the condo had always been in YanMingXiu¡¯s hands. YanMingXiu did not allow anyone to move any of ZhouXiang¡¯s things. It¡¯s as if ZhouXiang wille back some day. He¡¯ll go back from time to time. Sometimes he¡¯ll stay for a while, sometimes for a few days. Whenever he felt that he could get over it and move on, he would leave.

    To him, this is a home that can¡¯t be vited in any manner. It is the ce that holds all of his and ZhouXiang¡¯s memories, belonging only to the two of them. Not to mention a thief, even if CaiWei and LanXiRong were to step into this ce, he wanted to kill them.

    CaiWei knew that YanMingXiu had possession to all of ZhouXiang¡¯s things. When LanXiRong called him toe to the condo, the two discussed for a long time on how to handle this matter. LanXiRong wanted to report it to the police, not wanting to inform YanMingXiu. He never agreed to YanMingXiu having the rights to this condo anyway. However, after repeated considerations, CaiWei first notified YanMingXiu. If they were to inform the police and this matter got out of hand, YanMingXiu would still find out. Not only that, but exposing either one of them would have enough gossip to feed the media for three months. If they really reported to the police, how is this going to end? CaiWei didn¡¯t just have to consider the pressure from YanMingXiu but also LanXiRong¡¯s image.

    In the end, YanMingXiu quickly rushed back to Beijing that night. CaiWei knew that he would rush back. Although he hated YanMingXiu, he didn¡¯t dare to offend him. LanXiRong has a bit of the ignorance of a newborn calf. He was not afraid of tigers. For one, he¡¯s young. For two, his career is centralized in Europe and America. It would not be easy for YanMingXiu to mess with him so he¡¯s not afraid. In addition, LanXiRong had always med YanMingXiu for ZhouXiang¡¯s death. It is already good enough that LanXiRong didn¡¯t pounce on YanMingXiu upon seeing him, not to mention giving him face.

    CaiWei could only be the mediator between the two. He shouted, ¡°This meeting is to exchange information and think of a way to catch the thief so that we could get ZhouXiang¡¯s thi... things back. What the fuck can you guys get out of continuing to argue!?"

    After he finished shouting, the two of them calmed down a bit.

    YanMingXiu sat back down on the sofa with his head lowered and his shoulders shuddering a bit.

    LanXiRong took a few big breaths, ¡°Call the police, we won¡¯t reveal ourselves. Wei Ge, you do it. This neighborhood is too old. There is probably no surveince. But outside the neighborhood is a street, so there must be surveince at the intersections. Maybe he was captured."

    CaiWei looked at YanMingXiu and asked, ¡°Have you checked ZhouXiang¡¯s things? What¡¯s missing?¡±

    ¡°The money in the bedside table and a few of his cards.¡±

    CaiWei furrowed his brows, "Taking the cash is reasonable but why take the cards? It¡¯s not like he can withdraw the money.¡±

    LanXiRong responded, "I¡¯m guessing that he wanted to get all the cash from the drawer but panicked when I opened the door so he just quickly grabbed whatever he could. When I got into the room, he was so shocked that he tripped onto something and fell.¡±

    YanMingXiu coldly uttered, ¡°Can¡¯t even catch a thief that tripped. Fucking useless.¡±

    Disregarding his image, LanXiRong threw out a curse. He also felt somewhat stupid but still refuse to show his weakness, ¡°Taking Xiang Ge¡¯s things and not letting it go, now you can¡¯t even prevent a thief, you¡¯re the one that¡¯s fucking useless."

    CaiWei heaved a sigh, "Enough, let¡¯s talk about something serious. This matter has to be handed over to the police but can¡¯t be publicized. President Yan, you can handle this matter. Find someone reliable. You also don¡¯t want to be exposed."

    YanMingXiu nodded, seemingly agreeing.

    ¡°XiRong, you are the only person who has seen this thief. Later, you¡¯ll have to give the police information about this person¡¯s appearance. You¡¯re right. In these times, there are surveince cameras in most intersections. He must seem particrly conspicuous as he was running away, maybe it was captured."

    LanXiRong ¡¯hmm¡¯, he tried to recall the back of this person. For a moment, he felt that he has really seen that back from somewhere but he had no clue from where. Or it could be a figment of his own imagination; he was just confused so he didn¡¯t say it out.

    When ZhouXiang quietly walked closely to the door to CaiWei¡¯s office, it just happened that they were inside discussing about reporting this incident to the police and also mentioned the surveince cameras at the intersections.

    ZhouXiang got so petrified that he started to sweat profusely. He didn¡¯t even think about that at all.

    However, when he ran out of the neighborhood, he was still wearing his disguise. Adding on, he was wearing clothes that were newly bought so even if he was captured by the surveince, it¡¯s likely that he won¡¯t be recognized. He had made preparations prior to going for the reason that he might encounter an unexpected situation. Based on what he learned from police films, he did a little bit of things to misguide the investigator. He believed that finding a person in a haystack is absolutely difficult, so he was not particrly worried about being caught by the police.

    What he is more worried about is that he really can¡¯t go back to his home anymore, even if it was just to take a look.

    ZhouXiang is afraid that he would be seen leaning on the door trying to hear so after standing for a while, he left and waited in the office area.

    After a while, he saw YanMingXiu left in rage. He waited for a long time. Then he also saw LanXiRong leaving gloomily.

    ZhouXiang got up and went to find CaiWei.

    Once CaiWei saw him, he thought of ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ again. He shook his head and sighed.

    ZhouXiang asked, ¡°Wei Ge, what happened?¡±

    CaiWei blew out a ring of cigarette smoke, ¡°ZhouXiang, I shouldn¡¯t tell you this, but I am so upset. I treat you as my people, so you can¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wei Ge, my mouth is sealed.¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang¡¯s home was burrized.¡±

    ZhouXiang pretended to be surprised, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Since ZhouXiang¡¯s ident till now, his body fell somewhere in the deep valleys of XiWan Mountain and couldn¡¯t be found. So this could only be handled as a case of disappearance. His condo has been kept. He and YanMingXiu were once a couple so the key to the condo is also in YanMingXiu¡¯s hands. But for whatever reasonsst night, XiRong drove by ZhouXiang¡¯s neighborhood wanting to go in and take a look. I¡¯ve told you, before LanXiRong became famous; he and ZhouXiang¡¯s rtionship were very close. He knew where the spare key was so he used it to open the door to go in. What happened was that he ran directly into the thief rummaging through things. You say... isn¡¯t this such a coincidence? On a day when YanMingXiu is in another city and XiRong just happened to passed by, the thief came on this day. How could there be such a coincidence in this world? Maybe God also feels remorseful toward my buddy so wanted to help keep the things that he left behind.¡±

    ZhouXiang also felt that this is too much of a coincidence. He didn¡¯t go the day before or the day after. LanXiRong also didn¡¯t go before or after, but both went at a time when they would have a confrontation. Sometimes he felt that something like fate seems to have an invisible hand that is really controlling their lives, making it impossible to resist.

    ZhouXiang lowly muttered, ¡°Then what are you guys going to do?¡±

    ¡°Will leave it to YanMingXiu to deal with it. After all, the two were indeed a couple before. Actually, XiRong...¡± CaiWei could tell that LanXiRong likes ZhouXiang, but he immediately realized that it was inappropriate to tell ZhouXiang this so didn¡¯t say it. "Maybe he¡¯ll have to get a professional to look into this. This can¡¯t be tantly reported to the police. The things ZhouXiang left behind have been decreasing bit by bit, aiiiigh.....¡±

    Hearing CaiWei say it in such a way, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t feel that the police would be able to trace it to him but he still has a trace of tension. After all, he had been aw-abiding citizen for more than 30 years. As things have reached to this stage, going back to his condo to take his things already made him feel guilty.

    He could no longer return home. Although he was thorough in his nning, thinking that he might forget as he¡¯s leaving in a hurry, he put the spare key back in its original ce after opening the door. The police may not be able to know that he opened the door using the key. After all, powerful locksmiths and thieves can now open the door without breaking the lock. But after this time, YanMingXiu will surely change the lock.

    CaiWei inhaled a breadth of smoke and snuffed the cigarette butt. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this, why are you looking for me?¡±

    ZhouXiang immediately responded, ¡°It¡¯s nothing major. I just wanted to let you know that I¡¯ve received the money for thest advertisement. That was very fast.¡±

    "Yeah, thepany is operating well, no reason to drag it. Oh right, the ad that you did with YanMingXiu. The funds are in and will be transferred to you within these two days."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±

    CaiWei nced at him oddly, ¡°YanMingXiu really didn¡¯t talk to you that day or interact with you?¡±

    ¡°Almost none. There were more than a dozen people filming this ad together. The entire time I was practicing with the other supporting roles.¡±

    CaiWei pondered over it, "Could it be that he really called you over because you were just suitable for the ad?" <i>Then how to exin the fact that he called directly to President Wang¡¯s home? Such a small supporting role, not even revealing the face, who can¡¯t do it? Why bother in having to owe President Wang a favor by insisting on ZhouXiang for this ad? Is it merely because they have the same name?</i>

    ZhouXiang smiled inadvertently, ¡°Wei Ge, you¡¯re definitely thinking too much. After I got there that day, I realized that that those people¡¯s figure is simr to mine. Since they will be shooting the ad the day after tomorrow, they¡¯re definitely in a rush to find someone with simr figure, pursing perfection. Otherwise, why would someone like YanMingXiu pay special attention to me? "

    CaiWei nodded, reluctantly epting this exnation. <i>What is YanMingXiu really thinking?</i> His head could explode from thinking and he still won¡¯t be able to guess correctly, so he might as well not even try to guess.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his hands ¡°Wei Ge, is there any other work for me?¡±

    CaiWei smiled, ¡°You really can¡¯t stand to be idle. Don¡¯t just risk your life to work so hard for money. Did you even restst week? You¡¯ve only been out of the hospital for a few months, keeping yourself healthy is earning money. Don¡¯t ruin your health just for money."

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wei Ge, I have been lying in bed for two years. My entire body feels alright. I just want to work right now.¡±

    CaiWei voiced, "How much do you still owe?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still that amount. I just paid back a few thousands in the past few days. I want to save some money and rent a different apartment. The current environment is very bad.¡±

    CaiWei responded, ¡°Take it slowly. You¡¯re still young. As long as you are here and healthy, there is nothing that is too big of a problem.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    He ate lunch at thepany and then went with Ah Liu to bring a bunch of rental crops to the studio. While sitting in the car, ZhouXiang was very sleepy. Suddenly, he awakened from the sound of his phone.

    He took it out and looked. It was a text message from a strange number.

    The text message was, "Are you done considering it? Time waits for no one."

    ZhouXiang pondered for a long time and was a bit worried as he looked at this strange number. Searching through his phone log, he found that this number had called himst month. ZhouXiang carefully recalled that day. Then it dawned on him that it was from Zhang Jie who had wanted to recruit him to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even think and immediately deleted the text. For him to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman again, this is even more upsetting than getting pped. If he got this new life only to continue to be WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman, it would have been better for him to bepletely dead.

    After taking the props to the studio, ZhouXiang rounded up a bunch of people to start the instation. They worked frantically the entire time in the zing hot sunlight.

    At three o¡¯clock in the afternoon, ZhouXiang suddenly got a call from his mom. He wiped his sweat and hid in the shade to answer the call, ¡°Hello, Mom.¡±

    The voice that came through from the other line was not his mom¡¯s voice but an unfamiliar man, ¡°Hi, are you ZhouXiang?¡±

    ¡°I am. You are?¡±

    ¡°I am the manager of Daxie Home Economics Service Company. Is ChenYing your mother?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart suddenly jumped. "Yes, what¡¯s wrong with my mom?"

    ¡°ChenYing suddenly fainted during the training. She¡¯s resting here right now. Come over and take her home.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart sank. After he hung up the phone, he immediately went tell Ah Liu the situation. Ah Liu had a good rtionship with him. He immediately tells him, ¡°I¡¯ll lend you my car. Hurry and go.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly responded, ¡°Thank you buddy but I don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license. You helping me finish up here is already the greatest help for me. Sorry for this unexpected situation. If there¡¯s time, I¡¯ll definitely be back."

    Ah Liu patted him. ¡°Hurry up and go, don¡¯t have toe back.¡±

    After ZhouXiang ran out of the studio, he remembered that this is the suburbs and there are very few cars passing by. He anxiously ran along the street for a long time before finding an unofficial taxi. At this time, he didn¡¯t bother to ask the driver what the cost would be as he jumped in and headed to the city.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 52

    ¡°It would take a few days for the exam results toe out. You should take your mother home but ording to my years of experience in medical practice, this must be an ailment with the kidney¡¯s function.¡± The doctor pushed his sses and handed a list of prescription to ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand trembled a bit as he lowly asked, ¡°Doctor, could it be cancer?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic. This can¡¯t be determined at the moment. Not until the results are out. After it¡¯s out, I advise you take it to a big hospital for a more thorough review. But as her son, you alsockedmon sense. Can¡¯t you see that your mother¡¯s expression is very bad? A person of her age would have somewhat of a yellow tinted skin but it will not be this yellow. This is not normal. It is sickly."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s head lowered. He felt as if an invisible big stone is pressing on his shoulders, so heavy that he couldn¡¯t even lift his head.

    <i>How could this be?</i>

    Kidney function disease? What could it be? Kidney inmmation? Uremia? Diabetes? Kidney failure? Kidney cancer? ZhouXiang¡¯s understanding of kidney diseases are just a few, but each one made him endlessly petrified and worried.

    ChenYing lost her husband in her middle age and in her old age have a son thatid in the hospital bed for two years in a vegetative state. Her strength is merely motivated by her son whom she didn¡¯t know whether or not would wake up. But now that her son had awakened, she had also crumbled.

    Moreover, she would never know that her son¡¯s body lives another person¡¯s soul. Although this is not by ZhouXiang¡¯s choice, he still felt guilt and heartache toward ChenYing so he would never let ChenYing know that her son is gone. After his awakening, he was confused with many things but there is one thing that he is certain of and that is no matter how harsh and difficult life may be, he would always continue to y the role of ChenYing¡¯s son, until the day one of them dies.

    He never thought that ChenYing might not have the time to enjoy their new lives after paying off the debts. She might even be leaving this mundane world with regrets and unwillingness.

    When ZhouXiang thought of this, his heart felt such indescribable intense pain.

    <i>This woman is too pitiful. Why does she have to endure this</i>? ZhouXiang clutched the medical record tightly, his body shivered lightly.

    The doctor patted him on the shoulder, ¡°I said, don¡¯t be so pessimistic. Maybe things aren¡¯t as serious as you think. Go back first, ah.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and then slowly breathed out. He wiped his face and stood up, ¡°Doctor, thank you, I wille again the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Leaving this room and going back to see ChenYing, he must be the son that could hold up the sky for this woman.

    After fluid transfusion, ChenYing had regained consciousness. The doctor did not request that she stay in the hospital. She was apanied by a friend that she met in the caretaking training course. They were waiting in the rest area for ZhouXiang. When she saw ZhouXiang, it was like she saw her life-saving straw, her dark gloomy pupils shing out rays of glistening lights.

    ZhouXiang quickly came over and supported her arm, ¡°Mom, how are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Slept for a while. I¡¯m much better now.¡±

    The auntie next to him asked nervously, ¡°Xiao Zhou, how is she?¡±

    ¡°The doctor said that the results will be out the day after tomorrow and tells us to go home first and wait.¡±

    ChenYing pressed her hand on her chest and trembled, ¡°Ah Xiang, what if I......¡±

    ¡°Mom.¡± ZhouXiang interrupted her. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t think too much. The results aren¡¯t out yet. Maybe it¡¯s just ordinary kidney inmmation.¡± ZhouXiang looked at ChenYing¡¯s yellow pigmented skin. The doctor¡¯s words lingered in his ears. He faintly felt that it is not as simple as kidney inmmation.

    At this time, ChenYing didn¡¯t know what to think. Hearing ZhouXiang say it in such a way, despite her anxiousness, she tried to suppress it. She didn¡¯t want ZhouXiang to be worried seeing her like this.

    ZhouXiang thank the auntie who apanied them to hospital and then took ChenYing home.

    They hailed for a taxi but ChenYing was not willing get in until ZhouXiang pushed her in.

    After arriving home, ZhouXiang said to ChenYing, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t go to any training in the future. Just rest at home. You¡¯ve been worried about making money for so many years, now it¡¯s my turn."

    ChenYing couldn¡¯t help but cry, ¡°Ah Xiang, why is it that our lives are so hard?¡±

    ZhouXiang patted her back gently and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not hard, we are both good now. What can be so difficult? It¡¯s only the issue with money. My ie will get better and better. Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. Just take care of your illness.¡±

    ChenYing held her son and cried intermittently. If she didn¡¯t have this son by her side, she would have already died. She didn¡¯t think that God could be so cruel. She thought that once her son awakened, her hardships woulde to an end. Not expecting that just when ZhouXiang recovered, she would get sick. She actually felt that her body was getting worse and worse but she had been enduring without saying anything. It¡¯s her own body so she knew that this is definitely not just an ordinary kidney inmmation. Toward the future, she is full of fear and resentment.

    ZhouXiang coaxed ChenYing for a long time before she could fall asleep. Seeing ChenYing¡¯s abnormally tinted yellow face with her brows still creasing in her sleep, ZhouXiang felt such unbearable pain in his heart that can¡¯t be described.

    No matter what illness ChenYing has, it is certain they will need to spend money. ChenYing can¡¯t go to work like this and he¡¯d probably have to hire someone to take care of her. How much is all this going to cost? Just thinking about this, ZhouXiang could see that his path going forward is turning bleak and depressing.

    From his rebirth to the present, there is not a day that he didn¡¯t have to worry about money. This has never happened in his previous life. Feeling that he is not at all like the previous ZhouXiang, this economic pressure is so overwhelming that he couldn¡¯t even breathe. His optimistic personality of the past is not something that he could afford at this moment.

    He is now just a poor man working hard to make a living.

    ZhouXiang thought of the text message from Zhang Jie.

    What conditions does he have to be proud? To pick and choose? To have a job that makes money, he should have no hesitation in epting. What capital does he have to be picky on whose stuntman he is for?

    When a man is poor, he should have low expectations <sup>(t/n)</sup>. ZhouXiang is now fully aware of the meaning of this sentence.

    T/N:ÈË¸FÖ¾¶Ì: idiom means when a man is poor, his ambition is not far-reaching; poor with low expectations.

    Just this morning, he had despised taking on this proposal (to be to WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman). But now, he knows that he must seize every opportunity in his hands to make money. It is not clear what kind of illness ChenYing has, but it is certain that they would need money.

    After ChenYing fell asleep, ZhouXiang called CaiWei.

    CaiWei quickly picked up, ¡°I¡¯ve just finished being busy and was just going to give you a call. Ah Liu said that Auntie Chen fainted? Did you guys go to the hospital? How is her condition?¡±

    CaiWei asked a series of questions in a row. ZhouXiang felt a migraineing as he somberly responded, ¡°Still don¡¯t know yet. She had an examination today. The doctor said to go back to the hospital the day after tomorrow to get the results.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be...anything serious right?¡± CaiWei is heavyheartedly anxious.

    ZhouXiang heaved a sighed, ¡°Not sure right now, Wei Ge. I¡¯m calling you for another thing.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I recently met a big sister, surnamed Zhang, from the samepany as WangYuDong. She wanted to rmend me as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman. I wanted to let you know.¡± No matter what happens, he can¡¯t ept private jobs behind CaiWei¡¯s back. This would sabotage CaiWei¡¯s trust in him.

    CaiWei didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. After a while, as if he had regained his senses, he asked, "You say....who?¡±

    "WangYuDong," ZhouXiang knew what CaiWei is thinking. Even he felt that this is hard to believe. He had clearly changed to apletely different identity but still, he seems to be taking the same old path.

    When he first entered the martial arts stuntman world, he could only get minor roles. Until one time he became WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman. At that time, WangYuDong had also just debuted, but because there was huge financial backing, he was thepany¡¯s targeted object to promote. So right when he debuted, he yed the lead actor of a martial arts film. When they were looking for ZhouXiang to be the stuntman, in order to mold WangYuDong¡¯s divine wholesome image, they made an agreement to pay him double the fee but ZhouXiang¡¯s name will not appear in the film¡¯s credits. The film was promoted as if all the scenes were done solely by WangYuDong himself. At the time, ZhouXiang was also a neer. Without foresight, he agreed without hesitation. Later, he regretted it tremendously because the film became a huge hit. There were several martial arts scenes in the film and most were done by him. The scenes that were arranged by the martial arts coordinator, the shooting skills of the filmographer and theter production; overall the effect in the film was remarkably superb. Those scenes were gorgeous and beautiful. One of the scenes was even deemed as ssic. If ZhouXiang had insisted on having his name shown on the film¡¯s credit, just from the reputation and poprity of the film, he would¡¯ve gotten some of the limelight and likely wouldn¡¯t have been underrated having to struggle for the few years after. Unfortunately, he had already signed the contract. Even though the people that knew about this in the entertainment circle is not many, it¡¯s not something that he could expose to the public.

    However,ter even after WangYuDong got famous, he continued to look for him to be his stuntman. Both him and CaiWei didn¡¯t agree to have his name removed but WangYuDong didn¡¯t care too much. The two continued to cooperate. So, he also rode along the waves of WangYuDong¡¯s poprity. It could be said that by being beside WangYuDong, he got a lot of opportunities. The WangYuDong at that time could not bepared to the WangYuDong now. He was already able to bring him a lot of benefits. Right now ZhouXiang is indeed short of money, under theck of connections, if it wasn¡¯t because of the bad experiences from the past, he would not have refused.

    Although he deeply hated having anything to do with WangYuDong again, the reality is that there is a sword on top his head, forcing him to make a decision.

    CaiWei deeply sighed on the other line and lowly muttered, ¡°What life is this? How could this be......?.¡±

    ZhouXiang pretended to be confused, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? That ZhouXiang also use to be a stuntman for WangYuDong. As a matter of fact, the two have worked together on several films. He was almost the predominate recement for WangYuDong.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowly muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve heard it from others.¡±

    CaiWei added, ¡°Ah Xiang, this matter. I advise you not to go.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because that buddy of mine had a very unpleasant experience with WangYuDong over something in the end. Do you think that WangYuDong could ept another person with the name "ZhouXiang" as his stuntman? No matter how you put it, it¡¯ll be awkward.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°Wei Ge. My situation right now, as long as there is a way to make money, even if I have to go inside a ck lighted bonfire, I have to go inside, let alone because of this. You don¡¯t have to worry. This Zhang Jie only knows that my surname is Zhou. I will change my name when the timees. As long as you don¡¯t reveal it, it¡¯ll be fine."

    CaiWei thought of his more than £¤300,00 debt and then thought of his mother who fainted today. He couldn¡¯t say anything to stop him.

    ZhouXiang is right. At this time, he really should not stop him from doing this because of his own apprehensions.

    CaiWei reluctantly responded, ¡°Give me the number of that person. I¡¯ll help you get connected through thepany. Do it well. You¡¯ll be able to meet many people being by WangYuDong¡¯s side. It¡¯s a ...... good thing.¡±

    ZhouXiang softly responded, ¡°Thank you, Wei Ge.¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 53

    When Zhang Jie called him, it was the next morning. Sheined to ZhouXiang on the phone for a long time, saying that he should¡¯ve listened to her before and that he shouldn¡¯t have discussed this with CaiWei. Now that it had dyed for this long, WangYuDong¡¯s side had already found a stuntman.

    ZhouXiang only now realized that CaiWei had put the responsibility of dying the time on him. He could only apologize. He thought that this time there will be no chances for him.

    He didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Jie would still ask him to go there. She said that if he performed better than the other stuntman, he can rece him. WangYuDong never cared about the money. What he pursued is quality.

    ZhouXiang rushed to the set before noon following her request.

    Zhang Jie was waiting for him at the entrance. When she saw him, she quickly said, "You finally came. To tell you the truth, the chances are not high. It all depends on you. If you get it, don¡¯t forget about me."

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Definitely won¡¯t. Thank you, Zhang Jie.¡±

    When the two entered, WangYuDong was discussing the script with the director. ZhouXiang looked at this man that he was very familiar with. WangYuDong was still as handsome and refined as ever. Wherever he goes, there is this aura from him that people couldn¡¯t bear to neglect; however, ZhouXiang hated him very much. In fact, ZhouXiang never felt that WangYuDong did anything wrong. People are fully justified to only look after their own self-interest. WangYuDong was also just looking out for himself. It was just that ZhouXiang was jealous of him. Because of YanMingXiu¡¯s matters, ZhouXiang was too ashamed to show his face in front of WangYuDong.

    He desperately wanted to forget the past but the past will not leave him alone. Instead, it is even drawing closer toward him. Now he is again standing with WangYuDong and be his stuntman. To him, this really happened not too long ago.

    When the two approached, WangYuDong looked up at them.

    ZhouXiang suppressed himself from panicking. Just like when he first came in contact with WangYuDong before, he respectfully addressed, ¡°Dong Ge.¡±

    He knew quite a bit about WangYuDong. WangYuDong especially likes to be ttered.

    When ZhouXiang thought of his own hypocritical smile he began to hate himself.

    WangYuDong ¡°hmm¡±, and smiled kindly, ¡°You were the one that Zhang Jie was talking about? What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Zhou......Zhou Yang.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Zhang Jie was full of praises for you but JuXing responded toote. My side has already rmended someone. But if you really do better than him, I will pick the best. Of course, thepensation will also make you very satisfied. It just depends on whether you have abilities or not.¡± WangYuDong patted him on the shoulder and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Perform well. My works had always seek for perfection.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±

    ¡°Xiao Gu, take him to put on makeup and give him a stuntman costume. Hurry up.¡±

    A girl responded as she pulled ZhouXiang and left.

    Half an hourter, after getting dressed up for the role, he followed Xiao Gu to the set.

    ZhouXiang knew this film director from before. But now, of course, this director doesn¡¯t know him. ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Director Zhao.¡±

    Director Zhao nced at him, ¡°Who is this?¡±

    Xiao Gu exined, ¡°Dong Ge¡¯s stuntman.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there one already?" said the individual standing not far away from Director Zhao and frowned as he nced over.

    Xiao Gu softly uttered, ¡°I also don¡¯t know. Zhang Jie,e here.¡±

    Zhang Jie and WangYuDong came together, and WangYuDong quickly exined the matter.

    Director Zhao said, ¡°Thene and give it a try. Show us a few casual moves first so I can see the affect onscreen."

    ZhouXiang did some warmup and then performed a series of self-defense moves in front of the camera.

    When he was in school, he practiced swimming but he didn¡¯t have the talent so he didn¡¯t continue. At that time, a buddy in his dorm was practicing martial arts. He felt that it was fun so he often learned a few things along with him. Although his speed and force wasn¡¯t that good, he got the poses superbly with it looking more beautiful than drawings. He didn¡¯t expect that it willter be his career. After he became a stuntman, he followed along the teacher to learn about martial arts filming. The ss¡¯ concentration was on teaching them how to make martial arts moves look good. ZhouXiang only needed to make a move before all his senses came back to him. Adding on, he had been exercising whenever he has time so at this time, he didn¡¯t feel that his body was as stiff as it was when he first woke up so his movements were very smooth.

    The camera turned slightly toward him. ZhouXiang felt that he had returned to that carefree and emotionally unrestraint feeling of being in front of the camera. For a moment, he got carried away, fully immersing himself.

    When he finished performing the series of martial arts postures from his memory, he turned back and he saw that several people, including the director was staring nkly at him.

    ZhouXiang is very confident with his professional skills so he smiled faintly, ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    Before WangYuDong even got to speak, the director already snapped his finger, "It¡¯s you."

    Zhang Jie was so ted that she discreetly gave him a thumbs up.

    Only WangYuDong looked at ZhouXiang thoughtfully. He felt that he had seen this series of ZhouXiang¡¯s fluid movements before but he couldn¡¯t remember where.

    Director Zhao said to ZhouXiang, ¡°Go over there to find the stunt coordinator and discuss it with him. Because the stuntman¡¯s role wasn¡¯t decided for the longest time, the martial art scenes havegged behind. Hurry up and go."

    ZhouXiang responded okay. As he rushed over to look for the stunt coordinator, he passed by a man ncing at him in contempt.

    ZhouXiang is stunned. But then he remembered that this person was the other stuntman WangYuDong found. His role was taken by ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t turn his head to look at him and just walked passed without giving a reaction. The entertainment industry had always been the survival of the strongest, so there nothing toin over.

    The stunt coordinator was very dissatisfied with the director¡¯sst minute change because he had already talked to the previous stuntman for a long time.

    However, he soon discovered that this young man was much more professional than the previous one. He didn¡¯t have to mention many actions at all because ZhouXiang can understand it at once and he even proposed some modifications fitting to the role¡¯s advantage. The stunt coordinator surprisingly asked him, ¡°How many years have you been working as a stuntman?"

    ZhouXiang responded vaguely, ¡°Not too long."

    "I felt that you¡¯ve been working for a long time, so professional."

    In addition to being a stuntman, ZhouXiang had also began to participate in stunt coordinating work in thest few years. Of course, he¡¯s a professional. The person in front of him doesn¡¯t know him, so he (ZhouXiang) can reveal his abilities without any reservations.

    The more they talked, the more they agreed and even modified more than half of the previous action sequences.

    Director Zhao requested to try and shoot a part first. ZhouXiang picked the first scene. The person who was to film with him on this first scene soon came. ZhouXiang took a prop sword and shuttled between the two of them. Using a sword was not his forte. It was something heter learned. In the past, when he filmed WangYuDong¡¯s films, another stuntman would be used if sword skills were required. But this part was rtively short so ZhouXiang did it on his own.

    After filming, Director Zhao was quite satisfied with him, ¡°Not bad. We¡¯ll start the official filming in the afternoon.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought that he could get £¤40,000 to £¤50,000 this time so he was deeply moved and very happy.

    At this moment, there was amotion at the door. ZhouXiang looked over and saw YanMingXiuing over with Assistant Jiang.

    ZhouXiang was first shocked, then couldn¡¯t help but smile. YanMingXiu appearing at a ce where WangYuDong is at, it is not strange at all. He slightly turned his head away since he didn¡¯t want YanMingXiu to see him. He guessed that YanMingXiu came to visit the set.

    He didn¡¯t expect that Assistant Jiang¡¯s eyes were so sharp and saw him at once, "Hey, isn¡¯t that Xiao Zhou?"

    ZhouXiang could only turn around awkwardly addressed them, "Jiang Ge, President Yan.¡±

    YanMingXiu look at him astonishingly.

    WangYuDong smiled, ¡°You guys know each other?¡±

    YanMingXiu quietly asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Before ZhouXiang could speak, WangYuDong responded, ¡°He¡¯s my new stuntman. His performance is pretty good. Since ZhouXiang¡¯s ident, I haven¡¯t found a stuntman to my liking. He is the best one so far.¡±

    Both YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang¡¯s expressions changed; one was unsightly; the other nervous.

    When WangYuDong saw YanMingXiu¡¯s expression; his eyes shed, his mouth smirked with a faint smile, ¡°MingXiu, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± YanMingXiu handed him the things in his hand. ¡°I went to ChongQing to handle some business and just came back. My sister just happened to be on the business trip too but she will have toe back next month. She asked me to give this to you.¡±

    WangYuDong handed the things to the assistant, ¡°Oh, okay. I will call her today. When I¡¯m done working, I¡¯ll go see her.¡±

    YanMingXiu was a little dazed and didn¡¯t hear what WangYuDong had said. Instead, his eyes drifted to ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang wiped his sweat, ¡°Director Zhao, I am going to get a takeout box. Can I go eat?"

    ¡°Go right ahead.¡±

    ZhouXiang walked to the other side of the set.

    Right when he got his takeout box, someone patted him from behind. He turned and saw that it was Assistant Jiang.

    ¡°Hey, Jiang Ge, have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°No, just about to.¡± Assistant Jiang smiled and said, ¡°What a coincidence."

    ¡°Yeah,¡± ZhouXiang smiled stiffly.

    ¡°MingXiu tell you to go find him at the break lounge."

    "Huh?¡±

    ¡°Bring an extra takeout for him. You guys can eat together." Assistant Jiang looked strangely at ZhouXiang. He really didn¡¯t know what it is with this guy, to be able to get close to YanMingXiu. Could it be that his boss likes ZhouXiang? Assistant Jiang was very uncertain. He had been with YanMingXiu for a long time and noticed that he was neither interested in men or women.

    ZhouXiang could only bring an extra takeout with him.

    Assistant Jiang stopped him, ¡°Oh, Xiao Zhou. Let me tell you, MingXiu¡¯s mood is very bad these two days. It likely because his home was burrized by a thief so be careful when you talk to him."

    ¡°Thief? Was it when he was in ChongQing?¡± ZhouXiang hoped to get some information from Assistant Jiang.

    ¡°Yeah, MingXiu had just arrived in ChongQing when he got the news. Then he rushed back at night and then flew back to ChongQing at noon the next day. So exhausting. I can see that he¡¯s very tired and his mood is very bad so be careful."

    ZhouXiang nodded. Seeing that he couldn¡¯t get any information, he went to the break lounge with the takeout.

    ZhouXiang knocked on the door gently. YanMingXiu¡¯s low voice came from the inside, ¡°Come in.¡±

    He pushed the door open to go in. YanMingXiu was sitting in the chair, his head leaning against the wall, resting with his eyes closed.

    ZhouXiang put the takeout on the table, ¡°President Yan, Jiang Ge said that you haven¡¯t eaten.¡±

    YanMingXiu opened his eyes and nced at him.

    ZhouXiang was still in his costume, which was a purely white heroically noble costume with quite a bit of a natural and unrestrained demeanor.

    YanMingXiu raised his chin, "Sit."

    ZhouXiang sat across from him, minding his own business as he took out his own takeout to eat. He could feel YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes staring at his head, full of restless anxiety.

    ¡°Why did youe to be Dong Ge¡¯s stuntman?¡±

    ZhouXiang felt choked up a bit. He looked up and calmly replied, ¡°Zhang Jie introduced me.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes stared at him piercingly, "I just saw your video recording, your moves......who taught you?"

    ZhouXiang cautiously answered, ¡°I took martial arts sses when I was younger. This is something I¡¯ve liked since I was a child.¡± All this is true. ChenYing had showed him photos of ZhouXiang when he was a child in martial arts ss.

    YanMingXiu felt that he is lying. <i>Who is really this person? Why does he and (older) ZhouXiang have so many coincidences? Both having the same exact first andst names, both working under CaiWei¡¯s agency and even now, he also became WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman.</i> Adding on, every time he is with him, the kind of familiarity striking him directly on the face makes him lose his bearings and put him at aplete lost on what to do.

    <i>This person is like "him (older ZhouXiang)", very much like him. From the first time he saw him till now, he¡¯s practically more and more like him.</i>

    <i>How could this be?</i>

    YanMingXiu desperately restrained his urge to question him loudly. He had be more and more curious of this person. Being with ¡¯this¡¯ ZhouXiang makes it impossible for him to not think of "him (older ZhouXiang)."

    YanMingXiu followed up to ask, ¡°How do you know CaiWei?¡±

    ¡°We... we met at the hospital.¡±

    ¡°How did you meet?¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s piercing questions had already surpassed the level of their familiarity but he still looked at ZhouXiang unyieldingly, forcing a response from him.

    ZhouXiang knew that with his current position, he really can¡¯t afford to offend him. He responded half-heartedly, ¡°Wei Ge¡¯s father had a stroke and was paralyzed. My mother took care of him at the hospital.¡±

    He subconsciously didn¡¯t want YanMingXiu to know that he wasatose in the hospital for two years because this (younger) ZhouXiang and that (older) ZhouXiang had their idents on the same exact day. Before, he didn¡¯t believe in anything paranormal but now he is convinced that supernatural powers exist in the world. When the both of them had their idents at the same time, his soul entered this person body.

    This is inconceivable to ordinary people. So even with the people closest to him, he can¡¯t bring himself to tell them, not wanting them to have any suspicions.

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes and felt that he was still trying to mask something. He decided to send someone to investigate this person. He didn¡¯t know why he would pay extraordinary attention to this person. It¡¯s almost like....like he can slightly feel "him" through this (younger) ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang finished eating very quickly but YanMingXiu¡¯s chopsticks didn¡¯t even move. He kept looking at ZhouXiang with scrutiny. This meal was really tasteless for ZhouXiang.

    After eating, ZhouXiang left first. Coincidentally, Director Zhao called him, wanting to have a discussion with him at that time.

    Just as he walked over, YanMingXiu also followed him and bluntly asked Director Zhao and WangYuDong, ¡°This film is not bad. Is there a suitable role for me<sup>(T/N)</sup>?¡±

    <strong>T/N:</strong> The reason YanMingXiu asked for a role is because he wanted to get closer to find out more about ZhouXiang.

    The two peoples¡¯ mouths dropped. WangYuDong reacted quickly and immediately smiled, ¡°Of course, there is a role that is suitable for you.¡± Aside from the films he invested in, YanMingXiu almost never participated in other people¡¯s films because he refused to smile in front of the cameras. Because of that, there are many roles that he can¡¯t act in. At the present time, only WangYuDong can persuade YanMingXiu to cameo in his film for a few minutes. Moreover, with just a smile, an expressionsting less than two seconds is enough to make the box office exceed the expected 30% in sales. To be able to have YanMingXiu participate in his film, he could not ask for more.

    Unfortunately, he had asked for a quite a whilest time before YanMingXiu agreed. This time, he didn¡¯t even dare to think about it. Unexpectedly, YanMingXiu actually took the initiative to ask. This made WangYuDong and Director Zhao ted.

    There was actually no suitable role for YanMingXiu in this film but if they only needed to add a role at thest minute, it would be a box office guaranteed.

    Director Zhao said to the person next to him, "Hurry and call the screenwriter over. How can a meal take so long to eat. Quickly!"

    ZhouXiang turned his head and looked at YanMingXiu enquiringly, YanMingXiu also looked at him quietly, with a probing inquisitive look.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 54

    <strong>T/N:</strong> Happy INDEPENDENCE DAY to those of us in the USA!! This will be a double update. Happy reading and enjoy your day or night! ??

    In the afternoon, when ZhouXiang is reshooting a falling down sequence, YanMingXiu remained on the side watching, making him feel very ufortable.

    During the break, he heard Director Zhao discussed with the screenwriter, saying that he wanted to add a supporting role for YanMingXiu as the younger brother of the protagonist. A role of a sickly frail person that is on the sick bed all the time but at the same time is a schrly person with great talent. In the end, he will die in the hands of the protagonist¡¯s enemies. It ys a crucial role in fueling the important plot of the change in the protagonist¡¯s temperament.

    When they discussed the script, YanMingXiu was also on the side and made somements. ZhouXiang only heard part of the content, but he basically understood it. In order to add more screen time for YanMingXiu in the film, Director Zhao can be said having to painstakingly rack his brain. In fact, he didn¡¯t have to do it this way. ZhouXiang felt that as long as YanMingXiu could act many of his scenes with WangYuDong, YanMingXiu would definitely not refuse.

    ZhouXiang had been working in the entertainment industry for a while. Obviously he would have heard a lot of gossip. It has been said that YanMingXiu had never guest-starred in other people¡¯s films. The only exception was for his brother-inw, Wang YuDong. If there is a first time, inevitably there would be a second time. Compared to other people, WangYuDong is naturally different.

    Looking at the image of YanMingXiu and WangYuDong in deep discussions, ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is filled with indescribable emotions. When the two men stood together, it could bepared to the film¡¯s numerous magnificent special effects. There is really no need to worry about the box office.

    After ZhouXiang finished shooting a short scene, he went to the corner of a corridor to smoke and take a rest. His mind was always on ChenYing¡¯s health condition so he was restless the entire day.

    At this time, footsteps sounded on other side of the corridor. It was very quiet. Right next to ZhouXiang¡¯s side is the bathroom. He thought someone wasing to use the bathroom but unexpectedly the footsteps stopped at the corner. Shortly after, YanMingXiu¡¯s voice sounded on the other side of the wall.

    ¡°Hey, Bureau Chief Qin, you called me?"

    ¡°Have you found a reliable person? When can we meet?¡±

    ¡°I know that I¡¯ve reported this to the police toote. For one, I can¡¯t let anyone know about this. Second, I¡¯ve been busy with thepany¡¯s work these past few days. I really can¡¯t get away. I¡¯m worried that the media will catch wind of this so I must find a reliable person to look into this."

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t go into the room. The scene was kept as is. I had important matters to deal with abroad at the time so I had to leave quickly for a business trip the next day. I¡¯ve only nced outside from the door but still haven¡¯t gone into the room yet. Furthermore, there are two people who had moved around in the living room at the time but they didn¡¯t go into the rooms. They shouldn¡¯t have touched anything. If necessary, I can call them over to cooperate with the investigation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll see you in the neighborhood at four o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to breathe. It wasn¡¯t until YanMingXiu hung up and returned to the set that ZhouXiang dared to blow out the smoke in his mouth.

    YanMingXiu really found someone to investigate. ZhouXiang became incessantly worried. In hiring a professional criminal investigator to investigate the case, this simple case of "theft" really have too many questionable points.

    So much that ZhouXiang can count it out.

    The undestroyed lock can reluctantly be interpreted as the thief¡¯s superb skills in unlocking the lock. But as soon as he entered the room, he went straight to the bedside table in the bedroom to get the cash and then immediately returned to the living room to get the bank card. Any ordinary thief entering the condo would certainly have turned the home upside down and ransacked it. If this thief was not familiar with the home, how could he know exactly where those things are? Just this point alone is already strange. ZhouXiang really didn¡¯t know what conclusions they wille to. At least people with normal IQ will suspect that this was done by someone internally. Although ZhouXiang didn¡¯t believe that they will suspect a dead person, he was still not at ease.

    ZhouXiang pondered and pondered, the more he thought, the more he became fearful.

    Tomorrow afternoon, YanMingXiu will bring the professional criminal investigator to the supposed crime scene. At that time, they would definitely see a lot of questionable loopholes. Although ZhouXiang didn¡¯t feel that they would suspect him, his guilty conscience still made him feel very scared.

    He came up with an outrageously bold idea. And that is to return back tonight and destroy the scene. ording to what YanMingXiu said, they are conscious of protecting the scene and didn¡¯t go in at will. If he could go back before tomorrow and mess up the scene a bit, they won¡¯t be able to find these suspicious traces.

    Immediately when he thought of this idea, ZhouXiang literally jumped out of his skin, his hand that is holding the cigarette shook. He has been a good citizen all his life and has always been an honest and upright person. He¡¯s never done these sneaky things but reality has forced him to take these risks time and time again.

    ZhouXiang palely stood on the side of the bathroom for a long time. He finally made up his mind to go back again tonight. He must mess up the scene and not leave too many trails for YanMingXiu.

    In order to do this, he needed to first find out about YanMingXiu¡¯s whereabouts. Although ZhouXiang didn¡¯t think that YanMingXiu would go back tonight, but afterst time¡¯s unfortunate experience, he wanted to make sure. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even have the courage to step into his old neighborhood.

    He returned to the set and continued to shoot (his scenes).

    At night after getting off work, ZhouXiang asked the staff around if they wanted to go singing and drinking in the evening. These people are all young and love the bustling lively excitement. Very soon, people responded. ZhouXiang also tried to suck up to YanMingXiu, ¡°President Yan I don¡¯t know if you can do me the favor? But I can see at first nce that you¡¯re very busy, you must have some social gatherings tonight?"

    ¡°No.¡± YanMingXiu looked at him faintly, "I¡¯ll join you guys.¡±

    Everyone looked at YanMingXiu with their eyes wide-open. Even in their dreams, they didn¡¯t think he would agree.

    With YanMingXiu attending, how could other big and minor actors dare not apany them? In the end, even WangYuDong and Director Zhao areing. A small gathering had morphed into a weing party for YanMingXiu. The location changed from KTV to a nightclub.

    ZhouXiang thought, this is also good, YanMingXiu¡¯s alcohol tolerance is not good. He has the confidence to get him drunk.

    As soon as the work was over, more than 20 people enthusiastically rushed to the nightclub. WangYuDong acted as the host and reserved a big private room. The manager of the nightclub brought in fifteen youngdies and five young gentlemen. All of them looked quite beautiful. The staffs who were basking in the light enjoying their times all had radiant expressions. Even the girls followed along and became rowdy.

    One of the young men, for whatever reasons went to sit right next to ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang nced at him and thought that this kid¡¯s eyes are quite perceptive. He¡¯s only just nced at him a few times and this kid could already tell his sexual orientation? ZhouXiang thought to himself, <i>he obviously had no such thoughts at all, yet his natural character can¡¯t be changed after all.</i>

    The boy smiled and asked, ¡°Ge, what liquor are you drinking?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t drink. This is just a soft drink. You help me drink (liquor).¡±

    "That¡¯s gotta be a lie. Just a nce and one can tell you can drink. You don¡¯t want to drink with me?¡± The boy¡¯s thigh brushed up against his thigh. Suddenly, he leaned his head closer, ¡°Ge, you¡¯re the type I like. I¡¯m not being like this just for money. I won¡¯t take your money. Take me out tonight? You just have to pay for the hotel."

    ZhouXiang smiled and responded, ¡°I have something to do tonight, next time.¡±

    The boy looked at him astonishingly, ¡°Aiyah, you don¡¯t even want when it¡¯s free. Did I see wrong? You like big breasts?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and look in YanMingXiu¡¯s direction.

    The boy sensitively caught onto something, lowering his voice, ¡°Ge, you can¡¯t be having this kind of bad habit right? You like that big star?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him nkly, ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡±

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen all sides of society? Every night, those big and minor starse to us in waves. Whether they are straight or curved (gay), it could be seen at a nce. That Young Master "Yan" is definitely not interested in men. Don¡¯t think about it, just think of me.¡±

    ZhouXiang really couldn¡¯t stand him being so presumptuous so he gave him a push, ¡°Get me a bottle of green tea.¡±

    He didn¡¯t expect the boy to hug his arm all of a sudden. Almost half of his body was in his embrace. Smiling, ¡°Ge, how old are you? Have you just debuted? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±

    ZhouXiang was just about to say something when he saw the boy¡¯s face suddenly looking very weird. ZhouXiang turned his head back saw YanMingXiu standing behind him with a gloomy face.

    "President Yan..."

    YanMingXiu grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the couch.

    The private room is veryrge. In order to make it easier for everyone to enjoy and have a great time, the light is especially dark. Not many people noticed what was happening in the corner but ZhouXiang still looked around unconsciously, ¡°President Yan, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at the little duck (male prostitute) coldly and dragged ZhouXiang out with him.

    In order to make them look a bit natural, ZhouXiang could only grab YanMingXiu to make it look like the two people are walking out closely, not that he was being dragged out.

    After getting out of the private room, the hallway had waitersing back and forth.

    ZhouXiang grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s shoulder, ¡°President Yan? President Yan?¡±

    YanMingXiu let go of him and pointed to the end of the corridor, ¡°Go there, I have something to ask you.¡±

    ZhouXiang could only brace himself to follow behind him.

    The two walked to the secluded corner. YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes at him and asked. ¡°Are you GAY?¡±

    ZhouXiang shrugged his shoulders, ¡°Yeah.¡± This is something he¡¯s never concealed.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lips trembled a bit.

    <i>Why? Why are there so many simrities...one after another (between Older and younger ZhouXiang)? What is really going on? This is simply unimaginable. </i>He can¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Who are you really?¡±

    ZhouXiang is shocked as he forced himself to calm down, ¡°President Yan, what do you mean by this?¡±

    ¡°You...¡± YanMingXiu took a deep breath. ¡°You told me that your name is ZhouXiang but you told Dong Ge that you¡¯re ZhouYang? How do you exin this? What is really your name? Who really are you?!¡±

    ZhouXiang remained calm, ¡°I¡¯m really called ZhouXiang. It is Wei Ge who told me not to tell Dong Ge my real name. He said that Dong Ge would definitely not use me if he heard that name.¡±

    This exnation is reasonable. YanMingXiu¡¯s doubts are slightly suppressed. He continued to ask, ¡°How much did CaiWei tell you? About ZhouXiang¡¯s matters?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say much. Just that he used to be Dong Ge¡¯s stuntman and had offended Dong Ge.¡± As ZhouXiang was saying this, he observed YanMingXiu¡¯s expression. Even though he looked as if it was nothing, his heart beated abruptly.

    YanMingXiu looked at him deeply and said coldly, ¡°ZhouXiang¡¯s matters, you shouldn¡¯t know too much. It has nothing to do with you.¡±

    "President Yan, I have never asked about it."

    ¡°That¡¯s good," YanMingXiu regained his gaze and turned around intending to go back to the private room. Suddenly, he paused and remembered that the little duck was attached to ZhouXiang. His heart felt ufortable momentarily. He couldn¡¯t help but want to ridicule ZhouXiang but he didn¡¯t know what right he has to do so. He stood still for a long time, then finally I left.

    It wasn¡¯t till after YanMingXiu had left for a while that ZhouXiang can calmly breathe and return to the private room.

    YanMingXiu sat in the corner. He didn¡¯t talk much and didn¡¯t participate in other people¡¯s activities. It was as if all of this had nothing to do with him. No one would provoke him.

    ZhouXiang picked up a bottle of wine and in front of all the eyes around, strolled to YanMingXiu¡¯s side. His lips curved in a smiled, ¡°President Yan, have a drink.¡± He poured a ss full of liquor and handed it to YanMingXiu.

    The people around him thought that ZhouXiang would bepletely ignored. Unexpectedly, YanMingXiu just look at him and actually took the ss of liquor.

    ZhouXiang also poured a ss for himself, ¡°President Yan, thank you for your preferential treatment, I¡¯ll cheers you.¡±

    He must get YanMingXiu knocked out tonight.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 55

    At first, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t realize that ZhouXiang wanted to get him drunk. After all, he didn¡¯t think that someone would be so brazen as to dare to do something like that.

    When he realized what was happening, he had already drank three sses of liquor and felt dizzy. His tolerance for alcohol is indeed bad. He usually doesn¡¯t drink much.

    YanMingXiu grunted, ¡°What are you doing? Wanting to get me drunk?"

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°President Yan, don¡¯t be so serious. Everyone is drinking;e join the fun. If you really don¡¯t want to drink, that¡¯s fine. But I see that you also don¡¯t want to y or sing. Just sitting here is too boring. I¡¯ll just drink with you."

    A staff member had too much to drink and ended up singing like he was wailing and howling. A few people were already knocked out, flopping on each other with some of thedies. There weren¡¯t many still sober. Only WangYuDong who had apprehensions with his brother-inw being present so didn¡¯t talk to the youngdies. Instead, he and Director Zhao and the otherspeted in drinking.

    YanMingXiu is really not interested in these things. Instead, he wanted to see what ZhouXiang wanted to do. ¡°What are you going to do if you got me drunk? Let me tell you, my alcohol tolerance is not good; maybe I will make you pay back when I wake up the next day.¡± "

    ZhouXiang smiled lightly in response, ¡°Maybe President Yan would have forgotten me once you wake up. I¡¯m just a nobody, not worthy for President Yan to remember." Perhaps it was because YanMingXiu drank too much, or perhaps it was because he (ZhouXiang) himself drank too much but ZhouXiang¡¯s thoughts became bolder, even his usual cautiousness was almost forgotten.

    Looking at this drunken YanMingXiu in front of him with his eyes looking disoriented, ZhouXiang can¡¯t help butpare this scene with this same drunken person who had once held onto him crying out for his "Dong Ge." Although he never wanted to remember this scene in his life, he couldn¡¯t help himself from remembering it. When he said those words to YanMingXiu, his tone is filled with grievances that even he himself was not aware.

    YanMingXiu looked at him nkly. At that moment, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know whether his thoughts were too sensitive or slow witted. In short, he experienced some strange emotions. His chest felt endlessly oppressed. The more he came in contact with this person (younger ZhouXiang), the more he would think of (older) ZhouXiang. But he can¡¯t help himself from getting close to this person (younger ZhouXiang).

    YanMingXiu looked at the liquor in front of him; maybe this (liquor) is the best thing right now. He picked up the ss and gulped down this liquid that he never liked down his throat.

    The twenty plus people partied until three in the morning; most of them were already drunk and couldn¡¯t walk. Only Assistant Jiang had this sense of responsibility. When he saw YanMingXiu drinking, he knew that he would be the driver tonight so he didn¡¯t drink, and thus was sober.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s alcohol tolerance is great; Even though his walking swayed a bit, his mind is still clear.

    The group of people left one after another. Some called for someone to pick them up, others hailed for a taxi. WangYuDong was taken home by someone.

    Assistant Jiang looked helplessly at YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang. In the end, his eyes fell on ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiao Zhou ah. You got him drunk; it¡¯s really troubling for me.¡±

    At this moment, YanMingXiu was so drunk he wasying down on the sofa. Even though he was very quiet,ying there with his eyes closed, not losing his cool and indifferent image, it was enough to shock Assistant Jiang. He had never dealt with a drunk YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang smiled and stood up with his hand holding onto a chair for support, ¡°We¡¯re out to y ma.¡±

    ¡°Can you still walk? Help me put MingXiu in the car. I¡¯ll also take you home while I¡¯m at it."

    "You can still drive?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t drink much. It¡¯s okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Assistant Jiang pulled YanMingXiu up. Drunk people are particrly heavy, especially YanMingXiu, who is so tall and strong. The two people held each side of YanMingXiu and stumbled outside.

    ZhouXiang held onto his waist; he seemed to faintly remember the feelings of holding YanMingXiu.

    They put YanMingXiu in the back seat. ZhouXiang is sleepy and tired. He was toozy to move to the front passenger seat so he also squeezed into the back seat.

    During this dark and silent drive, ZhouXiang fell asleep.

    Not knowing how much time had passed, Assistant Jiang pushed him, "ZhouXiang. Wake up. Help me take MingXiu upstairs."

    ZhouXiang opened his eyes and realized that the car had stopped at the underground parking lot. Assistant Jiang pushed him and pointed his finger at the elevator not far away.

    ZhouXiang flung his head and sobered up a bit. He quickly got out of the car and helped Assistant Jiang get YanMingXiu out of the car. Then the two men took YanMingXiu into the elevator and up to his apartment.

    Assistant Jiang was taking out the keys while he was holding onto YanMingXiu, his movements in a flurry. When the door opened, ZhouXiang quickly held onto YanMingXiu to get him into the home while Assistant Jiang hastily pulled out the key. The two men¡¯s (ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu¡¯s) paces were not in line, causing YanMingXiu¡¯s body weight to suddenly lean onto ZhouXiang. YanMingXiu is too heavy and ZhouXiang¡¯s knees gave in causing him to fall down at the entrance with YanMingXiu¡¯s body leaning above him.

    Assistant Jiang cried out rmingly, "ZhouXiang!¡±

    With this severe collision mming to the ground, YanMingXiu mumbled a sound. Hearing the words ¡°ZhouXiang¡± made his heart jumped and he instantly "woke" up.

    He slowly opened his eyes. Even though his eyes are not focused, it stared at the person beneath him.

    "ZhouXiang?" YanMingXiu softly mumbled but the two people present didn¡¯t hear him clearly.

    Assistant Jiang wanted to help pull YanMingXiu up but YanMingXiu swung his hand away. Lowering his head, his nose moved closer to ZhouXiang¡¯s face, seeming to smell and feel him.

    ZhouXiang stared dazedly at the ceiling and tried to push him away but he was feeling too dizzy. This is not the kind of the dizziness from drinking but the dizziness from the fall. In short, his hands weren¡¯t coordinating. He softly muttered, ¡°President Yan...¡±

    Without any words, something soft pressed onto his lips. When he realized that it is YanMingXiu¡¯s kiss tinged with a trace of alcohol, his entire body stiffened.

    Assistant Jiang is also dumbfounded. He stood at the door and watched YanMingXiu kiss ZhouXiang. He didn¡¯t know whether to leave or not. He simply thought that was his imagination.

    ZhouXiang gripped onto YanMingXiu¡¯s face, wanting to push him away, but he didn¡¯t know where a drunken YanMingXiu got so much strength. He was kissed so rigorously by YanMingXiu, as if he wanted to swallow ZhouXiang¡¯s lips.

    The rim of ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes had a burning sensation; unknowingly, he has an impulse to cry.

    YanMingXiu asked ambiguously, ¡°Is it you<sup>(T/N)</sup>?¡± and then he hugged ZhouXiang and cried.

    <strong>T/N:</strong> He is referring to Older ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang is so shocked that he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    Assistant Jiang is terrified. As a smart and rational assistant, he made a decision which he thought was the most correct. He closed the door and fled. Knowing too much of the boss¡¯s stuff is not a good thing so it¡¯s better off he pretended not to know.

    ZhouXiang looked at the tightly closed door, thinking of Assistant Jiang¡¯s resolute ¡¯retreat¡¯. This series of events happened within just a minute. When he shockingly turned his head back, YanMingXiu had actually fallen asleep. Only the tears on his face and his arms that are holding tightly onto his arms are the only indication that everything that happened earlier is not an illusion.

    <i>YanMingXiu cried. Why?</i>

    <i>Is it you? </i>

    <i>Who is he talking about?</i>

    When they first got into YanMingXiu¡¯s home, was he calling out for himself (older ZhouXiang)? But ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t too sure, it was all too fuzzy.

    No matter what, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t go so far as to overestimate himself in believing that YanMingXiu would cry for him. Maybe YanMingXiu just drank too much causing his mood to fluctuate hugely. When ZhouXiang got drunk before, he even cried about the crush he had on this boy in junior high school. But when he woke up, he couldn¡¯t even remember that person¡¯s name nor how he looked like.

    Alcohol can magnify a person¡¯s emotions infinitely. <i>Why is YanMingXiu like this?</i> He had no idea. ZhouXiang only knew that he might have provoked some troubles.

    He moved his body and tried to sit up but YanMingXiu is still clinging to him, so he couldn¡¯t move.

    Although the weather in this season is not too cold, if he slept on the floor for an entire night, wouldn¡¯t he get sick? His most important purpose of getting YanMingXiu drunk is to ensure that his n tonight would be absolutely safe. Even though he felt that he is still quite sober, he only needed to drink some water and get some fresh air, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems going back to his condo. But how can he get out of this ce (YanMingXiu¡¯s home)?

    What if his movements are too big and it woke YanMingXiu up?

    ZhouXiang pondered for a long time, not knowing what to do.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body was leaning on top of him; hot and heavy and his arm is still holding ZhouXiang¡¯s waist with so much strength, as if he was holding onto something very important, refusing to let go even in his stupor.

    ZhouXiang sighed softly; he endured and endured, and finally he couldn¡¯t help but stretch out a hand. That hand gently fell onto YanMingXiu¡¯s back.

    Through YanMingXiu¡¯s shirt, ZhouXiang¡¯s palm felt his scorching strength; the warming energy from his skin seeped through the palm of his hand and reached into his heart.

    <i>This is..... YanMingXiu.</i>

    This is the YanMingXiu that he used to be very intimate with; their bodies had joined as one many times. They had been very close. He still remembered the scent of this person¡¯s aftershave, the softness of his hair, the heat on his skin, and the taste of their kisses.

    Now, they are once again hugging each other. But they are no longer the ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu from before.

    ZhouXiang dazedly feel the heat in the palm of his hand. He didn¡¯t dare to move. He was afraid that if he moved, the scene in front of him will copse and he will find that everything is just an illusion.

    He blinked his eyes, the rim of his eyes felt incessantly painful.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 56

    ZhouXiangid on the ground for fully 20 minutes. After confirming that YanMingXiu was really in deep slumber, he gently pushed YanMingXiu¡¯s hand away from his waist and moved his body away from YanMingXiu¡¯s embrace.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his face. His head hurt a bit. He really wanted to flop down and sleep for a long time.

    Seeing that YanMingXiu is stillying on the ground, ZhouXiang pulled himself up, poured himself a ss of water and took a deep breath. Then he squatted down and dragged YanMingXiu up. He had intended to get YanMingXiu into the bedroom but looking around the apartment, the room that looked like a bedroom is a long distance away from him. He really didn¡¯t have the strength to drag YanMingXiu that far away. So he just pulled YanMingXiu onto the sofa. It was such a short distance but he was so exhausted that his head sweated bullets.

    If he didn¡¯t drink liquor, he could still carry YanMingXiu on his back. But unfortunately after drinking, his legs are a bit feeble. It was already good that he could stabilize his footsteps. To be able to move a person that is 184 lbs. would be too strenuous.

    After getting YanMingXiu on the sofa, he saw that there was nket drying outside the balcony so he grabbed it and draped it over YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang nced at his watch. It was already 4am. If he didn¡¯t go now, the sky will be bright soon.

    Although he decided to take this risk during the day, his heart kept drumming. Many bad thoughts flowed through his mind, making him feel that it would be wrong for him to go, yet also wrong for him not to go. But after having few sses of liquor in his stomach, he¡¯s be much bolder. With time ticking by, he stood up and left without hesitation.

    He took a taxi back to the neighborhood of his former home. It was just 5am; the sky was already getting brighter. The morning cleaning workers under the street lights are doing their best to clean the streets.

    ZhouXiang asked the driver to park the car at the back door of the neighborhood. He remembered the surveince camera CaiWei mentionedst time so he tried to be even more cautious. This back door is in an area that is very remote. It is the door that the cleaners often use when they pick up garbage. ZhouXianging in from here, basically no one will see him.

    He entered his building and walked up cautiously.

    The corridor is especially quiet. This is the time when people are deeply asleep so it¡¯s rtively a safer time.

    ZhouXiang was really able to get the spare key out from the fire hydrant box. It seems that they did not suspect that the ¡°thief¡± had actually used the spare key. LanXiRong also put the key back. After all, if he didn¡¯t know the location of the key himself, who would have thought of it? With the key, ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is a lot more settled than before. It seems like god have given him an escape route.

    He carefully opened the door and bolted into the condo.

    The living room looked just like it did when he made his hasty escape, even the soil that he threw at LanXiRong¡¯s face was scattered on the ground.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and quickly walked into the bedroom. He purposely ransacked the cab and bedside table and then go into the study to open up all the drawers to create the illusion of it being rummaged through.

    The only room he really didn¡¯t touch is the living room. ording to what he overheard that day, the three of them decided to only stay in the living room in order to preserve the crime scene. So how the living room looked, they would remember.

    Fortunately, there is nothing valuable in the home. Otherwise, the average person¡¯s first reaction upon realizing that he had been burrized would be to check and see what is lost. Adding on, YanMingXiu and the others were able to remain calm and to thergest extent able to preserve the scene.

    ZhouXiang spent less than 10 minutes from the time he entered the condo till the time he left. He also knew that he might have left a loophole. After all, he¡¯s not a real thief or a criminal investigator. But he was able to aplish the easiest thing he can think of to hinder the solving of the case. He believes that creating this chaos will definitely work.

    After doing all this, ZhouXiang quickly left. Just halfway down the stairs, his cell phone suddenly rang, scaring him out of his wits.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t look and quickly hung up. The ringing sound was not too ear-piercing in the quiet corridor.

    He didn¡¯t dare to stop running till the moment he got out of the neighborhood. It wasn¡¯t until he got to where he thought was safe that he took out his cell phone. ChenYing had called him.

    ZhouXiang called back.

    ¡°ZhouXiang ah, you¡¯re still not back yet?¡± ChenYing obviously had just awakened, her voiced sounded a bit unclear.

    ¡°Yeah, I just finished drinking with my colleagues. I¡¯ming home now. Mom, could you not sleep (because he wasn¡¯t home)? Don¡¯t wait for me.¡±

    ¡°I fell asleep. I saw that you haven¡¯t returned when I got up to use the bathroom. I¡¯m not worried. It¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯reing back. Don¡¯t be out sote in the future. You¡¯ll be very tired," ChenYing yawned.

    ZhouXiang hung up. At this time, the day was already getting brighter. ZhouXiang got on the earliest bus to rush home.

    After returning home, he was toozy to wash his face. He simply fell asleep on the single bed in the living room.

    When he woke up the next day, it was already at noon.

    He opened his eyes and look at the clock. He first felt that he waste for work and wanted to get up quickly. But then he remembered that he had already requested the day off from CaiWei because he is was going to go get ChenYing¡¯s exam results.

    That is today.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart started trembling.

    "ZhouXiang? Are you awake?" ChenYing softly asked on the side.

    ZhouXiang sat up and flung his head, ¡°Mom, why didn¡¯t you wake me up.¡±

    ¡°Tell you to do what? You got back sote yesterday." ChenYing gave him a towel, ¡°Go wash your face first thene eat."

    ZhouXiang simple took a shower because his body reeked of alcohol. The smell was really bad. Although this cheap small apartment is very dpidated, ChenYing is a woman who loves to be clean. The apartment inside is very organized and very clean. There is not an area that is dirty. ZhouXiang, standing in the apartment felt that he¡¯s in conflict with the fresh air in the apartment.

    After he cleaned himself up, ChenYing had already changed into a particrly neat and decent outfit, sitting on the sofa, quietly staring at the second-hand TV that ZhouXiang bought, even though it wasn¡¯t turned on.

    ¡°Mom,¡± ZhouXiang called softly.

    ChenYing turned around and smile, ¡°Eat first. After you eat, we can go to the hospital.¡±

    ZhouXiang came over and crouched down in front of her, holding her hand, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡±

    ¡°I will go with you, my own illness. I need to know more than anyone else.¡±

    ZhouXiang still wanted to persuade her but ChenYing raised her hand and stroked his wet hair. ¡°Don¡¯t persuade me. Ah Xiang, your mother is much stronger than you think. Even if the doctor says that I have cancer, I¡¯m also not afraid. Seeing that you had awakened before I die and also have such a good job, I am at ease to go apany your dad knowing that you¡¯ll be able to live on well.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips trembled; the rim of his eyes a little red.

    ChenYing patted him, ¡°Hurry up and go eat."

    ZhouXiang reluctantly suppressed his emotions and casually raked through his hair. He went to eat the particrly rich breakfast ChenYing made. Afterwards, he went to change into his clothes and then the both of them headed out the door.

    This time ZhouXiang wanted to take a taxi and ChenYing didn¡¯t stop him. ZhouXiang can¡¯t stand ChenYing¡¯s depressing mood of seeming to ept her death. He tried desperately to cheer her up. She did smile but it was with reluctance.

    The two waited in line at the hospital for two hours. Finally, it was their turn. They walked into the same doctor¡¯s office fromst time and closed the door. The room was quiet. The doctor nced at them and pointed at the chairs in front of them, ¡°Sit.¡±

    The two sat down.

    The doctor informed them of the results using many medical terminologies. ZhouXiangpletely didn¡¯t understand. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just him. Even ChenYing who seems to be carefully listening, her head was buzzing and her eyes blurred.

    But they did not miss thest term, ¡°uremia<sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    <strong>T/N:</strong> Uremia is the condition of having high levels of urea the blood. Treatment is to perform dialysis or a renal transnt. ssical signs of uremia are: progressive weakness and easy fatigue, loss of appetite due to nausea and vomiting, muscle atrophy, tremors, abnormal mental function, frequent shallow respiration and metablic acidosis. Without intervention via dialysis or kidney transnt, uremia due to renal failure will progress and cause stupor,a and death. Because uremia is mostly a consequence of kidney failure, its signs and symptoms often ur coitantly with other signs and symptoms of kidney failure.

    The doctor looked at the mother and son solemnly. ¡°You can go to a bigger hospital for a second opinion. But uremia is not difficult to diagnose. We can certainly diagnose it here. In fact, you should be thankful because uremia is not a terminal disease. As long as the patient keeps up with the dialysis treatments, she can definitely prolong her life. "

    ZhouXiang led ChenYing out of the doctor¡¯s office. In the bleak hospital corridor, there are various types of doctors and patients moving about. They may all have unspeakable pains. Everyone¡¯s expressions look very somber. The usual look of despair on this ordinary mother and son didn¡¯t attract the attention of others.

    ChenYing murmured, ¡°Why does it have to be this disease? Why this?¡± She had taken care of ZhouXiang in the hospital for two years and had seen all kinds of illnesses. For a family in poverty, the financial pressure of uremia is impossible to endure.

    The doctor said that her condition is more serious and suggest that she do dialysis twice a week. Each time, the fee is £¤400. In one month, the expense would be more than £¤3,000. Moreover, uremic patients can¡¯t perform any heavy physicalbor. She basically lost the capability to work. ZhouXiang had just started working, how could he support the both of them, at the same time treat her?!

    ZhouXiang looked at the mottled walls of the hospital. He wanted to say something but it is lodged in his throat.

    Is this considered fortunate or unfortunate? At least as long as treatment is adhered to, there are many people with uremia who can live for a decade or two. ChenYing is already 60 this year. For a person to be able to live to 70 or 80 years old, her life is already considered to be fulfilled. However, where can he get the money?

    £¤800 is needed a week, this does not include the cost of other medicines and nutrient products. He can only earn six or seven thousand on average every month, and he still have to pay for the rent, meals, transportation, and etc. They still owe more than £¤300,000 debts. Adding on, if they can find a kidney donor for the kidney transnt, that would be an additional £¤100,000 of expenses. Where can he get the money?

    If he was the former ZhouXiang, he would resolutely sell his condo and get more than two million to ovee this hardship. But what does he have now? He has nothing, only a sickly mother who desperately needs money for care.

    ZhouXiang had never felt so desperate.

    ChenYing¡¯s subtle voice sounded as if it wasn¡¯t from her body. She said, "I¡¯m not going to do the treatment."

    ZhouXiang looked up, ¡°Mom...¡±

    ChenYing shook her head tiredly. As if she had gotten over and epted the situation, ¡°I can¡¯t burden you. This disease is a bottomless pit. We can¡¯t afford to treat it. You¡¯re still young and not yet married. I¡¯m not going to do the treatment.......¡± ChenYing kept shaking her head, her tears streaming down her face.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and somberly responded, ¡°Mom, you must get treated. If not for any particr reason but for the mere reason that you can¡¯t leave me alone. Our lives had been average but at least we are still here. If the person is gone, even if life is good, what use is there? Mom, you must get treated. You can¡¯t do this to me." ZhouXiang refused to believe that he is destined to not have a mother in this life. His real mom died when he was very young. Having been born again, he actually got a mom. But now this mom is facing impending death, he can¡¯t ept it. He definitely can¡¯t ept this. His real mom died from an ident, this he is helpless from preventing. But with ChenYing, at least there is hope to save her. The only problem is with money... nothing but money.

    ChenYing just shook her head with tears continually falling. Her eyes full of despair. She really wanted to die than to be alive and burden her son.

    ZhouXiang would not allow her to refuse. He did all the procedures for her first dialysis.

    When ChenYing was getting treated, ZhouXiang asked if she had any medical insurance or simr that could be used.

    ChenYing shook her head hopelessly. After her husband died, she copsed emotionally and couldn¡¯t work so she retired early. Later, ZhouXiang was also hospitalized. Her medical insurance been depleted at some unknown time. Whether it can be used now, she¡¯s not even sure herself.

    ZhouXiang racked his brains to think of ways to make money, but there is nothing.

    He even wanted to confess his identity to CaiWei. However, uremia is a disease that needed treatment indefinitely. It can¡¯t be dealt with just tens of thousands of yuan but is a multi-million expense. Once he opened this mouth to CaiWei, CaiWei cares very much for theirradeship and still felt guilt toward him (his death), he can certainly lend him money. But he definitely can¡¯t pay it back. CaiWei has a wife and children to support, and a father who had a stroke. The pressure on his shoulders is not much lesser than him. How can he open this mouth to ask CaiWei? He didn¡¯t confess earlier orter, but did so when he needed money? Using CaiWei¡¯s guilt andradeship to force him, this kind of thing, he really can¡¯t do it. Besides, CaiWei may not be able to understand. ChenYing is not his real mother after all. He pondered over this again and again, but still felt that he shouldn¡¯t get CaiWei involved. He didn¡¯t want CaiWei to hate him.

    <i>So, who else can help him?</i>

    <i>LanXiRong? One or two million, maybe is not much for him...</i>

    No... no way. LanXiRong had been very sad over his death. How could he tell him the truth when he needed his money? Besides, he and LanXiRong are not close to this extent. What qualifications does he have to use LanXiRong?

    Besides, the most important thing is that he knew that he won¡¯t be able to pay the money back. No matter how sessful LanXiRong is, the money didn¡¯t just blow from the wind. At that time, what does he have topensate for LanXiRong?

    ChenYing¡¯s dialysis took and entire five hours. ZhouXiang stayed next to her, not leaving her side, but he didn¡¯t lift his head.

    <i>At this time... who can really help him.....?</i>

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 57

    ZhouXiang made an arrangement with the doctor to have his kidney tested forpatibility the next time hee. This he did secretly behind ChenYing¡¯s back. Even if his kidney is a match, the first issue is that he has no money for the surgery and second is that he¡¯s afraid ChenYing would rather die than to agree to ept his kidney.

    But no matter what, he has to give it a try. At least there¡¯s more hope to save her.

    Although ZhouXiang felt a little fearful on the possibility of having a kidney removed, he had no reason to back down. This body was not his to start with, but belonged to this youngster named ZhouXiang. He was just a dying person fortunate enough to have his soul hosted in this body to continue on living his life. This youngster is ChenYing¡¯s son. On this body that hosted his soul, every strand of hair, skin and even this life came from ChenYing. He is the closest rtive to ChenYing. He cannot evade nor can he be selfish.

    After the two of them returned home, the atmosphere in the small apartment is like a dark cloud pressing down on them; it is extremely heavy. ZhouXiang went into the kitchen and quickly made two bowls of hot noodles.

    His cooking skills had always been good, but after rebirth, these trivial things have always been taken care of by ChenYing. He was never allowed to do housework. This stubborn woman has always put her utmost effort into doing what a mother should do for ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang often thought that if his own biological mother was alive, she would probably be like this too.

    ZhouXiang coaxed her for a long time before she finally ate half a bowl of noodles.

    ZhouXiang, ¡°Mom, you¡¯ll have to do dialysis treatment twice a week from now on. You can¡¯t miss even one."

    ChenYing shook her head painfully.

    The dialysis treatment today took nearly five hours. During treatment, every minute and every second was torment, especially if one has to live like this twice a week for maybe more than ten years, anyone would feel hopeless. Not being able to do anything or go anywhere, adding on having to expend immense effort and expense. Living like this......ChenYing would have rather that she had cancer so she could just die early and not burden her son.

    ZhouXiang could almost guess what was on her mind from seeing her expression. This made him panic endlessly. He still has to work so it¡¯s not possible for him to go with ChenYing every time. If he doesn¡¯t go, he¡¯s afraid that ChenYing would certainly not go. Pondering over and over, he decided to find a caretaker. Although that is an additional expense, the caretaker can care for ChenYing and take her to the hospital. This is a must-pay expense. Beside this, he has no other ways.

    He thought of the auntie who took ChenYing to the hospital with himst time. The auntie was also doing monthly training with ChenYing and had mentioned that she also wanted to be a caretaker. She seemed very enthusiastic, strong and healthy so she should be suitable for this role. ZhouXiang immediately decided to call this caretaker tomorrow.

    But if he hired a caretaker, this apartment would be too small. It would be best to change to a bigger ce. He can¡¯t have them all squeeze in one small room right?

    ZhouXiang became instantly terrified and distressed. The more he thought, the more this is bing outrageous<i>. Where is he going to get so much money?</i> If he really hired someone to take care of ChenYing now, it would have already exceeded his limit. The money he earned during this time could only support them for two to three months, any longer......

    After two to three months, he would have no money to treat ChenYing¡¯s illness. Even food and lodging would be a problem. <i>At that time, what should he do? What should he do? What should he do?</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s head is about to explode.

    At this moment, his cell phone rang. ZhouXiang looked at it and saw that it was actually from YanMingXiu.

    He had been a mess today, so matters with YanMingXiu and his condo were already thrown to the back of his mind. Looking at the time now, YanMingXiu would likely have already brought the criminal investigator to the condo. When people are going through difficulties, it¡¯s very easy to think pessimistically. In addition, in this moment, an ominous premonition continued to rise in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart. He really wanted to cuss.. to see how much more God wanted to mess with him.

    Without even thinking, he immediately hung up the phone. Right now, he really didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with YanMingXiu.

    Afterforting ChenYing to sleep, ZhouXiang sat on the shabby sofa in the living room and smoked one cigarette after another.

    Racking his brains, he still couldn¡¯t think of any ways to get a lot of money in a short amount of time, unless he wins the lottery, unless the money fell from the sky, otherwise...

    <i>Asking CaiWei is absolutely impossible. He couldn¡¯t trouble CaiWei. But besides him, how many rich people does he know that can lend him money?</i>

    LanXiRong? Can¡¯t... they are not close to that degree. His current identity is not close with LanXiRong. If he tells LanXiRong his true identity, LanXiRong might help him but he will owe him for life. He can¡¯t imagine what will happen in the future.

    President Wang? Maybe he can try. President Wang might be willing to help him with a couple ten thousands of yuan, but that will only solve his urgent need.

    There is an option.... and that is to first ask CaiWei to borrow a few ten thousands. This should not be too big of a problem. Then after, ask President Wang to borrow another few ten thousands, which would total £¤100,000. At least this can support them till the end of the year. As for the rest of the money, who else? Who else can help him? Who else is rich and doesn¡¯t care about money...

    <i>YanMingXiu?</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s shadow suddenly appeared in ZhouXiang¡¯s mind.

    He is greatly rmed.

    <i>Why did he think of YanMingXiu!</i>

    However, this is indeed a way. If he tells YanMingXiu who he really is, at least... at least he could get back his condo!

    Although his condo was old and small, it was given to his father by a state-owned enterprise. The location is the best in the second ring. With such great location, selling it for two million is not a problem at all.

    If the condo is sold, he can...

    Selling the condo......ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened fiercely.

    It was thest asset his parents left him, the ce he had lived for 30 years and the only ce that holds his and his parents¡¯ memories. He once vowed to never sell his condo his entire life. Even if he was too poor and have no food to eat, at least there is still a ce for him to live. How could he sell this home!

    Weighing this home left by his parents with ChenYing on a scale, which side is heavier (important)? ZhouXiang gripped his hair and could not find an answer.

    If he doesn¡¯t reveal his true identity, then he could not get back the condo. How can he watch and let ChenYing die? But if he got the condo back?... He fell into a deep contradiction.

    His cell phone once again rang in the dark. ZhouXiang was afraid that it would awaken ChenYing; it had already taken her a long time to fall asleep, so he quickly picked up. The call was from CaiWei.

    He took the call and went into the kitchen, closing the door and lightly whispered, ¡°Wei Ge.¡±

    "Is everything done?" CaiWei¡¯s voice was a bit heavy.

    ZhouXiang ¡°hmm¡± a sound. Being trapped in such an endless desperate dilemma, he really wanted to hug and cry with CaiWei.

    ¡°How... how did it go?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°It¡¯s uremia.¡±

    CaiWei sighed heavily and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.

    ZhouXiang faintly muttered, ¡°I¡¯m going to take another day off. Right now I¡¯m really....¡±

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°You don¡¯t have toe this week. Just stay home and be with your mother. Your mother... her life is too hard."

    ZhouXiang hoarsely responded, ¡°Yea, she is......"

    CaiWei was silent for a long while, ¡°Ah Xiang, Wei Ge¡¯s ability is really limited. I can give you £¤50,000.¡±

    ZhouXiang chocked up emotionally, ¡°Wei Ge, I can¡¯t pay you back......"

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend for you to pay it back unless you get richter on. Uremia is an illness that needs a lot of money. I know that this money can¡¯t solve the bigger issue. I¡¯ll ask President Wang. President Wang can help you a little more.¡±

    ZhouXiang honestly couldn¡¯t refuse anything. He really needed the money now so he can only respond with, ¡°Wei Ge, thank you.¡±

    CaiWei is also working for someone else. For him to loosen his wallet and be so generous to apletely unrted person whom he had only met for less than half a year, ZhouXiang had no idea how to thank him. From the time he opened his eyes till now, CaiWei had been helping and taking care of him. If there are any positives from getting a new life, it is being able to meet CaiWei again.

    After hanging up the phone, ZhouXiang stayed a long time in the kitchen. His legs began to feel sore but he felt that such a small space gave him a sense of security.

    At this moment, the phone rang again. It was Assistant Jiang calling. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to offend him so he took the call. He didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu¡¯s gloomy voice to sound through the other line, ¡°You deliberately not pick up my phone?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s head buzzed. He subconsciously responded, "No... Didn¡¯t see it."

    ¡°Then you see it now?¡±

    "......Yea......is something the matter?" ZhouXiang¡¯s tone was low, sounding weak and dispirited.

    ¡°What happened to you? Still not sober?"

    ZhouXiang really hoped that everything that is happening now is just illusion from the alcohol, but unfortunately it is not.

    He forcefully smiled, ¡°(I¡¯m) Sober. Why is President Yan looking for me?¡±

    ¡°I want you toe to my ce right now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°No particr reason. I want to see you." In YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, ZhouXiang is still an unknown newbie who certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to offend him.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°President Yan, I¡¯m extremely not well today. I¡¯m not going to go out. How about another day?"

    ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll have Xiao Jiang pick you up.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s thoughts were in chaos. Every sentence that YanMingXiu said made him impatient. He responded irritably, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have time to see you. I don¡¯t have time. I don¡¯t have the energy. YanMingXiu. Don¡¯t fucking torment me!" After he said that, he hung up the phone.

    At this time, he didn¡¯t care whether or not he said anything wrong nor offended YanMingXiu. He felt that his heart and lungs are going to explode. When he talked to YanMingXiu, there seemed to be a sense of awareness constantly reminding him that this was the person who forced him into desperation with no choice but to join the documentary filming group. Otherwise he would not have died. He would still be living naturally and freely with his true identity as ZhouXiang... not having to experience all this ......all this that made him feel immense pain.

    <i>It is him!</i>

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to talk to him; didn¡¯t want to see him; didn¡¯t want to touch him. He hoped that all the things rted to YanMingXiu wouldpletely disappear in this world so that he would never remember them.

    If YanMingXiu liked him at the beginning, everything will be different, and all this sorrow wouldn¡¯t have happened.

    He never hated YanMingXiu as much as he did in this moment.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 58

    T/N: Way this chapter ends.. will make it a double update for y¡¯all. Enjoy.

    The next morning, ZhouXiang called the auntie with the surname Wang and told her about ChenYing¡¯s condition. His main intent in hiring her was for her to look after ChenYing and take her to the hospital for her treatments.

    Aunt Wang cried on the phone upon hearing ChenYing¡¯s condition and said that this mother and son¡¯s lives have really not been easy. She agreed to it.

    Finally, they agreed that she woulde twice a week to go with ChenYing to the hospital. In addition, she will also help ChenYing clean up the apartment. She will be paid £¤80 each time shees.

    As long as ChenYing adhered to the dialysis treatment, doing ordinary cooking and other work were not a problem. Because of limited money, ZhouXiang can¡¯t afford a full-time caretaker. Since the pay is based on the number of times the caretakeres, if he has time on Saturday, he can take ChenYing himself and save the money. But, in fact, he has never had a full weekend off after he started working.

    Now he must turn like a spinning top to finds ways to make more money. At the same time, he would find some free time to check and see if ChenYing could get any medical benefits.

    He felt that when he opened his eyes now, there is a bunch of things waiting for him to do. He¡¯s never felt so exhausted nor worked so hard before.

    He arrived at thepany a littleter. CaiWei called him directly into the office.

    CaiWei handed him a bank card, ¡°There is £¤50,000 inside. Use this to take care of urgent needs first. President Wang went to Tibet for his Buddhist seclusion. No one can contact him at this time. When hees back, I¡¯ll surely talk to him. I believe he will definitely help. However, you guys have no rtionship so President Wang¡¯s assistance will be limited. You still have to quickly find a way. I will introduce as much work to you as possible but you must not casually tell others in thepany or else other people will be jealous.¡±

    Ever since he entered thepany, CaiWei had taken extra care of him. Other people were inevitably suspicious. ZhouXiang faintly felt that he owed CaiWei too much.

    If this didn¡¯t happen, maybe after a year and a half, after he had adapted to his identity and cast away all hisyers of defenses, maybe... maybe he would tell CaiWei the truth. After all, with such a big secret weighing heavily in his heart, he didn¡¯t know if he would copse one day. But he definitely can¡¯t reveal it now. He didn¡¯t want to cause CaiWei any injustice.

    CaiWei¡¯s expression is very deep, ¡°Ah Xiang, you have to be strong. You¡¯re young after all so don¡¯t be discouraged about the future.¡±

    ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°I understand...¡±

    He naturally understands but reality is just too cruel.

    CaiWei¡¯s desk phone rang. He reached for the handset, "Hello? Yea, it¡¯s me......what?" CaiWei frowned and looked at ZhouXiang, his eyes full of astonishment.

    ZhouXiang asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    CaiWei hung up; his expression strange. ¡°JiangYuan is waiting for you downstairs and said that YanMingXiu is looking for you for some matters.¡±

    ¡°Downstairs?¡±

    ¡°Yes, downstairs.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at his cellphone; there was no message. It seemed that YanMingXiu knew what to do to force him to give in.

    CaiWei knocked on the table irritably, ¡°ZhouXiang, what the hell is up with the two of you? You......are you hiding something from me?" CaiWei¡¯s eyes shed brightly, ring at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°Wei Ge, what YanMingXiu wants to do, I really don¡¯t know. I¡¯m also very confused.¡±

    Strange thoughts rose in CaiWei¡¯s mind. <i>Could it be......could it be that YanMingXiu took ZhouXiang as "him"?</i>

    <i>Although they do have many simrities, they are not the same person. YanMingXiu can¡¯t be this blind right?</i>

    If that is the case, then this ZhouXiang in front of him still don¡¯t know how bad luck he is. CaiWei¡¯s heart shook but he knew that he could not stop anything. He could only warn ZhouXiang to not get too close to YanMingXiu. But even after warning ZhouXiang so many times, ZhouXiang still got involved with YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for CaiWei, so he quickly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll go first. YanMingXiu looking for me probably have something to do with the movie.¡±

    CaiWei¡¯s eyes followed his back as he left; the anxiety in his heart increased considerably.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    ¡°Jiang Ge.¡± ZhouXiang got into the car and nodded to JiangYuan in the driver¡¯s seat.

    JiangYuan frowned at him. He didn¡¯t expect ZhouXiang to be so calm. He dared to assume that ZhouXiang was awake the night before. Even though his footsteps were unsteady, his mind was alert so he should not have forgotten what happened that day.

    He also didn¡¯t know of the changes surrounding ZhouXiang. If it was before, ZhouXiang should still be at loss having been kissed by YanMingXiu; however, his mind now is just full of money. This kind of shockpared to the shock of receiving ChenYing¡¯s diagnosis is simply insignificant.

    ZhouXiang nced at JiangYuan, ¡°Jiang Ge?¡±

    JiangYuan¡¯s regained his senses and started the car. He smiled, ¡°Xiao Zhou, you¡¯ve got guts to dare hang up the phone.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind cleared a bit. Thinking of his actions yesterday, it was very irrational. He tried to exin, ¡°Something serious came up at home yesterday. I was very agitated and couldn¡¯t control my emotions. Jiang Ge, please don¡¯t take offense.¡±

    ¡°Oh, why are you exining it to me? You have to exin it to MingXiu. You didn¡¯t hang up on me but on him." JiangYuan sighed, ¡°You should also know that MingXiu¡¯s background is very unusual. No one has ever dared to provoke him. Even big shot celebrities with the strangest temper will still show him some level of respect. I really admire you for being so daring, but this is not a good thing.¡±

    ZhouXiang chuckled. <i>Not a good thing.</i><i>What can YanMingXiu do to him?</i> He is still familiar to YanMingXiu to a degree. Although he (YanMingXiu) has a bad temper and is proud and arrogant, he is not a one to seek revenge on a trivial matters. It was just a phone call, ZhouXiang was not too worried.

    JiangYuan looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s uncaring expression and sighed in his heart. He had worked for YanMingXiu for more than a year. Even though he¡¯s not someone who is considered to fully understanding YanMingXiu, he is somewhat familiar with his temperament. YanMingXiu has never shown any intense interest to anybody like he did to ZhouXiang. In fact, he even did a lot of things that he never did before. Based on his assessment as a professional agent and assistant, he felt that YanMingXiu had fallen for ZhouXiang.

    Although his news is very well-informed, only a few people are aware of YanMingXiu¡¯s past rtionship with someone named ZhouXiang. And for whatever reasons, these few people would never tell anyone so JiangYuan could not determine whether YanMingXiu had fallen for ZhouXiang based on this. It¡¯s only his intuition telling him that this is the case. As for why, he could not guess.

    He felt that ZhouXiang¡¯s appearance was not bad. He is somewhat handsome but not outstanding. Especially whenpared to YanMingXiu, it is like heaven and earth. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have any unusual attractive personal traits or any particrly good qualities. He¡¯s merely just an ordinary person. No matter how hard JiangYuan scratch his head, he couldn¡¯t figure out what it is that YanMingXiu sees in ZhouXiang. He only needed to confirm this point, then he can help his boss pacify all the obstacles and conceal all the bad news is enough.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what JiangYuan was thinking since he is still absorbed in his own thoughts.

    The car quickly got to an upscale neighborhood. When ZhouXiang looked up, he immediately recognized that this was where YanMingXiu lived.

    When he took YanMingXiu back that night, he asserted that YanMingXiu didn¡¯t live in his home. YanMingXiu really had no reason to live in his home. Surely, YanMingXiu had gone back that time to get some of his things. ZhouXiang is indeed unlucky. Ever since he had awakened in this body, he had gone back his home three times. The first time, he saw YanMingXiu; the second time he ran into LanXiRong, and thest time nothing happened.

    ZhouXiang felt a bit unsettled, "Jiang Ge. Is this where President Yan lives?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± JiangYuan stopped the car and led him to the elevator.

    ¡°Jiang Ge. What does President Yan want? Can you reveal a bit?" When JiangYuan took him to YanMingXiu¡¯s apartment, ZhouXiang finally feel a little nervous.

    JiangYuan shook his head and shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I am just responsible for bringing you here.¡±

    ZhouXiang still wanted to say something but JiangYuan suddenly turned his head and put his hand on ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder. He smiled, ¡°Ah Xiang, I advised you, ¡¯a wise man knows when to submit to his circumstances.¡¯ You will understand my words in the future."

    When JiangYuan said these words, ZhouXiang is even more puzzled.

    JiangYuan led him to the front door and pressed the doorbell. YanMingXiu opened the door dressed in casual clothes. From the moment the door opened, YanMingXiu stared right at ZhouXiang.

    JiangYuan smiled, ¡°MingXiu, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even look at him but said coldly to ZhouXiang, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at JiangYuan who had just turned and walked away just like he did that night with an attitude of this not being any of his business. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t suppress himself from feeling nervous.

    <i>YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t remember kissing him right? Could it be that JiangYuan told him?</i>

    When ZhouXiang was in a daze, YanMingXiu had already dragged his arm and pulled him into his home impatiently.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 59

    ZhouXiang flung his hand away and stood at the door as he didn¡¯t intend to go in. He had tried to suppress his gloominess and put on a hypocritical ttering smile but he couldn¡¯t even fake it. Instead he had nk expression, ¡°President Yan, I really do have family matters to attend to. It¡¯s just trifling family matters that superior people like you can¡¯t imagine. But to me, it¡¯s not something that I could be distracted from. You can¡¯t be bearing grudges toward me because I hung up on you right?"

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and seriously assessed ZhouXiang up and down.

    <i>This person seems to be different overnight, or it could be said that this is the real him. Maybe there was a sudden unexpected mishap so he was toozy to even put on a ttering respectful expression... immediately changing to one that is spiteful, even mocking him with this tone.</i>

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t believe that there were any ill feelings between them so where did his couragee from. The most important thing is where did his hostilitye from in speaking to him in such a way?

    YanMingXiu¡¯s tone sounding unpleasant, "What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°President Yan, what do you mean? What is yourmand in calling me toe here? Just say it. I really have to go home.¡± ChenYing¡¯s mood had been very unstable the past two days, sometimes crying nonstop and sometimes sitting silently without talking. With her mental state like that, she really needed someone to watch over her. ZhouXiang was really afraid that she couldn¡¯t get over and ept their situation (and harm herself or suicide). He couldn¡¯t ept this result. He would feel that he is a sinner.

    Therefore, he really didn¡¯t want to put on a facade and be polite andpliant toward YanMingXiu. He just wanted to hurry up and leave.

    YanMingXiu nced at him coldly, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be straightforward. Was it you who took me home the night before?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Jiang Ge, I merely helped him.¡±

    ¡°I know there is JiangYuan. What I¡¯m asking is, was it you who was with me in the end?" YanMingXiu stared fixedly at his eyes, as if he urgently wanted to get the answer from his eyes.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect JiangYuan to hide anything for him so he could only tell the truth. ¡°Yes, but I left very soon after.¡±

    YanMingXiu suddenly grabbed his chin, moving his body very close, his long figure giving ZhouXiang a sense of oppression.

    The hand that grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s chin, slightly pulling closer, and his strength is immense, ZhouXiang looked at him silently. He wanted to see what this person wanted to do.

    YanMingXiu suddenly stretched out his thumb and touched his lips. His movement is very light and his expression a bit dazed.

    ¡°It¡¯s you? Why is it you?¡±

    ZhouXiang just wanted to open his mouth but YanMingXiu suddenly moved close and covered his lips.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even think. He used his backhand to push him away but YanMingXiu instantly grabbed his hand and pressed him to the wall, then forcefully and fiercely sucked his lower lip.

    Before ZhouXiang could even react, YanMingXiu has already released him. The expression on his face is soplicated that even ZhouXiang can¡¯t guess. It seems that he is surprised, lost, and even a little disgusted.

    Yes, disgusted.

    After YanMingXiu kissed him, he used the back of his hand to swipe his lips.

    <i>It tastes like him, but not him. After all, it¡¯s not him.</i>

    ZhouXiang was so angry that he wanted to p him. But he restrained the urge to do it as he angrily uttered, ¡°President Yan, that¡¯s way out of line. I am not familiar with you to that degree.¡±

    YanMingXiu let go of him. He stepped back and assessed him from head to toe.

    <i>If he kept him by his side, would he have the same experience as the night before?</i>

    It appeared that only in his drunken state that this kind of warm and familiar feeling turned out to be so real. For him, it¡¯s a huge temptation. It¡¯s simply like a good rain after a long cold drought or a freezing winter catching on fire.

    <i>He¡¯s not dead. He¡¯s definitely not dead. But when will he return?</i>

    With this long and full of skepticism wait, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know when he wouldpletely copse. The appearance of this person in front of him is only tiny heat source but could temporarily prevent his bones from being frozen stiff.

    YanMingXiu made a decision.

    He opened his mouth but there wasn¡¯t much of an expression on his face. It was as if he was the king issuing an order that wouldn¡¯t allow for anyone to refuse. He asked ZhouXiang, ¡°Do you want to be popr?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what was going on. He unconsciously stepped back. If he didn¡¯t care for having to still make a living in the entertainment industry, he would have just turned around and leave.

    ¡°What do you want? What roles do you want to y, how far do you want to go, and how high do you want to reach? I¡¯ll satisfy you. Be with me<sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡± YanMingXiu said it slowly. He believes that there are people in the world who can¡¯t be tempted but this person obviously does not have such good character.

    <strong>T/N:</strong> YanMingXiu is proposing to buy ZhouXiang as a kept lover. He will pay and provide for all his expenses but ZhouXiang would be his sex ve, toply with hismands and wishes, to be at his beck and call.

    ZhouXiang is shocked as he looked at YanMingXiu in disbelief.

    YanMingXiu... wants to...

    YanMingXiu stared at the change in ZhouXiang¡¯s face. ¡°Say it. What do you want? There has to be something you want.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Why?¡± The pinnacle of his heart is bleeding. <i>Why?</i> The answer he knew clearer than anyone else.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t shy away and bluntly responded, ¡°You look like someone<sup>(T/N)</sup> but that has nothing to do with you.¡±

    <strong>T/N:</strong> referring to Older ZhouXiang

    If it wasn¡¯t for his internal organs being overwhelmed by this excruciating pain, ZhouXiang would probably do something crazy, such as loudly swearing, such as ruthlessly beating the crap out of him, using everything he could so that YanMingXiu would experience the pain he¡¯s in.

    Two lifetimes, he thought that he was already being given a renewed life. He didn¡¯t expect that this was merely a changing of bodies and that he would still continue to suffer the same torment.

    He can now conclude that God is messing with him. The soul inside this body has been cursed; cursed to only be a substitute for others in his lifetimes in order to bring about his value. No matter how many times he died, no matter how many times he gets reborn in a body, repeating the same cycles, his destiny never changed. He only made a slight turn and was pulled back to its original track.

    He thought that death could rewrite his destiny but he was gravely mistaken. From the moment he woke up and saw CaiWei, he had been invisibly controlled. Being badly battered through the process, he still couldn¡¯t take another route. He still ended up taking his old path, still ended up being tangled with YanMingXiu, and still being treated by him as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute!!

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire person had be easily frightened due to the traumatization of his past experiences. He suddenly bolted up, his hand raised into a fist and fiercely punched toward YanMingXiu¡¯s face.

    With this punch, YanMingXiu was knocked to the ground. He didn¡¯t immediately jump up to fight back. He just looked at ZhouXiang coldly. He thought that ZhouXiang felt deeply humiliated but this resistance is utterly ridiculous in his eyes. He has many ways to make ZhouXiang submit. He is no longer the same Young Master Yan from before... that youngster who didn¡¯t even know his own heart... that youngster who was a stupid fool is already dead.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body trembled as he struggled to turn and walk toward the door.

    YanMingXiu stood up, his chilling voice sounded behind him, ¡°You can choose to agree or I¡¯ll have ways to force you to agree. In short, whatever I want, I¡¯ll definitely get.¡±

    The palm of ZhouXiang¡¯s hand that is grabbing the door handle started sweating. He knew that he should open the door and leave immediately, going as far away as possible.

    But when he got out this door, he really could only get out this door.

    He will face insurmountable obstacles once this door closed on his face. In the end, he would have nowhere to go.

    Without needing anyone to warn him, he also knew the significant meaning behind YanMingXiu¡¯s<sup>(T/N)</sup> surname.

    <strong>T/N:</strong> basically means that the Yan family is an influential and powerful family. YanMingXiu can do anything to get him to submit.

    He took his hand back and exhibited an agonizing bitter smile on his face. Turning around, he looked at YanMingXiu coldly.

    YanMingXiu slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at him in a condescending manner, just like looking at a nobody.

    ¡°Give me money then,¡± ZhouXiang said rigidly.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyebrows lifted, ¡°How much do you want?¡±

    ¡°A condo and two million cash,¡± With this, the biggest problems in front of him will immediately be solved. How ridiculous. In this most desperate and endlessly painful situation, as long as a person like YanMingXiu opens his mouth, it can easily be resolved.

    <i>Who the hell is he? </i>

    YanMingXiu mocked, ¡°Why do you think you¡¯re worth this?"

    ¡°This is what I want. You think you can fuck me for free?¡± ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes are bloodshot. Every word that he uttered, he felt his heart trickling blood.

    ¡°Fine. Agreed.¡±

    ZhouXiang reached his hand out, ¡°Pay the money first.¡±

    YanMingXiu took his checkbook from the table and quickly wrote an amount, then tore it and threw it at him.

    Holding this extremely thin piece of paper, ZhouXiang¡¯s hand trembled erratically.

    <i>It¡¯s that simple, just that simple.</i> ChenYing¡¯s illness and his troubles have all been solved. Why didn¡¯t he think of it earlier? Why didn¡¯t he think of this before? That a person like him is actually worth some money?

    ZhouXiang really wanted tough.

    YanMingXiu expected ZhouXiang to have a bit more chastity, but he didn¡¯t expect ZhouXiang to agree so easily. The contempt in his heart became even worse.

    It doesn¡¯t matter. He never expected this person to be noble. He (younger ZhouXiang) is just a substitute. When he needs him, he¡¯ll appear in time, it¡¯s nothing more than that.

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have JiangYuan get the condo ready for you. Move in immediately. I¡¯ll go there to find you."

    "No." ZhouXiang resolutely refused, ¡°That condo, I¡¯m using to live with my mom. You can¡¯t go there."

    ¡°That¡¯s your business. You¡¯ll have to find a solution,¡± YanMingXiu said bluntly.

    ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu chillingly, no longer arguing with him, but instead asked what he most wanted to know, "How long?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s brows lifted.

    "How long do you want me to be with you?"

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± YanMingXiu responded straightforwardly.

    ¡°I need a deadline,¡± ZhouXiang smiled sarcastically. ¡°A condo and cash, how long do you think I¡¯m willing to have sex with you?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded coldly, ¡°One year is fine.¡±

    "A year it is." ZhouXiang carefully stuffed the check into his pocket, then turned and leave.

    After he walked downstairs, he stared up at this more than 30 stories high apartment building, so depressing, it¡¯s indescribable.

    He had only been in there for half an hour and it solved the crisis that would have taken him half a lifetime of hard work...but he sold himself.

    However, this business transaction is considered a good deal. ZhouXiang thought of ChenYing¡¯s yellow tinted expression, her life that seems to be withering away at any time is his biggest concern at the moment. He patted the check in his pocket andughed at himself.

    Just a matter of having sex with someone...it¡¯s really not that big a deal.

    This deal is worth it... very much worth it.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 60

    ZhouXiang went home during lunch time.

    Aunt Wang and ChenYing didn¡¯t expect him toe back so early. ChenYing asked, ¡°Xiang ah, didn¡¯t you go to work?¡±

    ZhouXiang showed a smile that put her at ease. ¡°Wei Ge gave me a few days off. I¡¯ll stay with you this entire week.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be with me. I¡¯m not bedridden. Go to work. You just got the job, don¡¯t take time off.¡±

    ¡°Mom, the days off have been approved. There¡¯s no point for me to go back. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just a few days.¡±

    When Aunt Wang saw that he was back, she told them that she will leave.

    ZhouXiang walked her to the door and said to her, ¡°Aunt Wang, I just borrowed some money so I¡¯m not so tight right now. I¡¯ve thought about it and want to hire you to take care of my mom full time. I¡¯ll rent a bigger apartment. It will include food, lodging, and one day off each week. Monthly pay will be £¤1,800, what do you think? I¡¯m usually not home that much so you¡¯ll need to take care of my mother and go with her to the hospital.¡±

    Aunt Wang agreed very quickly. After she retired, she had nothing to do. She had so much time that she was panicking.

    ZhouXiang had already nned it all out on the way home. The condo that YanMingXiu will give him, he can¡¯t let ChenYing live there. He could only rent another ce for ChenYing; one that has 3 bedrooms. He¡¯ll live there but if YanMingXiu wants to see him... then he¡¯ll go to that condo.

    Bluntly put, YanMingXiu had bought him so whenever YanMingXiu wanted to fuck him, he¡¯ll just have to serve him. He thinks that YanMingXiu wouldn¡¯t want to be with him every day so most of the time, he could still go home.

    With this £¤2 million cash, ZhouXiang felt that his entire person has lightened up. For the time being, he didn¡¯t want to think about YanMingXiu. He¡¯s only thinking of ChenYing¡¯s problems. This money not only paid off all their debts at once, it is also enough to support ChenYing¡¯s treatment for ten to twenty years and even a kidney transnt too. Even if this is not enough, he will still continue to earn money. He still has that home that he could sell. In short, their future lives won¡¯t be too hard. ChenYing won¡¯t have to carry the heavy mental barrier of burdening him.

    After sending Aunt Wang away, ZhouXiang returned home.

    ChenYing is checking on the pot of soup. It has been almost half a year since ZhouXiang was discharged from the hospital. Although their lives have always been very harsh, ChenYing would live frugally but still won¡¯t hesitate to splurge money for nutritious soup to nourish ZhouXiang¡¯s health. ChenYing saved on everything but she¡¯s willing to spend money on food. In her opinion, she couldn¡¯t provide anything for her son except for food. She still has a bit of ability to provide for her son to eat well.

    After ZhouXiang entered the apartment, ChenYing wiped her hand and came out. She looked at ZhouXiang with a serious expression, ¡°Ah Xiang ah, I really like being with Aunt Wang but I don¡¯t need her to take care of me. I have hands and legs and can do anything. I¡¯m embarrassed to tell her. You go tell her that she doesn¡¯t need toe. We don¡¯t have the money."

    ZhouXiang smiled and said appeasingly, ¡°Mom, besides taking care of you, the most important thing is for her go with you to the hospital for your dialysis treatment and be yourpanion so you won¡¯t be so bored. Your dialysis takes four to five hours each time and I usually have to work overtime. It¡¯s so boring for you to be by yourself. Not only will I not fire her, I¡¯m going to hire her to take care of you full time."

    ChenYing is shocked, ¡°ZhouXiang. Stop joking, you absolutely can¡¯t!¡±

    ZhouXiang grabbed her hand, ¡°Mom... mom, listen to me. Just listen to me.¡±

    ChenYing looked at him suspiciously.

    ¡°Mom, I went out today and borrowed some money.¡±

    ¡°Borrow money? From who?¡±

    ¡°Wei Ge, our boss, and a... a former friend."

    ¡°What friend? How much did you borrowed? Ah Xiang, we still owe money. If you keep on borrowing, we won¡¯t be able to pay it off our entire lifetime."

    ¡°Mom, this friend, our rtionship is very good. Moreover, he¡¯s a big celebrity and has a lot of money so he really doesn¡¯t care about these few hundreds of thousands yuan. He¡¯s in no hurry for me to pay it back.¡±

    ¡°A big celebrity?¡± ChenYing is stunned. Then, she suddenly grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s sleeves and said in a sharp tone, "What friend! Is it that TanYin!?"

    <i>TanYin?</i>

    ZhouXiang is baffled. <i>Who is this person? He¡¯s never heard of him.</i>

    ChenYing looked at his face in bewilderment and suddenly remembered that ZhouXiang had already lost his memory after he woke up so he shouldn¡¯t remember. Although she saw the boy many times on TV but he had changed his name. Moreover, he¡¯s in the limelight, he shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with her son.

    Sure enough, ZhouXiang asked, ¡°Mom, who is TanYin?¡±

    ChenYing felt like she had dug her own grave, she stuttered, "No......you don¡¯t remember. You met him when you were a model. I......I forgot. Since you don¡¯t remember, just leave it. If it¡¯s not him then it¡¯s fine."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t put it to heart. A person that this body¡¯s owner knew before had no rtionship with him. He exined, "Mom, I don¡¯t remember who you talked about before, but it is definitely not this person. The friend is someone I met after I woke up. He......he¡¯s a Buddhist; very good at heart and very generous. I happened to meet him at thepany today and told him about my problems. He lent me £¤500,000."

    ZhouXiang tried to make it as close to the truth as possible, but he still felt that his mouth and tongue were dry. Although he had already lowered the amount significantly, he still felt that his story is full of loopholes.

    Sure enough, ChenYing still look at him skeptically.

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s true. I also think that I came across such a good thing. He said that I can repay him slowly, but he¡¯ll lend me the money first for our pressing needs. This money is really nothing to him. The money we owed, we can repay a part of it first. I¡¯ll work hard. It¡¯ll definitely get better in the future. So Mom, you must not have any burden. You mustply with the treatments. It¡¯s only if you live that we can have hope, okay?¡±

    ChenYing¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°There is really such good people? How can there be such good people?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and confirmed the matter over and over again; only for ChenYing to feel as ease. If she knew that he agreed to such a deal... he wouldn¡¯t dare to think about the consequences.

    If it was his former body, he may not feel as terrible. He is not a woman, not to mention that he had slept with YanMingXiu before.

    However, this body was not his. Although they have converged for so long, ZhouXiang still could not fully ept this body. Using ChenYing¡¯s son¡¯s body to do this made his heart filled with a sense of guilt. Moreover, when he thought of YanMingXiu using this body as a (substitute)......he could not describe his feelings.

    Embarrassed, awkward, and resentful. ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is full of negative emotions.

    The gradual despair in ChenYing¡¯s eyes and her increasing hope is the only motivational force that made him feel better at this time.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 61

    The next morning, JiangYuan took the initiative to contact him, naturally telling him that he woulde to pick him up and take him to check out the condo that is being prepared for him. His tone sounded very ordinary with nothing unusual. It was if everything was how it should be. He was not at all surprised.

    In the entertainment industry, all kinds of outrageous things stemming from personal interest happens every day. Not to mention JiangYuan, even ZhouXiang has known it to be amon urrence. JiangYuan looked on stoically while ZhouXiang acted even more indifferently. He didn¡¯t even have a hint of blush on his expression when talking to JiangYuan in the car.

    JiangYuan felt guilty of muttering such thoughts in his heart. He felt that this person really don¡¯t seem like a newbie. He (ZhouXiang) didn¡¯t seem a bit embarrassed with this. JiangYuan couldn¡¯t even tell if this person is crooked (gay) or not but it¡¯s not his business. He only needed to do his job well and get his monthly sry.

    Not surprisingly for YanMingXiu, whether it is something for his own use or gifted to others, it¡¯s all good things. This condo, located in the downtown area, has a market value of no less than five million yuan. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect him to be so generous. Or, it could be that this is nothing in YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes. All the living necessities in the condo have beenpletely prepared. This ce is basically ready for anyone to live in.

    JiangYuan exined, ¡°MingXiu had originally prepared this condo for his older brother so everything is well equipped. Elder Young Master Yan (MingXiu¡¯s older brother) will be transferred back to Beijing in the near future so MingXiu specially chose to buy this condo near his work ce. But now it¡¯s given to you. MingXiu treats you pretty well."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t say anything. He really didn¡¯t care about this at all. ¡°Jiang Ge, I just came to get the key. I already know this ce, thank you.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go in to check it out? This condo is very beautiful,¡± JiangYuan looked at the handmade chandelier on the ceiling, with his tone full of envy. He also came from a second generation average official family. He is the son of YanDeJiang¡¯s old subordinate. If not, he would have not have the qualifications to be YanMingXiu¡¯s assistant. But there is noparison to their positions. He can¡¯t afford such a condo. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even blink and just went on to pay for a secret lover. JiangYuan felt a bit jealous.

    What made him most speechless was that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t look happy at all. He just faintly nced at it and was more anxious to leave.

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Next time. I still have something to do today.¡±

    JiangYuan couldn¡¯t help but look at him, ¡°Where are you going? Home? I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    ¡°No, I... I¡¯m going to stroll around to get familiar with the area.¡±

    No matter how beautiful this condo is, ZhouXiang is not at all interested. He was only trying to assess the value of the condo. After this agreement with YanMingXiu ends, he would sell the condo. <i>What does he need such a good condo for?</i> He doesn¡¯t have that kind of life to enjoy it. Now that the location of the condo has been determined, he will rent an apartment nearby for his mother and Aunt Wang. If YanMingXiu is not here, he will go back there.

    He and JiangYuan went their separate ways downstairs.

    Strolling around the nearby area, he found a lot of rental agencies. He has to go to work the day after tomorrow so it would best to get the housing situation settled today. Then, they can start moving. The ce where they live now is very bad. It¡¯s definitely not suitable for a patient.

    He checked out four apartments in the afternoon and selected one. After spending an afternoon renting the apartment, he hurried home and called Aunt Wang toe over and help them pack up to move.

    ChenYing didn¡¯t think that ZhouXiang would be so swift and decisive in his actions. He had only just mentioned about them moving yesterday and they are already packing up their luggage today. However, ChenYing had never been a woman who has her own opinions. Her personality is one that is easy-going and amiable. After her husband died, the son who had gradually grown up became her pir.

    The three people quickly got everything packed up in one night. They had a lot of things. Even though it wasn¡¯t worth much, it embodied the memories from the family in thest twenty to thirty years.

    Early the next morning, the truck from the movingpany hired by ZhouXiang came. In one trip, the three of them and all their luggage were taken to the new ce.

    The newly rented apartment is still somewhat old but it is very clean. The furniture and home appliances areplete. The rent is £¤3,000 per month. In Beijing, where thend is so expensive, to be able to find such a cheap three-bedroom in such an ideal location is ZhouXiang¡¯s luck. If it wasn¡¯t because the homeowner needing to leave the country and was eager to rent it out, he wouldn¡¯t have given it to ZhouXiang at this price.

    They were busy for an entire day, cleaning and handling everything that needed to be done. Finally, they got everything settled in this new home.

    ChenYing touched the clean and beautiful patterns on the curtains in the living room, her face revealing a genuine smile for the first time in these several days.

    On Sunday night, ZhouXiang stayed in his newly rented apartment and received a call from YanMingXiu.

    When he saw the caller ID, his heartbeat is abnormally fast. It is reasonable to say that he shouldn¡¯t be nervous. It¡¯s just sex after all. He is not a woman and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s never had frantic sex before. In fact, he had even lived with this person for a year. To pay such a small price so that ChenYing could live the remainder of her life well, he should be d.

    <i>So what is he so nervous about?</i>

    ZhouXiang hesitated for just a bit. The ringing on the phone made ChenYing called out, ¡°Ah Xiang, your phone.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly connected the call, ¡°Hello, President Yan.¡±

    YanMingXiu got straight to the point, ¡°Have you checked out the condo?¡±

    ¡°I have. Thanks to President Yan for being so generous.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. There¡¯s no suitable condo in this short notice. Have you moved in?¡±

    ¡°In theing two days,¡± ZhouXiang responded vaguely.

    ¡°Come to the set tomorrow. Director Zhao will give you a supporting role that will have your face exposed.¡±

    Needless to say, this is naturally due to giving face to YanMingXiu. ZhouXiang forcefully smiled, ¡°President Yan, I asked you for money. This business deal is considered to have been settled. You don¡¯t have to bother with me. I know my own weight (importance).

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t take it seriously, ¡°This is simply a piece of cake <sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N: ÅeÊÖÖ®„Ú - Something that can be effortlessly done, as easy as lifting a person¡¯s hand.

    ZhouXiang is toozy to say anything else. It seems that YanMingXiu didn¡¯t need him to go over to the condo today, which made him relieved.

    YanMingXiu added, ¡°Come to the set at nine o¡¯clock tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª

    ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t have the habit of sleeping inte. He got up early and rushed to the set.

    The filming for the city scenes were not yetpleted. This is a good thing for ZhouXiang. It¡¯s been said that the outdoor scenes would be filmed in GuiZhou. At this time, he really didn¡¯t want to go anywhere far.

    He thought that he had gotten to the set early enough but didn¡¯t expect that when he got there and looked about, Director Zhao was in a heavy coat, already eating breakfast. As he was eating, he was directing the props team to change the scene.

    The season is already early Fall so the morning is particrly cold. ZhouXiang walked over and greeted the director, ¡°Good morning Director Zhao, morning Wang Ge...¡±

    Once Director Zhao saw him, he pointed his chopsticks at the dressing room, ¡°Go wait in line. Those little makeup artist girls really can¡¯t bear any hardship, still not here at this time.¡±

    This tent was temporarily set up in the studio city and is open on all four sides. ZhouXiang shrunk his neck and headed to the dressing room. He waited in line to get his makeup done. These small supporting roles don¡¯t have exclusive makeup artists so they could only hurry and rush to line up.

    After he got dressed up, two hours had passed. Coming out of the dressing room, WangYuDong and YanMingXiu were already there and in the midst of discussion with the director.

    YanMingXiu signal with his eyes for him toe over.

    ZhouXiang went over. Director Zhao had mentioned that he will give him a role that would show his face. It¡¯s a viin role. Originally there were three underlings; right now one is changed and two is added. One is him and the other is a neer that is being promoted by WangYuDong¡¯s managementpany.

    WangYuDong canceled his contract with his original managementpany over a year ago and opened his ownpany, pulling in many artists. His business flourished in Beijing and his career thrived. Whoever he wanted to promote, it is an extremely easy thing to do.

    ZhouXiang knew that no matter how much he cursed WangYuDong in his heart, he couldn¡¯t even rattle half a fine hair on his body. The two of them are frompletely different worlds. <i>What resources does he have to be jealous of WangYuDong?</i> It¡¯sughable to even say that out loud.

    WangYuDong is still just as clever in dealing with people as he was before. Toward ZhouXiang, he is very polite. Anyone that had just met him will feel that he¡¯s a pleasure to talk to; the elegant and graceful mannerisms of a noble son, so gentle and courteous, how could anyone not feel overwhelmingly ttered.

    It¡¯s likely that ZhouXiang is the only one who could see through him as a snake<sup>(T/N)</sup> that he is. <sup></sup>

    T/N: what this means is that ZhouXiang is the only one that knows him as a two-faced hypocrite, just like a snake that will shed its original to get new skin.

    ZhouXiang spent the entire morning shooting the stuntman scenes. Director Zhao and WangYuDong¡¯s requirements are very vigorous, constantly making various demands on the spot. ZhouXiang¡¯s body can¡¯t bepared to himself before. There are many action sequences that he felt he could do, but it came out unsatisfactory.

    WangYuDong was sometimes satisfied but shaking his head other times. After a while, he suddenly smiled and said to YanMingXiu, ¡°He (younger ZhouXiang) is a far crypared to the previous ZhouXiang. Such a pity.¡±

    ZhouXiang was far away and didn¡¯t hear what they said. He was just trying to repeat the previous actions over and over again in front of the camera.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression immediately changed, his tone bing unusually chilly, ¡°Don¡¯t mention him to me.¡± Then he turned around and left.

    WangYuDong was startled. He likely didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to scold him like this. His expression was a bit awkward, his eyes tinged with a traced of uneasiness. He hesitated for half a second and said to Director Zhao, ¡°You guys continue.¡± After saying that, he turned and headed toward YanMingXiu¡¯s direction.

    Shortly after, when ZhouXiang was still gasping for breath, he could see the door of the dressing room mmed opened and YanMingXiu taking giants steps out without even turning his head, his expression looking extremely unsightly.

    WangYuDong caught up and after calling out once for ¡°MingXiu.¡± He stared and watch YanMingXiu leave.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what was going on, only that something unpleasant seemed to have happened between the two because WangYuDong also came out with a gloomy face.

    No one will meddle in the Yan family¡¯s business. Everyone silently pretended as if they didn¡¯t see anything, minding their own business.

    After lunch at noon, ZhouXiang closed his eyes for a while. Later in the afternoon, he needs to try on the dress up for the viin¡¯s role. The makeup part is most annoying because it¡¯s really ufortable for him, let alone the constant putting on and removing (of the makeup and head gears).

    In the midst of drowsiness, his phone sounded with a text message. ZhouXiang took out his phone to check. It is a message from YanMingXiu, the content is a very simple word, ¡¯Tonight.¡¯

    The hairs over ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body stood up.

    <i>Tonight...</i>

    What is to happen tonight? It is very obvious.

    ZhouXiang is no longer in the mood to rest. He stood up, full of anxiety. He felt that he, himself, isughable. <i>Why was he being anxious and frightened like a little virgin?</i> But he couldn¡¯t restrain himself from being nervous because this is YanMingXiu.

    Not anyone else... but YanMingXiu.

    ¡°ZhouXiang,e and try the dress up!¡±

    The makeup artist is calling him.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his face and took a deep breath, then walked into the dressing room.

    Just as he was walking out the door after trying on the dress up, he collided with a person and crashed into his arms.

    ZhouXiang was scared out of his wits as he quickly uttered, ¡°Sorry.¡± He pushed this person a bit intending to leave, but unexpectedly his shoulder was suddenly gripped from behind.

    ZhouXiang turned his head in surprise and sees a very handsome boy staring wide-eyed at him.

    ZhouXiang tried to recall. He had seen this person on TV. He¡¯s a rookie who has been increasingly popr at quite an astonishing speed. But ZhouXiang had forgotten his name.

    ¡°ZhouXiang!¡± The boy blurted out.

    This time it was ZhouXiang¡¯s turn to be amazed, ¡°Yeah? You.....¡±

    The boy suddenly grabbed his arm and forcefully dragged him out.

    ¡°Hey? What are you doing?¡± ZhouXiang wanted to pry his arm out but he was afraid of offending this person so he could only resort to following him to the side.

    As the boy turned his face around, there was a hint of disgust on his beautiful face, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ZhouXiang is stunned, ¡°Of course, it is to shoot a movie.¡±

    "You? Shooting a movie? That¡¯s not bad Xiang Ge. You finally got your day to shine <sup>(T/N)</sup>. The boy smirked and shook his head. ¡°But the things from the past, I hope you won¡¯t gossip about it."

    T/N: ³öî^ means poor person that could finally see daylight, getting out of a predicament.

    ZhouXiang took a breath and slowly pried his arm out of his grip, ¡°Brother, you may know me but I don¡¯t know you.¡±

    The boy is shocked then smiled sarcastically, ¡°Interesting, is this some new trick? Xiang Ge, don¡¯t even go there, it¡¯s been two years, you should also let go.¡±

    ZhouXiang simply wanted to roll his eyes. Right now, he really has no time to be dealing with him. He pointed to his head, ¡°I had an ident two years ago and had a concussion. I really don¡¯t remember anything. I¡¯m guessing that you also don¡¯t want me to remember, right? So let¡¯s just leave it at that." ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even look at him as he turned and left. He is usually very kind to people. But this boy, whether it was his expression or the words he said, it is extremely irritating. There must be some connection between him and the original owner of this body, but that has nothing to do with him.

    The boy ispletely stunned as he looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s back, seeing him walking away resolutely.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 62

    ZhouXiang immediately realized that the person he was just talking to is the hugely popr neer WangYuDong¡¯spany¡¯s is currently promoting, TanYuXuan. No wonder he felt familiar even though he didn¡¯t watch too much TV. People who had too high of an exposure rate, others would always inadvertently remember.

    No matter what, TanYuXuan seemed like a stage name. ZhouXiang only now remembered that ChenYing had mentioned a person named TanYin. A person who the original owner of this body knew.

    He subconsciously felt that they are the same person. It¡¯s very likely that the original owner of this body and this TanYin didn¡¯t just know each other.

    He used to think that it was a bit strange. He felt that ChenYing is very secretive and had concealed many things with the previous experiences of this body. Especially when he used a joking tone to test her by asking, "Did I have a girlfriend?" ChenYing was even more evasive in not wanting to respond. Two days ago, when he mentioned that he had borrowed money from a celebrity friend, ChenYing¡¯s reaction was extreme, adding on to TanYin¡¯s tone just now, a vague thought formed in the ZhouXiang¡¯s mind. The original owner of this body and this person with the surname Tan might have been a couple.

    Aftering to this conclusion, ZhouXiang felt a surging headache. If he was to follow this reasoning, then it canpletely exin why ChenYing was so secretive about so many things from his past, not wanting to tell him. For her, her son had lost his memory. So perhaps, he¡¯d also forget that he is a homosexual. This would have been a good thing. She¡¯d never understand that homosexuality is a natural instinct.

    If this is really the case, ZhouXiang would need to get a little farther away from this surname Tan. Fortunately, this TanYin didn¡¯t seem to want to be too close to him too. After all, he is popr now and must pay close attention to his image. So, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t really give it too much thought. He¡¯s merely a wild soul who had upied a nest. He has no qualifications to judge the original owner¡¯s past

    So when TanYin came over, ZhouXiang looked as usual, as if he didn¡¯t know him at all. In fact, he really doesn¡¯t know him¡ªas he shook hands with him when WangYuDong introduced them, it was only when he said his name, that it was a bit vague <sup>(T/N)</sup>. In any case, ZhouXiang and ZhouYang sounded almost the same. WangYuDong might have forgotten what his name was.

    T/N: TanYin knew him to be ZhouXiang, but he told WangYuDong that his name was ZhouYang.

    Moreover, it didn¡¯t seem like WangYuDong had regained his senses from the hurried departure of YanMingXiu. His expression wasn¡¯t very good. He eyes didn¡¯t even seem as if he saw them. After handing them (ZhouXiang and TanYin) to Director Zhao, he quickly gave TanYin a word of advice, ¡°perform well¡± and left.

    TanYin is very respectful to WangYuDong and Director Zhao but toward ZhouXiang, his expression was obviously hostile.

    ZhouXiangpletely ignored him and only talked to Director Zhao regarding the first scenes for his supporting character role.

    For the first time, he saw the four subordinates arranged for the viin BOSS in this movie. They are all very handsome young men; most of them are in their early twenties. ZhouXiang is the oldest and the least outstanding in terms of appearance.

    However, on the basis of acting and the interpretation of the martial arts action sequences, no one could match him. Very soon, aside from TanYin, the other two started to call him ¡®Ge¡¯. He helped them correct their movements, saving the director and the martial arts coordinator a lot of trouble.

    TanYin looked at him incredulously. In his memory, ZhouXiang absolutely didn¡¯t have such ability. If he did, why wasn¡¯t he able to get popr in the past? Not to mention that there was no performingpanies willing to sign him.

    When they got off work, the two boys invited ZhouXiang out for a meal. If it was before, ZhouXiang would not refuse the invitation of such young and handsome boys. Although from the time he awakened, his mind was never on these kinds of things (getting into other rtionships). But, that was how he had lived before and it¡¯s long be a habit. However, at this time, there is something more important waiting for him when he gets off work. He had to go see YanMingXiu.

    Just the thought of YanMingXiu, ZhouXiang¡¯s mind would begin to shudder again. He tried to suppress the throbbing in his head as he refused the invitation from the two boys. He rushed to remove his dress-up and changed into his clothes, intending to leave.

    He got offte today. He didn¡¯t even finish removing his makeup as he rushed out wiping his face with the wet towel given to him by the makeup artist.

    "ZhouXiang!"

    ZhouXiang instantly felt impatient. He¡¯s not a person that is considered to bescivious. But as a man and a man that likes men, he has a natural affection for those that look beautiful. However, from the moment he saw TanYin, he didn¡¯t feelfortable. There seems to be something from within the depths of his soul that makes him want to avoid this person. Perhaps, this is the wish of the original owner of this body.

    Unfortunately, TanYin would not let him do as he wished. He had caught up with him in a few steps. Feeling furious being ignored, he energetically grabbed onto ZhouXiang and pushed him against the wall, ¡°Why are you running!¡± TanYin fiercely red at ZhouXiang.

    (TanYin¡¯s thoughts) <i>Could it really be what this person had said? That he had lost his memory? Otherwise, how could this person who loved him deeply before, would ignore him to this extent. </i><i>But memory lost is such bullshit. Can it really happen in reality? There is only one possibility, that is, he is pretending!</i>

    ZhouXiang harshly grabbed his wrist, ¡°TanYin, what the hell are you doing?¡±

    TanYin¡¯s eyes lit up as he responded furiously, "You really are pretending, you know my real name."

    ¡°My mom told me your real name when we saw you on TV. I repeat. I was in the hospital for two years. I don¡¯t remember anything. If you are my friend, you should let go of your hand first.¡±

    TanYin reluctantly let go of his hand and looked at ZhouXiang seriously, ¡°You... you¡¯vepletely changed from before.¡±

    The previous ZhouXiang was a man who was very gentle and even a little weak. Most importantly, he never looked at him with this unfamiliar expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m really like twopletely different people from before," ZhouXiang said with pun intended. He calmed down, ¡°TanYin, I don¡¯t know what rtionship we had before but I really don¡¯t remember you. If I have offended you before, don¡¯t take it to heart. It is also a rare fate for us to be shooting a film together now. Let¡¯s just take care of each other in the future.¡±

    TanYin looked at him stunned. Looking at this person, using this face that he was once so familiar with, saying something that ispletely contrary to their previously deeply affectionate feelings... this kind of unfamiliarity and indifference made TanYin feel very ufortable.

    Under ZhouXiang¡¯s calming expression, he didn¡¯t know how to respond.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it like this. We can have a drink when there is free time. I still have urgent matters, I¡¯m going to leave first." ZhouXiang patted him on the shoulder, then turned and ran away.

    TanYin remained, looking at his back. His lips twitched slightly, his brows bunched together.

    ¡ª¨C

    ZhouXiang took out the key and opened the door to the condo.

    It was already past nine o¡¯clock. He hasn¡¯t eaten yet. After finishing work, he was in a rush to get back. His belly is empty, but he obviously knew that this feeling of panic is not because of hunger but simply because he didn¡¯t know how to respond to YanMingXiu.

    As soon as he got through the door, YanMingXiu came downstairs. He was wearing a bathrobe and his hair was still wet. Apparently, he just took a shower.

    When ZhouXiang really saw him, this intense panic he was in quickly calmed down.

    <i>Why think so much? YanMingXiu paid the money; he only just has to do as he¡¯s told. Right... he doesn¡¯t have to think about anything else. He is ZhouXiang but not ZhouXiang. At least for now, there was no rtionship between him and YanMingXiu.</i>

    YanMingXiu nced at him indifferently, ¡°Just got off work now?¡±

    "Yeah," ZhouXiang used the bent-slip slippers to conceal his emotions.

    <i>¡°Just got off work now?"</i> He had heard this phrase many times when he was living with YanMingXiu. Every time it is because he returned home veryte. YanMingXiu¡¯s tone would be tinged with a bit of dissatisfaction. At that time, ZhouXiang felt happy that someone cared that he came homete and it was a sweet feeling to him.

    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± YanMingXiu further asked.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Yeah¡±

    He stood in the middle of the living room and looked up at YanMingXiu, waiting for his next words.

    YanMingXiu said expressionlessly, ¡°Shower downstairs. Then,e up.¡± After saying that, he turned around and went upstairs.

    ZhouXiang walked into the downstairs bathroom. As the warm water flowed down his cold skin, he felt the tightness in his heart rxed a bit.

    <i>ZhouXiang. Don¡¯t be such a coward. Just be calm. What¡¯s the big deal? This is not a big deal at all.</i>

    The more heforted himself, the more resolute and steadier his heart felt.

    After he showered, he went upstairs wrapped in only a bath towel. The heating in the room was very good, he didn¡¯t feel cold at all but his footsteps were a bit heavy.

    YanMingXiu was sitting on the bed, reading a book. The soft light struck the side profile of his perfectly beautiful face, so beautiful that it makes people tremendously excited.

    No wonder so many people have lost their souls to him. ZhouXiang thought, <i>Wasn¡¯t he one of them?</i>

    When YanMingXiu heard his footsteps, he turned to look at him. Then, put the book on the headboard.

    ZhouXiang stood at the door. He didn¡¯t know what to do for a while, so he just stood there.

    YanMingXiu said, ¡°Come here.¡±

    ZhouXiang went to the bed.

    YanMingXiu looked at his bare chest. The emotions in his eyes fluctuated as he grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and pushed him onto the bed, pressing on top of him.

    The two gasped as they look at each other. A gust ofplicated and strange aura flowed between them.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s mind shook tremendously. It¡¯s that kind of expression again, that kind of expression that makes him feel this sense of familiarity, that makes his heart beat rapidly. <i>What does this expression really mean?</i> Why does it seem to prate his soul and shock him endlessly?

    He trembled as he touched ZhouXiang¡¯s face.

    ZhouXiang looked at him stiffly.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression suddenly became distorted with a glimpse of unspeakable pain. He propped up his body as if he is extremely tired.

    Then, he pushed ZhouXiang away and turned to lie down next to him on the bed.

    ZhouXiang looked at the ceiling woodenly for a long time before saying very slowly, ¡°President Yan...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me. Don¡¯t talk.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s low voice sounded from the side, as if he was suppressing his emotions.

    ZhouXiang felt the body that was in close proximity to his, his heart is full of all kinds of conflicting feelings.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 63

    Since YanMingXiu didn¡¯t want to be bothered, ZhouXiang naturally wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to touch him. The interlocking of their gazes just now had already made him feel pained. For a moment, he felt that YanMingXiu saw it... saw through his skin and into the depths of his soul.

    But very quickly, YanMingXiu denied it. Right... he could see that YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes went from confusion to rity, and then once again lost in confusion.

    He (ZhouXiang) doesn¡¯t know whether there could be this so-called ¡¯invisible connection¡¯ between two people who are not rted by blood. After all, they¡¯ve been intimately close; their bodies have physicallybined and joined as one. <i>When YanMingXiu looked at him, would he have a trace of that familiar feeling?</i>

    ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t know. YanMingXiu also wouldn¡¯t tell him. Only that what he had expected (sex) didn¡¯t happen, which made him heaved out a sigh of relief.

    Hey next to YanMingXiu, wondering what he should do next. He wanted to leave but he didn¡¯t know if this was appropriate at this time. After thinking for a long time, he finally moved and wanted to get out of bed from the other side. But right when he sat up, YanMingXiu¡¯s cold voice sounded, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ZhouXiang is shocked, then hesitantly responded, ¡°President Yan, can I go back home?¡±

    YanMingXiu opened his eyes and knitted his brows, ¡°You¡¯re not living here?¡±

    ¡°My mom¡¯s health is not good. I can¡¯t live here every day.¡±

    ¡°But you have to stay here today,¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s tone didn¡¯t allow him to refuse.

    ZhouXiang simplyy back down. <i>Who told him to sell himself to YanMingXiu?</i>

    YanMingXiu closed his exhaustive eyes again.

    ZhouXiang stared up at the ceiling. The two people are confined in this strange silence with time slowly whittling by.

    Suddenly, YanMingXiu slowly heaved a sigh in this quiet room, ¡°Did you use the blue bottle body wash?¡±

    ZhouXiang was startled. There were several bottles of body wash in the bathroom downstairs but he just habitually used the brand he most often used before. He responded, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    After a long time, YanMingXiu softly muttered, ¡°That¡¯s the smell.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t understand so he didn¡¯t say anything.

    YanMingXiu then said, ¡°Turn to the other side.¡±

    ZhouXiang was once again startled. Then he followed his instructions and turned with his back facing YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s slender arm suddenly wrapped around his waist with his hot chest pressed against his back. ZhouXiang¡¯s body froze as YanMingXiu held him in his arms.

    YanMingXiu called out for ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ in a hoarsely low-pitched voice. Then he stopped talking. But with these two words, ZhouXiang was unable to calm down for the longest time. The two words seem to contain feelings that he can¡¯t understand. Although YanMingXiu might have just called out his name inadvertently, these two words prated the barriers through time and body, straight into the depths of his soul. He even had the feeling that YanMingXiu was calling him... the real him (older ZhouXiang).

    However, numerous facts have told him that he is once against having ridiculous dreams.

    When YanMingXiu told him to turn around and embraced him from behind, he clearly knew that YanMingXiu was thinking of WangYuDong, which was the reason why YanMingXiu was willing to pay for him.

    He should be thankful that at least now he is clear in this established rtionship he has with YanMingXiu, rather than what it was like before, muddling through unclearly with each step, not being able to pull back.

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes. He felt that he must sleep like this tonight.

    He really hoped that he can immediately fall asleep right now. Otherwise, YanMingXiu¡¯s breath... his scent... his body temperature, every trace of it will enter his consciousness. His heart is instantly overwhelmed with this raging sorrow.

    If people could forget the past, they will definitely not have any more worries. At this time, ZhouXiang hoped to forget everything that had ever happened between him and YanMingXiu in the year they were together, especially the memories of the numerous times of falling asleep with YanMingXiu. That to him now was a great disaster.

    He can¡¯t pretend that YanMingXiu doesn¡¯t exist, but he knew that YanMingXiu was only using him as a substitute for another person. This kind of despair and humiliation has long gued him endlessly. After getting near YanMingXiu again, this torture is even worse.

    He felt that God is messing with him and is getting overly excited about it. Otherwise, how could he be stepping back into his old path after being reborn again? He was given a new life, but it was not for him to lead apletely different life but to continue on teasing him.

    The smoldering hot chest behind him is like the scorching heat igniting the raging mes within him, riddling his heart with gaping holes.

    ¡ª¨C

    ZhouXiang woke up very early. He didn¡¯t remember when he fell asleepst night. When he woke up, the sky was mistily bright.

    He moved. He thought that he was still sleeping on the side but at some unknown time, he hadid down t on his back. However, YanMingXiu was still hugging him, his tall nose pressed against his face and his warm breadth drizzled on his skin, so close that there is basically no distance between the two.

    In that moment, it was as if it was a lifetime ago...like nothing had happened; he was still that (older) ZhouXiang. He merely had nightmare. When he wakes up again, the person he love is still sleeping next to him. Those bitterly disappointed memories would be like fragments of a dream that is ruthlessly shattered.

    If that¡¯s the case... if that¡¯s the case...

    ZhouXiang¡¯s gradually alert eyes stared at the luxurious chandelier above his head. This did not belong in the old home that he had lived for 30 years. Everything is not a dream. It is real.

    ZhouXiang felt pained, his lips trembled uncontrobly.

    He turned his face. YanMingXiu¡¯s deeply asleep face is in close proximity to his. That face is a miracle from the Creator. ZhouXiang is so mesmerized every time he sees it.

    YanMingXiu slept very deeply. ZhouXiang would never know that YanMingXiu had not been able to sleep so deeply for a long... long time.

    ZhouXiang reluctantly regained his senses, wanting to pry YanMingXiu¡¯s hand away to get up. Just when he moved, the hand that was holding his waist suddenly tightened. YanMingXiu knitted his brows while still sleeping, as if he was grabbing onto his life-saving straw, using such powerfully forceful strength to hug him, with his head deeply buried in his neck.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to wake him up but he wanted to get off the bed. After trying a few times, he finally awakened YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu stared at him hazily for a long time before gradually finding his focus, his voice hoarse, ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him silently, and then tried to get up again.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t stop ZhouXiang from getting out of bed this time, but pulled his arm back and stared at his hand.

    ZhouXiang got up and went to the bathroom.

    The spot next to YanMingXiu is empty, taking away the surrounding body heat. In that moment, YanMingXiu suddenly experienced what he felt two years ago. When he heard the devastating news. At that moment his body felt void. He panicked and cried out, ¡°Come back!!¡±

    ZhouXiang was shockingly frightened. His foot had already stepped into the bathroom. He turned to look at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu looked at him with blood-shot eyes.

    <i>This person... he is more and more unable to understand.</i>

    Since the ident, he had not been able to have a good night¡¯s sleep. For a long time, he had not experience what it felt like to be able sleep at ease, without any inhibitions. But yesterday, he merely hugged this person and was able to sleep peacefully with no dreams. Just like on this night, he was able to make up for all the sleep he had beencking. He felt relieved andfortable. He knew that he instinctively held onto this person or perhaps his instinct knew what this person could bring him.

    <i>Why!!</i>

    <i>He is not ZhouXiang. They just have the same name, just simr figure, just .... but he is not ZhouXiang!</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face paled; the pain in his eyes couldn¡¯t even be concealed.

    He has fallen to the point of looking for the shadow of that person in a substitute. This is his punishment. When he thought that he was using ZhouXiang as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute, he was not aware of the actual person who had entered his heart.

    He had failed miserably with this method but still could not help himself from wanting to try. There are no other reasons. Just that he was in too much pain. He can¡¯t endure anymore.

    He was adamant that ZhouXiang is not dead but no one could confirm it. That little doubtful voice in his heart is getting louder and louder, but is roughly suppressed by him time and time again. To continually be persistent with this thought, he needed a lot of willpower. He knew better than anyone else. Even if this ZhouXiang could bring him a littlefort, he wanted to be close to him, just like a long frozen person wanting to be close to a matchstick.

    This can¡¯t save him... but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from taking that little warmth.

    He exhaustively looked at ZhouXiang, who is standing in front of the bathroom, waiting for him to say something. He lowly muttered, ¡°I want to eat, cook for me.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 64

    ZhouXiang got dressed and went downstairs as quickly as possible and then went into the kitchen to cook.

    The refrigerator is full of foods. ZhouXiang assumed that JiangYuan had brought them. He even thinks that none of these people knows the hardships of life. How could two people eat this much food? Some could go bad the next day. Seeing that, he felt gloomy.

    ZhouXiang put on an apron and got busy in the kitchen. He cooked very fast, working skillfully. In just a short a time, the aroma of the food permeated into the room.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know when YanMingXiu hade downstairs. YanMingXiu stood like a stone sculpture while observing ZhouXiang busily cooking in the kitchen. That broad back wrapped in an apron with his narrow waist and slender long legs, his slightly exposed pale neck and short stubbles, with his skillful and efficient swift movements made YanMingXiu felt as if he had returned to three years ago.

    He didn¡¯t know how many times he had sat on the dining table and watched ZhouXiang cook, smelling the aromaing from the kitchen that made his belly rumble from hunger. Many times, he would get impatient and walk into the kitchen to hug the man from behind, urging him to hurry up. In return, he would get a particrly gentle smile.

    Unconsciously, he stood up and walked step by step into the kitchen.

    The person in front of him suddenly turned his head around, but this is not the face in his mind. YanMingXiu¡¯s heart trembled in that instant; his body dejectedly drooped.

    ZhouXiang, ¡°President Yan, sit there and wait a bit.¡±

    YanMingXiu sat down again. He tried to calm himself down by taking big breadths.

    He really didn¡¯t know what is happening to himself. Just being with this ZhouXiang, his entire person could not be calm.

    After a while, ZhouXiang brought out the rice, three dishes and a bowl of soup to the table.

    YanMingXiu had just calmed down and now his heart started to beat erratically again. The rice bowl is ced on the left and the bigger soup bowl on the right, the meat dish in the middle and the vegetarian dishes on both sides, all lined up in front of him. The big bowl of soup was on the other side. The way these foods were ce are exactly the same way as that person! Even the food dishes weremonly seen on the dining table from before.

    YanMingXiu trembled as he picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of lettuce into his mouth. Then he mmed his chopsticks down on the table and red fiercely at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang had just picked up his bowl and got startled by him, knitting his brows, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not to your taste?¡± <i>That shouldn¡¯t be. These are what YanMingXiu usually eats.</i>

    All this is bing more and more impossible for YanMingXiu to ept.

    If he closed his eyes and not look at the face, what is the differencepared to sitting across from (older) ZhouXiang? How could there be so many coincidences in the world? So much that two people could make the same exact foods.

    This vor... he could not forget even in his dreams.

    YanMingXiu gnawed his teeth, ¡°Who taught you to cook?¡±

    ZhouXiang dazedly responded, ¡°My mom.¡±

    ¡°Where is your mother from?¡±

    ¡°Local.¡± ZhouXiang looked at him in confusion, ¡°President Yan, what¡¯s the matter? If it doesn¡¯t suit your appetite, I could make other foods. There are a lot of things in the refrigerator.¡±

    YanMingXiu continued to stare at him fixatedly.

    <i>Could it be that he is overthinking? Or could he still have that preconceived notion thinking that whatever he (younger ZhouXiang) did was simr to (older) ZhouXiang?</i>

    After all, they are twopletely different people. He couldn¡¯t exin this biggest contradiction at all.

    YanMingXiu looked at the table full of home cooked meal that is especially suiting to his appetite, but he couldn¡¯t eat it. He merely tasted every dish. The more he tasted, the more frightened he became. Then he just put down his chopsticks.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t guess what he was thinking, nor did he want to attempt. Hisst meal was noon yesterday. He hadn¡¯t eaten for 20 hours so he was very famished. When YanMingXiu picked up his cellphone and went to the balcony to make a call, ZhouXiang just buried his head in the dishes and ate most of it.

    "Hello, Team Leader Wang, it is me."

    ¡°Hey, President Yan, hello... hello.¡±

    ¡°Team Leader Wang, has there been any progress?¡±

    ¡°I had wanted to give you a call. Okay, so since you didn¡¯t want to rm the neighbors, this has really caused a huge problem for our work. You probably don¡¯t know this but when the people from our bureau went over to investigate, they are like the little thief, sneaking around, hehehe."

    YanMingXiu wasn¡¯t in the mood to be joking with him. He asked bluntly, ¡°Team Leader Wang, just tell me the current progress directly?"

    Team Leader Wang felt dejected and no longer attempted to get close. He responded in a more professional tone, ¡°ording to the most current report, we found a particrly big loophole. There seemed to be indications that the scene was tampered with twice.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? We didn¡¯t tamper with the scene.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you guys have been very careful, so the impact on the scene was very minimal. But there was still some damage to the living room. This is what we call the first time. What I¡¯m saying as the second time is just a few dayster. From the degree of dust deposition, it was at least three dayster. There is evidence that someone may have entered the condo, but in many ces we can¡¯t tell when the scene was caused.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that the thief went back there again!?" When YanMingXiu heard this part, he was about to explode.

    ¡°This... has not been confirmed, whether this was the thief and even more uncertain whether it was the same thief. But a lot of evidence on the surface pointed to someone else having been to the scene a few days after the incident. Since you had said that except for that night, you haven¡¯t been back to the condo, this is very suspicious. Could it possible that it is the two people that discovered the thief?"

    ¡°I¡¯ll confirm this with them," YanMingXiu clenched his fist. He had some suspicions that LanXiRong did it. After all, LanXiRong also knew where ZhouXiang hid his spare key so it¡¯s easy for him to go in. The reason why YanMingXiu didn¡¯t take the key out from the fire hydrant box was simply because...

    Because he thought that ZhouXiang mighte back one day.

    He didn¡¯t expect that the person he had been waiting for didn¡¯te, instead a thief and a love rival came.

    YanMingXiu is so furious that his eyes became bloodshot. If he caught the thief, he will definitely make him pay.

    Team Leader Wang continued, ¡°The other point is just our preliminary assumption but is inconclusive.¡±

    ¡°Say it."

    "This is about the door lock. Because President Yan repeatedly request that we not rm the neighbors, our people can only close the door and work from inside the house, but this makes it a challenge to study the door lock. Peoplee and go during the day and lighting is bad at night, so we haven¡¯t been able to do a thorough investigation on the door lock. We simply looked at it. ording to therades who are familiar with lock crimes, the door lock was not damaged and there were no signs of using unlocking tools to unlock. It seems more likely that the door lock was opened with a key. However, this does not rule out that the thief might have used a more advanced unlocking tool which wouldn¡¯t leave any traces. We just didn¡¯t feel that it was necessary since he had already rummaged through the house. Even without looking at the lock, you already know that there was a thief in the house. This is what baffled us. If you wanted this confirmed, we must remove the lock and bring it back to theb for further studies. It¡¯s best if we could also remove the security door...¡±

    ¡°No!¡± YanMingXiu adamantly refused, ¡°The door must not be touched. The lock... let me think about it.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart trembled erratically again.

    <i>Opened with a key?</i>

    <i>How could it be? If one didn¡¯t know where the spare key is, how can he know that the key is hidden in the curled-up water hose in the fire hydrant box? And that water hose was curled up a few rounds so hiding a small key is easy but what thief is this smart to have known that?</i>

    There are too many loopholes with this.

    YanMingXiu first doubted LanXiRong. After all, he didn¡¯t see the thief with his own eyes. This was all told to him by LanXiRong. Moreover, when he and Team Leader Wang¡¯s team went back to the scene that day and he was trying to verify what was lost, he really couldn¡¯t say what was really lost. Actually, he could even say that at nce, besides the condo seeming to look chaotic, there seems to be nothing missing.

    He knew too much about this little condo. Every little thing in the home had been imprinted in his mind. With the information provided by LanXiRong, he found out with much difficulty that ZhouXiang¡¯s cash on the bedside table was missing but he remembered that there was not much money. There were also ZhouXiang¡¯s SLR camera that cost over £¤20,000 and several lenses and aptop. These are things that a thief should have taken. However, these were all left in its original location. This thief¡¯s behavior is really baffling.

    If, as he suspects, that there was really no thief from the beginning, that this was all self-directed and self-acted by LanXiRong, then there are too many things that don¡¯t make sense. For example, why would LanXiRong do this? How could he possibly need a couple thousands of yuan? Besides, why should he inform himself (YanMingXiu)? If he didn¡¯t¡¯ say it, he wouldn¡¯t have known anything.

    So what are the other possibilities?

    YanMingXiu¡¯s head is spinning fast, thinking of every other possibility.

    <i>If the door lock is really opened with a key, then the people that knew of the location of the spare key is him (YanMingXiu), LanXiRong and...</i>

    <i>ZhouXiang?!</i>

    YanMingXiu almost couldn¡¯t breathe. Team Leader Wang called him several times from the other line but he still didn¡¯t respond.

    <i>If...if it¡¯s really ZhouXiang...but is it possible? He... he¡¯s alive? Will hee back? If he came back, why did he have to hide?</i>

    YanMingXiu stopped himself from thinking further because he knew that when a person is frantically hoping for something, he will let his imagination run wild. He will be deceived by his own delusions and lose his unbiased judgment. He can¡¯t be like this, he needed to remain calm.

    "President Yan? ...Hello?.... President Yan?"

    ¡°Team Leader Wang.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Let me think about it. I¡¯ll find a time for us to go back there together. You could remove the lock but you have to study it in the house. You can¡¯t take the lock away. After you¡¯re done, put it back in. The condo needs to remain exactly the same, you understand?"

    Team Leader Wang dazedly responded, ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°Team Leader Wang, is that possible?"

    Team Leader Wang bitterly responded, "Fine, there is really no other way.¡±

    YanMingXiu heaved a long sigh, ¡°Team Leader Wang, I have something else I wanted to ask for your help."

    "What is it?"

    ¡°Help me investigate a person.¡± YanMingXiu nced through the French door and looked at the person eating inside the house. His deep eyes revealed an iprehensible meaning, he gloomily responded, ¡°His name is ZhouXiang...¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 65

    After eating, ZhouXiang went to clean up the kitchen.

    At this time, YanMingXiu was also done with his phone call and had returned to the living room.

    ZhouXiang grabbed his coat, looking as though he wanted to leave but still asked for YanMingXiu¡¯s permission, ¡°President Yan, may I go home first?¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at him but didn¡¯t answer.

    ZhouXiang put the coat down again and waited for YanMingXiu¡¯s response.

    YanMingXiu unexpectedly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your home?¡±

    "It¡¯s... close by." ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know why he asked this, and added, "President Yan if you......call me, I cane over at any time." After ZhouXiang said that, he showed a self-mocking smile. It was very slight but YanMingXiu still caught it.

    YanMingXiu stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back.¡±

    ¡°Yan... no need. It¡¯s very close... only ten to twenty minutes walk, I could go back by myself."

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t allow him to refuse and had already started to get dressed. He persistently added, ¡°I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t refuse.

    After YanMingXiu took him to the neighborhood, he had no intention to leave. Instead, he followed ZhouXiang out of the car and said naturally, ¡°You said that your mother¡¯s health is not good? I want to go visit.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°President Yan... This is not appropriate right? My home is such a small ce, how could it amodate your noble......"

    YanMingXiu waved his hand and look at him warningly, ¡°ZhouXiang, if you talk to me like this again, I will seal your mouth." Sometimes he could feel that when ZhouXiang talks to him in a very polite and respectfull manner, it would also at the same time be tinged with a trace of sarcasm. But he didn¡¯t understand why. It seems that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have much opposition in being his boy toy so it¡¯s really not necessary for him to be emotionally unbnced, right?

    ZhouXiang really shut his mouth. Whatever intent YanMingXiu had in wanting to go to his home, ZhouXiang would have no ways to stop him. He couldn¡¯t possibly coax him to leave.

    Just because YanMingXiu gave him a condo and money, he had to bend his spine in front of YanMingXiu this lifetime.

    The two men took the elevator upstairs. When ZhouXiang opened the door, ChenYing¡¯s voice immediately sounded, "XiuFen (Auntie Wang )?"

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Mom.¡±

    ZhouXiang led YanMingXiu into the home as ChenYing came out from the room. While walking, she grumbled, ¡°XiuFen went grocery shopping and its been a long time......Oh? This is......" ChenYing saw YanMingXiu and is utterly startled.

    When average people meet YanMingXiu, they would naturally be captivated by his celestial appearance. Being startled is really not much.

    ChenYing had never really seen such attractive man in real life; so good looking that he seems to havee out of a painting. In any case, she was also an intellectual but she couldn¡¯t even find a suitable adjective to describe her shock in seeing YanMingXiu. She quickly regained her senses. YanMingXiu seems to be a celebrity. She had been staying home all day and spent most of her time watching TV so it¡¯s not surprising that she could recognize YanMingXiu.

    ChenYing is a little excited, ¡°Isn¡¯t he that celebrity?¡± Her eyes switched back and forth between ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu, and finally looked to her son for an answer.

    ZhouXiang smiled and responded, ¡°Mom, he is considered as my boss. The movie that I am currently acting in, he invested in it. We went to an outdoor filming site and couldn¡¯te back yesterday. He gave me a ride today. When he heard that your health is not good, he wanted toe by and visit."

    YanMingXiu also nodded kindly at ChenYing as he put the tonic in his hand onto the ground. He had always received gifts from others that he hasn¡¯t done anything with so it was merely left in the trunk. Taking a few items out was easily done.

    The excitement in seeing a celebrity made ChenYing blushed a bit, ¡°Aiyah, You¡¯re too modest. Come have a sit. Ah Xiang, why didn¡¯t you call? The home is so messy. I didn¡¯t even boil water. Aiyah......" ChenYing rushed to boil water as she didn¡¯t know how to host YanMingXiu. Even if YanMingXiu just stood still, she thought YanMingXiu is a person from another world.

    Once ChenYing turned around, the smile on ZhouXiang¡¯s face immediately disappeared. He really wanted to know why YanMingXiu deliberately came here to torment him and his mom.

    He got his answer very soon.

    In the midst of ChenYing¡¯s conversation with YanMingXiu, he continuously asked about ZhouXiang¡¯s past. Although his questions were not obvious, ZhouXiang is perceptively aware.

    ChenYing is also not stupid. After talking for more than half an hour, she also noticed. Anything that she didn¡¯t feel was appropriate, she also didn¡¯t say it. After recovering from her initial shock of seeing YanMingXiu, her doubts gradually deepened.

    After YanMingXiu realized her resistance in delving more into ZhouXiang¡¯s past, he stopped asking and came up with a reason to leave.

    Immediately after he left, ChenYing and ZhouXiang were left staring at each other speechless.

    At this point, ChenYing¡¯s face had no more of the initial excitement; instead, her expression became depressingly heavy.

    ZhouXiang carefully tested, ¡°Mom? What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ChenYing bit her lips and then resolutely asked, ¡°You and him, what is your rtionship?¡± <i>Even a housewife like her who rarely goes out knows that YanMingXiu¡¯s identity is unusual. If it wasn¡¯t for any special reason, why would he have the leisure time toe here to visit her? Does she deserve a special visit from such a big shot?</i>

    No matter how she thought about it, it has to be because of her son<i>. But her son is just an unknown minor actor. What does he have that is worthy for a big star like him make that effort?</i> The more ChenYing thought about it, the more unsightly her expression became and the more worried she is.

    ZhouXiang was in a daze and for a moment, feeling guilty, "I¡¯ve told you... he¡¯s an investor in a movie that I have a supporting role.¡±

    ¡°You are just a minor supporting role, why should he give you a ride home? Even if he gave you a ride, whye visit me?¡± ChenYing changed her usual frailness to suddenly bing a bit aggressive.

    ZhouXiang rarely saw ChenYing like this. The first time was when "TanYin¡± was mentioned. The other time is now. A thought gradually formed in his mind. He calmed down and exined, ¡°We get along well, that¡¯s all there is."

    ChenYing obviously didn¡¯t believe him. With her voice trembling, "Ah Xiang, tell mom the truth. Are you......are you......"

    ZhouXiang grabbed ChenYing¡¯s hand and calmly asked, ¡°Mom, the TanYin you mentionedst time, was he my ex-boyfriend?¡±

    ChenYing¡¯s expression suddenly turned paled, with her body uncontrobly shaking, she evaded his gaze, silently confirming.

    Sure enough, it is what he thought. With TanYin¡¯s demonic enchanting appearance, anyone can tell he¡¯s GAY at just a nce. Moreover, he still has a lot of skills up his sleeves, knowing how to use himself.

    Combined with ChenYing¡¯s reaction and what TanYin had said, ZhouXiang is sure that TanYin is a couple with the original owner of this body. In the end, the owner of this body could not get popr, but TanYin took the opportunities and the two of them parted ways. These facts in the entertainment industry are not umon. Women could rely on their bodies to climb up thedder. Men could also do the same. As a matter of fact, this happens even more than often. Although he was not sure that TanYin was such a person, but after he got popr, he trampled on his old love. So he is definitely capable of this.

    ChenYing¡¯s face became slightly distorted, ¡°Ah Xiang, I know that I can¡¯t hide this from you. You told me before that homosexuality is not a disease, that it can¡¯t be cured. You said that is a gene a person is innately born with, it¡¯s their nature. I used to be against it. I wanted to get rid of that gay gene from your mind. But after you wereatized is when I came to realize that nothing is important. No matter what you are, as long as you are healthy and living, that is most important. So, I...I¡¯m not going to have any objections anymore (of ZhouXiang being gay). I know that if it is really like you said, even if you lost your memories, you would still like a man in the future. But...but Xiao Tan won¡¯t do. This child¡¯s moral conduct is not good. When he was with you before, he just wanted to be famous. His feelings toward you are not genuine. Mom¡¯s just worried that when your career takes flight, you will run into him. I always see him on TV. That child¡¯s appearance looks good; he can sweet talk, and knows how to tter people so everyone is fooled by him. But......you must be careful of him. No matter who you are with, it must not be him."

    ChenYing said a lot of things. In the end, she was somewhat anxious. Her inner turmoil is all written on her face.

    ZhouXiang sighed and smiled calmly, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re thinking too much. I really don¡¯t remember that TanYin. You¡¯ve said a lot. Even though I don¡¯t remember the things from the past, I really don¡¯t have feelings for women. But I will remember your words and not get too close to TanYin.¡± He thought, <i>if ChenYing knew that he had already met TanYin, she would be so upset.</i> But this is something he can¡¯t hide for long. ChenYing will sooner orter know that he and TanYin are ying supportive roles for the viin in a movie.

    But, however long he can hide this from her; then let it be. He didn¡¯t want to upset ChenYing so soon.

    ChenYing took a deep breath and said anxiously, ¡°Ah Xiang, that President Yan...¡±

    ¡°Mom, we are definitely not together. There is no such thing. Someone like him, how could he like me? We are just colleagues.¡± Perhaps because he was guilty, he said all these words very quickly. Afterwards, he felt that he had over-exined. It is inevitable that he looked like he was trying to mask it. But it is impossible to take back what was said. He felt that although he has no great wisdom, he had always been smart...with the exception of matters rting to YanMingXiu. Only with matters rting to YanMingXiu would he seem to always be out of control, making him so hopelessly stupid.

    Sure enough, ChenYing¡¯s eyes shed a trace of blemish. She knew that forcing ZhouXiang is useless so she just said, ¡°Ah Xiang, you are right. It is impossible for someone like him to look upon us with our backgrounds. I don¡¯t care what¡¯s going on with the two of you, but son... you have to remember, you must see clearly into the person¡¯s heart. Be smart and don¡¯t let people y you."

    The worry in ChenYing¡¯s eyes is quite obvious. This worry stems from a mother who is deeply considerate of her son, regardless of everything else. This made ZhouXiang felt touched.

    If he can be like any ordinary person, having experienced parents who would warn him a bit, perhaps he may not be so lost.

    Unfortunately, he did not have that. Furthermore, he sank into aplete mess.

    While in a daze, ChenYing caressed his face, ¡°Son, mom has no objections in you finding a boyfriend. You¡¯re also not young. If there is a good boy, you could......bring him back. As long as he has a good character and is dependable, mom won¡¯t object." After ChenYing finished saying this, she let out a long sigh.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 66

    T/N: Sorry for the confusion... So weird... this seems to be out of sequence...This has already been posted very earlier today, but for some reason, it¡¯s not showing as our most recent post. So it¡¯s being re-published. Some of you have most likely read this already.

    LanXiRong returned to the country.

    He didn¡¯t n on returning till at least next month, but YanMingXiu¡¯s phone call had made him so angry that he changed his schedule. He pushed his work back for a month and came back early.

    Because YanMingXiu questioned what happened that night, and hearing from his tone, he seem to be implying that LanXiRong self-directed and self-acted the scene from the beginning, making it sound as if he was the actual ¡°thief.¡± Although he refuted loudly with a bunch of reasons but he couldn¡¯t hide the fact that he really was the first person to discover the burry that night. Both CaiWei and YanMingXiu merely heard it from his perspective.

    Because it was toote that night and most people were already sleeping; even the neighbors couldn¡¯t tell if they heard movements from next door. The thief himself didn¡¯t leave any concrete traces. All in all, LanXiRong really didn¡¯t have anything substantial that he could use to refute YanMingXiu¡¯s ims.

    When YanMingXiu asked him why he went to ZhouXiang¡¯s home, he was honest enough to admit that he was coincidently passing by and just wanted to go and see. YanMingXiu was even less convinced with this exnation but that is the fact.

    That day he was just driving past on that road; the streets were clean and clear, letting him see the view of the street from his memory. He could recall the many times that he and Xiang Ge bought the (food) ingredients from the supermarket, chatting along the way as they walked step by step on the old floor tiles to ZhouXiang¡¯s home, each of these steps were deeply imprinted in his heart.

    When he regained his senses, he had already unconsciously driven to the neighborhood.

    He still remembered the longing and sorrow he felt as he looked up at the windows of ZhouXiang¡¯s home from downstairs. He hoped that the light would be on so that he could just go up and knock on the door. The man would appear in front of him as usual, gently smiling and calling him ¡°XiRong.¡±

    This rtionship <sup>(T/N)</sup> of his that is filled with ignorance and unsettling factors had never even started. Even he himself had his doubts and confusion (about the rtionship). But all this hadpletely ended with ZhouXiang¡¯s ident.

    T/N: the rtionship LanXiRong is referring to is the romantic "love" rtionship he wanted with ZhouXiang.

    He would never forget how he felt that day when he received the call (of ZhouXiang¡¯s ident) from CaiWei. The pain was so excruciating that he didn¡¯t know what to do. He cried for a long time, locking himself in his room refusing to see anyone for several days. He really couldn¡¯t ept it. This person was perfectly fine. He had just talked to him on the phone and now he¡¯s gone.

    He hadpletely disappeared from this world; even his body couldn¡¯t be found.

    In the beginning, he still held onto the delusion, hoping that the search and rescue team could find ZhouXiang. Maybe he was just trapped and still alive. But a week passed. Then two weeks passed. Under YanMingXiu¡¯s frantic persistence, the search and rescue team searched for more than a month but still could not find a trace.

    In the end, everyone gave up hope. Only YanMingXiu madly and stubbornly insisted that ZhouXiang is not dead. Because his body is not found; he must still be alive.

    At that time, LanXiRong felt for the first time that there really were true feelings between YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang. Moreover, it was much deeper than he imagined, so deep that it devastated YanMingXiu to the point that he (YanMingXiu) changedpletely. It was as if his former self has beenpletely destroyed by this ident.

    He (LanXiRong) couldn¡¯t hate anyone. He could only frantically leave to hide abroad; or else he¡¯d reminisced of their past memories (between him and ZhouXiang).

    Until now, he finally could calmly face the fact that ZhouXiang had died. Only now, did he dared to try to enter ZhouXiang¡¯s home in the dead of night to look at the things that he was familiar with and to reminisce about the person he once really liked.

    It was only until this day that he finally dared.

    But he didn¡¯t expect that he would actually run into a thief. He really didn¡¯t know whether he was furious or fortunate. At least, he prevented the thief from taking away many of the things left by ZhouXiang.

    He had also been paying attention to the progression of the case during this time. It¡¯s just that he couldn¡¯tmunicate directly with YanMingXiu. He could only get some of the information through CaiWei so he knew very little. So it¡¯s actually good that he¡¯sing back at this time. Otherwise, this matter would be on his mind and he will always be bothered by it.

    CaiWei sent someone to the airport to pick him up and also called him to discuss his new music MV. He also asked if he would be starting to film once he returned because President Wang had personally promised to arrange for ZhouXiang to be the second actor in the MV. CaiWei would have to coordinate the two sides as soon as he discussed it over with LanXiRong.

    LanXiRong discussed it with his assistant and agreed. When CaiWei mentioned the name ZhouXiang, LanXiRong is a bit stunned. Although he knew that (younger) ZhouXiang was not (older) ZhouXiang, but this name had a huge effect on him, he couldn¡¯t calmly face it.

    ZhouXiang, who used to get paid based on the time that he worked, has now be a busy man. His "schedule" will also need to be vetted out. For example, the filming progress of the movie slightly shed with the filming of LanXiRong¡¯s MV, especially if they have to go to GuiZhou to shoot a specific scene next month. This scene is one of the most pivotal scenes for the plot of the story. He¡¯d have to stay for at least half a month.

    After discussing with CaiWei, he decided to finish filming the MV before he leaves. LanXiRong¡¯s schedule was also very tight. He had no reason to wait for ZhouXiang. At the same time, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity.

    Now that ZhouXiang officially signed a contract with JuXing, JuXing will start to train him as an artist. Although ZhouXiang always felt that he was not the same caliber but with CaiWei¡¯s help and being taken under LanXiRong¡¯s wing, it would not be a problem for him to make a living being a stuntman or an actor. He also didn¡¯t have to report to work from 9-5 and don¡¯t have to do other side jobs. His ie would also be much higher than before.

    Compared to the deal with YanMingXiu, he certainly wanted to make money on his own. However, he is not a materialistic person so if it could be like how it was before (before he died), it is fine with him. Too much fame is a burden.

    Although he has money in his hands, he didn¡¯t dare to be careless. Uremia is really an illness where money is thrown into a bottomless pit. ChenYing¡¯s health had not been good. Having long-term depression with frugal living had made her body frail and weak. Now that she¡¯s seriously ill, it nearly destroyed her. In less than a month, they have already spent tens of thousands of yuan. Just medicines and nutrients cost a few thousands. ZhouXiang did a rough calction, with each month¡¯s rent, water, electricity, food, doctor visits, and caretaker, the family¡¯s monthly expenses almost totaled £¤20,000. ZhouXiang is now scared of spending money.

    But right now, he is still nning on buying a car, otherwise it would be too inconvenient toe and go. With the £¤370,000 debt, he dared not to pay it off all once because he feared that people would be suspicious. But this amount must be reserved. Calcting it like this, there are many areas that needed to spend money. The two million is like an hourss, it may not be enough for a few years.

    ZhouXiang used to make at least £¤20,000 to £¤30,000 a month. Although this is not considered to be much in Beijing, he only had to support himself. He didn¡¯t really save money nor could he save money. He did buy a lot of insurances so even if he got sick, he was not afraid. As a result, he had never learned to spend money carefully. He spent whatever he earned. Even though his savings were small but he didn¡¯t have any sense of crisis.

    However, now that he has so much money in his hands, he didn¡¯t dare to casually spend it. Every yuan needed to be meticulously calcted before spending. ZhouXiang felt that since his rebirth, his personality had changed so much that he¡¯s even unfamiliar with the current him.

    After filming the scene as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman in the morning, he quickly grabbed a box lunch and rushed to LanXiRong¡¯s MV location. By the time he got there, it was almost 2 o¡¯clock.

    If it wasn¡¯t because WangYuDong, YanMingXiu, and that scheming TanYin not showing up today, ZhouXiang believed it would definitely be impossible to finish filming in the morning.

    The filming location was at a school. When he arrived, most of the staff had arrived except for LanXiRong. ZhouXiang first went to talk to the director and the producer.

    He had been too busytely. Shooting this MV was ast minute decision. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even look at the script. It was simply a short MV without any scripted lines so it¡¯s notte to be looking at the script now.

    His role in the MV is the main actor¡¯s - and that is LanXiRong - romantic rival to fight for a girl. This MV is more focused on the campus school life. He had to dress up as a rascal and smash a beer bottle on LanXiRong¡¯s head.

    Right after ZhouXiang read the script, he is speechless. Maybe it was to please the younger fans so the theme song was actually designed for such a melodramatic plot.

    What made him quite embarrassed was that LanXiRong is only 24 years old this year and has a trademark baby face. The actress who ys the leading role is not even 20 years old. For these two to be acting in a campus school life themed MV is definitely not a problem, but for ZhouXiang, he is almost 27 years old and not particrly young. He thought if President Wang knew of the content of this MV, he would not have agreed for him to be in it.

    Sure enough, when the director and the producer saw him, it was obvious that they weren¡¯t too satisfied and felt that ZhouXiang was not young enough. But at this crunching crucial moment, they couldn¡¯t object. So they had him quickly get dressed up for the role.

    ZhouXiang looked at the script while getting his makeup on.

    When he was done with the makeup, the effect was very good. He looked a few years younger, exuding confidence, making him look quite handsome.

    The director found several peons as followers for this rascal role, they were changing their clothes.

    At this time, LanXiRong slowly arrived.

    As soon as he entered the door, he saw ZhouXiang wearing a white cored shirt with three open buttons, his hair gelled high up, and a Band-Aid on his face practicing a grin in front of the mirror. The afternoon sun protruded through the big windows into the ssroom, putting on ayer of pale yellow glow to ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body.

    In that moment, LanXiRong is stunned. He seemed to see a very familiar person standing not far away, at a distance that is within his reach. If he was to just take a step forward, he would be able to firmly grasp this person.

    A loud shout instantly pulled LanXiRong back to reality. He dazedly stared at the ZhouXiang in front of him. <i>Did he see clearly?</i> This is clearly (younger) ZhouXiang and not that one (older ZhouXiang). This made him feel such bitter hatred.

    ZhouXiang also turned around and greeted LanXiRong.

    LanXiRong was still watching him with a look that ZhouXiang couldn¡¯tprehend.

    The producer ran over and urged, ¡°XiRong, go change. We¡¯ll shoot a scene first and check to see the result.¡±

    LanXiRong shook his head to get himself out of that depressive mood and walked toward the other ssroom.

    When LanXiRong finished with his dress-up, he walked back to the ssroom set. ZhouXiang is shooting a scene where he is bullying the ssmates in the ssroom. Although it is the first time that he acted in such a little kid role, he did it well.

    After filming the scene in the ssroom, they moved the shooting location to the outside corridor to shoot a scene where ZhouXiang would be leading a bunch of peons with brooms to chase after the male lead.

    Since the director was not satisfied with the few takes, he told them to run again and again while LanXiRong acted with the heroine inside the ssroom.

    When LanXiRong finished shooting, he went to the corridor to watch ZhouXiang¡¯s progress.

    On one side, the movie camera¡¯s disyed screen was repeatedly ying ZhouXiang¡¯s chasing scene.

    ¡°I think that this take, it¡¯s good here and he¡¯s not blocked. You could see that his back is exposed."

    ¡°But a person had run out of the scene. I still think that the fourth take is better...¡±

    While the director and the producer were discussing, LanXiRong¡¯s eyes were suddenly focused on the screen in the disy.

    He walked over step by step, with his eyes staring at the back view of a person running fast on the screen. It made him feel strangely familiar.

    <i>Where had he seen it before? He must¡¯ve seen it somewhere. </i>

    At first, he felt that because this ZhouXiang¡¯s figure is simr to Xiang Ge so their back views are somewhat simr. But having simrities of the back views with somebody else is not particrly hard to find, it¡¯s just that this scene made LanXiRong feel familiar, not only the back but also running motions.....

    <i>Where exactly had it seen it before?</i> Why did he care so much about this scene? He desperately tried hard to recall. <i>It¡¯s really weird. Where had he seen this running back view? </i>

    A sh of light dawned on LanXiRong and his expression suddenly changed.

    He suddenly remembered that day at ZhouXiang¡¯s home when he ran into that thief. That panically fleeing back view coincided with this running back came to his mind.

    <i>It looks so simr!</i>

    After being shocked for a brief moment, LanXiRong immediately felt that this must be just a coincidence. It should just be two simr backs that happen to look very much alike. This ZhouXiang has a legitimate career and ie. He couldn¡¯t possibly be connected to the thief. No matter how the average person looks at it, they would not connect these two totally unrted things together.

    LanXiRong felt that he must have been too exhausted recently and had too many things on his mind so it is running wildly. One can¡¯t say that it¡¯s highly questionable just from have simr back views.

    Even though this ZhouXiang¡¯s back and Xiang Ge¡¯s back are very simr; and from the moment he saw this person, this person had given him a sense of familiarity, making him want to delve further in understanding him, he was worried too much will instead make him uncertain on what to do next.

    He felt that his person really has fate with Xiang Ge. This is the only reason he could think of.

    ¡ª¨C

    After work is over, most people had already left.

    Since there were less people around, LanXiRong took this time to walk over to ZhouXiang and asked, "Are you free after work? Wannae have a drink with me?"

    LanXiRong¡¯s heart swelled. Although he believed that this ZhouXiang would not be the thief, he still wanted to confirm something. After he said it, he regretted it a bit but he felt that if this person (ZhouXiang) disagrees, he still would not give up.

    ZhouXiang is also stunned. He then smiled, ¡°Fine ah, but howe you wanted to drink with me? I am not too sure." <i>Can¡¯t me him for suspecting people.</i> In reality, he didn¡¯t know why LanXiRong did this since he felt that he had nothing worthy for LanXiRong to be interested in.

    "No particr reason. We¡¯re from the samepany. Moreover, you and Wei Ge¡¯s rtionship is not bad. I¡¯ve already called him. He¡¯lle in a little bit."

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out that he was thinking too much.

    ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s go. I haven¡¯t drink in a long time. Wei Ge¡¯s alcohol tolerance is pretty good. We¡¯ll definitely enjoy tonight.¡± ZhouXiang expressed a boldly spirited expression, but deep down he was a bit worried. Although he is not afraid of LanXiRong but CaiWei¡¯s alcohol tolerance is better than his. He couldn¡¯t beat CaiWei in drinking so he is afraid that he would inadvertently say the wrong things after drinking too much.

    He sat in LanXiRong¡¯s car to go to the bar. CaiWei was already there waiting for them. He also brought Ah Liu with him as well. The two had a table of liquor waiting for them.

    When ZhouXiang saw the liquor, he grumbled within his heart. It¡¯s easy for CaiWei to not drink, but when he does, he¡¯d go all out in getting the others drunk.

    Just as Ah Liu was drinking and howling as he sang, the three of them just chatted. Fortunately, it was just gossiping about work rted matters, nothing important.

    After some unknown time, ZhouXiang really couldn¡¯t drink anymore.

    LanXiRong is very smart. He knew that his alcohol tolerance wasn¡¯t good so he would sometimes trick CaiWei or have even have him (ZhouXiang) drink for him. LanXiRong could do this but he (ZhouXiang) couldn¡¯t. He really couldn¡¯t learn LanXiRong¡¯s seemingly spoiled but serious tone and attitude, making it difficult for people to refuse him. After a few rounds, LanXiRong didn¡¯t drink much but CaiWei was still urging them. He (ZhouXiang) was almost to the point where he couldn¡¯t take anymore (liquor).

    The music in the room along with Ah Liu¡¯s howls and screams continuously got louder and louder. Just when the noise is piercing his ears, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how, but he could still hear his own cellphone ringing.

    He still wasn¡¯t drunk but he felt very dizzy. He suddenly remembered that he didn¡¯t tell his mother that he would be homete. It was almost twelve o¡¯clock now. His mother is definitely worried.

    He quickly pulled out his cellphone, but his hand trembled and the cellphone fell to the ground.

    ZhouXiang was about to pick it up but his body wobbled and he fell into LanXiRong¡¯s arms. In this reeking of alcohol environment, a refreshing smell drifted into his nose, making him sobered up a bit.

    LanXiRong patted his back, ¡°Don¡¯t move. You can¡¯t reach it. I¡¯ll pick it up for you." LanXiRong bent down and picked up the phone from under the coffee table. The phone is very durable. It didn¡¯t suffer any impact and was still ringing. LanXiRong inadvertently nced at the screen and saw three characters, ¡°Yan-Ming-Xiu¡±.

    LanXiRong is momentarily stunned. He knew that the two had coborated but they are already close to the point where they would call each other at midnight?

    ZhouXiang still thought that it was his mother. He reached for the cell phone without thinking, "Hello, Mom......"

    YanMingXiu creased his brows, ¡°You¡¯re drinking?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± ZhouXiang didn¡¯t react for a long time. The first thing he realized was not YanMingXiu calling him but that his stomach was beingpressed. It turned out that he was still slumped on top of LanXiRong¡¯s thighs. LanXiRong¡¯s knees are on his stomach. He muttered as he crawled up, "Hello?"

    "ZhouXiang!" YanMingXiu said in a heavy tone, "Where are you?"

    ¡°At XX.¡±

    ¡°With who?¡±

    ¡°With Wei Ge and them.¡± ZhouXiang drank some water to make himself more sober, "President Yan, is there something?¡±

    This ¡¯President Yan¡¯, no one heard it in such an environment. Only LanXiRong knew who the other person is as he continued to stare at ZhouXiang.

    ¡°Hello? Go to a quiet ce!¡± YanMingXiu displeasingly scolded.

    ZhouXiang could only pull himself up and wobbled to the bathroom to talk. At the same time, he called out, ¡°Ah Liu! Ah Liu! Lower your voice.¡± After he said that, he held onto the wall and walked into the bathroom. ¡°Hello, President Yan, can you hear me now?¡±

    Just when he wanted to close the door, he felt some resistance. When he turned around, he saw LanXiRong holding the bathroom door, squeezing in with him and mmed the door shut, closing off most of the noise from outside.

    ZhouXiang looked at him in surprise.

    With a nk expression, LanXiRong grabbed the phone from ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and said coldly, ¡°YanMingXiu, I¡¯m LanXiRong, we¡¯re drinking now. ZhouXiang drank too much. You could call him another day.¡±

    YanMingXiu was startled for half a second, gritting his teeth, ¡°Surname Lan, why the fuck can¡¯t you just go away?" He hung up the phone after saying that.

    By this time, ZhouXiang also grabbed his phone, screaming, ¡°XiRong, what are you doing!¡±

    LanXiRong didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. It was as if he hated for YanMingXiu getting close to ¡¯ZhouXiang,¡¯ even if this is just a person with the same name.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 67

    After YanMingXiu hung up, the atmosphere of the two people in the bathroom is a bit tensed.

    ZhouXiang stuffed his cell phone into his pocket and looked at LanXiRong with an inquiring expression, asking his meaning behind doing that. After all, it is his cell phone and his own personal matters. Although LanXiRong has a lot of grievances against YanMingXiu, it has nothing to do with him. So him doing that is all too strange.

    LanXiRong¡¯s face revealed a trace of embarrassment as he awkwardly responds, ¡°I saw that you couldn¡¯t even stand up so I was just being nice in helping you answer your phone." After saying that, his eyes drifted to the side.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Even if he were to me LanXiRong, nothing would have happened, so he simply pushed him away, opened the bathroom door and walked out.

    CaiWei nced at them strangely, then immediately mocked, ¡°Fuck, how old are you guys to still be pissing together...doneparing (dick size)? Who¡¯s bigger?"

    LanXiRong smiled as he responded, ¡°Wei Ge, can you not be so vulgar. ZhouXiang left to answer the phone. The bathroom is slippery. I was just afraid that he would slip."

    That sounded a bit convincing. ZhouXiang¡¯s steps were a bit wobbly.

    ZhouXiang is toozy to say anything else as he sat on the sofa and waved at CaiWei, ¡°Wei Ge, I can¡¯t drink anymore, really can¡¯t drink anymore. Give... my mom a call. That I¡¯m busy....really... make up an excuse to let her know that I won¡¯t be going home tonight."

    He¡¯s so drunk that his mom would be taking care of him instead of resting. He just won¡¯t go back today and instead nned on going to the condo that YanMingXiu gave him.

    CaiWei took his phone and drank a mouthful of water to make his voice sound less drunk. Then he walked out, intending to go to a quiet ce outside to make the call.

    ZhouXiang was so drunk that he was a bitzy to even move. His eyes blurred seeing various blending colors on the LCD TV screen that is supposedly showing videos of love songs, but it paused in his mind. The lyrics and melody are out of tune, making it sounded like a sad song.

    Maybe because he had drank too much or perhaps he had held it in for too long, ZhouXiang has an unspeakable impulse at this time to vent all the secrets buried within himself. He is too tired to keep hiding. It¡¯s too troubling. He really wanted to tell everyone. Then, he wouldn¡¯t have to keep these secrets.

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t dare.

    LanXiRong saw that he wasn¡¯t looking normal so he opened a bottle of mineral water and put it on his lips. ¡°ZhouXiang, are you okay? Drink some water.¡±

    ZhouXiang took the bottle and carelessly poured it in his mouth but most of the water spilled all over the front of his shirt.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± ZhouXiang angrily swore as he patted the water on hispel.

    LanXiRong sighed and grabbed the bottle of mineral water in his hand and put it aside, then took out some tissue to help him wipe.

    Although the heating in the bar is very good, wearing a long-sleeved shirt is even a bit hot, but as soon as they go outside, the chilly air from the blowing cold wind is guaranteed to make the scalp go numb, let alone that ZhouXiang had wet the front of his shirt and pants.

    LanXiRong wiped him a few times but seeing that the tissue paper on his clothes did not wipe any water away, he felt that this is not going to work. His clothes was soaked against his chest, it¡¯s definitely ufortable so he suggested, "Why don¡¯t you take off your top and put on my sweater. I have a shirt inside.¡±

    ZhouXiang kept pulling the front of his shirt to prevent it from sticking to his chest. Looking at LanXiRong¡¯s clothes, he nodded to agree. LanXiRong took off the outer sweater and threw it to him. ¡°Go put it on in the bathroom.¡±

    ZhouXiang grabbed the sweater and wobbled as he tried to stand up. But his legs went soft and he suddenly fell back.

    Ah Liu teased him, ¡°Why bother to go to the bathroom, just change here. There are no girls here and even if there is, it¡¯s not a big deal. Ah Xiang has a great body ah,e on, show it off, satisfy these dudes¡¯ cravings."

    Since Ah Liu had gotten to known him, he spoke more and more without reservations. His words have always tinged with a bit of vulgarity so ZhouXiang had gotten used to it.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Looking is no problem, but that¡¯ll cost £¤100 for each look and I only take cash.¡± After he finished talking, he reached out to unbutton his shirt.

    Ah Liu hollered on the side, singing a little pornographic song with no idea where he learned that from.

    ZhouXiang quickly took off his wet shirt. Then wiped the front of his chest with a paper towel and put on LanXiRong¡¯s cashmere sweater. His body suddenly felt a lot morefortable.

    At this time, CaiWei came back. His expression looking a bit strange.

    ZhouXiang took his phone back and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    CaiWei sat to his side and looked at him deeply, ¡°You and YanMingXiu are very close?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart jumped. Did CaiWei saw his text message? But he didn¡¯t say anything to YanMingXiu in the text message.

    CaiWei responded, ¡°He just called and said that he ising to pick you up.¡±

    ZhouXiang is startled. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know what to say.

    LanXiRong heard it on the side and narrowed his eyes, pretending to inadvertently ask, ¡°I can just take you back. Why bother for him to make a trip just toe get you?"

    ZhouXiang half-heartedly responded, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve just realized that I have to go to the set tomorrow. He might have been afraid that I would dy the progress. I ... I¡¯ll go out to give him a call.¡±

    CaiWei pulled him, ¡°Don¡¯t need to call him. He¡¯s very close to the Worker¡¯s Stadium and will be here very soon.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression changed slightly. He¡¯s worried that if YanMingXiu came over, their rtionship would be exposed. If it was someone else, that would have been fine. But he definitely didn¡¯t want to ever let CaiWei know about it. CaiWei had repeatedly warned him to not get too close to YanMingXiu, but he already...he really don¡¯t want to see CaiWei¡¯s disappointment in him.

    ZhouXiang stood up unsteadily, ¡°I...I¡¯ll just make a call, tell him not toe, waste of time...¡±

    He grabbed his phone and walked out of the private room and started to dial YanMingXiu¡¯s number, but YanMingXiu didn¡¯t pick up.

    He thought<i>... would YanMingXiu be angry?</i> After all, he and LanXiRong never got along before. He even hung up the phone immediately.

    ZhouXiang fiercely bumped his head twice against the wall to try and force himself to be a bit sober. He has to think of what to sayter so that other people won¡¯t be able to see anything wrong.

    When he returned to the private room, CaiWei and Ah Liu were still drinking. Ah Liu has always been simple-minded and didn¡¯t think much of anything but the other three people all had apprehensions on their minds.

    After about ten minutes, the door of the private room was suddenly opened and the four people all turned their heads to see YanMingXiu wearing a heavy coat standing in the doorway looking quite worn out. The lights in the hall came in through the door, forming a circle of backlighting on his body. They seem to be able to see the chilliness exuded all around his body.

    YanMingXiu immediately saw ZhouXiang¡¯s drunken flushed face.

    LanXiRong sat still and just looked at him coldly.

    No matter how much CaiWei hated YanMingXiu, on the surface he can¡¯t offend him. Seeing that no one spoke, he might as be the first one to say something.

    ¡°President Yan, you¡¯re here, that¡¯s really fast.¡±

    YanMingXiu went over and mmed the TV off. The singing noise in the box room disappeared instantly. Most of the noisy music from outside is isted so now the quietness in this box room is a bit strange.

    YanMingXiu pointed to ZhouXiang and said with gloomy face, ¡°Get up, I¡¯ll take you back.¡±

    ZhouXiang could only say to the other people, ¡°I still have to go to the set tomorrow. I¡¯ll leave first. You guys continue." Then he deliberately said to YanMingXiu, ¡°President Yan, will have to trouble you.¡±

    He supported himself with the table wanting to stand up. YanMingXiu immediately grabbed his arm, pulling his entire person up.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression looked unsightly; so much that anyone with eyes could tell. If it is only because of the hostility between him and LanXiRong, many people in the circle already knew that so it¡¯s not at all surprising. However since YanMingXiu came in, his eyes were not on LanXiRong. Adding on, there was no confrontation between the two so YanMingXiu¡¯s chilling attitude is really baffling.

    ZhouXiang grabbed his coat and put it on. He swiftly took his shirt and quickly took a few steps, turning back to the three people to awkwardly excuse himself. Then, he was firmly pulled out by YanMingXiu.

    Ah Liu didn¡¯t know too much of the details so he didn¡¯t give it too much thought but LanXiRong and CaiWei are different. The two of them looked at each other, their expressions a bitplicated.

    After YanMingXiu shoved ZhouXiang into the car, he was in no hurry to drive, but grimly asked, ¡°Whose clothes are you wearing?¡±

    ZhouXiang stared nkly, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Is it LanXiRong¡¯s?¡±

    There was no need to talk about the wet top in ZhouXiang hands. YanMingXiu is very familiar with the cashmere sweater that he is wearing. He remembered that a sponsor had just sent him a book of a batch of clothesst week. The cashmere sweater and the shirt inside were set. He had ordered a set and had just received it yesterday but hasn¡¯t had the time to wear it. ZhouXiang is wearing the cashmere sweater of this set, while LanXiRong wore the matching shirt.

    Even though he could guess that ZhouXiang changed into it because his own top got wet, still his heart felt annoyed to the extremes.

    He hated LanXiRong. He felt that the reason he and (older) ZhouXiang had gotten to this point definitely involved this bastard, LanXiRong. Anyone who lusts after his things should die, regardless how much this (younger) ZhouXiang actually weighs in his heart, he will not let his things touch the slightest breath of LanXiRong.

    He said bluntly, ¡°Stay away from surname Lan in the future, I hate him.¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent. Hearing this sounded all too familiar.

    YanMingXiu saw that he didn¡¯t talk and thought that he wasn¡¯t happy. He turned and gripped ZhouXiang¡¯s chin with his hand and said expressionlessly, "Don¡¯t forget who you fucking belong to. Don¡¯t piss me off."

    Under the dim light, only ZhouXiang¡¯s bleak smile is visible as he faintly uttered, ¡°President Yan... whatever you say, I¡¯ll definitely obey. I, ZhouXiang certainly won¡¯t forget that it is you who owns me.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 68

    ZhouXiang is lying on the passenger seat, with his body gently rising and falling from the car¡¯s forward movements. Under the influence of alcohol, his sense of consciousness continuously slipped in and out of his mind. Sometimes he¡¯d open his eyes and didn¡¯t know where he¡¯s at; at times he¡¯s in a daze.

    Half consciously, he was pulled out of the car by YanMingXiu. He could feel the elevator going up the floors. He knew they had gotten to their ce.

    YanMingXiu put him in the guest room downstairs. ZhouXiang flopped himself onto the bed, his mouth making mumbling sounds that can¡¯t be understood.

    YanMingXiu was so exhausted that he was sweating profusely. He removed his coat and went to pat ZhouXiang¡¯s cheeks, ¡°Get up to take a shower.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him with his eyes half-squinted, ¡°No...shower, gonna sleep.¡±

    "Get up. You stink." YanMingXiu can¡¯t stand the smell of him and hated that he was wearing LanXiRong¡¯s clothes. Even if he was raising a dog, it should be wearing clothes ording to his preferences.

    He hauled ZhouXiang out of bed, dragging him up at the same time pulling off his sweater and then furiously throwing the sweater onto the floor in disgust.

    ZhouXiang was a little impatient and said boldly, ¡°President Yan, can you just let me sleep?" His eyelids are battling to stay open.

    YanMingXiu pulled him up unwaveringly, ¡°No, go wash up.¡± As he was saying this, he was holding him and dragging him to the bathroom, ¡°I¡¯m warning you, if you¡¯re drunk like this again in the future, I¡¯m going to throw you out the street.¡±

    ZhouXiang snorted, ¡°Didn¡¯t tell you to pick me up.¡±

    Maybe because the liquor gave him courage, all of ZhouXiang words were scolding him, making YanMingXiu extremely livid. He¡¯s always been disgusted with people who get badly drunk. They stink horribly and their minds would be retarded, not to mention that they would speak rudely.

    He grabbed the shower head and turned the water faucet, spraying the water above ZhouXiang¡¯s head. But he forgot that the hot water wouldn¡¯te so quickly. The first thing that sprayed out of the shower-head was cold water making ZhouXiang angrily scream out as he subconsciously used his arms to block it.

    With this block, the shower-head was knocked to the ground, the water sprayed all over the ce and all over them.

    YanMingXiu suppressed himself from shouting but the water on the skin was really ufortable.

    ZhouXiang bent down to try and pick it up. YanMingXiu lowered to turn off the faucet but the two men collided with a loud bang and both fell to the ground.

    ZhouXiang was already wobbly from his drunken state. This time, his entire person fell on top of YanMingXiu. He wasn¡¯t able to get up even after trying several times.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart pounded erratically again. His heart is shouting a person¡¯s name. As he¡¯s holding this person in his arms, the familiar weight, the familiar scent and even the familiar feeling of this person¡¯s hair made him return to the crazy things that he did with ZhouXiang three years ago. All of it is so vivid in his mind.

    The shower-head had already started spraying out hot water, soaking both of their clothes. ZhouXiang tried strenuously to prop himself up. He looked at YanMingXiu¡¯s deeply dark eyes.

    YanMingXiu is also looking at him. No...those passionate eyes were definitely not looking at him, but at somebody else through him. He drank a lot but he is more sensitive than ever.

    ZhouXiang moved a little bit and felt that he¡¯s be hard. It has been half a year since he was reborn. He has not had any sexual activities during this entire time. It can be said that since his sexual experience in his teens, there has never been more than half a year gap that he didn¡¯t have sex.

    It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to but he just didn¡¯t have the energy or time. When one is under dire economic pressure, his mind would be fully concentrated on making money instead. He didn¡¯t have leisure time to be thinking about sex. So when he was tightly pressed onto YanMingXiu¡¯s lower body, he was not at all surprised that he had a reaction.

    He was originally extremely mesmerized by YanMingXiu, not to mention that he is a normal man after all. He craved for uninhibited intense sex, extremely craved for it.

    YanMingXiu also felt ZhouXiang¡¯s manhood pressing against him. It is very hot and very hard. YanMingXiu got a bit agitated. ZhouXiang¡¯s reaction is actually faster than him. <i>Who is really satisfying who?</i>

    ZhouXiang revealed a shallow smile, ¡°President Yan, don¡¯t you want to enjoy your purchased goods (offering himself)?

    YanMingXiu responded hoarsely, ¡°You¡¯re very skilled, how many (guys) have you been with?"

    ¡°Don¡¯t remember. I had a concussion. Don¡¯t remember anything from the past." Although this is only the half the truth, ZhouXiang sincerely hoped that this is true. Sometimes, being able to forget is one of the greatest abilities.

    YanMingXiu watched him for a few seconds, then grabbed the shower-head and sprayed it down his head. ZhouXiang closed his eyes and didn¡¯t dodge; he was toozy to move.

    After a while, he felt the hot water disappeared. He was hauled up by YanMingXiu and thrown onto the bed.

    When YanMingXiu grabbed his shoulder to flip him over, he willinglyplied by turning to his back. He didn¡¯t need YanMingXiu to remind him. He knew what he was (WangYuDong¡¯s substitute).

    YanMingXiu removed their wet clothes. The heating in the room is sufficient. The two people didn¡¯t feel cold but neither of their hearts are warm.

    YanMingXiu pressed his head and forced him to lift his butt.

    ZhouXiang heard YanMingXiu say very clearly, ¡°Don¡¯t turn your head around... don¡¯t make a sound.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even hum a sound. In fact,pared to the fool that he was before, he felt a lot happier with this rtionship they have now is clear. Nothing but fuck buddies. All other feelings are utterly nonsense.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hastily expanded his hole a bit and then roughly thrust his cock in.

    ZhouXiang felt immense pain but he didn¡¯t say anything. If he treated this rtionship between him and YanMingXiu as a business transaction, then satisfying the customer¡¯s needs is the most basic principle.

    He is familiar with the frequency of YanMingXiu¡¯s thrusts, familiar with his strength and taste, familiar with everything of this person in bed and in his livelihood. So he (ZhouXiang) tried to find his own pleasure and release in this unteral venting sex. He really didn¡¯t need to make it hard on himself.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s movements were getting stronger and more rigorous. ZhouXiang felt groggy, though he was still quite drunk. He is on the verge of copse and losing his consciousness. Everything in front of him is no longer clear, even the noise sounding in his ears are surely also hallucinations because YanMingXiu would certainly not call out ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ when making love. It didn¡¯t seem like he did before so how could he now?

    He must have fainted a long ago. Otherwise why would have such intense illusion.

    Sexual and alcohol stimtion brought him to the pinnacle of his climax. His entire person felt as if he is floating in soft silk but also struggling in the hot river. All the sensory stimuli suddenly seemed far yet near, seemed real yet fake, causing him to almost forget who he is.

    "ZhouXiang...ZhouXiang...¡±

    <i>Is someone calling him? That voice seems to be crying</i><sup>(T/N)</sup><i>.</i>

    <i>Crying because he died? How sorry I am for making people sad even after death.</i>

    <strong>T/N: </strong>YanMingXiu did actually call out for ZhouXiang and cried during this unteral venting sex but ZhouXiang thought he was hallucinating.

    His body is intolerably numb that it felt like he is in paradise in one second and hell the next second. <i>How long will this continuous torturous desirest?</i>

    <i>ZhouXiang? He is not ZhouXiang. No... he is ZhouXiang. Who is ZhouXiang? Is he ZhouXiang? Which ZhouXiang is he?</i>

    It gradually became dark in front of his eyes.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 69

    ZhouXiang slept for more than ten hours. When he woke up, the sun was soon to set.

    It¡¯s not that he had enough sleep but he woke up mainly needing to pee. He shook his throbbing head and got down from the bed. Once his footnded on the ground, his legs went soft. If it wasn¡¯t for his hands holding the bed supporting him, he would have definitely fallen to the ground.

    The aching pain in a specific lower area of his body embarrassingly reminded him of what happenedst night.

    With much difficulty, ZhouXiang propped up his body and wobbled to the bathroom, and cleaned himself thoroughly.

    The house is very quiet. YanMingXiu had left at some time ago. ZhouXiang got dressed and walked out of the room holding his waist. Looking at the clock, it was already four o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    He suddenly remembered that he should call ChenYing.

    He dialed her phone. At this time, ChenYing is doing dialysis at the hospital. Immediately after picking up the call, sheined, ¡°How could you just be calling now? I¡¯ve called you several times this morning. I know that your work is busy but you should have the time to pick up a phone call right? Mom would worry.¡±

    ZhouXiang remorsefully apologized, "I¡¯ll for sure call you ahead of time if I¡¯m noting home in the future.¡±

    ¡°Then are youing back today?¡±

    ¡°Today...¡± ZhouXiang is momentarily astounded. <i>Should he ask YanMingXiu first? This big boss obviously needs him to be avable at all times.</i> He thought about it. ¡°If I don¡¯t have anything to do tonight, I¡¯ll definitely be back.¡±

    His answer is the equivalent to not saying anything. ChenYing ended the call disappointedly.

    After ZhouXiang hung up the phone, he felt hungry so he made a bowl of noodles for himself and ate it in the empty room.

    Although he was drunkst night, he could actually still remember many details. It¡¯s just that YanMingXiu¡¯s somewhat brutal actions made him feel very unfamiliar. He seemed to have been able to feel the despair vented from YanMingXiu¡¯s body, this feeling affecting him inch by inch, making him fall into a kind of inexplicable madness.

    <i>YanMingXiu really has changed a lot. But hasn¡¯t he also</i>? <i>Time...can really change a personpletely.</i>

    Even after he finished eating, YanMingXiu still hasn¡¯t called. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t think that there would be anything going on today so he got dressed and returned home. After going home, he apanied ChenYing for a while. Then he went into the room to rest. He still had a hangover. His head is throbbing. Since he didn¡¯t have to do any filming today, he must get a good rest.

    Not long aftery down, his cell phone rang. At first nce it was a strange number. He hesitated before connecting the call.

    A strange voice sounded, ¡°Hello, is this ZhouXiang?¡±

    ZhouXiang pondered a bit. It seems to be TanYin. He pretended to not hear him since he didn¡¯t want to have any association with this man, ¡°That¡¯s me, may I ask who this is?¡±

    The phone on the other line suddenly paused and then made a dissatisfactory ¡¯squeaky¡¯ sound, ¡°You really can¡¯t tell? Or you¡¯re being deliberate?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t say anything even though he was a bit impatient.

    TanYin felt that it was no fun and helplessly responded, ¡°It¡¯s me TanYin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, hello.¡±

    TanYin awkwardly responded, ¡°We¡¯re hanging out. Why don¡¯t youe join us? Ah Wu and Xiao Cai are here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know these people.¡±

    ¡°You know them before.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know them now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong withing out to get to know them then?" TanYin is a bit displeased, ¡°Come out, everyone wants to see you.¡±

    ZhouXiang said with patience, ¡°Xiao Tan, I still have to go to the set tomorrow. I¡¯m very tired today. I need to rest. The people that you mentioned, I really don¡¯t know them. If they really wanted to see me, I believe that the two years that I was in the hospital, it wouldn¡¯t have been that nobody came to see me. I don¡¯t see what the point is now."

    With these words, TanYin¡¯s face changed. The former gentle and even somewhat weak ZhouXiang might really have disappeared. That person will never scold him indirectly like this.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave it at that. You guys enjoy yourselves, bye bye.¡± After saying that, he resolutely hung up.

    He can imagine TanYin being so furious that his head is about to explode. This can also be said as helping the original owner of this body and ChenYing vent out a little of their resentment. Although he does not know much, his intuition tells him that this TanYin is an arrogant and pompous person with questionable personality. He definitely gave a lot of pains to the owner of this body.

    Even though ZhouXiang likes beautiful boys, he likes those that are a bit adorable. It¡¯s fine if they are a bit scheming but overly extreme in that regards is detestable.

    With his mind heavily in thoughts, ZhouXiang unknowingly fell asleep.

    When he got to the set the next day, both YanMingXiu and WangYuDong didn¡¯te, but TanYin had arrived early. When he saw ZhouXiang, he red at him fiercely.

    ZhouXiang pretended not to see him and went to get dressed to shoot his scenes. It wasn¡¯t until three in the afternoon that the day¡¯s work ended.

    When he packed up ready to leave, the nning coordinator gave him a piece of paper.

    ZhouXiang nced at it. It is the schedule for next month¡¯s filming location. He is surprised, "Already leaving next week?"

    The nning coordinator responded, ¡°Yeah, the itinerary is a bit tight, because we want to get it out in time for summer break next year so we have to head to the mountains before it starts to snow."

    ¡°I see that my scenes aren¡¯t starting till the 4<sup>th</sup>, can I go there a few dayster?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°My mom¡¯s health is not good. It¡¯s not convenient for me to out for too long.¡±

    "That¡¯s not going to work ah. There¡¯s going to be a specialist who will be taking the crew to the mountains. He can¡¯t possibly just go to pick you up separately. But you don¡¯t have to worry. After filming your scenes, I¡¯ll send you back. Even if it ended early, I¡¯ve also arranged to have you leave on the same day as YanMingXiu."

    ¡°Yan .... YanMingXiu is also going?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but his scenes aren¡¯t many.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt a bit troubled. In the wilderness where it¡¯s so sparsely popted, these dozens of people seeing each other every day and working so closely together, anything odd going on will easily be noticed at a nce. He¡¯s worried that his rtionship with YanMingXiu would be discovered by people.

    The nning coordinator patted his shoulder, ¡°In short, just get ready in advance.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    Since that night, YanMingXiu had not contacted him. It was as if he has disappeared from his life.

    Instead, LanXiRong called him twice. The first time was to ask if he had returned home safely that night. The second time was to tell him toe and shoot the MV.

    The second time ZhouXiang went to shoot the MV, he brought the cashmere sweater that had been cleaned to return it to LanXiRong. Originally this is just a very ordinary move but it gave the crew the impression that their rtionship is very good. As such, he received yet anothermercial in the afternoon.

    ZhouXiang has muddled along and shot several ads, but still none has led to any fame. But after the release of LanXiRong¡¯s MV and the film he participated with WangYuDong, he will be a familiar face for some of the viewers. Fame is just a matter of being seen and be known by even more people. As long as there is exposure, how he looks is really not the main point.

    Letting others mistakenly assume that he has a good rtionship with LanXiRong is also a good fa?ade. At least he can slightly touch that limelight. Although he knew that LanXiRong is only being a bit courteous to him because they are coworkers from the samepany and he is giving face to CaiWei.

    What he didn¡¯t know was that the more contact LanXiRong had with him, the more he felt that he has the shadows of (older) ZhouXiang and his expression toward him is bing more and more strange.

    Before going to Guizhou for filming, ZhouXiang finally finished shooting his scenes for the MV.

    The day before he left, he received a phone call from YanMingXiu; whom hasn¡¯t contacted him for half a month.

    "President Yan," ZhouXiang tried to keep his voice steady even though he felt a little awkward.

    ¡°Come over, not your ce but my home."

    ¡°Your home?¡±

    ¡°Right, you¡¯ve been here.¡±

    ZhouXiang still remembered the ce where he had taken drunk YanMingXiu back that time. When he thought of ChenYing¡¯s reminder for him toe back home early to eat crabs at night, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    As he was rushing to YanMingXiu¡¯s ce, he gave ChenYing a call. He got to YanMingXiu¡¯s home in less than half an hour. As soon as he entered the door, he saw YanMingXiu wearing casual home clothes, giving him an indifferent nce, ¡°I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Mnnn..President Yan ask.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned his back and looked out the window. He didn¡¯t want ZhouXiang to see his expression. Although he had already forced himself to calm down, he was still afraid of revealing his emotions. His seemingly calm voice slowly uttered. ¡°Let me ask you. Did you have an ident more than two years ago andid in the hospital for two years?¡±

    ZhouXiang is stunned. <i>Is YanMingXiu investigating him?</i>

    He suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    "What is the specific time of your ident?¡± YanMingXiu secretly clenched his fist, even though he already knew the date. That is a date he would never forget his entire life but he still wanted to hear it from ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth.

    The anxiety in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is even heavier. ¡°I... I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? How could you not remember?¡±

    ¡°After I woke up, I¡¯ve lost all my previous memories. I really don¡¯t remember.¡±

    YanMingXiu suddenly turned around, his expression a bit fierce, "Was it August 13th, X Year?¡±

    The shock ZhouXiang¡¯s face shed by.

    This is also a date he would never forget in his life, because it is the date he ¡¯died.¡¯ He has been convinced that because the time of his ident coincided with the exact same time when the original owner of this body got injured, adding on that both of them have the same exact names, so the phenomenon of soul swapping could have urred.

    If there must be an exnation, he thinks that themon belief would be that when the King of Hell<sup>(T/N)</sup> was collecting souls, he ended up collecting the wrong one. Originally, only one of them died (older ZhouXiang). But the King of Hell collected two souls (both ZhouXiangs) so when heter realized that one hadn¡¯t yet died (younger ZhouXiang), he released one of them back into the living. But as a result of them having the same exact names, he released the wrong soul back (older ZhouXiang) to the living. So it resulted in today¡¯s situation.

    <strong>T/N:</strong> ording to ideas from Taoism,Buddhism, and traditional Chinese folk religion, after death, the soul will enter Diyu, which is a purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation. All will go to Dijyu after death, but the period of time spends there is indefinite, depending on severity of the sins onemitted. The King of Hell (A Yama king) is the ruler(s) of this ce. In this story, ZhouXiang is thinking that King of Hell got the two ZhouXiang¡¯s mixed up and sent the dead one (Older) ZhouXiang back to the living instead of the injured younger ZhouXiang.

    He didn¡¯t care what the reason was that cause this situation of today. There is one thing that he is certain, and that is, he does not want to die. He hasn¡¯t lived enough. He didn¡¯t want to die at all. Even if he was in someone else¡¯s body, he wanted to live on.

    Therefore, he has always been deeply afraid of this matter. Regarding his unusual identity, he was even more reluctant to speak up. He is afraid that once this phenomenon got leaked, the impact to him will be unpredictable.

    When YanMingXiu looked at him with this distorted expression, he suddenly felt fear. He was afraid that someone would know, especially YanMingXiu.

    He forced himself to remain calm. He believes that the average person would not believe in these outrageous things. His greatest reliance is that he and (younger) ZhouXiang are really twopletely different people, regardless of how many coincidences there are between them!

    He pretended not to know and shook his head, ¡°I only know that it was two years ago, specifically at what time? I don¡¯t remember. I also didn¡¯t ask my mom. I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll sadden her. President Yan, why do you suddenly care about this?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s piercing eyes moved back and forth on his face. He is utterly mystified by ZhouXiang¡¯s innocent, calm expression.

    After all, even he himself didn¡¯t know what he is skeptical about. What is this huge suspicion in his heart that is soon to make him copse? He has no clue at all!

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 70

    <strong>T/N</strong>: There are 124 chapters to this story.

    The two people looked at each other like this, both with heavy thoughts weighing on their minds. Without moving or saying anything else, YanMingXiu tried to probingly see something from ZhouXiang¡¯s expression but ZhouXiang¡¯s puzzled expression only looked calmly at YanMingXiu.

    He will never let YanMingXiu discover that he is that (older) ZhouXiang. He is not willing to let anyone know that that (older) ZhouXiang is alive again and is still walking the same path that he had traveled before.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t intend to let him off as he persistently asked, ¡°Don¡¯t ask why. What I ask, you answer. Tell me what you know.¡±

    ZhouXiang decided to be ignorant to the end, ¡°Then ask.¡±

    ¡°How did you get into an ident?¡±

    ¡°My mom said that it was from being crushed by heavy equipment during work."

    ¡°You used to be a contracted model for JiNian Media. Who have you been in contact with?¡±

    ¡°President Yan, I¡¯ve already said that I lost my memory, I really don¡¯t remember.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face is very unsightly. He wanted to decipher from ZhouXiang¡¯s expression whether or not he was speaking the truth. He¡¯s always felt that something like memory lost should not have happened to him (ZhouXiang), but the investigation results showed that his symptoms of memory loss are confirmed by the hospital.

    This person and (older) ZhouXiang have too many simrities and too many coincidences. So much that YanMingXiu definitely didn¡¯t believe that all this is absolutely just ¡°coincidences.¡± He felt that there is a thickyer of satin gauze in front of him. If he could open this satin gauze, he would be able to see the truth. Unfortunately, this is something he¡¯s unable to do. This matter has exceeded his imagination. He can¡¯t make an effective judgment. He even wondered if he is being delusional from his desperate longing to see ZhouXiang alive. Unwilling to give up, YanMingXiu persistently asked, ¡°You... did you have any dreams the time you wereatose? Were you conscious?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head. ¡°Not at all, my memory stopped on the day of my ident.¡±

    Without any evidence, YanMingXiu can¡¯t determine whether or not ZhouXiang is speaking the truth. He¡¯s soon to be driven crazy by this strange fantasy in his mind.

    ZhouXiang once again asked, ¡°President Yan, why are you asking about this?¡± He could guess that YanMingXiu probably doubted his identity. After all, these coincidences are really strange. <i>But does YanMingXiu¡¯s expression have to look so distorted?</i>

    Perhaps, he felt very unlucky seeing the shadow of a ¡°dead man¡± in a living person.

    YanMingXiu was aware that he couldn¡¯t get any more concrete answers from him so he just lowered his head in frustration, not giving any response.

    ZhouXiang merely sat quietly. His many years of acting experience in this career has brought him the benefits of not only being able to support himself, but also a certain level of acting skills. Although the waves in his heart are like the surging tides, as long as he doesn¡¯t panic, he could make himself appear calm on the surface.

    He believes that he can fool people, with the premise that he absolutely not panic.

    YanMingXiu lifted his head; his voice full of exhaustion, ¡°We¡¯re going to GuiZhou tomorrow, are you done packing??¡±

    ¡°All done.¡±

    YanMingXiu pointed to his bedroom, ¡°Go and help me pack. The luggage is on top of the closet.¡±

    ZhouXiang was eager to leave as quickly as possible. He walked into the bedroom and starts to put a few sets of clothes appropriate to be worn for this season into the luggage. It should be very cold in the mountains so he added a down jacket. After adding the down jacket, he thought that he should also add some warm pants. But he couldn¡¯t find the pants where the pajamas are ced. This closet has three levels, all crowded with clothes. If one isn¡¯t familiar, it would not be easy to find anything.

    He gave up his n in asking YanMingXiu about this and instead went to look for it himself. He looked around but still couldn¡¯t find it so he pulled out a drawer that seems to be for underwear. Inside the drawer, there were also some essories. A small ck box caught his attention.

    He hesitantly picked up the box and gently opened it.

    Inside is a pair of diamond cuff-links. He had gifted this to YanMingXiu.

    He used to like giving small gifts to the boys he¡¯s dating, but it was never too expensive. He was not a wealthy person and didn¡¯t have the money to be extravagant. It was just a gifting from his heart. This pair of diamond cuff-links cost him more than £¤20,000 at the time and is the most expensive gift he had ever given. He never thought that such a thing would please YanMingXiu. But he just thought it (the gift) wouldn¡¯t be worthy of YanMingXiu if he didn¡¯t give him something good.

    In the end, the thing that he thought was good didn¡¯t even catch YanMingXiu¡¯s attention at the time. He was upset at himself for spending the money on it.

    He didn¡¯t expect that YanMingXiu would bring it here. <i>Doesn¡¯t this mean that YanMingXiu actually liked this thing (diamond cuff-links) a bit?</i>

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t hear any movements from the closet for the long time so he went over to look. At a nce, he saw ZhouXiang holding the little ck box.

    His expression changed greatly as he immediately rushed up and snatched the little box back and yelled harshly, ¡°What are you doing!¡± The expression on his face was like the other person has tainted this small little box.

    ZhouXiang is momentarily terrified, ¡°I... I was looking for something.¡±

    YanMingXiu is so furious that he had forgotten that he had told ZhouXiang to pack for him. He said contradictorily, "Don¡¯t touch my things!¡±

    ZhouXiang awkwardly muttered, ¡°I was just looking for a pair of warm pants. It¡¯s going to be very cold in the mountains.¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at him fiercely. He then pulled a drawer on the left hand side and pulled out a box of unopened thermal wear and threw it at him.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to bicker with him nor did he have any right to do so. He silently picked it up and turned to the luggage and continued to pack other things in there. As he was stuffing things in, he thought .... <i>At this time, he¡¯s still worried about YanMingXiu getting cold in the mountains. Is this just his nature of caring for people or has he gone out of his mind?</i>

    YanMingXiu remained standing in the same spot, dazedly staring at the small box in his hands.

    The two men could not see each other with the closet in between them. ZhouXiang buried his head packing things in the luggage while mocking at himself. YanMingXiu¡¯s face emerges an unspeakable level of pain. He softly kissed the ordinary small box, the rim around his eyes slightly red, as if he is unable to withstand this intense pain in his heart. His body started to tremble more and more, so much that he had to hold onto the drawer with his hands to stabilize his body.

    ¡ª¨C

    ChenYing repeatedly warned ZhouXiang to be careful with traveling before she finally walked ZhouXiang downstairs. How could she not be worried? Her son wasatose for two years from an ident. This nightmarested two years. She never wanted to experience it again, so she repeatedly cautioned ZhouXiang to pay attention to his safety and return home safe and sound.

    The next day, JiangYuan arranged for a driver toe pick him up and sent him directly to the airport.

    Many crew members have already assembled because celebrities can cause a frenzy at the airport. Even though the schedule for the location was not publicly announced, somehow the fans got the news. The airport was full of people, mostly young girls including many passers-bys watching the excitement, so many people that the outside of the doors to the security checkpoint were fully crowded.

    For these little girls, it didn¡¯t matter whether or not they saw the celebrity that they had wanted to see. As long as a handsome guy came, they would start to scream crazily. ZhouXiang, on a rare chance, got the feeling of being a ¡¯star¡¯.

    The crew reserved a small ne just enough for the 30 or so people. The director and the very popr stars naturally sat in the first ss. ZhouXiang casually found a ce in the back to put his luggage and sat in a window seat.

    Just as he was looking at the tow-vehicle towing all the luggage, there was movement in the seat next to him.

    He turned his head and sees TanYin¡¯s handsomely pale face in front of him.

    ZhouXiang frowned slightly, ¡°Morning...¡±

    TanYin was wearing casual sportswear, brimming with youthfulness and beauty, extremely mesmerizing to anyone. Unfortunately, he had no good feelings toward this handsome youngster who use to be the type of guys he liked.

    TanYin pointed to the seat next to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to sit here.¡± After saying that, he didn¡¯t wait for ZhouXiang to agree and just sat down.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t understand what TanYin is thinking. When they first met, TanYin was desperate to cut off their rtionship. <i>How could be turning back to want to get close to him now? </i>

    TanYin twisted to open the cap of the mineral water and took a sip. He said vaguely, ¡°In this entire crew, it seems that I¡¯m only familiar with you. Whether you remember it or not, we¡¯ll be staying in the mountains for a while, let¡¯s take care of each other.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and responded, ¡°Fine¡± After saying that, he turned around and continued to look out the window.

    TanYin nced at him, his eyes radiated with an expression that is hard to interpret.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 71

    It¡¯s likely that TanYin was aware that the people nearby are people they knew so he didn¡¯t say anything during the flight, giving ZhouXiang some peaceful quiet time for a while.

    After the nended, the staff walked out one after another. When ZhouXiang passed by the first ss area, he saw YanMingXiu reading a book in his seat. YanMingXiu pointed his chin to the seat next to him and ordered him to "sit down" when he saw him.

    ZhouXiang can only sit down.

    YanMingXiu voiced, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my assistant. These few days, you can just take on that role and be my assistant."

    The minor actors and actresses around them all heard it and immediately looked at ZhouXiang with envy, wishing that they could rece him. TanYin, who came out from behind ZhouXiang was stunned as he looked at him inconceivably, his mind secretly scheming on something.

    ZhouXiang, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring Assistant Jiang?"

    ¡°He has to help me with other things.¡±

    ¡°Then......you didn¡¯t bring anyone?" WangYuDong alone brought nine people. The lead actress is also a big-named celebrity and she brought four people with her. YanMingXiu unexpectedly didn¡¯t bring anyone.

    YanMingXiu faintly responded, ¡°I am not used to having strangers following me.¡±

    Seeing that most people had left, YanMingXiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ZhouXiang consciously grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s luggage; one person taking two suitcases and got off the ne. Fortunately, men don¡¯t have many things. He just brought two sets of clothes with him. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t seem to have the awareness of being a big celebrity; even his luggage was packed by ZhouXiang.

    After leaving the airport, they took the bus and rushed to the shooting location.

    Although everyone was already tired, they didn¡¯t have much time to rest. Staying an extra day out of town will cost an extra day of expenses. The director requested that they must arrive at the shooting location today.

    It took more than seven hours of driving to get to the mountain junction between Guizhou and Guangxi. After arriving at their destination, it was already pass two in the middle of the night.

    The ce was notpletely closed off. Because of the beautiful scenery and excellent conditions, three to four filming crews hade here before to film, bringing in the local tourism industry. Several hotels were built herest year. They settled in the newest one. Because of the difficulty with transporting materials, even the best rooms were only rated at a three-star standard. These limited rooms were given to the director, YanMingXiu, WangYuDong and the main actress.

    When the production assistant was allocating the room keys, ZhouXiang was getting his jacket from the suitcase. It is really cold in the mountains; once they got out of the car, it is chillingly cold.

    The production assistant arranged for ZhouXiang and a crew member from the camera team to be in the same room. ZhouXiang was just about to get the room card when YanMingXiu suddenly interjected, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    His voice was not loud but everyone became quiet.

    YanMingXiu pointed to ZhouXiang, ¡°He¡¯s my temporary assistant and will stay with me (as in staying in the same room).¡±

    The production assistant is stunned and awkwardly muttered, ¡°President Yan. That room only has a big single bed.¡±

    ¡°I could just sleep on the floor.¡± ZhouXiang interjected before YanMingXiu could respond. ZhouXiang did this to prevent YanMingXiu from saying something he shouldn¡¯t say. But in other people¡¯s ears, it seems that ZhouXiang was afraid of YanMingXiu backing out of sharing a room with him.

    The production assistant could only hand over YanMingXiu¡¯s room card to ZhouXiang and added, "You don¡¯t have to sleep on the floor. I¡¯ll ask them to send an extra bed to the room.¡±

    ZhouXiang followed YanMingXiu to the room.

    The room only has 2.2 meters size double bed. The decor is very ordinary but it is very clean. Most importantly, it is very spacious. The value ofnd at this ce is not worth a not money. Furthermore, it is all agriculturalnd. The farmers have free reign to develop but there was nobody in charge. Therefore, this one being one of the best rooms is at least thirty to forty square meters (up to 430 sq. foot) in size.

    YanMingXiu sat on the bed and ordered ZhouXiang, ¡°Hang up my clothes and put the things away.¡±

    ZhouXiang had been an independent person since childhood so he¡¯s an expert in taking care of himself and of others. Just when YanMingXiu opened his mouth, ZhouXiang had already opened their luggages and starting hanging up the clothes and putting all the toiletries away. In just a short time, he had everything unpacked and put away.

    At this time, there was a knock on the door, ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Hello sir. We came to deliver an extra bed.¡±

    ZhouXiang was just about to open his mouth when YanMingXiu interjected, "Don¡¯t need that.¡±

    The person hesitated outside the door, ¡°Mister, are you sure?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°No need. You guys can go back."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t say anything. This was not something he can decide. Besides, it¡¯s a waste not to sleep on such a big bed. He¡¯s not that prideful.

    YanMingXiu got up and went to take a shower. After he came out, ZhouXiang went in to shower. When ZhouXiang came out, YanMingXiu was already lying on the bed. He seemed very tired.

    After a day of hustling and bustling around, everyone is tired. ZhouXiang also nned to quickly sleep since he didn¡¯t know how busy they will be tomorrow.

    ZhouXiang climbed into bed and turned off the light.

    When the lights went out, the room is dark.

    YanMingXiu slowly reached over and hugged his waist from behind. His warm and pleasant scent drifted into ZhouXiang¡¯s nose.

    He felt that if he was to not think about anything...not think of the past or of the future, and just simplyy in YanMingXiu¡¯s embrace, it is as if they are a most intimate couple. This kind of feeling is really intoxicating.

    ZhouXiang intended to loosen up. What he needed most now is a good rest.

    YanMingXiu spoke right at this time. His voice sounded very faint and very soft, ¡°ZhouXiang, are you hiding something from me?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu meant by this. He asked cautiously, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what President Yan means.¡±

    YanMingXiu, ¡°The feelings you give me is too familiar. It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve known you and have lived with you before. Why is this?"

    ZhouXiang forced himself to responded, "Maybe this is fate.¡±

    If it wasn¡¯t because they are fated, they would not be in the predicament of today...with a rtionship that is so unclear in both past and current lifetimes.

    ¡°ZhouXiang. Tell me....If a person had been missing for more than two years, do you think he may still be alive?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s tensed up and smiled, ¡°Most likely impossible. If still alive, he would havee back already.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t he be alive? It could be that he didn¡¯te back because he doesn¡¯t want toe back.¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent for a moment, ¡°President Yan, are you talking about the other ZhouXiang?¡±

    ZhouXiang clearly felt YanMingXiu¡¯s body stiffened. Then YanMingXiu asked, ¡°How much do you know about him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything at all. I just heard from what others have said.¡±

    YanMingXiu quietly asked, ¡°Then do you know what rtionship I have with him?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened, <i>What rtionship? You say, what rtionship?</i>

    He clenched his teeth in the dark, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is like the rising of the quiet abyss, cold and empty, ¡°I feel that he¡¯s not dead. He just doesn¡¯t want toe back."

    ZhouXiang heard his own voice dissociated from his thoughts and automatically asked, ¡°Why won¡¯t he want toe back?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t respond to his question, instead he tightened his arms around ZhouXiang.

    ¡ª¨C

    On the second day, all the staff started work and began to choose the most suitable shooting location. In order to make the entry scene the best and most harmonious, it took them two days to choose the location.

    The surrounding people¡¯s attitude toward ZhouXiang became more and more polite and friendly. This is because they had gotten along fine or a long time and also rted to ZhouXiang being able to stay in the same room with YanMingXiu.

    In the past two days, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t need to participate in any scenes so he essentially stayed in the room most of the time. Everyone seemed to have gotten used to his ¡¯not easily approachable¡¯ personality. Even his food is separately prepared.

    When ZhouXiang was helping the camera team move equipment, TanYin came next to him and asked softly, ¡°ZhouXiang, when did you get involved with President Yan? I¡¯ve underestimated you.¡± His tone is full of resentment.

    ZhouXiang lowered his head to assemble and install the frame, toozy to respond.

    TanYin squatted down and looked at him for a moment, then exposed a beautiful smile, ¡°Are you still bearing grudges on me for breaking up with you? I also had no choice back then. Thepany demanded me not to be involved in that area (gay).¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even look at him, ¡°I¡¯ve already said, I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°Humph. You think that I really believe in your amnesia story that only appears in a Korean drama?¡± TanYin smiled, ¡°I know that you remember me, you¡¯re just angry with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang is helpless with this TanYin. It¡¯s not appropriate to swear at him or hit him. But still, he has to spend another half a month with him; ZhouXiang is really getting a headache.

    Seeing that no one was around, TanYin leaned close to ZhouXiang and suddenly put his lips next to his ear and blow on his cheek, ¡°Xiang Ge, why are you still so naive?¡±

    ZhouXiang put a bit of distance between them. Seeing the ridicule in TanYin¡¯s eyes, he felt that evading is not going to work.

    He stood up from the ground and pulled TanYin up, "Come here, I need to talk to you."

    TanYin is stunned as he was being dragged by ZhouXiang toward the woods. This ce is very vast, but sparsely popted. Everyone is busy so missing one to two people is hardly noticeable.

    After entering the woods, ZhouXiang lit a cigarette and asked directly, "Xiao Tan. Tell me, what do you want?¡±

    TanYin naturally reached out, took his cigarette, put it in his mouth and inhaled. Then he leaned toward ZhouXiang, using his waistline to rub against ZhouXiang¡¯s waist. He responded vaguely, ¡°Xiang Ge, you used to like me so much, I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve forgotten."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I really have forgotten. Let¡¯s not talk about the past, just talk about the present. What do you want? Want to sleep with me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I want to sleep with you.¡± TanYin pulled ZhouXiang¡¯s neck andughed, acting coquettishly, "Ever since thepany started to endorse me, my private life has been very strictly controlled. I haven¡¯t been out to have fun for a long time...been bored death." TanYin reached out and touched ZhouXiang¡¯s lower body and blew on his cheek, ¡°Xiang Ge, do you want to fuck me? You¡¯re hard too.¡±

    ZhouXiang grabbed his hand, ¡°Of course I¡¯m hard since you¡¯re touching me.¡± He put TanYin¡¯s hand behind his back and squinted his eyes, ¡°Xiao Tan, I really don¡¯t remember you, but my mom does. My mom said that you¡¯re a person of malicious nature and told me not to associate with you. Tell me. Shouldn¡¯t I listen to my mom?"

    TanYin¡¯s expression instantly changed as he loosened his arm around ZhouXiang¡¯s neck. He sneered, ¡°ZhouXiang, I just want to live my life a bit better. The way you were then, you¡¯ll never seed. I came to Beijing because I had a fallout with my parents. Do you know how hard my life was? Do you know how desperately I needed fame and sess? Indeed, you really helped me at the time and took care of me, but I can¡¯t spend the rest of my life dawdling like that with you, right? Also, your mom don¡¯t approve of us. But it¡¯s different now, I have wealth and fame. I could choose......"

    ZhouXiang lift his hand to stop his words, ¡°Whatever you choose has nothing to do with me. Xiao Tan, I¡¯ve already said it so clearly. The matters from the past, I will never gossip to other people so you can be rest assured. As for the future, I also don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you. Since we have this opportunity to work together, we should just make the best of it. If we run into each other, just nodding our heads is enough for me. So, don¡¯te to bother me anymore. Let¡¯s not have any unnecessary interaction."

    TanYin¡¯s face turned livid, his voice shaking, "You were not like this before, I don¡¯t believe it... you said that you will wait for me, you said you will..."

    ¡°I repeat, I ¨C don¡¯t ¨C remember.¡± ZhouXiang adjusted his clothes, "If there is nothing else, I¡¯ll go back first." After saying that, he walked pass the furious looking TanYin and out of the woods.

    After just taking a few steps, TanYin suddenly hugged him from behind, his voice choking with emotions, ¡°Xiang Ge, these few years, I gave it all just to get to where I am today. I¡¯ve been with <sup>(T/N)</sup> old and ugly men as well as women. I¡¯ve lived an inhuman life but I don¡¯t regret it. I just want to step on all those people who looked down on me. Do you understand? You¡¯re a local; you have a ce to live and food at home. Have you slept in a £¤300 wet and dark basement? You¡¯ve never slept in a dinky hotel with a nket full of cockroaches right? Your mother also cooks for you every day... You just need to have a fixed sry every month and can livefortably. But I can¡¯t. I have no way out. Xiang Ge, I like you. I really did like you before. Only you...only you have treated me genuinely well and cherished me. Only you were good to me when I was a nobody. But I... in all these years, I don¡¯t dare to see you. I have no face to see you. I thought, as long as I don¡¯t see you, my memories of you...you will still continue to hold and protect me. But now, there¡¯s nothing. Even you don¡¯t want me. Xiang Ge, do you hate me that much? I have everything now. I¡¯ll buy you the things you like; I can introduce famous directors to you. Let¡¯s get back together, okay? I only need you to treat me with one-tenth of your affections from before, okay?"

    T/N: Being with in this context alludes to having sex, being somebody¡¯s boy-toy

    ZhouXiang became speechless on the spot and didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. He hade in contact with people like TanYin many times before. Those that came to this lustrous and dazzling big city full of dreams to be celebrity, in the end, woulde to realize that the gap between reality and their ideal is far too great. Some people would work hard for a few years, consuming their youth, and still couldn¡¯t get a leading role. To strive for a little fame, they are willing to sacrifice anything.

    ZhouXiang usually have sympathy for these children, but not at all overly. After all, a person¡¯s path was chosen by themselves. If they are willing to live an ordinary life, they can still live fine. But since they want to live a more vibrant life, they must pay a price.

    Hearing these wordsing from TanYin, ZhouXiang did not fully believe it. But the sadness in his tones is very real. Maybe this boy really thinks like that in his heart.

    ZhouXiang grabbed his hand, turned around and sighed, ¡°Xiao Tan, living is not an easy thing for anyone. Maybe you really liked me before and I might have really liked you too, but... no matter whether you believe it or not, I really don¡¯t remember. So, I¡¯m very sorry. I can¡¯t be with you again.¡±

    TanYin looked at him startled. His tears strolled down his beautiful face and his expression seemed to be very astonished.

    ZhouXiang patted his face, ¡°You are good now. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll meet someone that can hit it off well with you, someone who thinks like you. I am not fitting. This is all I¡¯ll say. I am serious. So we should just keep our rtionship as colleagues in the future.¡±

    ZhouXiang exposed an apologetic expression. He nodded at him, then turned and left.

    TanYin looked at his back from a distance. Gradually, he lowered his head with his fist clenched.

    Two hourster, ZhouXiang followed the camera team up a hill. This hill is one of the shooting locations. The director asked them to observe the scenery after sunset. They will start filming tomorrow. Everyone had a very important mission.

    ¡ª¨C

    After ZhouXiang left, TanYin went to WangYuDong¡¯s room and respectfully asked, ¡°Dong Ge, were you looking for me?¡±

    WangYuDong ¡¯mnnn¡¯ and sipped his cup of tea, ¡°I heard that you were with ZhouYang earlier and you guys chatted for a long time?"

    TanYin is shocked, ¡°Yes.¡± He felt that WangYuDong was saying ZhouXiang¡¯s name incorrectly but he didn¡¯t correct him. It¡¯s not that big a deal afterall.

    ¡°You know each other?¡±

    ¡°We are......all filming......"

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about right now, you guys know each other from before," his tone is clearing stating a fact.

    TanYin quickly responded, "We signed for the same modelpany in the past. At the time, we indeed knew each other, but are not very close......"

    ¡°Okay Xiao Tan. When I sign a person into mypany, you don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll look deeply into the person¡¯s background? You were involved with him, right?"

    TanYin¡¯s forehead brokeout in cold sweat, ¡°We...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Young people right?" WangYuDong smiled warmly, ¡°Don¡¯t have to be so tensed. It¡¯s all in the past. I know that you¡¯re very obedient now.¡±

    TanYin looked up at WangYuDong in confusion, ¡°Dong Ge, what instructions do you have for me?¡±

    ¡°You know, he and my little brother-inw are a little too close."

    TanYin didn¡¯t know why WangYuDong said this.

    WangYuDong¡¯s tone is a bit cold, "This matter, I need to know more. YanMingXiu, he doesn¡¯t like women. Don¡¯t be surprised. Telling you this may not be a good thing but I don¡¯t think that you would dare tell it to others."

    ¡°Dong Ge, I definitely won¡¯t tell."

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I am his brother-inw after all. Toward this matter, I need to look after him on his sister¡¯s behalf. I can¡¯t let some messed-up person stay close to him just because he wants to stay close to him. I need you to do me a favor. Help me confirm the rtionship between the two. I can¡¯t ask this directly. You understand right?"

    ¡°Dong Ge, but... I am not close to ZhouXiang, how can I confirm.....?¡±

    WangYuDong was just thinking about this issue. Suddenly, he felt that there was something strange about what TanYin just said. ¡°Wait a minute, what did you call him?¡±

    TanYin was stunned, ¡°ZhouXiang?¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang? Isn¡¯t he called ZhouYang?¡±

    ¡°Dong Ge, are we talking about the same person? The one that is now acting as President Yan¡¯s assistant...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± WangYuDong¡¯s expression sank, ¡°His name is ZhouXiang? Which Xiang?¡±

    ¡°The Xiang from Fei Xiang (to spread wings and fly).¡±

    The teacup WangYuDong was holding mmed to the marble floor.

    TanYin is so shocked he was shaking.

    WangYuDong is so enraged that his expression changed. <i>That minor stuntman is called ZhouXiang? He¡¯s actually also called ZhouXiang? This unlucky name, why won¡¯t it disappear!</i>

    He resentfully took out his cell phone and looked through his phonebook for a long time before finally finding CaiWei¡¯s name. After pondering for a bit, he finally understood what is going on. This minor stuntman would not be so bold to lie to him. This must have been instigated by CaiWei. Otherwise, he would not use another stuntman named with the name, ¡°ZhouXiang.¡±

    The call couldn¡¯t get connected to CaiWei¡¯s phone.

    WangYuDong hung up and said to TanYin coldly, "I¡¯ll leave this matter to you. I don¡¯t care what methods you used, go confirm his (ZhouXiang) rtionship with YanMingXiu¡¯s and immediatelye tell me.¡±

    TanYin is utterly confused but he could only mumble to agree.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 72

    ZhouXiang got up to get his makeup done at 4 o¡¯clock in the morning. A minor actor like him who doesn¡¯t have a dedicated make-up artist must get up early or he¡¯ll end up dying the filming progress.

    It was very hard for him to leave the room. Don¡¯t know what is going on with YanMingXiu but he said that he could only fall asleep with ZhouXiang next to him. Even when YanMingXiu is half asleep, he wouldn¡¯t let go of him. From the time ZhouXiang woke up to the time he left the bed, it took more than ten minutes of struggle to get out of YanMingXiu¡¯s embrace to get up. Until YanMingXiu had fully awakened and saw clearly who he is, did he finally let him go.

    WangYuDong was in the next room. He doesn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu¡¯s mood is like at the moment, but it¡¯s probably not too good.

    Having been with YanMingXiu for a period of time with this identity, he (ZhouXiang) has instead felt a lot calmer. It can be said that there was no hatred toward YanMingXiu. After all, no matter how one puts it, YanMingXiu gave him money so that he and ChenYing didn¡¯t have to fall into desperation. As for whether or not he¡¯s a substitute, YanMingXiu had made it evident right at the beginning. With everything so clear-cut, he actually felt content.

    If YanMingXiu had frankly told him that ¡¯we are only fuck buddies¡¯ in the past, then many of the future events would not have urred. He would not be stupid enough to continue to be persistent with this. So with things being clear, ZhouXiang felt that it is good. His and YanMingXiu¡¯s rtionship is merely an equal exchange. As long as he kept this point in mind, he felt that he is fully armed and no one could hurt him.

    The only thing that had given him some trouble recently is TanYin. The conversation that day may have had a little impact, but it¡¯s still not obvious enough. TanYin still approached him intentionally or unintentionally. ZhouXiang is after all an old senior of the entertainment circle. TanYin saying those words, some of it is true. But with his knowledge of such people, TanYin has a different purpose and it is mostly rted to YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang really just wanted to bear with him for these few days and then get rid of him after the film is over.

    After getting his make-up done at around 5 o¡¯clock, ZhouXiang waited at the reserved hotel. Several of the rooms on the first floor of the hotel have been converted into dressing rooms and lounges. ZhouXiang drowsily leaned against the bed with his coat wrapped around him. At this time, he felt someoneing over, his nose faintly smell a man¡¯s cologne.

    ZhouXiang opened one eye and sees TanYin. Then he closed his eyes, wanting to ignore him.

    TanYin leaned on his side and softly asked, ¡°ZhouXiang, lend me your cell phone, my phone battery is dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± ZhouXiang can¡¯t wait for him to get away so he pulled his phone out and threw it at him.

    TanYin grabbed his phone instantly.

    Initially, ZhouXiang was so dazedly tired that he didn¡¯t have too much of a reaction. But after not hearing any movements around him for more than ten seconds, he opened his eyes and saw that TanYin was gone.

    ZhouXiang instantly got up from the bed and ran out of the room to find him.

    He remembered the message that YanMingXiu sent him a few days ago. He forgot to delete it. Although the content of the message didn¡¯t really say much, but if it was seen by someone that is observant, he¡¯d still worry.

    There was no one in the hallway. ZhouXiang wrapped his coat tightly around himself and grabbed a man from the hotel lobby to ask if he had seen TanYin. The man said that TanYin had gone out.

    ZhouXiang quickly ran outside of the hotel. Surely, TanYin was standing at the door not far away, with his head lowered fiddling with his cell phone.

    ZhouXiang ran over, ¡°Xiao Tan.¡±

    TanYin suddenly turned his head and hurriedly pressed the phone¡¯s buttons a few times. He didn¡¯t seem to know how to use this old cell phone.

    ZhouXiang walked over and grabbed his phone back, furrowing his brows, ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to make a call?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the signal is good outside.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned on the phone screen and surely the screen was on the sent box. He snorted, ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you called?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use your old-style rotten phone,¡± TanYin¡¯s eyes look somewhat erratic.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Tell me the number, I¡¯ll help you call.¡±

    TanYin was surprised, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not going to call. It¡¯s too cold. I want to go in.¡± After saying that that, he intended to go back to the hotel.

    ZhouXiang immediately grabbed his arm and shoved him against the wall. He is really getting angry. TanYin has repeatedly provoked him as if he¡¯s deliberately asking for trouble.

    TanYin¡¯s expression looked a bit tensed.

    ZhouXiang asked coldly, ¡°What is it that you really wanted to see?"

    ¡°See what?¡±

    ¡°Tell the truth. Don¡¯t treat me like an idiot.¡± ZhouXiang suddenly tightened his grip on his arm. He never liked to use violence but this time he really needed to scare him.

    TanYin is like a rooster whose tail has been stepped on as he angrily retorted, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Do you have a delusional disorder? What¡¯s there to look for in your rotten old phone? And what do you have that¡¯s worth seeing?¡±

    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything to see then what the hell are you looking for?¡± ZhouXiang rudely cursed, ¡°Surname Tan. Stop bothering me. I¡¯ve already told you clearly. Do you not have ears? Let me tell you, if you really pissed me off, I¡¯m going to make you regret it.¡±

    TanYin¡¯s face suddenly changed. After a long while, his eyes suddenly turned red. "I just wanted to know what the rtionship is between you and YanMingXiu!"

    ZhouXiang was shocked but calmly responded, ¡°I am President Yan¡¯s temporary assistant.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. You like men. YanMingXiu¡¯s sexuality is also said to be very ambiguous. You don¡¯t have any experience. Why would he let you be his assistant? Moreover, just being his assistant, how could you sleep in his room? How could a big celebrity like him be willing to sleep in the same room with an assistant?" TanYin gripped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s cor, his expression grieved and furious, ¡°ZhouXiang, I initially thought that you are different from me. You won¡¯t sell yourself to climb up. But what about now? In the end, how much better are youpared to me? What right do you have to look down on me? If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu, you think you could get this role? Or stay in the same room with him?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is livid. He sped TanYin¡¯s chin and furiously retorted, ¡°What does my matter have to do with you? What fucking right do you have to interfere with my matters? I¡¯ve already said that we have no rtionship whatsoever. How many times do you need me to repeat that for you to understand?¡±

    ¡°Are you admitting it?¡± TanYin voice trembled, ¡°ZhouXiang, are you admitting to it? You¡¯re really with YanMingXiu?¡±

    ZhouXiang pushed him away immediately and coldly answered, ¡°You start any rumors of President Yan, be careful that you won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences.¡±

    TanYin¡¯s body is obviously shaking but he still sneered scornfully, "Whether or not this is a rumor, you know it clearly yourself. ZhouXiang, I¡¯ve misjudged you, you....you¡¯re not much better than me."

    ZhouXiang really didn¡¯t want continue this bickering with him. He red at him fiercely. Then turned to head back to the hotel and continued to wait in the room to start filming his scenes. At this time, it is dawn and the sky is mistily dusky. His phone rang. It is from YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s drowsy voice sounded from the other line, "Come up.¡±

    ZhouXiang muttered, "Okay," and immediately took the elevator upstairs.

    When he entered the room, it was not yet 7am. YanMingXiu is still lying on the bed. His voice lowly, ¡°Help me pick an outfit, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s cold or not outside.¡±

    "Very cold." ZhouXiang replied intermittently as he got YanMingXiu¡¯s warm pants and down jacket, "President Yan, you should get up."

    "How long before filming starts?"

    ¡°Your scene is scheduled for 9 am. Get wash up, I¡¯ll bring you breakfast.¡±

    YanMingXiu nodded and turned over to get up.

    At this time, the hotel room¡¯s phone rang.

    YanMingXiu furrowed his brows and picked up the handset. ¡°Hello? Oh, Dong Ge... What?¡± YanMingXiu squinted his eyes as he nced at ZhouXiang. His tonepletely changed, ¡°I know, I¡¯ll ask him.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand that was holding the clothes paused. He felt that it¡¯s not going to be anything good, "What?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are very cold, "What is your rtionship with TanYuXuan?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Before I got into the ident, we signed under the same modelpany. But I don¡¯t know him now.¡±

    "Is that so? WangYuDong just told me that someone saw you having a dispute with TanYuXuan outside the hotel half an hour ago. Now he¡¯s missing. Many people are looking for him. "

    ZhouXiang frowned deeply. Now he really wants to get his hands on this troublemaker TanYin and beat the crap out of him.

    He can only attempt to say that they have ended their rtionship, ¡°I was really with...¡±

    ¡°Why were you guys arguing?¡±

    ¡°We...he mentioned the past, but I don¡¯t remember. He got angry, that¡¯s about it.¡±

    YanMingXiu sneered, ¡°Is that it? WangYuDong told me that you guys were a couple before. Many people also knew of this. You really forgot?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve really forgotten.¡± ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t understand what role WangYuDong yed in this matter, but he has strong resentment in his heart. At least from his past life¡¯s experience, anything that involved WangYuDong has not been good.

    YanMingXiu bolted out of bed with his expression chilling, ¡°Go down first and see what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll be down soon.¡±

    ZhouXiang braced himself to go downstairs. Many people were gathered in the hotel¡¯s lobby. WangYuDong looked upset and exasperated saying something. Everyone looked busy but when they saw ZhouXiang, they all stared at him.

    WangYuDong also saw ZhouXiang. He angrily ordered, ¡°Come over here.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart sank. He already knew what is going on. TanYin belongs to WangYuDong¡¯spany. WangYuDong is using this opportunity to cause trouble for him. But at this time, he didn¡¯t understand. <i>WangYuDong was still fine yesterday. Why this change in him suddenly today. Could he have guessed wrong? Is it really just TanYin messing things up?</i>

    ¡°Dong Ge. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    "What¡¯s going on?!" WangYuDong¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud but it is quite imposing so everyone around could hear it, ¡°I have no control over your private affairs but there must be a premise on how you handle your personal matters. That is, it can¡¯t affect or dy work. Especially, it can¡¯t affect and dy everyone¡¯s work for your personal reasons! You and Xiao Tan¡¯s previous rtionship, I don¡¯t want to mention. It would be inhuman for me to beshing out at you over that, but what now? You guys are part of a collective workgroup. How could your personal conflicts lead to this? Right now because Xiao Tan had an argument with you, his emotions are out of control and we don¡¯t even know where he went. We¡¯re going to start filming soon. You tell me, how can we resolve this? Huh?"

    All the eyes around him pierced his body like needles.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s cheeks are burning hot. He secretly clenched his fists even though he couldn¡¯t say a word of rebuttal. It¡¯s not that he has nothing to refute, but if he dares to openly contradict WangYuDong, things will just get worse. Just like in that year, his is such a minor role so he could only force himself to suffer in silence. There is no ce for him to reason.

    He absolutely didn¡¯t believe that TanYin would get ¡°emotionally out of control¡± over the few words he said. Even if he was lent tremendous courage, TanYin would not dare to disappear in between filming. Besides, his big boss is present. If he is that na?ve, he would not have gotten to his position today. This matter is definitely instigated by WangYuDong, otherwise he would never dare to do it.

    <i>But why is WangYuDong targeting him again? How could he not know that he is once again hindering WangYuDong¡¯s path?</i>

    The things that are happening are following the path of two years ago. ZhouXiang can¡¯t help but be a little scared, though he still forced himself to calm down. He somberly said, ¡°Dong Ge, I had an ident two years ago and lost my memory. Even if we were in a rtionship before, right now I don¡¯t remember. But I don¡¯t think my exnation matters. It¡¯s better to find Xiao Tan first. I¡¯ll confront him then.¡±

    The director also seems to be furious, sitting on the side with a ck face, ¡°The first with this matter is that Xiao Tan needs to bear responsibility. As for whom else, wait for him toe back and then talk about it. Regardless of whether or not ZhouXiang had an argument with him, for him to leave over such private matters is definitely irresponsible. This kind of behavior must be severely punished.¡±

    WangYuDong nced fiercely at ZhouXiang, ¡°I¡¯ll get even with you after finding Xiao Tan.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on ah?" A low voice suddenly came. Everyone turned their heads and see YanMingXiu standing behind them, sweeping his eyes at them coldly.

    At this time, no one dared to interject. WangYuDong reiterated a simplified version of the situation to him.

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Then, we should go find the person first. Whoever¡¯s problem this is, or a problem with both of them, we¡¯ll know clearly out when he¡¯s found."

    The director also added, ¡°Everyone, drop your work at hand and go search. The sky was still not bright yet when he left. It¡¯ll be troublesome if he got into an ident. Everyone get into teams of three and start from all directions. You must bring him back. "

    ¡°Director, director! Xiao Tan is back!¡±

    "What?¡±

    Everyone turned their heads and saw that TanYin had really returned. The clothes on his body were dirty. It seemed as if he had rolled on the ground several times, looking very pathetic and his eyes were still bloodshot.

    WangYuDong quickly uttered, ¡°TanYin! TanYuXuan! Where did you go?¡±

    ¡°I...¡± TanYin¡¯s gaze went from WangYuDong to ZhouXiang, and then from ZhouXiang to YanMingXiu. Then he bit his lip and didn¡¯t speak. His expression seeming to have great grievances and he looked pitiful.

    "Say something.¡±

    ¡°I..... went for a walk...and fell.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit." WangYuDong angrily muttered, ¡°Tell the truth, what is really going on?¡±

    TanYin is choking with sobs, ¡°Dong Ge, don¡¯t ask, just take it as though I fell.¡±

    The two people echoed each other¡¯s words. This was even more effective than TanYin directly using ZhouXiang. His (TanYin¡¯s) expression of biting his tongue both provoke everyone¡¯s curiosity and also made people assume that he is afraid of ZhouXiang because ZhouXiang has YanMingXiu¡¯s as his backer (supporter), so he¡¯s afraid to speak up.

    ZhouXiang is so furious that his entire body trembled. Nobody would know that the person who really can¡¯t speak up is him.

    If YanMingXiu was really his backer, that would have been great. He could thoroughly discredit both WangYuDong and TanYin in front of everyone, but unfortunately he doesn¡¯t dare. Not only is YanMingXiu not his backer, even his (YanMingXiu) heart has always been toward WangYuDong. He, ZhouXiang, is a fucking nobody. Even though he didn¡¯t understand why WangYuDong suddenly wanted to make things difficult for him, regardless of what WangYuDong does to him, he can¡¯t fight back. He could only endure.

    He could only endure it.

    Everyone around looked at him awkwardly with all kinds of spections forming in their minds.

    WangYuDong gloomily voiced, ¡°Director, this.. no matter what, for whatever Xiao Tan did wrong, he is my person, it was neglection of duties on my part. I apologize on his behalf. When we return, thepany will internally impose punishment on him. But right now, our schedule is set. To carry out punishment at this time is not appropriate. I¡¯ll have him go get dressed-up. He¡¯ll perform well topensate for this ruckus. Is that fine with you?"

    WangYuDong¡¯s words gave the director no other alternatives. The director naturally wouldn¡¯t say anything else. Originally, he was only worried about the progress of filming. Other people¡¯s private affairs, he was toozy to care so he nodded, ¡°Xiao Tan, YuDong has pleaded for you. It¡¯s your blessing to have such a good boss. Don¡¯t do this again. Hurry up and go get ready.¡±

    TanYin nodded. He hurriedly looked at ZhouXiang. His expression looking veryplicated.

    ZhouXiang looked at him coldly. He wanted to see how this show will end and what WangYuDong wanted to do.

    Others are observing YanMingXiu, waiting for him to speak. He didn¡¯t say anything and others can¡¯t say anything about ZhouXiang.

    Only WangYuDong grabbed YanMingXiu and said, ¡°MingXiu, since ZhouXiang is the person you rmended, Dong Ge is not going to say anything. Let¡¯s not dy the time and start filming. I¡¯ll go to you tonight and we can talk privately."

    ZhouXiang really wanted to pounce over and kill WangYuDong. <i>This hypocrite two-face, trying to act selflessly impartial and considerate for the sake of the general good, this high and mighty big star with a great public image, why is he repeatedly making things so difficult for him.</i>

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t look at WangYuDong but faintly swept ZhouXiang a ce. ¡°Work first. This matter, we really need to talk about it.¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s face shed a trace of awkwardness; his expression a bit gloomy.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 73

    Because of the ruckus from the morning, the filming atmosphere on the first day after arriving at the mountain is somewhat depressing. No need to mention the director, his expression was gloomy the entire day. WangYuDong and YanMingXiu¡¯s expression also weren¡¯t good. The employees beneath didn¡¯t even dare to joke around, everyone were walking on egg shells.

    Under such tensed atmosphere, theypleted their work before dinner time. Despite the emotional tension, perhaps everyone was staying focus for fear of making any mistakes. The day¡¯s filming progress was exceptionally smooth. After work, they gathered to have dinner at the hotel¡¯s restaurant.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯te downstairs for dinner so ZhouXiang quickly finished eating and order take-out for him and brought it upstairs.

    When he entered the room, YanMingXiu was on the phone discussing business matters. The light in the hotel room is a little dim. Theptop¡¯s screen resting on hisp illuminated ayer of blue reflected on his face, making him look a bit gloomy, especially when he looked up at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang put the take-out on the table, then sat down on his bed and turned on the TV. Hey motionless watching the TV screen, which was ying a movie. But whatever movie was ying, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t get into it at all.

    He thought for an entire day, fuming rage toward both WangYuDong and TanYin, but sadly realized that he couldn¡¯t do anything. He thought since he can¡¯t throw punches at WangYuDong, at least he needed to teach TanYin a lesson, but what use is there? Well, if TanYin wasn¡¯t instructed by WangYuDong, would he have dared to do what he did? The feeling of having to suppress himself with nobody to vent makes ZhouXiang feel like a balloon filled with resentment. If he was poked a few more times, he would explode.

    What¡¯s more, this matter is far from over. He didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu would say or do. Anyway, if it was such a big deal, he just won¡¯t be part of this movie and just go back to the work that CaiWei had arranged for him. He¡¯ll still be able to support his family.

    YanMingXiu discussed his work matters with the person on the other line for a long time before finally hanging up.

    ZhouXiang turned to look at him and said calmly, ¡°Your dinner is on the table.¡±

    YanMingXiu slowly responded, ¡°Your past have nothing to do with me but since you¡¯re with me now, if you dare to get yourself involved with any others, I¡¯ll definitely not let you off.¡± His voice is very dismal, the sound is not loud but still there is a kind force that makes it impossible for people to ignore.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have any expression on his face; his eyes remain staring at the TV screen. ¡°I don¡¯t know why TanYin did what he did. But I¡¯ve already severed my rtionship with him a long time ago.¡± He didn¡¯t want to exin too much. There was no point. What he really wanted to say about WangYuDong, he can¡¯t say it in front of YanMingXiu because then he¡¯d only be asking for humiliation. Moreover, he¡¯s never expected anyone to support him, especially YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu moved theptop to the side, raised his chin and pointed at the food on the table. ¡°Take it out. I¡¯ve no appetite, don¡¯t let me smell it.¡±

    ZhouXiang stood up, picked up the food and put it outside the door. Then he turned back to pull the door close.

    At this time, a gust of wind blew through the hallway and the door mmed close causing a loud bang, shaking the walls.

    YanMingXiu lifted his head and raised his eyebrows, ¡°You seem to be very dissatisfied?¡±

    ZhouXiang shrugged, ¡°President Yan, that was the wind blowing.¡±

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes, ¡°ZhouXiang, I always feel that you have a lot of things hiding from me.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°President Yan, I don¡¯t have anything to hide from you. Just that my business is not worthy of your interest, nor is it necessary to be mentioned.¡±

    ¡°What if I want to know?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled awkwardly, ¡°What does President Yan want to know? I¡¯ll definitely answer it truthfully.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about TanYin then. You said that you don¡¯t remember him but even WangYuDong knew that you guys use to be together. You also should know it yourself. So the reason for your argument this morning is because of?"

    ¡°He wanted to get back together but I don¡¯t want to."

    YanMingXiu led out a long ¡°oh¡± sound, then changed the topic and coldly asked, ¡°Then do you know why WangYuDong is targeted against you?¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at him in surprise.

    ¡°What? You think I will believe that TanYin, who is merely a neer, especially being under WangYuDong, would be so daring as to just leave? What is really the reason? Someone like you....how are you worthy for him to.......¡±

    Before YanMingXiu even finished talking, ZhouXiang already knew what he wanted to say. <i>He is such a minor actor, what does he have to make WangYuDong waste his time to step on him?</i> The only possibility is that he had offended WangYuDong but he still didn¡¯t know how he offended WangYuDong. Naturally, he can¡¯t answer the doubts in YanMingXiu¡¯s heart.

    ZhouXiang smiled sarcastically, ¡°President Yan, I am just as baffled as you. I don¡¯t know how I could have offended Dong Ge. Your FAMILY is of one mind, if you could help me figure it out, perhaps I could correct my mistakes."

    When ZhouXiang mentioned ¡¯family,¡¯ he especially emphasized it with a heavier tone. YanMingXiu¡¯s expression became unsightly. He grabbed his cell phone and threw it at ZhouXiang¡¯s face, immediately hitting ZhouXiang in his cheekbones, making it instantly swollen.

    YanMingXiu responded coldly, ¡°ZhouXiang, don¡¯t you have a bit of shame. You keep repeatedly speaking to me with this mocking sarcasm. Even if I was to spend money to raise a dog, it¡¯ll bark nicely upon seeing me. Who do you think you are? If it wasn¡¯t because ..... do you think you¡¯re even worth a few yuan?¡±

    ZhouXiang caressed his face, feeling the air leaking from his voided heart. But he didn¡¯t feel anything. He didn¡¯t feel humiliated, let alone sadness. He felt that what YanMingXiu said is extremely right. If it wasn¡¯t because he looked a bit like WangYuDong, whether it was from before or in the present, how could he have the opportunity to stand in front of YanMingXiu?

    After such a long time, he had finally epted this fact and was able to fully be at peace.

    He smiled, ¡°What President Yan said is right. I admit that I am wrong. No matter what Dong Ge does, he must have his reasons.¡±

    YanMingXiu raised his eyebrows deeply. The smile on ZhouXiang¡¯s face made him feel ufortable, not only is it ufortable, it was simply ring to the extreme. He instinctively felt that he had seen this expression before from somewhere, this expression made his heart tremble.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know how he could teach this person called ZhouXiang a lesson because this person is too untamed. But at the same time, there are so manymonalities between this person and ¡°that person,¡± so that he is always subconsciously tolerant of him.

    He has repeatedly tolerated his words and even gave him the condo he had prepared for his older brother. He knew that he is not ¡°ZhouXiang¡± but because there were so many ovepping details between them, it made him lose his mind.

    He didn¡¯t know what he is expecting from this fake ¡®ZhouXiang.¡¯

    <i>What exactly was he expecting!!</i>

    He stared at ZhouXiang coldly and ordered, ¡°Undress.¡±

    ZhouXiang is slightly startled and then nimbly removed his clothes piece by piece.

    YanMingXiu press him onto the bed, separating his thighs. Then, he proceeded to brutally and fervently fuck him. The lines on ZhouXiang¡¯s back are painfully stretched, his muscles trembled violently with YanMingXiu¡¯s frightening rigorous speeds; sweat dripped along the sides of his cheeks onto the bed sheet.

    ZhouXiang clenched his teeth trying with much difficulty to suppress himself from making any sounds. The moans lodged in this throat instead became smothering sounds.

    The phone next to the bed suddenly rang. ZhouXiang slowly looked up and nkly nced at it.

    YanMingXiu immediately pressed his head into the nket and hoarsely shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see your face!¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face was forced into the nket. He hated that he couldn¡¯t directly bury himself beneath the bed.

    YanMingXiu picked up the handset; his thrusting movements became a bit stagnant but he was still slowly pummeling in and out of ZhouXiang. Back and forth, his hot weapon thrusted repeatedly into ZhouXiang¡¯s body. This strange feeling made his entire body shook.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s voice came clearly from the other line, "MingXiu, this is just a small hotel in the mountains. The soundproofing is not very good. Dong Ge is just on the other side of your wall. Can you be bit more restrained?" Although his words were calm and very polite, the anger and ridicule in his tone still can¡¯t be concealed.

    The soundproofing is indeed really bad. YanMingXiu¡¯s movements repeatedly made the headboard mmed loudly into the wall. Any average adult neighbor knew what is going on in the room next door.

    ZhouXiang felt his face rapidly burning hot as he tightly clenched his fist.

    YanMingXiu faintly responded, ¡°I¡¯ll have the room changed tomorrow.¡±

    "MingXiu!" WangYuDong gloomily responded, "This is not a problem with the room. What are you really thinking?"

    YanMingXiu retorted, ¡°Dong Ge, what is really the matter?¡±

    WangYuDong suppressed his anger, ¡°I want to talk to you about the matter this morning.¡±

    "Fine, I¡¯ll go to your room in a bit.¡± After saying that, he immediately hung up.

    Holding onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, he continued to forcefully thrust into him. Not a word was spoken during this entire ordeal. In fact, there was not a hint of warming atmosphere between each other; it was simply venting sex.

    After YanMingXiu was done, he went to the bathroom and showered. Then changed his clothes and walked out closing the door.

    ZhouXiang rested in bed for a long time before he could breathe calmly. He also got up and took a shower and changed his clothes. As if nothing had happened, he ttened the sheets,id on the bed and made his usual daily call to ChenYing.

    When he heard ChenYing¡¯s gentle and loving voice, he felt his mood bing exceptionally calm.

    ¡ª¨C

    WangYuDong poured a cup of tea for YanMingXiu and ced it on the table, then looked at him solemnly.

    YanMingXiu nced at him indifferently, ¡°Brother-inw, I know what you wanted to say but I¡¯m advising you not to say anything. Even my dad and my older brother can¡¯t control me, why waste the time?¡±

    WangYuDong heaved a sigh, ¡°MingXiu. You call me brother-inw, that is proof that we are one family. Even though I knew long ago that you stopped listening to what I said but I don¡¯t want to see you continue being lost in your ways. I want to see you normal, to get married and have children so that mother, father, and older brother, as well as your older sister can be at ease and stop worrying."

    YanMingXiu gave him a fleeting nce, ¡°If this is what you wanted to say, I¡¯m going to head back first.¡±

    "MingXiu..." WangYuDong furrowed his brows and lowly muttered, "You weren¡¯t like this before but because of that ZhouXiang, you became this distant with me......"

    YanMingXiu raised his hand in front of WangYuDong, his voice coldly detached, ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times. Don¡¯t mention ZhouXiang in front of me.¡±

    WangYuDong gritted his teeth, getting himself a bit riled up, ¡°MingXiu, you still haven¡¯t awakened? It¡¯s almost been three years. Why do you continue to wrongly persist on making it so hard on yourself, even now finding one that has the same exact name...¡±

    YanMingXiu immediately stood up and chillingly uttered, ¡°Shut up.¡±

    WangYuDong instantly grabbed onto YanMingXiu¡¯s cor, his expression conflicting and his eyes flickered. He suddenly revealed a remorseful expression and sighed, ¡°MingXiu, you bing like this today is Dong Ge¡¯s fault. I know that you have feelings for me but I¡¯ve always evaded it. At the time, I merely thought that you were still young; sooner orter you will understand.... It¡¯s Dong Ge¡¯s failure to handle this matter, not paying attention to your issue so I ended up pushing you to someone like ZhouXiang..."

    YanMingXiu grabbed his hand and very, very slowly took his hand off his cor. His expression extremely chilling, "You¡¯re thinking too much. It¡¯s already all in the past. You just need to be good with my sister, don¡¯t keep caring about my matters."

    WangYuDong¡¯s body shook as he furrowed his brows, ¡°MingXiu, I only hope that we could return to the past. Before... before you would listen to the words Dong Ge says. Can you listen to Dong Ge this time? You are my only little brother-inw. I hope that you could live a normal life."

    At this moment, even staying an extra second is too much for YanMingXiu. He shook his head and turned to walk out the door.

    ¡°MingXiu!¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t return around.

    WangYuDong squinted his eyes as he look at his back. He quickly thought, if he was to say this next sentence, to what extent would it offend YanMingXiu? Maybe this is a good opportunity to test this out, to see whether or not he would still be able to use YanMingXiu.

    He sighed, ¡°MingXiu! ZhouXiang is already dead. When are you going to ept this reality?!¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body immediately froze. He turned around slowly. His eyes were already so blood-shot that it is abnormally scary. He enunciated word by word, ¡°Say-it-again.¡±

    WangYuDong is stunned by his imposing manner, not only did he not dare to speak any further, even his body couldn¡¯t move.

    YanMingXiu pointed at him, his voice sounding murderous like the chilliness of hell being frozen over, ¡°No one can say this sentence. No one can. You, WangYuDong, most definitely can¡¯t. The reason why ZhouXiang went to the mountains is because he was forced to by me and by you. I¡¯m letting you go is merely because you are my brother-inw. If you continue to be voracious (greedy) and speak more nonsense, don¡¯t me me for not caring that we are family."

    WangYuDong only felt the chills from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His entire body felt ice-cold, so much that he couldn¡¯t even speak.

    He knew that he had overestimated YanMingXiu¡¯s affections toward him and underestimated YanMingXiu¡¯s stubborn persistence toward ZhouXiang.

    He really hated ZhouXiang. Because of ZhouXiang, he lost his most beneficial supporter in the Yan family.

    No matter how much YanMingMei loves him, she is after all, a woman. No matter what happens at home, if YanMingXiu can¡¯t be by his side (as in supporting him) like before, the series of real powers he wanted to achieve in this family will be more difficult.

    Once he thought of this, WangYuDong even hated the fake ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ next door.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 74

    While ZhouXiang was chatting to ChenYing on the phone, he could vaguely hear arguments from WangYuDong¡¯s room. It was brief and then was followed by the sound of the door mming opened and closed. Soon after, YanMingXiu returned.

    ZhouXiang again reminded ChenYing a few things and hung up the phone.

    Seeing YanMingXiu walking in looking very unsightly, he wondered if the two really did argued. If so, that is truly rare.

    ZhouXiang flipped the nket over and nned on going to sleep after turning off the TV. He and YanMingXiu had nothing tomunicate to each other, nor is he in the least bit interested in the dispute between the two. At this time, he didn¡¯t even want to touch a fine hair on YanMingXiu¡¯s head that could cause trouble for himself.

    When he picked up the remote control, his attention was then turned to the TV screen. He suddenly realized that it is broadcasting the first film that he had coborated with WangYuDong on as his stuntman. It had been six to seven years ago and was the first movie that propelled WangYuDong to superstardom. This martial arts movie is still regarded by many as a ssic.

    As ZhouXiang watched this movie, the technology can¡¯t bepared to today¡¯s time, be it the visual effects or special effects but his eyes couldn¡¯t leave the vivid leaping scenes or the very familiar faces of the crew during that time.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes were also captivated by the scenes on the small 23-inch TV.

    A freely leisure hero gracefully wearing a white robe, without even a speck of dust, appeared. His handsomely refined appearance along with his elegant and magnificently towering body became one of the ssic screen images of that year, making the name, WangYuDong, instantly popr across the country.

    However, no one knew that more than half of those stunningly breathtaking fighting scenes that looked like floating clouds and flowing water (natural and smooth) were done by ZhouXiang. Especially the film¡¯s most beautiful, most ssic and most artistic scene where the hero gracefully went into the water. The entire sequence was done by him (ZhouXiang), WangYuDong merely showed his face when the hero turned around.

    This could only be med on ZhouXiang for being too young and inexperienced at the time. He didn¡¯t know anything except for making money. However, if he didn¡¯t agree to have his name removed from the credits, he was afraid that the crew would not have continued to use him as a stuntman for the sole purpose of promoting WangYuDong.

    After the movie became a hit, some people had once urged him to take this opportunity to stir up spection but he didn¡¯t agree to it. The huge amount of penalty fees for breaching the contract wasn¡¯t actually a concern because as long as he bes popr, this amount of money would have been immaterial. The reason he didn¡¯t agree at the time was mainly because he was too young and had a sense of righteousness. He felt that it would be wrong to do that.

    If this was to be changed to the ZhouXiang a few yearster, he likely wouldn¡¯t have handled it that way. But by then, the time had passed and it was already toote to say anything. Besides, he really didn¡¯t regret not taking that chance to promote himself.

    At least before he met YanMingXiu, he never regretted it.

    But now, seeing YanMingXiu silently watching the TV screen, deeply in thought, the corners of ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth curved into a mocking smile, ¡°That¡¯s not WangYuDong.¡±

    Although he knew that he wouldn¡¯t get any sort of revenge against WangYuDong, he had been intolerably suppressing himself from all the grievances the past few days and couldn¡¯t restrain himself from just blurting it out.

    He didn¡¯t even expect YanMingXiu to have a bit of reaction.

    However, not only did YanMingXiu reacted, his reaction is extreme.

    YanMingXiu suddenly turned his head and red fiercely at ZhouXiang, ¡°What did you say?¡±

    The water scene showing on the TV is almost over. ZhouXiang looked at the familiar screen andughed at himself, ¡°I said, that was not WangYuDong but a stuntman.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body trembled uncontrobly.

    <i>Not WangYuDong? But a stuntman?</i>

    This person is telling him that the person whom he had fallen in love at first sight, the god-like heroic WangYuDong of that time, was actually NOT him, but a stuntman?

    At this point, YanMingXiu could no longer tell whether he had first fallen for this person because of his back or did he be captivated after the person had turned his face around. But this is no longer important. What mattered is that if that back really belonged to a stuntman, then his feelings at that time werepletely impure. The person he liked was merely his delusion; it might not even be a person!

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice trembled, "What reason do you have to say that it is not WangYuDong? There is no mention of a stuntman being used in this movie. The promotion publicized that all the scenes were performed by WangYuDong personally.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded indifferently, ¡°Those martial arts moves are notplicated to do but required solid foundation skills. If WangYuDong had a month or two of practice, he might be able do most of it. But if he really had that ability, he wouldn¡¯t have needed me (to be his stuntman). Those actions were definitely not done by him but by a stuntman.¡±

    YanMingXiu suddenly rushed over and gripped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s cor with his voice lowly roaring, ¡°What reason do you have say that it is a stuntman! If you dare to talk shit...¡±

    ZhouXiang got a trace of twisted revenge upon seeing YanMingXiu¡¯s distorted and frantic expression. To be able to shatter YanMingXiu¡¯s fantasy of WangYuDong, even for a little, he wouldugh happily.

    Facing YanMingXiu¡¯s expression of wanting to eat people, he still smiled and said, ¡°I am also a stuntman myself. I¡¯m sure that it was not done by WangYuDong but by a stuntman. If you don¡¯t believe me, since President Yan knows so many people, go find someone reliable and ask?¡±

    <i>A stuntman... impossible, how could it be a stuntman... Who? Who is the stuntman in this movie?</i>

    YanMingXiu¡¯s minded immediately thought of a name, this kind of possibility made his heart practically skipped a few beats.

    <i>No... it¡¯s not him... it can¡¯t be him...</i>

    YanMingXiu pushed ZhouXiang away ruthlessly and grabbed the phone from the desk. He quickly rummaged through the phone book. In the end, he called a person who certainly would know the inside story. This person used to be WangYuDong¡¯s assistant.

    After WangYuDong established his own entertainmentpany, he was hired as thepany¡¯s CEO. He had followed WangYuDong for many years. From the time WangYuDong debuted to present. All matters regarding WangYuDong, no one knew it better than him.

    The phone quickly connected.

    ¡°Hello President Yan greetings.¡± The voice on the other end of the line sounded a bit ttered (because YanMingXiu called him).

    ¡°Lao Wu. I¡¯m going to ask you something, tell me honestly. If there is even a trace of lies, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    Lao Wu is stunned, his voice immediately followed by fear as he stuttered, ¡°Yan, President Yan, you... YuDong... you want....¡±

    ¡°Cut the bullshit, answer me one thing.¡±

    ¡°You ... ask... as long as I can say...¡±

    "Was there really a stuntman used in WangYuDong¡¯s first movie?"

    When Lao Wu heard this question, he let out a sigh of relief. He thought that YanMingXiu had caught WangYuDong doing something questionable. As it turned out, he was just asking this kind of superficial question.

    At the time, they did a great job concealing this information in order to promote WangYuDong. But now, it is no longer important whether or not WangYuDong used a stuntman or did those scenes himself. None of this could affect WangYuDong¡¯s status at this point.

    Therefore, Lao Wu responded honestly, ¡°President Yan, a stuntman was indeed used back then. But in order to increase the promotional effect, we told the media that he did all the scenes himself. As for the stuntman, it was settled by paying him off.¡±

    ¡°Who was the stuntman?¡± When YanMingXiu asked this question, his face looked hideous, his eyes bloodshot and his fists clenched, just like a beast forced into a desperate situation. It was only waiting for a head-on collision moment, then he would...

    ¡°Oh ... that was ZhouXiang mah. Later, YuDong cooperated with him the most. Both of them have worked on four to five movies together. ZhouXiang has always been our first choice.¡±

    The phone in YanMingXiu¡¯s hand mmed to the ground. A burst of gloomy darkness consumed him. The twisted pain in his body almost took all his breath. His mind kept buzzing and almost everything is blood red in front of him; the entire space around bing unreal in his eyes.

    <i>ZhouXiang......</i>

    <i>Why does God have to mess with him like this?!</i>

    When he was sixteen years old, he stopped in front of the cinema and saw the trailer of this movie seven to eight times. The scene of the hero¡¯s back gracefully falling into the water left him infatuated and deeply mesmerized. Yet this person was actually ZhouXiang, actually ZhouXiang!

    <i>It was not WangYuDong, not anyone else, but was ZhouXiang, ZhouXiang!</i>

    Ironically, he treated ZhouXiang as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute. <i>Who is the fucking substitute for who!?</i>

    This step... he had been wrong from the beginning and had continued walking on this path till was dark. Finally, it got to the point of no return, making him lose everything. Even his prayer for a chance to remedy was unobtainable.

    ZhouXiang had disappeared. He has a lot of things he wanted to tell him... a lot of things he wanted to do with him... and a long life ahead he wanted to share with him. But ZhouXiang had disappeared just like that. Because of his mistakes, he had step-by-step pushed ZhouXiang onto a path that separated them.

    He had hurt the person he loved most. Now everything has be retribution on himself.

    YanMingXiu is in so much pain that he wanted to die. He really wanted to disappear on the spot. Then maybe he and ZhouXiang could appear in the same ce.

    He was starting to lose his bnce. At this time, his rationale is already on the verge of copse. This huge blow made him feel panic-stricken and tremendous grief at the same time

    ZhouXiang could never have imagined that YanMingXiu would have such a huge reaction. He (ZhouXiang) was dazed on the spot, atplete loss looking at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu dumbfoundedly walked toward the door, almost mechanically opening the door and quickly staggered out.

    The hotel door opened and then mmed closed, a gush of cold wind blew into the room, waking ZhouXiang from his senses.

    He didn¡¯t understand what was happening to YanMingXiu. <i>Was this something that difficult for him to ept?</i>

    He was stunned for a few minutes before remembering that YanMingXiu was only wearing his pajamas when he left. <i>Where is he going in this freezing weather?</i> It is very cold even just standing in the hallway. Leaving like that, he¡¯ll absolutely freeze.

    He quickly put on his clothes, picked up YanMingXiu¡¯s coat and ran out of the room.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 75

    ZhouXiang walked around the hotel first. He thought that if YanMingXiu didn¡¯t leave the hotel, he would go back to the room to sleep. In any case, he won¡¯t freeze to death. So he walked around the hotel but the hotel is so big that he couldn¡¯t find anyone. The auntie at the front desk was so engrossed in talking on QQ that when he asked her if she had seen anyone going out wearing pajamas, she mumbled that she didn¡¯t know.

    Finally, the auntie checked the door and confirmed that someone did go out. This door doesn¡¯t function well and people didn¡¯t know how to use it so they won¡¯t know how to close it tightly.

    ZhouXiang panicked a bit. If something happened to YanMingXiu, the unfortunate one would be his so called ¡°assistant¡± (himself). Especially WangYuDong would not let him off.

    He borrowed a shlight from the auntie and went out.

    The people in the vige slept early so there were not many households with their lights on at 11pm. The entire vige is pitch ck. ZhouXiang stood at the same ce for a long time as he didn¡¯t know where to start looking.

    He couldn¡¯t shout and couldn¡¯t rm other people, otherwise when YanMingXiu returns, he¡¯ll most likely be the one to get in trouble. He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and walked into the vige while swaying the shlight back and forth, quietly calling for YanMingXiu. When he reached to the end of the vige, he met a young couple who was having a rendezvous in the middle of the night. The light from the shlight scared the two people and ZhouXiang took the opportunity to ask them if they have saw a person wearing pajamas.

    The two thought for a long time and then the woman suddenly remembered, ¡°It seems that someone has gone into the mountains.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly asked, ¡°How long has it been?¡±

    ¡°Just now.¡±

    ZhouXiang ran wildly in the direction that they pointed. If YanMingXiu really entered the mountain, it would be too dangerous. He has an instinctive fear of this dark forest because he was buried inside of a mountain.

    Walking with much difficulty through the solid grass in this mountain forest at night with the wind whistling in his ears really makes people feel so chillingly cold that their scalps were numbing. He couldn¡¯t imagine how far YanMingXiu could have ran wearing just a thinyer of silk pajamas.

    <i>Why bother doing that? Could it be this hard for YanMingXiu to ept because that movie wasn¡¯t shot solely by WangYuDong but had a stuntman?</i>

    ZhouXiang felt that this is so pitiful and ridiculous. YanMingXiu is really an affectionate person.

    "YanMingXiu! YanMingXiu!" ZhouXiang raised his voice and called out loudly. He didn¡¯t dare to run too deep into the mountains for fear that he would get lost, but after searching for ten minutes, he couldn¡¯t find YanMingXiu. He wanted to go back to the hotel and asked people toe search. If something happened to YanMingXiu, he can¡¯t bear the responsibility.

    After making up his mind, he followed the path to head back.

    The mountain forest is not tranquil. The birds that were hovering above the skies seemed to be frightened as they made ear-piercing sounds and anxiously flew up the skies. Hearing these sounds, ZhouXiang felt a burst of panic.

    Just as he was climbing up a high slope, a tremble suddenly rose up from the bottom of his feet and then his entire body swayed uncontrobly. ZhouXiang¡¯s feet that were stepping on a stone became wobbly and he suddenly rolled down the slope.

    <i>An earthquake!!</i>

    Only nature can gather the power from the shaking of the earth that makes people fearful. ZhouXiang never dreamed that he would run into an earthquake at this time. Although the amplitude is not particrly high but ZhouXiang was too nervous; he couldn¡¯t even stand up.

    The leaves and tiny branches fell on him. He tried frantically to stand up and rushed out of the woods.

    The big shake has stopped but there are still small aftershocks from time to time that jolted ZhouXiang¡¯s heart. The close-by vige is brightly lit and the resounding screams are endless.

    After ZhouXiang passed through a marshnd, he saw a familiar figure. It is YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu seemed to be standing in the woods in a daze, as if he just realized where he is at.

    "YanMingXiu!!" ZhouXiang yelled and rushed over.

    YanMingXiu turned his head. Under the light, his skin exposed an abnormal blue and whitish color, his lips frozen purple and his eyes red. He looked very confused and helpless.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t describe his feelings at the time. It¡¯s likely gut-wrenching. He really despised the love YanMingXiu has for WangYuDong. He wanted to vomit.

    ZhouXiang shoved the coat he brought to YanMingXiu and uttered sternly, ¡°Are you fucking crazy?! Do you know how dangerous it is to run into the pitch ck mountains?! You can die, you can really fucking die!"

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even catch the coat but instead let it fall to the ground. He looked at ZhouXiang with a void look, as if he didn¡¯t understand what ZhouXiang was talking about.

    ¡°Can you not feel the earthquake? Hurry up and get out. It¡¯s is too dangerous here, if any wood falls......"

    ZhouXiang exasperatedly picked up the coat and draped it over YanMingXiu¡¯s body, then dragged him out. After dragging him a few steps, YanMingXiu suddenly broke his hand free, and embraced his waist tightly with strength so strong that knocked both of them to the ground.

    ZhouXiang is so angry that he wanted to punch him to death. He is anxious to leave this ce and get to an open tnd. If there was another big aftershock...this second life that he got with great difficulty... even though it is filled with depressing things, he still didn¡¯t want to die.

    He could only hear YanMingXiu¡¯s weak voiceing from behind, calling out for ¡¯ZhouXiang.¡¯

    ZhouXiang is shocked; his fist clenched tightly gripping the weeds.

    YanMingXiu called out for ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ again. ZhouXiang had never heard YanMingXiu called him like this. Never before and not in the present. The way he called him was like...like he was asking for help.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t understand but YanMingXiu¡¯s voice shocked him, making him feel like his hands and feet were tied, stiff and unable to move.

    After a while, ZhouXiang could only feel YanMingXiu¡¯s hot chest, but couldn¡¯t hear a sound. He turned around slightly and realized that YanMingXiu had fallen asleep, as if everything that happened earlier was just him (YanMingXiu) sleepwalking.

    In such a ce that is freezing cold and with an earthquake that had just urred, YanMingXiu actually fell asleep!

    He patted YanMingXiu¡¯s face. It is ice cold.

    <i>He¡¯s really asleep? Is he asleep or unconscious?</i>

    ZhouXiang also wasn¡¯t sure. He only knew that he needed to get YanMingXiu out of here as soon as possible, but now it¡¯s be a difficult task. To carry out such a person who is taller and heavier than himself out of this unleveled forest, even though they are not far from the vige, it is enough to exhaust him.

    ZhouXiang sighed and said to himself, ¡°You are my fucking ancestor.¡±

    He put the coat on YanMingXiu and then lifted him on his back. YanMingXiu¡¯s weight almost crushed him; each step he took is with much difficulty carrying YanMingXiu. The more than 200 meters mountainous path made him so tired that he was about to kneel down. Finally, he got YanMingXiu out of the woods.

    There seems to be a lot of crew members searching for them. Many shlights were shining towards them from not far away, so bright that ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t open his eyes.

    "Right here! Right here!"

    "President Yan! ZhouXiang!" Several staff members ran over. Seeing that YanMingXiu had fainted, they were scared.

    The director also ran over and quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on! Where have you been?! There is an earthquake, do you know how dangerous it is?¡±

    WangYuDong also came over and pulled YanMingXiu down from ZhouXiang¡¯s back. He patted YanMingXiu¡¯s face and yelled, ¡°MingXiu? MingXiu? Put him on the stretcher and quickly call the doctor.¡±

    ZhouXiang opened his mouth and wanted to say that he (YanMingXiu) was fine. But seeing how nervous everyone is, it is pointless for him to say it, so he just retreated to the side.

    WangYuDong nced at him fiercely and asked in a stern voice, ¡°ZhouXiang, what¡¯s going on!¡±

    ZhouXiang responded coldly, ¡°I came out for a walk with President Yan. Then there was an earthquake and President Yan hit his head.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with walking in the middle of the night?!¡±

    ZhouXiang also vented his frustrations. The grievances in him were too much. If he didn¡¯t vent, he might do something even more extreme, so he responded sarcastically, ¡°If President Yan wanted to take a walk, it¡¯s not in my control to refuse.¡±

    Everyone around them took a breath of cold air. No one in the entertainment circle dare to talk to WangYuDong like this. WangYuDong is also stunned. He never expected ZhouXiang to dare talk back at him. His first reaction is that ZhouXiang was just being arrogant because of his rtionship with YanMingXiu.

    Most of the other people also thought that way. Especially those who spected that ZhouXiang¡¯s and YanMingXiu¡¯s rtionship are abnormal. They look at ZhouXiang oddly.

    ZhouXiang shook his head and turned to go to a distant ce. He found an open space and sat down on the ground.

    Seeing that he couldn¡¯t go back to the room right now, there is nothing he could do so he just sat on the side holding his knees like a porcupine with thorns all over his body. He watched the group of people from afar busily helping YanMingXiu. WangYuDong¡¯s anxious expression is unusually ring.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 76

    Because the magnitude of the earthquake wasn¡¯t high, the vige didn¡¯t suffer any severe losses. It¡¯s just that some people who had trouble walking suffered minor injuries when they were running. Despite this, no one dared to take it lightly. The people in the vige moved the mattresses, bedding and the like to the open space outside. Even if the weather was cold, they still nned on spending the night outside.

    In ces where people are sparsely popted and the buildings are mostly low, the damage caused by the earthquake is insignificant. But what they are most afraid of is that the earthquake could cause the vige to bepletely isted from the outside world, and that no one would know what is going on at this time.

    ZhouXiang also took out two sets of bedding from the room and put it on top of the bed pads, creating a cotton-padded mattress. . Then, he got under and closed his eyes.

    Most people couldn¡¯t sleep. ZhouXiang kept hearing trembling voices around him that made him feel very agitated. He couldn¡¯t calm down. But he had filmed for an entire day and carried YanMingXiu on his back through the night. He was already very exhausted. Very soon, his deep exhaustion finally consumed his consciousness. He drowsily fell asleep.

    After dawn, the light was too bright and too noisy all around. He quickly woke up. Everyone around him was busy. ZhouXiang squinted his eyes and saw a pair of legs walking toward him.

    He swung his head and sat up, his nose was frozen stiff.

    The production assistant came over and pushed him once, ¡°Go back to the hotel, it should be fine now.¡±

    ZhouXiang dazedly stood up, grabbed his bedding and headed back to the hotel with the rest of the crowd.

    As soon as he got into the room, he saw YanMingXiu lying on the bed. It didn¡¯t look like he had awakened. WangYuDong was sitting in the chair by the bed watching news.

    Seeing ZhouXiange in, WangYuDong looked at him coldly, ¡°Get out. Have the hotel get you another room.¡±

    ZhouXiang did not say anything. He turned to leave.

    "ZhouXiang," WangYuDong¡¯s chilling voice sounded from behind, "Don¡¯t take yourself too seriously, you know exactly what you are."

    ZhouXiang mockingly smiled at himself and left without turning back.

    Of course he knows what he is. He didn¡¯t need other people to remind him.

    He got a room that is a floor above YanMingXiu. When he got into the room, he turned on the TV. It was already past six in the morning. Many people still don¡¯t know that an earthquake happened but it¡¯s already been reported on TV.

    As it turned out, the epicenter of the earthquake actually urred in the mountainous area along the border between Guizhou and Guangxi. The magnitude was 4.7 on the scale but due to the vast territory and dispersed personnel, there were no reports of major casualties and property losses. Experts from the Seismological Bureau are analyzing the scope of the earthquake and predicted that there may still be small aftershocks in the uing two to three days.

    It seems that the earthquake didn¡¯t cause any huge losses so the crew¡¯s filming n should not change significantly. He didn¡¯t want toe back to this ce a second time.

    After watching the news, it was almost seven o¡¯clock. He figured that ChenYing should be up so he decided to give her a call to inform her of his safety before she sees it in the news. Then he went to sleep. He was tossing and turning for an entire night and didn¡¯t sleep well so he was very tired. He slept until the afternoon when someone came to get him to continue with his filming.

    The vige had already returned to order in the afternoon. They used this few hours before sunset to film some of the content.

    On this day, even when ZhouXiang returned to the room to rest, he still hasn¡¯t seen YanMingXiu.

    For the next few days, YanMingXiu seemed to have stayed in his room the entire time, noting out at all.

    ZhouXiang was filming from morning to night each day. Not only did he have to endure the skepticism of his colleagues but also have to guard against TanYin¡¯s tricks. The most annoying thing is that as long as WangYuDong is on the set, every single one of his scenes needed to be reshot seven to eight times. Even though he didn¡¯t have many scenes and the time that WangYuDong stays on set is not long, this happened once or twice every day. It is enough to make him so exhausted that he could hardly breathe.

    Everyone could see that ZhouXiang had offended WangYuDong so they took the initiative to talk to him less and less.

    ZhouXiang would not be depressed and dispirited over such matters. What really made him feel anxious was that he felt as though he had entered a strange circle... a strange circle of repeated experiences from his past life. Everything that is happening now is repeating the same mistakes from before. He looked on helplessly at the things that happened in his past life, reurring one by one in the present. Although the specifics are different, the general direction was all the same. He is being pushed by an invisible force onto his old path and couldn¡¯t even stop.

    He is a little scared.

    He is a person who has died once. He is afraid of death. He is afraid that if he was to continue on, the end result would be the same as his previous life...

    <i>Could it be that he had gotten a new life only to repeat the mistakes of his previous life? Then what is the point?</i>

    ZhouXiang wanted to stop all of this from happening but finds himself helpless in doing so. He could no longer control the course of events from happening.

    ¡ª¨C

    Two dayster, he finally saw YanMingXiu. ording to the itinerary, ZhouXiang¡¯s scenes in the mountains are almostplete. He will be going back with YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu had very few scenes that will be ending in a day or two. Because his condition wasn¡¯t good, his progression was very slow. No one dares to rush him. The director¡¯s demand for him was not high; YanMingXiu only needed to expose his face.

    Their filming spot is not in the same ce. ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu from very far away. YanMingXiu also happened to turn his head and saw him. At the moment when their eyes met, ZhouXiang felt his heart sink. YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are deep and heavy, like a bottomless pit, which makes people feel depressed when they look into it. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was, only that his heart felt distressed.

    After YanMingXiu nced at him, he turned around. ZhouXiang also stiffly turned around.

    The crew had a car prepared for them. They will be leaving next day while the others will continue to stay toplete filming the rest of the mountain scenes.

    After Zhou Xiang finished packing his luggage that night, he nned on going to bed. At this time, the phone in the hotel room rang.

    He looked at the caller ID; it was from YanMingXiu¡¯s room.

    He hesitated a bit before picking up, ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°Come over right now.¡± After saying that, YanMingXiu hung up.

    ZhouXiang sighed, got dressed and went downstairs.

    He still had one of YanMingXiu¡¯s room card. He hesitated but still knocked on the door first.

    YanMingXiu voiced, ¡°Come in.¡±

    ZhouXiang opened the door and walked into the room.

    YanMingXiu was sitting on the bed, his face looking very pale with his lips appearing abnormally gray. He looked as if he was still sick. This is the worst ZhouXiang has seen him look.

    YanMingXiu pointed to the chair, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat down.

    Although YanMingXiu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good, his sight was still sharp. Those eyes that could melt any women¡¯s heart is now concentrated, staring at ZhouXiang without hesitation as he slowly spoke, ¡°Why were you so sure that a stuntman was use in that movie of WangYuDong¡¯s?"

    <i>Sure enough, it is about this.</i>

    ZhouXiang responded softly, "I was only guessing.¡±

    "Don¡¯t think that I will be convinced with this kind of excuse. When WangYuDong criticized you in your presence, you didn¡¯t even dare to utter a single word. This kind of unreasonable thing, how could you dare casually say it? Furthermore, you were spot on. You must know something."

    Of course ZhouXiang knew. Because he is the actual person involved. But unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t say this.

    He could only respond with, ¡°I¡¯ve heard some rumors before, adding on those actions are really not something WangYuDong could do.¡±

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes, ¡°ZhouXiang, I think that you¡¯re being untruthful to me on many things. If one day, I find out that you¡¯re hiding something important from me, I won¡¯t let you off.¡±

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t look straight into his deep eyes... eyes that seemed to be piercing through him.

    YanMingXiu asked again, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you a question, think carefully before you respond.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    ¡°You and that (older) ZhouXiang have too many simrities. You¡¯re both about the same size, having simr experiences; both entered President Wang¡¯spany, both working under CaiWei, both doing the same type of work and most importantly, the date of ZhouXiang¡¯s ident is exactly the same date as yours.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s breathing quickened and his heart pounded erratically. He didn¡¯t know why YanMingXiu would suddenly turn the topic from WangYuDong to him.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is a bit sharp, ¡°I wanted to ask, why is this?!¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 77

    ZhouXiang forced a smile, ¡°President Yan, how could I answer such question?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear this kind of superficial answer.¡±

    Unknowingly, YanMingXiu had already gotten out of bed and walked to his side, his slender fingers pinched ZhouXiang¡¯s chin, forcing him to look up.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice is hoarse, ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to answer. I also don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying!!¡± YanMingXiu snapped. With his fingers slowly tightening, ZhouXiang felt his chin being crushed.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are bing blood-shot. A person forced into such hopeless situation would have this kind of demeanor. His heart is feeling too chaotic. There is something that is bothering him and kept passing through his mind. He can¡¯t grasp onto it no matter how he tried and it refused to leave him be. He felt that he must grab onto it, as long as he could grab it, he would be saved.

    He doesn¡¯t believe that there could be so many coincidences in this world. There must be some sort of n in this unseen universe that made this person also called ZhouXiang, who is full of familiar signals appear in front of him. And at a time that he (YanMingXiu) is most desperate and helpless.

    <i>This ZhouXiang shouldn¡¯t just a passer-by, he.....how could he be so much like "him? It¡¯s almost as if they are the same person......</i>

    <i>The same person......</i>

    When he thought of this, YanMingXiu is shocked by his own thought.

    Seeing this obviously younger, more handsome face, this person doesn¡¯t look a bit simr to that other person (older ZhouXiang). They are twopletely different people. For YanMingXiu to ept this kind of unscientific strange circumstance is too hard. How could a normal person believe in something so bizarre?

    Besides, this person didn¡¯t admit to it at all.

    This is the most baffling for YanMingXiu. <i>If this ZhouXiang is really that ZhouXiang, why wouldn¡¯t he tell him? </i>

    YanMingXiu have meticulously pondered over this matter countless times, yet still didn¡¯t dare toe to any conclusion because every argument is illogical and unsound. He is afraid to get his hopes up high only to be devastatingly disappointed in the end.

    In these past years, he had depended on the phrase, ¡¯He didn¡¯t die¡¯ to sustain himself. Although the master also said the following phrase, ¡¯But is not alive,¡¯ he chose to believe the first phrase. He didn¡¯t believe that ZhouXiang is dead. Strictly speaking, he should not ept ZhouXiang¡¯s death. As long as he hasn¡¯t seen ZhouXiang¡¯s body, he would never ept that ZhouXiang is dead.

    To ept ZhouXiang¡¯s death is tantamount to him strangling himself.

    He will copse. He will utterly copse.

    Especially after what he had experienced the past several days, realizing that the figure whom had left him mesmerized and infatuated was actually ZhouXiang. He is even more unwilling to ept that... at a time when he admitted that he loved this person, he had alsopletely lost the chance to love forever.

    He won¡¯t ept it; he won¡¯t admit that he lost the chance to love ZhouXiang forever. Never.

    ZhouXiang grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s wrist with slight force. His chin felt so painful that it¡¯ll fracture if he (YanMingXiu) gripped any harder. He clutched YanMingXiu¡¯s wrist, hinting for him to let go.

    This dull pain pulled YanMingXiu back to his senses. He nced at the ZhouXiang in front of him and slowly released his hand.

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh of relief and stood up, sounding a bit coldly detached, ¡°President Yan, these things you¡¯re saying is too absurd. I really don¡¯t know how to answer. There are so many coincidences in the world. I¡¯m afraid that you just think we are alike because of your preconception. So no matter what I do, you¡¯ll feel that we are alike. But I¡¯m..... I¡¯mpletely different from him."

    ZhouXiang gritted his teeth as he uttered thisst sentence. These words are not only for YanMingXiu to hear but also for himself. He has to be apletely different person from the previous ¡°ZhouXiang.¡± He will never repeat the same mistakes.

    People can¡¯t fall into the same trap twice, that¡¯s just fucked up.

    After ZhouXiang finished talking, he wanted to leave immediately.

    YanMingXiu held onto his shoulder, ¡°Where are you going? Just stay here.¡±

    ZhouXiang forced himself to sit down and said gloomily, ¡°President Yan, don¡¯t make it hard for me.¡±

    YanMingXiu adjusted his pajamas and went back to the bed. His hoarse voice rang in the quiet room. ¡°ZhouXiang, I can¡¯t ept this kind of exnation. One day, I¡¯ll know what you are hiding.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t look up and stared straight on the ground.

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Sleep, we¡¯re heading back to Beijing tomorrow.¡±

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    There are two other actorsing back to Beijing with them. This time, having borrowed some of YanMingXiu¡¯s lime light, ZhouXiang¡¯s seat was upgraded as he was able to sit with YanMingXiu.

    There were three to four people in first ss. The two of them sat in the front row; both deeply immersed in their own thoughts and didn¡¯t even say a few words the entire time.

    In particr, YanMingXiu sat in the same position like a statue; his eyes kept staring out of the window. His whole person seemed to be shrouded in depressing air.

    The YanMingXiu now gives ZhouXiang the feeling like that of a tree that is withered inside. ZhouXiang could no longer find that full of enthusiasm arrogant youth of the past in him. What remained is only that gloominess and coldly indifference, aplete contrast to his 23 years of age.

    ZhouXiang felt jealous and hatred toward the person who made YanMingXiu change to such an extent.

    After the nended, JiangYuan came to pick them up. JiangYuan first sent YanMingXiu home and then sent ZhouXiang home.

    Having not seen ChenYing for a few days, herplexion looked a lot better. ZhouXiang asked her about her recent treatments and felt that he couldxed his mind a bit and went to sleep.

    He finally woke up when it was almost time for dinner. He had been so busy after getting off the flight that he forgot to turn on his phone. When he finally turned it on, there were several missed calls, all from CaiWei.

    He quickly returned the call.

    CaiWei¡¯s voice sounded somewhat depressed, ¡°ZhouXiang. Come out. I have something to ask you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart sank. He suspected that his rtionship with YanMingXiu had likely reached CaiWei¡¯s ears. This is not surprising considering CaiWei¡¯s unimaginable widework of contacts.

    When ZhouXiang thought of this, he guiltily didn¡¯t want to go see him and just ignore it. But when he thought that he still have to report to thepany tomorrow, there¡¯s no use in dragging it out he could only brace himself to bluntly agree.

    <strong>[YanMingXiu meeting with the investigator]</strong>

    ¡°President Yan, you¡¯re here.¡± Team Leader Wang got up to shake hands with YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu also shook his hands. Then with a bit of impatience, ¡°Team Leader Wang, I rushed here after getting off the flight, please tell me about thetest status to this case.¡±

    YanMingXiu is in Team Leader Wang¡¯s office. There are a bunch of photos spread out on his desk in front of him and more than ten photos posted on the whiteboard. They are all photos, rting to ZhouXiang¡¯s home burry.

    Team Leader Wang didn¡¯t bother with any nonsense and got right to the point, ¡°We¡¯ve thoroughly analyzed this door lock and came to the conclusion that the lock was not damaged. The lock cylinder was old but there were no serious scratches. There is a 90% possibility that this might have been opened with a perfectly matched key, and the remaining 10% might have been an ultra-high-end unlocking tool, but we are all more inclined to the first possibility.¡±

    YanMingXiu suppressed the throbbing in his heart, ¡°You¡¯re saying this lock might have been opened with a key?¡±

    ¡°A very high possibility that it is.¡±

    YanMingXiu thought of LanXiRong, thought of CaiWei, and then thought of ZhouXiang.

    These are the only people who know of the spare key, then the person who unlocked the house...

    YanMingXiu lowly responded, ¡°Tomorrow, I will give you something. It is the spare key to this lock. See if you can find any clues.¡±

    Team Leader Wang patted his thighs, ¡°President Yan, why didn¡¯t you give us such an important thing earlier!¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know much about criminal investigation. He simply didn¡¯t want to take the key away from its original ce because he still harbored the dream that ZhouXiang wille back one day and feared that this dream would be shattered if he couldn¡¯t open the door...

    In this crucial moment, if he can crack open this shell then he would be able to resolve his biggest and most important doubt. He can¡¯t think too much. He told Team Leader Wang of his spection toward LanXiRong and CaiWei, but he concealed their names.

    ¡°President Yan, if you say it like this, then the motives and suspects of this case would have to be re-analyzed. Moreover, you said that one of them saw the suspect¡¯s back. In this case, can you ask him to assist us in watching some of the surveince videos from the intersection to see if we can find the find suspect? We already have ess to two of the surveince videos that might have captured the neighborhood during that time period. Whenever he cane, we could watch it then."

    YanMingXiu thought for a moment, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let him know. We¡¯ll watch it together.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 78

    <strong>T/N:</strong> For theing 7 days, Rosy (who does the updates) will be traveling abroad. So...updates will be posted at irregr times. There will also be 3-4 days when there is no inte connection so no updates will be posted on those days, unless there is wifi ess. It will resume once there is connection. I¡¯ll try not to leave it at a cliff-hanger.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    The ce that CaiWei told ZhouXiang to go was actually the small XinJiang restaurant that they often went to when they were struggling in those few years after graduating. In his memory, this restaurant has been in existence for at least 20 years. It has always had a small entrance with antiquated decor but the business was always good. There was a fat uncle of Uighur nationality who was both the manager and chef. You can always hear his boisterousughter from very far away.

    At that time, after he and CaiWei got off work, they often came here to have a meal, drink some wine, and then talked about the kind of life they would live if they became wealthy in the future.

    In the end, neither he nor CaiWei became very wealthy people but they are very content with their lives. Toward this small restaurant, they also have very sentimental feelings so they woulde by every so often. However, it became lesser and lesser over time. Especially since CaiWei had gotten use to going out with various big bosses and celebrities to luxurious hotels and restaurants. Sitting in a dinky restaurant like this wearing a suit worth a few thousands seemed out of ce.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect CaiWei to want to see him here.

    This small restaurant is still the same as before. ZhouXiang recognized it from far away.

    He went straight into a reserved room, CaiWei was already waiting for him inside and the table is full of food that they liked to eat and often ordered at the time. There are six to seven bottles of beer in the middle of the table, and two bottles of white wine.

    ZhouXiang is very familiar with this setting. CaiWei wanted to get drunk.

    ¡°Wei Ge,¡± ZhouXiang felt a little nervous. His intuition tells him that the purpose of CaiWei looking for him is because of the matters with YanMingXiu.

    CaiWei nced at him deeply, ¡°Sit. I¡¯ve already ordered.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat in a chair at a distance that he felt is safe from CaiWei. He did this subconsciously but in CaiWei¡¯s eyes, it felt deliberate.

    CaiWei opened the bottles and poured two sses, each of beer and liquor.

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Wei Ge, you are looking for me today...¡±

    CaiWei shed their sses, ¡°Bottom up.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips trembled a bit. This familiar atmosphere made him feel a little helpless.

    He simply grabbed the bottle and boldly poured arge ss to suppress his fears.

    After drinking it, CaiWei got straight to the point, ¡°I heard about you and YanMingXiu. Tell me the truth, is it true or false? If you really treat me as a brother<sup>(T/N)</sup>, don¡¯t hide it from me.¡±

    <strong>T/N:</strong> CaiWei and ZhouXiang¡¯s close friendship are almost like that of brothers so they would affectionately use brothers to address each other in this sense. This is why ZhouXiang addresses CaiWei¡¯s wife as sister-inw.

    ZhouXiang wiped his mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to look at CaiWei but instead at the steaming hot dishes on the table, ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±

    CaiWei¡¯s hand that was holding the bottle of wine froze, then he mmed it heavily on the table and raised his hand to fiercely p ZhouXiang¡¯s head, ¡°You dumb fuck!!¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head with his lips pressed, not saying anything.

    ¡°For what? What is it that you want? Money? Status? Tell me, what is it that you want?¡±

    ZhouXiang slowly turned his face and looked at CaiWei, his eyes a little red, ¡°Money.¡±

    Seeing his expression, CaiWei¡¯s entire person is stunned. Then he dropped his hand, seeming as if he is exhausted at once.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Wei Ge, sorry, I¡¯ve let you down.¡±

    CaiWei sighed heavily, his heart full of helplessness.

    ¡°Son of a bitch. Money is a bitch......" CaiWei murmured, ¡°Is your mother better?¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    CaiWei depressingly drank a few gulps, ¡°You chose this path. Don¡¯t regret it.¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s nothing worth...worth regretting.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you these words of warning, just take the money but don¡¯t think of anything else. YanMingXiu already has someone<sup>(T/N)</sup> in his heart, no others can get in.¡±

    T/N: CaiWei knows that the person YanMingxiu has in his heart is older ZhouXiang

    ZhouXiang smiled andughed at himself, ¡°Okay.¡±

    This point...nobody else can understand it better than him, who had experienced it in two lifetimes.

    CaiWei swayed the wine bottle and hit it on the old table, smiling bitterly, ¡°ZhouXiang ah ZhouXiang, ZhouXiang......tell me, is this name cursed? Why is it always nted in this person¡¯s hand, why......fucking why?"

    ZhouXiang silently poured the wine. Wine is a good thing. Once drunk, everything is forgotten.

    CaiWei touched the table, ¡°Do you know what this ce is?¡± He asked but answered it himself, ¡°This is the ce where my brother (older ZhouXiang) and I often hang out at. I really want to drink with him again.¡±

    ZhouXiang sniffed his nose. He had an impulse in wanting to tell CaiWei the truth, ¡°Wei Ge, I...¡±

    Unexpectedly, CaiWei turned to look at him at this time. His expression is very deep and heavy, as if he is specting something.

    "ZhouXiang, sometimes I feel that I really can¡¯t understand you."

    ZhouXiang is startled, ¡°Wei Ge?¡±

    ZhouXiang don¡¯t know what CaiWei wanted to say.

    ¡°You make me feel......you¡¯re too much like him. So much that sometimes XiRong and I suspect that you two are one person."

    ZhouXiang is shocked.

    CaiWei patted ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder, ¡°There are a few things I¡¯ve never asked but holding it in has been suffocating. First, I never told you about me going to Lao Zhou¡¯s ce to eat, how did you know that his wife made sweet and sour pork ribs? You even told Lao Zhou that I told you that. ZhouXiang, why did you tell this lie?¡±

    Having beerbined with wine, CaiWei¡¯s timely alcohol tolerance is astonishing. At this time, he is already drunk; ZhouXiang is also the same. The two didn¡¯t even eat a bite of food. They came to drink and now both are drunk.

    Maybe because ZhouXiang is drunk that he dared to say these words.

    ZhouXiang subconsciously lied and vaguely responded, ¡°I... I heard from others."

    ¡°Heard from whom?"

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±

    ¡°This... you don¡¯t remember, then what about my daughter? You remember that? Nobody in the entirepany knew that my wife was initially pregnant with twins because only one child was born. Except for ZhouXiang, except for my brother ZhouXiang, no one knew. How did you know? Huh? How did you fucking know?"

    CaiWei moved closer and closer, finally he grabbed onto ZhouXiang¡¯s cor. Half of his body mmed onto ZhouXiang¡¯s chest as he shouted at him, ¡°ZhouXiang! ZhouXiang, brother, which ZhouXiang are you!? Why are you so much like my brother!? What fucking right do you have to be so much like my brother!? Who are you, ZhouXiang?!¡±

    ¡°Wei Ge, Wei Ge, you drank too much. I¡¯ll take you home okay?¡±

    CaiWei gripped his cor, pulling him closer and closer, finally he showed a look that made ZhouXiang felt intense pain and guilt. He hoarsely muttered, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Why are you sorry toward me? Tell me, how did you know about these things?" CaiWei clutched tightly onto ZhouXiang¡¯s arm and stared into his eyes.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯ll take you back first, I...¡±

    CaiWei refused to let him go, his voice hoarse, "These things... I didn¡¯t intend on saying or asking but I didn¡¯t expect you to be with YanMingXiu. How can there be so many coincidences in the world? One after another...¡± CaiWei¡¯s expressions are a little perplexed, his pupil gradually lost focus.

    The two men drank too fast and now they were all dizzy. ZhouXiang¡¯s emotions are also riled up as he sobbed over and over again, "Wei Ge, sorry, so sorry."

    ¡°Sorry my ass....." CaiWei carelessly cursed, leaning onto ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang paid the bill and supported him out of the restaurant to hail for a cab.

    CaiWei was still mumbling in the car. He probably didn¡¯t know what he is talking about or what he wanted to asked as he momentarily mentioned his and ZhouXiang¡¯s past, and then moved on to say ZhouXiang was not a good friend.

    ZhouXiang suppressed his urge to tell CaiWei everything as he took him home. He didn¡¯t dare to stay. After getting CaiWei settled, he said a few words to his sister-inw (CaiWei¡¯s wife) and left.

    Getting down to the street, the cold winter breeze made him more awake from the alcohol. He walked toward the direction of his home and started to seriously ponder over whether or not to confess to CaiWei.

    Initially, he didn¡¯t dare to tell anyone because he was afraid that no one would believe him. Instead, they would treat him like an alien. After all, how could he ask others to believe something so improbable and far-fetched? Later, it was because he had financial difficulties and didn¡¯t want to ¡¯force¡¯ CaiWei to help him. Now, all these concerns have been alleviated. No matter how he thought about it, CaiWei has always been his most trusted buddy. Whether it was before or in the present, CaiWei has continuously helped him with everything. When he thought of CaiWei feeling guilty and pained over his death, ZhouXiang also felt tormented.

    Maybe telling CaiWei everything would free the both of them from these tormented binds.

    At least, CaiWei will no longer me himself because of him. As for him, he won¡¯t have to carry the burden of keeping this big secret. With a person to confide in, it can validate that him, ZhouXiang, had once lived as another person. This can also be considered redemption for himself.

    Maybe with CaiWei¡¯s help, he can get back his parents¡¯ relics. He no longer had any hope to get his condo back, but at least with the things in his home that were filled with his childhood memories, he wanted to get them all back.

    ZhouXiang pondered over and over. Finally in the end, he decided to find an appropriate time to tell CaiWei the truth. He¡¯ll just wait... wait until CaiWei sobers up. Then, he¡¯ll bring two bottles of good wine, find a quiet ce and tell CaiWei everything, hoping that CaiWei can forgive him.

    The next day, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t go to thepany. He guessed that CaiWei couldn¡¯t get up so he (ZhouXiang) simply didn¡¯t go.

    He had left home for more than two weeks so he should spend some time with ChenYing. This afternoon, he went with ChenYing to the hospital for her dialysis treatment.

    Although ChenYing¡¯s health has been recovering very well, having to do dialysis twice a week really wears down a person¡¯s willpower. She can¡¯t go far nor can she do heavy work. It¡¯s like her whole life is shackled to the hospital. Although ChenYing doesn¡¯tin, ZhouXiang could always see her unconsciously sighing.

    On the way home, ChenYing was sighing again. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but asked, ¡°Mom, why are you always sighingtely, aren¡¯t we good now?¡±

    ChenYing smiled, ¡°I¡¯m thinking...I¡¯m thinking about when you can get married?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°This...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you must marry a wife. It¡¯s fine even if you find a good boyfriend. You¡¯ll be twenty-seven years old after this year. It¡¯s not good to be alone. Mom may not be here any day. You can¡¯t always just stay with an olddy.¡±

    "What are you saying? As long as you keep up with the treatments, you¡¯ll have no problem living for another two to three decades.¡±

    ChenYing giggled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to live that long. That¡¯s torture. Ah Xiang, you really haven¡¯t found anyonepatible? Don¡¯t be afraid. Mom really doesn¡¯t mind. The two years you were in aa, I¡¯ve opened up. Whether it is a man or woman, whether or not there are grandkids, nothing is more important than your health and your happiness. At that time I thought, even if you are paralyzed, as long as you can open your eyes and look at me, I¡¯m willing to take care of you for life. So your homosexuality is not a big deal, I¡¯ve long not cared about it. As long as you¡¯re happy, as long as it¡¯s someone you like, bring him home to meet me. Mom won¡¯t object."

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, "Mom, if there is suitable person, I¡¯ll definitely bring him home to meet you. It¡¯s just that I really don¡¯t have time to find one right now. I¡¯m too busy with work.¡±

    ChenYing ¡°Oh,¡± but still unwilling to give up, "Find a decent person but he can¡¯t wear skirts and make-up.¡±

    ZhouXiang is dumbfounded, ¡°Mom, where are you heading...¡±

    ¡ª¨C

    "Everyone is here." YanMingXiu said to Team Leader Wang as he nced at LanXiRong and CaiWei.

    LanXiRong had just returned to New York for less than half a month when he received CaiWei¡¯s call. He immediately dropped his work there and rushed back. No work can be more important than catching the thief.

    He wanted ZhouXiang¡¯s things to return to the way it was before.

    Team Leader Wang nodded and gestured the subordinate to begin ying the surveince video.

    Several people sat around theputer and concentrated on the screen.

    Team Leader Wang exined, ¡°ording to Mr. Lan, the suspect appeared at about 3:30am in the morning. This is one of the three surveince cameras at the intersection. Since it is impossible to determine when the suspect entered the home, we will first start looking at after 2:00am. If Mr. Lan could not see the assumed suspect, then we¡¯ll start looking before 2:00am. We at least have to watch from 10:00pm the evening before or maybe even earlier orter. If we can¡¯t find him on this surveince camera, there are two other ones. As long as the suspect isn¡¯t someone falling from the sky, he won¡¯t be able to escape capture from these three cameras. But everyone...please be mentally prepared, this is a very time-consuming effort. Especially for Mr. Lan, since you are the only witness, you¡¯ll need to concentrate even more.¡±

    LanXiRong nodded, ¡°No problem, y it.¡±

    YanMingXiu look at him gloomily, ¡°Look carefully. Identify the thief or you will also be a suspect.¡±

    LanXiRong red at him but didn¡¯t respond as he started to focus on the screen.

    CaiWei also looked carefully. He remembered hearing ZhouXiang¡¯s continuous apologies near his ears when he was drunk the other day. He always felt that there was something suppressing his heart that couldn¡¯t be swallowed, making him very ufortable. He felt that he hade in contact with something but that thing is covered in a thick veil. Looking at the surveince video that looked very blurry under the dim street lights, he had a strange feeling that he could find something here.

    Starting from two o¡¯clock, several people concentrated on the screen.

    Since there were rtively few people appear at this time, they were able to catch those passing by once in a while. But unfortunately, from 2am-4am, LanXiRong did not see the suspect¡¯s shadow from his memory in this video.

    Team Leader Wang voiced, "We¡¯ll check out the next video starting at the crucial time period first. If nothing can be found from the period of 2am-4am on all the three surveince cameras, we¡¯ll expand the time range starting from the first video again."

    After he said that, the second video captured by the surveince camera is disyed on the screen.

    The few people were tired from watching the video, especially LanXiRong, who barely dared to blink.

    When the video was yed at 3:37am, a person suddenly appeared on the screening out from the side door. His footwork was a bit impatient with his movements in between fast walking and running. At this time, he was the only person on the main street. His hasty expression looked very suspicious.

    LanXiRong¡¯s heart jumped erratically. He was just about to open his mouth when Team Leader shouted out first, "Stop!"

    The little police officer immediately stopped the video.

    Several people held their breath and looked at Team Leader Wang. YanMingXiu asked, ¡°What? Is it him?¡±

    ¡°Zoom in, zoom in and see.¡± Team Leader Wang looked at LanXiRong, ¡°Mr. Lan? This person¡¯s movements are too suspicious. Take a closer look. Is it him?¡±

    YanMingXiu faintly felt that this person¡¯s back was somewhat familiar, but the way this man runs, he was limping a little. YanMingXiu could not see his walking posture and the picture was so dark and blurry that he couldn¡¯t see clearly.

    LanXiRong stared at the screen. He had an impression of the person¡¯s clothes. At the time, the thief was wearing a pair of jeans with a blue long-sleeved shirt but the person on the screen did not wear hat and sunsses. The lighting was too dark and the person was too far away from the camera. More importantly, the person on the screen was almost facing away from them so they could not see the face at all.

    The more it was magnified, the blurrier the person became.

    Although he couldn¡¯t see the face, LanXiRong was still certain that this was that thief.

    Not to mention the back looked familiar. His limping posture alone was the foot that he stepped on. He definitely won¡¯t forget.

    Looking at this person¡¯s back again, LanXiRong even thought that this back very simr to the MV scene he saw that day of ZhouXiang¡¯s back as he was running. Not only is the back profile simr, even the posture.... <i>How could there be such a coincidence?</i>

    A series of questions raised in LanXiRong¡¯s heart. The foremost is whether or not ZhouXiang really is this thief? Although it was only a back view, at this time, LanXiRong¡¯s mind could no longer restrain from thinking all kinds of wild thoughts.

    <i>That person¡¯s name, the way he talks, his career...</i>

    <i>And what Team Leader Wang said, ¡°The door lock was opened with a spare key.¡±</i>

    All these seemingly chaotic pieces of informationing together gave rise to a shocking spection in LanXiRong mind. Because of this spection, he was unable to tell the truth.

    LanXiRong concealed his own turbulent emotions and said calmly, ¡°Not him. That thief did not wear these clothes."

    Team Leader Wang is surprised, ¡°Mr. Lan, are you sure? Look carefully. We¡¯ve watched it for a long time. He is most suspicious.¡±

    YanMingXiu also bunched his brows at LanXiRong. He had never trusted LanXiRong. So at this time, he is even more suspicious. But he couldn¡¯t ascertain whether he (LanXiRong) was telling the truth or not.

    LanXiRong said calmly, ¡°Not this person. The figure and clothes arepletely different.¡±

    Team Leader Wang is very disappointed as he helplessly muttered, ¡°Then let¡¯s continue to look more.¡±

    CaiWei looked deeply at LanXiRong. He was sitting closest to LanXiRong. When the person appeared on the screen, he clearly saw LanXiRong¡¯s expression change with his body leaning forward. If it wasn¡¯t for Team Leader Wang calling stop first, LanXiRong¡¯s mouth was about to call stop. He knew that LanXiRong was lying. As for why LanXiRong would lie, he must find out.

    They watched the videoste into the afternoon; until they were dizzy and could not watch anymore. Looking very concentratedly, but still they didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious. Seeing as such, they would need to expand the time frame and continue to watch the videos. But it is obvious that none of them could continue on today. Team Leader Wang set a time for the next viewing with them and escorted the three people out of the door.

    When they reached the door, YanMingXiu nced at LanXiRong and said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re sure that your eyes have no problems right?"

    LanXiRong ¡¯humph¡¯ and responded, ¡°My eyes are very good. I won¡¯t mistake the wrong person and won¡¯t miss what I shouldn¡¯t miss.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression darkened. Toward LanXiRong¡¯s sarcasm, he couldn¡¯t refute. Instead, his eyes exhibited bottomless sorrow and sadness, emotions so intensely deep that it shocked LanXiRong and CaiWei to their cores.

    He faintly swept the two people a nce, ¡°Let me know immediately when you have information.¡± After he said that, he got into the car and left.

    LanXiRong watched his car leave and let out a sigh inaudibly.

    CaiWei sp onto LanXiRong¡¯s shoulder from behind and said, ¡°XiRong, I was sitting next to you earlier. All your expression and movements, I saw it all. You can¡¯t hide it from me. You were lying. I want to know why.¡±

    LanXiRong slowly turned around, his voice trembled, ¡°Wei Ge, I don¡¯t know how to say this. My brain is in a mess right now.¡±

    CaiWei refused to let him go, ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce. I¡¯ll sit and wait for you to exin everything!"

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 79

    ZhouXiang ha just gotten home with ChenYing when the phone rang. He picked up and saw that it is a text message from YanMingXiu asking him to go over now. He had nned to personally cook a meal today, but now he had to find an excuse to leave.

    After he arrived at the condo, YanMingXiu hadn¡¯t returned yet. ZhouXiang remembered that he hadn¡¯t had time to eat so he turned on the stove to cook some noodles for himself. As he was cooking, the doorbell rang.

    ZhouXiang washed his hands and went to open the door. He casually looked through the peephole and thought that it was YanMingXiu forgetting to bring his key so he opened the door. As soon as he opened the door, he paused and stared nkly. Looking closely, the person standing outside the door is not YanMingXiu but look so much like YanMingXiu, just a few years older. This person¡¯s temperament is calm and reserved, like YanMingXiu. It is a look that is not easy for people to get close but he¡¯s not as gloomy looking as YanMingXiu.

    He immediately realized that this person might be YanMingXiu¡¯s older brother.

    The man standing at the door gave him a fleeting nce. He didn¡¯t seem at all surprise. He said, ¡°I am MingXiu¡¯s older brother, my name is YanMingSu.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Pleasee in.¡± He could pretty much guess YanMingSu¡¯s purpose foring. He¡¯s heard that this person is highly prestigious, is young and promising; it is unimaginable how far his future career can go.

    YanMingSu walked in as if this was his home. He looked around the condo, ¡°I heard that this condo was originally prepared for me. MingXiu can be so rash. I¡¯m only one person, why do I need to live in such a big ce?"

    YanMingSu nced at ZhouXiang and intentionally pointed out, ¡°But he¡¯s done things even more rash."

    ZhouXiang responded casually, ¡°Have a sit. He¡¯ll be back soon. Things between you and your brother should be discussed amongst yourselves."

    He is not at all interested in YanMingSu¡¯s purpose foring here since he¡¯s already taken the money. Although the transfer of the condo is not yetplete, he didn¡¯t care whether he gets it or not. With the money he already has, plus his own work, he¡¯ll be able to manage ChenYing¡¯s treatment as well as support them. Besides, his and YanMingXiu¡¯s rtionship is not one that is deeply in love where they rely on each other. He really hopes that it¡¯s like those scenes in those melodrama TV series where this big brother from the Yan family will throw a check on his face. He¡¯ll happily take the money and leave.

    He dreamed of being farther away from YanMingXiu. Being too close is too painful. If not for ChenYing, he would never torture himself in such a way.

    YanMingSu seems to be a little surprised. This person didn¡¯t appear to be nervous or lowly, which makes him feel quite unexpected. He (YanMingSu) really didn¡¯t know whether he (ZhouXiang)pletelycked shame or was the barrier in his heart really that strong.

    YanMingSu sat down on the sofa and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang.¡±

    YanMingSu narrowed his eyes, ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang, the Zhou from Duke of Zhou and Xiang from "flying Xiang.¡± ZhouXiang pointed to the kitchen, ¡°I¡¯m cooking noodle right now, have a sit, I¡¯m going to go check on it (the noodles).¡±

    YanMingSu looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s back silhouette.

    <i>ZhouXiang? This person is also ZhouXiang?</i>

    This name was once taboo between him and YanMingXiu. During the time when his dumb brother was on the verge of death because of a man, he had constantly heard this name from YanMingXiu¡¯s mouth. He was extremely busy with his work during the time but still had to watch over YanMingXiu and hide it from the family. At the time, he even had the inclination to kill YanMingXiu.

    But he had no choice. He could not resurrect the dead.

    Finally, he had no choice but to seek out his Master in hoping that his Master could persuade YanMingXiu. He didn¡¯t know what his Master said to YanMingXiu but at least he was able to pull YanMingXiu back from verge of copse. Just that YanMingXiu had turned into a person like that of the walking dead that he is today.

    <i>ZhouXiang.</i>

    The name that made him feel full of hatred ... the name that he had avoided, he¡¯s actually hearing it again.

    If he hadn¡¯t seen ZhouXiang¡¯s picture, he would have also been skeptical on whether ZhouXiang had really died and not just YanMingXiu¡¯s delusion in not being able to ept this reality.

    He soon came to understand why his brother kept this person with the same name by his side.

    He calmly looked toward the direction where ZhouXiang had disappeared; his heart is in chaos.

    The reason he came over today is only because he had heard that YanMingXiu had essentially ¡¯bought¡¯ a minor actor as a kept lover so he wanted toe and see. If this person is someone that is reliable, someone whose heart is upright (not scheming), then he will turn a blind eye. If only YanMingXiu coulde out of this so called ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ abyss, this is most important aspared to his dislike toward women.

    But he never thought that even after three years, YanMingXiu never left this abyss, instead he fell deeper and deeper into it.

    He felt such despair and hopelessness for his little brother.

    After a while, ZhouXiang brought out a bowl of noodles, ¡°Mr. Yan, have you eaten yet?¡±

    ¡°I have.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t, do you mind (if I eat)?¡±

    YanMingSu assessed him up and down, ¡°Go right ahead.¡±

    ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t at all modest as he went to sit down on the table and buried his head in the bowl of noodle. Whatever these two brothers have to discuss, he decided that he wouldn¡¯t even care a bit and wouldn¡¯t worry over it. If this bowl of noodle was going to be hisst meal in his ce, he¡¯ll whole-heartedly finish eating it.

    YanMingXiu returned before he finished eating.

    When he saw YanMingSu, he was obviously stunned. Then, he nodded and faintly said, ¡°Da Ge<sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N: Da Ge ¨C Older brother.

    YanMingSu sees YanMingXiu¡¯s obviously emaciated face and only felt angry and resentment. He pointed to ZhouXiang, ¡°How long has it been (referring to ZhouXiang)?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded expressionlessly, ¡°A few months.¡±

    "You¡¯ve made me restless just when I return, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t answer but instead asked, ¡°When can I see JiKong Master? I need to see him.¡±

    YanMingSu frowned, ¡°Master is in a retreat. You¡¯ll have to wait.¡±

    "I have to see him after."

    YanMingSu suppressed his anger, ¡°Come here. I have something to ask you.¡±

    YanMingSu stood up and took the lead to the study.

    YanMingXiu nced at ZhouXiang, displeased, "Who allowed you to open the door for him.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°You look too much alike. I just nce at the peephole and thought it was you." He put down his chopsticks, ¡°I¡¯m going to go back first.¡±

    YanMingXiu raised his hand to stop him, ¡°Go wait upstairs.¡±

    ZhouXiang wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he cleaned up and went upstairs. He can faintly hear argumentsing from downstairs. The soundproofing in the house is very good so the sounds he heard were very low. If he wasn¡¯t listening carefully, he could hardly notice it. So he definitely couldn¡¯t hear exactly what they were arguing about.

    Whatever they are arguing about is not his concern. ZhouXiang looked at his watch. It was alreadyte so he took a shower and nned on going to sleep.

    He looked at the calendar on his cell phone before going to bed. There are four more days before his parents¡¯ death anniversary. Time really flew by.

    Checking his schedule, he realized that CaiWei had arranged a magazine audition for him on that day. He thought of pushing this off tomorrow. On that day, he only wanted to observe his parents and spend that day at the cemetery.

    ZhouXiang fell asleep as soon as his head hit the bed. Sleeping into the middle of the night, there are movements on his side. When he opened his eyes, he felt a dark shadow climbing onto bed, reeking of alcohol.

    ZhouXiang turned on the bedsidemp, ¡°YanMingXiu?¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say anything but flopped onto bed with his slender arm embracing his waist.

    ZhouXiang asked, ¡°How did you get back?¡± But he immediately realized that YanMingXiu didn¡¯t feel a bit cold and is wearing the same clothes as when he came back earlier today. It¡¯s obvious that he didn¡¯te back from anywhere, but he actually didn¡¯t go out at all.

    <i>Could it be that he had been drinking this entire time downstairs?</i>

    YanMingXiu gripped hispel (front of his shirt) and without really focusing on him, muttered, ¡°ZhouXiang... do you know... do you know ... I missed you so much.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body jolted.

    ¡°Do you know? You certainly don¡¯t know... they also don¡¯t believe it, only I know... you...¡± Like a child, YanMingXiu buried his face in ZhouXiang¡¯s embrace, desperately trying to get closer, as if he was trying to get into his body.

    ZhouXiang only felt confused, his mind in chaos.

    <i>He¡¯s calling for ZhouXiang... it¡¯s himself right?... not the original owner of this body, but... the real him?</i> His words can only be exined this way.

    <i>YanMingXiu missed him? Does he really? Because he is dead?</i>

    Maybe, YanMingXiu really do a have a bit of affection for him. After all, they have lived together for a year. If only he was not ¡°dead,¡± he would never have known. ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is a mixture of vors. He can¡¯t say clearly what vor he is feeling. If he had heard these words in the past, he would have been very happy. For these words, he likely would have given in regardless of what YanMingXiu had done to him. Unfortunately, up until the ident, YanMingXiu never even gave him a glimmer of hope. Now...even if he heard such words, he only felt chills.

    There is some good that cane out of dying once. A lot of things that he had once wanted in the past, right now, he no longer wanted it.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body is very hot as he clung to him. Most of his body was lying on him and he couldn¡¯t move. Allowing YanMingXiu to hold him tightly, he looked up at the ceiling absentmindedly. Despite feeling tired and sleepy, he couldn¡¯t sleep.

    <i>ZhouXiang, I miss you very much...</i>

    Such a good sentence, even if it was intoxicated words, it would have been good if he (older ZhouXiang) had heard it earlier.

    Now.... It¡¯s all toote. He no longer needed it.

    ¡ª¨C

    Before daylight, ZhouXiang left.

    He still had to go to work and likely will be busy the entire day.

    When he went to pick up the things from thepany, he bumped into CaiWei.

    CaiWei¡¯s expression is a bit stiff, but looked directly at him.

    ZhouXiang had already made up his mind to confess to CaiWei and tell him the truth after his parent¡¯s death anniversary. He¡¯s already at his limit in keeping this secret. No matter what happens afterwards, he wanted to say it now so that he could be free and also allow CaiWei to be free.

    With this idea in mind, he felt much lighter with his guilt and guilty conscience in facing CaiWei; his entire person bing calm and at peace. He took the initiative to say, ¡°Wei Ge, were you okay that day? You drank a lot.¡±

    CaiWei responded with a ¡°Mnnn¡± sound, ¡°I had too much to drink. Don¡¯t mind the things that I said.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I also drank a lot. I don¡¯t remember much." ZhouXiang smiled warmly and looked at CaiWei just like before.

    CaiWei trembled and asked, ¡°You came by to get something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I need to return the props to the MeiYing production team. Ah Liu told me to bring the bill over.¡±

    "Fine, go do your work,¡± CaiWei turned to leave.

    ¡°Wei Ge.¡±

    ¡°Mnnn?¡±

    ¡°The audition you arranged on me for the 16<sup>th</sup>, something came up, I won¡¯t be able to go.¡±

    <i>The sixteenth...</i>

    CaiWei clenched his fists subconsciously and lowly uttered, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± After responding, he quickly left.

    ZhouXiang look at CaiWei¡¯s back view. He sensitively detected that CaiWei felt unfamiliar toward him. He felt a little ufortable, not knowing whether CaiWei would me him after finding out the truth and when he will forgive him.

    ZhouXiang wiped his face and forced his spirits up. Then, he went to take care of the work that he had to do.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 80

    T/N: Before I get busy After ZhouXiang delivered the bill to Ah Liu, he got a call from YanMingXiu.

    Once he answered the phone, he could hear YanMingXiu¡¯s intoxicated voice. It sounded as though he hadn¡¯t yet awakened fromst night but it was already four to five in thete afternoon. <i>Could it be that he was drinking until now?</i>

    ¡°ZhouXiang,e...e over.¡±

    "President Yan? Have you been drinking this entire time?"

    ¡°Not your business,e over ... right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Okay,ing now."

    He hailed a taxi and quickly went back. As soon as he entered the condo, he was almost pushed out by the strong stench of alcohol.

    YanMingXiu was sitting on the sofa. There were a few bottles of red and white wine on the coffee table in front of him. His face is red, leaning against the sofa.

    Hearing the sound of the door, he turned his head and nced at ZhouXiang, ¡°You¡¯re here. Cook me some food."

    ZhouXiang saw that he was still conscious and heaved a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t want to deal with a drunkard at all, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Make whatever there is in the refrigerator," YanMingXiu stood up unsteadily and looked at him deeply, "Make your best dishes."

    ZhouXiang nodded and went into the kitchen to start cooking.

    YanMingXiu leaned against the door frame and stared at ZhouXiang¡¯s back with his eyes narrowed, "Did CaiWei told you? About ZhouXiang¡¯s home being burrized?"

    ZhouXiang paused, then mumbled, ¡°He mentioned it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a thief.¡±

    ZhouXiang uttered an ¡°Oh¡± sound and voiced, ¡°If not a thief, then who?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes emanated a warm glow, ¡°I think it is ZhouXiang himself.¡±

    ZhouXiang is shocked. If he turned back to look at YanMingXiu at this moment, he would have noticed the abnormal feverish glow in YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes. But he didn¡¯t dare to turn his head at this time. He could only hide his fluctuating emotions by continuing to chop vegetables.

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t that ZhouXiang already...¡±

    ¡°Team Leader Wang mentioned that there was no trace of the door lock being tampered with. It was opened with a key and the only people who knew of the key¡¯s location are myself, that surname Lan and ZhouXiang himself."

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but sneered, ¡°Nonsense. How could a dead persone back to open the door?¡±

    YanMingXiu shouted angrily, ¡°He is not dead!!¡±

    ZhouXiang got so frightened that he jolted. He turned around and saw YanMingXiu looking at him fiercely. ZhouXiang wanted to say something but it was stuck in his throat so he couldn¡¯t say anything.

    For what reason is YanMingXiu so sure that he is not dead? Whether he was dead or not, the actual party involved has the most say in it<i>.</i> He really wanted to p YanMingXiu. <i>LaoZi has been fucking dead for almost three years.</i> He¡¯s been dead for this long already, how is he still fucking not dead? It would have been great if he wasn¡¯t dead! His body was given by his parents. He didn¡¯t know whether he could find his parents with this face when he goes to Diyu<sup>(T/N)</sup>.

    T/N: As previously exined, ording to ideas from Taoism, Buddhism, and traditional Chinese folk religion, after death, the soul will enter Diyu, which is a purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation. All will go to Dijyu after death, but the period of time spends there is indefinite, depending on serverity of the sins onemitted.

    <i>Not dead, such words "not dead," It was YanMingXiu who pushed him to the edge of the cliff, what right does he have to say that he¡¯s not dead?</i>

    The two men red at each other, both unwilling to concede. All kinds of emotions raged and surged between their eyes.

    Finally, ZhouXiang smiled forcefully at YanMingXiu, ¡°President Yan, whatever you say then. After all, I don¡¯t know." After saying that, he turned around and continued to cook.

    YanMingXiu also stopped talking and just stood by the door, silently assessing ZhouXiang, trying to figure out what is brewing in his heart.

    After YanMingXiu finished eating, they made love.

    In the beginning, it was just like usual, a silent, unteral venting sex act. ZhouXiang was still like an ostrich, concealing his face and emotions. YanMingXiu still didn¡¯t utter a word as he forcefully thrust into him. YanMingXiu mmed his body with such powerful force that ZhouXiang¡¯s head almost hit the headboard.

    He had experienced YanMingXiu¡¯s abilities and strength in bed a long time ago. But at that time, both of them enjoyed it. They often did it throughout the night, satiating themselves. But now, this was for YanMingXiu to vent his desires and emotions. ZhouXiang merely took it as a job, neverining. It¡¯s good that this deal is settled to each of their satisfaction.

    However, something is oddly going on with YanMingXiu today. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, he¡¯d touch his body a few times. These touches were like... like he is feeling him out. The areas that YanMingXiu touched were all his (older ZhouXiang¡¯s) sensitive spots. Although he¡¯s in a different body, he¡¯se to realize that he is still not immune to these touches. Very soon, he started to feel a different kind of sensation. He instinctively felt that YanMingXiu is trying to test him; that he is doubting him. This hasn¡¯t just been once or twice; he just didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to choose this method...

    ZhouXiang tried hard to control himself from making any sounds but YanMingXiu seemed to be doing it deliberately by prolonging his thrusts, very slowly entering and then very slowly pulling out,pletely shattering his willpower.

    For the first time, ZhouXiang felt pleasure, making him endlessly terrified. He suppressed his body¡¯s reaction but could not resist the increasing turbulent waves of intense pleasure.

    YanMingXiu also became unusual, his breathing bing particrly heavy, as if he is trying to repress something.

    ZhouXiang voiced hoarsely, ¡°Enough... you¡¯ve had too much to drink.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned a deaf ear and continued to change the angle of his thrusts. It is the first time he has the desire to prate this body and the feeling is actually this good. It is as if the person beneath him is the one who had been constantly on his mind.

    <i>At this time, how could he stop? </i>

    He didn¡¯t care whether it is his drunken delusion or what it may be, he just wanted to grasp firmly onto this current feeling. For the longest time, he had not felt this kind of satisfaction.

    Both of them are caught in an unprecedented state of ecstasy. Besides desires, there was nothing on their minds. In fact, who they are actually having sex with became insignificant.

    ZhouXiang felt like he is on the verge of drowning to death. He clutched onto the bed sheets tightly, withstanding the thrills of passion that seemed to have separated from his body a long time ago. In this moment, he couldn¡¯t tell which body he is in, whether it is his past life or this present life. This kind of familiar feeling invaded all his memories, causing him to forget where he¡¯s at.

    Or it could be said that whichever body he was in, at this moment is no longer important.

    ¡ª¨C

    Having consumed liquor, YanMingXiu slept very deeply. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t even notice when ZhouXiang got up and quietly left.

    ZhouXiang wrapped himself in his coat and walked home. The apartment he rented is close-by, taking merely 20 minutes of walking to get home. But because of the sexual indulgence all night, his legs trembled constantly. Every step he took reminded him of what happenedst night.

    It was too crazy... If he didn¡¯t yet still have a trace of reason, he would¡¯ve thought that he had returned to the past.

    He didn¡¯t know if YanMingXiu noticed any differences. He hoped that he (YanMingXiu) had so much to drink that he¡¯dpletely forgotten everything when he woke up. Otherwise, he really didn¡¯t know how to exin the wlesspatibility of their bodies.

    This may be too ironic. Thinking about it now, maybe YanMingXiu was dying on having an actual confrontation with him because their sex was quite pleasurable. At the time (referring to the past life), he only had YanMingXiu on his mind, so perhaps he (YanMingXiu) couldn¡¯t let go because of this. Men are just like this.

    ZhouXiang is toozy to think about the future. Every day, he is troubled by a lot of problems. So much that he doesn¡¯t even have time to rx. Sometimes there are so many pressing issues on his mind that he just wanted to fucking let it go so he can get some peace, even if it was temporary.

    ZhouXiang got home, took a shower, and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already noon. He went with ChenYing to the hospital for her dialysis treatment. Then, they spent a peaceful day grocery shopping, cooking and watching TV together.

    The next morning, ZhouXiang went out wearing all ck.

    He bought a bouquet of flowers, liquor and cigarettes and then hailed a taxi to the cemetery in the suburbs.

    When his parents died, the state was not strict in managing the cemeteries, even paying for the burial fees. Unlike now, he can¡¯t afford to be buried here.

    Walking through the rows of serene tombstones along the cemetery, he came to the spot where his parents were buried. This spot, he will never forget.

    Looking at the familiar yet distant faces on the tombstone, ZhouXiang sat down on the ground.

    He had thought that after so many years, he would have long been at peace. But having experience so many things these days, he had nowhere to vent out his grievances. Sitting in front of his parents¡¯ tombstones, his heart felt especially ufortable.

    "Dad, Mom, I¡¯m here to see you. You can¡¯t recognize me looking like this but I¡¯m ZhouXiang. I am really ZhouXiang. I am your son. No matter how I look like...¡± Toward the end, ZhouXiang is chocked up with emotions. He suddenly had the urge to cry.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 81

    ¡°Dad, mom, sorry, I didn¡¯t protect the body you gave me. I don¡¯t know how to exin it. I was already dead, but I woke up in this other person¡¯s body. Actually, dying is nothing. I could be reunited with the both of you. But since I¡¯m still alive, even if it is in someone else¡¯s body, I want to live well. I know that you definitely want me to live well...¡±

    As ZhouXiang drank, he spoke intermittently about some illogical things. There are too many secrets in his heart that he couldn¡¯t talk to anyone about. Now he wanted toe clean and tell everything that had been suppressing him to his parents

    Hepletely forgot about the time and ce of where he is at.

    Until he heard footsteps from behind him, he wanted to turn his head but he heard a familiar voice, a voice that trembled and is full of bewilderment, "Ah Xiang?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body froze.

    CaiWei looked at this person¡¯s back that is wearing a ck windbreaker sitting on the ground in front of him. This huge expectation and anxiety forced his heart to almost jump out.

    ZhouXiang turned and saw that LanXiRong had the same expression. LanXiRong didn¡¯t look at him; his red eyes were staring at that back, his lips white with no trace of blood.

    Before, ZhouXiang never thought that he actually needed that much willpower for such a simple move like turning around. He used whatever little strength he had left to force himself to turn his body. He sees the two people he is familiar with, CaiWei and LanXiRong. In that moment, he only felt his nose stiffened. It quickly blurred in front of his eyes.

    CaiWei¡¯s expression turned from fright to ecstatic and then to ferocious. In just a short second, he had already rushed up and pushed ZhouXiang to the ground, roaring "ZhouXiang!" with his fist striking ZhouXiang in the face.

    ZhouXiang and CaiWei have known each other for more than ten years. In his memory, they¡¯ve only had one fight and it was when they first met. He didn¡¯t even remember the reason. After the fight, they went to drink. And then he and CaiWei became great buddies.

    When the heavy fistnded on his face, ZhouXiang thought, <i>is CaiWei¡¯s fist that strong?</i>

    CaiWei¡¯s tears and snots flowed down his face as he crazily hit ZhouXiang while indistinctively cursing him, "I fucking kill you asshole! You bastard! You son of a bitch! ZhouXiang, you fucking asshole¡ª." At the end, CaiWei had no more strength left and the two men held each other and cried.

    LanXiRong is half-squatting on the ground, trying to pull them apart but his hands were not strong enough. Finally, he also followed along and cried with them.

    There was no one in the cemetery in the morning. The cold and gloomy air filled every corners of the cemetery. The scene of three men hugging and crying together is strange yet their emotions are like the breaching of a dam where it can¡¯t be stopped even if they wanted to.

    After the crazy emotional ride, the three tiredly sat in the private room at the coffee shop. There was a lot to talk about, but they didn¡¯t know where to begin. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how many ¡°sorry¡± he said today. In short, his throat had already gone coarse.

    CaiWei somberly said, ¡°If we weren¡¯t in front of your parents today, I would¡¯ve killed you.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head and did not speak.

    LanXiRong sighed deeply, ¡°Let¡¯s calm down first and talk about it... Tell us what¡¯s going on. Right now, I still......still can¡¯t believe it."

    Although he (LanXiRong) and CaiWei have already discussed countless possibilities, they eventually found one that was most unbelievable yet is the highest possibility, so they came to verify it. They didn¡¯t expect it to be what they suspected. For a moment, tion and fury converged at the same time; along with being in awe of something so inconceivable made it hard for him to adjust his mood.

    Everything that happened today is like a dream.

    <i>Xiang Ge is not dead, but is alive and living in another person¡¯s body!</i>

    ZhouXiang drank some water and muttered, ¡°I......let¡¯s start from the beginning." He recalled his panic and fears when he was his true ¡¯self¡¯ getting lost on that raining night. "After we entered the mountain, there was a rainstorm and the heavy rain caused andslide. Our team of more than 20 people got separated. I lost my way and was roaming anxiously around the mountains. My cell phone was out of battery. I fell off the cliff. These......I think you guys probably know."

    ¡°The rescue team searched the ce where you had your ident for over a month and still couldn¡¯t find you......"

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯vepletely lost my sense of direction. Anyways, I lost consciousness. After I woke up, I was in the hospital. But I woke up in this body with this identity. Then I realized that time has passed for two full years.¡±

    CaiWei took a long breath and painfully grasped his head, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Why? You were......we met in the hospital. Why didn¡¯t you tell me ZhouXiang!¡±

    LanXiRong was also angry, ¡°Xiang Ge, could it be that you don¡¯t trust us? Why did you have to hide this from us?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded hoarsely, ¡°Wei Ge, I couldn¡¯t say it. Will you guys believe it? Will you guys believe this kind of thing?"

    CaiWei and LanXiRong were silent at the same time.

    If ZhouXiang really told them at the beginning, would they believe it? Most likely the answer is no. If it wasn¡¯t for so much evidence that led them to have this deep suspicion and the gradual process in their hearts that allowed them to slowly ept such possibility, most likely any ordinary person could not believe in such an incredible thing.

    Even if they have personally validated this matter, they still have doubts in their hearts. They still have skepticism and feel that this is too unbelievable.

    If this happened to them, most likely they can¡¯t tell others too.

    LanXiRong sighed, ¡°Wei Ge, let¡¯s not talk about this. You¡¯ve already hit him...what¡¯s most important is that Xiang Ge is still alive.¡± His eyes were red, with him on the verge of crying.

    CaiWei wiped his face; he is so riled up that he couldn¡¯t speak. There is obviously a lot to say but they didn¡¯t know what to say. This is what the three people thought at this time. CaiWei ordered a lot of liquor and they let go of all their apprehensions and drank to their hearts content. The three people got utterly drunk. During this time, what they did or said, they werepletely unaware.

    They huddled on the sofa in this simple private room and slept all night.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t remember how he got back home that day. ChenYing said that his colleague sent him back. When he heard of that person¡¯s appearance, it should be Ah Liu. He gave Ah Liu a call. It turned out that CaiWei had called Ah Liu to take them home one by one.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body is dirty and he stunk. He took a shower and ate something. His mind is already clear and his eyes not blurry. In that moment, he felt that he is reborn again. His body experienced an unprecedented serenity. The shadow that had been covering his heart seemed to have disappeared. This feeling of not having this burden makes him want to run out to the streets recklessly and shout. The feeling that he no longer had to carry this secret is so good. He no longer needed to be troubled by his worries, guilt and skepticism that often makes him unable to sleep. He didn¡¯t have to talk cautiously and do things carefully for fear of others knowing that his existence is one that can¡¯t be exined by science. And most importantly, is that in this world, someone can prove that he, ZhouXiang, once existed, not in this body but the body that his parents gave him. Even if he had be apletely different person, there is still someone that could remember his past with him.

    He really regretted not telling it earlier. This sense of relief is what he longed for the most in the past year.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire person felt different, as if he had suddenly lightened up. When ChenYing noticed this change in him, she asked, ¡°Son, what is making you so happy?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled softly, ¡°A lot of things.¡±

    As ChenYing looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s glimmering bright smile, she is immediately startled.

    Since ZhouXiang woke up, she never saw him smiling like this. It was as if something that was suppressing him is gone. After her son woke up, not only did he lose his previous memories, his character also changed greatly. The previous ZhouXiang was weak and naggy, had no opinions, loved to y, and was very immature. His livelihood was very dependent on her. But after waking up, this ZhouXiang, although something was always on his mind, he is very responsible. He looks like a man who can support the family, not like his younger self. She always felt that ZhouXiang is always somber because of the family¡¯s dramatic changes and her illness. But even after ZhouXiang got the money, he still didn¡¯txed a bit but worked even harder. After all, the money was also borrowed. But now, ZhouXiang is very different. She really didn¡¯t know what happened to her son that made him so cheerful. But as long as he¡¯s happy, it is a good thing.

    ChenYing smiled, ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Like my work has been going very welltely. Like mom¡¯s condition is well controlled.¡±

    ¡°Nothing else?¡±

    ZhouXiang touched her white hair, ¡°Our days are going smoothly, isn¡¯t that worthy to be happy?"

    ChenYing smiled, ¡°Happy... happy.¡±

    ¡°Mom, let¡¯s not eat at home today. I¡¯m going to take you and Auntie Wang to a restaurant.¡±

    ZhouXiang took the two elderlydies to eat Sichuan food. When they were eating, he received a phone call from LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang still don¡¯t know how to face LanXiRong. He picked up the phone and walked outside the restaurant, ¡°Hey, XiRong.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s voice sounded very hoarse. He has a very valuable and extraordinary good voice. But because he drank too much, it¡¯s harmed his voice, likely causing a lot of dys in his work. LanXiRong said, ¡°Xiang Ge, I want to see you.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Today?¡±

    ¡°The sooner the better.¡±

    ¡°Today then. I¡¯m eating right now. After eating, I¡¯m going to take my mom home ande find you."

    ¡°Where are you? I¡¯lle to pick you up and also take her home.¡±

    ZhouXiang gave him the address.

    The moment he hung up the phone, the billboard across the street flickered under the lights. He is surprised to find that it was an advertisement he did for a real estate developerst month. He didn¡¯t expect it to be broadcasted in such conspicuous ce.

    With his mouth gaping wide open looking at the billboard, he probably made himself very noticeable. A couple passing by couldn¡¯t help but nce at him. The girl quickly nced between him and the billboard and said in astonishment, "Oh! You are that model.¡±

    ZhouXiang suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and smiled, ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    The man smiled, ¡°Brother, you are handsomer than the one before.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Really, look at you.¡±

    After the two of them left, ZhouXiang still felt a trace of excitement. He had been a stuntman and minor actor for so many years, no one had ever recognized him. This is the first time he has encountered such a thing in his life. Maybe after LanXiRong¡¯s MV is broadcasted, he will receive more attention. He really hoped he could get a little recognition; fame directly equates to money.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 82

    LanXiRong arrived very soon, but he didn¡¯t go into the restaurant. Instead, he waited for them in the parking lot. After all, it would be very troublesome to be recognized.

    ZhouXiang was afraid that his mom will think askew, so he told her before they got into the car that LanxiRong is just a friend.

    LanXiRong parked the car in a corner of the parking lot and waited by the car.

    Seeing ZhouXiang, his mom, and the auntie approaching, LanXiRong lowered the scarf that was covering half his face and smiled as he walked over to greet them, Xiang Ge, Auntie.¡±

    ¡°Oh hey, isn¡¯t this ......¡± Aunt Wang screamed exaggeratedly.

    ChenYing¡¯s eyes also widened as she stared. Even though she has long known that her son works in the entertainment circle, she¡¯s always felt that he is a far distance from the stars. That is because she has yet to see ZhouXiang on TV. All the celebrities that she knew are all on TV, so she didn¡¯t expect that these big stars are regrly around her son. Since she and Auntie Wang usually have nothing much to do at home, watching TV was their only entertainment so they are familiar with most of the stars. This young man left a deep impression on them because he is too beautiful and cute. When he smiles, his smile is so bright and warmly, making him so likable. Even people their age would love to have a son like him.

    LanXiRong revealed his professional smile, his eyes curved into a crescent shape as he greeted the aunties, addressing them so sweetly.

    Both ChenYing and Auntie Wang were so enamored by him that they kept asking LanXiRong all sorts of questions along the way, such as how old he is, whether he has a significant other, how could his English be so good, and if he had any other family members, etc. ZhouXiang essentially became an onlooker.

    After taking the two olddies home, ZhouXiang heaved a sigh of relief, feeling a bit embarrassed, ¡°They don¡¯t usually have contact with anyone ... don¡¯t mind them.¡±

    LanXiRong turned his head and looked at him deeply, ¡°Xiang Ge, you don¡¯t have to be so modest with me.¡±

    For a moment, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t adapt to the fact that LanXiRong already knew of his identity. He¡¯s always felt awkward and could only force himself to smile.

    LanXiRong unsped his seat belt and leaned over.

    ZhouXiang blinked, a bit on guard.

    ¡°I want to look at you,¡± LanXiRong said softly, looking directly into ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes.

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Look at what.¡±

    LanXiRong reached his hand out and touched his face, ¡°Look at you... look at your face, I want to quickly adapt to your face.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s young and beautiful face is very close, so close that ZhouXiang could see the fine hairs on his face in the dim light. His amber eyes filled with hopes and sorrows, as if they could pierce his heart.

    "XiRong......"

    LanXiRong reached out and hugged him, his body slightly shaking, ¡°Xiang Ge... Xiang Ge... Is it really you? Is it you? Are you really alive? I still don¡¯t dare believe it. I don¡¯t dare believe that I could be so lucky, that you are actually still alive. Xiang Ge...¡± LanXiRong whimpered. His arms tightened as if he was afraid that ZhouXiang would slip away.

    He really missed this person a lot. He would never forget the kind of immense pain and despair he felt when he heard of his devastating news three years ago. He was at aplete loss. He could not forget ZhouXiang. He could not forget this person who had given him so much care and warmth in his most desperate times. He could not forget how he had failed to live up to his kindness, nor could he forget his own ignorant, indistinctive but genuine love toward this person.

    ZhouXiangbed through his soft hair with his hands, ¡°XiRong. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you.¡± When there are only two people in the world who knew who he is, any feelings and sentiments from the other person made him feel exceptionally warm.

    ¡°That¡¯s not important. As long as you are alive, nothing matters.¡± LanXiRong breathed in ZhouXiang¡¯s warmth, his heart feeling full of gratitude.

    <i>As long as you are still alive...</i>

    LanXiRong is so moved, he wanted to cry.

    ZhouXiangforted him for a long time before LanXiRong let him go. The rims of his are eyes red, but still didn¡¯t leave his sight as he diligently looked at his face.

    ZhouXiang touched his own face and smiled, ¡°In fact, this is quite good. I¡¯m younger and handsomer than before.¡±

    LanXiRong forcefully lifted the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, "I still like how you looked before." After he said that, he regretted it a bit. After all, ZhouXiang should be the one feeling the most pained. He quickly added, ¡°This is also good...¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled mindlessly, ¡°I also like how I use to look. I¡¯ve adapted to this face for quite some time now. But, it¡¯s all good...as long as I can still live.¡±

    LanXiRong exposed a smiling and crying expression.

    ZhouXiang softly uttered a fewforting words. LanXiRong¡¯s emotions that had just calmed down suddenly thought of something and his face sank. He gloomily asked, ¡°Xiang Ge, you and YanMingXiu...¡± LanXiRong gritted his teeth, but can¡¯t say anything else.

    He couldn¡¯t understand how even after ZhouXiang had changed into a different body, he could still get involved with YanMingXiu. No matter at what time, he (YanMingXiu) is always a step ahead of him.....

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face changed slightly, his voice dejected, ¡°You also know it.¡±

    The entertainment industry is originally a ce without secrets. Every movements and words are under the scrutiny of many pairs of eyes. That holds true the more well-known a person is. These people might not dare to make irresponsible remarks about YanMingXiu so they will naturally point their fingers at him. Although he has not been to thepany these days, he is aware that the news of him being YanMingXiu¡¯s kept lover will definitely be scandalously publicized by WangYuDong.

    But he didn¡¯t care. Right now he only cares for whatever that could be beneficial for him. What can be more reliable than money? Moreover, he has not been able to get rid of the feeling of living under someone else¡¯s skin. Any attack on him didn¡¯t seem to really be him. Although this is only tofort himself, it is the most effective defense mechanism.

    LanXiRong¡¯s voice sounded a bit piercing, ¡°Xiang Ge, why did you have to be with him? Do you still like him? It was him who got you killed, why do you still like him!¡±

    ZhouXiang responded faintly, ¡°I don¡¯t like him, I just need money.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t youe to me!¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°XiRong, you want me toe find you and tell you that I am ZhouXiang and then borrow a lot of money from you? Although I can be quite shameless, I really can¡¯t open my mouth.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s expression looked deeply hurt, "Why are you sacrificing yourself? Auntie Chen, she... she is not your...(real mother)...¡±

    ¡°XiRong, your family is harmonious, safe and sound. I am very envious, so you can¡¯t understand me. I especially want to have a mother. Regardless of my age, I still want to have a mother. As a result, I really have one when I woke up. Although she is not really my mother, I still want to take care of her. After all, I¡¯ve taken over her son¡¯s body; her son hadpletely disappeared from this world. Be it for emotional or rationale reasons, I can¡¯t abandon her. She is sick, I want to do anything I can to treat her. I have to take care of her till she passed and do whatever her son should have done."

    ¡°Why must it be YanMingXiu, why must it be him? Xiang Ge, don¡¯t you hate him?¡±

    ZhouXiang is startled as he muttered slowly, ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of hate or not hate. I just have to do what I needed to do. I¡¯ve been with him for half a year. It¡¯ll be over in half a year.¡±

    LanXiRong grabbed his shoulder, his eyes prating, ¡°How much do you owe? I¡¯ll pay it off. You break it off with him right now.¡±

    "XiRong......"

    LanXiRong voiced sternly, ¡°Xiang Ge, since you came back from the dead. You should live a new life now. Why do you still want to continue on tangling with him?! I¡¯ll help you pay off your debt. I don¡¯t need you to do anything for me. If you want to pay it back then fine, if not, it¡¯s okay too. I only ask that you not be involved with YanMingXiu again. Give me a chance. Xiang Ge. I¡¯ve always been thinking about you. Look at me. This time, can you just look at me?¡±

    ZhouXiang grabbed LanXiRong¡¯s arm and said seriously, ¡°XiRong. Between YanMingXiu and I, our deal will soon be settled. What I take from him and what I take from you is all the same to me. You understand? I don¡¯t want to owe anybody."

    ¡°I don¡¯t think of it as you owing me, I just want to...¡±

    ¡°XiRong, I know that you want to help me. You just need to help me keep this secret. That¡¯s my biggest favor. Let me solve my own matters. XiRong, your Xiang Ge (referring to himself) does not have much ability, but the things that I can do, I don¡¯t want to rely on others. Don¡¯t worry about me, okay?¡±

    ¡°Not possible,¡± LanXiRong¡¯s eyes are bloodshot as he stared at ZhouXiang. ¡°Xiang Ge, do you still want him to get you killed again? How could you not have learned your lesson?....You...¡± Subconsciously, he doesn¡¯t believe that ZhouXiang went to YanMingXiu because he had no other options. If there is no YanMingXiu, ZhouXiang would eventuallye to find him. If it wasn¡¯t because that person is YanMingXiu... He always thought that ZhouXiang would do that. This is simply because that person is YanMingXiu, everything else, are just excuses that ZhouXiang found for himself.

    However, it¡¯s likely that ZhouXiang himself isn¡¯t even aware of this. His biggest advantage now is that YanMingXiu still didn¡¯t know that this (younger) ZhouXiang is that (older) ZhouXiang. For YanMingXiu to suffer an entire lifetime because he had lost ZhouXiang is the best punishment for causing ZhouXiang¡¯s death.

    The most important thing now is to sever the ties between ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu. Even people who have little contact with ZhouXiang have their doubts, YanMingXiu definitely has some awareness. They must be separated, must be......

    LanXiRong¡¯s brain is churning fast, trying desperately to figure a way to get the both far away from each other.

    Just when the two were at a standstill, ZhouXiang¡¯s phone suddenly rang in the quiet car.

    ZhouXiang trembled as he quickly picked up, the call is from CaiWei.

    ¡°Hey, Wei Ge.¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang, where are you now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m downstairs of my home.¡±

    ¡°Downstairs? What are you doing downstairs on such chilling day?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Ah, XiRong came to find me.¡±

    CaiWei is silent for a moment, ¡°You guys wait over there. I¡¯ming over immediately. I have something important to discuss with you.¡±

    With the confined space in the car, his words where clearly heard. CaiWei¡¯s tone was particrly imposing. After hanging up, the two looked at each, not knowing what was going on.

    CaiWei arrived in a little over 20 minutes. He didn¡¯t get off the car but had them follow his car.

    LanXiRong drove behind CaiWei. CaiWei took them to a guest room in a hotel.

    After CaiWei entered the room, he didn¡¯t say anything. He first went to pour them three sses of liquor.

    The two of them didn¡¯t understand as they followed behind and looked at CaiWei.

    CaiWei¡¯s anger from before had not yet dissipated, so no matter how happy he is, he was not too affectionate facing ZhouXiang. But today, his attitude has eased a lot. Even when he is looking at ZhouXiang, his expression is extremely hesitant, tinged of pity.....

    ZhouXiang is starting to feel more and more unsettled. He grabbed the ss of liquor handed by CaiWei and revealed a trace of smile, "Wei Ge, what is it?¡±

    CaiWei pointed at the liquor, ¡°Drink first.¡±

    ZhouXiang drank the liquor in one gulp and stared at CaiWei.

    CaiWei sat across from him. He nced at ZhouXiang and then at LanXiRong again and then finally looked back at ZhouXiang. He opened his mouth, his tone heavy, ¡°Ah Xiang, I want to tell you something. I hope you are mentally prepared.¡±

    ZhouXiang is a bit nervous, but still remain calm, ¡°Wei Ge, say it. I¡¯m a person who has died once, there¡¯s nothing that I can¡¯t bear.¡±

    CaiWei heaved a sigh, ¡°Do you remember the earthquake that struck the border between Guizhou and Guangxist month?¡±

    ¡°Of course I remember. I was in the mountains at the time.¡±

    ¡°That earthquake... because the magnitude was low, there was little damage so it didn¡¯t cause too much of an impact. But... I got a call today from a crew who went into the mountain with you to shoot the documentary film back then.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips trembled, his eyes red at CaiWei with his expression looking hideous.

    CaiWei nodded, ¡°The earthquake caused some changes in the mountain. The locals might have found....your...body.¡±

    CaiWei habitually wanted to say "corpse" but that didn¡¯t feel right. But no matter how he puts it, it won¡¯t change the effect this finding would have on ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang slowly bent down and gently clutched his head.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 83

    ZhouXiang never thought that there would be a day that he would have to go im his own ¡°corpse." Such absurd and cruel thing actually happened to him.

    This news was so shocking that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know if he had the courage to see his own dead body.

    Deep within his heart, he still held onto the little illusion with the hope that his body was well preserved in a certain ce. And that one day, God will be kind enough to let him return to his own body. He would take everything that has happened as if it was a dream. But when he heard of the news, thisst bit of hope is utteraly shattered.

    ording to what CaiWei said, it was no longer possible to determine his identity by appearance. They could only assume that it was him by the clothing and photography equipment that he was carrying. A DNA test is required for the final confirmation. The reason CaiWei told him this was to get his opinion on whether or not he wanted to go to Guangxi to take a look. After all, that is ZhouXiang¡¯s own... (body)

    LanXiRong was silent the entire time. Apparently he still hasn¡¯t regained his senses from the tremendous shock. He just put his hand on ZhouXiang¡¯s back and gently stroked it.

    After a long time, ZhouXiang looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, looking very agitated as he hoarsely muttered, ¡°Wei Ge, please go with me. I......I have to go look. That is the body given to me by my parents <sup>(T/N)</sup> so I must go......to handle it." ZhouXiang sniffed. "Go with me. I am afraid I can¡¯t take it." ZhouXiang covered his eyes. He felt such intense pain that he didn¡¯t know what to do.

    T/N: The Chinese saying is ÉíówóŒÄw, ÊÜÖ®¸¸Ä¸, ²»¸Òš§‚û, Ð¢Ö®Ê¼Ò² which esstentially means our bodies¡ªto every hair and bit of skin¡ªare received by us from our parents and we must not presume to injure or wound them. This is from the Book of Filial Piety by Confucius.

    What he had experienced and endured is something that no one else could experience in their entire lifetime.

    He is going to see his body, a body he had used for more than 30 years. It is the proof that he had once lived and existed in this world. He is familiar with everything in that body. He is the real ZhouXiang and that body carried its weight. It was once a healthy and lively body. But now, he has to face the body that may have be a pile of bones. He simply did not know how to describe his feelings. Fear? Sadness? Despair? That¡¯s not it or it could be said......that it is.

    LanXiRong said softly, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ll go with you. I¡¯ll always be by you.¡±

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll go. Otherwise, with your identity right now, you won¡¯t be able to get near."

    ZhouXiang gulped down another half ss of the liquor and regained a bit of his senses. He responded, "Wei Ge, I always wanted to ask you. How were my funeral arrangements handled? Did you inform my rtives?¡±

    CaiWei exposed a weird expression, ¡°Your funeral arrangements... were handled by YanMingXiu.¡±

    "What?" ZhouXiang is shocked, "Why was he the one managing it? You have my aunt¡¯s phone number right? At that time......"

    CaiWei interjected, ¡°At the time, I did inform your rtives. Those rtives that you still had contact with all came. They wanted to inherit some of your stuff but YanMingXiu wouldn¡¯t allow it because your ident was handled as a missing person case. Without your death certificate, adding on to YanMingXiu¡¯s pressure, they couldn¡¯t do anything. Therefore, all your things are in YanMingXiu¡¯s hands.¡±

    "Why did he do this?" ZhouXiang frowned, "Could it be......could it be that he really believed that I am still alive?"

    LanXiRong added coldly, ¡°If he didn¡¯t help WangYuDong at the time in preventing you from going to the opening ceremony, you wouldn¡¯t be forced to take on that documentary work. YanMingXiu felt guilty so he kept your things.¡±

    ZhouXiangbed through is hair, ¡°Wei Ge, do you have any way to get my condo back?"

    CaiWei shook his head, ¡°I really don¡¯t have any way.¡±

    LanXiRong depressingly muttered, ¡°Maybe you could buy it back?¡±

    ZhouXiang thought for a moment, ¡°Right. Now that they found my (body)......a death certificate could be issued, then my aunt can inherit the house and I could buy the condo again."

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°It¡¯s useless. YanMingXiu won¡¯t give your condo to anyone.¡±

    ZhouXiang furrowed his brows, ¡°Why?¡±

    CaiWei was just about to open his mouth, but LanXiRong interjected him with his expression, hinting for him not to say anymore. He believed that CaiWei also felt like he does, in not wanting to see ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu get back together. It¡¯s best that ZhouXiang never know of YanMingXiu¡¯s feelings toward him.

    As expected, CaiWei changed the topic, ¡°This is not the main problem. It¡¯s that you might not be able to afford the condo."

    ZhouXiang is startled then became silent.

    CaiWei is right. He definitely can¡¯t afford the condo. The average price of an old condo in that location is more than £¤20,000 per square meter. Although his condo is only a little over 70 square meters, it would cost nearly two million to buy it. He really can¡¯t afford it.

    LanXiRong answered, ¡°I will buy it.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at him, ¡°XiRong, I can¡¯t let you...¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge,¡± LanXiRong interrupted him with a smile, ¡°I could treat it as an investment right? Do you really have to haggle with me so much? That condo also had my memories. How many meals have I eaten there before? How many times have I watched TV there? Like you, I¡¯m also not willing to part with anything in that condo. If all goes well and your rtives could sell the condo, I¡¯ll definitely buy it. Don¡¯t try to persuade me to change my mind."

    ZhouXiang knew that this was probably the only way to keep the things in the condo. He knew that LanXiRong would do it; two to three million is really nothing to him. It would be nice if everything really went as smoothly as they thought. But for what CaiWei had mentioned, ZhouXiang still had some concerns. He didn¡¯t understand why YanMingXiu was holding onto his condo. <i>Could it really be because YanMingXiu felt guilty toward him?</i>

    CaiWei didn¡¯t give him time to think about it, ¡°I have already made arrangements. We will go to GuangXi tomorrow. ZhouXiang, go back and get ready. I¡¯ll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow morning.¡±

    LanXiRong joined in and added, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯ll go with Xiang Ge tomorrow and meet up with you. You don¡¯t have to pick us up."

    ¡°That¡¯ll work. Ah Xiang. Remember to request time off from Ah Liu. He¡¯s in charge of personnel."

    ZhouXiang nodded; his mind in chaos. He wiped his face, "I¡¯m going to go to the bathroom." After saying that, he got up and walked to the bathroom. He needed to wash his face and sober up. After he closed the door, LanXiRong immediately asked CaiWei, ¡°Does YanMingXiu know?¡±

    CaiWei nodded with a heavy expression, "Earlier than me. He¡¯s probably already at GuangXi."

    ¡°The (body) ...is still in the mountains?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are about forty kilometers in that ce that are not open to traffic. It is all mountainous paths so can only rely on foot. They are moving it out now. It should be transported to the city closest to the mountain today.¡±

    LanXiRong frowned slightly ¡°If we go there like this, what are we going to do if Xiang Ge run into YanMingXiu?¡±

    ¡°I will try to arrange it so they won¡¯t. I also don¡¯t want them to bump into each other.¡± CaiWei¡¯s expression is a bit hesitant, ¡°However, I¡¯m really afraid that something will happen to YanMingXiu. Three years ago he......¡±

    LanXiRong nced at him sharply, ¡°Wei Ge, don¡¯t forget who did this to Xiang Ge. Don¡¯t tell me that you have sympathy for him?¡±

    CaiWei shook his head, ¡°I just think that this matter is not as simple as they think.¡±

    LanXiRong stood up, ¡°No matter how, I must first try to prevent them from meeting. I¡¯m afraid that Xiang Ge will waver...... After the DNA results are out, we will inform Xiang Ge¡¯s rtives to deal with the funeral arrangements. The sooner the better.¡±

    CaiWei deeply said, ¡°We¡¯ll try......" He had too many concerns, like heavy clouds in front of him.

    When ZhouXiang came out of the bathroom, he pushed aside his wet bangs and said to LanXiRong, "Please take me back home."

    LanXiRong came over and patted his back, revealing a gentle smile. ¡°Xiang Ge, I will be by your side the whole time. Don¡¯t be afraid."

    ZhouXiang reluctantly smiled, "I¡¯m not afraid.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 84

    The next morning, the three of them took the first flight to GuangXi. Once they got off the ne, they switched to a car and drove toward XiWan Mountains. It took them more than ten hours before they finally arrived at the location nearest to the vige in the afternoon of the next day.

    ZhouXiang still had an impression of this vige. When he went to the mountain that year, this was thest ce they stayed at to reenergize. This was also thest ce where he had hisst phone call with YanMingXiu in his own identity.

    Three years have passed. This small vige is entirely different from his memory. It is not the vige itself that has changed but that when the vigers knew that outsiders have arrived, they all came out in crowds to take a look.

    When the three of them arrived at the entrance of the vige, they were stopped by two people wearing casual clothes. The short hair stubbles on their heads and their stiff temperament and unified movements and expressions made it obvious that they are soldiers at just a nce.

    CaiWei asked, ¡°Dai Ge <sup>(T/N)</sup>, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    T/N: Dai Ge (´ó¸ç) is used to address an older brother or unrted older male.

    A soldier responded, ¡°What are you guys doing here? Something happened in this vige recently. No outsiders are permitted to enter."

    CaiWei is astonished, ¡°Could it be the corpse......has already arrived here?"

    The soldiers looked at him strangely, "Who told you guys toe here?"

    ¡°The party in charge, a member from that crew informed us. We are friends of the deceased and are here to identify and im him.¡±

    The soldiers hesitated for a moment, "Wait a bit. I¡¯m calling for someone toe out." Then he turned and went into the vige.

    The three people waited at the vige entrance, looking at each other.

    CaiWei said imposingly, ¡°What is going on? Why even the troops are brought here? And looking at their stance, there seem to be many of them."

    LanXiRong looked inside the vige, ¡°Not sure but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s YanMingXiu that got them here."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t pay much attention to what they were saying at all. When he was standing at the vige¡¯s entrance, thinking that his body might be inside, he felt such agonizing pain. He is really afraid to see his ¡¯own¡¯ dposed or skeletal body but he must go and see, even if it was only to bid farewell to his body.

    This would also allow him topletely let go. No one in the world could understand his mood at the moment, this kind of indescribable pain.

    After a while, a soldier came out with a gloomy looking fat person.

    CaiWei recognized at once that this was the person in charge of the crew that year. His surname is Xue. He has been sent here by his boss to handle this matter. After discovering the body, there are a series of matters that needed to be dealt with, such aspensation for ZhouXiang as well as the set of equipment that was worth more than a million yuan. CaiWei heard that because the equipment was still missing, the insurancepanies were still hassling with them.

    ¡°Xue Ge,¡± CaiWei walked over and shook hands with him.

    Xue Ge¡¯s expression looked flushed as if he had just quarreled with someone. He says breathlessly, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Come on in......Huh? Why did you bring so many people? I¡¯ve only prepared one room for you."

    CaiWei responded, ¡°XiRong is also Ah Xiang¡¯s friend. He insisted oning to see. This person (ZhouXiang) here is from mypany and my boss wanted him toe along to help me handle things."

    Xue Ge took them into the vige but they detoured around the roads. Along the way, he whispered cautiously as if he was afraid of someone, ¡°Try not to let people see you as much as possible. This entire situation is chaotic."

    ¡°What¡¯s really going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when we go into the house. Aigh (sigh sound), Lao Cai, you came with two people, I really can¡¯t make the arrangement. Even this farmer¡¯s bed was all I could get after a long struggle. The troops had taken over this area entirely. The two of you (LanXiRong and ZhouXiang), I really have no other way, you¡¯ll just have to sleep on the ground."

    LanXiRong responded, ¡°It¡¯s fine, the ground it is then.¡±

    Xue Ge said with embarrassment, ¡°Mr. Lan, I¡¯m sorry. You guys will have to suffer a little. Have a rest first."

    "Not a problem."

    ZhouXiang is so anxious that his entire person is on the verge of exploding. It is impossible for him to rest calmly. He quickly asked, "Xie Ge, when can we..."

    CaiWei instantly grabbed him, disappointedly getting him to stop talking.

    Xue Ge looked at him strangely, CaiWei asked, ¡°Xue Ge, when can we see Ah Xiang? We are here to confirm whether or not it is Ah Xiang.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no need to confirm. The DNA results are already out. It is him.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind buzzed. He thought he was already prepared mentally. With the facts already in front of him, he could force himself to ept but when he actually heard it, he felt his vision turning bleakly dark, as if he is about to ckout.

    LanXiRong carefully supported him and gently squeezed his palm.

    CaiWei somberly responded, "Howe it¡¯s this fast?¡±

    ¡°Come in. Come in and talk," Xue Ge led them into the room that was prepared for CaiWei.

    CaiWei quickly asked, ¡°How could it be so fast? The corpse......the body was found only three days ago. Even if it was shipped here immediately, that would have taken close to two days. The medical facilities here are socking, just to send the samples out to do theparison and have it be sent back would take at least two to three days. How could the results be out already?"

    Xue Ge lowered his voice and responded, ¡°The Yan family directly brought doctors and medical instruments here. Why do you think there are more than a dozen soldiers here?"

    Although his voice was very low, the three could still hear it clearly.

    ZhouXiang blurted out, ¡°What does he want?¡±

    Xue Ge frowned as he pondered over who this person is. CaiWei haven¡¯t even spoken yet and he already opened his mouth.

    CaiWei turned to nce at ZhouXiang with a warning. He responded, ¡°Xue Ge, don¡¯t mind him. My assistant is a bit anxious. Is YanMingXiu already here?¡±

    ¡°He came two days ago, even earlier than me."

    ¡°Then right now he......Ah Xiang right now, what¡¯s the situation?"

    Xue Ge¡¯s face revealed a strange expression, "It¡¯s so troublesome. I can¡¯t leave for the time being. Not only did YanMingXiue, his older brother also came."

    CaiWei looked at him shockingly.

    Xue Ge was just about to speak but felt that some things couldn¡¯t be said in front of others, ¡°Lao Cai, let¡¯s go to my ce. Let them rest a bit."

    CaiWei had no choice but to head out with Xue Ge.

    LanXiRong and ZhouXiang were left sitting on the shabby bed inside the farmer¡¯s house, still haven¡¯t recovered from the shock.

    ording to Xue Ge¡¯s words and with what they saw with their own eyes, this vige is obviously being controlled by the Yan family<i>. Is this something worth that big of an effort?</i>

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t sit still, ¡°I have to go see.¡±

    LanXiRong grabbed onto him, ¡°Xiang Ge, the vige is full of people brought by YanMingXiu. Even if you wanted to go see, you won¡¯t be able to. Just sit and see if Xue Ge can think of some ways."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression is a bit distorted, ¡°I really can¡¯t wait. I have to go see immediately. XiRong, you don¡¯t understand, that is my......my body. Fuck, how could there be such a ridiculous thing? I¡¯m going to copse if I don¡¯t do anything."

    LanXiRong looked at his obviously unusual expression. Although he couldn¡¯t experience what ZhouXiang is going through, he could somewhat understand his feelings. He said helplessly, ¡°Okay then. I¡¯ll go with you. It¡¯s dark now, we can see if we can sneak in......"

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go by myself. It is easier to be discovered with two people, especially with your face; a lot of people still recognize you. If something were to happen, it will affect your reputation. I¡¯m fine going by myself."

    LanXiRong stood up, ¡°Xiang Ge, I can¡¯t let you go alone......¡±

    ZhouXiang gripped his shoulder to make him sit on the bed, ¡°Right now, you can¡¯t help me. So please, wait here for me. I¡¯ll go see by myself. I must go and see."

    LanXiRong knew that ZhouXiang is right. The current situation is too strange. He¡¯ll just wait here. If ZhouXiang doesn¡¯te back, he could still find CaiWei and Xue Ge for help.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his face and energetically shook his head, forcing himself to calm down a bit. Then, he went out of the house.

    This small vige is so deserted that it¡¯s not even equipped with a power system. The electricity used in the vige is supplied by one generator. At 9 o¡¯clock in the evening, most of the people are already sleeping. The vige is particrly dark, almost nothing could be seen from two meters away.

    ZhouXiang went back and forth in the dark vige. There were only twenty households in this ce, very less. Most of the people are asleep. He barely ran into anyone along the way, but sometimes there were a few soldiers walking around. At the end of the vige, he finally found a household stationed with soldiers. There was no light in that house but the house next to it was lit and someone came out from time to time.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart jumped wildly. Perhaps his body is in one of these two farmers¡¯ house.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 85

    ZhouXiang thought for a long time and still didn¡¯t know how he could get in. With several people standing at the door, he would definitely not be able to get through.

    He could see that Xue Ge had no say in this matter whatsoever, so it would be useless to wait for him to find a way. He also couldn¡¯t he wait any longer.

    He is anxious to see himself. Also, he wanted to know why the two Yan brothers are here and brought so many people with them. When he was alive, he never felt that YanMingXiu cared much about him, so to be given this sort of treatment after his death is really ridiculous.

    After some thought, he decided to just go directly in. It¡¯s simply impossible for him to avoid so many people so he might as well give it a try.

    He walked out of his shadow and went straight to the lighted farm house.

    Before he even got close, a soldier came over and asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ZhouXiang tried desperately to suppress his impatience, ¡°I¡¯m looking for YanMingXiu.¡±

    The solder is stunned, his expression suddenly became cold as he looked at him cautiously, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his ...... friend.¡±

    Another person heard their conversation and turned around to go into the house.

    After a while, a slender man came out of the house. ZhouXiang looked at him in the dim light, it is YanMingSu.

    YanMingSu merely nced at him. Then, he lowly muttered, ¡°Let him in.¡±

    ZhouXiang followed YanMingSu into the house.

    The light in the house is a lot brighter. YanMingSu¡¯s condition looked really bad, with heavy dark circles around his eyes. His exhaustive expression seemed like he had experience some sort of torture. His entire person appeared dispirited. He swept ZhouXiang a nce and asked, "What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I came with CaiWei, CaiWei is... a friend of ZhouXiang, we came to identify.... the person.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing to identify. The person had been dead for three years. What do you think is left? It¡¯s just bones.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened instantly. The person YanMingSu is referring to is not just any random person, not a dog on the side of the street, but it is him...is him ZhouXiang.

    YanMingSu didn¡¯t notice the change in ZhouXiang. He seemed very resentful as he gloomily muttered, "It¡¯s already like this. This guy.... really fucking can¡¯t stop making people worry."

    ZhouXiang felt so painful that he pressed his hand on his chest and squatted down. He only felt dizziness, as if the sky and earth are spinning relentlessly, his legs could barely support his weight. His face paled, seeming to have lost any trace of blood, ¡°Bones... only bones are left...¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, what else do you think there is.....what¡¯s with you?¡± YanMingSu shed him a nce and noticed that something seemed very wrong with ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang raised his pale-white face, ¡°Mr. Yan, could I see?¡±

    "See what?¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang¡¯s ... corpse.¡± He reluctantly said these words. In this moment, he¡¯s finally acknowledged in his heart that he haspletely been obliterated.

    ¡°Why do you need to go see? Who are you to him?¡±

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t answer. How could he tell him that he¡¯s the owner of that body? With only a few meters away, he couldn¡¯t even see his own body for the veryst time.

    ZhouXiang is already very dazedly consumed by extreme sorrow. He persisted, ¡°I beg you. Please let me have a look.¡±

    YanMingSu frowned deeply and looked at ZhouXiang suspiciously.

    ZhouXiang quickly added, ¡°No, not me, for Wei Ge, Wei Ge must see.¡±

    ¡°Not possible, you guys can¡¯t.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression looked a bit fierce, ¡°Why?¡±

    YanMingSu stared into his eyes and mouthed each and every word very clearly, ¡°My brother is in that room. He does not allow anyone toe close nor is he willing toe out. Not to mention you, I also can¡¯t go in.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him stiffly, ¡°Why?¡±

    YanMingSu sighed, ¡°Going out this door, every word that I said earlier, you must not leak it out. The reason why I¡¯m here is because of this. If you dare let others know, you won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences."

    ¡°He...why is he?¡±

    "Why?" YanMingSu smiled forcefully, "Because he is crazy."

    ¡°He... he and ZhouXiang¡¯s.... ZhouXiang¡¯s <sup>(T/N)</sup>....¡±

    T/N: ZhouXiang is referring to YanMingXiu trapping himself in the room with his corpse.

    ¡°Right, he has been like this since he got here, not eating, not leaving the room, not making any sounds, just staying in that room."

    YanMingSu exhaustively rubbed his eyes, ¡°I intend on waiting another day. If he¡¯s still the same, I¡¯m going to forcefully take him back to Beijing.¡±

    ZhouXiang is utterly shocked.

    <i>Why is YanMingXiu guarding his bones? Why is he? What rights does he has?</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind buzzed. He couldn¡¯t digest this information at all. The scenes from the past shed swiftly in front of him. YanMingXiu¡¯s tender affections and ruthlessness, he had experienced it all. But never once did he feel that he upied any space in YanMingXiu¡¯s heart. YanMingXiu¡¯s heart is filled to the brim of WangYuDong. There is hardly any space for him.

    <i>But what is the meaning of YanMingXiu¡¯s unusual behavior now? Guilt? Is it merely just guilt?</i>

    ZhouXiang pulled himself up from the ground, and panic-strickenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go see him.¡±

    YanMingSu nced at him and said tiredly, ¡°You could try it. If you could make him talk or get him toe out, I owe you a favor.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Let me go in.¡±

    YanMingSu led him out of the house to the house next door and handed him a shlight. ¡°Look for the lights yourself inside, use the doors to guide you.¡±

    When ZhouXiang opened the door, his hand that is holding the shlight immediately sweated, bing wet and slippery. He couldn¡¯t get rid of this chilling feeling since he stepped into the house.

    The house inside is very dark; the ground has a lot of pot-holes. As soon as he walked in, there is a ck stove on the side. ZhouXiang walked toward the stove. Everywhere that the shlight shines at is eerily frightening. But he is not afraid. He has too many doubts and sentiments in his heart. He has no strength to be fearful. He pulled the drawstring of the kitchenmp and the kitchen lit up.

    ZhouXiang threw the shlight down and turned to the room inside. Through the faint light, he could see what was lying on the bed in the bedroom.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart beat erratically. He took a few big steps and turned on the bedroom lights. The room is small. He could see everything at a nce, including the skeleton covered with white cloth on the bed and the person sitting on the ground.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s legs went soft. He almost fell to the ground.

    At this point, ZhouXiang is too busy to worry about whether or not YanMingXiu is dead or alive sitting in the corner. His eyes stared unwaveringly at the skeleton on the bed. What YanMingSu said was right, there is nothing to see. When a person¡¯s skin and flesh is gone, the only thing exposed without exception is the ghastly white skeleton of the dead. No matter that this person was his most familiar self; it had be this, how could he possibly recognize it?

    ZhouXiang¡¯s tears rapidly and uncontrobly flowed down his face.

    At this time, he could care less whether he would be discovered by YanMingXiu. He had almost forgotten everything. He knew that this skeleton once belonged to his healthy body; it was once full of life. He didn¡¯t know what else in the world could be more cruel than seeing his own corpse.

    He almost copsed. He¡¯se to experience that kind of immense sorrow from losing his parents in that year, sorrow so immense that it could not be described and could not be vented.

    In the end, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to go over. He only dared to look at it from a distance of a few meters. He really didn¡¯t have the courage or strength to walk over. Even his conscientious mind has now consumed all of his physical strength.

    He looked down and nced at YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu is leaning on the wall with his eyes closed. He didn¡¯t seem at all unfitting with the skeletal corpse because he is like a dead person himself; with his face paled and his spirit lifeless. Furthermore, he¡¯s not moving at all. Even the lights and soundsing from the external world could not trigger him to make even the slightest reaction.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the slight trembling of his nose that told ZhouXiang that he was still alive, ZhouXiang really would have thought that YanMingXiu had no heartbeat.

    He has never seen YanMingXiu looking like this, so hopelessly devastated, his (YanMingXiu) entire person seeming to bepletely drained, as if he is just a heap on the ground that is merely an empty shell.

    <i>Is YanMingXiu heartbroken because of his death?</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body trembled. He wanted to go up to YanMingXiu and ask him, ¡°Are you heartbroken because of me?¡± <i>If you are really this heartbroken, then why didn¡¯t you tell me before? Why didn¡¯t you tell me before I die... that you do, in fact, also care about me in your heart?</i>

    Why did it have to wait till he had turned into a pile of bones for him to realize that YanMingXiu is heartbroken over him?

    <i>Toote. Too fuckingte. LaoZi has been thoroughly dead!</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s tears continued to fall uncontrobly. Aspared to losing a loved one, this is even more horrific, more emotional because he had lost himself. He had lost his past...his feelings... his identity...his body...his life... his everything.

    Although his soul is still alive but it is never him.

    He began to hate YanMingXiu again. He never wanted to put the me of his death on YanMingXiu because he knew that he couldn¡¯t do anything. Thinking this way will only make it more painful for himself. But now, facing the skeleton that was his own body, he hated YanMingXiu to the extreme. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu, he would still be alive and living fine, enjoying his life with this body. But instead, he is like a lonely ghost taking over someone else¡¯s body. Not to mention, having to mercilessly look at his own corpse. He could no longer stand seeing YanMingXiu looking as if he had lost his soul.

    He quickly tottered out of the house. When he rushed out, whoever he might have bumped into, whatever sounds he could have heard, he had no idea. He just wanted to run a bit farther away, so that this long nightmare is behind him. He ran into a forest, but was tripped by a stone on the ground and rolled out a few meters. He started to howl and cried loudly, frantically mming himself on the ground. With the sight of his skeleton lingering on his mind, he couldn¡¯t take it; he felt that he¡¯s already gone crazy.

    Urgent cries filled his ears. Whoever that was dragging him, pulling him, he pushed this person away, using all his energy to push this person away. He wanted to keep running but his legs were weak.

    Finally, he felt darkness in front of him, consuming him, and he copsed on the ground.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 86

    When ZhouXiang woke up the next day, the first thing he saw was LanXiRong¡¯s face.

    He stared at the simple roof and recalled everything that happenedst night. His entire person felt like a dream,pletely unreal.

    LanXiRong quickly patted his face, ¡°Xiang Ge? Are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±

    CaiWei also came over and looked at him worriedly.

    ZhouXiangid stiffly for a long time before opening his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    The two are relieved.

    LanXiRong supported ZhouXiang to sit up on the bed and poured him a ss of water.

    ZhouXiang drank a few mouthfuls of water and looked at the people and things around him. He doesn¡¯t know how to describe this feeling. It¡¯s like his body is stepping on empty space, but his mind is very clear.

    It¡¯s likely that his frantic wailing from yesterday enabled him to release most of his suppressed emotions. The somberness from his body has uplifted quite a bit so he had regained his sanity. He thought, even if he were to be faced with his unrecognizable skeletal remains again, he wouldn¡¯t run away.

    He said to himself, <i>ZhouXiang, you must have a clear mind. You must pull yourself together.</i>

    After thisst bit of his hopeful illusion hadpletely shattered, there was no way for him to go back so he became surprisingly calm. He clearly knew that the most important thing for him right now is to be able to get back his and his parents things. To continue on being perplexed over it will not change the facts and ispletely meaningless.

    ZhouXiang looked at LanXiRong and CaiWei¡¯s concerned expressions and apologized, ¡°Sorry, sorry for making you guys so worried, I¡¯m fine."

    Seeing him appearing so calm instead made the two of them scared. After all, ZhouXiang was acting as though he was crazy yesterday; his entire person mentally copsed. Anyone who had experienced this kind of thing would likely act like him. So now, seeing him so calm, the contrast is too big, making the two of them feel very uncertain, afraid that ZhouXiang will do something even more extreme.

    ZhouXiang got on the ground and put on his shoes, smiling calmly, ¡°I am really fine. I got over it. Yesterday was just very upsetting... but...it¡¯s no longer important.¡±

    CaiWei shook his head and sighed. ¡°If you¡¯re really feeling pained, you must not hold it in. Seeing you like this is even scarier."

    ZhouXiang patted CaiWei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Wei Ge, me going over there by myself yesterday might have cause some trouble for you.¡±

    "That¡¯s not the main concern. YanMingSu wanted you to go see him after you wake up.¡±

    LanXiRong grabbed his arm, ¡°Xiang Ge, you don¡¯t have to go. I know that this is really hard for you. If you don¡¯t want to stay here, I¡¯ll go back with you. Wei Ge can stay by himself and handle the rest.¡±

    CaiWei also nodded in agreeance. ¡°It¡¯s fine for me to stay¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head. ¡°I want to stay here. I¡¯m going to go see YanMingSu and...¡± <i>and YanMingXiu</i>, but he didn¡¯t say that aloud. Seeing YanMingXiu looking like that yesterday made him extremely unsettled. He wanted to confirm something.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t allow them toe along with him. He went by himself to see YanMingSu.

    Just when he got to the front door of the farm house to where YanMingSu was staying, to his surprise, there are actually two monks standing outside.

    ZhouXiang is a bit oblivious. He didn¡¯t know much about religions and the like but his first reaction is that they were invited to perform some sort of religious ritual to help the soul find peace. ZhouXiang felt a bit frightful. Looking at him now, he appears to be a normal person. But the most unbelievably absurd thing had urred to him. Although taking possession of another person¡¯s body is not something that happened to him voluntarily, it¡¯s still not right. So when he saw these two monks, he was particrly nervous, just like how monsters would feel see Taoist priests. But it was toote for him to turn back. The soldier who was standing at the door had already saw him. One of them turned and went to inform YanMingSu. ZhouXiang could only force himself to move forward. The facts have proved that this was just his imagination. The two monks just nodded politely and didn¡¯t pay too much attention to him.

    After a while, that soldier came out and motioned for him to go in.

    Immediately after ZhouXiang entered the house, he felt an extremely unusual atmosphere. He couldn¡¯t describe the feeling. It¡¯s like this dpidated rural house suddenly became very different. Even the flowing air had be gravely solemn. He walked into the bedroom and realized that not only was YanMingSu sitting inside but next to him is a tall and thin old monk, looking about seventy years old with no facial expressions. The moment ZhouXiang came in, the monk looked up and shot him a nce, a nce that is endlessly prative. Although there weren¡¯t any fluctuations in his expressions, ZhouXiang became extremely tensed.

    YanMingSu said to ZhouXiang, "This is my master, JiKong Great Master." YanMingSu seems very respectful, his mannerism is even humble.

    ZhouXiang made a Buddhist gesture (sp his palms in prayer form and bows), this he dared not neglect.

    In the past decade, he hase in contact with many prestigious and powerful people in the entertainment industry. Although they might not remember him, he knew a lot about these people. He found that the more powerful a person is, the stronger the need for faith. For example, the second generation wealthy President Wang is an obsessed Buddhist, no matter how busy he is every year, there is a fixed two to three months where he will take a retreat to devote entirely to the faith. Everyone in Beijing highly respects him but even so, when he goes to Tibet, he remains very-well disciplined. When he saw TieBangma, he didn¡¯t even dare to lift his head. These were not rumors but came proudly from President Wang¡¯s own mouth. When he mentions his master, it is like admiring the gods. It is extremelymon for some big state-owned enterprises and private enterprise bosses to believe in Buddhism or other spiritual beliefs. It was not at all surprising for ZhouXiang to find that YanMingSu has a master.

    A person who YanMingSu could respect as a master is definitely an extraordinary great master, but he just didn¡¯t know why this person would appear at this ce.

    JiKong Master watched him quietly or a while, still having no expressions, nor did he say anything.

    Being looked at by this master in such a prative way made ZhouXiang feel extremely awful. He said to YanMingSu, ¡°Mr. Yan, why were you looking for me?¡±

    YanMingSu looked at him seriously, ¡°I want to know what you saw yesterday when you went in, what you said and what you did.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowly muttered, ¡°I saw a bunch of bones, saw YanMingXiu sitting on the ground with his eyes closed not saying anything. I didn¡¯t do anything, I got scared and fled.¡±

    "Really?

    ¡°Really.¡±

    ¡°But he wanted to see you now.¡±

    ZhouXiang is startled, ¡°Fine, I also want to see him."

    He walked into the farmhouse for the second time. But this time, YanMingXiu was sitting in front of the dining table. In front of him is a te of breakfast but it hasn¡¯t been touched. YanMingXiu is just sitting there dazedly staring at the food.

    After ZhouXiang entered the house, YanMingXiu looked up at him with blood-shot eyes. YanMingXiu¡¯s appearance now is a far cry from his coldly indifferent and calm self of the past. He looked haggard with his hair unkempt and a lot thinner in just a few days.

    There is something forcefully pounding in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart.

    He couldn¡¯t help but look toward the room with his corpse but the door is closed.

    YanMingXiu spoke up, his voice is hoarse, ¡°Sit down.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat down and looked restlessly at YanMingXiu directly across from him. He wanted to say something but didn¡¯t know how to say it.

    YanMingXiu looked at him; his empty eyes shed a trace of mysterious light. He stared directly at ZhouXiang, as if wanting to see through his flesh into his body, making ZhouXiang feel extremely ufortable.

    YanMingXiu said, ¡°There are some things I need to tell you, because I can¡¯t let CaiWei see me like this, I¡¯ll tell you and you go and convey it to him.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    ¡°I will take care of everything for ZhouXiang so he doesn¡¯t need to be concerned.¡± When YanMingXiu said these words, his eyes never left ZhouXiang¡¯s face, trying to gather all the expressions on his face.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is... ZhouXiang¡¯s remains and estate will be handled by me.¡±

    ¡°But, he still has rtives...¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already resolved that. Right now, all of ZhouXiang¡¯s things are my legal property.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hands under the table clenched into fists. He lowered his head and concealed his expression. He lowered his voice, ¡°That, how do you n on handling... handling ZhouXiang... and his things?¡±

    ¡°I will bring him back to Beijing for burial.¡±

    ZhouXiang then asked, ¡°What about the condo? Sell it?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him deeply, ¡°I¡¯m going to remodel the condo.¡±

    ZhouXiang is dumbfounded. He muttered, ¡°Why... why...?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s slender fingers gently tapped the table, and not at all politely and rhetorically asked, ¡°Why should I tell you why?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Because... Wei Ge said that ZhouXiang has some things in the condo that he wanted to take for sentimental reasons."

    ¡°As I¡¯ve said, everything belonging to ZhouXiang is now my legal property. It has nothing to do with him. I will handle it myself.¡±

    ZhouXiang secretly bit his teeth, ¡°How do you n on handling it?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded coldly, ¡°Burn it or bury it along with ZhouXiang.¡±

    ZhouXiang almost bolted up<i>. What right does YanMingXiu have to decide on what to do with his things! Those are his (things)...</i> but he immediately thought that with his current status, he had no right to decide.

    With his voice trembling, ¡°President Yan, Wei Ge¡¯s rtionship with ZhouXiang is really good, he especially want to get back some things, especially ZhouXiang¡¯s parents...¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to me. I have a responsibility for matters rting to ZhouXiang. I think it¡¯s better for ZhouXiang to take those things.¡±

    ZhouXiang is so furious that he felt dizzy. He said sharply, ¡°Why bother remodeling the condo, might as well also burn it for him?!¡±

    ¡°The condo is not bad, I have some sentiments toward it and it¡¯s close to where I work. I can live there in the future, but I need to change how it looks so that I don¡¯t feel so bad.¡± YanMingXiu said this calmly, with no cracks in his expression, grim and pitiless. ZhouXiang¡¯s heart is already thoroughly cold. He really didn¡¯t know how else he could get his things back.

    He most certainly can¡¯t depend on his aunt. YanMingXiu must have resolved it. Facing YanMingXiu¡¯s decision, he is helpless.

    YanMingXiu stretched out his hand and pinched his chin, forcing him to look up. ¡°Go back to tell CaiWei, I¡¯m toozy to follow up with the thief. It¡¯s no longer important. I will return to Beijing tomorrow to manage ZhouXiang¡¯s burial, then his condo and car. Tell him that he does not need to get involved. I¡¯ll inform him of the funeral.¡±

    ZhouXiang stood up and gritted his teeth, ¡°YanMingXiu, who are you to ZhouXiang? What right do you have to decide on the whereabouts of his things? Wei Ge is ZhouXiang¡¯s best buddy, you should...¡±

    ¡°I am ZhouXiang¡¯s man,¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s eagle-like eyes looked deeply into his eyes. ¡°No one is more qualified than me to handle his things.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a step back, looked at him fiercely, then turned and left.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes followed his back and knew that he had disappeared from in his sight. He grabbed his chest, the dull pain from his heart made it almost impossible to straighten his back. He slowly clenched his fists, his blood-shot eyes staring at the direction in which his back disappeared, and spit out two words, ¡°Zhou-Xiang.¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 87

    <strong>T/N:</strong> The chapter most of you have been waiting for is finally here.

    After ZhouXiang returned, he informed CaiWei and LanXiRong of YanMingXiu¡¯s intent. The both of them were enraged. ZhouXiang had no emotions, only dazedly said, ¡°Go back. Let¡¯s go back home right now. I felt that YanMingXiu is lying about one thing. He said that the condo is already in his name but I don¡¯t think it would be so fast. The death certificate can¡¯t be issued in just these few days. My aunt couldn¡¯t possibly have inherited my condo yet so how could YanMingXiu buy it. It¡¯s possible that he might have a long-term agreement with my aunt, but I don¡¯t think the condo has been transferred yet. Wei Ge, after we go back, help me contact my aunt, I don¡¯t want the condo but I want a few things inside. We must have her help me find a way."

    LanXiRong nodded, ¡°That makes sense. This condo is definitely still in your name. No matter what big abilities YanMingXiu has, he can¡¯t just take over someone else¡¯s condo." CaiWei nodded, ¡°Well, this is the only way. Let¡¯s head back before YanMingXiu does.¡±

    After reaching consensus, the three men didn¡¯t stay for more than a moment. They drove directly to the city on the same day and flew back to Beijing without stopping.

    CaiWei had already called ZhouXiang¡¯s aunt along the way, but the other party never answered. In the end, she simply turned off her phone.

    ZhouXiang understood what this meant so he no longer depended on this rtive for help.

    Both CaiWei and LanXiRong still have their own matters to deal with. Before the three separated, CaiWei repeatedly urged him, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯ll find other ways to contact your aunt. YanMingXiu hasn¡¯t yet returned. We still have some time.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded. He smiled and patted CaiWei¡¯s arm, ¡°Wei Ge, I understand. Don¡¯t worry. Thank you foring with me and sorry for dying you guys for several days.¡±

    LanXiRong smiled forcefully, ¡°Xiang Ge, we couldn¡¯t even do anything, you still say this?¡±

    ¡°How could that be? I¡¯ve aplished my biggest purpose. I saw myself.¡± ZhouXiang lifted the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, his eyes void, ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to regret.¡±

    The two looked at him, feeling a bit pained.

    ZhouXiang smiled stiffly, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you guys out for a mealter, go back first.¡±

    After CaiWei left, LanXiRong was still worried so he took him home.

    After ZhouXiang got home, he acted as if everything was as usual. He even remembered to bring some specialties from Guangxi for ChenYing and Aunt Wang. When Aunt Wang was eating fruits, she began to repetitiously tell them that she found a nice girl from some family for ZhouXiang, a girl that is lively, sensible and the like. Aunt Wang have always liked ZhouXiang a lot and felt that he should have a significant other at his age, so she¡¯s always kept this in mind.

    ZhouXiang listened with a smile on his face, his eyes looking straight at the TV, but there was no picture. A phrase kept entering his mind.

    At midnight, sometime after 1 am, everyone was asleep.

    ZhouXiang quietly got out of bed and changed into a ck outfit, put on a hat and a scarf, got some tools from his toolbox and then quietly went out.

    He went back to his own home by car. If he was not forced to such an extent, he would definitely not take this kind of risks again, but he can¡¯t think of any other ways. In fact, nobody could help him because nobody could go against YanMingXiu. He definitely won¡¯t allow YanMingXiu to burn, or throw, and bury things that are extremely important to him.

    He was afraid that YanMingXiu have changed the lock so he brought some tools. He also didn¡¯t know if he could open the lock but he wanted to try his luck. At least he could check out what kind of lock it is. If he couldn¡¯t open it, he would spend money to find a thief to help him.

    He is determined to go in.

    When he arrived at the neighborhood, it was already past 2am. The neighborhood was quiet; the treetop is lush and dense, blocking most of the moonlight. There were several streetmps that are neither light nor dark dangling on both sides of the path. The entire atmosphere gives people a hidden kind of feeling.

    ZhouXiang went up the stairs. He grabbed the door handle to his home, turned on the shlight and looked down at the door lock. <i>YanMingXiu actually did not change the lock; it was still the original one, then what about the key?</i>

    ZhouXiang quietly opened the fire box and reached his hand in. Very soon, he touched the small piece of cold metal.

    The key is still here...

    <i>YanMingXiu actually let his guard down? Still leaving the key here? </i>ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but wonder but he had no time to ponder over this. He quickly found the key and gently opened the door.

    The room is dark. He held the shlight and scanned the area. He decided to first get the second prize trophy that his father won when he participated in the national martial artspetition. That was his father¡¯s most proud item. When he was a child, he often held it and asked his father to teach him. Using his memory, he touched the second row of cabs near the TV, opened the ss door and reached in for the rusted trophy.

    The moment his fingertips touched the trophy, it suddenly brightened up in front of him. The lights in the living room are turned on!

    ZhouXiang is so frightened that his heart missed half a beat. His eyes couldn¡¯t adapt to the light for a while. He nervously lowered his head. When he opened his eyes slowly and turned his head in surprise, he sees YanMingXiu standing at the door of the bedroom, staring at him like a wolf, with his eyes ring red, as if he will rush towards him at any time!

    ZhouXiang pulled his trembling hand back and then stood frozen in ce. The two men looked at each other across the distance of a few meters. It is obviously a small home. They are so close but it felt as if there is an abyss in front of them, both not having the courage to cross.

    ZhouXiang understood in that moment, the words that YanMingXiu said yesterday and him being here today to stop him, all of it was premeditated by YanMingXiu to make him anxious...to make him impatient so that he would show his true colors and give himself away.

    At this moment, he can¡¯t find any other reasons to exin the situation at hand. What thief wille to steal a rusty, worthless trophy?

    YanMingXiu could hardly breathe. Every time he gasped, it is apanied by great pain. Everything that he had experienced in the past few days were a million times more than all the pain he has suffered in his entire life. He has the illusion that his body had been riddled with holes. When he saw this person in front of him... when he is certain of what he had in mind, he thought that he will be very excited but the reality is that he can¡¯t even speak. He can¡¯t even take the first step and is already on the verge of copse.

    The two men looked at each otherically and painfully for more than ten seconds. YanMingXiu finally forced out the very difficult words lodged in his throat, ¡°Really... Is you...¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t exin anything. He just took off his scarf and coat because he was sweating profusely. There was no ce in his internal organs that didn¡¯t feel pained. He felt as if he would faint. He didn¡¯t have to pretend anymore. Since it has already reached this stage, he should not leave. This is his condo, his home, he wants YanMingXiu to return it to him!

    YanMingXiu took step by step forward, getting closer and closer. ZhouXiang looked at his somewhat distorted expression and unconsciously stepped back.

    This step immediately stimted YanMingXiu. He rushed forward in a big a step and fiercely mmed ZhouXiang on the wall, ring at him with bloodshot eyes, his voicepletely out of tune, ¡°It¡¯s you... it¡¯s really you......¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips trembled as he looked at YanMingXiu stiffly.

    YanMingXiu embraced ZhouXiang tightly, ¡°It¡¯s really you... ZhouXiang... It¡¯s really you. Why, why didn¡¯t you tell me? You are so close to me but didn¡¯t tell me!¡± YanMingXiu somberly cried out, ¡°I thought you were dead! I thought you were dead, ZhouXiang! Why are you doing this to me? How much do you really hate me? Why are you doing this to me?!¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s tears rapidly flowed down. He grabbed tightly onto ZhouXiang, just like holding a tree in the flood. Once he loosened his hand, he would fall into the abyss again. How he passed by these three years, he could no longer describe. He lied to himself day by day that ZhouXiang is not dead, that ZhouXiang woulde back. So hepletely ignored the opposition from his entire family and became an actor. He thought that ZhouXiang must be angry with him so he didn¡¯t want toe back to see him. He wanted ZhouXiang to be able to see him at all times, then maybe one day, ZhouXiang woulde back. He waited day after day. Every day, he was deeply tormented by hope and despair. All his remorse that has carved into his bone marrow is like an abyss that hadpletely exhausted all of his thoughts of the future. There is a voice in his heart constantly telling him that ZhouXiang has already died but is suppressed by him time and time again. As long as he hadn¡¯t seen ZhouXiang¡¯s body, he could not help but hold onto the hope that ZhouXiang is still alive. Otherwise, how could he continue to endure?

    How could he endure? In a world without ZhouXiang, when this person had given him the best feelings and thenpletely disengaged, how could he endure?

    He had been through this for three years...three years....more than a thousand days and nights, every minute and every second of yearning and pain, how did he really get through it?

    He¡¯s never really fallen in love or dated anyone. He even ended up putting his childish love on the wrong person. But very soon, he hade to realize that he didn¡¯t want to be separated from ZhouXiang. If only he was given a little bit more time, he would have figured out who it is that he truly loved. But why can¡¯t he even be given this opportunity before everything and all his hopes are dashed.

    No one could understand how he felt when he heard of ZhouXiang¡¯s ident.

    He rather die.

    Fortunately, God really didn¡¯t give up on him. ZhouXiang really came back. But he obviously had been by his side for nearly a year, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    <i>Was it to torture him?</i>

    If there weren¡¯t so many clues, if it wasn¡¯t for this matter that made ZhouXiang reveal his biggest w, how long would he (ZhouXiang) have hidden it from himself? Maybe even on the day of his death, he wouldn¡¯t have known that the person he had always longed for... the person who was always on his mind, was right beside him!

    YanMingXiu is on the verge of copsed.

    ZhouXiang actually hated him so much.....

    ZhouXiang is shocked seeing YanMingXiu¡¯s frantic expression, with his tears that kept falling. Every tears of YanMingXiu was like a knife piecing the core of his heart, making him feel overwhelmed.

    YanMingXiu touched his face and hoarsely muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... ZhouXiang, don¡¯t hate me. I have done a lot of things wrong... but I miss you so much, miss you so much that I¡¯m going crazy, don¡¯t hate me. ......¡±

    ZhouXiang stared at him nkly, his heart is tightly held by an invisible hand, almost suffocating him. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t digest so many things that have shocked him. His mind ispletely nk.

    <i>Why is YanMingXiu like this? Wasn¡¯t he always in love with WangYuDong? If he is so heart-broken over his death, then howe he never gave him even a bit of hope during the entire time they were together?</i>

    Even for him to feel the glimmer of hope that YanMingXiu liked him; he didn¡¯t even feel a bit of that. He only remembered that he kept pursuing, kept coaxing, kept doing everything he could to get YanMingXiu to like him, but YanMingXiu¡¯s affections were always changing, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Until he knew who YanMingXiu had in his heart is when he gave up.

    <i>What about now? What does it mean now? What is the fucking meaning of looking so heart-broken?</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth is agape; his tears almost fell. He wanted to push away YanMingXiu¡¯s hand that is grabbing onto him, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough and couldn¡¯t even move it a bit.

    YanMingXiu grabbed onto him tightly, as if he was afraid of him slipping away. He mournfully called out to him, ¡°ZhouXiang, say something, fucking say something. I beg you. Do you know how much I miss you? Do you know how I passed these three years? I love you. Do you understand? I know I¡¯ve said that toote. But you didn¡¯t even give me a chance to tell you. ZhouXiang, I won¡¯t let you go again, I definitely won¡¯t.....¡±

    When ZhouXiang heard the three words, he heard the copsing sound of the world he had built.

    <i>Love? YanMingXiu loves him? If YanMingXiu loves him, why did he die? Why?</i>

    ZhouXiang finally opened his mouth. He looked at YanMingXiu indistinctively and said, ¡°How could you say that you love me? YanMingXiu, how could you fucking say that to me? When you were fucking me, your heart was thinking of WangYuDong. With just a phone call from WangYuDong, you had me tied up and wouldn¡¯t let me leave. For WangYuDong.... You didn¡¯t care how much you humiliated me...You...you¡¯re telling me that you love me? YanMingXiu, this sentence, how could you say it?"

    Every single word is devastatingly heartbreaking.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 88

    <strong>T/N:</strong> My trip¡¯s over ??. I¡¯ve been posting very early on my trip due to timing differences. I¡¯ll be going back to work... so postings will resume at it¡¯s somewhat regr time.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face is full of painful sorrow. Any excuses appear to be powerless and futile because nothing can be changed at this point. Even though ZhouXiang is standing in front of him right now, it can¡¯t change the fact that this person has died once.

    Even without ZhouXiang condemning him, he is so remorseful that he wanted to kill himself. He not only recognized the wrong person but also fell for the wrong person. If ZhouXiang had really died, leaving him painful for the rest of his life would be the best punishment for him.

    But ZhouXiang is still alive, even if it was in this unbelievably bizarre way, he didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t care what ZhouXiang had be as long as this is ZhouXiang. He only needs ZhouXiang!

    ¡°ZhouXiang. Don¡¯t hate me, give me a chance. Let¡¯s start over. I¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes but you are still alive. Give me a chance to make it up to you, ZhouXiang...¡±

    These wordsing out of YanMingXiu¡¯s mouth are something that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t even dare to imagine. Every single words and sentences pierced him in his heart. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know how to describe his own feelings; it¡¯s both grief and ridiculous.

    Before he met YanMingXiu, he was a passionate person. He¡¯s not promiscuous but he liked to pursue people who he finds captivating, those who give him a sense of refreshing excitement. After meeting YanMingXiu, he suddenly finds himself to be a very faithful person. At least, he never thought of bringing anyone into his parents¡¯ home. At the time, he sincerely hoped that YanMingXiu would continue to stay.

    He put out 100% of his heartfelt sincerity. But YanMingXiu gave him the shame of treating him as a substitute.

    On hisst phone call with YanMingXiu in the remote small mountain vige in Guangxi, he had already given up. Even though he loved YanMingXiu a lot, even though he might not be able to let YanMingXiu go for a while, he has decided topletely give up. He didn¡¯t die with the idea of being with YanMingXiu nor was he reborn with the idea of being with YanMingXiu. When YanMingXiu said these words, it¡¯s not that ZhouXiang is not touched, but what he felt was even more heartache.

    The pile of horrible bones is clearly ingrained in his mind at this time. Every sentence that YanMingXiu said is such great irony.

    ZhouXiang, himself do not have such an open-mind. There is no way he could forgive YanMingXiu. Although his death can¡¯t fully be med on YanMingXiu¡¯s, but without him, he wouldn¡¯t have been driven to such desperation than to ept that documentary work. There is no way..... no way... that after seeing himself bing a skeleton could he reconcile with YanMingXiu¡¯s just because of his sentence, ¡°I love you.¡±

    That¡¯s simply wishful thinking.

    ZhouXiang endured all the grievances gushed up to his nasal cavity as he grabbed onto YanMingXiu¡¯s arm and tried to push him away.

    Panickly, YanMingXiu continued to embrace him tightly, refusing to let go.

    ¡°Let go... let me go first.¡±

    ¡°No... ZhouXiang, no.¡± He couldn¡¯t let go. ZhouXiang¡¯s resistance terrified him. He didn¡¯t know if he were to let go, would ZhouXiangpletely disappear from his world once again.

    He can¡¯t endure anymore.

    ¡°YanMingXiu, I don¡¯t want to hate you. Don¡¯t force me. Let me go. If you really feel guilty toward me, then leave. This is my home. I asked you to leave three years ago. Now... leave.¡±

    There is no trace of blood on YanMingXiu¡¯s face, even his lips is abnormally blue-gray. He looked at ZhouXiang in a daze, his eyshes drenched with teardrops that would fall when he blinked.

    ZhouXiang had never seen YanMingXiu cry.

    YanMingXiu is usually coldly indifferent and arrogant. This kind of weak expression with crying and pleading is impossible to appear on his face. But in just ten minutes, he saw it all.

    Why didn¡¯t he tell him this sentence, ¡°I love you¡± before his ident? Then all this tragedy would not have happened.

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°President Yan, I used to say that you¡¯re my ancestor. To think that I also have this day where you actually care for me, you telling me this now, do you think I should cry my heart out or be deeply grateful? If I didn¡¯t die, would you not even have looked at the real me and still be deeply in love with WangYuDong your entire life?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s voice sounded a bit piercing from desperation, "At the time, I already want to be with you. I don¡¯t want to move out of your home. I don¡¯t want you to be in that movie because I don¡¯t want you to have any contact with LanXiRong. With regards to WangYuDong... I...what I did was wrong at the time. I should not have treated you like that because of WangYuDong. At the time.... ZhouXiang, I was only 21 years old. You have to allow me to make mistakes. Please, I beg you. Give me a chance. Youing back alive is God giving me a chance. You also give me a chance. Let¡¯s start over. You said that you love me, ZhouXiang...¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu, the rim of his eyes feeling painfully sore, ¡°YanMingXiu, I¡¯ve awakened for a year. I have a year¡¯s time to tell you but I never intended on doing so. Do you really not understand why?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him stiffly.

    ZhouXiang slowly and resolutely pushed him away, ¡°God is not giving you a chance but giving me the chance to live again and correct the mistake I made. You are that mistake. I can¡¯t waste the chance this time.¡± He gently pushed YanMingXiu once, ¡°Leave, get out, this is my home.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t move but just stared at him unwaveringly; his expression distorted by pain.

    ZhouXiang grabbed his jacket, ¡°You don¡¯t leave. I¡¯ll leave.¡± At least YanMingXiu won¡¯t do anything to his condo. He decided toe back another day.

    YanMingXiu rushed up a bit frantically; both of them m to the ground. ZhouXiang¡¯s head hit the ground and got a little dizzy. Before he even regained his senses, something soft smash onto this lips, fiercely kissing him.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes widened. When he recovered his senses, he hit and pushed YanMingXiu off his body. With his eyes bloodshot, "YanMingXiu, that¡¯s fucking enough! Enough! I want to start (my life) over. I don¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake. If you drop a few tears, say something nice and hope that I will treat you as my ancestor again, I would be sorry to my mom for giving birth to me!¡± He ruthlessly kicked YanMingXiu once, grabbed his coat and frantically ran out.

    It was already four o¡¯clock in the morning. The street is so eerily quiet that it feels scary. On this cold winter day, almost no one would appear on the street at this time. Only ZhouXiang is running alone continuously on the street. If the patrolling police saw him, they¡¯ll likely think that he is guilty of some sort of crime.

    He didn¡¯t know how far he ran. It was as if he was hiding from a flood of beasts. In the end, he could no longer run anymore. He stopped and looked back. No one chased behind. The empty street is like a deep hole that extends continuously into a distance that he can¡¯t see clearly, as if it can suck people in to be doomed eternally.

    ZhouXiang leaned on the pole and gasped, his tears flooded out. The temperature was already below zero. He obviously wore a thick down jacket but still felt chillingly cold.

    It¡¯s been ten months since he had awakened. In the past ten months, hardly a day goes by that he could feel rxed. There is always something on his mind troubling him, constantly making him feel heavily burdened.

    Now that everyone whom he had wanted to conceal his identity from already knew the truth, he should be relieved. But YanMingXiu has given him an even bigger shock, making him feel utterly lost.

    The things he had never dared to dream of are now clearly happening in front of him. But he was not at all excited. On the contrary, his heart felt somber and deste.

    This is almost like hoping for a pot of water to boil for cooking, but after the water is boiled, the ingredients have already changed.

    ZhouXiang raised his hand to p himself on the face to remind him that when he awakened in this body, he had already let go.

    He wrapped his coat tightly around himself and walked aimlessly on the streets in the early hours of Winter; then hailed for a taxi to quickly get home.

    In the taxi, his cell phone kept pinging with a series of continuous text messages.

    ZhouXiang saw YanMingXiu¡¯s name. He deleted all the text messages without reading any.

    So this is what it feels like to be heartily drained. He just wants to hide somewhere and sleep for a long time and not wake up.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 89

    After ZhouXiang quietly returned home, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the bed. He slept until noon of the next day.

    ChenYing knocked on his door, ¡°ZhouXiang, get up. Someone is looking for you.¡±

    ZhouXiang hazily opened his eyes and bolted out of bed. His first reaction was that YanMingXiu hade. Since he turned off his cell phone, YanMingXiu could most likelye directly to find him.

    ZhouXiang asked while getting dressed, "Mom, who is it?"

    ¡°It¡¯s LanXiRong. He¡¯s waiting for you so hurry up.¡±

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh of relief. After he got dressed, he simply washed up and walked out of his room.

    LanXiRong was sitting in the living room, patiently responding to all sorts of questions from Aunt Wang while signing an autograph.

    ¡°XiRong?¡±

    LanXiRong turned his head and smiled, ¡°Xiang Ge, your phone is turned off so I came here to pick you up."

    ¡°You must have forgotten with so many things going on recently. Today is the release of my new album. I want to take you there."

    When ChenYing heard their conversation, her heart beated like drums. <i>Why is this big celebrity, surnamed Lan so respectful toward her son, always addressing him "Xiang Ge"?</i> It felt like ZhouXiang is really his big brother. This made her so happy that she couldn¡¯t say anything.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face paled; his expression exhaustive but he forced himself to liven up and smiled embarrassingly, ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten. Sorry. Wait for me a bit. Let me change into a suit, then we can leave immediately."

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to. I¡¯ve already prepared a set of clothes for you in the car. You can get your hair done when we get there. We¡¯re tight on time, let¡¯s go now."

    ZhouXiang said, "Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ChenYing was just about to say something when LanXiRong smiled and said, ¡°Auntie, turn the TV channel to XX 4pm this afternoon. The promotional event will be a broadcasted live. You¡¯ll be able to see me and Xiang Ge."

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± The two olddies chuckled so happily that they couldn¡¯t even close their mouths. ChenYing is even more proud of her son. He¡¯s just great no matter what.

    ZhouXiang followed LanXiRong into the car. Once LanXiRong got into the car, the smile he exhibited earlier in front of ChenYing disappeared, recing it with a serious expression, ¡°Xiang Ge, Wei Ge and I thought of another method. It¡¯s thest resort. Since there are no other ways at this time, we could just go directly into the home to take back your important things.¡±

    ZhouXiang hesitated for a bit. He lowered his head and sighed, "There¡¯s no need to."

    ¡°Are you worried of being caught by the police? You don¡¯t have to go, I¡¯ll find someone to. You make a list......"

    ¡°XiRong, thank you,¡± ZhouXiang turned his head and smiled softly, ¡°But I already went there.¡±

    LanXiRong¡¯s eyes widened as he mmed on the brakes, ¡°You......you already went? When?"

    ¡°Last night.¡±

    LanXiRong quickly asked, "Then were you able to get your things?"

    ¡°No, but I didn¡¯t need to." ZhouXiang reached out and stroked LanXiRong¡¯s head, "XiRong, you¡¯ve grown up a lot and helped me a lot. Xiang Ge is very grateful to you but you don¡¯t have to worry about this matter anymore.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, what do you mean?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled stiffly, ¡°I ran into YanMingXiu when I went.¡±

    LanXiRong is stunned. His heart suddenly beat rapidly. Hearing this news put him at aplete loss on what to do.

    What he is most worried about... still happened.

    LanXiRong suddenly pressed his hand down on ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder and said sternly, "Xiang Ge, did he do anything to you? What did you guys talk about?"

    ¡°Nothing much. At least, I got back the things that belonged to me.¡± ZhouXiang said, "This is also a good thing. After all, that condo is what I¡¯m most worried about.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, you won¡¯t get back with YanMingXiu again right? The way he treated you, you won¡¯t be fooled again right?"

    LanXiRong looked at him nervously; his beautiful big eyes full of tension and pleading.

    ZhouXiang pretended to smile, "What are you thinking? How could I? I¡¯m a person who has died once, especially after seeing myself be a pile of bones, I¡¯vepletely gotten over it. My fate with YanMingXiu had already ended in myst life.¡±

    LanXiRong breathe out a sigh of relief but still felt very uneasy, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m very happy that you think like this but YanMingXiu is definitely not going to be easy to..... (get rid of)...¡± LanXiRong realized that saying this would make YanMingXiu seem very affectionate so he changed his words and said, "YanMingXiu is too overbearing. You must try to stay away and don¡¯te in contact with him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know. Let¡¯s go, isn¡¯t the time very tight?¡±

    LanXiRong just remembered the promotional event and restarted the car.

    The promotional event is held at a hotel¡¯s banquet hall. Many of theirpany¡¯s stars have arrived as well as some of LanXiRong¡¯s friends and arge number of reporters.

    Seeing more than a hundred people walking around in this banquet hall, it is enough to see how much influence LanXiRong has in the entertainment industry. ZhouXiang is very envious and very happy for LanXiRong.

    He went to the backstage to change his clothes and then got his hair and makeup done. Busy for an hour, the promotional event soon began.

    The staff informed ZhouXiang to wait in an area backstage. In a bit, he¡¯ll appear together with LanXiRong.

    ZhouXiang knew that LanXiRong deliberately wanted to promote him. With ZhouXiang appearing together with LanXiRong in this event along with the promotion for the MV broadcast, his value is obviously expected to rise. There are many people who have the talents but justcked the opportunity for the audiences to recognize them.

    ZhouXiang now has such opportunity; he must seize it very well.

    At this time, Ah Liu ran over and shouted, ¡°Ah Xiang. Come out first. President Wang is here. Let¡¯s all go greet the big boss."

    ZhouXiang quickly got up and followed Ah Liu out. It was said that President Wang had just returned from Tibet and specially came to support LanXiRong. This evidently shows how much he values thepany¡¯s most profitable money maker.

    LanXiRong also went over. CaiWei walked over from afar and waved at them. Several people walked to the door to greet President Wang.

    However when President Wang came in from the hidden back corridor of the ballroom, several people are stunned.

    Besides a few entourages and his wife, President Wang also brought YanMingXiu along.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body froze; his eyes connected with YanMingXiu by a distance of more than ten meters. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t look too different from his typical appearance. In addition to being a lot thinner and a bit dispirited, the cold indifference that he usually exudes still lingered. Only at the moment when he saw ZhouXiang was there a faint glimmer of intense emotions from those dark bottomless eyes.

    President Wang looked tanner but very energetic. Praising from afar, "Aiyah, how did ZhouXiang be so handsome? Who is the stylist? Give him a raise."

    ZhouXiang wore a tailored iron grey color suit that entuated his long slim body. His eyebrows were just trimmed and his eyes were bright and fully expressive making his entire person looking very dashing. Even with him standing next to a top-notch gorgeous stunning man like LanXiRong, he only seemed slightly inferior. Compared to LanXiRong¡¯s youthful exquisite appearance, ZhouXiang radiates a more matured and charming aurora.

    When ZhouXiang smiled politely at President Wang, the three people (YanMingXiu, CaiWei, LanXiRong) whom he (ZhouXiang) were quite familiar with, saw in an instant a shadow of his former self. This twenty-seven-year-old body is more like the ZhouXiang from before; from his expression to his appearance, he is more and more like him.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression emanated strong yearnings but because of the asion, he can only desperately suppress it.

    Seeing YanMingXiu¡¯s expression, LanXiRong loathingly gnashed his teeth.

    "President Wang, you¡¯re back."

    A few people came up to greet and shook hands with President Wang.

    President Wang looked proudly at LanXiRong, the big star he had nurtured. He smiled and said, "This is the third album. Xiao Lan, you never let me down.¡±

    LanXiRongughed, "I can¡¯t do this without President Wang¡¯s nurturing."

    After saying a few polite words, President Wang turned his attention to ZhouXiang, looking at him from head to toe and sighed, "Is this my imagination? Why is it that each time I see you, you are more and more like that ZhouXiang? The previous one......why is this? Not only just your temperament, even your facial features are more and more like him."

    The several people that knew the truth suddenly stiffened.

    There is a little bit of tingling in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart. He smiled, ¡°It¡¯s probably because President Wang missed Xiang Ge (referring to his previous self older ZhouXiang) too much. President Wang is such a sentimental person. I am very fortunate to be working for you. Ever since I entered thepany, Wei Ge, XiRong and President Wang, have all taken special care of me. It can be said that what I have today is from borrowing Xiang Ge¡¯s luck. Not only do you miss Xiang Ge, I also miss him very much.¡±

    These spoken words appear to be very fitting but made those who knew ZhouXiang feel emotionally heavy. Not only did President Wang sigh, CaiWei¡¯s and LanXiRong¡¯s expressions are grief-stricken. YanMingXiu especially felt sharp piercing pains in his heart.

    President Wang sighed, "Aiigghh (sigh sound), since you guys have fate, then you live together with ZhouXiang¡¯s identity. Now that I think about it, I really regret that I couldn¡¯t promote ZhouXiang into fame. From now on, I will put more work on promoting you. With so many people helping you, you have to work harder. Don¡¯t let us down."

    "Thank you, President Wang, I will definitely do my best."

    President Wang nodded satisfactorily. He suddenly remembered something. pping his hand on his head, he said with annoyance, ¡°Aiyah...look how forgetful I am. MingXiu, MingXiu,e over here. Sorry. I¡¯ve just been reminiscing the old days. You¡¯ve met them right? No need for introductions, right?"

    YanMingXiu nodded with his eyes falling on ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang silently drift away from YanMingXiu¡¯s sight.

    President Wang said, "Everyone knows MingXiu right? He came especially to support and aid XiRong with the event. I don¡¯t see a problem with this album getting millions in sales. In addition, (talking to) ZhouXiang, MingXiu wants to invite you to participate in his new movie; it¡¯s an exceptionally heavy role. I¡¯ve skimmed through the script and already epted for you. But don¡¯t be happy too early, MingXiu has very high expectations."

    ZhouXiang stared nkly at YanMingXiu.

    President Wang thought that he was too happy. Heughed aloud, "Don¡¯t get too excited. We¡¯ll talk about the detailster. You just show your face in the promotional event today. ZhouXiang, your future is limitless.¡±

    For a little-unknown actor who can participate in YanMingXiu¡¯s movie, it¡¯s no exaggeration to say that this is a leap into the sky. It is a huge honor and great fortune to be able to jump directly from a minor actor to a first or second line actor so it never urred to President Wang that ZhouXiang would probably disagree. He also didn¡¯t know that ZhouXiang is already thinking of ways to reject the offer.

    It¡¯s not that ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t love fame and fortune, but if the price is dependent upon YanMingXiu in order to move up, he¡¯s definitely unwilling. If he just moves forward with his feet firmly nted on the ground and stayed down-to-earth, one day he will have good results. After all, he has LanXiRong helping him. His starting step is already very good. He doesn¡¯t need to be extremely popr, especially not when it¡¯s linked to YanMingXiu¡¯s sess.

    He must find a way to refuse, but right now is not the time. President Wang had already taken YanMingXiu into the banquet hall.

    Others followed and filed in.

    ZhouXiang and CaiWei, LanXiRong followed from behind.

    CaiWei frowned, "This YanMingXiu really knows how to use his influence. He merely needed to grab onto President Wang, then you, ZhouXiang, can only be at his mercy.¡±

    LanXiRong fiercely scoffed, "He¡¯s really a pest that won¡¯t leave. Such a shameless bastard......¡±

    ZhouXiang said depressingly, "Let¡¯s not talk about this. I¡¯ll find a way to deal with it. XiRong, today is your promotional event. Hurry up and go in. Remember, you must not look unhappy in front of the media.¡±

    CaiWei said, "Don¡¯t worry. XiRong knows what¡¯s important.¡±

    LanXiRong wanted to say more but in the end, he could only slump his shoulders. Although he had personal resentment toward YanMingXiu, he could not ignore President Wang¡¯s prominence. Not being able to stop YanMingXiu from getting closer and closer to ZhouXiang made him feel very depressed and helpless.

    ZhouXiang suppressed the negative emotions in his heart and patted LanXiRong on the shoulder, "Let¡¯s go. Put on your cute smiling face that everyone loves."

    LanXiRong forcefully smiled. Seeing that nobody was around besides them, he whispered, "Xiang Ge, can I give you a kiss?¡±

    ZhouXiang astonishingly responded, "What?¡±

    CaiWei heard it clearly and scolded with smile, "Look at you......¡± After saying that, he shook his head and left.

    ZhouXiang slightly mocked, "You brat... are you actually nervous?¡±

    "I¡¯m not nervous. I just want to give you a kiss.¡±

    LanXiRong exposed an expression like that of a spoiled child wanting to eat candy. That expression blended with his beautiful baby face made him look a bit pitiful. Thus, making it hard for people to refuse. It¡¯s no wonder that women of all ages upon seeing LanXiRong will want to hold him in their arms and spoil him.

    ZhouXiang bunched up his brows, ¡°Where do you want to kiss?¡±

    "Where do you want it to be?" LanXiRong asked excitedly.

    ZhouXiang put his fingers on his lips, kissed it and blew him a kiss, "Okay, let¡¯s go in." After saying that, he turned and walked away.

    LanXiRong is dissatisfied with his half-hearted response. He stepped forward and quickly pecked ZhouXiang¡¯s lips, then smiled slyly, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t fool people like that ah."

    ZhouXiang shook his head and said helplessly, "Go on in, stop wasting time.¡±

    LanXiRong nced at him deeply, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s go. As long as I can have a say in my future movies and albums, I want you to be a part of it.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The two entered the banquet hall from the backstage. As soon as they stepped through the door, countless shes rushed at them in frenzy. LanXiRong is used to this. He exposed his signature smile and greeted everyone. ZhouXiang still couldn¡¯t get used to the lights. The constant shes almost made it impossible for him to open his eyes so he could only follow LanXiRong onto the stage.

    LanXiRong was soon surrounded by several reporters. The host on the stage repeatedly advised, ¡°Don¡¯t surround XiRong. Don¡¯t rush. You can ask any questions in a moment. Don¡¯t rush everyone. Don¡¯t block the entrance. Let XiRong get through first."

    ZhouXiang was pushed to the back with several reporters stopping in front of him, all wanting to get closer to LanXiRong. LanXiRong¡¯s bodyguards rushed over to try and rescue him.

    ZhouXiang helplessly wanted to go around but couldn¡¯t find a way so he was at a loss.

    Just when there was a bit of chaos in the scene, amotion came from behind ZhouXiang. With the help of his assistants and bodyguards, YanMingXiu broke through the reporters¡¯ encirclement and walked toward ZhouXiang.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 90

    The reporters turned their heads one by one. When they saw YanMingXiuing over with his bodyguards, no one dared to go up to stop them. Instead, they voluntarily gave him way.

    YanMingXiu is the most unusual person in the circle. Not only is he an actor, but he also represents one of the most powerfully prestigious family in the capital city so no one dares to provoke him. Although he conducts himself in a coldly indifferent and arrogant manner, no media would say anything negative about him. Seeing him looking so unsightlying over at this time, naturally nobody would dare block him.

    YanMingXiu looked directly at ZhouXiang. Approaching him calmly, then gently grabbed his arm and said softly, "Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Although his voice was very low, it ispletely quiet all around so the two words he said were clearly heard by everyone.

    Regarding this neer ZhouXiang, his gossip and exposure has recently been increasing exponentially. Oftentimes, it is associated with big-name stars such as LanXiRong, WangYuDong, and YanMingXiu. Even though nobody dared to say it publicly, it doesn¡¯t mean that they won¡¯t gossip behind closed doors. At least the news of ZhouXiang being "bought" by YanMingXiu had already entered many people¡¯s ears ever since the crew returned from GuiZhou. With the two making actual contact in public at this time, the reporters naturally would not let go of this good opportunity. All eyes stared at them like searchlights waiting for YanMingXiu to turn around so they could fervently snap a bunch of pictures.

    ZhouXiang maintained hisposure and smiled, ¡°President Yan, you first please.¡± After saying that, he lightly pulled YanMingXiu¡¯s hand that was on him away and made an inviting gesture.

    The muscles on YanMingXiu¡¯s face slowly moved. He faintly nced at the reporter who was standing in front of them, obviously giving a warning, his slightly raised eyebrows made his expression all the more forceful.

    The reporters who had stopped LanXiRong also dispersed. ZhouXiang nodded politely at the reporters and maneuvered onto the stage.

    YanMingXiu followed up from behind and gently supported his hand on his back. His movements are not deliberate. It merely looked as though he and ZhouXiang have always been close.

    This made LanXiRong frown slightly<strong>.</strong>

    The few people stood on the stage. The host first excitedly thanked President Wang and YanMingXiu foring and then had LanXiRong take the lead. Each took their turns to present their release speeches.

    When it was ZhouXiang¡¯s turn, there were more than a hundred pairs of eyes looking at him. For a moment, ZhouXiang became stiff. When he was standing on the stage earlier, he didn¡¯t feel nervous but now with so many people watching him, so many shes shining on him, he immediately felt the numbness in his scalp and the sweat in his palm.

    He really couldn¡¯t imagine how LanXiRong could have a concert at the stadium with so many people. He was only nervous for two to three seconds before he was able to calm down and present the speech he prepared. His speech is especially appropriate and fitting, thanking everyone that should be thanked.

    Following is the questioning session. Most of the questions were concentrated on LanXiRong. Basically none had anything to do with ZhouXiang. Finally, there is the cake-cutting and fan raffles types of activities. This entire event took nearly three hours.

    President Wang booked a dinner banquet at the hotel. After the event, all the participants went to eat.

    ZhouXiang was arranged to sit on the main table. LanXiRong and YanMingXiu were also on the same table, but they were situated on both sides of President Wang, far from him.

    During the meal, someone would constantlye to the main table to give them a toast. The people at the main table also toasted each other. ZhouXiang, being the lowliest person on the main table toasted each person on the table. When he got to YanMingXiu, YanMingXiu stood up.

    This really gave ZhouXiang face. Before when everyone toasted, YanMingXiu never once got up.

    President Wang pursed his lips and smiled, ¡°ZhouXiang. Did the filming in GuiZhou with President Yan go smoothly?"

    ZhouXiang nodded, "Didn¡¯t make President Wang lose face.¡±

    President Wangughed, ¡°When this movie is released, your worth is going to be extraordinary. You should thank MingXiu at that time. If it weren¡¯t for him, you would not have gotten the chance to act in that role.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Thank you President Yan, thank you President Wang. I¡¯ll toast to the both of you again.¡±

    He picked up the ss and poured a little for President Wang and YanMingXiu but poured himself a full ss, then raised his ss, ¡°Bottoms up, you both go right ahead.¡±

    Just when he was about to drink, YanMingXiu grabbed his hand.

    ZhouXiang is startled. Everyone on the table looked at them.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hands are dry and warm. The skin on his palm is delicate and soft like a girl¡¯s hand, this is a pair of pampered hands. ZhouXiang¡¯s smile froze on his face. He didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu wanted to do.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s deep, dark eyes silently stared at him for a long while. He then poured most of the wine from ZhouXiang¡¯s ss into his and downed it.

    The rest of the people on the table are silent.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s actions are too unusual, adding on these rumors, everyone looked at ZhouXiang a bit evasively.

    The atmosphere became a bit awkward.

    President Wang swirled his ss of wine and observed the two people standing, revealing a perceptive smile.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°President Yan, I¡¯m overwhelmingly ttered. In fact, my stomach is already fine. I can drink. If I can¡¯t, I won¡¯t dare to toast you.¡±

    Although everyone could hear that it¡¯s an excuse, this was a way out of the awkward situation. ZhouXiang shed his ss with President Wang¡¯s ss and finished the wine in his ss.

    President Wang smiled, ¡°A thing like stomach disease needs to have life-long preventive measures. Just because it doesn¡¯t hurt today doesn¡¯t mean that you can just casually let your guard down. Remember that Xiao Zhou.¡±

    "Thanks to President Wang for your concern."

    ZhouXiang had just put down his ss when CaiWei immediately stood up and toasted the entire table, bringing an end to this unusual little episode.

    After the meal, everyone gradually left. ZhouXiang was nning on leaving with CaiWei or LanXiRong but President Wang called him over.

    ¡°Xiao Zhou, go with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°President Wang, I don¡¯t want to bother you. It¡¯s along the way for many colleagues here; I can just hitch a ride with them."

    ¡°Hey, hitch what ride? Let¡¯s go...let¡¯s go.¡±

    LanXiRong was about to say something but bit his tongue. He could only watch ZhouXiang leave with President Wang.

    President Wang drank a bit too much. After getting out the door, he grabbed ZhouXiang and spoke to him about the ns for his promising future. ZhouXiang is very familiar with this kind of talk from President Wang. President Wang¡¯s mouth is quite awesome. If he wanted to paint a pie (overall interest) for someone, he¡¯ll surely make the painting of the pie round and full, making people yearn for it. ZhouXiang had been his employee for a long time so he knew how much truth there are in his words. He merely listened with a smile but didn¡¯t put it to heart.

    Finally, ZhouXiang supported President Wang to the hotel¡¯s entrance. There was several luxury cars parked outside. At this time, the reporters were basically gone so these big and minor stars dared to leave from the main entrance. He could see that that LanXiRong had already gotten into a car and the driver quickly drove away.

    President Wang clutched ZhouXiang¡¯s arm tightly and half-drunkenly spoke while smiling, ¡°ZhouXiang, I see that you¡¯re not too old, your temperament is still quite stable, I am very optimistic for you, let Wang Ge tells you some truths, so listen.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    "In this circle, there are many beautiful men and womening and going. Why is it that someone can be popr and others can not? It¡¯s because those who can¡¯t be popr either didn¡¯t seize the opportunities or even have the chance to meet such opportunities. You... you are very lucky."

    President Wang pointed at his nose, "ZhouXiang, you need to be smarter. With an opportunity in front of you and if you let it go, then you¡¯re an idiot... a fool."

    ZhouXiang turned his head, wondering what President Wang is referring to.

    He soon found out because President Wang clutched him down the steps, took the initiative to open a Bentley door and shoved him in, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve said so much. President Yan will take you back.¡±

    At a nce, surely YanMingXiu is sitting on the other side looking at him quietly.

    ZhouXiang is stunned. He wanted to stand up but when he did, his shoulders reached President Wang¡¯s thick hands, preventing him. His body is in a posture that couldn¡¯t go up or down, just frozen in ce.

    President Wang smiled at him.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s forehead sweated cold bullets. He reluctantly smiled and sat down.

    President Wang patted him on the shoulder and helped him close the door.

    The driver drove away.

    ZhouXiang sat on the left side with YanMingXiu sitting on the right side. The distance between the two was only a seat, but it seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle. No one made a move.

    ZhouXiang turned his head slightly, ¡°President Yan, my home on the east side, you¡¯re heading toward the west of Fourth Ring Road.¡±

    He was telling this to YanMingXiu and also to the driver. But the driver is like a piece of wood. He didn¡¯t even move his head and continued to drive in the opposite direction.

    YanMingXiu softly said, ¡°We¡¯re going to my ce.¡±

    ZhouXiang tried to suppress his anger, ¡°I¡¯m not going, find a ce to drop me off.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned to look at him, ¡°ZhouXiang, I want to find a ce to have a good talk with you.¡±

    ¡°We can talk anywhere, why does it have to be your home?¡±

    "If you don¡¯t want to go to my home, I could go with you to your home. I also wanted to see your mother."

    ZhouXiang narrowed his eyes, ¡°YanMingXiu, what is it that you really want?¡±

    YanMingXiu bitterly smiled a bit, ¡°What I want... you really don¡¯t understand?¡±

    ZhouXiang opened his mouth but stopped talking. There was another person in the car. It¡¯s not that he cared to give face to YanMingXiu but this is merely a rtionship between two men. He was too embarrassed to speak about it in front of others, let alone, his story is utterly unworthy to be mentioned.

    The both of them stopped talking. After more than 20 minutes, they arrived at the ce where YanMingXiu lived.

    ZhouXiang had been to this ce a few times, even spending the night here. So to actuallye as "another person,¡± one can really have nothing to fear. A body that doesn¡¯t truly belong to him is like the safest umbre, allowing him to hide within and do whatever he thinks is not honorable. Right now, he really didn¡¯t want to go in.

    But he still went in. If he didn¡¯t go in today, he¡¯d still be forced to go in sooner orter. Each and every word from President Wang has been imprinted in his mind. This is fucking reality.

    He thought... <i>he must have a good talk with YanMingXiu and clearly say whatever it is that he wanted to say.</i>

    After YanMingXiu got into the house, he poured a cup of water for the both of them. Then sat on the sofa and sighed exhaustedly, ¡°ZhouXiang, you asked me what I want. I only want a chance, a chance for you to ept me again. You can¡¯t possibly not give me chance to atone for my mistakes and sentenced me to death. I absolutely can¡¯t ept it."

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°YanMingXiu, if someone treated you as someone else¡¯s substitute for a year, being such a proud and arrogant person like yourself, would you have forgiven him? Although I am not as ambitious nor do I have such a superiorly noble life like you, what you did to me was far more than that.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hand that was holding the cup trembled.

    "In that year, I tried my hardest to please you. I asked you whether or not I could date you. You can¡¯t possibly not understand the meaning of that. I seriously want to be with you. If you were only treating me as fuckbuddy, you should have clearly said so from the beginning. I¡¯m not an idiot to still be pestering you, not letting you go. You were leading me on while at the same time trying to get the feeling of being with WangYuDong from me. Am I right?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression paled. He could not refute any of ZhouXiang¡¯s words.

    ¡°Maybe you like me very much. Otherwise, I¡¯m not all that good looking, you could have anyone you wanted. You didn¡¯t have to live with me in that small shabby condo for a year. What did you like about me? You liked that I treated you well, liked that I do everything for you and took very good care of you. Mostly, you liked that I have a back that is very much like WangYuDong. So in that year, every time you fucked me, you liked to use the back position. And I fucking thought that it was just your obsession. If the person you fucked was really WangYuDong, you¡¯ll definitely want to take a few more nces at his beautiful face, right?" Toward the end of these words, ZhouXiang¡¯s voice trembled. He had been suppressing these words for a long time. From the time he broke up with YanMingXiu, he had wanted to say it. But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have the chance. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu forcing him, he still wouldn¡¯t have said it because he needed to preserve his dignity. He also knew that he is shameful. He also didn¡¯t want to say in front of this person who had humiliated him and tell him how pathetic he was.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is hoarse, ¡°It¡¯s not, not like that! ZhouXiang. From when I was 16 years old, I thought that the person I liked was WangYuDong. Up until I met you, after I met you, everything changed. But when I finally realized who was really in my heart, you have already... before I could tell you this, you were no longer here. ZhouXiang. I never thought of humiliating you. The year we were together was my most precious experience, irreceable by anyone. I just... I just didn¡¯t realize it at the time that I had.....¡± YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang with bloodshot eyes, not knowing how to express to ZhouXiang how much he loves him.

    His mistakes had hurt ZhouXiang to such an extreme that is impossible to erase. No matter what he says, he can¡¯t change this fact.

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°You can¡¯t even refute that yourself, right? Do you think I¡¯m stupid? After my ident, you felt guilty, remorseful. But what is the use? What if I didn¡¯t wake up in this body? I wouldn¡¯t have known even when I died that you actually still have some feelings for me." ZhouXiang pressed his hand over his heart, feeling that it is bleeding. "YanMingXiu, I¡¯m still alive now, so you can save your guilt. There are many roads under the vast skies; we can each go our separate ways. You don¡¯t have to force me anymore. I¡¯ve already let go of you. Isn¡¯t this good? God has given me this new life, please let me start over and live it well.¡±

    YanMingXiu responed hoarsely, ¡°ZhouXiang, why don¡¯t you believe my feelings for you? You obviously loved me before. Could it be that there is not a trace of feelings left? Everything that you had hoped to get from me, I could give it to you now. You just have to nod your head; I¡¯ll do anything for you. For this, you really can¡¯t forgive me?¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent for a long time before responding, ¡°I can¡¯t do it. When I see my corpse, I can¡¯t do it.¡±

    YanMingXiu seemed to hear the sounds of his heart shattering. He slowly gripped his hair, his mind buzzing with a voice that kept reminding him that ZhouXiang refused to forgive him, over and over again, cruelly and clearly.

    ZhouXiang stood up. He forced himself to not to look at YanMingXiu and turned to the door.

    He can¡¯t listen anymore, can¡¯t see anymore. This person¡¯s heart (young ZhouXiang¡¯s heart) has been infected by his (YanMingXiu) lonely soul. His heart actually endlessly pitied YanMingXiu. This should not be. It¡¯s not right. His heart should have died with his body.

    ¡°ZhouXiang, don¡¯t leave," YanMingXiu¡¯s hollowed voice came from behind.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand was already gripping the door handle.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s lowly-hoarse voice sounded quietly, "ZhouXiang, have you forgotten, we still have half a year left to our deal."

    ZhouXiang is shocked. He slowly turned around.

    YanMingXiu stood up, with his eyes inmed with his expression a bit distorted. He walked step by step to ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang dropped his hand that was on the door handle. His entire body felt cold all over, wanting to smile but can¡¯t, ¡°President Yan, how could I forget?¡± <i>How could he have forgotten this? He actually forgot that he took </i><i>£¤</i><i>2 million and a condo from YanMingXiu and sold himself to him for a year.</i>

    Such a valuable deal, he might not even have gotten in his entire lifetime, but he actually forgot, or it could be said, he simply dared not think about it.

    YanMingXiu came close and touched his face gently. His eyes full of emotions, softly whispering, ¡°Do you remember it now?¡±

    ¡°Remembered." ZhouXiang looked at him quietly, his expression cold, ¡°Till May of next year.¡±

    YanMingXiu leaned close and gently pecked Zhou Xiang¡¯s lips. His voice hoarse, "ZhouXiang. I don¡¯t want to do this, but I can¡¯t just watch you walk away from me."

    ZhouXiang coldly said, ¡°I need the money. I don¡¯t want the condo.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. The condo had already been transferred; you can¡¯t back out (of the deal).¡±

    ZhouXiang lightly trembled.

    ¡°Half a year, in this half years¡¯ time, following our deal, stay with me.¡± YanMingXiu stroked ZhouXiang¡¯s smooth face with his fingertips, his other hand wrapped around ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, hugging him tightly.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath. The heater in the room is turned on sufficiently but his entire body felt chillingly cold.

    ¡°Say something, ZhouXiang.¡± YanMingXiu kissed and sucked ZhouXiang¡¯s neck, leaving his marks on his skin.

    ZhouXiang softly uttered, ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to say. President Yan. The skill of exerting your influence, you win.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s arm suddenly tightened, hugging ZhouXiang so tightly that he was almost breathless.

    ¡°ZhouXiang, I don¡¯t want to do this. I¡¯ll be good to you. Be with me. My only own wish is that you stay by my side. Don¡¯t hate me. Don¡¯t resent me. ZhouXiang...¡± YanMingXiu is like a child, leaning his entire body weight on ZhouXiang, using all his strength to hold him for fear that he would disappear.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s depressing sunken eyes looked outside the windows at the dark night sky, not knowing what to say.

    Going around and around, stumbling and bumping, in fact he had never been in control of himself.

    This is ridiculous. The more he wanted something, the more reality opposes it. When he wanted it, he can¡¯t get it. When he wanted to escape from it, he can¡¯t avoid it.

    No matter at what time, he can¡¯t get his way.

    Even though he lost his parents in his childhood, he didn¡¯t feel that his life was bad. But now he has this terrifying feeling that his fate had already beenid out, and it¡¯s aplete farce.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 91

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t go home that night. It should be said that he didn¡¯t return to the apartment he and ChenYing rented because YanMingXiu took him back to his real home.

    Despite the fact that ZhouXiang no longer has ownership of his own home. Once his body is found, his death had truly been confirmed. All of his possessions no longer have any connections to him.

    When he pushed open the familiar door and turned on the light switch that he could easily have felt even with his eyes closed, he saw the home he had lived in for 30 years looking just the same as before in front of him. There is no dust, no emptiness of being left vacant for a long time. The warming soft light streamed into the cozy little living room felt just as he left those years ago. There was not even the slightest change.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes swept through every corners of the living room. He softly said, ¡°I¡¯ve tidied it up. You... after you left, I lived here for a long time. Butter on, I didn¡¯t dare to anymore. The sound of your voice and your face is everywhere in this home, I can¡¯t live here. But every month I¡¯lle back once or twice do some cleaning. Everything has been kept the same as before. ZhouXiang ... do you understand? I¡¯ve always been waiting for you toe back."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart felt a bit pained. He sorrowfully sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve already returned. I¡¯ll exchange this condo with the one you transferred to me. Give me back mine, okay?¡± ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu, his eyes sincere, "Take it as me begging you.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled forcefully, "ZhouXiang, you really have the ability to make me feel bad. This condo, I can give it back to you but you have to give yourself to me.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his head silently, ¡°Half a year, only half a year left in our deal.¡±

    ¡°Even if it is half a year, I won¡¯t give up.¡± YanMingXiu added, ¡°In this six months, we¡¯ll be like before, you have to follow ording to my ns. I¡¯ll give you two days to move back here.¡± YanMingXiu leaned forward and gently kissed ZhouXiang¡¯s soft lips, ¡°Let¡¯s live here together and start over.¡±

    ZhouXiang gnawed his teeth, ¡°You doing all this makes no sense. There is nothing that can go back. If I was still the ZhouXiang from before, if I didn¡¯t fall off the cliff, then maybe I can start over with you. But now, YanMingXiu, now, look at me, look at my face, we can¡¯t start over.¡±

    ¡°We can.¡± YanMingXiu stared fiercely into ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes. His eyes are so deep that it look a bit frightening. ¡°ZhouXiang, actually you never knew me because I¡¯ve always guarded myself from you. I made a huge mistake. I didn¡¯t let you know how content I was in the year we were together. Every single day, I was sofortable and happy. You don¡¯t understand what you mean to me. I also didn¡¯t understand back then, but the three years that you¡¯re weren¡¯t here, I know clearer than anything else that I can¡¯t ... can¡¯t let you go."

    He didn¡¯t know whether he dared in his life to tell ZhouXiang that the person who had captivated him at the age of 16, the person he fell in love with and the person constantly on his mind in these years is ZhouXiang. Because he mistaken the wrong person, loved the wrong person, the mistake he made in this life is one that he couldn¡¯t forgive himself. At this point, he can¡¯t do anything about it. He doesn¡¯t have the courage to tell ZhouXiang. He¡¯s afraid that ZhouXiang will hate him even more. He even hated himself.

    If it could be said that the graceful, natural and unrestrained back of the person dressed in white on the silver screen satisfied his illusion of a perfect lover in his youth, then the year that he was with ZhouXiang was a period that constantly showed him what it was in a rtionship that made him feelfortable and content. He saw how a mature man treats love and how he (ZhouXiang) used his kindness and tolerance to influence and bind the other person. He is the one who has been firmly grasped by ZhouXiang. However, he was too stupid at the time to realize it. He was blinded by his own obsession. He even felt that since he already had someone (WangYuDong) in his heart, he was going against his own principles to fall for someone (ZhouXiang) else. While he enjoyed all the goodness that ZhouXiang gave him, he just muddled along in deceiving himself, deceiving ZhouXiang.

    So for ZhouXiang to not believe him, he could fully understand. He did not give ZhouXiang even a bit of confidence in that year. Even when ZhouXiang died, he didn¡¯t know how much he weighed in his heart.

    He will use all his remaining time to make up for the mistakes he made, to end this three-year torture and get back the person he most wanted in his life... the person he must have in his life.

    When ZhouXiang saw YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes looking so resolute and deeply emotional, his heart trembled unconsciously.

    YanMingXiu mentioned a point that is very true. He never truly understood YanMingXiu because YanMingXiu never gave him that chance. In the first few months, he didn¡¯t even know YanMingXiu¡¯s background or what he does. In his eyes, YanMingXiu was just a recent graduate from college that is proud and arrogant, with a financially well-off family, a youngster that is not easy to please. At the time, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to what kind of person YanMingXiu really was. Right from the beginning, he was only attracted by his god-like appearance.

    When he really wanted to understand YanMingXiu, he didn¡¯t have such opportunity because he had genuinely fallen in love with YanMingXiu. All of YanMingXiu¡¯s virtues and shorings are characteristics that are worthy for him to explore in his eyes. He could no longer see clearly.

    Until he was reborn with this identity and met YanMingXiu again is when he finally woke up. YanMingXiu is no longer that youth from the past or even the YanMingXiu from then. He was not as simple as he thought. Standing in front of him now is a man who can do as he pleases in the entertainment circle, powerful and indifferent.

    When he came into contact with YanMingXiu¡¯s unreserved expression, he felt chillingly cold. He didn¡¯t believe anything that YanMingXiu said because he had the illusion that he was going to be swallowed up. He said mockingly, ¡°YanMingXiu, if you really were what you said...that you can¡¯t forget me, then how did our deale from? You spent two million and a condo to essentially ¡®buy¡¯ me. What you bought was not me but this body. In fact, this is nothing. Who doesn¡¯t have physical needs? But when you like WangYuDong, you treated me as his substitute. You say that you like me but also found a substitute. In fact, you are justcking someone to be with you... it didn¡¯t matter who...."

    Before ZhouXiang even finished talking, YanMingXiu¡¯s face became extremely unsightly. He impulsively pressed ZhouXiang to the wall, his voice extremely piercing from the pain he¡¯s in, ¡°ZhouXiang, treating you as WangYuDong before ... I¡¯m sorry to you... but you... the very first time I saw you at the elevator, even if your looks havepletely changed, I still feel a shock that can¡¯t be exined. At the time, my only thought was that I didn¡¯t want you to go. I used this method to get you, or to get this body, is because...¡± YanMingXiu is choking with sobs, ¡°Because I missed you so much that I¡¯m going crazy. The familiarity that I get from you is the only thing that could save me at that time. You don¡¯t understand... You don¡¯t understand how much I miss you. You don¡¯t understand how I endured every day. You are obviously you, yet you hid it from me for so long. You told CaiWei, told LanXiRong, but only didn¡¯t tell me. Are you satisfied with this kind of revenge? You should be satisfied. I¡¯m in much more pain than you think!¡± YanMingXiu hugged him tightly, his voice full of despair, ¡°ZhouXiang, even if I deserve everything, I never thought of betraying you in the slightest bit, I just ...... you two (referring to both younger and older ZhouXiang) are too much alike. You¡¯re actually the same person! ZhouXiang, can you understand? It¡¯s been three years. I can¡¯t go on anymore!¡±

    WangYuDong, two ZhouXiangs, substitute, substitute, who is whose substitute? Who is the substitute? Who is the protagonist?! From the beginning to the now, all the circumstances is like a joke deliberately nned by God. The purpose is simply to push them into a desperate situation and then look at their painful and stupid expression for entertainment.

    ZhouXiang opened his mouth, his words on the tip of tongue but he didn¡¯t say anything. He was afraid that if he were to open his mouth, his emotions would get out of control.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s pain and grievances made him feel overwhelmed. <i>Could YanMingXiu be considered as having betrayed him? </i>Even he is unsure. He is also a man. He never thought that someone should be faithful to a dead person.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t do anything wrong. In fact, he even helped him. But all the tangled emotions in his heart made it impossible for him to resolve.

    <i>Is he jealous? Who is he jealous of? Both ZhouXiangs are him yet notpletely him. Who is the substitute? Who is the protagonist?</i> Even he himself can¡¯t tell.

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes in pain.

    He had long understood that as long as he gets involved with YanMingXiu, what is waiting for him is inconceivable pain and suffering. So he must, must stay away from YanMingXiu. Even if he loves YanMingXiu a lot, he is also afraid.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 92

    ZhouXiang gently pushed YanMingXiu away. He flopped softly down on the sofa as his legs grew weak and stared nkly at the TV set that should¡¯ve been disposed of long ago.

    YanMingXiu stood still for a while. He wiped his face and heaved a sigh to calm down his emotions, then turned and went into the kitchen.

    ZhouXiang heard the sound of the microwave oven working in the kitchen and dazedly nced toward the kitchen. He didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu is doing.

    After a while, YanMingXiu came out holding two bone china bowls <sup>(T/N). </sup>The small porcin bowls were as white as jade, printed with pale pink camellia flowers. They were bought when he and YanMingXiu were leisurely strolling the streets. The two practically spotted it at the same time. ZhouXiang wanted to leave after seeing the price but YanMingXiu just went and brought the set.

    T/N: Bone china is a type of porcin that isposed of bone ash, feldspathic material, and kaolin and is the strongest of the porcin or china ceramics, having very high mechanical and physical strength and chip resistance, and is known for its high levels of whiteness and translucency.

    In the second half year of their cohabitation, they used it all the time. He could even imagine the camellia flower set being ced at the table at home. The pale pink camellia flowers on the white porcin lined with whitewashed red and white id tablecloths is so gentle and elegant, full of homely atmosphere.

    ZhouXiang just stared nkly at YanMingXiu as he put the porcin bowls on the coffee table. In the porcin bowls are white fungus soup<sup>(T/N)</sup>.

    T/N: White fungus has been appraised for its medicinal benefits, namely anti-inmmatory and anti-tumor. In Chinese families, it ismonly used in soups cooked for soothing purposes like nourishing the bodies, healing dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs.

    ¡°I made it before I left today. I knew there was going to be liquor involved.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s voice still tinged with a slight snuffling sound. He softly added, ¡°It may not be as good as the way you make it. Try it." He picked up a bowl of white fungus soup and handed it to ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang stretched out his hands to take it. He led out a sigh and took a sip.

    YanMingXiu asked with bit of eagerness, ¡°Is it good?¡±

    ¡°President Yan, you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± ZhouXiang put the bowl down and look quietly at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu gnawed his teeth, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to call me President Yan again.¡±

    YanMingXiu can¡¯t imagine what kind of mockery ZhouXiang had in his heart when he called him ¡®President Yan.¡¯ When the truth was revealed, YanMingXiu even had a trace of hatred toward ZhouXiang because he had hid this from him for a year.

    The longer he was separated from ZhouXiang, the more his pain increased. No one could understand this. Only he knew what it felt like to have sleepless nights...what it felt like to wake up in the middle of a dream crying... and what it felt like to look all over the world in hoping to find someone and couldn¡¯t. The most terrifying is lying to himself that this person is not dead but then seeing with his own eyes the skeletal bones in front of him. It was such devastating despair. If it wasn¡¯t for the Great Master¡¯s reminder, it¡¯s likely he wouldn¡¯t have walked out of the farmer¡¯s house again. So when he realized that ZhouXiang was by his side, when he knew that all his spections had a reasonable exnation, for a moment, he hated ZhouXiang ...but he hated himself even more.

    No one could stop him from getting ZhouXiang back because what it felt like to lose the person you love most, he knew it clearly himself.

    ZhouXiang is silent for a while, ¡°I¡¯ll move back tomorrow but this is between us. Stop doing things in public that could lead to gossip.¡± When YanMingXiu took him onto the stage today, it already made him feel unsettled.

    ¡°No one dares to gossip about me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they dare to about me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart. ZhouXiang, anything they say won¡¯t affect you. You want to be a star, I will help you fulfill it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that...¡± ZhouXiang wanted to exin but felt that it was futile. He does not want to be a star, but rather an actor with a stable ie. Being too popr is a kind of burden. He is azy and easily satisfied person. He just wanted to earn money, while at the same time not be stared at. He really shouldn¡¯t be working in the entertainment circle. But unfortunately, he has no other skills. To say that he doesn¡¯t want fame wouldn¡¯t make sense.

    ¡°Whatever you want, just tell me. I¡¯ll fulfill it for you." YanMingXiu gripped ZhouXiang¡¯s chin and looked at him genuinely, ¡°Just tell me.¡±

    ZhouXiang faintly said, ¡°My career is developing very well. You don¡¯t have to do anything more. Just leave me with a good reputation."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s fingers trembled, ¡°Your reputation now came from LanXiRong. I don¡¯t want you to still be linked to LanXiRong¡¯s marking. Don¡¯t shoot those MVs, the quality is too low. I am nning a movie. I want you to y the leading role and I¡¯ll y the supporting role to support you."

    ZhouXiang frowned, ¡°YanMingXiu, I¡¯m really happy with what I¡¯m doing now, I don¡¯t need you to boost me.¡±

    ¡°Three years ago, I promised to invest in a movie for you but you ran away that day." YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is tinged with a bit of vulnerability because that was thest time he saw ZhouXiang ¨C the real ZhouXiang. Even thinking of it now is like piercing pains stabbing his heart. He hoarsely voiced, ¡°I¡¯ve said...what you lost, I will make you up to you. ZhouXiang, I can¡¯t make youe back to life but anything else...as long as I can give it to you, I will give it all to you."

    ZhouXiang knew that it is useless to say anything. Although YanMingXiu has changed a lot, the one thing that will never change is his nature. When YanMingXiu decides on something, that is the final decision. He is that kind of dominating overbearing person.

    It is also because YanMingXiu is so proud that ZhouXiang believes that it won¡¯t be long before YanMingXiu would be tired of pleasing him in this way and would give up. A dead person cannot be resurrected; this is a fact can¡¯t be changed in any lives. But the person is still alive so the meaning ispletely different. He wanted to see how long YanMingXiu could endure.

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Up to you. I¡¯m going back."

    YanMingXiu immediately grabbed him, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go back first.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go. I¡¯ll help you move tomorrow. Stay here tonight.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is intense and very deep,pletely not allowing ZhouXiang to refuse.

    ZhouXiang almostughed aloud, ¡°YanMingXiu, do you think it is suitable to have sex with our situation right now?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face slightly blushed, "That¡¯s not what I meant. I only want you to stay. If you don¡¯t want to do it, I won¡¯t force you."

    ¡°Then what do you want to do? Just lie down and chat?¡±

    Unexpectedly, YanMingXiu nodded, ¡°Just stay by my side is enough. Doing anything is fine."

    ZhouXiang grabbed his hair irritably then nodded, ¡°I am going to take a bath.¡±

    ZhouXiang got up and went to the inner home. The narrow corridors, simple bathroom, simple study,fortable master bedroom...ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but look at every corners of the home. His fingertips stroked the slightly coarse yellow walls. This kind of familiar and warm feeling filled his heart.

    <i>Dad, mom, I¡¯m back. I am really back.</i>

    YanMingXiu quietly watched ZhouXiang from behind. The image of this person walking freely around this home is a most precious memory in his life. Now, all those images finally reappeared. He didn¡¯t use to believe in God but now he believes that fate had long been predestined. And ZhouXiang is the person destined for him. Otherwise, ZhouXiang would not have return to his side after rebirth.

    Starting over once again, he will definitely not let go of this chance to make up for his mistakes.

    ZhouXiang took afortable hot bath. His bathroom is very small and the heat is not easily dispersed. Although the venttion in the summer is a bit of a problem, bathing in the winter is particrly warm. The long-lost warmth makes ZhouXiang feel moved. Everything in the bathroom felt so intimate.

    After he finished bathing, he realized that he had forgotten to grab his pajamas. When he was about to wear the clothes he was wearing earlier, a gentle knock came from the bathroom door. YanMingXiu¡¯s shadow is outside the bathroom.

    ¡°I have your pajamas. Put them on.¡±

    ZhouXiang opened the door and saw YanMingXiu looking at him holding a set of pajamas. He didn¡¯t know how long YanMingXiu had been standing there.

    ZhouXiang took the pajamas. This hand trembled slightly. This is one set of couple pajamas he bought. At that time, in order to give YanMingXiu some mental hints, he bought a lot of things for couples, like pajamas, cups, toothbrushes, and underwear. He had hoped that YanMingXiu would have the feeling of being a couple with him. At the time, YanMingXiu did not refuse. ZhouXiang was so excited thinking that YanMingXiu had epted these kinds of hints (of them being a couple). Later, he realized that YanMingXiu didn¡¯t care about these senseless trivial things, allowing him to be groundlessly excited. What can influence YanMingXiu?

    Unexpectedly, with the passage of time, YanMingXiu is now using the same exact methods to try and evoke these feelings in him. He finally understood why YanMingXiu, who could buy any ce he wanted anywhere would insist on moving back with him to this 30 years old, 70-square-meter condo. It is because their memories are everywhere in this ce, from every room to everyyout, to the small porcin bowls, to the set of pajamas...all these are proof that he once loved YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu hopes that he remembers these.

    YanMingXiu did a good job because ZhouXiang had never forgotten these small details. In this ce, he was forced to remember every bits and pieces of his and YanMingXiu¡¯s memories over and over. The more he remembered, the more pain he felt.

    Sure enough, the bedding in the bedroom was picked by them at the time. The rug on the wooden floor was bought by YanMingXiu. The 10 years old floormp was broken by YanMingXiu when he kicked it while getting up in the middle of the night. He repaired it but now, he can still see the traces of the repair. Even when YanMingXiu came out of the bathroom, he is dressed exactly like him but just in a bigger size pajama.

    Everything is like a reverse flow of time, like they were dragged back to three years ago by an invisible hand. ZhouXiang is forced to experience these sweet and happy moments from before.

    With YanMingXiu¡¯s hair softly affixed to his face, it made him looked a couple years younger and so simr to the arrogant and indifferent teenager from then, especially those eyes, so deep that people cannot see through it.

    When ZhouXiang eyes collided with YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes, he could sense that YanMingXiu seemed to see through what he is thinking.

    YanMingXiu walked to the bed and slowly sat down. ZhouXiang¡¯s wet bangs stuck onto his forehead and the cold water drops rolled down his eyebrows onto his eye sockets.

    The two quietly looked at each other as they sat very close together.

    YanMingXiu whispered, ¡°Xiang Ge... thank you foring back.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart trembled.

    ¡°I want you to remember everything in this home, especially your feelings for me.¡± His tone is full of confidence.

    YanMingXiu kissed ZhouXiang¡¯s soft lips, gently sucking and crushing it, enjoying the refreshing taste. This is the first time YanMingXiu kissed him. It should be said that, it is the first time he kissed him in his current appearance.

    He had been with YanMingXiu for half a year, the number of times they made love is just a handful. Not to mention kissing, every time when YanMingXiu vented sexually, he didn¡¯t want to see his face.

    He initially thought that YanMingXiu was still treating him as WangYuDong, but he did not expect that he had be his own substitute. Such an absurd circumstance actually happened to him. But since he can wake up in another person¡¯s body, there is nothing in this world that is impossible.

    The feeling of being teased by the invisible hand is indeed increasingly intense, making ZhouXiang frightened and trembled with fear. He is afraid that this new farce arranged by God is only waiting until he gets too deep into the trick and then God would violently wake him up, letting him fall into the ruins again.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s slippery tongue broke through the barrier of ZhouXiang¡¯s teeth, got into his mouth and tangled with his tongue. ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes blurred and his emotions involuntarily pulled back by this warm kiss. He subconsciously pushed YanMingXiu away but YanMingXiu grasped his hands and suppressed him forcefully.

    ZhouXiang could only passively endure this increasingly frantic kiss. YanMingXiu turned this initial light kiss into a deep kiss full of intense yearnings and lustful tastes. These fierce emotions started a fire that swept through and engulfed both of their minds. ZhouXiang widen his eyes; he couldn¡¯t understand why such kiss could prate from sorrow to despair, and that sorrow is so contagious.

    Just when the two of them were just about out of breadth, YanMingXiu let him go, falling onto ZhouXiang¡¯s body weakly, gripping his waist and muttering, ¡°You¡¯re back. You really came back.¡±

    ZhouXiang suppressed the urge to touch him. Hey on the bed at aplete loss, allowing YanMingXiu to lean on top of him heavily.

    YanMingXiu adjusted his posture and essentially held ZhouXiang¡¯s upper body in his arms. His gentle and hoarse voice rang softly in ZhouXiang¡¯s ear, ¡°Xiang Ge, go to sleep. I hope that I can hold you like this to sleep every day in the future. Don¡¯t give up on me because I will never give up on you."

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes tiredly.

    YanMingXiu held ZhouXiang as if he is holding his entire world.

    This is his entire world.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 93

    The next morning, CaiWei called ZhouXiang to go back to thepany.

    When ZhouXiang woke up, YanMingXiu had already awakened and even nned to make him breakfast but he was not as quick as ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang finished cooking and ate, then rushed out.

    Seeing that it¡¯s close to the lunar New Years, thepany had a lot of things needing to be done. CaiWeicks helpers to deliver gifts so he lent ZhouXiang a car and had him help deliver the gifts. ZhouXiang had done these tasks before so CaiWei felt very much at ease in letting him handle it. After ZhouXiang¡¯s identity was revealed, although CaiWei was furious in the beginning, ZhouXiang could tell that he was very happy. He used to be CaiWei¡¯s right hand man and hispetency had made CaiWei felt very much at ease. So at this time, important tasks were naturally given to him.

    After ZhouXiang delivered the gifts, he called CaiWei to ask if he could borrow the car and return it to thepany tomorrow. He wanted to use it move. He had very little things in the condo that YanMingXiu transferred to him. All his things fit in the car. Even though YanMingXiu wanted to help him, he didn¡¯t want to see YanMingXiu all the time. That would make him nervous.

    CaiWei very quickly agreed and ZhouXiang drove the car back to that condo. He went in and cleaned up a little. There was really nothing. He packed up in less than an hour and put everything in the car.

    He still intended to give this condo back to YanMingXiu, in hoping that YanMingXiu could also return his condo to him.

    After cleaning up, he drove back to ChenYing¡¯s ce.

    After he opened the door, the home was very quiet. ZhouXiang remembered that today is Thursday and Aunt Wang must¡¯ve gone with ChenYing to the hospital for dialysis.

    When he was about to remove his shoes, the door was opened from the room. ZhouXiang looked up and saw Aunt Wanging out of the room like she had been sleeping.

    ¡°Aunt Wang? You didn¡¯t go to the hospital with my mom?¡±

    "Your mom already went. I didn¡¯t go."

    "Huh?"

    Aunt Wang said excitedly, ¡°Your friend, that big star YanMingXiu came this morning and took Ying Jie out.¡±

    ZhouXiang froze as he bent down to take off his shoes. He straightened his back, ¡°You said that YanMingXiu took my mom?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he said that he will take Ying Jie to do dialysis.¡±

    ¡°My mom just went with him like that?¡± ZhouXiang¡¯s tone unconsciously rose.

    Aunt Wang seemed to feel that his tone sounded abnormal and got a little nervous, "Ah Xiang, what¡¯s wrong? Was it inappropriate?¡±

    ZhouXiang realized his attitude seemed a bit off and shook his head with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I just felt sorry for inconveniencing others. You don¡¯t have to wait on us for dinner; I¡¯m going to go to the hospital to pick my mom up.¡±

    ¡°Ah... Ah Xiang.¡±

    "Mnnn?"

    ¡°They may not be at the hospital where she usually goes. Your big star friend said that he¡¯s going to take Ying Jie to a better hospital for checkup.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded quietly, ¡°Okay, got it.¡± ZhouXiang grabbed his key, cell phone and left.

    As he was walking, he dialed YanMingXiu¡¯s cell phone and the call was quickly connected.

    "Hello?"

    ¡°Hey. YanMingXiu, where did you take my mom today?¡±

    ¡°To the hospital.¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°XX Hospital. I found someone to do an examination evaluation on her.¡±

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh of relief. Initially, he was very skeptical of YanMingXiu¡¯s purpose for taking ChenYing, but at least YanMingXiu brought her to a reliable ce. XX Hospital is the best hospital for treating uremia in the country. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t get on the waiting list. ¡°I¡¯m going there now. You didn¡¯t say anything rash to my mom right?¡±

    YanMingXiu is silent for a moment, ¡°We¡¯re not in the hospital now. The dialysis is done. She¡¯s at my home right now.¡±

    ZhouXiang clenched his cell phone, ¡°You...what did you say to her?¡±

    ¡°Come over first.¡±

    ZhouXiang hung up the phone depressingly and drove to YanMingXiu¡¯s home. He rushed to YanMingXiu¡¯s ce as quickly as he could. Once he got to the ce, he found that the two of them were actually wearing aprons, making zhini pancake (T/N). The entire room permeated with the aroma of white radish and chicken soup.

    T/N: Zhini pancake: is a traditional staple food in old Beijing. It is a soft cake made from zhini, eggs and flour.

    ¡°Mom?¡± ZhouXiang looked at them strangely.

    ChenYing smiled, ¡°You¡¯re here. Go wash your hands and wait for dinner; we¡¯re almost done.¡±

    ZhouXiang then looked at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu smiled at him softly, ¡°Take off your coat; it¡¯s very hot in the room.¡±

    ZhouXiang took off his coat and walked toward them ufortably. He had been observing ChenYing¡¯s expression but ChenYing is immersed in cooking and didn¡¯t look at him.

    ZhouXiang said helplessly, ¡°I am going to check on the soup.¡±

    As soon as he entered the kitchen, a y pot of chicken soup was bubbling with heat on top of the gas stove. YanMingXiu said from behind him, ¡°It¡¯s done. Turn off the stove.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned off the stove, opened the lid, and the appetizing aroma suddenly rushed up his nose. ZhouXiang put the y pot on the table and serve the soup into three bowls to let it cool down.

    Soon, the rice and other dishes were done.

    The three sat down on the table with ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu directly facing each other. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

    From the moment that ZhouXiang got into the home until now, he didn¡¯t say anything and ChenYing also didn¡¯t say anything. Only YanMingXiu leisurely spoke to them. It seemed as though everything is normal, as if it isn¡¯t their first time having a meal like this.

    While YanMingXiu is drinking soup, he said, ¡°I took Auntie to XX Hospital today. The diagnosis results are the same as the previous one. However, the experts have some better solutions in the treatment methods. Next time we can go together and discuss it.¡±

    ZhouXiang suppressed himself from asking the questions that he wanted to ask. He nodded and responded, ¡°Okay.¡±

    After the meal, YanMingXiu wanted take them back home but ZhouXiang refused, ¡°Don¡¯t need to. I drove thepany¡¯s car here. We can go back on our own." After saying that, he didn¡¯t wait for YanMingXiu to say anymore and left with ChenYing.

    When the weather is freezing cold, it¡¯s really unbearable to get directly into the car after leaving the home. ZhouXiang started to consider buying a car again. Although YanMingXiu still kept his original car but because the car was initially bought used and its functionality was just average, adding on that it was left not driven for three years, it can no longer start. ZhouXiang intends to include a car as part of his next year¡¯s n.

    After getting into the car, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t speak. He waited for ChenYing to speak first.

    Sure enough, ChenYing quietly heaved a sigh, ¡°This kid is pretty good.¡±

    ¡°Mom, what did you two do today?¡±

    "He suddenly came to the apartment this morning. I saw himst time so I thought he came to see you. I didn¡¯t expect him toe see me and said that he would take me to the big hospital for an examination.¡±

    ¡°And then you just went? Why didn¡¯t you give me a call?¡±

    ¡°Your mother is not stupid. If he wasn¡¯t trying to get something, why would he treat this olddy so nice? I also watched the news. When I saw the promotional event, I¡¯ve already noticed that the way he looks at you is different. I¡¯ve said. You shouldn¡¯t hide these things from me. Lately, you¡¯ve been staying out all night. Do you really think that I would believe you are working overtime every day?"

    ZhouXiang sighed helplessly, ¡°Mom, we are not like what you think."

    ¡°And what is that?¡±

    ZhouXiang suddenly became speechless. He really didn¡¯t know how to exin his rtionship with YanMingXiu to ChenYing nor could he tell her the truth. A conservative elder like ChenYing would definitely not ept it. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but be more worried about the rumors that could get into ChenYing¡¯s ears. ZhouXiang is especially furious thinking how YanMingXiu just came and took ChenYing away. He said vaguely, ¡°We were in a movie together and he took good care of me, but I don¡¯t think we are suitable. We¡¯re from different worlds."

    ¡°Aiyah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about too. Although this child is very good, his family background is way out of our league. I just hope that you can find a person who you can live with sincerely. If you¡¯re really with him, I¡¯ve nothing to say. But will his family agree? I don¡¯t want to see you suffer so I didn¡¯t say anything today. This matter, it¡¯s better for you to make your own decision."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Mom, you think too much. We are not even to that extent. How can I say this? Anyways, it¡¯s not possible between us. You just treat him as a friend of mine okay? But try not to inconvenience him."

    ¡°I understand. I just wanted to test him today or I wouldn¡¯t have taken up his entire day. Who would¡¯ve guess that this kid who seemed to be quite insensible is especially good. My dialysis treatment took four to five hours but not once was he impatient. He even chatted with me the whole time. Aiyah, he¡¯s really good. He¡¯s also handsome and is thoughtful. Ah Xiang, this is your own matters so I won¡¯t say anymore. Anyways, just remember that whatever you do, I¡¯ll support you."

    ZhouXiang smiled and nced at her, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re really not an ordinary olddy, too cool!"

    Being teased by him, ChenYing said with pride, "My son will also be a star in the future. I also have to keep up with the times."

    ZhouXiang smiled with her but there is no smile visible in his eyes. YanMingXiu has no worries but ZhouXiang do. He can¡¯t imagine how ChenYing would feel upon hearing the unbearable rumors and how disappointed she would be at her son. ZhouXiang gripped tightly onto the steering wheel, with increasing dissatisfaction toward YanMingXiu.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 94

    After the two got home, ChenYing went to chat with Aunt Wang while ZhouXiang returned to his room. He called YanMingXiu immediately when he got into his room. Earlier ChenYing was there so it wasn¡¯t appropriate to say certain things. After the phone call was connected, ZhouXiang quickly asked, ¡°How could you just casually take my mom out?¡±

    YanMingXiu replied without any guilt whatsoever, ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t want her to get better treatment?¡±

    ¡°Her condition is good right now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because she hasn¡¯t been ill too long ago. There are manyplications in theter stages of uremia and your understanding of this disease is too limited, including the hospital where she was getting her treatment. That is not a good hospital. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want her to have the best treatment?¡±

    The words YanMingXiu said literally pushed ZhouXiang onto a high wall, making it sound as though ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want ChenYing to have contact with YanMingXiu, even if it¡¯s at the expense of providing better treatment for her. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t dispute this.

    He responded irritably, ¡°You¡¯re capable. What you say is reasonable but I don¡¯t want her to be confused and think of foolish thoughts. She¡¯s just a conservative olddy. If this messed-up situation gets passed to her ears, she¡¯ll get sick even if she wasn¡¯t before.

    YanMingXiu responded lightly, ¡°I think she¡¯s much more open-minded and understanding than you think."

    ¡°Don¡¯t use yourme arguments to make this sound logical.¡±

    YanMingXiu is silent and then asked rhetorically, ¡°ZhouXiang, she¡¯s not your real mother. Do you really care that much about her?¡±

    This time it was ZhouXiang that is silent. He thought a bit before responding, ¡°Although she¡¯s not my real mother, I¡¯ve always wanted a mother. Besides, I took over her son¡¯s body; I can¡¯t possibly not fulfill my filial piety in his ce.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand. Since you treat her as your mother, I¡¯ll also treat her as my mother.¡±

    ZhouXiang got angry, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking bullshit. My mom can¡¯t ept this kind of honor!" After saying that, he promptly hung up.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t call back. ZhouXiang took a shower and fell onto the bed. He felt like he had been busy for an entire day so he was especially tired.

    In fact, he certainly hoped that ChenYing could be treated in a good hospital. He had actually gone to that hospital initially and waited in line from two in the middle of the night until 6 in the morning just to get a ticket number. In the end, he still couldn¡¯t get it. Then when he looked at trying to buy a ticket number, the cost was £¤3,000, immediately scaring him. The online appointment to see the specialist was already booked out past four months. And even if the patient could be seen, if there needs to be a return visit, the wait is still a long time. When he thought of how difficult it is just to get an examination for an illness at a good hospital, he was afraid that ChenYing couldn¡¯t afford the wait so he no longer bothered with it.

    It¡¯s not the same for someone with power and status. The hospital is like a home clinic. Seeking out the best doctors in the country is an easy thing to do. No matter how unjust ZhouXiang felt about this, he can¡¯t help but ept this fact.

    He has a feeling as though YanMingXiu is a hunter, setting a everywhere around him, waiting for him to have nowhere to go and then he would immediately pull the. At that time, he may never be able to escape again.

    But this is a trap he dared not and didn¡¯t want to jump into. He jumped into it once and lost his life. Even for a dog, if it had licked a fire pan once, it wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to do it again, let alone people.

    ZhouXiang heaved a sighed and realized that he couldn¡¯t fall sleep so he grabbed a book and started to read.

    After a while, sensing that his eyes have started to feel droopy, he finally decided to go to sleep. Unexpectedly, his cell phone rang at this time.

    ZhouXiang first looked at the clock on the wall. It was already two o¡¯clock in the middle of the night. <i>Who would call him?</i> When he picked up his phone to check, surely it is YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to pick up but pondering for a while, he still picked up, ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang, you haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±

    ZhouXiang respondedzily, ¡°You woke me up.¡±

    ¡°The lights in your room are on.¡±

    ZhouXiang subconsciously straightened up his body and turned his head, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Downstairs.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is soft like the softest thick satin, ¡°I made you angry, so I couldn¡¯t sleep. I wanted toe to your home to see but didn¡¯t expect your lights to be on.¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent. YanMingXiu¡¯s caring attitude made him feel very uneasy, especially his heart, pounded beat by beat. He sighed softly, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, (you) go back.¡±

    ¡°Can I go up? It¡¯s cold outside.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not in the car?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in the car, can¡¯t see your windows from inside the car.¡±

    ZhouXiang raked through his hair irritably, ¡°YanMingXiu, don¡¯t be like this. It¡¯s not like you.¡±

    ¡°What is like me?¡±

    ¡°You... I don¡¯t know, just go back.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I want go up. I want see you.¡±

    ¡°YanMingXiu, what is really with you?¡±

    "If I don¡¯t see you for even a day, I get anxious." YanMingXiu softly muttered, ¡°Very anxious. Xiang Ge, you were so good to me before. At the time, I¡¯ve always felt that it should be like that because who told you to like me? In this past three years, I¡¯ve relied on our memories from then to endure. What I¡¯m most afraid of is that you would disappear again. I want you to move back because I want to be able to see you when Ie home and have you by my side when I wake up every day. I no longer wanted to go through life not being able to find you... see you... or hear your voice. That was truly a nightmare."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand holding the phone trembled.

    ¡°I¡¯m up. Open the door for me.¡±

    ZhouXiang heard the footsteps from the quiet stairwell on his phone.

    ¡°I¡¯m outside your door,¡± YanMingXiu reminded him.

    ZhouXiang sat on the bed for a while before hanging up the phone. Then he got up, put on his slippers, draped his thick pajamas around his shoulders and walked pass the living room to open the door for YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s body exuded cold air, his ears and cheeks were red. He seemed to have been standing outside for a long time.

    ZhouXiang was about to say something but YanMingXiu rushed over and embraced him tightly, his cold lips smashing onto his lips.

    The living room is very dark. ZhouXiang took a few steps back and almost fell onto the sofa. The pajamas he had draped on his shoulders fell to the floor. He was only wearing a tank top and shorts to sleep. Being pulled into YanMingXiu¡¯s embrace immediately exposed him to the chilling air from the outside; his whole body shivered from the cold.

    However, his (YanMingXiu) lips that were tightly pressing on his lips are hot, the thrashing of his tongue is also hot and even YanMingXiu¡¯s hand holding his waist is gradually getting hot.

    ZhouXiang is kissed to the point where he felt a bit dizzy, his mind nk for a while. Then he pushed YanMingXiu away and reached his hand to cover his mouth and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t make any sound.¡± After saying that, he pulled YanMingXiu into his room and shut the door tightly.

    If ChenYing were to see YanMingXiu, he wouldn¡¯t be able to clearly exin to her.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s enthusiasm did not get impeded. Right when the door is locked, he immediately pushed ZhouXiang to the bed.

    ZhouXiang tried to avoid his advances but his bare skin still touched YanMingXiu¡¯s clothes. He softly scolded, ¡°Your body is freezing cold.¡±

    YanMingXiu took off his coat and threw it on the floor, then sped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and kissed him intensely.

    Seeing the situation as such, ZhouXiang knew that he won¡¯t be able to evade (sex) tonight. The two didn¡¯t know how many times they had done it before. Although they have numerous barriers in their hearts, at least their bodies are exceptionally genuine. At this time, there is nothing more to say. Might as well just do it.

    ZhouXiang said in between gasps from being fervently kissed, ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound, they are just in the opposite room.¡±

    YanMingXiu is thoroughly absorbed in kissing him as he moved down to his chin, his throat, not saying anything.

    YanMingXiu very quickly removed all of his and ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes.

    The room is very warm and the heating ignited their internal fires. At this time, the two men are nakedly entwined, seeing the glimmer of abnormal lights in each other¡¯s eyes. This perverse fire prated and filled their minds.

    YanMingXiu frantically caressed ZhouXiang¡¯s pectoral muscles, his intensive kisses are like raindrops falling on ZhouXiang¡¯s chest, leaving spots of love markings.

    ZhouXiang embedded his hand in YanMingXiu¡¯s hair and whispered, ¡°Do you have condom? I don¡¯t have it at home."

    YanMingXiu paused, ¡°I also don¡¯t have it.¡±

    ZhouXiang felt a bit angry, ¡°Then what is there to do?¡±

    ¡°There were a few times that we didn¡¯t use it before.¡± YanMingXiu pressed onto him, obviously not relenting.

    "Back then, we did it often...now..." ZhouXiang is a little embarrassed, "Fine... get up."

    YanMingXiu instantly grabbed onto ZhouXiang¡¯s little brother that had long stood erected. He gripped it gently making ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body bing partially soft.

    ZhouXiang twisted his body ufortably; his willpower is not as resolute. Speaking of it, he had not been fully able to enjoy sex for a long time. From rebirth till present, not even once.

    He really missed it.

    YanMingXiu kissed his lips, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s do it. I¡¯ll be careful not to hurt you.¡±

    ZhouXiang reached his hand to grab the hand cream from the headboard, ¡°We¡¯ll just make do.¡±

    YanMingXiu kissed him intensely. Then, he spread ZhouXiang¡¯s two long legs, seeing his (ZhouXiang¡¯s) slightly erected crotch lying in between his pubic hair; he couldn¡¯t help but lowered his head and used his soft tongue to brush the tip of his hardened sex organ.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body trembled as he looked at YanMingXiu in shock.

    In the year they lived together, he had done this (kissed YanMingXiu¡¯s cock, blowjobs) many times, but not once did YanMingXiu use his mouth on him. He¡¯s alwaysforted himself that it¡¯s because YanMingXiu had mysophobia <sup>(T/N)</sup>, but in actuality it was because the other person didn¡¯t even care for him.

    T/N: mysophobia ¨C extreme or irrational fear of dirtiness or contamination.

    He didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to be willing to do this.

    YanMingXiu seemed to feel his gaze. He lifted his head slightly, his expression looking a bit embarrassed, ¡°I try.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart jumped erratically.

    That expression... that expression looked just like the first time he saw YanMingXiu, this beautiful young boy, his face obviously looking embarrassed because he had mistakenly recognized the wrong person. This look is so attractive, striking him in his heart almost instantly.

    He didn¡¯t know whether or not he fell in love with YanMingXiu at first sight but at least in terms of appearance, he had never seen anyone more appealing than YanMingXiu. It seems that his shallowness is the beginning of this tragedy.

    Having no time to ponder any further, ZhouXiang¡¯s cock is sheathed in a warm mouth. This wet and smooth feeling really makes a person insane, especially when ZhouXiang saw the expression on YanMingXiu¡¯s face, the face that had once made him deeply infatuated. No matter whether it is psychological satisfaction or physical pleasure, all of it rapidly soared to the extreme at once.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but moaned once as his hand gripped tightly onto the bed sheets.

    This unbearable moan gave YanMingXiu huge motivation. Relying on the memories of how others did this on him, he glided the increasing hardened cocked in and out of his warm mouth. Even though the taste is unpleasant, when he thought of how he could pleasure ZhouXiang, he was willing to do it.

    ZhouXiang hasn¡¯t been aroused for such a long time, so very soon, he shot out. YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t evade it in time and was sprayed on the face. ZhouXiang is extremely embarrassed as he grabbed a few sheets of tissues and handed it to him. YanMingXiu wiped the semen from his face and smiled at him warmly.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is a burning hot. He had already passed the age of being embarrassed over this kind of thing, but at this time he didn¡¯t know what is happening to him.

    YanMingXiu leaned over, gently caressing and stroking his waist while kissing him softly. ¡°Can I?¡±

    ZhouXiang vaguely muttered at ¡°hmm¡± sound.

    YanMingXiu spread his thighs widely, and then squeezed a big amount of hand cream on his hand and smeared it on ZhouXiang¡¯s hole. His meat hole is very tight. YanMingXiu¡¯s finger struggled with much difficulty before finally squeezing in.

    ZhouXiang moved ufortably, his brows lifted slightly.

    YanMingXiu caressed him while using his fingers to probe back and forth in and out of his hole.

    He had done it with this body several times. Although the number of times is very few, he is not unfamiliar with it. However this time is different from any other times. In the past, what he needed from this body was to vent his frustrations. Besides desire, there was yearning, remorse, sorrow, and so on. But this time is different, what he wanted is to meld as one with this person. Looking at this person, who is both familiar and unfamiliar to him, this is not the face of his beloved ZhouXiang. He missed the face of the man who always had on a warm and carefree smile. But he could no longer see it again. Everything was his fault. But fortunately, fortunately, the man¡¯s soul is still here, no matter what his face looks like, just knowing that the person in this body is the person he loves the most is enough.

    Under YanMingXiu¡¯s tantalizing probes and jabs, ZhouXiang¡¯s meat hole softened. The tight mouth opened slightly and shimmered in the light. YanMingXiu pulled out his wet fingers and switch to use his penis to push at ZhouXiang¡¯s hole. His meaty tip continuously probe at the tender red hole before finally pushing in slowly.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath. All the senses in his body are awakened. His entire body concentrated on his tightened tunnel, feeling YanMingXiu¡¯s hardened penis prating through his tightened meat walls, bit by bit impaling him.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s gasping voice trembled a bit. He gritted his teeth, "Go light... lightly..."

    YanMingXiu slowed down. He slowly pressed to rub ZhouXiang¡¯s tight hole and whispered softly, ¡°Rx a bit. I want to go all in. Xiang Ge. Forget all the previous times. I want to give you the best experience, just like how we did before."

    ZhouXiang gritted his teeth, the shame of having something foreign invading his body made him speechless.

    YanMingXiu held onto his waist tightly and moved slowly. YanMingXiu¡¯s big cock and his beautiful face seemedpletely unfitting. ZhouXiang was intimidated the first time he saw it. At this time, this big baby has swelled to an atrocious size from being aroused. ZhouXiang felt that his entire intestinal cavity is filled with YanMingXiu¡¯s cock. Every time YanMingXiu thrust into him, it felt like a hard and hot rod is furiously raging in his internal organs. This feeling of beingpletely filled can¡¯t be expressed.

    ZhouXiang lifted his neck, his face blushing red. Every time YanMingXiu plunged deeply into him and then pulled out, his entire body would shudder. Despite changing to a different body, all his sensitive areas are surprisingly the same. Maybe this has nothing to do with the physical body itself but is directly rted to his own senses, so every time YanMingXiu ignited the desires in him, he is able to sessfully make ZhouXiang fully aroused.

    Soon the two men returned to their passion from before. In the year they lived together, the two were like wild beasts. They almost did it in every positions and locations, frantically and boldly enjoying the excitement and thrilling pleasure that sex brings them. At that time they were familiar with every sensitive areas of the other person¡¯s body and can very easily make the other person¡¯s lust surged. ZhouXiang had always been a one before he met YanMingXiu. Mainly because he felt that his appearance, figure, and temperament is not suitable to be on the bottom. After being with YanMingXiu is when he came to realize that he is naturally more fitting to be a zero. The number of times he cum almost immediately were not many, but there were several asions when YanMingXiu easily made him shot out almost instantly. Now that the two are nakedly intertwined again, all the crazy memories from the past rapidly rose up to their minds. Just merely thinking about it is enough to make ZhouXiang¡¯s body scalding hot.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s thrusts are getting stronger and faster, almost making it impossible for him to close his thighs. He can onlyy numb with his legs spread apart to make it easier for YanMingXiu to plunder in and out.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t dare to make a sound. In fact, he especially liked to moan aloud. Especially at the moment of climax, the pleasure is too thrilling but he didn¡¯t forget where he was. He could only bite his teeth and let the waves of pleasure push him step by step to the peak of desire.

    The sweat from YanMingXiu¡¯s face fell to his chest, it is scalding hot.

    ZhouXiang opened his misty eyes at YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu also looked at him. This is the first time that the two are making love face-to-face. No, it¡¯s not that they haven¡¯t tried this direct facing position. It should be said that this was the first time they are making love face-to-face with YanMingXiu looking directly into his eyes and not burying his face in trying to pretend he was someone else.

    When their eyes collided, ZhouXiang clearly saw the love permeating from YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes; this tender affection shocked him to his core.

    YanMingXiu thrusted vigorously into ZhouXiang body. At the moment when the thrilling pleasure was bing unbearable and about to erupt, he firmly and tremblingly muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, I love you.¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 95

    ZhouXiang¡¯s bed is a 150cmX200cm single bed. He usually didn¡¯t feel that it is small when he¡¯s sleeping but when there are two tall and big men lying on the bed, it is an extremely tight fit. He could hardly turn over. However, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t give ZhouXiang a chance to turn over. He kept pulling ZhouXiang close to him. It was a bit overbearing but very warm. ZhouXiang¡¯s room has heating but the window is not sealed tightly so the chilling air always leaked in. On this night, he did not feel a trace of cold wind, instead every cells in his body was overflowed with the heating from YanMingXiu.

    When the two woke up, it was almost noon.

    ZhouXiang nced at his watch and immediately got up from his bed. He usually never slept till this time. He has a habit of getting up early, unless he¡¯s too exhausted. Last night, he was indeed exhausted. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have unknowingly slept until now.

    As soon as he moved, YanMingXiu also woke up and stared at him.

    ZhouXiang gave him a little shove, "Get up, it¡¯s almost eleven o¡¯clock.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Although YanMingXiu responded, his arms forcefully wrapped around his waist, saying softly, ¡°We¡¯ve nothing to do... let¡¯s just sleep for a while longer.¡±

    ZhouXiang sounded a bit urgent, ¡°Can¡¯t, my mom wille to call me to go out to eat."

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say anything but hugged his waist more tightly with his head buried in his embrace as he muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve been thinking of this day for a long time.¡± To be able to wake up with ZhouXiang is almost a dream beyond his touch. He really hoped that time could stop in this moment, even if it was to stay like this forever, that is fine too.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind is not on him. He pushed YanMingXiu out of bed, quickly put on his clothes and walked with an awkward posture to the door, leaning his ears against the door, listening to the movements outside.

    There were only sounds from the TV outside.

    ZhouXiang whispered, ¡°Put on your clothes. I¡¯m going out to see. I¡¯ll call you out to leaveter. Don¡¯t make any sounds.¡±

    YanMingXiu raked through his bed hair, his expression a bit disappointed.

    ZhouXiang impatiently urged, ¡°Hurry up.¡±

    "Just like this?" YanMingXiu¡¯s glittering eyes unwaveringly looked at ZhouXiang. He smiled bitterly, ¡°Last night... I thought it would change something. Your mother has already guessed our rtionship, why bother to be secretive about it?"

    ZhouXiang gritted his teeth, ¡°Whether or not she knows is our family¡¯s business. Hurry up and get dressed.¡±

    YanMingXiu shook his head in disappointment and silently got out of bed to put on his clothes.

    After ZhouXiang saw that he was dressed, he was going to open the door to go out but YanMingXiu grabbed onto him, ¡°I want to go out with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t force me.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression changed slightly, trembling as he let go of his hand, ¡°Xiang Ge, what exactly can I do for you to be willing to start over with me? Did you feel itst night? We obviously have a deep connection. You still have feelings for me. Why can¡¯t you give me a chance? Everything that you had hoped to get from me before, everything that I didn¡¯t give you before, I will give it you. I want to seriously date you. In my life, I will never again treat anyone else the way I¡¯ve treated you."

    ZhouXiang turned his head and lowly muttered, "You most definitely won¡¯t treat someone else like this. Nobody is as stupid as me.¡±

    YanMingXiu clenched his teeth. His heart feeling such pain that he didn¡¯t know what to say afterwards.

    Seeing his loss expression, ZhouXiang¡¯s heart remained calmed. He released the doorknob and turned back to sit on the bed. He looked at YanMingXiu quietly. His voice sounding deted, ¡°MingXiu, our rtionship from the past to now is only harmonious during sex. What you said is right. I must still have feelings for you. Men are born to like doing these kind of things (sex). But that is all there is left between us. You say that you like me. In fact, I am very touched. But from my past experience, the price to pay for being with you is too high. It¡¯s not been easy for me to get this life. I want to live it well. If I continue to embroil myself with you, then what is the differencepared with my previous life? Wouldn¡¯t I have wasted living that life? Seeing that I didn¡¯t die, you should be relieved. You don¡¯t have to feel guilty anymore. Moreover, the disparities between our backgrounds are far too wide. We really aren¡¯t suitable for each other. I¡¯ve overestimated myself before. From the beginning, I should not have gotten myself involved with you."

    Hearing these words, the rims of YanMingXiu eyes turned red. He red firmly at ZhouXiang, wanting to find a trace of that familiar tenderness and affections from that expression.

    ZhouXiang kick his slippers with his feet from time to time. He thought. He should just say everything that he had wanted to say at once. In fact, letting it all out calmly is much better than doing so in anger. At least, he is especially clear on what he wanted to say and could express it very clearly. "With your family background, you should be marrying a well-matched woman of same social status, right? Your kind of family will not allow you to mess around (be gay) like this. Just this alone is something I can¡¯t ept. I don¡¯t like women. I won¡¯t marry a woman to ruin her life. If I can find a man willing to be with me, that would be great. If I can¡¯t, it¡¯s not a big deal. The number of couples that canst in this circle is only a handful. I won¡¯t force the matter. But whether or not I could find him, this person will definitely not be you. Not to mention others, just your brother alone can kill me. Our fate is just like this. Actually, as you can see, our ending have alreadye out in myst life, and that is separation between life and death. I¡¯ve already given up on you. Let me move on with my life. What point is there in continuing to be persistent?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s blood almost seeped out from gritting his teeth as he responded with his voice hoarsely, "What do you know? All that you¡¯ve said only meant that you still don¡¯t trust me. In your eyes, are my feelings really this shallow? Everything that you¡¯ve said, if I haven¡¯t thought it through, I wouldn¡¯t have continued to wait for you for three years. In these three years, I¡¯ve just been waiting for you to return, for us to live without apprehensions, just as long as youe back." YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang, the sorrow in his eyes almost overflowed out.

    ZhouXiang trembled as he sighed and held his head helplessly.

    "YanMingXiu, if I indulged myself again, who knows what the results will be? I¡¯ve already died once. I¡¯m really afraid that this bizarre joke is far from over."

    YanMingXiu touched ZhouXiang¡¯s ears gently, ¡°Xiang Ge, I won¡¯t let you go. Absolutely not. I could no longer live without you, not even for day. I have enough time to wait for you. I won¡¯t let anyone get near you. I¡¯ll wait for you to put down all your burdens to start over with me.¡±

    At this moment, someone knocked on the door.

    ZhouXiang paused and lifted his head, "Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Are you two awake?¡± ChenYing¡¯s voice came from outside the door.

    ¡°Ah, just woke up.¡±

    "If you¡¯re up, thene out and eat."

    ZhouXiang is stunned. He thought back. <i>Did ChenYing just say, ¡°You two¡±?</i>

    Hearing no sounds from the inside ChenYing muttered, ¡°Come out. Don¡¯t hide. I¡¯ve sent Aunt Wang home, there are no outsiders home.¡±

    ZhouXiang dejectedly heaved a sigh. This time he really has nothing to say.

    YanMingXiu regained a bit of his spirit. He pulled ZhouXiang¡¯s chin and quickly kissed him, then looked at him sincerely, ¡°Xiang Ge, this is going to happen sooner orter." After saying that, he stood up first and went to open the door before ZhouXiang could stop him.

    ChenYing is wearing an apron, looking at them calmly.

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t wait to bury himself under the nket.

    Although he is a natural homosexual, nobody restricted or criticized his sexual orientation during his growth since he didn¡¯t have parents. Although ChenYing had mentioned that she understood him, still...being caught by an elder knowing that he had sex with another man in bed made him iparably embarrassed. He thought. If his parents were still alive, he would likely be faced with this kind of ufortable situation upon seeing them as well.

    ChenYing didn¡¯t lift her eyes, ¡°I had wanted to ask you to have breakfast this the morning.¡± She looked at YanMingXiu and tried to smile, but her expression is particrly awkward.

    Although she had long known that ZhouXiang is gay, she still felt a bitplicated seeing her son, whom she had literally raised, nakedly sharing a nket with another man in a bed.

    She used to be very against ZhouXiang being with TanYin, so much that their mother-son rtionship was once extremely tumultuous. But after ZhouXiang¡¯s ident, how could she still have the mood to still be picky? Later on, shepletely got over it. But imagining it is one thing, seeing it with her own eyes is another thing. Although she also liked this remarkably beautiful popr star, she still needed some time to adjust.

    She decided to work harder to treat this big star better. After all, her son and he have already done it.....

    ¡°Mr. Yan, you alsoe to eat too. I made some wantons."

    ¡°Auntie, thank you, I¡¯m going to go wash my face first.¡±

    ¡°Go right ahead, I¡¯ve set out a new toothbrush for you.¡±

    YanMingXiu went to the bathroom.

    ZhouXiang and ChenYing looked at each other for a few seconds and then awkwardly lowered their heads.

    ChenYing rubbed her hand that had some remnants of flour onto her apron and reached out to feel ZhouXiang¡¯s forehead, ¡°It¡¯s a bit hot, the heater is too strong. It¡¯s easy to get a fever.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded.

    ¡°You are already this old. Whomever you want to be with is your freedom, don¡¯t have to be embarrassed.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at her gratefully, ¡°Mom, thank you.¡±

    ChenYing depressingly sighed, ¡°Thanks to what? It¡¯s your nature, what could be done?¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his head. He could see YanMingXiu¡¯s back from this angle washing his face.

    ZhouXiang thought. He has such an open-minded mother but YanMingXiu most definitely would not. Sooner orter, he would have to withdraw. Even if he does not withdraw, the tremendous influence and power of the Yan family will never allow YanMingXiu to act recklessly. The end result would stille to nothing. If he were to really start over with YanMingXiu, getting to the end, it¡¯s most likely going to be the same oue. He could no longer afford such sins.

    This is still better, ending it here like this is best.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s phone that had fallen on the bed rang. ZhouXiang subconsciously nced and saw the name disyed on the screen. It is WangYuDong.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 96

    ZhouXiang definitely has a psychological hatred toward this name. Before he met YanMingXiu, he¡¯s always felt that he is an open-minded tolerant person who would not be petty over little things. But toward WangYuDong, he is full of jealous hatred. This kind of petty jealously is something that even he is unwilling to face because it is a bit humiliating.

    But he can¡¯t control his gloomy emotions. He thought, if he could just have a fight with WangYuDong, it would actually give him some relief. But unfortunately, that is not something he could do. So the more he suppresses himself, the harder it is for him to endure.

    Thinking about it, he hypnotically used his finger to gently push the ¡°end call¡± button, hanging up the call. He thought, WangYuDong probably had never experienced having his phone call hung up by YanMingXiu. Seeing the phone screen gradually darkened, ZhouXiang suddenly realized what he had just done and can¡¯t help but feel annoyed. How could he be jealous of WangYuDong to such extreme, it¡¯s too fucking shameful.

    Perhaps it¡¯s from guilt or to cover up, when YanMingXiu came out of the bathroom, ZhouXiang looked at him and says, ¡°WangYuDong called you.¡± Then he got up to go to the bathroom, brushing past YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu is slightly startled. He picked up the phone from the bed with no intention to return the call. There is obviously something more important at this moment. But just when he was about to put down the phone, it rang again.

    So, he could only pick it up, ¡°Hello, Dong Ge.¡±

    ¡°MingXiu? What were you doing just now?¡±

    ¡°In the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°Is someone else at your home??¡±

    YanMingXiu paused, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°The phone call was disconnected earlier.¡±

    YanMingXiu is stunned. He couldn¡¯t help but nce at ZhouXiang¡¯s back, ¡°Nobody¡¯s here. Don¡¯t know what happened. Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Yea, Dong Ge wanted to talk to you about something. Are you free this afternoon?¡±

    ¡°I have something going on this afternoon. Whatever it is, just say it on the phone.¡±

    WangYuDong heavily exhaled a breath, obviously not very satisfied with YanMingXiu¡¯s dismissal. But he could only respond, ¡°The country is cracking down on the real estate industry terribly at this time. My dad funds are trapped. Last time, I used thepany¡¯s funds to cover for him but I also got caught in the end. MingXiu, can you help me out?¡±

    YanMingXiu furrowed his brows and went to gently close the door and then walked a few steps into the room. His voice sounding a bit harsh, ¡°When I got the newsst time, I¡¯ve already told my sister to let you know. How could you still invest in it?¡±

    WangYuDong quickly responded, ¡°My dad wouldn¡¯t listen to me at all. He is my dad after all. I can¡¯t not help him. MingXiu, we are a family. Help me think of a way?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is gloomy as he took a deep breath, ¡°How much do you need?¡±

    WangYuDong didn¡¯t say. It was as if he didn¡¯t want to say it on the phone, ¡°This... let¡¯s talk when we meet. Are you free tomorrow?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice is a bit unsympathetic, ¡°Dong Ge, it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve helped you. If my dad or older brother finds out about this, you think about the consequences yourself. How many times do you want this to happen again?¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s voice is a bit flustered, ¡°MingXiu, I... I¡¯m asking for your help because I have no other way. MingMei is pregnant. I don¡¯t want her to worry.¡±

    ¡°What? My sister is pregnant? Why are you just saying this now?¡±

    ¡°We also just found out two days ago. Isn¡¯t mom¡¯s birthday the day after tomorrow? I had wanted to announce it on her birthday to give you guys a surprise.¡±

    ¡°MingXiu, right now is the most crucial time for MingMei. You know... you know that a pregnant woman¡¯s mood is very unstable. I don¡¯t want her to be affected because of my matters. You must not tell older brother or dad. Help me, you have a way.¡±

    YanMingXiu drearily responded, ¡°Fine, I know. Bring Lao Liu to mypany tomorrow morning.¡±

    After hanging up, he opened the door and walked out. ZhouXiang had just finished washing up in the bathroom. The two men looked directly at each other.

    ZhouXiang saw YanMingXiu holding the phone; he obviously shut the door to talk. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but creased his brows, then swept his eyes passed YanMingXiu and turned to the living room.

    YanMingXiu followed behind him and exined, ¡°That was just family matters.¡±

    ZhouXiang was setting the table. He responded indifferently with an ¡°oh,¡± and then said, ¡°I had wanted to pick it up for you but the touch screen is too sensitive. It identally hung up.¡±

    YanMingXiu tightened his phone in his pocket. He was initially very upset because of WangYuDong¡¯s phone call, but ZhouXiang¡¯s added exnation made him catch onto something. He squinted at ZhouXiang, his mouth lightly raised, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter even if the call was hung up.¡±

    At this time, ChenYing came out with a pot. The house permeated with tempting aroma.

    ¡°Mom, let me (hold it),¡± Seeing ChenYing¡¯s thin arms holding such a big pot, ZhouXiang is terrified. Just as he was about to take it from her, YanMingXiu, who was closer to ChenYing, had already stepped forward and took the pot into his hands and ced it on the table.

    ChenYing wiped the sweat from her forehead, ¡°Aiyah, it¡¯s so heavy. Had I known earlier, I would have just served it in the kitchen.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a nce; the pot is filled with aromatic dumpling soup. He said on the side, ¡°In the future, let me carry it. What are we going to do if it gets spilled and burn you?¡±

    ChenYing smiled embarrassingly. She nced at YanMingXiu and softly muttered, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    YanMingXiu gently nodded his head, ¡°Auntie, have a sit.¡±

    The three people sat together and ate breakfast.

    ChenYing first asked, ¡°The both of you. How long has it been?¡±

    ZhouXiang choked and looked at ChenYing in panic.

    YanMingXiu calmly responded, ¡°Two to three months.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no wonder Ah Xiang didn¡¯te back here often during this time.¡±

    ZhouXiang awkwardly uttered, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s talk about thister.¡±

    ChenYing looked at him, ¡°What are you embarrassed about? Even I¡¯m not embarrassed.¡±

    ZhouXiang shamefully lowered his head to eat the dumpling soup.

    ChenYing asked YanMingXiu, ¡°Xiao Yan, is your grandfather YanDeJiang?¡±

    YanMingXiu nodded.

    ChenYing¡¯s face emerged a trace of anxiety, ¡°Aigh. If the elders in your family were to know...wouldn¡¯t this be a problem?¡±

    ¡°Auntie, I have my own ns. I will not make it hard for Xiang Ge.¡±

    ChenYing shook her head and sighed, ¡°Still a child. Other things I won¡¯t say, but as a parent, I¡¯m definitely clearer than you. You guys ah... don¡¯t think that this is so simple. Consider it carefully, think about the future. Don¡¯t be so impulsive. Feelings will fade one day. Don¡¯t regret it then.¡±

    ¡°Mom,¡± ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t continue on listening anymore. He put down his chopsticks and said with a trace of serious tone, ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking, just eat, okay?¡±

    ChenYing also realized that she had said too much and helplessly lowered her head.

    YanMingXiu nced at ZhouXiang and didn¡¯t say anything. But the message conveyed in his eyes made it impossible for ZhouXiang to look at him directly.

    After breakfast, YanMingXiu use the excuse of work to take ZhouXiang out.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t lie. He really took ZhouXiang to a film studio, seriously wanting to customize a movie for ZhouXiang. In his view, ZhouXiang is surely hoping for some level of achievements in his acting career. So naturally, YanMingXiu wanted to fulfill that for him.

    Over the years, besides WangYuDong¡¯s film, YanMingXiu has not yed a supporting role for others. He had only participated twice in WangYuDong¡¯s movies. The first time was because YanMingMei asked him and he couldn¡¯t refuse. The second time was because of ZhouXiang. There was something about him (ZhouXiang) that made him want to pay more attention at a closer distance. Although at that time, he didn¡¯t yet know that this (younger) ZhouXiang is that (older) ZhouXiang.

    Now, he intends to solely focus on acting to support ZhouXiang¡¯s movies. He really didn¡¯t care at all whether or not he is popr. His sole purpose of exposing himself initially was because of his hope that ZhouXiang could still be alive somewhere in the world and could see him on TV. Now that ZhouXiang is back, he no longer needed to expose himself anymore.

    YanMingXiu introduced ZhouXiang to an especially renown movie studio. Its establishment was led by a famous director and two goldbel producers. It has all the best resources in the circle. To participate in one of their movies, the future prospect would be unimaginable.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to find such a big-name studio to work with a minor actor like himself. He knew very clearly of his own (meager) importance so he was a bit terrified. However, it¡¯s likely that YanMingXiu have already gotten this settled. When they arrived, JiangYuan was already waiting for them as he very familiarly chatted with the people inside.

    The people in the studio provided ZhouXiang with two scripts, both of which are the focus of being produced right now. One of them uses the People¡¯s Republic era as a backdrop with an anti-Japanese theme script and a lowborn character as the protagonist. It is an extremely attractive role. Several people felt that ZhouXiang¡¯s appearance and temperament are in line with the image of this wooden and slow but upright and honest role. Although the theme of this film is mostly serious, the studio intends to invest heavily into making it a ssic. The protagonist has an image of an average civilian who is heroic and extremely righteous. This role could push ZhouXiang¡¯s career to a peak.

    For a person who had been a stuntman for nearly a decade, the sense of loss in not being able to reveal his own face for even a second in a film he had worked hard on is something others can¡¯t possibly understand.

    ZhouXiang is fully aware of the value of this film, he is very tempted. YanMingXiu had been observing ZhouXiang¡¯s expression. When he saw ZhouXiang eyes glimmering from time to time during their discussion, he knew that he had taken the right step.

    JiangYuan discussed in more details with the person in charge. After a while, it was lunchtime. YanMingXiu nned to invite these people for a meal.

    At this time, the beautiful woman at the front desk knocked on the door and rushed in to tell one of the responsible parties, ¡°President Zhang, WangYuDong is here.¡±

    YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang both stiffened.

    President Zhang smiled and responded, ¡°You guys go ahead first. I¡¯m going to talk to YuDong about some matters. President Yan, want toe with me?¡±

    YanMingXiu shook his head and responded, ¡°No need to. You go right ahead. We¡¯re going to leave first. Let¡¯s just meet at the restaurant tonight then?¡±

    ¡°That works too, please forgive me, there are too many things going on every day.¡±

    The few people said a few pleasantries then President Zhang led them away.

    WangYuDong¡¯s voice came from the outside. Although his voice is not loud, it is very clear, ¡°I saw MingXiu¡¯s car downstairs. Is he here?¡±

    YanMingXiu could only stand up and open the door.

    ZhouXiang also followed along and stood up. Right when he turned around, the door is opened. His eyes colliding with WangYuDong¡¯s, who clearly conveyed emotions of surprise to dissatisfaction.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 97

    Following behind WangYuDong is also TanYin, whom he had not seen for a long time. TanYin was also very surprised in seeing ZhouXiang but his expression soon turned to one that is indescribablyplicated.

    The few people looked at each other stiffly. The atmosphere is very awkward.

    President Zhang looked back a forth a few times and smiled, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    WangYuDong revealed an elegant smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just haven¡¯t seen MingXiu for a long time. This is such a coincidence.¡± His phrase ¡¯Such a coincidence¡¯ didn¡¯te off as very sincere.

    He didn¡¯t think that YanMingXiu¡¯s so-called matters actually involve ZhouXiang. The name ¡¯ZhouXiang¡¯ is practically his nemesis. It was before and it is now. Everything rted to the two characters ¡¯Zhou-Xiang¡¯ is almost all bad luck. He couldn¡¯t help but suspect that YanMingXiu had a purpose in bringing ZhouXiang here. Even if it was him, he had to put in a lot of effort to discuss with this studio on any coboration, and still, it is not always possible for there to be a suitable script. After all, the studio picks the artist; he also had to pick the script. However, YanMingXiu actually led ZhouXiang to the president¡¯s office; seemingly their discussion is going very well.

    For a neer who is not famous like ZhouXiang, it¡¯s actually easier to find a suitable role aspared to him (WangYuDong). If YanMingXiu were to also assist in promoting him (ZhouXiang), then ZhouXiang could very likely get a role that even he himself might not be able to get. When he thought of his own stuntman upstaging him, he can¡¯t help but think of the ZhouXiang from three years ago. That ZhouXiang was also his stuntman. He also wanted to take over his role as lead. All of this, everything is all too familiar, so familiar that he also felt the same sense of crisis and disgust with this ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t look at these two people in front of him pleasantly. After the incident in Guizhoust time, he didn¡¯t even bother to give face to WangYuDong and TanYin. After all, trying to be nice to them is a joke. Why bother to waste the energy so he simply looked at them expressionlessly. His cold attitude in WangYuDong and TanYin¡¯s eyes exuded ¡¯conceit¡¯ from someone¡¯s good grace." They felt that ever since ZhouXiang got himself involved with YanMingXiu, he¡¯s not at all the same from before.

    WangYuDong gloomily nced at ZhouXiang and asked even though he already knew, ¡°Isn¡¯t this ZhouXiang? Why are you here?¡±

    ZhouXiang faintly responded, ¡°Came with President Yan.¡±

    ¡°MingXiu, you said that you had some matters this afternoon. So it was his matters?" WangYuDong¡¯s tone is full of disdain.

    YanMingXiu responded calmly and assuredly, ¡°Yes, brother-inw, we¡¯ve arranged to meet in thepany tomorrow meeting. You and President Zhang have matters to discuss, you guys go ahead first. President Zhang, we¡¯ll see youter." After saying that, he led ZhouXiang and JiangYuan away.

    In his impression, YanMingXiu rarely ever addressed him as ¡°brother-inw¡± unless they are at home. To hear him say "brother-inw,¡± he didn¡¯t¡¯ know why it made him feel full of unfamiliarity. He absentmindedly doubted whether the teenager of the past who use to call him "DongGe" with glimmering eyes of adoration actually existed. <i>Who really is this gloomy, indifferent, and imposingly threatening man?</i> He blurted out, ¡°Wait a minute,¡± suppressing his anger, he sneered, ¡°MingXiu, I¡¯m also looking for you with some urgent matters. Since this is such a coincidence, why don¡¯t we invite President Zhang for dinner? Then afterwards, we can find a ce to chat. Isn¡¯t this a better arrangement? That way, I don¡¯t have to make another trip in the morning." He was in the way of the door so it was impossible for YanMingXiu to get out.

    President Zhang noticed the tensed atmosphere so he quickly voiced, ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the restroom, Xiao Wan, take our guests to the conference room. I¡¯ll be there shortly." After saying that, he led his people away, having no intention to get involved.

    After the people in the studio left, YanMingXiu no longer intended to be respectful to WangYuDong. He said very directly, ¡°I have matters tonight. I¡¯ve said tomorrow morning so it¡¯s going to be tomorrow morning. I¡¯m going to leave first." He immediately grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s arm and pulled him away.

    ZhouXiang ufortably pulled his arm back. The eyes of everyone around fell on his arm. ZhouXiang nced at WangYuDong without changing his expression and walked right passed him to get out.

    WangYuDong is so enraged he clenched his fist with his lips shivering a bit. TanYin¡¯s face also paled as he looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s back, his expression extremelyplicated.

    YanMingXiu also passed by WangYuDong, following closely behind ZhouXiang as they leave.

    JiangYuan is thest one leave. When he passed by the door, WangYuDong grabbed him. JiangYuan looked at WangYuDong awkwardly, ¡°President Wang, I shouldn¡¯t be involved with family matters, don¡¯t make it difficult for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just ask you a question, answer honestly.¡±

    JiangYuan saw that YanMingXiu had already walked further away, he hastily said, ¡°Ask¡±

    ¡°Are they living together?¡±

    JiangYuan didn¡¯tment but only looked at WangYuDong with his eyes glistenning. His expression conveyed the answer that both could understand.

    WangYuDong¡¯s face became gloomy, ¡°Okay, go.¡±

    JiangYuan also quickly left.

    WangYuDong turned his head to nce at TanYin, ¡°It seems that you really don¡¯t know your ex-boyfriend that well.¡±

    TanYin gritted his teeth, ¡°Dong Ge, he is like a different person from before,pletely changed into another person.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing your brain has gone awry. That¡¯s not right. It should be that it¡¯s finally enlightened." WangYuDong patted his head lightly and mocked, ¡°If you have half of his ability to entice YanMingXiu¡¯s type, then I won¡¯t have to put in so much effort on you.¡±

    TanYin¡¯s face paled as he lowered his head and didn¡¯t say anything.

    WangYuDong coldly snorted, the expression in his eyes bing erratic.

    JiangYuan drove the three of them to the hotel. There were no words spoken along the way. After arriving at the hotel, it was still two hours away from the arranged dinner with President Zhang. YanMingXiu had JiangYuan book a room and took ZhouXiang to get some rest.

    In fact, the both of them were not tired but ZhouXiang felt that YanMingXiu had something to say. Sure enough, after entering the room, YanMingXiu probingly asked, ¡°Do you hate WangYuDong a lot?¡±

    ZhouXiang shot him a nce and smiled, ¡°President Yan. You asking this kind of question, aren¡¯t you making it hard on yourself, why bother?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face somberly sank. ¡°I would rather it be hard on me than you.¡±

    ZhouXiang is slightly startled. He lowered his head and thought a bit, then responded, ¡°Can¡¯t be considered as hate, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m inferior to him on everything. It¡¯s ufortable. To say it frankly, it¡¯s jealousy, nothing big."

    ¡°Is it just that? The matter with the role from years ago... Do you hate him? Hate... me?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled coldly, ¡°Too tiring to be talking about this at this point. I also don¡¯t want to mention it anymore. In short, as long as WangYuDong mind his own business, that is enough. But right now....." ZhouXiang mocked, "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. He¡¯s still seeing me as an eyesore. Why don¡¯t you go and tell this big star brother-inw of yours to not lower himself to my level and just let me off?"

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely not allow anyone to hurt you anymore. But if you have something weighing heavily on your mind, I hope that you will say it out. Xiang Ge. I¡¯m already prepared to battle alongside you for the long term. Everything that I can make up to you, I want to make it up to you one by one. But you must let me know, how much do I still owe you?¡±

    ZhouXiang frowned deeply, ¡°YanMingXiu. If I was to take on your Dong Ge, what would you do? Will you deal with him for me? Are you willing? Even though you keep saying that you like me now, I still remember how you became aplete drunken mess when he got engaged to your sister back then. That kind of affections and love can¡¯t be fake right? Let me tell you the truth. No matter how I see it, I don¡¯t like WangYuDong. I¡¯m jealous of him. When I was his stuntman before, it was just envy. I envied that everything seems to go his way. He got everything. Up until you appeared, until Ie to realized that the person I love also fucking treated me as his substitute, I became jealous of him, even hated him. No matter how I tried to please you, it amounted to nothing. The other person (referring to YanMingXiu) didn¡¯t even care. What do I amount to? Even now, I still can¡¯t forget the shame and humiliation of you treating me as his substitute. I really want to trade ces with him. Are you satisfied with this exnation?" ZhouXiang gnashed his teeth, angry that his scalp is about to explode.

    This is so ridiculous. He used to believe himself to be a generous and tolerant person in his past life. He was never bothered with his losses, sess and failures, living freely and at ease, making people endlessly envious of him. With the exception to love, he just couldn¡¯t get pass it. All the gloominess and negative emotions got incited, shocking him continuously. Yet he had no way to control himself. He had changed beyond recognition,pletely losing his previous identity. Not just the outer shell, but even the soul that took over this body has changed.

    YanMingXiu lowered his head and somberly responded, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m sorry.¡± No matter how much guilt he felt or how remorseful he is, the things that have happened could no longer be changed. If it could be described that in their rtionship from the past, ZhouXiang was the one who threw himself at him, pulling at his heartstrings step by step behind his back, with him merely trudging along rxingly without putting in any effort, then in this moment, the person who is having great difficulty progressing forward has been reced by him. Every step he took requires great willpower. He must constantly encourage himself to not retreat from ZhouXiang¡¯s indifference. He endured heartaches, endured remorse, and endured ming himself to get closer and closer to ZhouXiang, because at this time ZhouXiang only wanted to get far away from him. He must notx his grip even for a bit until he can be back to ZhouXiang¡¯s side once again.

    How long would this take? How hard would it be? He can¡¯t imagine it at all. In fact, he wondered whether or not he had used any strength with every step he had taken. He had never courted anyone and his love life had already suffered such a devastating blow. In this regard, he is like a primary school student. There is no teacher guiding him on how to get a person¡¯s heart back. He could only feel his way around to move forward, even if he was to hit the wall everywhere, he can¡¯t stop.

    At this time, whenever ZhouXiang openly expresses the guilt in his heart, it would make him feel immense pain. But it also continued to give him hope. At least... at least ZhouXiang is willing to talk to him... at least ZhouXiang can respond. This is a hundred million times better than not being able to find a person in this vast and wide world.

    He lifted his head to look at ZhouXiang and said seriously, ¡°Xiang Ge. I used to like WangYuDong. But right now, I only treat him as my brother-inw. I only have you in my heart. I won¡¯t have anyone else. He is my brother-inw. I can¡¯t do much to him. But for all the things you lost because of him, I will give it all to you...the best roles, the best films, the best teams. Everything that WangYuDong can¡¯t get, I will give you. You don¡¯t have to be jealous of him or envy him because there is going to be that day when you will do better than him."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression exposed a trace of confusion. <i>How much of YanMingXiu¡¯s words can he believe? YanMingXiu use to like WangYuDong so much. Can hepletely forget it all because of him now? Can it be that in YanMingXiu¡¯s consciousness, only the things that he can¡¯t get are particrly precious?</i>

    ZhouXiang felt a terrible migraine.

    YanMingXiu raked through his hair and said softly, "Xiang Ge, believe me, I will give you the best.¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of material. I know my own worth. As long as WangYuDong don¡¯te to provoke me is enough.¡±

    YanMingXiu gripped his chin and softly kissed the corner of his mouth, ¡°Don¡¯t think that things are soplicated. To make a person popr is not a hard thing to do. I just want you to be happy."

    ZhouXiang smiled lightly and shook his head, then slowly moved his head away, ¡°If you were like this for even one percent in the past, everything would have been different.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s solemn side profile, sharp piercing pains reverberated in his heart.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 98

    During the dinner banquet, the film¡¯s overall nning was basically settled, though many details still needed to be discussed. The boss is the one spending the money so the studio will only try its best to make ZhouXiang fit for the lead actor¡¯s role instead of changing anything else for fear of offending YanMingXiu.

    Until the two returned to ZhouXiang¡¯s home, ZhouXiang was still in a trance, not really believing that he¡¯ll actually be staring in a movie.

    Coincidentally, LanXiRong¡¯s recent album release is going through a popr craze. The MV theme song he participated in received a lot of praises. Although he did not pay much attention to these kinds of news recently, hearing from CaiWei¡¯s feedback, the number of people looking to cooperate with him had increased significantly. ZhouXiang has already felt something called ¡¯fame.¡¯ This kind of thing is currently enveloping him, solidifying around him. He felt a bit terrified but at the same time looked forward to what will happen next.

    Once the film that WangYuDong produced is sessfully released, his exposure rate will raise another level. The milestone in his career is higher and higher each time, allowing him to see the prospect of his future development.

    After returning to his home, ZhouXiang braced himself to call ChenYing, informing her that he won¡¯t be going back tonight. ChenYing didn¡¯t say much, only reminded him to be mindful of not catching a cold.

    Most of his things had been moved back to his real home. Seeing all the familiar objects and atmosphere in his home, he didn¡¯t feel as if he ever left. One day when YanMingXiu moves away, he will bring ChenYing back here to live with him. It¡¯s perfect because there are two rooms in this home for them.

    A pair of powerful hands embraced his waist from behind, a hard jaw fell on his shoulder and a captivating voice sounded on the side of his ears, ¡°Want some hangover medicine? You ufortable?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Didn¡¯t drink much.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower together,¡± When YanMingXiu rubbed his cheeks against ZhouXiang¡¯s neck, it even tinged with a bit of pettish charms.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body stiffened a bit. He couldn¡¯t help but think of the intense passion fromst night. His legs still felt weak even walking now.

    YanMingXiu seemed to have sensed his thoughts. His soft lips kissed his neck, ¡°Not going to do anything. I just wanted to take a shower with you.¡±

    ¡°My bathroom is only this big. It can¡¯t stand two people.¡±

    ¡°It could,¡± YanMingXiu softly responded with his hands diving into ZhouXiang¡¯s clothes, moving up to take off ZhouXiang¡¯s sweater. ZhouXiang felt his body getting a bit hot. He hazily followed YanMingXiu into the bathroom.

    His bathroom is only four to five square meters, with a toilet, a sink and a shower head. It can¡¯t amodate anything big. Two men standing inside would touch by just turning. It is really a tight fit.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t care. When the hot water rained down on them, he pressed ZhouXiang to the wall and fervently kissed him. The trickling warm water quickly got them wet; they couldn¡¯t open their eyes and could only use their lips, bodies and hands to feel each other.

    ZhouXiang gasped as he reiterated what YanMingXiu said earlier, ¡°Not going to do anything?¡±

    YanMingXiuughed lightly as he appeasingly caressed ZhouXiang¡¯s cock and said hoarsely, ¡°Do just a little.¡±

    In the end, even doing "just a little" failed to hold. When YanMingXiu pressed ZhouXiang to the wall and rigorously prated him in the standing position, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but think of the many shameful things they had done in this bathroom before. This bathroom is small and old, but it is full of their intimately tendered memories.

    YanMingXiu is now using all his actions to rekindle his past memories...using every bit of his memories to bind him. This is something he obviously knew yet is helpless to break free.

    ZhouXiang is beginning to dread the end of their remaining half-year contract. Because by that time, they could no longer stay as they currently are. He would have to make a decision. But he is increasingly convinced that their current status does not need to be changed. If only they could continue to stay burdenless like this........

    The warm water trickled into ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes. He closed his eyes tightly, his heart in chaos.

    The next morning, YanMingXiu got up very early. When he woke up, ZhouXiang also woke up, habitually wanting to go make breakfast.

    ¡°Ugh.¡± ZhouXiang rolled over. He didn¡¯t want to move. He was so exhaustedst night his waist felt like it had fractured.

    YanMingXiu got dress and sat back down on the bed. He leaned onto ZhouXiang¡¯s naked back, not wanting to let go as he kissed his neck, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m going out.¡±

    ¡°Mnnn okay,¡± ZhouXiang buried his face in the pillow, not opening his eyes.

    YanMingXiu gripped his waist lightly and caressed his warm skin while softly muttering, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t go out today, wait for me toe back okay?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything. I just wanna see you when Ie home.¡±

    ¡°Ahh,¡± ZhouXiang yawned, still not fully awake.

    Even though he didn¡¯t get a real response, YanMingXiu still felt warm in his heart. To be able to watch ZhouXiang sleep in a ce within his reach, be affectionate with him before going out and seeing his face immediately upon returning home are everything he ever wanted. Those miserable dragging days felt like three years of hellish pain. These things that are so simple were higher to attain than the sky itself. Now that it is in the palm of his hand, he absolutely .... absolutely will not let go.

    After YanMingXiu left, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t sleep for too long. After all, he was used to getting up early. He was never azy person. After getting out of bed, he began to clean up the home.

    This is the first time since his rebirth that he had so much time to stay in his home. He decided not to do anything in theing two days except for cleaning and tidying every corners. Although he used to hire a housekeeper to clean every other week, now he wanted to be personally do it himself because it is something that is more gratifying to him than making a huge amount of money.

    In the afternoon, he went out to buy a bunch of groceries, giving most of it to ChenYing and taking some for himself. Having been busy for an entire day, he still didn¡¯t feel tired. Like many times before, he liked to cook a meal of foods he loved to eat. It¡¯s something he enjoyed doing on his leisure days off. After cooking six dishes and a pot of soup, he came to realize that most of the foods he cooked are actually foods that YanMingXiu loved to eat.

    After returning to this home, he felt that the air here is vastly different. There seems to be an inexplicable and warm atmosphere around. No matter where or what he looked at, he can¡¯t help but think of the bits and pieces of his past with YanMingXiu.

    The more he didn¡¯t want to think about it, the more these fragments and images seep into his mind. So from time to time, he would fall into an illusion that he is still the ZhouXiang from before and that nothing had changed.

    This kind of feeling is terrifying because that one-thousandth of a second illusion will make him extremely depressed after regaining his senses.

    In fact, he can¡¯t even remember what he was thinking to have made a table of food that he use to cook to please YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang simply didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    YanMingXiu came back in half an hour.

    ZhouXiang also didn¡¯t try to hide it as he pointed at the table, ¡°Let¡¯s eat. It¡¯s all foods that you love.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes suddenly glimmered. For a person who has such perfect facial features, once he makes a surprise expression, his entire person will simply glow, so bright that ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t know where to look.

    When YanMingXiu was eating, he ate very hastily, not caring at all about graceful table manners, wanting to just sweep all the dishes on the table clean. He had not eaten a meal personally prepared for him by ZhouXiang in over three years. Having regained something that was lost, this kind of feeling is hard for him to describe.

    Seeing YanMingXiu burying his head eating, ZhouXiang felt both heartache and sad. His eyes spun back and forth on YanMingXiu¡¯s long eyshes. These slightly twitching eyshes are so beautiful, seeming to sweep into people¡¯s hearts.

    YanMingXiu seemed to have gotten busy all of a sudden but he would still insist on returning to eat every day, even though he is out most of the day.

    ZhouXiang now has the privilege to select some of his work, specifically to conform to the theme of the protagonist¡¯s image; he had to pay attention to the nature of his work. Therefore, the quality of his work increased, but the quantity has reduced giving him more leisure time. During the day, he¡¯d usually go back to apany ChenYing, especially for her dialysis. The four to five hours of dialysis treatment is very dreary and boring so ZhouXiang bought her a tablet and put in a lot of TV dramas. ChenYing had no other hobbies other than loving to watch TV. So when he couldn¡¯t go with her, he would let her watch to relieve her boredom.

    One day, ChenYing told him that she saw his MV. When she said it, her entireplexion was different.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Where did you see it?¡±

    ¡°That thing you bought for me, a little boy who was sitting next to me when I was doing dialysis taught me how to go online. I asked him to search for you and found it.¡± ChenYing sighed, "Such a pity, this child is only 16 years old and going through this kind of suffering. I¡¯m already sixty, getting this illness is not that big of a deal.¡±

    ZhouXiangforted, ¡°So mom, you need to be full of hope for the future. You are still very lucky.¡±

    "Yeah, I know. Oh my son, you yed that role of the hooligan really well, so handsome.¡± ChenYing squinted her eyes as she smiled and touched his face. ¡°You look like me.¡±

    ZhouXiang winked his eyes and made a few jokes. It is a very joyous and harmonious time for the two.

    When he took ChenYing home, he saw an entertainment program interview with LanXiRong¡¯s new MV on a huge LED screen of a shopping mall. The screen is broadcasting the clip of album.

    ZhouXiang saw his own face sh vividly on the screen, his heart full of emotions.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 99

    After taking ChenYing home, ZhouXiang also returned to his home.

    YanMingXiu came back very early today. ZhouXiang nced at him and asked, ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t bother with that for now. I have something to tell you.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat on the sofa next to him, ¡°What is it?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face tinged with a shade of difort, ¡°Xiang Ge, your... your funeral, do you have any thoughts?¡±

    ZhouXiang froze.

    <i>Funeral...</i>

    After returning from Guizhou, it had been more than half a month. All of his funeral affairs were handed over to YanMingXiu. To be precise, YanMingXiu¡¯s requested to handle it, he merely just wanted to evade it. He really didn¡¯t have the courage to be dealing with his own funeral arrangements. Now, it¡¯s likely that all the procedures and the like arepleted. It is time to consider these things.

    YanMingXiu gripped his hand.

    ZhouXiang regained his senses and took his hand back, "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Hebed through his hair and sighed, ¡°Forget about the funeral, just bury it. I¡¯ll go to the cemetery to see if there are any spaces next to my parents¡¯ tombstones. I was too young at the time and didn¡¯t think to leave an extra space for myself. Now I don¡¯t think I can be ced next to them."

    ¡°Let me handle this. I¡¯ll go ask.¡± YanMingXiu looked at him deeply, ¡°I will have a ce set for the both of us.¡±

    ZhouXiang is shocked as he bitterly smiled, "When I go see my parents in the future, I can also see myself... this is really fucking crazy.¡±

    YanMingXiu lowered his head; his eyes full of sorrow, ¡°Xiang Ge, I...¡±

    ZhouXiang raised his hand to stop him, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize any more. I¡¯ll say it again. You don¡¯t have to take responsibility for my ident. What you owe me are feelings, not life. But everything has passed; don¡¯t mention it anymore in the future.¡±

    YanMingXiu relentlessly asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you letting me pay it back?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want it. Don¡¯t dare want it.¡±

    YanMingXiu still wanted to say something but ZhouXiang had already stood up and walked into the kitchen. He prepped the food ingredients while telling him, "I¡¯ll go take a look after the burial. Everything else, I¡¯m not going to be involved. There¡¯s no point. Also, don¡¯t tell CaiWei and them. If they ask, just say it then....¡±

    YanMingXiu swallowed back the words he had wanted to say, seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s lonely deste back, he felt terrible.

    He walked over and embraced ZhouXiang from behind, saying softly, ¡°Tell you something that makes you happy.¡±

    ¡°What...?¡±

    He wrapped his powerful strong arms around ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, their two bodies tightly affixed, seemingly inseparable.

    ¡°The movie premiere had been moved ahead of schedule to the 24th.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh? Didn¡¯t they say New Year¡¯s Day?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll bepeting against an American film on New Year¡¯s Day so it¡¯s been moved up to the Christmas holiday.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the day after tomorrow then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Since you didn¡¯t participate in the previous promotion, you must go to this premiere.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought. <i>It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to participate but nobody called him at all.</i> He was only a small supporting role after all. With him also making WangYuDong furious in front of the crew, it would be surprising for him to still be included. So he hesitated, "I wasn¡¯t even part of the promotion to start with, the premiere definitely has nothing to do with me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± YanMingXiu softly pulled his earlobe in his mouth and lightly nipped it with his teeth, ¡°Everything that has to do with me, also involves you.¡±

    ¡°Forget it. Going without being invited is no fun.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Nobody would dare say anything. There is a dinner banquet after the premiere; I¡¯ll introduce you to some people. This gathering is very important.¡±

    ZhouXiang no longer persisted against it. To be able to participate in the premiere of his movie, even if he is only ying supporting role, he is very happy. Besides, with YanMingXiu present, nobody would make it hard for him.

    ZhouXiangughed at himself while thinking, <i>having a backing is indeed convenient. No wonder everyone wants to find one or two. </i>

    On the afternoon of the 24th, YanMingXiu took ZhouXiang to a renowned styling studio, taking more than three hours to give ZhouXiang aplete make-over. Seeing ZhouXianging forward dressed in an impably suit with his handsome face shrouded in glistening light, it was impossible for people to look away.

    When YanMingXiu saw this ZhouXiang, it was as if he was seeing that very familiar face of the person who always had on a warmly gentle smile. He knew that he could no longer see that face again. Although the same soul lived in this body, this kind of intense lost and remorse continued to torture his heart endlessly.

    ZhouXiang walked to the front of the full-body mirror and looked for two seconds. Then he smiled softly, ¡°More attractivepared to before<sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡± His tone was full of despairing loss.

    T/N: Aspared to his previous self, older ZhouXiang.

    The stylist next to him looked baffled. ZhouXiang smiled at him, ¡°I mean this style.¡±

    YanMingXiu walked up next to him and softly whispered, ¡°No matter which one, it is still you, the ¡¯you¡¯ whom I love."

    After the two men got themselves dressed up, JiangYuan came to take them to the premiere.

    The premiere was held at an exhibition hall in a hotel. The outside was surrounded by reporters, fans and various vehicles. When YanMingXiu led ZhouXiang out of the car, countless spotlights fired at them like machine guns, all the microphones are like knives stabbing in front of them. Questions like raindrops continuously rained down on them, adding on to the screams from the fans outside, ZhouXiang felt that this is simr to a small battlefield except for theck of smoke (from weapons). Everything else is just about the same. When he thought about it, he suppressed his nervousness and instead wanted tough.

    The calm and gentle smile on his face attracted countless cameras.

    ¡°Mr. Yan, what made you decide to participate in this movie? Could it be that you only take part in movies with your own family?¡±

    ¡°Is it because WangYuDong is your brother-inw that you guest-starred in his movies?

    "Is Mr. Yan and ZhouXiang¡¯s personal rtionship very good? How do you guys know each other? Can you reveal a bit?"

    "How do you rate this movie and how do you evaluate your performance?"

    The people around blurted a variety of questions, some were particrly cunning, making ZhouXiang somewhat apprehensive. The two had rapport to not say a word. ZhouXiang still kept his smile. YanMingXiu looked on indifferently at the people around him and just beelined to the hotel.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s bodyguards opened up a path for them along the way. Finally, the hotel¡¯s security guards came over to assist and they were able to break through the hash of people to get into the hotel.

    After entering the hotel, all the containment disappeared. ZhouXiang took a long breath, sweat dripping from his body. YanMingXiu smiled at him and asked, ¡°Nervous?¡±

    ¡°A bit, I¡¯ve never been subjected to this kind of attention before, only seeing others being blocked and intercepted from afar. So this is how it feels like. It¡¯s very scary.¡±

    YanMingXiuughed lightly, ¡°It¡¯s okay after you get used to it.¡±

    JiangYuan also smiled and patted ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder, ¡°This is considered minor. You¡¯ve not seen what it means to be really scary. They would trample on me just to get close to MingXiu.¡±

    Very soon, people familiar with YanMingXiu saw that they hade so they also came forward to say a few words. The crew responsible for the reception also came over and led them to the venue. The venue is full of round tables. Each round table has a maximum of six chairs, making it convenient for people to turn around and watch the movie. There are various wines and snacks on the table. The atmosphere is excellent.

    From afar, they could already see WangYuDong leading TanYin and other stars busy with setting the stage, the staff shuffling back and forth.

    Half an hourter, the premiere officially began. Starting off with showcasing the important roles for the promotion and then the film began.

    YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang sat in the best position. ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes stared intently at the huge screen.

    After four to five minutes into the movie, ZhouXiang remembered that the viin¡¯s role would appear for the first time. Thinking that he would soon see himself onscreen, ZhouXiang felt a trace of excitement.

    He had also guest-starred in a number ofrge and small productions, but it can¡¯t even be considered to be a supporting role. At most, he was an extra, asionally there were one or two lines. This time, there was at least 10 minutes of screen-time, he will appear.

    Unexpectedly, even after this scene was over ZhouXiang still didn¡¯t see his face. Instead TanYin, who was the subordinate of the lead viin, appeared.

    ZhouXiang crease his brows, thinking that it might have been deleted for whatever reason.

    For a typical movie with several hours of footage to be shortened to an hour or two is very normal. After all, his role is not an important role.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t realize this because he didn¡¯t quite know what role ZhouXiang was ying. Moreover, ZhouXiang was merely a supporting role so it¡¯s not surprising that his appearances onscreen are few.

    ZhouXiang continued to watch full of expectations. But even after the movie was shown halfway through, the lead viin had appeared many times, as well has his underlings and TanYin, and the two other people, all except for him.

    By now, even YanMingXiu realized that something is wrong. He squeezed ZhouXiang¡¯s hand under the table and leaned close to his ear, ¡°There should be your scenes right? Still not out yet?¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look quite right, he said in a deep voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Something seems to have dawned on YanMingXiu; his expression became gloomy.

    Sure enough, the movie concluded with ZhouXiang¡¯s face not even appearing once. Of course, his shots as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman were indeed edited very well, the graceful movements, the elegant back, everyone thought that it belonged solely to WangYuDong.

    ZhouXiang clenched his fist.

    YanMingXiu said something but the sounds from the movie were too loud so ZhouXiang didn¡¯t hear him. But from YanMingXiu¡¯s expression, he could tell that it was not a good thing. Upon seeing that YanMingXiu was going to immediately stand, he instantly held onto his shoulder.

    JiangYuan also quickly pulled YanMingXiu, signaling for him not to be impulsive.

    YanMingXiu had already stood up slightly at this this time. His expression a little distorted. He reached out and adjusted his suit a bit and sat back down.

    The movie is over. ZhouXiang did not appear at all from beginning to end. Even when the credits are shown, the name disyed as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman is ¨C ZhouYang.

    This is t out irony.

    ZhouXiang is livid. He was going to explode. He didn¡¯t know if this was an illusion, but he felt that many people were watching him, many pairs of eyes staring at him, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. He knew that it is his own illusion because most of the people here didn¡¯t even know that he was also in this movie. Now, they definitely won¡¯t know, but ZhouXiang still felt humiliated.

    Getting him to star in this movie only to have all his scenes cut, even if this was someone else, it is a direct p in the face. ZhouXiang never expected WangYuDong would do something like this but he firmly believed that this must be instructed by him (WangYuDong). After all, it was YanMingXiu who referenced him for this role, no one else would dare to offend YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu is also enraged, his clenched fists were cackling. Before the film¡¯s credits were over, he pulled ZhouXiang up, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Earlier ZhouXiang didn¡¯t let YanMingXiu go because it would have been too obvious. Now that the movie had ended and many people were heading to the restrooms and such, it would not appear to be too abrupt for them to leave now.

    In fact, he didn¡¯t want to stay any longer in this ce.

    ZhouXiang and JiangYuan followed behind him and left the venue.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 100

    ¡°Xiang Ge! Xiang Ge!¡±

    Unknowingly ZhouXiang had quickly walked in front of them, seeming to have no direction at all, just aimlessly walking straight ahead.

    YanMingXiu caught up with him in a few steps and grabbed him, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t get agitated. This matter, I¡¯ll definitely give you an exnation.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is gloomy, ¡°Exnation? The exnation is that no matter what, I¡¯m still fucking getting oppressed by WangYuDong!¡±

    The humiliation that WangYuDong had given him, each and every one, he couldn¡¯t tell which he hated the most. Before, he had held onto the viewpoint and felt that WangYuDong is not specifically aiming against him. He treated WangYuDong as though he was a love rival, an imaginary enemy. But in WangYuDong¡¯s eyes, he is essentially invisible. Everything that WangYuDong had done is all for his (WangYuDong) own benefit. He (ZhouXiang) is just a little stone in his path that he could simply just kick out of his way. But this time, he is absolutely sure that WangYuDong is deliberately pissing him off but he can¡¯t figure out why.

    <i>Could it be that WangYuDong also liked YanMingXiu? The two of them actually love each, but it¡¯s just not possible for WangYuDong to say it? </i>

    With this thought in mind, ZhouXiang immediately felt frightened.

    If this was really the case, then there is definitely no business for him here. It¡¯s better for him to go anywhere nice and cool instead of giving WangYuDong a chance to make things difficult for him.

    ZhouXiang felt very unsettled. A man being suppressed continuously, provoked and humiliated by another person, yet couldn¡¯t do anything about it! So useless! He¡¯spletely useless!

    Seeing YanMingXiu looking so tensed, ZhouXiang is furious. He said coldly, "WangYuDong is always against me. This obviously has something to do with you. Don¡¯t you think you need to ask this good brother-inw of yours about it? It may be that the both of you do love each other. This is a good thing.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression changed instantly, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t say stuff like this. He doesn¡¯t like men and I don¡¯t like him anymore. He is just my brother-inw but you are my lover. No matter what happens, I¡¯m on your side. I won¡¯t let you suffer from injustice."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s tone and expression are very sincere. ZhouXiang gaze at him steadily for a few seconds before his rage gradually subsided. He heaved a sigh and irritably kicked the tires with his shiny leather shoes. His entire person calmed down. Although he is full of resentment, he has no expectation for YanMingXiu to help him. After all, WangYuDong is his rtive. What can YanMingXiu help him do? He can¡¯t even say clearly himself as to what resolution he expected from this ordeal. He gloomily muttered, ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t have the ability. This role was originally not mine anyway. Just leave it at that. I¡¯m going back.¡±

    YanMingXiu pulled him tightly, ¡°Xiang Ge, this... I will have WangYuDong personally give you an exnation.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have much hope, but just thinking of WangYuDong bowing down to him, he felt very happy. But, this is just his thought.

    He heaved a long sigh, feeling extremely tired.

    He had dressed like a clown for an entire afternoon, looking forward to seeing his first movie and even told ChenYing that he would take her to the theater to watch it but what happened in the end? All his scenes werepletely cut out. He can¡¯t even bepare to an extra. The entire day is such a joke.

    Seeing that he had calmed down, YanMingXiu pushed him into the car and had JiangYuan take them home.

    The three didn¡¯t speak in the car, the atmosphere is extremely depressing. After entering the home, ZhouXiang took off his suit jacket, ripped off his tie and messed up his meticulously styled hair and then flopped himself on the couch with his eyes closed.

    YanMingXiu sat down next to him, holding his upper body in his arms and gently massaged his temple.

    ZhouXiang endured and endured, and finally exploded, ¡°WangYuDong is so esteemed, how are you going to get him to personally give me an exnation?¡±

    To have a man younger than himself help him "seek justice" actually makes him feel even more useless and cowardly, but if he could see WangYuDong¡¯s humiliated expression, then all is worth it.

    He would rather be a viin than an aggrieved person.

    YanMingXiu kissed the top of his head, ¡°He recently needed money and asked me for help. I didn¡¯t expect him to dare to y like this.¡± YanMingXiu squinted his eyes, his mind rapidly pondered over something.

    ZhouXiang also can¡¯t figure out why WangYuDong would so tantly offend YanMingXiu. If this was a role that he had gotten himself, then let it be. After all, he doesn¡¯t have much say in the circle. But this is a role that YanMingXiu got for him, so for WangYuDong to be doing this, he¡¯s directly embarrassing YanMingXiu.

    However, after thinking about it, YanMingXiu did use to love WangYuDong. WangYuDong likely didn¡¯t think that YanMingXiu would do anything to him (WangYuDong) for him (ZhouXiang). Even ZhouXiang didn¡¯t believe YanMingXiu would do such a thing, so why would WangYuDong think so.

    He definitely didn¡¯t believe that YanMingXiu would be willing to go against WangYuDong. Although now YanMingXiu kept telling him that he likes him, he could never forget how much YanMingXiu use to like WangYuDong in the past.

    A probing curiosity suddenly rose in him. At this time, he really wanted to see to what extent will YanMingXiu do for him. This is like a scale, the more YanMingXiu tends to him, the more WangYuDong will sink.

    ZhouXiang realized that his thought is dangerous, but he could not restrain himself. He really wanted to know how much he and WangYuDong weighed in YanMingXiu¡¯s heart. He had thought of this question three years ago. At that time, the answer was devastating. It¡¯s self-evident that for him to dare try this out is absolutely inviting humiliation for himself. But right now, he really wanted to give it a try.

    <i>Maybe... just maybe YanMingXiu¡¯s love for him had really surpassed WangYuDong.</i> This possibility kept attacking ZhouXiang¡¯s heart, making him eager to prove something.

    Although YanMingXiu is by his side, the dark shadows of the past have been deeply imprinted in him. He stillcked the confidence and has his doubts, so maybe this is the opportunity for him to really see how much YanMingXiu had changed.

    ZhouXiang sat up and looked at him fixedly, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait for WangYuDong to personally give me an exnation.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, ¡°I will take you to mypany tomorrow. He¡¯ll being tomorrow.¡±

    ZhouXiang raised his eyebrow, ¡°Come to borrow money?¡±

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes. ¡°Now, it¡¯s hard to say.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart beat erratically.

    It¡¯s been many years; maybe this is his only chance to strike back against WangYuDong. He had been suppressed for many years, having been envious and jealous of WangYuDong by every means. But WangYuDong had never even regarded him as an opponent. If they are really love rivals, then he had lost tragically in his past life, leaving him in utter shambles. <i>But what about this time? This time...</i>

    ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu and realized that YanMingXiu was also looking at him. He looked away and he found that his rationality had increasingly deviated from his original path.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 101

    The next day, YanMingXiu took ZhouXiang to hispany.

    This is the first time for ZhouXiang to reallye in contact with YanMingXiu¡¯s business. The scale of thispany really shocked him. It must be difficult for YanMingXiu to manage such argepany while also being exposed to the public (being an actor). ZhouXiang can imagine how tired YanMingXiu is every day.

    Although YanMingXiu is now trying to fade from the public but when their car entered the courtyard of the office building, they saw a dozen girls holding banners bearing YanMingXiu¡¯s name being blocked by the security guards at the gate.

    ZhouXiang looked at those young girls who were not afraid of the freezing cold, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    YanMingXiu remained his usual self, coldly indifferent. He didn¡¯t even nce at them. ZhouXiang probably understands why YanMingXiu is driving such inconspicuous car. Even all the windows were tinted ck.

    They took the underground garage elevator to YanMingXiu¡¯s office. Once they got out of the elevator, JiangYuan came over, "President Yan, WangYuDong is here."

    ¡°Okay. In the reception?¡±

    "Yes, besides him, there is also.....¡±

    ¡°Who else?¡±

    ¡°Miss Yan is here as well.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°What is she doing here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re heading there now?"

    YanMingXiu sighed ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then...¡± JiangYuan looked at ZhouXiang.

    The Yan family¡¯s young miss is particrly strict in her brother¡¯s affairs. In contrast, YanMingXiu¡¯s eldest brother turned a blind eye on it. YanMingXiu¡¯s brother and sister had argued many times over YanMingXiu¡¯s sexual orientation. Bringing ZhouXiang with him this time will surely make matters worse.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay." YanMingXiu patted ZhouXiang¡¯s back, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Sooner orter, YanMingXiu will have to face his family. YanMingXiu could already guess WangYuDong¡¯s intent in bringing YanMingMei. To get what they each want, both will have to give in.

    ZhouXiang also hesitated as he nced at YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu pulled him toward the reception.

    As soon as they entered the reception, they saw an extremely well-matched looking couple sitting in the center of the sofa chatting happily.

    Seeing that YanMingXiu hade, WangYuDong stood up but still held onto YanMingMei¡¯s hand.

    YanMingMei also stood up; she who usually wears six-seven cm high heels is now wearing a pair of soft-soled ts.

    ¡°Sis, brother-inw.¡± YanMingXiu nodded, which can be considered as saying ¡¯hello¡¯.

    YanMingMei¡¯s smile faded when the two came in. It¡¯s likely that WangYuDong had said something to her, which made her re viciously at ZhouXiang the moment he walked in.

    ZhouXiang has never had any conflicts with women in his entire life. Although he is not attracted to them, he had always been amiable to his female friends. It had be second nature to him. Even though YanMingMei didn¡¯t look too cordial, he still nodded and smiled faintly.

    YanMingMei seemed to be in a daze for a moment. Then, she ufortably turned her face to the side.

    YanMingXiu sat on the sofa, ¡°Brother-inw, I thought you areing to talk about business today. Why did you bring my sister?"

    ¡°You guys talk about your stuff. Having me here still won¡¯t affect it.¡± YanMingMei red at YanMingXiu, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time too.¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at WangYuDong, ¡°Thene back another time to talk. It is my rule to separate my business from personal affairs.¡±

    WangYuDong smiled expressionlessly, ¡°MingXiu, MingMei is not an outsider. I have to take her to a pregnancy checkupter so I conveniently brought her along. I¡¯ve brought the contract and some information. Take a look."

    When the pregnancy checkup was mentioned, YanMingXiu¡¯s expression had a trace ofmotion, but he still didn¡¯t take the things WangYuDong handed over, "Since you have other things to do, you should take my sister there first. The day after tomorrow is mom¡¯s birthday;e look for me after her birthday. Sis, I have things to do. I¡¯ll leave first."

    After he said that, he stood up intending to leave.

    This attitude is obviously not giving WangYuDong face. YanMingMei didn¡¯t know what was happening so she somewhat mingly asked, ¡°MingXiu, how can you treat your brother-inw like this? Even if he asked for your help with business matters, we are still one family. What can¡¯t be said in front of me?"

    Obviously WangYuDong brought YanMingMei along to force YanMingXiu to sign the agreement as soon as possible. YanMingXiu can still deal with WangYuDong but his sister¡¯s temper is very big. Money is just a number in her eyes; it¡¯s the least valuable thing. She never had to be anxious over these numbers nor did she ever think she would ever have to worry about it. So she certainly won¡¯t understand what it meant for any investment to be appropriately spent in the right ce. If she knew that WangYuDong is short of money and he didn¡¯t help, she¡¯ll definitely make a hell of a fuss.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s dissatisfaction toward WangYuDong had gradually increased over time. What WangYuDong did yesterday and today are about to touch his bottom line. In fact, he had realized WangYuDong¡¯s many shorings before but he never confronted it because he was fully concentrated in liking him at the time. Who would have known that he mistakenly liked the wrong person? After discarding these subjective love feelings is when he could finally see WangYuDong clearly. WangYuDong is merely just an attractive face with acking character; he can speak well and do things; he can make his image appear to be perfect, but he has no business mind-set and is narrow-minded.

    If YanMingXiu didn¡¯t have ZhouXiang, he really didn¡¯t know when he would be able to see WangYuDong¡¯s true character clearly.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t know why WangYuDong is against ZhouXiang but whatever the reasons are, he won¡¯t let anyone hurt ZhouXiang. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect WangYuDong to bring his sister to force him to submit.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s attitude is a bit cold, ¡°Sis, I¡¯ve said that I have a separation between business and personal matters. At home, he is my brother-inw. In thepany, he is Party B. You guys go do your stuff. I won¡¯t discuss it today nor will I discuss it at home."

    ¡°You...what is it that¡¯s so secretive?! Are you guys hiding something from me?!" YanMingMei is so enraged that she mmed her hands on the coffee table a few times, ¡°MingXiu, you¡¯ve be more and more peculiar in recent years, even using this attitude toward us. How did you be like this? You...is it because you¡¯re with this man? You having this messed-up (gay) man by your side, what the hell are you thinking? Mom and dad have been turning a blind eye but sooner orter they will take care of you!"

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve said it many times; just take care of yourself. Leave me alone.¡±

    ¡°YanMingXiu!!¡±

    ZhouXiangughed at himself. He stood up and said politely, ¡°President Yan, Executive Wang and Miss Yan, since this is your family affairs, it¡¯s not appropriate for me to be here. You guys talk, I¡¯ll leave first." After he said that, he didn¡¯t hesitate and walked toward the door.

    ¡°Stop right there." YanMingMei stepped in front of him, "This is indeed our family affairs but you¡¯ve already taken part in it. Since you¡¯re both here, as a sister I can¡¯t just watch my brother fool around with a man and pretend not to see it!"

    WangYuDong did not expect the situation to turn out like this. Once YanMingMei¡¯s anger res up, even ten cattle cannot stop her.

    YanMingXiu is even more enraged. He told WangYuDong toe by today with the intention for him to exin the matter with the movie and have him make up for it with marypensation to give ZhouXiang a justification. He also intended to request that WangYuDong re-edit a new version of the movie with ZhouXiang appearing in it for inte sales. But he didn¡¯t expect WangYuDong to bring YanMingMei, which instead caused ZhouXiang to be insulted again.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth still has on smile with his head lowered and not talking.

    In fact, most of those words he said yesterday were just angry words spoken in the spur of the moment. After he slept and woke up, his mind had cleared a lot. He felt that asking YanMingXiu to be in contention with his own brother-inw really doesn¡¯t make sense and ispletely unnecessary. After all, this merely involved just minor personal interest. Why bother to let emotions affect them. He¡¯s won¡¯t go so far as to be this immature. He just wanted some marypensation from WangYuDong. This way, WangYuDong can still preserve his dignity and he (ZhouXiang) can feel better as well. However, this turn of event ispletely unexpected. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, he was being insulted first. This result was so novel that he wanted tough.

    YanMingXiu walked over and patted ZhouXiang¡¯s back, ¡°Xiang Ge, you go out first. I will handle it.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingMei. He really wanted leave but the youngdy refused to let him go.

    YanMingMei said sternly, ¡°MingXiu, if you continue on like this, I can only tell parents about it. You¡¯re almost 24. How long are you going to continue to keep fooling around like this?"

    ¡°Sis, don¡¯t say anymore.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s tone was full of warning.

    ¡°Do you not know what your status is? The Forbidden City is square and such a big ce. Good news can travel far but bad news can¡¯t be hidden. Do you want everyone tough at our Yan family?"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression turned gloomy. He ordered while grinding his teeth, ¡°Get out.¡±

    YanMingMei¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°Repeat that?¡±

    ¡°I said, get out.¡±

    YanMingMei¡¯s anger is almost to the extreme but then turned to grievance. Her eyes immediately turned red, with her voice trembling, she pointed to YanMingXiu, ¡°You...... why are you so irrational. Because of him, you......" YanMingMei nced at ZhouXiang, "Is it because of him that you are treating your sister this way?" YanMingMei looked at ZhouXiang hatefully, "You¡¯re a man but you cling onto others like a woman. Don¡¯t you feel shameful?"

    These words are like needles stabbing into ZhouXiang¡¯s heart but he still smiled politely and responded, ¡°Miss Yan, in fact, you don¡¯t have to be so angry. This is just a deal between two willing parties. Any contract has a time limit; sooner orter it wille to an end. Why let it affect your family¡¯s harmony?"

    YanMingMei didn¡¯t expect ZhouXiang to be so calm. She is stunned for a moment.

    ZhouXiang took advantage of her in a dazed state and quickly walked passed her and got out of the room.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression is extremely unsightly. He also followed ZhouXiang and walked to the door. When he got to the door, he suddenly turned back, ¡°Sis, don¡¯t you want to know why WangYuDong came to look for me? I¡¯ll tell you. He came to borrow money from me. You guys deal with it."

    After he said that, he went out to chase after ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu stopped ZhouXiang in the hallway and dragged him into an office. There are two people discussing work in that office. Upon seeing theming in, they were stunned.

    YanMingXiu softly ordered, ¡°Go out first.¡±

    The two people nced at each other and immediately went out, leaving only the two of them in the office.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°I can guess what you want to say. Forget it. President Yan, I¡¯ve already expected what the situation would be in running into your family. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±

    The more ZhouXiang showed his indifference, the more guilty YanMingXiu felt. He said coarsely, "Xiang Ge, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t expect him to bring my sister. My sister is unreasonable. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was just speaking at the spur of the moment yesterday. It¡¯s not serious. Go do your work. I¡¯m going back to see my mom."

    ¡°Xiang Ge.¡± YanMingXiu stopped him and looked straight into his eyes, ¡°Xiang Ge, what my sister said......Yes, I¡¯ll be facing the pressure from my family in the future, but I will handle it. I won¡¯t let you be burdened by it. Please believe me."

    ZhouXiang frowned, ¡°No, YanMingXiu. Where do you get this confidence from? You are probably still too young. Not to mention your kind of family but even children of ordinary families won¡¯t easily allow them to be with a man. What makes you think that you can continue on being with me? Based on what......?" ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°Why do you ......do you feel that your family will allow you to act rashly? YanMingXiu, grow up!"

    ZhouXiang is so enraged that he was not able to continue. He told himself that he must be calm. He had already felt very ashamed. If he doesn¡¯t maintain this calming attitude, he¡¯ll end up being a joke.

    He should have known long ago that in front of WangYuDong, he would always be the one inviting humiliation on himself. WangYuDong never reallypeted with him but ZhouXiang always ended up being shamed every time. What¡¯s more disgraceful was that he actually hoped for YanMingXiu to help him vie for some pride. When did he be such a coward?

    Now that he¡¯s thinking of these dark thoughts, his face burned up.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 102

    Seeing how ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes turned red from rage yet still maintain that calm look made YanMingXiu¡¯s heart ache so much.

    YanMingXiu thought that this would be the opportunity for him to prove himself but he didn¡¯t expect to shoot himself in the foot with his sister humiliating ZhouXiang. He thought that his sister, who is already wife and soon to be a mother would be more mature. He didn¡¯t expect her to still be so overbearing. He wasn¡¯t afraid of YanMingMei telling their parents. He would have to confront them sooner orter, but right now is not a good time. He¡¯s afraid that ZhouXiang will be hurt.

    What he least wanted to see in his entire life is ZhouXiang suffering any grievances. He had already made ZhouXiang lose too many things; so much that he had no way to make it all up to him. Even if he were to do his best to make amends, it is toote... all this really made the crack between them wider and wider.

    He regretted allowing ZhouXiang meet YanMingMei. Sooner orter they would meet, but right now is definitely not the right time.

    ZhouXiang rubbed his face, ¡°I¡¯m going back. I really have things to do. No time to really just be with you every day.¡± He turned toward the exit after saying that.

    YanMingXiu softly uttered, ¡°Do you need to go with auntie to the hospital? I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t have to. YanMingXiu, give me some breathing space.¡± He opened the door and left.

    YanMingXiu watched as ZhouXiang¡¯s somewhat disheartened back silhouette gradually got further and further away. A huge panic suddenly rose in his heart. He is terrified that ZhouXiang would just walk away...out of his sight... out of his life, just like he did three years ago.

    He quickly chased behind ZhouXiang to stop him. He panted and very nervously asked, ¡°Xiang Ge, are youing home tonight? When are we going to see each other again?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at him with a bit of astonishment.

    ¡°You areing back home tonight right? If not tonight...then tomorrow? Tell me when you¡¯lle back.¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him deeply, ¡°Don¡¯t just leave without a word. Tell me when you¡¯lle back.¡±

    Right now, YanMingXiu is like a little women worried about her spouse walking out on her, but he can¡¯t control himself from this thought. At the moment, his heart is still hanging in suspense, afraid that ZhouXiang will disappear and he will be shattered once again. Every minute and every second in the past three years is a torment that he can¡¯t forget for a lifetime. Only when this person is around him can he be free from that hopelessness. So he will never let ZhouXiang go. He even wanted to lock ZhouXiang away so nobody can see him.

    ZhouXiang wanted to free himself from YanMingXiu¡¯s arm, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You cannot not know.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s voice sounded a bit piercing, ¡°Xiang Ge, when are youing home? I¡¯ll go pick you up. Tell me."

    ZhouXiang gnawed his teeth, ¡°Three days, three dayster.¡±

    YanMingXiu loosen his hand and disappointedly uttered, "Okay, I¡¯ll pick you up then......"

    ZhouXiang took a step back but YanMingXiu took a step closer and simply pressed ZhouXiang to the wall and kissed him fiercely. Someone maye to the corridor at any time but YanMingXiu didn¡¯t care the slightest bit as he continued to forcefully kiss him for a while before letting him go unwillingly.

    ZhouXiang quickly nced at him, then turned and left.

    Until ZhouXiang¡¯s figure disappeared is when YanMingXiu regained his gaze. He took out his cellphone and called home, ¡°Hello, Aunt Xue. I¡¯ll be home for dinner tonight, prepare for it." There is no need to hide any further. YanMingXiu dazedly look at the cellphone screen; he had already made up his mind.

    ZhouXiang bought fruitssting for an entire week home.

    Aunt Wang was in the midst of teaching ChenYing how to knit a sweater. The two are sitting on the sofa talking andughing. The scene is simple and warm.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re home." ChenYing nced at her watch, ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet right? Perfect time for lunch.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I want to eat the hot and sour soup you make.¡±

    ¡°Aiyah, we don¡¯t have bamboo shoots at home. Let me go buy some. We still have time.¡± Aunt Wang changed into an outfit, wore her shoes and went out.

    ZhouXiang sat next to ChenYing and smiled softly, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to the hospitalter this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± ChenYing put down her knitting and asked probingly, ¡°Ah Xiang, can we change it to once a week? I¡¯m feeling a lot better now. Doing dialysis twice a week is time-consuming and a waste of money."

    ¡°Mom, we¡¯ve already agreed to do it a few times a week. It¡¯s what the doctor said. Now, YanMingXiu is trying to get you transferred to a different hospital. We can do another checkup at the new hospital. We have to follow the doctor¡¯s advice, don¡¯t think too much."

    ¡°Aigh, it¡¯s not easy for you to make money......" ChenYing suddenly thought of something and said seriously, ¡°Ah Xiang, although our family is not rich, we can livefortably. Listen carefully, although Xiao Yan¡¯s family is rich, you can¡¯t depend on him. You can¡¯t take his money. We need to have our pride and not allow anyone to look down on us."

    ZhouXiang nodded guiltily, ¡°Mom, I understand.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯ll know what is appropriate. By the way, when is your movie going to be out in the theater? Let¡¯s go and watch it. Oh and also bring Aunt Wang too."

    ZhouXiang can only half-heartedly respond, "It seems to have been postponed. I¡¯m not sure yet. There are many movies out during the end of the year. Sometimes it can be pushed out to next year.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true. No hurry. You are still young. There are people who get popr in their 40s or 50s. As long as you have a steady ie, there¡¯s no need to hurry."

    ZhouXiang chatted with ChenYing for a while. When Aunt Wang came back, they had lunch, took a nap, and then ZhouXiang went with ChenYing to the hospital for dialysis.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t call him all day. ZhouXiang felt a lot more rxed.

    The next day, ZhouXiang went to thepany. He had not been to thepany for almost a week, which is not good. He had to discuss with CaiWei on the few extra jobs he told him aboutst time.

    After arriving at thepany, CaiWei¡¯s looked very dispirited. He did not look like his usual energetic self.

    ¡°Wei Ge, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    CaiWei looked at him tiredly, ¡°My dad may not be able to make it to the New Year¡¯s.¡±

    When ZhouXiang thought of the old man who couldn¡¯t move in bed, his heart also felt pained. Heforted, ¡°Wei Ge, don¡¯t dwell on it. In fact, lying immobile like that, your dad is suffering too.¡±

    ¡°I know. He¡¯s been sick for so long, the entire family is mentally prepared for it. It¡¯s just that when thinking he¡¯s really going to die.... I..." CaiWei shook his head, ¡°To be born, grow old, get sick, and die, the fate of humankind is something that nobody can avoid. Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s talk about your work."

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Here is what¡¯s owed to you for yourst few jobs, review it. If you don¡¯t have any problems, sign it and I¡¯ll approve it for you. Thepany had set aside a lot of funds for XiRong¡¯s MV so you¡¯ll get £¤80,000. This price for a new person is very good."

    ZhouXiang is shocked, ¡°That much?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, do you know who approved it?¡±

    "President Wang?"

    ¡°Yes, President Wang specially approved it, saying that you did very well.¡±

    ZhouXiang remembered how President Wang pushed him into YanMingXiu¡¯s car that day. Although he has other intentions but to spend tens of thousands just to get closer to YanMingXiu, it is a very profitable thing. Unfortunately, President Wang¡¯s intention is a bit off. Even ZhouXiang himself is unclear of his rtionship with YanMingXiu.

    CaiWei looked at ZhouXiang again and again and sighed, ¡°Lately, how¡¯ve you been with YanMingXiu?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked away awkwardly, ¡°Ahh, like usual."

    "I can also guess why you are still with him. But ZhouXiang, I can only warn you that a person who has been stumbled twice by a stone is most stupid. Have you thought about it clearly?¡±

    ¡°Wei Ge...¡± ZhouXiang wanted to say <i>¡°You can be rest assured, I know what I¡¯m doing,"</i> but he¡¯s guilty and can¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t know that the time being with YanMingXiu would carry the risk of repeating the same mistakes of the past, but he is powerless to break free from the that YanMingXiu had set for him.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t give him a choice; he really had no choice at all. Although there is still half-year remaining on their contract, specifically, five months, but after the five months is over, will YanMingXiu be able to naturally and unrestrainedly say goodbye to him?

    He is more perplexed than anyone else, more at loss than anyone else. He can¡¯t see how he should move forward in the future nor does he know who is waiting for him at the end of the fog.

    CaiWei, ¡°I can¡¯t control your matters but you hurt XiRong very much.¡±

    ZhouXiang slowly lowered his head, speechless.

    After that time, LanXiRong called him two times but he didn¡¯t pick up. What is he going to say if he picked up the phone? The questions LanXiRong would ask, he won¡¯t be able to answer any. Instead it will make him feel extremely awkward and miserable.

    "In the second year after you were gone, XiRong had a girlfriend, but they broke up very quickly. He told me that he really doesn¡¯t like men, but he liked only you. Who can be med on this? You treated him so good back then but he didn¡¯t appreciate you; instead, treated you as though you had offended him. It wasn¡¯t till he went abroad and having gone through pain and suffering that he remembered how great you were to him. If he were to be with you back then, there would be no YanMingXiuter and won¡¯t be so many......Aigh, frankly speaking, it¡¯s fate."

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°If you didn¡¯t mentioned this, I wouldn¡¯t have even remembered. That was so many years ago. At that time, I really did admire him but who knew in the end, that would happen. Wei Ge, your memories are too good. This is not a good thing."

    CaiWei smiled and shook his head.

    Right when the two were talking, CaiWei¡¯s secretary knocked the door, "Manager Cai, LanXiRong is here."

    CaiWei smiled helplessly, ¡°I don¡¯t know if he has a spy in thepany. Once you came, he also appeared. This is all because of you.¡±

    ZhouXiang really didn¡¯t want to see LanXiRong, but he also knew that he couldn¡¯t hide so he simply stayed in CaiWei¡¯s office to avoid meeting LanXiRong alone. It¡¯s just too awkward.

    After LanXiRong came in, he swept the two of them a nce. He seemed different from what ZhouXiang imagined, looking very calm as he sat down next to ZhouXiang.

    ¡°Xiang Ge. Long time no see."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°It¡¯s only been a week.¡±

    "Have you been with YanMingXiu these days?¡± LanXiRong¡¯s bright eyes looked at ZhouXiang without blinking. ZhouXiang felt flustered under such sharp gaze.

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    LanXiRong blinked, his lips trembled. He thought about it and said, ¡°Xiang Ge, are you still going to be spending the New Year with us?"

    ZhouXiang is silent. Before he didn¡¯t have his parents, so ever since he met CaiWei, he would go with CaiWei to TongZhou to spend the New Year almost every year. Otherwise, he¡¯d be spending New Years quietly by himself. That is too pitiful.

    LanXiRong exined, ¡°I have very important social events this year so I can¡¯t go home. I have to stay in Beijing so I nned to spend it with Wei Ge. You and your mome too, okay? Just like before, we can spend the New Year together."

    ZhouXiang looked at CaiWei who nodded, ¡°Before the year end, I have to take my dad back to my old home in TongZhou. I don¡¯t want him to suffer any more. When he was still able to talk before, he had mentioned that he didn¡¯t want to die in the hospital. He wanted to pass (die) in his own home. If you don¡¯t have any ns, you cane with me to TongZhou for the New Years. I have a lot of rtives there. It¡¯s very lively.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought of a big family like YanMingXiu¡¯s. In the New Year, he must be staying at home. Before the year ends, Aunt Wang certainly will return to her hometown in Sichuan. There¡¯s no point for him and ChenYing to spend it quietly by themselves. But to be safe, it¡¯s best that they stay in Beijing, "I also want to spend the New Year with you guys. Let me go home and discuss it with my mom and let you knowter.¡±

    LanXiRong looked at him with bit of sorrow. He was about to speak but said nothing.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t stand that kind of expression from LanXiRong. He was initially a soft-hearted person and felt a little apologetic toward LanXiRong. He quickly stood up, ¡°Wei Ge, I¡¯m going to the finance department to confirm the payment records. I¡¯ll treat you guys out for lunch at noon."

    At noon, CaiWei introduced several jobs to ZhouXiang, letting him to pick which ones he wanted to ept.

    At this time, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t tell CaiWei about what happened at the premiere nor did he tell him that YanMingXiu brought him to the movie studio. The former was because he was embarrassed to mention it and thetter is because nothing was confirmed. As for the jobs that CaiWei got him, they are all simple and are fast money-making jobs. He liked it very much so immediately selected a few.

    ¡ª¨C

    He stayed with ChenYing for two days. During this time, YanMingXiu unexpectedly didn¡¯t even give him a phone call or a single text message, making him quite surprised.

    On the third night, he returned to his home ording to his promise. He gave YanMingXiu a call to see whether or not he would being back for dinner.

    But his phone was turned off.

    ZhouXiang was very confused but he didn¡¯t take this to heart. He had already eaten anyway so he went to take a shower and then went to the study to go on the inte.

    When it was time to go to bed at 11pm, YanMingXiu still had not returned.

    <i>Since YanMingXiu told him toe back, he couldn¡¯t have forgotten right? </i>

    ZhouXiang thought again. This is his own home; why is he treating it as if he¡¯s a guest? It¡¯s up to YanMingXiu whether hees or not.

    He turned off theputer, washed up and went to bed.

    Since he returned to his own home, this is the first time he spent the night alone. There is a strange feeling in his heart that can¡¯t be described. It seemed like it shouldn¡¯t be like this. It shouldn¡¯t just be him alone in this home. This thought shocked him. For more than two decades, he has been living alone in this home...that is until YanMingXiu appeared. Habit is a really scary thing. It can slowly and subtlely eat away a person¡¯s wisdom.

    ZhouXiang unconsciously fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, he realized that YanMingXiu really didn¡¯te back. He called again but the phone was still turned off.

    Since YanMingXiu turned off his phone, he would have no qualms in just going back to ChenYing¡¯s ce. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t want to stay in his own home but ChenYing needs care andpanionship.

    The next few days, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t contact him at all. This person seems to have suddenly disappeared from ZhouXiang¡¯s life.

    Initially, ZhouXiang felt rxed as he didn¡¯t have to be at someone¡¯s beck and call. But after a week, he began to worry as to whether YanMingXiu had an ident.

    He couldn¡¯t stand it anymore so he called JiangYuan. He didn¡¯t expect JiangYuan to not answer the phone. After his third call, JiangYuan simply turned off the phone.

    It is obvious that JiangYuan didn¡¯t want to talk to him. The doubts and unease in ZhouXiang¡¯s heart grew deeper.

    <i>What happened to YanMingXiu? What things can¡¯t be clearly exined? Why did he have to hide? Or did he really have an ident? </i>When he thought of this possibility, ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened.

    After a while, his cell phone rang. A strange number sent him a text with the message, "Don¡¯t ask me, I can¡¯t say anything."

    ZhouXiang guessed that JiangYuan was the one who sent him this message. He became even more worried. This kind of matters where he is totally clueless really makes a person feel most heart-wrenching.

    He has no clue and does not know who he can ask. He could only wait.

    When YanMingXiu isn¡¯t around, indeed, he felt a lot more rxed. He didn¡¯t have the anxiety of being watched but at the same time, he is worried and frightened not knowing what happened to YanMingXiu.

    Day after day, ZhouXiang passed his days in suspense and on edge. In a blink of an eye, the Spring Festival had arrived.The Lunar New Year came early this year, in the middle of January.

    YanMingXiu had been missing for half a month and ZhouXiang had no choice but to wait. If YanMingXiu bluntly told him, ¡°Let¡¯s end it here,¡± then ZhouXiang would have felt relieved. But being ambiguous like this, ZhouXiang was worried that something might have happened to him, while at the same time having constant doubts. The more he thought, the more pessimistic he got. His entire mind is full of troubling matters.

    He had decided to take ChenYing to CaiWei¡¯s hometown, TongZhou, to celebrate the New Years. CaiWei¡¯s family members are outspoken people. They are very weing toward them. Aunt Wang went home for the past few days so he took ChenYing to buy some New Year¡¯s items to get ready for the New Years. When he is busy, his mind is too distracted and he didn¡¯t think about where YanMingXiu could be or what he was doing.

    On the 29th, ZhouXiang has already prepared everything in the morning and was just waiting for LanXiRong to pick both him and ChenYing up to go to CaiWei¡¯s hometown together.

    He still had to go with ChenYing to do a dialysis in the afternoon. Since there wasn¡¯t anything to do in the morning, he took ChenYing to have Cantonese morning tea.

    After they finished eating, the phone rang immediately when they entered the home. It was a call from an unfamiliar number. He doesn¡¯t know why but his heartbeat sped up. His instinct told him that it¡¯s probably YanMingXiu.

    After he answered the phone, a very familiar voice came through but it is not YanMingXiu, but the eldest Yan grandson, YanMingSu.

    ¡°Is this ZhouXiang?¡± YanMingSu¡¯s low voice came from the phone.

    ZhouXiang, ¡°Mnnn.¡±

    ¡°I want to have a chat with you.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°You can guess for what reason. Naturally it¡¯s rted to MingXiu.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°He......Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s meet. I¡¯m waiting for you at XX Caf¨¦ on South LiShi Road. Come now.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought for a moment, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ming now."

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 103

    ZhouXiang cautioned ChenYing a few words and left. ncing at the time, there was still ample time but just in case, he sent a text to LanXiRong toe pick them up an hourter.

    The caf¨¦ was very easy to find. The patronsing to this shop that still remained opened two days before the Lunar New Year¡¯s had reduced by half. The color of the exterior wall of this cafe is very unique and eye-catching.

    There was barely anyone in the shop. When he entered, the waiter asked if he was here to meet someone with the surname Yan. ZhouXiang replied that he is so the waiter took him to the reserved room.

    YanMingSu sat alone in the room. He swept a nce at ZhouXiang, his expression deep and serious.

    ZhouXiang closed the door and sat opposite of YanMingSu. He wanted to wait for YanMingSu to speak first but YanMingSu just kept staring at him, with his eyes barely blinking, making him extremely nervous.

    So he could only force himself to speak first, ¡°Are you looking for me regarding YanMingXiu? I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time. In fact, I don¡¯t even know where he is.¡±

    YanMingSu responded gloomily, ¡°You don¡¯t need to lure me into telling you. I¡¯m also not going to lie to you. He is home now.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat up straight, ¡°At home.¡±

    ¡°Yes, at home, confined by my dad.¡±

    ZhouXiang is slightly startled, ¡°Confined?¡±

    "MingMei went home and told them about the matter with you guys. MingXiu simply admitted and ultimately the altercation turned out like this. Seeing how it¡¯s already the New Years, everything is such a terrible mess both in and out of the family. He¡¯s been kept home under house arrest by my dad, not allowed to go out.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head with his hands trembling. He put his hand in his pocket and gently tightened it into a fist.

    ¡°I have a younger sister and a younger brother. One found a vain and dishonest trash (referring to WangYuDong); another simply found one of the same sex (referring ZhouXiang). Not one can ease my mind." YanMingSu shook his head, looking exhausted and agitated.

    ZhouXiang strongly suppressed the shock of his heart and faintly responded, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking for me.¡±

    He never imagined that YanMingXiu would reallye out to his family. A family like the Yan¡¯s, YanMingXiu would have to bear the pressure in daring to say that he actually liked a man? If YanMingXiu could really do this for him...

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart wavered. This is the first time. He began to doubt his determination. He began to doubt, maybe... maybe everything is not as bad as he thinks, maybe even going back on his old path, it may not be a dead end.

    YanMingSu was observing his expression the entire time. At this moment, he mocked, ¡°What? Very touched? If it was three years ago, I might still be uncertain but now I can clearly tell you, when my brother likes you, he can put his entire heart into it, but after it¡¯s over, where is the love?"

    ZhouXiang narrowed his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m a simple minded person, Director Yan <sup>(T/N)</sup>, please say it directly.¡±

    T/N: YanMingSu¡¯s title is déL, which is the head of a governmental department; director. Assume that YanMingXu is an head director of a Governmental department.

    ¡°Three years ago, there was a person with the same exact name as yours, who had been with MingXiu. You know right?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°When this person had an ident years ago, MingXiu was also very heart broken. But what happened in the end? It¡¯s all been forgotten. And now, he¡¯s once again fallen hard for you. To tell you bluntly, who can¡¯t live on after someone leaves? No matter how deep the feelings were, after the time had passed, it¡¯s nothing special. If I want, I have many ways to make it so that you guys won¡¯t be able to see each other for the rest of your lives. One day he will forget about you. But I don¡¯t want to do that because MingXiu will hate me. I would rather prefer that you be a bit more reasonable in seeing the situation and take the initiative to break up with him.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart felt all sorts of emotions. At this time, he really wanted to tell YanMingSu that he got it wrong. <i>I am that ZhouXiang.</i>

    He¡¯s always thought that YanMingXiu would never be able to ovee the critical juncture of his family¡¯s objection. In fact, he still does not feel that YanMingXiu could ovee it. But the fact that YanMingXiu is willing to take that step is quickly shattering his psychological defense.

    When he was very young, from the time he knew he is gay, he had thought that if one day there is that person willing to confess to his parents and insist on being with him, regardless of the pressures from family and society, he will certainly be with him his entire life.

    Now this person really appeared.

    They have suffered through so much hurt and agony but it is still this person who is willing to give it all for him in the end.

    His mood isplicated and pained. He simply doesn¡¯t know what to do.

    <i>What should they do? He and YanMingXiu, what should they do?</i>

    Seeing that he isn¡¯t talking, YanMingSu looked at him calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how deep the feelings between the both of you are, but it¡¯s certainly not to the extent of your imagination. MingXiu is only 24 years old. He still has a very long future ahead of him. He will meet many other people. One day, he wille to realize that being with a person who can¡¯t have children... a person who he can¡¯t bring out is a wrong choice. If you wait until then to leave, you would have devalued to a point that you can¡¯t imagine. Why not just simply do it now? I¡¯llpensate for all your losses.¡±

    YanMingSu¡¯s words actually made him feelfortable. It¡¯s not as provoking as the Yan¡¯s family elder daughter but it still made his entire body feel chillingly cold.

    He didn¡¯t need YanMingSu to tell him. He had already considered all of this. When he first pursued YanMingXiu, he didn¡¯t know YanMingXiu is from the Yan family. Had he known, he would have retreated right from the beginning. No matter how entangled they are, he would give up. At that time, he still had not fallen deeply in love with YanMingXiu, at least not to the point where it could only be him and no other... not to the point where he would be stupid enough to be like a moth flying into the mes.

    When he found outter, it was already toote.

    Now knowing and looking back, he could clearly see that his path with YanMingXiu is one that is full of challenges. Having gone though hardships and tragedy, evening back from the dead once, he dared to bet that nobody¡¯s love life is as torturous and as hopeless as theirs.

    If a person is still able to persist to the end on a path that is full of setbacks and pains, he must be a brave man. But how many people are really that brave? At least ZhouXiang knew very early on to retreat. The kind of exhaustion and fear of the future forced him to be reluctant to move forward. He¡¯s afraid that taking a few steps forward will lead to him falling into an abyss. Staying in the same ce or taking a step back is at least safe. Going forward may be hell or maybe heaven. With this tormenting choice, who can be calm?

    ZhouXiang felt a splitting headache with his eyes a little blurry. He waved his hand and hoarsely muttered, ¡°Director Yan, can I see him first?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t. It¡¯s not me not allowing you. It¡¯s my dad not allowing. He can¡¯te out right now.¡±

    "Then how long are you guys nning on confining him?"

    ¡°Until he gives up.¡±

    ZhouXiang bent down and supported his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face forcefully with both hands. His face became red from rubbing too hard. He is silent for a long time before saying, ¡°I don¡¯t have the final say in our rtionship. It is useless to force me. What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°Take the money and leave,¡± YanMingSu simply responded.

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°Not possible, my home is here, my career is here, unless you throw me into a ditch, otherwise, I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    ¡°As long as you have money, you can have a home and a career anywhere. ZhouXiang, I¡¯ve been in contact with you several times and my impression of you is not bad. You are not like those foolish superficial little celebrities. You are a man with insight and knowledge. I have investigated you and know that the reason you are with MingXiu is because of your dire need of money for your mother¡¯s illness. You are a smart person. You know that MingXiu is not a good choice. Smart people should do smart things. If you guys continue on, you might not get anything.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded softly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to threaten me. The things you¡¯ve said, I know very well in my heart. But there are some things that I can¡¯t exin to you. I just need to see him.¡±

    ¡°This, I can¡¯t make the decision. I have to discuss it with my dad.¡±

    ¡°Then you go and discuss it with him. I need to go back for the New Years."

    ZhouXiang stood up. The moment he stood up straight, he is a little dizzy. He felt his brain severelycking oxygen.

    He wanted to leave as soon as possible. YanMingSu¡¯s aura is very oppressive. In front of him, he seems to not be wearing clothes. Everyone one of his words pierced his heart. He needed some time. He need to slowly and calmly think about this.

    YanMingSu was still sitting in the chair, slightly lifting his chin, staring at him for a long while and said, ¡°Fine. Go back first. I will keep in touch with you at any time.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded indifferently, then quickly opened the door and left.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 104

    After ZhouXiang left the cafe, his mind could not be calm at all.

    He walked toward the direction of his home for more than ten minutes before hailing for a taxi.

    He thought a lot on the road. Although he told YanMingSu that he wanted to see YanMingXiu, he is somewhat afraid to see him. <i>What should he say after seeing him? Could he really abandon their deal and ept this person again? How would YanMingXiu handle the pressure at home?</i> With these series of problems lying ahead of them, ZhouXiang feels particrly tired. No matter how much feelings one has, it couldpletely whittle away by the umted exhaustion over a long period of time. ZhouXiang felt that he is in this state. What YanMingXiu had done for him had touched his heart. He had remained in the same ce, feeling endless exhaustion because he doesn¡¯t know what price he would have to pay to step forward and what the consequences would be. But no matter what the consequences may be, nothing can be more terrifying than losing his life. ZhouXiang thought to himself.

    He heaved a sigh and looked at the overcast gray sky above Beijing. His heart feeling extremely suffocated.

    After rushing home, there was still more than two hours before meeting LanXiRong at their agreed time. He has abundant time.

    Upon opening the door into the home, he saw ChenYing sitting in the room with her head down, not knowing what she¡¯s looking at.

    After hearing movements, ChenYing lifted her head, the rim of her eyes red. ZhouXiang immediately felt something wrong with the atmosphere.

    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back. What wrong?" He¡¯s only been out for two to three hours, what could have happened? ChenYing was obviously very happy all day today but now she seems to have been crying.

    ChenYing pointed to the sofa next to her, ¡°Sit down. I have something to ask you.¡±

    ZhouXiang is very astonished. ChenYing had never spoken to him in such harsh tone. In his impression, ChenYing had always been a kind and gentle loving woman who would spoil her child beyond limits and essentially had no temper.

    He walked over and sat down, watching ChenYing worriedly, ¡°Mom. What is really wrong? Are you not feeling well?¡±

    "Somebody came by earlier."

    ZhouXiang is shocked, "Who, who came?"

    ¡°Awyer...and gave me these things.¡± ChenYing looked at him with bloodshot eyes and pushed the documents on the table to him.

    ZhouXiang picked it up and take a look. His hand started to shake slightly. These are his bank statements. When he first opened the ount, there was two million clearly in the ount; this huge amount is abnormally ring. Behind this, there is also a series of documents rted to the transfer of the condo, very clearly showing the transfer from YanMingXiu to his name.

    This very private matter <sup>(T/N)</sup> is actually very obvious in other peoples¡¯ eyes.

    T/N: This private matter is alluding to the deal between ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang threw the file onto the table. He really couldn¡¯t look into ChenYing¡¯s skeptic expression.

    ChenYing pointed at the white papers with her trembling fingers. Her paled face is simr to those papers, ¡°This record for the two million deposit, I remember very clearly. It was shortly after I got ill. You said that you were looking for someone to borrow money. ZhouXiang, your mother is old but not an idiot. This money was given to you by YanMingXiu, right? The condo is also from him, right? Because of me, you (sold yourself to him).... do you think that your mom can live on happily?! ¡°ChenYing is more and more riled up. In the end, she basically shouted. Such a thinly frail woman, one can hardly imagine that she could make such a sound.

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath and tried to exin, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s really not what you think. I knew him from way before. I am.... borrowing money from him.¡±

    ¡°You still want to lie to me!¡± ChenYing shouted angrily, "People already came knocking on the door! ZhouXiang, you are a man, how could you do this kind of thing? Even if I have to die, I don¡¯t need the moneying from you doing this! You....don¡¯t you find this shameful?!"

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened, unable to respond.

    ChenYing looked at ZhouXiang¡¯s deathly paled face and immediately regretted her harsh words. She immediately hugged ZhouXiang, feeling immense pain, ¡°Ah Xiang. I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t me you. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s mom forcing you to such measures.....¡±

    ZhouXiang sobbed, ¡°Mom. Don¡¯t say that. You shouldn¡¯t know about this.¡±

    ChenYing cried, ¡°How could you not tell me? You¡¯re my only child. You almost died. Regardless of what happens to me, I don¡¯t want you to be humiliated, not even for a bit. I need you to have your dignity and be an upright man."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened, his eyes became blurry.

    He didn¡¯t expect YanMingSu to y this hand, calling him out and simultaneously finding someone to put pressure on ChenYing. With ChenYing¡¯s stubbornness, she¡¯ll likely refuse treatment now.

    This person¡¯s attack is extremely ruthless. Although WangYuDong had made him resentful, he had never done anything impulsive. If YanMingSu is standing in front of him now, he will beat the crap out of him.

    ZhouXiang is both furious and anxious. It started to turn ck in front of his eyes.

    How could he have overestimated himself, thinking that as long as he and YanMingXiu are in love with each other, all their problems can be solved? In reality, if they had really gotten to this step back then, it would have just been the beginning of their many challenges. In this case, he should be thankful that he died early? Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have known the things that happened after. Or should he begrudge that he died too early. If it was a year and a halfter, he would have given up under such surmountable pressure.

    Everything that had happened can¡¯t go back. If it was him from before (older ZhouXiang), what would he choose? Would he have whole-heartedly given it all for YanMingXiu to continue on this path till it is dark. Or know his ce and retreat? He doesn¡¯t know, he really doesn¡¯t know. If theter matter with WangYuDong didn¡¯t happen, he would continue to faithfully love YanMingXiu. He could have inadvertently be a Casanova unknowingly.

    But he knew that if it was the him now, he likely won¡¯t be able to do it.

    This incident brought about the consequence he was most worried about. ChenYing insisted that he return the money and the condo, otherwise she would not continue on with her treatment.

    ZhouXiang had no choice but to agree. With his current savings and ChenYing¡¯s current expenses, it would impossible for him to support the both of them for too long. He thought of borrowing money from LanXiRong but ChenYing may not agree. Adding on, how would he pay this person back?

    After much thinking, he once again thought of his own condo.

    As long as he sells the condo, all these problems will be solved.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t think that after going around in a circle and having exerted so much energy, he still has to resort to this step.

    But now, even the condo is not in his name; unless YanMingXiu agrees to transfer it to him.

    No matter what, he must see YanMingXiu. <i>But how would YanMingXiu agree? ... </i>

    ZhouXiang is so vexed that he wanted to hit his head against the wall. He hasn¡¯t smoked for a long time, but today he hid on the balcony smoking several cigarettes. The cigarette butt burned to his hand and he wasn¡¯t even aware. He smoked seven to eight cigarettes. Then, he took out his cell phone to call YanMingSu.

    The other side quickly picked up. ZhouXiang uttered gloomily, ¡°YanMingSu, you ying this hand, I really fucking look down on you. It¡¯s fine for you toe at me. But you even have to make things difficult for a 60 plus year sickly women, is this meaningful to you?

    YanMingSu is silent for two seconds, ¡°I can probably guess what you are saying but I didn¡¯t do it. I only came for you today.¡±

    ZhouXiang responded coldly, ¡°Then this is such a coincidence. Right after you called me out, someone came to see my mom. How can the timing be so perfect?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into this and give you an answer when I find out. This kind of thing, if I did it, I will admit it. But this kind of method is not good, I won¡¯t use it. Oh right, I was just about to call you. I¡¯m home right now. I¡¯ve discussed with my dad. He allowed you to see MingXiu. I¡¯ll send a car to pick you up on the second day of the Lunar New Year.¡±

    "I don¡¯t want to go to your house."

    ¡°My dad won¡¯t allow MingXiu to leave the house so you have toe. Why... are you scared?¡±

    "You don¡¯t have to provoke me. Actually, I am a bit scared. Three generations of your family are from the military, I am afraid that I won¡¯t be able toe back.¡±

    ZhouXiang is serious when he said this but YanMingSu thought he was joking. He even smiled, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. If we really were to get rid of you, just me is enough, don¡¯t have to take you to my home. Text me your address in a moment.¡±

    With things as they are, ChenYing and ZhouXiang weren¡¯t in the mood for the Lunar New Year. He called LanXiRong and told him that there had been a change with ChenYing¡¯s condition and he needed to stay home.

    LanXiRong was disappointed after hearing it but still insisted oning to spend New Year¡¯s with them. ZhouXiang tried to persuade him but was useless so he could only allow him toe.

    Upon hearing that LanXiRong wasing, ChenYing forced her spirit up and tidied up Aunt Wang¡¯s room so that he could to stay the night.

    After being overly upset, ChenYing¡¯s mood has been very depressed. When LanXiRong came over, he realized that she didn¡¯t seem quite right but because she¡¯s also a sickly person, he didn¡¯t think too much of it. Only ZhouXiang knew what was going on. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t eat and sleep well, often looking at him with guilt and agony, he felt especially pained.

    And this is just the beginning. <i>The Yan family hasn¡¯t actually started to deal with him. What aboutter? Andter after that?</i>

    ZhouXiang stood on the cold, windy balcony and looked at the moon. Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. The outside world is extraordinarily festive and lively. This is a city that never sleeps. Everywhere is full of people and the sound of cars, pushing the atmosphere of the festival to its peak. But he felt that he couldn¡¯t get into the mood at all. YanMingXiu¡¯s face constantly appeared in front of his eyes, every one of his expressions made him worry.

    There are many times he didn¡¯t dare to admit it but he couldn¡¯t lie to himself. From his past life to present... from the beginning to the end, his love for YanMingXiu had never stopped.

    There are just too many emotions that have surpassed his suppressed feelings for YanMingXiu. He never deceived YanMingXiu. He really, really doesn¡¯t want to get back together with him. The advantage of having died once is that he no longer stubbornly persisted in getting what he couldn¡¯t get in his past life.

    He just wanted to get a bit farther away from YanMingXiu to ensure his own safety so he could continue on living his life. Perhaps finding another person that he likes is not as difficult as he thinks, at least it¡¯s much simpler than gambling on his own future.

    ¡°Xiang Ge?¡±

    A soft voice came from behind. ZhouXiang turned his head and sees LanXiRong standing behind him.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, why are you standing outside in the cold? It¡¯s really freezing out here.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and extinguished the cigarette butt and turned to walk into the home.

    LanXiRong nced at the cigarette butts ZhouXiang threw into the flower pot, it was full. There were more than 10 butts. He bunched up his brows.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, is something wrong?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at the cigarette butts, ¡°Haven¡¯t smoked for a long time.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t use to smoke so much. Is something troubling you?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head.

    "Is it because of YanMingXiu?" LanXiRong looked at him fixedly, his bright eyes filled with emotions.

    ZhouXiang no longer evaded as he nodded, ¡°XiRong. It may be difficult for you to understand me. I also can¡¯t exin it to you. Anyway... I¡¯ve been tangled with him for years. It may have a thing to do with our destinies. You say... if there is such a thing as fate, that no matter what I do, it has already been decided? In fact, no matter what I do, it will still lead to the same oue.¡±

    LanXiRong looked at him in a daze.

    ZhouXiang smiled embarrassingly, ¡°How did I be so literary, howughable. Let¡¯s go....go in and have some dumplings.¡±

    LanXiRong grabbed onto him and says softly, ¡°Xiang Ge, I know that you love him. In fact, I¡¯ve always known. Your expressions, your behaviors, from beginning to end, I know that the person you love is him. Even though you say that you won¡¯t be with him anymore, I still feel that you are deceiving yourself. But Xiang Ge, you also understand yourself, you and him are not from the same world. Even if you can forgive him, would you be able tost with him?¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, ¡°I know. I know this more than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, I know that the fate between us has passed. I didn¡¯t grasp onto it at the time. Now, no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t get you back. Even thinking about this now is painful but I won¡¯t force you anymore. I only hope that you can be a bit more sensible. I don¡¯t want to see you suffer.¡±

    ZhouXiang patted his shoulder, not knowing what to say.

    If there is such a thing as fate, why should he even bother with resisting? After all, there is some invisible force messing with them. YanMingXiu once treated him as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute. When he was born again into this body, all the paths coincided, with history once again repeating itself. However, this time he became his own substitute. <i>Is someone acting a good show or is there really such coincidences in the world?</i>

    ZhouXiang felt overwhelmingly exhausted. Sometimes when people live too clearly, it is actually better to be confused.

    The three people passed a very dreary New Year¡¯s. After eating the dumplings, they slept early.

    On the first day of the lunar New Years, LanXiRong had to work so he left early in the morning. ZhouXiang got up and did chores to pass the time. ChenYing stared dazedly in front of the TV. A day passed by just like that.

    On the evening of the second Lunar year, he finally received a call from YanMingSu telling him that a car is waiting for him downstairs.

    ZhouXiang changed his clothes and went downstairs, then got into the car. The reserved and silent driver didn¡¯t say anything to him the entire time. He just drove him to the militarypound of a military district near the embassy district.

    The car parked in front of a three-story vi. When he got out of the car, he saw a soldier standing guard at the door. A person seemingly in charge was waiting for him.

    ¡°Mr. Zhou greetings. Pleasee with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang wrapped his coat tighter around himself and followed the man into the house.

    Several people were sitting in the room, all looking at him solemnly. This day, this moment, did not seem a bit like the New Year, it is more like judgment for a prisoner.

    ZhouXiang had expected this kind of atmosphere beforeing. He is very calm. He stood in the living room and waited to see what they would do. He swept his nce over and saw YanMingSu¡¯s familiar face. The older couple must be the parents.

    ZhouXiang humbly nodded politely.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s father snorted and turned his head. His mother creased her brows looking at ZhouXiang.

    YanMingSu raised his hand before his dad spoke, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t talk. You promised me that you¡¯ll let me handle this."

    His dad coughed once and nced coldly at ZhouXiang, then turned his head.

    YanMingSu stood up, ¡°ZhouXiang,e with me.¡±

    ZhouXiang followed him upstairs.

    When they were passing through the living room, YanMingXiu¡¯s mother suddenly stood up. Her hand held a tray as she headed in front of ZhouXiang and pleaded softly, ¡°Young man, can you get my son to eat a bit of this?¡±

    ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t know why, his eyes are red.

    She pushed the tray into ZhouXiang¡¯s hand, ¡°Can you get him to eat a bit of this?¡±

    ZhouXiang took the tray and nodded, then quickly followed YanMingSu upstairs.

    The two went to the innermost room on the third floor. YanMingSu knocked on the door, "MingXiu, he¡¯s here.¡±

    Almost immediately, the door opened and YanMingXiu¡¯s face appeared in front of ZhouXiang

    Before ZhouXiang could even react, YanMingXiu had already rushed forward and instantly embraced him. YanMingXiu¡¯s grieving voice could be heard besides his ears, ¡°Xiang Ge.¡±

    YanMingSu furrowed his brows. He kept thinking that the way YanMingXiu addressed ¡°Xiang Ge¡± sounded too familiar. He had a strange thought in his heart.

    ZhouXiang could hardly stabilize the tray. His heart almost jumped out from this throat. He felt a deep sense of distress as he stoodpletely at loss, not knowing how to respond.

    YanMingXiu is half a head taller than ZhouXiang. At this time, he bent down to bury his face on ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder, exerting all his energy to breathe in ZhouXiang¡¯s scent, trying desperately to be fully encapsted in ZhouXiang¡¯s aura to unleash his many days of yearning.

    He knew long ago that he could not be separated from ZhouXiang, nor could he imagine how unbearable it would be for him to be forcefully separated from him. Every day, he tells himself to be calm... calm, and more calm. This is apetition between him and his dad. He must not admit defeat but there were many times when he had wanted to jump down from the top floor. He wanted to go to ZhouXiang, immediately.

    He didn¡¯t know if he had already gone crazy. Maybe this is not yearning but a kind of panic. If he can¡¯t see ZhouXiang, he will panic; worried that ZhouXiang will disappear once again and he will once again fall into a hopeless abyss.

    So only when he could hold firmly onto ZhouXiang could he feel safe.

    YanMingSu pushed them into the room, ¡°Go in and talk, don¡¯t let dad see this.¡±

    The three people went into the room. The room¡¯s light was not lit. ZhouXiang nced at YanMingXiu. He could smell the refreshing fragrance of bathing on YanMingXiu. He should have just cleaned himself but the haggardness on his face could not be washed away. He obviously got quite thin with his cheekbones slightly protruded. Seeing him like this made ZhouXiang¡¯s heart feel extreme agony.

    YanMingXiu turned on the lights. The room seemed clean with traces of deliberate cleaning.

    YanMingSu said coldly, ¡°If he doesn¡¯te, you really going to be at ease living in a doghouse<sup>T/N</sup>?¡±

    T/N: YanMingXiu had been starving and not taking care of himself, along with leaving his room in a mess. It is only after knowing that ZhouXiang ising that he deliberately cleaned himself and his room up. Hence, YanMingSu made thisment.

    YanMingXiu has regained calmness. He looked at YanMingSu seriously and said earnestly, ¡°Ge, you have to help me.¡±

    YanMingSu responded sarcastically, "I¡¯m not helping you, lest you end up with no descendants.¡±

    ¡°As long as our Yan family have you is enough. I don¡¯t care whether or not I have children. I don¡¯t like women at all. I won¡¯t marry a woman. Mom and dad can give up on that thought.¡±

    ¡°What bullshit. How many years have you lived? You know what you want now but are you going to know what you want when you¡¯re 34? 44? 54? 84? These questions, those people who have lived to that age have given you the answer. You can¡¯t not have children. When a person is young, it is inevitable to be foolish and confused. We are here to put you back on the right path.¡±

    YanMingXiu said calmly, ¡°Ge, you don¡¯t believe in my feelings. I can tell you one thing. I¡¯ve been waiting all along for him toe to tell you directly in person. I want you to know that you¡¯ve gravely underestimated me.¡±

    YanMingSu narrowed his eyes, ¡°What?¡±

    YanMingXiu pointed to ZhouXiang, ¡°He is ZhouXiang.¡±

    YanMingSu responded angrily, ¡°Nonsense...¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s expression instantly changed, wanting to stop YanMingXiu but it was toote.

    YanMingSu¡¯s brain churned and immediately realized that this didn¡¯t sound right.

    YanMingXiu remained calm as he continued, ¡°He is ZhouXiang. He is that (older) ZhouXiang. The ZhouXiang you thought was dead.¡±

    YanMingSu widened his eyes and gritted his teeth, ¡°You...do you know what the hell you¡¯re talking about!? Are you out of your mind from being starved!?¡±

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 105

    YanMingXiu¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Ge, you must have been very curious about what JiKong Master said to me. The answer is now in front of you, because ZhouXiang is alive.¡±

    YanMingSu looked at ZhouXiang in shock. Although he knew his younger brother is obsessed with this person (younger ZhouXiang), he also recognized that it must be because of (older) ZhouXiang. He had said that YanMingXiu¡¯s affections are fickle, but in fact, he knew that YanMingXiu has never freed himself from ZhouXiang¡¯s binds all along. But regardless, he would never believe such a bizarre thing even if he was beaten to death.

    This person is obviously not (older) ZhouXiang. He had seen pictures of (older) ZhouXiang... No, the main point is that ZhouXiang is indeed dead!

    Then what is this thing in front of him that his brother is saying is ¡®still alive¡¯?

    ¡°You... you... tell me clearly, what are you talking about?¡±

    Seeing that these words can¡¯t be taken back, ZhouXiang had no other choice but to lower his head. All right then! Now that the secret he had intended to bring to the grave has been revealed to those that essentially should know, the only thing left is a deep sense of powerlessness.

    YanMingXiu nced at ZhouXiang and muttered hoarsely, ¡°Ge, you may not believe me, but you will believe in your master, right? ZhouXiang really did have an ident. That dead body is indeed ZhouXiang. But he had awakened in someone else¡¯s body, in a person who has the same name and had an ident the same time as him. The person you¡¯re now looking at is him."

    YanMingSu took a step back and took a breadth of cold air. He looked at ZhouXiang in disbelief. His voice trembling, ¡°How could you be so sure? There are many coincidences in the world. What if he is lying to you, what if.....¡± YanMingSu didn¡¯t say anything further. He knew that it is impossible. If this is true, then that means he is real. Although YanMingXiu has been devastating confused by love, he is not stupid enough to be fooled by something this ridiculous to such an extent. Moreover, he vaguely remembered that his master had said some ambiguous words at the time. Seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s odd expression, and now thinking back, those words might have meant something. It might have been connected to this entire matter.

    YanMingSu flopped down on the sofa. This is already outrageous for any normal person to hear such things, let alone seeing it with his own eyes.

    Of course, it had crossed his mind that YanMingXiu could be lying to him because he has once rashly shouted at this disappointing brother of his that if this ZhouXiang doe back alive, he will wish them a long-lived harmonious union. So YanMingXiu could make up such a lie to trick him to get passed his barrier.

    <i>But what about his master? Should he ask his own master about it? His master will definitely not lie to him.</i>

    YanMingSu wanted to call and ask, but in his heart, he had already believed.

    He didn¡¯t think that YanMingXiu will lie to him about this kind of thing. In fact, although he had told this ZhouXiang that YanMingXiu would one day forget about him just like he had forgotten that ZhouXiang to get him to retreat, but in the past three years, he had seen how much YanMingXiu had suffered with his own eyes. He knew that YanMingXiu had never forgotten ZhouXiang. Even if he is looking for another person; it is still because of ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu can¡¯t be deceived and won¡¯t use something like this to lie to him. This person is really that (older) ZhouXiang.

    When YanMingSu thought of such, he simply can¡¯t lift his head to look up at ZhouXiang. It¡¯s all too strange.

    YanMingXiu voiced hoarsely, ¡°Ge, will you help me? You¡¯ve said that if ZhouXiang is really alive, you will approve of us.¡±

    YanMingSu¡¯s face is particrly unsightly, ¡°Fuck, how would I know that he would reallye back alive.¡±

    ZhouXiang resolutely muttered, ¡°This matter, you can¡¯t tell anyone outside of this house, especially my mom. If you use this to threaten me and she finds out, I will not let you off at any costs.¡±

    YanMingSu coldly snorted, ¡°You watch too many TV dramas.¡± He quickly regained his calmness, "I need to carefully think about this. It¡¯s too hard for me to digest this news at the moment. You guys go ahead and talk. Don¡¯t take too long, I will wait for you guys downstairs.¡±

    YanMingSu opened the door and walked out.

    As soon as the door is closed, YanMingXiu pushed ZhouXiang to the wall and vigorously covered his lips with his lips.

    The two nice and warm lips melded, full of the YanMingXiu¡¯s familiar taste. ZhouXiang opened his mouth, letting the agile tongue invade his mouth, sweeping every wet corner of his oral cavity.

    YanMingXiu seemed to have exerted all his energy with this intense kiss, as if wanting to swallow him whole.

    YanMingXiu did what he had wanted to do these days. He kissed and caressed ZhouXiang, wanting to use physical intimate contact to prove that this person belongs to him.

    No one can take him away.

    ZhouXiang gripped his shoulder and slowly pushed him away, ¡°Okay, I didn¡¯te about this.¡±

    YanMingXiu sped ZhouXiang¡¯s chin. Seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s pale face, he has a very bad feeling in his heart, "What happened? My brother made things hard for you?¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his face and shook his head. He started to have problem breathing. He clearly had made a decision but couldn¡¯t say it.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, what¡¯s really going on? You don¡¯t have to worry about my parents. They will eventually give in. Believe me. I will make it so that you can openly be with me without any reservation."

    ZhouXiang pointed at the tray of food, "Eat something, your mother made it for you.¡±

    ¡°Not eating.¡±

    ZhouXiang furrowed his brows, ¡°How long have you not eaten?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, don¡¯t worry. I have hidden some food, won¡¯t starve to death. My mom is soft-hearted, she will persuade my dad."

    ZhouXiang pulled him to sit down. He couldn¡¯t help himself from gently touching YanMingXiu¡¯s emaciated face.

    YanMingXiu squinted his eyes at him, ¡°Xiang Ge, are you feeling pained for me?¡±

    ¡°Eat first.¡± ZhouXiang picked up the bowl of porridge, ¡°Eat.¡±

    YanMingXiu furrowed his brows and look at it. Finally, with ZhouXiang¡¯s insistence, he ate the entire bowl of porridge.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t blink, as he silently watched until YanMingXiu finished eating.

    It¡¯s obviously that YanMingXiu had been starving for a few days. Even though he tried to suppress himself, he still ate hastily. After he finished eating, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at ZhouXiang with embarrassment. Although he had lost a lot of weight, his flirtatious expression still startled ZhouXiang.

    YanMingXiu took ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and smiled softly, ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve missed you so much. You must have called me right? My phone andputer has been confiscated.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°I also went to JiangYuan.¡±

    ¡°JiangYuan wouldn¡¯t have dared to say anything. Did you contact my brother or did my brother contact you?¡±

    ¡°He contacted me.¡±

    ¡°What did he say to you?¡±

    ¡°You should be able to guess.¡±

    ¡°Well, actually my brother is more understanding than my parents. He will definitely help us. Xiang Ge, don¡¯t worry. My dad is stubborn but my mom and brother will be able to convince him. In the end, he will definitely give in. Wait till next year, I¡¯ll take you back to my home for the New Years.¡±

    YanMingXiu grinned. His brimming smile is so wide that it almost overflowed. He seemed to have seen the oue he wanted to see.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips twitched with his eyes lowered, not speaking.

    "Xiang Ge?" Not getting the response he expected, YanMingXiu suddenly got a little anxious, "Xiang Ge, I¡¯ve already gotten to this step, could it be that you still don¡¯t believe in me? I can no longer go back."

    ZhouXiang voiced hoarsely, ¡°Someone came to look for ChenYing.¡±

    YanMingXiu is startled.

    ¡°Our matter, she knows. She asked me to return the money and condo to you. I came to find you today mainly for this matter...¡±

    "No!" YanMingXiu shouted angrily, "What are you trying to say?"

    ZhouXiang looked up with this eyes void, ¡°MingXiu, I don¡¯t know in your eyes whether or not you feel that I¡¯m iprehensible. Why would I care so much for a woman who is not my real mother? But I really want to treat her as my real mother. You can¡¯t understand myck of maternal love for thest twenty plus years. What it means to me? That day, someone from your family came and said a few words to her. Afterward, she can¡¯t eat and can¡¯t sleep well for several days. If you continue to be like this, I don¡¯t know what your family will do to protect you. But no matter what it is, it¡¯s not something I can afford to take on.¡±

    ¡°I will protect you and protect her, I won¡¯t let...¡±

    "MingXiu," ZhouXiang interrupted him, "You can¡¯t even get out of this house right now."

    Pain rose up in YanMingXiu eyes.

    ZhouXiang felt that his heart had been pulled out, his lips are only automatically opening and closing saying the things that he had already prepared to say, ¡°Let¡¯s just move on, okay? I don¡¯t hate you, all the things from the past written off with a stroke. Actually, the two of us are really not fated at all. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have been tangled for two lifetimes and still not have a good ending. Right from the start, we are not from the same world. If you had told me earlier that you are from the Yan family, I would never have dared to get involved with you. If we keep on persisting like this, we¡¯ll both end up suffering. Let¡¯s just end it here and move on with our lives.¡±

    YanMingXiu stared at ZhouXiang with bloodshot eyes. He didn¡¯t say anything but tightly clenched his lips, so hard that he could taste blood on his teeth.

    None of this is how he had imagined it to be,pletely different. Why is it that he had fought so hard to get to where he is today, but ZhouXiang still could not open his heart to him? He had done so much. Could it be that it didn¡¯t matter at all to ZhouXiang? He had put his mind and all his efforts to make ZhouXiang believe in his love. He didn¡¯t think that ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t see it, but why... why do they need to end it here? Why? The thing that he, YanMingXiu wants, there is no such thing as "end it here"!

    ZhouXiang does not know whether doing this is right or wrong. But he felt that it would be good for everyone. YanMingXiu made him waver but he should persist with his original decision. He should not be entranced. The person he is now must be more rationalpared to the person he was a few months ago.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart had never felt so confused. He could no longer make the determination himself. Rather than say he made a decision, might as well say that he is evading in making a decision. But in YanMingXiu eyes, this is merely him ¡°maintaining his original decision.¡± With all he had done in thest several months, still nothing has changed. YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t ept these words, couldn¡¯t ept the decision ZhouXiang brought. At a time when he is trying desperately to fight for their future, ZhouXiang actually refused to follow him. This is such big irony.

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu, seeing his bloodshot eyes and distorted expression, he didn¡¯t need YanMingXiu to open his mouth, he couldn¡¯t say anything further. He grabbed his head, having a splitting headache.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t get overly agitated. Instead, he is surprisingly calm. He asked ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiang Ge, are you serious?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t move. He just nodded.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are blood shot with no emotions visible from his frozen expression, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten for four to five days. Only my brother secretly gave me some bread. I¡¯m not crazy to be doing this. I¡¯m merely making a bet that my dad will give in. He will definitely give in. After all, I¡¯m his son. I¡¯ve thought that the hardest part would soon past, but didn¡¯t think that the most difficult problem is still with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body trembled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why I like WangYuDong. At that time, I was only sixteen. I¡¯ve only just realized that I don¡¯t like women. Instead, I have feelings for men. I was very scared but at the same time very excited. I finally knew why I couldn¡¯t be like any other guys in being excited with holding girls¡¯ hands. My age is right at a time when one is especially curious about love. I¡¯m no exception so I started to pay attention to men. One day after school, I walked passed a movie theater, the big screen outside was broadcasting the trailer of WangYuDong¡¯s very first movie. I¡¯m sure that you have a deeper impression with that than me, because you were his stuntman.¡±

    ZhouXiang paused and slowly raised his head.

    YanMingXiu looked at him, his eyes void, ¡°The trailer clip broadcasted on the screen repeatedly yed the most ssic scene in the movie... the part of him looking back after falling into the water. I was immediately mesmerized. I¡¯ve never followed any stars but I felt that this back is so breathtaking. It fulfilled and satiated all my sexual fantasies.¡±

    ZhouXiang opened his mouth and looked at him incredulously.

    YanMingXiu continued, ¡°So because of that, I started to be interested in him. Later, I left to go abroad. That country is very liberal. At one point, I indulged myself for a while. In fact, I rarely thought of him during this time. What I didn¡¯t expect was that he would one day be my sister¡¯s boyfriend. Do you understand that when I realize how close this piece of cake is to me, yet I can¡¯t reach out for it? This piece of cake became especially delicious because it is the taste from all my imagination."

    As YanMingXiu continued to talk, tears from the corner of his eyes flowed down his face.

    ¡°When I met you, I wasn¡¯t even 21 years old. I had no idea about love or what it is. I only firmly believed in one thing and always felt that it was right. I feel that I like WangYuDong so I should continue to like him. And so... I ended up ignoring you. I made a lot of mistakes, but I also paid a huge price. This huge price is something that I don¡¯t ever want to think about in my entire life. What is most ironic is that it was because of this back that I fell for WangYuDong all those years ago. But this back was actually not his.¡±

    Unconsciously, ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes blurred. His eyes felt piercing pains as hot tears fell down his cheeks.

    YanMingXiu choked with sobs, "It was actually not his... but yours. Xiang Ge. I have always liked you. But I didn¡¯t realize it until it was toote. Everything that I¡¯ve done wrong, I¡¯ve received punishment. Xiang Ge, can I really not be forgiven?¡±

    ZhouXiang opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t speak. His tears flowed into his mouth; it is bitter beyond his imagination. The pain he felt is as if his heart is being pulled out, so painful that it overwhelmed him.

    <i>Who is the one actually messing with them? Who determined their fate?</i>

    <i>Who is it!</i>

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 106

    Suddenly, the door is fiercely pushed opened. A medium-sized man, looking about 60-70, full of prestige and vigor stood at the door.

    ZhouXiang felt that he looked familiar but his brain was still in a state of confusion. It took him three to four seconds to fully recognize that this is the person he often saw on TV. He is YanMingXiu¡¯s grandfather, a significant well known figure in the government, YanDeJiang.

    At this time, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t feel nervous. He couldn¡¯t even get himself to wipe the tears off his face as he stared at the person who had just entered.

    When YanMingXiu¡¯s mother saw her son¡¯s dispirited emaciated self, with tears strewn all over his face, she felt immensely pained. She tried to alleviate the situation at hand, ¡°Dad, you just came back. Got take a rest first. Leave the children¡¯s matter to us.¡±

    YanDeJiang ignored her as he slowly moved his eyes from ZhouXiang¡¯s face to YanMingXiu¡¯s face. When he spoke, his voice is very slow but sounded powerfully resonating, ¡°Crying like this, how shameful.¡±

    YanMingXiu wiped his face and softly muttered, "Grandpa."

    "Didn¡¯t eat for how many days?" YanDeJiang nced into the room and frowned with dissatisfaction.

    ¡°Just ate,¡± YanMingXiu stubbornly turned his face to the side.

    ¡°Is not eating going to solve the problem? This same old trick, your dad had used it back then when he refused to the join the army. I was still able to make him give in.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say anything.

    ZhouXiang had a bit of difficulty breathing under such high pressured situation.

    YanDeJiang nced at ZhouXiang and said, ¡°Mnnnn ... young people falling in love... as though it¡¯s a matter of life and death, isn¡¯t that stupid? If you really have the time and energy, why not go do something useful."

    There was not a sound in or out of the room, nobody even dared to take a deep breath.

    ¡°Young man, go back. This is our family matters. Outsiders don¡¯t need to intervene.¡± YanDeJiang said faintly as he looked at ZhouXiang. Every one of his words made ZhouXiang felt so ashamed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into. He stood up almost automatically and headed toward the door.

    YanMingXiu bolted from the sofa and stepped in front of ZhouXiang. Wiping his tears with his voice trembling, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to leave.¡±

    YanDeJiang raised his voice, ¡°You dare!"

    ZhouXiang wanted to push YanMingXiu away but he wasn¡¯t strong enough. He didn¡¯t dare to look at YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes. It made him feel pained.

    YanMingSu came over and pulled YanMingXiu aside, ¡°Let him go back first. This won¡¯t solve the problem.¡±

    ¡°No way. Ge, I can¡¯t let him go. What am I going to do if he leaves and note back?" YanMingXiu was still tightly gripping onto ZhouXiang¡¯s sleeve, refusing to let go.

    YanMingSu patted his face and lowered his voice, ¡°Let go first (referring to ZhouXiang¡¯s sleeves). I¡¯ll help you think of a way. Let go.¡±

    Everyone was looking at them. ZhouXiang felt so overwhelmed. He kept his head lowered with his ears red. His entire person felt weak and listless.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s paranoia is a bit abnormal.

    YanMingSu had no choice but to say something in his ear. YanMingXiu deeply furrowed his brows and finally let go of his hand reluctantly.

    ZhouXiang pulled his arm back. With his head lowered, he rushed out of the door. YanMingXiu¡¯s mother¡¯s voice sounded behind him, "Son, you¡¯re making mom feel very hurt...."

    The car that picked him up was waiting downstairs. ZhouXiang rushed into the car. His tears uncontrobly streamed down his face.

    He leaned back in the seat and reached his hand out to cover his eyes, his tears continued to well up around his eyes. He cried quietly. He kept asking himself. <i>Is doing this right? Is it right or not? If it¡¯s not, then does he have the courage to go back?</i>

    Even when the car arrived at the downstairs of his home, he didn¡¯t have an answer. It¡¯s just that every time he thought of leaving YanMingXiu alone there and he himself escaped, the pain in his heart felt as if it had been pierced with a knife.

    He didn¡¯t know how he got upstairs. After entering the home, even ChenYing¡¯s shocking expression didn¡¯t make hime back to his senses. He went straight into his room and flopped down on the bed.

    ChenYing¡¯s worried voice sounded from outside the door but she didn¡¯te in.

    ZhouXiang closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber. He slept very deeply. When he woke up, it was dark outside. ZhouXiang felt an excruciating migraine. It was particrly painful, as if his head is about to crack open.

    He sat up unsteadily and stared nkly at the darkness outside the windows. He can¡¯t see anything outside. There was nothing.

    <i>¡°Xiang Ge... I have always liked you.¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Xiang Ge... can I really not be forgiven?¡±</i>

    <i>¡°Xiang Ge...."</i>

    In his mind, all he kept repeatedly hearing and seeing is YanMingXiu¡¯s voice and face. ZhouXiang felt that he had been possessed.

    His mouth is extremely dry. He walked out of his room, intending to go into the kitchen to pour himself a ss of water. However, as soon as he opened the door, he found the living room brightly lit. ChenYing is sitting on the sofa looking at something.

    Hearing movements, ChenYing turned her face and nced at him sadly.

    ZhouXiang nced at the clock on the wall. It was already passed two o¡¯clock in the middle of the night. He forced himself to liven up but his voice is still lifeless, ¡°Mom, howe you¡¯re not asleep?¡±

    ¡°Ah Xiang,e here.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat next to ChenYing.

    He thought that ChenYing would definitely ask him about what happened today. His eyes are so swollen that it was hard to see anything. ChenYing can¡¯t possibly not notice. Unexpectedly, ChenYing didn¡¯t ask. Instead she pointed to the photo album in front of her, "This was taken when you were six years old. At that time, your father was still alive.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at her, not understanding.

    ¡°If your father is not dead, I don¡¯t have to work so hard, you also don¡¯t have to work so hard."

    ChenYing sniffed her nose, ¡°Ah Xiang, sometimes, I feel that it would have been better if I had just died, then I won¡¯t give you so much trouble.¡± "

    ¡°Mom, how can you say that?¡±

    ChenYing looked at him deeply, ¡°Ah Xiang, what mom said that day is too harsh. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    "I won¡¯t."

    ¡°Actually, do you like him? Tell me the truth, do you like him?¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head and didn¡¯t say anything.

    "You like him. But could his family ept you."

    He already got an extremely urate answer to this question. ZhouXiang shook his head.

    ¡°You also know it yourself. So you must not be foolish to get your feet stuck in this ditch and can¡¯t pull yourself out. That would be too terrible.¡±

    ZhouXiang slowly closed his eyes.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The 7<sup>th</sup> day of the Lunar New Year was unusually long. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t go out. Every day, he just stayed home, lost in his own thoughts.

    CaiWei and LanXiRong called him to go out but he made some excuses to refuse them.

    Putting the phone near his hand, he knew he was waiting for someone to call him, but didn¡¯t know whether or not he wanted that call toe. This kind of anxiety is about to make him crazy.

    Having stayed home for the third day, ChenYing finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and handed him a mirror to look at himself.

    ZhouXiang nced once. He felt that he still looked quite good. This young man is quite handsome, even if he was dejected to such an extent, he still had his charms. He wanted tough at himself, but theugh is more unsightly than crying.

    ChenYing caressed his hair, ¡°Howe you are so foolish? As long as you like him, mom is willing to support you but mom is most afraid of seeing you in pain... most afraid of seeing you hurt.¡±

    ZhouXiang took her hand and gently patted her back, ¡°Mom. Don¡¯t worry. Who hasn¡¯t gone through a breakup in their lives? Give me some time. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t take this so seriously."

    He didn¡¯t know whether he isforting ChenYing orforting himself. Only he, himself knows that he would never love any other person as he had loved YanMingXiu in his life. He had already given up a life, how could there be another person who can still make him give in to that extent.

    ChenYing shook her head, not knowing what to say.

    The phone call that ZhouXiang was waiting for never came. But instead, YanMingSu came. YanMingSu rang the doorbell to his home. The moment ZhouXiang opened the door, the emotions in his heart is like the ocean¡¯s surging waves, almost fiercely drowning him to death.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 107

    "ZhouXiang, who is it?" ChenYing asked as she walked from the living room. When she saw the person at the door, she was shocked.

    YanMingSu and YanMingXiu look very much alike, but their ages and expressions are vastly different.

    ChenYing immediately understood, ¡°ZhouXiang, let him in, why stand at the door?¡±

    ZhouXiang regained his senses, "Please...pleasee in."

    He weed YanMingSu into the house. After YanMingSu entered the home, he nced around the small temporarily rented apartment, all his emotions hidden so deep that people could not see what he is thinking.

    ZhouXiang pointed to his room, ¡°Let¡¯s talk in there.¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I have something to say to your mother first.¡± YanMingSu turned his eyes toward ChenYing, smiling, ¡°Auntie...hello.¡±

    ChenYing looked at ZhouXiang with a baffling expression. In her eyes, the sons of the Yan family are people that are specially privileged. She is just an ordinary person so it is inevitable that she will be nervous facing YanMingSu.

    ¡°Ah, he-hello, you should be Mr. Yan¡¯s older brother? You two look very much alike.¡±

    YanMingSu nodded, ¡°Auntie, you¡¯ve seen MingXiu many times?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him... seen him a few times. He is a good boy. He even helped me cook.¡± ChenYing pointed to the sofa, ¡°Have a seat. I¡¯ll get you a ss of water.¡±

    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t bother. Have a seat. I have something to say to you.¡±

    ChenYing turned her attention to ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang pulled her and sat down. He resisted the urge to ask about YanMingXiu¡¯s current condition and decided to hear what YanMingSu wanted to say first.

    After YanMingSu sat down, he looked at ChenYing with sincerity, ¡°Auntie, this time I came here to specifically apologize to you.¡±

    ChenYing¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°It was my dad¡¯sckey who came to see you that day. My mother sent him. It¡¯s very wrong for my mother to do that but you are also a mother, I believe that you could understand her. I hope you won¡¯t take it to heart.¡±

    ChenYing opened her mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Instead, she merely moved her hands, ¡°It¡¯s really nothing...¡±

    ¡°What theckey said is also not exactly the truth. Although ZhouXiang did ept my brother¡¯s money, it was for your illness. Moreover, they do have feelings for each other. It¡¯s not how theckey put it... that it¡¯s just a simple money transaction. I believe that you could also see the affections between them. Do you really believe that it¡¯s just what theckey said?¡±

    ChenYing¡¯s breathing followed by a little trembling. She nced at ZhouXiang painfully. In fact, she knew in her heart that the two young people must have feelings for each other. She could clearly see how much affections YanMingXiu have for her son. And she could also see why her son was looking so depressed and lost the past several days.

    ZhouXiang stared at YanMingSu the entire time, not knowing what his purpose is in telling ChenYing this.

    ChenYing lowered her head awkwardly, ¡°Mr. Yan, I understand what you mean. I was too impulsive that day. I¡¯ve never encountered such a thing, it¡¯s just...what is your intention in telling me all this?¡±

    ZhouXiang also wanted to ask the same question.

    YanMingSu smiled lightly, ¡°This, I¡¯ll have to talk to ZhouXiang alone.¡±

    ChenYing heaved a sighed, ¡°You guys go in the room to talk then. Ah Xiang, your own matters, you should make your own decisions. I¡¯m old, sometimes I get too confused. You don¡¯t have to take it to heart.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head andforted her with a few words, then led YanMingSu into his room.

    After closing the door, he pointed to the bed, "The room is small, just sit on the bed."

    YanMingSu didn¡¯t sit down. Instead, he picked up the tie clip from the desk and fiddled with it.

    YanMingXiu left it at ZhouXiang¡¯s home the night he stayed over and ZhouXiang had been too busy to remember to give it back to him so it¡¯s just been kept on his desk.

    "This is MingXiu¡¯s right?"

    "Yes."

    ¡°Before he came to see you that night, he came to see me. He asked me to help him find the best kidney disease experts.¡±

    ZhouXiang still remembered that day. YanMingXiu took ChenYing out without informing him. They had an unhappy discussion. That night, YanMingXiu drove to his home to see him. It was probably the most warmlypassionate night the two have had since his rebirth. There was no resentment, no hatred or mockery as they took possession of each other in the most primitive ways, drawing warmth from each other¡¯s bodies.

    If time could have stopped on that night, it would have been good.

    YanMingSu continued, ¡°He really cares about you. At that time, I still didn¡¯t know that you are that (older) ZhouXiang. I just felt that he was being even more foolish. After all, you are only a substitute. He wanted to find the thing he lost from a substitute. Is that even possible? But I have no choice but to watch my brother¡¯s life destroyed by a rtionship...pletely losing himself. The more sessful he is in his career, in other peoples¡¯ eyes, he is a fitting member of the Yan family. Only I know that his heart is like a barren desert, sooner orter, his soul will follow along this barren desert and drift away.¡±

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t imagine that such a serious and stern person like YanMingSu would say such emotional words. Moreover, every single word pierced his heart.

    "There are many things that I can help him with, such as getting connections to people. But there are also many things that I can¡¯t help him with, such as getting him to forget about you and bing normal again. The reason I told you stay away from him before was because I knew that he was treating you as substitute. It¡¯s no particr meaning. A substitute is a substitute. When he awakens, he will regret the stupid things he has done. I don¡¯t want to him to be so shameful in front of the family. But what I didn¡¯t realize was that you are him, you are that (older) ZhouXiang."

    YanMingSu sighed deeply, full of helplessness, ¡°MingXiu¡¯s heart has never changed. The person in his heart has always been you. I really don¡¯t know how I could stop him. He has shown me with his actions that he has never forgotten about you in more than three years. Even when he didn¡¯t know whether you were dead or alive, he continued to persist. Now that you are alive and in front of him, he would definitely not give up even if someone was to kill him."

    ZhouXiang grabbed his other hand with his trembling hand.

    From the beginning till now, what he thought of most was his own pain and suffering, his own gains and losses. He never seemed to have ever paid attention to what YanMingXiu went through and did... because he didn¡¯t see it, because he wanted to evade it. He wanted to hide very far away from YanMingXiu so he refused to see... refused to think... refused to feel.

    <i>If it was him and YanMingXiu¡¯s death was uncertain for three years, how would he be?</i> Just thinking of this, a huge panic and desperation instantly enveloped ZhouXiang.

    Who is in more painpared to the other is not apetition. But if it was to bepared, he and YanMingXiu, how would the winner be determined?

    ZhouXiang covered his eyes with his hand. The light in the room is not bright but it is so piercing that he wanted to cry.

    ¡°The days since your ident, my brother¡¯s appearance is something you can¡¯t imagine. To put it harshly, after your death, he is also like a dead person. I remembered rushing back to Beijing from abroad specifically for him. When he saw me, he hugged me and cried, saying that he regretted. He said... it was only after your death that he¡¯se to realize that he loves you. He didn¡¯t even get to tell you that. He said it was toote. My brother never cried even when he was young because my father would not allow us to cry. I¡¯ve never seen him so devastated."

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart gripped with pain, his eyes feverish as he forcibly tried to suppress his tears from falling.

    YanMingSu lowered his eyes, ¡°Those days were particrly chaotic. For a period of three to four months, I had to run back at forth between two ces. I was so busy with work but also had to take care of him and hide this from my parents. In fact, at the time, my parents knew a bit but they didn¡¯t know how grave the situation was. Later on, I invited my master, wanting him to enlighten MingXiu. Unexpectedly, after they chatted just once, he really got better. But he entered into a phase that was even more terrifying. He started to insist that you are not dead. He said that you must be too disappointed in him so you left. He wanted to be a star so that everyone could see him. One day when you see him, maybe you¡¯ll forgive him, maybe you¡¯lle back. ZhouXiang ah, my brother has hurt you and you have also hurt him. The destiny between the both of you are really ill-fated, so much that it can¡¯t even be rified.¡±

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath; the wet crevices between his fingers are all tears. He could hardly breathe.

    Right... in this life they are ill-fated. No... to him, it has been two lifetimes. In both of his lifetimes, their rtionship had been utterly nebulous, making them suffer immensely. But as of yet, there is still no good ending, still not knowing whether there would be that day of happiness after going through all this immense pain and suffering.

    He has never done anything malicious or evil, why is God making his life so difficult?

    ¡°At the time, I did say that if you really came back alive, I definitely won¡¯t prevent you guys from being together. Seeing how much he has persisted, I certainly won¡¯t be able to stop it anyway. But I really didn¡¯t think that you woulde back."

    YanMingSu puts the tie clip that he was fiddling with on the desk. Smacking his lips with this voice sharp and clear, ¡°I talked to my master on the phonest night. He gave me a lesson. ZhouXiang, the fate between you and MingXiu can¡¯t be severed. Even after you died, the King of Hell still kicked you back from diyu and also mingled back with MingXiu. Why do you think this is? Do you really think that you could escape from this? You two have long been tied together.¡±

    ZhouXiang tightened the grip on his hair, his voice hoarse, ¡°I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know...¡±

    ¡°ZhouXiang, everything that I¡¯ve said is mainly just to hope that my brother will live well. If he lives well, then I don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s not like I have nothing better to do than to help him clean up his messes. Initially, I was very opposed to his involvement with a man. But seeing how it is at the moment, if I was to really separate the both of you, something bad might happen. So I¡¯ll persuade my parents, but what about you? You should also make your position clear, right?¡±

    ZhouXiang raised his head. It is really hard for a 1.8M tall man like him to look so pitiful. He vigorously wiped his face, his voice trembling, ¡°I want to ask you a question.¡±

    "Ask."

    "If you are me, what would you do?"

    YanMingSu touched the desk with his finger, ¡°I will have nothing to do with the other person. No matter how you I look at it, it¡¯s not a good thing. The risk assessment is too high. It is far higher than my ability can withstand. The world is so vast. There are so many choices out there, why waste time on one that brings pain and grief?"

    YanMingSu nced at ZhouXiang, ¡°But this answer does not pertain to you, because I can do it, you can¡¯t. You love my brother. There is only a fine line between love and hate. Even if this is an ill-fated rtionship between the two of you, you can¡¯t hide from it. He also won¡¯t let you hide from it.¡±

    ZhouXiang let out aughter that is harder to hear than actual crying. Heughed a few times and looked at YanMingSu with bloodshot eyes.

    YanMingSu smiled, ¡°If you really don¡¯t care, this wouldn¡¯t have affected you.¡±

    ZhouXiang swung his head and uttered with his voice hoarse, ¡°Take me to see him.¡±

    YanMingSu looked heedlessly out the windows and responded softly, ¡°He¡¯s just downstairs.¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 108

    ZhouXiang asked unsurely, ¡°Downstairs?¡±

    "Yeah."

    ¡°He cane out?¡± ZhouXiang suddenly felt nervous. When he thought of YanMingXiu waiting downstairs, he felt that even going downstairs is a difficult problem.

    <i>How should he face him?</i>

    ¡°My grandfather let him out. He said that two children loving and bickering, sooner orter, they¡¯ll awaken from their senses. From the start, he doesn¡¯t believe that you guys willst. After all, MingXiu is only 24 years old. The people around his age had already changed (partners) a dozen times." YanMingSu smiled faintly, "My grandfather is very busy. He really doesn¡¯t have the time to be caring about these grandchildren affairs. He merely stepped in this time because he felt that MingXiu had gone too far. I also urged my dad. MingXiu is free for a while. However, I¡¯m afraid that there are still many challenges in the future. The two of you must be mentally prepared. Hopefully at the time, you two don¡¯te and bother me is good enough."

    ZhouXiang smiled bitterly, not knowing what else to say.

    YanMingSu said these words tantly, not leaving out anything. ZhouXiang was swept into it. The important thing is that YanMingXiu is downstairs. He had rejected YanMingXiu many times but YanMingXiu never gave up. And he, himself have also reached his limit. He has been struggling for too long in the predicament of whether to advance or retreat. If he still don¡¯t make a decision, the first one to copse would be him.

    And right now, he decided to go downstairs.

    Having been torturing each other for too long, ZhouXiang felt extremely exhausted. This rtionship has almost changed himpletely, not just on the outside but even with his state of mind. He has be vastly different from the person he was before. But he still wants to be himself. If he has to go back and follow his old path to be his true self again, he is willing to make this gamble. After all, for him to give up YanMingXiu at this time, he really is......

    ZhouXiang stood up and looked at himself through the ss of the bookcase. Reflected back at him is a pale, pitiful looking face. He wiped his face with a tissue, wanting to make himself look a bit normal. He didn¡¯t want to frighten ChenYing.

    "I... I¡¯m going down."

    "Wait, I still have something to say."

    "What is it?"

    ¡°In case you be a part of my Yan family, don¡¯t put my mom¡¯s action to heart. It¡¯s WangYuDong fanning the fire beside her, making things sound very severe so she sent my dad¡¯sckey to see your mom.¡±

    ZhouXiang clenched his fist, ¡°Not unusual, this surname Wang is my nemesis.¡±

    ¡°This fellow had not been too honest recently but my sister is pregnant, I can¡¯t touch him...¡± YanMingSu smiled, ¡°But I still have to give him some lesson to let him know that he is not qualified to take charge of our Yan¡¯s family matters."

    At this time, ZhouXiang could care less about WangYuDong. Whether or not WangYuDong is dead or alive has nothing to do with him. Although WangYuDong has yed an important role in both of his lives, he is definitely a role that God sent to try him. Just thinking more of this, his head would hurt. He might as well not even think about it.

    When he opened the door to go out, ChenYing was standing in the living room, seeming to be hesitating to knock on his door. She is shocked upon seeing hime out.

    ZhouXiang looked at her, ¡°Mom, YanMingXiu is just downstairs.¡±

    ChenYing opened her mouth, unconsciouslyying her hand on her chest. She sighed, "Then go on down. The weather is so cold, keep warm.¡±

    ZhouXiang paused a little and then quickly opened the door and rushed downstairs.

    ChenYing heaved a long sigh, deepening her brows; the worries in her eyes can¡¯t be concealed.

    It is snowing outside.

    ZhouXiang wore only a thin sweater but he didn¡¯t feel cold. When he saw YanMingXiu, leaning against the car with a thinyer of frosted snow on his body, his mind became nk.

    YanMingXiu looked up and obviously looked a bit startled in seeing him, ¡°Xiang ... Xiang Ge.¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you inside the car?¡± ZhouXiang asked softly.

    ¡°I want to be closer to you,¡± YanMingXiu is very genuine, as if doing this is a normal thing.

    ZhouXiang sniffed his nose, his eyes feeling pained.

    ¡°How could you wear so little?¡± YanMingXiu asked as he started to unbutton his coat, wanting to take it off.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have to...¡± ZhouXiang reached out to stop him. His head unconsciously lowered, as if it couldn¡¯t bear any weight, with his voice trembling, ¡°YanMingXiu, you say... are you smart or stupid? You say that you love me, why didn¡¯t you realize it earlier?¡±

    YanMingXiu sniffed his nose, ¡°Very stupid.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. If you had realized earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have suffered so much.¡± ZhouXiang covered his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re really a bastard... YanMingXiu... It¡¯s already like this. You didn¡¯t even let me have some peace. Did you know how I¡¯ve been everyd.......¡±

    A gust of cold wind blew and ZhouXiang felt the freezing chills immediately. The snow on the ground made crunching sounds. Very soon after, he is tightly hugged in a warm embrace. YanMingXiu wrapped his coat around him, his sobbing voice ringing next to his ear, ¡°Xiang Ge... Xiang Ge, let¡¯s start over... forget everything from the past... let¡¯s start over."

    ZhouXiang also hoped that they could start over. Their encounter was not considered good but it was enough for him to remember his entire life. Now thinking of that scene, his heart beat even faster.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice sounded hoarsely, ¡°MingXiu...would we be able tost?¡±

    ¡°We would, Xiang Ge, you¡¯ve essentially lived two lifetimes and still came back to me. This is your fate and also my fate. We would certainly be able tost.¡±

    ZhouXiang whimpered, ¡°That makes sense. Otherwise, the world so vast, why would I run into CaiWei the moment I woke up and bump into you the first day on my job? You say... this thing call fate ... is it good or bad?" Toward the end, his voice is no longer in tune.

    Having died once, he has be even more cautious than ever before doing anything. His first thought is always on ensuring his own safety and how he could peacefully manage his current lifestyle to not fall into the predicament of repeating the same mistakes from his previous life. But he had forgotten to ask himself, what it is that his heart desired. If he was to cast aside all his apprehensions, he really can¡¯t lie to himself. He had always ... always wanted to have an ending with YanMingXiu. This was what he most intensely wished for before. Until now, it hasn¡¯t changed because this wish had never been realized. It was the greatest regret in his past life.

    YanMingXiu hugged him tightly. ZhouXiang could feel the hot tears soaking his clothes and burning his shoulders. He could no longer suppress himself and reached his arms out to hug YanMingXiu. He still remembered how it felt to embrace YanMingXiu. Just like how it had always been... this made his heart beat erratically, made him nervous, made him hug tighter, not wanting to let go.

    ¡°YanMingXiu. LaoZi will make a gamble with you this time. If I lose again, then... that is just my life, I¡¯ll fucking admit it.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s heart is filled with many emotions ... joy, sadness, helplessness, resentment, happiness, sorrow, and panic. All these emotions collided... constantly expanding and deforming, as if in the next second it will burst. He felt himself stepping on soft clouds; perhaps taking a step forward might still be heaven or maybe he¡¯ll fall into an endless hell. He held tightly, very tightly onto ZhouXiang. Afraid that if he was to let go, everything in front of him is just a dream.

    He had waited for this day for more than three years. He once thought that it would nevere true. He had floated in despair, holding on to this bit of obsessive persistence to this day. No one could understand the immense pain of frantically longing for someone but not knowing where he¡¯s at, or whether he is dead or alive. If ZhouXiang didn¡¯te back alive, he couldn¡¯t imagine how he could have lived on.

    Fortunately, fortunately he could once again embrace this person. They are still young. He has a long time to heal ZhouXiang¡¯s wounds, to re-establish their trust and feelings.. to return back to their past.

    He will never let go.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 109

    The clothes on ZhouXiang were not suitable for the snow weather. After a short while, his entire body shivered and his lips turned blue. YanMingXiu pulled him into the car and spoke with a heavy nasal sound, ¡°How could youe down wearing so little?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded embarrassingly with a bit of nervousness, ¡°I heard that it¡¯s not cold when it¡¯s snowing.¡±

    "Nonsense, no matter what, it¡¯s still below zero.¡± YanMingXiu turned the car¡¯s heater to the highest. He caressed ZhouXiang¡¯s face with his frozen fingers, showing a crying andughing expression. But even with him showing such a strange expression, he still made people felt touched endlessly.

    ZhouXiang embarrassingly turned his head to the side.

    YanMingXiu gripped his chin and melded their lips, gently kissing him.

    ZhouXiang starred at YanMingXiu¡¯s eyshes in close proximity, moving like swaying fans; it is especially captivating.

    YanMingXiu winked, ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here (in ZhouXiang¡¯s room) tonight.¡±

    ZhouXiang still felt a bit awkward, ¡°No, go back with your brother.¡±

    ¡°Will you move back?¡± YanMingXiu looked straight at him, his eyes full of expectations.

    ZhouXiang nodded and shook his head, "I can¡¯t. I have to take care of my mom.¡±

    YanMingXiu uttered, ¡°We can live together. We can move into the home at SanHuan. I can take care of her along with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang thought for a moment, ¡°Forget it. My mom¡¯s personality is not one who likes to trouble others.¡±

    ¡°But I want to live with you,¡± YanMingXiu lightly frowned.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mind is in chaos, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister.¡±

    YanMingXiu pressed ZhouXiang onto the car¡¯s door and expressed his dissatisfaction with a lingering kiss.

    Bang! Bang!

    Suddenly loud banging noise sounded from atop their heads, starling the two. ZhouXiang immediately sat up straight and his head severely mmed into the windows, hitting it so hard that he is seeing stars.

    YanMingXiu pulled him forward and softly smiled, ¡°Got you so scared?¡±

    He wiped the fog off the window and saw YanMingSu standing outside of the car, looking at them helplessly.

    ZhouXiang pushed him away and got out of the car, ¡°I am going to go up first.¡±

    ZhouXiang is not an easily embarrassed person, but now he is actually somewhat embarrassed. He didn¡¯t know how to face YanMingXiu. He needed to sort out his thoughts and think of how to handle ChenYing and YanMingXiu¡¯s rtionship in the future, and with his career, and how to exin to CaiWei and the others. All in all, just thinking about this is enough to give him a headache.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes fixated on ZhouXiang¡¯s back until he disappeared into the stairway before he turned his gaze back.

    Seeing his useless younger brother, YanMingSu could only sigh, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, his smiled tinged with a bit of inexplicable sorrow, ¡°He really do still have feelings for me.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go tell him yourself?¡±

    ¡°He is very resistant to me, especially with the feeling of taking the same path from before. When you¡¯re on a path and the end is a cliff, you certainly won¡¯t want to take it a second time.¡± YanMingXiu looked up toward ZhouXiang¡¯s lighted room, his expression absorbed and persistent, ¡°But I want him to be by my side at all times, advancing and retreating together, no matter what the end is.¡±

    ¡°Then, the thing you promised grandfather and our parents, how long are you going to be able to hide that?¡± YanMingSu¡¯s expression is a bit serious.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes turned gloomy, his ordinary expression concealing unspeakable pain, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but... if I don¡¯t grasp firmly onto him at this time, he will leave me at a time when I¡¯m most helpless. If I didn¡¯t appear here today, he will hesitate again tomorrow. Ge, he lost his parents when he was 8 years old. In fact, hecked security more than anyone else. If I can¡¯t make him feel at ease, he will choose the most rational way to protect himself. His so-called rational way is one that I can¡¯t ept.¡±

    "Your own choice, I have nothing to say. But remember... once your lies are exposed, I¡¯m gonna see how you¡¯re going to deal with it."

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and didn¡¯t answer.

    He can¡¯t consider the consequences. Nothing can be worse than ZhouXiang¡¯s leaving him at this time. He needed to firmly trap ZhouXiang so that he can¡¯t leave him no matter what happens.

    ¡ª¨C

    After ZhouXiang went upstairs, he thought that ChenYing would say something to him. Unexpectedly, ChenYing didn¡¯t say anything, merely telling him to go to bed early.

    After ZhouXiang returned to his room, he flopped down on the bed heavily. His heart continued to beat erratically, for everything that had just happened ... for the past ... for YanMingXiu.

    ZhouXiang asked himself, even though he doesn¡¯t know what would happen in the future, would he continue to live on being confused and foolish? The corner of his mouth moved, revealing a somewhat warmly smile. If he was to be with YanMingXiu, being confused and foolish moving forward is worth a try.

    Thinking about everything that had happened in the past, ZhouXiang unconsciously fell asleep.

    In the middle of the night, his phone rang. He touched the phone and squinted his eyes at the screen. Again, it is YanMingXiu¡¯s call. Almost out of reflex, he bolted off the bed and opened the curtains to look downstairs. Sure enough, YanMingXiu and his car are downstairs. YanMingXiu even poked his head out of the car and waved at him.

    ZhouXiang connected the call, ¡°Why are you being crazy again?¡±

    YanMingXiu felt very grieved, ¡°I said that I wanted to sleep with you but you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said that I don¡¯t want to and you¡¯re still not leaving?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve also said that I want to be a bit closer to you.¡±

    ¡°Fine, with you calling in the middle of the night, you think I don¡¯t understand what you want?¡±

    "Then, can I go upstairs?"

    ZhouXiang hesitated for two seconds and sighed, ¡°Come up then.¡±

    He quietly opened the door and pulled YanMingXiu in.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s room is small, and it¡¯s hot, hotter than in the car. YanMingXiu took off his sweater as soon as he entered, wearing only a tank top.

    ZhouXiang narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

    YanMingXiu pulled him on the bed, ¡°I know you¡¯re not in the mood. We¡¯re just going to sleep, just sleep.¡±

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh andy back on the bed.

    YanMingXiu took off his pants and climbed into the bed and got under the nket, tightly hugging ZhouXiang.

    The room is so quiet that they could only hear each other¡¯s breathing.

    "MingXiu.

    "Mnnnnn?"

    ¡°You remember what it was like when we first met?¡±

    YanMingXiu is silent. Of course he remembered the first time they met. He had mistakenly thought that ZhouXiang¡¯s back was WangYuDong¡¯s back. This is not something worth mentioning. It is a forbidden topic between them because of the things that happened after.

    ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you talking? Could you have forgotten? I was doing a martial arts scene as WangYuDong¡¯s stuntman and you thought I was him and even hugged me from behind.¡±

    YanMingXiu said solemnly, ¡°I remember.¡±

    YanMingXiu treating ZhouXiang as WangYuDong¡¯s substitute is a lifetime knot for ZhouXiang. It is also something that made YanMingXiu feel very ashamed every time he thought of it. But ZhouXiang felt that he if could just freely bring it up himself like this, perhaps one day, he couldpletely let it go.

    ¡°Did you know what I thought of when I saw you?¡±

    "What?"

    "I was thinking...if I could do it (sex) with you just once, then anything is worth it."

    YanMingXiuughed, "Really?"

    "Really."

    "What about now?"

    ZhouXiang is silent for a long while, ¡°Now, it¡¯s not just once but everything has changed."

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t say anything. He just embraced him tighter.

    ZhouXiang whined softly and sighed, ¡°It would be best if we could go back to the past.¡±

    ¡ª¨C

    YanMingXiu left before the sky brightened. After all, it would be embarrassing for ChenYing so see him again.

    However, he came again at past 9 o¡¯clock in the morning and said that he would take ChenYing to see a doctor.

    ZhouXiang remembered that he had mentioned contacting a good nephrologistst time. It was about treating the illness. It is best not to dy it. ZhouXiang advised ChenYing to go right now.

    ChenYing is hesitant because she is worried about money issues. YanMingXiu could see her concerns and said softly, ¡°Auntie, between Xiang Ge and I, there are no difference between what we have. His matters are my matters. You being so stubborn will only make him feel pained, making it harder for yourself.¡±

    ZhouXiang is in no position to speak. After all, he still needed to use YanMingXiu¡¯s money. This is really not a glorious thing. He can only look at ChenYing anxiously, hoping that she would understand.

    ChenYing couldn¡¯t stand see her son feeling so pained. Although she felt that her face is hot, she could only follow the two of them downstairs.

    YanMingXiu took her to a private hospital in Beijing. There is a prominent expert on kidney disease in China who is in partnership with the hospital. Sometimes she wille here to provide consultations.

    ZhouXiang brought all of ChenYing¡¯s medical information, his heart full of hope.

    After arriving at the hospital, ChenYing had a few routine examinations. The doctor led two apprentices to study ChenYing¡¯s condition and requested that she stay in the hospital for a few days so that they could further observe her and try to determine the best treatment n within the weeks¡¯ time.

    ChenYing is not willing to stay in the hospital but decided to with the doctor¡¯s examination and ZhouXiang¡¯s persuasion.

    After the nurse took her to the ward, the doctor said to ZhouXiang and YanMingXiu, ¡°With her condition, it best to have a kidney transnt. You can start looking for a kidney donor now."

    Coming out of the hospital, ZhouXiang kept thinking silently.

    YanMingXiu squeezed his palm, ¡°Xiang Ge, this is indeed a very difficult task but there are so many Chinese people, we can search online. Don¡¯t think too much. Even if you can¡¯t find a kidney donor, as long as she follows her treatment, many people with uremia can live for a decade or two."

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I understand but don¡¯t tell her about this. Wait until there is a donor first. I don¡¯t want to give her any hope that won¡¯te true. I am afraid that the olddy won¡¯t be able to bear it.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± YanMingXiu smiled and nced at him, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s go to WangJiaWang supermarket near our home to buy some hot pot ingredients. They have the beef balls you like to eat. Let¡¯s have hot pot tonight, okay? ¡°¡±

    "Okay, Let¡¯s go. Haven¡¯t eaten it in a long time."

    YanMingXiu felt a piercing pain in his heart as he bitterly smiled, "Yeah, haven¡¯t eaten it in a long time...¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 110

    The nearby supermarket was where they most frequently shopped before when they were living together. It¡¯s not very big but is close to home and the varieties of products were sufficient. There was a 7-eleven and 24-hour porridge shop next to the supermarket. Before, when they got hungry at night, they woulde down to have some midnight snacks. Specifically, ZhouXiang is usually the one toe downstairs to buy their midnight snacks.

    The two pushed the cart through the various rows of shelves to pick the items. YanMingXiu¡¯s habits are the same as before, throwing whatever he wanted into the cart, whether or not it is something they would use. Sometimes, ZhouXiang would pick it up and put it back when he wasn¡¯t paying attention. At that time, ZhouXiang wouldn¡¯t let YanMingXiu see him do it because not only would YanMingXiu put it back, he would actually grab a few and throw it back into the cart in protest. ZhouXiang never got angry. Instead he felt that YanMingXiu¡¯s naive behavior was very adorable.

    At the time, everything YanMingXiu did was charming, even if he was being an overbearingly bully that constantly lose his temper, there is that distinctive vor.

    Now YanMingXiu¡¯s habits still hasn¡¯t changed, grabbing anything that he saw pleasing to his eyes. And still, ZhouXiang have the patience to talk it over with him, ¡°This cabbage kale doesn¡¯t look to fresh, let¡¯s change to another.¡±

    YanMingXiu took out the veggie thrown into the cart and looked at it. Surely, it didn¡¯t look very fresh, ¡°Oh, you choose then.¡±

    ZhouXiang picked and chose a few bunch of vegetables, then grabbed the few that he felt are good into to the cart.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hand was on the cart. Unknowing whether it is intentional or not, he gently put his hand on top of ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and turned his head to smile softly at him. His smile so wide that his eyes turned crescent shaped, looking very beautiful.

    ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help butughed, ¡°What are youughing at?¡±

    YanMingXiu kneaded his fingers, ¡°I haven¡¯t strolled like this with you in a supermarket for a long time.¡±

    ¡°You use toin that the supermarket smelled bad."

    YanMingXiu smiled faintly ¡°With you by my side, everywhere is good.¡±

    ZhouXiang suppressed his smile, ¡°When did you learn to talk like this? We¡¯re out in public. Be careful...mindful of your image.¡±

    YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t help but lean against him and used his shoulder to bump ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder. Even if it is such a simple touch, he felt very content.

    ZhouXiang also has not experienced this for a long time, his entire body felt warm and light as a feather. There is no longer that lingering reclusiveness and oppression that can¡¯t be ridden of. The burden in his body dissipated, with this person shouldering his burden along with him, he won¡¯t have to carry so much pressure and decision on his own. He made a decision and this decision made him feel at ease, that is enough.

    To be able to be with YanMingXiu like this makes him feel veryfortable.

    Even if he had gone through such torment and suffering, this is actually what he still wanted most. Since he can¡¯t change his true nature, he could only ept his fate.

    The two people chatted leisurely while shopping. The mood is iparably harmonious. YanMingXiu could already foresee into the future of their ordinarily peaceful and beautiful lives.

    After buying the hot pot ingredients, the two went home with three big bags.

    ZhouXiang skillfully prepared the hot pot ingredients while YanMingXiu turned on the electric stove to cook the hot pot broth. The two circled back and forth in the small kitchen and dining table, busy with their tasks. From time to time, they would bump into each other just by turning their bodies and would end up smiling at each other.

    In less than half an hour, the hot pot broth is ready. ZhouXiang threw in the uncooked ingredients first. The two surrounded the little hot stove and ate happily.

    Having a small home does have its benefits. Just turning on the heater for a short time, adding on the heat from the hot pot, they are already sweating profusely in just a short time, needing to remove their tops, leaving just their tank tops.

    The two gossiped about the entertainment circle. In the past, ZhouXiang would rack his brain for topics to talk to YanMingXiu. After all, there were nomonalities in their daily lives and habits. But now they have manymon topics.

    The things that YanMingXiu knew are not less, all of iting from the JiangYuan¡¯s big mouth chatting away in the car. He never really cared but ZhouXiang likes to hear about it so he¡¯s enjoyed telling him. The two chat and ate. The atmosphere is very good.

    At this time, YanMingXiu¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang. He took it out and nced, the smile on his face stiffened. Upon seeing the name on the phone, he hung up without hesitation.

    ZhouXiang raised his eyebrow, not knowing what was happening, but he felt that it was a call from WangYuDong, so he blurted out, ¡°WangYuDong?"

    YanMingXiu faintly responded, ¡°Yeah, ignore it. Let¡¯s eat.¡± After saying that, he turned off his phone.

    ZhouXiang curled his lips, ¡°Just answer it, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    YanMingXiu shook his head, ¡°Not answering, waste of time.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at him deeply, then heaved a sigh. He can¡¯t help butughed twice.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It just felt like I¡¯ve vented some anger. For so many years, I¡¯ve been trampled on by WangYuDong. Now that there is this day that you, YanMingXiu, actually won¡¯t pick up his call because of me, it feels pretty good.¡± ZhouXiang put down his bowl and took a big gulp of his ice cold beer,ughing loudly, "Feels really great!¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled and then said seriously, ¡°He can¡¯t bepared to you.¡±

    ZhouXiang grabbed the bottle of liquor and filled his ss, ¡°Come on. Bottoms up.¡± He thought, <i>in this rtionship, he could be considered as achieving sess right?</i> In his past or present life, be in or out of his career, he had always been WangYuDong¡¯s substitute. It was like that in his rtionship and also like that in his job. This feeling of grievance and humiliation is such a burden that it can bend a person¡¯s back. But now there is finally that day when he can hold his head up high and be proud and happy. Irrespective of work, at least in his rtionship, he no longer loses to WangYuDong. The substitute does have a day to be the lead.

    At this time, it¡¯s best to heartily have a drink, mixing all the grievances with the liquor, gulp it down and get rid of it.

    YanMingXiu followed along to toast with him.

    ZhouXiang put down the ss, wiped his mouth with the napkin and smiled, ¡°But why is he really looking for you? Asking you to do something for him? Tell me to make me happy.¡±

    YanMingXiu tried to lighten it, ¡°Borrow money.¡±

    ¡°Is it still the same matter fromst time?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t lent it to him yet?¡±

    ¡°He kissed up to the wrong people.¡± YanMingXiu coldly groaned, "My parents don¡¯t handle the finances. What use is it for him to babble stuff to my mom?¡±

    ¡°But regardless, he¡¯s still your brother-inw, you¡¯re really not caring?¡±

    The corners of YanMingXiu¡¯s mouth rose up in a smile, ¡°For me to spend the money, there is a condition.¡± His eyes shed a glimmer of light, seeming to be calcting something in his heart. This look made ZhouXiang felt a bit unease.

    This YanMingXiu is indeed very ruthless. Thinking of how much he used to like WangYuDong back in those years, once the feelings are no longer there, he couldpletely cast away all those sentimental feelings. Although ZhouXiang felt that this kind of thing should not bepared, there is still that gloominess shadow in his heart.

    YanMingXiu seems to have guessed what he is thinking. He stood up, crossed the table and quickly kissed him, firmly saying, ¡°Xiang Ge, you are different from anyone else. I will always be good to you.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s how it¡¯ll always be. Who can be too sure?¡±

    YanMingXiu frowned, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t think too much about it. I just want to give him a lesson so that he won¡¯t dare to say too much in the future.¡±

    ZhouXiang joked, ¡°I know. Regardless of how you teach him your lesson, I¡¯m happy to see, remember to live-broadcast it at any time.¡±

    YanMingXiuughed along.

    Although ZhouXiang had long hoped for WangYuDong to be down on his luck, his attention to this matter had dampened a lot. Perhaps, because when he was facing WangYuDong in the past, he can¡¯t beat him in anything so his spirit ofpeting to win is particrly strong. But when he had finally won the thing he most wanted, the jealousy and hatred he had for WangYuDong is essentially gone because he no longer cared. No matter what happens to WangYuDong, whether he¡¯s dead or alive, he no longer cared anymore. He only cared on how to live a better life and how to maintain his current life for a long, long time. Therefore, he didn¡¯t care how YanMingXiu would handle this matter with WangYuDong, whether or not he would loan him money, it is not his own money. Regardless of what he thinks, WangYuDong is undoubtedly the son-inw of the Yan family. In the end, he felt that YanMingXiu would still help him. He didn¡¯t want YanMingXiu to feel any mental burden with this due to him so he appeasingly muttered, ¡°This is your family matter, deal with it however way you want, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Whatever happens to WangYuDong, I really don¡¯t care. I¡¯m not as petty as you think."

    YanMingXiu understood what he meant. His heart eased up a bit, ¡°Xiang Ge, I won¡¯t give anyone the chance to hurt you again.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed, ¡°Are you really trying to raise me like a canary (a weakling). I¡¯m naturally a raven (strong). You don¡¯t have to be like this. We can just be like before, okay?"

    YanMingXiu also smiled at ease, ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll just like before.¡±

    To return to how their lives were before is their greatest wish.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 111

    The next morning, ZhouXiang made ChenYing breakfast and brought it over to her at the hospital. He stayed with her for half an hour before going to thepany.

    In the afternoon, he helped CaiWei prepare for a bidding meeting rting to renovating materials for a film studio. Because this involves a contract that is more than seven million yuan and CaiWei was too busy and couldn¡¯t attend, he could only be at ease in sending ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang is naturally obligated. He spent the afternoon getting an understanding of the several biddingpanies and then went with a few others to discuss the conditions for the winning bid.

    In the evening, CaiWei came back after finishing his work and insisted on treating them to a meal. ZhouXiang thought of the person at home so he gave YanMingXiu a call to inform him that he won¡¯t being back for dinner tonight.

    Unexpectedly, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t answer the phone.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t give it too much thought and instead happily went to dinner with CaiWei.

    It is inevitable to have a few drinks during a meal. The group of people drank a bit. CaiWei didn¡¯t drink because he had to meet with clientster in the night. After the meal, CaiWei wanted to take ZhouXiang home. ZhouXiang felt that this will be a bit embarrassing. After all, if CaiWei took him home, it would mean that CaiWei would know that he had moved back to his own home. And the only reason he could move back need not be borated <sup>(T/N)</sup>.

    T/N: it means that CaiWei would know that ZhouXiang has reconciled with YanMingXiu. After all, YanMingXiu has ownership of that house.

    However, being his best buddy, CaiWei would know sooner orter so ZhouXiang didn¡¯t reject his offer. After getting into the car, he gave the address to his condo. CaiWei had just started the car; his foot instantly shift from the elerator to the brakes making ZhouXiang¡¯s entire body propelled forward, almost mming into the windshield.

    CaiWei looked at him in shock, ¡°You... you moved back?¡±

    This move quickly sobered him up. ZhouXiang almost immediately had no feeling of being drunk. He nodded, ¡°Yeah, moved back.¡±

    "Then... then what about YanMingXiu?"

    ZhouXiang sighed and smiled, ¡°He also lives with me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Have you guys really reconciled?¡±

    ZhouXiang touched his nose and softly responded, ¡°Wei Ge, I don¡¯t know if you can understand or not. I¡¯ve also been confused for a long but it seems that our fates have been determined."

    "I really can¡¯t fucking understand at all,¡± CaiWei mmed his hands on the steering wheel, seeming to be quite dissatisfied, ¡°Have you forgotten what he did to you before? No matter what, he indirectly killed you, how can you just get back together with him? Moreover, is the surname Yan from an ordinary family? Will his family ept you? Or are you saying that you¡¯re willing to continue ying this underground love affair?"

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°Everything you¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve not forgotten. He also hasn¡¯t forgotten. I just think that when I¡¯m suffering, he also can¡¯t be any better. When I think of this, he¡¯s not so hateful. Moreover, right now he truly treats me genuinely. I can tell. As for his family.....Wei Ge, I really don¡¯t know what to do. We¡¯ll just go day by day."

    ¡°ZhouXiang, I see that you will regret one day.¡±

    ZhouXiang rubbed his eyes. He could only force a smile, ¡°Wei Ge, don¡¯t curse me. I don¡¯t even know what I should do. I don¡¯t think that my IQ is this low but when I run into these kinds of things, I feel so fucked up. You know, sometimes when I think of the things that happened from the past, I get so pissed that I want to punch him. But when I see him cry, I also feel pained."

    ¡°Fucking crazy.¡± CaiWei nced at him fiercely then turned to restart the car. "If you lose yourself again, I won¡¯t fucking give a care about you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes fell onto the streets outside the windows and depressingly responded, ¡°If I lose again, then that¡¯s just my life.¡±

    CaiWei drove ZhouXiang to the downstairs of his home. ZhouXiang opened the car door and was going to get out. Suddenly he turned his head and asked, ¡°Wei Ge, you want toe up and sit for a while?¡± ZhouXiang looked at him quietly, "You haven¡¯t been to my ce for a long time.¡±

    CaiWei wanted to tell him ¡°fuck no¡± but seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s expression, he couldn¡¯t say it. He responded in a bad mood, "Another day.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded and was about to get off the car.

    CaiWei immediately grabbed his arm.

    ZhouXiang bent his body, ¡°Wei Ge?¡±

    CaiWei sighed, ¡°Get in. I still have something to say.¡±

    ZhouXiang sat back in the car.

    CaiWei thought for a moment, ¡°Since you¡¯re willing to start over with him, I¡¯ll also say a few impartial words. This guy YanMingXiu is nothing special but towards you.... his feelings are likely genuine." CaiWei took out a cigarette and lit it, then opened a slit of the car¡¯s window, ¡°At the time of your ident, the search and rescue team would reasonably search for just a week, at most two weeks. YanMingXiu rushed to GuangXi and got connection to somebody and ended up forcing the rescue team to search for more than a month. This is not typical. The search and rescue team wasn¡¯t even owned by his family. I was also there at the time and wanted to urge him but YanMingXiu was extremely unrelenting. It was as though he had gone crazy, looking nothing like what he used to be. If you see him, you also won¡¯t feel that he¡¯s the same person.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his eyes; his heart trembled slightly. This... he had heard intermittently from other people¡¯s mouths. Although he didn¡¯t see it with his own eyes but from these fragments, he could feel YanMingXiu¡¯s desperation and hopelessness at that time. If only he could switch ces with YanMingXiu, he would be able to experience what kind of immense pain it would be to not know whether the person you love is dead or alive.

    Therefore, he really can¡¯t continue to hate YanMingXiu because YanMingXiu had already received his punishment.

    ¡°It was only at this time that XiRong and I dared to believe that he really has feelings for you. Otherwise just an ident alone could not destroy a person like that.¡± CaiWei tapped the cigarette ash out of the window. A gush of cold wind blew through the window slit, blowing the ash back inside and fragments into ZhouXiang¡¯s nose. He wrinkled his nose, from his nasal cavity to the rim of his eyes, all of it making him feel grieved.

    ¡°This is all I have to say. Since you want to be with him, then just seriously start over again. Although I¡¯m not optimistic about you guys, but who can say? Maybe lovers can really have a happy ending. Since I can see that you haven¡¯t given up even after dying once, you¡¯re utterly hopeless.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, get the fuck out.¡± CaiWei patted his head, ¡°Dumb idiot. Even got younger after dying, lucky you."

    ZhouXiangughed and turned to go upstairs.

    After ZhouXiang got home, YanMingXiu still hadn¡¯t yet returned. He didn¡¯t know what YanMingXiu could be busy with.

    Sitting on the sofa in the living room, he carefully looked around everywhere, at every corners of this home. YanMingXiu¡¯s traces are everywhere. He sat and thought of everything between them. It was as if nothing had happened, but the reality is that everything that did happen is irreparable.

    He swung his head a few times, not wanting to think anymore. He got up and took a shower and went to sleep early. Sleeping into the middle of the night, the room¡¯s door was opened.

    "MingXiu?" ZhouXiang muttered.

    "It¡¯s me."

    YanMingXiu removed his clothes and simply jumped into the bed. ZhouXiang was lying t on his belly. YanMingXiu pressed directly on his back with his breathing a bit heavy.

    He smelled a bit like liquor.

    ¡°Hey? Did you drink? Or is it me..l.can¡¯t be... I¡¯ve taken a shower....You drank?¡±

    "Yeah¡±

    ¡°With who?¡±

    ¡°......My dad.¡±

    ZhouXiang turned over and tried desperately to discern YanMingXiu¡¯s face in the dark but he could hardly see anything. He could only see YanMingXiu¡¯s intoxicated eyes.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, no matter what happens, will you stay with me?"

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Promise me.¡±

    "Promise you what?¡±

    ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t leave me no matter what happens.¡±

    "What is really wrong with you?" ZhouXiang is not use to a YanMingXiu who had drank alcohol. YanMingXiu¡¯s alcohol tolerance is very bad. Every time he gets drunk, he could create problems for him. The most unforgettable and profound time was the night of WangYuDong¡¯s engagement to his sister. He was drunk and was lying in bed calling out WangYuDong¡¯s name. That time made him disgusted, so he had had always felt unsettled with YanMingXiu¡¯s drinking.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, I can¡¯t leave you. I really can¡¯t leave you.¡± YanMingXiu pulled tightly onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, ¡°Why are you so good to me? I treated you so bad before.¡±

    <i>Starting to talking nonsense...</i>

    ZhouXiang is helpless. He wanted to push YanMingXiu away but he is like a snake wrapping tightly around him, not letting him go no matter what.

    YanMingXiu suddenly said with sobbing tone, ¡°Xiang Ge, you must not leave me.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t leave you. Let me go first okay? I can hardly breathe.¡±

    Once YanMingXiu heard his words, he slid down from ZhouXiang but still didn¡¯t let go. He was like a child whocked a sense of security. Arching his head into ZhouXiang¡¯s embrace until he found a position that put him at ease, he fell into a deep asleep.

    ZhouXiang went to bed too early, with YanMingXiu¡¯s ordeal just now, he actually couldn¡¯t fall sleep.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s even breathing sounded in his ears. ZhouXiang¡¯s arms on his waist also unconsciously tightened.

    End of the chapter

    Next chapter: Chapter 112 ¨C YanFei Came To Find ZhouXiang

 Chapter 112

    <strong>T/N:</strong> I have to say, some parts of this story seems so predictable. Many of you made very urate assumptions throughout, hence myck ofment response, as I wouldn¡¯t know what to say without revealing too much.

    The next morning YanMingXiu was still asleep when ZhouXiang woke up.

    He needed to meet up with someone today from the TV studio that YanMingXiu had introduced to him to for a series of preparations before shooting. The movie requires him to practice horse riding and also lose some weight to fit the image of the protagonist so he got up early to get ready to go.

    After he came out from taking a shower, YanMingXiu seemed to have woken up. He rolled over and even stretched his hand to pull onto something (referring to subconsciously grabbing onto ZhouXiang).

    Seeing his movements, ZhouXiang felt that it is especially funny.

    In the next second, YanMingXiu opened his eyes and looked around the bed. After seeing ZhouXiang, wrapped in a bath towel standing at the door, he finally felt relieved.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Your sleeping is really lewd.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned over, ¡°Notfortable...¡±

    ¡°Who told you to drink?¡± ZhouXiang poured a ss of water and pulled him up, ¡°Have some water, even your voice is hoarse....¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t reach out for it but instead bit the edge of the ss so ZhouXiang could only feed it to him.

    After drinking the water, YanMingXiu reached out and grabbed his waist. The fragrant smell of the body wash on ZhouXiang is very good. YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t help but moved close to smell him as he mumbled, ¡°You need to go out?¡±

    ¡°Yah, I¡¯ve to leave after eating. You can just heat it up to eat when you get up.¡±

    "Where you going?"

    "The studio people called me to go over to do some preparations for the movie, saying that I need to learn how to ride horses and also need me to lose some weight. I think that I¡¯m already thin enough but they need an even leaner look." ZhouXiang smiled helplessly. He patted YanMingXiu¡¯s head, ¡°Let go, I have to leave.¡±

    YanMingXiu rubbed his short, stubble chin on ZhouXiang¡¯s warm and bare abs, and then reluctantly let go.

    ZhouXiang especially wanted tough. He felt that he is not even like this when he was 24 years old. <i>How can YanMingXiu act like such a kid?</i>

    ¡°Remember to eat, if it cold then just heat it up.¡± He changed into his clothes and left.

    ¡ª¨C

    After meeting the people in the studio, he was taken to a racecourse where a professional trainer is to train him on horse-riding. For this role, he would also have to do some dangerous stunts while on a horse. The scene is said to be only three to four minutes of the entire movie, but it is especially important. The studio people requested that he must practice.

    ZhouXiang had ridden on horses with his colleagues in KangXi grasnds before but it was merely for fun. At that time, his sry was not high and he felt that this activity was too expensive so he came down after ten minutes. Before, he didn¡¯t feel that it was that tiring sitting on the horse¡¯s back. When he was sitting, he didn¡¯t feel much. He didn¡¯t expect that after sitting for half an hour, both of his legs couldn¡¯t stand straight and he could hardly walk.

    Fortunately, the trainer didn¡¯t make it hard for him. He arranged a training schedule for him, giving him enough time to adjust.

    ZhouXiang spent the entire afternoon in the racecourse. It wasn¡¯t until after 5pm that a studio employee took him home.

    When ZhouXiang got out of the car, he realized that arge Jeep with a military license te was parked downstairs. It is particrly eye-catching. He felt that this jeep looked familiar.

    The jeep¡¯s window is suddenly rolled down and a head wearing a military cap poked out from the driver¡¯s position. This driver nced at him and then shrank his head back. Following, the man got out of the car and marched toward him, "Are yourade ZhouXiang?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± ZhouXiang remembered this was the vehicle he saw when he went to YanMingXiu¡¯s housest time. Although he didn¡¯t remember the license te number, the car definitely looked like this.

    ¡°Chief wants to see you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s heart tightened. He looked toward the vehicle but couldn¡¯t see anything, "Which... which one?¡±

    This officer headed to the back of the car and opened the door to quickly tell the person inside something.

    After a while, the person inside the car stepped out. It is YanMingXiu¡¯s father. ZhouXiang didn¡¯t know what the intent is on this day. He had checked his (YanMingXiu) father¡¯s news on the Inte and found his name in a bunch of dazzling military merits. His name is YanFei.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s hand in his pocket started sweating. He really wanted to call YanMingXiu to quicklye back but the other party will definitely not give him this chance. Otherwise, he (YanFei) would not havee looking for him when YanMingXiu is not here.

    This is directed at him.

    Of all the people that ZhouXiang¡¯s hade in contact with in his life thus far, the highest is President Wang. He had never dealt with anyone from the military. And looking at YanFei¡¯s serious and rigid face, thinking about his attitude towards this matter, ZhouXiang is somewhat terrified.

    He calmed himself down a bit then politely bowed to YanFei, ¡°Yan...¡±<i> How should he address him? </i>ZhouXiang thought that this is YanMingXiu¡¯s father after all. Addressing him too formally didn¡¯t seem quite right but too endearingly is inviting trouble for himself.

    YanFei waved his hand and didn¡¯t give him time to think about it, "Bring me upstairs, I want to take a look.¡±

    "Upstairs?"

    ¡°Yes, the ce that you live with him.¡±

    ZhouXiang is dumbfounded. He remained stiffened in ce for a few seconds before gripping the keys in his pocket tightly and led the way.

    After YanFei entered the condo, he stood at the entrance and nced around the home, ¡°You guys live here?¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t care whether or not he was satisfied with this ce. It wasn¡¯t like he was the one living here. He nodded frankly.

    ¡°It¡¯s doable, it¡¯s good to be a bit simple.¡± YanFei took a step into the living room but suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his shoes so he took a step back to put on a pair of slippers before stepping into the home.

    "Have a seat."

    When ZhouXiang was gesturing for him to seat, YanFei had already sat down. His eyes were still looming around. It seems that he could not believe his son would live here.

    ZhouXiang poured two cups of hot water and put it on the table before sitting next to YanFei.

    YanFei nced at him, "How old are you this year?¡±

    "27."

    ¡°You¡¯re four years older than MingXiu?¡±

    ZhouXiang thought... <i>actually not just 4 years. Using his original age, he is 9 years older.</i>

    YanFei shook his head, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what young people are thinking these days. Following a fashionable trend? Looking for excitement?¡±

    ZhouXiang faintly responded, ¡°We are just like any ordinary people, looking for a significant other, falling in love.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, how can two men be considered a couple? Can fall in love? If that is possible, the human race would have been extinct long ago.¡±

    YanFei¡¯s volume is not loud but it is particrly profound and powerful, seeming to carry some kind of invisible intimidation. His few words have made ZhouXiang¡¯s scalp go numb.

    He forcefully smiled, ¡°Yan... Uncle Yan, no matter how absurd you find this to be, it is also a choice we have made through countless pressures. I don¡¯t believe that in your eyes, you would believe that we are merely following a fashionable trend or seeking excitement. You know that MingXiu is serious, I ... I am too.¡±

    YanFei snorted, ¡°Two men together. Do you know how shameful that is? How are you guys going to have children?¡±

    ZhouXiang very ufortably rubbed his hands, ¡°If we have that thought in the future, we could adopt one...¡±

    ¡°Adopt one? Is our Yan family not able to have children? Why the need to adopt one? After the adopted child grows up, will it really care for you, take care of you in old age?¡±

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it directly.¡±

    ¡°Hearing what you said, it¡¯s obvious that MingXiu had not told you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s lips trembled a bit, ¡°Told... told me what? ¡±

    ¡°He promised me that he would get married and give me a grandchild.¡±

    The light on the top of YanFei¡¯s head is very bright, but in front of ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes, it is turning ck.

    <i>So the reason YanMingXiu was able to be free is because he promised his father this? YanMingXiu, you really wouldn¡¯t be trying to hit two birds with one stone in such a convenient way right?</i>

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice shook, "This, I really didn¡¯t know.¡±

    "I reckon he didn¡¯t dare to tell you. Mnn, cowering... not like a man.¡± YanFei lucidly responded, ¡°This is my biggest concession toward you guys. As long as he gets married, I won¡¯t care about this between the both of you. To carry on the Yan family¡¯s lineage is his responsibility as a descendant of the family. If you know your ce, you should know what to do.¡±

    ZhouXiang revealed a pale smile, ¡°I know.¡±

    "Good." YanFei nodded with satisfaction and then asked, "You¡¯re also an actor?"

    "Yes."

    "Messing around for a few years in your youth is enough. Your field of work is just a profession thatsts as long as a person¡¯s youth. When it¡¯s time to settle down in the future, you can help MingXiu take care of some matters in and out of the home. Don¡¯t be too mboyant with your identity."

    ZhouXiang has been numb to the point where he couldn¡¯t feel anything. He automatically nodded. After all, whatever YanFei said is meaningless to him because there is nothing that he could do to make him satisfied. He might as well not even do any of it.

    It had always been very difficult for him to be with YanMingXiu. It was hard to ovee his own psychological obstacles. It was also hard to ovee the obstacles from the outside world. He didn¡¯t expect that this is even much more difficult than he imagined.

    Having been living this carefree illusion for three days, he is reminded head on that reality had never changed and it is useless to even evade.

    After all, he still had to face many of the troubling, worrisome and perhaps even retreating issues.

    For example, everything that is happening right now in front of him.

    If YanMingXiu had been truthful at the time in letting him know that the price of his freedom was his promise to his father that he would get married, he definitely would have turned and leave. But YanMingXiu did not tell him. He didn¡¯t even mention a word.

    If his old man didn¡¯t personallye to look for him, when would he find out? On YanMingXiu¡¯s wedding day? This has got to be the biggestedy. He would be the most ridiculous clown in thisedy.

    Seeing that he is almost finished with what he needed to say, YanFei stood up, ¡°I¡¯ve said this much, since you¡¯re both in such a rtionship, you guys need to discuss this carefully. If you really must be with MingXiu, our family won¡¯t treat you unfairly." After he finished, he turned and walked out the door.

    ZhouXiang stood up and escorted him a little distance. Although he is overwhelmed by various emotions, he still remembered this basicmon courtesy.

    After YanFei left, ZhouXiang flopped on to the sofa and suddenly felt that he had exhausted all the strength in his body.

    End of the chapter

    <strong>Next chapter:</strong> YanMingXiu¡¯s Promise To His Father

 Chapter 113

    ZhouXiang received a text message from YanMingXiu in the evening informing him that he had to leave for a business trip at thest minute. It was quite urgent and he was already on a ne ready to take off. He would call him tomorrow and tell him to go to bed first.

    ZhouXiang stared at the phone¡¯s screen for a long time, then automatically slid his fingers over the keys to respond with one word, ¡¯okay.¡¯

    Then he turned off his phone.

    After ZhouXiang took a shower, it was already 11pm when heid on the bed. The home is dark. Besides him, there is no one else breathing deeply. It was too quiet. All the ideal conditions for sleeping are there but he couldn¡¯t sleep at all.

    It seems that ever since he had awakened in his body till now, it had been more than eight months but there was not a day that goes by when he could just fall asleep without thinking or worrying about something. He thought to himself, although he had earned a few years being reborn again, he had so many worries that on the contrary, would have shortened his life.

    He really wanted to cast all these troubling matters aside, to not think and be bothered by it anymore. But he knew that this dark cloud had been floating above his head. Whether or not he cast it away, he will have to face it sooner orter.

    Finally, ZhouXiang can¡¯ty down anymore so he got up from the bed and sat in the living room without turning on the lights. He started to smoke in session. In the beginning, he was more awake the more he smoked. Butter on, he became more and more dazed. Finally, he fell asleep on the sofa.

    The next morning, he was awakened by sound of the phone ringing. He didn¡¯t react at first and then suddenly awakened to realize that it was the sound of the home¡¯s phone. Since he had moved back home, this phone had never rang. He hadpletely forgotten that it even existed.

    He climbed to the other side of the sofa and picked up the phone, ¡°Hello?¡±

    "ZhouXiang?" CaiWei¡¯s voice came from the other line with a hint of excitement.

    ¡°Wei Ge? Why didn¡¯t you call my cell phone?¡±

    "Your cell phone is turned off."

    "Ohh." ZhouXiang only now remembered.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t called this number in a long time. I was guessing the number and surprisingly I still remembered.¡±

    ZhouXiang is a little moved, ¡°You use to dial it all the time.¡±

    "Not true, hey, now is not the time to talk about this. Tell you some gossip news, guaranteed to make you thrilled."

    "What gossip?"

    ¡°I apanied President Wang to dinner with some guestsst night and heard that WangYuDong and his dad seemed to be in some trouble. Some people said that they were doing illegal fundraising. The people who got cheated exposed this. And now, it¡¯s said that there is judicial involvement with evidence being collected as we speak."

    ZhouXiang immediately woke up, ¡°Illegal fundraising? Isn¡¯t his old man very wealthy?¡± WangYuDong¡¯s old man has at least two listedpanies as well as shares inrge energypanies overseas. And even WangYuDong¡¯s himself, his own business has always been doing well. Why would they need to raise funds illegally?"

    ¡°The wealthier, the greater the risk. When we make mistakes in our jobs, the most we lose is our wages. When they run into problems with their businesses, they could easily lose tens to hundreds of millions. The international climate is not good in thest two years. They must have been affected. Oh, hey, I think back luck will befall on this surname Wang this time. The few people who had dinner with President Wang yesterday wouldn¡¯t talk indiscriminately if they¡¯re not sure.¡±

    ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t know how to describe his current mood, more or less like watching a good show.

    WangYuDong¡¯s public¡¯s reputation is not bad in the circle but he does unt a bit. Especially after bing the ideal son-inw of the Yan family, his social status of course would naturally rise as a result. So there are many people who are jealous of him. At this time, people who want to watch good show are definitely everywhere. Only ZhouXiang would be gloating over WangYuDong¡¯s misfortune while feeling a bit worried. Because he faintly felt that this matter involved YanMingXiu. WangYuDong had asked YanMingXiu for help some time ago, most likely due to some hardship with his business. That wasn¡¯t too long ago and now with the breakout story of the illegal fundraising, this is kind of dubious no matter what he thinks.

    <i>What role does YanMingXiu y in this?</i> Could it be that WangYuDong was forced to take desperate measures resorting to illegal fundraising because YanMingXiu refused to lend him money? This is not quite right. Despite the fact that he had never been involved with matters rting to business, to really have to raise funds, one can¡¯t possible say that they need money today and someone would be giving it the next day. Moreover, ording to what CaiWei said, the people who have been cheated only seemed to have reacted recently. Then this had probably started a long time ago. With WangYuDong and his dad¡¯s prestigious reputations in Beijing, no one would even presume that they would be involved in illegal fundraising. It is reckoned that these investors have long felt that they are making investments rather than being ¡¯conned¡¯.

    Such big matter that even gossip is out; YanMingXiu should have known it already but didn¡¯t even mention a word....

    ZhouXiang also asked CaiWei some of the specifics but CaiWei didn¡¯t know much. He just called to share this news with him. After all, CaiWei also didn¡¯t particrly liked WangYuDong because of ZhouXiang¡¯s matters.

    After hanging up the phone, ZhouXiang realized that it was only 8am.

    He turned on his cell phone and realized that YanMingXiu had sent him two text messages, asking if he had gotten up and whether or not he had breakfast.

    ZhouXiang returned with a text, ¡°When are youing back?¡±

    YanMingXiu quickly replied, ¡°Tomorrow evening.¡±

    ZhouXiang had just received his text when YanMingXiu¡¯s phone call came. After ZhouXiang connected, the voice from the other line softly smiled, ¡°Xiang Ge, do you miss me?¡±

    ZhouXiang resisted the conflicting emotions from hearing his voice at the moment and asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°In a meeting. I snuck out for a while. I miss you,¡± YanMingXiu seems to be in a good mood as he gentlyughed, ¡°I bought you a lot of delicious food.¡±

    ZhouXiang said expressionlessly, ¡°I have something to ask you. We¡¯ll talk when you return.¡±

    "What is it?"

    "Concentrate on work first. It¡¯s not convenient to say on the phone."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s breathing became unsteady, ¡°Xiang Ge, what is it? Your tone doesn¡¯t sound right.¡±

    ZhouXiang is silent for a moment, ¡°We¡¯ll talk when you get back.¡±

    "Xiang Ge..."

    ZhouXiang hung up the phone.

    He took a deep breath with his brain buzzing. His entire persony on the sofa, not wanting to move at all. He remained like that for ten full minutes before his heart steadied from the chilliness all over his body. He stood up and got dressed, nning on going to the hospital.

    He wanted to bring ChenYing home today. ChenYing had called him every day, telling him that she doesn¡¯t want to stay in the hospital anymore. She wanted toe home. All her examinations should have beenpleted. Aunty Wang had also returned from her hometown. It is time to take her home.

    In the past two days, he had been using YangMingXiu¡¯s car, but when he habitually grabbed the car keys, he didn¡¯t know why, he remembered the words YanFei said,

    "<i>When it¡¯s time to settle down in the future, you can help MingXiu to take care of some matters in and out of the home. Don¡¯t be too mboyant with your identity," </i>sounding as if he is a girl.

    <i>Fuck......</i>

    Men are usually not bothered by such trifles, using each other things, at times they won¡¯t even bother with asking. Moreover, he and YanMingXiu are a couple. But after hearing YanFei¡¯s words, and thinking that he still owed YanMingXiu so much money, it just made him very ufortable.

    He dropped the car keys and decided that he would go buy a used car immediately, one that is in line with his status, that he can drive feeling at ease.

    He hailed a taxi to the hospital and took ChenYing home. After settling down, he went to the racecourse and continued with his training. He had intended to go back home to have dinner with ChenYing at night. But after his training was over, YanMingXiu¡¯s call came. ZhouXiang beat his sore leg lightly with his fist as he connected the phone, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, where are you?¡±

    ¡°At the racecourse.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say.... forget it, I¡¯ming back now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle pick you up. I see that you didn¡¯t drive.¡±

    ¡°No need, just wait for me." ZhouXiang gloomily hung up.

    After he got home, YanMingXiu had prepared a table of food. Upon entering the door, ZhouXiang saw YanMingXiu peeking out of the kitchen wearing an apron; the sky-blue apron obviously with oil stains all over, not looking a bit out of sorts. One can only say that anyone looking like YanMingXiu would look good even wearing a gunny sack.<sup>.</sup>

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have much time to appreciate this handsome man because YanMingXiu don¡¯t necessarily belong to him. When he thought of this, he wasn¡¯t in any mood.

    YanMingXiu smiled at him, ¡°Tired? Seeing you look like you¡¯ve trained all afternoon. Go take a shower ande out to eat.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to.¡± ZhouXiang, who usually loves to be neat and tidy, but at this time, he didn¡¯t even bother hanging up his jacket. He just threw it on the back of the sofa.

    The smile on YanMingXiu¡¯s face stiffened, noticing an unusual atmosphere in the air. He felt a burst of nervous tension because he¡¯s guilty.

    ZhouXiang took out a cigarette from his coat¡¯s pocket. While lighting it, he asked, ¡°I just want to ask you. When are you nning on telling me that you need to get married? Are you going to personally give me an invitation?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression changed instantly, ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    "Your dad came to look for me. Why are you so surprised? You really think you can hide this? YanMingXiu, I just don¡¯t understand. Even if I¡¯m that stupid, do you think I can happily watch you get married, that I can watch you holding your wife in one hand and your child in the other, bringing honor to your ancestors? Am I your fucking underground lover?!¡± ZhouXiang pointed at his nose, furious, ¡°Don¡¯t think that your surname Yan is all that great, who the hell are you treating as a dumb fuck?!¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, calm down. Let me exin, ok?"

    ZhouXiang took a smoke vigorously; the pungent heat burned his throat making it itchy, "What do you want to exin? You want to persuade me to ept-¡±

    "No!" YanMingXiu quickly interjected, "This is just temporary measures, I¡¯m just..."

    ¡°You¡¯re just lying to your dad? Leading your dad on? Let you marry and y for a while, deceive him for a while and then divorce?¡± ZhouXiang¡¯s voice is a bit piercing, ¡°I really want to know, what ns do you have in mind that will satisfy both sides!"

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression paled, ¡°Xiang Ge, I don¡¯t want to marry anyone.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even change his mind on the things that you didn¡¯t promise him... not to mention you promised him now.¡± ZhouXiang said hoarsely, ¡°Do you really think that your dad is an idiot? YanMingXiu, is this the good days that you had envisioned for us? Is this what you said by going back to the past? In fact, take a look, nothing has changed. What you¡¯re actually thinking in your heart, I can guess. If you really had no intentions to get married, you would have told me right at the beginning. But you didn¡¯t tell me. You kept hiding this because you are guilty. What is it that you really want... ask yourself? You wanted to solve this problem without me knowing about it? You want ...you really thought of getting married?" ZhouXiang lift his head and looked at him quietly.

    His eyes seemed to be two deep pools. YanMingXiu felt that he can¡¯t evade under that expression. He had thought of many ways. He really had thought about (marriage)... YanMingXiu guiltily bowed his head.

    ZhouXiang was actually still expecting YanMingXiu to have a better reason to refute. At least, this fact, he didn¡¯t want to know. However, YanMingXiu still have not spoken, which in essence is agreeing tacitly.

    At this moment, ZhouXiang really wanted to cry. He felt an overwhelming exhaustion that he had never felt before.

    There are a many homosexuals in the world, for all kinds of pressures and reasons would chose to marry a person of the opposite sex whom they absolutely had no interest in to evade public scrutiny. Although ZhouXiang didn¡¯t agree to these things, he is helpless to it. But it doesn¡¯t mean that he could ept it. He absolutely can¡¯t ept YanMingXiu marrying a woman, yet also wants to maintain this rtionship with him.

    No fucking way.

    ZhouXiang could no longer feel heartache. If these rash thoughts materialized, his heart would have long been like a strainer and probably got another scar.

    He pointed to the door, ¡°Leave, I really don¡¯t want to see you right now.¡±

    YanMingXiu took off the apron and said resolutely, ¡°Xiang Ge, I admit that I really thought about this approach. I¡¯m under too much pressure. I have to find a way to bnce this. But the reason I didn¡¯t tell you is certainly not because I wanted to make this decision secretly. I just don¡¯t want you to worry. My ultimate choice is definitely not to marry anyone but to be able to get my dad topromise. Xiang Ge, trust me...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, fuck off.¡± ZhouXiang sat down on the sofa, so tired he didn¡¯t even want to move his fingers, "Being with you is too exhausting; really, tell me what I¡¯m hoping for?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face is white like paper. His voice shaking, ¡°Xiang Ge, you can¡¯t kick me out. At this critical moment, you can¡¯t give up on me.¡±

    ¡°Which critical moment? YanMingXiu, tell me how should I believe you? Should I fucking lie to myself for you until the day that I get your wedding invitation?!" ZhouXiang said tiredly, ¡°Just leave, really, go, I really can¡¯t fucking stand it anymore.¡±

    YanMingXiu took a step back and didn¡¯t move any more. He was as stiff as a stone standing in ce, feeling his heart bleeding.

    End of the chapter

    Next chapter: Chapter 113 ¨C ZhouXiang Makes His Stance Clear To YanFei (a turning point...).

 Chapter 114

    ZhouXiang kept his head down the entire time, the ash from the cigarette fell to his feet, burning blotches on the carpet that he had painstakingly kept clean, but he didn¡¯t even realize it.

    YanMingXiu took a deep breath, ¡°Xiang Ge, I have already thought of countermeasures but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t mentioned it to you. Do you want to hear it? ¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t... not right now.... I just want to be a lone for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you some time to be alone. I¡¯ll be back here tomorrow night. If you¡¯re not here, I¡¯ll go pick you up.¡±

    ZhouXiang lifted his head and look at YanMingXiu with bloodshot eyes, ¡°You go back first.¡±

    YanMingXiu turned his head, grabbed his clothes and left.

    ZhouXiang showed a faint smile.

    <i>Is the problem stemming from them or from around them? Why are things always happening in ways that they least want?</i> He and YanMingXiu wanted so desperately to pull themselves back onto the right track but get derailed again and again. It¡¯s as if there is an invisible force opposing them. No matter how hard they try, they can¡¯t free themselves from it.

    It shouldn¡¯t be that everyone¡¯s love life is this difficult, right? So difficult it doesn¡¯t even make any sense.

    ZhouXiang even starts to feel an indescribable resentment for everything that had happened from beginning to end. He¡¯s really unwilling to be resigned to this fate... for him and YanMingXiu to be manipted by others, not being able to do anything about it.... just like this...

    He had even lost his life, yet still couldn¡¯t disengage himself from this rtionship. Having paid such huge price, it¡¯s definitely not to end up with nothing in the end.

    <i>How can he be willing to ept this?</i>

    ZhouXiang suddenly stood up, grabbed his coat and rushed out of the gate. He hailed for a taxi on the side of the road and gave a street name. It is a street in the embassy district. This area lives many leading governmental officials who had stepped down from their post but are still actively working. The distance is not far from his home. ZhouXiang had been there once. He thought that he would never have the chance to step into this ce a second time his entire life, especially not the one to take the initiative to do so. But his heart felt tremendously suppressed, so much that all his rage flooded in that direction.

    Before he regrets it, he wants to do what he wanted to do. Anyway, he really can¡¯t see this getting any worse than it already is.

    Shortly after ten minutes, he arrived at the door to the family¡¯spound. The soldier at the door looked very young. Rubbing his frozen red nose, he asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±

    ¡°I am looking for Chief Yan <sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N/: YanFei¡¯s title is Ê×éL, which could mean senior official, senior officer, chief of a governmental entity.

    ¡°May I ask what your name is?¡±

    "I¡¯m ZhouXiang.¡±

    ¡°Please wait a bit." The soldier went in and said something to the standing guards. A guard picked up the phone. After a while, a soldier took out a book, ¡°Come, you have to register.¡±

    ZhouXiang wrote down his name and the party he is looking for before being allowed to enter.

    In a distance, a figure bundled up in a military jacket walked toward him. After approaching closer, ZhouXiang recognized that this person is YanFei¡¯s personal security guard.

    ¡°ZhouXiang right? Follow me.¡± ZhouXiang sniffed his nose and silently followed him.

    The family¡¯s courtyard is unusually quiet. The hustle and bustle of Beijing at night seemed to not have even the slightest effect in this ce. This kind of silence made ZhouXiang¡¯s heart beat erratically.

    The guard brought him into the building where he was thest time. There is a big army vehicle and a red g in the yard. He knew that YanDeJiang as well as the family¡¯s two sons and daughter don¡¯t usually live in this home. But at this time, if YanMingSu was at home, he might be able to alleviate some of his nervousness.

    He really came.

    YanFei and YanMingXiu¡¯s mother sat in the spacious living room waiting for him. Even without wearing his military uniform, YanFei looked prestigiously imposing. With his brows bunched, ¡°Why did youe to my house?¡±

    The moment ZhouXiang saw him, he is surprisingly calm, ¡°Chief, didn¡¯t you also came to my home?"

    YanFei is momentarily speechless; his expression not looking good.

    ¡°Are you here to look for me? MingXiu don¡¯t live here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to look for you. I¡¯ve something to say to you¡±

    YanFei¡¯s eyebrows twitched, his tone a bit harsh, ¡°Say it.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s mother tugged his arm, her expression looking a bit condemning. YanFei red at her and swept her hand away.

    ZhouXiang remained standing at the door. YanFei had no intention to invite him in. In fact, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t n on going in. He just came to finish what he had wanted to say. This ce has nothing worthy for him to stay.

    ZhouXiang said calmly, ¡°Chief, whether you believe it or not, MingXiu and I are serious about each other. There are many things in the world that you don¡¯t want to believe in nor understand, but it really does exist.¡±

    YanFei mmed fiercely on the table, his breath unsteady as he angrily muttered, ¡°Keep talking!!"

    ¡°What I want to say is very simple. MingXiu will not marry anyone. If he does, this would long ago have nothing to do with me. Indeed, I really can¡¯t have children. After all, I¡¯m not a woman. I am being with him as a man. I have my own career, he also has his own. We don¡¯t affect each other. I won¡¯t be a lover that is secretly hidden from the world, especially waiting to take on whatever role it may be after he gets married. All the things you expect me to do, I may not be able to do it. But there is only one thing that I can do, and that is, I will always treat him as the most important person to me in the world. My heart will never change. I hope..... that you guys can respect your son¡¯s choice."

    YanMingXiu¡¯s parents looked at him dazedly, not regaining their senses.

    ZhouXiang bowed to them. Then turned around and walked out.

    The snow on the ground still has not melted, making that ¡¯zhizha¡¯ sounds upon being stepped on. ZhouXiang hearing the sounds felt as if it is ying a splendid tune.

    He¡¯s probably gone crazy or had taken on the heartbroken mentality. Regardless, he was toozy to care. To be able to freely spill everything that he had kept in his heart in front of the Yan family is extremely thrilling. Whatever happens going forward will just let it be. Can there be anything that is worse than what he had experience before? There won¡¯t be, so there is nothing for him to worry about.

    He hailed for a taxi and gave a familiar address.

    After more than ten minutes, he stood outside the door of YanMingXiu¡¯s home.

    He just came over like that. In fact, that was not hard at all.

    He put his finger over the doorbell and was just about to press it when the door suddenly opened from the inside.

    YanMingXiu is rushing out. He didn¡¯t even wear his jacket as he dashed out and immediately mmed into ZhouXiang.

    ¡°Xiang Ge?¡± YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang in disbelief.

    The corners of ZhouXiang¡¯s stiffened mouth lifted in a forced smile, ¡°Where are you going in such a hurry?¡±

    ¡°My dad called me and said-¡±

    ZhouXiang interrupted him, ¡°Said that I went there? That¡¯s right. I went there and then I came back.¡±

    YanMingXiu gasped heavily, ¡°Why did you go there. What did you say?¡±

    ZhouXiang stroked his (own) face and said warmly, ¡°I said that you won¡¯t marry anyone. You can only be with me. You have no objections, right?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s expression can be described as unpredictable, this look of sadness and extreme happiness collided making ZhouXiang endlessly sad seeing him like this.

    In the next second, he was dragged through the door by YanMingXiu. His back mmed harshly into the wall, so hard that he is seeing stars as soft lips covered his lips, vigorously kissing him with such desperate eagerness.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s fingers caressed his hair as he responded fervently.

    YanMingXiu removed his clothes, his warm hands stroking back and forth around his waist, igniting the fires of desire everywhere on his body.

    ZhouXiang gasped, ¡°Your dad told you to go home....¡±

    ¡°...Don¡¯t care,¡± YanMingXiu said resolutely. In the next second, he pulled down ZhouXiang¡¯s pants and slid his fingers into ZhouXiang¡¯s underwear, meandering his way to the soft meat hidden in the pubic hair.

    ZhouXiang also reached out to grasp onto YanMingXiu¡¯s cock, feeling the soft organ getting hotter, harder and bigger in the palm of his hand.

    The two are like two hungry beasts, only by devouring the other person could they survive.

    Very soon, they were rolling on the carpet with their clothes disheveled.

    YanMingXiu stripped all the clothes off ZhouXiang, his rain-like kisses continuously fall on ZhouXiang¡¯s chest and his hand movements below got faster and faster. ZhouXiang could notst long with YanMingXiu¡¯s skillful caress. He came very soon.

    YanMingXiu smeared ZhouXiang¡¯s tightly closed corridor with his bodily fluid, the familiar entry is lubricated as fingers plunged into the secluded hole, massaging and expanded it in circr motions.

    ZhouXiang spread his legs and wrapped it around YanMingXiu¡¯s waist as he continuously kissed his (YanMingXiu) chest without the slightest hesitation. It is as though he wanted to use his intense actions to merge their bodies.

    YanMingXiu gasped, ¡°I¡¯m not wearing condom...¡±

    ZhouXiang gnawed his teeth, ¡°Put it in, just put it in...¡±

    Having received the encouragement he was most satisfied with, YanMingXiu readied his cock and resolutely plunged forward, diving into this person whom he had yearned for, the person whom he had tried to possess by all means.

    ¡°Ahhhh, mnnn... oooooh...¡± ZhouXiang painfully moaned as he tightly hugged YanMingXiu.

    Blue veins protruded on YanMingXiu¡¯s forehead as he tried to suppress himself from wildly thrusting into ZhouXiang, instead he prated him slowly, waiting for the tight tunnel to openpletely.

    ZhouXiang desperately restrain himself from moaning out loud as he continuously called out the name of the person whom will be intertwined with him for the rest of his life ¡®YanMingXiu¡¯.

    YanMingXiu held onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, his hard and hot cock continued to glide back and forth in the narrow flesh walls. ZhouXiang¡¯s body shook as he starts to feel the familiar climatic pleasure slowly rising up, forcing him to hug YanMingXiu even more tightly, his waist arched, urging with silent movement.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s patience has also reached the limit. He bent ZhouXiang¡¯s thighs to his chest and clutched his waist, lifting it and vigorously thrusted again and again into this tunnel that drives people crazy. The sounds from the mming of their bodies continuously rang into their ears, pulling them into a delirious state of ecstasy. ZhouXiang raised his neck, his face inmed as he undted his body to meet YanMingXiu¡¯s attacks without reservations.

    The two rolled onto the soft carpet with their bodies tightly entangled. Being fully immersed in the most primitive lust, they almost didn¡¯t know what exhaustion meant as they continuously tried to grasp the thrills of passion from the other person, both indulging themselves in the seas of desires unable to pull themselves out.

    This kind of exuberant uninhibited feeling gave rise to a very intensive feeling within their hearts. And that is, things should have been like this, this is what they wanted. Nothing should be changed. Actually everything that they want, they had already gotten it a long time ago. Having been tormented for a few years, as it turns out, what they have been looking for had already came true in the very beginning.

    Yet they went through so many detours, paying such high price only to go back to their original starting point.

    ZhouXiang is both grateful and pained.

    At least they still have that chance to go back to how they were. At least... they still have that chance.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 115

    When ZhouXiang woke up, it was already dawn.

    He heard YanMingXiu¡¯s voiceing from downstairs. It seemed like he is talking to somebody on the phone.

    He turned over. His whole body is sore and achy, especially below his waist, it hurts every time he moves. He felt that this is even more exhausting than riding a horse. He lie on the bed and groaned for a bit and then slowly got up and wore YanMingXiu¡¯s robe and went downstairs.

    Indeed, YanMingXiu is talking on the phone in the living room, his expression looking very serious.

    ¡°We must obtain this within two days. I will contact Director Lee. Find ways to have the auditors redo the audit.¡±

    ZhouXiang tied the strap on the robe as he walked downstairs and heard YanMingXiu talk but couldn¡¯t guess what he¡¯s talking about.

    YanMingXiu quickly realized the moment ZhouXiang came downstairs from his movements. He lifted his head to look at him, his chilling expression change to a smile directly reflected in his eyes.

    He quickly hung up the phone, ¡°Xiang Ge, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me? It¡¯s almost 10am.¡± When ZhouXiang thought about what happened yesterday, he actually felt embarrassed. It¡¯s not the first or second time they made love frantically but not once had they done it with such desperation like that. Up until now, ZhouXiang is still in a daze over what happened. At times, he wondered if it had been a dream.

    YanMingXiu walked over and kissed him, ¡°Xiang Ge, you were awesome.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You went to see my dad yesterday. My dad had already told me.¡± YanMingXiu held ZhouXiang¡¯s waist and said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve never felt so powerful. I feel that I have endless strength enabling me to fight with my dad for another three hundred rounds.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and lowered his head, ¡°MingXiu, sometimes I feel that I am quite a coward and timid but sometimes I feel that I¡¯m quite manly. I also wanted to be a very manly person but I¡¯ve always been unable to avoid my cowardly side. I may not always have the courage I hadst yesterday. But...how do I say it? The thought of wanting to continue on with you gave me the persistence to be manly.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes turn red, revealing an extremely gentle and soft smile, ¡°Xiang Ge, thank you. Everything that you had given me, I want to thank you.¡±

    Just like many years ago, ZhouXiang habitually caressed his hair, ¡°In fact, thinking about yesterday, it¡¯s quite scary. Your dad has a gun on him right?¡±

    YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t go back home yesterday, is it going to be okay?¡±

    ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s already the way it is. I¡¯ll go backter.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°You said yesterday......¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You said that you have methods. I wanted to hear about it now.¡±

    YanMingXiu kissed him intensely, ¡°Okay, let me tell you.¡±

    ¡°Tell me.¡±

    ¡°It has to do with WangYuDong.¡±

    ZhouXiang is surprised, ¡°With him?¡± ZhouXiang immediately remembered the rumors circting in the entertainment industry of WangYuDong¡¯s illegal fundraising. He had thought about asking YanMingXiu before but he couldn¡¯t even take care of his own matters so WangYuDong¡¯s gossip was long forgotten. Could it be that YanMingXiu wanted to take advantage of this matter? When his thought came to this point, he immediately casted his own doubts, ¡°There are gossips in the circle saying that he and his father are suspected of illegal fundraising. Is this rted to that?¡±

    ¡°You already heard the news?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, CaiWei told me.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, ¡°Not bad. The news traveled fast.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I was the one who spread that news.¡± YanMingXiu pulled him into the kitchen, ¡°You still haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet. Come hurry and have breakfast.¡±

    ZhouXiang wasn¡¯t in the mood for breakfast. He looked at YanMingXiu inquiringly, ¡°You spread it? Why?¡±

    YanMingXiu filled a bowl of porridge for ZhouXiang, ¡°Of course it¡¯s to scare him.¡±

    ¡°Be a little more clearer.¡±

    ¡°Actually, the matter is not that serious. Simply put, I can make it so that it can be very serious, enough to make WangYuDong¡¯s father stay in prison for the rest of his life and also resolved that matter.¡± YanMingXiu looked up, his eyes narrowed with a smile, ¡°Although my dad looks down on WangYuDong¡¯s father but if his inw was to go to prison, he also loses face.¡±

    ¡°You......you had this nned out?¡±

    ¡°I was just taking advantage of this matter. I didn¡¯t force him to do illegal fundraising.¡± YanMingXiu finished putting the porridge and the veggies together, ¡°Hurry ande eat. You definitely haven¡¯t eaten anything fromst night till now.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is a little pale; he suddenly felt that YanMingXiu is a little scary. Although YanMingXiu didn¡¯t force them to do illegal fundraising but it¡¯s still rted to YanMingXiu¡¯s unwillingness to help. Even though he might not have any sympathy toward WangYuDong but he just thought...just thought that YanMingXiu....this person is quite ruthless.

    YanMingXiu patted his face and said resolutely, ¡°Xiang Ge, there are a lot of things that I can¡¯t exin clearly to you. You also don¡¯t think about it okay? I am confident in this. I won¡¯t really put WangYuDong in jail, or else my sister will be finished. But I must take advantage of this matter to stop them from getting in our way. Trust me, okay?¡±

    ZhouXiang shook his head and sighed, ¡°Business matters I don¡¯t understand nor do I want to care. I just want to ask, the issue with marriage, how do you n to handle it? Using WangYuDong? Will it really make your dad acquiesce from that (referring to the promise)?¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face changed slightly and lowly uttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, I had originally nned to meet that girl my dad introduced for a couple of times to satisfy their......¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s body stiffened.

    YanMingXiu quickly added, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t worry. I definitely won¡¯t marry anyone. I have confidence in this matter. Don¡¯t think rashly, okay?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked deeply into his eyes; after a long while, he reluctantly said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    YanMingXiu heaved a sigh of relief. He clenched his fist and said, ¡°Xiang Ge, as long as you are by my side, I canpletely change for you. I can do anything for you but you must not leave me. If you leave me, I don¡¯t know what things I will do, do you understand?¡±

    ZhouXiang felt numbed under his dark gazed. He nodded.

    ¡°YanMingXiu smiled and kissed him, ¡°Hurry up and eat.¡±

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t want to worry about anything. Anyway, he had already been prepared. He will live every day in the moment. If YanMingXiu really let him down in the future, he will just leave. It¡¯s not that he can¡¯t leave YanMingXiu; there¡¯s no one who cannot leave the other.

    After YanMingXiu left, ZhouXiang also left.

    He went home first and replenished a lot of his daily necessities. Then took a break and went to the gym in the afternoon.

    ZhouXiang had always been an exceptionally responsible person when it came to work. The studio asked him to lose ten to twelve pounds in two months so he will lose it.

    After exercising, he took a shower and went to the locker room to change. His cell phone was in the locker. After he finished changing and took out his phone, he saw several missed calls, all of which were from YanMingSu.

    His first instinct is that something happened to YanMingXiu. He quickly returned the call and it was connected very shortly.

    ¡°Hello? What happened?¡±

    YanMingSu¡¯s tone was not good, ¡°Why are you just answering the phone now?¡±

    ¡°I was in the gym. What happened?¡±

    ¡°MingXiu had been beaten by my dad quite seriously. Come to the hospital.¡±

    ZhouXiang grinded his teeth. He punched the locker with a loud bang and the poor quality tin door sunk in.

    End of the chapter

    <b>T/N: </b>With only 7 chapters to go after today, we are officially on a countdown with wrapping up this story in a week¡¯s time, Sunday to be exact.

 Chapter 116

    ZhouXiang rushed to the hospital.

    Initially, he felt that YanMingSu was exaggerating. No matter how one puts it, YanMingXiu is his son; to what extent can YanFei beat him? Therefore, although he was dejected, he wasn¡¯t too worried.

    But when he got to the hospital, ZhouXiang is shocked.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s face had no marks but his arm is in a cast and his eyes are closed with his brows bunched up, looking very ufortable.

    YanMingSu is sitting on the side of his bed working on hisptop. After ZhouXiang came in, he made a ¡°hush¡± movement, then put down hisptop and pulled ZhouXiang out of the room.

    YanMingSu whispered, ¡°He just fell asleep, talk out here.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly asked, ¡°Is his arm broken?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s broken,¡± YanMingSu seems to be used to it, ¡°His ribs also fractured.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face changed, ¡°You... your dad... from your dad¡¯s beating?¡± A parent¡¯s teaching of his child is fully justified, but he rarely saw a parentying such heavy hand on his own son. How could he have the heart to do that to his own child?

    ¡°Yes, my dad doesn¡¯t easily beat people because he can¡¯t control himself when he starts.¡± YanMingSu nced at the back room, ¡°Beat him with a baton.¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu¡¯s tightly closed eyes from afar, feeling immense pain. He was so depressed that even his shoulders drooped, having to lean against the wall, at a loss.

    YanMingSu nced at ZhouXiang and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much. My dad didn¡¯t hit his vitals. When I was young, I¡¯ve angered him a lot but it was all trifling matters. MingXiu angered him less but it was very big matters every time. If my dad didn¡¯t control himself then, he would have killed him, ¡°YanMingSu shrugged his shoulders, ¡°In fact, there is some advantage to this. After he finished hitting us, my mom would have a fight with him. Afterward, we would have some peaceful days.¡±

    ZhouXiang gnawed his teeth, ¡°Isn¡¯t he your fucking real father?¡±

    YanMingSu said with a nk expression, ¡°Being able to live to the present, of course, is real.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go in to see him?¡±

    YanMingSu nodded, ¡°Go in. He had been waiting for you this entire time, then couldn¡¯t wait anymore and fell asleep.¡±

    ZhouXiang walked quietly to the side of the bed and looked at YanMingXiu¡¯s paled face, he couldn¡¯t describe the agony his heart. If the beating was from someone else, he could pick up a rod and beat the person for revenge. But this is YanMingXiu¡¯s old man, what can he do? What can YanMingXiu do?

    Almost without thinking about it, he also knew why YanMingXiu was beaten. It had to do with him rashly and crudely running to the Yan family home and saying a bunch of mindlessly careless words that are beyond his position. He did so with unconstrained courage and persistence but didn¡¯t consider YanMingXiu.

    He dared tough at YanMingXiu for being dumb? In this rtionship, no one is smarter than the other, because one ends up losing more miserably than the other.

    ZhouXiang stretched out his fingers to gently touch his cheek. He just wanted to feel YanMingXiu¡¯s temperature with his fingertips because his face is too pale, looking as if there is no trace of blood.

    With such a slight touch, YanMingXiu immediately opened his eyes. His eyes went from blurred to awake. After seeing who is in front of him, he revealed a gentle smile, ¡°Xiang Ge, you¡¯vee.¡±

    ZhouXiang softly whispered, ¡°I was at the gym this afternoon and didn¡¯t hear the phone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re here is all that matters.¡± YanMingXiu extended his left hand to hold ZhouXiang¡¯s hand.

    ZhouXiang somberly muttered, ¡°MingXiu, I didn¡¯t consider the consequences. It¡¯s my fault, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize. You did great. We need to let my dad know where we stand. I already know. You also know. This will allow him to take our rtionship seriously. Today¡¯s confrontation is good. With my dad, only my grandfather and mother can deal with him. When we were young, he would even hit my elder sister. Hitting me is no big deal, the harder he hit, the better. My mom would likely fight with him for at least three months. He will leave us alone for at least three months.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°This is not worth it. It would have been fine if you went backst night... ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. In fact, it wasn¡¯t so much about you running to my home. It¡¯s because of what I told him about WangYuDong that got him pissed.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s lips curved into a smile, ¡°I want to give him a good show. Whether or not he agrees to us being together, his son is gay regardless. But if he disagreed, his son-inw would also put the family to shame.¡±

    ZhouXiang touched his forehead, ¡°Take it easy. He is your father after all. Getting him so riled up, the only one feeling horrible in the end is yourself.¡±

    YanMingXiu snorted, ¡°I know my limits. Seeing how he rushed over to hit me a few times yesterday, he¡¯s in good health.¡±

    At this time, YanMingSu came in from the outside, holding some beverages and fast food in his hand, ¡°Haven¡¯t eaten yet, right? Come eat something.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get it?¡± YanMingXiu nced at the fast food box.

    ¡°Wherever I got it, you¡¯re not allowed to be picky. Just eat. I¡¯m fucking very busy every day yet still have to get away to deal with your business. Having a brother like you, I¡¯m in really bad luck for a long time.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, ¡°This can¡¯t be med on me.¡±

    YanMingSu put the things on the bedside table, ¡°You guys eat. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ZhouXiang asked, ¡°You¡¯re not eating with us?¡±

    YanMingSu nced at his watch, ¡°I have a social event tonight. Gotta go.¡± After saying that, he turned around and walked toward the door.

    YanMingXiu called out, ¡°Ge.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± One of YanMingSu¡¯s hand is on the doorknob as he turned to look back.

    ¡°Thanks ah.¡±

    ¡°Hnnn, don¡¯t give a crap for that.¡± He didn¡¯t turn his head and left.

    YanMingXiu shrugged and reached his hand out for a can of drink. He suddenly became anxiously worried because he can now only use one hand.

    ZhouXiang is very envious of having brothers and sisters, growing up together, growing old together. Even if one day their parents are gone, they can still help and support each other. This feeling must be great. He took the drink from YanMingXiu, inserted a straw into it and put the straw in his mouth.

    YanMingXiu muttered, ¡°Being able to use just one hand is very inconvenient.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that nonsense?¡± ZhouXiang opened the lunch box and put a piece of braised pork to his mouth.

    YanMingXiu smiled while taking joy in being fed by ZhouXiang.

    The two haven¡¯t eaten a few mouthfuls before the door to the ward is suddenly opened. Both of their actions paused as they turned their heads to look at the door. YanMingXiu¡¯s mother quickly rushed in, looking at them in a daze.

    ¡°Mom....¡±

    ZhouXiang have seen her a few times before. This women¡¯s entire body exuded an air of nobility. Her appearance and mannerisms are exceptionally good. A woman at her age, blossoming with sophistication and elegance is especially alluring. The two Yan brothers looking so handsome, their facial features are mostly inherited from her. In contrast, although YanMingMei is beautiful, she could not bepared to her two brothers.

    However, her expression at this time is hasty with her eyebrows bunched up in anxiety and her hair a bit disarray. Obviously her condition wasn¡¯t very good. She quickly swept a nce at ZhouXiang and then her eyes fell on her son, quickly rushing over, ¡°MingXiu How are you? Where is your brother?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s all been taken care of. Brother had some matters to attend to tonight.¡±

    ¡°What can be more important than his own brother? Really, I obviously told him to watch over you.¡±

    ZhouXiang stood up and gave up the only chair in the room to her. He nodded to Mother Yan and stood silently on the side.

    All along, Mother Yan hadn¡¯t taken a good look at this young man. Now thinking that he might be her daughter-inw, she wanted to look more closely in this moment.

    ZhouXiang is very different from the kind of men in her imagination that could captivate men and make them confused. In her old-fashioned views, this kind of men should be simr to that of a woman, wearing makeup and tight clothes. But looking at ZhouXiang, he is a gracefully dapper looking man. She had seen him on TV. At the time, she thought that this youngster looked quite good. To say that he¡¯s handsome, he¡¯s far from her son. But his body exudes this calmness and natural temperament that gives people a very good feeling toward him. Unbeknownst whether this is a woman¡¯s natural instinct, she couldn¡¯t really hate this young man.

    Mother Yan sat in the chair and gently stroked YanMingXiu¡¯s arm cast. Her eyes a little red, ¡°How can there be a father like that? So ruthless...and you too, telling you to beg for forgiveness and you won¡¯t. You could have just coaxed him, but instead getting him so enraged by insisting on going against him. What is it that you want? Getting beat to such extent...¡±

    ¡°This is not much. The bones will heal well soon. Mom, I beg you not to cry. I get a headache when you cry.¡±

    ¡°Little rascal...¡± Mother Yan wiped the edge of her eyes. Seeing what they were eating, she frowned, ¡°What are you eating? Your brother bought that for you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Your brother just handle things like this..¡± Mother Yan took out her cell phone to call theckey.

    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t need to. We¡¯ve already ate half of it.¡±

    Mother Yan sighed, ¡°Tell me, what to do? You and your father feud to this extent. If you¡¯re disobedient on other matters, we also don¡¯t want to care, but with this...¡± She remembered that ZhouXiang is still standing on the side. She couldn¡¯t help but give him a look.

    ZhouXiang softly voiced, ¡°You two chat. I¡¯m going to go out to buy something.¡±

    YanMingXiu strenuously stretched out his left hand to sp the edge of his clothes, seriously utterly, ¡°Xiang Ge, you don¡¯t need to evade, have a sit on the bed.¡±

    Mother Yan astonishingly nced at YanMingXiu and then again at ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang felt a little embarrassed.

    Mother Yan, ¡°Then have a sit on the bed.¡±

    ZhouXiang could only sit down. In fact, he really wanted to go out to take a breather.

    Mother Yan looked at him, ¡°ZhouXiang, how old are you? Where are you from?¡±

    ¡°27, I¡¯m local.¡±

    ¡°What do your parents do?¡±

    My parents are from the public institution. My dad died a few years ago. My mother is retired and is staying home.¡±

    ¡°Is there anyone else at home?¡±

    ¡°No...¡±

    ¡°Then you...¡± Mother Yan pursed her lips, ¡°Your mom really doesn¡¯t care...that you and...¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled softly, ¡°Auntie, I was in an ident about three years ago and wasatose on the hospital bed for two years, almost like a vegetative person. Before that, my mother strongly opposed that I didn¡¯t want to marry a woman. But after this happened, my mom said that nothing is more important than me living healthily. She no longer cared as long as I live well.¡±

    Mother Yan is startled and then slowly lowered her head.

    ¡°Auntie, more than half a year ago, my mother got an illness, it turned out to be uremia. When I was hospitalized, we owed a lot of money. We were already in debt. With her illness, it was even worse. You might not be able to imagine. At that time, my monthly sry is just a little over 3k, adding some of the acting and modeling gigs, at most I get is £¤6,000-£¤7,000 a month. The expense to treat my mom¡¯s illness is nearly £¤3,000 a month and we still have to support ourselves, pay rent, buy food, and repay debts. At the time, I was very desperate so I borrowed money from MingXiu, but our rtionship is not as shameful as you think. Once my career improves in the future, I will pay him back.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s words are very sincere. These are all wordsing from within his heart. He had been watching Mother Yan¡¯s eyes and can clearly see that this woman¡¯s attitude is softening.

    ZhouXiang had always appealed to women of all ages. ording to them, they feel that he is gentle and generous, humorous and caring toward people. ZhouXiang doesn¡¯t feel that he is particrly attractive but at least toward females, he is very patient and tolerant. Adding on, with the number of his exposures to women increasing, he could feel that older women especially are really good to him.

    Mother Yan seems to be no exception. Her expression toward him have changed, she asked, ¡°How is your mom now?¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°Her condition is stable but has to do dialysis twice a week. Each time is four to five hours so basically most of the time is spent in the hospital.¡±

    Mother Yan nodded and said softly, ¡°Oh, this has got to be hard on you.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Auntie, taking your son away, I am also guilty but we really can¡¯t separate from each other.¡±

    YanMingXiu tightly clenched ZhouXiang¡¯s hand and smiled at him. ZhouXiang also gave him a smile.

    These tiny movements all fell in Mother Yan¡¯s eyes. She awkwardly bowed her head and muttered, ¡°I can¡¯t decide on such matters. I only care that my son can live well.¡±

    ¡°Mom, I can only live well if I¡¯m with him. You forced me to marry someone I have no feelings for; do you think I can be well?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I just afraid that you won¡¯t have children? You might feel that not having children is good right now but wait till you¡¯re old, you¡¯ll know the pain of not having children.¡±

    ¡°Mom, we can adopt, we can find a surrogate. There are many ways to solve it. Even though what you say is important, but we¡¯re not living our lives solely for children.¡±

    ZhouXiang softly added, ¡°Auntie, this problem... there are many ways to solve. But the most unwise is to knowingly hurt another woman.¡±

    Mother Yan sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t beat you guys in words. You...you still discuss this with your dad, I¡¯m not the one who can take charge in the family.¡±

    YanMingXiu changed to grip her hand, ¡°Mom, as long as you don¡¯t object to us, then it¡¯s good.¡±

    Mother Yan said unwillingly, ¡°I¡¯ve really spoiled you too much.¡±

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 117

    Mother Yan stayed in the hospital until after 10pm. She repeatedly reminded YanMingXiu to eat before leaving reluctantly. After she left, ZhouXiang spent the night with YanMingXiu in the hospital.

    The single ward that YanMingSu reserved is very good. It has a double bed so the two of them just sleep together. YanMingXiu can¡¯t move his right hand so he simply put his left hand gently on top of ZhouXiang¡¯s hand. Their fingers ovepped and the areas where their skin touch is warm.

    When they woke up the next day, YanMingXiu persisted on geting discharged from the hospital regardless. So ZhouXiang consulted with the doctor and helped him do the discharge procedures.

    JiangYuan received their call and came to take them home. It was the first time for JiangYuan to take them to ZhouXiang¡¯s own home. When he saw this ce, he is obviously very shocked because he didn¡¯t expect that YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang would live in such a small and outmoded neighborhood. This environment really didn¡¯t match YanMingXiu¡¯s identity.

    This is undoubtedly ZhouXiang¡¯s home. With all the things that YanMingXiu had done for ZhouXiang, JiangYuan had already be aware of how extraordinary ZhouXiang is. Because of this, he also gave a lot of attention to ZhouXiang.

    After returning home, the problem with YanMingXiu¡¯s injuries with their daily livelihood activities became apparent. With his right hand broken and the many bruises on his body along with his fractured ribs, not only is it inconvenient for him to walk but even showering and cleaning himself are also very problematic.

    The only person suitable to take care of him is obviously ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang has no choice but to request for a vacation from hispany. He also made up an excuse that YanMingXiu is sick to ChenYing, informing her that he won¡¯t being back for a short time. Suddenly, all of ZhouXiang¡¯s time became free and his his full-time job is to take care of YanMingXiu.

    Because YanMingXiu¡¯s right hand is injured, he can¡¯t even use chopsticks. When eating, he has to use the spoon. When the spoon doesn¡¯t work, ZhouXiang would feed him. A meal can be a bit exhaustive for ZhouXiang.

    However, this is only the beginning.

    Bathing at night is probably the biggest challenge for ZhouXiang. Standing at the bathroom door for a long time, he turned his head and said to YanMingXiu, ¡°How about you shower once every three days?¡±

    YanMingXiu frowned and shook his head, "Too ufortable.¡±

    ¡°If you have to shower every day then we can¡¯t do anything else.¡±

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t have anything to do anyway and I can¡¯t do much like this." YanMingXiu grinned, ¡°Hurry and help me shower."

    ZhouXiang has no choice but to carefully remove YanMingXiu¡¯s clothes. In order to prevent water from sshing on his own body, he also removed his own clothes. Then he held the shower head, turned the water to medium and carefully washed YanMingXiu¡¯s body.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s bathroom is very small; its basic functionality is the shower and the toilet so with two men standing inside, it¡¯s a bit tight. At this time, the two are stark naked in the small bathroom, the shower bing hotter and hotter with the atmosphere bing more and more lewd.

    ZhouXiang had to prevent the water from touching YanMingXiu¡¯s injuries as well as avoid his perverted groping. He¡¯s never felt that showering can be so tiring. ZhouXiang smiled while scolding, ¡°Enough, you brat. There are many areas in your body that can¡¯t touch water; I¡¯m not going to be responsible if it does."

    YanMingXiu reached out and touched his slender waistline, whispering, ¡°If you don¡¯t take responsibility, who will?"

    ¡°With you asking for a beating like this, I won¡¯t be responsible. Be a bit serious." ZhouXiang unintentionally gave him a push but it just so happened that he pushed on the side of the fractured rib so YanMingXiu ended up hissing in pain.

    ZhouXiang anxiously asked, ¡°You okay? Where is it hurting?" A man¡¯s touch is usually not gentle. It¡¯s typically okay but when it hits an injured area, it¡¯s definitely painful.

    YanMingXiu smiled forcefully and waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Let me check. See if you dare to be so yful." ZhouXiang¡¯s action became even more careful.

    YanMingXiu was still unrepenting, his fingers continued to stroke all over ZhouXiang¡¯s body with a very resigned look of only being able to look but not eat.

    ZhouXiang smiled lowly, ¡°If you touch again, I¡¯m going to tie you up."

    YanMingXiu responded provocatively, ¡°That we can try too (as in having sex when being tied up)."

    ¡°Bastard.¡±

    It was not easy to finish taking this shower. Both of their faces were beet red. Although it was veryborious, what needs to be caressed and stroked was done in the end. Although it scratched the itch, it was not very fun but at least they solved the problem.

    After the shower, the two watched a movie on the sofa. When the movie was halfway through, ZhouXiang¡¯s cell phone suddenly rang. His eyes were intently on the TV screen so he just nced at the phone and saw an unfamiliar number. He didn¡¯t think and just answered it.

    "Hello?"

    No sound came from the other line.

    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡± ZhouXiang turned the TV volume down.

    The other line finally said something. The voice sounded very gloomy, "It¡¯s WangYuDong."

    ZhouXiang is stunned; He suddenly sat up straight.

    ¡°Is YanMingXiu with you?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at ZhouXiang strangely, ¡°Who is it?¡± Even if ZhouXiang wanted to stop YanMingXiu from speaking, it was already toote. WangYuDong has already heard his voice. He said in amanding tone, ¡°Have MingXiu answer the phone."

    ZhouXiang frowned, ¡°Why are you looking for him?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not for you to ask. Give him the phone."

    ZhouXiang snorted, ¡°Executive Wang, you called my cell phone. Although it¡¯s not for me to ask, it is my phone. I still have the right to who can use it. Bye Bye." He hung up instantly after that.

    YanMingXiu immediately looked at ZhouXiang anxiously, ¡°Was that WangYuDong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± ZhouXiang stuffed a beef strip in his mouth, ¡°You didn¡¯t answer his call?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Let him be nervous for a few more days. If they¡¯re not desperate, they won¡¯t know how extreme the situation is."

    "He already called here......" Before he finished speaking, the phone rang again. ZhouXiang nced and saw that it¡¯s WangYuDong again.

    He is debating whether or not to pick up when YanMingXiu said, "Answer it. Trust me."

    ZhouXiang nodded and answered the call, "Hello, Executive Wang"

    WangYuDong suppressed his anger, ¡°I have urgent business to talk to MingXiu."

    ZhouXiang felt a bit of vindication. When he thought of WangYuDong¡¯s deted expression, his hatred toward him lessened. He said casually, "Oh Executive Wang, I can¡¯t force anyone talk to you. You¡¯re making things difficult for me."

    ¡°You!¡± WangYuDong shouted angrily, ¡°Don¡¯t take advantage of your rtionship with him to intimidate others. No matter how one puts it, what the hell do you think you are?!"

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Executive Wang, when ites to using other people¡¯s power to intimidate people, we¡¯re not much different right?¡±

    ¡°You fucking looking for death!¡± WangYuDong screamed and hung up. He seemed to be furious.

    After ZhouXiang hung up, he sighed. He felt that WangYuDong had changed a lot in the past two years. When he first met WangYuDong, it was about six to seven years ago. At that time, WangYuDong was a specially privileged person, with a good family background, great looks and even highly educated. He possessed almost everything that could make women go crazy. WangYuDong also knew how to conduct himself well. On the surface, he got along well with others and rarely offended anyone. However, ever since he became the ideal son-inw of the Yan family, with this powerful backing, his entire person is different from before. His social status rose as well as his ambition, which inevitably offended many people.

    He still remembered that he used to admire WangYuDong and was most envious of him. He couldn¡¯t say that he was jealous of him. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu, he wouldn¡¯t have resented WangYuDong. They would have never opposed each other to such extremes. But when a (romantic) rtionship involved, it can make people be very narrow-minded and sensitive. When he thought of the many things that happened at the time, there were better ways to solve it. At least, it won¡¯t be like this, harming others without benefited himself. But the time had passed, nothing can go back.

    For him and YanMingXiu to get to where they are today, it is full of regrets, suffering and pains, not to mention having WangYuDong as a "love rival."

    YanMingXiu softly muttered, "Xiang Ge, you okay?"

    ZhouXiang finally reacted and realized that he was in a daze. He quickly responded, "I¡¯m fine......" He then smiled forcefully, ¡°In fact, what he said is right. If it was before, I definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to talk to him like that if I want to continue working in the industry."

    YanMingXiu muttered, ¡°That you should do. You and I will forever be tied together."

    ZhouXiang shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s just keep watching the movie.¡±

    "Okay."

    ZhouXiang held the remote control but did not press the start button. He then lowered his hand again, ¡°MingXiu, what are you going to do about WangYuDong?¡±

    "Business matters, you might not understand if I go into details. More or less, I have control of several investors who can sue or not sue WangYuDong¡¯s father. Right now, I¡¯m saying to let it go. If they sue, his father will stay in prison for at least ten years.¡±

    ZhouXiang bunched up his brows, "I don¡¯t have any sympathy for WangYuDong but I just felt that you are part of the Yan family after all. You doing this, will your parents let it go?"

    ¡°I¡¯m doing this is not just for us. I have discussed it with my brother. This is also to give WangYuDong and his dad a lesson. In the past few years, this father and son have gotten a lot of money from using our family¡¯s name. The Yan family¡¯s reputation has been ruined by them. You know this year is election year. If someone use this to attack my grandfather at this time, it¡¯s not just a matter of reputation, it could be a serious issue. My brother had already suppressed them once or else they wouldn¡¯t have resorted to raising funds. I didn¡¯t expect that they didn¡¯t feel any repentance, with their debt getting bigger and bigger, getting to this point today. This time, WangYuDong¡¯s dad took out all his fortune to settle this. As for the portion that they weren¡¯t able to settle, it¡¯s under my brother and my control. This is my biggest bargaining chip. Even if my dad is not doing it for face, he still has to consider the overall picture for the fate of the family."

    "With you doing this, it¡¯ll be surprising if your dad didn¡¯t get angry."

    ¡°My dad is a soldier so he will follow the military¡¯s directives his entire life. His mind doesn¡¯t like think too much. He doesn¡¯t care much about most of the things happening outside of the home. Whatever my grandfather says, he listens. What my mother says to him, he can be persuaded. In this world, he will only listen to these two people¡¯s words. My mom is soft-hearted and dotes on my sister the most. Now that my sister is pregnant andter when they (YanMingMei and WangYuDong) go to talk to my mom, my mom will plead with my dad. It¡¯s very highly that they will let WangYuDong and his dad go. If we let them go on like this and continue to cause trouble, the Yan family will really be in greater danger. After all, there are many eyes watching the things happening around WangYuDong. I am doing this for us as well as for my family."

    YanMingXiu fell into ZhouXiang¡¯s arms and smiled with his eyes closed, ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t worry. I am not a person who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s important. I¡¯ll use the best approach to achieve my goals and end all future troubles.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°The water in your home is really deep.¡± YanMingXiu found afortable position toy down into ZhouXiang¡¯s arms and hooked his left hand on his neck, "It¡¯s much deeper than you think. Don¡¯t think about it or else you will get upset."

    ¡°True. Just you alone is enough to upset me.¡± ZhouXiang slightly poke at the cast on his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m also irritated. I want to do it (sex).¡± YanMingXiu stared at him with wide eyes, his eyes full of expectations.

    ¡°Forget it.¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge...¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°No. How are you going to do it, one-armed hero?"

    YanMingXiu pulled his neck lower and put his mouth near his ear and whispered, ¡°You sit on top. I want to see you move.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiledzily, "Too tired. My old waist can¡¯t take it."

    ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s do it.¡±

    ZhouXiang nced at him and blocked his lips.

    End of the chapter

    <strong>T/N: </strong>It has been reported that well known celebrity, WanYuDong was attackedst night by a big group of people dressed in ck attire wearing face masks resembling the passed away stuntman, ZhouXiang. He appears to have been tied up with a rope spread-eagled and severely beaten with various kinds of weapons, such as baton with spikes, tortured instruments, meblowers and such and dragged by a horse for an indefinite time. His injuries appears to be grave with the lost of the use of his legs and lower body, rendering him impotent. It¡¯s very likely he will be leaving the industry. END.

    Trantor ¨C [DISCLAIMER] The above incident report is not part of the actual story but readers¡¯ fic of conspired attack on WangYuDong. For those of you contributing to the attack, thanks much. It was such an entertaining read. LOL ?? If this really happened, it would have been so satisfying!

    Writing is really not my forte, should any of you creative person out there like to write about this incident, please do so and I¡¯ll dly rece this. This is just a little fun before the story ends. LOL hahah. Hope nobody minds. Dearest author Shui Qian Chen (Ë®Ç§Ø©), my apologies for your readers¡¯ brutality. We obviously felt that WangYuDong deserves it for all his evil deeds!

 Chapter 118

    In order to care for YanMingXiu, ZhouXiang didn¡¯t go out for a few days except when needed to buy necessities.

    This is the first time he is taking on a leading role. Just thinking about it is inconceivable. He doesn¡¯t feel that he is qualified enough. If it wasn¡¯t for YanMingXiu, he likely would never have such an opportunity in his life. So his demands on himself are extremely strict.

    Sometimes YanMingXiu would sit quietly on the side and observe ZhouXiang read the scripted lines over and over again, using various kinds of emotions and moods to portay the role within the scripted context and surrounding environments. They could just sit and do this for an entire afternoon with neither feeling tired.

    ZhouXiang felt that his entire heart had been heated up. He didn¡¯t need to do anything in particr everyday besides quietly and peacefully passing this ordinary life with YanMingXiu, getting up early to eat, taking a nap at noon, rxing in the afternoon, and sleeping at night. These are ordinary things but because there is a special person by his side, it had be extraordinary. Every minute and second that he spends with YanMingXiu makes him feel immensely happy.

    Sometimes he felt that his home is a secret space. As long as they continue to stay here, just like they did in the beginning, they would continue to live peacefully and happily. But once they leave the confirnes of this home, they would return to the real world and endless troubles are surely to follow.

    Although ZhouXiang knew that evading the issues wouldn¡¯t solve anything but his mind had also bezy, hoping that this kind of peaceful days canst a little longer.

    Unfortunately, this peaceful life couldn¡¯tst over a week and YanMingXiu is already unable to sit still. There were many things he had to deal with in hispany. After his rib fracture had recovered a bit and wasn¡¯t as painful, JiangYuan came to pick him up to go to work.

    After he left, ZhouXiang also resumed his routine work, such as horse riding, memorizing the script, and losing weight to prepare for the filming in two months.

    After the release of the MV with LanXiRong, his image had greatly improved. Now that he has a bit of fame, his work also increased. Any free time that could be used for work, he would have CaiWei reach out to his connections, not wanting let any opportunities to make money slip away.

    His thought is very simple. He wanted to repay YanMingXiu. If only he could repay the two million is when he could finally lift his head in front of the Yan family.

    On this day, he went back to thepany to discuss a job. When he passed by the office, he was stopped by a colleague.

    Ah Liu smiled with his hand on his shoulder and voiced, ¡°Xiang Ge, you haven¡¯te to thepany for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Of course! You¡¯ve all missed me like crazy, right?¡± ZhouXiang said sarcastically.

    Ah Liu and the othersughed. Lao Zhou patted the table, ¡°ZhouXiang, you brat is not ordinary. Now that you have a bit of fame, you don¡¯t have to help me move equipment anymore.¡±

    ¡°Zhou Ge, don¡¯t treat me like an outsider. If you need me to help move the equipment, I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    ZhouXiang has always liked thispany because it is a lot morepassionate and warmlypared to other averagepanies. The rumor of his intimate rtionship with YanMingXiu has long not been a secret but these people are still able to talk to him without any judgements. This point alone already made ZhouXiang felt very touched.

    Ah Liu said mysteriously to ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiang Ge,e over here, let¡¯s gossip.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°What kind of gossip, you sound so excited?¡±

    ¡°WangYuDong is in trouble. Did you know about it?¡±

    ZhouXiang is a bit surprised. His surprise is not pretension. He is surprised because he now realized that even Ah Liu knew about this news so the entire industry must also know about it.

    He asked, ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°Seeing you looking like this, you obviously don¡¯t know. Let me tell you. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not him that is in trouble but his father. You know his father, right? Is a big boss, involved in various kinds of industries with twopanies listed, but it suffered huge losses of more than £¤8 billion in thest quarter with the stocks plummeting below the issue price. This time I heard that he is suspected of having illegally raised more than £¤3 billion with his younger brother. WangYuDong¡¯spany was also affected. Now that the situation has gotten so out of hand, his acting career has been halted."

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°It¡¯s that serious?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, this big celebrity Wang had always been shamelessly arrogant. Oh, that¡¯s not true. In fact, the way he conduct himself is not that annoying and he¡¯s quite generous to the people below. He¡¯s just too much of a show-off, making people envious and hates him.

    "Now that he¡¯s in trouble, there must be a bunch of people waiting to watch a good show."

    Zhou Ge grinned, ¡°I think this is the best time to get close to him, think about it? How can WangYuDong fall so easily? Who is behind him? Will the Yan family allow him to shame the family? Who doesn¡¯t know how to make something perfect even more perfect? Helping him in this time of desperation is really showing true affections. If anyone is smart, this is not the time to avoid him but instead get on his side.¡±

    ¡°Get on his side? That¡¯s easy for you to say? If he was toe looking for you to help him or borrow money at this time, are you willing lend it to him?¡±

    "I definitely will lend it."

    ¡°Zhou Ge is just bullshitting¡±

    "Of course I am, where do I have the money to lend."

    "Hahahahah."

    Within this bunch of people¡¯s lively gossip, ZhouXiang could clearly see what it means by ¡¯when a man is going down, everyone will give him a push.¡¯ Although he has no sympathy for WangYuDong, he could sense the hypocrisy of the world.

    After chatting in the office for a while, he went to find CaiWei to discuss the next stages of work that has been arranged for him. Ever since he had received more work, the percentage of fee he has to give thepany also increased. This is thepany¡¯s policy so ZhouXiang has noints. On the contrary, because of their mutual understanding rtionship, the level of work he can get has also been upgraded.

    After the two finished discussing work, CaiWei started to talk with him about WangYuDong¡¯s recent rumors that has shaken up the entire entertainment industry.

    Although ZhouXiang knew the inside of this story, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to disclose so he could only warn CaiWei not to follow the others in their mockery. No matter how one puts it, WangYuDong will not fall. He is still the son-inw of the Yan family.

    CaiWei is aware that ZhouXiang knew a lot more of the inside story, but he also didn¡¯t ask. He just listened along.

    After returning in the evening, YanMingXiu sent him a text message telling him that he is noting back today.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t care too much. Seeing that there was no food at home, he puts on his jacket intending on going downstairs to buy some food.

    Right when he got out of the front door to his neighborhood, a military vehicle immediately mmed right in front of him and an officer strolled out of the car, "Mr. Zhou, please get in the car.¡±

    Needless to say, in this situation, ZhouXiang knew who it is, "What¡¯s going on, a kidnap?"

    The other side¡¯s face didn¡¯t move, just automatically repeating, ¡°Please get in the car.¡±

    "Can you let me change my clothes?" ZhouXiang opened the front of his jacket, "I¡¯m in my pajamas."

    ¡°Sorry, I need to get you there in half an hour. The time is tight, please get in the car.¡±

    "Fine, let¡¯s go."

    As ZhouXiang got into the car, he thought to himself. <i>Going there looking like this is going to be a joke. But since YanFei wouldn¡¯t have any hope for him, it wouldn¡¯t have matter anyway.</i>

    He didn¡¯t think that at the time, this joke was still a very big joke.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 119

    Initially, he thought that he would be taken to a residential area but he quickly realized that it was the wrong route. Remembering how YanMingXiu got beaten by YanFei, he couldn¡¯t help but worry what YanFei would do to him. Someone who could do that to his own son, what can¡¯t he do to an outsider he disliked. ZhouXiang can¡¯t help but worry about his own personal safety.

    When he went downstairs to buy food, he only brought his keys and £¤200. He didn¡¯t even bring his cell phone so even if he wanted to call YanMingXiu at this time, he couldn¡¯t. Laughing at himself for making a fuss, at the same time, he felt that this matter is not that simple.

    The military vehicle took him to a ce he had never been to before. They had to pass through three levels of security. Just that alone, one can tell that only very important people live here. ZhouXiang grabbed his fleece pajama pants and finally start to feel embarrassed.

    The car turned into a courtyard and stopped. A three-story vi appeared in front of him. He remembered seeing several simr vis during the few minutes drive but they were far apart.

    ¡°Mr. Zhou, please get out of the car.¡±

    ZhouXiang wrapped his coat tightly around himself. It¡¯s March and the weather is already warming up but he didn¡¯t feel cold. Subconsciously, he merely wanted to hide his gray striped pajamas.

    Once he got inside the house, ZhouXiang is a bit dumbfounded.

    He had already seen everyone in the house. It is the Yan family, from young to old, all sitting around the dining table, only YanMingSu is absent. YanDeJiang sat in the patriarch spot and was sizing him up while holding a teacup. Everyone else is looking at him.

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t describe the predicament he is in at this time. YanDeJiang said to the officer who took him here, ¡°ZhangWu, how can you let hime dressed like that?¡±

    ZhangWu responded expressionlessly, ¡°Sir, you said to bring him here within half an hour.¡±

    ¡°Then you should¡¯ve let him change clothes.¡±

    ¡°Sir, it would have taken more than half an hour if he was to change his clothes.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, your brain is made of eucalyptus (stupid/blockhead).¡± YanDeJiang waved his hand, ¡°You go and eat.¡±

    The officer turned and left, leaving Zhou Xiang standing awkwardly alone at the entrance.

    A house full of Yan family members, although they are casually dressed, at least no one is wearing pajamas at home. ZhouXiang straighten his back, trying to make himself look less embarrassing.

    YanMingXiu smiled at him, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to change. There are two sets of suits in my car.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    YanMingXiu was about to get up when YanDeJiang raised his hand to stop him, ¡°Forget it. There are no outsiders here.¡±

    YanMingXiu is stunned and quickly turned to ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiang Ge,e and sit.¡± He stood up and pulled out the chair next to him.

    After ZhouXiang took his seat, he found himself sitting opposite of WangYuDong and YanMingMei. Both of them narrowed their eyes at him contemptuously.

    ZhouXiang turned his gaze to the side and didn¡¯t pay much attention to them.

    YanDeJiang patted the table, ¡°Start dinner.¡±

    Two aunties began to serve the dishes from the kitchen on the table, filling it in a short time. These are ordinary home-cooked dishes. Their lifestyle is different from ZhouXiang¡¯s imagination.

    YanDeJiang tapped the table with his finger, ¡°You are ZhouXiang right? Where do you work?¡±

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°I work in a filmpany.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re an actor then.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    YanDeJiang nodded his head and picked up his chopsticks, ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    After he moved his chopsticks, everyone started to eat.

    ZhouXiang quietly turned and nced at YanMingXiu, using his expression to discreetly ask him what¡¯s going on. YanMingXiu held his hand under the table, with his voice lowered, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry, just eat.¡±

    YanFei turned his head and looked at them coldly.

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t respond. Because one of his arms still couldn¡¯t move, ZhouXiang helped him pick the food from the dishes and put it in his bowl so he can eat it with a spoon. These back and forth actions originally appear to be a normal thing but because of the intimate rtionship between the two, it looks awkward in front of other people¡¯s eyes.

    ZhouXiang felt a few pairs of eyes looking at them from time to time. This meal is eaten as if he is sitting on pins and needles.

    At this time, YanDeJiang spoke. His voice sounded very calm and the rate of his speech is very slow. But before he finished speaking, no one dared to say a word, ¡°How long have you known each other?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°One year.¡±

    ¡°Only a year?¡± YanDeJiang smiled, ¡°It¡¯s only a year and you guys have already decided to be seriouslymitted...not giving a care for family¡¯s consent? Kids are always going to be kids.¡±

    YanMingXiu quietly took out a napkin to wipe his mouth. He didn¡¯t look at anyone, nor did he intend to respond.

    YanDeJiang voiced, ¡°MingXiu, for this you caused such a huge ruckus in the family and also got beaten. Is it worth it?¡±

    YanMingXiu softly responded, ¡°It is.¡±

    YanDeJiangughed, ¡°If you feel that it¡¯s worth it, then its fine. If you regret in the future, nobody will clean up this mess for you.¡±

    YanMingXiu nodded seriously.

    YanDeJiang then said to YanFei, ¡°You are already at this age, why are you still taking this so hard? Let the children live their lives. I¡¯m old. I have limited energy. I can¡¯t work that many more years so I need to contribute the little energy I have toward the country. I don¡¯t have time to be dealing with your affairs. YanFei, don¡¯t bother me with these trifle matters anymore in the future. I¡¯m advising you to be more open-minded. The more open-minded you are, the more rxed you will be.¡±

    YanFei angrily angrily, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re just going to let him be like that?¡±

    ¡°I am toozy to care about him.¡± YanDeJiang then nced at YanMingMei, ¡°It¡¯s not the same with MingMei. MingMei is a girl. You need to take good care of her and don¡¯t let her suffer. Leave the two boys alone and let them do whatever they want. Why are you caring so much for? Don¡¯t you feel tired?¡±

    YanFei is simply dumbfounded, ¡°Dad, if I brought a man back home 30 years ago, what would you have thought?¡±

    ¡°30 years ago, I was not open-minded like this. My words will stop here. Whether you interfere or not, I don¡¯t care. You can¡¯t control your son, what¡¯s the point of getting me involved? Anyways, my advice to you is to sleep when you want to sleep, eat when you want to eat. If you have free time, go y some golf. Don¡¯t bring worries upon yourself.¡± YanDeJiang sipped his tea and narrowed his eyes at YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang, ¡°Moreover, these two kids have just met for a year and have already determined that they can¡¯t live without each other. There¡¯ll definitely be a good show in the future. What¡¯s your hurry?¡±

    YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang looked at each other, their hands sped even tighter under the table.

    Perhaps in YanDeJiang¡¯s eyes, they are just youngsters with feelings that can easilye and go withoutsting. Sooner orter, they will separate without anyone¡¯s interference. What YanDeJiang didn¡¯t know is that, what they had already experienced is more than what others have experienced in a lifetime. Even then, they still couldn¡¯t separate after going through so many challenges and tribtions. What reason could there be in the future that would separate them?

    YanDeJiang¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. He looks at WangYuDong and YanMingMei, ¡°MingMei.¡±

    ¡°Grandpa.¡± YanMingMei¡¯s usual arrogance had disappeared. She looked particrly well-behaved.

    YanDeJiang didn¡¯t even nce at WangYuDong as he slowly uttered, ¡°Your father only has one daughter. The entire family dotes on you. But some issues with principles, especially those that could cause devastating impact to the family¡¯s interest, you need to look at it clearly. Don¡¯t turn your elbow outward (T/N). Don¡¯t forget what your surname is. If something really happened, don¡¯t me the elders for not showing mercy. You guys asked for it.¡±

    T/N: „e¸ì²²ÖâÍùÍâ¹Õ: Don¡¯t turn your elbow outward means don¡¯t be selfish and not recognized right from wrong.

    His tone in thest sentence is very stern. WangYuDong got so frightened that he was shaking, too scared to even breathe. He didn¡¯t dare to lift his head as he sat stiffly.

    YanMingMei¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Grandpa...I understand.¡±

    ¡°Mnnn.¡± YanDeJiang took a sip of tea, ¡°After dinner, you guys go back to your own homes. The children have all grown up and have their own families. YanFei, stay and y chess with me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Dad.¡±

    YanMingXiu stood up and hesitated for a long while before calling out, ¡°Dad.¡±

    YanFei didn¡¯t turn back but stopped walking.

    YanFei sighed, ¡°If you n on staying here for the night, remember to let your mom know.¡±

    YanFei humphed and followed YanDeJiang upstairs without turning his head.

    Mother Yan sighed, ¡°Just ignore him. He¡¯s like that.¡±

    YanMingXiu didn¡¯t take it to heart. He turned and looked at ZhouXiang, ¡°Xiang Ge, you¡¯re not nervous anymore right?¡±

    ZhouXiang took a deep breath, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Let¡¯s just leave quickly.¡±

    WangYuDong groaned and red at ZhouXiang. ZhouXiang also looked at him coldly, refusing to show any weakness. He grabbed YanMingXiu¡¯s arm, ¡°Let¡¯s go. You drove here right?¡±

    ¡°JiangYuan drove me.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Having dinner with Uncle Zhang. Don¡¯t worry about him, you can drive.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    The two had just nned to leave when WangYuDong suddenly called out, ¡°MingXiu.¡±

    YanMingXiu nced at him, waiting for him to speak.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen you for a long time and you haven¡¯t been picking up my phone calls. I don¡¯t know the meaning of this. Is it that difficult for me to ask you something?¡±

    YanMingXiu looked at him coldly and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Mother Yan and YanMingMei looked at them nervously.

    ¡°I want to talk to you about my dad¡¯s matter. I went to see big brother, but you know how hard it is tomunicate with big brother with his attitude. Only you can help me. You really can¡¯t just leave me to die right?¡±

    YanMingXiu responded faintly, ¡°There is a huge price for helping you; I¡¯m also not a money printing machine.¡±

    WangYuDong quickly added, ¡°But we are family.¡±

    YanMingMei interrupted, ¡°Yes. MingXiu, such a big matter happened. Both of you can¡¯t be so unconcerned!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Grandpa already said? You guys asked for it. Brother-inw, what you and your father did thest two years, you guys know best. Dad won¡¯t get involved in these matters but big brother and I saw it very clearly. But because we considered you guys as part of the family, we continued to turn a blind eye. We didn¡¯t expect you guys to go even further in intensifying the matter, not even considering the consequences at all. This is election year, Grandpa will soon be withdrawing from the office. When he is in office, obviously nobody would dare stir up any troubles. But what happens when he steps down? All you guys cared about is money, how to get money through any reprehensible means, did you ever care about the interest of the family?¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s face turned pale. He couldn¡¯t utter a word.

    YanMingXiu coldly added, ¡°Now that something happened so you thought of us. Isn¡¯t it toote? This matter... we still have to think about it. Just don¡¯t count on us helping. Even now, your father is not willing to take out his own money, you take us as fools? If he doesn¡¯t want to take out his own money, he might as well just wait to live in prison then.¡±

    WangYuDong¡¯s body shook as he held onto the chair to sit down.

    YanMingMei looked anxiously at her mother but Mother Yan shook her head helplessly, expressing that there¡¯s nothing she could do about it. YanMingMei then looked at her brother pleadingly. YanMingXiu nced at her, ¡°Sis, your favoritism needs to stop. You are a part of his family, but also a part of our family. Use your brain and have a bit of consideration for our family. This is all I¡¯m going to say. You guys find a way to resolve this. If you can¡¯t take out the cash in a week, then I no longer care about this matter.¡±

    YanMingXiu pulled ZhouXiang up from the chair, ¡°Xiang Ge, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ZhouXiang followed him closely to the door. Before he walked out, he turned and nce back at WangYuDong. He had never seen WangYuDong looking so despair. The blow that this incident gave him is apparently not one he had ever experienced.

    ZhouXiang once thought that he would be very happy seeing WangYuDong looking like this one day. But the fact is, he didn¡¯t feel anything at all. It is like WangYuDong is a stranger who has nothing to do with him. Actually, he is indeed an insignificant person.

    ZhouXiang realized that his state of mind had changed a lot, which is a good sign.

    When the two got into the car, ZhouXiang finally could talk openly. He quickly asked, ¡°What the hell is going on today? Fuck, I was in my pajamas and was just thinking of going out to get some food but once I got out of the neighborhood, I was pulled into a car. I thought I was getting kidnapped.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s responded by immediately hugging him. A bit excited as he said, ¡°Xiang Ge, we¡¯re free for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really. Today is a family meal. My grandfather called you here. You still don¡¯t understand?¡±

    ZhouXiang turned his head around and pondered over it, ¡°That¡¯s not right. Your grandfather didn¡¯t say any good words.¡±

    ¡°My grandfather is only concerned with major matters. Ours is too trivial, he¡¯s toozy to care. But he dotes heavily on my sister ever since we were children. He doing this today, in a way is topromise with me on behalf of my father. He won¡¯t care about our matters but I have to help WangYuDong ovee this crisis.¡±

    ZhouXiang was stunned, ¡°This....your family¡¯s matters are reallyplicated.¡±

    YanMingXiu kissed him intensely, ¡°It is also your family now too.¡±

    ¡°Nope, this is your family matters. I¡¯m only involved with you. I don¡¯t want to get involve with your family. This water is too deep, I won¡¯t be able to float.¡±

    YanMingXiu responded softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me here, I won¡¯t let you drown.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled and kissed him back, ¡°Can we be free for a long time?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± YanMingXiu tightened his arms around his waist and muttered, ¡°Xiang Ge, even in my dreams, I want to be with you without any apprehensions.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed twice, ¡°I also want that too.¡±

    From the beginning, I¡¯ve wanted this even more than you.

    End of the chapter

 Chapter 120

    Spring camete this year. It wasn¡¯t until the beginning of March when the weather finally started to warm up. All the trees and flowers began to blossom. The yard in ZhouXiang¡¯s neighborhood nted many flowers and trees. At this time, the season is flourishing with great vitality.

    Since they came back from YanDeJiang¡¯s ce that day, sure enough, YanFei never interfered with them. Many of the things they were worried about have been alleviated. Although YanFei still refused to talk to YanMingXiu, Mother Yan¡¯s attitude softened very quickly. One day, she even invited YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang out to have a meal, carefully inquiring about ZhouXiang¡¯s situation.

    After the meal, the two drove home, YanMingXiu said to ZhouXiang, ¡°My mom likes you very much.¡±

    ZhouXiang blinked, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°My mom likes handsome guys. She especially liked WangYuDong before, but the things he did was too overboard in thest two years. Hearing from my brother, whenever my mom sees your ads on TV, she would just stare.

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Then I¡¯m going to hit the gym this winter so I can show your mom my ripped abs in the summer. Wouldn¡¯t this effect be a bit better?¡±

    YanMingXiu warmly responded, "Not only my mom, it¡¯s also effective for me too.¡±

    ZhouXiang squinted, ¡°Wait till you¡¯re fully recovered, you also need to go workout. Otherwise, when summeres, our vacation n is going to be a bust. I¡¯m going to run to some handsome guys. As a good breed of GAY, I can¡¯t stand next to a boyfriend who doesn¡¯t have eight packs.¡±

    YanMingXiu groaned, ¡°Whether or not I have eight-packs, you¡¯ll know after you count.¡±

    "It doesn¡¯t count if you have it now. You need to keep it for 4-5 months. Seeing you now, food is fed directly to your mouth, bathing you just need to lift your arms, and even dressing is with my help. Since your cast had been removed, how can you still be so fragile? In this month, you¡¯ve already gained 4 pounds. If you continue on like this..." ZhouXiangughed, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bother with fading out of the ET industry, your fans will dump you.¡±

    YanMingXiu reached out and pinched his waist, curling his lips, ¡°What about you? You¡¯re also going to dump me? Even if I be a big fat guy, you can¡¯t run to any other handsome guys.¡±

    ZhouXiangughed cheerfully, "So petty. I was just joking. But really, is your arm really not healed yet? I have to feed you and help you dress every day, wasting so much of my time. Can we live a little more efficiently?"

    YanMingXiu smiled with his eyes squinting, his face exposing a satisfied expression, like a satiated fox that had eaten and drank enough, "When I say it¡¯s healed is when it¡¯s healed.¡±

    ¡°Hey, how can you be so shameless?¡± YanMingXiuughed without saying anything.

    ZhouXiang was about to continue on pressuring him but the phone suddenly rang. He pulled the earphones out of his pocket and stuffed it into his ears. Since he is driving, he pressed the answer button and answered with a "Hello?" without looking at the screen.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, it is me.¡±

    ¡°Ah, XiRong.¡± ZhouXiang was a little surprised. He subconsciously nced at YanMingXiu and sees him bunching his brows.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m driving.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m going to make this short. I¡¯m going to America tomorrow. I might not being back for several months. Can we meet up before I leave?¡±

    Even though YanMingXiu can¡¯t hear what LanXiRong is saying, seeing ZhouXiang¡¯s hesitant expression; he probably can guess that LanXiRong wanted to meet up with him. Without even thinking, he reached out to try and take ZhouXiang¡¯s earphones.

    ZhouXiang leaned his head away and softly scolded, ¡°Stop causing trouble.¡±

    LanXiRong paused on the line, ¡°Are you with him?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going home.¡±

    LanXiRong is silent. After a long time, he forcefullyughed, ¡°I still can¡¯t bepared to him.¡±

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh in his heart. He felt that it is too dangerous to evade YanMingXiu¡¯s actions while driving so he swerved the steering wheel to stop on the side of the road.

    He covered the earphone and says softly, ¡°XiRong, thank you for all your help before. Without you and Wei Ge, it would have been very hard for me to get pass that time.¡±

    ¡°You know that these polite words are not what I wanted to hear.¡± LanXiRong¡¯s voice is particrly nice, clear and adorable, making people feel the breadth of youth assaulting their senses. It¡¯s no wonder that he¡¯s a natural born actor and singer. Everywhere on his body had a part that is captivating to people. Initially, ZhouXiang was really very interested in him. In his memory, this boy is adorable and very lovable. But he could no longer remember the loving affections he had for LanXiRong at that time.

    If LanXiRong had epted him then, everything would have been different.

    But there is no "if" in life.

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°These aren¡¯t polite words. XiRong. I¡¯m very thankful to you. I¡¯m also very happy for all your achievements. People like you are suitable for the greatest and finest beauty... forget your Xiang Ge.¡±

    LanXiRong heaved a long sigh, this sigh that is tinged with sorrow and sadness made ZhouXiang feel a bit pained.

    ¡°Xiang Ge, I¡¯m leaving tomorrow, you really can¡¯t meet up with me?¡±

    ZhouXiang pondered for a moment, ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re noting back. We¡¯ll meet up next time youe back. For sure, okay?" He thought, when LanXiRong returns again, he would be able to candidly ept his rtionship with YanMingXiu. Then maybe it won¡¯t be so awkward at the time.

    LanXiRong hoarsely voiced, ¡°Xiang Ge, I hope you didn¡¯t make the wrong choice this time.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, his eyes unconsciously fell on YanMingXiu and responded softly, ¡°I hope so too.¡±

    After hanging up the phone, ZhouXiang turned his head and sees YanMingXiu¡¯s dejected expression. He was obviously suppressing himself from exploding, so much that he is feeling very unsettled. Immediately when ZhouXiang hung up, he asked, ¡°What were you guys talking about? Wanting to meet up with you? How could this guy not fucking let go already. There was nothing between the both of you from the beginning to end. Why is he still lingering on?"

    ZhouXiang responded, ¡°Don¡¯t say that. He just cares about me.¡±

    YanMingXiu scoffed and muttered, ¡°Just stay in America, why keeping back.¡±

    ZhouXiang patted his face, ¡°Don¡¯t be so immature ah, how old are you?¡± After saying that, he was going to restart the car but YanMingXiu grabbed his hand and grinned at him.

    There is no light in the car, only the street lights from the outside prating within. So it is very dim. YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes are particrly bright in the dim light, as if it could shine into people¡¯s hearts.

    "What is it?¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, no matter how good others are, you can¡¯t see... can¡¯t think of them.¡±

    ZhouXiang can¡¯t helpughing, "What are you talking about..?.¡±

    ¡°I am serious. I know that your rtionship with this surname Lan was quite good before. You obviously liked him, right? I am gay like you. I understand how men think. I don¡¯t believe you felt nothing when he was constantly around you before."

    ZhouXiang raked through his hair, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Yeah.¡±

    YanMingXiu gripped onto ZhouXiang¡¯s chin, their eyes looking directly at each other, "Xiang Ge, but that is all in the past. You have me now. Regardless of him or other people, you can only look at me... think of me. In this world, nobody needs you more than me. Don¡¯t make me worry, okay?¡±

    ZhouXiang looked at YanMingXiu quietly, the emotions in his eyes revealing an honest and sincere expression. He patted YanMingXiu¡¯s face gently and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I only have you in my eyes.¡±

    YanMingXiu finallyughed. He gripped ZhouXiang¡¯s face and kissed his soft lips intimately. ZhouXiang took the initiative to hold him. The two heartily kissed each other in this small confined space. Their wet lips, warm oral cavities and that familiar feeling giving them that peace of mind made the meaning of this simple kiss substantially different. This is the person they truly love. To be able to embrace each other in this warm and cold time and absorb the intoxicating temperature from each other is a kind of happiness.

    This is just a kiss, but it¡¯s enough to make people enthralled.

    The two had nned to go directly home but ZhouXiang suddenly remembered that Mother Yan had given them some fresh mackerel. It was more than ten kilograms. They couldn¡¯t eat it all so he wanted to take some back to ChenYing. They headed to her ce.

    ChenYing had already given her implied approval to their cohabitation so she wouldn¡¯t call and ask if ZhouXiang didn¡¯te home. She knew that she will have to get use to her son growing up and moving out regardless. Even if the person he is with is not a man but an actual daughter-inw, this would have happened sooner orter. Despite feeling very depressed, ChenYing did not visibly show it. She only reminded ZhouXiang toe back to eat once in a while when he¡¯s not busy. She usually has Aunt Wang apany her so she doesn¡¯t feel too lonely. However, seeing the two mening back together, she is both surprised and happy. When they entered the home, she quickly asked if they had ¡°eaten?¡±

    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s already after eight o¡¯clock, of course we¡¯ve already eaten. MingXiu¡¯s mother gave us some mackerel. It¡¯s frozen and still very fresh. We can¡¯t eat it all so came to give you half.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh, that good stuff. Aunt Wang, can you put it in the refrigerator?¡±

    Aunt Wang very delightedly looked at YanMingXiu and ZhouXiang over and over again, liking them more and more no matter how much she looked. She even wanted them to be her sons. Upon hearing ChenYing¡¯s words, she reluctantly took the fish to the kitchen.

    ChenYing wore her sses and took out her medical file, ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at this for two days but the doctor¡¯s handwriting is too ugly. I can¡¯t guess what he¡¯s writing."

    ¡°Auntie, you don¡¯t have to try and guess what it is. If you have any questions, you can ask the doctor directly when doing your dialysis.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯m afraid to trouble people... he seems very busy.¡±

    ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t be afraid to bother people for medical treatment.¡± ZhouXiang paused, "Mom, I¡¯ve been thinking about something for a long time. I want to talk to you about it today.¡±

    ¡°Say it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about your kidney transnt.¡±

    ChenYing nodded, "Oh, this... I¡¯ve heard that the chance is slim unless it¡¯s from...¡± ChenYing suddenly opened her eyes and looked at ZhouXiang, "I¡¯m telling you, with the kidney donor, you better not do any test matching. Even if I die, I don¡¯t want your kidney. Don¡¯t even think about it."

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t expect ChenYing¡¯s reaction to be so extreme, "Mom, let me exin it to you, a person has two......¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this. I already know these things, but I definitely won¡¯t allow it. To cut something out from somebody¡¯s body, how could there not be any harm? I definitely don¡¯t believe this. I¡¯m already sixty years old and you¡¯re only in your twenties, so young. You still have a long road ahead of you. Even if yours is a match, to give yours to me, is it worth it? Anyway, I definitely don¡¯t want it. This... you¡¯re not allowed think about it. Even if I die, I don¡¯t want it. Without a kidney transnt, there¡¯s not much change to my life. It¡¯s not a big deal. But if my son sacrifices his health for me, I might as well die early.¡± ChenYing¡¯s tone is a bit riled up, her position in this matter extremely determined.

    YanMingXiu tried to smoothly advised, ¡°Auntie, your concern I understand, I also don¡¯t agree with Xiang Ge donating his kidney to you. Although it is a bit selfish for me to say this, I believe you can understand. I will search for a kidney donor all over the world. I believe that there is still great hope.¡±

    ZhouXiang sighed and looked at ChenYing¡¯s resolute expression and then look at YanMingXiu¡¯s gentle but intense expression. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get pass them on this.

    He can understand ChenYing¡¯s thoughts. If it was himself, he also won¡¯t allow his young child take this risk. But, he¡¯s always felt that he owed it to ChenYing. After all, he had taken this body from her son.

    ChenYing grasped his hand, "Ah Xiang, you need to understand mom. If you really want me to be well and live for a few more years, don¡¯t think about this so I can be at ease. Promise me.¡±

    Under ChenYing¡¯s resolute expression, ZhouXiang could only nod helplessly.

    ChenYing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "What time did you guys eat? Has it fully digested? Aunt Wang and I learned how to make this dessert from TV. I¡¯ll get you some from the refrigerator."

    The two stayed there for a while, eating dessert and apanying ChenYing to watch TV. They stayed till 10pm before leaving to go home.

    When ChenYing walked them to the door, she sighed and smiled, "My son has grown up and have his own family. It¡¯s really fast.¡±

    ZhouXiang lowered his head and smiled, then suddenly pulled YanMingXiu¡¯s neck, "Mom, just treat him like he¡¯s also your son.¡±

    The rim of ChenYing¡¯s eyes turned red as she smiled lovingly.

    End of the Chapter

 Chapter 121

    After the two returned home, ZhouXiang removed his jacket and wanted to have a good discussion with YanMingXiu regarding ChenYing¡¯s treatment, but he was unexpectedly embraced from behind as he was hanging up the jacket. YanMingXiu¡¯s left hand meandered into his clothes, stroking his warm and firm chest.

    ZhouXiang rxingly leaned onto him and smiled, ¡°I have something serious to talk to you about."

    ¡°This is also serious.¡±

    ¡°You seem a little too eager..... Hey, don¡¯t bite my neck. You don¡¯t know how hard your bite is.¡±

    The more ZhouXiang talked, the more YanMingXiu continued, using his teeth to leave a neat row of teeth markings along his neck.

    ZhouXiang could already feel something hot and hard pushing behind him. He deliberately grinded his lower body against YanMingXiu. Initially, he just wanted to tease him but he didn¡¯t expect YanMingXiu to have no patience at all and immediately pressed him onto the sofa and fervently tear into his clothes, raining kisses on his chest.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ZhouXiang obviously felt that YanMingXiu is much more eager than usual. These two days, the two had been restraining themselves.

    YanMingXiu lifted his head, his eyes sparkling, ¡°Xiang Ge, today you told ChenYing to treat me as her other son.¡±

    ZhouXiang nodded, ¡°I did say that.¡±

    YanMingXiu revealed a perverse smile, "That¡¯s just it. Today I need to pleasure you.¡±

    ¡°You... fuck. Pleasure me...first you take off my pants. Is there anyone who pleasures people like you do?¡±

    ¡°Then tell me how should I do it?¡± YanMingXiu gripped his pants and squinted his eyes at him, his expression tinged with lust.

    ZhouXiang stared nkly and responded helplessly, "Still... take it (pants) off first.¡±

    YanMingXiu no longer hesitated and quickly stripped ZhouXiang bare with just a few moves, then passionately kissed him with his hands continuously caressing and stroking all over his body.

    ZhouXiang eyes shed a trace of perceptive light, ¡°Your arm is healed!!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± YanMingXiu buried his head and continued to kiss him, having no interest to talk.

    ¡°YanMingXiu...you bastard. You just know how to tease me."

    ¡°I like you feeding me.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t grown up.¡±

    ¡°I just like you feeding me. Let me have a full meal today.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s powerful arm spread ZhouXiang¡¯s body and entered him, using all his intensity and passion to take possession of him.

    There is no one else in the world who could make him feel such immense pain... no one else who could make him experience what it means to intensely longed for someone. He will use all his time topletely own this person. Nobody could separate them.

    ¡ª¨C

    ZhouXiang¡¯s movie is currently in preparation to start filing in three months. For two months, he had been practicing horsemanship and had lost seven pounds. Initially, his physique was already very much up to par, now he¡¯s a little too thin but he is very satisfied with his figure. When he was trying on the dress-up for the role, he made a serious expression in the mirror, the face that reflected back at him had a somewhat poor but noble feel.

    Due to the season, all the scenes to be shot in the beginning are indoor scenes. This is the first time that ZhouXiang didn¡¯t have to use to any weapons nor his skills as a stuntman, but he didn¡¯t feel that it is much easier. On the contrary, it was even more exhausting than being a stuntman. The reason is very simple. When he was a stuntman, he only needed to make sure that his actions are well executed at the right camera angles. But when he had to take on the leading role of a movie, the director¡¯s expectations of him are not the same. ZhouXiang¡¯s acting is still bitcking and he had a hard time getting into character. So in his spare time, he essentially used it to understand his role, practicing in front of the mirror. But when it came to filming, there are many times when the scenes needed to be reshot repeatedly. In the beginning, there was barely a time that he didn¡¯t have to reshoot a scene, dying the entire crew¡¯s progress.

    ZhouXiang is a person who can¡¯t stand to trouble of others. He became so anxious that he often had trouble sleeping in the middle of the night and would get up to practice his lines.

    After two or three times, YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t stand it anymore so he especially took three days off to stay home to help him practice his scenes.

    It was impossible for ZhouXiang to assess YanMingXiu¡¯s acting skills because YanMingXiu essentially had no expression in any of his roles. However, his grandeur eminence is enough to satisfy the need of the film¡¯s production. If YanMingXiu was to act in aedy, it¡¯ll definitely be a flop. But when it is a role personally selected by YanMingXiu himself, a role that is most suitable for him, his performance would be exceptionally remarkable.

    Unfortunately, YanMingXiu didn¡¯t care at all about his reputation in the entertainment industry. He had already decided that he will no longer act in any other movies unless it is for ZhouXiang. And now for ZhouXiang, he deliberately set aside his work to meticulously help him get into the role.

    ZhouXiang is extremely touched but felt embarrassed. YanMingXiu¡¯s patience is definitely his biggest help, allowing him to calmly deal with his current predicament. So when shooting restarted again, his condition was much better and the shooting progression became much more smoother.

    In the entertainment circle, the amount of rumors between the two already can¡¯t be concealed. There is also a lot of news of them on the inte. YanMingXiu had always hated gossip news. But one day he saw a picture of ZhouXiang holding his arm to across the street. YanMingXiu pointed to the screen and said, ¡°Xiang Ge, this photo is not bad. My legs are really long.¡±

    ZhouXiang scoffed andughed aloud, ¡°You showoff, let me see.¡± ZhouXiang moved close to nce at the screen, ¡°Not bad, but the angle is not that good. This posture is not much different from me holding an olddy cross the street.¡±

    YanMingXiu creased his brows, ¡°You dare say that I¡¯m an olddy?¡±

    ¡°There is no such shameful olddy like you,¡± ZhouXiang kissed him, "Hurry up and take a shower. I have to get to bed soon. Need to get up early tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been waking up early and sleepingte for this movie; you¡¯re even busier than me. Now I really regret introducing you to this crew. I can¡¯t even see you when Ie home and the refrigerator is all leftovers."

    ZhouXiang said with beaming smiles, ¡°Just tell me what it is that you want to eat, I¡¯ll make it for you.¡±

    YanMingXiu curled his lips and hugged his waist forcefully, "I don¡¯t want you to cook. I want your time.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled softly, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. My time outside of filming is yours. You¡¯re my only love. If I don¡¯t spend time with you, who can I spend my time with?"

    YanMingXiu narrowed his eyes and smiled, ¡°Your mouth still knows how to say this.¡±

    ¡°Not only can my mouth say it, it can also do a lot of things.¡± ZhouXiang teased as he leaned over and brushed their lips, gently kissing and sucking YanMingXiu¡¯s soft lips.

    YanMingXiu enjoyed this tender kiss with his eyes closed.

    After ZhouXiang kissed him, he blinked and smiled warmly, ¡°Hurry up and go take a shower. Today I will risk it all to apany this gentleman <sup>(T/N)</sup>.¡±

    T/N: ’ÎÃüÅã¾ý×Ó - in this context it just means that he¡¯ll have sex with YanMingXiu for as long as he wants.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s eyes glimmered as he immediately pressed ZhouXiang onto the bed, "Let¡¯s do it first and then shower together.¡±

    ¡°Shower first.... I also haven¡¯t....nnnhhh...ahh...¡±

    The room within is full of erotic scenery (sex).

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Despite being busy with filming, there was also something major going on in their lives. And that is the renovation of ZhouXiang¡¯s home.

    ZhouXiang is full of sentimental affections for this old home but there are obviously many areas that are too old and needed to be renovated. ZhouXiang had once asked YangMingXiu¡¯s advice on whether or not he wanted to live here. If he didn¡¯t want to, they could change the ce. After all, he (ZhouXiang) coulde back to this ce any time. He is worried that the environment would be too hard for YanMingXiu to endure.

    YanMingXiu simply shook his head in refusal, saying that he liked this ce very much. After all, there is just the two of them. The space of little over 70 square meters (754sq ft) is sufficient for them. If needed, they could always go back to his condo. He is also full of affections for this home because it is full of his and ZhouXiang¡¯s early memories. So ZhouXiang decided to renovate this home on a smaller scale, mainly changing the old fashioned wall paper, the tiles, a bit of everything, adding some new furniture, and making a full-walled bookcase so that YanMingXiu could work.

    In the interim, the two moved to YanMingXiu¡¯s ce while the renovation is in progress.

    Because they are usually busy, the job of the foreman was handed over to JiangYuan. But when they have time, they will go back to check on the progress and give some suggestions.

    In a blink of an eye, half a year passed. The renovation of the home ispleted and a third of ZhouXiang¡¯s film had also beenpleted. After the start of summer, there was more and more outdoor filming. Just standing outside for ten minutes, ZhouXiang¡¯s body would sweat profusely. It was extremely difficult for the entire crew. He was no exception.

    YanMingXiu came by twice to visit his filming set. Both times, he didn¡¯t bother with evading, freely greeting the crew. Their intimate rtionship is no longer a secret, though nobody said it in front of them.

    Following the rise of ZhouXiang¡¯s fame and worth, WangYuDong was affected by the crisis over his father¡¯s illegal activities. His career was hugely impacted, having no new projects nor has he appeared in the public for a long time.

    However, ZhouXiang felt that with WangYuDong¡¯s capabilities, it won¡¯t be hard for him to make aeback. But regardless of how WangYuDong is, he no longer cared. He is extremely happy and content with his current life. When he felt that his entire person is fulfilled, his heart no longer harbored any hatred or resentment.

    During the half year, he and YanMingXiu returned to ChenYing¡¯s ce two to three times a month and ZhouXiang went with YanMingXiu to his family home once.

    YanMingXiu and his father finally started tomunicate with each other again. His father¡¯s attitude is not as unyielding as before, even though his expression still didn¡¯t look good when he sees ZhouXiang, but at least he can turn a blind eye.

    ZhouXiang didn¡¯t think or cared too much. Having the Yan family ept him would be best, but he didn¡¯t think it could be achieved. As long as he and YanMingXiu could maintain their current life, it is already considered sess.

    He thought, <i>anyone who wants to see them break up halfway will eventually lose. </i>Because in his heart, there are no other kind of feeling (like their love) that could ovee the barriers of life and death, making something that is impossible possible, and still stubbornly and miraculously be able to embrace one another. His fate with YanMingXiu couldn¡¯t be severed even with his death. He couldn¡¯t think of anything they won¡¯t be able to ovee.

    Even if he had died once, even if he was born again, even on a path that is full of challenges and difficulties, his heart still yearned for this boy who had once captivated and made his heart beat erratically. This point had never changed.

    ¡ª¡ª-

    There were subtle footsteps nearing. Following, a heavy weight flopped down next to him on the mattress as a warm body got under the nket and naturally pulled his waist.

    ZhouXiang whispered, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    YanMingXiu responded softly, ¡°Got back sote... woke you up.¡±

    ZhouXiang leaned in his arms. Although his body build is not small and he can¡¯t be a timid, helpless-looking little woman, he really loves the feeling of being tightly nestling close together. This makes him feel at ease and content, "It¡¯s fine. I just fell asleep, don¡¯te back sote in the future. It¡¯s not safe.¡±

    YanMingXiu kissed his forehead, ¡°I know. You¡¯ve also been busy all day.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...so tired.¡±

    YanMingXiu stroked his waist gently, ¡°Then go to sleep. I¡¯ll go with you to ChenYing¡¯s home this Sunday.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s mouth lifted into an infinite soft smile, ¡°Okay.¡± He opened his arms and wrapped it tightly around YanMingXiu¡¯s waist. The two men¡¯s bodies are very close...so close they could feel each other¡¯s heartbeat.

    Each heartbeat... beating for each other.

    The End

    T/N: This is officially the END of the story but there is an <b>Epilogue ¨C The Husbands¡¯ Sweet Days (M) </b>to be posted tomorrow. Thisst chapter will conclude this beautiful story.

 epilogue (end)

    Just when ZhouXiang is in deep sleep, his cell phone suddenly rang. From sleeping to being shockingly awake, he seemed to have been sleeping for a particrly long time. He drowsily opened his eyes and reached out to touch in the direction of the sound.

    A warm and forceful hand grabbed his wrist, YanMingXiu¡¯s gentle voice sounded near his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t pick up, just sleep.¡±

    ZhouXiang yawned and put his head softly on YanMingXiu¡¯s belly, ¡°Been sleeping for so long my head hurts.¡±

    ¡°Fromst night to now.... about 16-17 hours.¡±

    ¡°No way, that long?¡± ZhouXiang swung his head, ¡°I should get up now. Phone, give me the phone.¡±

    YanMingXiu picked up ZhouXiang¡¯s phone, nce at it and dropped the call, ¡°It¡¯s JiangYuan, don¡¯t pick up. You said that you¡¯ll take a vacation after all the promotional activities.¡±

    With YanMingXiu essentially withdrawing from the entertainment industry and ZhouXiang¡¯s career flourishing, JiangYuan also conveniently became ZhouXiang¡¯s agent.

    ZhouXiang heaved a sigh, ¡°Even if the promotional activities are over, you also can¡¯t torment me (with excessive sex). I¡¯m so exhausted.¡±

    YanMingXiu¡¯s hand reached under the nket and pinched his waist. Sounding a bit resentful, ¡°You¡¯ve been running around all over the country thest two months, I can¡¯t even catch you. Now that I finally got the chance, shouldn¡¯t you generously make it up to me?¡±

    ZhouXiang rolled over and caressed his face and smiled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it all over? I have a long period to rest. Why are you in such a hurry?¡±

    YanMingXiu put down the book in his hand and lowered his head to kiss him, ¡°Let¡¯s travel...¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go anywhere. Right now, I just want to stay home for a month or two and not go anywhere. Flying to three cities a day is horrendous.¡±

    ¡°Okay, will listen to you. We¡¯ll just have a vacation at home. But we¡¯ve agreed, you can¡¯t pick up any other work within three months.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already listen to you on this? You were the one that arranged the agent for me.¡±

    ¡°I did that because I was afraid you would get too tired. It wasn¡¯t necessary at all. You only need to act the roles you want. You don¡¯t have to work so hard for money.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll be selective with the scripts.¡± ZhouXiang wrapped his arms around YanMingXiu¡¯s neck and whispered, ¡°Haven¡¯t made you a good meal in the long time, what do you want to eat tonight?¡±

    ¡°Xiang Ge, don¡¯t change the topic.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s slender fingers raked through his hair, ¡°Promise me that you¡¯ll only do one film a year.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled forcefully, ¡°But I really want to make more money, I don¡¯t want to use yours.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s mine is yours.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not right. If my mom finds out, she¡¯ll get mad¡±

    ¡°Even if you only do one film a year, it¡¯s enough for you to support the family, not to mention if you get too busy, how are you going to have time to take care of auntie and have time for me? You¡¯re just thinking about supporting the family but not caring for the family.¡± YanMingXiu looked directly at ZhouXiang¡¯s eyes as he tells him this very seriously.

    Seeing his serious expression, ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Okay, forget about it. I know exactly what you¡¯re thinking. What you said makes sense. I also don¡¯t want to work so hard. One film a year it is.¡±

    YanMingXiu finally smiled with relief, ¡°This morning, my mom sent someone to give us some prawns. It¡¯s very fresh. How do you want to cook it?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±

    ¡°Do you know what day it is today?¡±

    ¡°What day is it?¡± ZhouXiang got a little anxious. He is particrly afraid of forgetting YanMingXiu¡¯s birthday and the like because he (YanMingXiu) would definitely not let him off easily. He pondered over it and is pretty confident that YanMingXiu¡¯s birthday is in the summer.

    YanMingXiu responded, ¡°Today is Winter Solstice (T/N)¡±

    T/N: ¶¬ÖÁ, Winter Solstice is one of the most important Chinese and East Asian festivals celebrated by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans during the , on or around December 22. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. Traditionally, it is also a time for families to get together. Traditions and customs for the day varies in different areas of China. One activity that urs during these get-togethers (especially in southern China) is the making and eating of tangyuan (œ«ˆA) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion. In northern China, people typically eat dumplings.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already Winter Solstice so soon. Want to make dumplings?¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make dumplings.¡±

    ¡°Aiyah, we have to go home (referring to ChenYing¡¯s ce).¡±

    ¡°You forgot that auntie and aunt Wang went to Sichuan for vacation? Wait till shees back, then we can go.¡±

    ¡°Been so busy that I forgot.¡±

    ZhouXiang swung his arm and got up, ¡°Slept for a day, my whole body has stiffened. You¡¯ve just been sitting here reading your book?¡± ¡±

    YanMingXiu softly muttered, ¡°Keeping you warm.¡±

    After ZhouXiang¡¯s washed up, the two went downstairs to buy groceries.

    Autumn had just started the day before yesterday so the weather is a bit cold. YanMingXiu didn¡¯t wear a jacket so ZhouXiang stood close to him. The two of them walked very slowly, as if going out to buy groceries together is also a very enjoyable leisure pastime.

    They bought a cabbage, as well as some other vegetables and meat. ZhouXiang is best at making dumplings with cabbage and shrimp stuffing. After the dumplings are out of the steaming pot, not one would leak. Just a bite into it, the aromatic juice will seep into the mouth. His dumplings are so delicious that even ChenYing¡¯s dumplings can¡¯t bepared to his.

    As they were heading home after they had gotten all the ingredients, ZhouXiang suddenly asked, ¡°Should we invite auntie toe over and eat with us?¡±

    YanMingXiu asked astonishingly, ¡°My mom?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    YanMingXiu is a bit hesitant, ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? Didn¡¯t she send us the prawns? You¡¯ve lived at my ce for so long and she never came by. She definitely wants to see where her son lives. Besides, today is the Winter Solstice, it is reasonable.¡±

    YanMingXiu said, ¡°My mom may note.¡±

    ¡°Just ask and see.¡±

    YanMingXiu called and asked his mom. Unexpectedly, his mother really agreed toe over.

    The two went home to make dumplings. An hourter, the doorbell rang.

    YanMingXiu opened the door. Mother Yan curiously nced inside the home.¡±

    ¡°Mom,e in.¡±

    ZhouXiang poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled, ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Mother Yan frowned slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t say that I¡¯mining, why are you guys living in such a small ce? I¡¯m not saying that you have to live in a big extravagant house, but... it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have the money.¡±

    ZhouXiang lifted his hand that is full of flour and rubbed his forehead with his arm. He exined, ¡°This ce has special meaning for the both of us. In fact, we don¡¯t live here all the time, sometimes we go to MingXiu¡¯s home. It¡¯s about half-half time.¡±

    YanMingXiu also added, ¡°Mom, as long as the home has enough space for us is good enough. Why do need such a big house? Let alone the transportation here is great.¡±

    ¡°Fine. After all, it¡¯s your lives.¡± Mother Yan took off her coat and rolled up her sleeves, ¡°Is it wrapped? I can help.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need to mom. Just have a sit. We can do it ourselves. The kitchen is small, can¡¯t fit too many people.¡±

    Mother Yan smiled, ¡°Really, you also know it¡¯s small... I¡¯m going to take a look around, you go busy yourselves.¡±

    After a little over ten minutes, the dumplings started cooking. The delicious aroma permeated the entire home; it is very temping.

    While ZhouXiang was busy peeling the garlics, YanMingXiu continuously look at him from the side. Then one of his arms reached out to grasp his waist, putting his head on ZhouXiang¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Xiang Ge, I think my mom is very pleased with you.¡±

    ZhouXiang quickly turned around and kissed him, ¡°Yeah, I know. Your mom is an easily softhearted person.¡±

    YanMingXiu clung to his neck with dissatisfaction, ¡°Sooner orter, I¡¯m going to take you home.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I hope that there will be that day... aiyah, tell you to watch the steaming pot, the water ising out!¡±

    YanMingXiu quickly ran over to lift the lid. The boiling dumpling soup sprinkled on the floor that ZhouXiang had just wiped. YanMingXiu smiled embarrassedly, looking so adorable ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t even get angry when seeing that face.

    He smiled andined, ¡°Just having you watch over the pot and you can¡¯t even do it.¡±

    YanMingXiu pinched his waist, ¡°I just need to be able to watch over you is enough.¡±

    After a while, the dumplings were taken out of the pot. The steaming scrumptious te of dumplings looked extremely enticing. The two put a few dishes of other foods and the te of dumplings on the table. YanMingXiu called over to his mom, ¡°Mom,e eat.¡±

    Mother Yan came over and looked, ¡°Wow, who made this? Definitely not my son.¡±

    ZhouXiang smiled, ¡°I made this today but MingXiu¡¯s cooking skills are quite good. He used to cook for himself when he was going to school.¡±

    ¡°Really? Howe I didn¡¯t know that? Ahh, I know why. You¡¯ll show your skills at ZhouXiang¡¯s home, but at home, you won¡¯t even lift a finger.¡± Mother Yan¡¯s mouth twitched as she pointed to YanMingXiu, ¡°Bias.¡±

    YanMingXiu smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll cook for you in the future, okay? Mom, have a sit.¡±

    When a boy grows up, it¡¯s rare for him to be close to his mother. Most would feel awkward. YanMingXiu is even more so. Mother Yan hasn¡¯t felt so close to her son for a long time. If one was to mention this, it should be ZhouXiang¡¯s credit. She couldn¡¯t help but look at ZhouXiang a few times and thought that this daughter-inw, except for not being a woman, everything else about him is really good.

    ZhouXiang revealed a gentle smile, ¡°Auntie, eat while it¡¯s hot. Today is the Winter Solstice. Eat more dumplings to warm the body.¡±

    ¡°Come, you guys eat too.¡±

    The three people chatted while eating. Mother Yan became very excited, mentioning many things from YanMingXiu¡¯s childhood. She repeatedly said that YanMingXiu was very cute when he was a child and many people liked him. The more she talked, the more excited she got. She even said that she¡¯ll bring YanMingXiu¡¯s childhood pictures when shees next time.

    ZhouXiang listened with great interest. From time to time, he also teased YanMingXiu. YanMingXiu looked at the two people happily chatting away, he immediately feltpletely rxed.

    He has always been worried that ZhouXiang wouldn¡¯t be able to endure the pressure from his parents but he is now convinced that ZhouXiang is more determined than he imagined. Although his father had always been unyielding, ZhouXiang¡¯s coaxing his mother is really quite effective. Now when his mom buys him something, she would also buy it for ZhouXiang. No matter what, this is a huge improvement. He is not afraid of his parent¡¯s opposition, he¡¯s only afraid that ZhouXiang would feel grieved.

    After the meal, Mother Yan grabbed ZhouXiang and asked him about his filming project. ZhouXiang told her of the many funny and interesting things that urred during filming. In fact, she had always been very curious about these things but YanMingXiu never told her. Now that a person willingly chatted to her about these things, she is especially happy. ZhouXiang¡¯s words are especially sweet-natured, with his gentle voice, it is very enjoyable to chat with him.

    ZhouXiang chatted with Mother Yan till about 10pm before the driver came to pick her up.

    After she left, ZhouXiang grabbed the apron intending on cleaning the kitchen. But unexpectedly, after a nce, all the bowls and pans had been washed. He didn¡¯t know when YanMingXiu cleaned it.

    YanMingXiu hugged him from behind, ¡°You¡¯ve been tired for a whole day, how could I let you clean.¡±

    ¡°How could this little work make me tired... but since you¡¯ve already cleaned up, I do feel a little sleepy, let¡¯s go to bed.¡±

    ¡°Go to sleep right now? It¡¯s too early, right?¡± When YanMingXiu said that it was too early, his hand had already meandered into ZhouXiang¡¯s pants and moving downward.

    ZhouXiang immediately bent down and gripped YanMingXiu¡¯s hand through his pants. His posture is a bit funny. Gnawing his teeth, ¡°How could you not feel tired at all, how many times did we do itst night?¡±

    YanMingXiu faintly smiled, ¡°How can this kind of thing make me tired.¡± Then he began to tug at ZhouXiang¡¯s pants.

    ZhouXiang sighed, ¡°It seems that the time I wasn¡¯t home, you had been suppressed (YanMingXiu¡¯s sexual urges) for too long.

    ¡°Bullshit. Didn¡¯t you know how much I wanted to go find you? But you wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just going to be troublesome if you go. Everyone knows you... mnnghh...¡± YanMingXiu immediately grabbed ZhouXiang¡¯s cock, his agile fingers kneaded his cock atop the underwear...

    ¡°You don¡¯t let me go. Then you have to let me have my fill from thest two months.¡±

    ¡°Go to the bed... floor is cold¡±

    Fortunately, their home is small. They got to the room in just a few steps. YanMingXiu is obviously very eager. Upon entering the room, he immediately pressed ZhouXiang on the bed. It must have been hard for him to suppress himself the few hours that his mom was here.

    His rough and impatient kisses very quicklynded on ZhouXiang. Both of their lips heatedly melded together. ZhouXiang opened his mouth and teased YanMingXiu¡¯s tongue. YanMingXiu is obviously very aroused, his hardened lower body continuously grinded against ZhouXiang¡¯s underwear, further igniting ZhouXiang lust.

    ZhouXiang reached out and wantonly tore at YanMingXiu¡¯s clothes. The two of them are like raging infernos, ignited with just a touch. Very soon they stripped each otherpletely out of their clothes.

    YanMingXiu¡¯s kisses lowered, going from ZhouXiang¡¯s chin, to his chest, then his navel. ZhouXiang spread his legs and wrapped it around YanMingXiu¡¯s waist; his five fingers chaotically threaded through his hair, his waist continuously arching, grinding against YanMingXiu¡¯s lower body.

    The ces where their body blended are fervently hot. The mes of desires emanated from their eyes.

    YanMingXiu panted and huskily gasped, ¡°Xiang Ge, I want to go straight in.¡± He urgently wanted to feel ZhouXiang¡¯s internal body heat, so much that he didn¡¯t even want to bother with the forey that he usually enjoyed.

    ZhouXiang softly responded, ¡°Put ...just put it in.¡±

    Because the two just had a night of frenzied passion, ZhouXiang felt that his tightly enclosed tunnel is still soft. YanMingXiu used a little lubrication and started to probe at his entrance. Very soon, he was able to easily insert his two fingers side by side into the ZhouXiang¡¯s warm cavity.

    YanMingXiu smiled faintly, ¡°It¡¯s really not the same after fucking for a night, so easy to go in.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is inmed, ¡°Talk some more and I¡¯ll kick you.¡± After saying that, he had already extended his legs intending on kicking YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu immediately grabbed onto his thighs and forcefully spread it widely apart. He quickly pulled out his fingers and started to push his erected big baby into the warm tunnel. As he thrust, he teased, ¡°If you have the energy to kick me, it just means that we haven¡¯t done it enough.¡±

    ¡°Less bullshit.....¡± ZhouXiang clenched his teeth, his mouth drawing out hissing sounds. With the emptiness in his lower body being stuffed fully, this pleasurable feeling is tinged with a trace of pain. It¡¯s hard to say which feeling is stronger, but he knew that this is what he wanted.

    YanMingXiu gave a contented sigh, ¡°So tight, so hot, Xiang Ge, it feels so good inside you.¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s face is burning. He is toozy to respond. He could only arch his waist to further urge YanMingXiu.

    YanMingXiu was initially afraid that his movements were too strong for ZhouXiang to endure. But after getting such direct encouragement, his entire person is like a strong bow ready to strike. Holding onto ZhouXiang¡¯s waist, he began to thrust rapidly and deeply into ZhouXiang.

    ZhouXiang¡¯s small meat hole quickly expanded to an incredible size,pletely engulfing YanMingXiu¡¯s thick cock. The image of his cock gradually disappearing into his body is full of obscene and sinful taste.

    YanMingXiu forcefully spread ZhouXiang¡¯s butt cheeks and fiercely smacked his perked buttocks. Every time he entered, he seemed to have push ZhouXiang¡¯s body to an even more intense level of orgasm, forcing him to contract his tight entrance, delusionally seeking more warmth. And each time he pulls out is like the spring tides, making his body feel indescribably empty. In between his thrusts, both people were pushed to the peak of their passion, following the joining of their bodies, they drifted in the sea of desires, and soon were drowned in the earth shattering intensive lust... then soon struggled for even more.

    YanMingXiu rammed into ZhouXiang¡¯s ass so hard that it made pa-pa sounds. That rhythmic, shameful sound is simply a great aphrodisiac forcing YanMingXiu to constantly adjust his speed so that ZhouXiang¡¯s body could give him even better reaction.

    ¡°MingXiu... too fast... slow a bit... too fast...¡± ZhouXiang pulled his neck forward. He can hardly breathe from YanMingXiu¡¯s forceful intensive thrusts.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stop, Xiang Ge, I¡¯m sure fucking you like this is still not enough in my life. I can¡¯t stop... I love you, I love you too much.¡± YanMingXiu¡¯s speed and intensity became more and more frightening making ZhouXiang gasped and panted continuously. The attack from each waves of passion is stronger and stronger. This kind of thrilling pleasure, like the bites from a million ants is almost killing him. He really can¡¯t stand it...

    ¡°Enough, it¡¯s really too... too fast... mnnh ah mnn... ah ah, MingXiu, too, too fast...¡±

    YanMingXiu is extremely knowledgeable with ZhouXiang¡¯s body, essentially aiming for that secret spot that would bring ZhouXiang to his climax with his every thrust. ZhouXiang couldn¡¯t help but twist his body. At the moment of climax, his entire person suddenly tensed, forcefully contracting his meat hole, bringing extreme pleasure to YanMingXiu.

    The moment when ZhouXiang came, YanMingXiu¡¯s body trembled and also came inside ZhouXiang¡¯s body. The two reached their climax at almost at the same time.

    The entire space seems to have been ignited by their heat.

    Even when YanMingXiu is so exhausted that he leaned on top of ZhouXiang, his tongue was still being mischievous as he licked the sweat from ZhouXiang¡¯s neck.

    It was a long time before ZhouXiang regained his senses from this dazed experience, his entire person feeling bewildered, ¡°You...where did you get the energy from?¡±

    YanMingXiu hugged his waist tightly. Even though he is very tired, his mental and physically satiation is enough to fill his entire world. He smiled lightly, ¡°As long as it is with you, I¡¯ll always have the energy.¡±

    ZhouXiang caressed his hair, ¡°Fuck, very sleepy... and tired, I can¡¯t... have to sleep.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to shower?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to move.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you shower, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh...¡± ZhouXiang muttered, ¡°Forget it...¡±

    YanMingXiu embraced him tightly and softly voiced, ¡°You¡¯re sweaty. You can catch a cold. Let me rest for a bit, I¡¯ll help you wash, just sleep first.¡±

    ¡°Okay... don¡¯t call me.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call you.¡±

    ¡°MingXiu.¡±

    ¡°Mnnn?¡±

    ¡°I should¡¯ve sent some dumplings home with auntie today. Maybe your dad will eat it, it¡¯s really good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If he doesn¡¯t eat it, it¡¯s his loss.¡±

    ¡°Aigh, how could I forget...¡±

    ZhouXiang¡¯s voice got softer and softer.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, there is still New Year¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. New year¡¯s is fine too.¡±

    YanMingXiu kissed his mouth gently, ¡°Xiang Ge, I love you.¡±

    ¡°Ah.... I love you too.¡±

    ¡°Say it again.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I love you.¡±

    ¡°I also love you.¡±

    YanMingXiu very contently tightened his arms around ZhouXiang. To be able to hold ZhouXiang like this is enough in his entire life. If happiness canpletely make a person feel fulfilled, then his heart is happily brimming full without the slightest gap.

    He¡¯s very grateful to God for bringing ZhouXiang back to him.

    The End

    <b>Trantor:</b>

    And this is the end of this emotional journey. Thank you all for reading. We¡¯ve started posting this story daily on May 12, 2019. It has almost been four months. To those of you who have diligently followed along EVERY single day and those of you who followedter, a VERY BIG THANKS. At times, the story was very intense with all the cliffhangers..and there were quite a few of them. There were days of hanging in suspense, frustrations, anger... days of nail-bitings, chair throwing.. some days ofughter and tears. This is truly a very intense emotional story with ups and downs. Thanks to Ms. Author Shui Qian Cheng (Ë®Ç§Ø©) for doing such a superb job in making us feel such emotions.

    All that said... For some of you, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a relief that the story has finally ended, while some might have to go through some separation anxiety, withdrawal after habitually following this story. I¡¯m sure the author appreciates all the love this story has received from you all.

    For those of you who don¡¯t know, RosySpell are BL trantors consisting of two women, Rosy and Lavender. We both have full-time careers. Additionally, Rosy is a mom of four young children. Reading BLs and tranting is one of the hobbies we enjoy doing in our spare time. Professional Substitute is our fourthpleted tranted work. Some of you have followed us from three years ago and read all four of them. We are also very appreciative. Along with all thements you have written, we¡¯ve read it all, even if it was written in differentnguages (read through google trante. LOL). The experience we have received and the interaction makes the stories so much more interesting.... For once in our tranted works, with Professional Substitute, there was a nned attack on one of the story¡¯s character.... Hahaha LOL, stillughing every time I think about it. This is truly memorable. LOL...Again.. thanks much for everything.

    So whats next?

    We¡¯re definitely taking a break, but we have all along been very slowly working on tranting a short story by Feng Nong. She is also a great author. If you haven¡¯t read her story Yesterday (on wattpad), do give it a try. She also wrote Fen Yu Jiu Tian, however she neverpleted the story. But I read that it is being produced into a drama, likely bromance like Untamed. Any case....as our usual, we won¡¯t be posting any of our stories until it ispletely tranted...so this short story we are working on will likely be posted some time next year.

    If you have any questions for us or have any rmendations, please don¡¯t hesitate toment or message us. We¡¯re always on the look out, trying to find that next story that captivates us enough to want to trante it.

    Until next time......HAPPY READING.....wish you all the best.

    <b>RosySpell</b>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!