《Rear-End Collision》


 CH 1

    April 9, 2023Merchie


    On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Li Yangxiao was driving his father¡¯s little Xiali, worming his way through the chaotic stream of traffic with difficulty.


    His deskmate and secret crush in high school, Song Chang, was sitting in the passenger seat, holding up a diamond ring and examining it with squinted eyes. After a long while, he commented: ¡°The diamond doesn¡¯t look as shiny as it did in the store earlier.¡±


    ¡°The lights in the store are pretty bright,¡± Li Yangxiao cast the ring a sidelong glance, ¡°It¡¯s not bad though, it was 50,000, after all. My sister-in-law has a discerning eye for the value of goods.¡±


    Song Chang carefully placed the ring back into its box. His fingers brushed over the box¡¯s crimson velvet surface, and he laughed in embarrassment: ¡°Mm¡­ it¡¯s actually pretty disturbing.¡±


    Li Yangxiao also laughed. Just as he was about to reply, Song Chang¡¯s phone rang. Song Chang answered the call, and spoke in a silky tone to the person on the other end:


    ¡°I¡¯m with Yangxiao¡­ Mm, we drank a bit¡­ No, I was just happy to see my buddy ¡­ Ah? You cut your hand, are you all right? Why weren¡¯t you more careful¡­ does it still hurt?¡±


    Li Yangxiao stared at the rear of the car in front of him, and his brows knitted almost imperceptibly. He felt the urge to turn on the car radio, but fearing that it would expose the annoyance at the bottom of his heart, he restrained himself.


    The faint scent of alcohol was spreading through the car; it was coming from Song Chang.


    The two had not seen each other in a year and a half. When they met for lunch, Song Chang had brought a bottle of red wine with him. Li Yangxiao had driven, and his tolerance for alcohol was not the best; when he drank too much, he would break into rashes, so he sat at the side and watched Song Chang drink.


    Song Chang drank until his cheeks were flushed red. He poured his heart out to Li Yangxiao; in the end, he dropped a bombshell, saying that he was planning on proposing to his girlfriend, Cai Shan. Li Yangxiao¡¯s smile immediately dropped, and he was thoroughly stunned for a few seconds. But he tried his best to keep up appearances1 and endured the sadness in his heart. Not only did he congratulate him profusely on the spot, but he also warmly offered to accompany Song Chang to the jewelry store to pick out an engagement ring after lunch.


    When Li Yangxiao was picking out the ring, his thoughts were not nearly that pure. He purposely picked an expensive one: 50,000 yuan; for Li Yangxiao, who was in an assload of debt, this was already very pricey. He could not explain what was going through his head at the time either; perhaps he wanted to see a hint of embarrassment flit across Song Chang¡¯s expression, so as to degrade the grand image of Song Chang he had in his mind. Perhaps he wanted to hear Song Chang express even the slightest bit of reluctance, so that he could prove that Song Chang did not love his girlfriend that much.


    But Song Chang did not even blink, and quickly swiped his card.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this one. Yangxiao, your eye¡¯s better than mine¡­ I trust you.¡± Song Chang had said this before he swiped his card.


    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a surprise for you¡­ That¡¯s right, you definitely won¡¯t be able to guess what it is! Ai, no¡­ wrong, still wrong, you¡¯re such a dummy, stop guessing¡­¡± Song Chang¡¯s phone call dragged on and on.


    Li Yangxiao grew more and more annoyed as he listened, and thought to himself: people who are in love really do find idiots to be delightful.


    The rear of the car in front of them finally moved a short distance away. Li Yangxiao lightly stepped on the accelerator; the little Xiali drove slowly for less than 10 meters, before Li Yangxiao stomped on the brakes and stopped the car.


    In the next second, an extremely loud ¡°bang¨C¡± sounded, and the car shook furiously for a moment.


    Beside him, Song Chang was still holding his phone. He shot a shocked glance at Li Yangxiao, ¡°W-what exploded?¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Li Yangxiao quickly figured out what had happened, and glanced back as he said, ¡°Damn it, we¡¯ve been rear-ended!¡±


    Song Chang was probably very intoxicated at this point. His face was full of confusion, and he froze for a moment before he regained his senses. The faint sound of someone¡¯s voice came from the phone, and Song Chang turned toward it and said: ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, we got rear-ended, we¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    It had happened so suddenly. Li Yangxiao was stunned for a few seconds, before he felt a slight pain in his heart2. He had probably been frightened by the thunderous noise earlier.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s terror had calmed slightly, but rage immediately rushed up into his throat. When he saw that beside him, Song Chang was still murmuring into his phone: ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, babe¡­¡±, his fury flooded out. He angrily shoved open the car door and walked quickly toward the car behind them. He cursed: ¡°Fuck, how can you drive like that, are you blind?! My¡­¡± He had not finished speaking when the owner of that car stepped out.


    That man had a buzz cut. His shoulders were wide, and his legs were long; he was at least 1.85 meters. The contours of his face were sharp, and his eyes looked especially fierce and cutting. He wore a slight frown, his expression filled with the same irritation as Li Yangxiao¡¯s.


    At the same moment, Li Yangxiao also caught a full view of the car¨Cit was a black Porsche Cayenne.


    So, his anger immediately subsided quite a bit, and he said his next few words with a pale face: ¡°¡­ The bumper¡¯s been crushed to pieces¡­¡±


    However, Li Yangxiao quickly realized that he was in the right in this situation. Although the man in front of him did not look like someone to mess with, he had no way to vent his rage, so Li Yangxiao planned on going all out¨Cand give the owner of that Cayenne a thorough scolding.


    Li Yangxiao had just opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single word, Chi Mingyao¨Cthe owner of that Cayenne¨Cspoke first, in a tone that was also filled with suppressed anger: ¡°The car behind me hit me.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Li Yangxiao froze.


    Chi Mingyao did not answer him, instead walking to the rear of his car and glancing over it.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s gaze passed over to the area behind the Cayenne; only then did he realize that this was a chain of rear-end collisions¨Cthree cars had crashed into each other, and the Cayenne had become the filling of the sandwich cookie. He walked over as well, and caught a clear view of the culprit: it was a Honda.


    At this moment, the driver of the Honda also stepped out of the car, wearing a distraught expression. He looked quite young, like a high school student. The other two teenagers who came out also looked panicked, staring at the Cayenne¡¯s rear, at a loss.


    As the unlucky filling of the sandwich cookie, the Cayenne actually had not sustained too much damage during the crash. There was only a slight dent on the bumper, and a small patch of paint had been rubbed off. Compared to Li Yangxiao¡¯s little Xiali, the damage to the Cayenne was minimal. But with the price dangling over its head, fixing minimal damage would probably cost more than a dozen little Xialis.


    Chi Mingyao bent over and stared at the dented area for a few seconds, before he straightened up and took out a cigarette. He slowly lit it, blew out a puff of smoke, before he asked that group of boys: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ge3, I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡­¡± The boy who had been driving looked like he was about to cry, ¡°We¡¯ve never been out in the world before, so when we saw there was a Cayenne in front of us, we started joking around. We weren¡¯t paying attention for a second and we crashed¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Ge¡­ All of us are still students¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± It was obvious that Chi Mingyao did not want to listen to his nonsensical excuses. He tapped the ash out of his cigarette and interrupted him, ¡°It¡¯s no use crying to me about it. This car is my friend¡¯s. I need to make a call first.¡±


    Chi Mingyao walked a few steps to the side of the road, took out his phone and dialed a number. The boy turned his face away, wiping it a few times with the back of his hand; he was crying.


    Li Yangxiao had originally planned on directing his anger toward that little rascal, but the boy was crying silently in a way that made him unable to bear to do so. He was also quite good-looking. As a connoisseur of beautiful faces, Li Yangxiao simply quashed his fiery rage, and even took a few photos of the boy¡¯s shoulders, before comforting him: ¡°Hey, as long as everyone¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if I had died in the crash,¡± The boy turned his face away, his voice choked with sobs, ¡°Where am I going to get the money to pay him¡­¡±


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s chest had been suffocated by a ball of rage, but because that sentence carried a tinge of sadness, he sighed, and walked to the back of his little Xiali. He squatted down and examined the dented area, before he grabbed the trunk lid, opening and closing it a few times.


    At this moment, Song Chang also got out of the car, still holding his phone; it appeared that he had finished consoling his girlfriend. He walked to Li Yangxiao¡¯s side, and asked about the situation, before he comforted him: ¡°As long as everyone¡¯s all right, your car is insured¡­¡±


    As he spoke, he looked up and spotted the car behind the Xiali, and blurted: ¡°What the fuck! Yangxiao, this Cayenne crashed into you?!¡±


    In this small town, Mercedes-Benz and BMW were still uncommon, let alone a Cayenne ¡°in the flesh¡±. Within a few seconds, the crowd that had witnessed the luxury car get hit formed a large circle. Li Yangxiao¡¯s little Xiali, which hardly ever attracted the attention of a crowd, was now shivering in front of the Cayenne, utterly disgraced.


    Li Yangxiao did not think that the little Xiali was embarrassing at all. His mind was filled with the scene of his father, pointing at the tip of his nose and chastising ¡°you wasteful thing¡±; it was quite a lousy feeling.


    The voice of the driver of the Cayenne on the side of the road was blown in and out of Li Yangxiao¡¯s ears by the wind: ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sorry, the car was hit on both sides¡­ Mm, it was rear-ended. There aren¡¯t any big problems with the front, but the rear bumper is a little dented ¡­ All right, do you want to take a look? I¡¯m at Hengmao¡­¡±


    Song Chang also overheard this. He turned and asked Li Yangxiao in shock: ¡°That¡¯s not his car?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his friend¡¯s,¡± Li Yangxiao cast the man a glance, and said, ¡°Judging by how well he¡¯s handling the situation, he¡¯s probably another big shot4.¡±


    Song Chang nodded and said: ¡°Right, birds of a feather flock together¡­ Achoo!¡± He rubbed his nose, before he sneezed again, ¡°¨CAchoo!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not sick, are you? Sit in the car, there¡¯s nothing much going on out here. Let¡¯s wait for the traffic police to take care of it.¡± As Li Yangxiao spoke, he grabbed Song Chang¡¯s shoulder, and shoved him into the car, leaving no room for protest.


    Chi Mingyao¡¯s call had ended; he walked over to the boy who had been driving behind him and said: ¡°My friend will come here in a bit to take a look.¡± Then, he leaned against the car door to smoke.


    Li Yangxiao was squatting by the side of the road, smoking, when he happened to catch a glimpse of Chi Mingyao¡¯s side profile. It was dusk, and night had not yet fallen. Chi Mingyao was wearing a crisp black overcoat and was smoking leisurely. The contours of his face were deep, and the lines from the brow bone to the bridge of the nose were particularly smooth and beautiful. Judging from his height and appearance, he almost looked like he was mixed-race.


    Li Yangxiao had not seen a handsome man with such vivid features in a long time. For a moment, he forgot to avert his eyes, transfixed.


    Chi Mingyao¡¯s expression appeared calm, but in truth, he was also quite vexed. A single Cayenne did not mean much to him, but the issue was that this car was not his; it was Xu Yan¡¯s. His and Xu Yan¡¯s relationship could not be considered very good, but after he heard that Chi Mingyao would be staying in W City for three days, he insisted on lending him his new Cayenne.


    Now, this was just great. The car had been crashed; even if it was fixed, he would owe Xu Yan a big favor, and that made Chi Mingyao feel very irritated. And at this very moment, he was even more irritated; not far away, the owner of the Xiali had been staring at him for quite a long while.


    Was he trying to pick a fight, or blackmail him? Chi Mingyao could not keep himself from turning his head to meet Li Yangxiao¡¯s stare.


    In the instant when their eyes met, Chi Mingyao realized that Li Yangxiao did not seem to harbor any ill intentions, since he quickly averted his gaze; there was even the uneasiness of being discovered hanging on his face.


    Chi Mingyao frowned. He thought that this man looked very familiar; it seemed like he had seen him somewhere before, but at this moment, he could not recall where.


    He put out his cigarette and walked up to Li Yangxiao, towering over him.


    Li Yangxiao was nervous for a moment. He did not know why Chi Mingyao had suddenly walked over. This man¡¯s demeanor was too intense, and it made him feel a sense of pressure. He felt someone¡¯s gaze over his head shooting daggers down at him, so he lifted his head and looked at Chi Mingyao, before he asked: ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Just now, what were you looking at?¡± Chi Mingyao asked expressionlessly.


    Li Yangxiao looked at him, and the ¡°The fuck are you looking at? So what if I was looking at you!¡± joke happened to flash through his mind, before he let out a rather inappropriate laugh. He even choked on the smoke that he had inhaled, and coughed for a long while before he managed to stop.


    ¡°N-nothing¨Ccough cough,¡± Li Yangxiao waved the smoke out of his eyes in embarrassment, ¡°Cough cough cough¨C¡°


    Chi Mingyao was a bit speechless. He took a step to the side, and asked straightforwardly: ¡°Have I seen you somewhere before?¡±


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s coughs stopped.


    In that instant, he almost cried from joy; this was his first time getting recognized! Although it did not seem like he had made much of an impression, he still made an impression!


    He raised his head and looked at Chi Mingyao with a face full of disbelief, and asked dumbly: ¡°Was it in a movie?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an actor?¡± Chi Mingyao asked.


    Li Yangxiao nodded furiously, his expression full of eagerness as he looked at Chi Mingyao, hoping that in the next second, he would name a film that he had acted in.


    But Chi Mingyao only ¡°oh¡±d indifferently and did not say anything more.


    Chi Mingyao watched the expression of the man in front of him change, and the corners of his lips twitched imperceptibly. He did not watch movies often, and even when he did, they were older films, so he was sure that he had not seen this person in a movie. However, since he said that he was an actor, that made things easier¨CAlthough Chi Mingyao was not too interested in movie stars, people in his friend group would occasionally bring a few rising stars to get-togethers. It was very likely that the man in front of him had slept with one of his friends before. When Chi Mingyao thought of this, his eyes drifted down to Li Yangxiao once more.


    To his credit, this man was actually quite attractive. Although he sounded a bit stupid when he spoke, he had a cool aura about him when he kept his mouth shut. His eyes were especially beautiful¨Cit seemed like he matched the tastes of a few of his friends.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s hopeful expression had already disappeared. At this moment, he could not help but feel a bit disappointed. Earlier, in that instant, he had thought that he had encountered a fan¨Cso far, this type of creature had never once appeared in his life.

 CH 2

    April 11, 2023Merchie


    Li Yangxiao realized that the chain of changing emotions that had flashed across his face earlier had all been noticed by the man beside him. He felt quite embarrassed and wanted to find a crack in the ground to fling himself into. But this man refused to move his feet; he stood beside him and relit his cigarette. So, Li Yangxiao could only stand up himself, walk to the little Xiali, open the car door and sit inside.


    Song Chang had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. His face was flushed red from intoxication. Li Yangxiao stared at him for a long while, before he lowered his gaze and sighed.


    At this time, an employee from the insurance company had hurried over, and was taking photos of the crashed vehicle. Li Yangxiao got out of the car and jogged over to take a look, before he walked to the side of the road and waved his hand to call a taxi.


    ¡°Song Chang,¡± Li Yangxiao opened the car door. He leaned down and patted Song Chang¡¯s face, ¡°Song Chang, I called a taxi for you. You should go back first.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The after-effects of the red wine were very potent; Song Chang appeared to be quite drunk. With great effort, he opened his misty, drunken eyes, ¡°How long before everything¡¯s taken care of?¡±


    ¡°The traffic police haven¡¯t arrived yet, and there¡¯s a traffic jam. It¡¯ll probably be a while, you should go home first. You¡¯re really drunk, it wouldn¡¯t be good if you caught a cold.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Song Chang stiffly waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll stay and wait with you for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I already called a taxi for you. The driver¡¯s already waiting at the side of the road. It¡¯s nothing serious, you should hurry back home.¡±


    After Li Yangxiao persuaded him in every way possible, he finally succeeded in convincing Song Chang to leave.


    Fearing that he would catch a cold was one reason; the other reason was that right now, Li Yangxiao did not want to see him¨Che was feeling a bit upset. Song Chang was his high school deskmate, his first real crush. At that time, if Song Chang had not been by his side, supporting him and encouraging him, perhaps he would have given up pursuing his path of becoming an actor¨Calthough his journey was not going too smoothly at the moment.


    This was a fruitless secret crush. There were too many feelings that had been stuck in his chest, unable to be expressed, that had continued to fester. In the end, they vanished into thin air, never to see the light of day.


    Li Yangxiao watched as the taxi slowly drove away, and he acted out a dramatic goodbye scene in his mind.


    In his brain, heavy snow suddenly began to fall. He chased that taxi through the snowflake-filled air, sprinting and shouting, bidding a deeply emotional farewell to his youth and secret crush.


    It was a pity that the weather would not cooperate with him. The northwest wind made the air especially dry. Forget about the heavy snow; one would not even be able to see a single raindrop. The traffic jam on the road was also ridiculous¨Cdue to this chain of rear-end collisions, the other two lanes had become even more congested; five minutes had already passed, yet the taxi Song Chang was in had moved less than 10 meters.


    Because of this, Li Yangxiao found the scene in his own mind to be hilarious.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s mind would act out these strange imaginary scenarios quite frequently; things got even worse in the year after he graduated¨Cfortunately, he knew how to entertain himself. Otherwise, it would not be good if these episodes ended up causing him depression.


    Chi Mingyao had been staring at him from behind for a long while. Just now, when Li Yangxiao stood up, he thought that, while this man¡¯s stature seemed unremarkable, he was actually quite tall. He fit the ¡°pretty face, pretty body¡± standard that his friends were always rambling about. He just did not know which one of his friends Li Yangxiao had slept with before.


    In the next second, Chi Mingyao saw Li Yangxiao, whose expression had been somber just a moment ago, suddenly let out a laugh¨Cthe kind of laugh that was filled with amusement.


    ¡°He¡¯s fucking mental.¡± These three words immediately popped up in Chi Mingyao¡¯s mind, before he turned and looked away.


    Li Yangxiao stood beside his car, bored out of his mind as he waited for the traffic police to arrive. But as he blinked, he spotted a very familiar face.


    The man had arrived along with the traffic police. After he got out of the car, he walked toward Chi Mingyao and called out to him in greeting. Chi Mingyao walked over, and the two stood beside the Cayenne. The man leaned down and looked over the damaged area, before he straightened up, and the two of them began to discuss something.


    ¨CIt appeared that this was the Cayenne¡¯s real owner.


    Li Yangxiao did not dare to stare directly at him as he had earlier, but he could not help but cast several glances in his direction¨Che looked incredibly familiar, like one of his classmates from high school.


    Cheng¡­ no, Lu¡­ no, Yang¡­ not that either, Xu¡­ Xu Yan! Right!


    The moment he recalled this name, memories from high school swirled throughout his mind, before they quickly bubbled out.


    Li Yangxiao remembered everything. This person had pursued him for a period of time in high school! The moment this string of memories popped up, Li Yangxiao immediately opened the door of the little Xiali and swiftly sat inside.


    Back in high school, Li Yangxiao had been praised by all the girls in a rather ignorant way. Besides Song Chang, he had never looked at anyone else. On the main page of W City High School¡¯s online forum, Li Yangxiao¡¯s name took up most of the page. All the girls who were even the slightest bit pretty were said to have been involved with him, so no one suspected that Li Yangxiao was gay; the girls all thought that he was pure and virtuous, and this handsome boy showed all the signs of being exactly that.


    As for Xu Yan, if he had not pursued Li Yangxiao¨Cand had not been so fervent in his pursuit¨CLi Yangxiao would not have noticed him at all. In other words, he did not remember Xu Yan, but merely the fact that he was also gay.


    However, no matter how highly regarded he had been back then, the Li Yangxiao of the present had truly fallen from grace¨Che had been too embarrassed to attend the class reunion a few days earlier, with the excuse that he could not go because of work, that he deeply regretted it and so on.


    Li Yangxiao was staring at the windshield, reminiscing about the past, when someone knocked on the left window: it was a traffic officer. He did not want to get out of the car, so he rolled the window down and asked: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Could you come out for a moment? I need to get a better picture of the situation.¡± After the traffic officer finished, he sniffed the inside of the car, ¡°Why does it smell like alcohol in your car? Have you been drinking?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ my friend was, he just left. I was the one driving.¡± Li Yangxiao explained.


    ¡°Come out so I can test your blood alcohol level.¡± The officer said.


    Li Yangxiao had no choice but to push the car door open and follow the traffic officer as he walked toward Xu Yan.


    During the breathalyzer test, Li Yangxiao deliberately turned so that the side of his body was facing Xu Yan¨Che did not want to be recognized. He would not have cared if it was anyone else, but this man was Xu Yan, the guy who had once chased after him. And now he was even driving a Porsche Cayenne.


    But God obviously did not want to grant his wish. Just as he returned the breathalyzer to the traffic officer and was about to turn around and get back into the car, Xu Yan called out from nearby: ¡°Hey? Is that Li Yangxiao?!¡±


    In Li Yangxiao¡¯s imagination, he was supposed to slowly twist his neck around, and say with an expressionless face: ¡°Nope, you¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± Then, with leisurely steps, he would leave Xu Yan with nothing more than his emotionless receding back.


    But those thoughts were just that: thoughts. Li Yangxiao rolled his eyes and quickly put on a very well-practiced grin. He turned as he said: ¡°Huh?! Xu Yan! Long time no see!¡±


    Then, the two warmly shook hands, with Xu Yan jiggling his arm up and down.


    ¡°I never expected to meet you here! You didn¡¯t go to the reunion a few days ago, everyone was talking about you!¡±


    Li Yangxiao answered with an extremely regretful smile: ¡°Ai, right. I couldn¡¯t make it, I just got back yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Song Chang said that you¡¯re staying in Beijing for work. What are you doing that¡¯s got you so busy?¡±


    Li Yangxiao continued to smile: ¡°Hai1! What work, it¡¯s just a bit role.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too modest!¡± Xu Yan slapped Li Yangxiao¡¯s shoulder, ¡°What, is that car up front yours?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my dad¡¯s.¡± Li Yangxiao smiled as he spoke. At this moment, he came to understand the sentence that boy had uttered earlier: ¡°It would¡¯ve been better if I had died in the crash.¡±


    ¨CHe and Song Chang could have been lovebirds in death2.


    Xu Yan obviously noticed the little Xiali parked in front of his Cayenne, but he was quite considerate. The boy standing at the side had cried until his face resembled a rain-drenched pear blossom and his voice was hoarse. Li Yangxiao cast him a sympathetic glance. He also had no idea what to do; if it were him, he would probably have considered prostituting himself.


    ¡°What use is there in crying? Where are your parents?¡± Xu Yan was annoyed by his sobs and walked over to ask.


    The boy could only shake his head; he was crying so hard that he was hiccupping.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to take care of your problems today. You should go home and think of something, and wait for me to contact you again. Give me your number first.¡± Xu Yan noted the phone number, before he turned and grabbed Li Yangxiao¡¯s shoulder again, smiling as he said: ¡°I finally got a hold of you, let¡¯s have a meal together. Oh right, I haven¡¯t introduced him to you yet. This is Chi Mingyao, Young Master Chi, the vice-chairman of Mingtai Group. Yangxiao, you¡¯re in the entertainment industry, surely you know who Young Master Chi is?¡±


    Li Yangxiao was not in the entertainment industry yet, so he had never heard of Chi Mingyao. But judging by Xu Yan¡¯s tone, this man was a prestigious figure, so he pretended to have an epiphany: ¡°Oh¡­ Young Master Chi, I¡¯ve heard so much about you!¡±


    Chi Mingyao looked at Li Yangxiao and laughed, the kind of laugh that was a bit disdainful¨Che could tell that Li Yangxiao was faking it.


    Xu Yan quickly introduced Li Yangxiao, before he slung an arm around each of their shoulders, saying that Chi Mingyao had to join them for a meal as well.


    Xu Yan¡¯s persuasion methods were very simple and down-to-earth: ¡°Yangxiao, aren¡¯t you going to give me some face3? Young Master Chi, what about you? If you don¡¯t come, you¡¯re going to make me look bad!¡±


    So, Chi Mingyao was very annoyed by him, and it was for the same reason that Li Yangxiao had rejected Xu Yan back then¨C this person¡¯s coarseness4 was far too obvious. But he had no choice; he had just crashed Xu Yan¡¯s Cayenne. Even if the boy behind him was to blame for this whole thing, no matter what the truth was, he had to give him some face.


    So, the three of them got into the Cayenne. Xu Yan had asked a traffic officer to drive the little Xiali away for repairs. Li Yangxiao could tell that Xu Yan now seemed to be one of W City¡¯s local tyrants.


    Once they were in the car, Xu Yan began to reminisce about their youth: ¡°Back then, Yangxiao was the only one in W City who got into the Central Academy of Drama. There¡¯s only one every few years, he¡¯s that exceptional!¡± Then, he turned back around, and asked point-blank, ¡°Hey, Yangxiao, I was chasing after you back then, remember?¡±


    Li Yangxiao restrained his desire to roar at him to shut up. With great difficulty, he maintained his composure, smiling as he nodded.


    After chattering away for a long while, Xu Yan finally paused for a moment. Li Yangxiao and Chi Mingyao were both sitting in the backseat row. He was feeling a bit uneasy¨CChi Mingyao¡¯s aura was too depressive and stuffy, and it was overwhelming; it infringed upon Li Yangxiao¡¯s comfort zone a bit.


    Li Yangxiao turned and looked out the window. Suddenly, he remembered the scene of him rejecting Xu Yan back then.


    At that time, Xu Yan had bought him 99 roses, and had wrapped them in a layer of light purple wrapping paper. He had stopped Li Yangxiao on his way home, before stammering a confession.


    Li Yangxiao immediately frowned as he said, ¡°Such a big bouquet, do you want my dad to beat me to death?¡±


    Xu Yan took out an envelope and handed it to Li Yangxiao, asking him to open it at home. Li Yangxiao immediately pulled out a pen and wrote on the back of the envelope: ¡°you are not my cup of tea¡±, before passing him the envelope and leaving.


    In Li Yangxiao¡¯s brain, he had translated the sentence very eloquently into ¡°ni bu shi wo de na bei cha5¡°


    For a long time afterwards, he thought that this rejection had been utterly brilliant. He felt that it had been very tactful, very poetic, and very Li Yangxiao.


    But he obviously did not expect that Xu Yan, who had never passed English, had gone onto Baidu that night and obtained the translation: ¡°You are not my type!¡±, exclamation point and all.


    ¨CSo arrogant. That was Xu Yan¡¯s exact thought back then.


    Notes


    Wowiee, that¡¯s brutal.


    Thanks for reading~~

 CH 3

    April 13, 2023Merchie


    Once they got to the table, Xu Yan ordered a bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, and warmly stood up to pour the wine. He was all smiles as he asked Li Yangxiao: ¡°What movies has our big celebrity acted in?¡±


    Li Yangxiao feared being asked this question the most; for the past few days after he had come home for New Year¡¯s, he stayed out of the house from sunrise to sunset, just to avoid the interrogations from his aunts and great aunts. It was already the third day of the new year; Li Yangxiao thought he had managed to avoid everything perfectly. He did not expect that because of a rear-end collision, he would actually tumble right into Xu Yan¡¯s hands!


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s smile was very forced: ¡°They were all just a few unpopular melodramas. They¡¯ve never been shown in cinemas.¡±


    ¡°Oh, independent films? You¡¯re still as classy as ever.¡± Xu Yan sat down and took a sip of wine, ¡°No wonder my cinema has never shown any of your films before. True, it wouldn¡¯t matter if these trashy movies hadn¡¯t been made in the first place.¡±


    Li Yangxiao laughed dryly and did not respond. He thought to himself, this little rascal Xu Yan had actually gotten smarter. He had learned how to praise openly and mock inwardly, and even managed to slip in the fact that he had opened his own cinema.


    Seeing that Li Yangxiao was not saying anything, Xu Yan began trying to curry favor with Chi Mingyao. He passed Chi Mingyao a cigarette, and politely leaned over to light it for him: ¡°That kid from earlier looked like he was still a student. When he goes home and tells his parents about this, do you think they¡¯ll break his legs?¡±


    Chi Mingyao took a puff of the cigarette and said with narrowed eyes: ¡°I¡¯ll cover the repair fees for now. I¡¯ll find someone to take care of this later. You should stay out of this.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do! It¡¯s my fault too. I was the one who insisted on showing off by lending you my Cayenne. Now that this has happened, I¡¯m feeling really embarrassed!¡±


    Chi Mingyao let out a very quiet chuckle. He had never met anyone with a face as thick as Xu Yan¡¯s; he probably would not be able to return this favor so easily.


    At this moment, Li Yangxiao spoke up: ¡°Xu Yan, how are you planning to deal with this? What if that boy can¡¯t repay the money?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t repay the money?¡± Xu Yan exhaled a mouthful of smoke, ¡°We can settle it in court, then.¡±


    ¡°Is there any other way? For example, by making him work at your place? Or set a deadline and allow him to pay you back slowly? ¡± Li Yangxiao laughed sheepishly; he really felt sorry for that boy, ¡°I thought about this. If it happened to me¡­¡± Li Yangxiao raised his hand to rub his nose and did not continue.


    ¡°Aiyo¡­ you¡¯re such a big celebrity and you¡¯re worried about such a small sum of money? Yangxiao, I think you¡¯ve acted in too many melodramas, they¡¯ve made you far too sentimental¡­¡±


    Li Yangxiao smiled and did not say anything more. Every time Xu Yan called him a big celebrity, it made him feel a bit uncomfortable.


    ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you acquainted with Young Master Chi now? He¡¯s got all sorts of industry connections, after all.¡± Xu Yan looked at Chi Mingyao and said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Young Master Chi?¡±


    The corners of Chi Mingyao¡¯s mouth twitched, and he laughed enigmatically.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s add each other on WeChat. Yangxiao, in the future, if you run into any problems in Beijing, just ask Young Master Chi to take care of it. But it has to be something important! After all, Young Master Chi¡¯s status is pretty obvious!¡±


    Chi Mingyao tapped the ash out of his cigarette, lifting his eyes to glance at Xu Yan. He had the slight urge to flip the table over and walk out.


    Of course, the reason Chi Mingyao was still sitting here was not merely because of a crashed Cayenne, but also because the cinemas owned by Xu Yan and his family were doing quite well. For the last two years, Mingtai Group had been trying to put more resources into the film distribution and the cinema business; if they could become business partners with the Xu family, then Mingtai Group would have an almost complete monopoly on the cinema chains in W City. In the past, Mingtai Group¡¯s dealings in the film industry had been overseen by Chi Mingyao¡¯s older brother, Chi Mingkai. But Chi Mingkai had gone out of the country to visit his mother-in-law for New Year¡¯s, so he had entrusted this important task to Chi Mingyao.


    So for the moment, Chi Mingyao remained seated, watching Xu Yan make a fool out of himself.


    Li Yangxiao had obviously noticed the displeasure in Chi Mingyao¡¯s expression. He knew that in revealing his connection to Chi Mingyao, he was trying to prove how much he was thriving. Li Yangxiao¡¯s phobia of embarrassment had been thoroughly exploited. He thought to himself, how the fuck could this idiot have opened a cinema? And how could he be driving a Porsche Cayenne?!


    Under Xu Yan¡¯s watchful gaze, Li Yangxiao was forced to add Chi Mingyao as a friend. The two had not exchanged many words during the meal, relying solely on Xu Yan¡¯s mouth to carry the the duration of the dinner.


    Li Yangxiao felt quite depressed as he ate this meal. Fortunately, in the two years after he graduated, he had honed his ninja skills1. Otherwise, with the temperament he had while he was still in school, he would have dusted his ass off and left a long time ago.


    Once they were done eating, Chi Mingyao came up with an excuse and left first. Xu Yan insisted on dropping Li Yangxiao off. He called a driver and sat with Li Yangxiao in the backseat row.


    They were halfway there, when Xu Yan leaned against the backseat and said to Li Yangxiao, his words slurred: ¡°Li Yangxiao, do you remember, back in school¡­ your eyeballs were on the top of your head. Be honest, back then, you really looked down on me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Li Yangxiao could tell that he was very drunk, so he did not answer.


    ¡°Now¡­ now, you¡¯re a big celebrity, so why have your eyeballs grown back upside-down, ah?¡± Xu Yan straightened up, leaning toward Li Yangxiao as he spoke.


    Li Yangxiao suddenly felt a bit sad. He did not understand how the boy who had stuttered a confession to him back then would know how down-and-out his life had become, yet he would use his words to humiliate him time and time again. Li Yangxiao thought back to the past; at that time, he really had been a little arrogant, but his excessive pride and aloofness had stemmed from the fear concealed in his heart¨Cthe fear that, because he was gay, he would be completely incompatible with those around him. Besides, after he found out that Xu Yan was also gay, his opinion of Xu Yan had actually become a little less indifferent.


    Ai, how could it become such a mess? Li Yangxiao sighed.


    Xu Yan was still leaning in, staring at him, trying to pressure him into speaking.


    ¡°Xu Yan,¡± Li Yangxiao lifted his head to look at him. The car was dark and cramped, which made Xu Yan¡¯s eyes seem especially bright, ¡°I¡¯m not some big celebrity. I can¡¯t even be called a celebrity. I don¡¯t act in those trashy movies not because I don¡¯t want to, but because the movies that make it to theaters don¡¯t want me. But the reason my eyes have grown back upside-down isn¡¯t because of how shitty my life has become. It¡¯s because now, I understand that everyone has struggles, and that no one needs to look down on anyone.¡±


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s sudden insight made Xu Yan freeze for a moment. He leaned back into the seat again, closed his eyes, and did not say anything more.


    Li Yangxiao got out of Xu Yan¡¯s car and paced outside the door for a while. He did not want to go home¨Cthe little Xiali had been wrecked; although it was not his fault in the slightest, that definitely would not spare him from a scolding from his father.


    In the morning, the director who had informed him that he had passed the audition had given him the news that he had found a more suitable candidate,


    At noon, the man he had secretly loved for eight years had told him, red-faced, that he was going to propose to someone else,


    In the afternoon, he had been minding his own business, driving a little Xiali, yet he had been involved in a chain of rear-end collisions,


    And in the evening, the person who had pursued him in high school drove up in a Porsche Cayenne and had called him a ¡°big celebrity¡± over and over again just to humiliate him¨C


    This man was so unlucky that cold water would clog the gaps of his teeth2. Li Yangxiao was someone who had a profound understanding of that sentence¡¯s meaning.


    Notes


    Noo, this is like a quadruple whammy ;-;


    Thanks for reading~

 CH 4

    April 15, 2023Merchie


    The next morning, Li Yangxiao left with a suitcase in hand¨Cbefore the new year, he had accepted an offer for an online short film, and shooting was about to start. It had been a long time since Li Yangxiao had acted in a decent movie. When he was out of a job, he relied on acting in short films and cover modeling to make money¨Cfor an actor, this was just too low of an income.


    Just as Li Yangxiao stepped out of the apartment, he happened to glimpse a BMW parked at the side of the road. Xu Yan pushed the car door open and walked toward him.


    Li Yangxiao pretended not to have noticed him, and made a beeline for the side of the road to call a taxi.


    ¡°Hey, Yangxiao, are you going back to Beijing?¡± Xu Yan followed him, still acting as though they were a pair of old friends, ¡°This early?¡±


    Li Yangxiao said nothing. He took out his phone to call a taxi.


    Xu Yan reached out and covered the screen with his hand: ¡°You¡¯re going to the airport? Let me take you.¡±


    Li Yangxiao said rudely: ¡°The train station.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ same thing, same thing,¡± Xu Yan grabbed Li Yangxiao¡¯s arm and dragged him toward the BMW, ¡°I drove here, so I¡¯ll give you a ride.¡±


    Li Yangxiao was dragged for a few steps, before he yanked his arm away, shaking Xu Yan¡¯s hand off. He took a step back, and looked straight at Xu Yan as he said: ¡°We don¡¯t know each other, do we?¡±


    ¡°Ai, Yangxiao, yesterday, I was the one who spoke out of turn. I drank too much, please don¡¯t take it personally.¡±


    It was rare for Xu Yan to look embarrassed, ¡°See, I got up early this morning just to apologize to you.¡± After he finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Li Yangxiao, ¡°Li Yangxiao, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Then, he continued to maintain this bowing posture, and did not straighten up.


    Li Yangxiao was in a hurry to catch the train and was not in the mood to listen to him ramble, so he waved his hand and said: ¡°Forget it, I accept your apology. But Xu Yan, I really have to go, I don¡¯t have time to joke around with you.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Xu Yan finally straightened up and walked over, taking Li Yangxiao¡¯s suitcase, ¡°I said I¡¯d give you a ride, no joking around.¡±


    Li Yangxiao could not dissuade Xu Yan and was dragged into the car. In the car, Xu Yan¡¯s expression was quite sincere: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Yangxiao. Being an actor is all about luck. Once you get lucky, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make it big. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ve bumped into me, which means that luck is already on your side.¡±


    Li Yangxiao turned his head to the window, and replied carelessly: ¡°Is that so? Then I hope you don¡¯t mind blessing me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t work in Beijing, but I have some friends there. Let me find some people and have them introduce you to their contacts in the industry.¡± Xu Yan kept looking over at Li Yangxiao as he drove, ¡°Once your movie hits cinemas, all of the cinemas in W City will only show your film. The screening rate will be 100%, which will guarantee high box office sales and make the movie stand out.¡±


    Li Yangxiao could not help but giggle. Xu Yan was still the same idiot from high school, and he still had that thuggish temperament, which he knew all too well.


    Xu Yan saw that Li Yangxiao¡¯s face had finally relaxed. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to ask boldly, ¡°Hey, Yangxiao, you say that your circumstances are no worse than those of popular actors, and you have a professional background, so why haven¡¯t you been able to act in any theatrically released films?¡±


    At the mention of this, Li Yangxiao felt a bit upset. He sighed: ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°Just tell it to me. We still have half an hour before we reach the station.¡±


    Xu Yan was a bit of an idiot, but when talking with him, one found it very easy to open their guarded heart, so Li Yangxiao opened his mouth: ¡°Before I graduated, a TV drama asked me to play a sidekick, it was one of those super meaningful, ¡®sappy, trashy shows¡¯. Back then, I was too proud. I wanted to have a decent debut work, so I turned down the offer without even thinking about it. After that, I went to audition for a movie I really wanted to act in. I was selected, but after two months of training, I was shoved out by a demoted actor. Even later on, I probably screwed myself out of all my luck, so it all ended up like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Ai, I knew it, you couldn¡¯t have fallen that low! It¡¯s okay, you had too much luck before, so God wanted to humble you. Now you¡¯re out of luck, but then you happened to run into me! The guy who had dinner with us last night,¡± Xu Yan turned the steering wheel and made a turn, ¡°Chi Mingyao, his big brother is the one who oversees Mingtai Group¡¯s dealings in the entertainment industry. I¡¯ll tell him about this and ask him to keep an eye out for opportunities for you.¡±


    Li Yangxiao laughed, and said sincerely: ¡°Thank you, Xu Yan.¡±


    Li Yangxiao boarded the bullet train and found a seat. He gazed at the scenery as it flew past him, sighing as countless emotions surged through his mind.


    Earlier, during his conversation with Xu Yan, he had actually left out one detail. Besides the two opportunities he had mentioned, a year earlier, he had also gotten another chance to appear on the big screen.


    During that stretch of time, he had been extremely anxious. He had become acquainted with a big shot from the capital through a friend. That man had taken a liking to Li Yangxiao, and had generously proposed to ¡°take care¡± of him. In a moment of impulsivity, Li Yangxiao agreed.


    However, just as he had been sitting beside the bed, fidgeting in unease, Song Chang happened to call and ask how he was doing. As he listened to the sounds of the man taking a shower, he immediately felt disgusted with himself; when he answered, he was on the verge of tears. Song Chang must have noticed that Li Yangxiao was not in the best mood, so he said to him: ¡°Yangxiao, don¡¯t worry, take it slow. Being an actor is a process of waiting and experiencing, and all your waiting and experience will bring you great wealth. No experience is wasted.¡± He also joked: ¡°When you become a big celebrity in the future, and you¡¯re asked to play a depressed young actor, it¡¯ll be a piece of cake, no?¡±


    Li Yangxiao had started to cry right then and there, his tears splashing downward. But he did not want to let Song Chang hear him crying. He said, ¡°But what if I can¡¯t wait? Song Chang, I haven¡¯t gotten a role in almost a year, I¡¯m going to starve to death¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you worrying about that? Do you still consider me a bro or not? Let me tell you that I, your bro, make 15,000 a month! Now multiply that by 161! And there¡¯s a year-end bonus too, which can¡¯t be less than dozens of thousands! I encourage you to mooch off my meals. With your appetite, you couldn¡¯t possibly eat me into poverty. Think of this as my investment in a future star. Just don¡¯t forget about me once you¡¯ve risen in the ranks.¡±


    Li Yangxiao was crying a river. After hanging up, he stared for a while at the faint figure visible through the clouded glass of the shower. Suddenly his heart dropped; he grabbed his phone and fled.


    When he returned home, he sent a text message to his ¡°financial backer¡± and apologized sincerely and profusely. His financial backer did not have much to say and simply replied with a ¡°No problem¡± and that was the end of it.


    Chi Mingyao stayed in W City for several more days and finally signed a business partnership agreement with the Xu family¡¯s cinema chain. To say that Xu Yan¡¯s face was thick was an understatement. Every day, he drove his crashed Cayenne around to pick up and drop off Chi Mingyao, refusing to send it for repairs. Chi Mingyao had mentioned several times that he could take care of it, but Xu Yan always brushed him off with an ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    Because of this little favor, the benefits Xu Yan would reap from this agreement would be enough to buy another Cayenne.


    But that wasn¡¯t all: in the days after Chi Mingyao returned to Beijing, Xu Yan called, informing him that the Cayenne had already been repaired.


    Chi Mingyao was dumbfounded; he called to tell him about this useless bullshit?! As expected, after mentioning the Cayenne, Xu Yan immediately brought up Li Yangxiao: ¡°Young Master Chi, you saw my friend sitting with me the other day. He¡¯s not bad looking and has had formal training. He¡¯s just unlucky. Could you help him out a bit, and make a few connections for him?¡±


    Back when he was in W City, Xu Yan had raised this subject to Chi Mingyao more than once. After hanging up, Chi Mingyao stared at his phone. He was extremely unhappy: it was fine that Xu Yan was gaining extra benefits from this business agreement, but now he wanted him to help this nobody of an actor make industry connections too? It was just a crashed Cayenne, how many favors do you want from me?


    The thing was, Xu Yan had been the one who had insisted on lending him his Cayenne. Chi Mingyao seriously suspected that Xu Yan had asked someone to crash into him. Moreover, at the dinner table that night, Chi Mingyao could tell that, although Xu Yan kept making snide remarks about Li Yangxiao, he obviously had not moved on; he wanted to try again and sleep with Li Yangxiao.


    Chi Mingyao lit a cigarette. As he exhaled a puff of smoke, he thought of something: Xu Yan wanted him to help Li Yangxiao build connections so that he could use this favor to get into bed with him, right? Then he would refuse to repay this favor properly, and make sure that Xu Yan would not be able to sleep with Li Yangxiao.


    Chi Mingyao pulled an ashtray over and tapped the ash out of his cigarette, before he picked up his phone, scrolled down to Li Yangxiao¡¯s WeChat, and sent him a message: ¡°Tomorrow, one of my friends is hosting a get-together, and a lot of big names in the entertainment industry will be there. Do you want to come with me, and take the opportunity to get to know some people?¡±


    Chi Mingyao gazed at the sent text, before he bit down on the end of his cigarette and laughed.


    He was going to make Li Yangxiao find his own financial backer. That way, everyone would be happy in the end: Li Yangxiao would have the resources he needed, he would have repaid his favor to Xu Yan, and Xu Yan would not be able to sleep with Li Yangxiao.


    He could exact his revenge without being blamed for it, and make Xu Yan suffer a terrible loss.


    Li Yangxiao had finished his afternoon workout. Drenched in sweat, he took out his phone, looked at it, and was stunned: Chi Mingyao actually agreed to do this for Xu Yan?!


    Truthfully, although this was not the first time that Xu Yan had bragged to him, saying that he could introduce him to industry contacts, Li Yangxiao had not taken him seriously. Even though Xu Yan had become W City¡¯s top tyrant, he was far from the most influential figure. There were obviously more than a hundred Chi Mingyaos that stood between Xu Yan and the core resources of the entertainment industry. And from what Li Yangxiao had seen that night, Chi Mingyao was actually quite annoyed by Xu Yan.


    But this piece of information made Li Yangxiao see Xu Yan in a new light: so Xu Yan was actually a master of the Thick Black Theory2, while he, Li Yangxiao, was the complete idiot!


    Notes


    Thanks for reading~ a quick update, I will probably have to start uploading slower, on weekends only, since I have to study ;-; My apologies!

 CH 5

    Merchie9-11 minutes 23.04.2023


    That night, Li Yangxiao faced the mismatched pieces of clothing in his closet, unable to choose between them: Should I wear something formal, or something more leisurely? Something trendy, or something more low-key?


    In order to avoid an awkward situation from happening, Li Yangxiao chose his words carefully and sent a text message to Chi Mingyao: ¡°Young Master Chi, what kind of style is tomorrow¡¯s party? Do I need to wear a suit?¡± After he sent the text, he sat down on the bed and waited for Chi Mingyao¡¯s reply.


    Chi Mingyao was at a dinner, discussing business relations. After he received the text, he replied carelessly: ¡°Dress casually.¡± Then, he stopped bothering with Li Yangxiao.


    Once the dinner was over, Chi Mingyao went home and laid down on his bed, when he suddenly thought of a problem: If I bring him to the party tomorrow and he¡¯s dressed too casually, what if no one¡¯s in the market for him? So, he sent a voice message to Li Yangxiao: ¡°Don¡¯t dress too casually. Just wear something tight-fitting. It would be best if you made yourself look younger.¡±


    After Li Yangxiao received this voice message, he did not think much of it. Youthful-looking males were all the rage nowadays, and young age had become an overwhelming advantage. He had even thought self-deprecatingly that, if he could actually become famous in the future, he would probably be classified as a late bloomer.


    Chi Mingyao laid in bed, smoking. He thought for a moment before he sent another text: ¡°What¡¯s your address? I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow.¡±


    ¨CXu Yan, oh, Xu Yan. I¡¯ve returned this favor tenfold.


    ***


    On the evening of the next day, Li Yangxiao had tidied himself up and stood at the side of the road, waiting for Chi Mingyao.


    Li Yangxiao had come out 20 minutes early. After waiting for a while, he felt a bit bored. He was feeling the urge to smoke, but out of fear that it would downgrade his image if he reeked of cigarettes, he resisted it.


    Since he was dying of boredom, Li Yangxiao began to act out scenes in his mind again: he imagined that after he became famous, he would also drive a luxury car. When that time came, he would be the same as that Chi Mingyao from the other night, showered in rays of sunlight, leaning against his car and smoking in a leisurely manner.


    As he thought of this, he could not restrain his curiosity; what kind of car would Chi Mingyao drive over here? Judging by how much Xu Yan was sucking up to him at the dinner table, it would probably be a little more high-end than a Cayenne, right?


    A Ferrari? A Land Rover? A Bentley? A Rolls-Royce Phantom? ¡­ It couldn¡¯t be a Bugatti, right?


    Li Yangxiao could not help but imagine the future, as he waited for a luxury car bathed in an emerald-green glow to pierce through the dusk and drive toward him¨C so as his mind wandered, he did not even notice that a car had parked in front of him.


    When Chi Mingyao parked the car at the side of the road, he saw Li Yangxiao, who appeared to be eagerly awaiting something, so he could not help but call out rudely: ¡°Hey, what are you looking at? Are you waiting for your beloved to pick you up in a luxury car that¡¯s riding on sunlit clouds?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Only then did Li Yangxiao come back to his senses. He saw Chi Mingyao staring at him with a frown, impatience written all over his face. He hurriedly apologized, ¡°My mind was wandering earlier, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and get in.¡± Chi Mingyao jerked his head to the side, signaling for him to sit in the passenger seat.


    When Li Yangxiao walked around the front of the car to door on the other side, he could not help but glance at the car logo¨Cit was not some high-end luxury car brand, but rather a Volkswagen. It has to be a more high-end brand of Volkswagen, right? This thought crossed Li Yangxiao¡¯s mind.


    This glance was noticed by Chi Mingyao, so just as Li Yangxiao closed the car door, he spoke up again: ¡°Are you going to take pictures? Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Yangxiao turned his head to look at him, confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t people like you enjoy sitting in luxury cars and taking pictures?¡± Chi Mingyao gave him the side-eye, ¡°What? Does this car not meet the standards of being photographed?¡±


    Li Yangxiao immediately understood what he meant. So Chi Mingyao had already stuck a label on him, and had sorted him into a certain group of people. He looked down, put on his seat belt, and smiled as he said: ¡°I¡¯ve already taken so many, I can make do without this one.¡±


    Chi Mingyao chuckled, before he twisted the key and started the car.


    The pair did not exchange a single word along the way.


    The party was being held at the top floor of an upscale nightclub.


    When Li Yangxiao followed Chi Mingyao inside, there were already a few dozen people standing in the banquet hall, clustered in groups of twos and threes, drinking wine together and joking around.


    Chi Mingyao walked straight toward the large, ring-shaped bar in the center of the hall. There was a shelf displaying a neat row of expensive bottles of red wine, of which there were at least a hundred.


    A waiter carrying several glasses of wine walked over. Chi Mingyao took one and passed it to Li Yangxiao: ¡°Drink as much as you want.¡± After Li Yangxiao took the glass, he retrieved a glass for himself, before he leaned against the bar counter, and looked around to see what kind of people had come to attend tonight¡¯s party.


    ¡°In a bit, I¡¯m going to introduce a few people to you,¡± Chi Mingyao tilted his head toward Li Yangxiao, and said in a low voice, ¡°They all have an abundance of funds. If you¡¯re interested in any of them, just keep chatting with them by yourself, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°By myself?¡± Li Yangxiao¡¯s eyes widened, and he pointed at himself.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Chi Mingyao gave him a rare smile, ¡°Relax.¡±


    As Li Yangxiao held his glass, he noticed that there was something wrong.


    Not far away was a cluster of people. They glanced back at Li Yangxiao, before they all huddled back together, whispering amongst themselves. Right after that, another group of people looked toward Li Yangxiao as well.


    Li Yangxiao felt a bit uneasy, so he turned his back to them, turning a red wine bottle in his hands and reciting the English words.


    Chi Mingyao was looking around, trying to find some acquaintances. Truthfully, he did not attend these sorts of parties often, so most people were merely familiar faces to him. As for who had assets, and who would take a liking to Li Yangxiao, he really had no way of knowing, so he first planned on finding an acquaintance who could serve as a go-between.


    However, Chi Mingyao also quickly noticed that something was not right. More and more people were looking toward Li Yangxiao. Some people were merely casting him a casual glance, while others were frequently turning their heads to him; it was as though they were trying to confirm something.


    No way.


    He was this popular? Chi Mingyao could not help but glance at Li Yangxiao, who was standing with his back to him: his appearance was quite eye-catching. His waist was slim and his legs were long, but he never thought that Li Yangxiao actually had the charm to enchant the whole crowd!


    At this moment, someone walked toward Chi Mingyao. It was one of his friends, Cao Ye. In an instant, he grabbed Chi Mingyao¡¯s shoulder, leaned into his ear, and said in a low voice: ¡°Mingyao, what are you doing? Are you trying to pick a fight1 with that grandson2, Chen Rui?¡±


    A puzzled expression appeared on Chi Mingyao¡¯s face.


    Cao Ye took out his phone and swiped down to a WeChat group. He tapped on the chat history, scrolled down, and found a photo, before he held the phone out to Chi Mingyao and pointed at Li Yangxiao, whose back was turned to them. He mouthed: ¡°Is it him?¡±


    Chi Mingyao finally realized why Li Yangxiao looked so familiar to him at first glance. He had seen this picture before!


    He quickly pulled Cao Ye to the side: ¡°Fuck me, what is going on here? Chen Rui¡¯s slept with him before?¡±


    ¡°Li Yangxiao, is that his name?¡± Cao Ye narrowed his eyes and took a puff of his cigarette, ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one that Chen Rui threatened to blacklist before? What are you saying? You don¡¯t know about that?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have brought him here.¡± Chi Mingyao took the cigarette Cao Ye handed to him, ¡°When did this happen? How could I not have known about something like this?¡±


    ¡°Half a year ago? My memory¡¯s a little fuzzy.¡± Cao Ye looked in Li Yangxiao¡¯s direction and laughed, ¡°This kid was pretty ballsy though. Back then, they had already come to an agreement. Chen Rui had washed himself inside and out. The moment he got out of the shower, shit, where is he?!¡±


    ¡°You know about all these details? Chen Rui said it himself?¡±


    ¡°Miao Yu told me in private afterward. That night,¡± Cao Ye leaned into Chi Mingyao¡¯s ear, and said in a low voice, ¡°Chen Rui was planning on asking him to have a threesome with them.¡±


    Chi Mingyao frowned. He instinctively felt a bit sick to his stomach.


    Notes


    NOOOO HE SAID IT WAS FINE


    Thanks for reading~

 CH 6

    April 30, 2023Merchie


    ¡°Chen Rui¡¯s coming today?¡± Chi Mingyao asked.


    ¡°What do you think? You¡¯re a rare visitor, but he¡¯s a regular.¡± As he spoke, Cao Ye leaned closer to Chi Mingyao and laughed, ¡°Earlier, I thought that you had brought that Young Master Li here in order to show Chen Rui up.¡±


    Chi Mingyao scoffed: ¡°I have no interest in getting involved with this mess. I was planning on introducing a financial backer to him in order to return a favor.¡±


    ¡°But he really is attractive. Such a pity.¡± Cao Ye squinted at Li Yangxiao.


    ¡°All right, I don¡¯t have time to talk nonsense with you, I¡¯m going to take him away first. When Chen Rui comes, help me stall him for a bit. No matter how despicable he is, he would never throw his shame away for a little actor.¡± After Chi Mingyao finished speaking, he stuffed his wine glass into Cao Ye¡¯s hand and patted his shoulder, before he turned and walked toward Li Yangxiao.


    Li Yangxiao was still reading the English words on the wine bottle. At this point, he was so bored that he had opened Google Translate.


    Chi Mingyao walked up to him and hooked an arm around his neck. He leaned down and said into his ear: ¡°Come with me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Li Yangxiao put his phone away and followed Chi Mingyao out.


    During their brief walk, a few very polite people greeted Chi Mingyao. Although Chi Mingyao did not know any of them very well, he nodded cordially and smiled back at them.


    While they were waiting for the elevator, Chi Mingyao fiddled with the car keys in his hand, and asked Li Yangxiao: ¡°Do you know Chen Rui?¡±


    Li Yangxiao immediately looked up at Chi Mingyao. There was a trace of alarm in his gaze: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Chen Rui¡¯s also coming today.¡± Chi Mingyao¡¯s eyes shifted away as he spoke with nonchalance.


    Li Yangxiao froze for a moment, and he did not speak for a long while.


    The elevator was slowly ascending from the third floor. Chi Mingyao took out a cigarette case, and passed a cigarette to Li Yangxiao. Only then did Li Yangxiao¡¯s eyes flit downward, as he said: ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Chi Mingyao held his cigarette in his mouth and lowered his head to light it.


    Just as Chi Mingyao took his first puff of smoke, a ¡°ding¡± sounded. The elevator doors opened, and several people walked in.


    ¡°Hey, Young Master Chi?¡± One of those people stopped, and the others immediately halted as well, ¡°What an honor, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    Chi Mingyao shook the hand that the man extended to him: ¡°Director1 Chen, I hope you¡¯ve been well.¡±


    At this moment, when Li Yangxiao, who was standing behind Chi Mingyao, looked up, he froze again¨Cthis person was the man Chi Mingyao had just mentioned, Chen Rui.


    ¡°And this is¨C?¡± That man looked toward Li Yangxiao. Their eyes met, and the topic of conversation instantly diverted, ¡°Oh, an old acquaintance. Li Yangxiao, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡±


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s smile was a bit stiff: ¡°Ah, Director Chen. You still remember me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t just remember you. You really left a deep impression.¡± Chen Rui smiled, and even reached out to gently pat Li Yangxiao¡¯s face, ¡°Beauties¡­ always leave a very deep impression.¡±


    Then, he looked at Chi Mingyao again, and smiled: ¡°Young Master Chi, you¡¯re leaving? Have I come too late?¡±


    ¡°I have something to take care of,¡± Chi Mingyao¡¯s lips tugged into a perfunctory smile, ¡°Let¡¯s meet up again some other time.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, ¡± Chen Rui took a step back, and placidly raised a hand, ¡°Stay safe on your way back.¡±


    The elevator doors closed. The pair stood in the tiny pocket of space, when Chi Mingyao exhaled a breath of smoke, stretching his neck as he said: ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain what happened?¡±


    Li Yangxiao looked up at him: ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you think.¡±


    Although Chi Mingyao was only five or six centimeters taller than him, his imposing aura was much stronger.


    ¡°What do you mean? I heard that you were already sitting on his bed before you ran out of there?¡± Chi Mingyao leaned against the wall of the elevator, and laughed rakishly, ¡°Li Yangxiao, you really are something else. I didn¡¯t expect that you would be this interesting.¡±


    Seeing that Li Yangxiao did not respond, Chi Mingyao asked: ¡°At that time, what was your thought process?¡±


    Li Yangxiao took out his cigarette case and pulled a cigarette out. He held it in his mouth, his head lowered as he fumbled with the lighter. Chi Mingyao reached over and pressed the lighter. Li Yangxiao leaned forward a bit, and lit his cigarette with the flickering flame. Then, he said: ¡°Nothing much. The person I liked at the time called me.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± The elevator door opened, and Chi Mingyao walked out, ¡°Huh, so you could afford to give it all up. Did you two get together?¡±


    Li Yangxiao shook his head.


    ¡°You lost your wife and the army too2?¡± Chi Mingyao glanced at him, before he quickened his pace, walking in front of Li Yangxiao.


    Li Yangxiao followed behind Chi Mingyao. He was a bit confused about the meaning of those words.


    Lost my wife¡­ and the army too? What does ¡°losing the army¡± mean?


    Li Yangxiao sat in the car and buckled his seatbelt. Only then did he cautiously ask Chi Mingyao: ¡°Young Master Chi, that phrase you said just now¡­ what does it mean?¡±


    ¡°What phrase?¡± Chi Mingyao opened the car¡¯s sunroof.


    ¡°That phrase about losing my wife and the army too¡­ what does ¡®losing the army¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡°You offended Chen Rui, does that not count as ¡®losing the army¡¯?¡± Chi Mingyao reached out the window and tapped the ash out of his cigarette, ¡°Chen Rui¡¯s always bouncing around the entertainment industry. What kind of result were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°But back then¡­ I apologized to Director Chen, and he said that it was no problem.¡±


    ¡°Is there really no problem just because he says there isn¡¯t? You really are naive.¡± Chi Mingyao leaned his head against the seat, and cast an amused glance at Li Yangxiao, ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell from the outside, but you¡¯re pretty simple-minded.¡±


    ¡°But Director Chen¡­ didn¡¯t make me pay the penalty sum for breaching the contract.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re funny. Do you think Chen Rui needs your money?¡± Chi Mingyao started the car before adding, ¡°To tell you the truth, Chen Rui is extremely perverted and petty. It¡¯s not a bad thing that you ran away back then, but it absolutely isn¡¯t a good thing either. Because you¡¯re probably already blacklisted by Chen Rui.¡±


    ¡°As for how thoroughly blacklisted you are, I¡¯m not too sure right now either. If you want to know, I can ask around for you.¡±


    ¡°But tonight in the banquet hall, there were quite a few people looking over at you, no? Judging by this situation, the impact radius can¡¯t have been too small.¡±


    After Chi Mingyao finished, he focused on driving. Li Yangxiao sat beside him; after listening to those words, he did not say anything more.


    This person was really quite ignorant. He had been blacklisted for the better part of year, but he had no idea? Chi Mingyao found this to be utterly unbelievable.


    Chi Mingyao drove back the way they had come. After he dropped Li Yangxiao off at home, he planned on giving Xu Yan a call and explaining this situation to him ¨Cit was not that Chi Mingyao did not want to help him, it was just that the mistake Li Yangxiao had made was too great. He and Chen Rui were not on the best of terms anyway, so it was too difficult for him to interfere in this matter.


    ¡°We turn left up front, right?¡± As he was about to pass a four-way intersection, Chi Mingyao looked at the road ahead and asked.


    He waited for a long while, yet Li Yangxiao had still said nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m turning, all right?¡± Chi Mingyao twisted the steering wheel and turned, before he looked over at Li Yangxiao.


    This single glance made him freeze. Li Yangxiao was crying. His cheeks were already covered in tear tracks.


    More accurately speaking, Li Yangxiao was merely shedding tears, because he had not made a single sound.


    When Li Yangxiao cried, his lower eyelids would flush red, and he would exude a thorough aura of beauty. So at this moment, a single thought flashed through Chi Mingyao¡¯s mind¨Cthis guy would probably be able to get famous by acting in crying scenes.


    Notes


    HUG HIM YOU LOAF


    Thanks for reading~ Sorry I couldn¡¯t get this out on Saturday¡­

 CH 7

    May 11, 2023Merchie


    Li Yangxiao wept in silence, which made Chi Mingyao feel a bit bad for him. So he opened his mouth to comfort him: ¡°If you can¡¯t get a role, do something else. Being an actor isn¡¯t all sunshine and rainbows. If you encounter a pervert like Chen Rui, you¡¯d better not be fucked to death by him.¡±


    Li Yangxiao remained silent. He merely tilted his face toward the window, as though he did not want a stranger to see how he looked while he cried.


    He recalled that during his high school days, because he had insisted on taking the arts examination1, the teachers had all approached him one after the other and tried to persuade him to keep his feet on the ground; he recalled the fights he had with his parents in the name of becoming an actor and how he had borrowed money to take the arts examination in another city; to this day, the relationship between father and son had never warmed up. He recalled the time when he had just been accepted into university; a teacher who was about to retire had praised him as a budding star during the first class.


    These memories already seemed so distant. But in a single moment, they all returned with perfect clarity. He did not know that he would actually be able to remember them so clearly.


    Everyone once dreamed of becoming an actor, but how many of them had actually been able to make that dream a reality? Li Yangxiao had thought that he would be one of them, but he never expected that this dream had quietly come to an end half a year ago, and all this time, he had had no idea.


    He had thought that he was at the cusp of realizing this dream.


    He had thought that he was very lucky, that all he needed to do was wait for a bit. But it was only during this period that he realized that all of the waiting he had done in the past was all for nothing.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s grief was so intense that it almost seemed to infect Chi Mingyao with the same emotions.


    Chi Mingyao sighed inaudibly and cast another glance at Li Yangxiao: why was he crying like this? It was as if, along with his tears, never-ending sorrow was pouring down alongside his tears. This kind of silent weeping seemed to carry a deeper sense of despair than sobbing until one¡¯s voice was hoarse.


    Chi Mingyao pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Li Yangxiao. Li Yangxiao did not take them, so Chi Mingyao placed them on Li Yangxiao¡¯s leg, before he said: ¡°Think about it. Doing something else is pretty good too. If you really can¡¯t find something else to do, you can come to my place. I¡¯ll see if I can find someone to get you a job.¡±


    Li Yangxiao laughed; it seemed to be laced with derision. He was still looking out the window as he said: ¡°What do you know.¡±


    Chi Mingyao had comforted him out of goodwill, but he was not about to take a jab from him. He could not help but retort mockingly: ¡°What? Acting is still your dream?¡±


    Li Yangxiao did not respond; it was as though he was not in the mood to acknowledge him.


    When they arrived, Chi Mingyao pulled over to the sidewalk and parked the car. He was regretting his reply just now; what was the point of one-upping someone who was in such a sad, sorry state?


    On top of that, those words he had just said had probably stabbed Li Yangxiao¡¯s sore spot; it had been a little too rude.


    Chi Mingyao felt like a bit of a bastard. He wanted to tell Li Yangxiao, ¡°Stop crying, I¡¯ll help you see if I have any contacts that match up with you.¡± Just as he was about to open his mouth, Li Yangxiao spoke, his eyes pinned in front, ¡°Chi Mingyao, have you ever heard this saying?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chi Mingyao froze.


    ¡°Unlike you young masters, we have to put forth all our effort just to live2.¡± Li Yangxiao¡¯s voice was very calm, without any trace of a sob. After he finished speaking, he pushed open the car door and got out without sparing Chi Mingyao a single glance.


    Chi Mingyao watched as Li Yangxiao walked past the front of his car, and said in a low voice, ¡°Fuck.¡±


    After Li Yangxiao returned home, he laid face-up on his bed. He looked at the paper memos stuck all over the wall. They were crammed with lines, all in his own handwriting¨Cevery morning, he would wake up and practice these lines. He had kept this habit up for years now.


    But now, he felt desperate and lost. He did not know in which direction to take his next step. He reached for his pillow and buried his face in it.


    If he could not act, what should he do?


    Chi Mingyao had already made it very clear to him that getting blacklisted by Chen Rui meant that he would never be able to enter the mainstream entertainment industry. And if one wanted their movie to be in cinemas, they would have to make connections with all sorts of big shots. Li Yangxiao had never participated in any of these complicated operations, but he knew that his career as an actor was basically dead.


    Of course, if he acted in a few boring short films and did a few modeling gigs, he would earn enough to scrape by. But now, he did not even have the slightest hope for the future; what was the point of doing any of this? If he could not do the things he wanted to do, what was the point of living? Just to earn enough to make ends meet, to live just to live? Then would this long life of his be very boring?


    Li Yangxiao did not leave the house for a week. Every day, he sat at home, letting his imagination run wild, to the point that he was about to turn himself into a philosopher.


    One day, after he finished his takeout, Li Yangxiao held the takeout box and began to contemplate life again. Xu Yan had called, asking if Chi Mingyao had introduced him to any industry contacts.


    Li Yangxiao faced his phone and said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Young Master Chi is pretty diligent. He said he¡¯d look out for anything, and that he¡¯d contact me soon.¡±


    Xu Yan said: ¡°Then make sure to tell me if there¡¯s any news.¡±


    Li Yangxiao agreed, and Xu Yan said: ¡°After shooting¡¯s over, I¡¯ll visit you. Yangxiao, when that time comes, food¡¯s on you.¡±


    This single sentence threw Li Yangxiao back to reality. He suddenly realized why Xu Yan had so kindly helped to introduce him to industry contacts: it was not because of their relationship as former classmates. It was merely a fair exchange.


    An exchange of industry contacts and funds for his body; this could not be much better than that time with Chen Rui.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s heart thumped with fear, but he forced a laugh and said: ¡°Of course, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After hanging up, Li Yangxiao immediately blocked Xu Yan on every platform.


    After a moment of thought, he found Chi Mingyao¡¯s WeChat contact and blocked him as well.


    Since he would never be able to get into the entertainment industry, all of these people who had anything to do with it could get out of his life.


    Since the dream he had held onto for over a decade had now been destroyed, he had to live with a little more dignity.


    Li Yangxiao felt that he had thought it through: from today onward, he would not act in accordance with others¡¯ opinions. He would live freely.


    In order to bid a thorough farewell to the past, Li Yangxiao found his previous films and watched them all again.


    Then, he planned out a new path for himself, something that was completely different from what he had done in the past, a path that he had never once thought about.


    Even if he could not be an actor, he did not plan on living a dull, boring life. He wanted to do something special.


    That same afternoon, Chi Mingyao and his elder brother Chi Mingkai were having a rare meal together. In their company was a director who had gained some reputation in the past year; he had come looking for Chi Mingkai to discuss an investment deal in a drama.


    In the middle of the meal, Chi Mingkai left to take a call. One could tell that he was obviously not very interested in this drama.


    The director, named Xu Junzhi, stood up. He reached out toward Chi Mingkai¡¯s back, wanting to say something more, but Chi Mingkai left quickly and closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Ai, your brother doesn¡¯t want to invest in this project anymore. The director sat down dejectedly, ¡°Last year¡¯s drama didn¡¯t receive the expected viewership.¡±


    ¡°You want to focus on movies this year, right?¡± Chi Mingyao asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And the main actors this time might not be able to entice the viewers. Your brother doesn¡¯t want to risk it.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Chi Mingyao asked casually.


    ¡°Wei Linlin and Xu Jingye.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve only gotten famous in the last two years, no? They¡¯re not very popular.¡±


    The director sighed: ¡°Ai, that¡¯s right. Originally, Zhang Xi was cast as the sidekick. In the end, his manager called, saying that this role was too plain, and that he feared it would affect his image afterward. As for who the role will go to, I still have to mull it over during the next two days.¡±


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s face suddenly flashed through Chi Mingyao¡¯s mind: his silent, tearstained face.


    That day, after he had sent Li Yangxiao home, this image often appeared in Chi Mingyao¡¯s mind. Whenever he sat in the Volkswagen Phaeton he had driven that day, he suddenly thought of Li Yangxiao. Then, inexplicably, he would feel a bit depressed.


    In the following days, he really could not handle it. He switched to driving a different car, but in the end, he would still think of Li Yangxiao.


    To witness the moment when a person¡¯s dreams were shattered was not easy; who did not have their own dream at some point?


    So, when Chi Mingyao was not paying attention, he asked: ¡°What kind of actor do you need?¡±


    ¡°Someone young, anything¡¯s fine as long as he¡¯s attractive. Nowadays, the only thing people look at is the face.¡± The director said.


    ¡°I have a friend,¡± Chi Mingyao said, ¡°He fits your requirements quite well. He just doesn¡¯t have much of a name for himself.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem. After all, it¡¯s just the sidekick, he¡¯s not going to be the one pulling in the viewers. Young Master Chi, do you have a picture? I¡¯ll take a look first.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll look through his Moments.¡± Chi Mingyao found Li Yangxiao¡¯s WeChat contact and tapped on his Moments page.


    Li Yangxiao had not made any new posts in years. The most recent one was a silly photo from New Year¡¯s Eve, in which he was crossing his eyes.


    Chi Mingyao scrolled down, trying to find a normal-looking picture. But after looking at just a few photos, he became a bit impatient: fucking mental, why are there people who insist on crossing their eyes in every picture? Is there something wrong with your brain?! Chi Mingyao cursed him in his mind.


    Only after tapping through a few photos did he find a normal-looking one. It was the one that Cao Ye had shown him the other day. It was probably the same one Chen Rui had painstakingly unearthed back then.


    Chi Mingyao handed his phone to the director: ¡°It¡¯s this guy, is he all right?¡±


    ¡°Th-this, isn¡¯t this that Yang¡­ Yang¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Li Yangxiao?¡± Chi Mingyao finished for him.


    ¡°Right! Isn¡¯t he the actor Rui-ge called useless before?¡±


    ¡°News really travels far and wide around here. You heard about it too?¡± Chi Mingyao was a bit speechless.


    ¡°Back then, it was spreading through chat groups. So many of mine received the news. Young Master Chi, will this be all right?¡± The director examined the photo, before he looked back up at Chi Mingyao.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Just see if he¡¯s all right or not. If he¡¯s good, cast him. If something happens, I¡¯ll sort it out.¡±


    ¡°All right then. Young Master Chi, why don¡¯t you have him send his previous works over for me to look at? I want to see how he acts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him.¡± Chi Mingyao took his phone back, exited the Moments page and sent a text to Li Yangxiao:


    ¡°Do you have any previous works?¡±


    It did not send. A system message appeared on the screen: ¡°The message is successfully sent but rejected by the user.¡±


    No way, he had just been able to view his Moments page! Was there something wrong with the system? Chi Mingyao closed the settings, and reopened WeChat. He sent the text again, but the result was still the same.


    Chi Mingyao found this to be a bit weird. He tapped on Li Yangxiao¡¯s Moments page again¨Cand discovered that he could not view any of the photos.


    Li Yangxiao had actually blocked him?!


    Chi Mingyao was about to throw his phone: just moments earlier, he, Chi Mingyao, had repaid ingratitude with kindness. Just as he had been about to give Li Yangxiao a helping hand, in less than a minute¡¯s time, Li Yangxiao had actually finished blocking him?!


    Notes


    Sorry for the delay ah~ Thanks for reading~

 CH 8

    May 18, 2023Merchie


    Chi Mingyao glared at the two lines of text on the screen for a long while, almost crushing his phone in his hand.


    The director noticed the change in his mood, and asked cautiously: ¡°What is it? He doesn¡¯t have any previous works?¡±


    Chi Mingyao felt a bit embarrassed, and did not mention the matter of Li Yangxiao blocking him. He closed the screen, threw his phone onto the table, and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t reply. He probably hasn¡¯t checked his phone yet. Let¡¯s wait.¡±


    The director nodded in agreement. He had wanted to ask if he should save this role for Li Yangxiao, but when he saw the discoloration of Chi Mingyao¡¯s complexion, he sensibly kept his mouth shut. After all, he was still counting on Chi Mingyao to put in a few good words for him in front of Chi Mingkai.


    For the first time in his life, Chi Mingyao had been blocked by someone¨Cand this person was some nameless actor. Chi Mingyao was in a terrible mood. He finally understood why Chen Rui had blacklisted Li Yangxiao; it must have been an even more ruthless, drastic solution he had come up with after resisting the urge to find Li Yangxiao and beat him up.


    Meanwhile, a few dozen kilometers away, Li Yangxiao had no idea of Chi Mingyao¡¯s current mood. He would never have expected that because of the simple action of blocking him, a high degree of empathy would be established between two people who could hardly stand each other.


    Li Yangxiao was busy mapping out his next steps. He planned on working as a bar singer for a period of time.


    This was one of the ideas he had in high school. Back then, he had thought about it more than once. If he could not become an actor in the future, he would go to a bar and work as a singer. In his second year of high school, he had once tried this idea out, and his experience was not unpleasant.


    Li Yangxiao¡¯s musical talents could not be compared to those of a trained singer, and he had never received any specialized vocal lessons. But he had good looks and knew how to have a good time. His voice was not bad either, so the bosses at every bar were happy to hire him.


    Li Yangxiao quickly picked out a bar ¡ª it was an obscure underground bar. Its name consisted of a single word: ¡°Burn¡±. In his fourth year at university, he had shot a short film about pole dancers there, and had even signed up for a pole dancing class for that very reason.


    The boss of the bar was a woman not much older than him. The two shared a kind of friendship. A few little-known independent actors would often gather at this bar ¨Calthough these people had fallen even lower than he had, this way he could at least stay a little closer to the path of becoming an actor.


    Even if he could not enter the entertainment industry, he could still become an actor. But Li Yangxiao had to take care of himself first. One could only continue to dream if they stayed alive.


    That night, Li Yangxiao took the train to that bar. The boss of the bar, Huang Ying, lived there. The moment she saw Li Yangxiao, she recognized him. She mixed a cocktail and slid it in front of him: ¡°It¡¯s on me.¡±


    ¡°Is there a lot of alcohol in it?¡± Li Yangxiao took the drink and asked.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t add any hard liquor. What, you want a different one?¡±


    ¡°No need for that, ¡± Li Yangxiao laughed, ¡°When I drink too much, I burst into rashes. I have a slight allergy to alcohol.¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s fine. Feel free to drink up. Oh yeah, why haven¡¯t I ever seen your movies at the cinema?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring that up, ¡± Li Yangxiao took a gulp of his drink, ¡°I offended someone, so I¡¯ve been blacklisted for almost a year.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s that bad? Who did you offend?¡±


    ¡°Do you know Chen Rui?¡± Li Yangxiao sat down on a bar stool.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him, but I¡¯ve never met him in person. How did you offend him?¡± Huang Ying passed him a cigarette.


    ¡°Ai, I don¡¯t want to talk about it, ¡± Li Yangxiao took the cigarette, lit it, and inhaled a mouthful of smoke. He asked directly, ¡°Do you need a singer here?¡±


    ¡°You want to work here? Then even if we don¡¯t need one, we¡¯ll have to make space for one.¡± Huang Ying glanced over him, smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking,¡± Li Yangxiao looked at her thoughtfully, ¡°I know English and Cantonese songs. Why don¡¯t I sing for an hour first so you can listen?¡±


    ¡°No way, you¡¯ve fallen this low?¡± Huang Ying stared at him.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to do something else, but a few directors often come to your place, don¡¯t they? I still want to do some acting occasionally. I¡¯m also doing some modeling, but the income from that isn¡¯t stable.¡± Li Yangxiao laughed a bit helplessly.


    That night, Li Yangxiao sang for an hour at the bar. Huang Ying agreed to hire him, and had given him good shift times, from 9pm to 11pm. But she had one condition for Li Yangxiao:


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know how to pole dance in university? Why don¡¯t you give us a little closing scene at eleven to liven up the mood? That¡¯ll be the intermission, so the atmosphere will be a bit more energetic. You¡¯ve got a bit of a cold personality. You won¡¯t be able to support yourself by just singing.¡±


    Li Yangxiao froze: ¡°Ah?¡±


    In his fourth year of university, in order to act in that short film, he had gone to pole dancing classes for two months. But he never expected Huang Ying to keep that in mind.


    ¡°If you can, I¡¯ll pay you the salary of a first-class bar singer. You don¡¯t have to do anything too difficult. As long as you¡¯ve got a few moves and you can bullshit people, that¡¯s fine. You¡¯d dance for four or five minutes, at most.¡±


    Li Yangxiao mulled it over and agreed. He would earn 3001 a night, so there was no reason for him to reject the offer.


    That same night, Chi Mingyao answered a call from Xu Yan. He was very impatient as he picked up, and heard Xu Yan say on the phone: ¡°Young Master Chi, do you know what¡¯s going on with Li Yangxiao?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chi Mingyao frowned as he asked.


    ¡°We talked over the phone just this afternoon, and he blocked me at night. Young Master Chi, did you introduce someone to him?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Chi Mingyao did not even want to acknowledge him, nor did he want to hear Li Yangxiao¡¯s name.


    ¡°Ai, I won¡¯t beat around the bush, Young Master Chi, I¡¯ll just tell you the truth. Did he turn around and deny you once he got what he needed?¡±


    Chi Mingyao immediately understood what Xu Yan meant. In an instant, his anger dissipated: although Li Yangxiao had not obtained any funds or industry contacts, he had unwittingly helped Chi Mingyao air his grievances. When he thought of Xu Yan in this exasperated state, he felt his whole body relax.


    He did not plan on bothering with Li Yangxiao any longer. This matter was over and done with.


    Three more days passed. Chi Mingyao was working overtime at the company when Cao Ye suddenly sent him a voice message: ¡°Hey, do you remember that Li Yangxiao you brought with you last time? I saw him tonight. Guess where?¡±


    Chi Mingyao did not want anything more to do with Li Yangxiao¡¯s name. After he listened to the voice message, he set his phone aside and did not reply.


    After a while, Cao Ye sent another message: ¡°At that bar I invested in! The one called ¡®Burn¡¯!¡±


    This was quickly followed by another voice message.


    ¡°He just did a round of pole dancing. It was pretty hot.¡±


    ¡°You know, although that bastard Chen Rui is a bit of a pervert, he¡¯s got a good eye for people.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s suffered so much that he has to pole dance. That has to be pretty shitty.¡±


    Pole dancing? He really did have some skill. Chi Mingyao smashed his phone onto the table and planned on ignoring Cao Ye. Judging by the voice messages, Cao Ye was a little tipsy.


    The following night, at 9pm, Chi Mingyao walked out of the company building. While he was waiting for the elevator, he received a text from that director: ¡°Young Master Chi, that Li Yangxiao you mentioned a few days ago, what¡¯s his WeChat? I¡¯ll add him and have him send me his works.¡±


    The director¡¯s words were tactful; in truth, he wanted to ask Chi Mingyao if he still wanted the role or not.


    But this text immediately made Chi Mingyao think of Li Yangxiao blocking him. With a scowl, he replied: ¡°Go look for someone else first.¡±


    For the past few days, Chi Mingyao had been driving that Volkswagen Phaeton. He had finally escaped the ¡°shadow¡± Li Yangxiao had left that day.


    But because of that text just now, he remembered Li Yangxiao, shedding tears as he sat in the passenger seat.


    He could cry like that, so how could he end up as a pole dancer?


    After much thought, Chi Mingyao was still puzzled. He felt that the way Li Yangxiao¡¯s brain was wired was really too weird. Was it because he had crossed his eyes too much?


    However, Chi Mingyao could not deny the curiosity in his heart: how would Li Yangxiao look as he pole danced?


    Wasn¡¯t pole dancing associated with pornography and carnal desire? But Li Yangxiao seemed like one of those lonely types.


    Someone who had sat on the bed of a financial backer before running away¡­ had actually run off to become a pole dancer?


    With a bellyful of doubt, Chi Mingyao made a turn at a three-way intersection. He was going to the bar called ¡°Burn¡± to take a look.


    Notes


    Sorry it¡¯s so late again! It looks like something fun is going to happen soon c;